Tobacco, Cigarettes & Vaping Use – Yes, this still is deadly!

It boggles my mind that the FDA recently authorized e-cigarettes for US consumption, as they see vaping products as a benefit to adult smokers. The US vape market was valued at $6.09 billion in 2020. It is predicted to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 27.3% from 2021 to 2028. I often see the Wall Street Journal (I am a subscriber) report on the health concerns regarding vaping, and then sell full page advertisements to tobacco companies who have scientists give their expert comments on the benefits of vape products over smoking tobacco. “Follow the science” right, but whose science are they paying to promote?

It is a known fact, that there are many carcinogens that are added to tobacco products to make them even more deadly. When some of these ingredients are burned, they form even more deadly chemicals. find it disgusting that government organizations (FDA) even allow these products to be available. Here is a list of some of the harmful added chemicals and their common usage:

Acetone—found in nail polish remover
Acetic acid—an ingredient in hair dye
Ammonia—a common household cleaner
Arsenic—used in rat poison
Benzene—found in rubber cement and gasoline
Butane—used in lighter fluid
Cadmium—active component in battery acid
Carbon monoxide—released in car exhaust fumes
Formaldehyde—embalming fluid
Hexamine—found in barbecue lighter fluid
Lead—used in batteries
Naphthalene—an ingredient in mothballs
Methanol—a main component in rocket fuel
Nicotine—used as an insecticide
Tar—material for paving roads
Toluene—used to manufacture paint

I find it quite difficult to have trust in any part of our government that claims to be concerned about the health and well-being of its people when they let this industry thrive and profit.

Some could debate that smoking is a personal choice that only affects the user, but scientific data has proven for decades that second-hand smoke affects the health of others in the direct vicinity of tobacco smokers. This is not the same as someone who abuses alcohol or chooses to eat poorly and affect only themselves regardless of who they are standing next to.

When Doctors, and Even Santa, Endorsed Tobacco - The New York Times

The tobacco industry is probably the only industry which the FDA willfully allows (but not approves of) to operate in spite of the scientific studies that prove the harmful effects to humans. So, while the FDA is basically in place to protect the American population against substances that endanger the health and wellbeing of humans, they continue to pander to this deadly industry. I think that the tobacco industry has been allowed to operate and profit enormously from their efforts to keep people addicted to their products. NPR even reported that tobacco companies conspired (yes, a real conspiracy theory) to add more nicotine to their products to keep users addicted to their usage.

I feel strongly that the general population should not pay for healthcare costs associated with 1^st hand smokers, as this lifestyle choice offers no positive health results but rather leads to a slow and predictable path of disease and illness from its habitual use. a close family member smoked daily up until he was about 65, and only stopped once his health failed so terribly that his doctors at the hospital would not let him leave without 1^st performing surgery for a long shopping list of ailments. He acquired from smoking tobacco, spots on his lungs, emphysema, arterial sclerosis, and almost totally blocked carotid arteries. His addiction affected my whole family, almost setting our house on fire numerous times having fallen asleep while smoking. He went on to live 10 more years however, with a continuous downward quality of life due to the effects of his lifelong addiction to tobacco.

References:

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/health_effects/index.htmLinks to an external site.

The Facts on the FDA’s New Tobacco Rule | FDALinks to an external site.

PolitiFact | No, the FDA hasn’t approved cigarettes, or any tobacco productLinks to an external site.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/11/27/566014966/in-ads-tobacco-companies-admit-they-made-cigarettes-more-addictive

https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/smoking-facts/whats-in-a-cigarette

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/12/1045408023/fda-e-cigarettesLinks to an external site.

https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/us-e-cigarette-vape-marketLinks to an external site.

https://www.medicaldaily.com/what-cigarette-chemicals-and-ingredient-list-confirm-how-dangerous-smoking-really-279718

Qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, and yoga are not the only methods that can be used within this formula but have proven the test of time as methods to cultivate harmony of the mind, body and spirit. These exercise practices offer a wide spectrum of physical wellness benefits, stress relief as well as means of self-awareness. Not all teachers nor students practice these for the same goals. For more info, contact Jim Moltzan at info@mindandbodyexercises.com, 407-234-0119 or through my site at http://www.mindandbodyexercises.com

Humans Have Become Disconnected From Nature

Humans having gradually been losing their connection with nature. It did not happen overnight, but maybe most apparently over the last century. Many now believe that synthetic is better than organic as a rule, rather than the exception. The most scientifically, industrialized, modernized aware specie on the earth – while being the unhealthiest specie as a whole. And here we are.

