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#3372 - Friday, December
5, 2008 - Editor: Jerry Katz
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
In this issue, Jerry and
Greg write about the upcoming nonduality conference.
A review and excerpts
from Up Without Meds, by Mark Myers
Greg Goode's
Friday column is a response to a letter from Jerry Katz
Just thought I'd mention
that we'e working on the world's
first public nonduality gathering. It'll be held in the Bay Area,
every expression of nonduality that there is. Scientists, gurus,
teachers, philosophers, artists, musicians, ecologists, shamans,
Yogis, actors, performance artists, filmmakers, seekers,
devotees,
writers, poets, anyone interested in nonduality for whatever
reasons.
To cap it off, there will be a Saturday night party with local
DJs and
the right music for the occasion.
Also tents will be set up for publishers and local providers of
raw,
organic foods and wine.
Like I said, we're working on it. As you may know, I don't adhere
to
any teacher, teaching, or tradition, so anything goes in this
gathering. It's nonduality in all its expressions. It's a
gathering
for people who want to celebrate and probe the existence in the
world
of the teaching of nonduality. It's not so much a "We're all
one" festival, as it is a "We'e all here"
festival.
Pass this along. Invite others to join this email list in order
to
stay in touch about this event. Here's the link to this list:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nondualitygathering2009
-Jerry Katz
------------------------
Hey Jerry and all. Greg
here. Yes, the first public conference on
nonduality. There have been private conferences of different
kinds on
nonduality; some psychotherapists have discussed nonduality, but
only
in relation to their own practice. There have conferences
privately
organized and not publicly advertised.
But this conference is planned to be a public, open, multifaceted
cultural event. The official theme centers on science, but it
will
involve everything from music to food to dance. It's longer than
the
private ones too: 4 days.
Stay tuned for lots more!
--Greg Goode http://heartofnow.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nondualitygathering2009
Up Without Meds,
by Mark Myers
http://www.amazon.com/without-Meds-lifestyle-depression-antidepressants/dp/0980041902
This is a powerful book
for anyone dealing with depression arising out of breakdowns in
lifestyle habits. If you follow Mark Myers' recommendations, you
might be able to stay out of the therapist's office (although
those are valuable places, too!) and away from medication
(although there's a time for meds, as well).
In my own life I know the
value of following Mark's recommendations. I know that when I get
slack with one of the five lifestyle changes Mark talks
about, the forces that keep a healthy life together start to
weaken a little. I can feel it.
In my work with mentally
challenged people, I tell my clients that if they become
disciplined in the five lifestyle demands set forth in this book,
their lives will go a lot more smoothly, their stress levels will
be reduced, and they'll be happier and feel more in control of
their lives. They do make efforts to succeed where they can, and
once they see the benefits of a lifestyle change, they stay with
it. Sometimes they fall back, but that only teaches them the
power of the change they had implemented. They do their
best to retain the beneficial lifestyle change.
If the recommendations in
this book help people with serious psychoses (of course they
remain under medical care and continue to take medications), how
do you think they'll help you?
One awesome quality
of this book is the index. I'm an index freak, somewhat, and
this is one of the best indexes I've seen in all the books I've
reviewed. I've included the entire index below because you can
learn so much about a book by reading the index.
Here is an excerpt from
the first few pages of Up Without Meds, by Mark Myers.
~ ~ ~
Your depression isn’t
about what you think. It’s about
how you live.
Your low mood isn’t
caused by how you feel, but by
the negative conditioning of debilitating habits.
You don’t get
depressed because something depressing
happens. Unfortunate things do happen, and when they do,
you get depressed because of choices you made a long time
before misfortune knocked on your door.
Your episodes aren’t
a normal response to stress. Stress
is the bale of straw that breaks the camel’s back, but what
makes the camel’s back breakable is the way you live.
Depression isn’t a brain-chemical imbalance. A chemical
imbalance is most assuredly involved in depression, but how
did it come about? Genes have something to do with it. So
does childhood history. But above all, unbalanced chemistry
is your body’s response to an unbalanced life.
Does it surprise you to hear someone say that your depression
is caused by something that’s entirely within your
control? It may be a new idea to you, and, indeed, is a new
one to many people. You won’t find a lot of experts or drug
ads saying it, though hundreds of studies confirm it, and
many doctors, in their heart of hearts, know it...
Deciding to live a little
differently is the only sure way out of depression.
