Quotes from Bruce Lipton's "The Biology of Belief"

Here are quotes and resources from Bruce Lipton’s Tenth Anniversary Edition of “The Biology of Belief”:

“...tDCS can influence neural activity that results in increasing attention, expanding memory, improving visual abilities and mathematical skills, and alleviating symptoms of depression. (Sanders 2014)” There’s also a reference to Nathan Whitmore, a neuroscience researcher at the National Institute of Aging and advocate of DIY brain zapping. http://www.diytdcs.com/tag/nathan-whitmore/ .

Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation, “To create awareness in our children and our communities that we can choose love over anger, gratitude over entitlement, and forgiveness and compassion over bitterness.” http://www.JesseLewisChooseLove.org

“Soul survivor : the reincarnation of a World War II fighter pilot,” by Bruce and Andrea Leininger, available at SPL. https://books.google.com/books?id=gTHiKTfWhrgC

“Dying to be me : my journey from cancer, to near death, to true healing,” by Anita Moorjani, available at APL & SPL. https://books.google.com/books?id=Pmc5wFoi578C

http://www.brucelipton.com

http://psych-k.com

http://www.HealYourLife.com

Artsy -- an Online Art Resource

The Michelangelo Buonarroti page on Artsy provides visitors with the artist's bio, over 20 of his works, exclusive articles, and up-to-date Buonarroti exhibition listings. The page also includes related artists and categories, allowing viewers to discover art beyond our Buonarroti page.

Macronutrients Charts for Beef and Fish

Maria Emmerich of "Maria Mind Body Health" has posted charts that show macronutrients for various cuts of beef and for various types of fish and seafood.  You can find them on her website here:
http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/charts/

Hand Made Low Carb Ice Cream

For those of us on a low carb diet, ice cream is off limits.  Even the sugar-free varieties that I've seen in the store are filled with artificial sweeteners and maltodextrin.  Sure they're lower carb, but the sweetness would be enough to throw me into a sugar-seeking binge,  So I made my own version from pure heavy cream, vanilla extract and a modest amount of stevia.

I don't have an ice cream maker, so I used a method described on the Handle the Heat website.  It's very satisfying, meaning I don't need to eat a lot in order to satisfy my ice cream craving.  I controlled the sweetness to a bare suggestion of sweet, relying on the vanilla to carry the illusion of real ice cream.

I have stevia powder, which I first liquified with about a tablespoon of hot water.

Blogher and the Male Blogger

This is the first year I've been cross-posting on Blogher during NaBloPoMo.  I confess that I feel like an alien on that site.

Before I ramble on, I want to make it perfectly clear that I am grateful to Blogher for hosting NaBloPoMo.  And I admire the team of talented writers that contribute to the site's content.

But, the reason I feel like an alien on Blogher is because of the predetermined set of tags I have to choose from.  They're so... gender-skewed toward the feminine that I feel a bit stifled.

The complete list of tags is given below.

A few of the main categories are typical of a content provider or message board: Food; Health; News & Politics; Entertainment.  Yet the sub-categories under them seem incomplete.  For example, "Food" could use "Desserts" "Paleo" and "Outdoor Grilling".  "Health" could use "Vaccinations" and "Exercise" rather than "Infertility" and "Pregnancy".  "Entertainment" is fine except that "Sports" should be a main category all on its own.

DIY really should be called "Hobbies" because its sub-categories are essentially hobbies, and because it lacks such real DIY subjects as "Flooring" "Electrical/Lighting" "Plumbing" and "Automotive"

And then there's the most feminine main category of "Style," which includes:  Makeup; Nails; Shoes; Fashion; Hair.  Oh yes, I'm so looking forward to writing about makeup....  Hmm, then again, it might be a fun challenge to write about each sub-category of "Style," from a guy's perspective, of course.  Maybe Melissa Ford will make me write Style posts for the remainder of NaBloPoMo as punishment for dissing the tags.

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The list of predefined Blogher tags, as of Monday, November 16, 2015...

