"We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look."

- Ronald Reagan

Learning From Real Heroes

By Robert Ringer

Americans love to throw around the term "hero." But what is a hero? We tend not only to ascribe the word to illiterate athletes, but to people who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, as well.

An extreme example of the latter would be the infamous Iran-hostage "crisis" that ended after 444 days on January 20, 1981. With Kim Jong Il's best friend, Jimmy Carter, spending more than a year trying to remove his thumb from his left nostril, Iran's version of Crazy Guggenheim - Ayatollah Khomeini - had things pretty much his way.

But once Ronald Reagan was elected president, Krazy Khomeini started envisioning a nuclear cloud over Iran for the next 400 years. Which, in turn, motivated him to come to his senses and release the hostages. Like every other civilized person, I was happy for both the hostages and their families.

Nevertheless, when the media started portraying them as heroes and New York held a tickertape parade for them, I was baffled. You happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and you're hailed as a hero? I think a little perspective is called for. To me, a hero is someone who accomplishes extraordinary feats under extraordinarily difficult circumstances, such as the firefighters who marched into the World Trade Center towers in an attempt to save lives while everyone else was scurrying to get out.

In this regard, I have great admiration and respect for Jessica Lynch, the American soldier who was captured and held prisoner in Iraq, and was subsequently rescued in a daring raid by U.S. troops. My admiration and respect are a result of her making it clear to a national television audience that she was not, in fact, a hero.

Despite the way she was depicted by The New York Times and other major publications, she explained, in an interview with Diane Sawyer, that there was no truth to any of those stories. In fact, Lynch said that not only did she not do any fighting, she was hurt so badly that she didn't even remember what happened to her. When Sawyer asked why she would volunteer such information, she explained that she could not live with herself if she allowed people to believe that she fought heroically when she had not.

So though Lynch is not a hero, her refreshing honesty and humility command enormous respect, especially in this day and age of declining Western values.

Thinking back to the Iran hostage situation reminds me of two genuine heroes - 13-year-old Mattie Stepanek, who succumbed to a severe case of muscular dystrophy, and Christopher Reeve, who became a quadriplegic after a horse-riding accident and passed away as a result of complications from an infection.

At the age of 10, Mattie Stepanek wrote Heartsongs, a book of poetry that became a New York Times #1 best-seller. He followed that remarkable feat with four more books of poetry, two of which also became best-sellers. He was a frequent guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, and Larry King Live. His messages were always upbeat, positive, and inspiring. Few adults have ever spoken with more wisdom and deep insight into life than Mattie.

Christopher Reeve was beyond amazing. Though he had to struggle just to breathe, he found the time, energy, and determination not only to continue acting but also to direct a film, take an active role in fighting for stem-cell research, testify before Congress, and appear on virtually every major television talk show.

Other than recognizing these two giants of courage as true heroes, what else can we learn from their lives?

* Heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

It seems somewhat ironic that the joint subjects of this article are a scrawny 13-year-old kid and Superman. But after a lifetime of observation, it's become clear to me that size, physical strength, skin color, gender, and ethnicity, among other things, are of little significance compared to a will to succeed.

* Though human beings, through the gift of free will coupled with action, are able to exercise a great deal of control over their destinies, the inevitable will always be one of man's greatest nemeses.

The National Safety Council says that a fatal accident occurs every five minutes in the United States, and a disabling injury occurs every two seconds. There is no question that we have the capacity to stack the odds in our favor when it comes to leading longer, healthier lives. Yet, in a head-to-head battle, we are no match for the inevitable. This, however, does not mean that you should become a fatalist and stop trying. That would be irrational on its face.

What it does mean is that you should always keep in mind that there's an offsetting positive to every negative, and the offsetting positive to the inevitable is that it teaches the wise person humility. Do everything possible to stack the odds in your favor. Work hard at success in all areas of your life, but make certain you don't become so enamored with yourself that you start believing you're omnipotent, immortal, or both.

Remember, you're always just one bad break away from becoming a quadriplegic, getting a terminal disease, or suffering a fatal accident.

* Relativity.

It may sound trite, but you really should be grateful when you wake up every morning, especially if you have been blessed with good health.

Given that a handicap is defined as anything that makes achievement more difficult, each of us is burdened with many handicaps. Not necessarily physical handicaps, but handicaps just the same. Broken marriages, financial problems, lack of a track record - the list of factors that can make achievement more difficult is infinite.

Brooding over a handicap, whatever it may be, is a surefire way to increase its negative impact on your life. You brood, you lose. Whenever you feel as though the temptation to feel sorry for yourself is taking control of your emotions, refocus your thoughts on genuine heroes like Mattie Stepanek and Christopher Reeve.

When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Heroes are great teachers. They lead by example. All that is required is that you be ready to learn.

Beware of Holiday Diabetes

By James B. LaValle

This is the time of year when many of my patients struggle with keeping their weight and blood sugar under control. It starts with Halloween, when we buy those delectable treat-size candy bars to pass out to trick-or-treaters - and eat many of them ourselves. It continues throughout Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day with the sugar-laden treats and leftovers from holiday meals contributing to our already flourishing spare tires.

The resulting insulin resistance and elevated blood sugar has been linked to an increased risk of developing Type II diabetes.

Medical guidelines don't start labeling blood sugar a problem until it reaches at least 100 to 124 mg/dL, the current cutoff for pre-diabetes. But a study conducted within the Kaiser Permanente Health System and published in the American Journal of Medicine has determined that even lower levels are cause for worry.

Patients were sorted according to blood sugar levels of <85,>

The results of this study don't surprise to me. For years, I have been preaching that once your blood sugar starts climbing, unless you do something about it, you are going to become diabetic. But I'm happy to have a study that now quantifies that risk and backs up what I've observed clinically.

If you haven't already done so, develop a strategy for limiting your intake of high-carb, high-sugar foods in the coming weeks. For instance, before going to a party, curb your appetite with a higher-protein snack, a bowl of soup, or a cup of hot tea. Whenever possible, opt for higher-volume, lower-calorie foods, such as vegetables with bean dip and lower-sugar fruits and vegetables. Go ahead and enjoy your favorite dessert - but take a small piece and share it with your spouse or friend. Better yet, volunteer to bring a healthy holiday dish to the party so you know you'll have at least one healthy choice. Meanwhile, try to increase your exercise to rev up your insulin receptors and help your body better deal with the excess sugar you're almost certainly going to be eating.

It's Fun to Know: The Poultry-Based Sleeping Pill?

You've probably heard that there is a natural sedative in turkey, an amino acid called tryptophan. But if you find yourself drifting off after dinner tomorrow, don't blame it on that. Tryptophan does cause your body to produce serotonin, a chemical that, among other things, helps calm you down. But according to nutrition experts, the level of tryptophan in a typical serving of turkey is not nearly enough to make you fall asleep.

So what explains that post-meal drowsiness on Thanksgiving? Most likely it's the large amount of carbohydrates you eat, along with any alcohol you may drink.

(Source: How Stuff Works)

Word to the Wise: Fealty

"Fealty " (FEE-ul-tee) - from the Latin for "to trust" - means fidelity, allegiance, faithfulness.

Example (as used in The New York Times): "[Andrew Johnson] was re-elected Governor in 1855, and his administration of the State affairs, both in that and the preceding term of office, was marked by a regard for the public interest rather than party fealty."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2523, 11-26-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.