PACES.ro Magazine Nr.4 - June 2011 EN

PACES

JUNE 1JUNE 1Drawing made by a group Drawing made by a group of children hospitalized of children hospitalized at M.S. CURIEat M.S. CURIE

20 Andrei Mureşanu Street,

sector 1, Bucharest

Tel: 0040-372.770.126, Fax: 0040-21.224.46.95

www.patmedin.ro

Nr. 4, June 2011Nr. 4, June 2011

We believe in your happiness!

Promoted & Applied Social Economy Concepts

Published by the Integrative Medicine EntrepreneursPublished by the Integrative Medicine Entrepreneurs

Editorial Team

Editor in Chief: dr. Aurel Storin [email protected]

Editors: Florin Condurăţeanu fl [email protected] Octavian Andronic [email protected] Irina Ghiţă-Cioroba [email protected] Cornelius Popa [email protected] Anca Moraru [email protected] Larisa Toader [email protected] Image Editor: Silvia Mandler [email protected] Iancu Elena Cătălina [email protected] Administrator: Mihai Breahnă [email protected] Translator: George Wainer [email protected] Secretary: Gabriel Ionescu gabi@etipografi e.ro

ISSN-L 2247 – 0573

SCRIB PUBLISHING, 2011

Printed in România by SC SIMPLU PRINT SRLGHEŢA ROBERT • 0743-027955 • offi ce@tipografi e-off set.ro

Legal liability for the content of this publication belongs Integrative Medicine Entrepreneurs

© PMI, 2011

Published by Published by IntegrativeIntegrative MedicineMedicine EntrepreneursEntrepreneurs20 Andrei Mureşanu Street, sector 1, Bucharest20 Andrei Mureşanu Street, sector 1, BucharestTel: 0040-372.770.126, Fax: 0040-21.224.46.95Tel: 0040-372.770.126, Fax: 0040-21.224.46.95www.patmedin.rowww.patmedin.ro

3We believe in your happiness!

Integrative Medicine for the Benef it of the Society

Aurel Storin: If you’d like, Mr. Liviu Mandler, let us start with the beginning. How did you get to the idea of the Integrative Medicine Entrepreneurs (PMI)?

Liviu Mandler: It all started back in 1974, when I graduated from a Faculty of Psychology and Education Science, the Pedagogy Department, abroad. These two branches of science, Psychology and Pedagogy, helped me understand people bett er and not to ever underestimate anyone, including those who do not think the way I do.

Aft er four years of counseling vulnerable persons (mentally challenged children who went to special schools, beaten women and various other cases), I changed my area of activity: I became a fi nancial economist.

A.S.: Who guided you in this professional change?L.M.: When I was young, my parents gave me

a piece of advice. They tried to persuade me that I too, had to “have a profession and make some money, for psychology and pedagogy will not be enough to support a family”. I graduated from the Faculty of Economic and Financial Science. I worked as a fi nancial economist for 25 years and I held quite important positions in the fi eld. Let me assure you: my parents were right. I did make some money.

Still, I was att racted by my “fi rst love”, pedagogy and psychology. Two years ago, I decided to get back to it.

A.S.: Was this the beginning?L.M.: Exactly. Apart from the clinic that I had at

the time, and I still have, I founded the Integrative Medicine Entrepreneurs organization, in order to

provide support of excellence to the integrative medicine and to the social environment. Together with a young, distinguished, bright and open-hearted colleague of mine who has been working with me for the last eight years, I started along this diffi cult path with passion, commitment and with the ambition of reaching out to the ones who need us.

A.S.: In the three editorials which you wrote for the “Paces” Magazine, you mentioned these endeavors...

L.M.: And I don’t deny anything I wrote. I’m afraid the society we live in has become more and more egotistic and indiff erent about the ones who are suff ering. P.M.I. is meant to help people. Integrative medicine does not treat the patient as if he or she was just a sick person. We also consider them human beings. Integrative medicine provides treatment to the body, mind, soul, spirit and environment of the person. I sometimes think that illness is a result of an unfulfi lled matt er of the soul. On the other hand, we are trying to prepare the patients for the psychological state which is most proper for the medical treatment they receive.

A.S.: When was the beginning of the Integrative Medicine in Romania?

L.M.: Not long ago. Only a few years have passed and the beginning was slow. It was somehow diff erent in other countries. For example, the United States of America currently has 39 universities (such as Harvard and the universities of Pennsylvania and San Francisco) which have departments of Integrative Medicine.

A.S.: Do you know a convincing defi nition of Integrative Medicine?

L.M.: I know several such defi nitions. Still, I will only quote the defi nition provided by Professor Berman of the University of Maryland, USA. He is the Director of the Center of Complementary and Integrative Medicine there: “Integrative Medicine explores the means to treat the mind, body and spirit of man, all of them at the same time.”

A.S.: Does the Integrative Medicine function in Europe?

L.M.: Yes. Quite well, in fact. In Spain, Italy, England or Sweden the Centers of Integrative Medicine are well developed, also within Medicine Universities and Faculties.

A.S.: Does P.M.I. collaborate with these Centers of Integrative Medicine?

L.M.: Yes. We collaborate with Centers in the Unites States of America, as well as with those in

An interview with Liviu Mandler, President of P.M.I.

4 Promoted & Applied Economy Social Concepts Nr. 4/June 2011

Disabilities – between Fines and Mentalities

Romanian society has a certain traditional att itude towards our less fortunate neighbors, whose life has not off ered all the abilities or

cruelly deprived them of many: in a way, disabled people are the castoff remains of the current “production” of human beings. First of all we feel a need to protect them by hiding them from others, thus limiting their universe to the four walls of a room that slightly becomes a prison for life.

This perception has not changed too much in the last 20 years when, as we opened up to the Occident, which has a completely diff erent perspective on disabled people, we should have also received that input meant to change our understanding, so as to see the need to fully integrate this category. We still have in the subconscious certain reactions and att itudes that we cannot correct, no matt er how much we wanted to.

