From the monthly archives:
In 1961, someone made up the term “Nocebo”, taking a clue from the Latin “placebo”, and essentially meaning, “I will harm.” The term became popular in the 90′s, but I haven’t seen it around much these days. I always found it a bit of a strange word, and never used it in a sentence until [...]
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This research suggests that red and pink pills are most effective. Do you suppose the pink Plavix pill pushers took this into account? Note that this research was done in India: the psychological effects of color are different in different cultures. Personally — and fitting in with this research – I prefer red pills. I [...]
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I love the fact that placebos exist and that they are usually as effective as pills. It also tells me that medicine is essentially looking in the wrong place — much more research should be directed at how the placebo effect works, and how to make them even more effective. The Mind/Body is a very [...]
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A good friend, who like myself, has been through enough medical trauma to be quite skeptical of medical “science”, just sent me this anxiety-provoking article. Well worth reading: Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science
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Several years ago, I was listening to a tape about Naikan Therapy; one exercise it suggested was spending the day being grateful for everything that was part of one’s day — “thank you toothbrush, thank you tires, thank you computer, thank you air, etc… It was a peak experience, with even an all too brief [...]
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My belief is that we are going to eventually discover that the most dramatic health benefits of humor are not in laughter, but in the cognitive and emotional management that humorous experiences provide. The experience of humor relieves emotional distress and assists in changing negative thinking patterns……Steven M. Sultanoff, Ph.D Humor Reduces the Risk of [...]
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The Onion is, hands down, the best satirical site on the Web. Report: Global Warming Issue From 2 Or 3 Years Ago May Still Be Problem November 10, 2010 WASHINGTON—According to a report released this week by the Center for Global Development, climate change, the popular mid-2000s issue that raised awareness of the fact that [...]
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L Uh Oh. I Am Dreaming of Sarah Palin. Can Carl Jung Save Me
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I had a heart attack in November in Fairbanks when the weather was -10 degrees F. I have always wondered if it was the cold that almost killed me. For several years, the onset of winter was anxiety provoking because of this apparent relationship…. I am not sure what one can do about this, other [...]
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There are a number of studies which have attempted to correlate days of the week with the risk of a heart attack. Monday is consistently correlated with a higher incidence of a heart attack, though some of the research suggests that this primarily applies to working men. Interesting, (Japanese) women seem to be more at [...]
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After a heart attack, the anxiety about having another heart attack can be overwhelming. It feels like the odds are about 99% that one will have another heart attack, probably within the next day. For the first three weeks after my heart attack, I was deathly afraid of going to sleep at night, since I [...]
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We should do this every week — over the length of the year this would make for a 260% risk reduction for having a heart attack….. Daylight saving time: Spring forward into a heart attack, fall back into cardio health? Scientific American Jordan Lite Oct 29, 2008 Here’s a new reason to look forward to [...]
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The term cardiology is derived from the Greek word καρδιά (transliterated as kardia and meaning heart or inner self). I was not aware of just how little attention cardiologists paid to emotions until I became a heart patient myself ten years ago… I have been amazed — perhaps “aghast” describes it better — how much [...]
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Yesterday’s post suggested that one of the problems with the cardiology experience is that it is overwhelmingly a male dominated field. Research suggests that female doctors “tend to be more encouraging and reassuring, use shared decision-making, ask more psychosocial questions and spend more time — up to 10 percent more — with patients than male [...]
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One of the major factors that influences the profession (and experience) of cardiology is that cardiologists are predominately male. Over-stating the stereotype, women are usually more concerned about relationship than men: my experience of cardiologists is that they emphasize facts over feelings, authority over collaboration. Although I have not found any direct research about [...]
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When I had my first ever meeting with a cardiologist (fifteen minutes worth) after having symptoms of dizziness, nausea, difficulty breathing, and chest pain, I was never given any written information about heart disease, angina, the symptoms of a heart attack, etc. I was given an appointment card to come back in two weeks, after [...]
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My first experience with a cardiologist was not auspicious. I went to the emergency room at the Fairbanks Memorial Hospitals with symptoms of dizziness, nausea and difficulty breathing. I was allowed to leave the hospital only if I agree to fly to see a cardiologist Anchorage the next day. (In the emergency room, on a late [...]
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