Tag: health

Of Mice and Pontiffs

On By Alex V. WeirIn Philosophy, Psychology, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Image result for mouse pope

 

It’ll be as a slow eternal drip of ‘you’re a piece of shit’ until you too die among your own waste in a hospital bed attended by bored and surly interns.

 

So I found a sick mouse. It appeared to be an infant. It emitted adorable squeaks and had little tiny people hands. Some have called me a chauvinist asshole. I submit this story as proof that I’m at least 25 percent chic.

Instead of stomping it with my doc martins (which to be honest may have been more merciful) I tried to nurse it back to health. Unsuccessfully mind you because when I returned home from work the little pestilence had expired.

Besides the fact that it was barely walking I think it was dehydration that had truly done it in. If you are a dirty hippy like me and can’t stand to let nature slay the weak here are some pointers that may help if you come across a sick or injured rodent/squirrel/bogwraith.

Image result for bog wraith
I can haz cheezeburger?

First and foremost find out if there’s a wildlife rescue center. The one near me advises not to give the buggers food or water and just take them straight there. By the time I found the damned thing the place was closing. They have a Dropbox so all that would have happened was it would have died in a dropbox. Unless there’s somebody there behind closed doors afterhours which I sort of doubt.

If you can’t take it to a rescue center Qtips with water or goatsmilk might be the right decision. Even better if you happen to have a syringe. Mice eat broccoli etc. Do a websearch.

Annoyingly enough when I got home there was yet another sick mouse in the middle of my living room. Ugh…just as I’d sat down with my coffee to listen to my favorite E-pundits the damned thing squeaked. I’m surprised my giant hound dog didn’t try to off it. Could be the spots on the poor things back. Looked like wee tumors. Tragic, I put him in a box with the dead one and tried giving it water. It just sat there and as far as I know was buried or let go by a family member while I napped.

So, that and general fatigue are why I failed to post anything of substance yesterday. This little tragedy gives me some fodder for pontificating. Let’s have a philosophical wank shall we?

If I had come across these mice as a brood or as an adult I may have slain them on sight. They are after all disease carrying little vectors. Sure if it was a mom with nursing pups I may have released them in a field far from home. But getting gassed at animal control is probably more merciful than being dismembered by owls. Holy shit owls are awesome.

25+ Majestic Owls Caught On Camera | Bored Panda
I can see the damned.

Yet, because it was an infant and alone and sick (which means it might have been carrying an infection mice have very similar immunological systems so I’m kind of a retard) I felt the need to try to help it. Which may have something to do with me being a chic and wired to respond to an infants cry but I’m going to use this to say it had to do with numbers and health.

It’s easier to kill a platoon with a machine gun then it is to shoot a guy on a bagel run. Mice are quick little blurs of grey lightning that appear when you turn on the kitchen light. I don’t have much mercy for grey lightning. Definitely not the same amount as I do for a little squeaking thing that takes pathetic sips of water and stares at you with a pleading half lidded gaze.

So I suppose the conclusion from all of that is the banality of evil. Or rather how it unfolds. War is a shitty thing, that is just as destructive if not more destructive than murder, yet war is a hell of a lot easier than murder. Too easy in my opinion which is why we should be cautious about entering conflicts. There’s a primordial itch in all of us to secure our futures by any means necessary and its easy to excuse scratching it if the perceived enemy is numerous, healthy, and strong.

It’s also odd how it’s easier to care for a sick animal than a sick person. I think this too has to do with agency and capacity. People can hurt your feelings, and if they’re not making efforts to heal, it can get really frustrating. It can get downright hellish if you lose your temper with a sick person because sick people understand what you’re saying while yelling at a mouse freaks it out momentarily at worst.

There’s no finer torture than losing your temper with a terminal human. It’ll be as a slow eternal drip of ‘you’re a piece of shit’ until you too die among your own waste in a hospital bed attended by bored and surly interns. We still have a long way to come in end of life care, especially for the elderly, not only institutionally but personally on an individual level. It’s too often a thing that’s pushed out of mind until it’s too late to adequately prepare for.

Finally, let’s talk a bit about death itself and how to handle it. I don’t consider myself particularly wise or learned but I have paid attention to the thing for some time now. I think the healthiest thing is to view it as a passage as part of the same process that gave you life. Why should you want to live forever? Isn’t deterioration or one of the myriad accidents that can occur a sort of blossoming of its own that’s part of the rich garden of experience. I’m not Catholic I promise. I don’t get off on suffering and I don’t encourage it. I’m just saying it happens and suffering about suffering doesn’t make much sense especially for the sufferer. This is not by the way something you should say bluntly to a suffering person because that would make you a right cunt.