My understanding is that if we do not learn to exist in harmony within nature, we will eventually be consumed by nature. As humans, we are part of nature so we cannot separate ourselves from nature and really the universe, without suffering some type of consequence. Cause and effect, yin and yang – it is all the same; everything is interconnected on many levels.

I feel there has been a big disconnect over the last 100 years in that with the advancement of Western allopathic medicine and its many benefits, we have been taught that many of nature’s cures and remedies are quackery or limited in their benefits to our modern society. How far have we been distracted to believe that pills and pharmaceuticals are the only way to treat illness and disease? Many people can, and do manage stress, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, headaches, allergies and maybe an endless list of other ailments that can be improved through proper diet of chemical-free foods and herbs, consistent exercise (natural movement) and management of thoughts and emotions (an understanding of where humans fit into nature). Nature is indeed medicine, as food tends to be either medicine or poison, especially becoming more evident as we age.

Many parents have helped to encourage generations of children who prefer sitting in front of the TV, computer or smartphone screens in place of physical outdoor nature related activities. Children playing and exploring in nature, has become mostly a thing of the past as these same children have grown to be adults with no connection to the nature and wildlife existing in their own backyards.

Look at some of the bigger US cities that have been covered in concrete and metal. Much of the grass and trees have been removed to make way for buildings and development. Some cities like Chicago, New York City, Boston, Miami and others have relatively small parks to help those in need of some “green space” to have an access point to some plant life. Some buildings have gardens or plant life on their roofs, but really these are not grounded to the actual earth below. Other cities like Atlanta and Dallas have made great strides in increasing their public parks and green spaces.

Another example, however more controversial is the overall health of the human race today. Food producers have been able to provide more food to more people although there are still many starving nations. With advancements in chemicals used to make food look better, last longer and seem tastier, we now ingest these same chemicals which have been proven to cause many other health issues. Americans often have access to many food options, but seem to favor cheaper processed foods over the more expensive organic or supposedly chemical-free foods. Then when people develop illnesses from the poor quality food, they turn to more chemicals through pharmaceuticals to fix the ailments caused by the chemicals in the food. More chemicals in the human body makes the individual more dependent upon modern chemistry rather than using nature’s gift of fruits, vegetables and herbs that have been known to improve many ailments.

I feel more connected to nature because I choose to be and can make plans and adjustments to be in nature. However, I know that I can be more in nature and that is where the struggle can exist for me. For me, nature is not just a place in the woods or in the mountains. Nor is it a place in a movie, book or a picture although these modes can put my thoughts of a place in nature in my mind. So where I don’t always have the trees, streams and wildlife right in front of me, I do carry the awareness without them to realize that I do have my connection to nature (and the universe) regardless of if I am in the forest or in a concrete building. This awareness is what gets me out of the building to begin with. We exist within nature as much as nature exists within us. Yin and yang in all things. I try to connect daily with nature if not through actually physically being within the woods, mountains or oceans but through my meditations and awareness of nature.

I think that if someone opens up their mind to understand that we are all interconnected with nature, the universe and each other, nature will present itself in ways and experiences that most people would consider to be far outside of what most to believe as “normal”. I am also a professional photographer, who has had many occasions where I sat and waited for a particular image to develop in my mind and then sometimes minutes later in reality. I have waited for the sky to clear and then present beautiful rainbows. I was at a cemetery once searching for my relatives gravesite, when a sun shower started exactly when I looked down to see the tombstone I was looking for. I was hiking with my wife in Zion, and while we seeked cover on the trail from harsh rain, a boulder came crashing down on the trail where we had been standing moments earlier. I think that if you try to make these types of experiences happen, they probably will not. However, if you can enter into a perspective that all and everything is interconnected on various levels, things will present themselves to us for whatever reason, lesson or thing is to be gained from such events.

Be well!

References:

Robbins, J., Pearce, F., Fleming, P., & Katz, C. (2020, January 9). Ecopsychology: How immersion in nature benefits your health. Yale E360. https://e360.yale.edu/features/ecopsychology-how-immersion-in-nature-benefits-your-healthLinks to an external site.

Scull, J. (2017, April 30). The separation from more-than-human nature. ICE. https://www.ecopsychology.org/the-separation-from-more-than-human-nature/Links to an external site.

https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/multimedia/infographics/getmoving.htmlLinks to an external site.

https://www.geotab.com/urban-footprint/Links to an external site.

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/01/17/509520895/food-as-medicine-it-s-not-just-a-fringe-idea-anymoreLinks to an external site.

Thai Yoga Massage

Thai massage seems to work heavily with the physical concept of myofascial release, that can be seen in Rolfing and other massage methods that have evolved over the last few centuries. However, Thai massage appears to have originated thousands of years ago. Also, I see Thai massage as a more mutually engaging type of practice where both the patient and practitioner seem to both be engaged in the goal of better health and well-being for both.

