Perspectives on Wellness is a selection of readings on multidimensional health – health in body, mind, and spirit. This is an important topic for all age groups in today’s society. The articles selected were chosen to support all populations in making healthy lifestyle choices that will enhance their wellness journey and provide the best health outcomes. Questions and group activities are provided to stimulate thinking and group discussion.
Summary:
People in the Bible maintained spiritual balance. What is spiritual balance, what are its components and how can it be achieved in today’s society? This article provides the background and the tools to live one’s life with spiritual balance.
Author:
Bud Bence, Ph.D., M.Div., B.A. is Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Religion at Indiana Wesleyan University. He has authored a commentary on the book of Romans in a multi-volume series by Wesley Press and was an editor for the NIV Study Bible. He speaks often at summer camps and at college campuses. He has been awarded numerous honors including “excellence in teaching” and was nominated by his students for “professor of the year.”
Positive Psychology and Wellness –
Is There a Relationship?
by Debra Drake
Summary:
Is there a relationship between positive thinking and the level of health and wellness in a person? This article delves into this issue and demonstrates that there does indeed exist a correlation between positive thinking and good health.
Author:
Debra Drake MS, RN, CCE, PN is Assistant Professor of Nursing at Indiana Wesleyan University. She is actively involved with writing and updating nursing curriculum. She has also co-authored a textbook on health and wellness. She is the co-ordinator of the Parish Nurse Ministry in her local church.
It’s All In Your Head
by Stephen M. Pollan and Mark Levine
Summary:
This article examines what true happiness is, where to get it, and how to keep it. The article suggests that happiness truly is all in your head.
Authors:
Stephen M. Pollan is a New-York City-based attorney, financial advisor and life coach who has mentored hundreds of business executives, college graduates, and creative professionals.
Mark Levine has been Pollan’s collaborator for more than fifteen years. Together they have authored numerous books. These two authors have been nominated for three national
magazine awards.
The Pain of Overload
by Richard A. Swenson
Summary:
Overload is a word that has a negative connotation. What is overload? Why do we overload and how can we stop from overloading our lives? Informative and thought provoking this article will make you think twice before overloading ever again!
Author:
Richard A. Swenson, M. D. is a physician and a futurist with a B. S. in physics and a Phi Beta Kappa from Denison University. Previously he taught for fifteen years at the University of Wisconsin Medical School. He currently researches and writes full-time about the intersection of culture, health, faith, and the future.
Wellness: Do We Do What We Know To Do?
by Robert Harper
Summary:
Sometimes people make decisions even though they know those choices are not good for them. Excuses, self-created barriers, and hopelessness can all contribute to bad choices. This article takes the reader on an eye opening discussion about choices and the impact choices have on our overall wellness.
Author:
Robert Harper, Ed.D. is currently an Associate Professor at Indiana Wesleyan University teaching courses primarily focused on areas of personal development. His educational background includes a master’s degree in Counseling from the University of Evansville and a doctorate in Adult Education with a cognate in Wellness Management from Ball State University. He served as the Director of Counseling for ten years at the University of Southern Indiana. He is a nationally certified counselor (NCC) and a community speaker on topics of stress management, maintaining a positive attitude, and personal and career satisfaction.
Was Dr. Atkins Right?
by Dean Ornish
Summary:
The carbohydrate battle continues. This article allows the reader to take a deeper look into the carbohydrate diet debate while providing helpful and healthful information.
Author:
Dean Ornish, M.D. is the founder and President of the Preventive Medicine Research Foundation in Sausalito, CA. His research has been published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, the American Journal of Cardiology as well as other leading journals. He is the author of a number of best selling books, and served as one of President Clinton’s official physicians and as a command consultant at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
Heart Health: A View from Cardiac Rehabilitation
by Lauri Heflin
Summary:
Heart disease is the number one killer of people in the United States. This article gives a very detailed account of the processes involved in cardiac rehabilitation. With people learning about the importance of the steps needed to be taken before, during and after cardiac rehabilitation, perhaps the number of people who die from heart disease will decrease.
