RECOGNIZING 9 EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF DEPRESSION (ISSUE 144) SEPTEMBER 2, 2014

By Diane Gold

Recognizing 9 early warning signs of depression may sound like a thoughtless, insensitive question, uttered by someone who does not understand or is not experiencing depression. Let’s just say immediately that it takes extreme courage and focus to see ourselves, in general, and to see what is happening to us, in specific, while it is happening.

The reason it is monumentally difficult to see early signs of depression is because the small changes in our behavior that started out as subtle itches and repetitions of certain behaviors over and over again are now normal every day events. Once behaviors become habitual, meaning they are second nature, it takes pure focus and understanding to see and the will power of a saint (which we all have) to do something to replace it.

THE HABIT CYCLE

When we get a cue or urge, it triggers a behavior. When we execute the behavior, this leads to some sort of comfort or reward, negative or positive. When we repeat this cycle over and over, we develop a habit, which gets more ingrained with time.

According to Deepak Chopra, MD and spiritual author,

“Once it [a behavior] turns into a habit, depressed people no longer need an outside trigger.”

What this means is that, when depressed, we don’t have to have an outside event like a car accident, a bad mark on our exam or a relationship breakup to trigger behavior that makes us depressed. We are already there. And this reality is not exclusive to depression.

PERSPECTIVE

When we are in a depression, we are not looking at it because we are busy experiencing it. We can think of living in a valley (a depression in the land) in much the same way. We are not looking at our lives from the perspective of mountain dwellers since we don’t live in the upland. Our perspective is from the point where we are, living in the lowlands, the valley.
When it comes to living with depression, people who have experienced it know how it feels. And, in most cases, depression did not appear immediately. And that’s what this article is about: noticing the ever so small changes that contribute on a daily basis to what results as depression.

So, I ask each of us to be diligent. Many of us will say,

“Oh, I am fine. I could never have such a problem,”

or

“Don’t worry. My friend is fine. She’s just going through something right now.”

The truth is we are all capable of great sadness. When something happens, we react. Because feelings are subjective, there is no measure for what emotional reaction is right or wrong. The measure comes from whether we can adjust and bounce back and live well.

THE SIGNS

1) SOCIAL WITHDRAWAL

Little by little, we might see that we are spending more time at home, missing a little work here and there, having difficulty getting dressed to go out to socialize, going to lonely places. As with all actions, when we repeat them, they become more comfortable to do again. Kind of like tying a shoe or brushing our teeth.

2) NOT LIKING OURSELVES

If we find that we are continually deriding ourselves, blaming ourselves for situations that exist in our minds or in our physical circumstance; it’s time to take notice. This could be a sign.

3) FEELING SAD OR HOPELESS ON A REGULAR BASIS

No matter who we are, we can feel sad, hopeless, listless. We may have a billion dollars and be responsible for philanthropy that is responsible for health giving sanitation to a whole country and still be sad. We may be stuck in a CEO or a janitorial position and feel trapped. We may not make ends meet for our family. We may not make ends meet for our family and then find out we have a life threatening disease. We may win the lottery and get depressed over that occurrence. Although we are all connected as sisters and brothers of humanity, we are all affected in different ways.

We may be comedians, making everybody laugh – which increases the lifespan of every laugher, and still be sad. It is, after all a great burden, to be the one commissioned to make everyone laugh. Much like the model or the beautiful actor is expected to be as perfect on camera as off, in case a photo is snapped at an off hour; so the comedian is expected to have a 24/7 smile. We may be parents with kids who sometimes hide our feelings so that we don’t burden the family with our doom.

It’s important to notice whether this is happening and tell someone if it might be, even as a joke over beer. This type of feeling creeps in, most of the time. What was one little bad day may progress gradually until it ends up as far away from where we thought we were in no time at all.

The best crisis phone resource I have seen to date for any crisis is to text the word ANSWER to 839863. It’s text support that responds almost instantaneously. (This resource will be repeated in action steps.)

4) THROUGH 9) CHANGES IN WEIGHT, EATING, SLEEPING, ENERGY, BATHROOM HABITS

Usually when we are depressed, we feel it. However, it can sneak up by body changes. Our weight, eating, sleeping, energy, bathroom habits may change. These, alone, signal any number of things. Together, with any of the other signs, may be the early warning signs of depression we are referencing.

CONCLUSION

The more we know ourselves, the more we will be able to recognize the early warning signs is a false statement. Noticing has nothing to do with how high we have elevated ourselves. The signs are so subtle that the result may hit us like a ton of bricks.

Think of a one-inch square made up of 72 red squares, kind of like a crossword puzzle. And every day, for the next 72 days, one of those red squares turns light red. All of a sudden, in 72 days, the entire square is light red, and we may not have noticed it. That’s the subtle change.

It is the responsibility of all of us to watch out for these signs in our co-workers, our family, our friends. Of course, we can work to see them in ourselves, but we may not want to see them, we may not feel it’s important to see them because we aren’t going to share them with anyone anyway or we may figure we’ll go to sleep today and get back to recognizing tomorrow.

ACTION STEPS

Here are a set of action steps that may be of some help, even if we read them once.

1) TEXTING

Know that you can text a number and get a response: dial ANSWER to 839863. And, if you forget 839863, it’s TEXTME.

I am thankful this exists and can service anyone with a cell phone in the United States, free of charge.

2) BEING WATCHFUL FOR OTHERS

Since most of us will not reach out when we are in dire straits, because we are too depressed to do so, decide to be on the lookout on behalf of others. All of us have the responsibility.

3) RATE YOUR HAPPINESS LEVEL COMPARED WITH THE WEEK BEFORE -1 TO 10

Even if it’s through a social media site on which you really don’t know anyone personally, express how you feel on a scale of 1 to 10, once a week. If you don’t use computers or phones, give yourself a rating and tell it to someone. This is a protective layer so that if the number keeps dropping in your own mind, you will know something is up.

4) RUN TO THE LOCAL STORE OR CAFE TO HAVE HUMAN CONTACT

Being around others, just having human contact, can change our perspective drastically. It can help us start to heal, or it can put us into a tailspin, depending how close we are to that tailspin. More times than not, having 1 or 2 words with a stranger can help us cope.

5) CALL THE LIBRARY

If you really have no one with whom to converse, and you are determined not to go out; call the local library. This seems silly, but talking about a book gets you out of yourself and connecting with a person. This double connection may lead to stepping out in public.
___

This article is dedicated to anyone who suffers from or who has suffered from depression, including Robin Williams. It’s also dedicated to my late ex-, Jaren Levitt, who is in my heart, whom, some said, Robin looked like.

Let us be our sisters’ and brothers’ keepers as well as our own.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

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DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND 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, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She believes we are connected to each other. She believes we are our sister’s and brother’s keeper. And that it is not righteous to leave them to suffer. She says,

“Depression is subtle, and we may not know it’s creeping in. But, our family might see it; if we have any friends or work associates, they might see it.

“It’s hard to catch it ourselves until it is a full blown depression. But, once it shows up, whether someone told us about it or we are able to see it,; one immediate step can make a difference. I know this sounds callous, but, if we take one of the suggested action steps immediately, we might be able to pull ourselves up.

“If we are in despair and we don’t have the ability to move, hopefully someone else can see it, can guide us or keep an eye out for us. We are not alone. We are part of an entire world. It is true, even if it hurts to think it.

“In our movements throughout our day, maybe we can be a bit more observant. It could save someone else, or we might even save ourselves.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are worth it, even if we don’t feel it!”

WHAT IF NIKE’S LOGO MEANT FOOD FOR THE POOR? IT DOESN’T, BUT WHAT IF? (ISSUE 138)

By Diane Gold

What if Nike’s logo meant food for the poor plus water, clothing, shelter, health care? Or Apple’s or ExxonMobil’s? What if these multinational corporations’

“primary goals were to clothe and feed the world’s poor in environmentally beneficial ways?”

This quote is from John Perkins’ Confessions of An Economic Hit Man who worked for powerful non-governmental United States companies whose job it was to get contracts with greedy leaders to use US firms to build electric grids in poor developing countries causing unsustainable debt through bank loans that had to be paid back, through default, by giving US land access to house military bases or discounts to access natural resources like oil.

IMPORTANT: MISSION OF THIS ARTICLE

Although existing multinationals may not change their mission from money and power to ethics and humanitarian concern, WE CAN build companies whose logos symbolize provision of food, water, clothing, shelter and health care to the poor as well as other companies who teach us, the poor included, self-sufficiency. We are not waiting for any company named in this article. We are collaborating: people, strategies, creativity and technology. This includes you and me, so let us be creative now; for it is time to build the concept.

