Articles from the Week of January 5, 2024
Interesting Quotes
The best advice you received (the following are some items from a list that appeared in the New York Times on December 30, 2023)
Keep a running list of the nicest things anyone has ever said to or about you. It’s a lifesaver on days when the world is getting the best of you. — Dave Clarke, Wauwatosa, Wis.
If everyone is driving you crazy, then the feeling is probably mutual. — Bill Chappell, Atlanta
Life is too short not to tell the people you love that you love them. — Abby Thomas, New Canaan, Conn.
Instead of calling someone out, call them in: Invite them into a judgment-free conversation with the intention of promoting understanding. — Rita Maniscalco, Huntington, N.Y.
Drive slower: It’s safer, less stressful and gives you time to look around. — Rick Juliusson, Cowichan Station, British Columbia
Be a fountain, not a drain. — Christine Clemens, Lowville, N.Y.
Retire from your job, not from life. — Margaret Johnson, Dunedin, Fla. (End of quoted material from NYTimes)
We miss so much out of life if we don’t love. The more we love the richer life is…
Lucy Maud Montgomery, author
Love is a great beautifier.
Louisa May Alcott
Judge tenderly if you must. There is usually a side you have not heard, a story you know nothing about, and a battle waged that you do not have to fight.
Traci Lea Larussa, writer and illustrator
Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.
Maya Angelou
I tell my story not because it is unique, but because it is the story of many girls. I think realizing that you’re not alone, that you are standing with millions of your sisters around the world is vital.
Malala Yousafzai
A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Fascinating Facts
Oak trees can drop up to 10,000 acorns in one year. (Source: InterestingFacts.com)
Magic mushrooms (fungi with hallucinogenic properties) have been used since prehistoric times (Source: HistoryFacts.com).
Do you know who made the first napkins, and what they were made of?
“Since ancient Greeks ate with their hands, napkins of some sort were a necessity. The first napkins were edible pieces of soft dough, which were often fed to the dogs after a meal. The first paper napkins emerged in ancient China around the second century CE, when small pieces of paper were folded into squares and fitted into the bottom of baskets that held teacups.” (Source: HistoryFacts.com)
Ice cream didn’t originate in the United States. It was brought to the U.S. by James and Dolley Madison. The early flavors included chestnut, asparagus, parmesan and oyster. (Source: InterestingFacts.com)
Counseling Articles
Over 70 children under 5 referred to shuttered Tavistock gender clinic
The Tavistock Clinic, the part of Britain’s National Health Service that formerly handled all children and teens who were experiencing dysphoria of some kind, and according to allegations that led to it being closed down, many children and teens experiencing the normal stresses of childhood and adolescence were fast-tracked into gender-affirming treatment rather than careful diagnosis of other stresses than gender dysphoria. This article title is somewhat misleading—it is a report that in the past, before it was shut down, it was sending children as young as three and four into transgender programs. Even though many of Europe’s countries are putting the brakes on gender-affirming programs, and only allowing a small number of children to be treated on an experimental basis, most American pediatric programs continue to push children into these programs as if there are no questions about this approach.
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Doctors Expose Just How Experimental ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ Truly Is in Florida Medicaid Case
In 2023 Florida assembled a group of medical experts (e.g., endocrinologists, child psychiatrists, neurologists, medical school professors, and other medical doctors) to answer the question of whether gender-affirming care (i.e., puberty-blockers, cross-sex hormones and then transgender surgery) is a substantiated medical treatment for gender dysphoria or whether it is still insufficiently substantiated and should only be considered an experimental treatment. The reason for this was a Florida Health Care Agency’s hearing to answer the question of whether Medicaid should pay for such treatments or not. This article summarizes some of the major points that these experts brought to the agency’s hearing session which led the agency to decide that it is still an experimental treatment and should not be paid for through Medicaid. This is a really good summary of the medical evidence of why it should not be considered a substantiated treatment, and I recommend you download and save it to your computer because it will likely be something you can use if this question comes up in a counseling session in the years ahead.
If you have any trouble downloading it and would like a copy for your files feel free to send me a request (Hvirkler@aol.com) and I will email you a copy of what I have downloaded.
There is also a 132-page summary of their testimony and the qualifications of the experts who testified if you are interested in studying the matter more deeply.
