SUPPLEMENTS VS. PHARMACEUTICALS: THE COMPARISON (ISSUE 85)

By Diane Gold

Supplements and pharmaceuticals have interesting comparisons. Because of this, supplements very often get confused with  pharmaceuticals and vice versa. Let’s break it down from the beginning. Let me say here that the pharmaceutical industry is very complex. It takes huge amounts of money to develop a drug (on average $1.5 to $2 Billion Dollars including clinical trials), and patent length allows the drug company exclusive rights to the drug to get payback for the development and then some.

Supplements are considered an addition to the diet. They are developed from already formed combinations of molecules to enhance health. They help teach nutrition.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

The business model for a supplement company is that we can use supplements for a period of time and wean off once we get our food together, if medically possible.

The business model for a pharmaceutical firm is that of making the user regulate a disease on a daily basis, usually causing some addiction, rather than solving the issue with one dose. It requires a true concentration on finding a cure, rather than a daily control for companies to develop one-time fixes.

According to Dr. Jaroslav Boublik, a good friend, veteran product formulator and progressive researcher,

“A simple differentiation between supplements and pharmaceuticals that is generally correct is that supplements seek to supply something that is deficient, or which offers a benefit by consumption of additional amounts, whereas pharmaceuticals seek to treat an illness by intervening in normal or disease-state metabolism.  Even more simply put supplements seek to correct imbalances and pharmaceuticals seek to treat symptoms.”

We all have to ask ourselves,

“If we could have a billion dollars from finding a daily pill that would regulate a disease but not cure it; or make $50,000 and find a cure; which would we choose?”

Although the following piece from consumerreports.org is from June, 2006, I wanted to quote it,

“What’s the difference between a nutritional supplement and a drug?

In some respects, not much. Both can have powerful pharmacological effects and cause problems if taken incorrectly. Some conventional medicines are actually derived from plants, and many supplements are sold as concentrates that are virtually indistinguishable from drugs.

“How drugs and supplements are viewed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is another matter entirely. Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), the FDA essentially treats supplements as if they were foods. DSHEA defines nutritional supplements as products taken by mouth that contain an ingredient intended to supplement the diet.

“Those ingredients could include vitamins, minerals, or natural biological substances such as enzymes. They can come in a variety of forms, including extracts and concentrates, and as tablets, capsules, powders, or liquids.

“Drugs, on the other hand, are legally defined as substances intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent disease.”

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Replacement of one nutrient, antioxidant or chemical is unlikely to correct the cascade of interconnected metabolic abnormalities associated with serious health problems. It can certainly have a big impact, though.

SAMENESS

The scientists who spend time researching what will do what to whom care about the outcome of their work as it will benefit humanity whether they work on drugs or supplements.

Supplement and pharmaceutical scientists both have the same passion as the other for their research.

They both love discovery.

DIFFERENCE

Supplement developers are interested in alternatives to pharmaceutical answers, for the most part. This could be to avoid the exorbitant costs of drugs or to avoid side effects and addiction or to see quick results.

Those who invent supplements tend to be more personally invested in the product since they do not usually work for giant pharmaceutical companies and, many times, thought of the concept themselves.
Supplement scientists are inventing something to be ingested like food to improve nutritional intake.

Pharmaceutical scientists invent substances or parts of molecules that will improve, and can we hope cure?, a particular disease.

Those in the pharmaceutical sphere are driven by the competitive world of which drug company will get to the finish line first to be able to recuperate the $1.5 Billion dollars of out-of-pocket cost per drug, on average, for the drugs that get approval, which is maybe 7% (very rough statistics due to lack of transparency from Scott Gavura of ScienceBasedMedicine.org). Usually the company that is first to market gets the brand recognition like Kleenex or Xerox or Aspirin, so the pressure of the corporate scene causes developers to lose their original goal of helping humanity.

THE BIG DIFFERENCE

Usually,  supplement inventors are in the field of medicine outside the allopathic medicine sphere, meaning they are not part of the set of doctors who treat patients only when a disease shows up. They are more part of the set of doctors or medical healers who look at preventing disease from happening in the first place. They have experience treating people on a more personal level, even possibly physically touching their bodies to heal them. Even without the physical aspect, the people who recommend supplements tend to think prevention first, pharmaceuticals afterwards.

THE SMALL DIFFERENCE

The small difference is that supplements are not regulated by our government agency, the Food And Drug Administration. Pharmaceuticals are.

CROSS OVER POINT

The interesting thing about this, and this is the cross-over point, is that, sometimes when the pharmaceutical industry sees a very lucrative supplement, they move to get it approved as a pharmaceutical so that they can market it.

There are substances in the world made from roots, seeds, fruits, vegetables (including sea vegetables) pods, grains. They contain vitamins and minerals necessary for life. From these sources, we develop supplements. From much smaller pieces of these substances or other chemicals, we develop pharmaceuticals.

Dietary supplements (also called nutraceuticals) supplement the diet. Pharmaceuticals treat, alleviate or diagnose a particular disease.

The cross-over point is obvious when we see some products sold as supplements in some countries but as drugs in others. Or consider that Belladonna, when my father was alive, was only available by prescription for gastrointestinal issues and the like. Now, it is available at the homeopathic store.

CONCLUSION

It is the daily dependence model that the pharmaceutical industry sets up that has people shouting about Big Pharma. The current Big Pharma model requires people to pay money for life for a health solution that could possibly be corrected with a one-time solution if all the Big Pharma research money looked for that one-time solution which would mean the
customer pays once, rather than that the customer pays daily.

Supplements can assist us in insuring proper nutrition. They can be immensely costly as well, but not to the tune of one dose of chemotherapy, a treatment for cancer, whose bill I have witnessed at $25,000.

The financial factor is crucial since lives are changed because of availability or not, with both supplements and pharmaceuticals.

Both supplements and pharmaceuticals can have a prohibitive price tag; how can we offset this? Should pharmaceutical companies be able to refuse people treatment? Should our government? And what about supplements? This is another discussion entirely.
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SIDEBAR

There is, at least, one drug company working on a cancer cure using the human immunodeficiency virus as a one-time cure. They will not be able to administer or sell the drug more than once, because the body cannot accept the treatment more than once. They are considering giving up their profit for the good will it will bring their company and so that they can be first to “cure” childhood cancer. Maybe they wish to show they are benevolent after losing a patent case in India (which the court said was “evergreening,” a technique of making a tiny change to an already patented drug so as to push the expiration date of that patent back for, you guessed it, cha-ching, longer profitability) which would have taken a different cancer drug and made it too expensive for most people who need it in developing countries. With the court ruling, generic companies can now reproduce the drug to help the poor.