In this book I’m
going to ask you to jump several years ahead
of the experts, and make up your own mind about what’s
really causing your depression. It’s important to rely on
your
own judgment here, because if you allow the weight of current
expert opinion to make up your mind for you, you’ll come to
the wrong conclusion. And the wrong conclusion will almost
surely keep you depressed, just as it keeps many of the experts
depressed.
So in the first part of
this book I’ll lay out the evidence
that implicates your lifestyle as the deciding factor. If I make
my case, and you become convinced, you’ll have the key to
ending your depression.
Your physical health is
at stake, too.
You may have read that
depression is linked to other health
and safety problems, including anxiety disorder, heart disease,
stroke, cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease,
Alzheimer’s
disease, accident proneness, slow recovery from
surgery, and sudden death from natural causes. The link
between depression and these afflictions isn’t surprising,
because
what makes you susceptible to them is the same set of
lifestyle mistakes that set you up for depression. Research
shows, again and again, that your lifestyle is the most important
factor in your physical health and longevity. So if you
start living a little differently in order to end your
depression,
you’ll wind up in better shape generally, and with a
dramatically
increased—we’re talking years—life expectancy. And
believe me, when you stop being depressed, you’ll want to
live a long, long time
Five things that wreck
your buoyancy
What is it about your
lifestyle that’s depressing you?
To answer, let me begin
by speculating a little bit about
you. If you suffer from major depression, my guess is that at
least three of the following statements apply to you. Probably
four of them do. The odds are pretty good that all five of them
do. Let’s see if I’m right...
You don’t exercise
much.
You stay up watching
television, surfing the Web,
playing video games, reading, or working, and average
fewer than eight hours of sleep even during
periods when you aren’t depressed.
You live on a diet that
leans toward some combination
of the following: meat and other animal products,
packaged convenience foods, snacks, sweets,
and fast food.
Except at the job (if you
work outside the home),
you don’t involve yourself much with people outside
the house.
You’re addicted to
something.
How did I do?
If I was right, it was no
great feat, because the five lifestyle
mistakes I’m talking about are now widespread in the
the population as a whole. Scant exercise, meager sleep,
nutritional
recklessness, social isolation, and serious addiction
have come to be as American as Mrs. Smith’s Frozen Apple
Pie. The
surpass all nations in depression, as well other lifestyle dis-
orders such as obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and
diabetes.
Read more about Up
Without Meds and order it at
Up Without Meds,
by Mark Myers
http://www.amazon.com/without-Meds-lifestyle-depression-antidepressants/dp/0980041902
I n d e x
Note: the index did not reproduce here exactly as it
is in the book. The indentations have been lost. It is easier to
read the index within the book itself.
5 Mile
5decisions.com 12, 29, 46, 70, 78, 96,
104, 115, 132, 140, 146, 156, 159, 171, 173,
181
A
Accident proneness 2
Addiction
see also alcoholism
Amish immunity to 43
blackmailing dynamic of 133
choice in 144
damaging effects to lifestyle of 139
deifying 143
depression’s synergistic relationship
with 36, 133
enouraging statistics on recovering from
144
filling needs in ways other than 146
food 111, 139
high rate in
hitting bottom in 143
Internet 141
loan-shark dynamic in 133
negative effects on lifestyle of 136
recovery
plan for 142
preparatory work in 146
role of exerise in 76
struggle isn’t necessary in 142
social aspects of 139
vulnerability of depressives to 134
War Generation relatively free of 40
Addictive habits 141
Ads, drug-company 178
effect on doctor behavior 27
Agave nectar, blue 19
Alcoholics Anonymous 144
deification of addiction in 143
directory of meetings for 171
