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HEALTH &00FITNESS
Frazer world certified teacher of Chopra's meditation
By Kerry Kester
Beebe Frazer, nurse/midwife, is
one of only 45 people in the world
certified to instruct primordial
sound meditation, Deepak
Chopra's meditation technique.
She is now sharing that mental
health technique with Cape
Region residents.
"Regular practice of meditation
allows us to bring the kindness,
compassion, bliss and creativity of
our purest essence into our daily
lives," said Frazer. "Our bodies
rest, renew and heal. Our emo-
tions are soothed. Old, destructive
habits change. Health and rela-
tionships improve."
Frazer's interest in Chopra's
teachings began several years ago,
when she picked up one of his
books from a friend's coffee table.
"I said, 'Wow, this is what I
believed all my life.' And I love
the way he writes," said Frazer.
Chopra, a board certified
endocrinologist and medical direc-
tor of the Sharp Institute of Mind-
Body Medicine in San Diego,
Calif., has developed a combina-
tion of western medicine with
Ayurveda, the Indian science of
life, which promotes good health.
Frazer had practiced transcen-
dental meditation (TM) for ten
years prior to her introduction to
Chopra's philosophy of primordial
sound meditation (PSM).
Chopra's technique differs from
TM in that although both use
mantras to reach a full meditative
state, mantra selection in each is
different. Frazer said primordial
sound meditation is also "easier to
learn and to teach."
Frazer said the concept of PSM
is for people to find inner peace,
which promotes the connection
between the mind and body. "Pri-
mordial sounds, in the form of a
personal mantra, take our aware-
ness from the active mind to qui-
eter levels - beyond individual
mind to universal spirit. It's a
place of perfect stillness - of pure
spirit - that exists in all of us.
"The same spirit that connects
everything in nature is found
inside each one. The primordial
sound vibration is soothing to the
physiology and creates a quiet res-
onance in the mind," said Frazer.
"Because the mind influences
every cell in the body, human
aging is fluid and changeable. It
can speed up, slow down or even
reverse itself.
"Our cells are constantly eaves-
dropping on our thoughts and are
being changed by them. A bout of
depression can wreak havoc on the
immune system. Falling in love
can boost it. Joy and fulfillment
keep us healthy and extend life.
There is no line between biology
and psychology."
Frazer said a common miscon-
ception of the philosophy is that it
is a religion. "I've heard some
people say that it's anti-Christian,"
she said. "For me, meditation is a
natural extension of my own
Christian religion. Paul obviously
believed in an inner sanctuary of
infinite peace. He writes in 1
Corinthians 6:19, 'Do you not
know that your body is a temple of
the Holy Spirit within you, which
you have from God?'"
Meditation, she explained, "is a
spiritual practice because it takes
our awareness to the level of spirit.
This is the same spirit that con-
nects everything in creation," said
Frazer. "People of many different
religions practice meditation with-
out any conflict in their religious
practices. Meditation helps enrich
all aspects of our lives, from play-
ing sports, to harmonizing rela-
tionships, to strengthening our
religion."
Frazer said that everything peo-
ple think will make them happy is
brief, but practicing meditation
offers a long-lasting happiness.
"One of the concepts I like best
is...do less and accomplish more,"
said Frazer. "Flowers don't try to
bloom, and fish don't try to swim.
We get in our own way by trying
too hard.
"When you're in a relaxed state,
your mind doesn't work as hard to
Beebe Frazer is seen with Deepak Chopra following one of
the Primordial Sound Meditation training sessions earlier this
year.
get where you're going. Ideas
come more quickly, ways to
accomplish your goals...you gen-
erate ideas with less effort. It's
within you all the time, so you
call it forth rather than chase it
around the world."
To earn her certification to
teach the practice, Frazer took
two classes with Chopra in March
of 1995. Both classes also
required home study and were
prerequisite for the training
course she completed in March of
this year. She also took another
class in November of 1995 to pre-
pare her for this year's study.
Last month Frazer, along with
34 others, completed her last two
courses of study with Chopra in
San Diego. It was the first time
the course of study had ever been
offered in the United States. The
only other training course that
was offered was for a class of 10
in Buenos Aires, Brazil, last year.
"Deepak just discovered this
form of meditation about three
years ago," said Frazer, "so essen-
tially it's his way to extend the
influence and the number of peo-
ple doing meditation. He thinks
the benefits can help to save the
planet." Frazer teaches classes in
both PSM and "The Magic of
Healing". To find out more about
the next classes being offered, call
645-6770.
Part II: Asthma- a number of therapies proscribed
The goal of asthma therapy is to
improve airflow by relieving air-
way obstruction which is caused
by the three major pathologic
processes: airway edema
(swelling), mucus plugging, and
bronchospasm. These abnormali-
ties result in airway narrowing
which causes an increased resis-
tance to airflow, causing an
increased work of breathing. This
increased work is perceived by
patients as shortness of breath.