This drug company’s consideration of cure should be “the norm” and not the exception. And they may not go through with it.
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ACTION STEP

1) Take a look at the supplements you take, if any. Decide whether these can easily be substituted for food. If yes, replace. If not, enjoy the supplements available to you. If you will not eat the food that you need, consider a supplement.

2) Take a look at the cost of your supplements in another country known for pharmaceuticals. Consider whether it would be less expensive to use that product, including shipping, than the one you use. Make sure to consider the purity and regulation of ingredients of the product you are considering. Consider what it would do to our economy should we all turn to another country for supplements. Consider what we can do to speak out about supplement and pharmaceutical pricing that would be helpful.

3) Add one nutritional food to your diet one time per week.

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DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition.

Supplements and pharmaceuticals have interesting comparisons. She says,

“We all want to lead healthy lives. When we feel well, our lives have the best chance of being balanced. When we are feeling poorly, everything is a mess.

“With this in mind, it is extremely important for us to be aware of ourselves, what we need nutritionally, what we need in exercise, rest, relaxation and nurturing and how we choose to proceed when we are not well. Do we see a naturopath, an allopath, a Chinese Medicine doctor or do we not have the money for any of them? Or do we do tai chi for free?

“In order to stay well, it’s important to know how to prevent disease by fortifying ourselves with food: alkaline ones, fatty acids, phytonutrients, a good balance of vitamins and minerals, etc. Supplements may be part of prevention, but good food habits are number one. And then, if we need them, we are glad there are pharmaceuticals to use. And preventive measures often avoid them.

“Supplements and pharmaceuticals both have their place. I’m glad they both exist, although I want them both to be available so that all people, not just the well-off, can maximize their health. We can make that happen together.”

THE SUPPLEMENT GAME: ARE YOU IN IT? (ISSUE 84)

By Diane Gold

The Supplement Game is big in 2013, to the tune of over $60 Billion in total. There’s a supplement for every ache in our body, every ache in our mind and every blemish that plants itself on our body’s largest and only external organ, the skin. We are groomed from an early age to take our vitamins. In case this concept hasn’t been explored, it is a part of consumerism that is made into a habit at a very young age: daily vitamins caps.

We are taught the daily amounts of these vitamins that we should look for on a bottle so that we know we are getting the right amount. There are two flaws with this thinking and with having one universal measurement:

1) each body requires more or less depending upon our activity, our entire make-up, our diet and our genetics.

2) the “right amount” from the Department of Agriculture’s Food And Nutrition Board at the Institute Of Medicine at the National Academy of Science is often not what health professionals recommend.

The truth is we should be eating our vitamins and minerals, not taking them. Instead of being taught the combinations of foods that supply this nutrition, we get into the habit of taking a pill or a powder instead of the right foods.

WHEN SUPPLEMENTS EMPOWER

Let me clarify here that supplements can empower our lives:

1) when we don’t have the time to combine our foods perfectly, meaning it is more convenient to take a supplement than it is to search for a food to get the same vitamin or mineral.

2) while we are learning to combine foods well.

3) when we don’t have the money to obtain the perfect foods.

4) when our bodies require an extra boost.

5) when we have a deficiency that supplements can address quickly.

But food is the best source of our nutrition, by far.

I am the first to admit that I take vitamins and minerals. My goal is to get what I need from food, but I am still working on it. And I may end up choosing some supplements that are too inconvenient to get from food.

When did I begin with supplements? Four and a half years ago. Before that, I was eating what I wanted, not paying close attention to the right way to eat. Yes, I was a vegetarian for 40 years, so I didn’t ingest meat, fowl or fish. I did, however, eat lots of dairy and not enough green leafy vegetables. I did not get into the supplement game until age 60.

Even when my children were young and living with me, I did not do enough research to make certain their meals were balanced. I approximated and gave them vitamins.

So, several years ago, I took up an interest in food. I went from  four-decade vegetarian to vegan in a flash, but still not a conscientious vegan. I was in it for the animals first, health, not yet. I ate packaged protein made from textured vegetable protein, which, I now know, is processed under high heat, which removes many nutrients and renders others useless.

There are also two substances that form in processing, nitrites during spray-drying and lysinoate during alkaline processing, according to the savvy vegetarian, Judith Kingbury.

Plus, almost all the soy protein isolate, as it is usually listed in the ingredient section, is genetically modified, with many studies showing this process is detrimental to our health.

The thrill that the Chinese Restaurant down the block had a complete vegetarian menu started to wane when I realized that their fake shrimp, chicken, duck were made from this processed food that sometimes produced carcinogenic nitrites and more. The idea of shaping the food into animal shapes did not mesh with my thinking. If we chose to protect animals by not eating them, why would we be happy to pretend to eat them?

Anyway, the new information that this stuff was bad for me helped get me on the bandwagon of eating almost no processed foods.

BACK TO THE HABIT

Let’s get back to how we get into the supplement game. We begin our journey being treated by doctors who do not have to take nutrition in school although some medical schools offer one class. We were schooled at places that offered us a choice between cardboard pizza, a processed cheese sandwich or an unidentified institutional meat with a few pieces of iceberg lettuce topped with two shreds of carrot and three shreds of red cabbage. Oh, yes, and milk, which has been proven to turn cancer on and off in rats (T. Colin Campbell’s The China Study).

As of the year 2000, kids are learning much better nutrition in school. At home, though, most families do not have necessary knowledge about nutrition. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, directed the USDA’s National School Lunch Program to update its nutrition to current standards which means more fruits, veggies and grains, less sodium and calorie limitation. There is still, however, a lack of strategy on how to eat well on a normal person’s budget, but teachers are more conscientious about teaching and principals are fighting harder to get better food (with the community’s help). Still, the meat and dairy industries supply schools with most of the food that is sold to the USDA as surplus. It is not the kind of food one would choose if one were selecting good quality food for one’s child, but it passes the standard which is made up for cost, not health.

CONCLUSION

It is our responsibility to teach our family good habits. It is important to know how to eat without supplements and to strive toward removing supplements from any menu. They serve the purpose of security, maintaining our ingrained habit, allow us not to learn well what to eat, give us peace of mind even though they may not be helping us. They are a quick fix that slows down our learning curve.

When we feel tired, we can have some caffeine, an energy drink or an energy bar. This type of solution is not sustainable.

When our bones get soft as we get older, we take calcium. Ca

Does it get absorbed from the supplement or are we wasting our time and money? I often wonder whether the calcium and vitamin D I take are absorbed at all. Ask the doctor? I barely get five minutes per appointment. I have asked how we can test for supplement absorption, other than blood levels of these substances, which don’t track the supplement and bone density tests. I’ll ask again.

