The Life and Times of Nate Lanier - Simplicity / Health / Happiness

This will be post #1 in an ongoing series while I am hospitalized.

No one likes being in the hospital.  Unfortunately, most of us will find ourselves in one at some point in our lives.  I am currently on my third stay in a hospital and as a young patient I have valuable perspective on what you can do to get the most out of your hospital stay.

1.  Ask questions.

This is obvious is principle, but more difficult to follow in practice.  As a patient you generally lay around extremely bored and extremely naive to what’s going on behind the scenes.  Doctors do a lot of busy work behind the scenes that you may not be aware of.  Be respectful of that and understand that you are not the only patient in his care.

The doctor will spend a very limited amount of time in your room so it’s important to spend your bored time writing down symptoms and questions you want to ask before he appears unannounced.  Also, don’t be intimidated.  You are the patient and you have every right to command the respect and attention of your doctor.

I promise you that if you prepare yourself ahead of times and you question the things you do not understand, you will benefit as a patient.  So go ahead, ask questions - Stupid questions, silly questions, rhetorical questions. . . It just might save your life.

“I didn’t know working at Dunkin Donuts was so difficult.”

—

“Why did you come to the ER.”

“I’m anxious.”

“Do you drink coffee?”

“Ten cups a day”

They are an incredibly lonely place.

THIS COULD BE YOU!!!!

The best way to live to be 100 is to have grandparents and parents that lived to be a hundred.  If you didn’t, I’m sorry but you’re out of luck.  Stop reading.

I’m just kidding!!

But seriously, it’s true that genetic predisposition is a determining factor in the majority of centenarians.  We’ve all heard the story… “He smoked a cigarette to celebrate his 100th birthday”.

But I’ve eaten Kale Salads and Fish Oil for forty years, shouldn’t I live to be 100 too?

Well, no, not necessarily.  Diet is only small part in the battle for longevity.  There are a number of other factors that scientists suspect can contribute to longevity.  I will list some of those here for you to think about.  I can’t guarantee that they’ll make you live to be 100, but I wouldn’t ignore them!

1.  Be optimistic!

For crying out loud, you’re not cursed!  That horrible thing that happened to you?  Yes, it happened for a reason - to make you stronger and to make you realize that things can always get worse in the blink of an eye.  So the glass?  It’s half full!!

2.  Relax!

When we encounter stress we can deal with it two ways:  We can let it get under our skin and take control of us, OR we can take charge, rise above the challenge at hand and defeat it.  The good news?  If you occasionally lose this battle you will benefit by learning from it.

3.  Stop smoking.

Seriously, just stop.  You’re not only hurting yourself but those around you.  You will markedly decrease the likelihood of disease by taking this one simple life-changing step.  No excuses!!  Stop!

4.  Make lots of friends

One of the strongest trends across all centenarians is their ability to socialize.  They’re funny.  They swear.  They smile a lot.  They know everyone.  Why is this?  They follow the old mantra of “never stopping”.  The moment you stop, you’re dead.  So never stop, stay positive, and find beauty in your relationships.  And smile!  Yes!  Smile!!

5.  Get a good night’s sleep

Lack of sleep contributes to stress and raises cortisol levels which absolutely wrecks havoc on your body.  Imagine scratching a piece of wood with a knife for 100 years.  Now imagine doing the same thing to your body.  Not pretty.  That’s what cortisol does.

Most centenarians are early risers so hitting the sack early and missing Letterman might be one of the best things you can do for yourself.

6.  Do the obvious

Eat right, exercise, don’t smoke, get outdoors a lot, smile, don’t drink too much alcohol, go to your doctor for regular screening exams, take control of your body, and find purpose.

So there you have it.  Now find a golfing buddy, put down the cigarette, and live to be 100!!!

As always, questions, comments, suggestions, and criticisms are encouraged!

I could go into a lot of detail on ways to suppress you appetite, but today I will keep it simple.  If anyone would like me to expand upon these techniques or explain in further detail why these methods are the very best at suppressing your appetite I would be happy to upon request.

1.  Eat high fiber foods (i.e. lettuce, celery, carrots, sliced peppers) combined with 8 OZ. or more of water. Why?  Because it will make you feel more full with less calories.

2.  Chew gum.

3.  Drink Green Tea. Numerous studies have shown green tea to unknowingly supress appetite in both rat and human trials.  It’s also been shown to boost your metabolism.

4.  Go for a walk. Exercise will take your mind off of food and boost your energy.

5.  Focus on your work. If you get a hunger pang, use it as an opportunity to focus on the task at hand and you will forget that you had a craving for a cookie before you know it.

6.  If all else fails, have a healthy snack available. The ideal snack for a situation like this is unsalted peanuts, almonds, or cashews.  An apple is another good one.

Remember, to be successful in leading a healthy lifestyle, you have to first be happy with yourself.   You then have to understand that there is no quick fix.  Avoid “Hoodia” extracts and various other herbal supplements because their effectiveness is unquestionably overstated.  There is no magic bullet.

Start by eating a diet full of natural whole foods and use these tips to further help you in your quest for a healthier body.

Questions, comments, or suggestions welcome and encouraged!!

Click the thumbnail above for a massive and spectacular high resolution photo (6798 x 600) of Vancouver at Night.  Enjoy!

Yeah, they’re known for hosting early incarnations of a 13 year old’s Myspace pages, but what is Geocities really good for?

Collections.

That’s right.  Collections.

Why collections, you ask?  Well, let me give you a few examples. . .