IMAGINE

Imagine Nike 2.0 Corporation, worth the $18 billion it is now, focusing its primary attention on helping people get adequate and healthy food, clothing and shelter. And all their artists, designers, scientists and sports doctors who know health, shoes, clothing and style; all their marketers and advertisers who know how to create a market and spread the word would be working to this end.

Imagine Apple 2.0 Corporation, worth the $500 billion it is now, focusing its primary attention on helping people get adequate and healthy food, clothing and shelter. And all their artists, designers, technicians and computer scientists were putting full effort into creating the best ways to feed, hydrate, clothe, care for and house everyone adequately.

School children the world over would learn that the logos of these major companies meant safety from suffering because the major portion of these multinational companies had one focus: caring for the human condition.

Imagine if even 20% of the efforts of these companies was spent on ending the suffering we know exists from lack of food, clothing, shelter and health care. It would take a New York minute (this is fast) to be able to use these fine minds, already employed and experienced, to create workable strategies and technology that ethically insured care for everyone.

BEING CIVILIZED

What does it mean to be civilized? Does it mean being more sophisticated by wearing upscale and fancy clothing while we pillage the environment to get raw materials to manufacture modern comforts OR does it mean living sustainably without taking more than is necessary for community survival while insuring the rebirth of the resources used for survival?

I just watched several movie clips about tribes that have not been very touched by “society,” as we of the written word know it. The most “untouched” tribes use what they need, then move their group further down within their tribe’s territory so that the earth can replenish itself. These untouched societies are an inspirational example of how to live, environmentally. Supposedly unsophisticated and less advanced, they live with respect for the earth and its resources.

What happens to us when we get the taste of wanting more? More adornment, more land, more drugs, more food, more power, a bigger house, car, office building, bank account? How does consumerism take over our brains? The answer is simple, although not so simple. It is society’s teachings.

We do trigger certain neurotransmitters in the brain (hormones), in some ways similar to the craving for external things is mostly a whim with no thought teaching ethically and being ethical. We can always run over someone who is weaker. Is this civilized?

MULTINATIONALS WORKING FOR THE GREATER GOOD

Back to the “solution” topic. So let’s say we had these multinationals giving part of their profit to food for the poor, including water, clothing, shelter. health care, not on a random donate basis, but as part of their corporate by-laws. Wouldn’t that fix the suffering, the hunger, the lack of health care? YES, it would.

Wouldn’t living less by manipulation be a good thing for our collective consciences? Wouldn’t we all be more productive because of it, rather than having to be burdened by the weight of knowing we are achieving profit through manipulation of developing countries, individuals or circumstance?

If we figured that among the top 22 companies that made over $100 billion in annual revenue in 2012, 2013 or 2014; we’d have $3.56 trillion dollars in revenue (Financial Times, 2012). If we calculate the profit at the lowest amount I found for any one of them, that’s 3% (according to Forbes’ World’s Biggest Public Companies as of May, 2014). That leaves $106 billion dollars.

If we take 10% of that as per the old British tithing system of one-tenth of the whole, that leaves $10 billion dollars. That would barely make a difference. In the US, alone, according to census.gov, it would take $175 billion to bring every American up to the poverty level.

But if we use the high number of 10-20% profit, common with multinationals, we get $356 billion or $713 billion, each, if divided by 10% achieve $35-$71 billion.

That’s a start and can change our mindsets as to our responsibility for each other. Plus we have to add in all the other companies that make between $1 and $99 billion dollars that I did not include.

Or what if each company making over $1 billion 20%-50% of its profit every other year to helping others. That would truly reduce suffering.

As John Perkins says, again in his Confessions Of An Economic Hitman,

“We must commit ourselves absolutely and unequivocally to shaking ourselves and everyone around us awake.”

What he means is it’s important to let people know that there is manipulation of developing countries who have US engineering firms arrange loans for them to build infrastructure for modernization, only to have the loans end up crippling the countries with debt as their leaders become wealthy.

CONCLUSION

The answer is not as mind boggling as I thought it was. It’s right in front of you and me. It’s tithing, an old English unit meaning one-tenth of something. Much of the developing country manipulation could be monitored, and every corporation that made over one billion one hundred eleven million dollars would be required to give 10% of its gross profit to those in need for food, clothing, shelter, water and health care. The collector of this profit would have to be an independent agent, a non-government, non-profit establishment that published all incoming and outgoing funding to the public.

One other caveat would be necessary. Any US companies doing business with developing countries would be responsible to fund 10% of their gross income back to these developing countries if these developing countries defaulted on their debt after the company engineered new. Also, projects done by US companies in developing countries would have to be posted in a daily column, like the horoscope or the ad necessary to be placed before a US citizen can hire and sponsor a foreign domestic worker.

These two items are food for thought and could make the change, although it’s difficult to see infrastructural deals with developing countries until these countries are already defaulting on their debts, some years later.

ACTION STEPS

Here are several action steps that may be helpful.

1) Do some research, and decide on a cause to fund, or microloan to give if you had extra money.

2) For the next month, take 10% of your net salary and place it in a separate bank account or in a jar marked food for the poor. If you work for yourself, calculate your gross profit for the month, and give 10% of that. See how it feels to be without this income.

At least, we’re not living on $1.25 a day.

3) Once a week, the money in the separate bank account or jar to your favorite place. I know it might burn because we had just saved up enough to buy something important to us, which we will not have to sacrifice. But, as Rob Schneider says in Water Boy,

“You can do it!”

This will give each of us the experience akin to the multinationals. We don’t want to part with the money, but we can. Once we do it and realize we are helping others with it; we will adjust to it.

4) Evaluate whether you can continue to do steps 2) and 3) for another month or two. If yes, do it. If it’s not something you can continue, you might want to think about using that money for long term care insurance since longtermcare.gov suggests that 70% of over 65-ers will need it. And the younger we are when we get it, the more affordable it is. Of course, if we eat well with regard for eating a balanced plant-based diet, this statistic may turn out to be quite high.

5) Pass on this experiment and the general concept for the major players. It takes some getting used to. But, so did the first time our society began teaching that it was OK to bend our ethics.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

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and at WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

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Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND 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, conflict resolution and habit change with an internet show about health and peace making, Tuesdays at 2 pm, HERE.

She believes it’s her duty to help some others. She has been able to pick the circumstances, but there is much to do. She says,

“My eyes have been opened by John Perkins and his discussion of his life as an economic hit man. In 1968, while at a community college for 6 months, I joined a protesting group because I believed in democracy. We talked about big business and that the War In Vietnam was wrong, but I had a minimal view of the big picture, until now. I knew big business controlled politics. I didn’t know that bankers and engineering firms could control resources, countries and war, until now.
.
“I am grateful to have my eyes open. I am saddened that my beautiful United States has not developed a system of checks and balances to prevent the corporate mindset from overstepping its ethical boundaries.

“We are an ethical nation. Each of us individually, for the most part, is ethical. When we stand as a group, and each of us steps slightly over the ethical line, disaster hits. And we fall into the quagmire of personal deception. Let us understand why other countries see us as imperialistic, those words I remember from 1968 and why so many citizens in developing countries know about the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank and how these institutions tried to cause debt or did.

“When I told one of my best friends from the Dominican Republic about my having read Confessions Of An Economic Hit Man, she acknowledged having to combat the grasp of these banking institutions on the Dominican Republic.

“We are our sisters’ and brothers’ keepers. Let us act that way from this point on!”

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

PROFIT FROM PEACE – THE PEACE INDUSTRY TV SHOW (ISSUE 134)

By Diane Gold

Profit From Peace is an ideal that has fallen through the cracks in discussions at the university level, in primary and secondary schools, across diplomatic and corporate tables. It’s not really in the back of our minds, yet, either.

Peaceful coexistence is talked about a lot. Personal peace of mind is a popular topic. Yet making profit in a peace environment is not considered.

Well, why not? As I see it, people know what currently works for profit and don’t want to do the exact opposite of that, infrastructurally. But, brilliant entrepreneurs can create a new industry of peace that can transition us into an entirely new method for profit: The Peace Machine. Let’s think outside the box as to what a TV show like this could accomplish.

Let’s consider the peace industry show, Profit From Peace, in development. Just as Donald Trump’s The Apprentice, runs a competition-like job interview show whose prize is running one of his corporations; the British The Apprentice: UK’s prize has evolved to become an investment in a business of the winning candidate’s creation. The British version is more the concept we have for Profit From Peace, discussed here.

Each candidate would pitch the business plan of her/his created company, including how to finance and manage it. The show would include role playing a board meeting run by the prospective director of the company.

