Health And Wellness

Every year, The Monitor publishes a special supplement focusing on health.

In this issue, read how faith, friendship and forgiveness are good for soul.

People need to learn how to deal with their anger and learn how to forgive. Otherwise, “If you don’t forgive, it’ll destroy you physically,” said Brother Loughlan Sofield during a presentation on “Forgiveness – It’s Good for Your Health” in St. Peter Parish, Point Pleasant Beach, on Jan. 29.

In an effort to reach more young people who struggle with addiction in Mercer County, a program geared toward teenagers is expanding its services to serve those up to age 21.

Once upon a time, in an era of fewer distractions and more predictable schedules, family members spent time in one another’s presence by default.

Homes centered around daily chores essential for survival – the growth, harvest and preparation of food, as well as the construction and upkeep of clothing, livestock, tools, the house itself – anything that allowed life to continue in spite of climate, conflict and other uncontrollable forces. And at the center of it all, for families of faith, was the recognition that none of this was even possible without the hand of God interceding daily.

The kitchen table is more than just a piece of furniture – it’s a hub. This is what ours looks like: Homework papers accompany pencils and eraser crumbs, a phone charger, notepads with grocery and to-do lists, a book I’ve been reading in five-minute spurts, scented candles, cork trivet, hand sanitizer, someone’s watch, paper napkins, a rubber bracelet from summer camp (it’s September, mind you), hair ties from out-the-door-for-school touchups, yellow legal pads and a bottle of vitamins.

Yes, the list really does go on and on.

Play is vital to a healthy childhood, and I think it is also vital to a healthy adulthood. That leads me to think that play is absolutely vital, crucial even, to the well-being of our families

“I fell in love with a crab,” declared a parent chaperone, following a Young Scientist Club marine biology cruise in Cape May.

She attributed her newfound appreciation for one of God’s uniquely lovely creatures to an experience that demonstrated reverence and respect for creation, said Joanne Arnold, science teacher in St. Dominic School, Brick, who has been arranging the club cruise for 36 years.

To live safely, with dignity, independence and care close at hand, is the concern for many seniors as they begin to struggle with health issues.

Most would prefer to remain in their homes and communities rather than move into a nursing home, explained Maggie Welsh, marketing coordinator, Life St. Francis, a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), Bordentown.

Paula Beiger had been having symptoms for several months before finally seeing a doctor in November 2011. Just two weeks before Christmas, she received the diagnosis – stage III colon cancer.

Beiger, 61, of St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square, followed her doctor’s recommendation and completed six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation.

Each year, Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton provides more than 100,000 adults, families and children with a variety of mental health services dealing with everything from addiction to domestic violence, regardless of their religious affiliations.

These consumers will soon have a forum for communicating their experiences with those services and helping shape future services thanks to the CCDoT’s new Behavioral Health Consumer Advisory Council. The council is part of an initiative by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to gather information from behavioral health clients across the country in order to determine the most effective courses of treatment and services.

VATICAN CITY  -- Praying for a loved one's health and healing, tenderly caring for them and asking very human questions about why people suffer are experiences Christians, Muslims and Jews all share, Pope Francis said.