HAIRY ISSUES

Posted on May 27, 2025May 27, 2025 by vlaw759

Fun fact: About 95% of your total skin area is covered in hair. Who knew you were so, well, hairy?! (wella.com)

But when speaking of someone’s “hair” the usual meaning is hair growing from the scalp, although less frequently facial, pubic, and other body hair. This blog will focus on head hair.

Discrimination in Hair Care

*Historian Ibram X. Kendi wearing locs (Steven Voss)*

Hair care routines differ according to an individual’s culture and the physical characteristics of one’s hair. In the United States, my search for “ethnic hairstyles” turned up only Black hairstyles. Here are a few examples:

Classic cornrows
Braid variations: Bob, block variations, boho, gypsy, etc.
Locs and faux locs variations
Twists: two-strand, passion, twist outs, etc.
Shaved hairstyles
Afro puffs with or without braids
Bantu knot variations

*Jada Pinkett Smith sporting Bantu knots as Niobe in Matrix Reloaded*

Shamefully (in my opinion) these and many other distinctive hairstyles have been forbidden in schools and work settings—historically, but still today. Even when not dealing with outright bans, people wearing these hairstyles often still face discrimination at work, when seeking medical care, at school, while shopping, even while seeking housing.

Although Black people, especially women, are aware of hair styles as part of their self-concepts, I venture to suggest that many women (and some men) are deeply committed to their hair as an expression of their unique identities.

Hairy Length

*Some people don’t ever cut their hair, for religious, fashion, or cultural reasons.*

One of the most obvious and most noticeable hair variations is length.

Fun fact: According to Wella, when you add up how much each hair on your head grows over a year’s time, you get 10 miles worth of hair!

Hair can be any length, of course. For the average person, growing waist-length hair would take about 7 years, 3 years to grow to your shoulders.

As of 2024, the Guiness record for hair length is 8 ft. 5.3 in. (257.33 cm) in length, officially the longest hair on a living person (female). The record holder is Aliia Nasyrova of Ukraine.

Hairy Beatles — *The Beatles illustrating several hair lengths (Valisk)*

Shaved – hair that is completely shaved down to the scalp
Buzz – hair that is extremely short and hardly there
Cropped – hair that is a little longer than a buzz
Short back and sides – hair that is longer than a crop, but does not yet hit the ears, with the top being left longer
Ear-length – hair reaching one’s ears
Bob – reaching to one’s chin
Shoulder-length – brushing the tops of one’s shoulders
Princess-length – reaching between the shoulder blades and the tailbone, depending on the speaker

In short, anything goes for hair cuts, but by and large, it seems to me that the longer the hair, the more time, effort, and possibly money go into taking care of it.

A 2024 CNN report found the average cost of a women’s haircut ranging between $45 and $75 across the country, while men’s toggled between $25 and $50. Besides sexism, what might account for this?

Enhancing Nature’s Hairy Bounty

If you are naturally less hairy or differently hairy than you would like, fear not! There are a variety of ways you can change the appearance of the hair on your head.

Wigs
Hair pieces
Extensions
Dyes
Texture changes (straightening or curling)
Transplants
Removal

Changing Color

Hairy rainbow — *Specialized colorists can achieve pretty amazing results!*

Fun fact: According to Wella, in 1950, about 7% of American women dyed their hair. Today, 60% of American women dye their hair.

Hair coloring, technically, can be either adding pigment to or removing pigment from the hair shaft, commonly referred to as coloring or bleaching, respectively.

—Among the best-known products for men are Just For Men shampoos and comb in color to cover gray hair or beard.

—Temporary hair tints simply coat the shaft with pigments that later wash off.

—Most permanent color changes require that the hair shaft be opened so the color change can take place within. This process can leave hair dry, weak, prone to breakage, or coarse, or cause an accelerated loss of pigment. Generally, the lighter the chosen color from one’s initial hair color, the more damaging the process may be.

—Other options for applying color to hair besides chemical dyes include the use of such herbs as henna and indigo, or choosing ammonia-free solutions.

There is growing demand for natural and non-toxic hair dyes. Various natural pigments, like melanin in animals and curcumin in plants, are used for coloring and dyeing. These alternatives to conventional dyes are bio-friendly and less irritating. Despite the proposed benefits of these dyes, such as antistatic, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties, their complex pigmentation mechanisms remain largely unexplored.

Curling and Straightening

You can temporarily change the texture of your hair with curling irons, foam rollers, blow dryers, flat irons, hot combs, and many other implements of heat and pressure. However, time and moisture will return hair to its natural state.

Perms (curling) and relaxing (straightening) using relaxer or thermal reconditioning involve chemical alteration of the internal structure of the hair in order to affect its curliness or straightness. Hair that has been subjected to the use of a permanent is weaker due to the application of chemicals and should be treated gently and with greater care than hair that isn’t chemically altered.

Research shows that hair becomes drier with age. This makes it less able to take and maintain a change in shape.

Hair Transplants

Those who are not hairy enough for their personal tastes have a variety of options, some more permanent than others.

One can purchase clip-in hair extensions for a quick boost of hirsute-ness. They need to be taken out before sleeping, washing, or restyling.

For a longer solution, one can visit a hairdresser to have someone else’s hair taped, glued, or sewn onto one’s own tresses. These hair extensions can last from a few weeks to several months, depending on type and care.

For a more permanent change, one might turn to a surgical hair transplant. In this procedure, a doctor surgically moves bits of skin or individual follicles from a hairy area of the head (typically the back or sides) to a less hairy area of the head (typically the top or front). After a few weeks of healing, the newly located hair follicles should behave like any other follicles, giving the patient the appearance of a full head of hair.

Hair Removal

Alternatively, one may feel too hairy. In that case, a variety of methods can help remove unwanted hair.

Hair may be shaved, plucked, or otherwise removed with treatments such as waxing, sugaring, or threading.

Laser hair removal and electrolysis are also available, though these are provided (in the US) by licensed professionals in medical offices or specialty spas.

Hair Loss

Alopecia is the blanket term for a range of conditions that cause hair to fall out in up to half of all Americans. It may be temporary or permanent and can have a range of causes, including autoimmune disorder, genetics, and medical treatments.

For it to be apparent that you’re balding, you would have to lose 50% of your hair, according to dermatologists. Most of the factual information in this section comes from The Cleveland Clinic.

On average, you can expect to lose between 50 and 150 hairs daily. On the other hand, you have around 100,000 (or more) hair follicles on your head. So, routine hair shedding is just a drop in the bucket. (This will also depend on the length and thickness of your hair. For example, you’ll appear to shed less if you have shorter or thinner hair.)

Things like stress, heated styling and other health conditions or treatments may cause you to lose more hair than normal. Everyone is aware that chemotherapy often leads to hair loss, but other medications, such as some antidepressants or anticoagulants (blood thinners), might have a side effect of hair loss.

Men vs. Women

“Studies have shown that, in general, men are more likely to experience hair loss than women. On the other hand, women are more likely to experience higher levels of shedding during pregnancy and menopause. Over half of all women will experience noticeable hair loss over time.”

In addition, a study in 2017 showed that women tend to shed more hair due to styling practices. Anyone who uses heavy styling or tight hairstyles can experience increased shedding, which can lead to permanent hair loss if it becomes chronic (called traction alopecia).

Not getting enough protein, iron or certain vitamins, like biotin and B12, and micronutrients can lead to increased hair loss. Crash dieting can cause temporary hair loss.