Mentalities are hard to change. This should happen not only under the pressure of education. There are tools whose effi ciency was checked in practice. In the Western world, one will never see a parking lot for disabled people taken by somebody who did not fi nd another solution. The fi ne is very high – and they actually pay it! – so that no one wants to do that once again. Fines are also given to those who use toilets built for the disabled. Institutions that do not have wheelchair ramps at their entrance are drastically sanctioned – even if

it is quite improbable for a wheelchair to be ever used there. In our country, all these are seen as exaggerations and as ostentatious actions.

Even if such actions proper may be corrected – also by fi nes – when we refer to mentalities, things are more diffi cult. I have recently surprised myself, as I was visiting San Francisco on the occasion of an important tourism fair, since I had an improper reaction: when waiting for the bus supposed to take us to a documentary journey for a few days, I saw a man in a wheelchair.

Almost automatically, I thought that it was such a misfortune that our group included that man, since it will be harder for us to move around and we shall be late. Moreover, he could cause other problems to the group. True, it was diffi cult for him to get into the bus and it took some time to get his wheelchair into the luggage compartment. Still, to the general surprise, the man was a very pleasant person, always willing to do his best in order to keep up with the rest of the group. Practically, his disability was not a problem for any of us and the fact that there are special devices meant to help disabled people almost everywhere actually helped him successfully integrate into our temporary group. Thus, he was fully entitled to consider himself our equal.

Octavian ANDRONIC

Europe. I hope that the First International Congress of Integrative Medicine, which will take place in Bucharest this autumn, will off er us the opportunity of hosting personalities and world-acknowledged professors in the fi eld of Integrative Medicine. Together with our partners, we shall also organize specialization courses in this fi eld.

Man, you are the only being on the planet which knows his or her own organism and may choose his or her optimal way to live!

The integrative medicine off ers a complete, complex approach of your health.

A.S.: Is there in Bucharest any Center of Excellence in this fi eld, where patients may go?

L.M.: Yes. I recommend them to go to the Diperia Vita Med Center of Excellence for Integrative

Medicine which functions in collaboration with P.M.I. There, our team of specialists will counsel them with full commitment and att ention.

A.S.: I hope it is not all. I am sure you will continue...

L.M.: Of course. I also hope we shall have other topics to discuss...

A.S.: It is always a pleasure to listen to you, President Liviu Mandler. Thank you for your time and for the insights.

Interview taken byDr. Aurel STORIN


The Ferentari Fashion Year

I think I am not the only one who envies fashion models. They are thin, tall and beautiful. Male models have long legs and slender shoulders, shiny

teeth and a lot of muscles. And still, so many girls don’t eat enough… while male models make compromises in order to get on the catwalk and into the spotlights. Fashion is a huge passion for children and adults, as well, for youngsters and the older generation.

I was once sent a power point presentation about the star-hats to be admired when worn by the arbiters of feminine elegance at the famous horse race in Ascot.

Before that, I had never believed some hats could be so beautiful that they simply take one’s breath away. There was a lot of fantasy, color, elegance, personality and especially CLASS in those hats.

The recent media show about the royal wedding in England made the whole planet sigh in admiration. The bride was beautiful and… belonged from the people, while the groom, the slender prince who fell in love, made us all be part of a modern fairy tale. One of its most important details referred to the color of the Queen’s hat. Many people were so interested in the topic of the hat that they even decided to bet about its color.

I was extremely happy to read that one of the dresses worn by a small princess at the Court of England, which was much more appreciated than a lot of outfi ts made by acknowledged fashion houses, was made in Romania, at a fashion house based in the Ferentari neighborhood of Bucharest!

Of course, the young Princess Catherine of Cambridge was suddenly very dear to me. For a

moment, it seemed that she came from a very stylish neighborhood of Bucharest.

Even if our Ferentari is part of the fashion world now, the Models of Diversity Styled & Frocked Fashion Show from London would not have meant a lot for me, had I not found out that the star of the show was a Romanian, Vasile Onică, a man with two crutches and an extraordinary courage.

He lives and works in England, being a fi nancial investigator of an important bank. Last year, he climbed the peak of Kilimanjaro!!!!

Folks, can you realize it? Despite his emaciated muscles, as a result of the Polio, this crippled Romanian climbed the Kilimanjaro. He is the fi rst disabled person to gain the most desired alpine trophy!

But it was not enough for him. He registered in a selection at a fashion show for the disabled and now, aft er having been on the catwalk, we was elected as Ambassador of disabled models in the United Kingdom.

“I want to inspire and motivate as many people as possible” – declared the recently elected Ambassador of the fashion models.

I hereby take a deep bow, as if I was in front of the Queen of England, and I say: Congratulations, Mr. Ambassador! May your life be as beautiful as your heart!

Angela S.


children improve their capability to relate to others, to communicate and to take care of themselves, as they grow up.

Diff erently from popular beliefs about autistic children, very few are completely isolated from a social point of view or actually “live in their own world”. Thus, treatment strategies are adapted to every patient’s needs, as well as to their familial resources. Nevertheless, autistic children are generally answering bett er to a well structured, specialized treatment.

A therapeutic program structured in such a way as to help parents improve the child’s communication, socializing, behavior adaptation and learning is the best treatment!

Clinician Psychologist – Psycho-therapist Diana O. MORARU

Individual Offi ce of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy - In2constient

Web: www. in2constient.ro

Finally, a large-scale campaign of briefi ng and warning began. Everybody may thus

learn about this terrible disease (unknown causes, experimental treatments). The disease has various forms and developments. It is mainly a neurological disease. Thus, the nervous system is att acked and the organism becomes its own enemy as a result of the multiple sclerosis. Gheorghe Carpalea, President of the GE-RO Foundation, which is dedicated

to multiple sclerosis patients, tells us: “Multiple sclerosis is the most frequent neurological disease of young adults which leads to disabilities. In Romania, it has a frequency of 35-40 cases in one hundred thousand inhabitants, and this is very high. Unfortunately, the aid we can provide to those who suff er from multiple sclerosis is insignifi cant if compared to the seriousness of the disease. We, the ones who are active in NGOs dedicated to the

suff ering, know what we want, but do not know how to do it. We are all learning. We are learning to att ract human resources and volunteers. We are learning to train social assistants who specialized in certain cervices they need. We are learning to att ract untrained volunteers in order to distribute aid packages to persons aff ected by multiple sclerosis. Moreover, we all want to create a daily area center for those who suff er from multiple sclerosis.”

