Does Blogging Kill You?

There appeared a recent story in the New York Times by Matt Ritchel telling about how the stress of blogging killed three people. Perhaps you read his article about how The stress of blogging can kill you. Apparently a couple of guys Russell and Marc Orchant who were bloggers died and another guy who also blogged had a heart attack.

And so because of these three people who happened coincidentally to be bloggers are not faring so well physically, then .... blogging kills. I can't think of anything more far fetched, and ... well... dumb.

I'll just bet I could find three airline pilots that had some health issues recently due to "the stress of flying." There are plenty of doctors who drop dead of a heart attack. Does that mean that we should be aware of "the stress of practicing medicine?"

Writing a blog can be stressful. Well at least for some bloggers I guess. But I can easily think of a lot of jobs that are much more stressful. How about policemen? They joke to each other about how working as a policeman sure beats having a job. But believe me, it is nothing but stress out there. Yes, they get paid quite a bit of money, but... is constantly worrying about being shot not a great stress? I should think so. Ditto with the people who work in the armed forces. Isn't seeing your buddies whom you love and work with get blown to smithereens by a bomb pretty stressful?

I used to work. Work IS stress. There are certain jobs I just don't think I would like to do. Cleaning out sewer systems. Shoveling horse and cow manure. Being a stunt double and falling down stairs or jumping out of tall buildings.

Having a dumb boss is very stressful. Not only do you and he both know that he doesn't have a clue (well, maybe he really doesn't know) but if you don't do what he tells you to do no matter how ridiculous or stupid, he can fire you. And even if you do exactly what he tells you to, and it turns out to be the wrong thing to do... you get fired. Now that is stress.

How about getting up in front of large crowds and speaking? Isn't that stressful? Some people seem to think so.

Rush hour traffic can be a stressor. That idiot ahead of you who is cutting traffic and almost hits you. That sure stresses me out.

Listen folks, I do not think you can avoid stress. My little old crazy lady I was taking care of was stressed out because the neighbors were "Bothering" her. I told her, "Eve (not her real name) how could the neighbors possibly be bothering you? You have not been outside of this house in weeks. Why the neighbors don't even know you are here. They are ignoring you completely!!"

"THAT is how they are getting to me. By ignoring me."

People who work in all types of jobs are dying everyday. But that does not mean that their jobs kill them. Unless of course they are Marines, or Army or Highway Patrol or something. But I really cannot blame blogging for killing anybody. Come on folks... blogging???

Hey, I suppose there are some people addicted to computers who stay up so long online that they eventually wither away and die. I suppose it happens. But... can you blame computing for their death? I don't think so.

Folks, I guess if you do anything long enough... (maybe 80 or 90 years) it can kill you. But if you do NOTHING for 80 or 90 years, you are going to die anyway. So let us get real here. Blogging is not going to kill you. And reading blogs won't either. Or at least I hope it doesn't.

If reading this blog kills you, please write and tell me about it.

Let us get real,

David A. Youngs

We all have cancer, but what shall we do?

My good friend, personal health coach, and health motivator Steven Jenkins writes:

Cancer is a blessing from God, and we all have cancer when we are born. Cancer is not a virus, bacteria, fungus, parasite, or other animal -- it is simple misguided cells multiplying in an area that is plentifully teeming with carcinogens, free radicals, and most importantly cancer food--which includes dead animal cells. Yes, that is how we grow cancer in a laboratory--we use meat--usually hot dogs seem to work the best. If our cancer cell count is around fifty thousand per petri dish, we are considered healthy, but if our cancer cell count climbs to over one hundred thousand, watch out. What this really means it that our T cells (our immune cells) are over taxed and not able to keep up. Well how can they possibly keep up when we use our body as a laboratory to grow cancer? People actually work very hard at growing their cancers.

