Not too long ago - just after World War II - few people in the United States brushed their teeth with any regularity. Now, the mere thought of going an entire day or night without brushing one's teeth is simply out of the question for most.

Hopefully, someday in the near future, a similar attitude will prevail regarding mental well-being, says Dr. Matt Mumber, an oncologist and author of "Sustainable Wellness: An Integrative Approach to Transform Your Mind, Body, and Spirit," (www.sustainablewellnessonline.com), coauthored by Yoga therapist Heather Reed.

"Human happiness and well-being are rudderless without awareness, which I define as the quality of paying attention to what's going on in the present moment from an inquisitive, nonjudgmental and focused perspective," he says.

An easy way to think of optimal wellbeing might be to envision a three-legged stool, says Reed.

"The three legs include physical activity, nutrition and that underappreciated component missing from too many Americans' lives - stress management, or a healthy mental state," she says.

After checking off a healthy diet and exercise from the list, how does one go about ensuring a healthy mind? Mumber and Reed say the key is mindfulness, which they define as paying attention on purpose, non-judgmentally and as though your life depended on it. Framed another way, mindfulness means focusing on something without trying to change it, like the sky holding passing clouds without clinging to them.

They describe the states necessary for attaining mindfulness:

• Beginner's mind is the ability to see things with new eyes. The Bible warns against putting new wine in old wine skins - doing so risks tainting the new stock. A beginner's mind opens people to the world of possibilities that exist in the present moment. That does not mean throwing away good ideas from the past; rather, it means to entertain new ideas with a truly open sensibility.

• Trust: Believe in your authority to know your own body, thoughts and feelings. We need to have the confidence necessary to trust that our thoughts and feelings at any given moment have value.

• Non-judging is the ability to see things for what they are, to hold an open and neutral place for whatever comes up within and around you, without thinking of anything as categorically better or worse than anything else.

• Patience is a willingness to continue with the process of paying attention on purpose even when it appears that no progress is being made. Learning and growing through mindful practice happens with time, and we can't force the outcome.

• Acceptance refers to allowing whatever comes up in the moment to be held in our field of awareness. This is not the same as giving up or being passive; acceptance is merely acknowledgement.

• Letting go is refusing to attach to specific thoughts, feelings or behaviors. This can feel like losing something, but every time we let go, we open ourselves to something new and, potentially, deeper.

• Non-striving: In our goal-oriented society, this may seem counterintuitive. However, non-striving refers only to practicing mindfulness without expectation of some future goal or dream, which helps us better live in the now.

"By having our three-legged stool firmly planted in awareness, we can drop into what we typically call a sense of spiritual wellbeing,' says Mumber.

About Matt Mumber, MD & Heather Reed

Matt Mumber, MD, is a practicing board-certified radiation oncologist with the Harbin Clinic in Rome, Ga. He completed his radiation oncology residency at Wake Forest University Bowman Gray School of Medicine and graduated from the Associate Fellowship Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. Dr. Mumber is past president of the Georgia Society of Clinical Oncology. He founded Cancer Navigators Inc, a non-profit organization offering cancer patients access to nurse navigation, social services and educational programs to support and augment the clinical care they receive. Dr. Mumber received the Hamilton Jordan Founders Award for involvement in statewide oncology activities and in 2008 he was named a Health Care Hero by Georgia Trend magazine.

Heather Reed has been teaching Yoga since 1996. She expresses an integrative, adaptive approach and specializes in using Yoga and meditation techniques for people living with cancer, post-polio syndrome and other chronic illnesses. Heather received an Experienced Teacher Certification from Esther Myers Yoga Teacher Training Program and has had extensive training with senior staff of the Commonweal Cancer Help program and Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease. She developed Yoga classes for cancer patients at The Wellness Community, Atlanta. Since 2008, she has been Yoga teacher and co-facilitator for the Residential Retreat Program for Cancer Navigators of Rome, Ga.

PEORIA,Ill. (April 15, 2013) – May 8 is World Red Cross Day, and the American Red Cross encourages eligible individuals to celebrate by donating lifesaving blood in their communities. The need is constant, and all blood types are needed, especially O negative, B negative and A negative.