Blogging

Social Media

 -Tips, Tricks & Tools 

 -Blogging Events 

 -BlogHer Publishing Network News 

 -NaBloPoMo 

Food

 -Food Politics 

 -Baking 

 -Drinks

 -Cooking for Health 

 -Frugal Kitchen 

 -Gluten-Free 

 -Quick and Easy 

 -Recipes

 -Special Occasion 

 -Vegetarian and Vegan 

Games 

Health 

 -Body Image 

 -Mental Health

 -Diet & Fitness 

 -Infertility 

 -Wellness 

 -Pregnancy 

DIY 

 -Crafts 

 -Style DIY

 -Home & Garden 

 -Knitting, Crochet & Sewing 

 -Photography 

Work/Life 

 -Childfree 

 -GLBT 

 -Grief and Loss 

 -Humor 

 -Midlife 

 -Career 

 -Pets 

 -Finding Balance 

 -Caregiving 

 -Spirituality 

 -Travel

 -Green 

 -Money 

Love & Sex 

 -Dating 

 -Divorce 

 -Marriage and Commitment 

 -Sex 

 -Weddings and Anniversaries 

Family 

 -SAHMs 

 -Working Moms 

 -Tweens & Teens 

 -Adoption 

 -Empty Nesters 

 -Grandparents 

 -Home Schooling 

 -Multiples 

 -Special needs 

News & Politics 

 -Science 

 -Current Events 

 -Politics 

 -Media and Journalism 

 -Race & Class 

 -Feminism 

 -Technology 

Entertainment

 -Arts & Culture 

 -Astrology 

 -Books 

 -Movies & Television

 -Music 

 -Pop Culture 

 -Sports 

Style 

 -Makeup 

 -Nails

 -Shoes 

 -Fashion 

 -Hair

Advertise and Market with Women 

BlogHer Conferences 

 -#BlogHerFood16

 -BlogHer Food '15 

 -BlogHer 2016 

 -BlogHer 2015 

 -BlogHer Conference 2012 

 -BlogHer Entrepreneurs '13 

 -BlogHer PRO '14 

 -BlogHer Conference 2014 

 -BlogHer Food '14 

 -BlogHer Food 2013 

 -BlogHer Conference 2013

 -BlogHer PRO 

 -BlogHer Pro '13 

 -HealthMinder Day 2013 

 -Pathfinder Day 2013

 -Viewfinder Day 2013 

 -BlogHer Entrepreneurs '12 

 -BlogHer Food 2012 

 -BlogHer Handmade 

 -BlogHer Writers '11 

 -BlogHer | bet 

 -BlogHer Conference 2011

 -BlogHer Food 2011 

 -BlogHer Food 2010 

 -BlogHer Conference 2010 

 -BlogHer Business 2010 

 -BlogHer Conferences 

 -BlogHer Food '09 

 -Reach Out Tour 2008 

 -'06 Conference news 

 -'06 Podcasts 

 -'06 Sessions/Speakers 

 -'06 Sponsors 

 -'07 Conference news

 -'07 Sessions/Speakers 

 -'07 Sponsors 

 -BlogHer Business 2008

 -BlogHer Business 2009 

 -BlogHer Conference 2008 

 -BlogHer Conference 2009 

Web site 

 -From the 'hood

Happy Birthday Medicare

Fifty years ago today, Medicare was enacted. #Medicare50

Few programs in the history of the United States have brought as much benefit to society as Medicare. Since its enactment in 1965, Medicare has provided access to quality health care for those Americans least likely to be attractive to private insurers - those over age 65, disabled, or with end stage renal disease. Medicare has also prevented many Americans from slipping into poverty...Medicare also provides security across generations: it has given American families assurance that they will not have to bear the full burden of health care costs of their elderly or disabled parents or relatives at the expense of their young families.

 - Nancy-Ann Min DeParle, former administrator of HCFA (Now CMS), in the preface to "A Profile of Medicare" in 1998

Please follow these links to learn more about the impact Medicare has had on USA.

http://www.medicareadvocacy.org/medicares-50th-anniversary/
http://www.medicareadvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/00119491.pdf

Websites That Pay Writers

On the website "Freedom With Writing" Kelley Schepper lists 54 websites that pay writers for online writing.  Here's a link to the article: http://www.freedomwithwriting.com/freedom/uncategorized/54-writing-platforms-that-pay-writers/ .

The content is not accompanied by a timestamp, but my review of the source code suggests that it was uploaded this month, March 2015.

Perhaps writing would be a good way for me to spend my excess vacation time, assuming I have any left over this year.

NoBloPoMo 2014 Wrap Up

I completed this year's National Blog Posting Month, or NaBloPoMo 2014.  I felt that this year was more challenging because: I had less time than ever before; I no longer participate in "Shadow Shot Sundays" (which essentially gave me four, easy, thought-free posts); and I'm much more lazy than ever.

Nevertheless, I have some unrealized ideas for posts as I do every year.  Here are some of the topics I had planned to write about:

1. Gender wage gap
2. Why is Thankfulness a Challenge?
3. From Christian to Pagan
4. The Right to Vote and Serve on a Jury
5. When We Use "We"
6. How I Actually Spent My Staycation
7. Photos of the Views from My Drive to Work
8. Things I've Not Done But Would Like To Try
9. My List of Must-See Movies
10. A Really Bad Lollipop

 As I did last year, I invite you to let me know which ones you'd like me to write about first.  