and self-selection 142
as a way to socially connect 131
Alcoholism
acknowledging feelings of helplessness
in 144
choosing for or against 143
depression’s synergistic partnership
with 136-7
my own painless recovery from 17, 20-1
recovering on your own from 145
recovery
importance of self-selection in 142
role in ending depression of 38
Alzheimer’s disease
cholesterol as a factor in 105
depression’s link to 2, 166
role of exercise in preventing 75
Americans
capacity for change among 180
high rate of depression among 180
American Diabetes Association 60
American Medical Association 48, 51, 74
American Sleep Foundation 94
Amish 42-3, 67, 179
Anandamide 133
Anchoring habits 159
Antidepressants
addictive properties of 62
cost of 59
dangers of 59, 60
distorted results in trials of 54
efforts to conceal the poor results of 52
hazards of long-term use of 60
inefficacy of 48
lifestyle changes more effective than 13
mistakes doctors make in prescribing
48
other medications interact dangerously
with 60
percentage of Americans taking 48
placebo effect of 11, 54
poor performance of 47, 53-4, 57
a recommendation to stay on 11
side effects of 58
unknown dangers of 61
unpredictability of 50, 58
Anxiety 58, 62, 90, 136, 155
Apnea, sleep 92-3
Archer Daniels Midland 99
B
Bad Bulb Test 36-7
Beck Depression Inventory 44
Beliefs, the power of 53-4
Bessemer-process steel 33
Big Mac 111
Blood
glucose 102
pressure, effect of sedentary lifestyle
on 71
sugar
effect of exercise on 83
permanent effect of high-GL foods on
103
Bone density, antidepressants’ effect on
60
Boomers, poor health of 46
Bristol-Myers Squibb 63-4
Brookhaven National Laboratory 102
Buddy program, support provided by 181
C
Cacioppo, John 118
Cancer
depression’s relationship to 2
escalating rates,
on 9
exercise’s positive effects against 75, 89
Cannon, Walter 32
Canola oil 107
Carbohydrates 40, 102, 135, 138
Cardiovascular
deterioration, social isolation’s negative
effect on 118
health, exercise’s positive effect on 83
Carrying capacity, lifestyle changes prevented
by limitations on 153
Celexa 53
Challenger disaster, sleep deprivation a
factor in 88
Chemical imbalance, the myth of 26
Chicago, University of 25, 88, 118
Childhood conditioning, depression’s link
to 4, 31, 35, 66, 70, 177
Cholesterol 20, 105, 107, 110
depression’s link to 104-5
fats and 106-7
Clinical trials 53-4, 56, 58
Clinton, Bill 87
Coach, personal 82
Cohen, Sheldon B. 74
Coontz, Stephanie 123
D
Dairy products, saturated fats in 107
Depression
clinical, definition of 12
collapsed homeostasis in 34
hereditary factor in 35
relationship with addiction 136-7
sleep deprivation an unleashing factor
for 90
Donne, John 118
Drug companies 26-7, 32, 45, 47, 50-3,
64, 135, 162-3
Duany, Andres 120
E
Eating defensively 109
Exercise
increasing enjoyment of 80
paying attention to subjective experience
during 79, 80
planning for obstacles in 82
positive reinforcement for 80
pulling out of an episode with 163
in addiction treatment 139
in diabetes treatment 151
as a sleep aid 94
socializing combined with 171
walking one of the best forms of 82-3
Exxon Valdez accident, sleep deprivation a
factor in 88
F
Farmers’ markets 115
Fast food, depression’s link to 98
Fats, categories of 40, 106-7, 110
FDA 52-3, 56, 59, 60, 64, 95, 108
File drawer effect 52
Fish, reducing depression by increasing
consumption of 38, 69
Flour, white 102-3
Foods
harmful and healthful 19, 100, 102-3,
111-2, 114, 152, 168
locally-grown 115
Food and Drug Administration 52, 58
Freedom of Information Act 52
Freud’s depression 65, 68-9
Frontal lobes, exercise’s beneficial effect
on 75
Furniture Factor 36
G
Gambling and depression 6, 41, 139, 141
Genes 1, 4, 5, 10, 13, 34-6, 85, 149, 161,
177, 179
Geneva Conventions, American lifetyle
defined as torture under 6
Glucose 98, 100, 106
Glycemic index 102
Glycemic load 101-3, 106
Gottleib, Elaine 138
Guskiewicz, Kevin 71
H
Haig, Scott 50
Hall, Edward T. 119
Hanks, Tom 117
Harvard 15, 25, 38, 48, 73, 108, 114
Health
clubs 182
foods, warning about 114
Heart disease
cholesterol and triglycerides as causes
of 105
depression’s relationship to 2, 105, 166
