Points on the Unconscious

Psychology Today has an older article on the unconscious mind. The gentleman who wrote the article summarizes a few thought-provoking points on the behavior of the unconscious:

• Preserves the body
• Runs the body
• Is like a 7-year old child
• Communicates through emotion and symbols
• Stores and organizes memories
• Does not process negatives
• Makes associations and learns quickly

There are more summary details in the article to review.

The Center for Healthy Minds' Emotional Styles Questionnaire

Researchers from the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison put together an "Emotional Styles Questionnaire" that allows participants to assess their style on six emotional dimensions and receive constructive well-being tips.

The six emotional dimensions are resilience, outlook, social intuition, self-awareness, sensitivity to context, and attention. To improve resilience, for example, participants are guided to find meaning in negative experiences; to improve outlook, participants are encouraged to practice gratitude. And so on.

I continuously hear that focus helps shape mindset and the activities really do unlock some thought treasures.

Understand how your #emotions affect your well-being and relationships with others by taking our emotional styles questionnaire. You will also have the chance to sign up to receive research updates and #wellbeing tips from the Center. https://t.co/6hQ9to3fPf pic.twitter.com/ciR9qoQ8Gz

— Center Healthy Minds (@healthyminds) March 28, 2018

The OECD Better Life Index

The OECD Better Life Index ranked 38 countries under 11 topics. Here are some of the topics with a bit of the descriptions:

Safety

Personal security is a core element for the well-being of individuals, and includes the risks of people being physically assaulted or falling victim to other types of crime. Crime may lead to loss of life and property, as well as physical pain, post-traumatic stress and anxiety. One of the biggest impacts of crime on people’s well-being appears to be through the feeling of vulnerability that it causes.

Feeling safe walking alone at night

According to recent data, about 69% of people in OECD countries say they feel safe walking alone at night. There are major differences, however, between countries. While 85% or more of people in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Switzerland say they feel safe. The level in Mexico is just below 50%, and just below 40% in Brazil and South Africa. Latvia is closer to the OECD average with 61%%.


Jobs

Work has obvious economic benefits, but having a job also helps individuals stay connected with society, build self-esteem, and develop skills and competencies. Societies with high levels of employment are also richer, more politically stable and healthier.

Employment rate

Across the OECD, about 67% of the working-age population aged 15 to 64 has a paid job. Employment levels are highest in Iceland (86%) and Switzerland (80%) and lowest in Turkey (51%), Greece (52%), Italy (57%) and Spain (60%). Employment rates are generally higher for individuals with a higher level of education. Across the OECD, an estimated 82% of individuals with at least a tertiary education have a paid job, compared with an estimated 57% for those without an upper secondary education.


Health

Good health is one of the most important things to people and also brings many other benefits, including enhanced access to education and the job market, an increase in productivity and wealth, reduced health care costs, good social relations, and of course, a longer life.

[...]

Further progress in population health status and life expectancy can be achieved by putting greater emphasis on public health and disease prevention, especially among disadvantaged groups, and by improving the quality and performance of health care systems.

Chronic (non-communicable) diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory conditions and diabetes, are now the main causes of disability and death in OECD countries. Many of these diseases are preventable, since they are linked to modifiable lifestyles. People who do not smoke, drink alcohol in moderate quantities, are physically active, eat a balanced diet, and who are not overweight or obese have a much lower risk of early death than those who have unhealthy habits.

The #BetterLifeIndex has identified 1⃣1⃣ topics essential to #wellbeing:

🏠 Housing
💵 Income
💼 Jobs
🤝 Community
📚 Education
🌳 Environment
🗳️ Civic engagement
⚕️ Health
❤️ Life satisfaction
🏃 Safety
⚖️ Work-life balance

What matters to you? https://t.co/Vynvj23GYe #OECD6WF pic.twitter.com/wWZiNmWu0S

— OECD ➡️ Better policies for better lives (@OECD) November 26, 2018

MHA: 31 Tips to Boost Mental Health

Here is Tip 1:

Track gratitude and achievement with a journal. Include 3 things you were grateful for and 3 things you were able to accomplish each day.

Here are mine for today. Grateful for 1) can drive, snow is cleared 2) car works 3) have no debt. Accomplished 1) cleaned the kitchen sink and counter 2) bought three more plants 3) made a super healthy shake for my loved one. I feel good.

The other tips are equally fun to do.

