Health – Van Clayton Powel

TWITTER-QUITTER CONFESSION

THERE IS NO BUDDHA IN TWITTER

Love this from a recent Twitter Quitter: “… I was becoming unconscious over at Twitter. I’d wrapped myself into a stream of inane blather that is extremely habit forming but ultimately becomes rote, superficial and turns you into a mental mirror, rather than a sentient being. There is no Buddha in Twitter.” (More here)

He has since rejoined for some specific usage, but with a new account that he is determined to use very sparingly, saying: “I’ve re-joined Twitter, but … On October 12th I decided to close down my Twitter account as an experiment. I could see it was taking up too much of my time, on the other hand I found it useful for certain things and I wanted to see what difference not having it around would make to my working life and life in general.”

"FLU SEASON" FARCE

Nature created just four seasons. And “Flu Season” isn’t one of them.

In fact, the term was probably dreamed up by some marketing genius on the payroll of the pharmaceutical industry with the express intention of making you feel scared. Why? Because they sell a lot more drugs and vaccines that way. (The stress alone probably makes some people sick.)

So next time you hear some shill yapping about “Flu Season”, have a laugh and remind yourself that only a small fraction of Canadians gets the flu every year (estimates go as low as 5%.)

And that with some very simple techniques – wash your hands regularly, cough or sneeze into your elbow, and don’t burn out your immune system with too much skiing, partying and work – you’ll probably be one of the 80-90% of Canadians who is flu-free this winter.

“Flu Season??” Ha! Bring on the snow.

7 DIRECTIONS in FIRST NATIONS CULTURE

Reading a book about Anishinaabe culture vs Western and it talks about the 7 directions: North, South, East, West, Above, Below … and Within.

Seems many of us could journey more down that last one 😉

COLORADO'S NEW POT LAWS – WORKING WELL SO FAR

Six months into Colorado’s new liberal pot laws “…tax dollars are pouring in, crime is down in Denver, and few of the early concerns about social breakdown have materialized.”
Colorado Pot Law
Next up – Washington state next week.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/07/03/us-usa-marijuana-denver-idUKKBN0F817020140703

TASTE WITH OUR EYES FIRST

“Artistic food deemed tastier, scientists and chef show“ "You Are NOT What You Eat" - food on table

First time this really struck home for me was during our 3 years living in Japan. Man, do they know about presentation! And they didn’t need some Western scientists to do a study to figure it out ;-))

“Psychologists and food scientists tested an idea favoured by some top chefs [and found that] …diners prefer a visually attractive dish, say it tastes better and they’ll pay more for it, an experiment cooked up by a chef suggests.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/artistic-food-deemed-tastier-scientists-and-chef-show-1.2682423

LOW VITAMIN D – a SYMPTOM of POOR HEALTH, NOT a CAUSE

“Low vitamin D levels are a symptom of poor health – not the cause, according to a systematic review of previously published scientific studies. The new finding casts further doubt on the role of vitamin D supplements in disease prevention, even as millions of Canadians pop pills of the sunshine drug each day.”

Supplementation is rarely as simple as many would have you believe.

By Adriana Barton in The Globe and Mail, Dec. 08 2013: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/report-questions-effectiveness-of-vitamin-d-supplements/article15804477/

1 In 5 LUNG CANCER TUMORS NOT DANGEROUS

‘Many lung cancer tumors prove harmless, says study’

“Nearly 1 in 5 lung tumors detected on CT scans are probably so slow-growing that they would never cause problems. The analysis suggests the world’s No. 1 cause of cancer deaths isn’t as lethal as doctors once thought.

In the study, these were not false-positives — suspicious results that turn out upon further testing not to be cancer. These were indeed cancerous tumors, but ones that caused no symptoms and were unlikely ever to become deadly, the researchers said.”

Kind of a good-news/ bad-news piece. One in five negative. Four in five still positive.

Article by Lindsey Tanner, The Associated Press December 10, 2013 http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Study+says+many+lung+cancer+tumors+prove+harmless+disease+didnt/9268763/story.html

HIGH SEX DRIVE: A Sign That You're A Genius?

A recent study suggests a link between high sexual drive and intelligence. Basically, if you stay up late, use drugs, have blue eyes, big boobs, and enjoy a lot of slap- and-tickle, you might be a candidate for Mensa. (The ‘the high IQ society’.)

More here: “5 Surprising Signs You’re Probably a Genius”

KIDS SELF-REGULATING THEIR BEHAVIOR and getting better grades

Kids giving themselves a time-out … using exercise and breathing techniques to calm their minds when they sense they’ve become hyper … putting themselves to bed early in order to be well-rested at school the next day … what an inspirational approach. Kudos to all involved. This is the kind of thing that can change the world.

Listen to Karin Wells documentary on CBC radio’s The Sunday Edition here: http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/documentaries/2013/12/01/draft-documentary-how-is-your-engine-running/

TOP 5 REGRETS PEOPLE HAVE ON THEIR DEATHBED

From a palliative care nurse who spent the last 3-12 weeks of her patients lives: “When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again.”

What were the most common five?

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

How ’bout you? Any regrets?