When we have pain in the back, we take glucosamine and get a massage. For neuropathy, Vitamin Bs and alpha-lipoic acid (Dr. Weil’s recommendation). It is true that when pain is involved, we are ready to use anything that works. And we prefer supplements to drugs. So we run to use whatever the latest and greatest fix is, be it a powdered mushroom or Vitamin E for the skin.

Why not just eat a mushroom and get that potassium, copper, selenium, vitamin B and protein?

We continue to take that one-a-day vitamin set which should be obtained from our food. The idea of external to food vitamins is so ingrained in us that we will have to make a concerted effort to learn to eat the right food.

ACTION STEPS

CAUTION

Because many of us have supplement habits, it would be best to consult with your doctor before making a change. However, understand that doctors may push supplements the way they prescribe drugs. Give this some thought before taking any action and understand the place from which the answer comes. Maybe I should say consult a food advisor who has training in nutrition. But who can afford that since it’s usually not insurance reimbursed?

1) Consider weaning off vitamins and minerals. This means we have to be responsible for our own food, so we may really fight this. First skip every third day. Then every second day. Hold it, there, for a month to make sure you are eating well enough. Once you realize that you are, continue weaning. Confirming through before and after blood tests is always a good option.

2) Eat one extra green leafy vegetable serving per day.

3) Learn one new food fact per day. These facts, obviously, will accumulate, so writing them down works well.

4) Research a food replacement for one supplement a month.

5) See how you feel with the reduction of supplements, and tell a friend.

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FEEDBACK

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DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition.

She considers taking supplements somehow cheating because the real way to get nutrition is from eating it. She says,

“This is a great opportunity to start studying what foods are good for us and why. We get into the supplement game at an early age, or we are taught the merits of supplements, at least. Let us study how to eat our nutrition through food, slowly remove supplements from our daily intake and let us pass this on to family, friends and future generations.”

HABITS IN MEDICAL CARE, PART TWO: PAY THAT BILL! (ISSUE 83)

By Diane Gold

When we go to a medical professional for wellness or sickness services, we start to build habits. We learn that it is important to trust the doctor with both the body and the mind, or that’s how it was in the 1960s when I was young. We were taught we had to trust this person of medicine to care about us and that we could talk to them about anything that bothered us, even emotional issues.

So, in adulthood, we find a doctor or several that we believe can provide competent service, adequate face time with us, where s/he doesn’t seem bored out of her mind and where our appointment time is respected, meaning we only wait 50 minutes for our doctor instead of 90 minutes, which we have waited at the other offices and, finally, if we have medical insurance, a professional who is in our network to keep the bill down. And we call this a good choice of doctors and a great visit, more or less.

Note that I am using the term doctor to mean the individual each of us has chosen to be our primary health care provider. Personally, I’m still looking.

We will speak about the billing habit that we are taught from an early age: the bill comes and we have to pay it. So we’ve had lots of practice at believing in the medical bill.

THE BILL FOR MEDICAL SERVICES

When the bill comes, we have watched our parents pay it, and we have even paid it ourselves on more than one occasion. So, what do we do? We pay it.

I have a story that reminds me of how our habit of paying whatever bill comes in because doctor’s offices are trustworthy and would never cheat a patient can end up costing people extra money.

MY LATEST STORY

In the world of technology, it is important to change the habit of just going along. So, here’s my story.

I went to an emergency room to see if I broke a bone after slipping on cat regurgitation that blended in well with the floor. Although I pay an exorbitant amount for health insurance, I was pretty sure I wasn’t covered for the emergency room. But I needed to go because it was an emergency. So, I went.

I had X-rays taken, waited hours for a radiologist to read them and had an ER doctor report I was only bruised. Funny how that turned out to be 2 doctor bills.

I figured $2,000, easy. The next day, after resting, I decided to call Blue Cross, the insurance company to see how much I actually had to pay. I was told I had no co-pay and no charge for the emergency room to which I jumped with glee.

So, I had one recorded phone call where the rep stated I would not have to pay anything but the doctors’ bill.

Next I received an invoice for $466. This was quite different from the $00.00 I had been told I would have to pay.

So I called another agent and explained that I had already been told there would be no medical bill, only a doctor’s fee. So, what was the bill for?

The agent put me on hold and researched my insurance policy. He was happy to say that I would not have to pay a co-pay, and that my emergency visit facility charge would be paid for. He said he was going to have the correct department adjust the invoice to $00.00.

The following day, I decided to call and speak with a supervisor since I was not satisfied with having to wait 30 days. Again, I had a regular rep and a supervisor tell me, each, on her/his own, that there would be no payment necessary for the facility I had gone to. And that they would expedite the process of removing the charge.

Later that day, I got a call from the agent I called after receiving the invoice. He said he had found that all agents had misinformed me and that I would have to pay the bill.

At this time, I began thinking about people who pay blindly because they trust the medical team, or because they believe they have no voice to speak up. I wondered how many people pay an incorrect bill just because it was sent? And how much extra money do doctors and hospitals receive just because people don’t have the confidence to inquire?

People don’t want their credit scores ruined. So they pay no matter what. It’s sad. And one disgraceful thing on the part of the health insurance provider is that, “The written terms of your contract always prevail.” This, in essence, means whatever a rep says is not backed by the company. The only thing that is valid is the words in the insurance contract.

CONCLUSION

The habit we learn is if an invoice has been mailed out, it must be right. So pay it! This is false thinking and we need to check with our provider before paying any unknown amount.

ACTION STEP

There is only one step:

SPEAK OUT by asking five questions:

1) What is my co-pay?

2) What is my out-of-pocket amount?

3) What do I end up paying for this service?

4) How many doctor bills will I get separately?

5) If the information you provide is incorrect, will your company back you on the information you give?

The set of questions is crucial. As you see, I asked them and got four incorrect responses. I will appeal the bill because of all the wrong information. However, from my experience and looking at the insurance provider’s failsafe quote about “only the written terms prevail,” the provider will deny the appeal, and the patient (I, in this case) will pay in the end.

Unless we object to a policy where a company does not stand by its employees words, it will not change. So, speak out! And good luck recognizing this and other habits in medical care.

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DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition.

She considers how corporate customer service affects the average person. She says,

“Since most often, our habits are working; it is to our advantage to notice them. There are so many ways we have been trained to be, so many things we blindly accept.

“We should keep a notebook of the habits we see. If they support the way we want to live, they are good habits. If they hinder us, it’s time to make an adjustment. We decide, once we are aware. So, take note, and choose what works.”

