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Category Archives: Health and Healing


Seeing Things That Aren’t There

July 16, 2008 – 12:40 pm
Read More By Rena

blue-universe-cloud"Vision is controlled hallucination"  — Max Clowes

We humans rely on our sense of seeing more than any of our other senses.  Even if we can’t see it, we want the descriptions from others who have.  I’ve talked to blind people who say they make images in their heads through their other senses.  When you see something really out of place or start seeing things that aren’t there or shouldn’t be there, this can be incredibly upsetting. 

Take a deep breath and relax.  Then, look at these tips for seeing things that aren’t there.  Please keep in mind that I’m not a doctor or licensed therapist, so don’t use this in the place of a diagnosis.

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Taking New Medicine Is Stressful…or Not…

July 11, 2008 – 1:02 pm
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happy-pills"I want a new drug."    —  Huey Lewis & The News

Chronic pain is bad enough, but then you have to deal with taking new medicines.  For example, I have migraines.  I get them about once a week, more or less.  And let me tell you, contrary to the belief that everything that happens to you is a blessing from God, I really do NOT feel blessed.   My doctor is trying a little pill parade of new drugs in order to banish the migraines into the maelstrom of chaos from whence they came.  It’s stressful taking new medication, because you really dread that moment when you realize this is not the drug for you.  You never know when that moment is going to hit.  And yet, when the moment comes, it’s never as bad as you think it’s going to be.  It’s a metaphor for dealing with life, isn’t it?

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Creativity and Sleep Deprivation

June 28, 2008 – 10:22 am
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Couldn't resist using this sleepy owl again!When you work in a profession that relies heavily on your creative abilities like writing, cooking or sales, you often get dry patches where your mind goes blank.  You bills can’t wait for your ideas to come back, so you get stressed out.  Which makes your mind go into even more of a blank state than you originally thought it could.  This is why some people turn to mind-altering substances in order to get their creativity going again. 

One of the most inexpensive is sleep deprivation.  The theory is that when you can’t sleep a while, your inhibitions go down and you are more willing to take creative risks.  In the long run, insomnia is as harmful for you as taking drugs.  Your best way to get the creative juices flowing again is to keep on working.

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Dealing with the Fear of Getting Alzheimer’s

June 25, 2008 – 4:52 pm
Read More By Rena

1393970041_f211d15b64One of the most feared medical conditions of modern times is Alzheimer’s.  More Americans fear getting Alzheimer’s than they are of getting heart disease, which is potentially lethal.  Perhaps one of the reasons it’s so feared is because we know so little about it.  However, we do know that getting Alzheimer’s is not a death sentence.  Also, with each passing year, we know more and more how to care for people with Alzheimer’s.

And yet, it never fails.  If you can’t find your keys or can’t remember the name of a relative, someone is bound to quip, "That’s the first sign of Alzheimer’s, you know," and a feeling of cold dread grips your stomach.

We don’t know much about getting Alzheimer’s, but we do know a lot about fear.  How can we deal with the very real fear of Alzheimer’s, which can sometimes feel bad enough all by itself?

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I’m Going Deaf And It’s Okay

June 20, 2008 – 12:01 pm
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headphonesI’m not deaf — just ignoring you.  — T-shirt

I’m losing my hearing, more in my left ear than in my right.  I can’t say I’m surprised.  I live in a very loud country.   Mom blames all the music I blasted into my headphones when I was a kid, but that was nothing in comparison to real eardrum-pounders like car alarms, trolleys, vacuum cleaners and clothes dryers.  I also can’t help but notice that everyone else in my family has hearing loss.  I suppose I could blame my parents for my hearing loss, but that wouldn’t be too wise of me. I can live with hearing loss.  I can’t live with my parents being furious with me because I blamed my hearing loss on their DNA combinations.

I wouldn’t mind so much but my favorite singer Peter Gabriel is putting out new music this summer (Big Blue Ball).  He only puts out an album about once a decade.  Just my luck, eh? New Peter Gabriel music and I can barely hear it.

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