Yet another reason to make the decision and commitment to exercise in the new year!
Ruminations is mainly about the intersection of three things that interest me: being healthy, politics, and the necessity of letting go. From time to time, I'll write about other things that catch my fancy.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Does Anybody Care When There Isn't A Shooting?
Yet another article documenting our failed mental healthcare system! It's interesting that the only time this seems to come up is after some horrible act perpetrated by someone who is or is presumed to be mentally ill. Will we ever care at any other time? Probably not.
Why? Lots of reasons.
Mental health doesn't have the cachet or constituency of other causes, e.g., breast cancer. The mentally ill don't vote. Prisons are seen as popular job creators in the public sector and increasingly as profit creators in the private sector. Mental health facilities and services are seen as drains on the taxpayer and are often first to be cut. The people who provide the bulk of mental health care at all levels - psychologists, social workers, and counselors - and the services they provide - psychotherapy - are devalued in the mental health system. Name another profession that is paid less in real (not inflation adjusted) dollars than it was in the 1980's for the same or more work. The mental health system - like the rest of health care - is fully controlled by insurance and pharmaceutical industries totally uninterested in prevention or in any treatment - no matter how effective - other than proprietary drugs.
Combine all this with the failure of deinstitutionalization, primarily because it was not properly implemented or funded, and you get what we have now - a system that simply does not work. Not for the severely mentally ill or their families. Not for those whose problems cause them great suffering even when not considered severe (most depression and anxiety, addiction.) Not for those who develop or experience worsened physical illnesses as a result of psychological stressors (chronic pain and physical disability, obesity, exacerbated morbidity inphysical illnesses.) Not for the citizen/taxpayer who ultimately pays for everything anyway. Not for society as a whole.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Kale, Kielbasa, and Potato Soup
This recipe is modified from a traditional Portuguese Green Soup called Caldo Verde. I use kale, reduced sodium gluten free organic chicken broth, and more kielbasa than in the traditional recipe. I also do not add any salt and frankly think extra salt would be too much. This soup is a meal in itself, especially when served with a hearty bread. For those of you who are gluten free, brown rice bread works well with this.
Ingredients
1 lb. or a little more kielbasa
1/4 lb. or more kale
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped
4 potatoes, 1 - 1 1/2 lb. total weight, peeled and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
56 oz chicken broth
ground pepper to taste
Preparation
- Bring a saucepan three fourths full of water to a boil. Prick the kielbasa 3 or 4 times with a fork and add boil for about 5 minutes. Use tongs to transfer kielbasa to a cutting board and let cool for 10 minutes or so. Then slice thinly. Discard the water.
- Rinse and drain the kale. Remove the stems. Working in batches, stack and roll the leaves like a cigar and cut crosswise into very thin strips. Set aside.
- Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan (I use a dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté about 10 minutes until tender and translucent. Raise the heat to medium high, add the potatoes and garlic, and sauté, stirring often, until slightly softened. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Add the broth, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are very soft. Scoop out 2 cups of potatoes and mash well. Return the potatoes to the pan, add the kielbasa, and simmer about 5 minutes until the kielbasa is thoroughly cooked.
- Stir in the greens and simmer uncovered for 3 - 5 minutes at most, stirring occasionally. Don’t overcook the greens; they should be bright green and slightly crunchy. Season with pepper to taste.
Enjoy!
Nutrition Per Serving (Bowl):
Calories - 422
Total Fat - 31 g
Saturated Fat - 8 g
Cholesterol - 33 g
Sodium - 1275 mg
Fiber - 6 g
Protein - 13g
Friday, December 7, 2012
Misdiagnose and Overmedicate: The Drugging of America
The triumph of BigPharma is nearly complete. The American Psychiatric Association just approved the latest edition of its bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM 5.) Why should you care? Because it will result in misdiagnosis, over-diagnosis, and mistreatment of millions of Americans, including American children. And, by the way, cost you lots of money if you pay taxes or insurance premiums.
