Thursday, December 24, 2015

IF by Rudyard Kipling


 



Wednesday, December 23, 2015

ADHD, Perseverance and Rudyard Kipling

From some of what I';ve read, there are distinct differences or changes in how ADHD affects your life when you become an adult.  I believe there are more frustrations when it effects your memory or you find yourself procrastinating or not being able to get a good night's sleep.  When you're a kid you don't put pressure on yourself to get things done or to learn complex skills.  As an adult it is on you to go to bed on time and all the habits that comprise a worthwhile existence.   So when you have a condition that let's you waste time endlessly while forgetting you've got things to do, it creates obstacles to overcome. 

What I read is you need to develop habits to keep yourself on track.  Write 'to do lists' and refer to them frequently so you can keep to the course you set for yourself.   My goals need to get back to a more 'normal' sleep pattern, keep up the walks around the block, use the bike more, manage my time on the computer, i.e., spend less time 'surfing the net' and generally get more balance with an emphasis on getting physically healthy -- is the best way for me to spend my limited energy. 


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If—

By Rudyard Kipling

(‘Brother Square-Toes’—Rewards and Fairies)
If you can keep your head when all about you   
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
    But make allowance for their doubting too;   
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   
    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two impostors just the same;   
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
    And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
    To serve your turn long after they are gone,   
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   
    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
    If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   
    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
Source: A Choice of Kipling's Verse (1943)






 Link: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175772#

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Space chimp lived



Ham the Chimp, also known as Ham the Astrochimp, was the first Hominidae to take a space flight. He was named after the Holloman Aerospace Medical Center in New Mexico. He was launched from Cape Canaveral on January 31, 1961 and returned to Earth unharmed except for a bruised nose.



Space chimp lived 

Link: http://www.historyinorbit.com/175-fascinating-little-known-photos-of-the-past/37/?v=p





'NEW' Diagnostic Code in the International Classification of Diseases


Cow bites and spacecraft injuries enliven new medical diagnostic codes


By
December 22, 2015
 
man with books
A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN  Injuries at the library now have their very own diagnostic code in the latest revision of International Classification of Diseases used by physicians around the globe. 
Aaron Amat/Shutterstock




The latest diagnostic coding system for physicians, the International Classification of Diseases – 10th revision, took effect in October. 

With it came some curious new codes compiled in Medical Economics magazine. 

Here is a selection of some hard-to-explain mishaps. 




V91.35: Hit or struck by falling object due to accident to canoe or kayak


V96.00: Unspecified [hot air] balloon accident injuring occupant


Y92.241: Hurt at the library


V95.40: Unspecified spacecraft accident injuring occupant





 

V97.33: Sucked into jet engine


W55.21: Bitten by a cow


W56.22XA: Struck by orca, initial encounter


V91.07: Burn due to water skis on fire

Credit: All animations by James Provost


Link: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cow-bites-and-spacecraft-injuries-enliven-new-medical-diagnostic-codes

from Science News




Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Warning signs for Dementia


Many people thought that forgetting why you have walked into a room (39%) might be a sign, which could happen to anyone. For a person with dementia, it is not so much why they walked into a room that is troubling, but the room itself seeming unfamiliar.

Warning signs for Dementia

Seek medical advice if your memory loss is affecting daily life and especially if you:
  • struggle to remember recent events, although you can easily recall things that happened in the past
  • find it hard to follow conversations or programmes on TV
  • forget the names of friends or everyday objects
  • cannot recall things you have heard, seen or read
  • lose the thread of what you are saying
  • have problems thinking and reasoning
  • feel anxious, depressed or angry
  • feel confused even when in a familiar environment or get lost on familiar journeys
  • find that other people start to notice or comment on your memory loss
The risk of dementia increases with age with one-in-six of those over 80 having the degenerative disease. But it can strike even in middle-age.


Link: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/common-topics/d.htm


 

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Tips to Stay Smart, Sharp, and Focused

woman in playing violin

Tips to Stay Smart, Sharp, and Focused


Your daily habits can have a big impact on your memory, focus, and mood. Here's what to do to help keep your mind sharp.



 

Mix Things Up

Remember trying to talk backwards as a child? Researchers at Duke University created exercises they call "neurobics," which challenge your brain to think in new ways. Since your five senses are key to learning, use them to exercise your mind. If you're right-handed, try using your left hand. Drive to work by another route. Close your eyes and see if you can recognize food by taste.


Work Out to Stay Sharp

Exercise, especially the kind that gets your heart rate up like walking or swimming, has mental pluses, too. Although experts aren't sure why, physical activity might increase the blood supply to the brain and improve links between brain cells. Staying active can help memory, imagination, and even your ability to plan tasks.


A Healthy Diet Builds Brainpower

Do your brain a favor and choose foods that are good for your heart and waistline. Being obese in middle age makes you twice as likely to have dementia later on. High cholesterol and high blood pressure raise your chances, too. Try these easy tips:
  • Bake or grill foods instead of frying.
  • Cook with "good" fats like oils from nuts, seeds, and olives instead of cream, butter, and fats from meat.
  • Eat colorful fruits and veggies.


Watch What You Drink

You know that too many drinks can affect your judgment, speech, movement, and memory. But did you know alcohol can have long-term effects? Too much drinking over a long period of time can shrink the frontal lobes of your brain. And that damage can last forever, even if you quit drinking. A healthy amount is considered one drink a day for women and two for men.


 

Music Helps Your Brain

Thank your mom for making you practice the piano. Playing an instrument early in life pays off in clearer thinking when you're older. Musical experience boosts mental functions that have nothing to do with music, such as memory and ability to plan. It also helps with greater hand coordination. Plus, it's fun -- and it's never too late to start.


Make Friends for Your Mind

Be a people person! Talking with others actually sharpens your brain, whether at work, at home, or out in your community. Studies show social activities improve your mind. So volunteer, sign up for a class, or call a friend.


Stay Calm

Too much stress can hurt your gray matter, which contains cells that store and process information. Here are some ways to chill:
  • Take deep breaths.
  • Find something that makes you laugh.
  • Listen to music.
  • Try yoga or meditation.
  • Find someone to talk to.


Sleep and the Brain

Get enough sleep before and after you learn something new. You need sleep on both ends. When you start out tired, it's hard to focus on things. And when you sleep afterward, your brain files away the new info so you can recall it later. A long night's rest is best for memory and your mood. Adults need 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

Memory Helpers

Everybody spaces out now and then. As you get older, you may not remember things as easily as you used to. That's a normal part of aging. Some helpful hints:
  • Write things down.
  • Use the calendar and reminder functions in your phone, even for simple things (Call Dad!).
  • Focus on one task at a time.
  • Learn new things one step at a time.


The Name Game

Have trouble recalling names? Always repeat a person's name while you're talking to them -- at least in your head, if not out loud. Or invent a funny image or rhyme that you link with their name. For example, think of Bob bobbing out in the ocean.



Link: http://www.webmd.com/brain/ss/slideshow-fit-brains?ecd=wnl_men_120115&ctr=wnl-men-120115_nsl-ld-stry_desc&mb=%2fYEUKcm5jBiihqPGg%2fPGD2dEpmNqbUHLAOXXq3hWp98%3d