5. Make it Easy on yourself
“Every aspect of human technology has a dark side, including the bow and arrow.” – Margaret Atwood
The offbeat comedian Steven Wright said, Everywhere is within walking distance if you have enough time. He should have added something about being a good swimmer, especially long distance. Wright is correct about living easier lives, which everyone should strive for, or at least with minimal stress.
Over the last few years, great advances have been made in medicine because of technology. Quicker and more accurate diagnoses of sickness have resulted in better and longer lives for many people. These improvements continue today. Those unfortunately called to war have been greatly affected by treatments not available earlier. It wasn’t that long ago that wounded men and women didn’t have the option of anesthetics while doctors operated on them. In many cases arms or legs were amputated but hope for surviving afterwards was almost nil. Many feel that the atom bombs dropped on Japan, ending World War II saved hundreds of lives.
Today things are different. Amputation may occur but prosthetics help victims manage afterwards. Computers can eliminate repetition with data banks of information on patients that results in a shorter workweek. No one will complain about that. Nevertheless, many will agree that further improvements are needed.
There is no question that posttraumatic stress disorder has been around for centuries. It’s not a new thing, going back to the time of Cain and Abel. Other names for it include soldiers’ heart, war malaise, battle fatigue, shell shock and combat fatigue. In 2008, I wrote a book on war. Sadly, not enough people read it, have spoken out or taken action showing their hatred of war, even religious groups. As you can tell technology has only made war worst.
You may not have heard about a pair of heroes, both sergeants, Mike Dowling and Sergeant Rex. The latter is a small German shepherd, also known as Rexy. The duo spent time in Iraq as a K9 team looking for improvised explosive devices (IED). Their tour together was only six months, but it must have felt like six years because of the danger involved. Rex could find a WMD, but then someone watching could set it off with a cell phone, killing both him and Mike. However, locating an IED and having the team disarm it saved lives of Americans and Iraqis. That was their job. They looked out for each other and both were confident, talented and scared. Dowling’s gripping 2011 book is Sergeant Rex: The Unbreakable Bond Between A Marine And His Working Dog. My feelings are that no animal should be ever employed in war – Rex didn’t get paid but I still feel the same had he been given a pension. Women continue to strive for equal rights and have been doing it for years. Now they can be soldiers but they too should never to be involved in that nasty endeavor. That goes for men as well. If leaders want war, they should put on a uniform and walk the talk, buying their own uniforms, weapons and body armor.
Technology has been beneficial in detecting explosives in other ways. This was done by the Department of Defense with the help of a biologist at Colorado State University, June Medford. I’ll spare the explanation since it’s a bit complicated, but say that through engineering, a hydrangia can change color to white, alerting authorities of a chemical danger. This could put Rex out of a job, but he’s not complaining.
Many innovations have brought about numerous records in the sports world, which attracts more spectators to sport. These include Astroturf, better equipment, instant replay, domed stadiums, better training methods and more protection for athletes. Some have made weekend warriors out of many participants, bringing about more hospital visits and injuries. Aging also slows people down or is supposed to. I used to jog, but haven’t done so for years. Walking is healthier and swimming is an excellent choice. The title of the chapter fits right in with the quote underneath it and my thought. The world is spinning too fast because of technology. If a person doesn’t slow down, something else will achieve that. It’s better for the person to take the initiative.
While we’re on health care, there’s always a need for levity, especially in one of my favorite places, the doctor’s office. This may not have happened, but probably did. I’m glad the room was overflowing with patients.
A 65-year-old man walked into a crowded waiting room and approached the desk. The receptionist said, Yes sir, what are you seeing the Doctor for today?
There’s something wrong with my xxxx, he replied.
The receptionist became irritated and said, You shouldn’t come into a crowded waiting room and say things like that.
Why not, you
asked me what was wrong and I told you, he said.
The
receptionist replied: Now you’ve caused some embarrassment in this
room full of people. You should have said there is something wrong with
your ear or something and discussed the problem further with the doctor in
private.
The man replied, You shouldn’t ask people questions in a roomful of strangers, if the answer could embarrass anyone.
The man walked out, waited several minutes, and then re-entered.
The receptionist smiled smugly and asked, Yes?
There’s something wrong with my ear, he stated.
The receptionist nodded approvingly and smiled, knowing he had taken her advice. And what is wrong with your ear, Sir?
I can’t xxxx out of it, he replied.
The waiting room erupted in laughter.
The moral: Mess with seniors, and you’re going to lose. Also, watch out for ear infections and drink plenty of cranberry juice.
Not long ago, I read a book about revolution. This was the good kind, the relaxation revolution. It didn’t involve bullets, hospitals or war. You don’t need a referral, doctor visit, co-pay or much of your time. It’s about taking it easy. Here’s the prescription, which keeps you away from the pharmacy.
Find a quiet, dark room with no technology or noise, not even dogs or crying children. Think of peace, calm, serenity and tranquility. You can sit in a chair, on the bed or lie prostrate on it. For twelve to fifteen minutes think of nothing. You can concentrate on a word, such as one. Chanting is fine, too. Once that is done, spend from eight to ten minutes concentrating on a pastoral setting such as sitting on a blanket at the beach in 75° weather. It can be some moment of deep peace you felt in the past. You can vary the time for each step, just be sure that the total time is twenty minutes or more.