To qualify, the business being pitched would have to profit from peace and peaceful coexistence similar to the way we now profit from war: only the peace economy would include green transportation instead of petroleum or diesel spewing vehicles and energy efficient lighting on all our roadways including photoluminescent paint that depicts roadway lanes and current weather conditions.

It would also have to be funded, in part, by a multinational company whose products typically are used in wartime, business investors and/or celebrity investors, all of whom are TV judges of the ideas being presented before them.

The challenge of the show is to come up with a lucrative enterprise that can, eventually, replace the current war economy enterprises so that profit motive is removed from influencing whether or not we go to war. If we remove the profit temptation, we look through different eyes.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

I want to make it very clear that I support our military’s being strong. But, as with martial arts, just because we have the training and the equipment doesn’t mean we use it to solve a conflict.

I also stress the importance of creating a new infrastructure that can stand on its own, inclusion of the business of war, so that the powerful business concerns that currently fund war products would be motivated to support peace profits for profit purposes.

THE CONCEPT OF MAKING MONEY THROUGH PEACE, NOT WAR

We already know how to make money from war. Military equipment, location and protection technology and gear, air, land and sea vehicles need manufacturing, technological assembly, fuel for transport, human personnel, financing up front to pay for the above, medical costs during and after war. We have mastered this art. Let’s explore another.

What if we focused our attention on making money from peace? That would be a game changer. By doing so, we would be taking away the demand for extra war products by not creating wars, which would entail developing other industries than those making money from the projectile products of war. Plus, we who would like to develop this profit from peace set of industries would be motivated to examine the ways to seduce multinational companies to begin coming on board.

INTERNET SEARCH FOR PROFIT FROM PEACE

When I looked on the almighty internet for the phrase “profit from peace,” there was one entry. In 2011, on a ted.com site, one person questions “what if we had peace industries.” Not surprisingly, the discussion was closed with only 2 comments. I found lots of links showing discussions of people making peace with money but none specifically targeting making money from peace. Furthermore, when I searched for peace products, I found flags, clothing, mugs with a peace sign, jewelry; but no infrastructure for profit from peace.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Although there are big bucks to be had from war; people die, families get fractured, cultures get lost. So, as with every strong habit, if we can replace it; it will go dormant. That is to say that if we start showing strategy that will work, we can turn companies who profit from war into companies who profit from peace and support us.

BUSINESS INVESTORS

There are some business investors who tend to favor projects that involve human rights. There are also those financiers who are looking for the next best start up. Finally, multinationals donate money to worthy projects, as this one might be viewed. So there are many possibilities for funding.

CELEBRITY PEACENIKS

There  are many lists out there of celebrity peaceniks. They are mostly written by non-peaceniks and may include people with a broad range of charitable interests. So, even if I called Woody Harrelson, Jane Fonda, Diahann Carroll, Harry Belafonte, Jeremy Gilley of Peace One Day, together; each might have a very different agenda. But, together, we can do it, meaning get celebs on board!

CONCLUSION

Profit For Peace, The TV Show, is such a huge idea that, I think, any celebrities who actively pursue upgrading human rights would jump on board. I’d like to think so, and only time will tell.

ACTION STEPS

Below are several action steps we can take that can contribute to the TV show to further the infrastructure of industries making profit from peace.

1)   Create 1 business idea that can take the expertise of a company that currently makes profits from war and use it and its already built manufacturing plants for the purpose of peace. An example might be  having an airplane manufacturer shift their emphasis from military planes to human rights ambassador planes for protection of human rights throughout the world.

2)   Make a list of 3 industries that can be used for profiting from peace.

3)   Write down what you think would happen if we kept looking at new ways to profit from peace.

Hopefully, the profit from peace concept is now embedded in our minds. It can only grow as we talk and refine it. If we are consistent, don’t disrespect the profit position of war manufacturers and give them an alternative; we might have embarked upon something that will work.

4)   Last, but not least, if you would like to be involved in this project; please connect.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave  a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND 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 and habit change.

She believes there is a way that is within our grasp to profit from peace. She says,

“Before there was an auto industry, or a computer industry; someone had to have the concept. Once there, focused, systematic attention had to be paid to each task devoted to success. The conceptualizers of our time figured out the next step. This meant many, many failures, each of which, as we know, brings us one step closer to success.

“Let’s focus our attention on the idea that the peace industry is active and that it is worth creating products and services, funding and supplying and distributing products. Let’s make more money, which would have nothing to do with war, from peace concerns now. We can put our minds together and work toward profit from peace and can help in the development of Profit From Peace – The Peace Industry TV Show.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

INCOMPLETE MEDICINE VS. INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE: OUR HABIT OF ACCEPTING LESS (ISSUE 129) MAY 20, 2014

By Diane Gold

Integrative Medicine is the new buzz phrase that refers to medical doctors’ looking at biology, psychology, exercise, social adjustment, spiritual balance and nutrition to conclude the best way to work together with a patient on her health.

This is not a new concept; it focuses on a stronger doctor-patient relationship, the way it used to be back when patients weren’t rushed out after 5 minutes of appointment time. It focuses on prevention and upon uniting all the factors that affect health, also not new concepts. The rise in popularity of integrative medicine comes from the movement of patients managing their own health care due to lack of one medical professional to do it, which includes not trusting over-prescription of pharmaceuticals and not accepting ludicrously minimal face time with the actual doctor.

OLD VS. NEW

When I was in my teens, we went to a psychiatrist to talk. Now, people go to a psychiatrist to get drugs. It’s not that shrinks don’t like talk therapy. It’s that the “Western health care system” pays next to nothing for talk and lots for the prescribing of pharmaceuticals. In my mother’s day, people would go to the doctor and have long conversations about what felt bad, what was going on at home, at work, at school, in the town.

Today, traditional medical doctors are always looking at the clock and rarely taking the time to get to know a patient. The initial visit is usually the last time any real conversation takes place. Furthermore, general doctors or family medical doctors are typically underpaid and overbooked because specialty pay is higher so there is a shortage of plain old generalists.

Thus, the growth of integrative medicine, the way Western medicine used to be and Chinese medicine still is.

SELF-EXPRESSION AS HEALING

Because part of healing has to do with self-expression, integrative medicine includes counseling and discussing what is going on in the life of the patient or how the patient feels. Yes, we pay for the time since we may be billed at the highest tier should we touch upon 5 subjects that ail us instead of 1; but we have the ability to have a full and complete session with an expert. Hallelujah.

And when was the last time anyone got to see a nutritionist and a exerciser as part of standard treatment? Not all doctors bill by time and number of subjects discussed, but more time means fewer patients so compensation deserves to be higher.

THE INTEGRATIVE MEDICAL DOCTOR I SAW

The integrative medical doctor I saw was one of the best doctors I have ever seen. Here’s why.

Since I study nutrition, I know the importance of proper food for the body, mind and spirit. Almost all medical schools require an inferior amount of courses in nutrition as a requirement. How pathetic is that? The outcome is that each doctor who understands the importance of nutrition has to make some time and study it on her own. Pretty shabby when nutrition is a daily factor  for every patient.

After $250,000 worth of debt (from med school), not all doctors are motivated to do more studying even though all know that nutrition matters.  The doctor I saw had learned about food and was able to converse about it while being an expert in internal functions of the body. This was the first time I had been to a doctor who had any professional knowledge of nutrition. Being vegan, which is the minority, I always look for someone who understands the no meat and no dairy way. I lucked out. The doctor whom I saw had been exposed to my kind of eating through his family’s vegetarian Indian roots and his own due diligence.

As part of the general appointment, this doctor had an exercise physiologist and a nutritionist on staff as well as assistants to help with the regular vital signs. Each of his patients was asked to see each of these other professionals so that the doctor could get a fuller picture of the health systems of the patient. Unfortunately for me, but not to my surprise, the nutritionist had no idea how to discuss a vegan diet or even a vegetarian diet. This failure motivates me to study plant-based nutrition with more zeal.

INCOMPLETE  MEDICINE VS. INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE

Having been aware that the health care system compartmentalizes each area, many of us have known that the infrastructure of medicine as it has been displayed and taught to us is out of balance and incomplete medicine. We who know what mind/body disciplines can do for health are thrilled to see the continued popularity of integrative medicine.

Imagine if integrative medicine were the standard. It will be. It will take time, but, if we talk about it, we can spread the word and get the secret out. It’s not really a secret that medicine includes the entire life of the patient, that whole medicine consists of Western medicine, Chinese medicine, the tai chi mentor, the herbalist, the masseuse, the personal trainer, the nutritionist, the meditation mentor, even the music therapist. We know that lots of factors affect our health. So how can we believe that isolating one piece of the body for study would be the most accurate way to diagnose, treat, heal, mentor? We know it’s not. Let’s talk about it.

