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The English Dance of Death
The tradition of Danse Macabre and the works of Thomas Rowlandson and William CombeArtistic traditions have dealt with death as a subject for as long as people have been making art. Like most other traditions associated with death, these have often been born out of beliefs both religious and practical. The history of the world is the history of art, and art often tells us a lot about…
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What Is Conscious Dying? (Interview)
An interview with hospice social worker, musician and conscious dying guide Deb Grant, Part TwoToday SevenPonds concludes our interview with Deb Grant, a hospice social worker, sound healing practitioner and conscious dying guide who provides soothing music at the bedsides of those who are nearing the end of life. A cancer survivor herself, Deb has a deep respect for the healing power of music and its ability to ease emotional suffering and…
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“A Good Death”
The Australian documentary touts the benefits of palliative care for terminally-ill cancer patients“A Good Death” (2010) is an Australian documentary film about four cancer patients. The film revolves around the patients, their loved ones and the palliative care team/unit that tends to them. The short movie is, like most documentaries about terminal illness, tough to watch at times. It’s emotional, and we know going into it that…
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Maternal Mortality on the Increase in the United States
Why are women in the U.S. dying during and after pregnancy?The past 20 years in the United States have shown a disturbing trend for pregnant women. While in other parts of the world, even in some developing countries, maternal mortality has been on the decline, in the United States it has nearly doubled. Each year, between 700 and 900 women in the United States die…
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Fantasy Coffins of the Ga People
How the Ga people of Ghana celebrate death in styleAround the world, thousands of cultures have created and preserved funeral rites that have lasted for centuries, but almost none of these has persisted unaffected by the modern world. Like the 20th century New Orleans jazz funeral (which has its roots in West African culture, and took hundreds of years to become what it is…
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Human Longevity, Death Rates and the “Mortality Plateau”
A new study suggests there may be no “upper limit” to human longevityA new report published in the journal Science suggests that there may not be a “biological limit” to human longevity. This is just the latest addition to a contested issue within the demographic community. The report analyzed survival probabilities of about 4,000 “super-elderly” people in Italy. All subjects were aged 105 or older. The research team,…
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“I Want to Die” — The Link Between Cancer and Suicide
Far too many people with cancer choose to take their own livesReceiving a cancer diagnosis is devastating. Suddenly, without warning, the world as you knew it comes to an end, and you’re faced with a vast and terrifying unknown. Shock, fear, anger and depression are common reactions, and they can persist for quite some time. Eventually, though, most people adjust and become more able to cope…
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How Can Music Help Ease Pain and Suffering at the End of Life? (Interview)
An interview with hospice social worker and sound healing practitioner, Deb Grant, Part OneToday SevenPonds speaks with Deb Grant, a hospice social worker, sound healing practitioner and conscious dying guide who provides soothing music at the bedsides of those who are nearing the end of life. A cancer survivor herself, Deb has a deep respect for the healing power of music and its ability to ease emotional suffering…
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