Eat better, Move More, Love Well, Avoid Harm

Eat Better

Food is a very basic need. Only air and water rank higher. Shelter is next. Here are some web resources related to food.

Physician and New York Times bestselling author who scours the world's nutrition research to bring you free daily videos and articles. All proceeds from his books, DVDs, and speaking go to charity, no charge to visit and explore this website which is a valued and respected resource.

http://nutritionfacts.org/

Food is addictive, The Pleasure Trap is entertaining and possibly transformative for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch

Mayo Clinic has a Florida franchise and lots of health related reading.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/dietary-guidelines/art-20045584

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/vegetarian-diet/art-20046446

Healthy lifestyle and food advice that actually works.
http://ornishspectrum.com/proven-program/nutrition/

Oprah Winfry and Michael Pollan talk, What Our Food Choices Really Say About Our Beliefs

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cQQwe7GCyh8

Michael Pollan, Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation, speaking to a Google Lunch Group:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lVyo712BBRk

That Oprah meat market:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law-jan-june98-fooddef_1-20/
https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/183bt8/el15_why_did_oprah_get_sued_by_the_beef_industry/

Government information on those aliens that live with all of us and how diet effects them:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3493718/
and a little something from WebMD:
http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/news/20140820/your-gut-bacteria

Food local to Florida:
http://www.floridafoodandfarm.com
http://www.netstate.com/economy/fl_economy.htm

Meetup groups are a great way to find like minded people:


As requested here is a website that shows the validation seals to look for to ensure a supplement has the ingredients it professes to. http://www.supplementquality.com/testing/Quality_seals.html


History Against the Grain
http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/history-against-the-grain/

Resources from Rosieplantstrong@gmail.com She recently gave several presentations on whole food, plant-based diets for the Martin County Library System and shared her resource list to post here.

“Forks Over Knives” Documentary DVD Public Library or Netflix

“The China Study” Book Dr. T. Colin Campbell

eCornell Dr. T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutritional Studies

“Plant Strong” Rip Esselstyn www.tedtalks.com

http://engine2diet.com

“The Pleasure Trap” Dr. Doug Lyle www.tedtalks.com

“The food we were meant to eat” Dr. John McDougal www.tedtalks.com

https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/newsletter/

http://www.dresselstyn.com/site/articles-studies/

http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxCambridge-Caldwell-Esselsty

Jeff Novick “Calorie Density” U Tube

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=jeff+novick+youtube&FORM=VIRE3#view=detail&mid=89B58B5A833F40C0D20789B58B5A833F40C0D207

http://ornishspectrum.com/

http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome

Dr. Neil Barnard “Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine”

“Fat Sick and Nearly Dead” Documentary Netflix

http://www.drfuhrman.com/

http://plantpurenation.com/the-film/

www.cowspiracy.com

Facebook “Whole Plant Food”

Eat real food, mostly plants, not too much. Michael Pollan

Some films recommended: Cowspiracy, Forks Over Knives, King Corn and there is a new one coming:

We just announced our new film and want you to be the first to know!

What the Health is a ground breaking feature length documentary that follows the exciting journey of an intrepid filmmaker, Kip Andersen, as he uncovers the impacts of highly processed industrial animal foods has on our personal health and  greater community, and explores why leading health organizations continue to promote the industry despite countless medical studies and research.

"This film is a combination of Cowspiracy meets Forks Over Knives on steroids."

What separates this film from others on this topic, is that it explores not only the relation of this industry to personal health, but then also how this industry is connected to everything from the pharmaceutical industry, the medical industry, health organizations, and even the government, and how it effects those communities that live next to the production of their products.