*The Norwood-Hamilton scale illustrating types of male pattern baldness*

Relatively few men are totally bald –i.e., have no hair at all on their heads. Male pattern baldness is common worldwide. However, rates vary by country; in the U.S., the percentage is 42.69, number four after Spain, Italy, and France. According to World Population, Indonesia is the country with the lowest percentage on the list with 26.96%.

Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) affects approximately 40% of women by age 50. Estrogen is related to hair growth and hair loss for women. When estrogen levels are high, hair appears thicker and healthier.

Growing and Regrowing Hair

Men’s hair grows faster than women’s. Anticipating sex makes the hair grow faster. Are these facts related?

*Growing, tending, and arranging hair often strengthens community bonds*

Fun fact: According to Wella, in the 16th century, a doctor claimed applying a blend of boiled slugs, olive oil, honey, saffron, soap, and cumin on the scalp could restore hair.

Today, one common treatment to regrow hair is Minoxidil. It is available OTC as liquid or foam to be massaged into the scalp. Tablets in various strengths are available by prescription.

In addition, you can find various nutritional supplements, shampoos, and topical applications on line and in drugstores. Recently, I’ve noticed lots of TV commercials for Nutripol.

And then there is regrowth equipment featuring laser treatments. You can easily find $199 lasercombs or a laser hair growth helmet $995.

Hairstyling Equipment

I didn’t find statistics on the most used hair equipment, but the most popular tools seem to be hair dryers, flat irons, curling irons, and hair brushes. (Good Morning America, missamericanmade.com) Below is a more comprehensive list, although certainly not exhaustive. How many do you use? Others in your household?

*“Daenggi” and “Binyeo” used to create traditional Korean “Jjok” hairstyle (by Glimja)*

Dryer
Brushes
Clips
Combs
Ornamental combs
Curling/straightening iron
Rollers
Clippers
Pins and barrettes
Beads
Headbands
Kanzashi (hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles)
Ribbons
Hair ties
Scissors
Shower cap
Sleeping cap

*Pre-styled coiffures fashionable Victorian women could attach to their own hair*

Hair Care Products

In 2022, American consumers spent around $85.53 on hair care products. (Statista) The average spending per month on hair products is $31, according to Advanced Dermatology. Frankly, I’m surprised it isn’t more, given all the products in use:

*Spikes this high require glue rather than gel*

Coloring agents
Conditioners
Gel
Glue
Mask
Mousse
Scalp scrubs
Serum
Spray
Sonic
Wax
Pomade
Shampoo
- As of Feb 22, 2025, according to Brainly, the number of shampoo options available to Americans is estimated to be at least 600 different products.

Looking at the big picture, “Hair care boasts one of the largest shares in the global beauty market, about 22 percent as of 2022, second only to the skin care segment. In the United States, forecasts show that revenues for hair care will increase up to 14.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2028.” (Statista)

Assorted Hairy Information

*A geisha chooses every element of her hair style and hair ornaments very carefully to indicate her rank, age, mentor, and specialties as well as to complement her outfit and the season.*

And to end this blog, a few fun facts from Wella that don’t fit anywhere else:

A single strand of hair can support up to 6.5 pounds of weight. That means a whole head of hair can support up to 2 tons (though the owner’s neck and spine might protest)!

The major cause of dandruff is a fungus called Malassezia globosa, which pushes dead skin cells to the surface quicker than normal.

Believe it or not, humans have the same amount of hair follicles per square inch as a chimpanzee!

Less than 4% of the world’s population has natural red hair.

The color of hair depends on how much melanin each strand has. Or which hair dye you use!

Someone purchased a lock of Elvis’ hair at an auction for $15,000.

Stories have circulated for generations that women encoded secret messages or escape maps in the patterns of their braids or cornrows. Alternatively, people have claimed Black women may have been able to smuggle gold, seeds, keys, or other small items in their hair. Though there is little concrete evidence to support these claims, they illustrate the versatility and cultural importance of hair.

Bottom Line: Hair is virtually everywhere, and hair issues are virtually innumerable.

PAIN, AGONY, HURT!

Posted on May 13, 2025May 13, 2025 by vlaw759

Studies suggest that about 10% of one’s nervous system is dedicated to sensing pain. Given what else the nervous system does—sight, smell, taste, hearing, thinking, moving, digestion, etc., etc., etc.—that’s a lot!

Why so much attention to pain? As it turns out, there are benefits to feeling poorly.

Pain for Gain

Foremost is survival: without unpleasant sensations, we wouldn’t know to avoid fire, allow injuries to heal, attend wounds such as broken bones or cuts, etc.

There are additional ways in which negative feelings lead to have positive consequences.

Pain facilitates pleasure by providing an important contrast for pleasurable experiences, increasing sensitivity to sensory input, and facilitating self-rewarding behavior.

*In many communities, the ability to withstand pain or physical endurance marks a child’s elevation to adult status.*

Pain augments self-regulation and enhancement by increasing cognitive control, reducing rumination, and demonstrating virtue.

Pain promotes affiliation by arousing empathy from others, motivating social connection, and enhancing group formation.

Pain Reduction

*Mesopotamian goddess Nisaba, with opium poppies growing from her shoulders. c 2430 BCE*

But for all of that, we try to avoid or minimize feeling bad. Indeed, pain is the most common reason why people seek medical care. Seeking relief is not a new phenomenon, but getting it is.

Surgeons have been using general anesthesia in the Islamic world for nearly two thousand years. In the 1600s, many European doctors gave their patients opium to relieve pain.

The earliest European surgeons operated while keeping patients wide awake and physically restrained. By the 1800s, the nicest surgeons introduced ether and chloroform anesthetics for surgery. And why was this controversial?

Several major religions view physical suffering as intrinsically linked with atonement or moral goodness. Some, such as Buddhism and Taoism, hold that it is caused by an imbalance within the individual and can only be resolved through personal effort. Others, such as Christianity, have historically believed that suffering brings one closer to an ideal spiritual state.

*Surgeons operating on patient under ether anesthesia, 1847*

Some doctors questioned the ethics of operating on unconscious patients. Others were concerned that relieving pain might hamper healing. “But the surgeons could not long resist their new power to perform longer and more complex procedures, and most patients thought anesthesia a divine blessing,” wrote Marcia Meldrum, an associate researcher in the department of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles.

By the 1900s, people were using morphine and heroin as pain medications. At first, doctors thought these “safe.” However, over time, it became clear that these treatments also made people vulnerable to addictions.

Until this time, the medical field considered pain to be primarily a problem to manage in acute care (related to injury, for example, or surgery) or during a painful death from cancer.

“Flavors” of Pain

Acute pain is what you feel when you become hurt or injured. You may have experienced acute pain from an injury such as a cut or a broken limb or from disease or inflammation in the body. Acute pain can be intense and severe, but it typically resolves as your body heals from whatever caused it.

Nociceptive pain is caused by tissue damage. Most acute pain is nociceptive.

According to NIH, chronic pain is a sensation that lasts much longer than acute pain―usually months and sometimes years. Chronic pain sometimes has a clear cause, such as an acute injury, a long illness, or damage to and dysfunction of your nervous system. However, it sometimes happens without any obvious reason. Medical providers have often assumed that patients complaining of on-going pain are delusional, hypchrondiacal, malingering, or addicts. Patients often turn to psychotherapy, or sometimes neurosurgery.

Neuropathic pain is caused by nerve damage or dysfunction. You can experience neuropathic pain from injuries or illness that affect the spinal cord and brain (for example, a slipped disc in your spine) or the peripheral nervous system (the nerves throughout the rest of your body). This kind of discomfort often feels similar to burning, shooting, or stabbing.

