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

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

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

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.

COPS Office Video Series "What's New in Blue"

The U.S. DOJ's COPS Office was established in 1994 to help advance community policing. COPS stands for Community Oriented Policing Services. Community policing aims to build trust and constructive relationships among all community members to most effectively support public safety.

The COPS Office has just come out with a new video series called What’s New in Blue. The first episode of season one features Dr. Jon Sheinberg, a police officer as well as a Cardiologist. According to Dr. Sheinberg, coronary disease is the number one cause of death for police officers. Officers also have a 22-year lower life expectancy than the rest of the population. Their average life expectancy is 57 years old; this is also the average retirement age for a police officer.

Law enforcement officers are often subject to extreme circumstances that can impact their physical and mental states, generating lingering effects that may endure for hours or more afterwards. Dr. Sheinberg compares a police officer's work environment to that of a fighter pilot's: 98% boredom and 2% terror.

Dr. Sheinberg recommends two simple tests for the early detection of coronary disease: a coronary calcium score and a blood test called phospholipase A2 (or PLA-2). These tests can help detect inflammation and potential blockages. The early detection of coronary disease offers the greatest opportunity for effective treatment, though treatment at any time is a step in the right direction. Dr. Sheinberg also reviews a three-prong strategy to help promote the highest levels of health; these are medicine, life-style changes, and the replenishing of missing nutrients.

We have so much to be grateful for thanks to the dedicated commitment of these front-line public servants. Securing appropriate health interventions and discussing such important matters is a welcome conversation.

The COPS Office recently announced the launch of the video series, What’s New in Blue. The episodes feature informative discussions about ideas worth spreading throughout American #policing: https://t.co/bHThOBoro1 #WNIB pic.twitter.com/1bhlTouVaU

— COPS Office (@COPSOffice) December 18, 2018