For more than 20 years, the Dartmouth Atlas Project has documented glaring variations in how medical resources are distributed and used in the United States. The project uses Medicare data to provide information and analysis about national, regional, and local markets, as well as hospitals and their affiliated physicians. This research has helped policymakers, the media, health care analysts and others improve their understanding of our health care system and forms the foundation for many of the ongoing efforts to improve health and health systems across America.
Being Present - What is mindful meditation and how does it help?
Mindfulness is the process of focusing attention on the present moment. It’s a form of personal training that’s enhanced through the practice of meditation. Research suggests that practicing mindfulness improves feelings of well-being and physical health. Click here to learn more about the benefits of mindfulness.
David Brooks' Tribute to Gwen Ifil
Click here to read his moving remarks in the New York Times.
How Controlled Breathing Can Relieve Stress and Energize Us
Free, easy, no equipment required! Click here for an article from the New York Times.
Music and Your Brain
from Jo-Ann Rapaport
Did you know that listening to music is good for you? Click here for a short video, where CNN’s medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta describes the formidable effect that listening to music can have on the brain.
Research has confirmed that playing music is the brain’s equivalent of a full body workout!! Click here for a brief animation from TED-Ed, written by Anita Collins and animated by Sharon Coleman Graham that explains why playing music benefits the brain more than any other activity.
The Power of Being Needed
Despite their differences in religion and politics, the Dalai Lama and Arthur C. Brooks agree on the healthful and joyful consequences of being useful to others. They note a research study showing that senior citizens who didn't feel useful to others were nearly three times as likely to die prematurely than those who did feel useful. Click here to read the article.
Jo-Ann Rapaport's Solution to Dry Winter Skin
How do you get moisturizing lotion smoothly between your shoulder blades on your back? That’s where the itch associated with winter’s dry skin seems unreachable and intolerable to me. Here’s my solution. After showering and applying lotion everywhere I can reach, I take a square of paper towel and fold it into thirds. I then pump moisturizing lotion over the entire exposed third. I hold the top of the paper towel and place it on the nape of my neck. I then reach around for the other end of the paper towel and sweep it from side to side. Amazingly I’ve just put moisturizing cream on parts of my back I’ve never reached before!
Harriet Barnett shares a link to the State Council on CCRs she attended recently
Click here to see the video of the entire meeting. [Warning: it's 3 hours long.]
Storyglory Workshop with Tina Martin Sat. Nov. 5, 10-3
THIS SATURDAY
Record your memories with a professional family historian. Join our free workshop with Tina Martin (daughter of former residents Marjorie and Ralph Martin). You’ll learn how to use Storyglory, a free and simple personal history app for iPhones and iPads, to digitize a photo, record your memories, and share it with friends and family.
WHEN AND WHERE
Saturday, November 5
10am - 3pm
Residents Office, C Level (near Clermont puzzle table)
SIGN UP
Sign up on the Storyglory sheet on the Trips Shelf
BRING: 2 or more photos
An iPhone or iPad (or you can use ours)
QUESTIONS? Jeff x1854 Sheila x1793 Caroline x1602
PRODUCED In collaboration with the Computer Committee
Laughter and Stress Relief: A Follow-up from Bill Rakower
Bill writes, "for decades now following the work of Norman Cousins, Ev and I have practiced so-called 'laugh therapy'. It works remarkably well to elevate your mood." He suggests going to YouTube, entering "laugh therapy" and you'll find many videos about how it works as well as videos that may make you laugh. Click here to check them out. Bill continues, "Of course, if you walk down the halls of KOH laughing out loud, your neighbors may think you are crazy. You'll figure it out."
Artificial Intelligence Offers New Opportunities to Criminals
For something else we need to be alert about, click here.
Do More College Ratings Create Chaos?
Click here to see Frank Bruni's thoughts about college rankings.
Is it Possible to be Richer but not Better Off?
Click here to see why Eduardo Porter thinks this is the case for the U.S.
New York Times Public Editor Liz Spayd discusses the Times' foray into Podcasting
Click here to see what the Times is doing and some of the issues it raises.
Can Knitters Teach us Empathy?
Click here to see what Perri Klass has noticed about how knitters respond to each others' work.
Exploring an End of Life Option
What do we know about what happens when a terminally ill person voluntarily decides to stop eating and drinking? Click here for Paula Span's report in the New York Times on a recent conference on VSED (voluntarily stopping eating and drinking).
What percent of Americans helped select the Democratic and Republican candidates for President?
Click here to see a graphic explanation of how many were involved.
Two minutes from the Al Smith Dinner with Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump
Click here to see the video from CNN. There's an ad in the beginning.
Preserving Healthy Vision from Jo-Ann Rapaport
When you last visited your eye specialist did you receive all the elements of a comprehensive dilated eye exam? Vision threatening diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma or age-related macular degeneration may have no early warning symptoms. Early detection can be sight-saving.
Click here for a play by play description (with an animated video) of the components of a comprehensive dilated eye exam from the National Eye Institute, one of the National Institutes of Health.
Laughter--and Stress Relief from Jo-Ann Rapaport
In the 1970’s, Norman Cousins was diagnosed with a dreadful disease for which there was limited treatment and a poor prognosis. He and his doctor infused his treatment with doses of The Marx Brothers and Three Stooges movies and other comedies and discovered the healing potential of laughter. A new category of treatment was launched with his book Anatomy of an Illness As Perceived by the Patient and his subsequent research at UCLA into the biochemistry of human emotions, confirmed their relationship to healing. His book has been republished as an e-book by his daughter, Sarah Cousins Shapiro, and is available from Amazon for Kindles and in Hardcover.
Click here for a piece on stress relief from a Mayo Clinic publication, which says: Stress relief from laughter? It’s no joke. When it comes to relieving stress, more giggles and guffaws are just what the doctor ordered. Here’s why.