#he put wires in human brain and found out there are neurons activating when. well. when they understand a concept.
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tchaikovskym · 10 months ago
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It was good in a way that that guy is really up to something in a topic that is interesting to most people and that he has evidence on what I only had hunches about
There is a ppt with transparent da vincis jumping jack man in the background with also a transparent neuron in front and the title is pure yellow in comic sans with shadow effect. This is about to be good
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bipabrena · 6 years ago
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A Second Chance Chapter V (Titan!Erwin Eruri fic)
Half-arsed summary: Events from chapter 84 had Erwin been given the serum. Soft and obsessive Levi, Erwin struggles with guilt from those he sent to die for a selfish dream, and everything with Zeke-Marley will be far different under Erwin’s leadership. Erwin will be the one to save the world. Read the whole thing here.
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Several weeks passed, and the Survey Corps set their sights on clearing up the rest of the titans inside Wall Maria, as well as progress on Erwin’s experimentation and Eren’s memories.
Unlike before, Erwin spent a lot of his time alone. Normally, he’d spend his time with Levi, Hange as well. When he worked on paperwork, Levi would usually be there, even if silently, just keeping him company.
But after Shiganshina, Erwin wanted to be left alone.
Levi thought Erwin was angry, that he saw Levi as a failure and disappointment, but the truth was that Erwin was trying to find himself.
He was trying to recollect memories, see what Bertolt saw. Know what he knew. Unlike before, he tried to actually get some sleep, because he thought it’d be the best way to meet Bertolt again. The coated man in the dreams he couldn’t remember, he knew it was him. But he didn’t see him again. He couldn’t dream.
Everything was just hard for Erwin.
He was overwhelmed, even though the Survey Corps had done nothing but progress. They earned the people’s love and warmth, while the other military branches’ respect and admiration.
Yet something felt amiss.
What is it that he gained that day…?
He reached the basement and proved his father right. He felt he redeemed himself some for being a stupid child that got the father he adored killed.
But he still didn’t feel whole.
Sometimes, his hands felt dirty. When he lingered too much on his feelings of emptiness, he’d look at his feet and see a pile of corpses. And the very first corpse he stood on was Mike, who always stared at him with his brows slightly creased.
Like he were questioning him.
So, what did he gain…?
Knowledge?
Progress for humanity?
At the expense of what?
How were they supposed to fight not one enemy, but the entire world? What was it that he, a man that was exhausted and broken, could do?
If only, if only he could remember something.
But what did that matter? Did Bertolt have any information that was more useful than anything Grisha and Kruger gave them?
Or more useful than Eren’s predecessors?
He took a sharp inhale and stood from his desk. He went over to his bookshelf and grabbed one of the old books he borrowed from Historia’s library.
He sat on his bed, and made himself comfortable as he spread the several journals on the bed, and rested the book on his legs brought to his chest.
“The Fundamentals of the Brain,” it was called.
He grabbed one of the journals, pages yellow from its antiquity.
There were detailed drawings of the brain and the lobes of the cerebral cortex. He alternated between speed-reading the journal and book. He focused on the notes on the hippocampus—the part responsible for memory function.
He grabbed a quill and his own brand-new journal.
He stared at the blank page, lost in thought.
The paths Kruger mentioned… they could almost be defined as a channel of transportation. It links all Eldians, and the central point is the Coordinate. The brain possesses something similar. The axons in the brain serve as a wire that connects neurons from location to location. It’s responsible for transmitting information over a long distance. A neural pathway, so to speak. This pathway maybe could be seen as the Coordinate in the brain. Every Eldian is connected to the Coordinate, so, perhaps we could be seen as axons. If the memories are passed on from shifter to shifter through these paths…
“Hm…” he muttered. “Let’s see,” he now spoke out loud, leaning back on the pillows and looking at the ceiling. “If memories are stored as patterns, and those patterns encode information of an event, maybe a stimulus could cause those memory networks to be activated. But how do you stimulate a brain to remember?”
His head shot to strong knocks on the door.
He stood and headed to it, and opened it. It was late, who wanted to bother him?
He found Levi and Hange.
“… Oh? What are you two doing here?”
“Were you just talking to yourself?” Hange said.
“You heard?” his brows rose.
“You’re just like Eren now!” she jested. “I thought he was weird, talking to himself and all, but you’re the same! Maybe it’s a titan shifter thing. You guys are so weird!”
She grinned and laughed, but she was evidently hiding the sadness in her.
“Why are you here?” Erwin asked.
Her eye saddened. “Because we’re worried about you…” she admitted.
He took a good look at them, and was surprised when his eyes found Levi. The dark circles under his eyes were terrible, and his normally handsome face was plagued with an unspoken emotion Erwin couldn’t decipher.
Sadness? Resignation? What was it?
He frowned in surprise.
“… Have you been losing weight?”
Levi didn’t say anything.
“What do you need?” he asked them.
“We’re just worried, Erwin…” Hange frowned. “About you. We want to know what’s going through that mind of yours.”
“I’m fine,” Erwin said.
“What are you doing?” Hange asked, getting on her tippy toes and looking over Erwin inside his office, catching a glimpse of his book filled bed.
“Reading,” he said.
“Erwin…” Hange frowned, “why won’t you talk to us?”
“What do you mean? I am—“
“Whenever we’re done experimenting or working, you disappear without a trace. You were never like this before. We don’t talk, share tea or do anything together at all. Why…? Why has everything changed so much?”
Because he hates me… Levi thought.
Erwin sighed, and they were surprised by the visible saddening of his eyes and his sudden sincerity.
“I’ve wanted to be alone,” he admitted. “I have much to think about. I don’t need any distractions, but don’t take that the wrong way.”
“Isn’t there anything we can do to help?” Hange asked.
Erwin looked down in contemplation. He glimpsed at the books, then at them.
“Three heads are better than one,” she smiled sadly.
“… Yes,” his eyes softened. “How foolish have I been?”
He fully opened the door and paved way for them to enter. Hange did immediately, but Levi hesitated.
“Levi?” Erwin called.
Levi looked up at him, brows furrowed and eyes sad—and his expression was pitiful to look at. It was childish and pleading, like he were asking Erwin if he was truly allowed to go in, if he was truly welcome.
“What are you waiting for?” Erwin smiled at him for the first time in weeks, and it made everything inside Levi tighten. “You don’t intend to stay there all night, do you?”
Levi silently walked through the door, and stood in the middle of the office, doing nothing.
Erwin walked past him to the bedroom and plopped on the bed. He sat, scurrying back as Hange went over with a chair to sit next to him. After several calls, Levi did the same. He sat next to Hange at the right bedside so they both could be face-to-face with Erwin.
Erwin explained what he was trying to do. Hange nodded intently, and Levi gazed at Erwin with the most pitiful eyes he had ever seen. He tried to ignore it, but it brewed something terrible inside Erwin.
What was wrong with Levi?
“That’s brilliant,” Hange referred to the way Erwin illustrated paths with the human brain. “The brain does behave like a sponge,” she said. “When you ate Bertolt, you said you dreamt about his titan form crying. If what Rod Reiss said is true, and we have no reason to believe otherwise, then a titan shifter never truly dies. Their memories are absorbed by the current holder, certain conditions simply need to happen in order for those memories to surface.”
“But the issue is how,” Erwin sighed. “I don’t know how. After all, I’m trying to stimulate my brain for someone else’s memories, not my own.”
“Hm…” Hange pondered, skimming through the journals.
“Maybe you should cut open my skull and probe my brain,” Erwin smiled.
Hange’s mouth opened. She stared at Erwin, and he and Levi could tell she was contemplating the idea.
“He was just kidding!” Levi yelled, frowning at her.
They were taken aback, since it was the first thing he had said, and he looked panicked.
“I know, I know,” she smiled apologetically. “Buuuuuuuuut—“
“But nothing!” Levi reproached.
“Okay, okay,” she put her hands up.
Erwin laughed, and her eyes darted between him and Levi. She spoke to Erwin, changing the subject to lighten the mood, but she couldn’t stifle the sadness inside her.  
Levi was quiet and never said anything about it, but she wasn’t dumb.
She easily noticed the changes in him and Erwin since their last meeting where they discussed what happened in Shiganshina.
The difference is, she could tell Erwin was distant, but Levi…
It’s like Levi had fallen into a deep depression, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of his failure in killing the Beast Titan, or somehow because of Erwin.
She just wanted everything to be fine.
They lost so much during the Battle of Shiganshina. Mike wasn’t with them, she had lost Moblit; the three of them were all they had. And now that Erwin’s time was ticking, she didn’t want anything to get in the way of their friendship.
She abruptly stood up, and they both looked at her.
“Let’s go out!” she smiled. “Tomorrow’s Friday. Let’s go out to the interior! Let’s have a few drinks, let’s go to a cabaret—let’s have some fun! We have earned it!”
“But, Hange—“
“But what?” Hange said. “Are we here just to work? Were we put on this Earth to drown in work every waking hour, and think about the pain we feel during the little time we have to take a breather?”
“Let’s go out!” she repeated. “Let’s get drinks, let’s eat some meat, let’s attend a fun show and just get drunk!”
Levi was too depressed to say anything, or to even contemplate her words.
“You know what,” Erwin closed the book with a thump, “you’re right.”
They looked at him in surprise.
“I can’t remember the last time I relaxed,” he said. “Can you?”
She shook her head.
“And I’m sure Levi is the same,” Erwin said when Levi said nothing. “Let’s enjoy ourselves. I’ll make the carriage arrangements tomorrow morning.”
“Yes!” Hange brought her fist up then down in victory. “Then it’s settled,” she sat back down and wrapped an arm around Levi. “We’re going to have fun and eat,” she emphasised, but Levi didn’t know why. It took him a few seconds to understand, and he looked away when he did.
Erwin frowned at Levi’s utter lack of enthusiasm. His pitiful expression was starting to get to him.
“But for now,” he said, standing up, “I’m going to think for a little longer, then sleep. You two get some, as well.”
“Okay,” Hange smiled, complying, and Levi followed. She bid Erwin goodbye, waiting for Levi, but she quickly left instead when Erwin tugged him back to prevent him from leaving.
Levi looked up at him with those pitiful, hopeless eyes.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” is all he responded.
Erwin frowned, not knowing what to tell him or what to ask him. Why was he so thin?
The Survey Corps had better food than ever now. So, why?
He held both his shoulders and shot him a comforting smile, to Levi’s surprise. “Get some good sleep,” he said. “We’re going to have some well-deserved fun tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it.”
Levi frowned, and it shocked Erwin further when his words had the opposite effect he intended.
He looked even worse, even more distraught.
“… Okay,” is all Levi said.
He turned and left, hands in pockets and tired eyes on the floor.
“Levi?”
He turned to look.
“Goodnight,” Erwin smiled.
Levi frowned even more. He said nothing and left, to Erwin’s utter confusion.
This was the last part of the chapter. Read its entirety here. I do suggest you start from chapter I, though.
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gaiattica-blog · 6 years ago
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MYSTERIES OF THE HUMAN HEART
By: Gaia Staff | Jan. 2, 2019
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Source Article here
“The human heart has hidden treasures, in secret kept, in silence sealed.” — Charlotte Brontë
The human heart, the size of two adult fists, is mysterious, intelligent, powerful, and sometimes inexplicable. The Egyptians believed that Anubis, the god of the underworld and judge of the dead, weighed the hearts of the recently deceased against a feather — if the two balanced, the heart would be returned to owner. If the heart was heavier, it was weighted by bad deeds and fed to a monster.
HEART AS RULER OF THE BRAIN
Aristotle considered the heart as the center of reason, thought, and emotion, senior to the brain in importance. Ninth century Arabic philosopher Abu Nasr al-Farabi believed that, “The ruling organ in the human body is the heart; the brain is a secondary ruling organ subordinated to the heart.” Auguste Comte, a 19th century French philosopher declared that the brain should be servant to the heart.
“The most common denominator in all religions is that the heart is the seat of wisdom,” said Rollin McCraty Ph.d, director of research at the groundbreaking HeartMath Institute in Santa Cruz, CA. Twelfth century Christian mystic, Hildegard of Bingen, would agree. She wrote, “The soul sits at the center of the heart, as though in a house.”
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THE HEART BRAIN CONNECTION
If you can read this, your heart is beating at twice the pace of most animals — and humans have vascular disease, while our cousins the great apes do not. With its own electrical impulse, he human heart can continue to beat if taken from the body. Beating heart cells grown in petri dishes synchronize with each other. The heart emits a signature electrical frequency thousands of times more powerful than anything else in the body.
Neurons, the brain cells responsible for processing sense-based input, send messages to the body, such as, “reach hand to pick up sandwich.” Neurons also transmit emotion. These specialized cells are found in the brain and nervous system, but importantly, also in the heart. Neurons can be harnessed to establish heart-brain coherence — In fact, heart neurons fire in conjunction with the brain neurons. The heart and brain are undisputedly, profoundly connected.
Originally trained as a geologist, Gregg Braden explores the intersection of science and spirituality from the perspective of a trained scientist. He speaks of the heart/brain union, saying, “Our brain receives many of its instructions on what to do from the heart. Studies show that the heart is able to think, feel, and have emotions on its own.”
HEARTACHE VS. HAPPINESS
Studies have shown that intense anger is damaging to the heart — intense grief as well. Statistically, we are 20 times more likely to have a heart attack after death of a loved one.
Positive emotions like joy and contentment are accompanied by coherent heart rhythms. Happiness is good for the heart. We don’t think of the heart as being capable of producing hormones like the endocrine system, but oxytocin, called the “love” hormone, is manufactured in the heart.
THE HEART’S  SINGULAR INTUITION
For 25 years, researchers at the HeartMath Institute have innovated tools and methods designed to achieve measurable heart/brain coherence. HeartMath has focused on the psychophysiology of stress, emotions, and heart/brain interaction. Working within the parameters of the prevailing scientific model, these researchers have produced and published over 300 peer-reviewed or independent studies of the effectiveness of HeartMath techniques and technologies. Their research documents several types of beneficial outcomes from achieving heart/mind coherence.
Rollin McCraty Ph.d, one of the original founders of Heartmath, said, “The biggest hidden source of stress on the planet is the disorganization of heart/mind, causing lack of resonance. Lack of alignment eats the life force and happiness out of humanity.”
McCraty described intuition from the perspective of  brain science, which identifies “ordinary,” “expert,” and “strategic” intuition. In his book “Strategic Intuition: The Creative Spark in Human Achievement,”  William Duggan, wrote, “Ordinary intuition is a feeling, a gut instinct. Expert intuition is snap judgment, when you instantly recognize something familiar, the way a tennis pro knows where the ball will go from the arc and speed of the opponent’s racket.
