Interesting Sayings
''He who talks more is sooner exhausted.''
LAOZI
An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.
Judy Garland
''Learning never exhausts the mind.''
LEONARDO DA VINCI
“No man becomes rich unless he enriches others.”
Andrew Carnegie
The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.
Peter Drucker
When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.
Henry Ford
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.''
DR. SEUSS
“We deem those happy who from the experience of life have learnt to bear its ills without being overcome by them.”
Carl Jung
“The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.”
Ernest Hemingway
All Human Beings Are Valuable
This 2½ minute video contains a short speech from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who argues that pro-life Americans are basing their beliefs against abortion on Christianity, and since not all Americans are Christians, they shouldn’t impose their beliefs on everyone else. Tim Barnett responds, showing that science shows that from the moment of conception the embryo is a human being, so that the argument that embryos are human beings comes from science, not from religion. And the Nazi belief (Lebensunwertes Leben, life unworthy of life) that some human beings are not worthy of existence has long ago been dismissed as an untenable belief. Click here to read full article.
Brain Regeneration: Can Infrared Light Reverse Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s?
For many decades we believed that brain cells did not regenerate: the brain cells you were born with were the only ones you had for a lifetime. But scientists now are discovering that regeneration of brain cells is possible. Here is one of the newest exciting developments—that infrared light can spur development of new brain cells. This has important possibilities for treatment of stroke, Alzheimer’s, Parkinsonism, and a host of other brain issues. Click here to read full article.
From InterestingFacts.com
Cambridge University forbade students from keeping dogs in their rooms, so the student who eventually became known as Lord Byron kept a bear in his room instead.
Did you know that there were more pyramids in the Americas than there were in Egypt?
The world’s largest waterfall is actually underwater. It’s called “the Denmark Strait Cataract” and is located between Greenland and Iceland. It is caused when colder water meets warmer water, causing the cooler, denser water to sink more than two miles (11,500 feet). The waterfall is 100 miles wide, almost 15 times wider than any land-based waterfall.
Koala fingerprints are almost indistinguishable from those of humans.
Less Is More (Fulfilling): Stress-Free Ways to Purge Junk
This article is from a professional home organizer. Although she’s writing specifically for people with ADHD, she said these ideas apply to everyone. She says that “studies show that contentment is not about possessions; it comes from free time and solid relationships.” Therefore by cutting down the unnecessary items in our homes, we have less to clean up and more time for relationships. Thoughtful article that may be helpful for all of us. Click here to read full article.
How Can You Tell When You’re Well with Bipolar Disorder?
This author, who has bipolar disorder herself, asked her psychiatrist and her counselor how she could know she was well. They didn’t have an answer. So she set out on her own journey to try to answer that question. I think you’ll find her answers make a good deal of sense. Click here to read full article.
The Social Executive Function Skills That Elude Kids with ADHD
Most children with ADHD have trouble with friendships. Here is the best article I have read on the social executive skills that most of us develop without being aware of it, that children or adults with ADHD don’t have (I remember the most brilliant man I’ve ever counseled, with an MBA from Harvard but also undiagnosed ADHD) who was constantly alienating people because of his lack of these skills.).
This article not only identifies these skills, but also gives specific suggestions on how parents can help their children develop these skills. Click here to read full article.
Six Clinicians Weigh In On How they Begin and End Therapy
Here is an article from the Psychotherapy Networker on how six clinicians typically begin and end therapy. You may get some ideas you’d like to try with some of your clients. Click here to read full article.
7 Surprising Reasons Why Marijuana is Not a Health Food
Aggressive marketers are touting various benefits of marijuana, but the research reveals a different story. Click here to read full article.
Gerry Bowler: What the Addictions Minister Gets Wrong About Harm Reduction
Some people are advocating “harm reduction” policies as alternatives to legal penalties for citizens using hard drugs. These statistics from Oregon are definitely worth reviewing. Click here to read full article.
The Sad Truth About Antidepressants
I probably wouldn’t be including this article except that it’s from the Amen Clinic. I think it’s a good reminder that there are many different things that can cause a person to be depressed, and antidepressants only help some people and even in those cases do not fully relieve depression symptoms. Click here to read full article.
Poll: Americans Say ‘No’ to Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports
A poll, that sampled 1,500 people nationwide, found that 58% said that they believed transgender athletes should not be able to compete against females in sports competition. Click here to read full article.
Is Walking Enough Exercise? How Many Steps Is Enough to Reduce Dementia?
A good article citing lots of research on the benefits of walking, and once you or your clients have established a good walking regimen, what benefits may come from supplementing it with other kinds of exercise. Click here to read full article.
Sentient AI: A step toward the transcendent machine?