DSM 5 broadens diagnostic criteria to the point where it is very difficult not to qualify for some diagnoses, for example, my personal candidate for most overdiagnosed condition of the 21st century, Bipolar Disorder. It removes diagnoses that will result in the unavailability of non-phamaceutical services to children, e.g., Asperger's Disorder. It also adds diagnostic criteria or categories that will result in skyrocketing drug sales, an ever expanding black market, and increased rates of addiction.
Are you still grieving two weeks after the death of a loved one. Congratulations! You now qualify for Major Depressive Disorder and do we have the brain numbing and/or lifting meds for you, along with other meds to control the side effects! Do you or your kids have temper tantrums? No, no, no, you actually have Disruptive Mood Disregulation Disorder and we have just the right atypical antipsychotics and mood stabilizers for you! Do you have trouble paying attention to your boring boss at interminable meetings? Must be Adult Attention Deficit disorder and here's your script for stimulants! Worry about stuff a lot? you may be eligible for Generalized Anxiety Disorder and the very addicting benzodiazepines that go along with it!
I kid you not. Why is this happening? Money, status, and power. I'll write more about the causes in my next post. Check out this prominent psychiatrist's take on DSM 5:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Ravioli with Spinach, Watercress, Bacon, and Pancetta
This is an easy and delicious recipe from a great magazine, Real Simple. It takes about 20-30 minutes, start to finish. I'm now at the point in my cooking adventure where I'm not afraid to be adventurous. So, I used pancetta as well as bacon, watercress as well as spinach, and a little more lemon juice and garlic. I had the pancetta and watercress left over from a previous meal that didn't turn out so well (advice to novice cooks: don't always trust the recipe!) This turned out great. Here's my modified recipe and the link to the original recipe in Real Simple.
Ingredients
1 pound ravioli, fresh or frozen. I used Cora’s frozen. I like their pasta a lot.
6 slices total of bacon and pancetta)
2 tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, to taste, sliced
2 bunches fresh spinach (stems removed,) baby spinach, watercress, or some
combination totaling about 8 cups
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
Directions
- Cook the ravioli according to the package directions.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon and pancetta in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a paper towel–lined plate. Crumble.
- Wipe out the skillet and heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the spinach and watercress 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing, until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir the bacon, pancetta, and lemon juice into the spinach. Spoon the mixture over the ravioli. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Nutritional Information
- Per Serving
- Calories 479Calories From Fat 40%
- Protein 20g
- Carbohydrate 51g
- Sugar 4g
- Fiber 4g
- Fat 22g
- Sat Fat 9g
- Calcium 202mg
- Iron 3mg
- Sodium 1082mg
- Cholesterol 75mg
Never Give Up!
I'm not a big fan of inspirational/emotional videos but this one got to me. It's about a Gulf War vet who was injured, gained a huge amount of weight, and essentially was disabled. More importantly, it's about his journey to health and the importance of never giving up. If you need a lift, check it out.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Who Ya' Gonna Believe, Me or Your Lying Science?
I've written before about routine screenings and the harm they sometimes cause. (See Routine Screenings: Blessing or Curse?) Though they are always costly, often unnecessary, and frequently lead to medical harm, these screenings are defended to the death (pardon the pun) by all concerned. Why? Three reasons, I suspect: emotion, misunderstanding science, and money. All three are inextricably bound.
Causes are understandably very personal and very emotional for those involved. Support for what is purported to be life saving early detection becomes a litmus test and worthy cause. Think breast cancer and all those pink ribbons. Suggesting that what has been portrayed as vital early detection may, in fact, be a waste of time and money and perhaps quite dangerous pushes all those emotional buttons.
The scientific method - how science is done - should be emotionally and personally neutral, based on fact rather than belief. However, science is often routinely ignored, even by people who are scientifically trained. Why? Personal experience and attribution bias. We tend to be selectively biased by our own experiences, i.e., we believe our own eyes much more than a set of data or experiments. Personal experience counts more and is generalized much further than valid and reliable scientific testing. (By the way, eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable.)