May 27, the First World Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Day


THE CHOICE

It was a warm June day. I was walking down a seemingly never-ending river. From my position, I could not see where it started or ended. I could

only act upon a limited segment of space and time. What was I in this infi nite universe? The same laws, which governed the universe, governed me, as well. How strong was I? This thought came as I was looking at the river. I could choose what to do. The answer came as a relief to my heart. I could choose to enjoy the great show of nature or to submit myself to black thoughts which seemed to invade my mind.

Whenever one hears the harsh diagnostic of autism for the most precious being in the world, one’s child, my heart and mind were thunder-stricken. His or her future was nothing but death. That parent feels he or she is robbed of the child’s laughter and innocent look, as well as of tears to wipe away. Instead, such a parent seems to receive a litt le robot which might have functioned on another planet, but here and not, it is out of order. Why was he or she supposed to get this task which is much harder than for other parents? Why was he or she “qualifi ed”, in front of the skies, to get such a “present”? Who decided so? What will I CHOOSE to do? This is the right question and there is a right answer for it: that answer can be to heal one’s child.

A broken heart can only be cured if one gives God all the pieces. But can a mind be healed the same way?

Fight with love and dignity for your child! Nobody is in debt to help us, but we have responsibilities and rights. For children, for

their future, we have to learn to collaborate, to communicate to the ones around us about what we feel. We should never be discouraged by those who laugh at us. They do it because they do not understand and maybe they are not even capable to understand. One cannot ask from an old computer what a brand-new one can do.

The fi rst thing a father should be urged to do is to continue to love hi wife and not to blame her for what happened to the child. Usually, such a reproach destroys the harmony of the family. (Adam blamed Eve for what happened and they were banned from Eden. It seems that this custom was genetically sent, just like Eve’s custom of “fooling men around”.)

Fathers! – “The most beautiful thing you can do for your children is to love their mother”.

Mothers! – Respect the one you chose to live with you “for bett er or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health”. I had a daughter who imply gravitated around me. Litt le by litt le, I noticed we were reaching a state of harmony with one another, we were infl uencing each other. Many times, I imagined I could read her thoughts, but she was still not able to do this.

I was looking into her eyes and I was surprised to realize that I was able to give my life for her.

These children are captive in their own world and we are only invited when we gain their trust and when we prove being capable of taking them to our world which is so full


of meanness, envy, greed, which lacks sincere smiles, since so few of us show their real face.

This is the world we live in and it is not good enough for them.

As I was watching my child, I imagined she lived in a small glass house with round walls, while the houses of others were square and had stone walls. Her furniture is diff erent from that of the others, so that she has some extra pieces which only she can use, as well as others, which are missing. The eyes are the mirror of the soul. They are the large, bright windows from which we are sometimes invited to look deep into one’s soul. This is why they oft en look away. It is a defense mechanism.

This chronic illness alters the interaction between parents and children. Also, the couple needs a lot of strength to get over such a problem.

According to some authors, conscience is that part of us which suff ers when the rest of the body feels so good. Or it is so clean because it is not used. Still, we realize immediately what is good and what is bad. Common sense, our education before going to school or instinct, they all tell us about the path to go.

The thing that matt ers the most for our child is who we tell him he

is. Whenever he or she is wrong, whenever he or she does not behave the way we want, what is our reaction? Do we show love to a child who’s wrong or we don’t know what to tell him or her and we speak so that they feel our frustration?

I have always thought that, if we have a good approach of the spiritual world, we shall also have a good social stand. When we walk with her in the park, she sometimes asks us why other children are bad to her, since she is good to them. I answered that those other children, who behave rudely to her, have not received enough love from their parents. Unless one fi lls in the cup of love in their soul (in order to do this, one must take his or her time, for that cup is not easily fi lled) they are hollow inside. But she has enough love from the two of us and may thus give some of it to them, as well.

She went through several medical tests and, aft er the results, we had the feeling that the universe was cheating on us. There was no guarantee that this child would be perfect, just the way we wanted.

I was looking at her and could not imagine how her future would be like. I was not longing for acceptance, for this would have meant that she was considered equal to others. All we wanted was a litt le bit of tolerance.

I looked at her for a moment and I suddenly brightened-up. I realized this was the beginning of a long, winding road, and we must win. I will not give up, despite her problems and despite all those who tried to discourage me by their behavior.

I would not have fought for myself as much as I fought for her.

Once, when we were going to the hospital, a lady in the bus started shouting because she wanted to sit on the chair on which my child was sitt ing. She was known for her rude behavior by the other passengers. This is why people avoided her. Had


A Special Child’s ThoughtsMy name is Monica and I came to this planet

precisely 12 years ago, at 18.30H, on a sunbeam, due to my mother.

I was sent to the Earth because those from my native planet panicked. Why? Let me explain.

The quantity of meanness per inhabitant of the incredible blue planet is very high, so that we were carefully selected and sent to try to save the people from themselves. That’s easier said than done. Many of us were sent to parents who didn’t know what to do with us. The guidelines should have been sent telepathically to each and every parent, since we all have a gift to send to our parents, as well as to others, through them. Still, there were problems on both sides. The small aliens were not able to go all the way to the earthlings, and some of them were caught

between the two worlds. They couldn’t cope with the negative energy of the earthlings. Their only energetic shield was provided by their parents. Unfortunately, not all of them understood. Their reaction sent them back to Aspis (the short name for the coordinates of our galaxy) into their world. Fortunately, people started to understand the telepathic frequency sent by ASPI (the Association of Planet Love Survivors).

