Pengaruh atau Kerugian Akibat Kurang Tidur

Anda pernah merasa uring-uringan dan pusing? Mungkin saja hal itu akibat kurang tidur. Jangan pernah anggap remeh keadaan ini! Kurang tidur dapat memengaruhi kehidupan seksual, daya ingat, kesehatan, penampilan, dan bahkan membuat tubuh Anda "melar".

Berikut ini 10 hal mengejutkan yang terjadi akibat kurang tidur:

1. Kecelakaan
Kurang tidur adalah salah satu faktor bencana terbesar dalam sejarah selain kecelakaan nuklir di Three Mile Island tahun 1979, tumpahan minyak terbesar Exxon Valdez, krisis nuklir di Chernobyl 1986, dan lain-lain.

Terdengar berlebihan, tapi Anda harus sadari kurang tidur juga berdampak pada keselamatan Anda setiap hari di jalan. Mengantuk dapat memperlambat waktu Anda mengemudi, yang setara ketika Anda mabuk saat menyetir.

Sebuah penelitian yang dilakukan Lembaga Keselamatan Lalu Lintas Jalan Raya Nasional Amerika menunjukkan bahwa kelelahan merupakan penyebab 100.000 kecelakaan mobil dan 1.500 kematian selama setahun di AS. Korbannya orang di bawah umur 25 tahun.


Studi yang sama menunjukkan, jika Anda kurang tidur atau memiliki kualitas tidur yang rendah, maka hal itu dapat menyebabkan kecelakaan dan cedera saat bekerja. Dalam sebuah penelitian, pekerja yang mengeluh mengantuk berlebihan pada siang hari rentan terluka saat bekerja dan secara terus-menerus mengalami kecelakaan yang sama saat bekerja.

2. Konsentrasi menurun
Tidur yang baik memainkan peran penting dalam berpikir dan belajar. Kurang tidur dapat memengaruhi banyak hal. Pertama, mengganggu kewaspadaan, konsentrasi, penalaran, dan pemecahan masalah. Hal ini membuat belajar menjadi sulit dan tidak efisien. Kedua, siklus tidur pada malam hari berperan dalam "menguatkan" memori dalam pikiran. Jika tidak cukup tidur, maka Anda tidak akan mampu mengingat apa yang Anda pelajari dan alami selama seharian.

3. Masalah kesehatan serius
Gangguan tidur dan kurang tidur tahap kronis dapat membawa Anda pada risiko:

* Penyakit jantung
* Serangan jantung
* Gagal jantung
* Detak jantung tidak teratur
* Tekanan darah tinggi
* Stroke
* diabetes

Menurut beberapa penelitian, 90 persen penderita insomnia—gangguan tidur yang ditandai dengan sulit tidur dan tetap terjaga sepanjang malam—juga mengalami risiko kesehatan serupa.

4. Gairah seks menurun
Para ahli melaporkan, kurang tidur pada pria dan wanita menurunkan tingkat libido dan dorongan melakukan hubungan seksual. Hal ini dikarenakan energi terkuras, mengantuk, dan tensi yang meningkat.

Bagi pria yang mengidap sleep apnea (masalah pernapasan yang mengganggu saat tidur) kurang tidur menyebabkan gairah seksual melempem. Sebuah studi yang diterbitkan dalam Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2002 menunjukkan, hampir semua orang yang menderita sleep apnea memiliki kadar testosteron yang rendah. Hampir setengah dari orang yang menderita sleep apnea parah memiliki tingkat testosteron yang rendah pada malam hari.

5. Menyebabkan depresi
Dalam studi tahun 1997, peneliti dari Universitas Pennsylvania melaporkan bahwa orang-orang yang tidur kurang dari 5 jam per hari selama tujuh hari menyebabkan stres, marah, sedih, dan kelelahan mental. Selain itu, kurang tidur dan gangguan tidur dapat menyebabkan gejala depresi.

Gangguan tidur yang paling umum adalah insomnia, yang memiliki kaitan kuat dengan depresi. Dalam studi tahun 2007 yang melibatkan 10.000 orang terungkap bahwa pengidap insomnia 5 kali lebih rentan mengalami depresi. Bahkan, insomnia sering menjadi salah satu gejala pertama depresi.

Insomnia dan tidak nafsu makan akibat depresi saling berhubungan. Kurang tidur memperparah gejala depresi dan depresi membuat Anda lebih sulit tidur. Sisi positifnya, pola tidur yang baik dapat membantu mengobati depresi.

6. Memengaruhi kesehatan kulit
Kebanyakan orang mengalami kulit pucat dan mata bengkak setelah beberapa malam kurang tidur. Keadaan tersebut benar karena kurang tidur yang kronis dapat mengakibatkan kulit kusam, garis-garis halus pada wajah, dan lingkaran hitam di bawah mata.

Bila Anda tidak mendapatkan cukup tidur, tubuh Anda melepaskan lebih banyak hormon stres atau kortisol. Dalam jumlah yang berlebihan, kortisol dapat memecah kolagen kulit atau protein yang membuat kulit tetap halus dan elastis.

