Unlike many of the most important events in one's life - graduation, marriage, having a child - almost no one anticipates a cancer diagnosis.

This year, nearly 239,000 U.S. men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 232,000 women will learn they have breast cancer, according the American Cancer Society. Over their lifetimes, nearly half of all men can expect a cancer diagnosis, and more than a third of women.*

"Thankfully, we now have many tools for detecting cancers early and treating them successfully. But learning you have cancer remains one of life's most frightening and stressful experiences," says cancer psychotherapist Dr. Niki Barr, author of "Emotional Wellness, The Other Half of Treating Cancer," (canceremotionalwellbeing.com).

"Developing ways to help patients address their emotional well-being throughout their medical journey, still lag behind medical advances, but physicians and psychologists recognize that healing improves when both the physical and emotional needs of patients are served."

In her years of clinical practice working exclusively with cancer patients and their loved ones, Barr developed an Emotional Wellness Toolbox that patients stock with what Barr has found to be the most effective tools.

Here are some of her tools for managing anxiety - a normal and emotionally healthy response to a cancer diagnosis, but one that can spiral out of control.

• Catch your anxious thoughts. Stop anxious thoughts - thoughts about fear, unease and worry -- before they lead to anxiety. Start by writing your thoughts down on individual note cards and identifying the first one that's leading to you feeling anxious.  Then the next one. When you've identified all of your anxious thoughts, go back to the first one and, on the card, write a new thought that will not make you feel anxious. It should be a thought that is confident and empowering. Continue down the list and do the same for each anxious thought.

• Erase 'what if' thinking. What if the cancer has spread? What if the treatment doesn't work? One 'what if' leads to another and often spirals into anxiety. Be aware when you start asking 'what if' and instead ask yourself, "Is this thought helping me or hurting me?" and "Is this thought moving me forward or backward?"

• Ground yourself. Interrupt a chain of anxious thoughts by focusing on details around you. Look at the color of the walls in the room you're in; take in the pictures on the walls, the books on the shelves and the titles on their spines; look at the person you're talking to, the color of their eyes, the clothes she's wearing. Being very focused on external details can derail anxious thoughts.

• Use distraction. Choose a favorite place and visit it. Absorb everything about it - the colors, smells, any people involved, the sounds, tastes, how it feels. Build it up very clearly in your mind, going over and over it, so it can become a distraction tool. When you're waiting for a medical test or procedure, undergoing a procedure, or any other time you need to "be" somewhere else, call up your distraction and visit.

Other tools for your box include meditation CDs that use guided imagery; favorite music CDs; and a journal to record your thoughts and feelings.

"Being able to manage your anxiety enables you to move forward through cancer whether patient, caregiver or family member," Barr says.  "Don't tell yourself you can't handle whatever you're going through. Yes, you can ... five minutes at a time."

*The data does not include non-melanoma skin cancers, the most common diagnosis.

About Niki Barr, Ph.D. (@NikiBarrPhD)

Niki Barr, Ph.D. founded a pioneering psychotherapy practice dedicated to working with cancer patients in all stages of the disease, along with their family members, caregivers and friends. In her book, she describes an "emotional wellness toolbox" patients can put together with effective and simple strategies, ready to use at any time, for helping them move forward through cancer. Dr. Barr is a dynamic and popular speaker, sharing her insights with cancer patients and clinicians across the nation.

Calls Judiciary Committee Hearing "Disingenuous–An Act of Political Showmanship"

"The hearing was nothing more than an act of political showmanship. The House of Representatives is trying to look compassionate toward DREAMers, but actually they are avoiding the most important part of the debate:   taking action on pathway to citizenship for 11 million people. Without a doubt, children are an important part of the pathway to citizenship conversation," said Jesusa Rivera of Gamaliel, "but as any parent, educator, or social worker in this country will tell you, children are much more likely to be successful and to thrive in the context of healthy and whole families.  Talk of citizenship for DREAMers without ensuring a pathway for their families is disingenuous.  We want a real solution to our country's broken immigration system that prioritizes family reunification and a pathway to citizenship for ALL 11 million undocumented people living in this country."

Gamaliel clergy and leaders have organized a number of congregation basement field hearings and other events during August Recess, hoping to keep a message of family unity and pathway to citizenship at the center of the debate.

