Wellness Posts by Aaron M

How to Accept Life's Trials

2017-05-31T21:00:00Z

Wellness.com - How to Accept Life's Trials by Aaron M

Joseph Campbell, the scholar who studied the parallels of the myths of human history and how they relate to us in modern times, taught that if we are to accept that we are actually here, we must say "yes" to it all. That is, that life has a lot of beauty and harmony, but also a lot of harshness, pain, and death. If we are to exist at peace while we're alive, we must say "yes" and accept the way life is.

How can we accept things in our lives that we consider to be terrible: death, pain, disease, poverty? Well, the Buddha taught that we have two choices in any situation: change it (or leave if an option) or accept it. The things we can change such as our careers, relationships, surroundings, etc. we should do so if it would make us happier. What about the things we can't change like a genetic disease? Well, we have to accept them. If we don't, we cause extra suffering beyond the physical pain from the ailment. In fact, the mental suffering we cause for ourselves is often worse.

An onslaught of mental resistance against what "shouldn't be" makes our situation worse. I'd like to list some "difficult" things I've had to accept in my own life. We all have them. I practiced accepting these limitations of my body and I'm okay with it; not bummed at all. All I can say is "it is what it is."

1. I have arthritis in my back that prevents me from doing some of my favorite activities: running, weight lifting, any competitive sports (football, basketball, baseball, tennis, even golf), and yoga. I've always been athletic, so to no longer be able to do these things is certainly a take away from life. I often wake up sore in the morning. I can't lift heavy objects. I can't even carry my fiancée, so on our honeymoon I won't be able to carry her into our hotel suite.

2. I also have a strained rotator cuff on my right shoulder that is now making it difficult for me to do my absolutely favorite activity which is surfing and I can't lift weights anymore.

3. I have terrible allergies that require me to take medication every day just to function in daily life.

4. I have asthma.

5. I had to defeat a debilitating case of panic attack disorder in college.

6. My childhood had some interesting challenges too, that I won't share here in order to preserve family privacy.

7. I started going bald in my early twenties.

The point of sharing these is not to complain, but to show that I have my share of health issues too. However, I have accepted them as they are instead of resisting them and becoming depressed because my life isn't perfect. I'm no better or stronger than anyone else, and therefore if I can do it, so can others. Not saying it's easy, but I think it's our best option for getting the most joy out of life in the face of trials.

I'll grant that my health conditions are mild compared to some more debilitating chronic diseases, but it's all relative. A person who has lost an arm in battle probably won't be as freaked by a gun shot in the leg as someone who has never been injured at all before.

Here are some things that work for me in accepting all of life's craziness. Maybe they'll work for some others too.

1. I try to see the humor in terrible situations. There is always an irony or something to laugh at; usually just how ridiculous it is that such things happen at all and how much they suck. I laugh at physical pain instead of crying (if possible).

2. I try to see the positive in terrible situations: often some kind of lesson or that they build our character and make us stronger.

3. I try to remember that life is full of these challenges and that there will be better times. That is unless I were given 2 weeks to live; then I'd think about how great it was to have been able to live at all and all the wonderful experiences I've had.

4. When feeling down, I try to think of all the great things in my life (everyone has something good in their life, even if it's just being alive at all). Some examples for me are my loving family, friends, and fiancée, my good health, my fun career, having enough money (if you're reading this, you have enough money too), living in San Diego where I can enjoy the outdoors all the time, my capacity for music, art, science, business, and philosophy, my opportunities to travel the world, and the fact that I'm even alive at all.

Many people who get a health condition get depressed as a result. Depression is certainly a painful affliction and adding it to the pain of a disease is double-pain. I feel sorry for people that have to go through this and I know it's difficult.

For people who are diagnosed with a disease, I think it's important to try to stay positive the best we can. Again, it can be difficult when faced with daily pain or discomfort, but what is our other option? It takes practice, but I think if we put the effort into thinking positive while dealing with illness, we not only heal faster, but we have a better experience of this short stint called life.

Hope this is helpful to someone.

Mental Noise: The Silent Killer

2007-10-17T17:47:55Z

Wellness.com - Mental Noise: The Silent Killer by Aaron M

I'd like to write about something that causes a fair amount of disturbance in my mind. I suspect that it does for everyone, not just me; but I think many people aren't even aware of it. So I'd like to hear some ideas and thoughts from the community on their experiences with this "menace" and how to combat it.