THE BIGGEST HABIT, THE INFLEXIBLE MIND: 3 SCENARIOS (ISSUE 82)

By Diane Gold

When we think of habits, we usually miss the most common one, the inflexible mind. From a very early age, we take comfort in learning new things and the fact that they are familiar to us. The fact that we like this feeling of belonging stays with us for most of our lives. We go to the same market because we’re convinced the food is adequate and the staff will greet us with a smile. We go to the same place to work out because we know the machines and the people who go there. And we even shop in the same stores because we have done so in the past.

We begin to build these patterns of repetitious behavior called habits that just creep into our lives through repetition.

An MIT study last October at the McGovern Institute For Brain Research, authored by Kyle Smith, Ann Graybiel, et al, showed how rats continued their learned habitual behavior even when their reward was removed.

Fascinatingly, it also showed how the researchers were able to remove the habit by disrupting the infralimbic cortex (a part of the prefrontal cortex) needed for habit development.

The presence of light was enough to “turn off” the habit. The basal ganglia, in the middle front brain, holds the coding that is created by habits in neural pathways, almost like tagging or  but the infralimbic cortex, alone, seems to control the execution of the habit. Great news for people who want to change a habit.

To follow are three scenarios that are common to most of us. They are pretty universal:

1) HAVING SELF-ESTEEM

Often times, we put tremendous value on what we do. If we write, we believe our writing helps the readership. If we compose, we are enamored with our own work. If we teach, we think we are the best. If we are fighters, we believe we are the best.

It would serve us well to realize that we can learn about ourselves and that we always have something to learn. And that demeaning others does not give us power, even if it feels that way.

2) PASSING JUDGMENT

How many times do we compare ourselves to someone else? We believe that our writing is better than their dancing? We really believe this because we have told this to ourselves or others have told it to us. If we have not walked in the shoes of the next person, it is difficult to conclude someone else’s human prowess.
It’s important that we refrain from judging others unless we have had a personally negative interaction with the person.

3) LIVING FOR EXTERNAL RECOGNITION

Unlike the other two scenarios above, this one has to do with using others for our self-motivation. We actually get our energy from the thrill of being recognized by others rather than the satisfaction that usually comes from valuing what we do.

I have seen people so driven by looking for recognition from others that their entire careers would stop in their tracks if they didn’t get it.

CONCLUSION

Knowing our own minds takes work and practice. In order to allow the mind to be flexible, we have to change our automatic reactions. By doing so, we change the neural pathways we have created and design new ones that will serve us well on the journey away from inflexible mind and toward flexible mind.

Here are three ACTION STEPS. They only require noticing yourself.

1) COMPARE

The next time we are evaluating ourselves, stop and think that our work is no more important than the next person’s work to that person and that each deserves recognition.

2) CONSIDER

Think of three ways to improve the work that you do, and make those changes. Then realize that this type of self-improvement upgrade is important on a regular basis, even if it means making big personal changes.

3) STOP AND CHANGE BEHAVIORS

When we speak about money, politics and religion; most of us have strong opinions. We are warned that these subjects are taboo I recall the first time I was having a political discussion with a friend, I was quite surprised. She became very impassioned and very closed minded to listen to anything other than that which she had concluded.

We are all like this at one time or other about some subject. This is the inflexible mind. Next time you see this in yourself, smile and stop and notice the inflexible mind. Laugh at yourself, and keep the mind open. This will become the habit.
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__________

In order for these action steps to take shape, we must repeat them over and over, each time we have the opportunity. The idea is to change the habit of inflexible mind we have instilled in ourselves, and instill a new one, the habit of flexible mind. It requires self-mind training, as with any habit!

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BRAND NEW ~ Q & A
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DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition.

She walks with an open way about her. If someone questions the way that she believes, she takes them seriously and is curious to know why their opinion differs from hers. She says,

“We do not have the right to demean others. We do have the duty to protect them. Our minds, though naturally inflexible, can be changed.with repetition. We need to grab that tiny moment before the old habit kicks in where the new one has the chance to emerge with new behavior. Try it; it is fairly straight forward.

“Good luck.”

HABITS AND MEDICAL CARE: PART ONE – WHAT CERTIFICATE IS THAT? (ISSUE 81)

By Diane Gold

M.D.s vs. D.O.s

When we first come out, we go to a doctor who specializes in kids. If we’re on public assistance, we go to whomever we get on an infrequent, if not inconstant, basis. We don’t always remember the experience, depending upon our memories. My son probably remembers his first encounter, whereas I have scanty recollections.

In the old days, when I was a child, we were taught that only doctors with the initials M.D. after their names were qualified. D.O.s, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, were thought to hold less qualification than the allopathic doctor, even though they went through the same training, sometimes at the same schools, definitely at the same teaching hospitals, for the same amount of time. Who promoted the inaccuracy? The habit of continuing to believe it, even though we know it is not true, requires exposure to the truth, research and, like any habit, continual maintenance.

FYI: in 2008. the AMA, American Medical Association, resolution 302a states,

“H-405.969 Definition of a Physician

“The AMA affirms that a physician is an individual who has received a ‘Doctor of Medicine’ or a ‘Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine’ degree or an equivalent degree following successful completion of a prescribed course of study from a school of medicine or osteopathic medicine. (CME Rep. 4-A-94; Reaffirmed by Sub. Res. 712, I-94; Reaffirmed and Modified: CME Rep. 2, A-04)”

DRUGS FIRST?

Through the medical model to fix what ails, doctors are schooled in drug therapy. This is super fantastic since drugs are miraculous helpers. But, there are preventive disciplines that have little to do with pharmaceuticals; they teach us how to live and thrive without drugs.

A perfect example of the old way of thinking is that when I looked for an image under “medical,” most of them showed pills, syringes and drugs.

Awareness and training are changing on this point, but doctors, to date, usually do not study to be qualified to insert a nutrition and fitness regimen that prevents problems, minimizes disease initiation or flat out switches off a gene or inhibits the release of a chemical that causes negative conditions in our body (or mind).

Since there is no nutrition requirement in medical school, the latest and greatest discipline, integrative medicine, whose time is overdue, but we’ll take it, is looking to correct this failure. Unfortunately, doctors who provide nutritional and exercise physiology specialists along with their services, are few, are often not connected with an insurance plan and usually charge triple as to make the appointment cost prohibitive.

