Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
Julian Assange’s long stay in the Ecuadorian embassy in London is having a “dangerous” impact on his physical and mental health, according to clinicians who carried out the most recent assessments of him.
The pair renewed calls for the WikiLeaks publisher to be granted safe passage to a London hospital.
Sondra Crosby, a doctor and associate professor at the Boston University’s school of medicine and public health, and Brock Chisholm, a London-based consultant clinical psychologist, examined Assange for 20 hours over three days in October.
In an article for the Guardian, they wrote: “While the results of the evaluation are protected by doctor-patient confidentiality, it is our professional opinion that his continued confinement is dangerous physically and mentally to him and a clear infringement of his human right to healthcare.”
Although the two did not go into details, Assange’s health appears to be deteriorating significantly after more than five years holed up in the embassy.
Well that's a real shame isn't it?
Poor little Julian has to hide out after working with the Russians to interfere in our last presidential election and to avoid those allegations of sexual assault.
That must be a terrible burden.
But do you know where you can get top notch medical treatment?
In a Federal prison.
Yep they would certainly fix him right up, and I am positive that there are open invitations to prisons from all over the world.
Or he could just stay where he is and take his chances.
I will give 100 thousand dollars to Trump's favorite charity if he will step on an accurate scale with an impartial medical professional, okayed by both of us. For real. #Girther#GirtherMovement
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn isn’t buying Donald Trump’s annual medical exam. And he’s willing to bet $100,000 that the report wasn’t accurate.
Gunn tweeted that he would give six figures to Trump’s favorite charity if the president would step on a scale under more transparent circumstances.
Gunn is simply saying what I think the majority of the people recognize.
Trump's medical exam says he's 6'3" and 239 pounds. Albert Pujols is 6'3" and 240 pounds. If the dementia tests are equally accurate, we are doomed. pic.twitter.com/fn0u1xzzjI
A White House physician declared on Tuesday that President Donald Trump is in “excellent” overall health and that he performed “well” on a cognitive screening exam, while noting the commander-in-chief could benefit from a low-fat diet and additional exercise.
“All clinical data indicates that the president is currently very health and that he will remain so for the duration of his presidency,” Dr. Ronny Jackson said at the daily White House press briefing.
Jackson added that during the physical exam on Friday at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, he performed some cognitive testing and that Trump “did well on it.” He noted the exam was limited to a screening for cognitive impairment and was not part of a larger psychological examination.
Trump, according to Jackson, is 6-foot-3 and weighs 239 pounds. The doctor said that he and Trump discussed losing weight and exercising, which he recommended, and that the president expressed “he would like to lose 10 to 15 pounds.”
Currently, Jackson added, Trump “doesn’t have a dedicated, defined exercise program.”
It should be pointed out that 239 pounds at 6-foot-3 is only one pound away from obesity.
That, plus his diet and almost complete lack of exercise. makes it essentially impossible to legitimately claim that Trump is in "excellent overall health."
I watched the report, and Dr. Jackson seemed honest and forthcoming.
And I was with him right up until he claimed that Trump got a perfect score on his cognitive test.
I'm sorry, but I have watched this guy for two years now, and there is DEFINITELY something going on with his attention span, and his ability to reason.
Update: According to this doctor Trump is 6 foot 3. However the listed height for Barack Obama is 6 foot one.
Does Trump look two inches taller than Obama to you?
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has been diagnosed with brain cancer, the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix said Wednesday.
The tumor was discovered after the senior Arizona senator underwent a minor procedure last week to remove a blood clot from above his left eye.
"Subsequent tissue pathology revealed that a primary brain tumor known as a glioblastoma was associated with the blood clot," the hospital said in a statement.
“The Senator and his family are reviewing further treatment options with his Mayo Clinic care team. Treatment options may include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation."
I just heard a doctor on MSNBC saying that this is very bad news, and that once you receive a diagnosis like this it is typically terminal with only between 14 months and three years left before it takes your life.
I have been a strong critic of John McCain's for years now, but right now my heart goes out him and his family.
P.S. I think this helps to explain why McCain was babbling during the Comey Senate hearings.