Can Mental Health Clinic at Walmart Fill a Void?: [https://t.co/k3GqS3PZgJ]
via @WebMD pic.twitter.com/U2zWrBY77X

— Mental Health America (@MentalHealthAm) January 29, 2019

House-friendly plants: Peperomia Species

Peperomia obtusifolia
Source: Wikipedia.com

The Peperomia genus has more than 1000 recorded species. Most of them are perennials that grow in tropical and subtropical regions like Central and South America. They generally also do well in greenhouses and make popular houseplants. More about their growing conditions from The Spruce:

Light: Peperomia does well in light to moderate light, such as found in a northern or east-facing window. They can be easily grown under fluorescent lights.

Water: Keep the soil moist during the growing season and provide relatively high humidity through spraying or by setting the pot in a gravel tray.

Temperature: Average. Peperomia do well in the relatively cool environment of most homes (although they dislike the dry). Aim for 65˚F to 75˚F.

Soil: A loose, well-drained, very rich potting mix.

Fertilizer: Fertilize bi-weekly during the growing season with a diluted liquid fertilizer or use controlled-release fertilizer pellets at the beginning of the growing season.

The ASPCA has a database listing how safe each species is for pets. You can search using the scientific name of the plant. Here are more species of Peperomia to gander at.

Documentaries: 'Un-Inflame Me' and 'Super Juice Me!'

There are two actions we can take to increase our health according to the director of the movie "Super Juice Me!". These actions are to remove toxins and replenish deficiencies.

And although Jason Vale is not a scientist by training, there is a fair amount of common sense in his advice. His movie documents the stories of 8 people who travel to his retreat in Portugal for a 28 day all-juice detox.

One gentleman travels to the resort with two suitcases; one is completely filled with his medications. When he is filmed after the documentary, all his daily medicines fit in a small envelope-sized tote. Not only did he drink the juices, but he also started to take longer and longer walks. Prior to taking the journey, he had lost his job due to his lack of mobility and believed his time was limited. You can visibly see the life and even more profoundly the hope return to his face, eyes, and body.

In the film Un-Inflame Me director Angela Lamb interviews author and naturopathic doctor Dr. Jessica Black. Dr. Black compares the approach that treats symptoms without addressing the underlying causes like trying to suppress an overflowing glass of water. Symptoms such as depression, for example, might emerge based on a layering of factors including environmental toxicity, injuries and accidents, emotional stress, and others. For interventions to be most effective they ought to address not just the suppression of symptoms but also the cause of the overflow.

There is a lot of science behind what constitutes a nourishing diet and what generates a toxic extra load for the body. It is a fascinating topic and amazing how it has the potential to help people.

Naturopathic Medicine: Where Health and Lifestyle Converge - See more at: https://t.co/TTSBRzyzR9 pic.twitter.com/HrkImoGQ0k

— Dr. Jessica Black (@drjessicablack) March 16, 2016

Resonant Breathing Biofeedback Training

Here is an interesting paper titled "Resonant breathing biofeedback training for stress reduction among manufacturing operators."

Abstract:

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of resonant breathing biofeedback training for reducing stress among manufacturing operators. Resonant breathing biofeedback works by teaching people to recognize their involuntary heart rate variability and to control patterns of this physiological response. Thirty-six female operators from an electronic manufacturing factory were randomly assigned as the experimental group (n = 19) and the control group (n = 17). The participants of the intervention received 5 weekly sessions of biofeedback training. Physiological stress profiles and self-perceived depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS) were assessed at pre- and post-intervention. Results indicated that depression, anxiety, and stress significantly decreased after the training in the experimental group; they were supported by a significant increase in physiological measures. Overall, these results support the potential application of resonant biofeedback training to reduce negative emotional symptoms among industrial workers.

Participants had five sessions of training over the course of five weeks. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress reduced observably at week four, when participants had learned the resonant breathing skills. Participants were trained to breath abdominally and exhale through pursed lips at their resonant frequency rate for a minimum of 20 minutes a day with a minimum of five minute practice segments. They were instructed to practice the resonant breathing exercises daily, at home, between sessions, and when they felt down or stressed. A resonant breathing rate of ~5-7 breaths per minute (BPM) is most frequently found in people with a relaxed mental state and positive emotional tone.


Reference:

Sutarto AP, Wahab MN, Zin NM (2012). "Resonant breathing biofeedback training for stress reduction among manufacturing operators". International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. 18 (4): 549–61. doi: 10.1080/10803548.2012.11076959. PMID 23294659

Guided Meditation Video

The "Guided Meditation for Relaxation, Stress Relief, and Anxiety with Katrina Repman" video is a startlingly good meditation guide. I listened to it while walking and noticed some pronounced changes in my body's arousal state. I don't want to say that I now feel sleepy, but rather quite relaxed. I have listened to some meditation tapes before, but Katrina's voice and style are pleasantly effective. I hope this is something I can keep exploring.