Move More

My touch up work: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/05/19/hunched-back-exercises/

and maintenance: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/01/17/wwii-workout-week-posture-training/

Minimum exercise for adults: http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/

Eliminate the "sitting is the new smoking" from your life

https://www.youtube.com/user/SitandBeFitTVSHOW

Recommendation for exercise from reliable resources:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/exercise

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/PhysicalActivity/FitnessBasics/American-Heart-Association-Recommendations-for-Physical-Activity-in-Adults

http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/

http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_adults/en/

Love Well

A promotional video for the book of the same title, haven't read it but watched this and felt comfortable listening to people's beliefs about living and loving in less than the 2 minutes  of the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch

Meet your own needs and those of others:

http://www.nonviolentcommunication.com/aboutnvc/feelings_needs.htm

https://www.cnvc.org/sites/default/files/feelings_inventory_0.pdf

https://www.cnvc.org/sites/default/files/needs_inventory_0.pdf

Avoid Harm

“Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself”: FDR’s First Inaugural Address

Posture anyone?

http://physioworks.com.au/treatments-1/avoid-the-harm-factors

Older Adults and vegans have common ground:
http://www.aplaceformom.com/blog/4-16-15-vitamin-b-12-deficiency/

Effects of living in paradise (all good!):
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2872309/
http://www.youaretheplacebo.com/

Have Your Fun ! ! !

Something is going around, spreading like a virus, the good kind.

Intentionality expanded to include HRV, stress reduction, and the power of nature:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2872309/
http://www.youaretheplacebo.com/





http://www.ibtimes.com/facebook-users-can-manipulate-own-emotions.

Apparently my favorite cartoonist caught the bug too: http://xkcd.com/1620/

But wait, there is more...

..

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11021339

http://www.forbes.com/the-feel-good-switch-the-radical-future-of-emotion/

http://www.chipdesignmag.com/human-intentions-affect-electronics/

Further reading for the curious:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_at_a_distance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_entanglement

I have some playfulness entries on my personal mood manipulator:

The distributed version:

Credit for the text dense needs and feelings card/cards was lost at the printer.
Hope you found the introduction helpful, learn more from the source:

http://www.nonviolentcommunication.com/aboutnvc/feelings_needs.htm
https://www.cnvc.org/sites/default/files/feelings_inventory_0.pdf
https://www.cnvc.org/sites/default/files/needs_inventory_0.pdf

Entanglements

Living with aging people sensitive to non-verbal memories increased my awareness of what Einstein called "Spooky action at a distance".

http://spiritualityhealth.com/articles/physics-our-entanglements/

Natural selection integrated into life.

http://www.scienceofthelostsymbol.com/Entanglement-and-Nonlocality.html

Stuff is all over the place:

https://medium.com/the-physics-arxiv-blog/d5d3dc850933

Not the Wikipedia entry (seems like a reasonable place to start):

http://phys.org/news/2012-12-physicists-entanglement-einstein.html


If you need a video primer:
http://new-universe.org/TerryLectures.html

Heart Rate Data Logging

Universal Wireless Heart Rate Data Logger with PC Download by Oregon Scientific

The device works reliably after replacement of battery although the instructions are easy to ignore. They didn't survive translation for me. It will log up to 30 hours with a variable interval for data collection making even longer tracking possible. Others have noted that the data can be exported to a CVS file for other uses. Kubios accepts such files but whether the data granularity would be acceptable is the issue.

Fine display of the printable data:

The 150 BPM is my exercise period followed by a cool down and three separate trips up and down 10 flights of stairs to deal with keys and locking myself out.of my apartment.

Piezo Film Pulse Sensor and Non-Invasive BP

Phoenix Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor Project
Sub-project: Piezo Film Pulse Sensor

By Wade D. Peterson, David A. Skramsted and Daniel E. Glumac

Project Description

The purpose of the piezo film pulse sensor project is to identify and build a reliable, low power, low cost blood flow sensor. The sensor is intended for two proposed designs for the ambulatory blood pressure monitor (ABPM). They are: (a) an oscillometric cuff design (as a Korotkoff sound sensor) and (b) the blood flow velocity design. The project includes the following deliverables:

• Selection of the piezo film sensing element(s).
• Design of a sensing circuit, including filtering and amplification stages.
• Layout and fabrication of a small, low noise circuit board.
• Bill of material
• Evaluation of the completed sensor system.
• Public invention disclosure and release.
• A written report.

Piezo Film Sensor Element

The piezo film sensor element selected for this test was the SDT1-028K made by Measurement Specialties, Inc. It was selected because (a) it is very sensitive to low level mechanical movements, (b) it has an electrostatic shield located on both sides of the element (to minimize 50/60 Hz AC line interference), (c) it is responsive to low frequency movements in the 0.7 - 12 Hz range of interest, (d) the foil size was about right (1 inch / 2.54 cm long) and (e) it has an integral connector and cable for simple connections. The sensor is shown in Figure 1. An RG-174 BNC connector was attached to the opposite end of the cable (not shown).
Figure 1. The SDT1-028K piezo film sensor.

