Showing posts with label Jeanne Segal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeanne Segal. Show all posts
Thursday, March 29, 2012
What I’m doing to prevent Alzheimer’s
This essay is not designed to be self-serving, egotistical, or self-absorbed, but if you read it that way, that’s okay. More than anything, if you take away from this essay some things you can do to help ward off or prevent Alzheimer’s disease, then it has served its purpose.
Let me set the stage for what you’re about to read. I am reading the book, 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s: And Age-Related Memory Loss (Little, Brown, 2010). In this excellent, well-researched book by medical journalist Jean Carper, she spends about one or two pages on each of the 100 items, so reading the book moves very fast.
The only reason I am making an essay out of this information is that I feel this is a must-read book for everyone — everyone! Why? Because it is precisely the material in this book that contributes to good health (vigor, strength, and wellness), a healthy lifestyle, and healthful living.
One other thing about making an essay out of this information. Seldom do you find a book that reinforces most of the things you do or have chosen to do in your life. For me, this one did.
I am simply going to go through her suggestions and mention only those that apply to me. After all, it’s my essay — my choices! For example, “Get smart about alcohol” is her first suggestion, and having just one beer a day for medicinal reasons satisfies that suggestion. (I’ve never been drunk in my life!)
Eat antioxidant-rich foods. The ones I enjoy are raisins, blueberries, artichokes, garlic, strawberries, dates, cherries, figs, apples with peel, pears with peel, sweet potatoes, broccoli florets, oranges, red grapes, and spinach.
Beware of bad fats by avoiding fatty meats, eating fat-free dairy products, cheese, and ice cream, trimming skin from poultry, and avoiding processed foods such as chips, doughnuts, cookies, crackers, stick margarine, solid baking fats, and salad oils. Also, I avoid deep-fried foods.
Keep your balance. I checked it this morning just to make sure I could follow Marilyn Moffat’s, (Ph.D. and a professor of physical therapy at New York University) directive: “stand on one foot, [arms across your chest] eyes open for at least 30 seconds.” I had no trouble doing it using either foot for a full minute and could have easily continued much longer.
Carper says you can grow a bigger brain (to help you survive Alzheimer’s damage) by avoiding a lifestyle and activities “that shrink your brain — those that may lead to excessive alcohol, stress, overweight, nutritional deficiencies, and loss of sleep” (p. 48).
I keep my blood pressure down by cutting salt intake, following the DASH diet [grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, nuts, legumes and seeds], exercising, avoiding all sugary soft drinks, and taking appropriate blood-pressure-lowering drugs.
I am, indeed, a busy body. I keep my foot jiggling and my fingers fidgeting. I use the stairs whenever I can, and I move my muscles whenever and wherever. When I’m sitting at the computer (or even on the toilet), I strengthen my upper-body muscles by moving one shoulder forward and then the other — over and over.
Carper writes, “If you feel comfortable with high doses of caffeine, you may want to consider getting 400 or 500 mg a day to help ward off memory loss and Alzheimer’s” (p. 57). I have never suffered any caffeine drawbacks “such as anxiety, jitters, insomnia, headaches, and increased blood pressure” (p. 58). I have said yes to a “moderate daily intake of coffee” (p. 75).
I treat myself to chocolate, control bad cholesterol (through appropriate cholesterol lowering drugs), and, by “being responsible, honest, and hardworking” (p. 81), I “buck up [my] resistance to Alzheimer’s” (p. 81), and demonstrate my conscientiousness. “Being disciplined and responsible,” claims Carper, “lessens Alzheimer’s risk” (p. 80).
I control diabetes (I don’t have it!), but I keep my blood sugar levels low, and “Critically important are,” writes Carper, “a low-saturated fat, low-sugar diet, regular exercise, and keeping [my] weight normal” (p. 94). In addition, I try to be easygoing and upbeat, avoid environmental toxins (to the extent that I can), enjoy exercise (“It’s like Miracle-Gro for aging brain cells,” writes Carper), socialize regularly (I am an extrovert!), have my eyes checked regularly, avoid all fast foods, eat fatty fish regularly, surf the Internet constantly, guard against head injuries, avoid inactivity, try to keep infections away, fight inflamation, and find good information (how I discovered this book!), have an interesting job (looked forward to writing all my life!), drink juice every day, and have never been lonely.