“The third kind, strategic intuition, is not a vague feeling, like ordinary intuition. Strategic intuition is a clear thought. And it’s not fast, like expert intuition. It’s slow. That flash of insight you had last night might solve a problem that’s been on your mind for a month.”
What Duggan calls “strategic” intuition, HeartMath researchers refer to as “non-local” intuition, and have established that this type of insight, or “knowing,” is a function of the heart. Non-local intuition is the only type of intuition that involves the heart — the other two are derived from the brain’s experience and entrainment.
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“We found that from the body perspective, the heart  is the first to receive these non-local signals, or intuitions, then they are passed to the brain. It’s a result I wouldn’t have predicted. The heart has access to information outside the boundaries of time and space. It’s been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt,” McCraty said.
But convincing the brain to accept what it may view as ” irrational” is the challenge addressed  in the HeartMath model, where researchers explore ways to resolve the heart/mind split, or “incoherence.” The Western view asserts that the brain is senior to the heart — our cultural and educational focus is on the brain, which is habituated to believing it’s the boss. But making the shift is as easy as intentionly creating new neural pathways in the brain. “The human brain doesn’t like change. Shift to the heart to send messages to the brain,” said Gregg Braden.
Discussing coherence and healing, McCraty said, “Living systems have the capacity to self-heal.  Multiple studies show heart self-regulation lowers blood pressure, improves hormonal balance, and gives better recovery from heart attacks. More coherence means more health. Coherence facilitates the body’s natural regenerative processes.”
Howard Martin,  HeartMath Inc.’s Executive Vice President, said, “We have this magnificent intelligence that lifts us beyond our problems even in the midst of chaos and confusion. When the heart is put into practical application in daily life, we can experience a new fulfillment, a new life, beyond our greatest expectations.”
Martin described a HeartMath study in which subjects, wired to measure respiratory, heart, and other physiological functions, sat in front of computers viewing random images — some beautiful, some potentially distressing. The image stream included a small time gap between pictures. Six seconds before an image displayed, test subjects’ physiology would  react to what was coming, be it awful or wonderful. The conclusion drawn was that the heart’s “non-local” intuition anticipated imminent stress or pleasure a full six seconds before the actual experience.
THE HEART’S ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD
McCraty explained that the earth’s geomagnetic field is a stationary, pure static magnetic field he likened to that of a refrigerator magnet. A magnet’s invisible electromagnetic fields are seen in iron filings that organize into patterns with lines that express the field. These line patterns are called “magnetic field lines. “These lines within a magnetic field literally act like guitar strings, and have their own resonant frequency. Solar wind plucks the earth’s magnetic lines, causing vibration — field line resonance. The earth’s primary resonance on normal day is around 1 hz, precisely the same as the coherent heart,” McCraty said.
He went on to say that human heart rhythms synchronize to the earth’s resonant frequency to a level or degree no one ever thought possible. “Independent of time zones, we are all synchronizing to the earth, and at HeartMath, we’re studying how it happens.”
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ACHIEVING HEART MIND RESONANCE
Dozens of studies have documented the benefits of meditation. Researchers have observed lowered blood pressure, anxiety and depression relief, increased brain “gray matter,” and pain relief, to name a few. Meditation practices also achieve heart/brain coherence. “In meditation, different methods produce heart signatures —  a loving kindness meditation shows a different signature than say, a mindfulness meditation. Loving kindness practices shift the heart into heart into a different state, called coherence, a synchronized heart/brain neurology,” McCraty said.
HeartMath has developed practices and technologies to support heart/brain coherence, but McCraty shared some fundamental principles. “ The HeartMath tools, techniques and training process all have one thing in common — they operate in the present moment. The method is to 1. focus on the heart, 2. activate compassion, 3. and radiate that feeling to self and others.” This simple, deliberate method can relieve stress, anxiety, or depression, and lead to all the countless other benefits of heart coherence.
With persistent practice, the exercise becomes habit. Braden said, “There are four key words for coherence: appreciation, gratitude, care, and compassion. When we practice moving into states aligned with one of these words, or some combination of the four, we create communication between the heart and the brain. This practice takes about three days to establish new neural network habit patterns supporting the heart/brain connection and communication.”
This coherence is not only beneficial to us as individuals — it is possible to create coherence on larger scales than we might imagine. To learn more about what Martin and McCraty call “Global Coherence,” watch this interview with Martin and Regina Meredith on Gaia. To explore the science of the heart’s intelligence, watch this segment of the Gaia series Inspirations, with Lisa Garr.
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raeannvarona · 5 years ago
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Learning the value of silence.
This was originally published on The Startup on Medium.
If your day is anything like mine, it may involve asking Google or Alexa the latest news, weather, traffic, and whatever reminders you set up, right after getting out of bed.
You then ask your smart speaker to play some playlist on Spotify to get you pumped up for the rest of the day. You proceed to your car, and once in, your get-pumped-playlist syncs to your car speakers as you make your way through morning traffic. Once at work (or wherever), you spend a good amount of it with headphones — your work playlist, lo-fi beats, music for concentration, or whatever playlist you swear helps you get the work done.
On the way home? It’s podcast time. Once at home, it’s a combination of more music and some Netflix. Then its relaxing music as you get ready for bed, and maybe a bedtime story or white noise and a shut down timer once you hit the sheets.
You look to sound as something to keep you going — something that reminds you that you have things to do and places to be at. Silence, on the other hand, is for Saturday mornings and days by the beach.
Also, you LOVE music.
Having grown up in the age of mobile technology, I’ve of course heard about the problems that come with screen time and social media (I’m glad the slowing revolution is already growing in light of it all). But what’s the deal with specifically, noise?
… is keeping our ears occupied also problematic?
Sure, we can cut down in our screen time and turn on our Flipd app to lock out of our distracting third party apps. But is keeping our ears occupied also problematic? Or rather, do lose anything important when we choose noise?
UPDATE:  Also check out Flora which I love and wrote about here.
In a TED article titled “Why we owe it to ourselves to spend quiet time alone everyday,” physicist and writer Alan Lightman said, “By not giving ourselves the minutes — or hours—free of devices and distractions, we risk losing our ability to know who we are and what’s important to us.”
Lightman likened the issue to global warming in that this new way of fast living and almost constant external stimulation was becoming more the norm, and slow-paced living and quietness more and more a thing of the past.
“… we risk losing our ability to know who we are and what’s important to us.” — Alan Lightman
Through a power choice of words, he writes, “We are creating a global machine in which each of us is a mindless and reflexive cog, relentlessly driven by the speed, noise, and artificial urgency of the wired world.”
Lightman then goes to make a proposal: “That half our waking minds be designated and saved for quiet reflection.”
Designating quiet time for the sake of self reflection and growth is definitely something we can all benefit from, and it makes sense.
Health wise? It’s not new news that noise pollution — all the unwanted noise coming from cities, etc.—has a significant impact on not only human health. In fact, the World Health Organization in 2011 came out with a report describing noise pollution as a “modern plague” and pointed to “overwhelming evidence that exposure to environmental noise has adverse effects on the health of the population.”
But there’s a good chance that noises that fall outside of unwanted noise pollution are worth cutting back on. For example, a 2013 study presented at an annual American Society of Hypertension meeting got specific and showed that phone calls led to rises in systolic blood pressure.
A quick Google search will bring many more links on how beneficial silence can be, but I really liked this article called “This Is Your Brain on Silence” by Daniel A. Gross on Nautilus.
As mentioned, research on noise and health isn’t new and Gross points that out by quoting the founder of modern nursing Florence Nightingale who once wrote, “Unnecessary noise is the most cruel absence of care that can be inflicted on sick or well.”
While she did also quote a lecture that claimed “sudden noises” could cause death among sick children, her idea of noise being bad for those with illnesses wasn’t too far off from what recent researchers have found.
When making quiet hours for patients, many hospitals have pointed to research showing that quiet environments enhance healing.
Gross cited a few studies on sound. One study done in 2006 by a physician named Luciano Bernardi found that two-minutes of silence between musical tracks proved to be more relaxing than “relaxing” music, but also more relaxing than longer amounts of silence before the music began playing.
The fun part was that Bernardi didn’t have the intention to study the effects of silence, but at the end concluded that there was something important about the sudden silence after the music when it came to relaxation. He said, “Perhaps the arousal is something that concentrates the mind in one direction, so that when there is nothing more arousing, then you have deeper relaxation.”
Rather, two hours of silence per day encouraged cell development in the hippocampus.
Another study Gross looked to was done in 2013 by Duke University regenerative biologist, Imke Kirste. Like Bernardi, Kirste wasn’t interested in the effects of silence — only of how different sounds would affect the brains of adult mice.
What Kirste found was that none of the sounds had a lasting impact on the mice’s brains. Rather, two hours of silence per day encouraged cell development in the mice’s hippocampus.
As Gross put it, “the total absence of input was having a more pronounced effect than any sort of input tested.”
Acknowledging that new brain cells didn’t necessarily mean health benefits, Kirste found that the particular cells being developed seemed to become functioning neurons.
“Freedom from noise and goal-directed tasks, it appears, unites the quiet without and within, allowing our conscious workspace to do its thing, to weave ourselves into the world, to discover where we fit in,” — Daniel A. Gross
Gross then goes into other studies and research that touch on how our brains remain active even amidst silence, and goes into what can be understood as a “default mode” where we (surprise!) get to engage in self-reflection.
He wrote, “Freedom from noise and goal-directed tasks, it appears, unites the quiet without and within, allowing our conscious workspace to do its thing, to weave ourselves into the world, to discover where we fit in.”
So in an age where we’re constantly plugged in and are now trying to rethink how we consume technology, it’s good to remind ourselves that it isn’t just putting our phones away that can be good for us. Getting some intentional quiet time, even for just two hours, can do good too.
For me, a good start might be taking advantage of quiet mornings and evenings.
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commentaryonhowwelive · 5 years ago
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March 2015. Age 22. Walking
“Jay and Winding Trail”
I like to think of my loneliness in a plethora of positive ways. It’s not loneliness in the general sense that I experience, but rather a mellow contentment with only myself on purpose. Relying on only yourself is kind of like the ultimate back up plan for happiness. On the flip side, it’s ok to to try to seek happiness through frivolous social interaction, such as going out for drinks with friends or going on dates. After all, we’re social beings and thrive on social interaction.
We never would’ve gotten to where we are as a species if it wasn’t for our social instincts. However, I think that we’ve come to the point that our need for social interaction can be substituted with our capability of cognitive synthesis. We can idealize, hope and dream, long for the perfect life, whether we’re experiencing it or not. And whether or not we have a good thing happening at the moment, there’s always tomorrow. Today will make a good story regardless.
“Jay and Juhles”
I remember reading somewhere about the concept losing and gaining the same amount of something being equal objectively, but not always subjectively. 
In other words, the act of losing something hurts more than having gained it. 
In other other words, it feels worse to lose $100 than it feels good to gain $100. 
In even more other words, say that your happiness can be measured on a scale of -100 to 100 happiness points. Losing $100 brings you to -75 points but gaining $100 only brings you to +35 points. It’s easier to become more sad by losing something than to become more happy by gaining that same amount. So what’s the point of trying? It’s the same with people. Don’t risk the loss of people, whether it be via platonic or romantic relationships. It’s so easy to be happy alone, that why even put forth the effort if everyone’s going to be gone out of your life at some point anyways? This is why I was alone that day.
“28th and Walnut”
I pulled on the wire.
“Stop Requested”
The LED sign at the front of the bus flash between “28TH AND WALNUT” and “STOP REQUESTED”.
It came to a halt and I walked out without making eye contact with anyone. “Thank you have a nice day,”
The bus driver gave a head nod and two finger wag/wave as I walked out. It was about 50 degrees in Boulder and the blue sky set a beautiful backdrop in every direction I looked. Only a slight breeze, not even enough to pierce to my cotton jacket, let alone my flannel underneath. All I wanted to do was walk that day.
I love walking in general. It’s so human, so natural. I have a body and legs, so by god I’m gonna use them. That’s my one of the only reasons for why I like walking so much.
I liken it to the way that a monk named Ben that I met while working at a summer camp would look at running. I always ran for the “normal” reasons: getting and staying in shape, anxiety relief, letting loose my anger. Running has always been cathartic. I remember one morning at camp seeing Ben at breakfast and asking how he was doing. He beamed at me and said “I’m well. I ran this morning.” 
I asked him, “How far?” to which he looked slightly puzzled as to why I asked such a question and replied, “I don’t know, maybe 2 or 3 miles?”
I, on the other hand was curious why he didn’t pay attention to how far he ran. 
I wore my Smart Watch religiously to keep track of how far I’d ran, how fast I was running, altitude differentials, the list goes on. But the way he described it to me made me feel like I’d been running the wrong way my entire life. It seems challenging to run the “wrong way”. It’s not like I was running with my shoes on my hands. No, it wasn’t the physical difference that made me feeling like I was running incorrectly, but rather the lack of connection I had with the synthesis between my body and the world. I have a body that can run and no matter how I think about it, whether my higher level cognition actively turns it into a game of goals and achievements, all my body actually wants to do is run and doesn’t care if I run a 7:33 pace or a 7:32 pace.
He ran for none of the reasons I ran. He ran because he had legs and by god he was going to use them. He ran because his body wanted to run. He wanted to experience what his body was capable of doing and embrace it. He ran for no other reason than to run and to feel himself run. It’s so simple, and creates such a feeling of exhilaration when you ignore everything but the feeling of your body.
So I walk. I still like to run, but when the opportunity arises, I walk. I walk even if I have a car, even if it’s slower, even if it’s slightly less convenient.
It was needless to try to convince anyone how beautiful that day was, so I walked. I watched the bus chug on ahead, letting people off all the way down the road every few blocks until it was out of sight. I could’ve got off at any of those stops, but I chose to get off earlier. No particular reason why, I just could.
My backpack light on my back, I cut through some residential streets to the Boulder creek path then turned west. There was a sense of peace and gratefulness among everybody out that day, happy to take advantage of one of the first few warm days sprinkled into the beginnings of spring. I saw a family riding their bikes together, a mom, dad, and daughter of probably seven. A woman lay under an aspen. A crew of college students playing ultimate frisbee on the high school soccer field. A homeless man had his backpack emptied, presumably to air out, as he sat next to the creek, looking into the constantly moving water reflectively.
I saw all these people as I meandered along the concrete path, the icy cold stream humming along to my left, the evergreens sticking out like a sore thumb among the bare deciduous trees. Many of the people I saw were spending time with friends and family. I could’ve felt a l negative loneliness as I walked alone. I could’ve felt a sadness that I didn’t have anyone to walk with, or anyone to meet up with later. But I didn’t I was walking and experiencing my body just like everyone else was doing in their own way and I loved it.
