Save your sanity, time & money!

Need solutions for the medication, medical appliances and/or medical travel that you can't afford? READ EMPOWER Yourself.

A Health Information Management professional, I survived a life-threatening emergency with information that only a person of my professional experience would know. And I’m sharing it!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Occupy Your Inner Healer

B'SD


4 Kislev 5772




Once in awhile I notice a bump in the sales figures for It’s MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry If I Need To: EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Holiday season has been one of those times. But today I noticed something different: a simultaneous rise in my Twitter followers! Apparently my readers appreciate the health-promoting tips I share there, too.
Join the crowd. Check out @yochevedgolani on


If you prefer, Find me on Facebook!




Occupy your Inner healer with great information that calms you down, organizes your medical and/or disability life and shows you how to save major amounts of money on healtchcare costs.







EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Buy the E-book or print edition at Booklocker.


Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Want a Present from the Heart for the Holidays?

B'SD


3 Kislev 5772




Help someone - perhaps yourself - to cope with medical problems, with a present from the heart for the holidays.


How much can one book do for you? Well, according to the medical and mental health professionals at http://booklocker.com/books/3067.html, A LOT!


Skip the crowds and pepper-spraying cruelty at shopping malls. Buy your copy online, today.




EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.

Monday, November 28, 2011

How to Cure Sadness at Holiday Season

B'SD

2 Kislev 5772



Hey, that high-stepping turkey looks happier than some of the people who survived this part of the holiday season. Somehow, holidays don't seem all that bright and cheerful when you're mourning the memories of loved ones no longer able to celebrate them with you.


Hanuka doesn't even look bright despite all those pretty candles.


Xmas and Kwanzaa seem to just bring you down with a sense of sadness and emptiness. But consider this: those holidays are about spiritual realities after all.
How about letting them help you?

Do yourself a favor. Look at this recreation of today's
http://jewishworldreview.com/ page and follow its directions. Click the link for it. You won't be sorry.


JWisdom.com
By Binyamin L. Jolkovsky
Please Listen to this Godcast
We are doing something VERY different. Most of today's 5-MINUTE offering is music. You will find it inspirational. At the very least, I can guarantee it will be thought provoking.
There's a backstory.
PLEASE give us your feedback!







Go ahead. Help yourself or someone you know to feel even better. Read the soothing thoughts and cost-cutting information in EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Buy it at Booklocker TODAY http://booklocker.com/books/3067.html!




Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Here's How to Cure Cramps, Blocked Sinuses and Hiccups!

B'SD


27 Cheshvan 5772




Triple-header today. Let's solve some of those mysterious maladies with one click on this Alternatively Speaking article.


Okay, that was easy enough. But what if you follow the above suggestions and still experience those late-night Charlie-horses/leg cramps? A-g-o-n-y, right?


If you suffer leg cramps and you're not pregnant (but even if you are), see the Coping with Pain chapter (it begins on page 32) of


There's a lot more problem-solving between the covers of the E-book and print edition. Order yours at


One more thought before I sign off today. I was at a meeting yesterday, in which psychologist Eli Shine informed business women about techniques for having more success in life. I was startled to hear him announce that a specific idea/premise he'd mentioned is found in EMPOWER Yourself! What an endorsement! We'd never met before.


I chatted with Eli after the meeting to let him know that there's one dynamite sentence for success in a forthcoming article I've written for MISHPACHA magazine's December 7 edition. He agreed with a BIG smile. Read it and let me know your thoughts about that ;^ D




EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.


Monday, November 21, 2011

Feeling Like the Turkey at Thanksgiving? Here's How to Restore Your Happiness!

B'SD


24 Cheshvan 5772




Ads all over the world show smiling people and glittering holiday decorations. But you? You're feeling down. Illness. Debt. Lousy relationships. Name the cause.

Americans are about to tuck into turkey dinner with all the trimmings (if you can afford them). Are you scared you'll gag on the food as you choke on negative emotions?

Here's some help to bypass the gastric upset no matter what's bothering you. Clear your mind and heart with this excerpt from




Action Alert

Shape Your Mind for Survival Mode.

Actions, ideas and emotions are very important realities to suffering people if they are physically ill or emotionally out of order. I went through an ordeal that could have broken the bodies and spirits of many people. I understood that I needed to take positive, life-saving actions, to think of positive ideas that strengthened me, and to take positive control of my emotions on many levels.

