"A pat on the back is only a few vertebrae removed from a kick in the pants, but is miles ahead in results." - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

"In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield." - Warren Buffett

"If you invite people to think you invite revolution." - Bumper Sticker, 03-22-07.

"With but few exceptions, it is always the underdog who wins through sheer willpower." - Johnny Weissmuller

“I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks.” - Daniel Boone

"The good pool player makes the shot. The great pool player not only makes the shot, but does so in such a way that the balls are lined up for the next shot." - Minnesota Fats

"We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own." - Ben Sweetland

"You know, anything can be great. I don't care, BRICKLAYING can be great, if a guy knows. If he knows what he's doing and why and if he can make it come off... It's a great feeling, boy, it's a real great feeling when you're right and you KNOW you're right... You make shots that nobody's ever made before." - Fast Eddie (Paul Newman) in The Hustler, 20th Century Fox, 1961

"The darkest hour is that before the dawn." - Euripides

"Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself." - Abraham Joshua Heschel

David Lightman: "Is it a game... or is it real?"
Joshua: "What's the difference?"

- War Games (MGM, 1983, screenplay by David Bischoff)

Video Games and Your Child's Brain

By Al Sears, MD

Did you play video games when you were a child? They weren't around until I was in college. But nowadays, kids all over the country are spending a lot of time in front of the TV or computer, playing those games.

That's a big change. And with the arrival of ever-better technologies, video games are increasingly vivid, realistic - and addicting.

I've wondered for years whether playing these games influences brain development. I think it might make a kid's brain work faster, able to process more visual information. And my nine-year-old son seems to be able to multitask in ways I can't. But I've also wondered if there's a dark side to brain development, induced by the shocking brutality in some of the videos. Now, for the first time, I've found new evidence that violent video games do alter brain functioning.

Researchers at Indiana University in Indianapolis used Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to map out which parts of the brain are stimulated when kids play different types of video games. One group of adolescents played a violent game called "Medal of Honor," while another group played an equally exciting but non-violent game called "Need for Speed." After 30 minutes, doctors collected the MRI data.

The teens playing the non-violent game showed activity in the frontal area of the brain. This is the area associated with concentration, inhibition, and self-control. The teens playing the violent video game showed no activity in the frontal area of the brain. Instead, the game activated their amygdala. This is the "reptilian" brain that's associated with emotional arousal - especially anger.

This study is sobering for a number of reasons. The reptilian, or limbic, brain is the least cerebral and most animal-like part of the brain. It's where your most basic instincts reside. Instincts to do with things like feeding, survival, and procreation.

This works well in times of crisis. If you're starving, your reptilian brain will drive you to find food. If someone is chasing you and you're in danger, this part of your brain will put you into "fight or flight" mode. In other words, to protect yourself, you'll either become violent or you'll run for your life.

But this area of your brain has no capacity for logic, reason, or objective decision-making. It has no way to express tolerance, understanding, or love. Now consider that millions of teenagers are over-stimulating this portion of their brain for hours every day.

Cause for concern? I think so. Because other research has shown that both repetitive actions and repetitive thoughts hardwire your brain, reinforce whatever actions or thoughts you're practicing, and make it more likely you'll repeat them in the future.

What do I mean by "hardwire"? There are connections between your brain cells that are called dendrites. Repeated activities stimulate dendrites and create neural pathways between different parts of your brain. The more you practice a certain activity, the stronger that neural pathway becomes. These structural changes are the physical mechanisms of learning.

And your brain, like the rest of your body, follows the "use it or lose it" rule. Neural pathways that are not being used eventually get "pruned."

The Indiana University study, coupled with what we know about conditioning and learning, is not proof that playing video games leads to violence. But it does give us reasonable cause to suspect that children who spend a lot of time firing up their reptilian brains may be more prone to violence - and may be less likely to have self-control.

An extreme example of this occurred when authorities discovered a teenage girl who had been locked up in her bedroom for her entire life. Her parents never spoke to her, never touched her - never even acknowledged her. They kept her alive by sliding trays of food under her door.

When police arrested the parents and rescued the girl, she was 12 years old. She was unable to communicate with words, as she had never spoken or been spoken to. Psychologists tried to teach her to speak, but she couldn't learn to do it. After running brain scans, they discovered the area of her brain that rules speech had atrophied. Due to lack of use, the neural pathways had collapsed - in this case, irreversibly.

I'm not suggesting that all kids who play violent video games will go nuts and lose their ability to be rational. But the nature of the human brain is clear: Practiced behavior becomes dominant. Functions that are ignored get cut off - sometimes forever.

