Christina Dalcher

Christina Dalcher - Vox, a novel

I lunge forward on unsteady feet, but Lorenzo catches me by the arm. His grip is fir, almost bruising.

“No,” he says, “If she speaks again, the current will -”

He's stronger than I am, but I break away, flinging myself at the woman on the bench, whose body sags like a lifeless doll under the harsh overhead lights. She's no how I remember her, not in low-riding jeans and a crazily printed paisley blouse, not smiling from under a fringe of color-of-the week, hair while she brewed herbal tea in a crappy Georgetown apartment and cursed at the Ikea table instructions that defied minds with multiple degrees. She's in a gray tunic that matches her hair and the color of her skin, except for the palms of her hands, which have been rubbed as raw as fresh meat from a year of labor that would make even the most stalwart farmer turn his back on the land and find a job pushing paper across a desk. She's wearing a single black hand on her left wrist where a charm bracelet of Chinese horoscope animals used to be.

“Jacko,” I say, placing one hand over her chapped lips. “Jacko, don't say anything else. Don't let them make it worse for you.”

Jackie Juarez, once the woman who I thought would stop the world, slumps wordlessly into my arms, and sobs.

The door behind me slides closed, then opens again. I don't need to turn to check who it is I can smell the bastard.

“Morgan,” I say. Then I hear the slap, the surprised whine, the metallic click of a firearm being cocked.

This is another thing I know about the guns: you don't cock and aim unless you're ready to kill.

“Careful, Morgan,” I say, still holding on to Jackie. “You need him. You need his formula.”

He doesn't, of course; Morgan already has Lorenzo's notes. I'm only buying time.

And then it hits me: Lorenzo, dashing out of the upstairs lab to check his office, coming back and shaking his head to tell me the papers weren't there. Morgan demanding a formula by tomorrow.

“Soldier,” Morgan says, “put it away.”

I turn from Jackie toward Lorenzo, who stands stock-still, ready to take a bullet in exchange for a slap, and I realize Morgan can't possibly have taken the notes.

So, who the hell did?

Loneliness. Photo by Elena.

Life and Teachings of Jesus

The Life and Teachings of Jesus

About 70 years before the Jewish uprising against Rome, Jesus, the founder of Christianity, was born in Bethlehem, a town in southern Palestine. Information about the early life of Jesus comes from accounts written by Jesus' disciples after his death.  These accounts, called the Gospels, or good news, make up the first four books of the New Testament of the Bible.

According to the Gospels, Jesus grew up in Nazareth, studied with priests in the synagogue, and learned the trade of a carpenter. As a young man, Jesus began preaching to the poor. The Gospels also say that Jesus performed miracles such as healing the sick. Many people who heard Jesus or witnessed the miracles believed he was the Messiah. The Greek word for messiah was Christios. Followers of Jesus eventually became known as Christians.

The large crowds Jesus attracted when he preached worried Jewish and Roman authorities. Some Jewish officials considered him a troublemaker bent on challenging Hebrew laws. Others rejected Jesus's claims to be the Son of God. Denounced by his enemies, Jesus was arrested and taken before Pontius Pilate, a Roman official. Pilate saw Jesus as a threat to Rome's authority in Palestine. As a result, Jesus was condemned  to die. He was executed according to Roman customs by crucifixion, or being nailed to a cross to die of exposure.

In his teachings, Jesus stressed love for God and compassion for other people. A person's chief duties, he said, were to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart” and to “love thy neighbor as thyself”. In parables, short stories with simple moral lessons, Jesus taught people how to show kindness to one another. Jesus offered his followers a loving and forgiving God. He thought that earthly richers were unimportant and that people who were humble, merciful and unselfish, would be rewarded with eternal life.

The teachings of Jesus were rooted in Hebrew religious traditions. For example, Jesus preached obedience to one God, to the Ten Commandments, and to other Hebrew laws of the Old Testament. In addition, like the ancient Hebrew prophets, Jesus condemned injustice and criticized false pride. As a result, the Hebrew ethical world view became a fundamental part of Christianity.

