February 13, 2019

Time:

• Another cool pieceon passage of time. Physicist Adrian Bejan is apparently a renaissance man, attempting to use physics to explain everything from how humans shape a campfire to wealth inequality. This time piece shows how eye movements and brain processing slow with age, leading to an apparently faster perception of time; we notice less things, so it seems like time passes more quickly. Similar to the PofW post on chunkingof time with age. Thanks Ashlee Melendez for the recommendation. And check out the links at the beginning of the article to other Quartz pieces on Bejan. 

How to Not Get Sick:

• This examine.com article covers several suggested methods for avoiding sickness in this seemingly terrible flu season. Though they left out garlic, the list is practical and backed up by evidence. Don’t forget to sleep – sleeping enough has been shown to have far greater effect on susceptibility to acute illness than these supplements. 

Meaning:

• Ikigaiis the Japanese concept of something worth living for. Seligman points this out in the amazing book Flourish. Meaning makes up the M in PERMA, his model for human flourishing or wellness. Positive emotion, Engagement, Meaning, Relationships, Achievement. The model attempts to encompass all potential elements of psychological well-being. The weight of each element varies greatly from person to person. If your personality naturally rides somewhat low on the positive emotion front, you have 4 other avenues to pursue in order to thrive. 
• They cite Japanese studies where levels of ikigai correlate with decreased risk of death from cardiovascular disease (remember Blue Zones). 

Gratitude:

• Provocative guest poston White Coat Investor from Side Hustle Scrubs. The author used the term “Whining,” which might offend some people. 
• I would recommend you read the post with a goal of developing gratitude for being (or almost being) a physician. He makes valid points on the great work we do while being compensated well. The crazy hours, burnout, and debt are quite similar to other professionals. The author links to his own blog for a follow up post, on what you can do to improve your situation if you find yourself not thriving in medicine. 

Environment:

• This company must not have wanted to go to great lengths to obtain nutrition from an avocado seed. Mexican (50% of the world’s avocado production) company Biofase is now making biodegradable plastic out of the pits. At first I pictured packaging material, but they make utensils and are expanding into other products. 

Quote:
If [more] information were the answer, we’d all be billionaires with perfect abs.”
– Derek Sivers
Love this quote. In most cases, we know what is healthy, the tough part is changing behavior. Start a good habit today. 

Martin Huecker, MD, is co-editor in chief of the free, open access Journal of Wellness. He is an Associate Professor and Research Director in the Department of Emergency Medicine (EM) at the University of Louisville. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. Dr. Huecker graduated from UofL’s EM Residency Program and (Chief Resident in 2011). He works full time seeing patients and teaching residents in the UofL Emergency Department. His diverse research interests include substance use, accidental hypothermia, and healthcare professional wellness. Dr. Huecker is also a Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physician (DipABLM). He loves books, (cold) trail runs, dogs, and coffee. His wife is an OB/GYN and they have 4 children with cool names.