Talk:Yoga

As a group we practiced Yoga. Many of our members practice Yoga on a daily basis.We all learnt from each other and people's knowledge and talents came out on the night. We laughed a lot which was fantastic and a very enjoyable evening.

Presentation: Leukemia Cancer

Speaker - Eve Martin

A Presentation Leukemia Care by Eve Martin who is the Deputy Chief Executive of Leukemia Care. Eve came all the way from Worcester to make us aware of the wonderful work they do for the welfare of Leukemia patients. They give support 24 hours a day on telephone and there is always a human voice at the other end for patients in this very difficult time. We were never aware of this wonderful organisation and the most inspiring point was that they started like a support group like ours and with positive inputs they have opened a full support organisation. Good information to sign post patients.

Presentation: Arthritis

Speaker - Mira Swami

A talk on Arthritis by our regular member Mira Swami, who is an Osteopath and Ayurvedic Practitioner. Interesting fact is that there are over 200 types of Arthritis and the most common is Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Mira was very good in explaining the anatomy of the condition as well as management. A good organisation to get all sorts of information is Arthritis Care. Reducing weight if overweight is very important because the joints do not have to carry extra burden. Regular exercise will increase mobility as well as a good diet and intake of omega 369 oils to lubricate the joints.

Presentation: Ayurvedic Therapy

Speaker - Mira Swami

Once again Mira Swami gave us a talk on Ayurvedic therapy which is a natural therapy to suit each individual constitution. Individual treatment is personalised according to the patient's physical nature, "prakrit", age, immunity, mind power, habits etc. Patients are given advise on diet, life style, exercise, emotional support, breathing etc. to suit the individual. A holistic approach was explained very well. There are so many spices that are used which we find in our homes.

Talk: Open Forum

We had a open Forum where we discussed a lot of issues. One suggestion was to print a booklet on Helpful hints which should be devised based on experiences of Cancer Patients. We have realised through talking to people that at the point of diagnosis of Cancer, patients and families feel very confused, shocked and lost. This is a very natural reaction. Lot of us mean well and give so much good advice on nutrition etc. that patients find it difficult to take it all in, therefore a little booklet would be very handy and can be referred to every now and then. An idea to take forward.

Presentation: Eye Disorder

Speaker - Shruti Malde

Shruti Malde, Optometrist on Disorders of the Eyes, works in the Eye Department in Mayday Hospital Croydon Gave an excellent informative presentation on different layers of the eye and conditions that could occur in those layers. People were surprised by the complexity of the eye thus stress was on caring for the eyes by exercising the eyes, eating good food and having regular check ups.

Dinner

In honour of all the members who regularly attend the meetings and the speakers who give up their valuable time we organised a home cooked dinner. This was sponsored very kindly by Mr. Jayant and Mrs. Kate Bhatt. We are very grateful to them and their support to the group. Everybody really enjoyed this evening.

Testicular Cancer

Speaker - Suresh Rambaran

Mr. Suresh Rambaran from Prostate Cancer Care gave a presentation on Testicular Cancer. Nearly 2000 cases a year are diagnosed with this Cancer in the age range of 15 - 45. If caught in time Testicular Cancer is treatable with complete remission. Mr. Rambharan is so good at this subject of Prostate Cancer that he has been invited by Imran Khan to do a presentation for Nurses and Doctors in Pakistan at his Cancer Hospital.

• October 2007	• November 2007	• December 2007
Homeopathy	Open Forum	Festive celebration

From all the above meetings where patients, careers, and other members came to learn about various conditions, therapies etc, members feel greatly supported as are some of the members comments listed below.

• "Thanks for all voluntary efforts”
• "All your hard work appreciated. Keep it up"
• “Best wishes & keep up caring and unconditional lovely activity"
• "Fantastic work keep it up"
• “Supportive group well done”
• "Keep up the good work in supporting everyone"
• "The best thing that has ever happened, well done"

Apart from these meetings we have supported a few patients in London and other parts of UK We have offered budding service to a few people, sign posted to relevant organisation, offered advice on welfare and benefits, offered a listening ear where required with few patients and careers etc.
We still feel that the community at large is still under using the services we provide, so please come forward and we shall try to help where ever we can.