Kurang tidur juga dapat menyebabkan tubuh lebih sedikit mengeluarkan hormon pertumbuhan. Ketika kita masih muda, hormon pertumbuhan manusia mendorong pertumbuhan. Dalam hal ini, hormon tersebut membantu meningkatkan massa otot, menebalkan kulit, dan memperkuat tulang.

"Ini terjadi saat tubuh sedang tidur nyenyak—yang kami sebut tidur gelombang lambat (SWS)—hormon pertumbuhan dilepaskan," kata Phil Gehrman, PhD, CBSM, Asisten Profesor Psikiatri dan direktur Klinis dari Program Behavioral Sleep Medicine Universitas Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

7. Pelupa
Tidak ingin lupa dengan kenangan terbaik dalam hidup Anda? Cobalah perbanyak tidur. Pada tahun 2009, peneliti dari Amerika dan Perancis menemukan bahwa peristiwa otak yang disebut sharp wave ripples bertanggung jawab menguatkan memori pada otak. Peristiwa ini juga mentransfer informasi dari hipokampus ke neokorteks di otak, tempat kenangan jangka panjang disimpan. Sharp wave ripples kebanyakan terjadi pada saat tidur.

8. Tubuh jadi "melar"
Jika Anda mengabaikan efek kurang tidur, maka bersiaplah dengan ancaman kelebihan berat badan. Kurang tidur berhubungan dengan peningkatan rasa lapar dan nafsu makan, dan kemungkinan bisa menjadi obesitas. Menurut sebuah studi tahun 2004, hampir 30 persen dari orang-orang yang tidur kurang dari enam jam sehari cenderung menjadi lebih gemuk daripada mereka yang tidur tujuh sampai sembilan jam sehari.

Penelitian terakhir terfokus pada hubungan antara tidur dan peptida yang mengatur nafsu makan. Ghrelin merangsang rasa lapar dan leptin memberi sinyal kenyang ke otak dan merangsang nafsu makan. Waktu tidur singkat dikaitkan dengan penurunan leptin dan peningkatan dalam ghrelin.

Kurang tidur tak hanya merangsang nafsu makan. Hal ini juga merangsang hasrat menyantap makanan berlemak dan makanan tinggi karbohidrat. Riset yang tengah berlangsung dilakukan untuk meneliti apakah tidur yang layak harus menjadi bagian standar dari program penurunan berat badan.

9. Meningkatkan risiko kematian
Dalam penelitian Whitehall ke-2, peneliti Inggris menemukan bagaimana pola tidur memengaruhi angka kematian lebih dari 10.000 pegawai sipil Inggris selama dua dekade. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian yang dipublikasikan pada 2007, mereka yang telah tidur kurang dari 5-7 jam sehari mengalami kenaikan risiko kematian akibat berbagai faktor. Bahkan kurang tidur meningkatkan dua kali lipat risiko kematian akibat penyakit kardiovaskular.

10. Merusak penilaian terutama tentang tidur
Kurang tidur dapat memengaruhi penafsiran tentang peristiwa. Keadaan tubuh yang lemas membuat kita tidak bisa menilai situasi secara akurat dan bijaksana. Anda yang kurang tidur sangat rentan terhadap penilaian buruk ketika sampai pada saat menilai apa yang kurang terhadap sesuatu.

Dalam dunia yang serba cepat saat ini, kebiasaan tidur menjadi semacam lencana kehormatan. Spesialis mengenai tidur mengatakan, Anda salah jika berpikir Anda baik-baik saja meski kurang tidur karena di mana pun Anda bekerja pada profesi apa pun, akan menjadi masalah besar bila Anda tidak dapat menilai sesuatu dengan baik.

"Studi menunjukkan bahwa dari waktu ke waktu, orang-orang yang tidur selama 6 jam, bukannya 7 atau 8 jam sehari, mulai merasa bahwa mereka telah beradaptasi dengan keadaan kurang tidur. Mereka sudah terbiasa dengan hal itu," kata Gehrman.

"Tapi jika Anda melihat hasil tes kinerja dan kewaspadaan mental, nilai mereka terus memburuk. Hal itu menjelaskan bagaiamana kurang tidur mengganggu aktivitas kita sehari-hari."

Semoga pengaruh atau kerugian akibat kurang tidur diatas bisa bermanfaat bagi anda. Setidaknya, agar mengurangi kurang tidur anda. Istirahatlah yang cukup :)



Sumber : Kompas.com

A Pig Farm in Beverly Hills and Downtown Tokyo Where Pigs Crap Diamonds - Government Laws Preventing it too!

"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws." -- Tacitus


There are far too many people living in a fantasy world. There are far too many people who have been brought up under our socialist and nanny state environment for too long, or their entire lives, that they know no different. It reminds me of stories I heard about communist Poland or the Soviet Union in the 1960s: I was told that many people were happy and satisfied with a quarter cube of butter for an entire family once a month because they didn't know any better.