I think it is important to follow the instinct for life, to try to maintain your health, while being aware that your quinoa and yogurt diet won’t make you immortal and that you don’t want to be immortal anyway. Try to stay fit and capable of having a full range of experience without turning life into Lent.

That’s my mouse inspired pontificating. Hope you enjoyed. Since this was a bit of sermonizing please add to the collection plate in the patreon link if you can. A thousand mice will be freed from purgatory I promise.

Image result for benny hinn

https://www.minds.com/Weirmellow | Indie Social Media Site
https://www.patreon.com/TheFractalJournal | Support the Journal – I will always try to improve production wise independent of revenue generated through this content but every bit of loose change helps. Whether or not you choose to help out I appreciate your visit.

 

 

 

Fractal Radio| Episode 8 – Fresh Fears! Antibiotics vs. Gutfeelings

On By Alex V. WeirIn Philosophy, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I receive a long-awaited item and discuss the impact of antibiotics on gut microbiomes. Yep. It’s the Fractal Journal. How else would it go?

Topics

American Zen

Little Fears!

A Layman Opines

   If ya dig it too…

Little Fears| https://littlefears.co.uk/

http://www.minds.com/Weirmellow | Follow me on Minds!

http://www.patreon.com/TheFractalJournal | Support Indie Media!

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26793178

https://www.the-scientist.com/daily-news/antibiotics-and-the-gut-microbiome-35237

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/11/taking-antibiotics-can-change-the-gut-microbiome-for-up-to-a-year/415875/

Let a Sleeping Dog Lie

On By Alex V. WeirIn Philosophy, Psychology, UncategorizedLeave a comment

let-sleeping-dogs-lie.jpg

Hey, I bought into the myth myself…. for a long time. The idea that sleep is for the weak, that I was somehow special, needing less sleep than your average schmuck. This was part of my modus operandi for a good decade.

I eventually let go of this notion when I realized that I couldn’t focus on anything substantive for longer than a few hours and some days a few minutes.

My transformation into a person who demands that love, family, money, bosses, friends, and even Jesus Christ himself bugger off for at least eight hours a day came with a few interesting realizations.

Like the only sober guy in a group of giggling stoners – I began to see, with laser-like clarity that my fellow dudes and dudettes weren’t being profound, they were being idiots.

It’s an epiphany that has allowed me to be paradoxically sympathetic and impatient.

A few months ago I was at a job interview and couldn’t help but let my eyes glaze over when the interviewer described their drive (“I love the grind!”) in glowing detail. I don’t mind boasting. I think when done properly it can be a valid assertion of one’s accomplishments in a world that loves to pick apart your every weakness. But I can no longer stomach heaping praise on maladaptive behavior.

Part of this man’s pride seemed to come from his capacity for privation. He explained in exquisite detail how on many nights for a good long while he was only getting two hours of sleep. Well..no wonder he was balding before thirty. Sure genetics may play a role…but, supposing this tale of robbing the Sandman blind were true…I wouldn’t doubt it was a contributing factor.

Generally, things that are high quality require a lot of effort. I think that’s how the myth really digs its way into the psyche. Going without sleep is difficult, it gives you more hours in a day that never seems to have enough, ergo going without sleep is a feat of self-sacrifice on par with the very Cross.

Sleep is for the lazy and the weak. The strong drink an espresso and soldier on. Towards what exactly…I don’t know. But I’ll wager that it looks a lot like early mortality and an increasingly burdened medical system.

The United States has a serious issue with chronic illness. Chronic illness is expensive. It is expensive in every possible way. It damages the life of the afflicted and the lives of those around them and costs a hell of a lot of money. The times, the cheers, and the laughs that could be spent living well and healthy are instead sopped up by hospital visits, little blood sugar kits, and lots of feverish accounting.

This trend has been attributed to a number of factors like diet, work, and exercise habits. All of which are valid. Sleep has also been implicated though I fear that its not been implicated strongly enough. Because culturally the myth of the Insomniac Ubermensch still reigns. Hence, my interviewers glowing opinion of the practice. It’s what achievers do!

