An inspirational, accessible handbook emphasizing self-compassion and effective stress reduction.
A guide to understanding and alleviating stress associated with lymphedema from certified lymphedema therapist Lisson.
Drawn from a wealth of research studies, client cases, interviews with clinical authorities, and medical reference resources, this primer aims to reduce the stress that can compound a lymphedema sufferer’s discomfort. The author defines lymphedema as a rare, chronic, progressive disease, often the result of damage to the lymphatic network, that causes accumulation of interstitial fluid, leading to increasingly painful swelling and restricted mobility. This condition, she explains, can often occur as a side effect of cancer treatment, which may alter the genetic structures responsible for the lymphatic system’s development. Lisson’s practical guidebook focuses on the nervous system’s response to lymphedema and the ways stress, fear, and social pressures (“[t]he bottom line is that people with lymphedema don’t feel supported”) can further exacerbate a patient’s symptoms. Her information-rich text offers proactive strategies to calm the mind and body and effectively relieve stressors throughout a person’s trial with the disease. In lucid chapters addressing issues like impaired immune function and skin changes, the author never wavers from her core message of positive self-care and confident encouragement that relief is achievable. She shares techniques for stress management through targeted exercise methods, relaxation through yoga and deep diaphragmatic breathing, sensory mindfulness, meditation, massage, and the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system through touch. The importance of outreach is also emphasized—Lisson firmly advocates for lymphedema patients to investigate connected, community-based or online programs and resources for support (“Building a community reduces social isolation and working together as a community can empower us to advocate for lymphedema education and awareness”). With a focus on the promotion of positive healthful behaviors, readers will find support and solidarity with Lisson’s optimistic, hands-on approach to relieving everyday stress associated with lymphedema.
An inspirational, accessible handbook emphasizing self-compassion and effective stress reduction.Pub Date: July 17, 2023
ISBN: 9781732806689
Page Count: 227
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An above-average celebrity memoir from an intriguing spirit.
The longtime Hollywood actor looks back.
“What does it mean to be a ham?” asks the author, rhetorically. “Was I a ham? I was naturally and inordinately theatrical. I liked to carry on. I liked attention. I liked extravagant speech. I liked to emote. I liked to talk.” All of these qualities are abundantly evident in Kilmer’s memoir, which is as much a spiritual journey as it is a chronicle of his life and career. The author recounts the depth of his Christian Science faith, his formative years in a family of privilege in Los Angeles, his teenage romance with fellow actor Mare Winningham (“my first real girlfriend”), his training and rebellion at Juilliard, and his decision to leave Broadway for Hollywood. There, he writes, “I was not yet a burgeoning talent but ‘Cher’s lover,’ ” when she was in her mid-30s and he in his early-20s. After scoring big with Tom Cruise in Top Gun, Kilmer turned down Blue Velvet and Dirty Dancing: “Neither part spoke to me.” He played Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors, which he considers “one of the proudest moments of my career.” Marlon Brando and Sam Shepard went from being idols that Kilmer worshipped to becoming friends. He was slated to star as Batman in three films but jumped ship after Batman Forever, which he considers “so bad, it’s almost good.” He married and divorced British actor Joanne Whalley and wooed Daryl Hannah (“kind of the female me, only better”), and he wrote and starred in a one-man show as Mark Twain. When he was hospitalized for surgery due to his throat cancer, he prayed, he read Twain and Christian Science’s Mary Baker Eddy, and he “didn’t wrestle with my angels. I sang and danced with them.” Kilmer was never a shrinking violet, and he still refuses to wilt.
An above-average celebrity memoir from an intriguing spirit. (photos)Pub Date: April 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9821-4489-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
The lessons to draw are obvious: Smoke more dope, eat less meat. Like-minded readers will dig it.
The chef, rapper, and TV host serves up a blustery memoir with lashings of self-help.
“I’ve always had a sick confidence,” writes Bronson, ne Ariyan Arslani. The confidence, he adds, comes from numerous sources: being a New Yorker, and more specifically a New Yorker from Queens; being “short and fucking husky” and still game for a standoff on the basketball court; having strength, stamina, and seemingly no fear. All these things serve him well in the rough-and-tumble youth he describes, all stickball and steroids. Yet another confidence-builder: In the big city, you’ve got to sink or swim. “No one is just accepted—you have to fucking show that you’re able to roll,” he writes. In a narrative steeped in language that would make Lenny Bruce blush, Bronson recounts his sentimental education, schooled by immigrant Italian and Albanian family members and the mean streets, building habits good and bad. The virtue of those habits will depend on your take on modern mores. Bronson writes, for example, of “getting my dick pierced” down in the West Village, then grabbing a pizza and smoking weed. “I always smoke weed freely, always have and always will,” he writes. “I’ll just light a blunt anywhere.” Though he’s gone through the classic experiences of the latter-day stoner, flunking out and getting arrested numerous times, Bronson is a hard charger who’s not afraid to face nearly any challenge—especially, given his physique and genes, the necessity of losing weight: “If you’re husky, you’re always dieting in your mind,” he writes. Though vulgar and boastful, Bronson serves up a model that has plenty of good points, including his growing interest in nature, creativity, and the desire to “leave a legacy for everybody.”
The lessons to draw are obvious: Smoke more dope, eat less meat. Like-minded readers will dig it.Pub Date: April 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4478-5
Page Count: 184
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
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