In time, hopefully medicine that looks at a person and not what money can be made by each industry separately while treating the person, will become the standard that should have always been. I’m grateful it exists now, but couldn’t we say it is the public relations way of saying,

“Oops, we, in medicine, made a mistake. We forgot to include nutrition, exercise, rest and peace of mind as crucial coursework in medical school,”

without admitting we made a mistake? And we will all know what is happening behind closed doors,

“Look what this means to us, fellow doctors? We can profit from our mistake. We can name a new discipline, Integrative Medicine, charge triple for it, get a percentage from each discipline provider including the gyms, and maybe no one will ever notice we left this stuff out of a standard office visit. But, at least, we will won’t have to admit that we left something out and can still maintain the label of the Almighty Doctor.”

Don’t get me wrong. Getting through medical school is a bear. I just watched my precious daughter graduate vet school after eight years of diligence with extra work many summers. Her resume is longer than mine, and she is just starting out. I am told the severity of study is similar to med school, or worse.

Much respect to everyone who does it.

THE OTHER MEDICINE

Because of the lack of completeness in the medical model, or due to a myriad of other reasons including personal choice, different philosophy, poor grades, limited funding or indecision early in life to go to medical school); there are lots of folks who go into other medical disciplines. Because most are not standardized into one association or even one association per discipline, there’s a lot of variation in what people learn and what each certification actually means.

Here’s a non-medical example: mp3s are the most common audio file format. There are 30 or so others offered that were manufacturer specific. If we didn’t use a player by our particular manufacturer, we couldn’t play our song. People spent extra time working on converting files or buying duplicate hardware, rather than listening to music. Until the people spoke: peer sharing was born.

Here’s a medical example: people have taught us to reach for a pill. If they had been taught nutrition and exercise education from early childhood, they would be in the habit of preventing whatever it is that is causing them dis-ease so that they would be looking for relief from sickness far less. They might also be familiar with the myriad of options to healing, other than the pill.

CONCLUSION

Of course, there are loads of habits we have developed over the years. They are so ingrained, sometimes we can’t identify which are based on learned facts, on nebulous supposition, on familial traditions.

The method of change is still the same. Take one step in the direction of the new idea, and we are one step closer to change.

Below are action steps that are fun and educational. They are meant to stimulate your thinking so there are dynamic learning and flowing habits in your daily living.

ACTION STEPS

1) If you had a child today, what would you teach this child about proper nutrition? Whatever it is, go learn this nutrition now, for yourself. You are worth it. Or so that you will be up-to-date for the sake of your child.

2) Do you have one food habit you have that goes against scientific evidence? Such as, do you eat a food that you know is bad for your arteries?

Here’s one: I could mention that combining proteins on a plant-based diet has been scientifically proven not necessary. Many books incorrectly talk about this outdated information that I, only recently, corrected in my own skill set.

There are many habits we have developed by believing in food manufacturer’s ads or antiquated principles or by just plain hedonism. Find one habit, research it and see whether you wish to change it.

3) If you defined the role of the perfect doctor, what expertise would your doctor have? Can you make a list of what is missing in your current doctor’s education? If you have the perfect doctor, please pass her on so we can know about her.

4) What do you do on a daily basis to relax? As with food nourishment, relaxing daily is a must. If you don’t have a daily relaxer, consider one. Want a suggestion? Just ask here.

5) If you could change one thing about medical care, what would it be? How can you contribute to making it happen?
_____

Hope you enjoy going through these action steps.

FEEDBACK

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DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition.

She has been around the medical profession as a music therapist and as a mentor in two very defined systems of personal development, kung fu and tai chi. She says,

“The more I learn, the more I see the subtleties of how we form habits. We get them when we are young, not by osmosis, but by repetition. We see an action, hear a philosophy, we act as if it’s ours; and then it is ours. This happens at any age the same way.

“I’m reminded of the Jim Carrey movie where his character, Truman, is raised in a town that is a TV Production Set. Every social encounter this character has had has been with an actor playing a role without his knowing it. His life is on TV 24/7 for other people’s entertainment. and his producer’s profit. When some of the actors on set let Truman overhear their acting commands, he learns his life is not real. With this new discovery, he changes his habits to escape and have a new life.

“When we learn new information where changing a habit would support us more efficiently, it might be time to change that habit.”

WHY CHANGE A HABIT? YOUR LEGACY AWAITS (ISSUE 80)

By Diane Gold

Why change a habit?

There’s always tomorrow; I’ll do it when I come back from vacation; I’m too stressed out today; I have time to change; a day won’t make any difference.

One truth is this: the more times we do any behavior; the less offensive it becomes to us, the more we think it supports our positive lifestyle, the less foreign it becomes, the poorer our judgment becomes about the behavior and the easier it is to keep doing it.

Another truth is this: we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, so let’s live well today.
Imagine five amazing things in our lives that we would never want to give up which are our best reasons in the world to choose one great habit over a destructive habit.

1) We can get to see our daughter’s recital. We have put time into nurturing her creativity because we are truly attentive to what she is doing and value her before ourselves.

2) We can attend our son’s graduation from college because we made the time, we put aside our unrelated, selfish habits that would have interfered with the day.

3) We can go to our daughter’s graduation from vet school 2013 with all the joy in the world. We show the devotion that is in our hearts, we give attention to our daughters and we get to experience one of the milestones in our lives. Because we are putting our attention on our daughter and not on our own needs.

4) We get to write a book, because we are focused and determined. We are meeting deadlines we (or our collaborators) placed on us because we want to complete our book as part of our legacy.

5) When that awesome audition or job interview comes around, we are ready for it. Because we are directing our path to meet our priorities.

SOME DARK BUT CHANGEABLE HABITS

THE ADDICTION TO DRUGS, PRESCRIBED OR SELF-PRESCRIBED

Consuming substance makes the taker feel better, calmer, more balanced, less anxious, more powerful, more charming, less timid, less afraid, less insecure. When we are habitually consuming, we are not particularly attentive to anything other than the next dose, no matter what we say.

THE ADDICTION TO A SIGNIFICANT OTHER

When we are consumed with a negative relationship, we end up obsessed with another person. We treat ourselves poorly by being addicted to our significant other, almost always addicted to drugs or alcohol, whose demeanor toward us self-perpetuates the poor opinion we have of ourselves. Our human habit affects our children and creates misery. And, most of all, our children subtly lose their number one spot.

BINGEING ON FOOD OR ALCOHOL

Bingeing on food, the most amazing ice cream and chocolate – with potato chips and pretzels – for a year would make us pretty uncomfortable, result in gaining weight and probably mess with our ability to process sugar correctly. Similar results for alcohol, except the decline happens more quickly.

CONCLUSION

What do these all these habits have in common? Self-pleasure, self-relief, self-esteem issues. That’s SELF, SELF and, SELF. They DON’T have to do with giving, sharing and growing.