Inflammatory pain happens when your immune system activates in response to injury or infection. In addition to causing redness or swelling, it can also make you more sensitive to feelings of pain.

Everyone’s pain feels differently, and the only way to know whether someone is hurting is to ask. Has a medical practitioner asked you to rate your discomfort on a scale from 1 to 10? They may also ask you to describe what you feel: dull, throbbing, aching, shooting, stabbing, etc.

Treatment Options

*Chinese woodcut from 1818 showing an orthopedic treatment for prolapsed disc*

Just as there isn’t a way to measure it objectively, there isn’t one single treatment that will work for everyone. It often involves a combination of treatments, which may include:

Over-the-counter and prescription medications (such as pain relievers and drugs that reduce inflammation)
Physical and occupational therapy to improve function and limit discomfort
Counseling and therapy to teach skills for coping with pain
Medical treatments (such as medications and injections) to interrupt the brain’s signals or change how nerves process painful sensations
Neuromodulation therapies (devices that stimulate nerves or the spinal cord) to reduce pain
Complementary and integrative therapies (such as acupuncture and mindfulness meditation).

And When Nothing Helps…

Chronic pain is an enormous problem.

More than 1 in 5 adults in the United States experience chronic pain. Chronic conditions, such as low back pain and migraine, are the leading causes of disability around the world.

Not surprisingly, rates of chronic pain, including conditions that severely limit work or life activities, are highest among adults ages 65 and older.

*Advertisement for treatment to cure morphine addiction, c 1900*

In the 1980s, several prominent pain specialists suggested that opiods had a “low incidence of addictive behavior.” They pushed for increased use of the drugs to treat long-term, non-cancer pain, as Meldrum noted in her paper “The Ongoing Opioid Prescription Epidemic: Historical Context.” Today we all know how wrong they were, and we are still trying to undo the opioid crisis.

Where Does Aspirin Come From?

Apart from prescription medications, over-the-counter options are popular. Aspirin, as it is known today, was first developed in 1895 in Germany. By 1915, Bayer Pharmaceuticals developed the first tablet form, which they then sold throughout the world as a medicine.

The active ingredient in aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, which is formed by the acetylation of salicylic acid, which is derived from natural plant sources such as jasmine, willow and poplar trees, as well as certain species of legumes.

This gives credence to the efficacy of willow bark tea for minor aches and pains, as long claimed by folk medicine practitioners.

*Aspirin molecule, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA)*

However, aspirin is no longer made from willow bark. Today, pharmaceutical companies derive aspirin from plants of the Spiraea genus. Compounders then convert the salicylic acid into acetylsalicylic acid via acetylation.

Aspirin is very useful in many ways besides pain relief. Indeed, doctors use it as a blood thinner to treat clots. At a daily dose of 81mg, it is helpful in preventing future heart attacks.

But beware: You should not use aspirin if you have a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia, a recent history of stomach or intestinal bleeding, or if you are allergic to an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) such as Advil, Motrin, Aleve, Orudis, Indocin, Lodine, Voltaren, Toradol, Mobic, Relafen, Feldene, and others.

OTC Alternatives

A common alternative to aspirin is Tylenol. Acetaminophen, commonly sold under this brand name, is a non-opioid analgesic that relieves pain and reduces fever. Acetaminophen regulates the body’s temperature and alters its perception of pain.

Tylenol is generally safe at recommended doses. For adults weighing more than 110 pounds (50 kg), the recommended acetaminophen dosage is 1000 mg every six hours or 650 mg every four hours.

Risks

However, elderly individuals may face higher risks of certain side effects due to physiological changes, including:

Liver Damage: Aging decreases liver efficiency. This raises the risk of liver damage from acetaminophen, especially if taken in high doses or with alcohol.

Kidney Damage: As kidney function naturally declines with age, long-term or high-dose use of acetaminophen may lead to kidney damage in the elderly, particularly if their kidneys are already compromised.

Gastrointestinal Issues: Although Tylenol is easier on the stomach than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), it can still cause gastrointestinal discomfort. This may include nausea, constipation, or diarrhea.

Acetaminophen toxicity occurs when a person takes more than the recommended dosage of this medicine. Tylenol overdose leads to 56,000 emergency department visits, 2,600 hospitalizations, and 500 deaths each year in the United States, making it one of the most common poisonings. Too much of a good thing is not a good thing!

Apart from any hedonistic motives to “just feel good,” pain is an economic drain: the estimated yearly national cost of pain, including medical treatments, disability, and lost productivity, is $560 billion to $635 billion in the U.S. alone!

Bottom Line: Pain is universal, and treating it is only human. But proceed with caution!

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW DOGS?

Posted on April 29, 2025April 30, 2025 by vlaw759

Because April is Dog Appreciation Month AND Canine Fitness Month, I’ve been posting about dogs on FaceBook almost daily. But there are dozens more—different—fun facts about dogs out there, and not enough April days left to share them. So, for your reading pleasure, from across the web:

There are over 75 million pet dogs in the U.S.—more than in any other country—and a third of ALL households around the world have a dog.

Part of the Family

Forty-five percent of dogs sleep in their owner’s beds. Here’s hoping they share the blanket!

Seventy percent of people sign their dog’s name on their holiday cards. If you want your dog to actually sign, use a nose print. Dog (and cat) nose prints are unique.

A study at UCSD claims that your dog can genuinely get jealous when they see you display affection for another creature.

Dogs can experience separation anxiety. If this is true of your dog, try leaving some clothing you’ve worn with your pet. It’s been proven that the scent you leave behind on your clothes can help ease your dog’s separation anxiety.

Yawning is contagious — even for dogs. Research shows that the sound of a human yawn can trigger a yawn from a dog. And it’s four times as likely to happen when it’s the yawn of a person the pet knows.

Dog Sensitivity

Dogs have wet noses for a few reasons. The moisture helps to absorb scent chemicals, sweat glands on the snout help regulate temperature, and many dogs lick their noses to clean them or taste dirt that may be there.

Dogs’ noses can sense heat and thermal radiation, which explains how blind or deaf dogs can still hunt.

A dog’s sense of smell is legendary, but did you know that their nose has as many as 300 million scent receptors? In comparison, a human nose has about 5 million. Your dog can smell 40 times better than you can.

Up to 30% of a dog’s brain may be dedicated to analyzing odors at any time.

The Bloodhound ’s sense of smell is so accurate that law enforcement agents can use the results of its tracking as evidence in some courts of law. An old Scottish word for this type of dog was “sleuth-hound” from which we derive the word “sleuth” for a detective.

Your dog can smell your feelings. In fact, your dog’s sense of smell is approximately 100,000 times better than yours. So it shouldn’t be shocking that they can in fact, smell things such as fear. When a human is fearful, they perspire, and a dog is easily able to pick up on this change.

Dogs can be trained to detect cancer and other diseases in humans. Cancerous cells release different metabolic waste products than healthy cells in the human body. Dogs may even be able to sniff out cancer cells simply through smelling someone’s breath.

All puppies are born deaf. As they get older, they can hear 4 times better than humans.

Adult dogs have fantastic hearing! They can detect high-pitched noises and spot sounds from much further away than humans can.

Dogs are not color-blind. They can see blue and yellow.

Dogs don’t see in as much detail as humans. Perfect sight for a human is 20:20, but for a dog, it’s 20:70 or 20:80. However, dogs track movement better than people because of a structure in their eye called a visual streak, which humans don’t have. So they’re very good at seeing horizontal movement and tracking it, even if visually they might not be able to make out what, precisely, is moving.