The culprit is "mental noise," also known as the inner monologue. It's a voice that ceaselessly runs in our heads from the time we wake up until we go to sleep at night. Often it even follows us to sleep! It's analyzing everything about our lives and surroundings. We actually have a voice in our head that's just talking to itself! It's like we're all loonies!

Although useful for problem solving, I think several things are troublesome about this mental noise when it's left uncontrolled:

1. Most of the thoughts are repetitive. "The same old tapes playing over and over again" as one of my favorite authors, Eckhart Tolle, once said. Often we relive negative situations or fantasize about things that will likely never happen. I think it makes us feel like our current lives are not good enough or causes us to re-experience pain from the past.

2. We're usually thinking about the past or future, which prevents us from enjoying the now. If we're doing this 99% of the time, which I am, we're missing out on life! Perhaps in a 100 year lifespan, we're only "here" for 1 of those years!

3. I think compulsive inner monologue disturbs our peace. I don't know why. Probably because it causes some kind of "anxiety gap" between the now and the future or past we're pondering. I notice that when I'm in moments of clarity or peace, like when I'm taking in a marvelous sunset or dropping in on a massive wave while surfing, I'm not thinking. I'm just aware. Just being aware without analyzing is the greatest peace I've ever experienced, but I can't hold it for long.

I think a good first step is for us to realize that often we're just not there. I learned about this from reading "The Power of Now" 5 years ago. I've made little progress in actually eliminating the background static of my mind though.

The challenge for me is that I'm always analyzing everything. I mostly analyze the future, things I need or want to do. I also analyze my day, yesterday, and the distant past. When I'm doing this, it's more like dreaming versus living. It's like I'm asleep and unable to fully appreciate that I'm alive, here and now.

Of course it wouldn't behoove us to totally stop thinking forever. Inner monologue is a critical tool. But I'd like to achieve a state where I can think when I need to, like solving an acute problem, and then after that I can just be. Just be in the moment, where I am. The Buddhists, who have some philosophies I admire, call the state of being in the present "mindfulness."

So far, I can do this for about 2-5 seconds on average. Then the voices start again. At rare times of great clarity where it all "makes sense," I can last for maybe 30 seconds to a minute.

These little glimpses of the peace of mental stillness leave me longing for more. But no matter how hard I try, it seems like life just sucks my brain back into analyzing everything, like a black hole of voices.

I've been practicing non-religious forms of meditation morning and night for about 4 years. That helps a lot, but I still haven't achieved the ability to just be as often as I'd like.

And don't get me wrong, I'm still a very happy person. In fact, I'm in awe of the rapture of life and grateful for everything I have. But like everyone, there are still things I can make better.

If anyone out there is having better luck with mental noise, I'd love to hear some tips. I'm sure many others would benefit too.

Sorry Kids: Bush Vetoes Child Health Insurance Plan

2007-10-03T11:28:21Z

Wellness.com - Sorry Kids: Bush Vetoes Child Health Insurance Plan by Aaron M

Interesting Healthcare Issue From Digg.com:-
President Bush, in a confrontation with Congress, on Wednesday vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have dramatically expanded children's health insurance. It was only the fourth veto of Bush's presidency, and one that some Republicans feared could carry steep risks for their party in next year's elections.

View Story

I recommend reading the debates about it this issue on Digg.com, very interesting: http://digg.com/politics/Sorry_Kids_Bush_Vetoes_Child_Health_Insurance_Plan. Some of the posts are a little inappropriate, but many of them have good points both for and against the bill as well.

The Woman Who Knew Everything...

2007-09-19T15:23:42Z

Wellness.com - The Woman Who Knew Everything... by Aaron M

I'd like to ask the community a question and see what others have to say about this subject. But first, the question requires a brief introduction.

Suppose you knew the answers to all the questions you've pondered and given up on getting answers to. The big questions. Would it change your life at all?
-
-How did creation begin? -
-Was there a beginning or has it always been? -
-Is there an afterlife? -
-Do we only live once or do we reincarnate?-
-Why are we here? -
-What's my purpose? -
-Which religion (if any) is right? -
-Are there other intelligent civilizations in the universe?-
-Is there a Creator?-
-My fiancee asked me a question the other night that got me pondering. What would you do if you got all the answers to those questions?

This led to a series of thoughts:

1. I suppose I would have peace of mind that I know the answers to those questions so I don't have to wonder about them anymore.

2. It probably wouldn't change my behavior. No matter what the answer, I'd still be a good person and I'd still try to enjoy life as much as possible (and help others do the same).

3. However, if there were reincarnation, then I might relax a little about trying to have every possible wonderful life experience in one life! But what would be the benefit of reincarnation if we couldn't remember our past lives anyway? So I might also still try to fit in all into one life.