Effective asthma therapy both
reverses and prevents the develop-
ment of airflow obstruction.
The processes which narrow the
airway are caused by airway
inflammation, which is a complex
cascade of events starting with an
asthma trigger. This inflammato-
ry state is a series of physiologic
events involving cells and media-
tors very similar to that seen in
response to an injury, such as a
burn. Once initiated, the process
is self-perpetuating unless inter-
rupted by therapy.
One arm of therapy is directed
against this process using drugs
called anti-inflammatory medica-
tions. The other major class of
drugs treat the bronchospasm
caused by this inflammatory
process and are called bron-
chodilators. The effective treat-
HEALTH TOPICS
Michael A. Salvatore
merit of asthma involves the com-
bination approach: anti-inflamma-
tory drugs form the cornerstone in
treating the cause of asthma and
bronchodilators reverse the bron-
chospasm resulting from the
inflammatory process.
Anti-inflammatory drugs elimi-
nate the cause of asthma. There
are two major classes of anti-
inflammatory agents: steroids and
non-steroids. Steroids or corticos-
teroids are the most effective anti-
asthma drugs. Given in sufficient
doses, they can suppress the
inflammatory asthmatic state.
Unfortunately, oral steroids can
have unpleasant side-effects.
To avoid these side effects,
inhaled steroids were developed
and if taken in high enough
dosages can be very effective.
The most commonly prescribed
oral steroids are prednisone
(Deltasone, Steripred) and meth-
lyprednisolone (Medrol). These
are usually used as rescue medica-
tions for an acute attack but some-
times are required for the treat-
ment of severe chronic asthma.
Side-effects can be minimized by
using short courses with a rapid
tapering.
Inhaled corticosteroids are the
foundation of any anti-asthma
therapy. Multiple drugs are avail-
able: beclomethasone (Beclovent,
Vanceril), flunisolide (Aerobid),
dexamethasone (Dexacort), triam-
cinolone (Azmacort), and soon to
be released budesonide (Pulmo-
cort). While these medications
vary in administration and price
all are effective anti-inflammatory
agents and when used in appropri-
ate doses can reverse and prevent
the symptoms of asthma.
The onset of action is slow -
often six to eight hours. Side-
effects of these medications most
commonly involve mouth sore-
ness and hoarseness. These can be
minimized or avoided by rinsing
the mouth after inhalation and by
using a spacer. A spacer is a tube
or a bag into which the inhaler is
puffed, then the medication is
inhaled out of the spacer. This pre-
vents deposition of the inhaled
steroid in the mouth and allows for
easier administration. Doses of
these medications vary with the
severity of asthma. Some patients
require as little as two puffs twice
daily, while others may require up
to eight to 12 puffs four times a
day (32 to 40 puffs daily).
There are two non-steroidal
inhalers on the market: cromolyn
(Intal) and nedocromil (Tilade).
These medications are used in
mild to moderate asthma. Patients
should use a single steroid or non-
steroid inhaler since they all are
anti-inflammatory medications.
Severe asthmatics require inhaled
steroids.
Nedocromil is purported to have
a greater anti-tussive effect and
may be more useful in "cough-
variant asthma", in which patients
primarily cough rather than
wheeze. Cromolyn is effective in
preventing exercised-induced
asthma when taken 20 minutes
before exercise. The goal in using
inhaled anti-inflammatory drugs is
to relieve and prevent the symp-
toms of asthma while eliminating
or minimizing the use of oral
steroids.
There are two types of bron-
chodilator medications: beta-ago-
nists and theophyllines. These
medications reverse the muscle
spasm in the lungs, thereby dilat-
ing constricted airways. Beta-ago-
nists are derivatives of epineph-
rine and are classified according to
their onset and duration of action.
Rapid acting (two to five minutes)
and short duration (two to six
hours) drugs include albuterol
(Proventil, Ventolin), terbutaline
(Brethaire), bitolterol (Tornalate),
metaproteranol (Alupent,
Metaprel), and pirbuterol (Max-
air).
These drugs can be administered
by either metered dose inhalers
("puffers") or by a nebulizer as a
continuous mist. Either method,
when used by proper technique, is
equally effective. These medica-
tions are useful in preventing the
onset of symptoms and for treating
an acute attack of bronchospasm.
In contrast, salmeterol (Serevent)
is a long-duration (10 to 12 hours)
but delayed acting (30 to 45 min-
utes) beta agonist. Salmeterol is
used exclusively to prevent asth-
matic attacks and not to treat acute
episodes and is similar use to theo-
phylline drugs but avoids systemic
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