CONCLUSION

Those of us who have been brought up remembering we can always go and talk to our doctor who is our friend are coming full circle. With integrative medicine coming out in full force, we may have that opportunity again. Those of us who were born in or after the 1990s may have been brought up with some of the integration that balanced medicine deserves. Talking, trusting, getting comfort are all things the doctor provides. Are we getting these at every visit?

This nurturing from medicine will happen again with the mainstreaming of integrative medicine. Not all at once because things take time to change. But change is coming, and it is long overdue.

ACTION STEPS

Here are several steps that may help with the understanding of true health care and integration.

1) Talk about integrative medicine with friends, family, colleagues. Have actual discussions about what each of you would do to further our medicine from a disease management system to a true health care way.

2) Attend TheWorldsStage.com’s Virtual Conference. More info at http://theworldsstage.com/#!the-story/c1wgz
which will including presentations by change makers including integrative medicine. There is no charge for this amazing virtual experience.

3) Consider the way you are treated when you go to the doctor. Question all your health care providers about integrative medicine. They will be happy to talk about it, even if they only know about Western medicine. It will be an informative conversation. Either you will inform your medical provider or she will inform you.

4)  Join our virtual discussion about how to spread the word so that doctors include other disciplines for the benefit of our healing. Click HERE!

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DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND 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 and habit change.

She has been talking about how medicine involves the whole person since she received her Masters in Music Therapy in 1976. She says,

“The name Integrative Medicine is fabulous. It attempts to bring medicine full circle, combining all that we know from the West and the East and cultivating those with many other disciplines that study various parts of a patient’s life.

“Each patient is different and responds to different approaches uniquely. The philosophy of Integrative Medicine desegregates knowledge for the benefit of the patient, intermixing mind/body work with herbs, drugs, chiropractic, music, nutrition, exercise and anything else that is or that will be available. Its job is to expand medicine rather than coop it up in little cubby holes, labeled by specialty.

“The concept is great. Let’s get the word out so it gets more popular!”

7 REASONS FOR WORKOUT BURNOUT: THEN DO TAI CHI (ISSUE 125) April 15, 2014

By Diane Gold

How often do we get workout burnout and why do tai chi to avoid it or to fix it?

We are all about getting ourselves in shape, greedy to feel great and look spectacular. This is a good kind of greed because it keeps us healthy and our country flourishing. But, in my over 15 years of teaching martial arts (of which tai chi is one) and all my life watching people and their workouts, I have heard story after story about people’s workout history. There are only a few stories, even though we all, as individuals have our own.

1.  My Workout Is  Boring.

2.   I Feel Empty And Disconnected From Myself When My Workout Is Over.

3.   My Mind Is Not Relaxed  After My Workout.

4.   My Motivation Is Gone.

5.   My Muscles Are So Tight From Working Out, I Move Like A Robot.

6.   I Feel Totally Selfish When I I’m Finished.

7.   I Want A Workout That Builds Me Spiritually.

These reasons may sound familiar. We can give ourselves reasons to quit or continue.

 (1) If our activity doesn’t keep our attention, we quit. We usually are not taught the merits of follow through and perseverance, so we quit.

(2) If we don’t feel as if we have done something important, we quit. We usually don’t take the time to examine importance.

(3) If we are jittery and unrelaxed, we are forced to stop the behavior that’s causing it. We usually don’t know how to make the small adjustments needed to relax the situation.

(4) If we’re not motivated, we quit. Even if it’s one time, so often one missed session is enough to end the habit of working out.

(5) If our muscles are unnaturally tight, we may see it as counterproductive and quit. Most everyone has not been taught how to keep loose or to get loose.

(6) If we feel selfish, we may not like the feeling and we quit.

(7) If we see our workout as devoid of anything spiritual, we may feel plastic, unsubstantial and quit.

ENTER TAI CHI.

The art of tai chi is a system of movement that uses wave-like, circular patterns of moving the body, arms and legs. Its purpose is to connect everything that we do with the body with our mind and our spirit. It’s not a magic potion of movement; what it is is a very slow moving discipline that, because of its slowness, allows the mover to connect the movement to the mind. Its purpose is to teach the mind to act fluidly like the body movements. The physical moves are tools to connect us to ourselves.

Here’s something to think about. When I am doing tai chi, the speed at which I am moving allows me to focus my attention on my movement. The movement allows me to focus on only 1 thing. This focus allows me to follow each body part, 1 at a time. I can, as well, connect my motion with the heat and the balance of my body, the expansion and compression of my lungs, the flow of my blood, and the space in which my body exists. I am in moving, martial meditation.

Picture the adventure of a dandelion seed, using the fibers of the dandelion flower to keep it airborn, and it is whisked away by a fluid stream of the wind. The ride is smooth with no sudden movement other than what the airstream provides for it. This fluidity likens it to the journey of tai chi, where we learn to follow the line of movement of one body part from its beginning to its end which leads it into a new beginning of the next body part. This rolling rhythm that is tai chi allows us to translate our wave-like action of our body to our mind, reducing or removing jerky decisions, panic or despair.

And yet, the standard joke in tai chi is this:

“If tai chi is for the mind, why are my legs shaking?”

The true answer is that tai chi uses the body to teach the mind. And the shaking will pass. It’s only mild discomfort on which we are not focusing.

When people do tai chi, they move throughout the session. So tai chi has the advantage of allowing the blood to continue flowing throughout the session, permitting easy self-monitoring of the body so that there are no strains and there are enhanced respiration and circulation without any impingements from closing the body off in any way.

Further, tai chi works to relax every muscle, tendon and joint by teaching focus on one movement or body part at a time. Eventually, the goal is to move while looking at nothing at all. But that takes time.

The very nature of tai chi, that we move everything simultaneously, that we focus on one body part at a time, that we feel our blood moving around in our body and learn to picture the air that surrounds us makes it ideal for someone who is looking for something more. The blood’s moving is our life energy or chi that we hear so much about. The slowing down of movement, the reduction of thought to only one thing (and then “no” thing) and our being able to feel our chi moving up and down our bodies and limbs allows us to have a spiritual, meaning part of ourselves, experience. We know we are not doing traditional working out because we feel especially tuned in to our bodies and our own essence at the same time.

For those special reasons, tai chi helps us to avoid workout burnout. Tai chi is always new because the moves we do reflect the way we are in our lives on that particular day, and we are always feeling a physical connection to our feet, our hands, our bodies, our fronts, our backs and heads when we do it. We remember more as we train ourselves to notice more. The fact that we are able to establish a strong foundation for ourselves allows us to see others in a compassionate, even protective, way. This foundational root takes away the feeling that we are doing our workout just for ourselves, alone, since we start to become kinder and wiser the more we do it. The objection to our doing a selfish workout dissolves, and we evolve.

For all the reasons that we don’t burn out when we do tai chi, this old and sophisticated art offers solutions to people with a huge list of physical and emotional issues: memory disorders like Alzheimer’s Disease, muscle disorders, like Parkinson’s Disease, Anxiety Disorder, Chronic Organic Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), cardiovascular disease, balance disorders, diabetes and more. And it’s a martial art that teaches self-protection, one-pointed focus, stress-free living and how to maximize health.

ACTION STEP

Consider doing tai chi. The training teaches you to move every part of you at a time. It’s always new because your movements change with understanding.

Go HERE to begin the inquiry process.

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FEEDBACK

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Please leave  a comment below.

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Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND 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 and habit change.

She is excited to share some insight about workout burnout. She says,

“I have watched and experienced over and over the cycle of getting into a routine or habit and then, because of missing one instance of it, dissolving the routine for a new one. When we skip an activity or class once, we are beginning a new habit, that of feeling what it feels like to skip the activity and doing something else with that time. This starts the beginning fibers of a new routine which replaces going to the activity or class. When we skip the activity or class two times, it is sooooooo much easier to skip and put less importance in the third time and the fourth time. Pretty soon, the class is out of sight, out of mind; and we are on to the next routine.

“This is OK, as long as we know it is our choice and that is the right choice for us. If it is laziness, stop skipping, and get back to the original routine. And may the force be with you.”

IGNORING CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IN HEALTH CARE: THE HABIT (ISSUE 123)

By Diane Gold

Health Care means taking care of our bodies, minds and spirits. We do it in many ways: through eating food that nourishes us, doing great exercise, connecting with friends and family, being creative and productive, giving ourselves daily relaxation and getting good rest.