Our mind and heart is full of love. We are the messengers of hope. We show you the way for reaching our planet. You should have reached it from the very beginning, but you chose diff erently. The question is: what are you going to do now? Why do you surround yourselves with negative feelings? We cannot reach you if you keep on rejecting us. We realize there is a fi ght between good and evil, on this planet. We cannot get directly involved in this fi ght, but we can show you how to gain. Try to understand us. Our gift s are coming directly from the Source of Power. Some call us handicapped, children with special needs, disabled children. In fact, this is the way you are. We only see how proud you are of the material things you have and how masterfully able you are to deceive others. Your pride is complementary, in a reversed way, to your quality as persons. The larger the darkness of your hearts is, the more proud you are. We see it on TV every day.

Nature is created in harmony. Because of the negative energy they surround themselves with, people currently destroy themselves, as well as their homes.

As far as we are concerned, we shall be taken, soon. We don’t know exactly when, where from or how, but we know we shall be taken to the sky. Come with us. It is not us who need to integrate into your society. You can be happy, you need to feel protected and have peace of heart and mind.

Monica understood that those mean words were addressed to her, she would have gott en into a crisis and it would have been very diffi cult to appease her. I then went close to her and whispered in her ear: “Mt daughter is insane.“ “Yes?“ she said quietly. I continued to stare into her eyes: “My husband is a serial killer and I don’t feel well, either.” The woman became very quiet and was holding on to the railing as hard as she could. She got down at the fi rst stop. From that day on, whenever she sees me she gets down.

I would have fought the whole world, literally and fi guratively, for her. I practically used all my knowledge. I taught her to think about causes and eff ects. If she wants to be healthy and happy, she

must obey to the laws of nature. Even if she did not understand immediately, and as much as one year passed without her understanding too much, I did not give up and I patiently continued to do what I had to do.

Now, when she is 13, she is more and more independent, and we supervise her with the same love as in the beginning. I am looking back to where we started and where we are now, and I realize that I would not have had as much strength had I not taken this road.

I invite you all, those with special gift s from god, to start this trip from the ground to the sky, from agony to bliss.

Beatrice IORDACHE


At the beginning, there was the shock.

I remember the campaign for the two sisters, Catia and Sabina. They are two adorable children. I had been working in the media for

a short period, as a reporter at a social-issues show called Argumente, when the producer of the show suddenly asked me if I wanted to get involved in a fund raising campaign for two disabled sisters. I immediately agreed and I am not sorry at all, despite the three crazy weeks that followed” – said Ioana Marinescu. Catia and Sabina were nine and fi ve years old, respectively. They were both stuck in wheelchairs because of a very rare and devastating medical condition. “I don’t think I will ever forget the name of this disease: Spinal amyotrophy type II – continues Ioana. It was because of this disease that the two sisters were not able to walk or to stand. This disease aff ects all body muscles from the neck down. The universe of the two children was reduced to what a wheelchair off ers, despite that every child is entitled to a happy childhood. The tragedy was worse, since the disease was evolving very fast. Since muscles no longer held it, the spine was deforming in the lumbar area. The angle already reached 50 degrees and the lungs could be perforated by the ribs. The two girls could die. A large amount was needed in order to save them: 60.000 Euro. And they needed it fast! I remember when I fi rst saw the two children: they were like two angels stuck into the wheelchairs. Two children which were very mature for their ages, because of the trauma, of their disease. First I went to school. Then, I fell in love with them!”

A very good campaignThe media campaign was really successful. Three

weeks before Easter, the team from the Argumente Show started the fund raising for the 60.000 Euro. At the fi rst edition of the show, the team set the target: on Easter, we shall have raised the money. “The reckoning was elementary, and we explained to the people of Braşov: not everybody will be able or willing to help. But we approached the 25.000 faithful viewers of our show – as the polls said – broadcast at by RTT Braşov – The Transylvania TV

Station. And, if everyone came with just three Euro, we could raise the money to save the lives of the two sisters. We made a huge glass urn, of one cubic meter, and we put it at the entrance of the television station. We also placed a table and a chair there, opened the deposit list and made announcements during our shows and newscasts. I continued my work as a reporter and, taking turns with the cameraman, the producer of the show, we were welcoming… the guests. On the Good Friday, the 17th in the evening, we opened the seal of the urn and counted the money, aft er which we put it into the bank account opened for their surgical operation in Italy, for Catia and Sabina. The sum amounted to 63.000 Euro, in lei and we had raised it in exactly three weeks” – continued Ioana.

A lesson with tearsThe campaign logo was catchy. That thing about

three Euro. People came with 100.000 lei bills – in old money – that is precisely three Euro, and put it into the urn. They stood in line to get their receipts and were asking about the fate and chance of the litt le girls. “During that period, I really got to know the real face of many people. Let me give a few examples not to forget,” added Ioana. “One day, a young man came to us with a very large, full envelope. At the Carfi l Company from Braşov it was payday and people donated money for Catia and Sabina. Rugby players from CFR Braşov played a special game for the girls, built a small urn and donated, together with the referee and the spectators, as much as they could. Nevertheless, I was most impressed by what happened in a general school from the village of Cutuş: the school of Cutuş has only one class: grades 1 to 4. There are 18 students, all belonging to the Roma ethnic group. They all gave a few lei from their state-allowance aft er having talked to their parents about it. You cannot even imagine how poor they are. Initially, we wouldn’t take their money, since those kids really needed it for bread or stationery at school. Nevertheless, we could not refuse them. They had placed there not only their money, but their hearts, as well. I was crying with emotions and I felt like hugging every one of them, so that I might hold them forever inside of me, with their good hearts. But now, let me tell you another

About Solidarity, with Love…Ioana Marinescu is part of a new generation of journalists. Why am I talking about Ioana Marinescu, a journalist from Braşov? She got more and more experienced in her work, as she became involved in a campaign in favor of seriously disabled children.

„


story. A few days later, a pensioner came at our Station with his grand-daughter. He gave the 5 or 6 year-old a 100.000 lei bill and asked her to put it in the urn herself, to learn about what it means to help. Two minutes later, there appeared one of the richest, most infl uent people in Braşov. He had been invited to take part in a show. He asked what we were doing there, congratulated us for the action and went on without giving anything!”