and sleep
apnea 92
deprivation 89, 94
and trans fats 108
and the Western diet 110
High-fructose corn syrup 97
Highway Traffic Safety Administration
88
Hippocrates 177
Homeostasis 7, 32-4
Hydrogenated oil 106-7
I
Inert, definition of 53
Insomnia
antidepressants’ link to 58
depression’s link to 95
exercise as a treatment for 75
statistics and tips 91
Institute of Medicine 52, 60
Insulin, high-GL foods’ effect on 106
Internet 10, 39, 41, 91, 122, 139, 141-2, 175
Isolation, social
depression’s relationship to 25, 118, 179
help in overcoming 132
modern technology’s role in 8
tips for reducing 156
J
Jacobs, Jane 121
Jewish Hospital in
K
KFC 108
Kirsch,
L
Leno, Jay 87
Leuchter, Andrew 59
Lifestyle
decisions 11, 25, 182
habits 66, 162
mistakes 2, 3, 179
sedentary 73
trends 4, 46
Lilly, Eli 58
Loan sharks, chemical 101, 133, 140
M
Marijuana 133, 135, 137-8
Marriage 66-7, 124, 146
Marx, Karl 130
Maslow, Abraham 119
Mayo Clinic 25, 73
McDonald’s 99, 112
Media, role of in depression 27
Mediterranean diet 110
Merck 61
Mirapex 95
Moffitt, Terrie 35
Moncrieff, J. 48
Mood regulation as homeostatic system 8
Mood-recovery system 141, 175
Moral character as a poor explanation for
addiction 146
Mothers 14, 23, 44, 60, 152
nursing 113
Mumford, Lewis 120-1
Myers, Judy 16, 80
N
National Academies of Science 60
National Institute
on Aging 46
Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism 136, 142
of Mental Health 65, 136
National Institutes of Health 46, 53, 59
National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic
Survey 145
National Sleep Foundation 37, 85, 88-94
National Survey Drug Use & Health 144
Neurotransmitters 133-4, 136, 139, 141,
159
NFL retired players who get depressed 71
Nicotine, depression’s link to 136-7
Norepinephrine 133, 163
Nutritional recklessness in the U.S. 3
O
Obesity as a contagion 158
Occupiers of consciousness 140
O’Connor, Richard 65
Old age, sleep problems in 89, 94
Omega-3 acids as antidepressants 38
Oxycontin 138
P
Panic attacks, antidepressants as a trigger
for 58
Parkinson’s disease
depression’s link to 2
exercise as a preventive for 75
Paxil 53, 58
Peanut oil 107
Peer influence in habits 159
Perlis, Michael 90
Personal trainers as depression-stoppers
158, 182
Pharma babes 27, 50
Physical inactivity, depression’s relationship
with 138, 179
Physicians 1, 11-2, 20, 26-7, 45, 48-52,
54-5, 58-9, 62, 64-5, 93-4, 165, 182
influence of drug reps on 50
Placebo 53-4, 56, 65 see also sugar pill
effect in antidepressants 11, 54
Plater-Zyberk,
Pollan, Michael 18, 25, 109-11
Pornography 141
Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome 13
Prescription drugs, addictive 41
Prevention methods, advanced 164
Prozac 15, 53, 58, 74
Psychological explanation for depression
149
Putnam, Robert D. 122, 124
Pyramid of needs, Maslow’s 119
R
Recovery
addiction
the hard step in 147
outside a program 145
through
12-step 145
lifestyle changes 159
without a struggle 146
depression
the first step in 160
the story of my own 15
when living alone 168
your right to ask for help in 166
Religion as a provider of emotional richness
to fight depression 130
Requip 95
Rescue
medication 162-3
plan for pulling out of depression 173
Resistance training as an antidepressant
80
Restless legs syndrome as a factor in
depression 95
Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation 95
Retired athletes, depression common
among 71
Robinson, Sir Ken 69
Roth, Thomas 86
S
Saffo, Paul 72
Scientific method 25, 38
Score, daily GL 104
Script, sick day 165, 168-70, 174
Seafood, reducing depression with 113-4
Seinfeld, Jerry 157
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors,
see SSRIs
Self-help groups 142, 144-5
Self-rescue technique 161
Self-sufficiency, no such thing as 117
Seligman, Martin 125
Serotonin 75, 133-4, 136, 163
Serzone 51, 53, 62-4
Sexual dysfunction as a side effect of
antidepressants
58
Shift workers, sleep disruption among 93
Shopping, compulsive, as an addiction 41
Shyness, socializing easily in spite of 128
Sick-day arrangements for depression selfcare
165, 173
Side effects of antidepressants 47, 57-9,
64
Sleep
apnea 92-3
benefits of exercise for 75