Guided Meditation video | Source: Amazon.com

Stimulating the Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve is the longest autonomic nerve in the human body. The autonomic nervous system regulates largely unconscious processes like heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, sexual arousal, urination, and pupillary response.

The vagus nerve is the prime component of the parasympathetic nervous system, or the system that oversees the resting body (colloquially called the "rest and digest" or "feed and breed" response). The countering autonomic nervous system is the sympathetic nervous system which regulates the body's response when it is under threat (the "fight or flight" response).

Some suggestions for stimulating the vagus nerve and along with it the parasympathetic nervous system include humming or singing, meditation, laughing, being around people you enjoy, deep breathing, yoga, physical activity, massage, cold water, probiotics, potassium, omega-3 fatty acids, and so on.

The vagus nerve sends signals among many body systems; a branch of the nerve even controls muscles of the larynx and thus effects speech.

Smoothie How To's

There are a lot of amazing smoothie recipes out there. It's such a simple way to give your body something healthy and delicious. Here is one smoothie how-to-guide on Pinterest. There are, of course, many good ideas out there. One of my favorite smoothies is made with apple, cucumber, spinach, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, yogurt, blueberries (warmed from frozen), pasteurized egg whites, stevia, and sometimes flaxseed. Yum.

"How to Make Healthy Smoothies" Pin
Source: realsimplegood.com via Pinterest.com

"It Takes Guts" Documentary

"It Takes Guts" Documentary
Source: Amazon.com

"It Takes Guts" is a 53 minute 2016 documentary available on Amazon. It features the thoughts and appearances of nine or so field leaders on the topics of microbes, our gut, and our health with a special focus on obesity.

Some key take-aways are the impact of gut microbe diversity on leanness, how microbes communicate to each other and to our body, how fiber allows nutrition to reach microbes deeper in our digestive track, etc. When we eat, we eat for much more than just ourselves; our diverse microbe ecosystem also lives on what we ingest and sends signals that communicate with other parts of our body. These signals may even impact what we crave and how we behave. Other environmental factors also impact our gut microbiome including breastfeeding, antibiotic treatments, and more.

Professor Tim Spector has taken a special interest in researching various diet choices. His current gut-friendly diet includes cutting out processed foods, eating vegetables and fruits (prebiotic fiber), unpasteurized cheese and yogurt (probiotics), and reducing antibiotic meat. He has also increased the diversity of his diet to include 20 to 30 different types of food every week. Many of the researchers were actively looking at different types of food choices and how they impact the gut microbiome and the results.

Researchers on the program included:

Dr. Arya Sharma
Professor of Medicine & Past-Chair in Obesity Research and Management
University of Alberta
@DrSharma

Tim Spector
Professor of Genetic Epidemiology
Author of “The Diet Myth”
@timspector

Ed Yong
Science writer, The Atlantic
@edyong209

Anthropologist Jeff Leach

Dr. Emma Allen-Verco
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
University of Guelpth

Dr. Krista Power
Agriculture Canada

Dr. Martin Blaser
Author, “Missing Microbes”

Dr. Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello
NYU School of Medicine

Prof. Rob Knight
UC San Diego

The film was produced, directed, and written by Leora Eisen

Breast Milk: The Market and Some Basics

Apparently there is a black market for breast milk. According to the Medical Confession podcast episode "All About Breastmilk" the liquid gold can go for $1.50 an ounce. A woman's production can vary, but typically at four to five weeks a baby will consume 30 oz of breast milk a day.

Due to a lack of safety and sanitary controls, however, this black-market milk may be contaminated with bacteria or could be fraudulently mixed with cow’s milk.

Fortunately, there are legit human milk banks that are subject to strict safety standards. The Human Milk Bank Association of North America (HMBANA), for example, provides FDA and CDC designed guidelines to its member milk banks.

According to safe storage standards, Mom's can save their expressed milk for up to six months in a freezer. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends breastfeeding for the first six months of a child's life.

Breast milk contains all the major macronutrients such as fat, carbs, and protein as well as important vitamins and minerals. Breast milk also contains antibodies from the mother that can provide newborns immunity protections. Babies who are breastfed are at 73% reduced chance of SIDS, show increased intelligence, contract fewer middle ear infections, colds/flu, etc.

Top health agencies like WHO, NIH, the American Academy of Pediatric Physicians, etc. are huge supporters of breastfeeding.

The production of breast milk is initiated by the hormones prolactin and oxytocin. According to the Medical Confessions podcast, men can also produce breast milk, called witches’ milk, that is surprisingly similar to a woman’s breast milk if given the proper milk-producing hormones.

