On the Whole: Observations on Mind Body Spirit by Peggy Elam, Ph.D. March 2007

News, views, & musings from Peggy Elam, Ph.D. │ March 2007

I think it not improbable that man, like the grub that prepares a chamber
for the winged thing it has never seen but is to be—
that man may have cosmic destinies that he does not understand.
And so beyond the vision of battling races and an impoverished earth,
I catch a dreaming glimpse of peace.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
speaking to the
Harvard Law School Association of New York
Feb. 15, 1913

The Larger Picture

Shortly after I created this newsletter I joined the world of blogging (a.k.a. "blogosphere"), and transformed "On the Whole" into a blog. But with the time I've been devoting to Pearlsong Press, the publishing company whose first books launched in 2004, and the Health At Every Size radio show, which started airing on Radio Free Nashville in April 2005, I've posted at www.onthewhole.info only sporadically.

So I thought I'd let you know what I've been up to via another "On the Whole" newsletter, and include links (in a section below) to some blog posts you might find interesting.

First, though, a little update about Pearlsong Press. We've had some great stuff happening in the past few months.

Ellen Frankel, author of Beyond Measure: A Memoir About Short Stature and Inner Growth (published by Pearlsong Press in September 2006) was interviewed on the Today Show late last year, and the cover of her book (designed by yours truly) was displayed on national television! Get the details and a link to a video clip of the segment in the Pearlsong Press blog post here.

Last week the Lambda Literary Foundation announced its nominees for the 19th annual Lambda Literary Awards, and Mary Saracino's novel The Singing of Swans (published in October 2006) is a finalist in the Spirituality category! Winners will be announced at a ceremony in New York City May 31, 2007.

I've also been busy launching our newest book, Splendid Seniors: Great Lives, Great Deeds by Jack Adler, and promoting our "Splendid Seniors Among Us" effort to honor people whose achievements and activities after age 65 remind us that creativity, passion, productivity, and influence can not only flower in later years, but bear delicious fruit. (Do you know a Splendid Senior you can nominate? Details are here.)

By the way, since the Splendid Seniors publication date isn't until March 15, you still have a few more days to take us up on the offer of free shipping for advance orders!

Coming next from Pearlsong Press—a "big beautiful" collection of romance short stories, At Long Last, Love, by Canadian author Judy Bagshaw, and the newest novel from the Queen of Rubenesque Romances, Pat Ballard—a romantic suspense called The Best Man.

At least I haven't had computer trouble while working on the latest books, unlike last year. (Knock on wood. See my column in the Pearlsong Letter last September for details and the lesson I learned.)

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot to let you know—in January of this year I started posting mp3 recordings of the Health At Every Size radio show online at the Health At Every Size blog and the Audio page of the Pearlsong Press website. Listen to the recordings online or download them to listen at your leisure. Feel free to share them with friends, and spread the word!

Peggy Elam, Ph.D
www.peggyelam.com

A book, too, can be a star, "explosive material,
capable of stirring up fresh life endlessly."

Madeline L'Engle
in her acceptance speech for
the Newberry Award for A Wrinkle in Time

Outside of a dog, there's nothing better than a good book.
And inside of a dog, it's pretty dark.

Groucho Marx

On the Whole articles posted online:

Learn the truth about bariatric surgery (a.k.a. "weight loss surgery") in a post that may save lives.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has published an excellent "Teaching Tolerance" article about fat kids. And on also on that subject—the Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action opposes weighing and measuring school children. (Governors, are you listening?)

How campaigns to "prevent obesity," especially in children, hurt rather than heal.

Nutrition researcher Linda Bacon, Ph.D. critiques New England Journal of Medicine articles purportedly linking higher BMIs with increased mortality. Would you believe the data actually says almost the opposite of what the researchers claim?

By the way, U.S. life expectancy is at an all-time high. So is our weight. So where are all those piles of dead fat people?

A nutrition researcher and medical school professor identifies the origins of current "obesity" hysteria. Hint: think "pharmaceutical industry."

Testimony to the healing power of art: A recovering anorexic makes jewelry pendants out of spoons.

Testimony to the insanity of "obesity" hysteria and reality TV: A "Celebrity Fit Club" contestant reports developing an eating disorder in his pursuit of weight loss.

BBC News program (link to video included) on distortion in drug research.

Speaking of distorted research—or in this case, outright fraudulent research—an award-winning "obesity" researcher has been convicted of scientific fraud.

Read my review of two excellent Health At Every Size oriented books on compulsive eating, Beyond A Shadow of a Diet and The Diet Survivor's Handbook.

Check out a video clip espousing a new attitude about fitness and weight loss.

My rant about a fat-phobic commentary on public radio's Marketplace.

And finally, some good news—Canadian researchers report a possible breakthrough in diabetes treatment, with proof that the body's nervous system helps trigger diabetes.

By the way, I've added FeedBlitz email notification forms to the On the Whole, Health At Every Size, and Pearlsong Letter blogs. So now you can sign up to receive email notices of updates to any of these blogs.

Because who knows when I'll get around to sending another email newsletter out again? :-)

Feel free to share this newsletter with others,
or direct them to the newsletter archives at
http://www.pearlsong.com/newsletterarchives.htm.

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