Gamaliel (www.gamaliel.org) is a grassroots network of non-partisan, faith-based organizations in 17 U.S. states, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Gamaliel organizes to empower ordinary people to effectively participate in the political, environmental, social and economic decisions affecting their lives. Gamaliel's diverse members apply their faith and values to the pursuit of equal opportunity for all, shared abundance, and stronger, more prosperous communities.

DES MOINES - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) announced today that his aide, Alison Hart, will host a mobile office in Scott County, on Wednesday, July 31, 2013 for local residents. This event will focus on The Healthy Families Act - an effort by Senator Harkin that would allow workers to earn paid sick leave. The event is part of a statewide tour Harkin staff will host to share ideas on how to improve economic security. The mobile office tour began last month in Indianola.

Senator Harkin's staff will visit all 99 counties during this tour.  The media is invited to attend.

"Congress has the ability through meaningful policies to improve economic security for working families in Iowa and across the country," said Harkin. "Throughout the summer, my staff will visit each county and talk to Iowans about the ideas I am promoting to shore up retirement security, rebuild our manufacturing base, and ensure workers have access to paid sick leave and to a fair wage. I hope that Iowans will attend these events and share their ideas for policies that would help their families."

Senator Harkin, Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has introduced four initiatives his staff will discuss during the tour:

Real Retirement Security: The Universal, Secure, and Adaptable ("USA") Retirement Fund. USA Retirement Funds combine the advantages of traditional pensions - e.g., lifetime income benefits and pooled, professional management - with the portability and ease for employers of a 401(k).  That will give middle class families the opportunity to earn secure retirement benefits that they take with them as they change jobs and that they cannot outlive.  Importantly, USA Retirement Funds also make it simple for employers to offer a benefit without having to take on all of the risk and administrative burden.

Allowing Workers to Earn Paid Sick Leave: The Healthy Families Act. The proposal would allow workers to earn up to 56 hours (7 days) of paid sick time per year, by earning 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Workers can use this time to stay home and get well when they are ill, to care for a sick family member, to obtain preventative or diagnostic treatment, or to seek help if they are victims of domestic violence.

Raising the Federal Minimum Wage: The Fair Minimum Wage Act. The proposal would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from its current $7.25?in three steps of 95 cents?then provide for automatic annual increases linked to changes in the cost of living. The bill would also gradually raise the minimum wage for tipped workers?which currently stands at just $2.13 an hour?for the first time in more than 20 years, to 70 percent of the regular minimum wage.

Bolstering American Manufacturing: The Rebuilding American Manufacturing Act of 2013. The proposal requires the President to establish a National Manufacturing Strategy to better our resources and effectively support American manufacturing.  Senator Harkin also supports President Obama's call to create a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, a public-private partnership to help manufacturing companies innovate, create new products, and improve the manufacturing process.

Details of the event are as follows:

Wednesday, July 31, 2013
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Davenport Public Library
3000 N. Fairmount Street
Davenport, IA 52804

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN (07/23/2013)(readMedia)-- Allison Shanks of Bettendorf, IA, was one of 29 Butler University students who collaborated with a faculty mentor on original research during Butler Summer Institute (BSI) 2013. Working on campus from mid-May to mid-July, BSI Scholars examined issues in chemistry, biology, social sciences, music, and more, with the goal of producing work worthy of acceptance at a professional conference or in a professional publication.

Assistant Professor of Biology Nat Hauck mentored Shanks in research on "Chemicals in the jasmonic Acid Pathway's Affect on Systemic Acquired Resistance and Pathogen Related Genes in Moss."

Shanks received a $,2500 stipend, a housing allowance for campus accommodations, and free admission to Indianapolis cultural events from the Butler Center for High Achievement and Scholarly Engagement, which oversees BSI and other honors academic programs. BSI Scholars are selected in a competitive process; some 70 students applied for this year's program.

About Butler University

Challenging and enabling students to meet their personal and professional goals has guided Butler University since 1855. Today, Butler is a nationally recognized comprehensive university that blends the liberal arts with first-rate pre-professional programs. It seeks to prepare each graduate not simply to make a living but to make a life of purpose, in which personal flourishing is intertwined with the welfare of others. Butler is known for its vibrant campus, superior academics and dedicated faculty. The University enrolls more than 4,700 undergraduate and graduate students in six academic colleges: Arts, Business, Communication, Education, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Located just six miles from downtown Indianapolis, Butler's urban setting affords students internship opportunities that provide excellent graduate school and career preparation.