Illness Often Comes with Deeply Felt Stress; Fibromyalgia
Sufferer Offers Tips for Emotional Wellness

Sometimes, not knowing the truth about something of immediate importance can create some of the most intense stress, says former chronic pain sufferer Janet Komanchuk.

"The families of victims who've been missing for years or decades - identifying the body of their loved one, for example, can bring closure. For me, being diagnosed with fibromyalgia was also a relief - it meant that I had a name for my chronic pain," says Komanchuk, whose pain was so intense over a period of several years that she had to retire as a schoolteacher.

"My diagnosis meant I wasn't crazy, that the pain wasn't 'all in my head,' as some had suggested. It meant that my flu-like symptoms, accompanied by intense waves of pain, finally had form and dimension. I understood I was just one of many suffering with chronic pain that at last had a name."

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a complex, chronic condition of widespread muscular pain and fatigue. It often includes sleep disturbances, impaired memory and concentration, depression and other debilitating symptoms. The syndrome is one of the most common chronic pain disorders, affecting nearly one in every 60 Americans.

"When medical leave, morphine patches, codeine and myriad pharmaceuticals brought no relief, I tried a different approach in combination with medical treatment," says Komanchuk, (www.jkomanchuk.com), who has since enjoyed more than 13 years of pain-free and prescription-free living after finding an alternative healing therapy that works for her. She now works as an educational writer and public relations assistant with Joy of Healing, the alternative healing modality that she says brought about her remission.

"Through the years, I've learned a thing or two about dealing with the psychological trauma of illness."

Komanchuk shares tips to keep in mind for those suffering from an indeterminate condition.

•  Trust in yourself. "At times, the pain was so intense that I was certain my flesh was tearing away from my bones," says Komanchuk, who was just like the more than 100 million Americans who suffer from chronic pain, which costs nearly $600 billion annually in medical treatments and lost productivity, according to the Institute of Medicine. Despite her unmistakable pain, the critical doubt from others as to what she was experiencing was disheartening, at times causing her to doubt herself.

"Trust in yourself, for you know what you're feeling," she says. "Don't fall victim to the judgment and criticism of others who doubt your illness and the limitations it places on you or your activities."

•  Don't quit! Despite the immense scope of chronic pain, very little is spent on research to find better ways to manage pain. Komanchuk was faced with the prospect of spending the rest of her life in a nursing home.

"Yes, the pain was excruciating, debilitating and fatiguing, yet I still felt as though my life had the potential for vitality," she says. "The idea of going to a nursing home - reasonable for some - felt like a kind of death to me."

Convinced that there was hope for her in overcoming fibromyalgia, she persisted in her search for wellness answers.

•  Seriously consider alternatives. She was able to achieve what she thought was impossible - not just temporary relief, but permanent, lasting mind-body-spirit wellness. She had been to orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, rheumatologists, psychologists, underwent MRIs and took all manner of medications for her unbearable pain. In a narrow sense, it would seem as though she exhausted her options - until she looked beyond traditional Western medicine. Alternative treatment guided her to recognize the layers of stress throughout her life that she believes were a primary driver of her chronic pain.

"Every day, I am filled with gratitude for the fact that I am free of the torment from fibromyalgia that had plagued me throughout my life," she says. "I just wish I could give others a piece of the relief that I've found. All I can say is keep your eyes open, keep the hope alive and don't give up!"

About Janet Komanchuk

Janet Komanchuk, www.jkomanchuk.com, is a retired schoolteacher who has experienced the miraculous remission of chronic, debilitating fibromyalgia, which was the result of many overlapping stressors and unresolved issues throughout her life. While weathering extreme fatigue and pain, she'd tried everything from traditional Western medicine to alcohol consumption and various holistic treatments. It wasn't until she experienced the healing work of medium and healer Andrew Overlee, and his wife, Tamara, a dedicated spiritual counselor and author, that she was able to regain her life. She is now pain-free without any use of prescription medication. She is an educational writer and public relations assistant with Joy of Healing, Inc., in Valrico, Fla.

Celebrities Gary and Cassie Chapman Discuss Their Journey

For many married couples, there comes a time when having children becomes the first priority. Often, the urge to create life and see it into the world becomes overwhelming.

But that urge can put many couples on an unpredictable journey, especially when they decide that their love, time and resources can be best put to use through adoption, says award-winning singer-songwriter Gary Chapman. He and his wife, former Nashville Wives star Cassie Piersol Chapman, say they were open to whatever God had in store for them.

"We knew it was time to give our hearts to a child," says Gary, 56, a five-time Grammy-nominated, seven-time Dove Award-winning artist who recently released his first album in a decade, The Truth, (www.garychapmanmusic.com).

But, while the decision to have a child was made, conceiving was taking awhile. Gary, who had reversed a vasectomy and is 23 years older than Cassie, has three grown children.

