Dearly Departed

I promise two things with this post:

1. This will be the last post with the main subject of death

2. This is an uplifting and hopeful post


I know two posts in a row about death or issues surrounding death can be a little gloomy particularly so soon after Easter. However today's post should bring you some hope, and maybe for the devoutly religious, some excitement. Maybe even relief. You hardcore skeptics will probably remain so. Hey your loss.

I recently read a fantastic book by an accomplished neurosurgeon named Eben Alexander. He is an MD specializing in neurosurgery. Dr. Alexander is a science based individual and not one who was overly religious. In fact he states in his book that "near death experiences" (NDE) are something he considered fantasy. What happened to him is nothing short of extraordinary and is a true story.

You have all probably read about or have seen on TV, stories of people who have been to the "other side" and came back to tell about it. The subject has been in scores of movies and TV shows. The Afterlife. Is it anything? Is it going into the light (reference to Poltergist)? Is it Heaven...or Hell?

Cold hard fact scientists will almost always posit that when you die that is it. Fini. Game over. No fluffy clouds and no lake of fire. Just...nothing.

When it comes to religious beliefs you can literally take your pick of what comes next after you die. Heaven? Pretty popular theme. How you get there can be tricky depending on your faith. Pearly gates and St Peter? Stand in judgment before God? Seventy something virgins? Right. Reincarnation? Only if you get to choose, would I be in favor of this. But seriously that's why they call it "faith". Pick one, commit to it and live your life.

On a side note, I am reminded of a comment I heard once that boils all the religious strife in the world down to it's simplest element. And it came from Yassar Arafat. While meeting with a US official of some sort, years ago, the wacky leader of the PLO made this deep and profound statement: "arguing religion is like trying to prove who has the best invisible friend." Wisest thing he ever said.

Anyway, as usual I have wandered down the shunting track of the blogosphere rail yard so let me get back on course.

So Dr. Alexander, neurosurgeon and man of science, is about to have a bad day. In fact several bad days. In a hugely ironic twist of life, a massive neurological event befalls him. In his home as he is readying for work. This summary in Eben's own words tells it best:

"On November 10, 2008, however, at age fifty-four, my luck seemed to have run out. I was struck by a rare illness and thrown into a coma for seven days. During that time, my entire neocortex - the outer surface of the brain, the part that makes us human - was shut down. Inoperative. In essence, absent...
During my coma my brain wasn't working improperly - it wasn't working at all."

This quote came from the book Eben wrote about his experience during his time in a coma. Essentially brain dead and at many points during his hospital stay the subject of "pulling the plug " came up with his family. Thankfully this did not happen.

The book he wrote is called Proof Of Heaven and regardless of your religious or afterlife beliefs, I call it an absolute MUST READ. As a form of complete disclosure, I was raised Luthern and I am not a devotedly religious person. I have no committed belief as to what comes next after death. I suppose after the last couple losses I have suffered in life, I attempt to comfort myself thinking there is something out there. But I say all this to let you know I am not promoting this book to try and convince anyone of any particular "version" of the Beyond.

The fact is, that in a very real way, Eben was dead for seven days. The experiences he documents in the book are inspiring, hopeful and very vivid. His analytical mind and deep understanding of how the brain and neural system works dismisses the chance that these are dreams or experiences created by his subconscious. His brain was not working to allow for either of those options. When after seven days he suddenly awoke with no brain damage and no long term lingering effects...well that might be credited to a higher power. It is certainly a miracle in my book.

Nothing I say here in any more detail will do the story justice. I hope this is enough of a tease that believers of all kinds and skeptics alike will give it a read. I promise once you start it you will not put it down. You will more than likely feel as good as I did after reading it. It is gripping real-life drama. And isn't that the most awesome kind, afterall?

Proof Of Heaven (courtesy of Amazon)

 

* $8.35 Kindle version and $12.90 hardcover

Cancer

The Big C.

The scariest three words a human being can hear..."You have cancer".