Dogs have about 1,700 taste buds. (We humans have between 2,000 and 10,000.) However, dogs are more sensitive to impurities in water than humans are, making it very important to ensure your dog always has access to clean, fresh water.

Dog Intelligence

Dogs have a sense of time. They have proven in multiple studies that they know the difference between one hour and five. Often they can predict future events, such as regular walk times.

Dogs can also “tell time” from scent. Your dog will start getting excited or more active around the time you come home from work each day. They do this because we are creatures of habit and are typically gone the same amount of time every day. When we leave our scent in the house, it fades over time; when we get home, that scent is at a certain level. Dogs become conditioned that we will return when our scents hit that lower level.

Your dog is as smart as a two-year old! Ever wonder why children around this age seem to have a special bond with the family dog? It could be because they speak the same language, roughly 250 words and gestures.

Not all mammals understand pointing but dogs and humans do. Dogs even understand pointing when you do it with your eyes and not your hands.

Stray dogs in Russia have learned how to ride the subway system, and get off at specific stops in search of food.

From their ears to their eyebrows, shoulders, and tail, dogs use signals and smells, as well as sound, to communicate! Their posture makes a big difference, too.

Dog Health

Dogs mostly pant to cool themselves. They have sweat glands between their toes; sweaty paws dogs help to stay cool. This also gives them the added benefit of a better grip.

Dogs have three eyelids. They have upper and lower eyelids, but also a third eyelid underneath, known as the nictitating membrane. This membrane serves multiple functions, including clearing the cornea of any particles or debris, producing tears, and acting similarly to a lymph node to battle potential infections.

A majority of strays that end up in shelters are pets who are lost simply because they don’t have any identification. Additionally, Fourth of July is the busiest time of year for animal shelters: many pets are so frightened of loud fireworks that they run away.

Chocolate can be deadly to dogs due to containing the ingredient theobromine. Dogs cannot metabolize theobromine, and ingesting chocolate could cause a severely toxic buildup in their system, which could become fatal. American chocolate is bad but not typically lethal.

Xylitol is super poisonous. This includes gum, toothpaste and rarely peanut butter. A stick of gum is usually an ER visit, a handful of Hershey’s kisses is usually not deadly.

Health Benefits of Dogs for Humans

Petting a dog can actually benefit your physical and mental health. Studies have shown that petting a dog for 15 minutes can lower blood pressure by 10%, combat loneliness, and help lower feelings of stress and depression.

Children living in a home with a pet dog tend to develop stronger immune systems and have lower incidences of asthma. Scientists speculate this is a result of being exposed at an early age to allergens and bacteria that a dog introduces to the home.

Human blood pressure goes down when petting a dog. And so does the dog’s.

Many dogs undergo intensive training to work as guide dogs, helping blind people get around safely. Others are assistance dogs, who keep their owners calm and safe, warn of impending medical emergencies, or assist with daily tasks.

Sleeping Dogs

The average dog sleeps for about half of every day, or around 12–14 hours. That figure is higher for puppies, older dogs, and larger breeds.

A dog’s sleeping patterns are nearly identical to a human’s. Like us, they go through three phases during NREM sleep and also experience REM sleep. However, a dog’s sleep cycle is a lot shorter than ours: while we go through an average of five cycles a night, a dog can go through 15-20 cycles.

All dogs dream, but puppies and senior dogs dream more frequently than adult dogs.

Dogs can be unpredictable if they’re woken suddenly. They may bite or nip purely as a reactive response to being startled, so it’s always better to let your sleeping dog lie. If you really have to rouse them, do it with a gentle voice – not a hand. But don’t wake them from a bad dream, as they may react badly.

One reason for your dog snoozing on their back, paws in the air may be because s/he feels safe and secure, showing total trust. There’s also a possibility that your dog is too hot, particularly in the summer. There’s less hair on their belly, so heat can leave their body more easily. Plus, as dogs sweat through their paws, in this position they’re catching a breeze.

A dog sleeping on its side also indicates they are feeling relaxed and comfortable. It’s another sign of trust, and a dog will often enter REM sleep and dream in this position.

Dogs curl up in a ball when sleeping to protect their organs — a holdover from their days in the wild, when they were vulnerable to predator attacks—but it is also a way to conserve heat.

Special Dogs

Rin Tin Tin, the famous German Shepherd, was rescued from a bombed-out dog kennel in France during World War I. After the war, he was brought back to the U.S., where he (and his offspring) starred in 27 movies. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1929.

Three dogs survived the historical sinking of the Titanic in 1912: a Pekingese named Sun Yat Sen, a Pomeranian named Lady, and another unnamed Pomeranian. All three sailed in First Class cabins.

The Guinness Book of World Records names Bluey, an Australian cattle dog, as the oldest dog to ever live. Bluey lived to be 29 years 5 months old and lived from 1910 to 1939.

The town of Idyllwild, California elected their first mayor in 2012, Mayor Max. But Max wasn’t just any regular mayor, he’s a Golden Retriever! Although Mayor Max passed away in 2013, the town elected Mayor Max II in 2013, and Mayor Max III in 2022. Way to go, Mayor Max!

According to Guinness World Records, a Great Dane named Zeus was the world’s tallest male dog ever. Zeus was 3 feet, 5.18 inches tall. He could drink from the kitchen sink, and his family has to buy a larger vehicle to fit him better.

What about the shortest dog? Guinness World Records gives that title to Pearl the Chihuahua. She measures 3.59 inches tall.

Interesting Breeds

Dachshunds were originally bred to fight badgers. In fact, their name means “badger dog” in German!

Newfoundlands make great lifeguards because they have water-resistant coats and webbed feet. They can also swim for unusually long distances, even while pulling a would-be drowning victim to safety.

Dalmatian puppies are born completely white; they develop their spots as they get older.

Maltese dogs have hair instead of fur. This means that, although their hair falls out like a human’s does, they do not shed fur and dander. Thus, they are ideal pets for allergy sufferers.

The Labrador Retriever has been on the AKC’s top 10 most popular breeds list for longer than any other breed. It is originally from Newfoundland, descending from the St. John’s Water Dog.

The French Bulldog was first named the most popular breed in 2022 .

The name Collie has disputed origins.

It may stem from the black-faced mountain sheep common in Scotland, called “coollies.”
A Northern English dialectal term for coal is coaley, possibly referring to the breed’s black patches.
In Old Gaelic, collie was a rural description of anything useful, which Collie dogs assuredly are. Collies are still among the most popular herding dogs today!
Another potential Gaelic root, cuilein, means a puppy or cub.
The Scandinavian name Colle was often used to refer to any dog in Medieval English, as seen in Chaucer’s works.

Chow Chow and Shar-Pei are the only two dog breeds with fully black tongues. I couldn’t find any explanation for why this trait was bred into these dogs. According to one legend, the Chow Chow’s tongue turned blue while it was helping a monk paint the night sky.

The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is the only breed named for a fictional person, a character in the novel Guy Mannering by Sir Walter Scott.

The Australian Shepherd is not actually from Australia. In fact, they are an American breed.

A person who hunts with a Beagle is known as a “Beagler.” (Not to be confused with a “Beaglier” dog, which is a cross between a Beagle and a Cavalier spaniel!)

Basenjis don’t bark. Instead they yodel (called a “barroo”), whine, and occasionally scream as a means of communicating. Their barkless traits have earned them a nickname: “The African Barkless Dog.”

The Norwegian Lundehund is the only dog breed created for the job of puffin hunting.