In the New Testament, the Apostle John quotes Jesus as saying, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” The symbol of Christ as a shepherd appears in much early Christian art. Photo by Elena.

Changing Level of Conscientiousness

Can You Change Your Level of Conscientiousness?

Changing one's personality traits is never easy. They are thought to be enduring patterns that ultimately come from stable patterns of brain function, But in the Terman study, researchers found that people can indeed increase or decrease their conscientiousness over time. Many were able to do this and I have witnessed it in myself. As I have learned more and more about brain function and developed brain envy, I have personally developed better habits and my behavior has been more consistent. I feel much more in control of my own behavior than I did even a few years ago. I have seen others' conscientiousness deteriorate after a head injury, big drinking or drug use, being exposed to an environmental toxin, or at the onset of developing dementia.

Before discussing how to boost your level of conscientiousness, let's first define what it is. Conscientiousness concerns the way we manage our impulses. Impulses are not inherently good or bad. It is what we do with the, that makes them that  way. Sometimes we need to make a snap decision and cannot think about it over and over. Other times we want to be spontaneous and fun, especially when we are relaxing. But when it becomes a way of life, it can take a seriously negative too on your health. Giving in to immediate desires, like the doughnuts, often produces immediate rewards but undesirable long-term consequences. Impulsive behavior can lead to being fired from your job, divorce, drug or alcohol abuse, jail, or obesity, all of which have a negative impact on your health. Acting impulsively often brings regret because you failed to entertain all of your options. The accomplishments of an impulsive person are often smaller, more diffuse, and less consistent.

A hallmark of intelligence and what separates us from other animals is our ability to think about the consequences of our behavior before acting on an impulse. It is the internal dialogue that accompanies “Then what?” Effective decisions usually involve forethought in relation to your goals, organizing, and planning, which helps you not only live in the moment but to continue ten or even fifty years from now. “Being prudent” is another label for conscientiousness. It means being wise and cautious. If you are conscientious, you are more likely to avoid troubled situations and be perceived as intelligent and reliable by others. If you go overboard, of course. Others will think you are a compulsive perfectionist or a workaholic.

Your mind is powerful and it makes happen what it sees. Photo by Elena.

Six Facets of Conscientiousness

1. True Confidence. You have a true feeling of being self-efficacious. You know you can get things done.
2. Organized, but not compulsive. Keep an orderly home or office and keep lists and make plans.
3. A high sense of duty. You have a strong sense of moral obligation.
4. Achievement oriented. Drive to be successful at whatever you do and have a strong sense of direction.
5. Persistence. You have the ability to stay on track despite the obstacles that might come your way.
6. Thoughtfulness. You are disposed to think through possibilities and the consequences of your behavior before acting.

Here are steps to optimize both your PFC and level of conscientiousness to boost the control you have over your life:

1. "Then what?" Always carry this question with you. Think about the consequences of your behavior before you act.
2. Protect Your Brain from Injury or Toxins. This should be obvious by now.
3. Get Eight Hours of Sleep. Less sleep equals lower overall blood flow to the PFC and more bad decisions.
4. Keep Your Blood Sugar Balanced Throughout the Day. Research studies say that low blood sugar levels are associated with lower overall blood flow to the brain, poor impulse control irritability, and more unfortunate decisions. Have frequent smaller meals throughout the day that each have at least some protein.
5. Optimize Your Omega-3 Fatty Acid Levels by Eating More Fish or Taking Fish Oil. Low levels of omega-3 fatty acids have also been associated with ADHD, depression, Alzheimer's disease, and obesity.
6. Keep a “One-Page Miracle”. On one piece of paper write down the specific goals you have for you life, including for your relationships, your work, your money, and your health. Then ask yourself every day, “Is my behavior today getting me what I want?” I call this exercise the One-Page Miracle, because it makes such a dramatic difference in the lives of those who practice it. Your mind is powerful and it makes happen what it sees. Focus and meditate on what you want.
7. Practice Using Your PFC. Self-control is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. This is why good parenting is essential to helping children develop self-control. If we gave in to our eight-year-old every time she wanted something or threw a temper tantrum, we would raise a spoiled, demanding child. By saying “no” and not giving in to tantrums. We teach the child to be able to say no to herself. To develop your PFC you need to do the same thing for yourself, practice saying no to the things that are not good for you, and over time you will find it easier to do.
8. Balance Your Brain Chemistry. Illnesses such as ADD, anxiety and depression decrease self-control. Getting help for these problems is essential to being in control of your life.
9. Try to use willpower to control your behavior when you sleep or brain chemistry is off, or when your omega-3 fatty acids or blood sugar levels are low, is nearly impossible.