People in our society today think it is normal for people to expect handouts "from the government" or a "free education" or "free medical and health care" or "retirement income."


It's shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone, but, unfortunately it might; folks, few things in life are free anymore. And I don't mean that rhetorically. Not even the air we breathe is free. We get taxed even for that. But they don't call it that. They call it the Clean Air Act. 


Whatever the government can tax, it will. It's no joke to think that governments have considered how to tax even the act of sex. 


Of course, they wouldn't call it that. They'd call it something like "Protect the Babies Act" or something like that. When it comes to taxes and government boondoogles everything the government does is named the opposite of what it is actually designed to do. Rick Santelli had a funny rant the other day. He was talking about this very same subject. How about SOPA, the Anti-Piracy Bill? Who could possibly be against fighting piracy? Is there anybody out there who is for piracy? But the law was actually a law designed to curtail our rights of free speech. Or how about the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)? Who couldn't be for protecting the environment? Or the Consumer Protection Agency? Can anybody be against protecting American consumers?


Or how about when Reagan was president and the USA launched a new series of super high speed nuclear tipped missiles that could hit the Soviet Union within 5 minutes and called them, "Peace Keeper Missiles?" 


It's always a diversionary tactic and things are named for the opposite of what they are actually designed for because people are too stupid to put down the TV remote control and read a book to find out what's really going on.


Hey! Am I talking about books again? Yep. Do people read books anymore? No. So that brings me to my next question: What's the difference between a college graduate in the west who doesn't read books and, say, some native villager up in the mountains who is totally illiterate has never even seen a book their entire life? Nothing. Neither of them read books.


Back to that part a while back talking about the government care and "free" medical and education, etc. etc. Listen, like I said, nothing is free. Another big surprise that people in this day and age might find out is that, psst, don't tell anyone but the government doesn't have any of their own money! Yep. That's right. Every single penny the government has is from taxes taken from people like you and me. The government does not own any industry and has no way to create income so they get monies from taxing the working class (that's you and me). So whenever you say that people should, say, get free healthcare, what you are actually saying is that you think you should be taxed to pay for someone else's medical care.

Well, far be it from me to tell you how to spend your money. But, I, for one, have my hands full paying for myself and my family as it is without to paying for someone else's AND have a government office middleman taking a cut off the top for running and "organizing" (I use that term quite loosely) such services. 


It's very simple: the government functions by taking taxes from the working class. In most cases (like, for example, our trash collection services) the government doesn't even run that. It is an job assigned out to a private company, usually on a no-bid contract. Each municipality does it different, but you can bet your bottom dollar that, as no-bid contracts are wont to do, there are favors being handed out.


To think that the government hires and organizes our trash collection services and those guys picking up our trash cans are government employees is another fantasy world which many people seem to believe in... It is much "cheaper" for the government to hire a outside company with outside workers to do it (insurance, employee compensation problems, etc.) and then take a margin off the top for arranging the services. 


I mean, really, sitting at a desk and organizing is what government employees do best. Of course, everyone has seen that and knows it, right? Or has anyone seen that Clark Kent super government employee office worker jetting around town recently?

Yes. In the 1930s, even American students saluted the flag this way

In our modern society people have been so brainwashed by big government and so-called big society that, as I said, they gotten used to this nonsense and think it is normal.


Well, it wasn't normal not that long ago. In the USA, it started in the 1930's with FDR and got greatly expanded and completely out of hand with Lyndon Johnson in the 1960's in America's so-called "Great Society." Nowadays, through years of government run public education, people have come to believe that the state is our benevolent leader and is here to protect us from cradle to grave. 


I won't go into too many examples of how the government protects it's own populace excepting to mention that, in the 20th century alone government's of the world instituted wars that killed over 160 million people. 


As an aside please don't counter the above paragraph with "diseases killed more people than government!" Yes. That's true. Diseases did kill more. But consider the fact that the doctor who discovered the prevention for a disease like Smallpox, Dr. Edward Jenner, did so in the very late 1700's and he did not work for a government agency. Or French chemist Louis Pasteur who found the Germ Theory of disease and prevention for infectious diseases did not work for the government. In fact, I think you'll find that government employed scientists are usually involved in exploring science for military purposes; not disease and sickness prevention or cure.


But I digress.


Today. Over 1/2 of all American households receive some kind of government assistance. Over 45.8 million Americans are on food stamps. Over 25% of all American children are under the poverty level (Japan has a total poverty level of 15.7%). Both the USA and Japanese government to GDP debt levels are unsustainable and the governments of both countries just keep spending and spending...

Your tax dollars at work

Oh, and did I forget to mention that the government has no money of their own and that the money that they are spending is your money? That money  comes from your pocket? I did mention that? Okay. Thanks. Just wanted to make sure you understood that.


A while back, I had a discussion with a guy who was the typical brainwashed American. He thought that we needed more laws, more taxes and he thought that the government was benevolent and good.  


I told him to consider the notion that "Laws are the anti-thesis to freedom." He scrunched up his face and looked confused.