Humanity, intensive classesIt is very interesting that most of those who

helped the two girls were poor. Well, actually, they were not rich. They had modest revenues, since a lot of them were pensioners and students. A woman from Braşov who worked in Great Britain at the time sent one hundred pounds. A businessman from Braşov donated a large amount, but expressly asked for his name not to be mentioned, for he did it to help, not to hear his name on TV. Anyway, the fact is

that they raised the money. This did not equal to the huge amount, but to the lives of two very unfortunate children. “For me – says Ioana Marinescu – that campaign was one of the most important lessons of my life. I learned what humanity is, at intensive classes. Every name included in our list had a shared story. It was a beautiful story about humanity, about helping each other and solidarity.”

This is why I have writt en these lines, my friends: for you. It is less important that a young television journalist worked in a campaign as a volunteer. It is less important that she learned, there and then, a lot about her work and about humanity. The most important thing about this story is diff erent: people have learned to help each other in a society where the state, which is oft en powerless or hostile to its citizens, in order to heal disabilities. The most important thing is for us, the community, not to accept defeat and to give up in front of the unmerciful fate. That’s all, folks!

Cornelius POPA

The Mediterranean Diet, the Best Way to Prevent Cancer

According to recent studies, the risk of colorectal cancer is much higher in the case of meat and other cold cuts consumers. Poultry

meat is a bit bett er, unless it is from large farms, of course. The recommended alternative is fi sh meat, despite the fact that its protecting eff ect is not fully explained. Probably, certain fat acids which are present in large quantities in fi sh oil do stop the proliferation of cancerous tumors. This is why the Mediterranean diet became a world standard, as a model of healthy alimentation, because, apart from fi sh, it includes many fresh fruits and vegetables. This is why inhabitants from the area of the Mediterranean have an extraordinary long life: they comply with this menu.

Thus, aliments are not necessarily protective, but one should follow a preventive alimentary model, inspired by the Mediterranean model: vegetables should be eaten with a lot of olive oil, to which we add a lot of fi sh. Another principle inspired by the Mediterranean

diet refers to fresh, raw aliments, which were not processed by fi re. If movement is added to this type of alimentation, cancer incidence can be reduced as much as 40%, especially in the case of breast, colon, prostate, lungs and uterus cancers. A reduced risk of cancers was also seen in thin persons who constantly move a lot. An American survey showed that blood density, when performing a mammography, modifi es radically aft er an hour of physical exercise. The same is valid for the rest of the body, not only

for the breasts.Still, when choosing our

alimentation, we should pay att ention, for less and less

vegetables are fully natural. Quite a lot of times, they

are processed by the alimentary industry. The current legislation is too permissive, as far as

alimentary additives are concerned. The best proof is that thousands of

new alimentary colorants appear every year. By comparison, correctly

cultivated vegetal products are almost non toxic.

Clement SAVA


Romania is on the last place in the social reinsertion competition

Only 4.2% of disabled people have a job in Romania, which means we are the last in the European Union in this fi eld. At the

same time, our country is second but last when allott ing amounts due to disabled people for social services, as mentioned in a presented report.

The report was made by the “For You” Foundation and the Institute for Public Policies. It shows that, for years aft er the adoption of legislative provisions meant to facilitate the integration of disabled people into the labor market, Romania, together with Bulgaria, is on the last place in the European Union, as far as the employment of this social category is concerned.

The initiators mention that Romanian legislation is inspired aft er a model applied in France and Germany, which grants facilities to “protected units” meant to stimulate the employment of disabled people. Still, the 478 protected units registered at ANPH (The National Authority for Disabled People) employ only 1.470 disabled people.

The initiators of the report underlined that not a single town hall of a county capital or of any district of Bucharest was able to hire the minimally required 4% disabled people of the total number of employees, as provided by the law. The percent of the disabled people who are employed is extremely

low in the case of local authorities and town halls, especially in: Alexandria, Brăila, Buzău, Piatra Neamţ, Satu Mare, Sfântu Gheorghe, Tulcea, Vaslui, which did not even employ one disabled person.

On the other hand, the report shows that local authorities were able to hire more disabled persons (by 44%) and those having somatic diseases (by 40%) in 2010. They have not hired any person suff ering from mental illnesses, from HIV – AIDS or from rare diseases. The assessment of the statistic data shows that Romania has at least 50 types of social welfare, for which the state spends 2.4 billion Euro every year. Most of the payments are made for heating, maternal leave and children’s allowance.

As far as the ratio of the amount provided for social services destined to disabled people is concerned, Romania is on the penultimate place in the European Union, Bulgaria being on the last place.

The report was made within the “Don’t ignore intellectually disabled persons, anymore!” project, funded by the Trust for a Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe.

Irina Cioroba

Disabled people have happy marriages

Surveys show that, when one of the partners in a couple gets a disability, the relationship does not worse. On the contrary, it improves,

in many cases. Researchers suggest that this is due to the time they spend together, as well as to the fact that they interact much more. At least this is what Jereny Yorgason, a British professor at the Bringham University says in his survey published in the Research on Aging Magazine. Both the men and women who took part in the survey mentioned that, aft er the apparition of a physical disability in

one of them, their relationship was much bett er. “Couples seem much more united when their partners are physically impaired – concluded Professor Yorgason.

The survey had 1.217 married respondents from Great Britain and they were monitored for 12 years.n.

Cornelius POPA


She is just 17 and her life seemed to be over be-fore it even started. Roxana Irimia, is a student at the arts high school in Valea Jiului. Because

of a congenital malformation, her hands do not have palms and her very small, frail fi ngers seem to be “springing” directly from her elbows. Still, when painting, she has no emotion or disability. Her soul guides her hands and she thus discovers new va-lences of liberty. Since she is a pragmatic person, the young painter is really preparing for daily life: she specializes in interior design and she already got her fi rst orders.

Cornelius POPA

H e graduated from the Arts and Craft s School, becoming a specialized baker. Currently, he works as a

commercial agent and his salary amounts to 600 per month. His name is Dumitru Moromete and he is 18 years old; despite

the fact that he is a disabled young man, he does not wish to keep his position as a commercial agent, baker or pie maker. He has great hopes of becoming a comedian. The people at the “Motivation” Foundation support him and are sure he will make it.