"But I eat a healthy diet," you may object. Did you know that the advertising budget (as reported by the United States Office of Statistics) shows a budget of thirty billion dollars for the year 2006 spent on promoting animal foods as being healthy foods, while only twenty nine million dollars were spent on advertising veggies? Isn't it interested to know that ninety five percent of the oats grown in the United States is fed to cows. Did you know that lentils have more protein than beef? Did you know that protein deficiency is unheard of in the human race except where people are actually starving, like in Africa. Did you know that Carl Lewis, world champion for the greatest endurance, is a vegan? Did you know that the iron man race was never won by a meat eater, and in fact it's usually won by a margin of about eight hours ahead of the meat eaters, by vegetarians. Is it any wonder why the three Hebrew boys mentioned in the book of Daniel in the bible (who requested a vegetable only diet,) and well as Daniel himself, were much stronger and wiser than the other Hebrew boys taken into captivity by the Babylon king who ate from the king's table where they were served meat and processed food?

What is even worse is that instead of letting the cancer out of the body with our sweat, we plug up the cancer in our bodies by using antiperspirants to keep the sweat (and the cancer) in. And in addition to that, we treat cancer with caustic cancer causing chemicals called chemotherapy, when the latest statistics from our own United States offices compiling cancer treatment information shows that there is no real evidence at all that any of the cancer treatments such as chemo-therapy and radiation treatments are even really working to cure cancer.

How many thousands of people who have suffered through multiple radiation treatments and the full course of chemotherapy treatments have died anyways--or perhaps because of the treatments. We are warned by doctors not to get too much radiation because radiation can cause cancer, and then we treat cancers with radiation. Does this even make sense? Long years of exposure of the skin to sunlight almost invariably will cause some form of skin cancer, especially in people who eat a lot of meats and processed foods. True vegans who eat mostly raw foods are somehow excluded. The fact is that cancer rates in the United States have increased almost five hundred percent since the chemotherapy and radiation treatments started. Wow!

So how do we cure cancer? Very easy in fact... Stop doing what it is that is causing it, and then turn around and start doing something to get well.

Read the bible and start at the beginning, you will find all the answers there. Genesis 1:29 will give you the cure. Eat God's original diet of fruits, nuts, grains (mostly raw food) and you will be will and live a long healthy life. Vegans only rarely ever get cancer, and then it is usually because of environmental causes. We cannot ever limit God, and so knowing this, we have to accept that cancer is curable. Many people who have CHANGED their lifestyle and especially their diet have seen even advanced cancers go into remission, never to be seen again.

If you have any questions contact me, Steven Jenkins and go through one of my cleanse programs as experienced by my very special friend David Youngs. During the cleanse, you will experience and learn things that will probably blow your mind.

(Note from David: Steve is right. The cleanse was an eye-opening experience for me to say the least, and my very own father was a medical doctor. Steve has this video of a lady doctor who once had extremely serious advanced cancer through out her body, but today is completely healthy. As a physician, she knew that chemotherapy and radiation both compromised the bodies natural defenses--the immune system. Therefore, she refused any and all chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and treated her own virulent and life threatening cancer only with major life style and dietary changes. Not only has she been completely cancer free now for several years, she has helped countless other people to confront their cancers using the same radical and effective natural methods. Yes, it is mind blowing--but truth. And the American Medical Society would probably rather suppress this truth because it doesn't make tons of money like radiation and chemotherapy does!!)

God bless you always,
Steven Jenkins

Note from David: thank you Steve for that challenging and inspiring article. Check the other blogs for information on how to contact Steve. God designed our bodies to be self healing. If we align ourselves with the laws of health, we can be healthy again. But it does take work. But the end result is worth it! Join me in a quest for health.

Let's get healthy NOW!!!
David A. Youngs

Sleep Clinic, sleep test, CPAP machines and health

Well, I went to the sleep disorder clinic. They said I had to go to sleep by 11:00 pm. Have you ever been under stress to go to sleep, especially in a strange bed and in a strange environment? Well, I said "Okay." But since it was only 7:00 when I got there it was only about 8:00 when I got done filling out my paperwork. Of course I was supposed to have the paperwork all done and sent in weeks ago, but.... I lost it after it arrived in the mail.

But after I finished my paperwork, a nice older lady nurse showed me to my very own private bedroom. I had no idea how the sleep clinic test was supposed to work. But guess what.... there is a very nice short video tape that tells you exactly what they are going to do and how testing proceeds.

After I watched the video, I sat on the bed. It felt quite comfortable. I had brought my own pillow. If you ever do go for a sleep test, be sure to bring your own pillow. It makes all the difference between getting sleep and staying awake. At least for some people.