 I wonder how hard it is to be on the other side of those words? How exactly do you feel having to be the one to tell that to someone? As a health care provider are you torn between feeling something (being human) and feeling detached (since you can not possibly get involved emotionally with every patient you tell this to or you would lose your mind...or at the very least be clinically depressed)?

What is the reaction when you hear this diagnosis? Denial? Anger? Is there a "step" program much like grief? How does the mind react on a deep level? What do you do now??

This post is somewhat a sequel to my O post from last year.

This disease has robbed almost anyone reading this of a relative, a friend, a co-worker, etc. I have experienced the passing of 3 people in the last two years to various forms of cancer. I have one friend who has successfully battled it twice, but the lingering effects of the treatment take their toll periodically. I have two relatives who have sought treatment for the disease.

The devastation of being in the eye of this storm must be incredible. This is where bad decisions are made.

Seldom does a diagnosis of cancer comes just days before death. However, many doctors like to ever so subtly (and some not so much) urge newly diagnosed patients to immediately begin one of the only three forms of prescribed  treatment allowed by law. That's right, a licensed doctor can only legally recommend the following forms of treatment:

1. Surgery - inherent risks here are obviously the spread of the cancerous cells during the procedure.

2. Chemotherapy - injecting carcinogenic chemicals into the body. Side effects are well documented.

3. Radiation - ahhh...what? this is the "fight fire with fire" method of treatment. Side effects not good

These are referred to as the "cut and poison" methods.

That's it. Any other type of treatment is ILLEGAL to prescribe.

So, frightened and confused and mostly uneducated (medically) patients offer up, "yes, doctor whatever you recommend". With generally less than good long term results.

Do these procedures work? Of course there are numerous accounts of patients responding well and generally this is from very early on in the disease. I also have seen what a year of these so called "treatments" can do to the person, their family and their friends.

Enough doom and gloom. The above is the foundation for the rest of this post. I apologize in advance for the length.

Education. It is what we go through all our lives from school to work to, well, life itself. Our brain begs for education but it doesn't always let the person in on it. Cognizant awareness is one of the necessities of life...it keeps you from walking out in front of a moving car for example.

The big Pharma companies are playing on this skillset daily. You are bombarded with ads for every medication known... in print, on TV, on billboards and on buses, cabs, etc. Who doesn't know the "Purple Pill"? Who doesn't know Cialis? You get the idea.

With all that information coming at you and invading your subconscious on a regular basis, it is any wonder that when a doctor recommends a treatment or drug, that your mind pulls the ad you've seen and says this must be what I need and you acquiesce. This happens hundreds of thousands of times a day. Oh, and the doctor tops it off with, "you'll need to take this for the rest of your life".

The last doctor that said that to me, got back a quick, "I don't think so".  And after the first six months I found an alternative non-drug to take and have never had another episode. Blood level all normal. Good to go. That was thirteen years ago.

If any of you reading this are saying to yourself, "man that was dangerous stopping medication without his doctor okaying it." you have drank the Kool-Aid. What was dangerous was taking a prescription whose first listed side effect was that it could "cause the condition it was prescribed to treat"! What??? Among many others.

On average most people my age take anywhere from 8 to 12 prescription drugs...daily. I humor my cardiologist and take two. And I am working on the goal to eliminate them.

I do however try and eat well and I do take (as my wife says) "enough supplements to choke a horse".  The last trip to my cardiologist it was amusing for him to say, "well someone must be looking out for you because with your condition your blood work should not all be normal". I smiled and said, "you are right...I am looking out for me."

To wrap up this long post (and believe me when I say it could have been my theme this year for the Challenge) I want to invite you to educate yourself. To not blindly believe the doctor, the TV ad, the magazine sales pitch...to not let big Pharma win. How do you think they are going to make back the average $850 million it costs to bring a new drug to market? FROM YOU!!

Returning to the subject of this post -cancer- I have two things to help you on your education journey.

The first is the fantastic book Outsmart Your Cancer by Tanya Harter Pierce. After losing someone she loved to cancer she decided to do something. There is the disclaimer that is required by the government (because these are not FDA approved treatments for cancer) that makes many people turn away from alternative options in the first place. All these do is piss me off even more. I read from the book still and I have had it almost two years now I think. Open your mind and read it. Best $18 you will ever spend (on Amazon). I have given this book to friends and family, both pre-emptively and as something to use now for a loved one.



