In a velvet voice, psycho-therapist Psychotherapist Carol Zeidwig, L.M.H.C., 50, of Plantation, urges diabetic patients to relax. With the gentle sound of ocean waves in the background, she puts patients nearly to sleep and she's not even there. She's on tape . Zeidwig takes relaxation tapes to a different level. Originally, she made the tapes for clients in her therapy practice in Plantation. She asked clients what blocked their efforts to lose weight or quit smoking. She helped patients prepare for chemotherapy or an important medical test. She'd record the relaxation portion, then add the information clients needed to overcome fears and improve self-esteem. The tapes were a great success.

The diabetes tape was a natural choice for her.

She had the disease since she was 14. She's sure it was passed on to her genetically from her grandmother. As a teenager, Zeidwig was fearful when first diagnosed. She heard it could cause blindness and loss of limbs.

"It scared me in a positive way," Zeidwig said. "Other kids with the disease just got angry and rebelled. I decided I wasn't going to fall into the trap."

At 14, Zeidwig learned everything she could about the disease.

"I wanted it all," she said. "I was like a little sponge."

Now she wants to help other diabetics, so she offers the tapes for free, with a $3 charge for shipping.

"I want to give back to the community," Zeidwig said. "I want to share over 36 years of how to live life as a diabetic."

So, into the recording studio she goes, after talking with professionals in the various fields.

"I've used her tapes," said Dr. Geoffrey Weisbaum, a pathologist from Hollywood. "I think they're very useful, if you're open to them."

On the tape, Zeidwig's soothing voice tells patients to find a comfortable place to sit, close their eyes and listen. She talks them through the process of relaxing from head to toe, taking them deeper and deeper into stages of relaxation. The feeling of floating to a near-sleep state is enhanced with soft background sounds.

She seems like a comforting companion, encouraging, complimenting, then slowly, almost imperceptibly, reinforcing what the diabetic already knows: You want to take care of yourself.

She bolsters confidence, reminds patients they want to maintain their healthy diet, and get the exercise they need.

"I'm into wellness," Zeidwig said. "I want them to say, 'I love myself. I can do this.'"

To order tapes, diabetics can send $3.00 to cover postage / handling to:

NSMI
2574 No University Dr. #201
Sunrise, FL 33322
Make checks payable to NSMI