4. Now... if we found out there were a hell (a place of everlasting damnation where people burn for all eternity because they didn't worship a specific religion, even if they had never heard of it before they died) and if I didn't worship a certain prophet or religion I would go there, then guess what? I'd have to change my life to follow all the rules of that religion (such as accepting a Lord and Savior into my heart or praying in Arabic 5 times a day).

So the more I thought about it, it would change my behavior. So my open ended question to the community is:

How would your life change if you had all the answers to your biggest questions about life and cosmos?

Bonus Question: What do you think those answers are?

Aspartame: Another myth potentially busted...

2007-09-13T10:22:12Z

Wellness.com - Aspartame: Another myth potentially busted... by Aaron M

From a recent study that was published, it looks like aspartame isn't as clearly bad as people think. It's common for people to say that artificial sweeteners cause cancer and brain defects, but according to the evidence - or lack their of - it appears to be perfectly safe.

Here's an article that summarizes some of the safety studies: Click to view.

People often site that aspartame causes cancer in rats. Well, here are some facts about animal studies:

1. Often things happen with animals that don't happen in humans. Sometimes they can be a gauge, but it only gives you some ideas and concepts, not conclusive evidence that the same thing happens in humans. Aspartame is a perfect example.

2. Often in animal studies they are given hundreds or thousands of times the dosage a normal human could ever consume.

3. Many times these studies are flawed or controversial. If a study isn't generally accepted by the medical community as well done, valid, and potentially conclusive, it essentially renders that study inconclusive. What "inconclusive" means is that you can't assume -anything- from that study.

If aspartame or other ingredients were -really- as harmful as the holistic community claimed it to, there would be more evidence to support that. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

I'm not going to increase my intake of artificial sweeteners, but I'm also not going to go out of my way to avoid them like the plague. I think moderation is the key. If I have a choice between added dietary sugar (which is shown to cause weight gain, diabetes, and other diseases see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar#Sugar_and_health) and a non-sugar sweetener, I'll choose no sugar.

Just to be clear, I still think a natural diet with lots of raw fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, berries, whole grains, poultry, and fish is healthy and the best option for most people. I think junk food is to be avoided for many reasons. But, I think people are quick to accuse food additives as blatantly cancer causing when the truth is that there's little evidence to support that.

One exception is MSG, which seems to be a little sketchy (not with cancer, but with other things): (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate.

Good luck!

Amac

Just How Bad is Junk Food?

2007-08-30T14:38:54Z

Wellness.com - Just How Bad is Junk Food? by Aaron M

Today I looked at the label of a bag of Cheddar Jalapeño Cheetos® just for fun. I don't eat them, but a co-worker had some.

The label had all the ingredients that we are told by holistic health professionals are causes of cancer, heart disease, and all kinds of other health problems - MSG, food dyes, partially hydrogenated oils, natural and artificial flavors, and other scary processed ingredients.

My thought was, "if these ingredients are so bad, why aren't they illegal?" I was planning on researching how bad these ingredients are and then suggesting in my blog that they be banned from the market by the U.S. Gov't. But... in my research I found that there is scant evidence that these ingredients actually cause much harm at all, especially in small doses. The claims about the food dyes are urban legends with no credible research behind them. Search for any of the Cheetos ingredients on the right on www.wikipedia.org for a good summary of what I'm talking about.

MSG, I thought, was sure to be linked with cancer, but the research shows that many credible national and international medical organizations have examined the evidence and concluded it poses no health risks. These are smart people and it's not likely they -all- have hidden agendas. I don't think there's an international conspiracy to prevent the ban of MSG for political reasons. For a good summary of the debate, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate.

The one thing that I did find scary was this: -A 1995 FDA-commissioned report acknowledged that "An unknown percentage of the population may react to MSG and develop MSG symptom complex, a condition characterized by one or more of the following symptoms: burning sensation in the back of the neck, forearms and chest; numbness in the back of the neck radiating to the arms and back; tingling, warmth and weakness in the face, temples, upper back, neck and arms; facial pressure or tightness; chest pain; headache; nausea; rapid heartbeat; bronchospasm (difficulty breathing); drowsiness, weakness."-

I looked up all of the other ingredients and they seem pretty harmless. So the question is, what is the danger of junk foods like Cheetos? My guess is that it's when people fill up on them and don't eat enough natural foods. It's the lack of proper nutrients because things like Cheetos have a quite weak nutritional value.