The nice nurse came in and showed me how to operate the cable television. Wow!! I have not seen television in almost a year. Well, maybe a few local channels, but not CABLE television. I was excited. I found a couple of old Star Trek episodes with Captain Kirk. Somewhere around 10:30 the nurse came in and woke me up. Apparently I had already fallen asleep.

Now this is where things get interesting. They glue about 20 leads all over your body. Two to each leg, a couple on the chest, and most of them around your head. And they use this very sticky goo that keeps the leads attached. Fortunately several months ago I had elected to do the very short haircut thing for two reasons. I'll get into the reasons in a moment. But first I have to tell you, there are these really strange wire sensors that literally go part way into your nose to see if you are breathing though your nose. They partially restrict your nose breathing so that makes life more challenging from then on. But I had cut my hair very short now for about a year. Why???

First, I am going bald. No!!! I don't want to go bald, but I don't have the money to buy Rogaine or some other medication to use every day to regrow my hair. The other reason was a matter of cost. Some time in the last year or so haircuts have climbed up in cost at the local hair cutting place in the mall. So I elected to buy my own electric razor with all those length attachements. I now give myself a haircut (free) in about 20 minutes. I use attachement #3 which gives me about 3/8 inch hair.

Any way the nice nurse glued all these electrodes all over my head. I guess that is to determine what type of sleep you are enjoying. She even had me put a couple of leads down each pant leg and glued leads on my calves. These are to see if I move my feet in my sleep. I thought I would never fall asleep again as I was experiencing some difficulty breathing since I got this amazing cold last week. It was a doozy. Any way, I felt some very real congestion in my chest and had difficulty in breathing in enough air to relax and go to sleep. But eventually I guess I drifted off.

Now when you awake, they warn you not to hardly move, or you will disturb all these wires from the leads all over your body. I awoke at about 12:15 and had to go pee. The bathroom is down the hall. So I said "Hey, I got to go to the bathroom" and immediately a voice out of nowhere said, "I'll be right there." The nice nurse came in and disconnected the leads from the recording machine. Then she wrapped all these leads around my neck and tied them in a knot. And I went off to the bathroom down the hall.

And after a few minutes I came back and she reattached me to the recording machine. I went back to sleep experiencing the same difficulty breathing. Then I woke up again at 1:30. Same routine.

Except after she had reattached all my cables she said, "let's try this" and pulled out what was obviously a mask to put over my nose. I asked, "do you think I need this?" The nurse replied, "Does the pope live at Rome? Do bears sleep in the woods?" Remember now, my sinuses are clogged to the max from this amazing cold I am experiencing. After hooking up what looked a whole lot like a miniature vacuum cleaner hose to this machine, she turned it on. Air was pumped under pressure to the mask, where I was supposed to breath it in. But... no go. So I asked for a mask to cover both nose and mouth. At first the nurse said, "It isn't going to work, because you have a beard." But after realizing I could not breath at all, she relented and brought me a bigger mask. It worked great. The air was slightly pressurized and it made breathing a whole lot easier.

I fell asleep almost instantly. As I was drifting off I thought, "this is what Darth Vader uses too!"
I almost woke up several times, but simply continued breathing and went back to sleep." Then the urge of nature woke me up. I spoke "Luke, I am your father." But inside the mask, no one could hear me. So I pulled off the mask and said, "Hey, I gotta go to the bathroom again." The nurse came in and started pulling off all the leads. I said, "wait a minute. I thought this study was supposed to go till 6:00 am and it is only 5:30." She said, "by the time you go potty, come back and get all hooked up again, it will be almost 6:00. Your study is over."

When I got to my feet, I had the most incredible sensation I have had in years. No... it wasn't pee running down my leg. It was energy. I had energy upon waking. It felt like I was back in college again. I went to the bathroom and then came back. The nurse was of course gone. So I went to her station and told her... "Hey, I have energy!! This CPAP machine really works." "She grinned mischieviously and said, "you think so huh?" Then she told me that I had stopped breathing repeatedly before she put the mask on me. She said, "if there ever was a candidate for the CPAP machine, it is you."

