It’s a book.
The Gift of Work: Overcoming Workplace Burnout and Finding Satisfaction in Your 9-to-5 by Tarthang Tulka.
Read about Tarthang Tulka at https://www.buddhanet.net/masters/tarthang-rinpoche/
Now read the book. You’re welcome.
Lifelong Learning
Humans are Difficult
That day at the Costco checkout, I paid for my groceries at a human-powered cash register and received the tiny oxytocin boost that comes from a random interaction with strangers, the kind that Mehret Biruk is always raving about, those small insignificant moments of connection that add to the richness of life…
This interaction made me realize that much of what I explore in this newsletter is about embracing inefficiencies—making phone calls instead of texting, planning your route ahead of time instead of relying on a GPS, waiting to check your email from a desktop instead of on-the-go, letting people know that you can’t always be instantly available across various communication platforms.
We live in a world obsessed with optimization. An era of contactless everything. This holiday season, lean into the inefficiencies. Make eye contact with strangers. Take your AirPods out of your ears and make small talk with the cashier instead of scanning your own groceries. Chat with the kind humans handing out samples at Costco. Choose human connection, however uncomfortable that may be. You might be pleasantly surprised. Humans are difficult – https://substack.com/@carmellaguiol
Choose human connection.
What’s Your America? (there are 10 Americas) – Updated with Scary Charts 02.01.25
Asians and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders definitively outlive other Americans. Is there anything we can learn from them? A confluence of factors may be at play. They tend to have relatively higher socioeconomic status, lower rates of obesity, and the lowest smoking rates of any racial group in the U.S. Healthier traditional cooking may also contribute to their longevity. When it comes to life expectancy, there are 10 Americas – https://bigthink.com/health/ten-americas-for-life-expectancy/
Attention Mortality Risk Experts
Sharpen your pencils and don’t ask me what a pencil is.
Updated 02.01.25 with Scary Charts
GLP-1 – Compounded or Brand-Name?
Caroline Apovian, MD, co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston.
“Doctors who are obesity medicine specialists like myself in academic centers do not prescribe compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide,” she said.
Many of the compounded prescriptions, she said, come from telehealth virtual–only companies interested in profits.
GLP-1 Prescribing Decisions: Compounded or Brand-Name? – Medscape – November 14, 2024 – https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/glp-1-prescribing-decisions-compounded-or-brand-name-2024a1000krd?
To be clear, all of my GLP-1 posts are not anti-pharma. If you can afford these medications and they work for you on your weight loss journey that’s great. Just be aware of the possible side effects and the fact these medications are for life. You will regain all that you’ve lost if you stop taking the drug.
Here’s the link to Complications? What Complications? (just another GLP-1 receptor agonist post)
Dietary Approaches to Obesity Treatment
There is no single diet that can universally fit everyone for weight loss benefit.
Parmar RM, Can AS. Dietary Approaches to Obesity Treatment. [Updated 2023 Mar 11]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK574576/ — https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK574576/
Words of Wisdom from a former 370 pound human.
What worked for me may not work for you.
Keep searching for what works for you.
Find the differences that make a difference.
Good luck.
You’re Gonna See God
New cultivation methods are making psychedelic mushrooms stronger, and fiendishly potent varieties are kicking in faster and lasting longer—even if you eat only a fraction of what you would with another variety. Psychedelic Mushrooms Are Getting Much, Much Stronger – https://www.wired.com/story/breeding-stronger-magic-mushrooms/
Have a nice trip. When you see God tell her I said hello.
Alcohol and Nocturnal Leg Cramps (NLC)
I just discovered another reason to Drink Less Alcohol When You Get To My Age.
We identified an association between alcohol consumption and nocturnal leg cramps among patients aged 60 years and older attending general practices. These findings have implications for the prevention of cramps. Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Nocturnal Leg Cramps in Patients Over 60 Years Old: A Case-Control Study – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6037509
Add this to the list of things that happen when you get older.
The Placebo Effect
Statins: So Misunderstood
Statins: So Misunderstood- Medscape – August 08, 2024 – https://www.medscape.com/s/viewarticle/statins-so-misunderstood-2024a1000ee9?ecd=mkm_ret_240921_mscpmrk_pcp_older-adult_etid6843995&uac=277505CZ&impID=6843995
Read the comments. Interesting, short opinion piece but the comments are much better than the article.
Live long and prosper.
This 70-year-old Just Graduated From Medical School
This 70-year-old retiree just graduated med school. He has this advice for others — https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/07/asia/older-medical-school-graduate-intl-hnk/index.html
I briefly considered medical school when I was in my 20’s. I never considered medical school when I was in my 60’s. Wonderful story. A very impressive human being.
lifeunderwriter.net 
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