Articles from the Week of July 14, 2023

Interesting Quotes

"I sought for the key to America's greatness and genius in her harbors … in her fertile fields and boundless fields and boundless forests; in her rich mines and vast world commerce; in her public school system and institutions of learning. I sought for it in her matchless Constitution. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."

Alexis de Tocqueville

A lie doesn't become truth, wrong doesn't become right and evil doesn't become good just because it's accepted by a majority."

Booker T. Washington

"I wish you music to help with the burdens of life, and to help you release your happiness to others."

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

Nothing brings down walls as surely as acceptance.

Deepak Chopra

"Patience and fortitude conquer all things."

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Fascinating Facts (Source is InterestingFacts.com unless otherwise noted)

Mona Lisa is not the name of the famous painting’s actual subject. For many years the name of the person whose portrait was unknown since Da Vinci never identified who it was, but eventually it was identified as Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a Florentine merchant.

The cowboy who played the original “Marboro Man” never smoked. After appearing in the ads for 12 years, his children persuaded him to stop by asking him why he was promoting a product that he forbade them to use.

The Statue of Liberty was originally brown, but due to exposure to various chemicals in the atmosphere, it is now sea-foam green. That color appears to have stabilized and that patina apparently is protective keeping the statue from further change. The woman’s shoe size that would be required for Lady Liberty’s 25-foot-long feet would be size 879.

The Earliest Supermassive Black Hole Ever Found Has Been Identified: The newly-released James Webb telescope has identified a massive black hole 9 million times the mass of the sun (Source: ScienceAlert.com).

“Yellowstone Is Actually a Giant Supervolcano: Hot spots and geysers represent just a fraction of the action beneath the surface at Yellowstone. The whole park is actually a supervolcano, although it's not supposed to erupt anytime soon. Yellowstone is actually quite safe. Its supervolcano is made up of two magma chambers; the first is no more than 15% molten, while the second is only 2% molten. According to Forbes, it's practically impossible for a supervolcano to erupt unless its magma chambers are at least 50% molten. So, rest easy — and don't forget to enjoy the view.”

Counseling Articles

Kay Redfield Jamison: Tracing the Evolution of Psychological Healing

If you only read one article from this week’s compilation of articles, I encourage you to read this one. Kay Redfield Jamison is a hero to many in the field of mental health. She has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, has taught in several highly respected programs, and was one of the first prominent people (along with Patty Duke) to admit publicly that she has Bipolar 1 Disorder.

This article includes a summary of her life, a discussion of her most recent book that might induce some of you to read it. In the book she discusses the history of psychological healing and some of the characteristics of the healers in her life. She also gives suggestions for clients about things they can do to facilitate their own healing.

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Hey Kids! Freedom Begins in Your Brain

This article for teens and older children was written by Kristen Jenson, the author of Good Pictures, Bad Pictures, and encourages students to not allow themselves to get addicted to pornography by making good choices. Her book, in case you haven’t read it, is excellent to read to children to warn them of the dangers of letting themselves get seduced into looking at pornography.

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Personal suggestion for those who don’t regain their sense of smell and taste after COVID

Two weeks ago I included an article about the millions of people who don’t regain their sense of smell and taste after COVID. I am one of those people. Something I have found that helps me enjoy food (realize this is an N of 1, so it may not work for everyone) is that as I eat something, I remember what it used to taste like. Using memory seems to help me experience the full enjoyment of food.

Seeking Forgiveness in the Aftermath of Bipolar Disorder Episodes

When people are in the midst of a manic episode they often do or say things that harm family relationships. This article contains good suggestions about how to try to repair this damage.

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Cannabis Use Disorder Raises Risk of Perioperative Complications

One more piece of data against the legalization of recreational use of marijuana was just found. Those who have cannabis use disorder have a moderately increased risk of death following major surgery when compared to those who do not have cannabis use disorder. Previous studies have also found that those who regularly use marijuana are more likely to have nausea after anesthesia and increased perception of pain following surgery.

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Studies Link Marijuana Use to Mental Illness

A second piece of data was just publicized this week. Denmark is widely respected because it keeps very complete medical records of all its citizens. A new longitudinal study found that heavy marijuana use was associated with increased incidence of schizophrenia (a Swedish study found it increased the likelihood six times). The Denmark study found heavy marijuana use was associated with a doubling of the diagnosis of clinical depression and bipolar disorder. I cannot give you a web address because it requires a subscription to the Wall Street Journal.