We were at his house in Den en Chofu overlooking the garden area. Den en Chofu is the ritzy part of Tokyo. Imagine Beverly Hills in Japan and you get the idea. As we looked out from the balcony, he insisted that we needed the government and more laws on the books. This really surprised me as I didn't expect that people who were living upper middle class would want more government control over their lives but I would find out that, to my surprise, he wasn't an independent businessman, he was a government employee and in a sort of public union!


He insisted that we needed the government to make laws like no smoking in restaurants and seat belt laws. I said we didn't. 


In the case of smoking laws, people need to understand the difference between a public building and a private building. A government owned building is a public building, the government can make laws about smoking and rights concerning what goes on inside that building. A privately owned building, like your house, is none of their business. If you want to smoke in your house, or allow others to do so - or not do so - that's your business. If people don't like it that you do or do not allow smoking in your building they can go somewhere else.


Nowhere in the US constitution does it say that the federal government has the power to enact laws pertaining to smoking in privately owned buildings or even that you have to buckle your seat belt (It doesn't say that in the Japanese Constitution either). In America, the individual states might. But the federal government does not. And those go for drug laws and smoking laws and laws concerning prohibition too!


Say your mom and dad work hard all their life and save enough money to quit their jobs and they use their saving to buy a building and open a restaurant. It is their building. They own it. The government has no right to tell them who they can and cannot serve to. If your dad wants to allow his customers to smoke in his restaurant, that is your father's right. The government should make no laws pertaining to that.   


But my friend would have no part of it. He insisted that we needed laws like smoking laws or helmet laws. Like I said, people are indoctrinated by public schooling and taught to not be able to think.


Folks we don't need laws like ones that prohibit smoking in privately owned buildings, or must wear a helmet or ones that say you can't build a pig farm in the middle of Beverly Hills. You know why? Well, I explained about public versus private buildings. Helmets? I think only stupid (or really cool and a tad bit crazy) people would ride a motorcycle without one. (I think I also mentioned something about trying to outlaw stupid.") And pig farms? Well, making a business like a pig farm is a huge investment. I don't think people do it to lose money. Pig farmers are not so stupid. People don't usually start businesses - any businesses - to lose money. 


The government cannot outlaw stupid (though sometimes I wish they'd try!)


Pig farms aren't such high income generating businesses, I suspect. The cost of land in Beverly Hills (or in Den en Chofu, Tokyo) run astronomical amounts. Last I heard Den en Chofu was $120 a square foot! Now, most pig farms are out in the country where land runs about a dollar a foot or so for a reason. It doesn't take much of a mathematician or rocket scientist to figure out that a pig farmer could never afford to make a pig farm in Beverly Hills profitable at those land prices unless those pigs were crapping diamonds.


In which case, the government would find a way to make even that unprofitable with a new tax by calling it something like the "Protect Romance and Precious Diamonds Act of 2012."


So, does anyone think we need laws to stop someone from attempting to make a pig farm in rich neighborhoods? I don't think so.


Things are quickly spinning out of control The biggest problem is most people are walking around like nothing is happening and are hoping for the best. Folks, "Hope" is not a very good business plan nor is it a good plan on how you are going to take care of your family. 


We need to cut down on government and government spending in order to get out of the mess we're in. In Japan's and the US government's case, increasing our debt is not the answer to our debt problems. If the average Joe Blow doesn't start to figure this out really soon, we are in for a world of hurt.


If that happens, then I might like to be a pig farmer and get away from the rat race. I read about pig farming in Charlotte's Web. Now, that fantasy world sounded wonderful.

9 Hal Yang Membuat Seks Terasa Menyakitkan Bagi Pria

Seks memiliki dua fungsi yaitu procreation atau berkembang biak dan fungsi recreation atau kesenangan. Tidak bisa menjalankan salah satu dari kedua fungsi tersebut berarti ada masalah dalam sistem tubuh. Masalah-masalah dalam sistem yang membuat akifitas seks terganggu terbagi dua yaitu masalah fisik seperti penyakit dan masalah psikis seperti stres dan lelah. Jika anda mengalami masalah seksual maka anda harus memeriksa dua kemungkinan di atas, kalau tidak sedang stres atau lelah maka kemungkinannya adalah anda mengidap penyakit tertentu.

Hal yang membuat seks terasa menyakitkan pada priaBanyak hal tidak biasa yang mungkin saja dirasakan kaum pria saat berhubungan atau saat orgasme. Mulai dari rasa sakit, perih dan bahkan keluar cairan darah dari Mr. P. Dalam beberapa kasus, hal-hal tersebut kemungkinan disebabkan oleh faktor fisik seperti peradangan prostat, infeksi pada saluran kencing dan bisa jadi sebagai tanda adanya kuman Penyakit Menular Seksual (PMS).

Agar lebih detail, berikut ini sembilan hal yang menyebabkan seks sangat menyakitkan bagi pria saat berhubungan intim.

