Intellectual Humility, 3

New research investigated the concept of “Intellectual Humility.” According to the study abstract:

Study #1 evaluated the degree to which individuals recognize that their beliefs might be inaccurate, in error, wrong, etc. Using a new Intellectual Humility (IH) Scale, researchers found that intellectual humility was associated with variables related to openness, curiosity, tolerance of ambiguity, and low dogmatism.

Study #2 revealed that participants high in intellectual humility were less certain that their beliefs about religion were correct and judged people less on the basis of their religious opinions. More tomorrow.

Intellectual Humility, 2

Humility can be described as a recognition that although some have amazing talents and skills that makes differentiates them from others, it does not make them innately “better than” others. High Intellectual Humility is evidenced by a consistent and courteous respectful for the humanity of others. According to Professor Mark Leary, the study’s lead author: “If you think about what’s been wrong in Washington for a long time, it’s a whole lot of people who are very intellectually arrogant about the positions they have, on both sides of the aisle. But even in interpersonal relationships, the minor squabbles we have with our friends, lovers and coworkers are often about relatively trivial things where we are convinced that our view of the world is correct and their view is wrong.” Researchers wanted to identify “The Perfect Personality Trait For Intelligent People;” the most fundamentally important personality trait for a thoughtful person of any hue. The research was comprised of four studies. More tomorrow.

Intellectual Humility

An article recently published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin reported on investigations of what the researchers labelled Cognitive and Interpersonal Features of Intellectual Humility. It’s an interesting use of words and an interesting concept. So what is “intellectual humility?” First, confusion about what healthy and desirable exist, in part because the concept of humility has been perceived by some as unassertiveness, servility, lack of appropriate personal pride, submissiveness, and so on. Especially in developed countries, these words rarely are seen as representing desirable characteristics. Rather they describe a persona that, as one individual put it, “everything that I do not want to be.” The researchers set about to investigate “intellectual Humility: (so called) and the characteristics that describe it. More tomorrow.

Prostate Cancer - 9

Bottom line: there is no 100% eradication for Prostate Cancer available regardless of treatment options. However, living the healthiest lifestyle possible is believed to help. I call this a Longevity Lifestyle—and it matters. This type of lifestyle is not a flash in the pan but a way of living for the rest of one’s life. It includes physical and mental exercise, avoiding dehydration, obtaining adequate amounts of sleep, developing a positive mindset and self-talk, careful nutrition with portion control, keeping one’s weight within a recommended range, and so on. Such a lifestyle can help to keep the immune system working well. Those who also choose to “juice” along with a healthier lifestyle may have an advantage—but the measurability is yet unknown and does not replace active treatment).

Hopefully this is a start on developing a better understanding of Prostate Cancer. More in-depth information may be found at https://search.medscape.com/search/?q=prostate%20cancer&plr=ref

Prostate Cancer - 8

There are several treatment options to discuss with one’s physician for localized PC (and each has pluses and minuses). For example:

• Active surveillance (depending on one’s risk category)

• Radical Prostatectomy (e.g., open or robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery)

• Radiation Therapy (e.g., Brachy therapy; External beam radiation, x-ray or photon; Tomotherapy; Proton therapy)

• Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) 

Prostate Cancer - 7

It’s important to do some personal research and collect one’s own personal data and information. There are at least three factors to look at. 

•     PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen)—Look at the doubling time; how fast PSA is rising.

• Gleason Score—Look at the score in terms of Low, Intermediate, or High Risk disease

• TNM (Tumor Lymph Nodes Metastasis)—has the disease spread to other parts of the body

Prostate Cancer - 6

The Gleason Score was named for the pathologist who developed the grading system to determine risk. Beginning in 2018, some expect the categories based on the Gleason Score to be as follows:

Grade	Major	Minor	Total
One	3/5	3/5	6/10
Two	3/5	4/5	7/10
Three	4/5	3/5	7/10
Four	45	4/5	8/10
Five	5/5	4/5	9/10 or greater

·         Low risk disease: Gleason 6/10, few cores positive, and PSA less than 10.

·         Intermediate risk: Gleason 7/10 and/or PSA 10-20.

·         High risk disease: Gleason 8/10 or above and/or PSA greater than 20.