A recent measles outbreak that has thus far sickened dozens of Somali-Americans in Minnesota — nearly all of them children — can be traced to anti-vaccination campaigns that targeted Somali-Americans and suggested that vaccines are linked to autism, health officials said.
On Friday (May 12), the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announced that it had confirmed 54 measles cases, 51 of which were in children age 17 or younger — and the majority of those infected were unvaccinated, according to an MDH report published online.
Just a reminder that misinformation has real world consequences, and can even lead to death.
And just in case you were wondering, yes Donald Trump is also an anti-vaxxer.
Autism rates through the roof--why doesn't the Obama administration do something about doctor-inflicted autism. We lose nothing to try.
President Trump reportedly eschews exercise because he believes it drains the body’s “finite” energy resources, but experts say this argument is flawed because the human body actually becomes stronger with exercise.
Trump’s views on exercise were mentioned in a New Yorker article this month and in “Trump Revealed,” The Washington Post’s 2016 biography of the president, which noted that Trump mostly gave up athletics after college because he “believed the human body was like a battery, with a finite amount of energy, which exercise only depleted.”
Okay well I am sure that I do not have to explain how wrong Trump is on this, but let's just do it anyhow.
Rather than deplete the body's energy, exercise actually re-energizes the body and allows us to increases our endurance, our physical strength, and makes the whole thing run more efficiently.
What's more exercise can help to stave off all sorts of ailments, such as heart disease, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, mental health issues, and certain types of cancer.
It also helps to keep your weight manageable, and can even prolong your life expectancy.
In other words there is every reason to exercise.
But perhaps the best one is so that you don't end up looking like this fat fuck.
I swear it is almost like the Russians chose the stupidest, unhealthiest, and most mock-able American they could find to be our president. Almost as if they were trying to destroy our credibility complet......Ahhh.
Update: Here is a Time Magazine article saying that exercise even makes you younger on a cellular level.
Apparently that is why Donald Trump has old, pudgy, Cheeto stained cells unlike the rest of us.
So in the wake of that video showing Hillary Clinton on the verge of collapse on 9-11, the health of both candidates has been on the forefront of everybody's mind.
The letter appears to be fairly standard with an overall healthy assessment, but also mention of an ongoing hypothyroidism concerns, a sinus and ear infection, and of course the pneumonia.
On the other hand Trump has been a little evasive with his his health records, and instead went on the Dr. Oz show to share a letter from the same doctor who declared that he would be the healthiest individual ever elected president.
Bernstein’s note released on Thursday was more restrained. It reveals that Trump takes a cholesterol-lowering drug (rosuvastatin) and a low-dose aspirin in addition to reiterating that his only hospitalization was for an appendectomy at the age of 11. Trump is 6-foot-3, weighing 236 pounds, placing him in the upper bound of what is considered "overweight" by the National Institutes of Health Body Mass Index calculator.
Bornstein wrote that Trump’s test showed a cholesterol level of 169, HDL cholesterol 63, LDL cholesterol 94, triglycerides 61, PSA 0.15, blood pressure 116/70, blood sugar 99 and C Reactive Protein UQ 0.7.
Bornstein reported Trump’s liver and thyroid function tests as “all within the normal range,” with an annual physical exam taking place every spring. Trump’s last colonoscopy was on July 10, 2013, according to the note, and it was normal and “revealed no polyps.” His calcium score was 98 in 2013. An EKG and chest X-ray conducted on April 14 of this year showed “normal” results, Bernstein added, going on to note that Trump received a transthroacic echocardiogram on Dec. 16, 2014 that “was reported within the range of normal.”
Trump’s testosterone level is 441.6, according to the report, which also states that his family has no history of premature cardiac or neoplastic disease, nor does the candidate use tobacco or alcohol.
“In summary, Mr. Trump is in excellent physical health,” Bornstein wrote in the note dated Wednesday, released in conjunction with the airing of Trump's appearance on "The Dr. Oz Show," also taped Wednesday in New York.
First off I have to admit that I am somewhat skeptical of anything that this doctor writes in a letter for Trump, based mostly on the ridiculous letter from before.
Now it was previously reported by some members of the audience that Trump's weight was 267 lbs. However I heard the exchange between Trump and Dr. Oz and he clearly said 236 lbs. which I find almost impossible to believe.
