Beautiful Things

After updating my blog list, I realize that my preferred blogs involve those that have to do with home design, preferably, French, Country, or a mix of both or more. Funny, but some of these blogs are written in a language I don't understand. I just savor the pictures.  I may not be blogging on design, but to me looking at beautiful designs is a great stress reducer. After all, a thing of beauty still is a joy forever. 

My Amazon Wish List Part II - Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers

Next on my amazon.com wish list is the Robert Sapolsky M.D./National Geographic documentary, Stress: Portrait of a Killer and Sapolsky's book, Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers. Sapolsky is a Stanford University neuroendocrinologist. The video and the book will expound on his theories on stress:

• Our body does not distinguish between real stress, like running for your life, and psychological stress, like, worry about money, mortgage, workplace issues.
• Under stress, the body aims to survive and it will turn off other aspects that are not essential like, reproduction, growth, digestion, tissue repair. "You run for your life, this is no time to ovulate."
• A zebra that escapes from a predator, will then turn off its stress response. We, humans, are unable to do so and we do it nonstop. We stress out for protracted periods for purely psychological reasons.  
• Eventually, the stress response is more damaging than the stressor itself.

Sapolsky notes that the zebra gets terrorized for roughly 3 minutes. Then, after the predator is gone, the zebra is either dead or is once again roaming the savannah. It doesn't go around getting stressed out by a potential predator. Humans, on the other hand, anticipate  stress and emit what is called, anticipatory stress response.  

Coping with Stress

Sapolsky normally concludes by saying that "having a shoulder to cry on" helps us cope with stress. Trustworthy and reliable friends are key. 

Commit to stress management activities regularly. It should be something we do on schedule and not simply  when we feel like it. 

Maintain perspective as well. If you feel stressed about work, think, of somebody else who may be dying at that very moment. Breathe, then, get back to work.

Finally, don't be the stressor to others. We usually do this when we displace our own stress to those who work for us or those who are lower in hierarchy than us. 

My Amazon Wish List - The Female Brain

I have  been visiting and re-visiting my amazon.com wish list for the past several weeks.  I dream that when I get a windfall, one of the first things I will do is finally proceed to checkout. My wish list is not expensive at all, but, with all the other things I need to pay for, it will have to wait.

One of the books, I am so eager to get my hands on is Louanne Brizendine's The Female Brain. I have exhausted all the snippet view and limited view I could find in google books as well as the extensive excerpts from oprah.com. I even left a question on Dr Brizendine's blog message board about infertility around last year and, I am happy to say, she quickly answered. It doesn't hurt that of the 119 reviews on amazon alone, 65 of those gave her 5 stars even if they do not all agree with the contents of the book.

Reading her book will help me understand the changes that continuously take place in my body. My eventual understanding of these changes will help me cope better and live fuller. Below is an excerpt:

Excerpt from The Female Brain

By Louann Brizendine, MD

The "nervous system environment" a girl absorbs during her first two years becomes a view of reality that will affect her for the rest of her life. Studies in mammals now show that this early stress versus calm incorporation—called epigenetic imprinting—can be passed down through several generations. Research in mammals by Michael Meaney's group has shown that female offspring are highly affected by how calm and nurturing their mothers are. This relation has also been shown in human females and nonhuman primates. Stressed mothers naturally become less nurturing, and their baby girls incorporate stressed nervous systems that change the girls' perception of reality. This isn't about what's learned cognitively—it's about what is absorbed by the cellular microcircuitry at the neurological level. This may explain why some sisters can have amazingly different outlooks. It appears that boys may not incorporate so much of their mothers' nervous system.

Neurological incorporation begins during pregnancy. Maternal stress during pregnancy has effects on the emotional and stress hormone reactions, particularly in female offspring. These effects were measured in goat kids. The stressed female kids ended up startling more easily and being less calm and more anxious than the male kids after birth. Furthermore, female kids who were stressed in utero showed a great deal more emotional distress than female kids who weren't. So if you're a girl about to enter the womb, plan to be born to an unstressed mom who has a calm, loving partner and family to support her. And if you are a mom-to-be carrying a female fetus, take it easy so that your daughter will be able to relax.

Acupuncture

health shoppe

I made a trip to the Quezon City office of the Integrative Medicine for Alternative Healthcare Systems (INAM) Philippines, Inc. I understand that many doctors and therapists who are also acupuncturists trained with INAM.

The INAM office is very unpretentious and spartan. I was asked to answer a questionnaire. Then, I was led to see a medical doctor who first examined me. She asked about my medical history and checked my blood pressure. The verdict: my ailments are stress-related. She warned me against stress and commented that 80% of all illnesses may be linked to stress. She recommended acupuncture treatment for me. She also asked me to pursue a hobby that will help divert my attention from the everyday stress.

Then, I had to see a clinician. She again went over my medical history. She emphatically pointed out that acupuncture will only work with good diet and constant exercise. She also recommended more water intake. She proceeded with my initial treatment. This clinician is very fast. I did not realize that she was already poking me with needles because she was very fast. It was no surprise that she has been doing acupuncture for around 13 years.

I was left to rest for 30 minutes. I was feeling refreshed after my channels were opened.

In the end, I paid PHP200 for consult with the doctor; PHP350 for the acupuncture treatment; PHP75 for the 10 needles; and PHP65 for the test tube. I was told that the succeeding acupuncture treatment will only cost PHP300 per session plus I get to re-use my needles. These charges are way lower than commercial rates. No wonder, people from places as far as Pampanga go all the way to INAM for treatment.

I peeked at INAM's medical and laboratory package. The rates are not bad at all. For example and executive package costs PHP1,375.00 and includes:

• complete blood count
• urinalysis
• fecalysis with occult blood test
• fasting blood sugar
• creatinine
• blood uric acid
• cholesterol
• triglyceride
• high density lipoprotein
• low density lipoprotein
• HBsAg screeing
• ecg
• physical examination

INAM also offers other services such as ear acupuncture for stress management, smoking cessation and substance abuse; cupping (ventosa); moxibustion; tui na massage; chi nei tsang massage; nutrition; herbal medicine; taichi and qigong classes and other healing exercises, and; massage by a traditional hilot.

Inam is open from Tuesday to Saturday at 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. It is located at

82-A Malakas Street, Bgy. Pinyahan, Diliman, Quezon City
Tel Nos: 926 3356; 926 4810