Hi Everyone, see my first newsletter for information about the first Dr Matt Patient and Family picnic this Saturday, September 17th in Old Town Alexandria (link below). Start time is 10 am.
Today’s newsletter sections include: Family run business of the week, a light-hearted health tip and musical number (combined), two pictures worth 1000 words of our body’s normal healthy microbial ecosystem, inspirational quotes from Mahatma Gandhi who understood that fear of infection is worse than the disease, and Research into Near Death Experiences.
Yours truly, one moment at a time.
Matt Irwin
Dr. Matt’s First Newsletter with picnic details
Health-wellness tip and Musical selections: combined this week
Originally written by The Rascals, this version has guest George Lowell from Little Feat singing with the Grateful Dead. Hint - kids under age 5 enjoy dancing to this one - I speak from experience from when my kids were little :-)
Two pictures worth 1000 words - our healthy microbiome:
A research team came up with an estimate for the total number of bacteria, fungi, and viruses inside and coating the outside of the human body: about 39 trillion which is literally too many to count, unless you count by trillions :-). This is part of a healthy human ecosystem and not “gross”! Perhaps we can adopt a new paradigm - how to live in balance with all our microscopic partners, and see illness as an imbalance that is sending us a message to re-balance.
Inspiration of the week from Mahatma Gandhi:
Quote #1: Fear of disease killed more men than disease itself.
Quote #2: It's not too late at all. You just don't yet know what you are capable of.
Humor of the week:
Research summary of the week: Near Death Experiences
These occur in people of all faiths, races, nationalities, and ages, including in small children. They are spiritual experience that occur after the person’s body has stopped functioning completely, and also sometimes when it is at a critical “tipping point” but still has function remaining. The experiences challenge our innate fear of death, and are therefore difficult to incorporate into “normal” daily experience. Perhaps learning about these can help us all live each moment of life a bit more fully.
The International Association of Near Death Studies (IANDS) is dedicated to exploring these experiences, and they have a yearly conference which I attended this past August. Next year it will be held here in Arlington, Virginia, and you can attend the conference in August 2023 as I plan to do. A main center for research in NDE’s is located at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, led by Bruce Greyson, M.D..
Below are three links. The first is an interview with Bruce Greyson describing his work through the decades. Then a link to the IANDS website’s description of near death experiences, and you can sign up for IANDS’ free newsletter and/or become a supporting member for $40 per year. Finally, a link to one of Dr Greyson’s published research studies which describes something I have seen in my hospice work over the years: people with dementia regaining their memory for brief periods shortly before their death.
International Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS)
Spontaneous remission of dementia before death
The link above gives an option to download the entire paper. Below is a quote from the study abstract.
“Detailed case reports of 124 dementia patients who experienced an episode of paradoxical lucidity were received. In more than 80% of these cases, complete remission with return of memory, orientation, and responsive verbal ability was reported by observers of the lucid episode. The majority of patients died within hours to days after the episode.”