In my opinion, as somebody who used to do personal training, Trump is packing at the very least 250 to 260 pounds on his frame, and what is more he clearly does not engage in any physical fitness regime, which also makes me doubt the validity of the other numbers on this letter. (Trump literally suggested that he gets exercise giving speeches and using hand gestures. I am not making that up.)
I think for me the main reason I have trouble accepting the validity of this letter concerning Trump's health is due to the almost overwhelming number of times Trump has been caught lying.
So do I think that Trump is lying about his health? Yes.
Do I think that Hillary might be fudging some of her health issues in order to win this election? It's possible.
However the next question I have to ask myself is if something terrible were to befall either person should they win the White House, whose running mate am I more comfortable with taking over.
Tim Kaine?
Or Mike Pence?
Oh yeah, I don't care if Hillary has terminal cancer in every pore of her body and only minutes to live after her swearing in ceremony, I would still rather have the country in the hands of the affable Tim Kaine and the Democratic party than in the hands of the Russian Winter Soldier, or his pal Mike "Cotton Mather" Pence.
So in my opinion this whole health debate is no longer even an issue.
In my opinion Trump really does not have a good line of attack against Hillary at this point.
If he attacks her on policy she has reams of information that back up her policy decisions, and the positive effect they will have on the American people.
And as for her health, well let's just say that one note from the wackiest doctor NOT featured on a children's cartoon series is not going to convince anybody that his health is better than hers.
P.S. By the way did you all see Trump get shut down by a pastor in Flint, Michigan when he started to attack Hillary?
This is more or less that point I was making yesterday about how this illness of Hillary's will be perceived by those on the Right.
Sure having pneumonia is not that big of a deal considering the kind of medical attention these candidates receive, however the real problem lies in the fact that it gives credibility to Right Wing conspiracy outlets like The Drudge Report and Alex Jones.
This suddenly moves them from the easily dismissed whack-a-doodle category and into the "investigative journalist" category, much like the National Enquirer did after breaking the John Edwards affair story.
THAT is not good for the Clinton campaign going forward as it now gives these conspiracy theory manufacturing outlets a glossy coat of integrity. Sure it will be short lived, but still there is damage to be done.
Sarah Palin's third Facebook post yesterday was a reach around to Donald Trump for "putting politics aside" yesterday in deference to 9-11.
Donald Trump Trump on Clinton's health: 'It's quite sad'
2 Hours Ago | 03:11
Donald Trump told CNBC on Monday he hopes Hillary Clinton gets better and that he plans to release a detailed report on his own health this week.
"I saw what was going on with her and I said, 'You know, I'm going to go do something and I actually took a physical last week and probably, I guess this week, will release the results of it," the Republican presidential nominee told "Squawk Box" in a telephone interview.
"It's quite sad," Trump said. "I hope she gets well soon."
"It's interesting because they say pneumonia, but she was coughing very, very badly a week ago," the 70-year-old Trump said. "It's very interesting to see what's going on."
So you can see how deftly Trump moves from ensuring folks that he is healthy and will soon prove it, to raising questions about the authenticity of Hillary pneumonia diagnosis.
And that is the fertile ground laid out for him by Alex Jones and other truth torturers on the Right.
All Trump has to do is to oh so casually question whether Hillary is being honest about her illness, and the media, both on the right and the left, will be all over it like flies on shit.
Which may be the most apt metaphor I have ever used on this blog.
Update: Here are some more examples of how this pneumonia admission changes the narrative:
Over 3 weeks ago I was calling on Hillary Clinton to release her health records... Some mocked me. Not so much now!https://t.co/yE8Vm4FnUp
This of course WILL die down, everything does eventually, but in the meantime welcome to the new media obsession with Hill's health and the increased scrutiny on hoarseness, level of attentiveness, and stride while taking the stage.
Of course Fox News seems to have been the first to cover this:
The Democratic presidential nominee appeared to faint on her way into her van and had to be helped by her security, the source said. She was “clearly having some type of medical episode.”