BTW, I was very impressed with my next-door neighbor's blog, "Being Weirdly Awesome" as well as Snoskred's own NaBloPoMo blogroll.

How to Maintain Brain Function

The current issue of Neurology Now magazine includes an article on how to maintain cognitive function.  "Staying Sharp: What you do during your free time could help save your brain" lists the following "brain-boosting activities":

• Learn A Second Language
• Become A Social Butterfly
• Play Music
• Exercise

The article also claims that heart-protective measures may also protect the brain.  For example, it recommends:

• Don't smoke.
• Sleep 7–8 hours a night.
• Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check.
• Eat a low-fat, healthy diet.
• Get plenty of exercise.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Limit alcohol consumption.
• Get blood sugar levels (and diabetes, if you have it) under control.

Yes, cholesterol is still a villain, despite assertions from both cardiologists and neurologists that high blood sugar causes damage, and it's the cholesterol that aids in the repair of that damage.

The biggest payoff is to stimulate your intellect while elevating your blood flow.  Learn to dance or practice martial arts for example.  I try to meditate while I walk, or walk mindfully.

Blood Type Diet Sale -- 15%

D'Adamo Personalized Nutrition, aka "The Blood Type Diet" store, is offering 15% off nearly everything^*.  And shipping in USA is free on orders of more than $150. New customers who use this link can save an additional 5%.

This is a great time for me to stock up on my favorites, which include:

• Blueberry-Almond Unibars
• Chocolate-Cherry Unibars
• Deflect (Type O) (Please remember to choose the formula of Deflect for your Blood Type)
• Vivani Organic Dark Chocolate with Espresso

Disclaimer: As an associate of North American Pharmacal, I may receive non-cash rewards for each click-through-purchase of any NAP product.  But I buy these items regularly, and I wouldn't recommend them if I didn't think they were worthwhile.  This is a great deal!

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^*Offers valid now through November 30, 2014. Savings applies to full priced items. Offer not to be combined with other discounts. Excludes Books,Test Kits and Packs. Free shipping is via UPS ground on US orders of more than $150 only.

2014-11-26 SPG  Fixed links.
2014-12-03 SPG  Fixed links, again.

What's in Your Water?

Residents of USA can query the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) National Drinking Water Database to find out what's in their water.  Results for homes that draw well water are not included in this database.

While browsing the EWG's website, be sure to check out the articles on Bottled Water.  Here's one page you can start with.

Thanks For These Stats

In the six-and-a-half years since this blog was started, it has gotten over twenty-thousand page views.  The top five most clicked-on posts have been:

Busy Body Jan 19, 2010	455
Ominous Sign Jan 9, 2009, 2 comments	289
SDP: Learn Aramaic Apr 20, 2010, 2 comments	192
From MS to Spinal Stenosis Nov 22, 2008, 4 comments	124
My Dog's Epulis Nov 15, 2010, 2 comments	122

Thank you for visiting, reading and commenting!

Choosing a Career

When I was in high school I took a personality test that was designed to help me figure out what college to go to and what to major in.  The results suggested that I might enjoy going to a college in Oregon to study forestry.  I recall that I responded that I like the outdoors, hiking, trees and solitude, plus I was good in math and science.

But I did not follow the advice.  First, it sounded ludicrous.  Second, I didn't want to move from home.   Yet today, if I woke with a new life studying trees, I probably wouldn't mind.

Two of the books that I'm "currently reading" show up on the side bar of this blog.  They are really for my daughter, who is expected to graduate high school in about two and a half years.

• "What Color Is Your Parachute? 2009: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers"
• "Refuse to Choose!: Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams"

They're more for job hunters and career changers -- folks who are burned out and need to try something different. "What Color Is Your Parachute?..." in particular contains a great deal of information about job hunting -- writing resumes and cover letters, networking, that sort of thing.  But I thought they would be helpful in choosing a first career.  The 8-pedalled rose chapter in "What Color Is Your Parachute?..." alone is worth the price of the book to those who need career guidance.

One other resource mentioned in "What Color Is Your Parachute?..." is the "Self-Directed Search," or SDS.  This is an online assessment tool that helps you figure out what your Holland Code is.  The SDS is not free; the test and report cost $9.95.

There's also a free test that you can take here: http://personality-testing.info/tests/RIASEC.php. In fact, I just took this test before I cleaned up the previous paragraph.  My results show that my Holland Code is IAS, meaning Thinking (I), Creating (A), Helper (S).  I got a little bar graph, too:

Knowing one's self is the first step in choosing a rewarding career.  I hope this information is helpful!