Greyhounds can beat cheetahs in an extended race. While cheetahs can run twice as fast as Greyhounds, they can only maintain that 70 mph speed for about thirty seconds. A Greyhound can maintain a 35 mph speed for about seven miles. The cheetah may start out first, but the Greyhound would soon overtake them.

And then there are working dogs: sled dogs, herders, trackers, search and rescue specialists, drug (or other) sniffers at airports, hunters, racers….

Dog Miscellany

When your dog is carefully choosing the perfect place to do their business, they may be leaving a message for other dogs, finding a surface they prefer, looking for a safe spot, or simply prolonging their time outside. They may even prefer to poop in alignment with the Earth’s magnetic field!

When dogs kick backward after they go to the bathroom, it’s not to cover it up, but to mark their territory, using the scent glands in their feet.

Dogs share 99.9% of their DNA with wolves. The Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky may have the closest DNA to their wild cousins.

Like right-handed and left-handed humans, most dogs have a dominant paw. To figure out which one it is, note which paw your dog most often starts with when getting up and walking.

A study shows that dogs are among a small group of animals who show voluntary, unselfish kindness towards others without any reward.

Dogs are able to breathe out through their mouth and nose at the same time. Their noses can separate air for sniffing and air for breathing. A dog’s nostrils are also able to move air out of their lungs while simultaneously moving air in across their scent receptors!

More than half of U.S. presidents have had at least one dog during their time at the White House. And then there’s Calvin Coolidge, who had at least 12!

The term “man’s best friend” was coined for a hound dog named Old Drum. A neighbor shot him, and his owner took the neighbor to court and proceeded to give one of the finest speeches defending the relationship of humans and dogs. This speech is forever immortalized on a plaque in front of a hound statue, located in front of the court house in Warrensburg, Missouri. The speech is available online. If you want to know more, look up “Burden vs Hornsby Old Drum”.

So, while I searched broadly, being totally comprehensive wasn’t possible. There are always more things to learn about dogs. Enjoy exploring!

Bottom Line: Dogs are useful, complex, fascinating, and—dare I say decorative? There’s lots to appreciate about dogs, all through the year!

WORKING 9-5:00

Posted on March 25, 2025March 25, 2025 by vlaw759

Working from home was relatively rare prior to the pandemic that took hold in 2019. Now there is a big push for return to office (RTO) work. Most notably, Trump has mandated RTO for all federal employees. Is this a smart move?

Remote Work Studies and Statistics

A study by Great Place To Work found that most people reported stable or even increased productivity levels after employees started working from home.

Owl Labs found that 83 percent of remote workers felt they were equally productive, if not more, than when they were physically in an office.

A 2019 study by Airtasker found that remote and in-office employees perform equally well, and 65% of remote workers reported feeling more productive away from the office.

According to activtrak.com, remote workers are 35-40% more productive than employees who work in a traditional office.

Work conducted remotely includes 40% fewer mistakes than work done at the office.

Work-from-home employees save an average of 72 minutes a day that would otherwise go to commuting — and give 40% of that time back to their employers.

Companies requiring employees to return to the office may face a smaller talent pool for open positions. Over time, this could hinder their ability to compete.

So Why Mandate RTO?

Some companies believe that in-person work can lead to increased productivity and focus, as opposed to the potential distractions of working from home.

Companies have invested heavily in office space, and empty desks represent a sunk cost. Returning to the office aims to justify these investments by maximizing office use.

Many leaders believe that in-person work strengthens company culture, boosts employee engagement, and facilitates better collaboration and mentorship.

Some leaders believe that in-person interaction can improve employee morale and engagement, potentially leading to higher retention rates.

Some argue that the lack of social interaction in remote work can lead to isolation and decreased employee well-being, which in-person work can help mitigate.

The Downside of RTO Mandates

Returning to the office after a period of remote or hybrid work presents several challenges. Here’s a breakdown of key challenges.

Employee Resistance and Discomfort

Many employees have grown accustomed to the flexibility of remote work and may resist returning to the office, especially if it means a loss of autonomy and control over their work-life balance.

Salaried employees especially, who are hired to “get the job done” regardless of the hours required, may resent the office “time clock” mentality.

The prospect of commuting can be a significant deterrent for some employees, who may have valued the convenience and the time saved by not commuting.

Commuting costs money, often including paying for parking, vehicle maintenance, fuel, tolls, insurance, or bus and train fare.

Many people find driving in rush hour traffic stressful.

With the promise of remote work, people may have taken positions too far to commute to an office and be reluctant to move.

A lack of clear communication and a well-defined return-to-office plan can lead to anxiety and uncertainty among employees.

Some employees fear that returning to the office will mean the permanent end of remote work opportunities, which can lead to a decline in morale.

Adjusting to a New Work Environment

After a period of remote work, employees may need to adjust to the dynamics of in-person collaboration and teamwork.

Companies may need to invest time and effort in fostering a positive and inclusive workplace culture that supports both in-person and remote work.

It’s important to manage employee expectations regarding the new work environment and ensure that it meets their needs and preferences.

Managing Expectations and Communication

It’s crucial to proactively address employee concerns and anxieties regarding the return to the office.

Open and transparent communication is essential to ensure that employees are informed about the return-to-office plan and have a clear understanding of expectations.

Companies should actively solicit feedback from employees to ensure that the return-to-office plan is effective and meets their needs.

I found no research supporting RTO full-time for improving financial performance or firm values. On the other hand, companies with flexible work arrangements, including part-time remote schedules, are 21% more profitable than fully in-person companies.

In addition, organizations offering more flexibility can attract top talent who are uninterested in rigid RTO policies or are more distant geographically.

It seems successful companies need to allow for both in-person and remote work options.

This may include modifying or updating their technology infrastructure to support both.

In addition, companies may need to develop an employee culture that values both options.

Even with reduced days in an office, employees have greater flexibility in work-life balance, reduced commuting times, and lower personal expenses.

A perceived loss of control over how one spends one’s time can significantly impact mental health, potentially leading to or exacerbating conditions such conditions as anxiety and depression.

Feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope can trigger a range of negative emotions and behaviors.

Variations on a Theme: Hybrid Models

Anchor days and weeks mandate employees to be in the office on designated days or weeks while allowing remote work for the remainder of the time.

Business Insider data suggests that, given an option, employers most commonly choose Tuesday for workers to come in. According to Bloomberg, Mondays are popular WFH days for project-based people. Fridays, too, are popular but for opposite reasons. (It’s easier to end early and enjoy the weekend sooner if you’re already at home).

But when all is said and done, it is the employer’s choice.

There’s no law that mandates employers to offer remote work options at all.

Even if offered, they do not have to be offered to all employees, nor are employers required to treat all employees the same regarding remote work.

Employers are free to set policies and make decisions based on their specific business needs, which can include factors like job function, team dynamics, and operational requirements.

However, employers must avoid discriminatory practices. They cannot allow remote work for certain groups while denying it to others based on protected characteristics (race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, etc.).

If an employee with a disability requires remote work as a reasonable accommodation, employers are generally obligated to provide it, unless it would cause an undue hardship.

And once again, communication is key: clear communication about remote work policies and the reasons behind them can help avoid misunderstandings and potential complaints—or lawsuits!

Of course, the employee can also simply quit and try to find work with a more flexible company!

Bottom Line: Except in rare cases, an employee is required to work in the office if and when the employer mandates. Suck it up, Buttercup.