I’m a tad skeptical when it comes to suburban achievements. 40, 50, 60 k a year, some degree in something spiffy, etc all seem like tawdry compensation for health. I really doubt that had these talented and dedicated individuals, spent their time truly critically assessing what it was that allowed for real excellence,  that they would have hopped onto a giddy predetermined little maze.

With the resources and technology, we have at our disposal today we could do far better than more of the same.

It never ceases to amaze me how awkward social interactions are. How weird and spacey people are. At first, I thought that I was just seeing things. But as I adopted healthier habits and gained more confidence in my powers of observation I really only found my impressions confirmed.
This is, of course, likely due to a number of factors. But peoples inability to critically assess concepts, to remember things, and to hold a sustained polysyllabic conversation definitely has something to do with everybody being constantly shagged out.

As I got more and more refreshing shuteye, like the former drunk who notices the slur in his AA buddies speech, I noticed the lapses in attention, the moodiness, and the infuriatingly obvious missed cues of the sleep deprived.

A good portion of the dangerous myth of the Insomniac Superman has to do with an ignorance of biology. It’s really funny because there is so much in our culture that people now use to cast off responsibility and cultivation. O you’re a bit blue: HERE’S A Pill! They have no trouble attributing the blues to biology but they don’t attribute their ability to perform to the most natural and biological of things: sleep.

Well, the NIH, Harvard, and a good number of researchers and scientists have done great work in isolating the exact role of sleep. Everything from weight to memory, to the susceptibility to accidents and cancer, is affected by sleep.

As I have already said sure there are many factors that contribute to something like cancer. I’ve heard people wonder aloud as to why we see so much ailment, why we have such a high rate of chronic illnesses. Despite the fact that plastics and pollutants and longer lifespans are a factor we must never leave out behavior.

Not sleeping is bad behavior. If you don’t believe me here are some links to people with bigger diploma shaped Phalluses than I:

https://medlineplus.gov/magazine/issues/summer12/articles/summer12pg17.html

https://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/importance_of_sleep_and_health

As for me I’ve just awoken from a lovely post work siesta and am going to use my relaxed natural energy to enjoy a beer and play the piano.

Go forth and nap!

Sleep ‘Hack’

On By Alex V. WeirIn Philosophy, Psychology, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Image result for antique alarm clock

 

 

I stumbled on this very common sense trick this morning.

I have a variable schedule that sometimes requires me to be at work at three am.

The importance of sleep cannot be overstated. A brief web query will confirm this.

Knowing well the effects of inadequate sleep and how they can sneak up on you, when you start to view a ‘sub-optimal’ (to say the least) state as normal, I feel it important enough to share my little trick.

It starts with the well known and obvious habit of laying out your clothes for the coming day by your bedside.

Most people are probably already aware of the benefit of preparing a minimalist protein-rich breakfast that you can wolf down with efficiency. (Or skipping it altogether, if you are accustomed to intermittent fasting and know how and if it will affect your performance at work and throughout the day.)

Even if you adhere to such disciplines consistently (and in so doing gain a tad more time to snooze) you might still get that morning fog that makes you groan.

I really felt it this morning and thought hey, yea….

‘I generally give myself an hour to prepare in the morning.

But today I’m not going to be reading the news and having my coffee I’m going to get some extra shuteye without drifting off into that oblivion that imperils your livelihood.’

So I got out of bed, put in my contacts, put on my work clothes, put the coffee pot on, and hopped back into bed setting my alarms (I have multiple alarms) for another hour of sleep. Leaving me just enough time to gulp down my caffeine boost and motor off to work.

It worked. I awoke feeling far more refreshed than usual and didn’t stay in bed too long. I gulped down some kefir for the protein essential for promoting and preserving wakefulness and went off to perform my duties with a clarity of mind that lasted all throughout the day.

Obviously, everyone is different and at different points in their life so adjust this advice according to your needs. I hope you found this helpful. Thanks for reading.

The Sort of Cold

On By Alex V. WeirIn Philosophy, Psychology, UncategorizedLeave a comment

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Oh no. The common workers’ dilemma. What the hell is this tickling in my nose? Oh,  it’s now a burning in my throat.

Well damn, it’s not too bad. I have a pretty good immune system. I guess I’ll go to work, wash my hands often, and won’t stand too close to people. There are bills you know.