In all sectors that touch upon health care, there are conflicts of interest. We have the habit of ignoring them. In order to do research, we need money, so we sell products. These products may be less than perfect to save money and to make more. In order to live well, some of us may create partnerships and agree to job restrictions we never would have if we didn’t need the money. These are compromises. We all have made one. These are not unethical moves, in themselves. Ignoring the huge conflicts of interest that develop because of them is. Not making this disharmony common knowledge is!

HERE ARE SOME OF THE LARGE ACTORS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IN HEALTH CARE!

PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES

Pharmaceutical companies are in the business of selling drugs. They are so strong that their global marketing messages lead people to become dependent upon drugs rather than interdependent upon a health care system that includes drugs as medicine. Since non-pharmaceutical cures for illnesses can reduce the profit to big pharma, the pomp and circumstance of big pharma overshadows preventive or non-drug therapies that treat or remove illnesses.

Drug companies don’t publish all their negative results so that they will have higher marks with the FDA; this event endangers health.

Drug companies pay for a great deal of research in medical schools. The results of these studies are privy to the drug company. Not that drug companies set out to change data, but the access they have may urge them to present the result in their favor.

Drug companies pay for doctor’s continuing education. Although doctors are not required to use the sponsoring company’s products, studies have shown that even the most ethical doctors are swayed by the sponsoring drug company.

HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES

 Health insurance companies are another sector that creates conflicts of interest. The cost of insurance-reimbursable health care is so high that these companies foster the habit that they are the only way and that they are required. True, I would not want to be without health care as an almost 65-year-old citizen, but I do want to honor these comments from Jon Raymond, founder of Out In The Streets Films, from his article The Sadism Of American Health Care,

•    Insurance is not healthcare.
•    Insurance is premiums and co-pays
•    Insurance companies are known to deny claims for expensive catastrophic conditions, such as cancer treatment.
•    61% of bankruptcies are due to medical debt.
•    Many people in debt had insurance when they first got sick, but claims were denied.
•    There are no regulations to require insurance companies to honor claims, or to regulate premiums.
•    Cancer is a multi-trillion dollar annual industry
•    Most all processed food outlets and chain restaurants sell carcinogenic foods.
•    Good food, such as organic food, is more expensive than bad food.
•    Health care costs are multiple times higher for the insured than the uninsured.

Because many government healthcare providers require that we have no assets or less than $2000 per month in assets, many middle class-ers are not willing to sell everything we have and go with no insurance so that, when we have a catastrophic illness, we can use government funding. Which is a great reason why the Affordable Care Act asks that we all have insurance of some kind.

There are multiple conflicts when it comes to insurance. When we go to doctors of our choice, they may cost more or not be part of our insurance carrier’s group. In order for doctors to be part of an insurance network, they have to reduce the amount they are willing to be paid. If they stay off the network, they don’t get all that free advertising that comes as part of a network.

DOCTORS

Our doctors may be promoting a drug or treatment protocol so that they receive a bonus or good connection from a drug company or an insurance company. Most doctors will not promote what they don’t believe in; however their discussion of drugs from a company that favors them they give their patients urges other doctors to do the same, benefiting the original prescriber and the drug company. If the drug could have been replaced with exercise or good food, this non-drug strategy gets lost in the shadows.

HOSPITALS

Hospitals may charge extra amounts of money for insured patients because they know they will get reimbursed by insurance companies and not have to go to collection companies to collect their accounts receivable. Over-prescription of procedures has been found in hospital studies just to receive the insurance reimbursement. These factors increase health care costs.

MAJOR CORPORATIONS AND MIND/BODY SCIENCE

Most major corporations don’t get paid if they don’t have a product. So their research and development scientists rarely work on proving how mind/body workouts improve health. Corporations do make significant donations to companies for the greater good, but hardly ever in the sector that could reduce their own profit by our learning health care that didn’t involve a purchase. Therefore, we can’t depend upon scientists to do research to prove how exercise and mind techniques enhance and fix health, unless they are independently wealthy or want to do it on the side.

The fact that there is no scientific method study of mind/body work only means no one did the study, because there was no monetization from its positive outcome on the other end. Since marketing is everything, even when massive breakthroughs in medicine are realized; if there’s no product for capitalization or delicious marketing budget to publicize it, the public doesn’t get the information en masse; so research on the technologies of tai chi, meditation, yoga get neglected as to how they affect disease.

LUDICROUS TANGENT

The other day, I saw a headline in The New York Times that mentioned how science had just proven the effectiveness of some mind/body technique. I burst out laughing because it seemed odd to me that a sophisticated newspaper in the year 2014 would headline a strategy that has been in glorious use for 5000 years as if it had just been discovered. Ludicrous!

MEAT AND DAIRY INDUSTRIES

The meat and dairy industries sell meat and dairy. So, naturally, they would not want to do studies proving that animal-based nutrition is bad for our health. Further, they would want to word their product descriptions in ways that the layperson would understand as,

“This product is good for your health.”

The perils of animal product in heart disease are becoming a more popular fad. We know that social proof(seeing lots of other people do the same thing) drives us to make that same decision. Therefore, plant-based nutrition is becoming more popular, in part because more voices are speaking out about it, including doctors and scientists, and, in part, because those voices who have been speaking out for years are being heard. Plus, the very youngest children are learning about the perils of meat and dairy at very early ages.

But, the more people learn about the benefits of plant-based nutrition, the more lobbyists the meat and dairy industries hire; and the more Congressional deals are there for the taking.

We might also consider the ethics of raising animals for slaughter, or, in the case of dairy cows, shortening their lives by 80% as long as cows who do not get milked by machine on a dairy farm or traumatizing pigs in tiny cages.

OTHER FOOD INDUSTRY COMPANIES

The food industry is out to sell its products. Companies that make all the products in the middle of the supermarket – those in boxes or packages – test their food to be safe. The safety requirement measures how a food affects a living animal or human on a short term basis.

QUESTION

Why would government regulators allow possible carcinogenic ingredients in our foods?

ANSWER

Many ingredients are questionably carcinogenic, meaning there is inconclusive evidence about these ingredients. It took 50 years for us to realize the perils of certain pesticides.

FDA

FDA regulators are friends with food manufacturers as well as big pharma. If they allow certain ingredients or substances to be approved for production, they are racking up points with these companies to become consultants at a later date. Kind of like, I’ll scratch your back now, so will you give me a consulting job in 5 years?

My solution is that one stipulation for every FDA and government regulator be that each is not permitted to consult or CEO for any company that has to do with food or drugs.

PESTICIDE AND GENETIC MODIFICATION COMPANIES

As with meat and dairy, the agribusiness companies that assist farm food to market make huge profits from the produce that is sold. This means that the production and promotion of pesticides and genetic modification have an opportunity for big profits, which is great, if we need the pesticides and if genetic modification is safe, since capitalism is good. However, powerful groups control this sector and may promote the use of pesticides that are not needed and genetically modify seeds/foods that have not been proven safe. Don’t we want our food proven safe beyond a reasonable doubt, rather than not yet proven harmful by all testing?

The conflict comes when we are harming our health for the sake of profit.

MEDIA

Finally, although there are conflicts in finance and natural resource manufacturing, too, we will close with media conflicts. Journalists have to omit some news. They report what their corporate heads allow, which often coincides with the voices of their advertisers.

FACT

Did you know there are only a few (6 or 7, depending upon whom you ask) major news companies? This means that the voice of media is controlled by a few men (yes, each CEO of these companies is a man).

CONCLUSION

For many industries, there are opportunities for conflicts with health care. The fact that they exist does not mean that we are doomed. It means we would do well to take it upon ourselves to be aware that they exist. The above categories are the major sectors that can conflict with our health care. There are more. Greed can make us lose our way. Power can do the same.

It is our responsibility as ethical humans to understand that we all form habits, habits of greed, power, consumption. It is not the fault of an industry to want to make money. Profit is healthy. It drives human productivity and discovery. It is not the fault of good human beings to be paralyzed by what these situations bring.

Instead, these conflicts of interest in health care are huge opportunities for us methodically to recognize them, discuss how they can compromise our well-being and sprout new solutions that will complement and balance out the wrongs. If we see what some people call greed mechanisms and others call capitalism, we can decide to devote our time to educate others. For some of us, this is a duty. For others, we can pass this article on just to one person.

Knowledge and awareness are power. Let’s no longer ignore the conflicts of interest in health care. They are real and are part of the human network.

ACTION STEP ONE

Know the conflicts of interest in health care, and eat well. Consider how funding drives decisions for all of us. Know that all our industries, factory farmers, health insurers, medical personnel and facilities, our research companies, government regulators are run by profit. And all the sectors fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Think about it. If I do you a favor, according to scientific studies, you will unconsciously be more amenable to doing me a favor. If we all do each other favors, our impartiality has a strong chance of being compromised, no matter how objective and unbiased we say we are.