"Secretary Clinton attended the September 11th Commemoration Ceremony for just an hour and thirty minutes this morning to pay her respects and greet some of the families of the fallen," Clinton spokesperson Nick Merrill said in a statement. "During the ceremony, she felt overheated so departed to go to her daughter's apartment, and is feeling much better."
But a witness told Fox News that Clinton stumbled off the curb, her "knees buckled" and she lost a shoe as she was helped into a van during her "unexpected early departure."
I don't know if she actually did stumble, or if she was simply tired from campaigning, or suffering from heat exhaustion like the campaign is now saying.
What I do know is that this feeds into an already existing meme by the Right Wing that Hillary is in poor health, and THAT is simply not a good thing.
Update: Okay here is some raw footage of Hillary leaving Chelsea's apartment.
I still think she needs to do a public appearance and address the issue.
While I appreciate Vice attempting to be even handed here, I actually think these advertisement have dome more harm than they are reporting in this piece.
“Today’s vote in support of an advertising ban reflects concerns among physicians about the negative impact of commercially-driven promotions, and the role that marketing costs play in fueling escalating drug prices,” AMA board chair-elect Patrice A. Harris said in a statement Tuesday. “Direct-to-consumer advertising also inflates demand for new and more expensive drugs, even when these drugs may not be appropriate.”
Yeah, no shit.
In my opinion not only are these ads completely distasteful but they also feed into a kind of national hypochondria which otherwise healthy Americans that they need a pill to somehow improve their lives.
What most of them need is a gym membership and a self driving car that refuses to take them to McDonalds or Pizza Hut.
In his letter, Bornstein said there were no "significant medical problems" in Trump's history and that a recent examination "showed only positive results."
"If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency," Bornstein wrote.
Asked how he could justify the hyperbole, Bornstein said, "I like that sentence to be quite honest with you and all the rest of them are either sick or dead."
He went on to say that the Oval Office has been occupied by presidents with dementia or tumors or even men who were "paranoid" or "psychotic."
Bornstein said that after he was asked to write the letter, he thought about what he would say all day but did not type it out until the last minute as a black car sent by Trump waited to collect it. He said he didn't even proofread it.
The doctor said he would not normally use such over-the-top language in a letter for a patient but he made an exception for Trump — who just two weeks before had tweeted that the doctor's assessment would show "perfection."
As I have said before I have made the decision NOT to be surprised by anything we see or hear during this campaign season, but come on!
THIS is Trump's doctor?
The guy is supposedly a billionaire and yet he drops his pants for the living embodiment of Johnny Carson's fake physician Mandrake Curvy?
He literally looks like the guy who gives free prostate exams from the back of his van.
I am pretty sure we can already assume this will be Trump's science adviser.
Being in the presence of Clinton allowed Kimmel not merely the opportunity to ask questions but to check if Clinton was actually still alive. Given the conspiracy theories about her health, she could very easily be a cyborg by now.
“Oh my God, there’s nothing there!” Kimmel joked, taking her pulse.
“Back in October, The National Enquirer said I would be dead in six months,” Clinton said, “so with every breath I take I feel like I have a new lease on life!”
Clinton was shocked why the GOP would hope to paint her as unhealthy. “I don’t know why they are saying this. I think on the one hand, it’s part of the wacky strategy. Just say all these crazy things and maybe you can get some people to believe you. On the other hand, it just absolutely makes no sense. I don’t go around questioning Donald Trump’s health.” Clinton said, as far as she can tell, that Trump’s health seems to be physically fine.
Kimmel cited Trump’s doctor, who says a medical examination proved the GOP nominee has the best health ever — of all time. Of all time. Clinton smiled and nodded, saying that she’d heard about that. To prove her stability, Kimmel gave Clinton the ultimate test: Open a jar of pickles. Somehow, she managed.
I am going to suggest that the pickle jar was pre-loosened or else I doubt that Hillary would have agreed to do that on live television. That's just common sense.
However when anybody argues about Hillary's poor health I always suggest that they sit and watch that eleven hour testimony before the House Benghazi witch hunt.
That would have killed Donald Trump.
Clinton also addressed the release of more of her e-mails.
I want to once again remind everybody that neither Condoleezza Rice nor Colin Powell ever released ANY of their e-mails from when they were Secretary of State.