So, if you know someone who had a routine mammogram or PSA test and subsequently cancer as detected, treated, and the person lived, you are likely to attribute their survival to the routine screening. This is true for physicians as well as patients. That their survival may have been the result of something else entirely or that they may have recovered equally well without early detection is never even considered. It is counterintuitive and entirely true.
Money is the third and probably the main reason why little will change. An entire medical industrial complex and series of related causes and foundations has built up around the issue of early detection of various cancers - some being more popular than others. If scientific research demonstrates, as the studies reported in the following link clearly do, that early detection efforts do not save lives, the research will be dismissed, denigrated, or ignored. It's human nature in part. Ignoring the inconvenient truth is easier the coming up with a different way of doing things.
Friday, November 30, 2012
What Works
I'm interested in what works. In my journey toward becoming healthy two things that work for me are Lose It! and Fitbit.
Lose It! is a web site and app for your phone or tablet. It helps you set and track goals, gives individualized target information for calories and exercise, and I think most importantly, hosts a support community that is really terrific. The psychological research is very clear that working towards a difficult goal - like losing weight - is much more doable when you're doing it with others. Lose It has been very valuable to me.
Fitbit is an activity tracker and much more. It tracks steps, miles traveled, floors climbed, and calories burned and will also give you a target calorie limit based on your stated goals. I have found it to be very motivating in getting the extra activity in that, a little at a time, really adds up. Fitbit will sync with Lose It! You can also develop a support community on Fitbit and enter challenges to keep you moving.
Lose It! led me to a blog that has been very helpful to me: Make Your Someday Today. The blog is the creation of Trevor LaRene and has great articles and terrific recipes, some of which I've blogged about. Trevor is a very active Lose It! member and has lost 85 pounds so far. Right now, he's running a giveaway for a subscription to Eating Well magazine, a periodical he has found quite helpful. Check it out!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Is Therapy Dead?
Psychotherapy is very effective in treating many problems that afflict us in the 21st century, including those conditions that underlie physical illnesses and contribute to our ever increasing health care costs (see first links below.) Why? Because many problems are the result of how we think, act, choose, and relate - all areas addressed in psychological health care. I've also written about the problems associated with the marketing of every human difficulty as a disease with a corresponding (expensive) medication to treat it (see second set of links below.)
Despite the evidence for its effectiveness, psychotherapy is less and less available. Why? The simple answer is money, marketing, and comfort. There's much more money to be made in medicalizing everything, especially for the mangled care insurance companies, BigPharma, and the psychiatric establishment.
People have also been convinced that there is (or should be) a pill for everything including what I've taken to calling Sucky Life Syndrome. Life is difficult for reasons within and sometimes beyond our control. We make choices every day that either worsen the difficulty or just fail to solve it. We feel bad about that. So, we look for something to take the bad feeling away without, of course, actually requiring any change on our part or in our circumstances. And BigPharma has just the answer we and they want. So, psychotherapy as a viable treatment option may be dying out. Not a good thing.....
Another Good Reason to Walk the Damn Dog
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Salmon Baked in Foil with Broccoli and Pesto
Here's a very healthy dish that takes about 20 minutes to make. I am not a huge broccoli fan but I have to say it goes extremely well with salmon prepared this way. Have just this - it's quite filling - or add a salad. If you want carbs with it, go for a baked potato or brown rice. Trust me, though, this is enough by itself. This is my wife Cindy's adaptation of a Jamie Oliver recipe. The Oliver version uses green beans but I suspect you can use just about any vegetable you'd like.
2 handfuls of cut up broccoli
2 lemons
2 (7-8 oz) chunky salmon fillets, skin on
2 heaped tbsp of green pesto - store bought is fine!
2 tsp olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat your oven to 400. Trim and cut up the broccoli. Halve both the lemons.
- Pull out a sheet of aluminum foil about a yard long and fold in half to create a double layer. Place a handful of broccoli in the middle to create a bed for the salmon.
- Lay a salmon filet, skin side down, across the broccoli and spoon over a heaping tablespoon of green pesto.
- Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil, squeeze juice from one of the lemons over the fillet, and season to taste with sea salt and pepper.
- Pull the aluminum foil edges together and scrunch them to seal the parcel.
- Repeat these steps to make the second parcel. (This recipe serves two. Do the math to feed more.)
- Put both parcels on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it stand for one minute before carefully unsealing one of the parcels and testing for doneness. Bake a few minutes more if needed.
Bon appétit!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving!
What to say about Thanksgiving? I’m not given to easy sentiment or expression of emotion. I usually gag in reaction to much of flowery fluff I see posted on line. It rises to the level of the “peace and love for all mankind” responses elicited from beauty pageant contestants when asked their fondest wish. So, I’ve been thinking about what I’m grateful for and trying to be as honest, real, and down to earth about it as I can. Here’s my shortlist. What’s yours?
I’m thankful for:
• My wife, Cindy Day, whose courage and love uphold me now as they have for so many years. I am particularly pleased with her recent gift of encouraging me to learn how to cook and challenging my fear of “not doing it right.” I am eternally grateful to her for reminding me at crucial times that “You don’t know.” That reminder of my lack of omniscience has saved me much grief and brought me much serenity.
• My son and daughter in law, Jim and Amy, for the privilege of knowing them as a strong and loving couple, admiring their great resilience over the last few years, and joyfully anticipating the birth of their first child Stella Noel right around Christmas Day.
• My stepdaughter Kate and her wife Maggie, two of the brightest and funniest (even more important!) people I know. Their energy, drive, intellect, character, love, and toughness simply astound me. Check out their new blog: http://kateandmaggie.wordpress.com/
• My granddaughter, Amelia, who is – objectively speaking, of course – the brightest, funniest, most beautiful grandchild in the world, a title she will soon co-own with Stella Noel. Sometimes, I look into Amelia’s eyes and I honestly see a very old soul who is destined to do great things (that will have to wait at least until she finishes first grade!)
• My friends, old and new, just for being there and for being themselves in all their glory, irascibility, honesty, brokenness, tolerance, humor, and redemption. A special thanks to my oldest friends (you know who you are!) and to the Geezer’s Breakfast Bunch for all the reasons you know.
• The opportunity in the last couple of years to take real ownership of my life, my serenity, and my health through the help of some incredible people who encourage, inspire, and hold me accountable to my own journey.
Have a Great Thanksgiving!
Friday, November 16, 2012
Night Eating - A Solution
Night time eating is a major problem for anyone dieting or just trying to eat healthy. Including me. (See: Ruminations - Night Eating.) In analyzing the last month it became very clear that snacking at night - which I call the Midnight Munchies - was the major contributor to my plateau. So, I've done a ton (you should pardon the pun) of research and made an effort to address the problem. The real obstacle for me is at bedtime. I got in the habit of taking a cereal and nuts combo to munch on while I read. That can add up, especially when you get a refill! I've learned to keep things simple and frame them positively (I will, not I won't.) So, here's what I did:
- Resolved to act on what I knew, not on what I felt, on what I needed, not what I wanted. I knew the snacking was a compulsion that would require total abstinence to break. I also knew the urge would go away if I let it. So, my need was to go through minor discomfort for a few minutes until the urge abated. I knew getting into my reading would facilitate that process so I committed to reading for at least ten minutes before acting on any urge. That ten minutes is enough for the desire to dissipate.
- Made an effort to be mindful of the midnight munchies, i.e., to observe and understand the urge and what was driving it - boredom, comfort, restlessness, entitilement, whatever. The key was accepting the urge (without judgement) for what it was, simply my momentary experience that would pass. Judging the urge or myself for having it would only reinforce the unhealthy behavior and prolong the struggle.
The results? So far, so good. Five consecutive days with decreasing urges and difficulty each night. I know that after a month or so, this will become the "new normal" and no longer a struggle at all.
