Comments for News You Can Use

Comment on Control sugar, like alcohol and tobacco, doctors say by Graham

Graham — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:47:52 +0000

I cut out (added) sugar a few years ago and replaced it variously with Equal (Aspartame) and Splenda (Sucralose). I prefer the Sucralose for chemical/health reasons and taste. Now I have been trying a more natural alternative: Natvia (Eriythritol and Stevia – fruit sugars) which is more natural, low GI, low energy, low carb, tooth friendly and actually quite acceptable. Now if they raised the duty on sugar, the way they have on cigarettes, and subsidised Natvia etc. to narrow the difference in price people might more easily make a healthier choice.

Comment on Dating – what we say and what we want by graham

graham — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:27:34 +0000

…and I only read Playboy for the articles …

Comment on Temptation – don’t think about it by Graham

Graham — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:37:38 +0000

Hmm. I shop at the supermarket on my way home from work – so I’m hungry, which would be “aroused” in the terms of this study. When on a weight-loss diet for a long time, as I walked past tempting food like chocolate, which called out to me and begged me to buy it and eat it (“I love you and I know you love me”) I would ask myself, “Is buying and eating chocolate consistent with my intention to lose weight?” If the answer was “no”, I would say, “Yes, it’s true I do love you but I won’t be buying chocolate TODAY,” and walk on. It was quite easy because I didn’t need a mountain of willpower, just enough for today. Over the months it became such a habit that now I don’t even need to have the conversation. I wouldn’t dream of disputing the findings here but my personal, anecdotal experience is different.

Comment on Anti-depressants linked to depression relapse by Rudolf Heitz

Rudolf Heitz — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:24:21 +0000

If you have no treatment and don’t get better, then there is also no risk of relapse, The more effective the treatment, the greater the chance of relapse when the treatment is stopped. Andrews’ propaganda shares much with that of the Scientologists, whose attitude to psychiatry is, of course, completely counter to science.

Comment on Spiritual care for sick people important in hospitals by Thomas Mitchinson

Thomas Mitchinson — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:37:13 +0000

Thanks for the article. I have been reading a few books on this subject and enjoyed reading this piece also. Thomas Mitchinson
Christian Science Committee on Publication for Illinois

Comment on Mirroring and matching – don’t work as well when money’s involved by Chris Collingwood

Chris Collingwood — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:57:11 +0000

The pattern described in NLP as Mirroring, was discovered through the observation of people in rapport. People in rapport have each others’ unconscious attention. You can test this out for yourself by running a simple exercise using state to initiate mirroring. Get together two other friends, arrange with one of them (without the other friend being informed) to be in a state of interest with the other and then to have a two way conversation. You will observe mirroring occurring naturally. With a prearranged signal with friend one, have that person reduce their interest in the other. You will note that the conversation becomes strained and intermittent with a reduction of mirroring behaviour. Note that when the mirroring occurred, it was without conscious instructions to match the other person’s behaviour.

Interestingly, mirroring behaviour deliberately (consciously), can reduce the quality of rapport when compared with naturally occurring mirroring; that is mirroring that occurs as a by-product of a state of being interested in another person and what they are communicating. Rapport is getting and holding another’s unconscious attention. An increase in liking may occur or not and is not a defining feature of rapport. People do not need to like each other to have rapport.

Certainly, if you are rapport with someone else, you will be more sensitive to subtle messages expressed through the others non-verbal communication, though not necessarily conscious of this .

Comment on Gut feel – the science behind the cat size brain in your belly by Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:37:40 +0000

Qigong—Chinese mind/body exercises–helped me immensely in my successful battles with four bouts of supposedly terminal bone lymphoma cancer in the early nineties. I practiced standing post meditation, one of the most powerful forms of qigong–as an adjunct to chemotherapy, which is how it should always be used.

Qigong kept me strong in many ways: it calmed my mind–taking me out of the fight-or-flight syndrome, which pumps adrenal hormones into the system that could interfere with healing. The deep abdominal breathing pumped my lymphatic system—a vital component of the immune system. In addition, qigong energized and strengthened my body at a time when I couldn’t do Western exercise such as weight-lifting or jogging–the chemo was too fatiguing. And it empowered my will and reinforced it every day with regular practice. In other words, I contributed to the healing process, instead of just depending solely on the chemo and the doctors. Clear 14 years and still practicing!

Bob Ellal
Author, ‘Confronting Cancer with the Qigong Edge’

Comment on Low testosterone linked to heightened risk of early death by Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 02:27:08 +0000

A new testosterone study from Bhasin in NEJM was halted early because the testosterone treated group had more heart attacks. A closer look reveals a flawed study with a skewed test group of obese, immobilized elderly men with heart disease. 75% were heavy smokers. Almost all had hypertension. Many were diabetics, 60% were on statin drugs and average age was 74.

The Bhasin study is refuted by decades of previous studies showing that testosterone is beneficial for the heart. Three population studies have shown that low testosterone levels in men are associated with increased mortality from cardiovascular disease. A recent study by Chris Malkin in Heart followed 900 men with angiographic demonstration of coronary artery disease over 8 years. The men with low testosterone had 22% mortality compared to only 12 % for men with normal testosterone levels. Testosterone reduces time to cardiac ischemia in men stable angina and improves functional capacity in men with heart failure. Similarly, testosterone is beneficial for women with heart failure, as well.

jeffrey dach md

Comment on What can we tell from a face? A lot and very fast by Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 07:14:29 +0000

When I was a prisoner of war with the Russians in 1945 (after the war) at the age of 16, I saw men stripped of their socially acquired facades. That way I could immediately see whether they were genuine of false. That ability has followed me throughout life, although I was not that good with women, as I had not seen any as a POW, and I imagine there was some “interference” from hormones.
Nick (Klaus) Veltjens

Comment on Cannabis may protect against osteoporosis by Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:25:14 +0000

greetings Bob

could I respectfully suggest anyone still extracting THC using combustion

i.e. smoking, consider using a vaporizer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporiser

The health benefits are ENORMOUS.

Besides the stuff goes about 60% further.

Doug Pinch

Surfers Paradise.