Filter/Amplifier Circuit

The filter/amplifier circuit shown in Figure 2 was created for the piezo film sensor. It was specifically designed for battery powered operation from three AA or AAA cells (3.6 - 4.5 VDC), and consumes just 100 uA of current. The BNC connector located on the left side of the board connects to the piezo film sensor. The output is monitored with oscilloscope probe(s) via test points located on the board. The board dimensions are 2.5 inch (6.4 cm) x 3.8 inch (9.7 cm).
Figure 2. Filter/amplifier circuit. The circuit has a three-pole low pass filter with a lower (-3 dB) cutoff frequency at about 12-13 Hz. The main purpose of the low-pass filter is to prevent unwanted 50/60 Hz AC line interference from entering the sensor. However, the piezo film element has a wide band frequency response so the filter also attenuates any extraneous sound waves or vibrations that get into the piezo element. The DC gain is about +30 dB. Click here to see the Bode plot of the circuit (i.e. the frequency response).
The circuit has a very high input impedance. Applications notes from Measurement Specialties, Inc. report that the low-end frequency response of the piezo film can be lowered from 5-6 Hz to 0.7 Hz by using a 10 Megohm or higher input impedance. The front end of the filter/amplifier circuit uses an op-amp follower in parallel with a 10 Megohm parallel resistor.
Complete documentation for the circuit is given here, including a schematic diagram, bill of material (BOM) and PCB artwork. All parts (except for the PCB artwork) can be ordered on-line from Digi-key Corporation at www.digi-key.com. The PCB artwork can be modified and ordered on-line from ExpressPCB at www.expresspcb.com. Just download their free CAD software and the board artwork file named PiezoAmp.pcb. The board conforms to the specifications for their low cost 'miniboard' service. The board assembly uses surface mounted components and can be hand assembled with the aide of a small soldering iron and a microscope.

Wrist Pulse Response

The piezo film was attached to the wrist with cloth athletic tape. The sensor was placed over the pulse point as shown in Figure 3. The adhesive on this tape is designed to be attached to the skin, and is breathable. It's a fairly weak adhesive which also allows the tape to be removed without damage to the piezo element.
Figure 3. Piezo film attached to the wrist with athletic tape. Figures 4 and 5 signal response from the filter/amplifier circuit when the sensor is placed over the wrist. Figure 4 is a single sweep waveform as obtained from an HP 54615B storage oscilloscope. Figure 5 uses the same configuration, except that the output signal is averaged over 64 waveform samples. The vertical and horizontal scales for the two waveforms are identical, with a horizontal sweep of 200 mS/div, and a voltage gain of 100 mV/div. All measurements were obtain at test point TP3 shown on the PCB schematic diagram.

Figure 4. Wrist pulse single sweep waveform.
Figure 5. The wrist pulse waveform averaged over 64 samples. Waveform averaging is a well known noise reduction technique. It reinforces the waveform of interest by minimizing the effect of any random noise. These pulses were obtained when the arm was motionless. If the arm was moved while capturing the data the waveform did not look nearly as clean. That's because motion of the arm causes the sonic vibrations to enter the piezo film through the arm or by way of the cable.

Mid-arm Response

The piezo sensor was moved from the wrist to the mid forearm area. The response there was less dramatic as shown in Figure 6. In this case the piezo film is probably picking up the acoustic sound wave rather than any physical motion of the skin surface. This is an area that needs improvement because the acoustic sound waves are probably more valuable in the measurement system, because they permit simplified attachment to the skin.
Figure 6. Mid forearm Response.

Blood Velocity Response Between Elbow and Wrist

Two identical piezo film sensors and filter/amplifier circuits were configured as a non-invasive velocity type blood pressure monitor. The first sensor was located on the inner left elbow at the same location where Korotkoff sounds are monitored during traditional blood pressure measurements with a spygmometer. The second sensor was located on the left wrist as described above (about 12 inch / 30cm from each other). Figure 7 shows the results.

Figure 7. Blood velocity response.