My medical team and I did not know if I would live past the surgical effort to save me. We knew that the tumor, left untreated, could kill me within the next two years. So, we needed to make our joint rescue efforts as rapidly and as effectively as possible. I needed to respond to every frightening, negative thought with an upbeat, healing thought. You do, too.

The worst thing that could have happened to me back then is that I would have failed to save my life. The BEST thing, however, was that if I succeeded I would have a life. One I wanted to live. You or your loved one may be in the same boat.

Develop a Survival-Mode Mind

In order to have the best happen, I needed to develop a plan of action to save my life and/or the quality of my remaining life. You need to do that, too.

Anyone with a medical crisis is in the same situation: you need to save a life. Yours or the life of someone you love. The quality of that endangered life is just as important as preserving it.

Write the name of the person whose life needs saving in the space provided here or in a keepsake notebook:




List the important actions, ideas, and emotions that can have a positive effect on that person (you and your loved one can prepare this list together):





If you need more space, add a clean piece of paper to the workbook and fill it out or use a keepsake notebook for these fill-in-the-blank exercises.

Create an Attitude of Acceptance

I accepted the very real surgical risk that I might survive with some physical or mental deficits. I did not want to live as a miserable cripple. But, if becoming crippled were to be my fate, I decided that I would be the most with-it, upbeat cripple I could be. I intended to be Yocheved Golani LIVE, not dead. Misery and bitterness are not for me. They cancel out survival and quality of life.

You have to make a similar decision. The Torah tells us to choose life. Mental health practitioners and their clients know that misery is spiritual death. Life is productive, spontaneous, and as happy as you can make it.

Make happiness a hobby. Respond to every frightening, negative thought with an upbeat, healing thought. On purpose.

Pretend that you're willing to explore new opportunities and methodologies until that willingness becomes a natural impulse. Repeated actions can teach you to react in creative, productive ways.

All of us have challenges to overcome. Georgia O'Keefe said it well: "Where I was born and where and how I have lived is unimportant. It is what I have done with where I have been that should be of interest."

Make a list of the difficult ideas and situations you must accept in order to go forward to as much health and dignity as possible (you and your loved ones can prepare this list together. Another person can make you aware of important ideas you haven’t thought of yet.):





If you need more space, add a clean piece of paper to the workbook and fill it out or use a keepsake notebook for these fill-in-the-blank exercises.

Here's a thought you might want to cling to as you groom yourself and others to promote your coping successes:

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you too, can become great." – Mark Twain, beloved American author

Move Beyond Your Sense of Shock: More About Acceptance

Dr. Judith Guedalia is a neuropsychologist at Shaarei Tzedek Hospital in Israel. She specializes in treating victims of terrorist acts. One of her healing techniques is to place her hands around the head of someone lying on a bloody stretcher in the Emergency Room and to ask the person to describe things. She asks them to tell her what they see, hear, and feel as she gently turns their head to face her, to look at the bustling lifesaving activity in the emergency area, and to examine the food she places in their mouths. Dr. Guedalia likes to give Bamba to terror victims. It's a treat with a commonly recognized flavor, associated with pleasant memories. She does all this to help the terror victim realize that they survived the bomb, knifing, or other danger to life. "Victims need to realize that they're alive, not dead," Dr. Guedalia says. "They need to leave their state of shock. Otherwise, it can last forever and they will never again feel joy, never heal."

We need to leave the state of shock that our medical crises give us. That frees us to be happy in the future, and to heal.

Use your senses to the fullest. Tap your feet, clap your hands, smile, walk, smell flowers or a baby's sweet scent, touch textures you enjoy, eat and drink things you desire and in moderation. Listen to sounds you like, such as birdsong, music, laughter, babbling brooks. Dance if at all possible. Giggle on purpose. Decorate your home along Feng Shui principles if you wish. They focus on and promote all kinds of health.

If you want help to remain positive, to pass from a state of shock to a state of active life, I suggest materials by:

Dr. Abraham Low, founder of the Recovery Method and author of Mental Health Through Will-Training. Participate in Recovery meetings if you can. These can be enormously helpful not only to recovering psychiatric patients, but anyone willing to work on improving their mental state.

Dr. Judith Orloff and Dr. Miriam Adahan's book Emotional Maturity Established Through Torah (a manual for spiritual and psychological survival). Certified leaders around the world conduct EMETT meetings. Read the book, attend local meetings if you can, and learn successful techniques for managing your emotions.