This works because you’ve eliminated some stress from your being. You will sleep better at night and it will bring better health in so many ways. After all, stress is a killer. There’s no money back guarantee, but it costs nothing and probably will give you a better attitude about life. The 2010 book is Relaxation Revolution: Enhancing Your Personal Health Through The Science And Genetics Of Mind Body Healing by Herbert Benson and William Proctor.
When to comes to health, the best solution is to not get sick. When you get older, you’ll make quite a few visits to the doctor, even if you don’t see her. I’m no exception and have been blessed with some caring, concerned doctors, nurses, therapists and other health care people. Some haven’t been that ideal. Those in the profession have a great deal of knowledge, but they don’t know everything. Maybe it’s because they’re practicing physicians who need more practice. Some are cut and run people: they either do the cutting or send you to a surgeon, while the others have you run over to the pharmacy for some drugs. My experience with prescription drugs hasn’t been good at all and I’m not crazy about going to hospitals, either as a patient or a visitor.
Because of all the side effects, many people wind up with more problems and illness. The first drug may not work except as a placebo, but with side effects. Placebos work, as scientific studies have shown. People don’t believe in them just as they don’t believe in conspiracies. Many drugs are used as pacifiers so that cranky old senior citizens don’t get on the nerves of health care personnel. Don’t think the drug industry is complaining.
The American health care system has too many problems, caused by the lobbying drug industry. It took the Affordable Care Act to finally come to the rescue. Approved four years ago, the Republicans have voted 54 times to repeal it, without the slightest idea what should replace it. By now, that number may be higher. How about a single payer health care system with cracking down on the abuse in it? A good option is to keep what we have, use what methods have worked in other nations and make it better, without asking the House of Representatives for ideas. They need another recess. We’ll tell them when to return.
Technology has brought about so much good in health care, helping citizens. It’s also a main reason why people are sick. A few things cause cancer: viruses, genes and the environment. If you have bad genes, you can still avoid contracting that dreaded disease. Toxins introduced by corporations into the air, onto the land and into the water don’t help citizens or the planet. They sure do fill hospitals and doctors’ offices, though. Is it possible that many in health care and cancer organizations don’t want to find a cure because of the bottom line? There’s another environment that’s contributing: advertising. Pushing drugs and junk food contribute to obesity, heart problems, ulcers and so many other illnesses. Television and technology aren’t blame-free either. In April 2015, Ken Burns had a three-part special on that dreaded disease on PBS, Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies. It was very difficult to watch, but somehow I managed. There was a great deal of truth in the program, but you had to do a great deal of analysis to arrive at it because the special was too vague in many cases.
It’s up to each of us to take care of ourselves. Many have written about diets, cooking and other books about better living – many promoted on PBS. Doctors tell you what not to eat, having a big concern about gluten and wheat. Any book with a few case studies of friends or lacking scientific research should be avoided. The same applies to books with one lie. That occurrence should alert you to the possibility of other fabrications. Many books are written just to make money, gathering supporters of the author’s agenda. Ideas offered by drug companies or health magazines may not be anything other than a means of lining their own pockets. Information on the Internet isn’t always helpful, especially the site webmd.com. I’ll have more to say about doctors on TV – not Marcus Welby or Moreau. They’re the ones in chapter 20 who lie to us.
The first book I had published was a cookbook, but it wasn’t of the diet variety. It features healthy recipes that are easy to make and delicious. Diets don’t work as you can tell from looking around at people or from the proliferation of related books. One diet could work for Helen but not for her twin sister, Hillary. I won’t pen a diet book, but I recommend some life ideas with the E method: Enjoy; don’t Eat the whole cake – a better option than using duct tape; Exercise; Evacuate the rat race; Enhance your existence with music, humor and nature; Embrace others and Entertain, even if that involves take out; support a leader who signs Executive orders because a comatose congress just collects a paycheck and should be Euthanized – I’m just kidding here, but we need a new Congress; Energize others; work to save the Earth and Everyone on it; add Emotion to your life; End your reliance on diet books; Eliminate drugs as much as possible from your regimen; Exit each day with the relaxation technique I just mentioned a few paragraphs ago. These all go together for a better life.
The March / April of Mother Jones Magazine has an article on diet by Keira Butler, “Let them eat junk”, as she interviews Brian Wansink, a Cornell food psychologist. Brian is checking on Keira’s eating choices while she dreams of a Chicken Quesadilla Grande. Instead she orders the strawberry-and-avocado salad with grilled chicken. You’ll have to read the article to see what Brian orders and his feelings on food and diets. The link is motherjones.com/environment/2015/03/brian-wansink-cornell-junk-food-health.
As far as a related quote goes, there isn’t any evidence that Marie Antoinette ever said, Well, let them eat cake, which both Butler and Wansink probably ordered after they finished their meal. I believe Antoinette said, Let them eat day-old croissants!
The Eagles had a top forty song on the charts with the song, “Take it easy”, found on their self-titled album in 1972, but that’s not the title of the chapter. In a tribute to the musician Burt F. Bacharach at the White House on May 9, 2012, Stevie Wonder and Arturo Sandoval collaborated in a reggae version of Bacharach’s Make It Easy on Yourself. They certainly did it justice.