CHILDHOOD FRIENDS

Posted on March 18, 2025March 18, 2025 by vlaw759

A few days ago, I learned from former classmates that my high school sweetheart had died suddenly the day before. I had not seen Bill or heard from him in more than ten years, but I found his obituary online and was immediately swept back in time to my childhood in a small Ohio town, where most of us were classmates and childhood friends from first grade through graduation.

My Childhood Friends

Research has proven the importance of childhood friendships for social and emotional development. But my focus here is more personal, on the importance of childhood friendships for me. I believe these observations hold true for other adults as well.

My childhood friends and I share a unique history and understanding of each other’s lives. We knew each other’s parents, siblings, activities, achievements, and (sometimes) failures.

In a broader sense, we shared music, movies, TV, major news events, and cultural icons.

These shared experiences bring feelings of familiarity that make so many of us enjoy high school reunions.

Some experiences are shared with only one other. With the death of my high school sweetheart, that reflection of me—that mirror—is gone forever. No one else knew me—or could ever know me—in quite the same way.

Similarly, only one friend was present when I learned to ride horses bareback or tried playing chess and decided it wasn’t for me. The retelling is thin, lacking the intensity, thrill, frustration, and laughter. There’s a reason people say, “You had to be there!”

Sheer proximity guides some of the most intense childhood memories. Because I was seated behind her in first grade, I may be the only one of our classmates who remembers Mary Jane peeing her pants in first grade. (The teacher, who thought too many kids were requesting bathroom passes, denied her.)

Friendships require shared interests, activities or tasks—something to bring people together. Bill was a long-distance runner and captain of the track team. I was the statistician for the track team, and we often sat together on the bus to and from away meets. We started going steady and ended up being voted class sweethearts senior year.

By the Numbers

Adults report that, most frequently, their friends are coworkers. Among children most share school, farm chores, sports, music, or other extracurricular activities. Research indicates that children usually have lots of friends, typically 10 to 20.

Friendships become more selective during adolescence, averaging 5 to10 close friends. In adolescence, friendships become more intimate, with the sharing of personal thoughts and feelings as well as time.

Young adults usually experience a further decline in the number of close friends, averaging around 3 to 5, and are likely to be lasting, meaningful connections.

When childhood friendships last a lifetime, they provide a sense of stability and consistency in one’s life.

Sharon, who was my best friend from first grade until we went to separate colleges, has never lived near me since then. But whenever we manage to visit, it’s like we were never apart: we immediately talk freely about matters of family, health, spouses, or social concerns—i.e., anything and everything. I can always count on her. And I believe our mutual comfort is rooted in our shared history.

When childhood friends remain close for a lifetime, they are an important source of support and companionship, even in old age.

Although childhood friendships can last a lifetime for some, others fade due to changing interests, life circumstances, or personal growth.

Some make a distinction between friends of the road and friends of the heart. The former are intense and important until changes like those above separate them. The latter are the ones that last forever, regardless of changes and distance.

Both leave traces in our heats and in our memories.

Bottom Line: Even when they are over, friendships are never completely gone.

S.A.D. Writers

Posted on March 4, 2025March 4, 2025 by vlaw759

harp S.A.D. — *Today’s blog about S.A.D. is guest-written by Katheen Corcoran*

We’re seeing a return of warmer temperatures and thawing ground as winter comes to an end in the Northern Hemisphere. As the days lengthen and crocuses (and people) start to poke their heads out, many people dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder start to see a reduction in symptoms. From this warmer and sunnier vantage point, it’s nice to look back and appreciate some bleak winter weather. Some authors seem to have truly embraced the winter spirit, and it shows in their writing.

(Note: I am not trying to diagnose these authors with S.A.D., simply appreciating their wintry writing.)

S.A.D. Poetry

Poetry, with its focus on imagery and flexible word usage, is ideal for evoking atmosphere. These poets have embraced all the cold, dark, bleakness of wintry S.A.D. and turned it into beauty for the rest of us to enjoy.

Snow falling and night falling fast, oh, fast
In a field I looked into going past,
And the ground almost covered smooth in snow,
But a few weeds and stubble showing last.

Robert Frost ― “Desert Places”

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Christina Rossetti ― “In the Bleak Midwinter”

Wynter wakeneth al my care,
Nou this leves waxeth bare;
Ofte I sike ant mourne sare
When hit cometh in my thoht
Of this worldes joie, hou hit goth al to noht.

Nou hit is, and nou hit nys,
Al so hit ner nere, ywys;
That moni mon seith, soth hit ys:
Al goth bote Godes wille:
Alle we shule deye, thah us like ylle.

Al that gren me graueth grene,
Nou hit faleweth albydene:
Jesu, help that hit be sene
Ant shild us from helle!
For y not whider y shal, ne hou longe her duelle.

Anonymous Winter poem (around 1310, maybe in Leominster, Herefordshire)

S.A.D. Prose

Not surprisingly, authors at higher latitudes, where winter brings the longest nights, have a tendency to reflect this in their writing. Swedish, Russian, French, and Northern American authors often include winter almost as a character in their works, including themes of cold, isolation, and deprivation.

“Six months passed. White winter had set in the cruel stillness of cloudless frosts, with its thick crunching snow, rosy hoarfrost on the trees, pale emerald sky, wreaths of smoke curling above the chimneys, steam emerging from momentarily opened doors, with those fresh faces which look bitten by cold, and the hurried trot of shivering horses. A January day was drawing to its close; the evening cold pierced keenly through the motionless air, and a brilliant sunset was rapidly dying away.”

Ivan Turgenev ― Fathers and Sons

“It was bitter cold. The streets were covered with a thick, black, glassy layer of ice, like the bottom of beer bottles. It hurt her to breathe. The air was dense with gray sleet and it tickled and pricked her face like the gray frozen bristles of her fur cape. Her heart thumping, she walked through the deserted streets past the steaming doors of cheap teashops and restaurants. Faces as red as sausages and horses’ and dogs’ heads with beards of icicles emerged from the mist.”

Boris Pasternak ― Doctor Zhivago

Although it was only six o’clock, the night was already dark. The fog, made thicker by its proximity to the Seine, blurred every detail with its ragged veils, punctured at various distances by the reddish glow of lanterns and bars of light escaping from illuminated windows. The road was soaked with rain and glittered under the street-lamps, like a lake reflecting strings of lights. A bitter wind, heavy with icy particles, whipped at my face, its howling forming the high notes of a symphony whose bass was played by swollen waves crashing into the piers of the bridges below. The evening lacked none of winter’s rough poetry.

Théophile Gautier ― Hashish, Wine, Opium

When the cold comes to New England it arrives in sheets of sleet and ice. In December, the wind wraps itself around bare trees and twists in between husbands and wives asleep in their beds. It shakes the shingles from the roofs and sifts through cracks in the plaster. The only green things left are the holly bushes and the old boxwood hedges in the village, and these are often painted white with snow. Chipmunks and weasels come to nest in basements and barns; owls find their way into attics. At night, the dark is blue and bluer still, as sapphire of night.

Alice Hoffman ― Here on Earth

GOOD VIBES

Posted on February 25, 2025February 25, 2025 by vlaw759

People typically feel relaxed and calm when they do things that stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing them to let go of tension and stress. When the bad vibes threaten to overwhelm you, consider the following suggestions to return good vibes to your life!

Sounds Can Promote Relaxation

Listening to calming music can promote good vibes. Such music typically features slow, soothing melodies, minimal percussion, and soft instrumentation such as piano, guitar, and strings. The tempo is generally slow, and the volume is often kept low to create a peaceful atmosphere.

