There once was a ruler who was constantly informed that the crop harvest quota was reached, yet this was far from the case. Thus famine approached but he was none the wiser.

The “yes-people” surrounding the leader literally pandered the harvest levels to him so that famine seemed impossible, yet the truth was that the harvest kept falling short. Eventually the ruler was left wholly unprepared when a famine hit that seemed to come without warning.

To be surrounded by suck-ups is not good. There are many famous historical figures who have fallen prey to this phenomenon. Powerful people may have a role in creating this undesirable scenario. Even subtly rewarding peddlers of feel-good information or punishing the purveyors of truth in any way will pave the way to warped perceptions. We need a hearty appetite for the actual and true reality, no matter how uncomfortable it can be at moments.

You’ve heard of Abraham Lincoln’s team of rivals? He chose the most qualified persons regardless of their political affiliation. He ended up with an adversarial crew, and this, in part, is why he stands in history as one of America’s great leaders. 

Celebrities with their entourage seem to me to offer the opposite of the Lincoln example. Too often no one suggests that the chimpanzee named Bubbles or doctor-administered anesthesia for a better night’s sleep probably is too much. There is too much to gain or maintain by keeping quiet.

Social media algorithms are similar. They aim to keep us on their app. They surround us with the things we like, not the things we need to see or should be seeing. There’s not a dose of the contrarian… ever. It’s like a team of “yes-people”.

Furthermore, when funding for scientific research comes from a place that is invested in certain outcomes, even subtly, science is not free. Without science being free it’s like we are surrounded by yes-men in our scientific life. Only a certain picture of health, one tied to industry, is allowed to emerge.

If we are not careful we find ourselves in the dangerous place of not getting crucial re-orientation. The Lincoln path was always special due to its rarity. Modern life adds extra layers.

Here’s today’s message: don’t numb out on the social media reels. They are yessing you as they form your thinking. Don’t settle for the standard approach. Choose intentionally what you are viewing, what you are eating, and what you are using for medicine. Limit your exposure to media, in every form. Remember this:

“If you are not training your mind, someone else is training it for you.” 

—Mark Divine (Retired Navy Seal and meditator)

Media mediates your reality. Spend more time directly in reality. There is more and more manipulation in media, politics, and even science. In summary: what’s important now?:

• start to limit your exposure somewhat to media.
• when you use it, take breaks, every hour.
• train your mind- meditate every day.

Regarding tips on meditating, the Harvard Health newsletter had this to say last year:

You think you’ve had a lot of boosters?!

In case you are wondering which illegal side-hustle I would steer you away from most aggressively, did you hear about the man, aged 60, arrested in Germany this week? He apparently repeatedly went for COVID shots so he could sell the vaccine cards to vaccine-hesitant citizens who were hoping carry on about town with the benefits usually reserved for the vaccinated population.

They estimate he took 90 shots! … say what?! What an intense scam! 

Mild uptick in New England

We are seeing a few cases and exposures every week in the practice. The positive case numbers for our county have turned upwards mildly these last two weeks. We are still at only 10% of the highest peak. It’s a notable increase, but the activity is still relatively low at this point. The majority of what we are seeing in America is the Omicron sub-variant now, which is thought to be more contagious than Omicron, but not more lethal. Don’t forget that Omicron proved milder than previous variants. 
It’s possible we see a small bump in cases for a few weeks from this variant before leveling out again, but it’s tough to say!

Ventilation

Which intervention is the best preventative technique, in my opinion? Ventilation. Air exchange. And I’m not alone. Experts agree that getting the air circulating is a wise priority. It’s more essential than hand-washing, masks, or maybe even distance. This COVID bugger is air borne and that’s where we should focus our mitigation!

Swapping out the air is a major key. Some pointers: 

• meet outside.
• open windows with company.
• avoid stuffy, crowded places. 

 If you are of high risk, don’t stay in a stuffy location. Make sure your environment is breathing properly, which is cleansing.

Speaking of air exchange

What about your own breathing? It’s worth some consideration. Check out this list of tips from the Breathing Retraining Center. 

1. Breathe through the nose all the time including while eating, speaking and exercising. Don’t do anything faster than you can do it breathing with your nose.
2. Maintain an upright posture.  Keep the airway vertical and open
3. Breathe into the diaphragm, not the chest.  Think of the breathing action as originating from the diaphragm muscle under the ribs, not the nose.
4. Breathe with a regular, predictable pattern of steady, similar-sized breaths.  Minimize disruptions such as sighing, yawning, coughing, throat clearing or breath holding followed by a big breath. 
5. Breathe like a baby breathes: silently, gently and invisibly. Strong gusts are abrasive to the airway.
6. Breathe 8-12 breaths per minute. Unless it’s an emergency, slower light breathing is better than fast breathing.
7. Match breathing to activity. When resting, breathe gently using all the principles listed above. During exercise, breathe heavier as needed, then cool down the breathing like you would cool down your muscles to transition back to the rest state.
8. Allow breathing to happen without expending energy.  Exhale completely but not forcibly. Practice inhaling and exhaling without controlling it.
9. Practice relaxation of muscles and thoughts.  Tension requires more air.  Stop negative thoughts.  Think thoughts that engender positive feelings. Embrace instead of defend. 

With good habits we can leave our breathing to a state just below our consciousness, where it belongs. Then our focus can be on our sensory life and developing a clear, keen mental capacity.

COVID numbers round up

News from the week:

• In Mass the 7 day average for the entire state rose again slightly to around 1300 cases per day on average, up from 800 cases per day range last week (max peak was 20,000).
• Berkshires cases are at 30 cases per 100,000 population per day (seven day average) over the last week up from 10 cases per day 2 weeks ago. Max was 300 cases per day. Columbia county remains low, but has increased as well — now 14 cases per 100,000 population seven day average, up from 8.
• US as a whole is still in the 30,000 cases per day range.