So, we must trust that the news is written so that advertisers are happy. Drugs are regulated so that drug companies who donate doctor education, academic research funding, and money to all who promote them, are happy. Academia likes companies who give. Doctors and hospitals are bound by insurance companies. The world of marketing creates stories about food and health for profit so that we buy more pharmaceuticals, meat, dairy, GMO seeds, pesticides and addictive sugar products.

ACTION STEP TWO

Now that we know, we can pass it on by having a discussion about it with, at least, 1 person.
___

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FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.
Please leave  a comment.

Please LIKE us on the website and

at WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

Please follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

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 and habit change.

She loves to facilitate learning. She says,

“As long as we are breathing, doomsday is not here. If we see conflicts running through the fabric of our societies, this is a great discovery and a wonderful chance for change. Aside from educating others, it is motivating for me to create some different infrastructure. By ignoring the conflicts of interest among all the different sectors, we put aside our great gift to help fix society.

“And that’s OK, except we might be really good at it. So, let’s take the opportunity to create new pathways around these conflicts and excel. The relationships that cause the conflicts of interest will not be changing slowly. Therefore, let’s get started by walking around them.”

THE HABIT OF PEACEFUL CONFLICT RESOLUTION  (ISSUE 122)

By Diane Gold

I have been considering the idea of the habit of peaceful conflict resolution and how it affects world peace. This kind of thinking comes from deliberating about the anger and hate that lead us to vengeance, jealousy and greed. I am always examining new ways of conflict resolution and looking at how our reactions to these fight or flight emotions can be tempered.

Are we uncontrollable animals who need revenge to survive, or are we civilized beings who can calmly resolve our differences without annihilating each other if someone steps on our prideful ego in some way? The microcosm, meaning conflict resolution between two individuals, mirrors the macrocosm, meaning conflict resolution, country to country. And vice versa. As we work it out individually, we can work it out globally. As I see it.

This leads us to the “habits vs. instincts” discussion.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HABITS AND INSTINCTS

I have been searching for the words that define the difference between habits and instincts. Here’s a quote from the differencebetween website which had a brilliant and superlatively simple way of putting it,

“Habit is a fixed tendency or pattern of behavior that is often repeated and is acquired by one’s own experience or by one’s own learning, whereas an instinct tends to be similar in nature to habit, but it is acquired naturally without any formal training, instruction or personal experience.”

What makes the above quote a great definition is that Charles Darwin alludes to something similar in his Origin of the Species as did his predecessor, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, 500 years before Darwin. They both arrived at the idea that traits can be passed down generationally even if they are acquired through acquired training of the previous generations. Another way of saying this would be that the offspring of parents who are trained in a certain behavior are born with the behavior and no previous training in the future generations.

For example, if it became necessary for all of us to swim a lot to survive well, we, primates, might, in generations to come, be born with the ability to swim without being taught.

We can look at the domestication of one or two wolf species. The domesticated wolf became the dog, according to James Serpell, professor at University of Pennsylvania’s School of Vet Medicine in his 1995 The Domestic Dog. Through teaching the wolf pup of the wild wolf to be calm, gentle and social with humans; the offspring of the tamed wolf pups began to exhibit the gentler traits at birth, without any training.

HABITS AND EVOLUTION

So, the way of our evolution has to do with the training we are given which, if ingrained in us well, can be passed down to our offspring or to their future generations from birth. What could exist is our own domestication, cultivating the habit of peaceful coexistence.

We are no longer savagely beating each other for food, land, shelter. We are civilized society. Unless someone takes our food, land, shelter. Then our survival instinct comes into play, and we become original savages. We create laws to temper our survival instincts. Good. This is civilized. But isn’t our penal system based on vengeance and our forgiveness based on remorse?

Example 1: When someone commits, some of us say an eye for an eye.

Example 2: When someone commits a crime and shows no remorse, we want to penalize that person with the maximum sentence. When the same person with the same crime shows remorse, we show leniency, and it is easier for us to feel for this person as a human being and forgive. Those of us who can forgive the non-remorseful who laugh at the pain they have caused have developed inner wisdom. I aspire to that, although I am far, far away.

CULTIVATING THE HABIT OF WORLD PEACE

The point here is if we start role playing peaceful solutions to different circumstances when we are young, we will be very experienced at conflict resolution by the time we reach 25 when our voices can help run the world. We will recognize human rights violations and know how to use our voices against them using our peaceful methods. This means we may be interested in letting go of our old ways.

We know that repetition develops a habit. So, if we continually come up with solutions using peaceful methods, we eventually will develop the peace habit. If we then cause peace to happen due to solution-based strategies rather than problem-centric ones, several generations down the line can be born with the peace gene more inherent than ever before.

CONCLUSION

Educating our young is the way to world peace. Changing ourselves is another way, but this may the hardest of all endeavors. The subject of peace must be added to the worldwide curricula, not for one unit in fourth grade, but every day and week of every year through graduation. If we begin the process today to regularly replace our own fight or flight emotions when we are not really in danger of losing our lives, future generations have the chance to be born with more tempered spirits. Instead of keeping our eyes closed, we can see that cultivating the habit of peaceful conflict resolution is our responsibility. We can make an effort to balance ourselves; we can also volunteer to teach the way to do this.

Becoming involved in educating about peace is worth everyone’s time. Make some.

ACTION STEPS

1)   NEIGHBOR A TAKES NEIGHBOR B’S LAND

a)   Gather a group of 5 family members, friends or associates.

b)   Agree to do an exercise where none of you will be speak or act disrespectfully or raise her voice.

c)   Agree to speak about your emotions during the exercise.

d)   Put names on individual pieces of paper, and put papers in a top hat or bag. Draw two names out without looking to see whose turn it is.

e)   Neighbor A will be the aggressor neighbor, and neighbor B will be the neighbor upon whom aggression is taken.

f)   Neighbor A takes 25% of Neighbor B’s land. The town in which they live has given jurisdiction to the individuals to work out their own issues, so there is no town board to intervene. Both Neighbors A & B say their ancestors owned the land.

g)  Neighbor B will come up with one possible peaceful solution to this issue.

2)   NEIGHBOR B TAKES NEIGHBOR A’s LAND

Follow all steps a) through g), but reverse roles.

3)   EACH OBSERVER COMMENTS ON THE METHOD USED TO SOLVE THE ISSUE

4)   DO THIS ONCE A WEEK WITH FAMILY AND AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH WITH FRIENDS OR ASSOCIATES.

5)   PASS IT ON TO MORE GROUPS.

___

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.
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FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave  a comment.

Please LIKE us on the website and at WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

Please follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

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 and habit change.

She is concerned with the peace of the world and believes educating youth at an early age holds the key. She says,

“We defend ourselves for no apparent reason other than soothing our egos. And we are encouraged to do so. This behavior perpetuates the war mentality.

“Consider that if we could tame ourselves, we could create world peace. Isn’t it worth it to learn peaceful conflict resolution? Isn’t it worth it to teach it early?

“It starts with each of us individually. We may even begin our personal journey by teaching the peaceful way to our young ones. Through our teaching, we will learn.”

HOW SLOUCHING DESTROYS HEALTH (ISSUE 121)

By Diane Gold

Slouching destroys health. It may stop our breathing, but it can certainly compromise our power and our vitality. Not only do we compress the spine when we slouch, but we limit our respiration and cause our body to atrophy . We don’t usually think about these events, but they are obvious when we do.

Shoulders over the hips is the proper alignment for standing or sitting. This can also be done for people who spend their days in bed, with a small alignment trick below.

HEALTH AND SLOUCHING

One of the ways we stay healthy is to pump lots of fresh oxygen into our systems. The cleaner the air, the better off we are. The freer the airway is, the easier it is for it to flow.

Think about what happens when we have unwanted mucous in our body. We have difficulty breathing. This is because our airway is blocked.

Or think about when someone falls on top of us in gym class or martial arts training; we have a hard time breathing because our lungs get compressed and our oxygen level is restricted.

The same thing happens when we slouch: we restrict our own airway. It does take some effort to hold the torso up without slouching, but our bodies will thank us for the unbounded occasion to suck up oxygen with no obstructions.

MISSING THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK THAT BODY

Every time we are standing or sitting, or even lying down; we have the opportunity to work the abdominal muscles to hold the torso straight. Every time we don’t use this chance, it goes away.

It feels really good to have strong abs. They can do amazing things. Strong abs allow for a great life and great digestion, too.

We also have the chance to learn how to relax our chins, necks and shoulders with good posture. This, too, goes away if we don’t grab the moment.