Here’s a simple positive action you can take: become the director of your life. Pretend it’s a movie, a book or stage play. Create an appealing setting to convince the main character that he/she is healing. Music can be part of that setting. I suggest that you actually play this composition, and to keep reminding yourself that it is helping in every possible way: Beethoven's String Quartet in A (Opus 132), the one with the movement expressing thanks for recovery from an illness.

Ask trustworthy friends to help you to cope. Confide in a mental health therapist if you need or want one. Any of these actions can help you to avoid compounding a medical crisis with a crisis of mental torture. All of your positive actions can build you up from the inside out.

Prepare your list of upsetting ideas that you need to accept in order to pursue health (you and your loved ones can prepare this list together. Another person's perspective might be helpful now.):





Now list the actions you can take to accept those ideas as you free your focus to concentrate on improving your health (you and your loved ones can prepare this list together for added brain power):





If you need more space, add a clean piece of paper to the workbook and fill it out or use a keepsake notebook for these fill-in-the-blank exercises.

Remain Emotionally, Spiritually, and Physically Strong

"Most people are about as happy as they make up their mind to be… Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing." - Abraham Lincoln

Frederick Douglass said "If there is no struggle, there is no progress."

"An idealist believes the short run doesn't count. A cynic believes the long run doesn't matter. A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run." - Sydney J. Harris

You're serious about your goals. You're getting ready to drop any conditions you've set for reaching those goals. Actions teach muscles. Repeated actions teach the mind. Respond to every frightening, negative thought with an upbeat, healing thought. 

Feeling better yet? Watch what happens when you read the part about how charitable organizations are standing by to pay YOUR medical bills! You're might end up laughing out loud when you read the rest of

EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Buy it at  http://booklocker.com/books/3067.html









Don't be a turkey.







Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.

Face Your Future with Optimism.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Want to Lose Weight over the Holidays in 4 Easy Steps?


B'SD


23 Cheshvan 5772




Whoa, I know you're worried about adding on the pounds and kilos over the holiday season. My GOOGLE ANALYTICS monitor shows Super-Sized interest in my recent posts about weight control.




The good news is that some easy adjustments can be added to your mealtimes right now.


1) Space your meals several hours apart with NO Snacking in between. That lets your body digest food more efficiently. You'll burn more calories in the meanwhile with a quick dash up and down some stairs, around the block or at work. Do some bending and stretching in your chair, around the room, even at your desk several times daily - even right after eating (for maximum caloric burn!). Be sure to let people know you prefer lo-fat turkey, salads with nuts, seeds and home made dressings, plus protein-packed quinoa on your holiday menu. Bring your meal to the office or family party if necessary.


2) Lighten up with flavorful drinks that energize you. Prepare a thermos of tea or nourishing soup to take on the road before you leave home. Anytime you want to de-stress, sip the warm, soothing liquid. Beers, wines and calorie-counting sodas can only damage your waistline and overall health.


3) Pack raw pistachios and other raw nuts to have on hand when you have a snack attack (they come in appealing gift-wrapped packages, too). Keep them in sealed bags in your briefcase, desk or car. Chew slowly, thoughtfully and with  satisfaction. You'll be building your body to healthier, slimmer proportions, not wrecking it with sugary or processed junk. Share the nuts with your guests and hosts so everyone can share the fun. Hey - nobody's going to criticize you with a full mouth!


4) Need an emotional boost now and then to deal with all the laughter and criticism that (probably overweight) critics send your way? Want to improve what you see in the mirror?


READ






Buy it at Booklocker for faster delivery: http://booklocker.com/books/3067.html




Enjoy your holidays with a lighter body and greater self-respect. Let me know your success stories, too!




EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge one step at a time. Kilo by kilo, pound by pound.


Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

3 New Years Resolutions to Improve YOUR Health and YOUR Wealth!

B'SD
20 Cheshvan 5772




2012 is coming! Only 45 days for setting YOUR resolutions for the New Year.

You want to lose weight, that bad mood you’re always in, or figure out how to cope with your medical problems.

Good news! You can do all of that in 3 easy steps!


1)     
Decide that today’s the day you make improvements. 1 by 1, little by little. It’s a great way keep the faith and not burn out from taking on too much at once.

2)     
Uptalk yourself. Look in the mirror and say “I can do this. I’m awesome. And I’m gonna be even better!”

3)     
READ EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medial Challenge TODAY! It’s filled with fun facts, good jokes and can-do ideas for improving your coping skills over time. The Global Resources section in the back even lets you know about organizations willing to pay YOUR medical costs!



Improve your health and your wealth. EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.


Read a sample of the book right here.




Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Ration Health Care YOUR Way!