Correlation Between Pulse Delay & Blood Pressure

The correlation between pulse delay and blood pressure is well known in the art of non-invasive blood pressure monitors. Some of the best descriptions of this phenominon can be found in several US Patents, including those listed in the Phoenix patent references under the heading of Non-invasive Blood Pressure Monitors Using Pulse Velocity Methods. These can be found via the hotlinks located at the top of the same page. Several techniques are described in those patents including relative pulse delay, EKG to pressure pulse delay and pulse width.
One of the best patent references is Chen et. al, US Patent No. 6,599,251. Besides being an excellent summary of prior art in the field of non-invasive blood pressure measurement, Chen descripbes how blood pressure measurements are obtained using the pulse delay technique, as well as his data correlating pulse delay and pressure. However, Chen uses optoelectric sensors rather than the piezo film elements that are shown in this page. It is believed by the author that good, non-invasive blood pressure sensors using the techniques described on this page can be designed around Chen's claims.

Conclusions

The data show that piezo film can simultaneously monitor two pulse signals located at a fixed distance from each other. This forms a two-point blood velocity monitor that can be adapted for the measurement of blood pressure. The data show that a 12 inch (30 cm) span results in a time lag of about 32 milliseconds.
The technique worked quite well, but does need improvement. Additional experimentation is needed. The following ideas have been generated by the Phoenix group:

• Use a smaller piezo element for improved signal-to-noise ratio.
  
• Use a piezo cable. It is hoped that this will improve the sonic sensitivity (over the current sensitivity to mechanical movement).
  
• Attenuate extraneous acoustic vibrations that are transmitted up the cable. Layers of 'Silly-putty', 'fun-tak' and Sorbathane(tm) are good candidates for sonic absorbing materials that could be attached to the cable.
  
• Use an acoustic coupling compound (such as K-Y jelly) between the skin and the piezo film element.
  

Addendum

• A commercial varient of this product has been found at Tensys Medical (SanDiego, CA). Also see US Patents 6,514,211; 6,228,034; 6,176,831.
  

About This Page

This page is maintained by David A. Skramsted. It was last updated on 19 September 2005.

The author(s) provide this information as a public service, and agree to place any novel and useful inventions disclosed herein into the public domain. They are not aware that this material infringes on the patent, copyright, trademark or trade secret rights of others. However, there is a possibility that such infringement may exist without their knowledge. The user assumes all responsibility for determining if this information infringes on the intellectual property rights of others before applying it to products or services.

(C) 2004-2005 Wade D. Peterson, David A. Skramsted and Daniel E. Glumac. Copying and distribution of this page is permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.

 

mtg.upf.edu/system/files/publications/CHI2011_mealla.pdf

Body, Mind, Spirit Together with Tensegrity

Buckminster Fuller mentioned anywhere draws my attention. Tension joined to "living in" a better body helps my mapping.

Review of the Book: Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists

 Near the conclusion of the review, just before the worthwhile comment section, comes this pointer:

[For those interested, here is a link to a 20-page read-only PDF that provides an overview of much of what is included in the book.--OH]

From that PDF overview:

Larger Considerations

One of the sequelae from the recent industrial and electronic revolutions is a society increasingly alienated from its body. While a few hone their kinesthetic skills through sport and dance (while others hone their reflexes with sophisticated computer games), many more are losing muscle mass, losing an accurate body image, and generally losing ‘touch’.

Physical education and manual therapy, in both their traditional and holistic forms, seek to restore balance, awareness, proper functioning, and a healthy relationship with the physical self. New models, such as the concepts outlined above and other systems-oriented views, open new avenues for a populace weakened by constant sitting, fixed focal lengths, improper footwear treading relentlessly flat surfaces, cheapened sexuality, reduced contact with the natural world, lack of activity, and poor education concerning their physical selves from infancy on up. One major challenge for the 21st century is to adapt body systems forged in a Neolithic world to the socially crowded and almost entirely man-made environment we are rapidly constructing worldwide.

