Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today is a federal holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., and some of you are even off work! It’s a good time to reflect on where we have come from—which isn’t all that important in some ways—and where we are going both as individuals and as a nation—which IS very important. You may have read his 1963 letter. One sentence especially struck me, (I could have looked it up for rote exactness but I prefer to linger in the tones of his words): Let’s hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities. Let’s hope that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty. I rarely comment on controversial points of view. However, as a brain-function specialist, what I have learned about the brain leads me to believe this: regardless of gender, preference, skin tones, and a host of other things that make each person unique and that has made this nation great, we are all—first and foremost—human. That is our commonality. I could not do what I do without you. I need you in my proverbial corner. And whenever and wherever possible, I want to be with you in your corner, too. That’s how “unity in diversity” happens . . .

For Lexophiles

I have several friends who are lexophiles. We all enjoy word play and trade examples. As you may know, a lexophile is a person who loves words; an individual who derives pleasure from various use of words; and if the words can be used in humor, so much the better.

Frog parking only—all others will be toad.

If your car is running, I’m voting for it.

What happens if you are scared half-to-death twice?

My wife says I never listen to her—or something like that.

Is there ever a day when mattresses are not on sale?

I visited the Hokey-Pokey Clinic—and turned myself around.

This is my step-ladder; I never knew my real ladder.

I’d like to grow my own food—do you have any idea where I can find bacon seeds?

Did you hear about the man in boxers who led police on a brief chase?

   You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish.

Walking & Counting

I try to get 15 minutes of brisk walking done every day—but my mind starts ruminating and even obsessing on current problems and concerns and I feel stressed. Any ideas?

I can tell you what I do when my mind decides to ruminate unhelpfully: I count my steps in relation to my breaths. Walking briskly, I count four steps while breathing in and four steps while breathing out. That keeps me in rhythm and the counting distracts me from ruminating. The counting seems to slow my conscious mind to match the rhythm of the steps my body is taking. Try it, or some variation of that. Brisk walking is touted as an excellent type of physical exercise and one that is very beneficial to the brain, as well as the body.

Brain and Blogs

I read your blogs regularly and am learning a lot. However, every once in a while (like today!) you miss a day. Fortunately, you catch up quickly but I want to know what happens to make you miss a day?

What happens? In a word: LIFE! I really dislike missing a day or two—fortunately, I am usually able to catch up quickly. What happens? I may be in another part of the world, the plane is delayed, or there is no available Wi-Fi. Or a friend of mine suddenly has a crisis and asks me if I can possibly help out, which I am happy to do. However, in order to stay healthy and keep my life in balance, I choose to go straight to bed after the emergency is under control. Or PG&E turned off electricity for several days . . . or my computer crashed very unexpectedly . . . I am glad to know you are learning things. You (and people like you) are the reason I keep writing blogs . . .

Supercentenarians, 2

Speaking of Supercentenarians, according to Wikipedia, Tanaka Kane (born January 2^nd, 1903—age 117 now) is a Japanese supercentenarian. She became the world's oldest verified living person after the death of Chiyo Miyako on July 22^nd, 2018. The oldest known living man is Chitetsu Watanabe, also of Japan, aged 112 years, 316 days. The 100 oldest women have, on average, lived several years longer than the 100 oldest men. the oldest verified man ever is Jiroemon Kimura (1897–2013) of Japan, who lived to the age of 116 years, 54 days. You may recall that Jeanne Louise Calment of Arles, France, was said to be 122 years 164 days old when she died in 1997. Then a researcher posited that Jeanne actually died at age 59 and her daughter Yvonne assumed her identity. That raised quite a hue and cry! Fast forward: experts are now reportedly disputing that claim and an investigation has been launched . . .

Supercentenarians

I’ve heard you say you are aiming to be a “supercentenarian.” Whatever for? And are there really supercentenarians on this planet?

I’ll take your last question first. There are—reportedly—many supercentenarians on Planet Earth. I doubt anyone knows a valid number because record-keeping for some may be scanty or missing altogether. One estimate suggested that there may be nearly 600 individuals who are 110 years old or older alive at any one time these days. Some people are living longer than “three-score and twenty.” There are more females reported to be over 100; but the males that are centenarians tend to be healthier than the females.  “Whatever for?” Because I love life and living and there are many more things I would like to experience and accomplish. I also believe that a person tends to get further (or farther) when the individual aims higher.

Breakfast and CHD

Skipping breakfast may have a negative impact on some chronic illnesses. Senior author of a study related to breakfast and coronary heart disease (CHD) and associate professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, Eric Rimm, said, “It’s a really simple message. Breakfast is an important meal.” And Leah Cahill, postdoctoral research fellow in HSPH’s Department of Nutrition, was quoted as saying: “Skipping breakfast may lead to one or more risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, which may in turn lead to a heart attack over time.” This study corroborated other studies that have pointed to a link between breakfast and obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other health problems seen as precursors to heart problems. As my favorite aunt would likely have put it: “What’s your problem? Choose to eat a good breakfast already!