Penyakit Peyronie
Penyakit Peyronie atau biasa disebut penis bengkok disebabkan oleh pertumbuhan jaringan parut yang tidak normal atau “plaque” dalam jaringan pembuluh penis. Pria yang mengalami Peyronie akan mengalami rasa nyeri saat ereksi dan penis mengalami bengkok. Peyronie adalah jenis penyakit yang paling umum menyebabkan rasa sakit saat berhubungan seks bagi pria.

Prostatitis (peradangan prostat)
Prostatitis adalah infeksi pada kelenjar prostat yang menimbulkan pembengkakan. Penyebab infeksi adalah bacterial prostatitis dalam kandung kemih. Gejala paling umum yang dirasakan penderita adalah rasa anyeri saat buang air kecil atau pada saat ejakulasi.

Infeksi saluran kencing (ISK)
Infeksi saluran kencing sering disebabkan oleh kuman. Biasanya terjadi saat kurang minum, menahan kencing, atau pada penderita diabetes. Infeksi ini menimbulkan rasa sakit saat buang air kecil dan ketika ejakulasi. Pada kasus yang berat bisa menimbulkan demam.

Infeksi jamur
Biasanya ditandai oleh rasa gatal atau terbakar di ujung penis. Infeksi jamur disebabkan karena kurang terjaganya kebersihan penis dan sekitarnya. Kadang kala bisa menimbulkan rasa nyeri. Jelas, pria tidak akan nyaman berhubungan seks saat terjadi infeksi ini.

Dermatitis pada kulit penis
Alergi dan kepekaan terhadap bahan kimia atau sabun dapat menyebabkan peradangan kulit pada penis, terutama bagi pria yang tidak disunat. Dermatitis menimbulkan rasa gatal dan terkadang nyeri. Jika daerah penis tidak higienis, bisa terjadi infeksi tambahan oleh jamur mupun bakteri.

Herpes
Herpes adalah salah satu penyakit menular seksual yang disebabkan oleh virus. Penderita herpes akan merasakan rasa sakit yang sangat pada lukaya saat berhubungan intim. Sangat dianjurkan untuk menahan diri dari seks, sampai herpes disembuhkan. Selain untuk menghindari rasa sakit, juga untuk mencegah penularan.

Psoriasis
Psoriasis adalah penyakit kulit yang disebabkan terjadinya pergantian kulit sangat cepat. Psoriasis masuk kategori tidak berbahaya, tidak menular tapi mengganggu sebab menimbulkan rasa gatal. Psoriasis bisa muncul dimana saja di tubuh termasuk di penis sehingga akan sangat mengganggu jika sedang berhubungan intim.

Fimosis
Fimosis adalah pengencangan kulit penutup kepala penis, sehingga tidak bisa membuka penis (kulit kulup tidak bisa ditarik ke bawah). Fimosis bisa terjadi pada pria yang tidak disunat. Dampak yang ditimbulkan bisa berbahaya saat penis mengalami ereksi, karena bisa mendorong dan merusak jaringan kulitnya.

Parafimosis
Parafimosis adalah suatu kondisi di mana kulit kulup penutup kepala penis tidak dapat kembali ke posisi normal ke atas kepala penis. Jika tidak ditangani, penis akan membengkak dan aliran darah terhambat. Parafimosis disebabkan oleh peradangan atau infeksi kulit khatan, dan mungkin terkait dengan kebersihan pribadi yang buruk. Parafimosis hanya dapat terjadi pada pria yang tidak disunat. Pengobatan bisa termasuk sunat dan antibiotik.

Demikian sembilan hal yang membuat seks terasa menyakitkan dan menyiksa kaum pria. Penanganan masalah-masalah tersebut seharusnya melibatkan dokter spesialis. Seorang dokter akan memeriksa mulai dari penyebab, diagnosa sampai pengobatan yang cocok bagi penderita.



source

Processed Foods Cause Obesity and Cancer in Humans - Human Deaths From Cancer are on the Rise Since 1950 - Cats and Dogs Now Eat Processed Foods - Cats and Dogs Now Get Cancer….. Any Questions?

The other day a good friend told me about another acquaintance whose daughter had just passed away last Tuesday from a ten-month battle with cancer. Poor little girl. She was only eight-years-old... I have experience with dealing with childhood cancer so I can understand somewhat their suffering. May god rest her soul and comfort the parents.

......

This morning I went to the grocery store. I walked by the racks that have the processed poisons (er, I mean processed foods). I never buy that stuff. We picked up our veggies and fruits and then went to the check out counter. There, I noticed that, "Gee! The shelves where the processed human foods are sure do look a lot like the shelves where the processed cat and dog foods are. In fact, they look exactly alike!" 

If you don't pay attention closely, you might be eating your cat's dinner... It might even be healthier!

The increase in cancer deaths (even with the massive decrease in smoking cigarettes) can be attributed to many things. Some things may be difficult for us to control like the air we breathe or the location of factories from our homes.

It is easy, though, to control what we put into our bodies.

Human food. We know this isn't healthy.