If we’ve been on both sides, we know the quality of being a loving family member rather than a needs based habit monger, wins out against the instant gratification horror show.
The invasive nature of habits is crystal clear to see when we don’t have one. Not so easy if we never had one. Those of us who control our many itches, urges or cravings are truly gifted. We are the few.

We understand that when people say, “Oh, why don’t you just have one,” when speaking about any consumables whose “one” would trigger a series of unhealthy behaviors; it is we who choose our actions. The Greek aphorism “Know Thyself” comes into play; if we have the control to consume “one,” great. If having “one” will trigger having 100 after that, we choose and smile about it. Usually, the “one” act leads to 5,000 more of that “one” action, so the decision to abstain is preferable.

PRE-PLAN FOR A HABIT

One of the most common habits to want to change is eating the wrong foods or in the wrong quantities. This particular habit plays the most mind games on us because we have to eat to live, and cannot quit food.

We use the same mechanism to change any habit, food included. We need to pre-plan what to do when our urge comes. We need to notice the pleasure we get from the new behavior. We can go for a run, we tie up our hands, go swimming, as long as it is some behavior that is different from what we used to do. And we repeat it. And we repeat it again. And, then, again.

If we do, we will be in position to build wonderful landmarks in our lives that will be our legacy. We won’t be emotionally distraught when big events pass by. We won’t be too overweight to get on a plane to attend a wedding. We won’t be recovering from two days of sleeping it off. We won’t be in a hospital because we overdosed. We won’t be unavailable for our families because we went to the casino.

THE CHANGING A HABIT CREDO

Here are what we can build by changing a habit. The following requires us to love ourselves at the onset or gradually

1) to be available for the legacy that our precious family creates.

2) to build a legacy that revolves around helping humanity and being productive.

3) to take part in collaboration that builds bridges of hope.

4) to be an example for family and community. Although what others say is not something of great concern, acting poorly can lead to pointing fingers, family-embarrassment or community judgment that leads to slowing of career and self. So it might make sense to be valued in public.

5) to look ourselves in the daily mirror and enjoy being the person we are, taking the actions we do, influencing people in a positive way, knowing we are contributing positive energy to the universe.

“Changing a habit” is easier said than done.
It takes a truly courageous person to do “it.”
The change takes constant repetition, first for 3 weeks, then for a year.
Support is available for the asking.
We can do it once we take one step!

FEEDBACK

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DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition.

She has been studying habits for quite some time, especially how she changes her own. She says,

“Whatever your habit is, you are not alone. Whatever your habit is, you can change it. You may have to act as if you are a robot, carrying out a pre-planned move (behavior) with no thought for whether you want to do it or not, for a while. This act might be for as long as a year or as long as forever, depending upon you.

“I have watched myself start a habit and stop a habit. When I decided that stopping the habit after restarting the habit over again took too much effort, I decided to change my habit on a more permanent basis.

I want to be available for my children and my friends. I want to wake up early and feel clear and physically fit. What a great phenomenon to be in good health. I appreciate it and want to nurture it. From now until forever.

It’s not easy, but all it takes is one step. And then, one step. And then, one step. Etc. You can do it!”

CHANGING FOOD HABITS: ARE YOU EATING GMOs, ORGANIC FOODS OR … (ISSUE 79)

By Diane Gold

For years, we have been ingesting food that has been modified to yield bigger crop, faster growth, more eye-appealing shape, resist or repel certain insect infestation and more.

We have been polluting our air through crop dusting modification, exposing ourselves to the sickness from toxin exposure, used to bio-technically modify seed and now, are faced with super insects made strong through genetically modified chemical resistance and the sicknesses that come from these super bugs. There is talk that humans should not be eating toxins. Not a new revelation.

Biotech companies want to make money. Great. They should have the right. However, the regulations put forth for these companies should not be removed disguised as developing technologies that will feed the world – IF the health risks have not been examined.

Governments are the regulators. Governments are we, the people. Regulating food is an issue that needs an amendment, as I see it. As part of the wonderful Open Government Act that is fabulous in words, I’d like to see transparency in food labeling. Why would a government as large and powerful as the United States not require transparency from which we could all benefit? And the answer is _________.

Of course, governments are corporations. They deal with other corporations. When one corporation does a business deal with another, a purchase or transaction is made.

Sometimes money is not exchanged, but favors, instead. When a corporation subsidizes government programs, the government may offer lenient regulations, in gratitude. This is where governing gets tricky.
How does a government accept help from big business, (which it needs to subsidize breakfast for children, senior flu shots, food for animals and environmental programs) and still stay neutral? Not easily.

So, what can we do to help?

ACTION STEPS

1) We can become educated about food and genetic modification and change our habit of thinking that food is pure, and we can change our buying habits.

Here are three important points:

a) ingredient labels on packaged food show the major percentage of food substance. Trace ingredients under a certain percentage are not required to be included. That means, if animal bone substance is used to bleach sugar (not common in the US any more), and there is no animal substance detectable in the finished product, it does not go on the label. Our habit of believing in these labels needs to change. It should be noted that packaged goods that have 70% organic substances in them are able to use the word “organic.”

b) there is no ingredient label on produce. Our habit of believing that all produce is the same needs to be looked at. Organic food is not genetically modified. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.That means mineral oil (fossil oil), lipids, proteins, waxes and alkaloids can be used on organics. animals can be used. Yuck. That means oil can be organic since it’s not synthetic.

There are three organic categories:

1. 100% organics, made with 100% organic ingredients.

2. organic, which means made with 95% organic ingredients.

The USDA Organic seal is used with the first two categories only, 100% organic and 95% organic. There is no apparent differentiation between the two categories unless the manufacturer decided to list 100% organic. Most 95% organic producers would take advantage of the public’s ignorance in thinking a product with this label is 100% organic, rather than listing it as 95% organic.

3. made with organics, made with 70% organic ingredients and no GMOs.

Did you know these distinctions?

On both organic and non-organic produce, there are coatings (wax): organics with wax from bees, wood rosin and carnauba and non-organic from petroleum.

c) bananas, both organic and non-organic, are ripened by spraying ethylene on them. This is one synthetic chemical that is allowed because it acts identical to the chemical that naturally off-gasses in bananas that ripen naturally and are not picked early for shipping. Ethylene “gassing” is used on citrus that may look green, organic and non-. This process is not on any label. Why?

2) We can express to our government reps that we want the FDA label what is and what is not a GMO (a genetically modified organism). Since we are striving for a transparent way of living, we, as consumers, deserve to know what is in a bunch of produce or a package of food or prepared food that is ready to eat.

We don’t have this now. Isn’t this our right?