There are two suggestions that Carper makes where I absolutely excel. The first is to “Learn to Love Language.” She says, “Linguistic skills build bigger, smarter, stronger brains” (p. 168). The second suggestion where I excel is “Build ‘Cognitive Reserve’” (p. 77). Carper says that you should “Fill up your brain with lots of fascinating stuff” (p. 77). If you “Keep your brain busy throughout your life,” Carper writes, “having greater cognitive reserve may enable you to cope with the damage [of Alzheimer’s pathology], postponing the real tragedy of Alzheimer’s . . .” (P. 79).
Other things I have done which conform to Carper’s suggestions include embracing marriage (“Staying coupled makes your brain happier,” she writes.), knowing the dangers of meat, following the Mediterranean diet [green leafy vegetables, fish, fruits, nuts, legumes, and a little vino — I drink no wine], keeping mentally active, taking multivitamins, building strong muscles, taking nature hikes, doing new things, getting enough niacin, taking one baby-aspirin a day, having nuts, avoiding obesity, using olive oil, having a purpose in life, getting a good night’s sleep, avoiding smoking, having a big social circle, loving spinach, using statins, dealing with stress, cutting down on sugar, taking care of my teeth, watching my weight, and walking whenever I can.
I know this is a lot, but you get an idea of 1) what this wonderful book is all about, 2) what you can do to help prevent Alzheimer’s, and 3) how simple, straightforward, and practical Carper’s book is. What writing this essay did for me was underscore my lifestyle, reinforce my wellness, and fortify the choices I have made thus far. Although I could still get Alzheimer’s, I think my chances are less just because of all of the above.
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At Helpguide.org there is a thorough, practical, and informative essay, “Alzheimer’s Treatment and Prevention: How to Prevent or Slow Alzheimer’s Disease” (April, 2009), by Melissa Wayne MA, Jeanne Segal PhD, and Robert Segal MA. The suggestions offered in this essay include exercise, good diet, build brain reserves, sufficient sleep, relaxation, management of stress, and protecting your brain.
4 Mind 4 Life: Good Health Tips, “30 Ways To Prevent Alzheimers Disease,” offers short, practical methods that echo most of those in Carper’s book. The discussions are short, and the essay is easy-to-read and easy-to-digest.
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Copyright March, 2012, by And Then Some Publishing, L.L.C.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Drinking jokes
by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
*A man is sitting in a bar drinking a beer when a young lady walks up and says "So what are you drinking?" The man replies casually "Magic beer" and the lady asks "What kind of magic beer?" "What's so special about it?!?" says the man. He proceeds to get up and flies around the room 3 times and sits back down. The lady snaps "I bet you couldn't do that again even if your life depended on it!" So he gets up and flies around the room 3 more times. The lady says "I'll have what he's having!" She chugs it down and goes to the roof and jumps - falling to her death. The bartender looks at the man sitting at the bar and says "Superman, you're a jerk when your drunk."
*A black, a Rabbi, a Pollock, a blonde, a Russian, a priest, and a nun walk into the bar. The bartender says "What is this? Some kind of joke?"
*A man stomps into a bar, obviously angry. He growls at the bartender, "Gimme a beer", takes a slug, and shouts out, "All lawyers are assholes!" A guy at the other end of the bar retorts, "You take that back!" The angry man snarls, "Why? Are you a lawyer?" The guy replies, "No, I'm an asshole!"
*An American walks into an Irish pub and says, "I'll give anyone $100 if they can drink 10 Guinness's in 10 minutes."
Most people just ignore the absurd bet and go back to their conversations.
One guy even leaves the bar. A little while later that guy comes back and asks the American, "Is that bet still on?"
"Sure."
So the bartender lines 10 Guinness's up on the bar the Irishman drinks them all in less than 10 minutes.
As the American hands over the money he asks, "Where did you go when you left?"
The Irishman answers, "I went next door to the other pub to see if I could do it."
*A drunken man staggers in to a Catholic church and sits down in a confession box and says nothing. The bewildered priest coughs to attract his attention, but still the man says nothing. The priest then knocks on the wall three times in a final attempt to get the man to speak.
Finally, the drunk replies: "No use knocking' mate, there's no paper in this one either."
*There is a great fruitcake recipe that goes like this: You'll need the following: A cup of water, a cup of sugar, four large brown eggs, two cups of dried fruit, a teaspoon of salt, a cup of brown sugar, lemon juice, nuts, and a bottle of whiskey.
1. Sample the whiskey to check for quality.
2. Take a large bowl. Check the whiskey again. To be sure it's the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat.