It is common knowledge that processed foods cause obesity and cancer in humans (as well as many other maladies)

Deaths from human cancers are on the rise since 1950 (an increase of over 41%!)

Seriously. It's in a can or packaged at a factory, is there any question that it has all sorts of chemical goodies in it?

The diet of people in the west (Japan too) have continually been on a course of more convenience. This makes a situation whereby the consumption of processed foods increase as the years go by.


It isn't a coincidence that as more and more people eat processed foods that more and more people get cancer. Recently, more and more cats and dogs are getting various sicknesses and diseases like cancer. 


More and more people feed their animals processed foods that are causing these illnesses. I think there is a pretty easy to figure causative correlation going on here, don't you think?


Question 1: Do you think the chemicals in processed foods are safe? Do you think that chemicals can cause diseases like cancer? If so, don't you think it is a good idea to eliminate these chemicals in your diet or at least cut them down greatly wherever you can? 


Question 2: Do you think you should you be feeding yourself or your child processed foods?

My son's typical breakfast: Raw veggies and fruits: carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, cashew nuts, tomatoes, orange slices, melon slices (and two boiled broccoli). Add to this homemade raw veggie & fruit juice and 1/2 slice bread and one small sausage. Glass of bottled water. We never give him processed foods for any meal! My breakfast is all these fruits and veggies blended into juice!

Get healthy and protect your health now because the government is going bankrupt and they aren't going to be able to pay for your medical bills one day in the very near future; whether that is Japan, the United States or any of the  European nations with their massive debts. Who is going to pay for your medical bills when the government can't? Hint: Look in the mirror (it's you!)

Getting rid of all the processed foods and poisons we eat and drink is not a 100% sure-fire way to prevent cancer and diseases, but it is a pretty strong shield. And, I mean, in this day and age, why not make the best effort to cut down these poisons coming into our body? In many ways, we cannot control pollutants in the environment and where we live, but we can make a better effort to protect our bodies and our children.


It's a pretty simple equation, I think. You can do your best to eat right now or pay the price later. Your choice.


Note: My dear friend, Timo Budo wrote, "Hey buddy, I read yer rant about processed franken-food. In my case you're preachin' to the friggin' choir. You seen the flick "Forks Over Knives" ?" Here's the trailer:

Save Your Life With a Blender

Are you or your parents feeling poorly? Your health declining? Is your stomach constantly messed up? You have have all sorts of ailments like high-blood pressure or gout? 

Would you like to feel twenty years younger? Would you like to help your ailing parents feel better, even just a little bit? Well, you've come to the right place.

When I went to see my dad in hospice the other day, he looked like he was going to die at any minute. Around his eyes were dark and sunken. His cheeks looked the same. Throw in the oxygen tubes he had running in his nose and he looked like he could have keeled over and died at any moment.

That wasn't my dad. That guy near death was some guy I didn't even know.

My father was much worse than the last time I saw him three months ago. At that time, I went to see him right after he had been released from intensive care. We visited him and, within a week, he was up and walking around and feeling much better.

This time, on the first night, as I said, he looked like he was next to death. Besides an oxygen tank, he had a walker and couldn't safely make it by himself from the bedroom to the living room. He couldn't put on his clothes by himself nor could he even button his shirt.

By the time I left 7 days later, he was standing in the kitchen, without a walker, and was cooking his own biscuits and gravy (which, to my chagrin, he laced with salt before eating - as he has always done).

What was the secret to this miraculous conversion? Well, you can bet it wasn't because of the cocktail of chemicals he was being given by the doctors nor his SAD diet (consisting of heated up canned food). I believe that his quick recovery was due to my insistence that he drink one glass of raw vegetable and fruit juice before every meal. Then he can eat whatever he wants.

You don't even need a juicer. A regular old household blender is plenty suitable for making your own fruit and vegetable juice. Just throw in some celery, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, what-have-you with some bottled water then blend at high speed.

After that, add fruits to sweeten it up.

I can tell you that when I first got gout, I did this for six months and lost about 30 pounds and my blood pressure returned to normal and I stopped taking almost all medicines.

People will always tell you to eat healthy and cut down on processed foods and foods filled with chemicals and salt and other additives. That's obvious.

Everyone knows that eating healthy is better for you than eating the diet which is now referred to as, "SAD" (Standard American Diet).

The website "Ask Dr. Sears" says this about SAD:

If you were to list the factors that increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, intestinal disorders – just about any illness – the standard American diet has them all:

• High in animal fats
• High in unhealthy fats: saturated, hydrogenated
• Low in fiber
• High in processed foods
• Low in complex carbohydrates
• Low in plant-based foods

The striking fact is that cultures that eat the reverse of the standard American diet – low fat, high in complex carbohydrates, plant-based, and high in fiber – have a lower incidence of cancer and coronary artery disease (CAD). What's even more sad is that countries whose populations can afford to eat the healthiest disease-preventing foods don't. The United States has spent more money on cancer research than any country in the world, yet the American diet contributes to the very diseases we are spending money to prevent.