Here's a link to a wikiHow article that outlines some more steps you can take to stop the Midnight Munchies yourself.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Night Eating
Ever hear the 'fridge call your name at night, even when you're not particularly hungry? Eat at night more from habit than hunger? Find yourself cruising cupboards, drawers, and pantry shelves looking for something crunchy or sweet to pound down? Eaten stuff that you didn't particularly want, just to eat something? Reproached yourself afterwards for being "bad" when you had been "good" all day and resolved not to do it again. And promptly did the same thing the next night? If so, you are definitely not alone!
The evening hours are a very difficult time for anyone trying to eat healthy and/or lose weight. The inhibiting structure and responsibilities of the day are gone. Simply put, you don't have to go out of your way or wait for a break to indulge. You can eat what you want when you want it. Your options are greater. You have a house full of food that you yourself have purchased or had a hand in selecting. Your guard may be down and you may consciously or unconsciously believe that you are "entitled to a little reward" for all your efforts throughout the day. If you have problems with relationships, children, work, depression, anxiety, insomnia, or any of our modern ills, eating may be seen as a quick fix — or at least an easy distraction — for what distresses you.
Nighttime temptations are a common problem for anyone trying to be healthy. It's an even greater problem for those who have a significant weight problem. About 27% of obese Americans manifest what is called Nighttime Eating Syndrome. (See the links below.) It's estimated that 1.5% of all Americans (you do the math) qualify for this diagnosis. Whether this is a syndrome or very unhealthy habit doesn't matter much; it's a real problem for a lot of people. Me, included.
I've been surprised by the intensity of my nighttime cravings. I always did a lot of secret eating at night. Yet my urges were no greater at night than any other time. In the process of losing 150 pounds over the last four years I thought my cravings might disappear. For the most part, as I have learned to eat healthy and exercise, the cravings have diminished or simply gone away. Not at night, though. Along with a sweet tooth that is far more intense than ever in the past, night urges are the most stubborn remaining obstacle in my path. I have some ideas as to why this is so and will write about it in future posts. I'll also explore ways to stop the nighttime eating. For now, check out these links about Night Eating Syndrome. (To be very clear, not everyone who eats at night or struggles with the mindless munchies has an eating disorder! Most do not. Not every human foible is a disease!) In any case, I'd be very curious as to your experiences with this problem!
I've been surprised by the intensity of my nighttime cravings. I always did a lot of secret eating at night. Yet my urges were no greater at night than any other time. In the process of losing 150 pounds over the last four years I thought my cravings might disappear. For the most part, as I have learned to eat healthy and exercise, the cravings have diminished or simply gone away. Not at night, though. Along with a sweet tooth that is far more intense than ever in the past, night urges are the most stubborn remaining obstacle in my path. I have some ideas as to why this is so and will write about it in future posts. I'll also explore ways to stop the nighttime eating. For now, check out these links about Night Eating Syndrome. (To be very clear, not everyone who eats at night or struggles with the mindless munchies has an eating disorder! Most do not. Not every human foible is a disease!) In any case, I'd be very curious as to your experiences with this problem!
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Turkey Sausage, White Bean and Butternut Squash Soup
This is a hearty and healthy soup great for fall and winter evenings. I made it this morning, we had it for lunch, and we'll have it for dinner as well. It's a Weight Watchers recipe (they've got some really good ones, check them out). A couple of suggestions, though: Use reduced sodium broth and don't add salt; even the reduced sodium broth is quite salty. Use more squash, maybe another half pound, a little less chopped onion, and a tad more garlic. You could throw in some more cannellini beans if you'd like. Serve with a really good bread (we had a hearty multigrain from Wegman's.) Cubing the butternut squash requires some time and effort. Use pre-cut squash to save on both. You can also use regular Italian sausage if the extra calories (not many, really) are not an issue. Enjoy!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Get Behind Yourself and Push!