There is both an art and a science to breast milk production. Some environmental and biological agents can help increase breast milk production. One of the hosts mentions Fenugreek as being particularly helpful, though she noticeably gave off the aroma of maple syrup. Mom’s must also be aware that what they ingest and what is in their system can be passed to their child.

Midwife rang today: mum who survived breast cancer is due next week.🤰Within 1 h we had plan for donor milk! #helpingothers @milk_foundation pic.twitter.com/t9wsJdnH0f

— Hearts Milk Bank (@heartsmilkbank) August 3, 2018

Rush Hour II: Heaven on Earth Fight Scene

YouTube video:

Rush Hour II movie starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker

Heaven on Earth Fight Scene, Source: YouTube.com

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson on Femsplainers

Canadian clinical psychologist and professor Dr. Jordan B. Peterson was a guest on Femsplainers with Christina Hoff Sommers and Danielle Crittenden. The podcast was hosted live on December 13, 2018 at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).

Dr. Peterson and the shows hosts heartily discuss his own life and work as well as "the secrets of a long marriage, the problems with dating apps, how to handle a belligerent toddler, and the motivation of [his] radical feminist critics."

One piece of research I have heard Dr. Peterson mention before that I find particular intriguing is the difference between the male and female orientation to things vs. people. According to Dr. Peterson there is one standard deviation difference between the genders. For example, a man would have to be in the 85th percentile of men to have the same interest in people as the 50th percentile of woman. And likewise, a woman would have to be in the 85th percentile of women to have the same interest in things as the 50th percentile of men. The details are at minute 33:30.

Dr. Peterson, of course, has additional research and stories to share.

It was fun. https://t.co/NuhldCT30B

— Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) January 3, 2019

More articles:
Stanford Medicine: Two minds: The cognitive differences between men and women

Testosterone: Levels and Effects

Testosterone is a hormone that is present in both men and women, but men to a much higher degree. The average levels in men over the age of 19 range from 240 to 950 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL). For women the range is 8 to 60 ng/dL.

Testosterone is linked to such expressions as libido, behavioral traits like dominance and the competitive spirit, body hair, muscle mass, fat metabolism, and bone density. It also facilitates the development of the male reproductive system.

Testosterone levels peak around the age of 18 or 19 and then decline throughout adulthood. Ways to naturally increase testosterone include lifestyle habits like getting enough sleep, keeping a healthy weight, staying physically active, and cutting back on stress. For women, a Livestrong article gives additional suggestions like getting quality protein, "good" fats, zinc, magnesium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C.

Low testosterone (Low T) and depression have some similar symptoms, including irritability, anxiety, sadness, low sex drive, trouble concentrating, and sleep problems. There are divergent symptoms too. It is recommended that people who want to better understand their physiology make an appointment with their physician who can help perform a physical exam and do blood work.

Methamphetamine: It's Use and Effects

Methamphetamine, known on the streets as meth or crank, was developed by a Japanese chemist and its first doctor of pharmacy in 1893. The chemical was synthesized from ephedrine found in the Ephedra plant.

During WWII the drug was used by both Japanese and German soldiers for its ability to increase alertness and reduce hunger. Over 200 million methamphetamine tablets were distributed. Methamphetamine-use remained a problem after the war.

Methamphetamine increases the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and the activity of feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine, and non-epinephrine. You can see its effects in increased movement, or tweaking, among many other stimulant reactions. It is, however, a neurotoxin to the dopamine pathways of the brain. Its use can create severe long-term withdraw symptoms as well as increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Its damage may be irreversible.

Methamphetamine was not regulated in the U.S. as a controlled substance until the 1970s. It is currently less commonly used as a schedule II second-line treatment for ADHD and severe obesity.

A batch of meth that costs around $200 to make can go for $2,000 to $5,000 on the street.

Around 40% of meth users report the feeling of formication or the sensation of bugs crawling on their skin. This can cause them to pick and scratch themselves leaving open sores.

On the Medical Confessions podcast, the hosts discuss meth during a December 14, 2018 episode titled "What Causes Meth-Mouth/Methamphetamines." Long story short, meth-mouth is caused by several factors including a lack of saliva, teeth clenching, the consumption of sugary drinks, and poor oral hygiene. In a study of 571 meth-users, 31% were missing six or more teeth and 50% had untreated tooth decay.

The Meth Project has a graphic that shows meth's effect on the brain.

This is your brain on meth….http://t.co/PUiKgUxmCB #MethAwarenessMonday

— Meth Project (@methproject) March 25, 2013

More on methamphetamine:
Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA): Drug Summaries | Methamphetamin​e