CDC Provides Guidance On Transgender People ‘Chestfeeding’ Babies

The CDC is now providing guidance for women who identify as men and who have had their breasts removed but who now want to nurse their babies. It is also providing guidance for biological men who now identify as women and who want to “chestfeed” their children. Critics say that the liquid provided in these situations (which often require drugs taken by the parent) may not be equivalent to breast milk and there have not been any long-term studies to assess the healthiness and safety of the practices recommended by the CDC.

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5 Tips for Managing Bipolar with a New Job

Here are some practical tips from a person with bipolar disorder about how she has managed the challenges that come with a new job with her bipolar disorder. Helpful suggestions!

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Stimulants for ADHD in Childhood Not Linked to Substance Use Later On

Parents of children with ADHD sometimes are concerned that starting children on stimulant medication in childhood might increase their susceptibility to substance abuse during adolescence or adulthood. This very comprehensive longitudinal study considered several confounding factors and found the same results as previous studies—starting children with ADHD on stimulants does not increase the likelihood of substance abuse disorder in adolescence or adulthood. So I think we can reassure parents of the safety of starting children with ADHD on medication. (Some other studies have also found that not starting children with ADHD on appropriate medication increases the likelihood that they will experience problems in school, with peers, and with authority figures, and increases the likelihood that they will turn to substance abuse during their teen or adult years.)

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Are Drug Holidays Safe? Your Questions About ADHD Medication Vacations — Answered

Many parents of children with ADHD have questions about taking a “medication vacation” during the summer. Here are some answers from a doctor with quite a bit of experience with this issue, and I think you will find her answers make a lot of sense.

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Once hailed for decriminalizing drugs, Portugal is now having doubts

Some progressives have recommended that the drug problem could be solved by decriminalizing all drug use and putting the money into drug rehabilitation programs. Portugal is one country that has done this. This article describes what has happened.

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Dangerous TikTok trends claim 4 lives in 6 months in Alabama

There is a new Tiktok challenge that teens and some adults are engaging in called “boat jumping,” where travelers jump off the back of a speeding boat. Apparently the danger is that they may break their necks or drown in the surf created by the speeding boat.

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12 Celebrity Quotes That Perfectly Describe Life With Bipolar

Here is a compilation of quotes about discovering one has bipolar disorder, accepting that truth, and living with that disorder from 12 celebrities. It shows the variety of feelings people have about admitting that reality and living with it.

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The Hidden Side of ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ Driving Transgender Mental Health Problems and Suicide

“Gender-affirming care” sounds like such a caring intervention that only the hard-hearted would deny it to a child. This article describes some of the downsides of this approach and why the suicide rate among those who have it are actually significantly higher than it is for those who do not.

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Lung Damage from E-cigs Rises Sharply

When vaping first started it was believed that it would be a healthier alternative to smoking. The evidence continues to grow that vaping can have serious medical consequences for users.

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Is an older loved one refusing to see a doctor? Try this.

You may have a client who has an older loved one who refuses to see a doctor. Here are some good suggestions to offer them. Those may be helpful to use whenever a loved one, regardless of age, refuses to see a doctor.

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Tell Yourself These Biblical Truths about Suffering

If you have a Christian client who is going through a time of suffering and is having questions about how God could allow it all to be happening, this blog from Randy Alcorn might be helpful reassurance to them.

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Famous Atheist Richard Dawkins' Former 'Right-Hand Man' Converts to Christianity

Richard Dawkins is one of the leading figures in the “New Atheist” movement. His close associate, Josh Timonen, worked with him for five years, but the two stopped working together after some disagreements. Josh and his wife started attending church, not with any intention of becoming believers but for the social advantages they thought the support would have for their young daughter. However, he eventually felt drawn to carefully study Christianity for two years, and through that study concluded that the NT story of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection was real, and has acknowledged his conversion in a public interview.

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Correcting the Record on 303 Creative

The Supreme Court, in 303 Creative, recently ruled that a Christian could not be sued for not offering services to a person or organization if that conflicted with their religious values. This immediately caused furor in some audiences, and then a rumor started and was widely spread through media and newspapers that this case was fabricated and the Supreme Court’s ruling should be nullified. This Breakpoint article clearly explains what happened and why there was never fabrication In this case.

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Trial: Electrical Stimulation No Better Than Sham for Depression

If depressed clients are already on an SSRI, adding transcranial direct current stimulation was not superior to sham stimulation for reducing their major depression.

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I wish you a wonderful week or weekend!

Henry Virkler