I had no plans. I was planning on going home and winging some Indian curry. “Do I need anything else from the grocery store?” I wondered to myself as I walked comfortably alone. “tofu...green and red peppers....onion...I just bought curry powder....coconut milk...” my eyes perked up, “Oh right, I want to add kale,” I thought as I looked for the next turn north so I could walk to Sprouts to buy some greens to add to that night’s dinner.
Spending time with people is nice. I enjoy it. But I’ve found that I’m just such great company for myself that I hand’t had a desire recently to make an effort to spend more time socializing. My pizza delivery job gives me plenty of connection to people. I can chit chat with my coworkers while we make pizzas and joke about unruly customers, “oh god, toe sock guy with his cat...plug your nose when he opens his door!” we joked like brothers. 
When I was a kid, my brothers and I would turn the volume all the way down on the TV and make the voices for the characters. It was funniest when my older brother did it, he’d make the old lady talk about how she was so old and nobody loves her and all the little children would yell mean things at her. I laughed so hard I remember not being able to breath, then wanting to do it myself but it just wasn’t as funny. He was a lot better at it than I was.
I got a lot of practice doing this while I worked my delivery job, and I started doing it during my walks too. Maybe my brothers would’t find it funny but I cracked myself up with it. I pretended I could read their minds and think about the absurd stuff that they’re thinking and hiding. I’d make funny voices for them, exaggerating their characteristics and quirks.
Recently, it seemed like as soon as sad thoughts tried to enter my head, the bouncer didn’t let them in. My brain was like a club and the thoughts inside were having a good time. They could look outside and see the sad thoughts try to enter but the bouncer stood firm. They left. The everlasting party casually carried on.
“Things are pretty alright right now”, I thought to myself, quietly mumbling the words under my breath. I thought of all the personal problems I’d encountered since moving to Colorado.
Depression. Anxiety. Longing for home. Loneliness. 
These are things that could've been going on in my head, but they weren’t there. I saw those thoughts, and they flew away out of my periphery like a magpie. I whistled as I walked. No one was there to tell me to stop whistling. It wasn’t bothering anyone.
None of those so-called problems seemed to matter any more. I was overcome with a sense of peace. Not of jubilation, not of stoke, not even really happiness. It was just a quiet calming. It was as if I could look at these things that wrapped tightly around my brain and my lungs only a few months ago that seeped into my neuronal pathways like an infection, and now I could look at them objectively like items on a table. One quick swipe of my hand and they all went crashing to the floor. This was how I felt ever sense I started taking Lexapro. Lexapro was the bouncer and my consciousness was the club. All of these extreme feelings that sent me sinking into my bed at 2 in the afternoon all of the sudden turned into birds and just flew away.
I did meet a beautiful girl recently. I’m not giving her too much concern, but I think I might invite her over for dinner.
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jerrytackettca · 6 years ago
Text
Documentary Explores Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome
Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are all around us, no matter where you live these days. They emanate from power lines, televisions, household electrical wiring, appliances and microwaves. Then you have the information-carrying radio waves of cellphones, cellphone towers and wireless internet connections and a whole host of other wireless gadgets.
For some, the effects of EMFs are unmistakable and undeniable. The RT documentary "Wi-Fi Refugees" investigates the struggles reported by people who claim to suffer from electromagnetic hypersensitivity syndrome (EHS) — a condition in which sufferers claim EMFs affect their health and well-being.
The video features several such individuals, including Sue Howard, who used to spend most of her time in a specially-constructed shielded room, as EMFs cause a burning sensation in her skin.
Ida Pardo, another EHS sufferer, says she's spent between $10,000 and $20,000 per year for the last four years on medical evaluations and treatments for her symptoms. "Most of my savings have been put toward trying to figure out what was wrong with me and gain my health back," she says. Oftentimes, it can take years before the cause is identified.
While the film claims there's no known test that can diagnose EHS, this isn't entirely accurate. Some researchers have indeed shown the effects of EHS are biologically recognizable, and lab tests can in fact be done to show biological impairment is occurring during EMF exposure.
For example, Dr. Dominique Belpomme, a French oncologist, conducted a study on 700 individuals with EHS, showing they suffered immune system damage and nervous system damage.1 He also established a number of other biomarkers for EHS. However, this kind of information has yet to pervade the medical field, and many are still unaware of these medical advancements.
Symptoms of Electrohypersensitivity
While symptoms may vary from one individual to another, some of the most commonly reported symptoms of EHS are:
Skin itch/rash/flushing/burning and/or tingling
Confusion/poor concentration and/or memory loss
Fatigue and muscle weakness
Headache
Chest pain and heart problems
Many describe a "burning pins and needles" kind of pain, especially in the head and chest area. Jennifer Wood, a professional architect interviewed in the film, describes feeling like her detoxification system simply shut down, causing a whole-body kind of toxic nausea that felt very different and distinct from the nausea felt when she'd come down with an actual virus or food-related illness. Other reported symptoms include:
Ear pain
Panic attacks
Insomnia
Seizures
Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
Feeling a vibration in the body
Paralysis
Unrelenting dizziness
Some Are More Susceptible to EHS Than Others
In the film, professor David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment, discusses some of the scientific evidence showing health effects from EMFs, starting with the launch of early radar systems.
"Military people involved in radar work got into the radar beam and got an excessive exposure. And there are some 10 or 12 reports of individuals [who were] perfectly healthy before that sudden exposure, [who] after that exposure suffered from constant headaches, from photophobia — they couldn't stand being in the presence of light; they felt their brain wasn't working right. It's classic hyperelectrosensitivity," he says.
Wood notes that many EHS sufferers have a certain gene that inhibits detoxification, making them slow detoxifiers. Indeed, in her book "The Electrical Sensitivity Handbook,"2 Lucinda Grant3 compares EHS to that of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), which is an apt comparison.
Although it is not mentioned in the 2-year-old video, more recent work shows that those with genetic variants in voltage gated calcium channels (VGCCs) also appear to suffer from EHS at a much greater rate. This makes sense when one considers that the VGCCs are likely how EMFs damage your body.
Oftentimes, those suffering from EHS will also be highly sensitive to chemicals or have MCS.4 This makes logical sense since your nervous system is a primary site impacted by both chemicals and electromagnetic fields, and if your nervous system has been damaged from toxic exposures, it may render you more susceptible to EHS as well.
Dr. Yoshiaki Omura's research5 shows that the more your system is contaminated with heavy metals from silver amalgam fillings, eating contaminated fish, living downstream from coal burning power plants and so forth, the more your body becomes a virtual antenna that actually concentrates radiation, making it far more destructive. Other at-risk groups for developing EHS include those with:
• Spinal cord damage; whiplash; brain damage or concussion
• Impaired immune function; lupus or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
• Bacterial and/or parasitic infections such as Lyme
• The very young and the very old
• Tinnitus — Evidence actually hints at a shared pathophysiology between EHS and tinnitus.6 In this study, nearly 51 percent of EMF hypersensitive patients had tinnitus, compared to just 17.5 percent of controls.
As an interesting aside: Earlier this year I had a construction leak in my home that caused some mold damage. I had mold remediation performed and the foreman had suffered with tinnitus for over 15 years. He was also sensitive to mold.
I immediately recognized that as a common symptom of EMF sensitivity so I took him into my bedroom, which has very low levels of radiofrequency and electric fields. It was the first time in 15 years that his ringing disappeared. It was a powerful experience for him and motivated him to radically reduce his EMF exposure.
According to the authors of this study: "An individual vulnerability probably due to an overactivated cortical distress network seems to be responsible for both electromagnetic hypersensitivity and tinnitus. Hence, therapeutic efforts should focus on treatment strategies (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy) aiming at normalizing this dysfunctional distress network."
Grant works with a lot of children with EHS, among whom the primary symptoms tend to be headaches, brain fog and difficulty learning. He's currently involved in a legal case in Massachusetts, where the parents of a 9-year-old child with EHS sued the school for refusing to provide him with a Wi-Fi-free space.
Health Effects of EMF Exposure
While many still doubt the reality of EHS, there's extensive — and growing — research showing EMFs are indeed harmful to human health. For example, research has shown EMFs:7
Create excess oxidative stress — EMFs activate voltage gated calcium channels located in the outer membrane of your cells.8,9,10,11,12 Once activated, the VGCCs open up, allowing an abnormal influx of calcium ions into the cell. The excess calcium triggers a chemical cascade that results in the creation of peroxynitrites, extremely potent oxidant stressors believed to be a root cause for many of today's chronic diseases.
Inside your body, peroxynitrites modify tyrosine molecules in proteins to create a new substance, nitrotyrosine and nitration of structural protein.13 Changes from nitration are visible in human biopsy of atherosclerosis, myocardial ischemia, inflammatory bowel disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and septic lung disease.14
Open the blood-brain barrier, allowing toxins to enter your brain.
Fragment DNA — Studies have shown EMFs cause DNA fragmentation. Significant oxidative stress from peroxynitrites may also result in single-strand breaks of DNA.15
Damage mitochondria, and impair proton flow and ATP production — The enzyme ATP synthase — which passes currents of protons through a water channel, similar to current passing through a wire — generates energy in the form ATP from ADP, using this flow of protons. Magnetic fields can change the transparency of the water channel to protons, thereby reducing the current.
As a result, you get less ATP, which can have systemwide consequences, from promoting chronic disease and infertility to lowering intelligence.
Alter cellular function due to excessive charge — In a previous interview, Alasdair Philips, founder of Powerwatch,16 explained how EMF exposure alters cellular function by way of excessive charges. Essentially, the cell functions as a gel, held together by electric charge. When the charge becomes excessive due to a massive influx of electrons, the function of the cell is disrupted.
Raise the risk for abnormal cell growth and cancer, including leukemia and cancer of the brain, acoustic nerve, salivary gland, eyes, testes, thyroid and breast — As early as 2011, the evidence was strong enough for the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization, to declare cellphones a Group 2B "possible carcinogen."17
Since then, a number of studies have found support for EMF having carcinogenic potential, including two recent government-funded studies.18,19,20
Has neurological effects — Studies dating back to the 1950s and '60s show the nervous system is the organ most sensitive to EMFs. Some of these studies show massive changes in the structure of neurons, including cell death and synaptic dysfunction. Consequences of chronic EMF exposure to the brain include anxiety, depression, autism and Alzheimer's disease, which Martin Pall, Ph.D., details in a 2016 paper.21
Contributes to reproductive problems in both sexes — For example, prenatal exposure to magnetic fields can nearly triple a pregnant woman's risk of miscarriage.22 Several other studies have come to similar conclusions.23,24,25,26,27 In men, studies show EMF radiation from cellphones and laptops reduces sperm motility and viability,28,29 and increases sperm DNA fragmentation.30
Alters your microbiome — turning what might otherwise be beneficial microbes pathogenic. In the book "Cross Currents," Dr. Robert Becker states that when you expose a bacterial culture to abnormal electromagnetic fields, the bacteria believe they are being attacked by your immune system and start producing much more virulent mycotoxin as a protective mechanism.
This too can have far-ranging health effects, since we now know your microbiome plays an important role in health.
Human Life and EMFs
As explained by Blake Levitt in the film, author of "Electromagnetic Fields: A Consumer's Guide to the Issues and How to Protect Ourselves,"31 all life on planet Earth exists in harmony with the Earth's natural electromagnetic field.
"10 Hertz frequencies emanate from the core of the Earth [and] that's right where human conscious thought occurs," she explains. "What we've done with technology is introduce signaling characteristics that don't exist in nature; power densities that do not exist naturally on the surface of the Earth … and other forms of pulsations that do not exist in nature. There's no corollary in biology that understands … how to adjust to this."
Levitt goes on to discuss how man-made EMFs disrupt all life; not just humans but animals, insects and plant life as well. It disrupts our natural circadian cycles, hormone levels and seasonal changes that occur in both humans and other species (such as the migratory activities of birds and butterflies).
She describes man-made EMFs as a "serious environmental toxin," due to its effects. "It's a form of energetic pollution, and people need to understand it as such."
Why Some People Develop Symptoms and Others Don't
However, it's important to remember that the primary hazard of EMFs, including cellphone radiation, is not cancer but, rather, systemic cellular and mitochondrial damage, which threatens health in general and can contribute to any number of health problems and chronic diseases.
Whether you feel it or not, damage is occurring. In one sense, people with EHS have an advantage, as the distinct discomfort makes them take proactive steps to avoid exposure, while everyone else remains oblivious.
In addition to taking proactive steps to reduce exposure (see guidance below), various forms of energy medicine,32 where you're strengthening your body's innate electrical system and meridian network, may also be a crucial EHS treatment component. By boosting your body's resilience against EMFs, many troublesome symptoms may be lessened or eliminated, making it easier to live a normal life.
Finding Refuge From EMFs
Today, this energetic pollution is so widespread, even many natural areas no longer offer the refuge from EMFs that EHS sufferers are in need of. Wood takes the film crew to her recuperation spot deep in the wilderness where she goes whenever her symptoms become too much to bear. Here, all her symptoms vanish.
The Green Bank Observatory33 in West Virginia is a national "radio quiet zone," meaning there's no cell service in the area. According to the observatory's business manager, Michael Holstine, many EHS sufferers have also found refuge here.
Howard is one of them. Every two weeks, her husband drives to visit her in Green Bank from their home in New York. By living in Green Bank, Howard no longer has to stay in a shielded room and is able to go places without having to worry about EMFs.
In this area, the background level of EMF is about 3.6 millivolts per meter (mVm). This is a very safe level as anything lower than 10 mVm is considered very safe. Most of my home has been remediated to this level, especially my bedroom. You can purchase an Acousticom 234 to measure the EMF level of your own home.
Suburban areas may have a background level of about 400 mVm, while hotspots can measure in the thousands. In Manhattan, the addition of thousands of wireless kiosks around the five boroughs have raised the background level to about 20,000 mVm, according to the film.
EHS Resources
Sweden has led the pack in acknowledging and addressing EHS, mainly due to the progress made by Elöverkänsligas Riksförbund35 — The Swedish Association for the ElectroSensitive. The association produces and distributes educational literature that has helped raise awareness about the phenomenon around the world.
The EMF Experts website36 lists EMF groups worldwide, to which you can turn with questions, concerns and support. EMFsafehome.com37 also lists a number of publications where you can learn more about the dangers of EMFs.
Information, including a video lecture about EHS, can be found on EMFsafetynetwork.org.38 Lastly, should you need help remediating your home, consider hiring a trained building biologist. A listing can be found on the International Institute for Building-Biology & Ecology's website.39
Remedial Strategies to Lower EMF Exposure
Several of the EMF sufferers in the film explain how they've remediated the EMFs in their homes, using a variety of means. Below are several suggestions that will help reduce your EMF exposure. You can also find guidance and solutions for mitigating electric and magnetic fields in this "Healthy Wiring Practices"40 document.
