Nap Power

I really like a good nap, preferably on my porch, in the shade on a warm afternoon.

A nifty article by Beth Belle Cooper in Fast Company makes me feel even better about napping. She reports that “Studies of napping have shown improvement in cognitive function, creative thinking, and memory performance."

She also writes that “Naps can even have a physical benefit. In one study of 23,681 Greek men over six years, the participants who napped three times a week had a 37% lower risk of dying from heart disease.”

Since I’m part Greek, I plan to take this to heart.

I also like her four tips on how to nap better, which you can find at:  http://www.fastcompany.com/3017356/work-smart/the-revealing-science-behind-what-naps-do-to-your-brain-and-why-you-should-have-o

Image credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_17790697_vector-illustration-of-single-isolated-elegant-orange-glossy-icon.html'>myvector / 123RF Stock Photo</a> 

Shameless Self-promotion of Kindle Edition

This is a bit of a fib, because I do feel some shame. Nonetheless the Kindle edition of Chief Complaint, Brain Tumor has just been released by Sunstone Press: http://www.amazon.com/Chief-Complaint-Brain-Tumor-ebook/dp/B00F8OEHAM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379513677&sr=8-1&keywords=kindle+chief+complaint+brain+tumor

Here’s the highly promotional copy from my Amazon.com website:

“At 57 years old, John Kerastas thought he was the poster child for fifty-year old healthiness: he competed in triathlons, rode in 100 mile biking events and ate a healthy diet chock full of organic vegetables. Then he discovered that he had a brain tumor the size of his wife's fist.

His memoir chronicles the first year he spent addressing tumor-related health issues: preparing for his first operation, discovering a dangerous skull infection, having the infected portion of his skull surgically removed, learning about his substantial vision and cognitive losses, undergoing rehab and radiation treatments, and learning to live with his "new normal." According to Kerastas, the phrase "new normal" is the medical community's code words for "You're alive, so quit bitchin’."

As his health changed, so did his sense of humor. He writes that his humor started out superficially light-hearted prior to the first operation; transmogrified into gallows humor after several subsequent operations; and leveled out as somewhat wry-ish after radiation and rehab. This is a surprisingly upbeat and inspiring book for anybody interested in memoirs about people dealing with personal crises, for patients trudging through rehab, for caretakers helping victims of serious illnesses, or for anybody looking for an unexpected chuckle from an unlikely subject. “

Yoga, meditation and healthy brain aging

I found it positively refreshing that SharpBrains has included an interview by Alvaro Fernandez, SharpBrain’s CEO with Dharma Singh Khalsa of the Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation on their website: http://sharpbrains.com/blog/2013/08/08/dharma-singh-khalsa-why-are-yoga-and-meditation-often-overlooked-for-healthy-brain-aging/

The interview is short, to the point and interesting. Here’s one question and answer from that interview:

Fernandez: “Please tell us about your interest in applied brain science. What areas are you most interested in? What motivated you to pursue work in your field?” 

Khalsa: “What interests me the most is how life style influences brain health during aging. What motivated me was my life­long interest in holistic medicine and my 35 years of practice and study of stress, meditation, and memory. I’ve looked at it from both sides; I’ve studied mind/body medicine with Dr. Herbert Benson at Harvard and Kundalini Yoga with Yogi Bhajan.”

Khalsa is one of the speakers in SharpBrain’s upcoming “Virtual Summit.” Here’s a link to the summit’s speaker list - http://sharpbrains.com/summit-2013/speakers/. And here’s a link to the Khalsa’s Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation: http://www.alzheimersprevention.org/

One Mind for Research: A 10 Year International Campaign for Brain Disease Cures

Alvaro Fernandez, CEO of SharpBrains, recently sent me an email blast and described One Mind for Research as “…an independent, non-profit organization bringing together health care providers, researchers, academics and the health care industry on a global scale with the goal to rapidly develop new treatments and cures for all illnesses and disorders of the brain.”

Yes, that seems like a tall order, but it also sounds like something Daniel Burnham would say, so I Googled One Mind for Research and found this on the front page of their website:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWCAV3jUQiE#t=125

“THE PROBLEM     

Brain disorders affect more than 60 million Americans—that is more than one in four Americans suffering from mental illness or brain injury. From Autism and Alzheimer’s disease to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS), brain ailments cost the U.S. close to $1 trillion each year.  Insufficient funding for research, slowness in developing new, effective treatments, and the extreme social stigma associated with brain disease and injury result in this being the BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO HEALTH CARE 

TODAY. Cancer and heart disease affect far fewer people, yet receive three to five times more funding support than brain diseases.

THE SOLUTION
A revolutionary change in the way brain research is funded, combining private philanthropy, government funding, and corporate investment with policy improvement that accelerate the research-to-cure time frame exponentially. This is the mission of ONE MIND.”

Great stuff, efforts that will help everybody and anybody impacted by brain issues: from brain diseases to brain injuries. Here’s a link to their website to learn more: http://1mind4research.org/

“Surgery,” “resection,” “operation,” “brain operation” or “brain surgery”

Do those words scare the snot outa you? They scared the snot outa me. If your neurosurgeon just used these words in a conversation with you, or about a loved one, you might have had the snot scared out of you, too.

I wished I could have viewed this upcoming ABTA webinar prior to my surgery. I love the idea of sitting in the safety of your own home and lobbying in some questions about procedures, risks and recovery issues. The upcoming ABTA webinar  - entitled “Updates in Surgery & Surgical Techniques for Brain Tumor Patients” - sounds like it'll give you opportunities to do all of that and more.  

Here’s how their website - http://hope.abta.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=26162.0&dlv_id=36661 - describes it: 

“Whether you use the word “surgery,” “resection,” “operation,” “brain operation” or “brain surgery,” surgery is usually the first step in treating most benign and many malignant tumors. It is often the preferred treatment when a tumor can be removed without unnecessary risk of neurological damage.  This webinar will discuss new imaging technologies, mapping and planning systems, navigational tools, and imaging devices used during surgery.  Presented by Ryan Barrett, DO, FACOS. Dr. Barrett is the Program Director for Neurosurgery Residency at Providence Hospital and Medical Centers. He is also a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.”

Here’s a link to the registration page: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/241485918

PS - Yes, I am and Spartan and “no” that didn’t have anything (Ok, not much) to do with this posting.