• There is JaneyZee’s Flamingo Collection.
• You have Rework’s Transformer Site. Dun Dun Dun.
• Chasm’s National and International CLUE collection.
• Then there’s Jeff’s BMW Motorcycle Toy Collection
• And of course, no collection list would be complete without a collection of Japanese Postcards.

Head on over to Google and Browse the Magic yourself.   You never know what type of Soviet Calculator you might find!

So I’m on the way to Mass General Hospital today and I get cut off by a dude driving a purple PT Cruiser.  Thing had peace sign bumper stickers flanking the license plate which read “Brosef”.  He took both hands off the wheel and flipped me off.  True Story

Peace & Love,

Nate

Plenty of us Americans can afford to fuel our vehicles with gas at $4.00 per gallon.  Sure, it’s painful swiping our debit card twice to put $110 of gas in your Sequoia, but most of us aren’t digging through the trash for food to make up for it.

What we don’t immediately realize, however, is the massive gap that develops in our savings as a result of increasing fuel costs.  It effects not only the fuel we put in our vehicles, but the price we pay for food, consumer products, necessities, etc. etc.

I’ll outline a few very easy ways to save money.  Many of these tips seem like no brainers and common sense, but many of us still haven’t seen the urgent need to save in this toughening economy.

1.  Buy Wholesale

If you don’t own a Costco, Sam’s Club, or BJ’s memebership, it’s time you did.  From food to gasoline to cleaning supplies to toilet paper, these wholesalers cut out the middleman and save you a tremendous amount of money.  It also saves you time, as the need for shopping trips is diminished.

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I have found myself in the Emergency Room a few times lately which has prompted me to investigate the viewpoint of Emergency Docs which can be found online. Not surprisingly there’s a ton of great resources out there. Among them are GruntDoc, ER Doctor, White Coat Rant, etc. And there is no shortage of primary care physicians that have an opinion on Emergency Medicine.

Anyway, I wanted to touch on the idea of free care for everyone and the abuse of the Emergency Room.

Most ER’s state boldly that they will treat everyone regardless of their ability to pay. This is great for people who are truly emergent. But the majority of ER cases are non-emergent and the systems is abused by the uninsured who have no intention to pay. Who suffers? The emergent insured folks and the emergent uninsured folks. Billions of dollars are wasted every year on non-emergent care from the uninsured and the non-emergent.

We need to find disincentives to keep these folks away and increase the quality of care that is truly needed. How can we do this??

Some suggestions:

a) Make it uncomfortable for known abusers that are non-emergent. Really. Make the lobby poorly lit with no television. For those that are not known abusers, triage them immediately to a more comfortable room with a bed.

b) make them pay. Yes. If they are found to be non-emergent abusers, make them pay. If they can’t pay, they lose. If they are found to be emergent, obviously, it makes sense to pay.

These suggestions may seem insensitive, but ask yourself what makes more sense: Treating a patient truly in need to the best of your ability, or neglecting a patient truly in need because the system is being abused and you are “insensitive” by not caring as much about the abusers.

At any rate, we need change…

It’s funny. I began investing in stocks in April of 2007. I watched my stock in Google and EMC run up over 50% by late October.

Most seasoned market analysts will preach that you should sell after a big run up and that you should add to your positions after a big sell-off. It sounds so juvenile and simple in theory, but in practice, with real money on the table, it is remarkably difficult to follow.

For example, if I took profits at the height of the EMC and the Google Run ups, I would be $4,500 richer. Also, if I added, say, $10,000 to my positions when the DOW sunk below 12,000, I would be cumulatively $7,500 RICHER!

Instead, I didn’t have the balls in either situation so my unrealized gains stand currently at $0.14 for 13 months of investing.

And so it goes…

Adorably named commenter “Joe Blow”, over at White Coat Rants, notes that…

“Even if they found the mass on a head CT at Cape Cod, that does NOT justify an inpatient admit at MGH. They shoulda referred him for follow-up with an oncologist at one of MGH’s outpatient clinics.”

This is absolutely true. As someone who has been dealt a tough hand health wise, I can speak first hand about the way things work at Massachusetts General Hospital. Last Sunday I went to the MGH Emergency Room as I had become overwhelmingly dizzy and my pancreatitis was going crazy on me. I was given some meclizine for the dizziness and an MRI which proved negative. I was released immediately and told that I would be contacted by a neurologist from the hospital for an out patient follow up. That was a week ago. I have yet to be called.

I’m not angry, but my point is this: Would I have received the same care if I were Senator Ted Kennedy? I doubt it, and as a public figure who supports Universal Health Care, it sends a bad signal.

At any rate, his situation is remarkably unfortunate and I wish him the best.

I hereby declare myself a blogging legend. I’ll make some posts in the coming days, weeks, months, and years to prove it.

Thus begins a series on determining what makes people happy.

I have to pinpoint broad trends, as cultural/societal backgrounds will influence how happiness is attained in different people. I also have to decide how to address issues with finding happiness.

The first and most taken for granted aspect of happiness is: Health. In short, if less people took their health for granted, we would be happier as a society. So make those around you who are healthy realize just how lucky they are. And if they don’t buy it, carry with you an anecdote about someone whose health has gone sour on them and the extent to which it can genuinely ruin lives.

There are a lot of professors or philosophy these days, but no philosophers.

The best things in life are very free.

High fashion is a handicap. Get a personality.

My great grandmother lived to be 102. She drank a lot of Jack Daniels and didn’t take much Yingsang Ginsengalicious or Western Pacific Well Hung Tree Bark Extract. Lesson: Don’t waste your money on expensive pee; eat Broccoli.