"During this period, I got a call from a friend telling me about a woman who was four months pregnant and looking for a suitable adoption family," says Cassie, who is proactive in multiple charity groups which facilitate a legal alternative to going through an agency. "It was as if God knew where this child needed to be after the birth. I immediately understood that this would be our path."

Through private, or independent, adoption, the Chapmans received their blessing, a baby girl they named Eva Rose. Gary and Cassie talk about the benefits involved in private, or independent, adoption:

• Parents can begin bonding with their child more quickly after birth:Private adoption allows for the newborn infant to bypass foster care, which is typically required by state-run agencies. Most babies adopted between private parties go home from the hospital with the adoptive parents.

"In our case, the birth mother had a 10-day grace period starting from time of Eva's birth," Cassie says. "While that was tough, I think it offers more peace of mind for birth mothers."

• It allows for more control, more collaboration and more choice:Independent adoption gives all parties greater autonomy in making important choices about the baby and each other. For many, the opportunity for the birth mother and adoptive parents to meet adds reassurance that decisions are being made in the best interest of the child. This dynamic doesn't exist in the more common state-run agencies.

"I think some folks actually prefer a more anonymous approach," Gary says. "Let's admit it - these can be some of the toughest decisions in a woman's life, and she may not want a relationship with adoptive parents."

• Better access to information: What's the child's background? Should you anticipate medical issues down the road? What if a child wants to know more about his biological mother and father, including their spiritual background? Private adoption allows for direct communication between the two parties.

"Birth mothers may not even know if they'll want contact with their child 20 years later," Cassie says. "If adoptive families go this route, they ought to collect as much relevant information about the child's birth parents as they can."

• Adequate safety measures: Like other types of adoption, private adoption is governed by state laws. In addition, if a child is brought from one state to another, then the provisions of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children apply.

"Folks should understand that private adoption isn't like the Wild West; it's just a less bureaucratic method of adoption," Gary says.

About Gary & Cassie Piersol Chapman

Gary Chapman is a veteran musician in the contemporary pop, country, Christian and southern gospel genres. His Dove Awards include Male Vocalist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year, and he's written hits including I Prefer the Moonlightfor Kenny Rogers and Finally for T.G. Sheppard along with songs for Alabama and Wynonna Judd. He was the host of TNN's hit show Prime Time Country for four years and founded the record label that launched current Disney music mainstays Everlife, among many top performers.

Cassie Piersol Chapman starred in TNT's 2014 docudrama Private Lives of Nashville Wives (from the Real Housewives creators). She grew up on her family's West Virginia farm and was active in 4H and other agricultural activities. She also sang in a choir, modeled and became a star cheerleader in high school. She won two national cheerleading titles at Morehead State University in Kentucky. She has appeared in music videos, commercials and printed work. She works with her husband, Gary, on A Hymn a Week, a popular online devotional.

Self-Made Millionaire Shares Common Mistakes to Avoid

You don't have to come from a wealthy family, have the next billion-dollar idea or work 18-hour days to become rich, says self-made millionaire Mike Finley.

"You don't have to be extraordinary in any of the headline-grabbing ways; what you need is the self-awareness to avoid wasting money on short-term, retail-priced happiness," says Finley, author of "Financial Happine$$," (www.thecrazymaninthepinkwig.com), which discusses his journey to financial literacy and the principles and practices that allowed him to retire from the Army a wealthy man.

"Money used wisely can give you the financial security associated with the good life."

Finley lists 10 of the most common money traps that lead to consumers going broke:

•  Make the appearance of wealth one of your top priorities by acquiring more stuff. The material trappings of a faux lifestyle, as seen in magazines and advertisements, are not good investments either financially or in long-term happiness.

•  Work a job you hate, and spend your free time buying happiness. Instead, find fulfilling work Monday through Friday so you're not compensating for your misery with expensive habits during the weekend.

•  Live paycheck to paycheck and don't worry about saving money. Live for today, that's all that matters. Have you already achieved all of your dreams by this moment? If not, embrace hope and plan for tomorrow. (Appreciating your life today doesn't require unnecessary expenditures.)

•  Stop your education when someone hands you a diploma; never read a book on personal finance. Just about any expert will tell you that the most reliable way out of poverty is education. Diplomas shouldn't be the end of learning; they should be a milestone in a lifetime of acquiring wisdom.

•  Play the lottery as often as possible. While you're at it, hit the casino! Magical thinking, especially when it comes to money, is a dangerous way to seek  financial security.

•  Run up your credit cards and make the minimum payments whenever possible. Paying interest on stuff you really don't need is a tragic waste of money.

•  When you come into some free money, spend it. You deserve it. By that logic, you're saying that a future version of you doesn't deserve the money, which can be multiplied with wise investments.

•  Buy the biggest wedding and the biggest ring so everyone can see just how fabulous you really are. Nothing says "Let's start our future together" like blowing your entire savings on one evening.