This mini-episode of sociopathy and desperation is pretty common and indicative of the sort of society we live in. Sure you could talk all day about personal responsibility but life costs money and people get sick and sometimes they can’t afford to be sick. What can be done? I don’t really know but I think it’s worth mentioning.

What I can do, besides just bring it up, is offer ways to proactively deal with the bummer of the ‘sort of cold.’

The first thing you can do is view these mini-maladies as practice. Honestly, I sometimes get suspicious if I don’t get just a little bit sick at least once a year. How else am I going to know that my immune system is getting a workout? I don’t know how wise or scientifically sound this hypothesis is. But, it seems at least to be a better tactic then getting upset about sickness.

It is possible to lose your temper at common cold. I think that I have pretty good grounds for getting upset about it. Aside from the occasional double pint night or go at the cookie jar I’m pretty healthy. I exercise regularly, I eat a more or less balanced diet with an emphasis on protein, I make it a point to get enough sleep, and I have decent hygiene.

WHY AM I SICK? I could get justifiably mad about it but that’s not productive. Obviously assessing the nature of the illness, recovery plans, whether you need a sick day, or a doctors visit are the first steps you should take.

My two cents here is a tad more philosophical. It has to do with outlook.

The second thing you can do aside from viewing colds as practice is letting them inspire you. Sounds odd but it works. Due to a combination of luck and effort, I can generally remain feeling pretty great most of the time.

What happens when you feel strong and enthusiastic for a long time is you can lose touch with mortality and your vulnerability. This state produces complacency. A complacency that’s very helpfully broken by the common cold.

If you’re used to feeling well and are suddenly sick, even a little, it can be jarring. Jarring enough to inspire you to redouble your efforts at being healthy and strive to be vigilant about your vulnerabilities.

A good use for illnesses that you are 100% sure are gonna pass in a couple of days is to realize that they could be much worse, that they could be cancer, or diabetes, or dementia. Musing on ‘an even worse’ case scenario will inspire you to take the preventative measures we are all familiar with more seriously. It can inspire you to do more background reading and to be more sympathetic and understanding of situations and people because you’ve contextualized life as the complex and vulnerable thing that it is.

The third and final strategy that I’ll mention before I make a beeline for my coffee/honey/milk-fix is the trite but true method of letting sickness kindle a greater appreciation. A greater appreciation of what exactly?

Well, obviously of your health when you have it, of the fact that things work as well as they do in a world where something you can’t even see can kick your ass, and of the fact that you have the means to recover. I for one, due to avid reading, and some experience with slightly less than first-world conditions, am ecstatic as hell that I can munch on frigging pineapples, chocolate,  drink milk, and enjoy honey in December while exploring the world with keystrokes in a warm, dry, clean and well lit little office. I am also greatly appreciative that even if I am an odious toad and risk getting my coworkers slightly sick they’ll understand cause that’s how I got the cold in the first place.

Generally though, avoid going to work or even near family when sick. I only risk these things because I can knock out a could within thirty-six hours and think that whatever that slight burn is, is just the devastated phalanx of micro-organisms who chose to mess with the wrong Barbarian horde. This is already a bit silly but sometimes we can’t avoid silly.

Hope these tips have helped and use your own discretion. May your celebrations be bug-free and Happy New Year.

TAP # 9 – Intermittent Fasting and Loop Control

On By Alex V. WeirIn Philosophy, Psychology, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I get loopy. Talking about syncing up your steering wheel with your gas pedal. These are sites that I consider to be fairly well sourced and reliable: That doesn’t mean I agree with or endorse everything they say. Simply that they are a good place to try and expand your knowledge. Remember to think critically. – http://roguehealthandfitness.com/ – https://chriskresser.com/

The DOD’s Position on your Beerbelly

On By Alex V. WeirIn Philosophy, Psychology, UncategorizedLeave a comment

 

Image result for beer belly cartoon                                                                                                     Image result for nuclear bomb explosion

Gut Bomb Indeed!

There’s trouble Jim!

Our plush lovable beer holsters are a threat to national security.

By the year 2040, 100% of the federal budget will be on Medicare and Medicaid.

Sick people are a liability, which is why the DOD has put a sick nation on par with nuclear war.

According to Chris Kresser, an author and health researcher, the DOD has in fact named health care as an existential threat.

That’s truly wild.

While I do think it reasonable to make conservative guesses, on the potential future outcomes of trends, based on solid data and interpretative frameworks (I’m real fun at parties!); I’m generally cautious about taking predictions completely on board, no matter the source.

