Japan Gifts Us an Ocean of Calm

Beneath the surrender of the long standing Japanese culture is a simplistic calm. They have long been known for simplicity, one that seems very abstract to the west, except with regard to popular culture as it pertains to commercialism. This notion has nothing to do with calm – the unyielding silence that extends well beyond the shameless borders we seem to call upon.

In calm they present no guilt, no chaos and no tolerance for a world where surroundings and pomp of circumstance dictate a state of mind. Another popular misconception of calm is the forceful nature portrayed in popular Japanese imagery, movies and so forth. Why do we need to bend a pristine practice of calm into something that it is not?

Psychology of a Snowstorm

Why do people get excited about snowstorms?

The Midwest was hit by yet another snowstorm this weekend. With many areas receiving between 12 to 20 inches of snow, business and schools were shut down across the region. This has been a particularly snowy winter, with many cities threatening to break records for snowfall in a season, and this was the largest single February snowfall on record. Anytime we get a snowstorm, there appears to be a palpable buzz in the air. However, rather than fear, there seems to be excitement in the air. This seems odd given that there a whole host of unpleasant and even dangerous consequences of snowstorms.

Kids With Migraines: Their Mental Health Is Fine

Kids' migraines not linked to behavior problems.

In a study by Bruijn, et al. (2010), it was found that compared to healthy children, children with migraines:

* do not exhibit more withdrawn behavior

* do not have more thought problems

* do not have more social problems

* do not exhibit more delinquent or aggressive behavior

* are not more frequently diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

* are not more frequently diagnosed with conduct disorder

* are not more frequently diagnosed with dysthymia or depression

It was also found that children with migraines have more somatic complaints and show more internalizing behaviors than children without migraines. However, the researchers felt those behaviors were a consequence having migraines - not a sign of psychopathology.

America's Voyeurism and America's Escape from Self

America; let's stop laughing and instead begin healing!

America still laughs and points to people with mental health challenges. Its 2011, America. It's not Salem Massachusetts in the 1600's.

Lindsay Lohan, Miguel Cabrera, Charlie Sheen are all seen as public spectacles. Ironically, these are people we can publicly laugh at and divert attention from ourselves from.

These are "celebrities." Our friends, family and co workers are ones we privately point and laugh each and every day in our life. The laughs and lack of support around what mental illness is in our country becomes the hell and shame spiral of the person being laughed at. The laughs become the excuse for us to turn away from the responsibility of taking care of our own lives. That is voyeurism as a national pandemic. We are too busy laughing and pointing.

"Ethnic" Cosmetic Surgery

All cosmetic surgery is ethnic cosmetic surgery.

You know how you open your email sometimes and everyone and their mother will send you the same article? That's how it was this weekend with an article in the New York Times on "ethnic differences in cosmetic surgery." The article, by Sam Dolnick, talks about how cosmetic surgeons in New York who cater primarily to Dominican women are performing a lot of butt lifts while surgeons that cater primarily to Chinese women are doing a lot of eyelid surgery to create double folds. According to Dolnick,

As the demand for surgical enhancement explodes around the world, New York has developed a host of niche markets that allow the city's many immigrants to get tucks and tweaks that are carefully tailored to their cultural preferences and ideals of beauty. Just as they can find Lebanese grape leaves or bowls of Vietnamese pho that taste of home, immigrants can locate surgeons able to recreate the cleavage of Thalia, the Mexican singer, or the bright eyes of Lee Hyori, the Korean pop star.

Personality and Health

Psychological characteristics matter when our concern is with physical health.

It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. - Gandhi

An important literature review by Ian Deary, Alexander Weiss, and David Batty (2010) was recently published that looked at the links between personality traits - specifically the often-studied Big Five (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) - and health, measured as disease and death, as inflammatory markers, and as health-relevant behaviors. Their review also looked at the link between intelligence and health.

Fresh Food as a Muse for Visionary Gardeners

Adaptive Reuse of Industrial Buildings for Increased Well Being

Weather developments-prolonged droughts here, massive flooding there, record-breaking heat, unprecedented temperature extremes...

As human food supply becomes more vulnerable, inadequate to population needs, and subject to transportation disruptions, an important question to ask is: Just how much food can we grow where people live? New forms of community agricultural infrastructure are crucial to improve food security and access. The trend towards urban agriculture doesn't have to stop with the empty lots, green rooftops with rainwater collection systems or plans for new vertical farming construction (growing food in high-rise structures with freshwater irrigation or hydroponics). Existing buildings, in regions around the country, can be repurposed - turned towards sustainable, localized agriculture production.