We are accustomed to the idea of IQ – measuring the intelligence of the brain. We are becoming more accustomed to EQ – the idea of emotional intelligence. What is needed is a map to the territory of KQ – kinesthetic intelligence, the intelligence of the body in motion. From the skill and awareness that makes an awkward body graceful to the inherent sense that warns us of impending danger; from the precise coordination required in a basketball lay-up to the body memory involved in plucking just the right strings on a harp; from the wisdom of rest and activity cycles to the cellular letting go required to forgive – there is great intelligence in the body that is not yet well understood. Therefore it is not being taught, and therefore it is being progressively lost, except for small pockets within Eastern and Western medicine where what the great physiologist Walter Cannon called the 'wisdom of the body' is being honored and developed. The most reasonable part in us is the part that does not reason.

These various lines of inquiry into KQ could be gathered under the banner of ‘Spatial Medicine’ (as opposed to the medicine of Matter [allopathic or nutritional], or the medicine of Time [psychotherapy or shamanism]). What can we learn from how humans are arranged in space, and how they perceive and work with their spatial arrangement? Osteopathy, chiropractic, orthopedics and physiotherapy would qualify as Spatial Medicine. So do the entire alphabet of new (and old) therapies from Alexander, Bioenergetics and Continuum, through Feldenkrais and Gyrotonics, to Rolfing, Somatics, and Tai Chi, all the way to Yoga and Zero Balancing. All these (and the many more not named) are inquiries into our spatial relationships and their meaning, and all seem to contribute to the whole picture. Shifting the positions of bones, altering the length of fascial and myofascial tissues, and training the neuro-muscular system all aim for the same goal – easy, generous, poised movement, structural stability, and the extension of healthy movement into later life.

In short, a systems view (as opposed to the symptoms view) of our structural and movement selves is required to counter the destructive effects of the world we have created for ourselves. The anatomical details so vividly and economically set forth in this book can help with the task of finding, restoring, appreciating, and properly using our amazing locomotor system. So can new overall organizing schemes like the Anatomy Trains – the ever-smaller can be put into service of the ever-larger, and vice versa. True human intelligence – what Norbert Weiner called ‘the human use of human beings’ – will be attained not by transcending the physical self, but only through our full participation with our marvelous physicality.

Listen to Your Heart - Go with It

Sometimes you hear your heartbeat. you can almost always take a pulse reading and the chest strap with wrist display wireless fitness equipment does an excellent job of collecting data and displaying an array of information. For about $20 in parts this receiver (exploded view) allows headphone, earbud, or other audio connection monitoring of each heartbeat.

This is the most powerful feedback tool I have experienced. It is a surprizing advance in a pursuit. The following text was posted earlier at QuantifiedSelf:

RE: suggestions for simple data vizualization tools?

Keep it simple and real time, except for long term trends on more complex questions or issues. Sonification of HRV is my target. Got interested before cardiac ablation resolved atrial fibrillation and continue exploring with a simple Polar monitor and attachments based upon the Polar Heart Rate Module - RMCM01.

SuperCollider programming is still developing, but my real-time heart beat in my ears turned out to be a terrific feedback instrument. Never much for exercise groups or formal equipment, going with the flow of the tick of my heartbeat lets me explore movement in new ways. Walking down the street now has dance elements woven into the internal visualization of body and mind state. Bliss is remarkably easy to recognize and propagate - shifts in attention are markers for a drifting state that is absorbing on many levels. Having this tool allows for lots of tiny experiments with interesing results.

This is a much smaller second version. The first had two AAA batteries. With 6 hours on the battery I'm considering slimming down the other unit. The other end of the plastic plumbing fitting can take a larger battery.

Update 9/20/11
Wore a Polar Chest Transmitter and display watch to a dental appointment. Encouraged by a NuCalm System experience, noise isolating earbuds were used with the audio pulse unit. No science here, but I've had pain, panic, and problematic dentistry and relaxing was never this easy. I neared sleep twice. There was a mouth block disabling jaw movement witb a dam and local numbing for a root canal. Not bliss, but focused calm with a reminder pace.

Mindfulness Rules

With mindfulness there is greater awareness. With practice, the need for gear to monitor being or doing becomes superficial. You have the best possible sensors, processing power, and limitless memory capacity for storage and reflection. Why bother with biofeedback?