PERPETUATING THE HABIT

When we keep slouching, we get used to it and it becomes normal. Unless we take a good long look, there are probably 5 times a day we slouch without noticing it: tidying up, cooking, working, driving, sitting on the toilet are some examples. We know that we develop a habit from a cue. The cue is the urge to relax or the urge to rest. What could possibly be wrong with letting the shoulders go while we are cooking? Isn’t this activity supposed to be mellow and fun?

Carving out relaxation time is crucially important. It doesn’t mean we have to slouch. After the cue, (wanting to relax) we do a behavior (letting the abs, shoulders and butt go out of alignment) that brings us the reward of ending the work it takes to stand, sit or keep the bones aligned. If repeated, this becomes the norm. Thus, we habitually slouch. Until we replace this behavior.

ACTION STEPS

1) USING THE LEGS

When we look at daily activities that require us to carry weight, we have to use our legs to take the pressure off our backs and our knees. Take vacuuming, sweeping, carrying out the recycling bin. These tasks require us to exert effort. When we bend the knees to engage the legs, we can do the pushing, pulling, carrying without compromising our spine. When an object is fairly bulky or awkward, it’s important to use some type of leverage (bent knees, a wagon, a dolly or a partner to avoid slouching the back during this enterprise.

2) USING THE ABS

Funny as it may sound, using the abdominal plate to hold the back erect is the easiest way to insure a healthy posture. This would mean this set of muscles has to be strong enough to endure the weight of the undertaking.

The labor can be as gentle as standing at the mirror to brush our teeth.

I bring this one up because several times this year, I have looked at my posture while grooming my teeth; it was in need of correction. Either my shoulders were slumped, I was leaning over the sink with an out of alignment back or I relaxed my abdominal muscles enough to slouch.

The action step is to notice yourself at tooth brushing time, and get the shoulders over the hips while you brush, floss and tongue brush.

3) TUCKING THE BUTT

So often, when people hear,

“Tuck the butt,”

they tuck the hips forward (which is correct), and they compromise the spine (obviously not correct). The purpose of this butt adjustment is to take the pressure off the joints and the back and place it on the bones which were built to do the heavy lifting (pun intended).

Standing in line is the perfect place to tuck your butt. Since we have decided to stand in this line, rarer and rarer with online banking, taxes and government paperwork;  we can use this instance to work on our slouching habit by changing our behavior. It takes just as much effort to stand straight as to slouch, even though we think the opposite; so we might as well maximize our own energy by aligning the body.

Large-chested women will find this particularly helpful as they have the challenge of not leaning too far back or forward to compensate for the weight of the chest.

The action step are these:

a)   While standing, feel like a soldier by rotating the belly button forward at the same time as tucking the butt so that the body is in a straight line. If you have strong abs, it’s OK if the torso is slightly forward of the hips.

b)   While sitting in your chair or on the couch (or sitting up in bed), tuck the butt so that the lower back presses against the lower back of the chair or couch. If this leaves space between the upper back and the chair or couch back, place a pillow there so that the center of the shoulders stay over the center of the hips.

If you are seated on a seat with no back, tuck the butt in the same way and use the abs to hold the shoulders over the hips with straight back.

c)   Especially for people who spend most of their time in bed, tuck the butt while lying down. Press the lower back into the bed. If possible, and for best leverage until you have rock solid abs, bend the knees  upward with feet flat on the bed.

CONCLUSION

 Slouching is insidious. It pops into our lives when we least expect and becomes normal unless we manage and fix it. When we are younger, it doesn’t seem like a big deal, except that the earlier on we make our move, the earlier we will develop the habit of an aligned body.

We need our breathing for health, so let’s help it out. We need to train our bones, muscles and tendons to keep us straight.

We feel better when our bodies are in line. There’s no time like the present to make slouching a thing of the past in our lives.
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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 and habit change.

If she knows one thing better than anything else, it might be how to align the body for maximize health. She says,

“We have lots of time to live and make changes. Our lives will power up once we pay attention to body alignment. It’s as if someone turns a switch on the world; but we have done it. That’s how important posture is.

“It’s climactic. Replacing slouching helps our health. It is poignant. It’s like lighting up our lives because we let in more oxygen when we sit and stand well.

“Do it once. Then do it again. Keep on going.It’s good for all of us and makes us strong.”

THE HABIT OF EATING MEAT MAY BE HURTING US (AND OUR WORLD) (ISSUE 120)

By Diane Gold

The habit of eating meat is passed down from one generation to another, in most societies. Throughout the years, a symbol of abundance has become the finest steak dinner, so much so that, at one point, the overproduction of uric acid crystals between the joints known as gout, got the nickname “disease of the rich” because wealth often meant increased intake of animal proteins.

What is now becoming common knowledge, or is such to the Millenial generation and after, is that hunger and thirst could be contained if we increased our plant-based nutrition consumption; we could reduce many chronic diseases if we reduced or removed meat from our diet; our water footprint to farm livestock for food is sending the world economies on a downward spiral of water emergencies; especially in the latest generation, people are questioning whether it is ethical to eat meat (which could includes but is not limited to beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish, bees).

This article looks at this global habit in relation to agribusiness, the pharmaceutical industry and education.

HUNGER

What would happen if the money spent on livestock feed were spent on growing extra food for people who needed food?

According to PETA:

1) Using an acre of land to raise cattle for slaughter produces 20 pounds of meat. This same acre could produce 365 pounds of soybeans, 17 times more food.

2) The resource to produce 1 pound of meat would produce 13 pounds of grain. That would feed an entire community, rather than 1 family.

3) This year, 7100 children will die from a hunger-related disease per day. That’s 2.6 million for the year. We can help hunger by replacing our meat habit with some form of plant-based nutrition.

HEALTH

1) ANTIBIOTICS

The use of antibiotics in livestock production has created highly resistant strains of bacteria (super bugs) which pass by touch to workers, from water supply contaminated by infected animal feces and from uncooked infected meat.

Because of the power of the food and pharmaceutical industries, the Food And Drug Administration (FDA), unlike the European Union, has never banned antibiotic use in animal production. It did, however, implement a regulation that asked the farm industry voluntarily to phase out the use of certain antibiotics.

For those not calculating, if antibiotics are used in animal feed, the drug companies get paid for their drugs and farmers get to fatten up their livestock more quickly from the antibiotics so they reduce feeding expense. This translates to a less healthy environment, chemically altered food and reduced health.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

It is important to note that most super bugs that affect humans are obtained from overuse of antibiotics in humans.

2) PLANT-BASED NUTRITION

There is much evidence that plant-based eating reduces obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol. Therefore, what about replacing the meat habit with plant-based foods for health and environment?

Check out more interesting facts here: http://warriorsofweight.com/6-great-reasons-for-plant-based-nutrition.

WATER FOOTPRINT

The statistics around the amount of water used to produce food are so unreliable since circumstances are always changing and it is a very tricky subject. It is true that the amount of water used for vegetables and livestock vary from one measure to another.

To produce 1 head of broccoli, 5.4 gallons of water are needed.

To produce 1 tomato, 3 gallons are needed.

According to the journal, Ecosystems, a study by M. Mekonnen and A. Hoekstra from U of Twente, Netherlands, beef uses 4 million gallons of water per ton. That means just under 40,000 gallons for a pound of meat. To break it down further, the study looked at the amount of “blue” water used. For veggies, 5.6 gallons of blue water is used to produce a pound. 20 gallons is used to produce a pound of fruit. And about 72 gallons are used to produce a pound of beef. These figures vary greatly, depending on the further breakdown within the category.

According to Ask.com, the Department of Animal and Range Sciences at the South Dakota University measured that 1 cow may yield 84 pounds of steak quality meat, which means, more or less, 225 6 oz. meals or 336 4 oz. meals. The same amount of water produces 23,000,000 heads of broccoli.

And 70% of the water used in livestock industry is to grow animal feed; in California, this means alfalfa for cows. The sad thing is that, even though California is experiencing a water shortage, farmers are exporting alfalfa hay to Asia. (Show me the money!)

According to the Food And Agriculture Organization Of The United Nations, 70% of land that has been deforested in Latin America, which means, in part, the Amazon, is used for livestock grazing. The expense of the food for livestock is what makes the least sustainable sense.

THE ETHICS OF EATING MEAT

I have had lively debate with a local doctor. He talks about how plants have feelings, or certainly, that they react to stimuli; and I talk about how I believe plants yield to us but should be thanked for their sacrifice. Certainly, we both agree that hurting animals is wrong.