L0027324 Siamese Manuscript, Pressure Massage Manual. Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images images@wellcome.ac.uk http://wellcomeimages.org A guide to pressure points for use in ‘Thai Yoga Massage’. Diagram: human figure showing pressure points. circa 1850 Published: – Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Thai massage has deep roots in its origins in Buddhism and yoga. Very similar to TCM concepts of energy flow throughout the body by way of the meridians or sens. The yoga concepts of chakras do align with the Chinese meridian system of TCM. Direct pressure on key points (acupoints) are preferred over kneading of the skin, fascia and muscles. Thai massage is composed of foundation concepts of meditation, postures or stances, rhythmic rocking, and other touch/pressure techniques. Meditation appears to be a very strong component, where the practitioner is actively involved in the present moment. By being engaged with the patient on the 3 levels of mind, body and spirit they are able to help the patient through applying loving kindness or “metta” to their patient.

Thai massage has deep roots in its origins in yoga from Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha developing it over 2500 years ago. This method of healthcare does appear to me to embody the concept of balancing the mind, body and spirit where if one aspect is out of harmony with the others, disease, illness and suffering will manifest. As with any of these time proven practices that have been passed on for thousands of years, there must be something here regardless of Western allopathic Medicine’s resistance of recognizing the benefits of these mind, body and spiritual methods of healthcare and well-being.

It is my understanding from many of the modern Western massage practitioners that I have visited, that they often feel exhausted not just after the individual sessions but accumulatively over the time of their career. I found this more prevalent when the massage therapist themselves did not practice taking care of themselves to replenish the energy that they put out during the massage treatments. Those that I have met that cared to share, told me that it was essential for them to practice something like yoga, tai chi, qigong, meditation as well as good nutrition to stay balanced, as far as energy conservation goes. I have learned that we can not give out freely, that which we do not already have an abundance of with out some level of detriment to all involved.

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My goal is to present an education that brings awareness to these time-proven methods. With an intent to de-mystify and simplify explanations, hopefully more people can come to realize that we are all accountable for our own well-being.

More video clips, books, posters & resources at:

http://www.mindandbodyexercises.com

https://mindandbodyexercises.wordpress.com

https://www.facebook.com/MindAndBodyExercises

For more info, contact Jim Moltzan at info@mindandbodyexercises.com, 407-234-0119 or through my site at http://www.mindandbodyexercises.com

Stand Here, No Here, Over There, Not Here…

Stand Here, No Here, Over There, Not Here…

The quest continues to pursue a return to “normal” in spite of the ever-changing facts of science and how we adjust our actions in response. There is plenty of blame to go around, red, blue, green, yellow – pick your favorite color of the rainbow to blame. However, while blame may satisfy our ego in determining whose fault this all is, blame does not fix our problems. Our own actions of personal self-care through self-responsibility are the key to our better health and happiness.

The root causes of our public healthcare hesitancy, comes from a growing distrust of our government and medical experts that often never seem to agree on any course of action and what is fact or science. I think there will always be opposition to government intervention, depending upon the issue and who it affects the most. However, in the case of the current pandemic, the distrust has grown seemingly across many demographics. In my humble opinion I think there have been numerous times where government leaders (politicians and medical experts) stated a particular direction and then soon after changed that course. When this continued to happened over the last 2 years, the public trust eroded rapidly to where we are at today.

In late 2019, government leaders said the US was fine and had no worries with the Covid19 virus, as it was contained in China. People were encourage to enjoy the holidays and not be afraid. Obviously it was not contained and Covid19 made its way to the US in early 2020 and probably even earlier in late 2019.
Shutting down the US borders in early 2020, in response to Covid19, was considered xenophobic. Late in 2021, the US restricted foreign travelers entry due to the Omicron variant and xenophobia was barely mentioned by leaders and news outlets.
Similarly, early in 2020 theories of a possible virus leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology were seen as racist, xenophobic and the product of conspiracy fanatics. Later in 2020, some US leaders and the World Health Organization were supporting investigation of the Wuhan lab, albeit a day late and a dollar short.
In early 2020 Americans were directed by the government and medical experts to lock-down at home for 2 weeks to “flatten the curve”, referring to the spike in cases hopefully leveling off with a relatively short amount of time. Instead, lock-downs continued in some areas, off and on for the next 12 months.
In December of 2020, then president elect Joe Biden stated if he became president that he would not mandate Covid19 vaccination mandates. In early September of 2021 President Biden mandated vaccines for all businesses of 100 or more employees.
The CDC has changed its direction numerous times on masking, distancing, quarantine duration and other relative information. As scientific data changed, so did the CDC’s confusing guidance on quarantining from 10 days to 5 days. However, this change was implemented during a massive increase in infections of the Omicron variant during the end of 2021. More infections nationwide, but less quarantine time led many people to believe the changes were more politically motivated and not science-based, in order to keep people working in healthcare, retail, etc. to maintain the economy through the holidays and coming winter months where many other illnesses often flourish.