Photo provided by Amazon

The second thing is some information I just received in one of my monthly newsletters from the Health Sciences Institute. In it was the cover article regarding a blood test for cancer that can identify more than 20 distinct cancers...even 10 years before any symptoms. If you are saying, "Bullshit"...remember, you drank the Kool-Aid. The odds of your doctor knowing about this test are almost zero.  Even if they are an oncologist.

The test is called ONCOblot. It can only be ordered by a doctor. It does cost $850 but that is a small price to pay to learn of cancer years before it symptoms. The good news is you CAN get it yourself:

Send an email to ONCOblot online physician at their website   www.oncoblotlabs.com and they will order the test kit for you. You will get the test kit in the mail that you can take to your local lab to have the blood drawn. The lab will complete the test kit and submit to ONCOblot for processing. You will receive the results to help you better manage your health.

I hope each and every one of you live a long, healthy, and pain-free life. In the event you or someone you know or love (and the odds are for it, sadly) develop any type of cancer, the information you read in the book above will empower you to take control of YOUR life. After all, who possibly cares more about you than YOU??

All the best...see you tomorrow.

Bill Murray

Today's B post is all about the A-list comedian/actor that is Bill Murray. One of my all time favorite actors and a true comedic genius.

The first time I came to know Bill Murray was like many others out there...the true heyday of Saturday Night Live (SNL). Every skit that he was in was a raging success and along with Dan Akroyd and John Belushi, made the show a cult hit. For three seasons he was my impetus for watching.  And when he left, I was quite bummed.

However it did not take long for him to earn a new place in my viewing.

To begin his run of movies for me was his portrayal  of Hunter S. Thompson in what is my favorite movie, Where The Buffalo Roam.  This movie was not critically accepted and to that I simply say (in true Thompson fashion), "Balls". There is no doubt after watching the Gonzo documentary of HST's life, that Murray was and always will be the quintessential Thompson character. The mannerisms, voice, speech inflection, and the eerie physical similarities are truly remarkable. I advise anyone who has never seen this movie to give a view...or several. As well as the documentary.

Obviously Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, Stripes, What About Bob, and Groundhog Day are all classic Murray comedy performances.

Rushmore, Lost In Translation and Broken Flowers were all critically acclaimed films and LIT garnered numerous award nominations including a Best Actor Academy Award bid (he lost that year to Sean Penn for Mystic River).

His only attempt at directing was the movie Quick Change which I actually liked a lot. Starring Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid, Jason Robards, Stanley Tucci, Phil Hartman and Tony Shaloub...not too shabby a cast, and a hilarious story. Didn't make a lot of money but again, I liked it.

His latest film, Hyde Park On Hudson, where he portrays FDR during a critical time of WWII, is on my list of next to watch.

Then I am going back to the beginning and watch each one of his films that I have never seen. Movie Mission for 2013.

One quirky fact, Murray has never had an agent or a manager and only fields offers for scripts and roles using a voicemail set up on a personal phone number. He doesn't check it very frequently and even after auditioning for several roles, he missed many opportunities because he never checked the VM. Two of those roles being Willie Wonka in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (this prize role went to Johnny Depp, ironically*) as well as Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Bob Hoskins got the role after Harrison Ford wanted too much money).

*ironically = Johnny Depp played Hunter S. Thompson in Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas and reprised the role in the HST Rum Diary film (both books were infinitely better than the movies to me). So I guess there is one degree of separation between Murray and Depp, for what it matters.

Outside of show business, Murray is a fixture at many sports events and dabbles in ownership of some minor league teams. He is probably known most famously for his appearances in some outrageous get-ups at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf event every year. And two years ago he and his pro partner D. A. Points actually won the pro-am.  This year after a bad shot near a sand trap he flopped into the bunker on his back and proceeded to make a "sand angel" much to the delight of the gallery.

Bill Murray, really one of my favorite guys and one I would choose to hang out with and have a few beers.