In my opinion, if vegan food is available to me; it is my duty to eat it. Were I in a North country with limited vegetation, would I eat fish or four-legged animals? I would, because it’s my duty to self-sustain; I would give thanks for the animal’s life I used for mine, the way I do with the plants I eat.

A fascinating fact is that Inuits in Greenland have low heart disease. They eat primarily proteins and fats from salmon, whale and seal with no sugars and no carbs. This statistic may come from their Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio, which is balanced at 1:1, unlike in the West where we are Omega-6 (inflammatory) rich.

CONCLUSION

The habit of eating meat is like any other repetitive pattern we have. When we think about it, we may choose to change it in order to enhance our health, eat in a way that will help stop hunger, be examples of saving water so there will be some left for our grandchildren and modify our ethical actions.

Instead of blindly consuming food, just because it tastes good to us, we might want to consider the consequences of our actions. Not following in the footsteps of the past generations, we might want to evaluate the newest scientific evidence about food and nutrition. We might choose to realize that the dairy and meet industries have vast sums of money to promote the idea of eating meat or consuming dairy. Big media are friends with big dairy, big meat, big poultry and big pharma. These relationships may be cause for us to do our own research on whether the habit of eating meat needs a complete turnaround in 2014.

ACTION STEPS

Here are several action steps that may serve all of us.

1) Check out the amount of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids you consume on an average day, shooting for 4 (Omega-6) : 1(Omega-3). The National Institute Of Science recommends a ratio of 10:1 in the United States. In my opinion, that’s because they are friends with agribusiness producers who make vegetable oils, sugars and other foods that imbalance the ratio. Other countries typically say 4:1 is OK, new evidence points to 1:1 being ideal.

2) Research a few hunger statistics, and consider replacing 1 meat meal weekly with a plant-based meal. You can go to the PETA website at http://features.peta2.com/making-the-connection/world-hunger.aspx, about half way down to the slider showing the ratio of elimination of eating animals to the amount of hunger that would go away.

3) Be grateful for whatever food you eat. This will bring positive feelings to the world, which may, in turn, create happier circumstances for all animals and plants, including ourselves.
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FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.
Please leave a comment.

Please LIKE us on the website and at WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

Thanks.

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 and habit change.

She is slowly realizing the importance of early education to impact environment when it comes to animal farming and proper nutrition. She says,

“Teachers have the absolute privilege of connecting the dots for young children to understand the world and how it works. What can be taught now to elementary school children is things like producing meat can use 10 times as much blue water as producing vegetables. And reducing meat consumption can reduce hunger.

“These real-life scenarios can help children to understand what most adults don’t due to lack of connecting the dots: that greed or over-consumption can keep the world out of balance and that a little self-control in each of us can heal the world one hungry child at a time. Our thoughtful actions can also create health in ourselves.

“With this knowledge, the youth, who are the change makers of the world, will be able to take meaningful actions based on seeing the full picture. But, will the education system – walking on tiptoes to maintain its funding – allow such teaching; and will the community – walking on tiptoes so that the major corporations lend a hand to sponsor local projects so local politicians look good – allow the open teaching that is needed? It will require patient work on the part of local educators. But, it’s worth it to educate students about the habit of eating meat and what issues surround it.”

QUITTING A HABIT! (ISSUE 118)

By Diane Gold

Quitting a habit! Quitting is such a simple word. It has two very different connotations, although they both mean the same thing. It means the act of stopping doing something. But, in our minds, it usually refers to stopping our current job or ceasing our current habit. We will focus on the habit.

PSYCHOLOGICALLY HELPFUL?

When we use the word “quitting” for the cessation of a habit, it conjures up the image of life being sucked out of our bodies. Even thinking about stopping a habit feels as if we are going to lose something instead of gain something. Psychologically, these concepts direct our actions, so they are not just semantic observations that only have intellectual use. When we see we are going to get something; it can cause pleasure, and we are more likely to move toward it. On the other hand, when we are going to lose something; it can cause pain and we avoid it.

That’s why it’s much more advantageous for us to use the correct word and one that is more pleasing to our psyche: replacing. When we replace something, we maintain a feeling of abundance. This keeps us balanced and happy.

THE TRUTH

The truth is this:

ONCE A HABIT, ALWAYS A HABIT.

This is not a bad thing, so please, let’s hold onto our hats and rejoice! It’s a reality that when we respond to an urge for something over and over again, it becomes a habit.

And, once we have learned it, we usually do not unlearn it. What we do accomplish is we replace it. And this is the interesting fact.

REPLACING A HABIT

So, here’s this task we have for ourselves. We have a habit, and we want to replace it.

One of the online dictionary’s defines replace as,

“Take the place of” and

“Put back in a previous position.”

I would edit the second definition to be,

“Put in position,”

merely because where the “something” is placed could be in an old or new area of our lives.

REPLACING VS. QUITTING

When it comes to habits, replacing and quitting are like opposite sides of the yin-yang symbol, where opposing forces make the whole.

Consider the glass’ being half empty or half full concept. When the glass is full, we think of richness. The empty term, in Western terms, can speak to barrenness, although, in the Eastern way, emptiness is the way to abundance.

Deleting the term “quitting,” when it comes to habit change is a freeing experience. So many people are anxiety ridden when they think they have to quit something. Many fewer people are troubled when they think about replacing or doing a new behavior and keeping the attention on that new behavior.

In fact, the idea of focus comes into play. When we focus on quitting our old behavior, our mind is filled with all the old memories that go with the behavior. When we focus on replacing our behavior with the new one, we walk in the new direction, which is where we want to go.

There’s all that talk about keeping the eye on the target, the goal, the ball. It’s true that if we keep focused on the new behavior as if it comes naturally, eventually, with repetition, the replacement behavior will become natural, and we will have a new habit. Or, at least, we will get good at replacing it.

CAUTION: THE BOREDOM TRIGGER

Be careful of the feeling of boredom. It can act as a built-in excuse for doing a certain behavior that is not good for us. We might think that if we had excitement rather than stagnation in our lives, we would not act out the behavior we wanted to change. We might even create the boredom to delude ourselves.

Boredom, in many cases, is the actual trigger that causes our over and over again behavior that becomes a habit. Rather than knowing there are an infinite amount of things we can do to lead full lives, it’s important to pre-plan one or two of them. That way, we will be armed against even the most common cues like boredom.

ACTION STEPS

So, let’s get started and see how it feels.

ACTION STEP 1

1)   Pick one thing you wish to “put in position.” This means pick any habit you would like to replace, such as eating desserts or sleeping too much.

Let’s say we always get the urge to eat dessert. We can change our reaction to this trigger by planning another behavior in its stead, such as going jogging as soon as that urge is felt. This will begin the process of replacement. Repeating this behavior will turn it into a habit. By behaving consistently by jogging and not dessert eating, we will have replaced our old with the new behavior. Although this certainly is quitting acting out the old behavior from the sheer repetition of the act; it’s easier to accomplish by using the concept of “replace.”

ACTION STEP 2

2)   Keep a record of what time the urge occurs, what time you start the new behavior (like jogging) and how long you do the new behavior and each time this occurs for a week. If this is accomplished for a week, continue the process for another week, another week and another week.

ACTION STEP 3

3)   Promise yourself you will not judge whether it is just as difficult to do the new behavior a month later as it was on the first day. This feeling is not important. It just exists and doesn’t work only one way. For some people, it becomes easier with time to be automatic about doing your new behavior. For others, you will have to be deliberate in directing yourself to do your new behavior.

Just keep replacing. Each time you do, it’s OK to give yourself a high five in the mirror.

CONCLUSION

Think about quitting a habit. It reminds me of wrenching something from life. We have to do without which causes pain.

Now think about replacing a habit. Ever more gentle it is, causing some growing pains, yet not attacking our psyche in the same way.

Of course, when we want to do something new in place of some old habit, we want to give ourselves the easiest path to follow. That path involves planning one simple action that will be repeated over and over again. It also requires saying “replace” instead of “quit.”

Armed with these tools, we have every opportunity to have a pain-free experience of moving from one habit to another.
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FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much. Please leave  a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook. Thanks.

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 and habit change.

She believes “replacing a habit” is a more nurturing way of the phrase “quitting a habit.” She says,

“How we are treated by others is really important. How we treat ourselves is crucial.

“We have the opportunity to be nurturing to ourselves. Making it easy for ourselves is one such way to nurture. This includes speaking of ourselves fondly and setting up the user friendliest situations. For habit change, this means using the word ‘replace’ and not ‘quit.’ It’s similar to the difference between exercising on a rocky field or exercising on a flat cushy matted floor. One is easier than the other.

“Be nice to thyself whenever possible. This will facilitate us in any habit change endeavor.”