Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, is a geological feature at the heart of Australia with huge cultural significance to people living there. For indigenous Australians, it is holy ground, representing millenia of history, mythology, and their symbiotic relationship with the land. Every inch of this awe inspiring rock is celebrated, represented, and connected with places far and wide across Australia through the “song-lines” which unite and re-unite people over time. Uluru is the ultimate Memory … [Read more...] about Memories that heal
About Sally Davies
Don’t say these words to someone who has cancer
Sally Davies says; "It's hard to know what to say when your friend or relative tells you they have cancer. In that painful moment our tact, good sense, knowledge and insight is put to the test - and so easily fails us." As Joanna Moorhead of the Daily Mail recently wrote, the most inappropriate comments and messages have, at least, provided some laugh-out-loud moments after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. But with just a little effort, we really can do better. Here's a guide to What NOT … [Read more...] about Don’t say these words to someone who has cancer
About that Lump
Unlike many other organs or tissues of the body, a woman’s breasts are shaped and defined by time. Before puberty, there’s nothing there at all. Then – exciting or intimidating as it may be – breasts begin to grow, taking a few years to reach their final shape and in the process becoming an important part of our body image. In human beings breasts are sexual organs, and it doesn’t take girls (or boys for that matter) long to discover that! Their exquisite sensitivity gives pleasure and … [Read more...] about About that Lump
Free Breast Course for Nurses
Port Elizabeth’s nursing professionals – community nurses, midwives, nurse trainers and hospital nurses – have a fantastic opportunity to develop clinical skills in breast care and the nursing management of breast problems. And thanks to sponsors Netcare, Carecross and Pathcare, the Breast Course for Nurses (BCN) is absolutely FREE. Cape breast-cancer surgeon Dr Jenny Edge has run this training course for some years in Cape Town, and is now bringing it to Port Elizabeth. The BCN has … [Read more...] about Free Breast Course for Nurses
Study: Oscar, Reeva and Intimate Partner Violence, Part 6
“The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn but to unlearn” – Gloria Steinem The previous post in this series dealt with unrealistic expectations, the gradual isolation of the abusive relationship, and the effects of emotional instability. The story of Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp shows how these patterns can play out and how each partner contributes to them and responds to them. As Steinem says, we have learned these ways of being; we weren’t born knowing them and … [Read more...] about Study: Oscar, Reeva and Intimate Partner Violence, Part 6
Study: Oscar, Reeva and Intimate Partner Violence, Part 5
“There may be in the cup, A spider steep’d, and one may drink, depart, and yet partake no venom, for his knowledge is not infected….I have drunk, and seen the spider”. (Shakespeare: A Winter’s Tale. Leontes falsely believes his wife is unfaithful; in reality, his distorted jealousy is the spider’s venom in their love). The previous post looked at controlling behaviour which makes space in a relationship for abuse to become the norm. Part 5 focuses on unrealistic expectations, emotional … [Read more...] about Study: Oscar, Reeva and Intimate Partner Violence, Part 5
Study: Oscar, Reeva and Intimate Partner Violence, Part 4
“I’m a reflection of the community“ - Tupac Shakur “What does not kill me, makes me stronger” – Nietsche Following Part 3 of this series on intimate-partner violence, Part 4 looks at controlling – those words and actions which keep the partner in line, often in an increasingly narrow ‘zone of approval’ as time goes on. The controlling partner is always positioned as the one with the power (even if, in reality, this is not the case and both of them know it deep down). Although each … [Read more...] about Study: Oscar, Reeva and Intimate Partner Violence, Part 4
Study: Oscar, Reeva and Intimate Partner Violence, Part 3
“Oh, sir, she smiled, no doubt, Whene’er I passed her; but who passed without Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together”. (Robert Browning: My Last Duchess). Browning’s poem is a chilling account of a husband’s jealous rage in retrospect. The widowed Duke is showing the poet a portrait of his late wife that he keeps behind a curtain and expressing satisfaction that she’s now in her place – completely reduced to a piece of property. Never again will any … [Read more...] about Study: Oscar, Reeva and Intimate Partner Violence, Part 3
Have your hair done when you not there
“People always ask me how long it takes to do my hair. I don’t know, I’m never there.” ? Dolly Parton When we think of wigs, the picture coming to mind might be something that screams “Diva”. As Dolly herself often says “it takes a lot of money to look this cheap!”Patients undergoing chemotherapy face a dilemma: whether to “go bald” and brave it out with caps and scarves, or cover up with a wig.Tracey Gervais (Wigs@Hair@Tracey’s, Amble In Centre, Main Road, Walmer) understands that helping a … [Read more...] about Have your hair done when you not there
Study: Oscar, Reeva and Intimate Partner Violence, Part 2
“These violent delights have violent ends, And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, Which as they kiss consume…”(Shakespeare’s Friar Lawrence unsuccessfully advises Romeo to take it slow). This series is an attempt to explore the story of Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp from the perspective of intimate-partner violence, reflected in the published words of witnesses to their relationship. Although we don’t know how it ended between them emotionally – a matter currently disputed in … [Read more...] about Study: Oscar, Reeva and Intimate Partner Violence, Part 2
Study: Oscar, Reeva and Intimate Partner Violence, Part 1
“I understand a fury in your words, but not your words…” (Shakespeare’s Desdemona, femicide victim). “These girls ain’t loyal”. (Singer and woman abuser Chris Brown defines ‘showbiz’ women) Intimate-partner violence. How can those words go together? How does the scene of love become a death chamber? As the traumatic story of Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp unfolds in a glare of publicity, there are many questions. Some may never be answered. But as we try to understand this very South … [Read more...] about Study: Oscar, Reeva and Intimate Partner Violence, Part 1
Have you ever been bullied for being fat?
Kids can be so cruel. It's one of those things that 'everyone knows'... even children with life-threatening allergies are often threatened by bullies, who pretend the allergen is hidden in the classroom or has been in the child's lunchbox. If anyone challenges this ignorant and reckless behaviour, they'll get the bully's stock response: "it was only a joke". Why can't you take a joke, lethal-allergy kid? It only goes to show how some people will smell out another person's vulnerability and … [Read more...] about Have you ever been bullied for being fat?
I wish I had breast cancer
This is Kerry Harvey, aged 24 and living with metastatic Pancreatic Cancer. In the UK this week, Pancreatic Cancer Action grabbed attention with a series of terrifying ads featuring her and others with the same diagnosis. Spokespersons from breast cancer organisations were horrified that anyone would wish for breast cancer, or compare different forms of cancer this way. Breakthrough Breast Cancer chief Chris Askew fumed, "I've yet to meet a man or woman with breast cancer who would consider … [Read more...] about I wish I had breast cancer
One for the men
It's time to talk about prostate cancer....including family risk and the importance of what we eat. A recent study from Scandinavia estimated that prostate cancer is the most strongly inherited form of cancer, followed by testicular cancer and only after that, breast cancer. This can be proved by studying two types of twins: non-identical twins who have the same genetic relationship as brothers, and identical twins who came from the same egg and share the same genes. The genetic … [Read more...] about One for the men
Is a sense of purpose good for our health?
Perhaps it's just about getting older, but as each year goes by, I feel less inclined to make New Year resolutions - too conscious of the many that have come in with a bang like a firework display only to fade into a whisper of smoke before the first week of January is gone. However, some interesting recent research suggests that living a more resolved and purposeful life can make a measurable difference to our health. Tom Jacobs of Pacific Standard Magazine (www.psmag.com, 29/7/2013) … [Read more...] about Is a sense of purpose good for our health?