Nature sounds, such as ocean waves or rain, rustling leaves, chirring of insects.

Gentle ambient noise, such as a fan or “noise machine.”

Sights

If you feel the craziness closing in, your eyes can help restore your good vibes!

Water is key: Looking at water, especially calm bodies like a lake or a quiet ocean, can significantly lower heart rate and blood pressure, inducing a meditative state.

Natural patterns: Fractal patterns found in nature, like the branching of trees or the ripples on water, can be particularly soothing.

Wide open spaces: Expansive landscapes with open horizons can promote a sense of peace and tranquility.

Activities

There are steps you can take to improve the vibes in your life, some easier than others.

Deep breathing: Focusing on slow, deep breaths is a highly effective way to activate the relaxation response in the body. It’s a simple and effective way to reduce anxiety and anger.

Heat: Taking a warm bath or applying heat to tense muscles can induce relaxation.

Physical activity with low intensity: Gentle stretching, yoga, or walking can help release tension in the body.

Get into nature. Nature is calming because it provides a sensory experience that engages multiple senses with sights, sounds, and smells that are often repetitive and predictable, which can help to reduce stress, lower heart rate, and promote relaxation. Being in nature essentially acts as a distraction from daily worries and allows for a sense of connection to something larger than oneself. Many of these benefits come to gardeners. There is also something called the biophilia hypothesis: research suggests humans have an innate connection to nature, which can lead to feelings of well-being when exposed to natural elements.

Keep a journal. It provides a safe place to express and process your thoughts and emotions, allowing you to gain clarity, release pent-up feelings, and reflect on experiences, often leading to a sense of reduced stress and anxiety.

Get creative. Creativity often leads to a sense of self-expression, reduced stress, and a feeling of control over your inner world, essentially providing an outlet to process and release tension. Creativity can put us in a flow state, meaning we become focused with optimal attention on a task or activity. This is sometimes called being “in the zone.” When we are in the zone, it can feel euphoric, and we become more mindful and relaxed.

Mind Games

The phrase “mind games” tends to evoke images of power-hungry bosses or abusive ex-partners. However, you can also play mind games with yourself to encourage healthy practices!

Mindfulness practices: Meditation and other mindfulness techniques help to quiet the mind and become more aware of the present moment, reducing stress.

Relaxing imagery: Can help calm down angry feelings.

Being grateful: Practicing gratitude can reduce cortisol, the key stress hormone. You can record your gratefulness in a journal.

Visual imagery: Imagining peaceful scenes or calming scenarios can help to distract from worries and promote relaxation.

Environment

The outside impacts the inside. By the same token, surrounding yourself with good vibes has a powerful impact on mental well-being.

Warm environments are more relaxing than cold ones.

Color palette: Soft, muted colors like blues, greens, and pastel shades are generally considered calming.

Limit clutter in your personal environment.

Limit your exposure to negative stimuli, such as disturbing news.

Habits

On their own, small habits may not make much difference. But when you practice them regularly, you may find an appreciable improvement.

Regularly engage in positive social interaction: Spending time with loved ones or engaging in pleasant conversations can promote feelings of well-being and reduce stress.

Sleep: Getting enough sleep is important for thinking clearly and controlling negative emotions. To sleep better, you can avoid caffeine, alcohol, and heavy meals before bed.

Nutrition: Eating well is a key part of maintaining calm. See below.

Physical activity: Exercise can help you feel calmer.

Routines: Having a consistent morning routine can reduce decision-making and stress.

Eating and drinking

What you put into your body can have a major impact on how your brain works. Nutritionists have identified many foods that support mental health and well-being.

Lots of people relax with alcohol, but this is not a good primary practice, given the empty calories, loss of control, and potential for addiction.

Instead limit caffeine and drink chamomile tea and green tea.

Complex carbohydrates are good, including whole grains like breads and pastas, brown or wild rice, and oatmeal.

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish like salmon, tuna, and halibut; avocados; flaxseed.

Magnesium from foods such as leafy greens like spinach and Swiss chard; legumes, nuts, and seeds; dark chocolate; bananas.

Vitamin C is good, from berries like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries; and, of course, oranges.

Surprise! You can get probiotics from pickles, sauerkraut, and kefir.

Other good foods: yogurt, dark leafy greens, asparagus, oysters, cashews, liver, beef, and egg yolks.

You can also try eating lean proteins to help calm you.

Emotional Control

The physical environment can certainly influence good vibes, but exercising emotional control can have a powerful effect on mental health.

Treat yourself kindly: Calm people don’t beat themselves up about mistakes or weaknesses.

Seeing the middle ground: Expect that there will be glitches, even when people do their best.

Respecting boundaries: Setting boundaries can lead to long-term benefits.

Use your phone judiciously. Be mindful about media you consume.

Why Bother?

Regular practice of relaxation techniques will assist you in relieving muscle tension, reducing anxiety, and improving your overall wellbeing.

Other physiological benefits:

Decrease in heart rate
Decrease in respiration rate

Being calm and relaxed significantly improves both mental and physical health:

Reducing stress
Lowering blood pressure
Enhancing focus
Improving sleep quality
Boosting mood
Allowing for better decision-making, ultimately leading to a higher quality of life

Essentially, it allows your body and mind to recharge and function optimally.

Bottom Line: There are myriad ways to relax and promote calm, and the benefits are well worth the effort.

BAD FEELINGS

Posted on February 18, 2025February 18, 2025 by vlaw759

You know what they are, and we all have them sometimes. They vary in intensity, and everyone recognizes how bad the most intense episodes are.

For example:

Irritated-> angry-> furious-> homicidal
Down-> blue-> sad-> depressed-> suicidal
Self-conscious-> embarrassed-> humiliated
Cautious-> suspicious-> fearful-> paranoid

Bad Feelings in the Body

Even mild prolonged negative emotions can lead to various outcomes like headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, and upset stomach.

Negative feelings, like stress, anxiety, anger, and sadness, can significantly impact physical health. Among other effects, bad feelings can cause the following:

Weakening the immune system
Increasing inflammation
Disrupting sleep patterns
Raising blood pressure
Contributing to digestive issues
Potentially leading to chronic diseases like cardiovascular problems

It’s Not All in Your Head!

Stress hormones:
When experiencing negative emotions, the body releases stress hormones like cortisol, which can disrupt normal bodily functions, including immune response and blood sugar regulation.

Cardiovascular impact:
Chronic stress and anger can contribute to high blood pressure, increased heart rate, and an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease.

Digestive issues:
Negative emotions can lead to digestive problems like stomach aches, nausea, and changes in bowel movements due to the impact on gut health.

Sleep disturbances:
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep is often associated with stress and anxiety, further impacting overall health.

Impaired immune function:
Chronic stress can weaken the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to infections.

Muscle tension:
Negative emotions can lead to muscle tension and pain, particularly in the neck and shoulders.

Headaches and migraines:
Stress and tension can trigger headaches or migraines in some individuals.

Which Feelings Cause What

Specific negative emotions have different potential physical effects!

Anger:
High blood pressure, headaches, stomach ulcers, increased risk of heart disease

Anxiety:
Rapid heart rate, chest pain, difficulty breathing, muscle tension

Depression:
Fatigue, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, aches and pains

Overcoming Bad Feelings

What can be done to mitigate the effects of negative emotions on physical health?

Stress management techniques:
Mindfulness meditation, deep breathing exercises, regular physical activity

Healthy coping mechanisms:
Social support, hobbies, relaxation techniques

Professional help:
Therapy or counseling to address underlying emotional issues

Lifestyle changes:
Adequate sleep, balanced diet, regular exercise

Bottom Line: Bad feelings are bad for your health, so try to have as few of them as possible. When they are unavoidable, take what steps you can to manage them in a healthy way.