All standards are changed when it comes to Hillary.
While on the subject of clearing up nonsensical GOP charges against Hillary here is an article in which John Dean (Yes, THAT John Dean.), does that for the charge that she lied under oath.
It purports to be a medical letter, but it is one of the most ridiculous documents ever to emerge in any political campaign. First, the letterhead is in the same font as the letter, which appears to have been created using Microsoft Word. The signature from the doctor is several inches past the signature line—the result you might get if the document had been signed as a blank and filled in later. The letterhead includes a Gmail address—something doctors tell me is extremely unusual, since doctors do not want patients contacting them directly by email as a substitute for scheduling an appointment.
There is also a website listed, but if you follow the URL (haroldbornsteinmd.com), sometimes it takes you to cdn.freefarcy.com, a blank page that asks if you want to upload an update to a Flash program onto your computer (the domain name, freefarcy.com, is still for sale. No, I can’t explain that.) If you decline, it does so anyway and, based on the response of the security system on my computer, the “program” on the doctor’s supposed website is a virus. (Other times it takes you to a generic medical website. No, I can't explain that either.)
Unlike the Clinton letter, it does not contain a full medical history for Trump. The letter also has problems with sentence structure and major typographical errors, such as the opening line, “To Whom My Concern.” Most amusing, it says that his medical examination of Trump has “only positive results.” In medical terms, if the test is positive, it confirms the existence of disease. Is this doctor saying Trump has every medical ailment that could be found in examination? Does he not know the meaning of the word? Or, as I suspect, was the letter written by someone in the Trump campaign?
Oh come on.
Who's going to fake a letter from their doctor?
Okay well you have a point, but there is no precedent for this. Is there?
(Okay who predicted this? I did that's who!) Politicians just don't get it. Their "Death Panels" still won't die. Last night Obamacare masterminds decided they'll pay healthcare providers for vulnerable patients' "end-of-life” plans. Remember that's the strange, intrusive, unaffordable, and unnecessary scheme that was actually stripped from Obamacare five years ago, once we "found out what's in it." (Actually she means "lied about what's in it.") So now that part of this socialistic healthcare takeover is back, but yesterday's decision isn't the entire point here.
Be clear, media. Think. Do your homework. Remember when coining “death panel” I focused on the dangers of rationing healthcare services – as it's the inevitable result of any government takeover of healthcare. I was right about this then, and I’m still right about it today. Do your dang homework – you've even admitted I was right, so don't claim I'm "universally discredited" on it. (No they did their "dang" homework and you were universally discredited.") Got it? In fact, even democrats now agree about “death panel" dangers they've found in Obamacare – specifically in the role that unelected, faceless bureaucrats on the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) will play in determining who will get government's limited supply of care, whose care will be covered, and they'll dangerously decide who will be denied. (Okay so here Palin is conflating two separate issues. Yes there is a point past where medical insurance will not pay for procedures deemed hopeless, and in the old days some insurance carriers would make that decision when the survivability of the patient was still quite viable, but the end-of-life plans are to pay physicians for their time helping a person accept that they have come to the end of their lives, IF they ask for that service, and providing support for them and their families in coping with that fact. It is not about cutting off funds, it is about providing funds.)
Media coverage of my position on this is skewed; as usual they got it wrong. (Nope, They are, if you'll pardon the pun, dead right.) I'm calling you out, L.A. Times. You underestimate the wisdom of the people with your claim that I'm "discredited."
(Okay now hear Palin is referring to this article by the LA Times pointing out how she was wrong about the "death panels." And bizarrely Palin then conducts an interview WITH HERSELF on behalf of the LA Times to answer questions she claims to have received from them.) Here's my response to one of your colleague's questions last night about the death panels:
Ms. Reporter - thanks for asking. On the record ("On the record?" How can it be on the record if there is no reporter to put it on the record?):
There's no denying that the ultimate fix for Obamacare's unsustainable, unaffordable promises is rationed care. Rationed care decided upon by a panel of faceless bureaucrats who, rational people like me will argue, will measure a person's worth using disagreeable criteria as they justify doling out limited government-controlled care. That, my friend, is a death panel.