The bottom line for me is that as long as we eat fruits and vegetables and a balanced variety of healthy foods every day, the occasional serving of Cheetos, cookies, or processed junk food is okay. Further, all the scarey ingredients aren't as bad as some urban legends make them out to be. The great thing about science is that it's self correcting. If there's no evidence, claims have little power. Even more, when evidence contradicts a persons' claims, their arguments are even weaker until they are able to produce evidence to back up their claims. Often animal studies are used to back up health claims, but as often as not, animal studies have completely different results than human studies and cannot be used to make a claim about what will happen in humans. I like this quote from Carl Sagan: "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

I'd be interested to hear from any experts or knowledgeable people out there on whether my thoughts above are valid or not. I'm really not sure because I haven't done enough homework. I just thought it was interesting that the ingredients in Cheetos by themselves haven't been shown to be harmful to the health.

-
-
- Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos® List of Ingredients-

Enriched Corn Meal (Corn Meal, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Thiamin

Joe Cheese Burger Goes Green For 30 Days

2007-08-27T16:34:27Z

Wellness.com - Joe Cheese Burger Goes Green For 30 Days by Aaron M

This is from HealthiNation.com:

Project Greenhouse Series Synopsis
Josh is a regular guy. He drives to work in his 4-wheel drive, eats burgers and pizza, watches a lot of TV, and hangs out with buddies a few nights a week. The good life, right? No so much. Josh has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and he's starting to have trouble doing ordinary things, like walking up steps without wheezing. And he's only 32 years old.

To change his life, and save the planet from more destruction, Josh is 'going green' for 30 days. No more smoking, no more TV, no more driving. All 'green living' for 30 days. Watch how his health, and the health of the planet around him, improves...

-

For more, here's the full page: http://www.healthination.com/greenhouse.php.

Just thought you'd all find this interesting.

Amac

What Are You?

2007-08-14T16:15:26Z

Wellness.com - What Are You? by Aaron M

I'm pasting part of a conversation some coworkers and I had yesterday. We were trying to define what "me" is (the body, the soul [if there is one], the consciousness?).

CET:
Just an extention of our previous lunch conversation. Thinking about this gave me a nose bleed, maybe you guys will fare better with it. ;-)

If you get into a Star Trek transporter, your body is taken apart atom by atom and reconstructed by another set of atoms, but in the same pattern. Are you now dead? Is that other person you?

Suppose there's a transporter malfunction. You come out the other side fine, but your patter is also sent back to the original transporter and you are reconstructed. Are either of them you? Which one? Both of them?

MB:
The problem with using the "transporter" in your example is that by definition, the "transporter" in Star Trek doesn't recreate the "set of atoms" at all. It dematerializes matter into the energy pattern (set of atoms), "beams" it to where it needs to go, and then rematerializes it into matter. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transporter_(Star_Trek))

In the case of the malfunction, you would most likely be partially dematerialized or partially rematerialized, which I would think would be similar to losing a limb of your body.

You won't see me getting into a transporter anytime soon. :)

AMAC:
Well, my take is that if we have a soul, then it would be intelligent enough to follow the body it's in.

If we don't have a soul, then perhaps consicousness is just a function of having all the matter and energy compiled in just the exact right way. That means that if the transporter could perfectly reconstruct everything then you'd survive. Otherwise, nature is so complex that the person would probably be reconstructed dead.

If they are reconstructed, they are still conscious, have memories of their life up to that point, and the same personality, then I think it's still "you." That is, if the stream of consciousness continues.

If for some reason they get reconstructed in some imperfect way but are still alive with a completely different personality and a permanently changed consciousness, I think it's not "you" anymore. It wouldn't be much different than your body decomposing and matter being used to become other living things.

Anyone else got thoughts on this?

Amac

Who Knows What to Eat These Days?.

2007-08-08T16:45:12Z

Wellness.com - Who Knows What to Eat These Days?. by Aaron M

We see so many articles these days about food being linked to disease, I have no idea what's safe to eat anymore. Sometimes it sounds like pretty much everything kills or maims us! :-)

Beef & Pork = Heart disease and cancer
Fish = Mercury poisoning
Eggs = Too much cholesterol
Cheese = Too much salt and saturated fat
Tofu / Soy = Alzheimer's, shrunken brain, too much estrogen
Carbs = Weight gain
Sugar = Weight gain & inflammation
Juice = Too much sugar
Oil = Too much saturated fat
Raw spinach = E coli
Chicken = Salmonella or bird flu if not cooked well enough
Raspberries & apples = If not organic, dangerous pesticide levels
Tap Water = Aluminum & copper (lead to brain diseases)
.. And so on and so on!