Nighttime remediation
Flip off breakers (or a remote switch) at night to circuits in and around your bedroom to reduce 60 Hz AC electric fields. If you have metal-clad wiring and can keep your breakers on at night, use manual or remote plug-in switches at outlets to kill power to plastic lamp cords within 6-8 feet of the bed, or rewire lamps with MuCord from LessEMF.com.
Almost all dirty electricity in the bedroom will automatically be eliminated when you sleep if you flip off breakers to reduce 60 Hz AC electric fields, because dirty electricity rides on the voltage, which will be switched off.
If you have metal-clad wiring, voltage will stay on. In that case, use filters to remove voltage transients from your electricity and use meters to confirm that they are in a safe range. Keep filters more away from the bed, as they emit a localized magnetic field of about 2 to 3 feet.
Use a battery-powered alarm clock, ideally one without any light. I use a talking clock for the visually impaired.41
Consider moving your baby's bed into your room, or keep doors open between your bedrooms, instead of using a wireless baby monitor. Alternatively, use a hard-wired monitor.
If you must use Wi-Fi, shut it off when not in use, especially at night when you are sleeping.
For more extensive RF shielding, you can consider painting your bedroom walls and ceiling (and floor, if necessary) with special shielding paint, which will block RF from inside, as well as outside sources, such as cell towers, smart meters, radio/TV towers and neighbors' Wi-Fi routers and cordless telephones in an apartment or condo building.
Windows can be covered with metal window screen or transparent film. Line your curtains with RF-shielding fabric. For your bed, consider a shielding bed canopy.
Daytime strategies to reduce unnecessary EMF exposure
To reduce an important type of EMF exposure during the daytime, consider using Stetzer filters to decrease the level of dirty electricity or electromagnetic interference being generated. You can also take these with you to work or when you travel. This may be the single best strategy to reduce the damage from EMF exposure coming from voltage transients since it appears that most of them are generated by the frequencies that the filters remove.
Avoid daytime 60 Hz electric fields when using your computer by making sure it has a three-pronged, grounded plug rather than a two-pronged, ungrounded plug. Disconnect the two-pronged adapter on your Apple MacBook transformer and connect a grounded AC power cord.
If your PC laptop has a power cord with a two-pronged plug, connect a USB Ground Cord from LessEMF.com to a USB port on your computer and a properly grounded outlet. You can order shielded AC power cords for any PC computer tower or iMac from Safe Living Technologies (slt.co) or Electrahealth.com.
You can connect to the internet with iPhones and iPads while in airplane mode using a Lightning to Ethernet adapter and putting the device in airplane mode. You will need a Cat-6 or 7 shielded, grounded Ethernet cable as well as an Ethernet grounding adapter kit from Electrahealth.com to avoid electric fields.
Metal lamps emit high electric fields because the metal, especially in floor lamps, amplifies electric fields. Reduce this by rewiring with shielded MuCord from LessEMF.com.
Keep unshielded power cords away from your legs and feet at your home (and office) computer to avoid electric fields while you work. Transformers plugged into surge protectors under your desk emit high magnetic fields. Move them more than 2 to 3 feet away from your feet.
Connect your desktop computer to the internet via a wired Ethernet connection. Then, just as importantly, be sure to put your desktop in airplane mode. Also avoid wireless keyboards, trackballs, mice, game systems, printers and portable house phones. Opt for the wired versions and disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth whenever possible.
Ideally, work toward hardwiring your house so you can eliminate Wi-Fi altogether. Remember to always manually shut off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on your router and computer when you do so. That does not happen automatically when you plug in an Ethernet cable.
It's important to realize that if you have a Wi-Fi router, you essentially have a cellphone tower inside your home. Even more importantly, remember that the device right in front of you that communicates with the router also sends out harmful RF signals, right into your body. Most people forget about this because radio signals are invisible. You cannot see or smell them like you can cigarette smoke, and they are silent.
Ideally, you'd eliminate your Wi-Fi and simply use a wired connection to get on the internet. If you absolutely must have a router, you can place it inside a shielded pouch or wire mesh box and then move it as far away from where you sit as possible. Never have the router in a bedroom or within 15 to 20 feet of one. You can find shielded pouches and mesh boxes online, or make your own using Swiss Shield fabric.
If you have a newer, thinner laptop without any Ethernet ports, various adapters will allow you to connect to the internet with a wired Ethernet connection from any Thunderbolt, USB or USB-C port. This is also true for the Lightning port on iPhones and iPads. Keep electric field EMFs low when you do this (see above).
When looking for a corded telephone for your landline or VoIP connection, be careful not to purchase a hybrid corded/cordless model. They have a corded handset but contain a wireless transmitter inside that is always on. Look for the designation "DECT 6.0" on the box and phone, as well as a cordless extension inside the box.
Even if you never use the extension, the base unit continues to silently transmit a radio frequency signal 24/7, especially when sitting on your bedside table, desk or kitchen counter. Switch to corded landline telephones and use them when at home. Call forward your cellphone to your landline number when home and put your cellphone in airplane mode.
Avoid carrying your cellphone on your body unless in airplane mode and never sleep with it in your bedroom unless it is in airplane mode. Even in airplane mode some cellphones can emit signals, which is why I put my phone in a Faraday bag.42
When using your cellphone, use the speaker phone and hold the phone at least 3 feet away from you. Use an air tube earphone for privacy. Seek to radically decrease your time on the cellphone. I typically use my cellphone less than 30 minutes a month, and mostly when traveling. Instead, use VoIP software phones when traveling that you can use while connected to the internet via a wired connection or, better yet, use a landline telephone.
General household remediation
If you still use a microwave oven, consider replacing it with a steam convection oven, which will heat your food as quickly and far more safely. Measure magnetic fields near electronics and digital clocks at the front of stoves and dishwashers. Stand clear of these (below 1 mG). Avoid induction cooktop units altogether, as they emit very high magnetic fields far into your kitchen.
Avoid using "smart" appliances and thermostats that depend on wireless signaling. This would include all new "smart" TVs. They are called smart because they emit a Wi-Fi signal, and unlike your computer, you cannot shut the Wi-Fi signal off on some models when you connect to a wired Ethernet cable (you can with Sony smart TVs).
Consider using a large computer monitor as your TV instead, as they don't emit Wi-Fi. Also, avoid "smart speakers," which continuously emit RF signals into the room.
Avoid electric beds and chairs. If you do use them, plug them into a power strip and flip that off when sleeping or sitting in them. Avoid high electric fields from ungrounded wires and metal frames. Also avoid magnetic fields from transformers that may be right under your body, and Wi-Fi in the foot of some beds. Switch these off in all cases when sleeping.
Replace CFL bulbs with incandescent bulbs, as CFLs produce dirty electricity. Ideally remove all fluorescent lights from your house. Not only do they emit unhealthy light but, more importantly, they will actually transfer current to your body just being close to the bulbs. Many LEDs are cleaner than CFLs, but incandescent bulbs are best, including new halogen incandescent bulbs.
Dimmer switches are another source of dirty electricity, so consider installing regular on/off switches rather than dimmer switches. Central lighting control systems (Crestron, Lutron) tend to have cleaner dimming modules. Request hardwired, not wireless, keypads when using central control systems, especially near beds.
Refuse smart meters as long as you can or, when you cannot opt out, add a shield to an existing smart meter, some of which have been shown to reduce radiation by 98 to 99 percent.43
from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/03/02/electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-syndrome.aspx
source http://niapurenaturecom.weebly.com/blog/documentary-explores-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-syndrome
0 notes
paullassiterca · 6 years ago
Text
Documentary Explores Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome
youtube
Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are all around us, no matter where you live these days. They emanate from power lines, televisions, household electrical wiring, appliances and microwaves. Then you have the information-carrying radio waves of cellphones, cellphone towers and wireless internet connections and a whole host of other wireless gadgets.
For some, the effects of EMFs are unmistakable and undeniable. The RT documentary “Wi-Fi Refugees” investigates the struggles reported by people who claim to suffer from electromagnetic hypersensitivity syndrome (EHS) — a condition in which sufferers claim EMFs affect their health and well-being.
The video features several such individuals, including Sue Howard, who used to spend most of her time in a specially-constructed shielded room, as EMFs cause a burning sensation in her skin.
Ida Pardo, another EHS sufferer, says she’s spent between $10,000 and $20,000 per year for the last four years on medical evaluations and treatments for her symptoms. “Most of my savings have been put toward trying to figure out what was wrong with me and gain my health back,” she says. Oftentimes, it can take years before the cause is identified.
While the film claims there’s no known test that can diagnose EHS, this isn’t entirely accurate. Some researchers have indeed shown the effects of EHS are biologically recognizable, and lab tests can in fact be done to show biological impairment is occurring during EMF exposure.
For example, Dr. Dominique Belpomme, a French oncologist, conducted a study on 700 individuals with EHS, showing they suffered immune system damage and nervous system damage.1 He also established a number of other biomarkers for EHS. However, this kind of information has yet to pervade the medical field, and many are still unaware of these medical advancements.
Symptoms of Electrohypersensitivity
While symptoms may vary from one individual to another, some of the most commonly reported symptoms of EHS are:
Skin itch/rash/flushing/burning and/or tingling
Confusion/poor concentration and/or memory loss
Fatigue and muscle weakness
Headache
Chest pain and heart problems
Many describe a “burning pins and needles” kind of pain, especially in the head and chest area. Jennifer Wood, a professional architect interviewed in the film, describes feeling like her detoxification system simply shut down, causing a whole-body kind of toxic nausea that felt very different and distinct from the nausea felt when she’d come down with an actual virus or food-related illness. Other reported symptoms include:
Ear pain
Panic attacks
Insomnia
Seizures
Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
Feeling a vibration in the body
Paralysis
Unrelenting dizziness
Some Are More Susceptible to EHS Than Others
In the film, professor David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment, discusses some of the scientific evidence showing health effects from EMFs, starting with the launch of early radar systems.
“Military people involved in radar work got into the radar beam and got an excessive exposure. And there are some 10 or 12 reports of individuals [who were] perfectly healthy before that sudden exposure, [who] after that exposure suffered from constant headaches, from photophobia — they couldn’t stand being in the presence of light; they felt their brain wasn’t working right. It’s classic hyperelectrosensitivity,” he says.
Wood notes that many EHS sufferers have a certain gene that inhibits detoxification, making them slow detoxifiers. Indeed, in her book “The Electrical Sensitivity Handbook,”2 Lucinda Grant3 compares EHS to that of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), which is an apt comparison.
Although it is not mentioned in the 2-year-old video, more recent work shows that those with genetic variants in voltage gated calcium channels (VGCCs) also appear to suffer from EHS at a much greater rate. This makes sense when one considers that the VGCCs are likely how EMFs damage your body.
Oftentimes, those suffering from EHS will also be highly sensitive to chemicals or have MCS.4 This makes logical sense since your nervous system is a primary site impacted by both chemicals and electromagnetic fields, and if your nervous system has been damaged from toxic exposures, it may render you more susceptible to EHS as well.
Dr. Yoshiaki Omura’s research5 shows that the more your system is contaminated with heavy metals from silver amalgam fillings, eating contaminated fish, living downstream from coal burning power plants and so forth, the more your body becomes a virtual antenna that actually concentrates radiation, making it far more destructive. Other at-risk groups for developing EHS include those with:
• Spinal cord damage; whiplash; brain damage or concussion
• Impaired immune function; lupus or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
• Bacterial and/or parasitic infections such as Lyme
• The very young and the very old
• Tinnitus — Evidence actually hints at a shared pathophysiology between EHS and tinnitus.6 In this study, nearly 51 percent of EMF hypersensitive patients had tinnitus, compared to just 17.5 percent of controls.
As an interesting aside: Earlier this year I had a construction leak in my home that caused some mold damage. I had mold remediation performed and the foreman had suffered with tinnitus for over 15 years. He was also sensitive to mold.
I immediately recognized that as a common symptom of EMF sensitivity so I took him into my bedroom, which has very low levels of radiofrequency and electric fields. It was the first time in 15 years that his ringing disappeared. It was a powerful experience for him and motivated him to radically reduce his EMF exposure.
According to the authors of this study: “An individual vulnerability probably due to an overactivated cortical distress network seems to be responsible for both electromagnetic hypersensitivity and tinnitus. Hence, therapeutic efforts should focus on treatment strategies (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy) aiming at normalizing this dysfunctional distress network.”
Grant works with a lot of children with EHS, among whom the primary symptoms tend to be headaches, brain fog and difficulty learning. He’s currently involved in a legal case in Massachusetts, where the parents of a 9-year-old child with EHS sued the school for refusing to provide him with a Wi-Fi-free space.
Health Effects of EMF Exposure
While many still doubt the reality of EHS, there’s extensive — and growing — research showing EMFs are indeed harmful to human health. For example, research has shown EMFs:7
Create excess oxidative stress — EMFs activate voltage gated calcium channels located in the outer membrane of your cells.8,9,10,11,12 Once activated, the VGCCs open up, allowing an abnormal influx of calcium ions into the cell. The excess calcium triggers a chemical cascade that results in the creation of peroxynitrites, extremely potent oxidant stressors believed to be a root cause for many of today’s chronic diseases.
Inside your body, peroxynitrites modify tyrosine molecules in proteins to create a new substance, nitrotyrosine and nitration of structural protein.13 Changes from nitration are visible in human biopsy of atherosclerosis, myocardial ischemia, inflammatory bowel disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and septic lung disease.14
Open the blood-brain barrier, allowing toxins to enter your brain.
Fragment DNA — Studies have shown EMFs cause DNA fragmentation. Significant oxidative stress from peroxynitrites may also result in single-strand breaks of DNA.15
Damage mitochondria, and impair proton flow and ATP production — The enzyme ATP synthase — which passes currents of protons through a water channel, similar to current passing through a wire — generates energy in the form ATP from ADP, using this flow of protons. Magnetic fields can change the transparency of the water channel to protons, thereby reducing the current.
As a result, you get less ATP, which can have systemwide consequences, from promoting chronic disease and infertility to lowering intelligence.
Alter cellular function due to excessive charge — In a previous interview, Alasdair Philips, founder of Powerwatch,16 explained how EMF exposure alters cellular function by way of excessive charges. Essentially, the cell functions as a gel, held together by electric charge. When the charge becomes excessive due to a massive influx of electrons, the function of the cell is disrupted.