1. Does this still concern you as possibly leading to death panels or encouraging doctors to deny care to save costs?
It doesn’t just lead to “death panels” it confirms even further that this “Affordable Care Act” is nothing of the sort, and more importantly it just affords government permission to deny care. (Nope, that is false. And if there were an actual reporter here they would call Palin on this lie.) This decision does not take into consideration the importance of every individual, nor the sanctity of life, as many of us have said for years. Certainly, all patients and families should be advised of options, but we engage in that today and we don't need government bribing any party to do so. (Actually insurance companies have been denying services to patients for years, THAT is why there has been such a outcry for the government to step in and regulate them so that people with preexisting conditions were not denied coverage and people with chronic illnesses were not kicked off of their insurance policies. THAT is what the Affordable Care Act helped to rectify.) See, Obamacare is about unnecessary government intervention and, ultimately, it's all about government control. Government needs to stay the hell out of our "end-of-life" discussions. I'm so angry at democrat and republican politicians who just rolled their eyes when I, and many others, rose up with warnings that each step forward taken by champions of this socialist program would jerk back two steps from every free American and our God-given rights. (There were no "God-given rights" when it came to insurance coverage. There were "insurance company rights" and now with Obamacare people have a whole lot more of them.) Life is not about the almighty dollar and someone's arbitrary decisions about who deserves rationed health care; life is sacred because it's provided by our Creator and in itself deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. Speaking of dollars, a bloated bureaucracy and weak-kneed politicians sent millions of Americans into financial distress, unseen in history, with this leftist scheme called Obamacare. (Also not true. In fact some insurance companies even refunded money to customers due to a provision in the Affordable Care Act which forces them to do so if they are not spending 80% of their premiums on actual medical care.) 2. Do you have any concerns about doctors and nurse practitioners being paid or encouraged to have end-of-life planning questions?
Concerns? More than concerns! For anyone who's had health issues – from welcoming the blessing of a new life, to the frightening and unfortunate aspects of life – answering a government questionnaire that will be judged by faceless bureaucrats just doesn’t cut it. The Hippocratic Oath taken by our care providers is one of the oldest, most sacred binding oaths, and through any iterations it has never condoned the taking of innocent life through lack of care, and certainly not via direct action. If you've recently received care then you know the many intrusive, personal questions that government mandates a provider probe. Be aware that most of these questions are for the benefit of a far-away, bankrupt government, they're not for the benefit of the patient. It is happening in our assisted living facilities, our nursing homes, hospitals, doctors’ offices, and schools, despite many providers who disagree with the mandate but are forced or coerced to provide answers to the death panel of the fed. (Okay now if there had been a REAL reporter conducting this interview, this would be about where she snapped and went "What in the fuck are you babbling about? I can't hand this in to my editors! Their first question to me would why did I conduct an interview with a person who was clearly high on methamphetamines!".)
- Sarah Palin
Palin then links to this video which she seems to think proves her point.
Yeah how do you like that for seizure inducing editing? (Did she actually have Stephen Colbert on there making her side of the argument? Maybe she should watch his show before including him in her clip.)
Wow first it was crosshairs, and now it's death panels, I feel like I'm trapped in some weird Palin time warp.
So is this what happens when Palin loses her spot on Fox News and TAPP kicks her to the curb? Just endless summer reruns?
I will assume her next post will be one arguing that "Dammit! I was too pregnant!"
This incident is pulled from a rather in depth GQ article posted the other day about Ben Carson and his political aspirations:
A month later, Carson was invited to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he met Sarah Palin, who greeted him with the bowing "We're not worthy" routine from Wayne's World. (Carson, for his part, thought Palin "looked anorexic.")
Now like I said in the title Carson is fairly out there on most things, such as calling Obamacare "the worst thing since slavery."
However he IS a neurosurgeon and therefore an MD, and if his first impression of Sarah Palin is that she has an eating disorder, I would give that some credence.
Not that we couldn't have determined that diagnosis on our own of course.
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland, one of the NFL's top rookies this past season, told "Outside the Lines" on Monday that he is retiring because of concerns about the long-term effects of repetitive head trauma.
Borland, 24, said he notified the 49ers on Friday. He said he made his decision after consulting with family members, concussion researchers, friends and current and former teammates, as well as studying what is known about the relationship between football and neurodegenerative disease.
