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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,
California, in October, 2009. The gathering will bring in just about
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
U.S., not only among people who get depressed, but across
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 U.S. leads the world in these trends.It’s why we
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 Island 88

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 America of 3, 138

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 Academy of Sleep Medicine 93

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

Berkeley, University of California at 73

Bessemer-process steel 33

Beth Israel Medical Center 51-2

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

Boston University 73

Bristol-Myers Squibb 63-4

Brookhaven National Laboratory 102

Buddy program, support provided by 181

Burton, Robert 69, 70

C

Cacioppo, John 118

California, University of 25, 73

Cancer

depression’s relationship to 2

escalating rates, U.S. lifestyle’s impact

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

Charing Cross Hospital 48

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

Connecticut, University of 52-3

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

Hamilton Depression Scale 44-5, 56, 62

Hanks, Tom 117

Harvard 15, 25, 38, 48, 73, 108, 114

Harvard Medical School 82, 88, 158

Harvard School of Public Health 108, 113

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

Henry Ford Sleep Disorders Center 86

High-fructose corn syrup 97

Highway Traffic Safety Administration

88

Hippocrates 177

Homeostasis 7, 32-4

Hydrogenated oil 106-7

I

Illinois, University of 125

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 Cincinnati 105

K

Kentucky, University of 153

KFC 108

Kirsch, Irving 53, 56

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

McGill University 60

McLean Hospital 74, 138

Media, role of in depression 27

Mediterranean diet 110

Merck 61

Mexico 67

Miami, University of 142

Michigan, University of 38, 71

Michigan State University 55

Mirapex 95

Missouri, University of 151

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

Pennsylvania, University of 46, 125

Penn State 111

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, Elizabeth 120

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

Rochester, University of 90, 143, 145

Roth, Thomas 86

Royal Edinburgh Hospital 38

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 Bell 108

Taos 16-7

Technology as a contributor to depression

8

Teenagers 9, 14, 73, 87, 89

Television (TV)

America’s addiction to 142

Americas habit 73

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

Texas, University of 25, 74, 90

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

Vietnam 144

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

Wisconsin, University of 35

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

 

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