Because it still hasn't gotten weird enough for me...

Atavistic

~Exordium~

 Today is the kickoff for the 2013 April A-Z Challenge. This is the third year I have participated. As with both prior years, I look upon this month of daily deadlines with nervous anticipation. Though I have struggled to get ahead of the wave as it were, I know I will still have days of frantic writing during the month. Coupled with the impending week long absence due to a vacation out of the country, I know days of anxiety are looming.

With that said but barely coherent, I am again themeless this year. I will however be making many ventures into my delightful discovery of the depths of the writing genius of my new favorite journalist/author, Hunter S Thompson. Not every post will be dedicated to an HST topic but several will. Though not a writer of any measure myself, I am easily drawn to who I would have been had I started writing 30 years ago. Some of the style I use during the Challenge will be reflective of that (I hope).

I hope you enjoy sharing my journey through this A-Z and I look forward to visiting some old friends and making some new ones as I visit the sea of blogs in this years entry.

Off we go...

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URGENT: A quick shout out and appreciative tip of the cap to Arlee Bird over at Tossing it Out. He is patient zero for this most mentally harrowing thing we call the A-Z Challenge. After starting this by himself... three short years later the list of participants has grown monstrously huge. Requiring minions this year, that's right minions to help all the hosts patrol the list of bloggers taking part in the insanity. They are the mosh pit monitors of this blogapolooza!! Thanks Lee for bringing the great people of the blogosphere together for a month of fun!!

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I start off this years A-Z Challenge with a brainteaser.

 

 

Quote:

 

"It is almost impossible to be a doctor and an honest man, but it is obscenely impossible to be a

 

psychiatrist without at the same time bearing the stamp of the most incontestable madness: that of

 

being unable to resist that old atavistic reflex of the mass of humanity, which makes any man of

 

science who is absorbed by this mass a kind of natural and inborn enemy of all genius."

 

-Antonin Artaud

 

 

As you will see throughout this Month of April, I will make references often to the writings of Hunter S. Thompson. Hopefully they will be in educational and varied ways. Maybe you will be encouraged to explore his works. I love his style, use of arcane as well as made-up language, the edgy way he wrote. I have fallen down the Hobbit hole and embarked on the mission of reading all his works. I must say I have made great progress in that regard (7 books down, 5 to go), however I will leave expansion on that subject for a later post in this Challenge.

 

Atavistic.

 

This is a word often used in Hunter's writing to describe a myriad of things. I had never heard of this word and had no idea what it meant. I read it so often and in so many of his letters and articles that I finally looked up the dictionary definition. (Yes, I read this word several times in several books and did not know the meaning. I assumed it would just come to me. Let's move on.) It goes something like this:

 

atavistic - adjective

 

      ~throwback

 

       ~of or relating to reversion to a former or more primitive type

Now what I want to know is what does this above quote from Artaud mean to YOU? I need some interpretive inspiration.

Please comment with your thoughts.

Until tomorrow...

Easter Sunday Weekend Graphs

The day of religious significance with a little fairy tale spread in. I wish you the best however you celebrate the day. (I know Robyn is ankle-deep in dark chocolate right now.)


These graphs are for you....


Thanks, smoke detector!




Soon they will be implanted at birth!!




Trying to write

heh


The many faces of Jason




Types of pie on Shutterstock...ummm....pie.

It's A-Z Time Again!!!

A-Z Sign Up List

I am now sequestered deep in my writing bunker. A similar fate has befallen me as last year...I am not ready, no theme, and no time. That pretty much sums it up. Those of you not participating in the Challenge will see little of me during the month of April. Do not despair, I still love you but my time will be stretched to the limit with the Challenge, vacation prep for the third week of the month, and oh ya...work!!!

Once more into the breach as it were...

Normal insanity resumes in May.

Feel free to stop by and throw some pity my way in the mean time :) Bring cookies.

The Weekend In Black And White

Plants are hearty and resilient...many times they have to take root in odd places. Here is a photo of one such place.


Survival

A little tree growing out of a stump in the lake



Linking to The Weekend In Black And White