Raise the risk for abnormal cell growth and cancer, including leukemia and cancer of the brain, acoustic nerve, salivary gland, eyes, testes, thyroid and breast — As early as 2011, the evidence was strong enough for the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization, to declare cellphones a Group 2B “possible carcinogen.”17
Since then, a number of studies have found support for EMF having carcinogenic potential, including two recent government-funded studies.18,19,20
Has neurological effects — Studies dating back to the 1950s and ‘60s show the nervous system is the organ most sensitive to EMFs. Some of these studies show massive changes in the structure of neurons, including cell death and synaptic dysfunction. Consequences of chronic EMF exposure to the brain include anxiety, depression, autism and Alzheimer’s disease, which Martin Pall, Ph.D., details in a 2016 paper.21
Contributes to reproductive problems in both sexes — For example, prenatal exposure to magnetic fields can nearly triple a pregnant woman’s risk of miscarriage.22 Several other studies have come to similar conclusions.23,24,25,26,27 In men, studies show EMF radiation from cellphones and laptops reduces sperm motility and viability,28,29 and increases sperm DNA fragmentation.30
Alters your microbiome — turning what might otherwise be beneficial microbes pathogenic. In the book “Cross Currents,” Dr. Robert Becker states that when you expose a bacterial culture to abnormal electromagnetic fields, the bacteria believe they are being attacked by your immune system and start producing much more virulent mycotoxin as a protective mechanism.
This too can have far-ranging health effects, since we now know your microbiome plays an important role in health.
Human Life and EMFs
As explained by Blake Levitt in the film, author of “Electromagnetic Fields: A Consumer’s Guide to the Issues and How to Protect Ourselves,”31 all life on planet Earth exists in harmony with the Earth’s natural electromagnetic field.
“10 Hertz frequencies emanate from the core of the Earth [and] that’s right where human conscious thought occurs,” she explains. “What we’ve done with technology is introduce signaling characteristics that don’t exist in nature; power densities that do not exist naturally on the surface of the Earth … and other forms of pulsations that do not exist in nature. There’s no corollary in biology that understands … how to adjust to this.”
Levitt goes on to discuss how man-made EMFs disrupt all life; not just humans but animals, insects and plant life as well. It disrupts our natural circadian cycles, hormone levels and seasonal changes that occur in both humans and other species (such as the migratory activities of birds and butterflies).
She describes man-made EMFs as a “serious environmental toxin,” due to its effects. “It’s a form of energetic pollution, and people need to understand it as such.”
Why Some People Develop Symptoms and Others Don’t
However, it’s important to remember that the primary hazard of EMFs, including cellphone radiation, is not cancer but, rather, systemic cellular and mitochondrial damage, which threatens health in general and can contribute to any number of health problems and chronic diseases.
Whether you feel it or not, damage is occurring. In one sense, people with EHS have an advantage, as the distinct discomfort makes them take proactive steps to avoid exposure, while everyone else remains oblivious.
In addition to taking proactive steps to reduce exposure (see guidance below), various forms of energy medicine,32 where you’re strengthening your body’s innate electrical system and meridian network, may also be a crucial EHS treatment component. By boosting your body’s resilience against EMFs, many troublesome symptoms may be lessened or eliminated, making it easier to live a normal life.
Finding Refuge From EMFs
Today, this energetic pollution is so widespread, even many natural areas no longer offer the refuge from EMFs that EHS sufferers are in need of. Wood takes the film crew to her recuperation spot deep in the wilderness where she goes whenever her symptoms become too much to bear. Here, all her symptoms vanish.
The Green Bank Observatory33 in West Virginia is a national “radio quiet zone,” meaning there’s no cell service in the area. According to the observatory’s business manager, Michael Holstine, many EHS sufferers have also found refuge here.
Howard is one of them. Every two weeks, her husband drives to visit her in Green Bank from their home in New York. By living in Green Bank, Howard no longer has to stay in a shielded room and is able to go places without having to worry about EMFs.
In this area, the background level of EMF is about 3.6 millivolts per meter (mVm). This is a very safe level as anything lower than 10 mVm is considered very safe. Most of my home has been remediated to this level, especially my bedroom. You can purchase an Acousticom 234 to measure the EMF level of your own home.
Suburban areas may have a background level of about 400 mVm, while hotspots can measure in the thousands. In Manhattan, the addition of thousands of wireless kiosks around the five boroughs have raised the background level to about 20,000 mVm, according to the film.
EHS Resources
Sweden has led the pack in acknowledging and addressing EHS, mainly due to the progress made by Elöverkänsligas Riksförbund35 — The Swedish Association for the ElectroSensitive. The association produces and distributes educational literature that has helped raise awareness about the phenomenon around the world.
The EMF Experts website36 lists EMF groups worldwide, to which you can turn with questions, concerns and support. EMFsafehome.com37 also lists a number of publications where you can learn more about the dangers of EMFs.
Information, including a video lecture about EHS, can be found on EMFsafetynetwork.org.38 Lastly, should you need help remediating your home, consider hiring a trained building biologist. A listing can be found on the International Institute for Building-Biology & Ecology’s website.39
Remedial Strategies to Lower EMF Exposure
Several of the EMF sufferers in the film explain how they’ve remediated the EMFs in their homes, using a variety of means. Below are several suggestions that will help reduce your EMF exposure. You can also find guidance and solutions for mitigating electric and magnetic fields in this “Healthy Wiring Practices”40 document.
Nighttime remediation
Flip off breakers (or a remote switch) at night to circuits in and around your bedroom to reduce 60 Hz AC electric fields. If you have metal-clad wiring and can keep your breakers on at night, use manual or remote plug-in switches at outlets to kill power to plastic lamp cords within 6-8 feet of the bed, or rewire lamps with MuCord from LessEMF.com.
Almost all dirty electricity in the bedroom will automatically be eliminated when you sleep if you flip off breakers to reduce 60 Hz AC electric fields, because dirty electricity rides on the voltage, which will be switched off.
If you have metal-clad wiring, voltage will stay on. In that case, use filters to remove voltage transients from your electricity and use meters to confirm that they are in a safe range. Keep filters more away from the bed, as they emit a localized magnetic field of about 2 to 3 feet.
Use a battery-powered alarm clock, ideally one without any light. I use a talking clock for the visually impaired.41
Consider moving your baby’s bed into your room, or keep doors open between your bedrooms, instead of using a wireless baby monitor. Alternatively, use a hard-wired monitor.
If you must use Wi-Fi, shut it off when not in use, especially at night when you are sleeping.
For more extensive RF shielding, you can consider painting your bedroom walls and ceiling (and floor, if necessary) with special shielding paint, which will block RF from inside, as well as outside sources, such as cell towers, smart meters, radio/TV towers and neighbors’ Wi-Fi routers and cordless telephones in an apartment or condo building.
Windows can be covered with metal window screen or transparent film. Line your curtains with RF-shielding fabric. For your bed, consider a shielding bed canopy.
Daytime strategies to reduce unnecessary EMF exposure
To reduce an important type of EMF exposure during the daytime, consider using Stetzer filters to decrease the level of dirty electricity or electromagnetic interference being generated. You can also take these with you to work or when you travel. This may be the single best strategy to reduce the damage from EMF exposure coming from voltage transients since it appears that most of them are generated by the frequencies that the filters remove.
Avoid daytime 60 Hz electric fields when using your computer by making sure it has a three-pronged, grounded plug rather than a two-pronged, ungrounded plug. Disconnect the two-pronged adapter on your Apple MacBook transformer and connect a grounded AC power cord.
If your PC laptop has a power cord with a two-pronged plug, connect a USB Ground Cord from LessEMF.com to a USB port on your computer and a properly grounded outlet. You can order shielded AC power cords for any PC computer tower or iMac from Safe Living Technologies (slt.co) or Electrahealth.com.
You can connect to the internet with iPhones and iPads while in airplane mode using a Lightning to Ethernet adapter and putting the device in airplane mode. You will need a Cat-6 or 7 shielded, grounded Ethernet cable as well as an Ethernet grounding adapter kit from Electrahealth.com to avoid electric fields.
Metal lamps emit high electric fields because the metal, especially in floor lamps, amplifies electric fields. Reduce this by rewiring with shielded MuCord from LessEMF.com.
Keep unshielded power cords away from your legs and feet at your home (and office) computer to avoid electric fields while you work. Transformers plugged into surge protectors under your desk emit high magnetic fields. Move them more than 2 to 3 feet away from your feet.
Connect your desktop computer to the internet via a wired Ethernet connection. Then, just as importantly, be sure to put your desktop in airplane mode. Also avoid wireless keyboards, trackballs, mice, game systems, printers and portable house phones. Opt for the wired versions and disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth whenever possible.
Ideally, work toward hardwiring your house so you can eliminate Wi-Fi altogether. Remember to always manually shut off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on your router and computer when you do so. That does not happen automatically when you plug in an Ethernet cable.
It’s important to realize that if you have a Wi-Fi router, you essentially have a cellphone tower inside your home. Even more importantly, remember that the device right in front of you that communicates with the router also sends out harmful RF signals, right into your body. Most people forget about this because radio signals are invisible. You cannot see or smell them like you can cigarette smoke, and they are silent.
Ideally, you’d eliminate your Wi-Fi and simply use a wired connection to get on the internet. If you absolutely must have a router, you can place it inside a shielded pouch or wire mesh box and then move it as far away from where you sit as possible. Never have the router in a bedroom or within 15 to 20 feet of one. You can find shielded pouches and mesh boxes online, or make your own using Swiss Shield fabric.
If you have a newer, thinner laptop without any Ethernet ports, various adapters will allow you to connect to the internet with a wired Ethernet connection from any Thunderbolt, USB or USB-C port. This is also true for the Lightning port on iPhones and iPads. Keep electric field EMFs low when you do this (see above).
When looking for a corded telephone for your landline or VoIP connection, be careful not to purchase a hybrid corded/cordless model. They have a corded handset but contain a wireless transmitter inside that is always on. Look for the designation “DECT 6.0” on the box and phone, as well as a cordless extension inside the box.
Even if you never use the extension, the base unit continues to silently transmit a radio frequency signal 24/7, especially when sitting on your bedside table, desk or kitchen counter. Switch to corded landline telephones and use them when at home. Call forward your cellphone to your landline number when home and put your cellphone in airplane mode.
Avoid carrying your cellphone on your body unless in airplane mode and never sleep with it in your bedroom unless it is in airplane mode. Even in airplane mode some cellphones can emit signals, which is why I put my phone in a Faraday bag.42
When using your cellphone, use the speaker phone and hold the phone at least 3 feet away from you. Use an air tube earphone for privacy. Seek to radically decrease your time on the cellphone. I typically use my cellphone less than 30 minutes a month, and mostly when traveling. Instead, use VoIP software phones when traveling that you can use while connected to the internet via a wired connection or, better yet, use a landline telephone.
General household remediation
If you still use a microwave oven, consider replacing it with a steam convection oven, which will heat your food as quickly and far more safely. Measure magnetic fields near electronics and digital clocks at the front of stoves and dishwashers. Stand clear of these (below 1 mG). Avoid induction cooktop units altogether, as they emit very high magnetic fields far into your kitchen.
Avoid using “smart” appliances and thermostats that depend on wireless signaling. This would include all new “smart” TVs. They are called smart because they emit a Wi-Fi signal, and unlike your computer, you cannot shut the Wi-Fi signal off on some models when you connect to a wired Ethernet cable (you can with Sony smart TVs).
Consider using a large computer monitor as your TV instead, as they don’t emit Wi-Fi. Also, avoid “smart speakers,” which continuously emit RF signals into the room.
Avoid electric beds and chairs. If you do use them, plug them into a power strip and flip that off when sleeping or sitting in them. Avoid high electric fields from ungrounded wires and metal frames. Also avoid magnetic fields from transformers that may be right under your body, and Wi-Fi in the foot of some beds. Switch these off in all cases when sleeping.
Replace CFL bulbs with incandescent bulbs, as CFLs produce dirty electricity. Ideally remove all fluorescent lights from your house. Not only do they emit unhealthy light but, more importantly, they will actually transfer current to your body just being close to the bulbs. Many LEDs are cleaner than CFLs, but incandescent bulbs are best, including new halogen incandescent bulbs.
Dimmer switches are another source of dirty electricity, so consider installing regular on/off switches rather than dimmer switches. Central lighting control systems (Crestron, Lutron) tend to have cleaner dimming modules. Request hardwired, not wireless, keypads when using central control systems, especially near beds.
Refuse smart meters as long as you can or, when you cannot opt out, add a shield to an existing smart meter, some of which have been shown to reduce radiation by 98 to 99 percent.43
from Articles http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/03/02/electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-syndrome.aspx source https://niapurenaturecom.tumblr.com/post/183156901286
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chocolate-brownies · 7 years ago
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Plenty of exercise. Healthy food. Positive attitude. Plain old good luck. There’s lots of advice out there about how to keep body and brain in optimal shape as the years roll by.
But Louis Cozolino, professor of psychology at Pepperdine University, is deeply engaged with another idea. In Timeless: Nature’s Formula for Health and Longevity, he emphasizes the positive impact of human relationships.
“Of all the experiences we need to survive and thrive, it is the experience of relating to others that is the most meaningful and important,” he writes.
His thinking grows out of the relatively new field of interpersonal neurobiology, based on the recognition that humans are best understood not in isolation, but in the context of their connections with others. Our brains, Cozolino writes, are social organs, and that means that we are wired to connect with each other and to interact in groups. A life that maximizes social interaction and human-to-human contact is good for the brain at every stage, particularly for the aging brain.
Since the publication of Cozolino’s earlier book, The Neuroscience of Human Relationships, the field of social neuroscience has expanded tremendously. We now know that people who have more social support tend to have better mental health, cardiovascular health, immunological functioning, and cognitive performance. The well-known, long-running Harvard Medical School Nurses’ Health Study was one of the early studies to reveal how being socially integrated can lead to greater health, life satisfaction, and longevity over time.
Researchers who conducted another study, one involving nearly 7,000 people over a nine-year period, found that those with more social ties tended to live longer regardless of their socioeconomic status, smoking, drinking, exercise, or obesity. The mortality rate of men with the fewest ties was 2.3 times that of men with the most ties, the researchers found, while the mortality rate of women with the fewest ties was 2.8 times that of women with the most ties.
One explanation is that social relationships help calm our stress-response system. While chronically high levels of the stress hormone cortisol wreak havoc on our physical and emotional health, experiencing safe and supportive social relationships has the opposite effect, keeping our stress-response system in check. In a study of elderly Hong Kong residents, researchers found that those who spent more time cultivating social relationships had a significant drop in cortisol levels during the day, which could explain why positive relationships help us learn better, stay healthier, and live longer.