Ali Campbell, the famous lead singer of the UB40 band, will hold a concert on June 16 at the Sala Palatului Concert Hall in the Capital

City, meant to support poor, abandoned or disabled children. The event is organized by the FARA Romania Foundation, under the high patronage of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, of actress Nicole Kidman and of Princess Marina Sturdza. The concert will begin at 20:00h. The cash resulted from ticket sales, as well as from donations made by various companies will be used for supporting FARA projects, which also focus on supporting disabled children.

The price range of the tickets is: 70 Ron, 100 Ron, 140 Ron, 180 Ron and 220 Ron, available since March 25 at the Eventim network: the Germanos stores, Orange, Vodafone, Domo, the Humanitas and Cărturesti bookstores, as well as online at www.eventim.ro .

The Handless Painter

A Disabled Young Man Wants to Become an Actor

Ali Campbell, the voice of the UB40 band, sings for disabled children in Bucharest!


The Motivation Romania Foundation provided wheelchairs to 14 people from the town of Ploieşi and from Prahova County. It happened during

a seminar organized by the Romanian Motivation Foundation together with the General Department for Children’s Social Assistance and Protection – Prahova. The 14 disabled people who benefi ted from the donation, as well as their caretakers, att ended a short training session, during the seminar, so as to know how to use the wheelchairs in the most proper way.

Art does not exclude us!This is the name of the European project

developed by the League for the Defense of the Rights of Disabled People in Romania (LPADHR) together with the “Da Sparta a un Mondo a Colori” Association from Italy. The project made it possible for 30 physically or mentally disabled youngsters to be no longer isolated and to come back to the larger society. At the end of this project, the youngsters in our target group started to have more faith in themselves and also learned certain abilities meant to improve their lives. At the same time, the “Art does not exclude us” project proved to be an excellent opportunity for an exchange of experience about assistance in the inclusion of disabled people who belong to NGO’s in Romania and Italy.

Professional counseling for disabled persons

A group of 250 disabled people have a new chance of reaching the labor market in Romania, due to a new project supported by European funds. More precisely, 250 disabled people will att end professional counseling classes and the same number of companies will receive information about the advantages resulted from hiring them. During the three years of the project, the participants in this project will get not only professional counseling, due to the EXCELENT European Project. They will also be helped to actually fi nd a job. The target of this program is extremely ambitious, that it to actually have 100 of the 250 students hired aft er the end of the project, given that only 4% of all disabled persons in Romania are having a job, during this period.

The EXCELENT Program was also developed in Portugal and its results were very good: 46% of the participants were able to fi nd a job. “We think that disabled people are fi rst of all persons. Hey have rights, are trying to live their lives properly, to be included in the larger society and to have fi nancial autonomy, said Jeronimo Sousa, the Director of the Gaia Center for Professional Rehabilitation, a partner in the project.

Scores of students in senior years, who will soon graduate from the Second and Third School of Arts and Craft s in Bucharest, as well as

graduates of special schools, have recently att ended the third edition of the Job Fair for Intellectually Challenged Persons. This edition was organized by the Motivation Foundation and by the Special Olympics Foundation. The fair is part of the “Equal chances for integrating intellectually challenged persons into the labor system in Romania” project,

co-funded by the Social European Fund through the POSDRU 2007-2013 Program. Jobs were off ered by 18 companies and Agencies for Labor Occupancy in the Capital and the Ilfov County. According to the coordinator of the project, Emilia Ispas, their off er included jobs in retail sales, car washing, in advertising and cleaning companies. Still, the organizers say that the large majority of employers in Romania are quite reticent about disabled persons.

A less usual sports event took place in Paşcani. The town hosted the regional stage of the Special Olympics Romania games, organized by the “Hello Friends” Association. This is a sports competition for disabled children and it took place in the gym of the municipal stadium. The

competition was att ended by 60 participants from seven associations based in Paşcani, Iaşi and Bacău. The activity is meant to create an educational alternative for disabled children, by practicing sport and by using occupational therapies.

Aid for disabled persons

Job Fairs for Disabled Youngsters

Sports for Disabled Children


The Ability Cup

The Hand-Rom Humanitarian Foundation from Curtea de Argeş has recently organized a county sports competition for health-challenged children. The event was named the “Ability Cup” and was att ended by disabled school students from three social centers based in the Argeş County. The competition proper, the diplomas, the medals won by the young sportsmen and especially their approach as a matt er of normality and equality, were, in fact, the most important trophy they could ever win. There were three mixed teams of disabled children (from Valea Mare, Câmpulung Muscel and Curtea de Argeş) who came with their sports teachers at the contests of athleticism, soccer and basketball, at the “Vlaicu Vodă” College in the town of Curtea de Argeş, the famous location of the legend about Manole the Master Builder. The organizers paid a lot of att ention to the competition, since it was a very special event. Each group was diff erentiated only by the color of their shirt – blue, green and orange – and a journalist was also included in each team. The ambiance was completely normal, with emotions, encouragements, people who cheered and hugged, scores, a ceremony for the winners and, last but not least, a lot of joy. None of the participants, more or less healthy, felt a complex of superiority or inferiority during the context, since everybody was equal to him or herself, as well as to anybody else. This was a well-built socializing exercise, by which disabled students became serious candidates for a bett er fortune.

A Winner in the WheelchairI u l i a n

Crăciun was born with a serious disease –

muscular spinal amytrophy type 3 – which paralyzed his muscles and stuck him to a wheelchair for life. Despite his disability, Iulian has the will to lead a normal life. Aged 32, he has his own IT form, is married and has a child.

In an interview given to the “Adevărul” newspaper in October 2010, Iulian Crăciun said that all disabled people should change their mentality of assistee. “I would tell them: start learning something very good and keep to it. I have had my share of closed doors. I was told the position had been already occupied when they saw me. Thus, I was not able to show them what I could do. In general, people are lacking the power to mobilize. I know, that thing about «your strength» seems

obsolete, but, aft er all, the thing that diff erentiates you from another is that you are able to make two bolts, while the other one can make only one”.

