Watch What You Say: Emotional & Physical Power of Words

Additional Info

• Segment Number: 2
• Audio File: naturally_savvy/1522ns3b.mp3
• Featured Speaker: Edith Namm, Author
• Organization: Share-a-Smile Ambassadors
• Book Title: A Journey to Miles of Smiles, Health and Wellness
• Guest Website: Edith Namm's The Write Way
• Guest Bio: Edith Namm has 25 years of experience as a Counselor and Educator, over 20 years of experience as a Certified Specialized Handwriting Analyst, and is a thyroid, breast, colon and liver cancer survivor who has authored seven books on stress management. She is dedicated to inspiring readers of all ages to adopt, adapt and activate the winning strategies that she believes can empower one to successfully cope with the stress and tensions of daily living.
  
  In 2006, Edith became a member of Brooklyn Lifelong Learning (BLL), formerly the Institute of Retirees in Pursuit of Education. BLL is an academically-oriented campus-based learning center at Brooklyn College, whose mission is to foster peer learning among retirees. Edith teaches a course, A Joyful Journey to Miles of Smiles, Health and Wellness.
  
  Also in 2006, Edith founded Share-a-Smile Ambassadors, whose mission is to activate school, home and community Share-a-Smile Projects that effectively relieve emotional stress, raise self-esteem, promote positive social interaction and establish healthy relationships regardless of one’s age, gender or economic background.
• Transcription: RadioMD Presents: Naturally Savvy | Original Air Date: May 27, 2015
  Hosts: Andrea Donsky, RHN & Lisa Davis, MPH
  Guest: Edith Namm
  
  Your organic search is over. Here is Naturally Savvy with health experts Andrea Donsky and Lisa Davis.
  
  ANDREA: The power of words. What you say carries so much weight and it can mean so much and you really want to be careful about what you say. Looking further into the energy that words carry, we are going to talk with the fabulous Edith Namm. Hi, Edith.
  
  EDITH: Hi, hi, hi how are you? I am so delighted to be able to introduce to your Savvy listeners my latest audio CD, and I didn’t give you a chance to say how are you.
  
  ANDREA: Well, we know how you are Edith. You know that we are excited to have you on because, you know, I learned a long time ago the power of words and a lot of the time I'm not really conscious of the things that I'm saying. A lot of time I am, but more often than not, I'm not and I would love to hear… Just introduce our audience to who you are and what you do so magnificently.
  
  EDITH: Oh, those words sent my smile mileage going way up high.
  
  ANDREA: (Chuckle)
  
  EDITH: I am an educator. I am a counsellor. I am a specialized certified handwriting analyst, and I am a thyroid, breast, colon, and liver cancer survivor. I am an author of seven books on stress management and I am dedicated to sharing specific safe self-help strategies that can empower anybody to survive and thrive in a stress free world. So, the opportunity to introduce your audience to A Journey To Miles of Smiles, Health and Wellness, it is a unique ideal health plan to feel and look great from sunrise to sunset. It is the audio CD companion to the book that we spoke about on our last visit together, The Change To A Positive Mindset And Extend Your Lifeline. I am excited about it because, yes, it is a reflection of the course that I give at Brooklyn college--the Brooklyn Lifelong Experiences--and it is focusing on, if you were sitting in my class which is, A Journey to Miles of Smiles Health and Wellness, you would be listening to the audio CD. It is learning what is going on in your brain and body systems every second of your life. It is learning the right way to train your brain to drain the pain caused by emotional stress.
  
  I am referring to feelings of anger, fear and sadness and it is learning how the power of words that you choose—YOU choose--% to use can positively or negatively affect your health and state of well-being and understanding
  
  ANDREA: Edith how did you come to this way of thinking?
  
  EDITH: How did I come to it? Well. I have always been interested in the power of words. I say 72 years and when I say 72 years eyebrows may rise; when I was in high school, terrific high school, Erasmus Hall, I learned the power of words and I have had fun ever since. When I say 72 years, it figures because I was 89 last Thanksgiving day and so…
  
  ANDREA: Wow!
  
  EDITH: …there was nothing more than I wanted to do was to teach, teach, teach words and language because they have such emotional power and people are not aware of it. So, it has been with me and, of course, because it had been manifested d when I was teaching English and language art, when I was guidance counsellor in a junior high and I'm emphasizing those words because there were a lot of dramatic incidents that took place those years, putting it mildly.
  
  EDITH: And then, when I never thought that I’d retire, but when I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of 64 and I was the only counselor, I figured that it was time to retire and it gave me an opportunity to explore my 50 years of interest in handwriting analysis and I became certified as a specialized handwriting analyst, and I discovered the full meaning of what goes on in your brain and this has fascinated me. I'm still passionate about it and this is what I have been doing for the last over twenty years.
  
  ANDREA: So, Edith tell us a little bit. We only have maybe about three minutes left. Tell us a little bit about what does go on. So, just as an example, somebody says a negative word. How does that impact them emotionally or positively?
  
  EDITH: Well, you see, we have an autonomic nervous system and that autonomic nervous system is constantly in touch with the brain who is in charge of all your functioning, and when you are feeling mad, sad and scared it notifies the sympathetic nervous system, there is a threat there is to safety, and that goes into action. And if you are mad, sad and scared, you are functioning on stressful hormones. Others shut down. That is what is shown in the book. If you are calm, cool and collected and feeling great, it contacts the parasympathetic, so in your brain there are two programs and you are the programmer to your magnificent dynamic computer, and what it says is you are either on positive energy power (PEP) or you are on TNT.
  
  If you are using no, not, never and start to realize how many times a day you say it, you can change. I have no choice. Forget the no, to reduce the number of times you say no and what have you left? I have a choice - that immediately puts you into PEP where you will find what it is that you can change, what you can control, what you can affect in your actions, your behavior and your relationships. If you continue to be on short-term emergency sympathetic, you are destined to fail because you are over-extending stressful hormones. Does that make sense?
  
  ANDREA: Oh, yes completely. You know, Edith, even the simple power of a smile and I know that you founded Share A Smile and that is incredible, that makes such a difference. Right? Just seeing someone smile at you is huge.
  
  EDITH: Yes, not only that but the power of a smile, taking the letters of the word the message S – Send your self-esteem soaring, M – Make frowns disappear, I – Inspires imagination, L – Leads to lots of laughter, E – Energizes every single cell in your brain and your body and it is a universal symbol for kindness. And I will go one further. If you smile doodling you are relieving emotional stress and physical tension. Take the letter “O”--capital letter “O” capital letter “K”, that is the word OK that is good. Put two dots and a curve in the letter O and you have got two dots in a curve.
  
  ANDREA: A smile.
  
  EDITH: A smile and you are headed for miles of smiles.
  
  ANDREA: We love it, Edith. Well, thank you. You are such a ray of sunshine. Thank you so much for being on our show today. Unfortunately, we are out of time, Lisa, where does the time go? You can learn more about Edith at www.enamm.com.
  
  I’m Andrea Donsky along with my beautiful co-host, Lisa Davis, this is Naturally Savvy Radio on RadioMD. Stay well.
• Length (mins): 10
• Waiver Received: Yes
• Internal Notes: repeat guest
• Host: Andrea Donsky, RHN and Lisa Davis, MPH