In a long-range study conducted by David Snowden on Catholic nuns from the School Sisters of Notre Dame—a group he found intriguing because of their unusual longevity and low incidence of dementia—Snowden found that positive emotions played an important role in their healthy aging. As positive emotions are part of warm, loving social relationships, and the nuns lived in such a close-knit community, Cozolino speculates that the Sisters’ unusually strong social connections may have contributed to their living well into old age.
“How we bond and stay attached to others is at the core of our resilience, self-esteem, and physical health,” Cozolino writes. “We build the brains of our children through our interaction with them, and we keep our own brains growing and changing throughout life by staying connected to others.”
“We build the brains of our children through our interaction with them, and we keep our own brains growing and changing throughout life by staying connected to others.”
The brain across your lifespan
Cozolino’s book is far-reaching, covering many aspects of brain development and the impact of human connection, from the prenatal stage and infancy to adolescence and adulthood to the end of life. We learn that the way the brain processes information changes to meet the needs of each life stage.
As we grow older, what’s lost in quick recall and short-term memory is balanced by an ability to reflect and to hold multiple perspectives, Cozolino argues. Neurological changes in the aging brain may contribute to emotional regulation and an increased ability to relate compassionately to others. That’s partly because the effects of fear and anxiety on the brain tend to lessen as people grow older, enabling them to see social situations with less defensiveness and more clarity, the author says.
Since the human brain is almost endlessly adaptive throughout the life cycle, change is as possible for older people as for infants. New neurons continue to grow in the brain until the end of life, and scientists have begun looking at the brains of older adults who are leading active and productive lives to find out why they are so healthy.
For example, many healthy older adults show no signs of significant brain volume loss past 100 years of age, says Cozolino. What’s their secret? The answer comes right back to Cozolino’s conviction: People who lead extraordinarily long lives are those who have maintained close ties to others. Centenarians, he writes, tend to be more extraverted and have higher morale, indicative of reaching out to others, giving and receiving support, and maintaining attachments.
People who lead extraordinarily long lives are those who have maintained close ties to others. 
In his observations about successful agers, Cozolino is particularly interested in the qualities of wisdom and compassion that tend to emerge as the human brain changes over time. Although he doesn’t pinpoint studies for every assertion, and admits that wisdom can be a hard quality to pin down, he concludes that “much of wisdom is expressed in how people interact with and treat one another.” He offers his own personal experiences with wise elders along the way, making the case for the positive influence that affectionate, supportive older people can have on younger people.
When it comes to practical advice, Cozolino points out ways that older people can maintain those important connections. Those who are grandparents have a clear opportunity to nurture their grandchildren, help that is sorely needed in this day and age. For others, volunteering in various capacities can foster healthy relationships. Not only are such connections good for aging people themselves, Cozolino says, they are beneficial for society as a whole. 
He writes, “Instead of putting our elders out to pasture, we might learn to harness the experience, affection, and time they have to offer.”
This article was adapted from Greater Good, the online magazine of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, one of Mindful’s partners. View the original article.
The post Why Relationships Are the Key to Longevity appeared first on Mindful.
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sherristockman · 8 years ago
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Empathy: Caring for Others Is Good for You Dr. Mercola By Dr. Mercola Empathy, the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, so to speak, and understand their feelings and point of view, is a character trait that may benefit society and individuals in multiple ways. Empathy training has been found to reduce stress levels among medical students facing intense emotional encounters with patients, for example.1 While many parents try to instill empathetic qualities in their children, there’s growing research that empathy has deep neurological roots in humans. One of the first signs that empathy may be ingrained in all of us occurred in 1848, when a foreman named Phineas Gage working on a railroad construction project had an accident, which resulted in an iron rod going through his skull. He survived, but not without marked changes to his personality. His friends, family and physician described him as rude and inconsiderate following the accident.2 The Neurological Side of Empathy The term empathy didn’t come to be for another six decades after Gage’s accident, but what the accident essentially took from the foreman was the ability to feel empathy. In 1994, researchers were able to take measurements from Gage’s skull and use modern neuroimaging techniques to recreate the accident and determine its effects on his brain. “The damage involved both left and right prefrontal cortices in a pattern that, as confirmed by Gage's modern counterparts, causes a defect in rational decision making and the processing of emotion,” researchers concluded.3 Injury was found to have occurred in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC), which is one of 10 brain regions now known to be involved in empathy. In his book “Zero Degrees of Empathy,” Simon Baron-Cohen, professor of developmental psychology at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, describes the complex neurological underpinnings of empathy, revealing the many ways our brains help us to care about other people:4 The medial frontal cortex has been linked to social cognition, which allows people to be part of a social group and process information about others5 The inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) may be involved in recognizing emotions on faces6 More activity in the IFG when people look at emotional expressions is linked to higher scores on the empathy quotient scale7 The amygdala is also involved in emotions, including the ability to recognize fear on someone’s face8 Neurons in the caudal anterior cingulate cortex (cACC) “light up” when you’re in pain or when you observe someone else in pain9 Humans also have “mirror neurons,” which, Psychology Today explains, “react to emotions expressed by others and then reproduce them.”10 A deficit in mirror neuron receptors has been suggested as an explanation for narcissism and neurotic behaviors and thinking.11 Despite this knowledge, Medical News Today reported, British clinical psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen says, “We still know very little about individual differences in empathy … We will need elegant experimental research to solve those puzzles.”12 Why It’s Beneficial to Practice Empathy Beyond stress relief, why is it so important to be empathetic? Chad Fowler, CTO of 6Wunderkinder, the maker of Wunderlist mobile app, shared the following reasons why he believes your most important skill is empathy:13 You will be more likely to treat the people you care about the way they wish you would treat them. You will better understand the needs of people around you. You will more clearly understand the perception you create in others with your words and actions. You will understand the unspoken parts of your communication with others. You will better understand the needs of your customers at work. You will have less trouble dealing with interpersonal conflict both at home and at work. You will be able to more accurately predict the actions and reactions of people you interact with. You will learn how to motivate the people around you. You will more effectively convince others of your point of view. You will experience the world in higher resolution as you perceive through not only your perspective but the perspectives of those around you. You will find it easier to deal with the negativity of others if you can better understand their motivations and fears. Yet, people tend to feel most empathetic about those they perceive to be the most vulnerable. In one study, empathetic feels were higher toward a child, a puppy and an adult dog than they were toward an adult man.14 There’s good reason, however, to reframe the way you may compartmentalize empathetic feelings, as they have the potential to do good in an endless number of scenarios. Among dentists and their patients, for example, empathy improved communication and the dentistry experience for both the patient and the practitioner.15 Researchers found that empathy was positively associated with treatment adherence, patient satisfaction and reduced dental anxiety, sentiments that seem to be echoed among medical practitioners. Among adolescents, empathy may even go hand in hand with future success, according to licensed professional counselor Ugo Uche:16 “Teenagers who are empathetic tend to be more purpose driven and they intentionally succeed in their academics not because they are looking to make good grades, but in most subjects their goal is to understand the subject material and to utilize the knowledge as one of their ever-increasing tools … Teenagers who are more empathetic do a much better job in embracing failure, because there is little ego involved in their tasks, and setbacks while disappointing are rarely seen as failures, but rather as a learning experience about an approach that does not work for the task at hand.” Different Types of Empathy Empathy comes in three different varieties, and we each have varying levels of each type, which combine to influence our personal and professional lives. Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D., the Henry R. Kravis professor of leadership and organizational psychology and former director of the Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont McKenna College, explained each type in brief:17 Cognitive empathy: This type allows you to understand another person’s perspective and imagine what it would be like to walk in their shoes. Personal distress: Sometimes referred to as social empathy, this allows you to literally feel another person’s emotional state. Empathic concern: This describes not only recognizing and feeling in-tune with another person’s emotional state but also showing the appropriate concern or trying to help them as a result. It’s common for one person to be high in one type of empathy and lower in others, with varying effects. Riggio described a study he worked on in which hospice nurses performed better when they possessed empathic concern but worse when they experienced personal distress. “We surmised that if hospice nurses felt their patients' pain (and family members' distress as well), it made them less able to do their job of providing comfort to the patient and family because they had their own emotions that they had to deal with,” Riggio wrote.18 By tuning into your own empathic abilities, you can make mental notes of when perhaps you should show more empathic concern in lieu of personal distress and vice versa. Psychologist Daniel Goleman (who’s behind the theory of emotional intelligence) has stated that possessing all three types of empathy is key for strengthening your relationships.19 You Can Learn To Be More Empathetic Because we’re all hard-wired to feel empathy, you can train yourself to be more empathetic, even when it comes to strangers. Lack of empathy is responsible for many human conflicts, particularly those that occur between people from different nationalities and cultures. A University of Zurich study showed, however, that even a few positive experiences with a stranger increase empathetic brain responses toward them. Participants were divided into two groups (in-group members and out-group members) and received shocks to the back of their hands. Other study participants had the option of paying money so someone else could avoid the painful experience.20 When a person received help from a stranger, they had an increased brain response in empathy toward that person. According to the researchers, “[S]urprisingly few positive learning experiences are sufficient to increase empathy.”21 Beyond making an effort to share positive experiences with the people around you, you can develop your empathy simply by listening intently when people speak. This includes waiting until they’ve finished speaking to formulate your response and respond, as well as considering the speaker’s motivations behind what they’re saying and then responding with follow-up questions to further your understanding of the conversation.22 Other steps you can take to become more empathetic include: Consider an ongoing disagreement you have with a family member, friend or co-worker. Try to imagine the argument from their side and recognize whether they have valid arguments, good intentions or positive motivations you may have previously missed. Read more fiction. Reading literary fiction was shown to enhance a skill known as theory of mind, which is the ability to understand others' mental states and show increased empathy.23 Watch and wonder. Fowler recommends an activity he calls “watch and wonder,” which you can try virtually anywhere:24 “Put down your cell phone. Instead of checking Twitter or reading articles while you wait for the train or are stuck in a traffic jam, look at the people around you and imagine who they might be, what they might be thinking and feeling, and where they are trying to go right now. Are they frustrated? Happy? Singing? Looking at their phones? Do they live here or are they from out of town? Have they had a nice day? Try to actually wonder and care.” If you’re unsure when to really try to tap into your empathic abilities, Guy Winch, Ph.D., suggests prime times include whenever you wish you could understand someone better, when you’re having an unproductive argument with your significant other or when you want to calm your temper or better connect with the emotions of a loved one. Empathy even comes into play when you need to complain effectively. “Empathy comes more naturally to some than it does to others,” Winch says. “However, by taking time to truly paint a picture of what it is like for the other person and imagine ourselves in their place, we will gain valuable insights and forge deeper connections to those around us.”25
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ds4design · 8 years ago
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Do DIY Brain-Booster Devices Work?
It began more than a decade ago, as engineers and hobbyists started getting increasingly enthralled with a jury-rigged electric technology that purportedly enhanced brain function. The movement is still growing, and the brain-zappers are no longer just young garage tinkerers—now they include older professionals who fork over hundreds of dollars for high-grade wearable systems. As scientists, clinicians and industry leaders study these fascinating but controversial mind-altering practices, one thing is clear: The idea of applying an electrical current to the scalp to boost learning or treat medical conditions in the comfort of one’s own home is gaining traction. But does it work?
This form of attempted brain hacking—known as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)—is not as far-fetched as it might sound. The brain runs on electricity. Brain cells build up charges that impel chemical signals across synapses, the tiny gaps between neurons. When we learn something, the synapses involved become conditioned to fire more readily, and tDCS supposedly enhances that process. The tiny electrical currents tDCS uses—generally one to two milliamps—cannot actually trigger the chemical impulse that crosses a synapse, but some researchers believe tDCS strengthens synaptic connections to make learning more efficient. Small lab studies suggest it can improve vigilance and reaction times. “You get more bang for your buck” by combining tDCS with conventional training, contends Marom Bikson, a professor of biomedical engineering at the City College of New York.
The dawn of the noninvasive brain stimulation movement is widely attributed to a 2000 paper by German neurophysiologists Michael Nitsche and Walter Paulus. In a small study of healthy twentysomethings the scientists showed they could make neurons more or less excitable by sending weak electrical currents through the brain’s motor cortex. The effects lingered minutes after stimulation. Previously tDCS had only been studied in animals.
A subsequent study in 2003 showed such stimulation could improve a cognitive ability psychologists call motor sequence learning—the process of training the brain in the precisely sequenced steps required to interact with the world via means such as listening or executing a movement. Several labs at Harvard Medical School and the National Institutes of Health picked up on these findings and conducted research suggesting tDCS was promising for stroke rehabilitation and chronic pain.
It was then, in 2006, that Brett Wingeier began watching the field. Trained in medical devices, Wingeier was the principal biomedical engineer at NeuroPace, a Silicon Valley company that makes brain implants intended to help control epilepsy. He had also worked on brain stimulators for alleviating cluster headaches and the movement symptoms that afflict patients with Parkinson’s disease. “They can be incapacitated, but you turn the stimulator on and it all goes away. It’s amazing,” Wingeier says. Yet he notes those devices are “only relevant to patients with relatively severe disorders. They’re surgical implants.”
Wingeier dreamed of using neurotechnology to help more patients—and maybe even healthy people. He was excited to see new tDCS studies, but many were “done with yellow sponges and measuring tape and straps on your head,” he says. The time seemed ripe to consider bringing product design principles into what he calls “a legitimate consumer product people can pull out of the box and use.”
More plans began taking shape as scientists fleshed out possible mechanisms for how tDCS works. In a set of electrophysiology experiments published in 2009, Bikson and some of his colleagues demonstrated that a mild electric field can synchronize activity in a neural network. Such insights inspired Wingeier and other researchers working to target tDCS to specific brain areas.
Since the turn-of-the-century study by Nitsche and Paulus researchers have published nearly 3,000 scientific papers on tDCS—a third of them in the last two years. In the medical realm some studies suggest brain stimulation might help people with neuropathic pain as well as depression, schizophrenia and a range of other psychiatric illnesses. For now tDCS remains highly experimental in the U.S. although in Europe such devices are approved for treating pain and depression. More than 500 tDCS studies are listed in the clinicaltrials.gov database that tracks ongoing trials for drug therapies or medical devices.
In addition, a growing number of studies are testing tDCS in healthy people and suggest it can improve working memory, attention and decision-making as well as stimulate creativity. A 2012 study funded by the U.S. Department of Defense indicated tDCS may heighten vigilance, making participants twice as fast at spotting bombs, snipers and other threats in fuzzy images. Four other labs have since shown the technology could enhance learning—“one of the few tDCS effects that’s been replicated across institutions,” says Vincent Clark, a cognitive neuroscientist and first author on the 2012 paper. Clark directs the Psychological Clinical Neuroscience Center at the University of New Mexico.