Exercises For Your Brain

As an engineer, I rely on my brain just as much as Aretha Franklin relies on her voice.  So it behooves me to not only keep my brain in good shape, but also to improve it if I can.

That's why I signed up for Lumosity.  The games on Lumosity are actually exercises designed to stimulate and improve one's brain.  To paraphrase from their website, the games on Lumosity "improve key abilities such as working memory, visual attention, and executive function in people of different ages and from different backgrounds."

Here are screenshots of my "Brain Performance Index" and "Training History"...

Free Online Meditation Series

Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Deepak Chopra have again collaborated on another free, 21-day meditation series, which they call "Desire and Destiny."

The series started on Monday, November 11, but I think they make each daily meditation available a full five days after it first appears.

Here are two blurbs from the website:

In our interactive online program we invite you to meditate and journal with us each day to embrace your dreams and desires, expand your understanding of divine purpose, and experience the peace, joy and abundance of living your destiny.

The Chopra Center 21-Day Meditation Challenge® is made available by the Chopra Center for Wellbeing, founded by Dr. Deepak Chopra. It is open to the worldwide public and is free to all who register.

You can access the meditation series here: http://chopracentermeditation.com/.  You'll be able to register and login with either Facebook or Google+, or you can create your own user name and password.  Please note that this link may be valid for the meditation series only during the 21-day promotional period.

BTW, I tried meditating on Day 1.  I awoke early in the morning, and I started it at about 5am.  But then the cat whom I call "Pee-meister" meowed at my closed bedroom door, wanting to use his private litterbox.  Luckily there's a pause button on the meditation page, so I clicked it in and then got up to let him in.  Then I resumed the meditation.  But not for long.  Pee-meister wanted to leave the room right after he was done¹.  Either that, or he was hungry.  Anyway, it was obvious I'd have no peace that morning until the cats and dog were fed, by which time the daughter would need breakfast and a lunch packed for school.

I hope your meditation experience is better than mine!

Peace

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¹ Well, sure, who'd want to stick around after stinking up the room like he did!

No News is Bad News

I've given up on traditional news media as a source of news.  Sirens can be sounding on our town, but we rarely know why, even after scouring newspapers the following day.

It occurred to me that towns should create streams of their emergency band radio chatter so that citizens can listen to what's going on, without having to buy a scanner.

Then it occurred to me that this was already being done.  And that's when my Internet search led me to RadioReference.  And I was overjoyed to find a stream of my town's police and EMS radio traffic on that website.

One night soon after, a police car was driving slowly down our street.  The officer inside was using a hand held search light to inspect the neighborhood.  I was outside with our dog, and another dog was barking nearby.  I assumed that a bear or some wild animal was spotted.

I ran back inside and connected to my town's stream.  I soon found out that they were searching for two armed robbers.  I hurriedly closed and locked all our doors.  It would've been nice if we were officially notified, but we were not.

I didn't get the full story until I read it in the newspaper the next day.  Two men armed with handguns entered a home about a half mile from ours.  They tied up the occupants and robbed the home.  I'm not sure why the newspaper didn't use the term "home invasion" -- perhaps because such things aren't supposed to happen here.

RadioReference is now hosted on Broadcastify.  Check it out -- it could save your life one day.  Gotta go -- a fire code is airing.

Fear as an Ally

I was a Trekie for the first half of my life.  Many episodes were thought-provoking and expanded my mind.  A great example is the episode of Voyager in which Captain Janeway confronts Fear incarnate.

The first four scenes establish the background that leads up to the conclusion.  There is a simulated being, called "The Clown" that lives off the fear of those in stasis.  This being would cease to exist once stasis is no longer needed, so he compels the ones who are in stasis to stay, using threats of torture and death to control them.  They are his hostages.

In the last scene, Captain Janeway agrees to enter stasis herself in order to confront Fear, but only if Fear will agree to release the others.

Here's a link to the scene on Youtube.  I hope you'll watch it -- it's my favorite scene featuring my favorite Star Trek character:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYwEaBu6lfQ

The point is that I learned something very important.  We, as complex beings, can experience fear in response to our own thoughts.  If we pay close attention to fear, we can grow.  Our thoughts cannot physically harm us, but they can hold us back from achieving our goals.

So whenever I experience fear going into a situation, such as public speaking or traveling to a distant part of the world, I resist my natural tendency to avoid it.  Instead, I become emboldened and look the situation squarely in the eye.