Yes. SAD is poison. But, as with people like my dad, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. He will still eat his mash potatoes and gravy and his steak and potatoes, but at least with a glass of homemade Frappe (juice) he fills his stomach up first and gets those raw veggies his body so desperately needs. And, if he has a glass of that before every meal, he won't eat as much salty chemical laced foods.

It's not the best solution but it is a practical one that worked wonders for me and my father.

It might work wonders for your too. Try it.

For more on raw food and the benefits of drinking raw juice and eating raw foods, check the Live Food Factor.

Another Wide Spread Cause of Illness that Affects Everyone - Probably You Too!

This blog started out as a blog about Marketing, Media and Japan. But as time went on, and due to the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster and the foaming-at-the-mouth rantings of people who were claiming that we all were going to die, I switched the focus of this blog to blasting those clowns out of the water. Now, I see where I have to refocus on writing about just how messed up people are and how f'ed up their priorities are.


The year is 2011. People all over the world are complaining about nuclear power. No one says anything about coal and oil even though, for every unit of power produced, those industries kill more than 5,000 times more people than those who die from nuclear power. 


People in the west are talking about their health, safety and the environment. They are "getting back to nature", "natural", "eating healthy", "living right" and "exercising", etc., etc. People complain and moan about things like nuclear power and killing dolphins and the environment, etc. all the while they stuff their faces with processed foods, drive their cars like idiots, and do all sorts of things to their bodies that will kill them years before their time and way before any nuclear radiation will.


But I continue to flog a dead horse.


Actually, I am on vacation in Hawaii now and have come to observe another very curious behavior of people these days. This behavior cannot be good for you but you see people doing it all the time. This behavior has been proven to cause high blood pressure, heart disease and even birth defects, yet people still do it regularly.


Hawaii has scenic beauty, natural forests, beautiful unspoiled beaches. Clean. Cleanliness. Unpolluted. Healthy. Natural.


Yes. Healthy and natural... Excepting for the 65% of all people over 30 years old who are overweight here. 80% of the people over 40 are obese. 


Very healthy, except for the people.... But those are the unhealthy.. There are some healthy ones. At least they look that way. Those are the the young and beautiful people who are keeping their bodies fit with exercise....


I walk along an empty beach. There's no sound except nature; the wind, the waves, the birds. Silence. It is heaven to a person who has spent over three decades in Rock music as a musician and at a Rock music radio station. On the beach here I have only the sounds of nature; it is heavenly silence and extremely calming and very healthy. My stress levels drop to zero.


Also, on these quiet beaches, runners go by every morning on their daily jog. While doing something great for their bodies, they do something terrible for their minds. They all do the same thing: They wear headphones.

One guy wore headphones in a thunderstorm...

He's lost half his hearing... Ewww!

Everyone knows the benefit of natural sounds. Everyone knows the benefit of silence. Everyone knows that sound pollution is a cause of many physical and mental disorders. Yet these people, surely surrounded by man-made industrial noise all day, choose to spend their quiet time alone blasting loud music into their ears.


Go figure.


Here's what Wikipedia says about Health Effects from Noise Pollution:

Noise health effects are the health consequences of elevated sound levels. Elevated workplace or other noise can cause hearing impairment, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, annoyance and sleep disturbance. Changes in the immune system and birth defects have been attributed to noise exposure, but evidence is limited. Although some presbycusis may occur naturally with age, in many developed nations the cumulative impact of noise is sufficient to impair the hearing of a large fraction of the population over the course of a lifetime. Noise exposure has also been known to induce tinnitus, hypertension, vasoconstriction and other cardiovascular impacts. Beyond these effects, elevated noise levels can create stress, increase workplace accident rates, and stimulate aggression and other anti-social behaviors. The most significant causes are vehicle and aircraft noise, prolonged exposure to loud music, and industrial noise.

Why do people do good things for their body while doing such bad to their physiology and mind? Why do people appreciate the beauty of nature, yet they seem to not be able to appreciate the sound of nature?


It is quite odd the damage that people will voluntarily do to themselves. I'm not saying that listening to headphones is always bad. I think it might be fine to relax in contrast to, say, a ride on a packed commuter train. But when you have the rare chance to listen to nature, you'd be wise to take it.


Of course, in this article, once again, I will be attacked as some sort of "non-expert" but, like I said, over three decades in music as a paid professional makes me an expert and one of the few people who have made a good living in music. 


When music is your business and it is how you live, trust that you come to appreciate the health benefits of silence and natural sound.


I have no TV or stereo at my home and I certainly don't carry a stereo in my pocket. 


There's enough man-made noise pollution as it is. If I can hear nature and silence, I will choose that whenever and wherever possible. For your health, you should too.  

Very Sprite, Alert and Healthy 95 Year Old Guy Gives Tips for a Long Life

Recently I have been writing a lot about philosophical things like life & death, purpose, respect and dedication as well as choosing a partner well. Today, I'd like to introduce to you a guy who I have met in these last few days that has really blown my mind. I also want to share some of his philosophies on living a long life. I'm sure you will get a smile and a laugh as I did.