centers 93
decline among moderns 5
deprivation 8, 23, 66, 89-92, 95, 138,
151, 179
among caregivers 91
depression a factor in 95
occupiers as a factor in 141
physical discomfort as a contributor
to 94
that precedes depression 85
TV and the Internet as factors in 91
women suffer more from 89
as a maintenance operation 6, 88
older people’s needs for 89
people are clueless about their need for
86
tips from the National Sleep Foundation
92
Sleepcenters.org 93
Sleepfoundation.org 94
Sleep Foundation survey 89
Smoking, depression’s link to 136-7
Snack foods, high-GL content in 102
Snacks, trans fats in 107
Social contact 6, 11, 21, 24, 67-8, 119, 122,
124, 139, 141-2, 149, 156, 159, 163-4, 169,
171
Social interaction
observations in Bowling Alone 122
quality levels of 126
suburbs discourage 120
urban changes discourage 120
Social pressure as a support mechanism
77
Social service as an antidepressant 130,
164
Soft drinks
as addictive substances 138
as appetite boosters 99
depression’s link to 97
and triglycerides 106
Soybean oil 106-7
Specialists, mental-health, mediocre track
record among 50
Squibb 63-4
SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors), dangerious interactions of
grapefruit juice with 62
Stanford 73
12-step programs
as emergency socilizing 171
meeting listings for 171
and powerlessness over alcohol 143
quitting without 144
Stewart, Martha 87
Stress, emotional
not an adequate explanation for depression
5
compared with historical levels 42
overwhelming 161, 164
psychotherapy in the treatment of 67
as a trigger rather than an underlying
cause 1
Stroke
depression’s link to 2, 166
exercise as a preventive for 75
sleep deprivation linked to 89
Structure, importance of in
exercise program 77
pulling out of depression 165
social-contact increases 127
Subsidies, brain-chemical, addictive substances
as 133, 138
Substances, addictive
as replacements for what you really need
148
and young adults 144
Sucrose 6, 138
Sugar
3 million deaths a year attributed to 103
cane 97-9, 101, 106, 138
consumption 97
as a
contributor to high cholesterol and
triglyceride levels 106
designer drug 100
fruit 98
overdose in refined carbohydrates 101
pill 53-5 see also placebo
roller-coaster 103
as self-medication 98
Sugar Mafioso 101
Suicide 12, 43, 47, 57, 59, 63, 89, 119, 166
Sunflower oil 107
Supermarket 109, 113-4
Supplements, dietary 24, 27, 114, 164
Support
groups 66, 159, 173, 181
materials 181
skills 173
social 11-3, 29, 43, 46, 52, 54, 68, 70,
78, 96, 119, 132, 145-6, 159, 172-4,
181-2
Sweets 3, 110, 132, 175
Symptoms, depression 26, 38, 49, 94
T
Taco
Technology as a contributor to depression
8
Teenagers 9, 14, 73, 87, 89
Television (TV)
avoiding when depressed 174
as a barrier to good health habits 142
and children 73
as a contributor to social isolation 122
the mildly depressing effect of 141
as an “occupier” 141
special lure of for depressives 142
third-ranking way to spend time 91
viewing proves people have no shortage
of time 153
withdrawal symptoms when deprived
of 141
Thase, Michael 54
Therapist
difficulties in achieving success with
a 66
as support in making changes 12, 68
Therapy
cognitive 55
cognitive behavioral 65
interpersonal 65
Time constraints as barriers to change
152
Titanic 32-3, 71
Tobacco 92, 136-8
Trans fats 40, 106-8, 110, 116
Treatment programs 142
Triglycerides 104-7
TV, see television
Two-career households 124
U
UCLA 59, 118
Umbilical reattachment, addiction as 136
Unbalanced brain chemistry resulting
from an unbalance life 1
Undersleeping as a contributor to depression
85
Unintended consequences of progress 8
Unproven treatment fads 10
Upwithoutmeds.com 22, 161
V
Vegetables 23, 40, 43, 69, 99, 110-3
Vegetarian dishes 113
Vicious circles 29, 33-4, 72, 150
Vicodin 138
Video games 41, 73, 141, 175
Vioxx 61
Virtuous circles 29, 96, 112
W
Walnut oil 107
Waters, Alice 19
Web surfing 91
Wellness practitioner 182
Western-style diet 110
White bread 101
White rice 103
Withdrawal 147
World Health Organization 47, 62
Y
Yale
Up Without Meds,
by Mark Myers
http://www.amazon.com/without-Meds-lifestyle-depression-antidepressants/dp/0980041902