3)  Join a group that knows more about this topic so that you can become more educated and take some of the action steps these groups have set up.

nongmoproject.org/learn-more is a good place to start. There’s also a march on March 25, 2013, targeting the largest supplier of modified seed (around 90%). It is not the only one, but it’s the big one: organicconsumers.org/monsanto

CONCLUSION

The risks of modifying seeds are known to exist. More research is needed to create data on all the side effects, but it is certain that there are correlations between certain sicknesses and genetically modified seeds.

In the same way we have executive, judicial and legislative branches of government, we need some system of checks and balances when it comes to the food industries ability to donate to or benefit the government and the government’s ability to reciprocate by regulating in favor of the industry.

We read headlines all the time that talk about “the government’s” doing this. Aren’t our representatives in government there to listen to what we have to say?

The time is now to be educated and active about the food we eat and the government’s ability to regulate on behalf of the health of its citizens with no eye on how this regulation will affect corporate donation to programs.

Old habits die hard. Now that our eyes are opening, and many of us are aware of the uncertainties of consuming GMOs, let’s work on changing our habit of consuming without asking. Let’s be diligent so that we can create healthier habits to pass on to our children and to theirs. The more of us who require non-GMO food, the less expensive it will be to certify it as “non-GMO” by label on a package or bushel of produce.

In November, 2013, the citizens of Washington State will vote on a mandatory labeling bill. Approximately, 37 states are working on bills. Some call their bills, “Right To Know.”

We’re all in this together. Let’s take action now.

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DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition.

She has been studying labeling for four several decades . She says,

“The fact that the labeling system has not been modernized at the same rate as our discoveries in human nutrition reflects an imbalanced assessment on the government’s part regarding our internal health. This can also be seen by how slowly integrative medicine is appearing, which includes nutrition, fitness, mind body programs. And these, as of this writing, are only insurance reimbursable if an MD, no other kind of doctor, oversees the program.

“Be tenacious with nutrition. Spread the word about the benefits of organic food, non-GMO food, plant based food, unprocessed food. Take a step to change food habits one step at a time.

“SPECIAL ACTION STEP

“If you want to go for it, make a special commitment that for one meal on the day of your choice, you will refrain from any GMO foods. Do it for 3 weeks in a row, and see how much easier the third time is than the first. Then, if you’ve accomplished three weeks worth, continue the process, whatever that is for you. Your old ways that didn’t include this will be changed. And you will be healthier.”

EDUCATION & PARENTING: HOW TO BUILD GOOD HABITS (ISSUE 78)

By Diane Gold

When our moms (and dads and guardians) enroll us in school, they want us to learn wonderful habits that will help us to flourish and be self-sufficient throughout our lives. This includes learning respectful ways to communicate, confident approaches to problem solving, creative efforts to develop our talents and interests, what it means to be ethical, charitable behavior to serve others in need and study habits that lead us to contribute.

When our children come home cursing, speak hurtfully about others, prefer greed to sharing, tell half truths instead of trusting us, and don’t consider that knowledge is freedom; we had better look in the mirror and do something now.

LANGUAGE

The language we use in the home is the example our children hear. If we use words or tones that are not within the respect or kind parameters we want for our children, it’s time to substitute different words. In doing so, we are the example to be followed, not just in language change, but in displaying the method in changing the habit of less than excellent language.

It might be a great bonding experience to have a family discussion about language and for the parent to make a commitment out loud about the change she is about to initiate.
I am reminded of a movie where there were behavior problem middle schoolers. One of them came from a traditional home where cursing by a child would be grounds for a beating. Although all the girls in her class used profane language, this lone girl from the traditional home did not.

The reason I mention this is that we carry our home foundation wherever we go. If it is strong, we have that advantage. If it is weak, we, the children, have the opportunity to pick ourselves up and build our own foundation. We all know a child from a rocky home who has developed a solid life for herself.

CHARITY

If we have not talked about charity at home, but only told our children to put money in a plate at a house of worship, we have not taken the opportunity to discuss an important part of our duty to each other. For those wonderful caregivers who have two full-time jobs, it is very important, too.

CREATIVITY

What do we really know about our child’s creative interests. I don’t mean the piano recital that we have set up for our child or the play in which our child played a tree with no lines. I do mean, how much time have we discussed creative outlets with our child? Have we shared what we like to do? Have we listened to our children, or have we just put them in gymnastics from age two to 15, only to find that they have no interest in such an activity?

ENGAGEMENT

There is nothing more important than engaging with our children. How secure they feel can be based upon a simple genuine interaction on our part. That moment we listened even though we had other responsibilities could have made the difference between the apathetic student and the person who thrives.

There are loads of stories about people being brought up in the same or similar circumstances. How they turn out depends upon how they absorb the influences they have had. More children raised in a happy home do well than not; but there are all kinds of exceptions where children from broken homes excel and live absolutely “superb” lives even though early beginnings were against them.

CONCLUSION

3% or more of our school aged population is home schooled so that parents can have a say in the ethics and the knowledge their children get. Private schools are preferred by some with smaller classes, more one-on-one; yet, there are many advocates of the public school, because it offers an environment in which children can to learn conflict resolution. Many families opt for public school out of their own district so they can choose better schools for their children to attend.

No matter where your child goes to school, the following action steps may enhance the opportunity for well-balanced learning and may give us food for thought as to the many ways we can build good habits in education.

ACTION STEPS

1) Take a look at your language. If you curse instead of expressing a feeling with more relevant vocabulary, make a pledge to use a different set of words.

2) To stimulate your child, learn one new vocabulary word per week.

3) If you have two full-time jobs, find an hour once a month to do some type of charity work with your child. If you have one or less jobs, find an hour once a week to do the same.

4) Do your favorite creative activity with your child within two weeks.

5) Ask your child what creative task s/he would like to do if s/he had the chance. Work on giving your child that opportunity.

6) Add a  creative session with your child into the weekly schedule. Visual artistry, movement arts, debating, speech making, radio broadcasting are all creative avenues. Your child may wish to play the part of an attorney to fulfill her/his interests. In this case, obtain one of the many scripts for movie or TV. Role play it to inspire your child’s creative juices.

For the knowledge and health of your child, no matter what the interest, an extra creative session could be about plant-based nutrition. For young minds to grow, healthy food is a must.

7) Take 30 minutes a week, and have tea with your child. This seemingly small activity will impress your love upon your child. It will also instill a quiet, even meditative activity that you share together.

FEEDBACK

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DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition.

She has been studying the educational process for over 25 years. She says,

“We are influenced by our surroundings and our own heart. We can choose to excel and get extra fuel by communicating and collaborating. Should we find ourselves in a dark situation, it is our job to create a way to change it.

