UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA

Health /

We all engage our own instrument of relaxation, the breath.  Everyone and especially those who have experienced trauma or anxiety can benefit from training this instrument. The best part is that training only takes mere minutes! Plus, the variety of helpful breathing techniques is vast!  Discover the ones that work for you. Diaphragmatic breathing is a breathing exercise that engages your diaphragm, an important muscle that enables you to breathe. It is also called belly or abdominal breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing is a technique that helps you focus on your diaphragm, a muscle in your belly.  Teaching your diaphragm to open your lungs can help your body breathe more efficiently. The rewards of this type of breathing exceed calming us down. Abdominal breathing has many benefits that can affect your entire body. It is the basis for many meditation and relaxation techniques, which can lower your stress levels, lower your blood pressure, and regulate other critical bodily processes. Taking deep breaths can help voluntarily regulate our nervous system, which can have many benefits, including lowering your heart rate, helping you relax, and lowering the release of the stress hormone cortisol. Research suggests it may help manage the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), make core strength exercise more efficient thus improving core muscle stability, and increase the body’s ability to tolerate exercise if you have a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Belly breathing reduces stress and anxiety, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD, and asthma. Here’s the basic procedure for diaphragmatic breathing. It may be easiest to practice while lying flat on your bed or the floor when you first start with one hand on your belly and the other on your lungs. As you breathe in feel the belly expand and contract as you exhale. Dr, Mark Hymen, the Director of Functional Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic suggests we all do this 5 times and 5 times a day. 1. Sit or lie down on a comfortable, flat surface. Do not cross any part of your body. Sit erect, yet comfortably or lay on your back with the palms of your hands up. 2. Relax your shoulders, shifting them down away from the ears. 3. Put a hand on your chest and a hand on your belly. 4. Without straining or pushing, breathe in through your nose until you cannot take in any more air. 5. Feel the air moving through your nostrils into your abdomen, expanding your stomach and sides of the waist. Your chest remains relatively still. 6. Purse your lips as if sipping through a straw. Exhale slowly through your lips for 4 seconds and feel your stomach gently contracting. 7. Repeat these steps several times for the best results. Other types of diaphragmic breathing include but are not limited to rib-stretch breathing, alternate nose breathing, numbered breathing, lower-back breathing, box breathing, and 4-7-8 breathing. I suggest you look up these breathing techniques at UTUBE University.   Everyone regardless of diagnosis can be helped by deep belly breathing. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics CALL FOR ARTISTS! July 5, 2023/No CommentsRead More UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA June 5, 2023/No Comments In contemporary society, we hear the term PTSD for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder very often. This is the new buzzword or Read More INVESTING IN OURSELVES: UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA May 2, 2023/No Comments Depression & anxiety are common problems that can develop after trauma.  Depression ignites feelings of sadness and low mood. These Read More Load More End of Content.