The tsunami of academic literature on tDCS has spurred a corresponding wave of media articles claiming jolts to the brain can improve memory, boost math skills and “bring out the genius in you.” An article in the Journal of Medical Ethics calls tDCS “the Swiss Army knife of human neuroscience.” As word of tDCS’s potential reaches the general public, home users have been convening in cyberspace. In 2011 tDCS-ers created a Reddit forum and launched a blog the following year. Thousands of home users visit these Web sites to discuss scientific papers, post how-to videos and ask questions such as where to place electrodes and how long to stimulate. The Reddit forum gets between 5,000 and 10,000 unique visitors per month and has grown from 2,500 to around 9,000 subscribers over the last three years.
In 2013 the first consumer tDCS wearable—a headset for gamers—appeared on the market. Since then more than a dozen companies have started selling tDCS products. Some offer $40 kits containing wires, electrodes and headbands that the customer assembles at home. At the other end of the spectrum, Halo Neuroscience—the San Francisco-based company Wingeier co-founded in 2013—sells $700 headgear aimed at elite athletes. The device stimulates the motor cortex and promises “gains in strength, explosiveness, endurance and muscle memory” when paired with workouts. Caputron, which launched in 2014, also sells a range of medical-grade consumer brain stimulation devices. The company distributed more than 10,000 tDCS products in 2015 and more than 20,000 in 2016.
Most consumer tDCS devices are not marketed for clinical purposes but for leisure and cognitive enhancement. None of the consumer kits have officially undergone the rigorous testing process that a drug or medical device must undergo for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the purchaser has only the manufacturer’s claim that it works for its intended use. And intended uses can be ambiguous. For example, when companies assert their tDCS device “increases concentration” or “amps up brain function,” it is hard to determine if such instruments fall under the FDA’s purview, says Anna Wexler, a PhD student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology who studies the ethical, legal and social implications of neurotechnology. The agency defines a medical device as “an instrument that is…intended to affect the structure or any function of the body,” she says. “The way a manufacturer markets the product determines the regulatory pathway,” adds Wexler, who explored some of these issues in a 2015 Journal of Medical Ethics paper. Enhancement claims have aroused suspicion among scientists, prompting more controlled lab studies. In one experiment, published in March 2016, a team from the Netherlands reported that a commercial tDCS headset actually made participants less accurate in a well-established test of working memory.
Despite uncertainty over efficacy claims, interest in tDCS as a tool for optimizing mental function persists. The devices are small and seem to be relatively safe. Surveying the literature on tDCS human trials, Bikson and colleagues reported this fall that conventional use has caused no serious adverse effects across more than 33,200 sessions, as well as 1,000 subjects with repeated sessions.
A major problem with assessing how well the technology works is that the vast majority of research studies use brain stimulation for different purposes than do home tDCS users. Contrast home usage with the seminal 2000 paper authored by Nitsche and his colleagues that tested whether noninvasive brain stimulation could help people recover movement after a stroke. “We just wanted to know if we could change motor performance,” Nitsche says. “Our question was not, ‘Does the stimulation protocol induce maximal performance?’” Home tDCS users, on the other hand, are not particularly interested in making new scientific discoveries, Wexler says. “They’re interested in self-improvement.”
This quest for enhancement could potentially lead to untoward consequences. In July clinicians and scientists who study tDCS published an Annals of Neurology editorial warning of potential undesired effects. For example, stimulating one brain area might help someone learn new material—but hurt the ability to process learned material. Changes in brain activity might last longer than users expect or may extend beyond the regions beneath the electrodes. Also, the effects of tDCS vary tremendously across individuals, and with small changes in the process. When it comes to placing electrodes, “even just a few centimeters can be enough to change the effect,” Clark says. “How long you stimulate, how much current you put in—if it’s two or one milliamp or something in between—all of that matters.” Genetics, age and skull thickness also seem to influence response. The technical specifications for medical uses have yet to be clearly delineated, let alone the parameters for cognitive enhancement.
This month at a New York City conference that Bikson helped organize, tDCS researchers and vendors will meet to discuss the technology’s potential as well as concerns surrounding it and other forms of neuromodulation. In the spring the group hopes to publish a report to help consumers make informed decisions about purchasing and using these devices. “Right now consumers are a bit confused. They see a $20 device, and they see one that costs $700,” Bikson says. “They might not have enough information to appreciate why the $700 device is a higher value for them.”
And it looks like tDCS is only the beginning. In addition to applying direct current to the scalp, brain-hacking researchers and DIYers are experimenting with other methods including alternating current and random noise stimulation. These might one day complement more established noninvasive medical technologies, such as magnetic stimulation and ultrasound, to influence brain function and behavior. Transcranial direct current stimulation, Clark says, “is just the tip of the iceberg.”
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chocolate-brownies · 7 years ago
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Earlier this year, when the Brain Preservation Foundation—headed by neuroscientist Kenneth Hayworth of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute—awarded a prize to researchers for preserving all the neural circuits of a pig’s brain, Hayworth found himself in the media spotlight. The only problem was, the popular media simplified things a bit too far. They took the brain preservation technology to be all about euthanasia. Since the method used to preserve the pig’s brain only works with a recently deceased brain, if the technology became available to humans, anyone wishing to preserve their own brains this way would need to die, ideally when the brain is in good shape. So, reporters reached the conclusion that the technology was about taking the opportunity to die knowing your brain would be preserved. As we shall see, that wasn’t the point.
The sensational euthanasia angle crowded out the scientific story about the remarkable advances being made in connectomics—the science of figuring out a brain’s complete wiring diagram—and the once-absurd dream that it might one day be possible to upload a mind into the cloud, Ray Kurzweil-style, achieving cyber-immortality. Although “it will be at least 50 years before the first human mind is successfully uploaded and 100 years before it’s routine,” Hayworth said, he regards it as not only scientifically possible but ethically imperative.
But first, the science.
Just as genomics studies genomes, so connectomics studies connections in the brain. The ultimate goal of this 21st-century biological cartography is to map the location of every neuron and every connection: the synapses that, neurobiologists believe, encode what we call “mind,” from every memory to every facet of personality, beliefs, and consciousness.
Determining the connectome—or, a connectome, since each brain’s is unique—is the prerequisite for uploading and “emulating” (presumably in silicon) a person’s mind, as Hayworth and others dream. A decade after scientists unveiled the first such wiring diagram—of the roundworm C. elegans (302 neurons, 7,000 synapses)—connectomics is hot in pursuit of its Everest: the connectome of the 86-billion-neuron, 100-trillion-synapse human brain.
Last year one of Hayworth’s colleagues, Davi Bock, led a team that obtained electron microscopic images of the fruit fly brain and its 100,000 neurons, the initial step in mapping the first connectome of an actual brain. (C. elegans has a primitive nervous system, not a brain.) At the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, neuroscientists are taking the first steps toward a mouse connectome: They slice a one-cubic-millimeter chunk of mouse brain into 25,000 pieces, imaging each with an electron microscope that shows the neurons and axons.
One cubic millimeter is one-thousandth of a mouse brain, or one-billionth of a human brain, Bock said. You begin to see why some scientists doubt this will ever work. The mouse project—again, just 0.1% of the brain, and 100,000 neurons—is costing tens of millions of dollars, and is only a baby mouse step toward a full mammalian connectome. But it took $3 billion and more than a decade to sequence the first human genome, compared to hours and $1,000 today. So, some would like to assume that massive technological advances will bring a human connectome within scientific reach.
Because synapses fall apart quickly once life ceases, imaging a connectome requires a brain that’s just barely dead.
To prepare for that day, a tech start-up called Nectome proposes to preserve brains with glutaraldehyde, as its founders did with a pig brain, winning an $80,000 science prize from the Brain Preservation Foundation. Because, as noted above, synapses fall apart quickly once life ceases, imaging a connectome requires a brain that’s just barely dead. This of course triggered the euthanasia fracas. Euthanasia is not, however, a requirement of this technology (should it ever come into being). People who die of natural causes could presumably have uploaders standing by.
Before you dismiss this as sci-fi nonsense, note that Nectome has a $1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for its preservation and connectome R&D. The preservation technique that won the prize from his foundation, Hayworth says, “appears to preserve the full range of structural and molecular features that modern neuroscientific theories postulate underlie the encoding of all of the types of longterm memories that make a person unique.” Someone undergoing the procedure “is electing to ‘hit pause’…in order to optimally preserve the full informational content of their brain.”
Just to be clear, we’re not talking about reanimation, cryonics-style. Hayworth and Nectome believe the future lies not in reviving the dead but in full-brain “emulation,” or recreating in digital form a brain’s wiring diagram and thus its information content. Nectome describes its mission as preserving a brain “well enough to keep all its memories intact: from that great chapter of your favorite book to the feeling of cold winter air, baking an apple pie, or having dinner with your friends and family. If memories can truly be preserved…we believe that within the century it could become feasible to digitize your preserved brain and use that information to recreate your mind.”
The scientific questions about brain emulation are as fascinating as they are unanswered. In addition to knowing which neurons connect with which—the basic connectome—do you also need to know the strength of each synapse? the firing patterns? the distribution of neurotransmitters? the subjective sense the brain’s owner gets when a particular synapse operates?
Oh, and one little detail: The information content of a cubic millimeter of brain tissue is about 1 petabyte of data, Bock says. An entire mouse brain comes to 1,000 petabytes. At 1 billion petabytes—1 petabyte being equal to 1 million gigabytes—the informational content of a single human brain exceeds the total storage capacity of the cloud today!
But would-be brain emulators don’t let such details deter them. Instead, they predict, as a 2018 study did, that “eventually the reading of memories…will become the daily routine of connectomics.” Those wiring diagrams, including in preserved brains, will “capture functionally relevant features of brain circuits from which mind and cognitive functions emerge”—possibly by 2075 to 2100—neuroengineer Randal Koene told the 2017 SharpBrains summit. But if brain emulations built from connectomes come to pass, is the emulation you? Or is it “just” a copy?
That and related questions echo those that I explored in my very first Brain Science column in Mindful in April 2013 (available at mindful. org/mind-vs-brain): Is there is a mind separate from brain? Is mind “only” what the brain does? In the unlikely event that neuroscience learns everything there is to know about the latter, will it have explained every ineffable mystery about the former? If someone does emulate a brain in silicon, will the silicon version of you sleep and dream, and if it doesn’t, will that degrade its information content? If the brain upload is in the cloud, does it have consciousness? If consciousness is an “emergent property” of brain activity (essentially a happy accident), then it might. Will it suffer something like the mental and sensory deprivation of solitary confinement? Will it wonder where it is and how it got there, tormented by existential despair? It boggles the mind!
In the unlikely event that neuroscience learns everything there is to know about the brain, will it have explained every ineffable mystery about the mind?
Hayworth envisions installing the brain upload in a sensory-enabled robot, so as to avoid at least the last two questions. And to those who argue that the upload couldn’t be the person whence it came, he asks, if C-3PO’s hard drive were transferred to a new droid, would anyone doubt that it is still C-3PO? No. How about if the hard drive were copied perfectly, and put into a second robot; would that be C-3PO also? Yes, he said: “Making copies of C-3PO doesn’t raise philosophical questions for most people. But if we accept the materialist neuroscience view (in which the mind is the brain), we have to accept that a simulation will be you.”
Failing to pursue research that might make brain emulation possible is therefore unethical, Hayworth argues. “There are moral implications to knowing you could have preserved the information content of a human brain but instead said, ‘nah, screw it’” he says. If we do not at least try to develop the technology to preserve the unique patterning of neural circuitry that encodes an individual, including “the memories and knowledge of Holocaust survivors before they all die, that, to me, would be as if we again burned the library of Alexandria” and lost an incalculable store of human experience.
SCI-FI | Heaven on Earth?
An unusually romantic view of connectomic innovation appears in the Netflix hit Black Mirror. In the episode “San Junipero,” two women meet in a simulated California party town (circa 1987): a paradise for the dead and dying, where, if they choose to have their minds uploaded, they can leave behind their lonely end-of-life. San Junipero gives them not only good times, but a second chance at human connection, self-expression, and healing. The question remains whether this use of tech represents a far extreme of escapism or a compassionate, human-made heaven.
This article appeared in the October 2018 issue of Mindful magazine.
Mind Vs. Brain
The Magnificent, Mysterious, Wild, Connected and Interconnected Brain
The post Upload Your Brain appeared first on Mindful.