Author:
Lauri Heflin earned an MS degree in Exercise Physiology from Purdue University, and is currently employed at the Care Group Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, IN. She has been the Cardiac Rehabilitation Supervisor at the Care Group for the past twenty years.
Wellness: Prevention and Preparedness for the Avian Flu
by Michelle L. Hawes
Summary:
Being prepared for any type of massive or epidemic health problem is an important component of overall wellness. This article suggests that wisdom and balance be used to obtain overall wellness in response to potential pandemics.
Author:
Michelle Hawes, R.N., M.S.N., C.R.N.I. is the chief executive officer and founder of Vascular Access Specialists, LLC. She has degrees in chemistry and biology as well as nursing and is certified in Infusion Nursing.
Environmental Wellness
by Jack Gillespie
Summary:
The environment in which we live needs to taken care of by all of us. This article suggests ways that we can contribute to our environment’s overall wellness by discussing past, current, and future issues that impact wellness.
Author:
Dr. Jack Gillespie is a retired veterinarian and a former industry veterinarian as well as a former high school science teacher. He helped develop and introduce new animal products to farmers and agribusinesses in the United States and many foreign countries. Dr. Gillespie is a member of the Indiana and the American Veterinary Medical Associations and a former member of the Association of Avian Pathologists. He is trained as an Animal Surveillance and Emergency Response Team (ASERT) member. He has helped his local health department and Emergency Management Agency prepare for the possibility of a bird flu pandemic and possible food and animal related emergencies.
The Highly Healthy Child
by Walt Larimore
Summary:
This article addresses what it really means to have a healthy child. The author provides background in all aspects of a child’s health and offers steps to ensure you have a highly healthy child, focusing on four "wheels" that need to be balanced in a person's life.
Author:
Walt Larimore, M.D. is a full-time author, medical journalist, and medical educator. He teaches part-time at In His Image Family Medicine Residency Program in Tulsa, Oklahoma and at University of Colorado Family Medicine Residency Program in Denver, Colorado. He is Board Certified and thrice
re-certified by the American Board of Family Practice. He has been awarded the Certificate of Added Qualifications in Sports Medicine and has been awarded the American Medical Association’s Physician Recognition Award every year since 1981.
Healthy Aging
by Mary Guerriero Austrom
Summary:
The recent demographic changes resulting in much greater numbers of elderly people in our society has been described as the “new longevity.” Aging, however, does not lead inevitably to physical and functional decline. This article lists strategies that should enable a person to maintain a higher level of health and life satisfaction throughout one’s lifespan.
Author:
Mary Guerriero Austrom, Ph.D., M.A., B.Ed., B.A. is Wesley P. Martin Professor of Alzheimer Disease Education, Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine and the Director of the Education Core at the Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Center. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the National Alzheimer’s Association. She is also actively involved with other organizations associated with the elderly including the Gerontological Society of America and the International Psychogeriatric Association.
Vocational Wellness
by Jane George Surges
Summary:
Avocation is finding that which is the essence of your reason for being on this earth. How is avocation then aligned to create vocational wellness? After reading this article, the readers will understand the link between avocation and vocational wellness and will have the opportunity to take a look at one’s own status of vocational wellness.
Author:
Jane G. Surges, SPHR, is an affiliate professor for Indiana Wesleyan University teaching undergraduate and graduate courses. She has been active in the area of development in the field of human resources, organizational development and education for the past twenty years. Jane holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in management and is a certified senior professional in human resources (SPHR). She co-authored the book, “The Power is in the Connection.”
Therapeutic Value of Hope
by John G. Bruhn
Summary:
Hope is powerful. Although this article is directed towards caregivers and patients, all of us can relate to the importance of the projection of hope, its implications, and its limits.
Author:
John G. Bruhn has a Ph.D in Medical Sociology from Yale University. Among his
numerous recognitions are a Commonwealth Fund Yale Fellow and a United States Public Health Service Fellow. Dr. Bruhn is the author of many articles and books in the areas of medicine, public health organizational performance and effectiveness.