(From Use Your Brain by Daniel G. Amen, M.D.)

Try to use willpower to control your behavior. Toronto, view from the 17th floor on 50 Hillsboro St. Photo by Elena.

Inner Child vs. Inner Adult

Boost Your PFC to Rein in Your Inner Child and Boost Conscientiousness

This information is designed to help you win the war in your head between the adult, thoughtful part of your brain (the PFC), which knows that you should do, and your pleasure, which are run by a spoiled, demanding inner child who always wants what he wants whenever he wants it.

Your brain's pleasure centers are always looking for a good time:

• They want to jump off a cliff.
• They love going fast on a motorcycle in the rain.
• They crave the ice cream.
• They want the double cheeseburgers.
• They will stand in line for the fresh cinnamon rolls.
• They focus on having the second piece of cake.

Left unchecked, your inner child is often whispering to you like a naughty little friend:

• “Do it now...”
• “It's okay...”
• “We deserve it...”
• “Come on, let's have some fun...”
• “You're so upright...”
• “Live a little...”
• “We already had one bowl of ice cream. Just one more won't hurt...”
• “We'll behave better tomorrow. I promise...”

Without adult supervision, your inner child lives only in the moment and he can ruin your life. I have a friend who shared her daughter-in-law got sick with the flu and had to remain in bed upstairs. Her four-year-old son decided to “take over” the house while his mother was otherwise occupied with a pounding headache, fever, and vomiting. When his father came home, there was ice cream melting in puddles on the kitchen countertop; the pots and pans were arranged in a pyramid formation in the middle of the floor; cartoons were blaring on TV at full volume; and clothes, toys, and blankets (made into tents and forts) were strewn everywhere. Absolute anarchy and chaos This is a great visual of what happens to your life when your PFC is not functioning: Your inner child takes over while your inner adult is napping. The resulting mess is something to behold.

To balance your pleasure centers, and tame your inner child, the PFC helps you think about what you do before you do it. It thinks about your future, not just about what you want in the moment. Instead of thinking about the chocolate cake, it is the rational voice in your head that helps you:

• Avoid having a big belly.
• Remember that “food is medicine” and that you'll be in a sugar-induced, cranky, sleepy mood an hour after eating that cake.
• Remind your inner child of delicious but healthier alternatives that will both taste good and nourish your body.
• Be concerned about your bulging medical bills.
• Say “no” and meant it.

When your PFC is strong, it reins in your inner child, so that you can have a fun, passionate, meaningful life but in a thoughtful life, measured, conscientious way. To live a long healthy life, it s critical to strengthen your PFC and put your inner child into time-out whenever he acts up.

It is also critical to watch your internal dialogue and be a good parent to yourself. Dr. Daniel G. Amen have taught parenting classes for many years and the two rods that embody good parenting, even for your inner child, are “firm” and “kind”. When you make a mistake with food or with your health, look for ways to learn from your mistakes but in a loving way.

(Use Your Brain by Daniel G. Amen, M.D., excerpt).

Inner Child and Inner Adult. Photo by Elena.