3. Turn on the electric mixer, beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar and beat again.
4. Make sure the whiskey is still okay. Cry another cup.
5. Turn off the mixer.
6. Beat two eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
7. Mix on the tuner.
8. If the fired druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriver.
9. Sample the whiskey to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of saltm or something. Who cares?
10. Check the whiskey.
11. Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
12. Add one table. Spoon. Of sugar or something. Whatever you can find.
13. Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees. Don't forget to beat off the turner.
14. Throw the bowl out of the window.
15. Check the whiskey.
16. Check the oven and wishkey every 5 doneness for minutes.
*A couple of drinking buddies who are airplane mechanics are in a hangar at JFK New York. It’s fogged in and they have nothing to do. One of them says to the other, “Man, have you got anything to drink?”
The other one says, “No, but I hear you can drink jet fuel, and it will kinda give you a buzz.”
So they do drink it, get smashed and have a great time, like only drinking buddies can.
The following morning, one of the men wakes up and he just knows his head will explode if he gets up, but it doesn’t. He gets up and feels good. In fact, he feels great! No hangover!
The phone rings. It’s his buddy. The buddy says, “Hey, how do you feel?”
“Great”, he said! “Just great”! The buddy says, “Yeah, I feel great too, and no hangover. That jet fuel stuff is great. We should do this more often!
“Yeah, we could, but there’s just one thing . . ”
“What’s that?”
“Did you fart yet?”
“No . . . ”
“Well, DON’T, ’cause I’m in Phoenix”
*A real woman is a man's best friend. She will never stand him up and never let him down. She will reassure him when he feels insecure and comfort him after a bad day. She will inspire him to do things he never thought he could do; to live without fear and forget regret. She will enable him to express his deepest emotions and give in to his most intimate desires. She will make sure he always feels as though he's the most handsome man in the room and will enable him to be the most confident, sexy, seductive and invincible...
No wait . . .sorry. . . .
I'm thinking of whiskey. It's whiskey that does all that shit. Never mind.
*Pat and Mike had been drinking buddies and friends for years.
After having a few drinks in a bar, Mike said to Pat -
"We have been friends for years and years and if I should die before you do would you do me a favor? Get the best bottle of Irish whiskey you can find and pour it over my grave."
Pat replied, "I would be glad to do that for you my old friend. But would you mind if I passed it through my bladder first?"
- - - - - - - - - -
At HELPGUIDE.org , there is an essay titled “Laughter is the Best Medicine: The Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter,” (May, 2010), by Melinda Smith, M.A., Gina Kemp, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., that explains how laughter is good for your health, the link between laughter and mental health, the social benefits of humor and laughter, how to bring more laughter and humor into your life, and ways to help yourself see the lighter side of life. This is a serious article with a great deal of practical advice.
At About.com: Stress Management, the essay there is titled, “The Stress Management and Health Benefits of Laughter,” by Elizabeth Scott, offers this information in her first paragraph: “. . . studies so far have shown that laughter can help relieve pain, bring greater happiness, and even increase immunity. Positive psychology names the propensity for laughter and sense of humor as one of the 24 main signature strengths one can possess, and laughter yoga clubs are springing up across the country.” She offers specific stress management benefits of humor and the social benefits of laughter. In addition, she discusses how to use laughter.
- - - - - - - -
Copyright March, 2012, by And Then Some Publishing, L.L.C.
*A man is sitting in a bar drinking a beer when a young lady walks up and says "So what are you drinking?" The man replies casually "Magic beer" and the lady asks "What kind of magic beer?" "What's so special about it?!?" says the man. He proceeds to get up and flies around the room 3 times and sits back down. The lady snaps "I bet you couldn't do that again even if your life depended on it!" So he gets up and flies around the room 3 more times. The lady says "I'll have what he's having!" She chugs it down and goes to the roof and jumps - falling to her death. The bartender looks at the man sitting at the bar and says "Superman, you're a jerk when your drunk."
*A black, a Rabbi, a Pollock, a blonde, a Russian, a priest, and a nun walk into the bar. The bartender says "What is this? Some kind of joke?"
*A man stomps into a bar, obviously angry. He growls at the bartender, "Gimme a beer", takes a slug, and shouts out, "All lawyers are assholes!" A guy at the other end of the bar retorts, "You take that back!" The angry man snarls, "Why? Are you a lawyer?" The guy replies, "No, I'm an asshole!"
*An American walks into an Irish pub and says, "I'll give anyone $100 if they can drink 10 Guinness's in 10 minutes."