The "Instinct" Instinct

Can you override an instinct with deliberate practice?

First there was Basic Instinct. It was a movie about a dagger wielding, leg-(un)crossing psycho killer. Then "instinct" got intellectual.

Ever since Steven Pinker's masterful The Language Instinct, our, ahem, instincts have been aroused with the following books: The Death Instinct, The Art Instinct, The Faith Instinct, The Belief Instinct, The Killer Instinct, The Compassionate Instinct, The Music Instinct, The Puzzle Instinct, Primal Instincts, and soon, I'm looking forward to The Consuming Instinct, by fellow blogger Dr. Gad Saad.

The concept of instinct reintroduces human nature into respectable discourse. Of course, yawning and blinking are also instincts, but apparently not so newsworthy or controversial. Maybe The Blink Instinct has a ring to it--at least if it's written by Malcolm Gladwell.

The Damage of Dieting

Restrictive diets don't always work for kids. They may lead children to unhealthful eating habits.

Weight-conscious mothers beware: Counting your young daughter's calories -- and your own -- may lead her to develop unhealthful eating habits.

In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 5-year-old girls whose mothers restricted them from eating sweet, savory, energy-dense foods on a daily basis consumed about 50% more of these foods when presented with them -- even on a full stomach -- than girls who were allowed to include these foods in their everyday diet.

"Heavier girls get more restrictions, but restriction leads to greater intake," explains study author Leann Birch, Ph.D., head of Pennsylvania State University's human development department. "It's a case of the chicken and the egg, and we don't know which came first." Birch asked 192 girls what they knew about dieting, and was surprised to learn that roughly half recognized its link to weight. And all of the girls who knew about dieting had a mother who was watching her own weight.

No-Diet Tip 1: Log It

A “diet diary” tip to lose weight.

Starting and sustaining positive dietary changes is a complex, nuanced, process. Uncovering what is happening beneath the surface is normally warranted when you attempt a major lifestyle diet change. A diet diary can help in this process of losing weight and keeping it off.

The facts are friendly when you use them to build awareness and support your no-diet plan. To gather facts, create a diet diary. A pocket notebook will do. As you work to make changes in your eating habits, record what is happening. Use this process measure to log your progress as well as target areas for change.

No-Diet Tips for High Risk Times

Cognitive, emotive, and behavioral tips to control your eating anytime.

Try to lose weight and your human nature goes against you. But you also have a lot going for you. You can successfully cope with unhealthy eating urges. Use these three cognitive, emotive, and behavioral tips to control urges in high risk times and stick to healthy eating.

Stop the Pink Elephant

Knowing what is right to do and then doing the opposite, is common. You see this conflict play out in both procrastination and eating unhealthily. Both activities have common features. One is to do what is easiest in the short term. On a procrastination thinking path, you believe you will take corrective actions later to avoid negative fallout. How well has that worked for you? You also stay stuck in the middle with sorry results.

Five Perfect Persimmon Recipes for Holiday Gatherings

The persimmon is a sweet, tangy fruit whose name is derived from the Greek word Diospyros which means “fruit of the gods.” Persimmons are a wonderful, out-of-the-ordinary treat. Just be sure to eat them when soft and ripe, as an under-ripe persimmon will be the most sour thing you have ever tasted! However, your patience will be rewarded and you can delight your friends and family with these exotic recipes.

Persimmon Cheesecake. Mmmmm…cheesecake! Give this classic favorite a new twist with the addition of tangy persimmon. “This light and delicious cheesecake is made with fresh persimmons and a walnut crust,” says a contributor to Allrecipes.com.

No-Diet Weight Loss

A no-diet plan to lose weight and keep it off.

Losing weight is not as much an issue as keeping it off. Weight cycling is common. If you want to get off this treadmill, try a different way. Support your effort with a combination of psychological strategies and tips that you'll find here. Stick with this experimental series. Check in weekly. Stay on track. Build a healthy lifestyle into your daily routine. Improve your way of living.

The series consists of blogs where I explore topics, such as how to stop procrastinating on taking weight control measures and how to subdue seductive inner cons that snafu healthy eating habits. You'll get briefer tips that address topics, such as how to politely refuse fattening food at a party. The blogs and tips help you stay engaged in learning to get to your goal weight and stay there. Tips are labeled No-Diet Tip 1, 2, etc. Guest experts will share their thoughts on how to attain permanent weight loss. You'll see evidence from the research literature on what goes into weight loss success.