For more than 130 years, the Red Cross has been dedicated to helping people in communities large and small across the U.S. It is the only humanitarian services organization that provides blood services, serves as the emergency communication link between military personnel and their families, offers health and safety training and responds to disasters of all types and sizes.

Join the Red Cross family this month and make an appointment to give blood in honor of World Red Cross Day at redcrossblood.org.

World Red Cross Day

World Red Cross Day is celebrated every year on May 8, the birthday of Henry Dunant, who officially founded the International Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement nearly 100 years ago. The holiday recognizes worldwide efforts to advocate for the relief of human suffering, whether from disease, disaster, war or famine.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

Carroll County
May 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at West Carroll High School, 500 Cragmoor Drive in Savanna, Ill.

Clinton County
May 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ashford University Calling Center, 1310 19th Ave. North in Clinton, Iowa

Henry County
May 2 from 12-6 p.m. at First United Methodist Church South Campus Building, 302 N. State St. in Geneseo, Ill.
May 8 from 1:15-5:15 p.m. at First Christian Church, 105 Dwight St. in Kewanee, Ill.
May 9 from 2-6 p.m. at St. John's Vianney Church, 313 S. West St. in Cambridge, Ill.

Mercer County
May 2 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sherrard High School, 4701 176th in Sherrard, Ill.

Whiteside County
May 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fulton High School, 1207 12th St. in Fulton, Ill.
May 1 from 2-6 p.m. at American Red Cross, 112 W. Second St. in Rock Falls, Ill.
May 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Army National Guard, 716 Sixth Ave. in Rock Falls, Ill.
May 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Prophetstown High School, 310 Riverside in Prophetstown, Ill.
May 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Erie High School, 435 Sixth Ave. in Erie, Ill.
May 7 from 8-11 a.m. at River Bend Senior Center, 912 Fourth St. in Fulton, Ill.
May 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at American Red Cross, 112 W. Second St. in Rock Falls, Ill.
May 9 from 3-8 p.m. at Tampico United Methodist Church, 202 Lincoln Ave. in Tampico, Ill.
May 13 from 4:30-7:30 p.m. at Montmorency School, 9415 Hoover Road in Rock Falls, Ill.
May 14 from 1-5:15 p.m. at River Bend Senior Center, 912 Fourth St. in Fulton, Ill.
May 15 from 2-6 p.m. at American Red Cross, 112 W. Second St. in Rock Falls, Ill.

The need is constant. The gratification is instant. Give blood.™

How to donate blood
Simply call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org to make an
appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for
patients. A blood donor card or driver's license or two other forms of identification are required
at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh
at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school
students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and
weight requirements.

About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters;
supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides
international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red
Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the
American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join
our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

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Weight loss Workshop - Monday, April 15th 6:00 pm

Having trouble with your weight loss goals? Have you tried every diet, just to fall short again? Come to our weight loss workshop and learn why your past attempts were not successful, and receive the necessary information you deserve to reach your goals.

R.S.V.P to Shelly at 563-650-4169 or call our office at 309-764-4753. Hurry as seats fill-up quickly.  BioShaping of the Quad Cities, 4300 12th Ave. Moline, IL 61265.

CHICAGO - Lt. Governor Simon will declare April as Sarcoidosis Awareness Month in Illinois during a visit to the Bernie Mac Sarcoidosis Translational Advanced Research (STAR) Center on Thursday. Simon will be joined by Mayor Richard M. Daley and Rhonda R. McCullough, widow of Bernie Mac and President and CEO of the Bernie Mac Foundation.

"The work of the Bernie Mac STAR Center helps promote research and awareness of Sarcoidosis as we focus efforts to decrease health disparities in the city and throughout the state," Lt. Governor Sheila Simon said. "I'm pleased to promote the organization's work by declaring April 'Sarcoidosis Awareness Month.'"

Simon serves as the honorary chairperson of the Bernie Mac Foundation and first visited the Bernie Mac STAR Center in December. The Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for research and increasing awareness of Sarcoidosis, a disease where inflamed cells form on various organs, most frequently the skin or lungs. Mac died in 2008 from complications of Sarcoidosis.

DATE: Thursday, April 11

TIME: 10:30 a.m.

PLACE: Bernie Mac STAR Outpatient Care Center - Suite 3C, 1801 W. Taylor St., Chicago