Reading all these studies can drive us crazy!

I used to be a fanatic about diet. At my worse I was a raw food vegan. It was impossible to eat anywhere and it really annoyed my friends. Then I loosened up and for 3 and 1/2 years was an ovo-lacto (eggs/dairy) vegetarian. My main motivation was that I didn't like eating flesh of animals who were slaughtered. I thought the adrenaline released when the animal was killed might linger until I ate it and then the extra adrenaline and fear hormones might affect my peace of mind.

Plus tons of studies link problems with meat: red meat = cancer and heart disease; pork = heart disease; fish = mercury poisoning, neurological problems.

I felt good being ovo-lacto, but then I read a large study that linked tofu to brain atrophy over time (shrinking brain). It was so convincing that I researched it for 3 weeks and concluded I should cut soy out of my diet and bring fish and poultry back in. A friend of a friend who is a vegetarian physician has also cut soy out of his diet for the same reasons.

Plus I was no longer able to deny that meat was an important and natural part of the human diet. In fact, scientists believe that had apes not started eating meat, their brains wouldn't have evolved to the size that enabled us the intelligence to become humans.

All this added up and I gave in. Now I just try to eat my 5 servings of fruits and veggies each day, some cheese, eggs, fish, poultry, nuts and whole grains. And I stay away from too much processed, fatty, junk, or sugary foods. That seems to be the evidence based diet.

But my point is that I don't know what's safe any more. If I read every study that comes out I'll go crazy! There was a huge study, nicknamed the "China Study," that is hailed as the largest epidemiological study on nutrition ever conducted.

It concluded that animal foods are detrimental to our health. Who do I believe? Other studies contradict it!

I guess I have to go with how a diet makes me feel. And I'm sure it's different for each person. Some people can't stand certain foods while others love them.

I feel just as good eating meat as I did when I was a vegetarian. But I definitely feel bad when I eat heavy food like Mexican, Italian, pizza, hamburgers, donuts etc.

So I'm thinking now that we just need to make sure we get enough fruits and vegetables each day, some healthy forms of protein, and whole grains while avoiding what we know is junk food. However, who knows what's right?

The REAL Cause of the Healthcare Crisis...

2007-04-20T15:39:19Z

Wellness.com - The REAL Cause of the Healthcare Crisis... by Aaron M

Healthcare reformers seem to most often blame pharmaceutical companies, the Gov't, insurers, and doctors for the broken healthcare system. From my observations, it appears that the general public created the healthcare crisis, not the system. "The system" is always the result of the cumulative consciousness of the society. The current crisis is probably created by a combination of both, but I think everyday people are the ones most responsible.

Think about it: most people are sick not because they can't get care, but because they don't eat well, don't exercise, and experience too much stress. Then when they get sick they go to the doctor and ask for a pill to make them feel better. Doctor says: "Well, I can give you something to take away the pain, but you should really start eating better and exercising." Patient says, "Yeah, yeah, that's too hard, just give me the pill."

After about 3000 patient visits of the same results, doctors just give up and give their patients what they want. If they don't, the patients look for another doctor who will. Same thing with big pharma companies. Sure, some of their tactics may be greedy or corrupt sometimes, but they are a business and need to stay profitable or their shareholders tank the company.

I think the people to blame for the healthcare crisis, in my humble opinion, are you and me for being lazy and shortsighted, looking for the quick fix. Here's what I think needs to happen:

1. Some legal reform to require food manufacturers to make healthier food. For every sugary, fatty, over-processed, artificial food, there is a healthy alternative that tastes just as good.

2. Require schools to teach children early on about healthy diet and not offer unhealthy foods to the students.

3. Ban smoking. There's just no reason for it. If people need a release from stress let them take anti-depressants. Well, okay maybe this is extreme and I am being sarcastic, but I honestly can't believe they allow cigarettes and alcohol to be legal but marijuana is illegal. They should at least make the taxes so high that a pack of cigarettes is like $20.

4. Health insurance should be cheaper for people who follow certain healthy lifestyle practices on a regular basis. Insurance companies shouldn't be able to discriminate for genetically inherited or fluke issues. But people who develop chronic diseases by gross neglect of their bodies should have to pay more for their indulgence. The pre-tax HSA concept is close to this kind of system.

5. Employers and insurance companies should work together to take responsibility for employees' health by offering yearly health risk assessments and more programs for preventive healthcare.

Those are some of my ideas. Interested to hear what the community thinks.

Amac