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LA PUPUSA

10 Comments / Food & Culture /

My first few columns mainly focused on foods from Guatemala, which should not be surprising considering my background. This month, however, I would like to focus on the national dish of El Salvador: the pupusa. Pupusas are thick tortillas stuffed with meat, beans, and/or cheese. Traditional condiments include salsa and curtido: shaved carrots and cabbage mixed with vinegar, salt, and pepper.  According to Vanderbilt University, the origins of pupusas date back 2000 years ago to the Pibil tribe, who lived in what was known as Cuscatlan before it changed to El-Salvador after Spanish colonialization. When the country had a civil war during the 1980s, many refugees fled to North America and Australia, bringing their food culture. When I was small, my dad brought me to a Salvadorian restaurant in Port Chester where we would enjoy pupas on weekends. A family friend recently taught me how to make them from scratch during one of my home visits. My all-time favorite filling for pupusas is chicharrón, made with pork ribs or butt. Black beans are my second favorite, perfect for vegans or vegetarians. For the chicharrón, cut the pork into small pieces and then season with salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano. A premade Adobo seasoning mix will also work well. Heat a pan over a stove on medium-high heat with about a spoonful of oil. Pour the pork into the pan and cook until the meat is golden brown and cooked through, stirring occasionally. Take the meat out when done and cut it into shreds for the filling. I used a kitchen knife for this step, but I recommend using a food processor if you have one. The black bean filling is made with canned or freshly cooked beans. Pour the beans into a blender and then until they are smooth. Place the beans aside and cut a large onion into small pieces. Pour the onion into an oiled pan and cook over medium-high heat until browned. Then pour the blended beans into the pan and stir them together. Continue cooking until the blend turns into a thick paste, scraping the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks. Once the fillings are ready, it is time to make the dough. The standard measurements are 2 cups of masa harina and 1½ cups of water. Mix until a dough forms, adding another splash of water if needed. Take about a handful of dough and roll it into a ball. Flatten it into a disc, making a wide dent in the center for the filling. Surround the filling with the rest of the dough and then reshape it into a disc. The pupusa should be at least 4 inches in diameter. A cast iron skillet is the best option for cooking pupusas since it retains heat better. Otherwise, a non-stick pan will also work. Place the pupusa on the lightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat and cook on one side for 5 minutes. Flip it to the other side and cook for another 5 minutes until cooked through, flipping a few more times as needed. Pupusas are best enjoyed fresh, so eat them while they are hot! Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books Business Community Education Entertainment Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics CARNITA TACOS May 1, 2023/No Comments The taco is undeniably one of the most iconic foods of Mexico and greater Latin America. The Buffalo area has Read More LA PUPUSA April 1, 2023/No Comments LA PUPUSA My first few columns mainly focused on foods from Guatemala, which should not be surprising considering my background. Read More LATIN FOOD, LATIN RECIPES: CHAMPURRADAS March 1, 2023/No Comments LATIN FOOD, LATIN RECIPES: CHAMPURRADAS If you remember my column from last month, I tried making Champurradas using an online Read More Load More End of Content.

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LATINO COLLEGE STUDENTS FACE INEQUALITY AND CULTURAL ISOLATION AT THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK at BUFFALO

Education /

LACK OF COLLEGE SERVICES FOR LATINO STUDENTS: This is in response to a story by UB Spectrum reporter, Kayla Estrada, in the November 2022 issue (UB Student Newspaper). This is what happened: This past year in November, the Spectrum (student) publication, published an article about the numerous problems faced by their Latino students – no Latino faculty, lack of recruitment for more Latino students, no Latino food in the cafeteria, and no support or care by the administration —  AND NOTHING WAS DONE! This reminds me of 1968, the year I and other Puerto Ricans/Latinos came to UB, and after a few months on the campus, we experienced the same reality Spectrum lays out in their article. The one thing I noticed is that today’s students were complaining about the situation, but they have or had any plans of action. The students of 1968 did let the issue go away. They demanded, they organized, and they took over several administration buildings to make their point. Were they successful? Yes, they were, but unfortunately, due to students moving on, and disconnection with Buffalo’s Puerto Rican/Latino leaders, the things accomplished faded away, things like more Latino students on campus, recruitment of Latinos interested in Law, Medicine, Engineering, and other professional areas, Black and Puerto Rican Studies, Radio Spanish programming (WBFO-FM), Office of Minority Student Affairs, thanks to the strong leadership of Roosevelt Rhodes, leader of the Black Student Union. Another vital program was EOP (Educational Opportunity Program), thanks to Assemblyman Arthur O. Eve, the only black and progressive elected official at the time. I’m no longer connected to the social and political fabric of UB, but I know for sure that Latino students need many of these services to ensure a successful education and quality of life on campus. The students must reach out to the local Puerto Rican/Latino leaders and get them involved in their (Latino community) struggle for social, cultural, and educational equality.  Contact the Buffalo Latino Village, we will put you in contact with the local Latino leaders, as it is their responsibility as leaders to care about what’s going on in the educational community in Buffalo, NY. Buffalo is a college town, with many black and Latino students on all the campuses. I’m convinced that UB Latino students are not the only ones facing this disconnect with their institutions.  Perhaps the Latino professors and staff already working on these campuses can get the ball rolling. These students are our sons and daughters. Contact the Buffalo Latino Village — buffalolatinovillage1@gmail.com—646-248-2302. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books Business Community Education Entertainment Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics LATINO COLLEGE STUDENTS FACE INEQUALITY AND CULTURAL ISOLATION AT THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK at BUFFALO March 25, 2023/No CommentsRead More

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