I've been exercising for over a year now. When I started, I had a strong desire to establish an exercise program. Desire is, after all, just a feeling and all feelings pass. To have a shot at success I knew I needed to be and stay motivated. Motivation is not a feeling. It's a decision plus a commitment. The decision is not "I want to." The decision is "I will." The commitment is "I will whether I feel like it or not!" There are many mornings when I don't feel like going to the gym. I would just as soon stay in bed, reset the alarm, and pull the covers over my head.
Yesterday was that kind of morning. Mornings like that are good teachers. The alarm went off, as usual, at 0500. I hit the snooze button and must have hit it twice as the next thing I know it's buzzing at 5:20. I tell myself "It's too late to go to the gym and you won't be able to do your routine anyway so you might as well get some extra sleep." Didn't work. Two minutes later I tell myself to get my ass out of bed, go to the gym, and do what I can. Once at the gym I decided to skip the weight training and do an extra 15 minutes of aerobics. I learned two things: First, no matter what, exercise as planned and second, don't insist on doing things exactly one way. Be flexible rather than rigid in implementing your plans because rigidity can easily become an excuse for doing nothing at all. Ah, well.... sometimes you have to get behind yourself and push and sometimes you have to be creative.
Here are three links with helpful tips for staying motivated to exercise.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Quick Beef With Greek Yogurt Sauce
This is a quick and easy dish for election night - or any night when you're busy! It takes about 15 minutes total and is delicious and low in calories. It's made with ground sirloin, cumin, salt and pepper, and (but of course) garlic. The sauce is a mixture of low fat plain yogurt and diced cucumber. Top the beef with the sauce, sprinkle some fresh, chopped mint on your creation, and serve on a pita.
This is a Weight Watchers recipe and is five points. The reviews on WW offer some ideas for spicing it up if you're so inclined!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Irrational Choices
Health care reform is vital but complicated. Republicans and free marketers advocate for greater consumer (what the hell ever happened to patients?) choice and more responsibility in choosing and paying for insurance plans. So, Romney/Ryan proposes Medicare vouchers that cover some of the cost (leaving a considerable premium for seniors to pay on their own) on the theory that consumers will have more skin in the game and make wiser choices that meet their needs but keep down costs. A lovely theory! It just doesn't work out in practice.
The link below describes the harrowing and complicated journey of a woman who needed neurosurgery. This woman is also a health economist and knows far more than most people about the intricacies of insurance and health care.
Now imagine an average senior citizen - your 85 year old grandmother perhaps - trying to navigate this very complicated, sometimes deliberately obtuse maze. Trying to anticipate, for example, all the illnesses she is likely to have, procedures she might need, drugs she might be prescribed and matching all that to the managed care plans presently available in her area, at the same time predicting how those plans are likely to change and, oh by the way, where she is going to come up with the difference in premium left after the voucher. Most people will choose the cheapest plan or perhaps the best they can afford at the time. They will not be in a position to figure it all out. Granny loses, insurance company wins. Is that what you want for your parents or grandparents? How about for yourself?
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Cindy’s Famous Red Sauce
My wife, Cindy Day, is an excellent cook. One of the things I've enjoyed over the years is her red sauce. We do a lot of pasta dishes and the foundation is always the sauce.
Today, for the first time since taking on much of the cooking duties in our home, I had a hankering for red sauce and tried making it. Turned out pretty well, I think. The beauty of the recipe is that a novice like me can make it, it's very simple, and takes little time. You can add to it in any way you'd like, sausage, meatballs, whatever. This recipe makes enough sauce for at least a couple of meals, if not three. Enjoy!
2 - 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
3 cloves chopped garlic
3 tbs olive oil
1 cup beef bouillon
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp oregano
2 shakes red pepper
2 tbs dried parsley
Use dutch oven
Cut bouillon cube in half and add one cup of boiling
water in measuring cup
Heat olive oil on medium heat (4-5)
Add garlic and simmer until soft, not brown
Add tomatoes, breaking up, and stir
Add oregano and red pepper
Add 2 - 3 oz of bouillon and brown sugar
Add parsley
Cook 10-20 minutes, adding bouillon as you go, and stirring frequently from the bottom up.
Add to your favorite pasta and enjoy!
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