What are we to make of this Google computer programmer (now suspended at least temporarily) who claims that the artificial intelligence that he is working with has the characteristics of a sentient human being, in this case a seven or eight-year-old human being? I’m sure there will be much more discussion about this, but if you’d like to learn a little about the on-going controversy, you can start here. Click here to read full article.
The Progressive Pronoun Police Come for Middle Schoolers
You probably will only be able to read the first paragraph of this article if you do not have a subscription to the Wall Street Journal, but here is a summary. The Wisconsin parents of three eighth grade boys received a notice that they were in danger of being expelled for sexual harassment under section nine of the federal code because they were calling a female classmate “her” rather than her preferred pronoun of “they.” There were no warnings to the parents so that the parents could have talked with their children about the situation beforehand. Thus without any warning, these three boys could have had a sexual harassment claim in their records that could have seriously damaged their ability to get into college or to seek jobs during or when they finished their high school education.
While I think with our current governor and legislature it is unlikely that this would happen anytime soon in Florida, I think it is important for parents to be alert to this situation and then to take whatever action seems appropriate if it were to occur. Incidentally, there is nothing in Title 9 of the Federal Statutes that “mispronouning” is an act of sexual harassment, although it is possible that gender activists will attempt to get this added to the Statute. Click here to read full article.
Say Their Pronouns: Virginia Parents Organize To Stop ‘Misgendering’ Rules at Public Schools
This issue is raising its head not just in Wisconsin: parents in Virginia are opposing a proposed rule in Fairfax County, Virginia where children as young as fourth grade could be suspended for “malicious misgendering.” Click here to read full article.
Michigan Dem Calls for a ‘Drag Queen for Every School’
Christian parents may want to become more aware of what is happening in their schools. The Michigan Attorney General, said: “"A drag queen for every school! That is what would be fun for the kids and lift them up when they are having emotional issues. Drag queens—not only are they not hurting our kids—drag queens make everything better! Drag queens are fun." Click here to read full article.
How to Be Your Own “Bipolar Detective”
Probably one of the best ways people with bipolar disorder can prevent (or at least moderate) impending mania or depression is by being alert to subtle changes in their lives and taking appropriate actions. Here is some good practical steps developed by one “bipolar detective.” Click here to read full article.
Children in faith-based child welfare programs safer than those in secular ones, Baylor study suggests
Based on comparing insurance claims from 12 faith-based child welfare programs with similar secular child welfare programs, they found that faith-based programs had lower insurance claims and losses than secular programs. Click here to read full article.
Beyond Genes: Leveraging Sleep, Exercise, and Nutrition to Improve ADHD
Over the last several years we’ve become more aware of epigenetics, i.e., that our genes and environmental factors interact to determine how much genetically-based mental disorders (like ADHD) are expressed. This is a very worthwhile article identifying points about how sleep, exercise and nutrition can affect ADHD. Even if you think you’ve read everything about how these three affect ADHD, I think you’ll find some new and practical information here. Click here to read full article.
Horse Power: Equine Therapy for ADHD
Equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) has been shown to be helpful with many different mental disorders. Here is an excellent article on how it can be helpful to clients with ADHD. Click here to read full article.
Puberty Blockers, Cross-Sex Hormones, and Youth Suicide
The popular media and gender activists frequently warn that if we deny gender-dysphoric youths the opportunity to take puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones this will increase the likelihood of them attempting or committing suicide. They also argue that states should develop laws that allow teens to receive “gender-affirming care” from physicians without parental notification or consent.
This review was done by Jay Greene, Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Puberty blockers were originally developed for children with precocious puberty, that is, very young children who entered puberty long before their peers, in order to delay the advent of puberty. Sex hormones were developed to be used with those teens who did not produce enough of their own hormones for their bodies to develop normally. Puberty blockers and cross sex hormones as a treatment for gender dysphoria has never been tested using a randomly controlled trial, something that is normally required for any medical treatment before it is approved for a specific purpose.
The only studies that have been done about use of puberty blockers and cross sex hormones as treatments for gender dysphoria are correlational studies. As anyone with a course in statistics has learned, correlational studies “are unable to determine with confidence whether any relationships between receiving these drugs and later health outcomes are causal. That is, one can never know with confidence whether the drugs cause those outcomes, or whether other factors that make people more likely to receive the drugs were the causes.”
I encourage you to read Greene’s careful analysis yourself if you deal with this issue in your counseling. Click here to read full article.
Study on Women Shows Optimism Associated With Living an Extra Four Years of Life
This large study by Harvard University found that women with an optimistic outlook outlived those with a more pessimistic outlook an average of four to five years, with more than 50% of those women living longer than 90 years of age. Click here to read full article.
For those for whom this applies, Happy Father’s Day!
Henry Virkler