“It is our responsibility as parents and teachers to pass this on to our children so that no matter what school they attend, they will sparkle and thrive. This means paying attention to them in a big way and taking action steps that will help them build good habits.”

THE GRADE GAME: SUCCESSFUL HABITS IN EDUCATION (ISSUE 77)

By Diane Gold

The grade game refers to the habit of using grades to determine success in education. This measurement system is known all over the world. How often does it work?

We, in the United States, believe in preparing our children without taking away their childhood or spontaneity. Other countries put more emphasis on learning by ingesting knowledge and less on childhood freedoms.

For the most part, we use the grade game to measure success. We are always making attempts to improve upon our system, upgrading the ineffective parts, creatively adding the new and keeping what works.

It was just the other day in around 1972 that New York University opened University Without Walls, a Bachelors Degree curriculum based upon student interests and goals and independent study (currently called The Gallatin School of Individualized Study) rather than the standard core courses for a Liberal Arts Degree conjured by someone completely impersonal to the particular student. This progressive college inside the main university was founded to accommodate the rote method of learning and to allow students motivated by their own interests to flourish.

Maria Montessori created a system of learning that was based upon student choice of activity within a formulaic systematic approach. This approach was different from the regular public school classroom that taught the same curriculum to every child. When my son was in such a school, he learned many skills and satisfied his own creativity through “working” on projects that he chose in his timing.

There were other school models that taught one color per year as opposed to the ROYGBIV method of learning.  There were the Free Schools which mirrored the philosophy of University Without Walls, above.

All these methods created education habits, in the student, the parent and the teacher. When the grade game was involved, all the players had “good grade” expectations and all that comes with that.

I read an article by Michael Thomsen, “The Case Against Grades,” at Slate.com the other day. In it, he supports the trend moving away from grades in school. He talks about the “negative reinforcement” that comes from this type of system. Having been a specialty teacher for 10 years in the New York City and State School Systems, and a private teacher for another several decades, I have first-hand experience at watching students and serving their differences.

Please note that most of my early students were labeled “emotionally disturbed,” many of whom would be called ADD and ADHD, if labeled today. So I saw a version of behavior related to grades far more dramatic than the “average” school-ager.

This is what I saw:

1) Children cut school for fear of failing a test.

2) Children quit school for fear of repercussions from cutting school for fear of failing make up tests or getting overall failing grades.

3) Children got teased over getting poor grades. Their lowered self-esteem from the teasing sapped their motivation to excel.

4) Children became withdrawn or acted delinquently. Both these types of behavior kept the student from focusing on and changing her (his) inadequate feelings, which, typically, caused the behavior in the first place. Both withdrawn and acting-out students develop the habit of acting instead of talking about grades, fear and self-esteem issues. The behavior was perpetuated by the continuation of “the grades game.”

5) Children became adults and grabbed fewer opportunities for themselves because of lost self-esteem. If they had had grade issues throughout their early schooling, they came to adulthood with a whole set of habits that went along with the issues:

a) doing less than their capacity out of fear of failure.

b) keeping silent about their feelings whether they hide in plain sight or through verbosity.
These observations led me to work hard toward teaching students to be independent thinkers who followed their dreams.

FAMILY EXPECTATIONS

Strained relations with family members are created when parents pass judgment upon their kids based on “the grade game.” Those kids with poor grades perceive that love = good grades.

Their “good grades” counterparts learn the same habits, that they are great because their grades are good.  Does this type of judgment system belong in a household?
I used to date someone of Southern Asian descent. He had discipline, and his whole family was completely dedicated to education. What he did not have was a free spirit, devoid of oppression. The male parent regularly ordered him around, he accepted the
orders and he agreed with the tradition.

I was thinking this repressed “hitting the books” family value was the reason we, in the United States, go to school for 180 days, while other countries go for more days. Wrong, incorrect, negative. What I found statistically from the OECD (Organisation For Economic Cooperation And Development) and the World Data On Education in an article by  is that, on average, top academic performing countries like Finland have several 100-300 fewer hours per year in the early grades and 100 fewer hours less than our average in higher grades. Could it be that a shorter educational format creates more relaxed students who are available emotionally better to take tests?

And should tests be the standard by which we measure our students, now that there is so much research showing that individuals do not all develop well using “the grades game?”

WHAT STANDARD?

There are always standards by which we must operate. But, to this day, other than in very free educational institutions, we have not focused our studies of intelligence on understanding who should study what and how to teach families about new systems of childhood education. If the person with mechanical interest is encouraged to pursue activities to develop it; if the girl whose entire family of eight generations of doctors wants to be a musician and is encouraged to play music; and if the son of a family of physicists wants to be a dancer and is encouraged to dance; won’t these people reach their highest potential and serve our world best by pursuing their interests? And if this is true, how can one type of grading system measure their success as students?

Placing children in a molded system that does not embellish their interests and their strengths represses their creativity, curbs their intelligence, crushes their self-worth and perpetuates a system that needs change. Having a system that is evolutionary in nature and is not framed around “the grading game” seems fresh, logical, sensible and
available.

CONCLUSION: WHAT’S NEXT?

Below we examine whether “the grade game” is the way we measure success in education and take steps to improve the way we support our children. The following are some thoughtful action steps, each of which takes just a few minutes, to enrich the life of our student or child and the support success. These steps allow us to notice habits we may have formed and a way to move away from them.

ACTION STEPS

1) Spend some quality time with yourself as a parent or teacher to confirm how you judge “the grade game” for your child, friend, student, world.

2) Spend quality time with your student/child to confirm that love or support and grades are separate.

3) Spend quality time with your student/child to listen to her (his) aspirations.

4) Spend quality time with yourself to see whether you judge your student/child’s aspirations or whether you accept them.

5) Add one behavior that would show you support your student/child’s aspirations.

6) Consider the merits of schools without grades.

FEEDBACK

Please leave  a comment and LIKE.

DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition.

She has 25 years in music education and 15 years in martial arts education and personal development. She says,

“Being brought up in “the grade game” taught me a very stiff, non-creative method of measuring my own learning. I’m not sure it is the best way to motivate or instruct people as it hinders true creativity even though it encourages memorization of rote facts. It caused stress that could be avoided with another technique.

“Facilitating the creation of music, art, movement, science in school and the minds that create these are the role of the education system. Any system that does not include these is empty and does not evolve our species.

“Most systems based upon grades and tests have some type of negative effect on the student. Therefore, I would like to see a new non-grade system as a way to gauge success habits in education. Let’s get to work on creating one as the new standard.”