Despite the click-baitiness of Kresser’s claims* they’re probably not far off target.

What makes me say this is the data that we already have.

Kresser threw down some hard facts on his recent appearance, on a popular podcast known as The Joe Rogan Experience.

One in two American’s has a chronic disease. That’s either you or the guy next to you.

One of the most common chronic diseases is diabetes.

1/3 of Americans are either pre-diabetic or diabetic. Diabetes-like all chronic diseases is expensive, with treatment costs adding up to 630, 000 dollars over an average lifespan – 45 years at an average of $14k/yr.

Add that to our other well known financial woes and a truly cataclysmic outcome doesn’t seem unlikely.

Catastrophist I am not. I am cataclysm averse. I don’t think they happen that often. I know they don’t happen as often as people who stand to profit, from the various doomsday cottage industries, would like you to believe.

But catastrophes do occur. Floods, hurricanes, stock market crashes, wars, such things aren’t uncommon. And when one such thing gets sufficiently out of hand, then it approaches the parameters of cataclysm.

‘1/3 of Americans’ is getting parametrically awkward.

I call this the calculus of: Oh shit.

So what’s to be done?

Fixing the federal budget is beyond the scope of this article.

The answer to this looming disaster is simple. It is far simpler than becoming vigilant and educated citizens.

It is the doctrine of personal responsibility. Ok, doctrine doesn’t sound simple. I promise I’m not a libertarian...So…. how about eat less pasta, play more Tennis. Or just good ol’ ‘Put down that cheeseburger.’

While it’s simple it’s not necessarily easy. One of Kresser’s more plausible tidbits was informing us that food companies paid scientists, to exploit our penchant for the yummies to create hyper-addictive foods.

Fortunately, it seems that the more good choices you make the easier it is to make good choices. Knowing that your Cheetos are engineered to make you buy Cheetos will probably help along the rocky path to healthier living.

One aspect of Kresser’s recent appearance that I especially appreciated was his focus on the psychology of change.

Preaching of the virtues of vigor and promising the Valhalla of washboard abs isn’t really helpful. And despite Milo Yinappolis’s claims to the contrary, ‘shaming’ didn’t work terribly well when I tried the tactic on my heavier brethren.

Kresser skipped these standard pitches and instead focused on laying out methods for working with your biology to build better habits. Stuff like the potato hack. (To get more on this I recommend you visit his website and listen to JRE #1037.)

Kresser stressed the need to take people on a case by case basis since each person’s body responds to various techniques differently. Joe Rogan hammered this point home by pointing out how Robb Wolf’s wife was healthier despite the couple living and eating almost exactly the same.

There is, of course, a bit more than dietary changes and commitments to exercise needed to resolve today’s grim health issues. What we need to do is undergo a paradigm shift in how we approach our health.

The impression I have is that despite all the organic brick-a-brac and Yoga, we’re still functioning under the idea that we’re eventually ‘just going to get sick.’ That the first thing to do when this happens is to go to the doctor and get some pills, the sooner the better.

You should, of course, go to the doctor if you’re feeling sick but you have to understand that the doctor isn’t there to ‘fix you.’ You should understand that you don’t want the doctor to fix you. Just like you don’t want the mechanic to fix your car. The doctor should be there to help you when accidents happen or when certain specialized maintenance should be done. The doctor is not a magical backup.

I really don’t mean to be patronizing. I know this is simple stuff and most people know it. But as Rogan and Kresser pointed out knowing something and putting it into practice are two different ballgames.

There are various cultural assumptions and lifestyle habits that lead us to a somewhat mystical notion of modern medicine.

We must remember that modern medicine is a specific science for solving specific problems. We must understand that ‘repair’ is not the same thing as ‘maintenance.’

Putting that knowledge into practice means educating yourself on the limits of medical intervention and its true role: a method to get you back to ‘LIVING’ healthily rather than ‘MAKING’ you healthy.

What you’ll find if you listen to the podcast will have you buying potatoes and signing up for the gym post haste.

* These may well be true but my lackadaisical Googling has yielded several think tank studies which will just have to wait.
– This article was brought to you by Big Potato. They’re not paying. Simply threatening me with vague warnings about being careful where my chips fall, something about the Knights Tuber, and Spudtaneous Combustion. Therefore I’m scared and need a drink so visit my Patreon.

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