OK, you need a few hints. Download the free .pdf, study the text and prosper.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/w931n733l4575424/

So is guidance inb the exploration of the benefits of of mindfulness available for curious individuals? Yes.

www.urbandharma.org/pdf/mindfulness_in_plain_english.pdf

But wait, there's more, a whole page of links to ebooks such as:
 

Anapanasati - Mindfulness of Breathing

Loving-kindness Meditation

Meditation on a Coke Can

Long-Term Meditators Self-Induce high-Amplitude Gamma Synchrony


http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma5/ebooks.html 

Brief Guides to Better Being

Brief Guide to BetterBeing:
less TV, more reading
less shopping, more outdoors
less clutter, more space
less rush, more slowness
less consuming, more creating
less junk, more real food
less busywork, more impact
less driving, more walking
less noise, more solitude
less focus on the future, more on the present
less work, more play
less worry, more smiles
breathe

Briefer Guide to Better Being:
Eat better, move more, avoid unhealthy substances and connect with others in healthy ways.

Briefest Guide to Better Being:
Smile, Breathe, Go Slowly, enjoy.

Briefer from http://5healthytowns.org/ , brief and briefest from http://zenhabits.net/

Financial Times Takes a Look at Self-Monitoring

Maybe it is narcissism but preparing for the increasingly rapid rate of change especially with the Senior Bubble and Health Care Bubbles make strategic choices for self-management possible. Lots of examples of current uses, devices, and pipeline development make it a worthwhile read.

Financial Times Article: Invasion of the Body Hackers

Radical Change or New Age?

If you think it they will come:

The Electricity of Touch: Detection and Measurement of Cardiac Energy Exchange Between People R. McCraty, M. Atkinson, D. Tomasino, W.A. Tiller In: K. H. Pribram, ed. Brain and Values: Is a Biological Science of Values Possible. Proceedings of the Fifth Appalachian Conference on Behavioral Neurodynamics. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, 1998: 359-379.

Download the complete paper.

Mindfulness and Subjectivity

Mindfulness and awareness develop and change and are deeply connected to learning and development. The .pdf appears to be the Practice and Theory from a book named Mindfulness and Subjectivity. Scanned once the content caught my attention both because it was on my mind and in the text and the stated feminist connection helps with a continuing conversation with my daughter who completed a college course introduction to meditation.

Mindfulness and Subjectivity.pdf


This never made it as a post but seems to fit perfectly:

Self-Determination and the Neurology of Mindfulness

1. David Ryback

Abstract

Self-actualization is one of the keystones of humanistic psychology which, as a reaction to the reductionist values of behaviorism and psychoanalysis, also silently ignored brain research, subsuming it under the same rubric. Now comes mindfulness, a fairly new movement, with its openness to brain research and such cutting-edge notions as the adaptive unconscious—“thin slicing” unconscious perceptions for immediate decision making. The integration of mindfulness with emerging brain research leads to the possibility of modifying brain structure through conscious awareness, thereby restoring self-determination to its proper role. Another incipient movement in humanistic psychotherapy, deep empathy, is explained in terms of mindful human connection and limbic brain function. Just as emotion, thought, and brain structure mutually affect one another, so do therapist and client. Mindfulness, emotional connection, and deep empathy all contribute to mental well-being and a physiologically nurtured brain and help us transcend the numbing “consensus trance” that blinds us to the deeper aspects of life. Mindfulness and the new awareness of mind-brain interaction bring us back to the self-actualization values of the beginnings of humanistic psychology.

Self-Determination and the Neurology of Mindfulness

1. David Ryback

Abstract

Self-actualization is one of the keystones of humanistic psychology which, as a reaction to the reductionist values of behaviorism and psychoanalysis, also silently ignored brain research, subsuming it under the same rubric. Now comes mindfulness, a fairly new movement, with its openness to brain research and such cutting-edge notions as the adaptive unconscious—"thin slicing" unconscious perceptions for immediate decision making. The integration of mindfulness with emerging brain research leads to the possibility of modifying brain structure through conscious awareness, thereby restoring self-determination to its proper role. Another incipient movement in humanistic psychotherapy, deep empathy, is explained in terms of mindful human connection and limbic brain function. Just as emotion, thought, and brain structure mutually affect one another, so do therapist and client. Mindfulness, emotional connection, and deep empathy all contribute to mental well-being and a physiologically nurtured brain and help us transcend the numbing "consensus trance" that blinds us to the deeper aspects of life. Mindfulness and the new awareness of mind-brain interaction bring us back to the self-actualization values of the beginnings of humanistic psychology.

