By Peggy
O'Farrell
Enquirer staff writer

Calendar

On wheels: Cincinnati-area veterans can receive free screenings for prostate cancer today and Tuesday when the Drive Against Prostate Cancer's mobile screening program reaches out to veterans at the VFW Convention. Screenings include a prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test and a physical exam and will be conducted by local physicians. No appointments are necessary. Screenings will be available from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and Tuesday at the Cincinnati Convention Center, 525 Elm St., downtown.

Workshop: The Wellness Community, 4918 Cooper Road, Blue Ash, will hold a workshop, "Frankly Speaking About Cancer Treatment" at 11 a.m. Saturday on mind-body-medicine techniques designed to ease the physical and emotional side effects of cancer and cancer treatment. Registration: 791-4060.

New parts: Mercy Hospital Clermont will offer a free seminar on total joint replacement procedures at 9 a.m. next Monday at its main campus, 3000 Hospital Drive in Batavia. Dr. Charles Miller will discuss knee and hip replacement surgeries. Registration: 732-8255.

Family course: National Alliance for the Mentally Ill-Hamilton County will offer three free 12-week "Family to Family" courses for relatives of people with mental illness.

Two evening courses will be offered. One starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Summit Behavioral Healthcare, 1101 Summit Road, Cincinnati. The second starts at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 25 at Summit.

A daytime course begins at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 25 at College Hill Presbyterian Church, 5742 Hamilton Ave.

Registration: 948-3094.

Research

All better: Imagining a trip to a favorite place can help reduce post-operative pain in children when combined with medication, says a new study from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

The study, led by nurse researcher Myra Huth, found that children who used an audio tape that allowed them an imaginary visit after surgery to remove tonsils or adenoids reported significantly lower pain than children who didn't use the tape.

Children who used the tape after ambulatory surgery reported significantly less pain, but that leveled out once they returned home - possibly because of lower anxiety levels, Huth said.

The National Institutes of Health funded the study, which appears in the July edition of Pain.

Hot news

Kind words: Forty percent of dieters in a SparkPeople.com survey used positive self-talk for motivation.

But 54 percent in the survey reported their self-talk is negative.

That negativity can turn into self sabotage, says SparkPeople.com spokesman Mike Kramer.

Here are some tips to turn off that ugly little voice:

• Give yourself a pep talk and remind yourself you're creating a life you want.

• Keep a journal that focuses on positive traits and successes. Every night, write yourself five compliments in the journal.

• Talk to a friend. Sometimes you need to hear positive comments from somebody else.

---

Contact Peggy O'Farrell by phone: 768-8510; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: pofarrell@enquirer.com