IGGY POP - LUST FOR LIFE

I am so glad to introduce you to this fascinating man. You'll be glad you met him too! His name is Yasuyuki Hashimoto and he is 95-years-old. I suppose being 95-years-old is pretty cool but, in Japan, it's not that unusual. The thing amazing about Yasuyuki Hashimoto is that he is 95 years old and must the one of the brightest, most energetic, alert and healthy 95-year-old folks you'll ever meet... He's totally coherent and he stays in the conversation and is not hard of hearing. 

Yasuyuki Hashimoto 95-years-old  March 2, 2011

Not only that, but Yasuyuki has never been admitted into a hospital in his entire life!!!


Get that? Of course Yasuyuki has visited doctors before, but he has never stayed overnight in a hospital in his entire life. Can you believe that!? Wow! He must be some sort of miracle of science.  


But I guess he's not a miracle of science. Yasuyuki was a guy who worked hard and played hard too! Yasuyuki told me about the old days when he was a salesman for Ishikawa Heavy Industries (IHI) and he said he smoked about 1.5 packs of cigarettes a day and drank to excess nightly.

As a salesman for IHI in the 1950's

"Mike, as you know, in Japan, salesmen must drink with their clients. I was a good salesman so I was drunk often." Yasuyuki said. His 63-year-old son added, "What!? You were drunk every night!" Looking at me the son added, "Sometimes he would pass out in the street and we'd have to carry him home. ."


Yes. Yes. I can relate to that... Thank god, I don't do that anymore! "Excuse me, bartender! I'll have what he's drinking!


Anyway, Yasuyuki says he stopped drinking 5 years ago and stopped smoking about 15 years ago.  

Yasuyuki in army uniform looking a lot like 

Erwin Rommel (circa 1942)

I have met many 70-year-olds that weren't half as spry and alert as Yasuyuki is. This guy is simply amazing! Yesterday we had lunch together and we were talking about old times and he was joking about how much he used to like to drink to excess (something that I can definitely relate to). His conversational abilities are incredible.... And I don't mean incredible for his age, I mean, he's glib and funny and tells jokes! 


Wow! I hope that I can be 1/2 as bright and bushy-tailed as Yasuyuki is when I'm 80! In fact, when Yasuyuki was 80 years old, his son told me of a time that his father met a stewardess at a bus stop and wound up with the young lady accompanying him back home. Imagine that! You have an 80-year-old dad who is very peppy, energetic, red-blooded and robust guy showing up back at home with some pretty 30-some year old airlines stewardess! Wow! You can't make this stuff up.


Yeah. When I grow up I want to be just like Yasuyuki Hashimoto!   

Yasuyuki as a junior high school

student circa 1930 (back row - upper right)

Yasuyuki Hashimoto was born in Tokyo in 1916. He went to school in Tokyo and was conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army immediately after university. During the war, in 1942, he was stationed in Indonesia and say he spent his time enjoying the country and fishing.


There were no big battles in the area his unit was stationed in. He did say, though, that American planes would come snooping around everyday and some of the rascals in his unit wanted to shoot at the plane, but cooler heads prevailed. Yasuyuki and the others knew that if they shot at the plane, the Americans would just come back tomorrow with more planes, so they left them alone (kind of like not whacking a hornet's nest).


He said he and his fellows soldiers would stand around and look at the plane as it flew around. The planes were so close that they could see the pilot's face! They'd stare at the pilot and the pilot would stare back and  then fly away.


This theater of the absurd went on for everyday until the end of the war.

Out with the boys on the field in Indonesia 1942

About the war, I asked Yasuyuki if he and his fellow soldiers believed that the emperor was god? Yasuyuki looked incredulously at me and said, "No! Are you kidding? We weren't that stupid!" We both then howled with laughter.


Yasuyuki has many funny and interesting stories. I wish I could share them all with you.

Student conscripts in front of Mt. Fuji (circa 1940)

I did, though, ask Yasuyuki two important questions. The first was, "What is the secret to long life?"


Yasuyuki answered, "Live a boring, peaceful life." 


That makes sense. It reminds me, once again, of the Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." Yasuyuki's advice fits in well; peace and serenity and quiet and calm; those are the secrets to a long life. 


I think it is good advice. I hope that I can live a boring life someday spending quiet time with my family and fishing and living among nature.

Yasuyuki Hashimoto (back row, third from right)

(circa 1942)

The second question I asked Yasuyuki was, "Do you have any advice for readers as to how to live a happy, peaceful and long life?" 

To this Yasuyuki thought for a moment and said, "No. The best advice I can give anyone is no advice. I don't like it when people are always giving out advice. I have no advice to give."


Think about that, dear readers, isn't that just like Zen Buddhism? In a word, Yasuyuki's advice can be summed up as, "The best advice is no advice!"


Wow! I am taking that to heart. Think about it, folks. It's true!


The best advice is no advice! 


Yasuyuki Hashimoto san! May you live long and prosper!