Most people just ignore the absurd bet and go back to their conversations.
One guy even leaves the bar. A little while later that guy comes back and asks the American, "Is that bet still on?"
"Sure."
So the bartender lines 10 Guinness's up on the bar the Irishman drinks them all in less than 10 minutes.
As the American hands over the money he asks, "Where did you go when you left?"
The Irishman answers, "I went next door to the other pub to see if I could do it."
*A drunken man staggers in to a Catholic church and sits down in a confession box and says nothing. The bewildered priest coughs to attract his attention, but still the man says nothing. The priest then knocks on the wall three times in a final attempt to get the man to speak.
Finally, the drunk replies: "No use knocking' mate, there's no paper in this one either."
*There is a great fruitcake recipe that goes like this: You'll need the following: A cup of water, a cup of sugar, four large brown eggs, two cups of dried fruit, a teaspoon of salt, a cup of brown sugar, lemon juice, nuts, and a bottle of whiskey.
1. Sample the whiskey to check for quality.
2. Take a large bowl. Check the whiskey again. To be sure it's the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat.
3. Turn on the electric mixer, beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar and beat again.
4. Make sure the whiskey is still okay. Cry another cup.
5. Turn off the mixer.
6. Beat two eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
7. Mix on the tuner.
8. If the fired druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriver.
9. Sample the whiskey to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of saltm or something. Who cares?
10. Check the whiskey.
11. Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
12. Add one table. Spoon. Of sugar or something. Whatever you can find.
13. Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees. Don't forget to beat off the turner.
14. Throw the bowl out of the window.
15. Check the whiskey.
16. Check the oven and wishkey every 5 doneness for minutes.
*A couple of drinking buddies who are airplane mechanics are in a hangar at JFK New York. It’s fogged in and they have nothing to do. One of them says to the other, “Man, have you got anything to drink?”
The other one says, “No, but I hear you can drink jet fuel, and it will kinda give you a buzz.”
So they do drink it, get smashed and have a great time, like only drinking buddies can.
The following morning, one of the men wakes up and he just knows his head will explode if he gets up, but it doesn’t. He gets up and feels good. In fact, he feels great! No hangover!
The phone rings. It’s his buddy. The buddy says, “Hey, how do you feel?”
“Great”, he said! “Just great”! The buddy says, “Yeah, I feel great too, and no hangover. That jet fuel stuff is great. We should do this more often!
“Yeah, we could, but there’s just one thing . . ”
“What’s that?”
“Did you fart yet?”
“No . . . ”
“Well, DON’T, ’cause I’m in Phoenix”
*A real woman is a man's best friend. She will never stand him up and never let him down. She will reassure him when he feels insecure and comfort him after a bad day. She will inspire him to do things he never thought he could do; to live without fear and forget regret. She will enable him to express his deepest emotions and give in to his most intimate desires. She will make sure he always feels as though he's the most handsome man in the room and will enable him to be the most confident, sexy, seductive and invincible...
No wait . . .sorry. . . .
I'm thinking of whiskey. It's whiskey that does all that shit. Never mind.
*Pat and Mike had been drinking buddies and friends for years.
After having a few drinks in a bar, Mike said to Pat -
"We have been friends for years and years and if I should die before you do would you do me a favor? Get the best bottle of Irish whiskey you can find and pour it over my grave."
Pat replied, "I would be glad to do that for you my old friend. But would you mind if I passed it through my bladder first?"
- - - - - - - - - -
At HELPGUIDE.org , there is an essay titled “Laughter is the Best Medicine: The Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter,” (May, 2010), by Melinda Smith, M.A., Gina Kemp, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., that explains how laughter is good for your health, the link between laughter and mental health, the social benefits of humor and laughter, how to bring more laughter and humor into your life, and ways to help yourself see the lighter side of life. This is a serious article with a great deal of practical advice.
At About.com: Stress Management, the essay there is titled, “The Stress Management and Health Benefits of Laughter,” by Elizabeth Scott, offers this information in her first paragraph: “. . . studies so far have shown that laughter can help relieve pain, bring greater happiness, and even increase immunity. Positive psychology names the propensity for laughter and sense of humor as one of the 24 main signature strengths one can possess, and laughter yoga clubs are springing up across the country.” She offers specific stress management benefits of humor and the social benefits of laughter. In addition, she discusses how to use laughter.
- - - - - - - -
Copyright March, 2012, by And Then Some Publishing, L.L.C.
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