What's the Frequency, Kenneth?

Quantified Self discussions aside, we seem to have the absolute best possible equipment, sensors, processors, support systems "on-board". A coronary ablation successfully cleared up static on my body network enabling astonishing awareness of feelings, sensations, emotions, and moods. With intention, mindful habits assist productive reflection.

Discrete real-time sonification of heart rate variability is still intriguing especially as it might inform the interaction between individuals. This symphonic interplay of mother and fetal heartbeats crystalized that, but creating a meaningful shared information "display" - not there yet.

Steve, possessing significant audio knowledge and sharing content for life's little lessons contributed:

Sound, sight, heartbeat, GSR, touch, motion all related? Very low frequency? (trance music genre now a fad) I do get quite a kick from loud music, loud drums and bass, and violent dancing.
Auditory processing capability of brain, I believe, is more significant than documented to date.

In the link below, click on "animated display" of amount of brain mapped to vision, sound, and
integration of both together. Visual listening for humans, Audio vision for dolphins.
http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2003/february/021903brain-sound.html

My fraternity brother was studying this at MIT early 1960's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasonic_hearing

He demonstrated that we could hear up to 100 Khz by biting a stick and inserting it into a glass of water with a hydrophone emitting high frequency sound. It is now well known that nonlinearity of air propagation renders ultrasound frequencies beating together with sidebands separated by frequency differences of audible frequencies is easily audible.

That latter phenomenon is unrelated to the former. The former implies that our own hearing may have first developed early on when our ancestors lived in water. (and part of it is now "vestigial")

Heart Rate Variability Signal Sources

Confidence in pursuit of an affordable way to play with Heart Rate Variability zoomed when this study appeared. HeartMath's eMWave uses infrared technology in an ear clip and/or finger 'glove'. Do the math!

Heart Rate Variability as a Consumer

More on HRV explorations will certainly follow. It was good work finding parts, making connections, searching the massive amount of information and knowledge in what seemed an obscure yet available indicator of internal state. While there seem to be thousands of people working, playing, and studying HRV, several companies are providing services and equipment. I chose HeartMath's emWave and  am very happy with my time vs. money decision, progress, learning, understanding and appreciation were efficiently served.

The screen shot shows one session's results. Real time feedback comes in a number of display choices,

Heart Rate Variability - Data Handling

One heartbeat signal from Polar Chest Strap displayed in Audacity with Beat Finder marking.




Four heartbeats captured from a Polar Chest Strap displayed in Audacity using Beat Finder



Recording the signal from a heart rate monitor like Polar or Pro-Form using the Polar Heart Rate Module - RMCM01 from Sparkfun proved less complex than other techniques. Here is one of the best:


diy-ecg-machine-on-the-cheap

Audacity Beat Finder converted the audio signal into a text file of with every R-R interval time, and that signal is as accurate as an EKG.

The breakthrough came from this article. The Kubios software installed efficiently on both Windows and Ubuntu.

The details and pictures will follow. Budget Biofeedback has a table at the Ann Arbor Maker Faire on June 6, 2010. See you there.

OMHE - Being Monitoring in Open Source

This is the future. Read more:



OMHE (Open Mobile Health Exchange): A Microsyntax for Devices, Machines, & Humans:

OMHE (Open Mobile Health Exchange), pronounced "ooommm" is an open-source microsyntax for text messaging (mobile SMS), Twitter®, medical devices, and other "short text capable" systems. It is a community work product of microsyntax.org. Its called OMHE because its the nirvana of health informatics..open, free, and simple.

OMHE follows the basic syntax:

[command]

...or...

[command]=

So the '=' sign is optional to make it easy to work on a telephone keypad when needed. For example, to report weight (either automatically reported by a scale or by human, you could say things like.

wt155

...or...

weight=100.0k#afteryoga

The examples above illustrate two ways of communicating the same piece of information, 'weight'.

Use OMHE as format for sending blood pressure, blood glucose, weight, pedometer readings, pain levels, and other common information exchanged between people, health care providers and medical devices.

OMHE is designed to be easily typed on a mobile phone, while at the same time, easy for computers to read, write, and understand (i.e. machine readable/writeable).