"I just honestly want to do what's best for my health," Borland told "Outside the Lines." "From what I've researched and what I've experienced, I don't think it's worth the risk." Borland becomes the most prominent NFL player to leave the game in his prime because of concerns about brain injuries. More than 70 former players have been diagnosed with progressive neurological disease after their deaths, and numerous studies have shown connections between the repetitive head trauma associated with football, brain damage and issues such as depression and memory loss.
"I feel largely the same, as sharp as I've ever been. For me, it's wanting to be proactive," Borland said. "I'm concerned that if you wait 'til you have symptoms, it's too late. ... There are a lot of unknowns. I can't claim that X will happen. I just want to live a long, healthy life, and I don't want to have any neurological diseases or die younger than I would otherwise."
I have to tell you that I am incredibly impressed with this young man. To walk away from that kind of money takes real guts.
I occasionally get asked why I don't watch football, except of course the Superbowl, and this is one of the main reasons that I cite.
As an ex-martial arts fighter I also get asked about why I don't watch MMA matches, but to be honest I simply cannot sit through one because the minute I sees somebody striking another person with their elbows I just want to jump into the ring and stop them so that the poor son-of-a-bitch can someday still find his way around his own house.
Look I have taken more than my fair share of blows to the head and I can attest to the fact that it makes certain tasks much more challenging. I drop names all of the time, and have done so since I was in my early twenties.
It can be really frustrating, so I can certainly understand a young man who sees that coming in this future and chooses to avoid it.
The benefits of writing go far beyond building up your vocabulary.
No matter the quality of your prose, the act of writing itself leads to strong physical and mental health benefits, like long-term improvements in mood, stress levels and depressive symptoms. In a 2005 study on the emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing, researchers found that just 15 to 20 minutes of writing three to five times over the course of the four-month study was enough to make a difference.
By writing about traumatic, stressful or emotional events, participants were significantly more likely to have fewer illnesses and be less affected by trauma. Participants ultimately spent less time in the hospital, enjoyed lower blood pressure and had better liver functionality than their counterparts.
It turns out writing can make physical wounds heal faster as well. In 2013, New Zealand researchers monitored the recovery of wounds from medically necessary biopsies on 49 healthy adults. The adults wrote about their thoughts and feelings for just 20 minutes, three days in a row, two weeks before the biopsy. Eleven days later, 76% of the group that wrote had fully healed. Fifty-eight percent of the control group had not recovered. The study concluded that writing about distressing events helped participants make sense of the events and reduce distress.
Even those who suffer from specific diseases can improve their health through writing. Studies have shown that people with asthma who write have fewer attacks than those who don't; AIDS patients who write have higher T-cell counts. Cancer patients who write have more optimistic perspectives and improved quality of life.
And THAT my friends is why I will live forever.
Okay that might be an exaggeration, but perhaps it really does have something to do with the fact that I never get sick.
I almost hate to say that out loud, because of course that is exactly when you WOULD suddenly get sick, but for the last ten years it has been absolutely true.
In fact so strong is my resistance to illness, that I was the go to guy to take kids to the nurses office when we had a huge flu outbreak in the elementary school that I worked at a few years back.
By the end almost everybody, including the school nurse, had been stricken and forced to take time off, except for myself and a small handful of other hearty souls.
Though I never get a flu shot I have not had the illness in well over twenty years. I have also not had a cold or fever in more than ten, and besides a small tickle in my throat, that I get once a year like clockwork, I have exhibited no symptoms of any kind.
Could it be the constant writing?
Well that seems to be just about as good a reason as any. Though to be honest I also work out at least five days a week, and eat pretty healthy.
However writing allows me to pour all of the potentially toxic thoughts swirling in my brain out onto the internet, where they are not only shared with others but also attract positive feedback, which cannot help but have a beneficial impact.
By purging myself of information that I find troubling in written form, I essentially exorcise my own demons and keep both mind and body ticking along nicely.
And people wonder what motivates me. Well now you know.
Okay this is another contribution from my daughter, who is on a campaign to improve healthy eating, education, and get everybody using renewable energy.