•  Treat those "amazing" celebrities and "successful" athletes as role models. Try to be just like them whenever possible. As far as we know, there's only one you the universe has ever known. Don't dilute your unique individuality by chasing an image.

•  Blame others for your problems in life. Repeat after me: I am a victim. The victim mentality is an attempt to rationalize poor habits and bad decision-making.

"If you're feeling uncomfortable with your financial situation, don't just sit there in a malaise of 'If only I had more money,' " Finley says. "Instead, use it as motivation for a better life; that's why the discomfort is there."

About Mike Finley

Like most Americans, Mike Finley was raised with no education in personal finances. Joining the Army out of high school, he realized he didn't understand money management and began the task of educating himself. After 26 years in the service, during which he practiced the principles he learned, he retired a millionaire. Finley is the author of "Financial Happine$$," (www.thecrazymaninthepinkwig.com) and teaches a popular financial literacy class at the University of Northern Iowa. He donates much of his time to additional groups, including Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa and organizations serving veterans and current military personnel.

Why Our Industrial Age Schools are Failing Our Information Age Kids
Educator, Researcher Describes 4 Ways to Reboot

In spite of the billions of dollars spent on educational reform since "A Nation at Risk" was published in 1987, more than half of America's high school seniors are not proficient in reading, and 75 percent can't do math, according to the recently released National Assessment of Educational Progress.

"Clearly, the current approaches to educational reform are failing," says notes educational researcher and consultant Charles M. Reigeluth, author of "Reinventing Schools: It's Time to Break the Mold" (www.reigeluth.net). "The problem is that major aspects of our educational system were devised to meet the societal needs of a bygone era."

"We need to change the paradigm - we need to move from Industrial Age 'factory model schools' to accommodate and reflect Information Age needs and realities."

The Industrial Age in the United States, roughly 1830 to 1960, was shaped by machinery and mass production. Many jobs moved from farms to factories, which required workers - and therefore students - who would follow instructions and endure repetitive, boring tasks, he says.

"We did not need to educate many people to high levels, so Industrial Age schools sorted students, promoting the few needed for managerial and professional work, and flunking out the many needed for the assembly lines," says Reigeluth, a former high school teacher and Indiana University professor.

"Today, knowledge work is more common than manual labor, and our systems are far more complex. All adults need a higher degree of knowledge just to function in society, so we can no longer afford a system that is designed to leave many children behind."

Here are four Industrial Age educational artifacts, according to Reigeluth, and how to update them for the Information Age:

•  Time-based student progress: Currently students in a class move on together to the next topic according to the calendar, regardless of whether they have learned the current material.  Slower students accumulate learning gaps that make it more difficult for them to master related material in the future, virtually condemning them to flunk out. The system is designed to leave many children behind.

A paradigm designed to leave no child behind would allow each student to move on as soon as he or she has learned the current material, and no sooner.  This requires "personalized learning'' and "learner-centered instruction" that is both high-tech and high-touch.

•  Standardized and other broad tests: Rather than evaluating a student based on how much he or she has learned in a certain amount of time, such as a 9-week period, each student should be evaluated to determine when the material has been learned, so we know when the student is ready to move on. This is called "criterion-referenced assessment," a different paradigm from "norm-referenced assessment."

"A big test with 20 different topics, as we use now, shows only how much a student knows compared to other students," Reigeluth says. "In the Information Age paradigm, all students are expected to finish learning whatever they undertake to learn. Like a Boy Scout working on a badge, each student continues to work until the material is mastered."

Assessments, then, are incremental and cover a single competency, or a small set of competencies. They certify mastery while also helping guide learning by showing students what they need to continue working on.

•  The traditional grading system : The traditional grading system indicates how well a student performed compared to the other students in a class - a tool that is only effective in sorting students. It's not an effective way of guiding and ensuring individual student learning, and it tells you little about what the student has learned.

"Rather than achievement reflected as grades on a report card, it would be reflected as lists of skills and concepts that the student has mastered," Reigeluth says.

•  Locking students into grades: Grade levels are incompatible with the Information Age model because students learn at different rates and become ready to move on to different material at different times. Grade levels are a key feature of the time-based, sorting-focused paradigm that served us well during the Industrial Age, but are detrimental to meeting Information Age educational needs.

Instead, group students into similar developmental levels, which typically span three to four years.

"Grouping developmentally, rather than based on age or rigid levels of content learning, accounts for the different rates at which children develop socially and emotionally," Reigeluth says. "Children can remain in their social-emotional peer group while working on projects typically tackled by students of a higher or lower age."

About Charles M. Reigeluth

Charles M. Reigeluth is a distinguished educational researcher who focuses on paradigm change in education. He has a B.A. in economics from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in instructional psychology from Brigham Young University. He was a professor at the Instructional Systems Technology Department at Indiana University, and is a former chairman of the department. His new book, "Reinventing Schools," (www.reigeluth.net), advocates and chronicles a national paradigm change in K-12 education. He offers presentations and consulting on this topic.