“Out of a Consumer, I became Producer”

Through his fi rm, Iulian Crăciun gives back to the state fi ve times more money than he receives as a welfare assistee, whenever he pays taxes and duties. More exactly, he gives to the state budget sums that amount from 1.500 to 3.000 lei every month, while the state provides him with a pension of 200 lei and a salary of 400 lei for his caretaker, every month. This IT manager believes the Romanian state should do more for disabled people to have an easier access to education and professional training: “It is also for the benefi t of the state that I am making money

and pay taxes. It’s in the state’s advantage, for I give back much more than the value of the pension. Out of a consumer, I became a producer”.

In 2007, Iulian married Ema, a girl of his age who lives in a tourism agency. She is beautiful and does not have disabilities or prejudices. Last year, on October 25, their daughter, Iris-Natalia, was born. She was weighing 2.4 kilograms.

Simona POPA(Article published

in Adevărul, may 29, 2011)


Angel Marquez was a famous handball player in New York. He won many tournaments in 1970, there. But his dribbling style made it

possible for his hip joints to wear out and Marquez was operated on. He was implanted two titanium

femur heads, when he was 53 years old. “I will not let this event fi nish my career. I am the one to decide when to quit this sport!” His hands are so worn aft er having caught so many balls and look like sandpaper, that he keeps them covered in

surgical tape. Aft er a few months when he was not able to play, Angel Marquez is in the fi eld, once again. He has been playing since he was eight. At 13, he was already selected in a team. You should know that New York has more than 2.000 public “handball” fi elds. It is considered a “sport of the street”, the sport of the poor. During the 1970’s and 1980’s, Marquez was one of the 30 Category A handball players. But, in the USA, “handball” is not the team sport that we know. Instead, it is a competition between two individuals who throw the ball into one another.

Andrei BANC

The “Reform of the Penal Justice” Foundation, together with the leadership of the Penitentiary for Minors and Youngsters –

Craiova, have started a “pilot program: support for the development of communal services of mental health and deinstitutionalization of persons incurring mental health issues”. “This project is meant to provide assistance in the fi eld of mental health, in penitentiary units. Its purpose is to

increase their capability of providing services of mental health for the vulnerable group of persons who lack freedom”, mentioned Dorina Preduţ, spokesperson of the Penitentiary for Minors and Youngsters – Craiova. All along the program, several doctors from Craiova who specialized in treating psychiatric affl ictions provide treatment to the 15 youngsters who have such problems.

Cornelius POPA

The concept of social economy develops more and more in Romania. Its purpose is to transform a large part of disabled persons,

from assistees into active people, which makes them happy, provides them with services, added value and... money. Social reinsertion is no longer an empty word, but a reality.

Timişoara recently hosted the “Role of Partnerships in the Development of social economy” seminar, organized by the Ministry of Labor, Family and Social Protection, as well as the National Fair of Social Economy, organized as part of the “Social Economy – an Innovative Model for the Promotion of Active Inclusion of Less Favored People” project.

The conference hosted about 200 representatives of government and non-government organizations, initiators and promoters of social economy activities. The event pointed out the role of social economy in the development of the community. At the same time, the fair hosted 40 exhibitors – Romanian enterprises of social economy: associations, micro-funding institutions, suppliers of social services or various other services, organizations which are active in the production and distribution of goods, with and without components of social inclusion.

Cornelius POPA

“Pilot” program in penitentiaries

National Fair of Social Economy

Hip Joints Made of Titanium


He vanquished cancer… and went to skiing when he was 83

He was a very short, thin man who never weighed more than 55 kilograms. Nevertheless, he was full of life. He lived 92

years and, until his last day, he consulted patients in order to relieve them of suff ering. This is how Professor Dr. Gheorghe Bungetianu was. I used to tease him with funny words: “Whenever you enter the room, I have to close the window, otherwise the wind might blow you out”. I saw him skiing in Predeal when he was 79 years old, elegantly winding his body, gett ing down in a seemingly never-ending, most steep part of the ski slope.

For decades, Professor Bungetianu researched and implemented national programs for lung disease cure, especially for the cure of tuberculosis. He was one of the scientists working at the Marius Nasta Institute of Pneumology, also known as the Filaret Hospital, which has a long medical tradition.

But this was not enough to such a vivid, searching spirit. At the same time, he also founded the Romanian Society of Homeopathy. This is an amazing science based on the memory of liquids: homeopathic remedies are made of plant extracts, snake venom and other such substances of the animal world, as well as rock extracts, all of them being very, very diluted. Practically, homeopathic pills include very small quantities of plant, animal and rock extracts. But the liquid they were diluted into “remembers” the quality of these extracts when they were not so diluted.

I hosted this great scientist, Dr. Gheorghe Bungetianu at a TV show. He was 85 already. During the show, the acknowledged professor of medicine made a simple statement, in a clear, even tone, as if he was talking about a short rain, in the aft ernoon. “Thirty-fi ve years ago, famous surgery professor Juvara cut half a meter of my colon, since I had cancer. He cut well, the great surgeon, because, aft er 35 years, I have almost forgott en that my abdomen, my colon, had such a large tumor that I was able to feel it by myself, since I was a thin guy. I discovered it when I touched by belly. Aft er such an experience, which may mentally destroy certain people, apart from the medicine of the lungs, I wanted to delve into that fascinating therapy which is called homeopathy. It will probably become a branch of medicine, in the future”.

Professor Doctor Gheorghe Bungetianu vanquished cancer. He waged a decisive batt le 35 years ago and practically banned cancer from his organism, doubled his work and, instead of going through a period of convalescence, he delved into homeopathic treatments, apart from lung medicine, which was something very new and courageous of him. I asked Professor Gheorghe Bungetianu why I did not see him ski anymore. “When I was 82, I felt that one of my knees was hurting, so I had to give it up. But I could not simply give up sports so, when I turned 86, I started paragliding”.