B'SD

19 Cheshvan 5772

Scary news, hmm? By the way, it’s not only Americans who suffer stress over medical issues. Europeans, Asians, and everyone else faces shocking medical news and setbacks, too. We need affordable health care. And we need that medical care to work!

I'm a woman who went blind and almost died from a BENIGN brain tumor. I made post-operative medical history by restoring my sight with an organic foods diet and lifestyle, despite the medical world’s pessimism that I’d ever see again. In the process, I’ve learned a few things about happiness, human behavior and health. I put that together with my Health Information Management background, my acquaintance with medical pioneers, certification in Counseling Skills, and put it all together in a book.



It can help you to lower your stress and to ease your financial concerns. The first part of the book is filled with soothing information about how to organize your insurance and medical paperwork, appointments and overall life. It doesn't have to be hijacked by medical issues.


You’ll even find suggestions for what to pack – and what to leave out – for an extended trip to the hospital.


Your tears, fears and concerns will be validated realistically, compassionately and sensibly.


The second part of the book will alert you to worldwide and local organizations willing to pay your medical costs!

There’s a reason that hospitals, social workers, and doctors have and/or recommend that you EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. They and I know that this book can be a lifesaver.






Politicians? Feh. Don't let them  ruin your health. EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.




Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Craniosacral Therapy Opens Healing Possibilities!

B'SD


18 Cheshvan 18 5772




One of the remarkable events of my healing journey concerns the eyelid paralyzed by life-saving brain surgery. Yes, the surgeon removed the benign tumor crushing my optic nerves and all the others caught in its hold. But the experience traumatized my body. It left me weak, in need of physical, speech and occupational therapy. And I needed to see again.


My entire medical team knew I could see only glimmers. And, those medical professionals predicted that the glimmer would fade to black, forever. They expected me to be blind lifelong. None of them seemed especially concerned at the paralyzed eyelid that would otherwise block my view. But as you read EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge you’ll learn how I revved up my motivation to be as functional as possible with the life left before me. That motivation included lifting the eyelid with nerves too weak to make it rise or even to flicker a bit.


I went for craniosacral therapy from a practitioner trained by a leader in the field, John Upledger himself. That practitioner, Andrea/Chana Bracha Kornfeld, quickly made my craniosacral fluids move in a more optimal fashion (CSF fills our spinal cords and surrounds our brains, helping them to function). The once paralyzed eyelid fluttered open, though at half mast. With further treatment, we watched it rise to an increasingly normal position. Today, few people can detect the slightly off-kilter position of the rather normal-looking oval.


Andrea/Chana Bracha and I worked together for months to promote other healing. My skull, damaged by surgery, regained strength, correct positioning and – years after the surgical event – healthy new bone!


I’ve watched Andrea/Chana Bracha and other craniosacral practitioners effect miraculous results in babies, children and adults of all ages. The process is rather pleasant. The patient sits comfortably or lies upon a treatment table as the craniosacral therapist (CST) lightly touches them to promote the improved flow of the CS fluids.


Not every medical procedure needs to be painful or frightening. Want to learn about other medical miracles you or a loved can benefit from? Read






EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge for the holidays and beyond. 

Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Flashmob for World Diabetes Day!

B'SD


17 Cheshvan 5772



 It's World Diabetes Day, and yesterday I joined friends to increase global awareness of the prevalence of Juvenile and adult-onset diabetes - plus the need for a cure. Look for me (the only redhead in the group) in the white lab jacket, dancing in the back row, in this video.




If that link doesn't work see

By the way, I recently communicated with someone struggling to feed her child, a toddler with Celiac disease. Celiacs can't digest gluten. They - or their parents - must monitor their diets to avoid serious lifelong complications. I let the mom know that, due to the organic vegetarian diet and other healing modalities I use, I've LOST my celiac problems and my life-threatening allergies!


My lifestyle and dining habits are sound practices for diabetics, too. I also lost borderline diabetic status some time ago, due to the changes I made.


Eating doesn't have to be torture. Learn the user-friendly, delicious and delightful techniques described in






PS - My eyesight continues to improve, thank GOD.





EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge.




Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

How to Travel in Style - Despite Your Disability!

B'SD


13 Cheshvan 5772




Holiday season means lots of moving around. If you're having a hard time traveling with a disability, check out the Association for Airline Passenger Rights http://www.flyfriendlyskies.com/


See http://www.rollingrains.com/ too!


The Global Resources section of





has information that can ease your travel efforts, too.





EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Every way you can.


Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.