I've never bought my son a video game. Yet they are so popular among his friends, he is still exposed to them. I suspect your children or grandkids are too. And I think there is reason to keep the violent ones away from them as much as you possibly can.

I have one other practical piece of advice for you if your child or grandchild is having a hard time controlling his or her aggression. You might consider a nutritional supplement.

Studies show that omega-3s have the power to reduce aggression and violence. For instance, British researchers gave violent prisoners a fish oil supplement along with their regular daily meals. In a matter of days, the prison guards started to notice a change among those prisoners. The results showed that the group taking the supplement had a 37 percent decrease in violent offenses and a 26 percent decrease in overall offenses.

Your brain is 60 percent fats, and omega-3 fats are essential for your brain to function properly. Children today suffer from a dramatic omega-3 deficiency. And violent video games just might be making a nutritional deficiency worse.

I give my son a daily teaspoon of cod liver oil as a natural source of omega-3 fats. These days, you can find it without the bad taste of the cod liver oil my grandmother used.
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Word to the Wise: Atrophy

To "atrophy" (AY-truh-fee) - from the Greek for "not fed" - is to waste away or deteriorate.

Example (as used by Dr. Sears today): "After running brain scans, they discovered the area of her brain that rules speech had atrophied."
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This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #1989, 03-14-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

Beat Osteoporosis Without Drugs or Calcium

By Al Sears, MD

One of my toughest jobs as a doctor is dispelling myths about medicine. Case in point: A 55-year-old woman comes to my clinic. Her previous doctor diagnosed her with osteoporosis and gave her drugs to prevent bone loss. His parting words, "Osteoporosis is a natural part of aging. Here's a prescription ..."

Here are the facts: Aging does not make osteoporosis inevitable. A lack of exercise does. It causes muscles to become smaller and weaker. This loss of muscle mass combined with the hormonal changes of aging leads to a loss of bone mass. Just as muscles atrophy without challenge, if muscle force does not challenge your bones, they become thin, light, and fragile. This is the beginning of osteoporosis.

And calcium supplements won't help. Hormones control the amount of calcium that sticks to your bones. If estrogen levels fall, calcium will fall away from the bone. Taking calcium supplements will give you a short-term boost in bone density, but that's it. Over time, your hormones will work against the extra calcium and leave your bones brittle.

Challenging your muscles and bones is the only way to prevent osteoporosis. The ideal exercise routine will challenge your large muscle groups enough to put stress on the bones. Try bicycling, running in sprints, and calisthenics for your legs and back.
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This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #1881, 11-08-06], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

"Get someone else to blow your horn and the sound will carry twice as far." - Will Rogers

"Most people get interested in stocks when everyone else is. The time to get interested is when no one else is. You can't buy what is popular and do well..." - Warren Buffett

"I don't know if I always want to be in front of the camera. I love producing, I love the camaraderie. I love the adventures. I love the stress." - Sandra Bullock

A "Prescription" for Chocolate

By Jon Herring

Several years ago, I went to visit my brother who was serving in the Peace Corps in the mountains of Panama. Every morning, we began our day with a rich cup of some of Central America's finest coffee. That is, until we reached the San Blas Islands.

The San Blas are inhabited by the Kuna, a strongly knit tribe of Native Americans. Instead of coffee, the Kuna drink a beverage made with cocoa. And though they're probably not aware of it, the cocoa is rich in heart-healthy antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients. I was reminded of this when I read a recent study showing that the Kuna Indians who live on the mainland have a high incidence of heart disease and high blood pressure, while those who still live in the Islands (and consume this beverage daily) have an extraordinarily low incidence of those conditions.

Certainly there can be other dietary reasons why the Kuna living in cities have health concerns that the islanders do not. But this study strongly supports the results of other recent studies, including one published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition which showed that the consumption of cocoa caused a "striking blood flow response" to the brain and improved brain function.

The Journal of Clinical Nutrition study was sponsored by Mars Inc., the company that makes M&Ms, Snickers, and Twix. I have no problem with their research - but don't get the idea that a Snickers bar is going to do the trick. Besides being full of sugar, milk chocolate has very little cocoa. Instead, choose a high-quality dark chocolate - the more bitter, the better. Or buy a container of organic, unsweetened cocoa powder (NOW Foods makes the brand I buy). Mix it with water or milk and drink it several times a week. If you prefer it sweetened, add a few drops of stevia.
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This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #1982, 03-06-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." - Anne Frank