But I did not get one right then. Noooo!!! I had to wait for a medical doctor to interpret the results of my repeatedly stopping breathing while sleeping, and then compare it to the data collected after the CPAP machine was hooked up. But she assured me that they would definitely find in my favor (I would get a CPAP machine.) But it would take time. She then warned me that I would "hit the wall" when I tried to sleep again that night.

She was absolutely right. It was very hard to sleep. I slept restlessly and awoke so groggy I went back to sleep. Almost the whole day went by before I started to feel awake. I thought, "I can't wait for my very own CPAP machine."

If you snore loudly, go get a sleep study at a sleep disorder clinic. Perhaps you need a CPAP machine too.

David Youngs
http://polybids.blogspot.com

Being Healthy at 55 isn't easy, but it is doable!

Okay, so I am 55. That doesn't mean I have to be unhealthy does it? So why am I "suddenly" overweight. I think somebody played a trick on me one night and switched bodies on me in my sleep. That must be what happened. My body never looked like this. And this body has begun to develop problems. Severe problems are beginning to exibit themselves. Problems like swelling in the ankles and now the feet. And apparently high blood pressure.

Now when I "retired" several years ago due to a severe neck injury which revealed advancing problems with the cervical vertibrae, of course I did not work any more. Work was hard physically. I had been a janitor. Pushing around a BIG mop loaded with water is tough. And I did not miss it one bit. So maybe my muscles did start to get a little flabby.

But this is ridiculous. And I find myself out of breath at the slightest sign of physical exertion.

Well, I joined a health club and began going. At first it seemed like things were going to get better as I rode the stationery bicycles, but... I did not lose weight. And it began to be a drag to drag myself over to the health club. I have to start going again because I am still paying for it. And I should start eating better.

Well now there is the rub. Eating better. We all know what we should do, but do we actually do it? Not always it seems. I mean, I know that pizza is not the best thing to eat, but wow does it taste good. I have a rather thin and healthy friend who suggested I eat only RAW foods. Well, I did not find RAW PIZZA all that exciting. (just kidding)

Well, raw foods? I do eat bananas, oranges, nuts (except I find they are usually roasted AND salted -- a no no) and grapefruits. But I really don't like raw potato. Now raw corn isn't too bad and raw fresh green peas are okay.

I do eat a lot of salads now. At least a whole lot more than I used to.

And I know that the vegetarian (and expecially the vegan) diet is far superior... but fried chicken tastes sooooo good. What I am supposed to do? I do have a juicer. A Champion brand juicer. Have you ever juiced things. I mean it is okay, but then I got to clean up the juicer.

Well, one of my friends said I should try a "JUICE FAST" until I lose the weight I want to lose. I may have to eventually try that, but I do have a lot of weight to lose. I find out that I am 275 now. I should be 190. Hmmmm. That is losing 85 pounds!!!!

Now everybody and their brother has got some sure fire way to lose weight. I have never heard more misinformation and drivel on any other topic unless it is politics and how Hillary Clinton is going to be the first female president of the United States. But don't get me sidetracked into politics. Hilary is a liar. And I still need to lose the weight.

I think that my overweight condition right now is the primary problem. And as I started to spew.... everybody has a "diet" or a "weight loss plan" or some magic "pill" or "food suppliment" that is supposed to really help. Some of them are downright dangerous. Now after reflection, the juice fast doesn't sound as bad as some of those other diets.

I knew an overweight lady who decided the only way she would be able to lose weight was to undergo stomach surgery. Well, to put it bluntly, it worked. She lost weight like crazy until the day she died. She never could eat enough to actually nourish herself. So, the operation was a success, but the end result was she DIED.

Fasting is a proven way to definately lose weight. But Karen Carpenter lost a lot of weight fasting.... and she DIED.

If you take amphetamines, you will probably lose weight too. But the side affects.... not sleeping, and becoming paranoid at not exactly what I am looking for.

Somebody suggested Human Growth Hormone. Now I don't want to get any bigger. Hormones can have devistating side affects.

Well, so apparently can being 85 pounds over weight. You know, that juice fast idea is starting to sound good. Maybe I will dig out the old juicer, dust it off and fire it up.

I will keep you all posted exactly what happens.

David