Mark's Blog page

[Cryptocode]

Today's Blog is on health fear and anxiety. The number of medical commercials are astronomic. On some broadcast shows that's all there is. They don't make me anxious beauase, thankfully, they are required to announce the side effects. We find these commercials disgusting; anyway we've gotten in the habit of muting out all commercials. We didn't used to but today they'll string 5-7 together and that's too long to listen to. It gives us time to talk ourselves. We only watch TV 1.5 hours a day at the most anyway. We're in the long-standing habilt of watching the evening news, on some channel, and Jepardy.

4.5 months ago I thought I was dying, literally. Now that did arouse anxiety and complete dedication to finding a solution. At 20 I didn't think I'd make it to 55. At 75 I'd like to get another 5-10 years. Certainly I see no reason to give up now. I realize I've gone way overboard. The responsibility is entirely mine. But so far it's worked. Hurray! I've now cut back supplements to just Mark's and everythings well.

But in general Fear-mongering is all you get from the TV and from lots of on-line sites of all types. (I'd like to give up our news habit but we'd need something to replace it. Sometimes now we watch some kind of nature show.) We get fed fear from all directions. In general - America is failing, falling into a pit. It probably is but at least I've decided there's nothing any one of us can do about it so I've prepared as much as we think reasonable and then forgotton about it.

[namelesswonder]

I think encouraging curiosity and introspection will do a lot for the fear-mongering. If we teach people to be inquisitive, to look into analyzing information they're presented with, to coming to their own conclusions instead of "rely on your doctor!" "rely on this cure-all!" "rely on the gov't!", people will becoming more self-sufficient and confident. Perhaps that's an oversimplification and over-generalization, though.

[Cryptocode]

I think encouraging curiosity and introspection will do a lot for the fear-mongering. If we teach people to be inquisitive, to look into analyzing information they're presented with, to coming to their own conclusions instead of "rely on your doctor!" "rely on this cure-all!" "rely on the gov't!", people will becoming more self-sufficient and confident. Perhaps that's an oversimplification and over-generalization, though.

Yes, that will help. Unfortunately for me, I was born into a generation specifically taught to obey and admire the 'expert' medical people and they would take care of all problems. Today it's funny how thoroughly that was done.

About 25 years ago my dentist told me to floss my teeth. I bought some and stood in front of the bathroom mirror with floss in hand. I couldn't do it. After a few days I realized that the problem was that I truly believed they weren't my teeth - they were the dentists teeth and they were completely his responsibility. After about 2 weeks I was completely flossing all my teeth, but initially it was a real struggle against all I had been taught.

This has been the same, over time, with every part of my body. How funny to realize that I had parcelled out my body to a very large number of specialists. In my pregancy days, in the late 50's and early 60's the doctors definitely believed the same thing. Giving birth was about the doctor, not the patient. And because they didn't believe in nursing they wouldn't let me nurse in the hospital. (I fooled them.) The pregnancy horror stories from those days are unblievable today.

[eKatherine]

I think the first step is to turn off the television. Television advertising and other messaging is designed to penetrate your defenses. You have to actively turn off the sound or leave the room not to hear it. At least on the internet we are able to filter and ignore messages we deem unhealthy.

Full disclosure: I have not had a working television for 10 years.

[magicmerl]

I think the first step is to turn off the television. Television advertising and other messaging is designed to penetrate your defenses. You have to actively turn off the sound or leave the room not to hear it. At least on the internet we are able to filter and ignore messages we deem unhealthy.

Full disclosure: I have not had a working television for 10 years.

+1

[Cryptocode]

Full disclosure: I have not had a working television for 10 years.

I like your disclosure, funny. As I said initially "we've gotten in the habit of muting out all commercials" i.e. turn the sound completely off.

[Markbt]

The problem isn't a lack of information, it is too much information. The average person doesn't want to think or consider information, they want to eat some MSG and watch reality tv. Medical problems? Buy this. Unhappy about life? You aren't buying enough. The average person seems to just want to buy more and more, think less and less, laugh when bad things happen to someone else, and selfishly cause problems for other people either intentionally or through sheer laziness. I think that over exposure to "news" and commercials play a part in this, along with poor diet. I remember seeing something a while back correlating high omega 6 consumption and rage.

[sbhikes]

I think the drug commercials are actually really funny. I pay close attention to them. Then I make fun of them afterwards. Here, take this depression medication (side-effects are thoughts of suicide, depression and death.) Here, take these eye drops (side-effects are blindness, stroke, death.) Here, take this GERD medicine (side-effects are indigestion, stomach cancer, death.) I can't believe anybody ever asks their doctor for this stuff but I guess they don't listen very closely.

[jfreaksho]

I always loved the anxiety medication that can cause a big long list of side effects that all sound like they were anxiety symptoms. How do you know if it is working, or not, or just a side effect?