Understanding that science is a process and not a belief system, can help us to better understanding that science is an evolving process of research, discovery and conclusions – that will all continue to change as time proceeds forward.

Science is always evolving and changing! Science is about predictability! It gives us the ability to predict certain things about the world around us.

People do pay attention to what government leaders say and often try to hold them to their words. Continuously changing information and direction, if not distributed consistently and with transparency leads to more distrust. I think that it will be very difficult for the US government and medical experts to regain the trust of the American people any time soon. If there was perhaps some transparency, sense of humility or humbleness by leaders, confirming that they really don’t know exactly how to handle our national (and worldwide) crisis, but that they are doing their best and have a ways yet to go, it would maybe instill some level of hope in people.

Be Curious- look around and ask questions. Be Skeptical- Don’t always believe the first thing you hear or read. Be Flexible- Even if you have found one explanation, look for another one. These three brain exercises add up to what is called Critical Thinking.

Regardless of vaccination status, social distancing and masking for the greater good, other lifestyle vices too have a ripple effect on our heathcare system & personal well being. If a poor diet, smoking, being stressed all day, drug/alcohol abuse, being overweight/obese, etc. only affects that person, realize that the whole healthcare system takes a hit for these “bad behaviors” as well . This puts a strain on the whole system causing inefficiency due to the shear numbers of ill people or by issues impacting others around you through stress, money, time & other resources. Those relying solely on pharmaceuticals to stay sick-free, still should eat healthier, be active, get sunlight & fresh air, stop smoking, manage stress – in other words “build their natural immunity”. Shouldn’t natural immunity through living a healthier lifestyle be promoted to keep the next virus or pathogen at bay? The top causes of death in the US (cancer, heart & lung disease) and root causes can often be managed through lifestyle choices. Scientific data has proven that the majority of deaths related to Covid19 are from people who had multiple comorbidities, exacerbating death not from Covid19 but rather death with Covid19. More than 81% of COVID-19 related deaths occur in people over age 65. The number of deaths among people over age 65 is 80 times higher than the number of deaths among people aged 18-29.

The Scientific Method. Observation- Careful watching of something around us. Hypothesis- An educated guess explaining what you are observing or how to change what you are observing. Experiment- Testing your hypothesis by designing and carrying out an experiment.

Maybe it’s time for us to reevaluate what normal is and choose to not go back to it, but rather move towards healthier, smarter, wiser.

Be well, become healthy, be wise.

References:

Post, Lori & Issa, Tariq & Boctor, Michael & Moss, Charles & Murphy, Robert & Ison, Michael & Achenbach, Chad & Resnick, Danielle & Singh, Lauren & White, Janine & Faber, Joshua & Culler, Kasen & Brandt, Cynthia & Oehmke, James. (2020). Dynamic Public Health Surveillance to Track and Mitigate the US COVID-19 Epidemic: Longitudinal Trend Analysis Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 22. e24286. 10.2196/24286. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347798855_Dynamic_Public_Health_Surveillance_to_Track_and_Mitigate_the_US_COVID-19_Epidemic_Longitudinal_Trend_Analysis_Study

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/06/17/1006352333/the-mystery-of-the-origins-of-the-pandemic-can-it-be-solved

https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1227-isolation-quarantine-guidance.html

https://fortune.com/2021/12/30/cdc-guidelines-isolation-five-days-how-long-to-quarantine-covid-exposure-memes/

https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-profile-of-the-unvaccinated/Links to an external site.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm#Comorbidities

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html

https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/121919-1Links to an external site.

https://khn.org/news/article/lie-of-the-year-the-downplay-and-denial-of-the-coronavirus/Links to an external site.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/16/covid-a-year-later-trumps-15-days-to-slow-the-spread-pledge-shows-how-little-we-knew.htmlLinks to an external site.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55193939

https://slideplayer.com/slide/11903493/

Acupressure for Common Ailments (online lecture)

Watch my lecture on acupressure, where I discuss the theories and concepts behind TCM, the placebo/nocebo effect, self-care and many other topics. Acupressure (no needles) and its parent of acupuncture (needles) from Traditional Chinese medicine, has been around for a few thousand years. I have been learning and practicing acupressure for almost 40 years with great results.