Transcend:
Transcendental Meditation is different from Mindfulness Meditation. TM involves mentally repeating the same word/phrase with each exhalation. Supermind provides a comprehensive summary of the benefits, but like other TM books, it gives very little instruction on methods.
TM effects: decreased sympathetic nervous system activity and blood pressure; less atherosclerosis and heart attack; increased insulin sensitivity and longevity.
TM increases activity in the default mode network (DMN) of the brain (mindfulness does the opposite!). Any practice of “mono-tasking” will benefit the brain and body in many ways.
Give TM a try when waiting in line or traffic, or before falling asleep (practitioners recommend two 20 minute sessions a day in a quiet room with no distractions).
Let there be Light:
Scholarly article from Nature, written by a Professor of Architecture. With ample scientific explanation, she lays out the relative benefits and risks of different light bulbs. I had no idea that curly CFL bulbs contain mercury and often have defective tube coatings, not to mention the “spiky” spectrum of light wavelengths. As we have covered before, blue LEDs are also disruptive to circadian rhythm at night. The bottom line on which bulbs to place in your home: warm (“soft-white”) LED bulbs. Or go old school and look for incandescent bulbs.
Shuffle your Flashcards:
Interleaving subjects / varied practice. In order to learn a new skill or set of knowledge, you should rehearse “related but distinct” elements mixed together (in random order). The mixing is called interleaving, and the random order is called varied practice (this is an oversimplification).
Some examples from actual studies: For badminton, serve at varying distances and speeds. For tossing bean bags, vary the distance to the target just slightly.
Shifts at Jewish and UofL ERs capitalize on these concepts. At Jewish, we see so many chest pain / short of air patients every shift, in random order. At UofL it is multiple trauma patients in a shift: Related but distinct.
So when you are studying, learning something new, or seeing patients, actively appreciate the subtle similarities and contrasts among concepts and cases for maximal retention and future application.
Contributions:
Many countries in Europe hoped the US Civil War would put an end to the democracy “experiment.” Czar Alexander II said “what can be expected of a country where men of humble origins are elevated to the highest positions?” (He was likely talking about Lincoln). Check out this list of US Tech companies founded by 1st or 2nd generation immigrants.
Flavor:
Check out these aerating wine glasses. The aroma rushes up to you when you are about to take a sip. And when you swirl the glass you can hear the wine aerating, making its flavor more prominent.
Quote:
A too confident sense of justice always leads to injustice.
– Reinhold Niebuhr