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sherristockman · 8 years ago
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‘Ride the Tiger’ — a Documentary About the Bipolar Brain Dr. Mercola By Dr. Mercola An estimated 5.1 million Americans have bipolar disorder,1 also known as manic-depressive illness, which is characterized by unusual and typically dramatic shifts in mood and energy. Emotions tend to be intense, with the patient seesawing between ecstatic joy and hopeless depression. Hallucinations and delusions of grandeur are common during the manic phase, leading the patient to engage in risky and irrational behaviors, such as not looking both ways before crossing the street because they think they're invincible, or jumping out of a window, convinced they can fly. The PBS documentary, "Ride the Tiger: A Guide Through the Bipolar Brain,"2 originally aired on April, 2016, explores our current understanding of the illness, and puts a human face on the struggle with commentary by those challenged with it. Highly accomplished individuals diagnosed with bipolar featured in the program include actress Patty Duke, who was diagnosed in 1982, and Patrick Kennedy, a former U.S. Representative. By seeking to understand how the bipolar brain malfunctions, researchers believe they can get closer to understanding the inner workings of the brain, potentially unlocking treatments for other types of psychiatric problems as well. Drugs Versus Lifestyle While medication is typically the first-line of treatment for bipolar and other mental illnesses, they can take up to two months to work and are often frustratingly ineffective. Lithium is a "gold standard" treatment for bipolar, but even lithium works for only one-third of patients. Another drug shown to offer relief from severe depression and bipolar depression within mere hours of administration is ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic normally used for starting and maintaining anesthesia. Research suggests ketamine helps induce neuroplasticity, allowing your brain to grow new neurons and connections. However, this drug also fails to work in many, and often fails to provide long-lasting relief. When it comes to treatment, lifestyle changes are often the most powerful, and as noted in the program, need to be included in the treatment if it is to be successful. This includes: Maintaining a regular sleep cycle Exercising Addressing your diet and avoiding stimulants such as caffeine, drugs and alcohol Stress relief Maintaining healthy emotional connections with family and friends Scientists are also turning to more novel strategies in an effort to control the illness, seeking ways to possibly "preempt, fix or rewire" the patient's brain back to normal. Treatments That Help Rewire the Brain Optogenetics is one such strategy. The technique involves the use of light and light-responsive proteins to control neuronal activity. Using this technique, the scientist can control not only the physical movement of the subject, but also the behavior. For example, by shining a light on a specific gene-altered neuron, it can dial down the activity to reduce anxiety. Kafui Dzirasa, Ph.D., has taken it a step further, creating what he calls a closed loop actuator. Using brain map data obtained through optogenetics, the closed loop actuator circumvents "broken" or dysfunctional areas between neurons to reestablish normal communication in that specific area of the brain. The upside of this is that you're only stimulating and correcting the area that needs it. Drugs, on the other hand, affect the brain in its entirety, for better or worse. While it may correct one problem, it often creates others. While showing great promise, Dzirasa is not about to implant the device in human brains any time soon. But he hopes the device may eventually lead to other treatment strategies. Other devices used in the treatment of bipolar disorder and severe depression include: Deep brain stimulation, which acts much like a pacemaker for the brain, using electrical impulses to stimulate certain brain areas to regulate mood Electroconvulsive therapy, which has been shown to induce remission in up to 80 percent of patients and appears particularly effective for those with bipolar depression. One significant drawback is the potential for permanent memory loss Transcranial magnetic stimulation, a noninvasive procedure using magnetic fields to stimulate brain cells These techniques basically employ electricity or magnetism as a way to change the way neurons connect, allowing your brain to create new neuronal connections and pathways (neuroplasticity), thereby bypassing the "traffic jam" that's blocking normal communication between the neurons. But such devices are not the only way to rewire your thought circuits. Talk therapy, meditation, prayer and "positive thinking" have also been shown to have a distinct and positive influence on the wiring in your brain. Nutrition Is Essential for Proper Brain Function Download Interview Transcript An estimated 1 in 20 Americans over the age of 12 struggles with depression.3 Dr. Hyla Cass, a psychiatrist who uses integrative medicine in her practice, places great focus on nutrition and healthy lifestyle habits. As mentioned earlier, this is crucial regardless of what type of mental disorder you're facing. One of Cass' mentors was Dr. Abram Hoffer, a co-founder of orthomolecular medicine, which refers to the concept of nutritional deficiencies being a source of mental illness. In particular, Hoffer used high doses of niacin (B3) to successfully treat schizophrenics. Amazingly, he was able to get many of these severely ill mental patients well enough to get married and go on to lead normal lives. As it turns out, pellagra, a disorder caused by extreme niacin deficiency, produces the same psychiatric symptoms found in schizophrenia. In fact, Hoffer discovered that many schizophrenic patients were niacin dependent, meaning they needed far more niacin on a regular basis than normal in order to remain well. Other researchers have found niacin may also be successfully used in the treatment of other mental disorders, such as attention deficit disorder, general psychosis, anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Food sensitivities can also play a role. For example, gluten can produce symptoms of depression if you're sensitive to it. In such a case, the key is to remove gluten from your diet entirely. You cannot simply cut down. It must be removed completely. Cass has seen many patients recover from severe depression when going gluten-free. It's also important to avoid junk food, as it promotes gut inflammation. According to Cass, one of the first steps in addressing a mental health problem is to clean up your diet and address your gut health. Otherwise, you'll have virtually no chance of getting emotionally and mentally well. On her website, CassMD.com, you can find a free report called "Reclaim Your Brain," which details nutritional substances you can use to address conditions like anxiety and depression. Nutritional Deficiencies Implicated in Psychiatric Disorders In one recent meta-analysis, fish oil, vitamin D, methylfolate (an effective form of folic acid) and S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) were found to improve the effectiveness of serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants.4,5,6 Fish oil produced the most significant improvement, which makes sense if you understand the importance of animal-based omega-3 for brain health. Although not studied, krill oil would likely do better, and clean fish would do the best. In fact, considering antidepressants have the clinical effectiveness of a placebo,7,8,9,10 it's no wonder nutritional supplements can "boost" the drugs' effectiveness. The supplements may well have been the true benefit, but that possibility was not taken into consideration in this analysis. Still, studies have shown that both omega-3 and vitamin D11 can improve mental health all on their own. The 2001 book, "The Omega-3 Connection," written by Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Andrew Stoll, was among the first works to bring attention to and support the use of omega-3 fats for depression. Omega-3s have also been shown to improve more serious mental disorders, including schizophrenia, psychosis and bipolar disorder.12 While there's no set recommended dose of omega-3 fats, some health organizations recommend a daily dose of 250 to 500 milligrams (mg) of EPA and DHA for healthy adults. If you suffer from depression, higher doses may be called for. In one study,13 an omega-3 supplement with a dose range of 200 to 2,200 mg of EPA per day was effective against primary depression. As for vitamin D, researchers have suggested vitamin D may play a role in depression by regulating brain chemicals called monoamines, which include serotonin.14 As a general rule, depressed individuals have lower vitamin D levels than non-depressed people,15 and having a vitamin D level below 20 ng/mL can raise your risk of depression by 85 percent compared to having a level greater than 30 ng/mL.16 B vitamins are also really important for proper brain function, and deficiencies of one or more B vitamins can result in psychiatric symptoms. For example, vitamin B12 deficiency can trigger confusion, agitation, depression,17 mania, psychosis and paranoid delusions.18,19 One recent study20,21 found vitamins B6, B8 (inositol) and B12 in combination were very effective for improving schizophrenic symptoms when taken in high doses — more so than standard drug treatments alone. Low doses were ineffective. Lowering Inflammation Is Important for Mental Health Studies have also linked depression to chronic inflammation and dysfunction of the gut-brain axis.22 One likely theory as to why certain nutrients work so well for depression is because they are potent anti-inflammatories. Indeed, many studies have confirmed that treating gastrointestinal inflammation helps improve symptoms of depression.23 The gut-brain connection is well-recognized as a basic tenet of physiology and medicine, so this isn't all that surprising, even though it's often overlooked. A previous article24 titled "Are probiotics the new Prozac?" reviews some of the supporting evidence. For example, animal research has linked changes in gut flora to changes in affective behaviors, and in humans, probiotics (beneficial bacteria) have been shown to alter brain function.25 Previous research has also shown that certain probiotics can help alleviate anxiety. For example, one study26 found the probiotic Bifidobacterium longum NCC3001 normalized anxiety-like behavior in mice with infectious colitis by modulating the vagal pathways within the gut-brain. Other research27 found that the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus had a marked effect on GABA levels — an inhibitory neurotransmitter involved in regulating many physiological and psychological processes — in certain brain regions and lowered the stress-induced hormone corticosterone, resulting in reduced anxiety- and depression-related behavior. (It is likely other lactobacillus species also provide this benefit, but this was the only one that was tested.) Gut Bacteria May Play a Role in Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia Researchers have also found strong connections between the gut microbiome and schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.28 As recently reported by Psych Central:29 "The gut and the brain are connected by what is called the enteric nervous system [ENS]. While the ENS can act independently, it can also influence the central nervous system. It does this through millions of neurons as well as neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, glutamate and norepinephrine. When one of these systems dysfunctions, it can heavily impact the other, causing symptoms of depression and anxiety. One way the digestive system can dysfunction is with an alteration in the gut's microbiome. The immune system is also vulnerable to changes in the microbiome … Part of the immune response to harmful microorganisms is inflammation. This inflammation occurs throughout the body, including areas around the brain, which can trigger or worsen symptoms of bipolar disorder." For example, studies have found: Schizophrenics have less biodiversity overall and 400 times higher population of lactic acid producing bacteria than healthy individuals. Certain metabolic pathways differ as well, including those for glutamate and vitamin B1230 Schizophrenics also have significantly higher amounts of Lactobacillus phage phiadh, a microorganism associated with a higher risk for diabetes, than healthy controls31 Those with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia tend to have chronic low-grade inflammation, associated with gut dysfunction and an imbalanced gut microbiome People with bipolar or schizophrenia also have elevated levels of antibodies against Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a yeast associated with Crohn's disease. Many are also sensitive to lactose and gluten, which can trigger inflammation32 Individuals hospitalized with acute mania have increased exposure to antibiotics.33 While the authors suggested this finding means these patients tend to have higher rates of bacterial infections, this link could also point at the hazards associated with killing off your microbiome with antibiotics, which decimate both good and bad bacteria without discrimination Holistic Mental Health Suggestions Regardless of the nature or severity of your mental health problem, in order to successfully treat it, you need to take a holistic approach. Rarely will medication be the sole answer. Following are some guidelines and suggestions — presented in no particular order — to keep in mind. ✓ Withdraw from antidepressants and other drugs under medical supervision If you're currently on an antidepressant and want to get off it, ideally you'll want to have the cooperation of your prescribing physician. Some are happy to help you to withdraw if they know you're going to be responsible about it. Others may not want to bother, or they don't believe you can get off the medication. As noted by Cass, you may need to do some reading in order to be better prepared. Dr. Joseph Glennmullen from Harvard wrote a very helpful book on how to withdraw called "The Antidepressant Solution." You can also turn to an organization with a referral list of doctors who practice more biologically or naturally, such as the American College for Advancement in Medicine www.ACAM.org. Once you have the cooperation of your prescribing physician, start lowering the dosage of the medication you're taking. As noted by Cass, there are protocols for gradually reducing the dose that your doctor should be well aware of. At the same time, start taking a multivitamin. Start taking low doses. If you're quitting an SSRI under doctor supervision, Cass suggests going on a low dose of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). For bipolar patients, holistic psychiatrists may prescribe nutritional supplements such as fish oil (omega-3 fats), inositol, niacin, tryptophan and others, depending on your individual needs. ✓ Address Lyme disease Bipolar symptoms can also be related to Lyme disease, so if Lyme infection is present, that needs to be addressed, also by a more functionally oriented doctor. ✓ Combat inflammation Keeping inflammation in check is an important part of any effective treatment plan. If you're gluten sensitive, you will need to remove all gluten from your diet. A food sensitivity test can help ascertain this. Switching to a whole food diet as described in my optimal nutrition plan can go a long way toward lowering the inflammation level in your body and brain. ✓ Optimize your vitamin D level Vitamin D deficiency is another important biological factor that can play a significant role in mental health, especially depression. A double-blind randomized trial34 published in 2008 concluded that supplementing with high doses of vitamin D "seems to ameliorate these symptoms indicating a possible causal relationship." Recent research35 also claims that low vitamin D levels appear to be associated with suicide attempts. Ideally, maintain your vitamin D level between 40 and 60 ng/mL year-round. If you cannot get sufficient sun exposure to maintain this level, taking an oral vitamin D3 supplement would be advisable. Just remember to also take vitamin K2 and magnesium, as these all work together. ✓ Nourish your gut microbiome Reducing gut inflammation is imperative when addressing mental health issues,36 so optimizing your gut flora is a critical piece. To promote healthy gut flora, increase your consumption of fiber and probiotic foods, such as fermented vegetables, kimchee, natto, kefir and others. ✓ Clean up your sleep hygiene Make sure you're getting enough high quality sleep, as sleep is essential for optimal mood and mental health. A fitness tracker that tracks your sleep can be a useful tool. According to Cass, the inability to fall asleep and stay asleep can be due to elevated cortisol levels, so if you have trouble sleeping, you may want to get your saliva cortisol level tested with an Adrenal Stress Index test. If you're already taking hormones, you can try applying a small dab of progesterone cream on your neck or face when you awaken during the night and can't call back to sleep. Another alternative is to take adaptogens, herbal products that help lower cortisol and adjust your body to stress. There are also other excellent herbs and amino acids that help you to fall asleep and stay asleep. Meditation can also help. ✓ Add to your self-help tool bag Slowing your breathing using the Butyenko breathing technique increases your partial pressure of carbon dioxide (CO2), which has enormous psychological benefits and can quickly reduce anxiety. Other helpful tools include Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). EFT is well-studied, and research shows it can significantly increase positive emotions and decrease negative emotional states. One scientific review found statistically significant benefits in using EFT for anxiety, depression, PTSD and phobias. EFT is particularly powerful for treating stress and anxiety because it specifically targets your amygdala and hippocampus, which are the parts of your brain that help you decide whether or not something is a threat.37,38 For serious or complex issues, seek out a qualified health care professional that is trained in EFT39 to help guide you through the process. ✓ Eat real food and avoid all processed foods High sugar and starchy nonfiber carbohydrates lead to excessive insulin release, which can result in falling blood sugar levels, or hypoglycemia. In turn, hypoglycemia causes your brain to secrete glutamate in levels that can cause agitation, depression, anger, anxiety and panic attacks. Sugar also fans the flames of inflammation in your body. In addition to being high in sugar and grains, processed foods also contain a variety of additives that can affect your brain function and mental state, especially MSG and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame. Recent research also shows that glyphosate, used in large quantities on genetically engineered crops like corn, soy and sugar beets, limits your body's ability to detoxify foreign chemical compounds. As a result, the damaging effects of those toxins are magnified, potentially resulting in a wide variety of diseases, including brain disorders that have both psychological and behavioral effects. ✓ Get adequate B vitamins Vitamin B12 deficiency can contribute to depression and affects one in four people. Niacin (B3), B6, biotin (B8) and folate (B9) deficiencies can also produce psychiatric effects. ✓ Get plenty of high quality animal-based omega-3 fats The animal-based omega-3 fats DHA and EPA are crucial for good brain function and mental health.40,41 Good sources include fatty fish that are also low in mercury, such as wild caught Alaskan salmon, sardines and anchovies. If you don't eat these types of fish on a regular basis, it would be advisable to take a high-quality omega-3 supplement such as krill oil, which has a number of benefits over fish oil, including better absorption.42 ✓ Beneficial herbs and supplements: SAMe, 5-HTP and St. John's Wort SAMe is an amino acid derivative that occurs naturally in all cells. It plays a role in many biological reactions by transferring its methyl group to DNA, proteins, phospholipids and biogenic amines. Several scientific studies indicate that SAMe may be useful in the treatment of depression. 5-HTP is another natural alternative to traditional antidepressants. When your body sets about manufacturing serotonin, it first makes 5-HTP. Taking 5-HTP as a supplement may raise serotonin levels. The evidence suggests 5-HTP outperforms a placebo when it comes to alleviating depression43 — more than can be said about antidepressants. One caveat: Anxiety and social phobias can worsen with higher levels of serotonin, so it may be contraindicated if your anxiety is already high. St. John's Wort has also been shown to provide relief from mild depressive symptoms. ✓ Get adequate daily exercise Studies show there is a strong correlation between improved mood and aerobic capacity. There's also a growing acceptance that the mind-body connection is very real, and that maintaining good physical health can significantly lower your risk of developing depression in the first place. Exercising creates new GABA-producing neurons that help induce a natural state of calm. It also boosts your levels of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, which help buffer the effects of stress.
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