Dinosaur Syndrome Revisited

The Dinosaur Syndrome Revisited:  Big Body, Little Brain, Become Extinct

Over the last decade there is growing evidence that shows the harmful effects of too much fat on your body. In a study of 1,438 Japanese men, researchers found significant decreases in brain size in the PFC and temporal lobes (learning and memory). Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug abuse, and colleagues found that in healthy adults a high BMI (body max index) was inversely correlated with activity in the PFC. Elevated BMI has also been associated with myelin abnormalities in the PFC of healthy normal and elderly adults.

The goal of our study was the test the hypothesis that an elevated BMI is associated with lower blood flow to the PFC in a healthy group of people on brain SPECT imaging. To that end, we compared our group of “healthy” subjects who had a high BMI with people in our “healthy” group of normal weight. The results of our study were very clear. The high BMI group had statistically significant lower activity in the PFC compared with the normal group.

Obesity is becoming a worldwide epidemic and is a risk factor for many chronic condition, including cardiovascular disease, depression, and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. It has recently found to be worse for your liver than alcoholism.

We were not able to determine if problems in the PFC led to increased impulsivity and subsequent obesity or if being overweight or obese directly caused brain changes. Both scenarios may be true. The fact that we used a healthy-brain group and specifically excluded ADHD or other behavioural disorders argues against the premorbid hypothesis, but other studies have shown an association between ADHD and obesity. Still other authors report that fat tissue directly increases inflammatory chemicals, which likely have a negative effect on brain structure and function.

One of the major problems with being overweight or obese is that there is evidence that it damages your PFC, which we know is the major decision-making part of the brain. So if you do not get your weight under-control, it will become harder and harder to use get your own good judgment over time to get and stay healthy. Now is the time to start enhancing your health and longetivity, not at some arbitrary point in the future, which most likely will never come.

The Day of the Flowers. Photo by Elena.

ADHD, PFC Problems, and Early Death

ADHD is associated with low activity in the PFC. Initially, ADHD was thought of as a childhood disorder that most kids outgrew by the time they turned twelve or thirteen. The hallmark symptoms of ADHD are short attention span, being easily distracted, disorganization, hyperactivity (trouble sitting still), and poor impulse control. People with ADHD, like Jose, often exhibit excitement-seeking or conflict-seeking behavior; they also tend to have trouble with time (they are often late and turn in assignments at the last minute). Over the last three decades it has become clear that many ADHD children continue to have debilitating symptoms for the rest of their lives. They tend to outgrow the physical hyperactivity but not the problems with disorganization, inattention, distractibility, and impulse control. Untreated ADHD has been associated with a higher incidence of:

• Drug and alcohol abuse (impulsivity and to calm feelings of hyperactivity)
• Relationship problems (impulsivity and conflict seeking)
• School failure (attentional problems and impulsivity)
• Job-related problems (problems with time, attention, and impulse control)
• Medical problems (associated with chronic stress, plus more head trauma with the excitement-seeking behavior)
• Obesity (lack of impulse control)
• Depression (chronic failure)
• Lack of conscientiousness (all of the above).

In the book Daniel G. Amen wrote with noted neurologist Rod Shankle, “Preventing Alzheimer's, the authors argued that ADHD is likely associated with Alzheimer's disease because of its connection with many of the illnesses that put people at risk for it, such as alcohol abuse, obesity, depression and head trauma. This is very important, because when ADHD goes untreated, a person will not be able to control his or her impulses, setting him up for significant health problems, poor decisions, and earlier death. If you or someone you love has symptoms of ADHD, it is important to be treated. Natural ways to treat ADHD include intense aerobic exercise, a very healthy diet, a multivitamin, fish oil, and supplements (such as green tea, rhodiola, L-Tyrosine) or medication (such as Ritalin or Adderall) to enhance PFC function.

Once you realize the absolutely critical role of the PFC to longevity, you then need to do everything possible to protect it and rehabilitate it if necessary.

(Use Your Brain by Daniel G. Amen, M.D. Excerpt).

Way to healthy live. Photo by Elena.