Wellness Paper

Wellness Paper

Vivian Shakir

NUR 1022L

March 15, 2007

1. Living a purposeful life is what being healthy means to me. When I reflect upon my life, I realized that I did not always live my life with purpose. I was so overwhelmed with trials and tribulations that I failed to nourish my mind, body and spirit with purpose. Purpose is reaching out to family, friends and even strangers who have been there for me. I have found that much of the adversities I faced were created by me. I decided that in order for me to have some clarity in my life, I have to live it righteously. My life is enriched every time I do something that impacts someone else life in a positive way. My plight in life is to live the life God desires me to live and I plan to do just that with Purpose.

2. I am a forty-two year old African American female, one of three of my thirteen siblings, to be born inside of a hospital. My mother had always relied on the services of the local midwife, who just happen to be her maternal great aunt. I was raised in a small southern town in Georgia. My mother and father grew up in large families. She had sixteen siblings (three are deceased) and he had eleven siblings (eight now deceased including my father). Both of my parent's extended families have had to endure the typical diseases that so often affect African Americans. These would include Hypertension, Diabetes and Heart Disease. My family members have never shown any motivation to stay fit. Many are very obese. My father's seven siblings who preceded him in death all died of heart disease. Nearly all of my first cousins are living with heart disease. My father was sixty-five years old when he was killed in a motor vehicle accident. He had never experienced any cardiovascular illness. Within the past ten to fifteen years we have seen the emergence of Cancer affecting young and older family members. Growing up in the rural south gave our families the opportunity to "live off the land". With so many children to care for, the families were nourished with fresh fruits and vegetables from our humongous garden and our protein was supplied from the venison that my father hunted in the backwoods. We also raised chickens and swine which gave a new meaning to the word entrÐ"©e. My maternal and paternal grandparents were direct decendence of slave owners who once lived in my hometown. Their families had endured much hardship, yet as a people, they had a tremendous amount of faith and courage to instill in those coming after them. I do not remember going to the doctor as a child for any serious illness, except for periodic visits to the local dentist who felt it necessary to treat every toothache with an extraction. I still have the majority of my teeth but some of my siblings wear a full set of dentures. I can recall a couple of times when my siblings and I would come down with an extreme case of viral like symptoms which would dictate a private bedroom (a luxury with twelve siblings). Before long, one of the grandparents would emerge with a hot, thick pine smelling salve and other plants they had gathered from the forest nearby. They applied the salve with warm cloths from head to toe. There would be many prayers throughout the night. Through their vigilance, our feverish bodies began to cool down and regain strength. Patterns that developed from their nurturing included, but not limited to, was the importance of eating vegetables, exercise to keep fit (thirteen children could not sit in a house all day, we had to play outside until the sun set), and old fashion home remedies really do work! At this time my major concern is that my mother and her "baby" girl, my little sister have been recently diagnosed with cancer. My mother has not been told of my sister's diagnosis. My sister is a nurse and the family has always relied on her or me to facilitate my mother's healthcare needs. My family has taught me the most important pattern to guide me in life and that is the power of prayer. Some may not consider this a health practice. I beg to differ. "Commit your way to the Lord: trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass" (Psalms 37:5).

3. The following areas describe my practices of health promotion and disease prevention. In high school, I was a varsity cheerleader and a member of the track and basketball team. I served seven and a half years in the United States Army. Physical activity and fitness was a regular part of my youth and continues to be in my adult life. Nutrition is very important to me, although it has not always been my focus. Nevertheless, I have become an avid consumer of green tea. Life Extension reported that green tea's medicinal properties support weight management by increasing metabolism and promoting fat burning (Nayor, 2007, p.41). In addition, green tea may help ward off numerous health conditions that afflict aging, from cataracts to autoimmune disorders (Nayor, 2007, p.41). It has even been recognized by the FDA, which recently approved the first prescription drug, Vergen (topical treatment of genital and perianal warts caused by the human papilloma virus(HPV)) , derived from green tea (Nayor, 2007, p. 41) . I have never had the desire to use tobacco products; however, I sometimes drink alcohol in moderation at social occasions. I do not keep firearms in my home; abusive toxic substances and prescription medication are all kept in a secured place. I did not always buckle up for safety even though I insisted my children do so. I had an accident a couple of years ago that forever changed my view on the security a seat belt provides. My contribution in establishing a safe environment is that I never litter on our streets or any body of water. I eat food in moderation and never overeat. Stress reduction is effectively treated with daily scripture and other books of inspiration and meditation. Tonglen and Bodhichitta is a form of meditation