PRIORITIES: WE ALL HAVE THEM

Posted on February 11, 2025February 11, 2025 by vlaw759

William Penn priorities — *“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” (William Penn)*

As a young mother, employed full time, I complained to my paternal grandmother that I really needed more time. Granny said, “Honey, you have all the time there is.” Or to put it another way, as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe did, ”One always has time enough, if one will apply it well.” And there you have it, the need to set priorities.

One simplistic approach is this Peter F. Drucker quote, “Do first things first and second things not at all.” But we have to deal with more than first and second.

Eisenhower Matrix

Dwight D. Eisenhower had definite advice on how to deal with this:

Well, that’s one way, and it’s worked for lots of people in both personal and professional situations.

Note: This decision matrix would need to be considered for everything on your to-do list.

Ask yourself these questions for every task:

Does this task contribute to my long-term goals or values? If yes, it’s important.
Does this task have to be done right now, or face consequences? If yes, it’s urgent.
Does this task help someone else more than it helps me? If yes, it’s possibly not important but could be urgent.
Does this task take up more time than it’s worth? If yes, it might not be urgent or important.

I didn’t find guidance on what to do when more than one task comes up both urgent and important.

Organize Priorities

*“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.” (Don Marquis)*

Of course some people simply organize their to-do lists.
For procrastinators, these lists might be:

Do Tomorrow
Do Soon
Do Sometime
Don’t Bother

For many procrastinators, if it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would ever get done!

Even if not consciously set, everyone lives their priorities.

“Action expresses priorities.” (Mahatma Ghandi)
“Your decisions reveal your priorities” (Jeff Van Gundy)
“What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
“It’s how we spend our time here, and now that really matters. If you are fed up with the way you have come to interact with time, change it.” (Marcia Wieder)

It could be argued that success requires the focus that comes from priorities. “When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.” (Simon Fulleringer) “If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.” (Unknown)

Planning Priorities

Consider these quotes that encourage planning:

“The common man is not concerned about the passage of time, the man of talent is driven by it.” – Arthur Schopenhauer

*“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made of.” – Bruce Lee*

“The most efficient way to live reasonably is every morning to make a plan of one’s day and every night to examine the results obtained.” – Alexis Carrel

“He who every morning plans the transactions of that day and follows that plan carries a thread that will guide him through the labyrinth of the most busy life.” – Victor Hugo

“Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still.” – Chinese Proverb

“Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow.” – Anonymous

“The things that matter most should never be at the mercy of the things that matter least.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Also paraphrased as “Don’t let the things that matter least, get in the way of the things that matter most.” ~ Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart (2018)

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey
(BTW, I hate the word “prioritize” and other nouns that have been turned into verbs, but that’s just me.)

“Decide what you want. Decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work.” – H. L. Hunt

Prioritize Rest

And as you allocate time, remember to make rest a priority.

*“Take rest. A field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” – Ovid*

“The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” – Bertrand Russell
“Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well.” – Louisa May Alcott
“Wisdom is knowing when to have rest, when to have activity, and how much of each to have.” – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

So it all comes back to time. “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” (Michael Altshuler)

Or at least we can try to pilot our lives, for as Chaucer noted, “Time waits for no man.”

But “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” (Abraham Lincoln)

And finally, Charles Richards said, “Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of.”

Bottom Line: Whatever your priorities, spend your time intentionally.

Why Am I S.A.D.?

Posted on January 21, 2025January 22, 2025 by vlaw759

*Today’s guest blog was written by Kathleen Corcoran*

The cold is pressing in, the days are short and dark, and colorful gardens are sleeping and gray. It’s easy to get a case of the Winter Blues, but you might also be dealing with something a little more insidious – Seasonal Affective Disorder. If you notice a pattern of depressed moods at the same time every year, you might have S.A.D.

What Causes Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Also known as S.A.D., this subset of mood disorders causes depressive symptoms at the same time every year. Unlike regular depression, S.A.D. comes and goes regularly with the changing seasons.

Though winter-pattern Seasonal Affective Disorder is more common, some people suffer from the mood disorder in the summer. In both varieties, the change in mood coincides with the change in temperature and length of daylight.

The causes of S.A.D. are not entirely clear, but researchers believe it may be related to serotonin, melatonin, or Vitamin D levels. Some scientists believe the change in daylight hours interferes with the brain’s ability to absorb serotonin. Others point to changes in daylight hours messing up melatonin and sleep schedules. Another common hypothesis is that lack of sunlight causes a vitamin D deficiency, leading to mood disruptions.

Other factors that may contribute to winter-pattern S.A.D. include environmental causes. Cold weather often forces people indoors, curtailing opportunities for exercise and social interaction. Fresh fruits and vegetables are less accessible, and those available in grocery stores are generally less nutritious after being force-ripened or shipped long distances. Winter holidays might also contribute to S.A.D., both in the stress leading up to them and the letdown after they’ve passed.

Symptoms of S.A.D.

The symptoms of S.A.D. are very similar to those of general depression, including empty moods, lack of energy, and loss of interest in usual pleasures and hobbies.

In addition, winter-pattern S.A.D. often includes symptoms that make the sufferer look a bit like a hibernating bear:

Oversleeping
Overeating, particularly of carbohydrates, leading to weight gain
Social withdrawal (feeling like “hibernating”)

On the other hand, summer-pattern S.A.D. can cause symptoms that are nearly the opposite:

Trouble sleeping
Poor appetite, leading to weight loss
Restlessness and agitation
Anxiety
Violent or aggressive behavior

S.A.D. History

Knowledge of Seasonal Affective Disorder goes back at least 2500 years! The Greek physician Hippocrates (c 460-377BCE) noted the correlation of seasonal changes and both mania and melancholia all the way back in the 4th Century BCE. Aulus Cornelius Celsus (c 25BCE-50CE) blamed bad weather for a spike in melancholia, madness, and epilepsy.

Some ancient physicians recognized the role of sunlight in treatment for S.A.D. The Greek physician Aretaeus of Cappadocia suggested treating lethargics by laying them in the light and exposing them to the rays of the sun.

Fast forward a few thousand years, psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal noticed that his moods fluctuated much more in the winter after moving from South Africa to New York in 1976. He conducted a study with the National Institute of Health on the relationship between melatonin, light, and mood. In 1984, the NIH research group published the results of their study, naming Seasonal Affective Disorder for the first time in print. The American Psychological Association recognized S.A.D. in 1990 as a mental disorder.

Since that time, many advances in science and medicine have created more effective S.A.D. treatments. Scientists were able to make full-spectrum lamps all the way back in the 1920s, with a combination of incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, but those bulbs are now easier to make and more effective to use. New anti-depressant medications have had promising results in trials for treating Seasonal Affective Disorder. People with S.A.D. can now download phone apps to track circadian rhythms, monitor hormone levels, or set a morning alarm that gradually increases light to mimic dawn.

S.A.D. Treatment

Treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder overlaps in many ways with treatment for other forms of depression. However, the external factors involved in S.A.D. mean that there are some different options. For one thing, the seasonal nature may allow those affected by S.A.D. to anticipate and prepare for changes before symptoms start to occur.

Light therapy
Dawn simulators
Maintaining a regular sleep schedule
Exercising outdoors or next to a window
Seeking out socialization
Psychotherapy
Antidepressant medication
Vitamin D supplements