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Talking to Your Kids About Sex: Why, When, and How
Juli Slattery, the founder of Authentic Intimacy, is one of the most trusted Christian women on matters of sexuality. In this article she gives good advice about how to talk about sexuality at different ages. Even if your children are grown, some of your clients might benefit from this article.
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When ADHD and Puberty Collide
Adolescence can be a tumultuous time for teens and parents both, and when a teen has ADHD the challenges increase. If parents were believing that there was something wrong with their parenting, these blowups can exacerbate those fears. Here is an article that may help them realize that those struggles are normal when a child with ADHD is going through adolescence.
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Do Video Games Exacerbate ADHD?
Screens seem to be an inescapable part of children’s lives today. One study found that 30% of children play with video games while still in diapers! For most children, absolutely forbidding screen time is impossible and probably unwise. This is a worthwhile article, but it doesn’t answer the question raised in the title. This article discusses how to set reasonable boundaries on screen time.
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Chicago Woman Becomes World's Oldest Skydiver at 104
Not a counseling article, obviously, but pretty amazing.
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Brain implants revive cognitive abilities long after traumatic brain injury
I believe I included an article about this new treatment several weeks ago when it first appeared in a journal, but here is another article from Stanford Medicine that gives more information. This seems to be a significant benefit for people who have received a traumatic brain injury, even an injury that occurred several years ago.
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Cannabis-Related Disorders and Toxic Effects
Even though a number of states have legalized either medical or recreational pot usage, it is likely that the majority of legislators have not educated themselves on cannabis usage and some of the dangers of casual or long-term use. The cannabis plant contains 500 phytochemicals, many of which have not been thoroughly studied. Cannabis usage can lead to one of five DSM-5 diagnoses and several medical disorders and is particularly serious for young women during pregnancy. If you have clients who sometimes ask you to give an opinion on whether it wise to use it, either recreationally or medically, it’s important to be informed about the issues related to cannabis.
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Hypochondriasis Linked to Increased Risk for All-Cause Mortality, Suicide
Probably none of us welcomes the idea of working with a client with hypochondriasis. However, this study from Sweden tells us that clients with hypochondriasis have higher all-cause mortality and are four times more likely to commit suicide than the average person. So perhaps we should pray for extra compassion for these clients and make an extra effort to encourage them to stay in therapy.
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11 Top Ways Porn Will Target Your Kids in 2024
It is so much more challenging to raise and protect children than it was just a generation ago. This article will tell of the many ways that pornographers will try to ensnare teens and even much younger children. I would encourage you to encourage every parent who still has children at home to read this article.
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The Ongoing Genocide of Nigerian Christians
Not a counseling article, but an article for prayer. About ½ of Nigeria is Muslim, ½ is Christian. With regularity the Muslims carry out campaigns of slaughter of the Christians there.
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I’M A PEDIATRICIAN. HOW TRANSGENDER IDEOLOGY HAS INFILTRATED MY FIELD AND PRODUCED LARGE-SCALE CHILD ABUSE.
This is an article by Dr. Michelle Cretella, the President of the American College of Pediatricians, who explains why she believes, based on the quality of the medical evidence on treatments of gender dysphoria, that present transgender treatments represent child abuse.
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Male Surgeons Linked with Higher Subsequent Healthcare Costs
If you’re going to have surgery, probably you should look for a female surgeon. A number of studies have shown that post-surgery mortality is lower with female surgeons, you are less likely to have to be readmitted to the hospital, you are less likely to have complications, and this research study found that you will probably pay $6,000.00 less than if you had a male surgeon.
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Forget the proverbial wisdom: Opposites don’t really attract, study finds
Despite what you may have seen in Hallmark movies, according to this study opposites don’t really attract. We seem to be attracted to people who are more like us.
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Insights for What Makes a Good Life from the World’s Longest Study
You’ve probably heard of the world’s longest study (now 8 decades) from Harvard. This is a good summary, and probably includes a few details you hadn’t heard before. The main finding is well-known—the most important factor correlating with health and happiness was having relationships. Not just any relationships, but supportive, healthy relationships.
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The Marquis de Sade and the Power of Ideas
Probably most of us have heard of the Marquis de Sade but didn’t know much about him other than that he was a very evil man. If you’re interested in learning a little bit more about him, this Breakpoint article is a good introduction.
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Hope you have a wonderful week or weekend!
Henry Virkler