Florin CONDURĂŢEANU

Destinies

Children suff ering from the Down Syndrome, who were included into the “Give a Chance” Foundation, exhibited their photos at the Center for

the Promotion of Social Economy within the Catalactica Association. The photos were taken by the children during four months, being part of the “World as We See It” project, implemented by the “Euro Teleorman” Association, developed by the “Youth in Action”

Program, funded by the European Committ ee. The purpose of the project is to include disabled children into the larger society by forming and developing their habit of socializing, of working in a team and of cooperating with each other. The project developed activities of socialization, communication and documentation, and the children with the Down Syndrome were able to go on trips and take pictures. (C. POPA)

Photo Exhibition on the Down Syndrome


Frida Kahlo is one of the most interesting, original painters in the world. She successfully used the physical pain that she suff ered from all her life

in order to inspire her paintings. Born in 1907, in Covoacan, Mexico, in Casa

Azul, which is now a place of pilgrimage for her works’ admirers, Frida Kahlo had a German father and a Mexican mother of Indian origin. Frida said her father was a Hungarian Jew, but later research revealed that he was Christian Lutheran and he was born in Pforz (Germany). From there, he emigrated in Mexico. When she was six, Frida got polio and was left with a disability. Her right leg was much thinner than her left one. But this was not her only disability. She always had health issues, as well as lots of pain because of a traffi c accident when she was a child. It was then that she had her spine broken, as well as a few ribs, her pelvis. Her right leg was fractured in eleven places and an iron rail went into her abdomen. This last accident aff ected her uterus and she was never able to carry a pregnancy to full tern. The following three months aft er the crash, she went through a painful recovery. Though she learned to walk once again, she was never fully healed.

Her mother ordered a special easel for her to be able to paint while staying in bed and her father gave her oil and brushes. Kahlo said she started to paint in order to pass her time easier, as she could not get out of bed. She eventually quit the idea of going to the medical school and fully dedicated herself to painting. A large part of her paintings are self-portraits, and this happened because she had to spend a lot of time in bed, as a result of the accident. As a matt er of fact, she stated: “I paint myself because I am alone for very long periods and I am the subject

that I know best”. Of the 143 paintings, 55 are self-portraits in which

she oft en symbolically incorporated her physical and mental wounds. Her work is highly praised in Mexico, since it is considered emblematic for the national Mexican and Amerindian tradition – vivid colors and dramatic symbolism, a frequently used motif being the monkey, which is a part of Mexican mythology. Many times, her work was described as native or folk art, while others consider it surrealist.

Her paintings include Christian, as well as Jewish topics.

She was married to a famous Mexican artist, Diego Rivera, who guided her at the beginning of her career. She died young, aged 47, only one year aft er her leg was amputated from the knee.

Today, Frieda Kahlo and her work are acknowledged and appreciated all over the world. At the 100th anniversary of her birth, an exhibition of her works was organized in Mexico. It was the largest exhibition of her creations. Frida Kahlo was a fi ghter. She never allowed herself to be overwhelmed by disability and pain. On the contrary, for her, they were an important source of inspiration.

Eva Galambos

MARI PERSONALITĂŢI ALE LUMII, CU DIZABILITĂŢI

FRIDA KAHLO – A GENIAL PAINTER

23

MissionTo promote, develop, adopt and implement integrative medicine as part of the medical practice in Romania.

The concept of Integrative medicine places the patient in the center of the medical team and means to use all proven safe and effi cient therapies, no matt er where the system of medical thought these therapies may originate from.

VisionOur vision considers that integrative medicine is the common solution and meeting place for medical doctors, educators and researchers all for the benefi t of the patient.

P.M.I. will act as a central reference point and as a repre-sentative, communication, edu-cation and collaboration factor, in connection with the public and private authorities who rule and/or coordinate this fi eld in the country and abroad. We also identify the specifi c issues faced by providers of integrative medicine, as well as the optimal solutions to solve them.

Projects under development● Supporting disadvantaged

personsA regional network for the promotion and application of the social economy concepts, meant to increase the chances of social reinsertion of disabled people.• Supporting patients who

suffer from cancerA multiregional network for integrative therapy, counseling and social reintegration of persons who were diagnosed with cancer.• The Integrative Medicine

Entrepreneurs – PMI The www.patmedin.ro site, where you can fi nd more information about our current activities.

OBJECTIVES• To represent and protect the interests of integrative medicine service providers from Romania, both at a national and international level.• To develop a framework for the associated members to discuss and ask questions, mention various issues, proposals for situations of common interest, as well as to help creating and developing unitary strategies for their support and for fi nding solutions.• To represent and to plead for the support of the strategies adopted by the Entrepreneurs when approaching the Parliament, the Government, other authorities and/or national/local institutions, as well as when approaching the media and any other relevant entity from Romania and from abroad.• To promote the best practices among its members, by assuring ethical, responsible means of organization and function for the integrative medicine, meant to comply with the expectations of the community, at the highest standards of integrity.• To take all legal actions for the creation of a proper normative framework meant to develop the organization and functioning of the integrative medicine. It should also best refl ect the compatibility process of the requirements of this economic group and the needs of the larger society. Thus, the Entrepreneurs will be able to initiate contacts with the authorities in charge of implementing approved projects of normative acts and to actively participate, as far as the legal system allows it, in the creation, approval, public debate and implementation of normative act projects which refer to our fi eld of interest, as well as to other related fi elds.• To become an affi liate or full member, from case to case, of those international associations which are actively involved in the organization and functioning of integrative medicine, so that the interests of the integrative medicine in Romania will be represented internationally, and for the correlation of its organization and functioning in Romania with the international standards in this fi eld.• To organize meetings, conferences, exhibitions and work-shops for exchanging experience with various associations, foundations or other institutions which have a similar profi le. To sign agreements of partnership with medical or non-medical institutions, foundations of associations whose objectives are common or close to those of the Entrepreneurs.

About us

We believe in your happiness!

Important addresses:Important addresses:www.paces.rowww.paces.ro

www.informatiicancer.rowww.informatiicancer.ro

PACES.ro Magazine Nr.4 - June 2011 EN

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Transcript of PACES.ro Magazine Nr.4 - June 2011 EN