Notes from The Science of Skinny

The following notes / quotes are from The Science of Skinny:Start Understanding Your Body's Chemistry--And Stop Dieting Forever, by Dee McCaffrey

...two excitotoxnis -- monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aspartame (found in Equal) -- [are] two causative factors in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, and other neurodegenerative diseases. - page 21

All four generations of the cats fed raw meat and raw milk remained healthy throughout their normal life span. The groups of cats receiving either cooked meat or processed milk developed diseases and illnesses earlier in their life span with each succeeding generation, to the point where they were no longer able to reproduce their species. The cats eating only raw food were disease free and healthy, generation after generation after generation. - page 30

One Harvard scientist has proposed that the health benefits of at least one phytonutrient, epicatechin, is so important that it should be classified as a new vitamin.  Norman Hollenberg, a professor of medicine At Harvard Medical School, has spent years studying the benefits of cocoa drinking on the Kuna people in Panama.  He found that the risk of stroke, heart failure, cancer, and diabetes is reduced to less than 10 percent in the Kuna, where the people drink up to forty cups of natural cocoa a week.  Actual cocoa contains high levels of epicatechin. - page 41

A manufacturer is only required to list trans fats if the food contains 0.5 gram (half a gram) or more per serving.  Therefore, if a serving contains 0.4 grams, it does not have to be listed on the nutrition fact panel.  This misleads the unsuspecting consumer into thinking that the product does not contain trans fats.  The tricky food industry even boasts claims on the front of the packaging of "0 grams trans fat," but if you read the ingredients and still see "hydrogenated oil" listed, the product is not trans fat free. - page 129

The most alarming effect of MSG is its link to obesity.  Scientists have observed that animals fed glutamic acid  become grotesquely obese. No strain of rat or mice is naturally obese, so in laboratories scientists feed MSG to them to induce obesity and pre-diabetes. The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causing rats to become obese; the researchers even have a title for the race of fat rodents they create: MSG-Treated Rats.

The real scary thing about MSG is that it can be hidden in nearly 40 other food additives.  When food chemists make their concoctions to enhance flavors and textures, MSG is one of the ingredients they use to make new compounds.  If an additive contains less than 79 percent that MSG, the FDA does not require food manufacturers to list it as an ingredient... - page 137 - 138  Follow linked paragraphs to find a list of additives that contain plenty of MSG.

Sugar: The Bitter Truth, video presentation by Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology.  It explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin.

Follow this link to find a list of the "Dirty Dozen," the most contaminated conventionally grown produce, and the "Clean 15" with the least amount of pesticide residue. Select page 162.

Here is a link to the list of top ingredients to avoid: - page 154

Find organic food online at www.tropicaltraditions.com featuring many of the foods recommended by the Science of Skinny author.

Sources of raw milk: www.realmilk.com. More information on raw milk: www.raw-milk-facts.com.

The best protein powders: whey protein concentrate, hemp protein powder, brown rice protein powder. - page 216 - 217

Bee pollen has worked wonders for many of my clients with sugar withdrawal.  It also allows you to think more clearly and feel more positive and focused, and improves the quality of your sleep.  You can purchase  bee pollen granules at natural food markets.  I recommend taking 1 teaspoon of bee pollen, placed under the tongue, and allowing it to dissolve. - page 219

A recipe for homemade sunshine burgers can be found on page 370.

Links to more resources:
Processed Free America (website featuring the Science of Skinny author)
Weston A. Price Foundation
Dr. Mercola's Optimal Wellness newsletter
Environmental Working Group

My own comment is that while the author encourages her readers to eat organic, unprocessed whole foods to reduce the amount of sugar in the diet, she does not acknowledge that many of today's foods have been selected over hundreds of years for their sweetness.  So even today's raw foods really do contain more sugar than the foods our ancestors ate.

Free Online Education

This blog post on "Marc and Angel Hack Life" lists 12 dozen sites on the Internet that offer free online learning:

12 Dozen Places To Educate Yourself Online For Free

Wow!

How to Cultivate Resilience

A 2010 article in Neurology Now¹ explains how we can cultivate resilience in the face of hardship. The process involves changing the way you explain the negative events in your life using these three aspects: Permanence, Pervasiveness, and Personalization.

You can choose to believe that the hardship will last forever (permanent), that it will affect all areas of your life (pervasive), and that it is direct solely at you (personal).  Or you can take a more realistic approach and realize that nothing lasts forever, that the setback alters just one relationship or activity (in the case of a break up or a layoff) and that these things happen to everyone at one time or another -- it doesn't indicate that the universe is "out to get you."

Click here to read the article in full.

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¹ Depression and Resilience, Neurology Now: March/April 2010 - Volume 6 - Issue 2 - p 18–25 doi: 10.1097/01.NNN.0000370189.53041.59