Danny the Dragon fans are the best! Hearing from them lights up my day like nothing else!

Recently a family purchased the Danny the Dragon set (the Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy softcover book and Danny the Dragon DREAMS CD). The mother, Chantelle, wrote in to tell me how happy her son Rohan was with his set, and she even sent me PICTURES!

 “We have one VERY EXCITED little boy!! ” Chantelle wrote, “He absolutely loved waking up to a package on Saturday morning.”

The Danny the Dragon set that Rohan is posing with in these pictures is available for sale here. The set is the recipient of the Creative Child Magazine Media of the Year Award!

I always love to hear from my fans, especially when they send in fun things like pictures and drawings. I can’t wait to hear from you!

Tina Turbin

www.DannytheDragon.com

    As you can imagine, as a children’s author, I do a lot of reading and love to pass on to Danny the Dragon fans my children’s literature recommendations.

    You’ve probably heard me talking about the illustrated kids book by Kevin and Laura Sanchez, Nikki’s Hurricane Adventure, and the amazing true story behind it. If not, here’s a refresher: Nikki the cat was separated from her family in 2008 during an evacuation for Hurricane Gustav 85 miles from home, and she found her way back 4 months later! Her owners Kevin and Laura later wrote down their imagined adventures of Nikki the Cat, and Nikki’s Hurricane Adventure was born! What’s more, half of the profits of the book are being donated to cancer research.

    I published a review of this delightful book and was pleased to find that Kevin and Laura Sanchez have featured it on their website, NikkisHurricaneAdventure.com. It’s so nice that my words of praise mean so much that they’ve been placed directly on their home page. Check it out!

    You can read more about the book and Nikki’s story here or at NikkisHurricaneAdventure.com. Little ones will love to hear about it, trust me!

Tina Turbin

www.DannytheDragon.com

Dear Friends,

I’m sending this out to say THANK YOU to all of you for your continued support – it’s a tremendous help and been quite an avenue to meet such nice people. I love reading all of your communications too.

A special thanks to many of you for calling and sending in the many questions for the past near two years of radio shows, your suggestions, your invaluable feedback, your questions and for listening in on the various shows. I have been on a 4-month break from the radio shows and interviews I was accepting, enabling me to focus on some exciting projects as a children’s author, a fully grain-free (and of course gluten-free) cook, my work in the celiac arena and of course my studying which is very important to me.

I am being very selective ( or picky as you may say) and will do just a few shows this year, keeping you informed. Some very exciting and very wonderful projects are moving forward. Things have really expanded beautifully.

Wishing you all an amazing 2011 and wishing you all success and accomplishment in your goals.

Tina Turbin

www.DannyTheDragon.com

r.n.

     In studying women’s health issues and meeting women in my work, it’s clear that loneliness is not only not fun, but it’s actually unhealthy. Researchers have recently asked if people who are alone are at greater risk of dying, and studies are showing that they are—if they feel lonely.

     Recent studies are confirming the negative health indicators associated with loneliness. One study found that drug use among young people was higher among those who said they were lonely. Older lonely people tended to have higher blood pressure and poorer sleep quality and were found to be more tense and anxious. Another study found that college freshmen with small social networks and who claimed to be lonely had weaker immune responses to flu vaccinations and higher levels of stress hormones in their blood.

     “People with social support have fewer cardiovascular problems and immune problems, and lower levels of cortisol—a stress hormone,” says Tasha R. Howe, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Humboldt State University. Why is this? “We have always needed others for our survival. It’s in our genes. Therefore, people with social connections feel more relaxed and at peace, which is related to better health.”

     Loneliness can be painful, but you can take steps to begin to widen your social horizons and feel connected to others in no time. Not only will you feel better emotionally, but you’ll be able to enjoy the positive health advantages that good friendship brings. 

Tina Turbin

What should you look for in a good friend whose companionship will bring health and happiness to you instead of just raising your blood pressure? There are a few things you should ask yourself before befriending someone. First of all, make sure to choose a friend who has positive things to say to you. Every once in a while, a good friend may need to tell you something that might be tough to hear—“hard truths”—but these remarks should be very infrequent and you should generally walk away after spending time with them feeling better about yourself.

Also, look for friends who are living life in a responsible manner. Otherwise, the stress of their own lives due to their bad habits and poor decisions will surely stress you out. Nobody is perfect, but avoid befriending people who are making bad life decisions such as abusing drugs, having extramarital affairs, and engaging in criminal activity, for instance. Every once in a while, a good friend may make a bad decision; this doesn’t mean you should abandon the friendship, but help them instead. However, my best advice is that if you meet someone and find right off the bat that his life is out of control, it’s best to refer him to help and save your energy for friends who are overall positively contributing to society.

Having lots of friends can boost your immune system, help you survive longer after a heart attack, fight serious illnesses such as cancer, and increase your life span. With such positive advantages, you should make sure to increase your number of friends, but also keep in mind the importance of avoiding stressful, low-quality friendship and seeking out positive companionship.

Tina Turbin

     An author, researcher, and humanitarian, not only have I come across the benefits of friendship in my work, but I’ve experienced them personally. It’s important to be aware of other research which suggests that one should be careful to select positive friends, as the stress that comes from bad friends can negate the health benefits of having their friendship.

     Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at Brigham Young University, has found that dealing with people who arouse conflicted feelings in us can raise blood pressure more than dealing with people we don’t like. Participants were hooked up to portable blood pressure monitors, and Holt-Lunstad and her colleagues found that blood pressure was highest when people were interacting with someone they had mixed feelings for. What especially surprised Holt-Lunstad was that these interactions caused higher blood pressure than those with people the research subjects felt completely negative about. She explains, “We suspect that people we feel positive toward can hurt us that much more when they make a snide comment or don’t come through for us because they are important to us. Friends may help us cope with stress, but they also may create stress.”

     Having lots of friends can boost your immune system, help you survive longer after a heart attack, fight serious illnesses such as cancer, and increase your life span. With such positive advantages, you should make sure to increase your number of friends, but also keep in mind the importance of avoiding stressful, low-quality friendship and seeking out positive companionship.

Tina Turbin

      Other research suggests the health benefits of social support. One study, published in the journal Cancer, followed 61 women with advanced ovarian cancer. The women with lots of social support had much lower levels of a protein linked to more aggressive types of cancer, and higher levels of a protein that boosted the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
     In 1989, David Spiegel, MD, a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, published an influential paper in Lancet, showing that women with breast cancer who participated in a support group lived twice as long as those who didn’t and reported much less pain. Sheldon Cohen, PhD, a psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University, has shown that strong social support  helps people cope with stress. Other studies have demonstrated that less connected people tend to die sooner after having a heart attack than people with a strong social network and that having a large social network may even reduce chances of catching a cold, even though you’re probably exposed to more viruses when spending lots of time with others.

     “Friends help you face adverse events,” Dr. Sheldon Cohen says. “They provide material aid, emotional support, and information that helps you deal with the stressors. There may be broader effects as well. Friends encourage you to take better care of yourself. And people with wider social networks are higher in self-esteem, and they feel they have more control over their lives.”

     Take advantage of these findings by increasing your social network! There are plenty of people out there to strike up a friendship with and plenty of health benefits to look forward to as your friendships blossom.

Tina Turbin

A lovely response to a donation of my Danny the Dragon materials to a cause that I support dearly.

Tina

I came across a review for Tina Turbin‘s book Danny The Dragon “Meets Jimmy” on my friend’s blog.  Because I have a child her son’s age and a child a bit younger, and because I trust her opinion on books that we will enjoy, I did not hesitate to order a copy of the book and audio CD for my own children.  I have two kids, ages 4 and 2, who are bookophiles and I know they will love their book! 

Additionally, I told Tina that I am walking in the 2010 Dallas Susan G. Komen 3-Day For The Cure and that I am hosting an event with a silent auction in order to raise the funds needed to participate – funds that will directly benefit breast cancer research.  Tina was gracious and generous enough to donate a DVD, audio book and some other goodies to assist me in my efforts.  I am so excited to be able to present someone with her items and spread the word about Danny the Dragon while raising awareness about breast cancer!  Thank you, Tina!

Lyndsey Griffin

     An author, researcher, and humanitarian, not only have I come across the benefits of friendship in my work, but I’ve experienced them personally. It’s important to be aware of other research which suggests that one should be careful to select positive friends, as the stress that comes from bad friends can negate the health benefits of having their friendship.

     Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at Brigham Young University, has found that dealing with people who arouse conflicted feelings in us can raise blood pressure more than dealing with people we don’t like. Participants were hooked up to portable blood pressure monitors, and Holt-Lunstad and her colleagues found that blood pressure was highest when people were interacting with someone they had mixed feelings for. What especially surprised Holt-Lunstad was that these interactions caused higher blood pressure than those with people the research subjects felt completely negative about. She explains, “We suspect that people we feel positive toward can hurt us that much more when they make a snide comment or don’t come through for us because they are important to us. Friends may help us cope with stress, but they also may create stress.”

     Having lots of friends can boost your immune system, help you survive longer after a heart attack, fight serious illnesses such as cancer, and increase your life span. With such positive advantages, you should make sure to increase your number of friends, but also keep in mind the importance of avoiding stressful, low-quality friendship and seeking out positive companionship.

Tina Turbin

     Having friends certainly makes you feel good. Now studies are showing that they may in fact be good for you! According to a recent Australian study, there’s evidence that friends may actually help your life last longer.

    The study, which was conducted by the Centre for Ageing Studies at Flinders University, followed about 1500 older people for 10 years and found that those with a large network of friends were outliving those with the fewest friends by 22 percent. By contrast, close relationships with children and relatives had almost no effect on longevity. Lynne C. Giles, one of the researchers, emphasized that family ties are important; they just seem to have little effect on longevity.

     So why is this? Good friends are there to discourage you from unhealthy behavior, such as excessive drinking and smoking, and to encourage a healthy lifestyle by supporting you in activities such as following a balanced diet and exercising. The companionship they offer is also important in fighting stress, depression, and low self-esteem, Their emotional support can back you up in taking healthy risks such as going back to school for a degree in a new field, opening a business, or having children, all of which can vastly improve the quality of life and thus decrease overall stress.

 Tina Turbin