How much TV news do you watch?

[Guest guest]

" The biggest big business in America is not steel, automobiles,

or television. It is the manufacture, refinement and distribution of

anxiety. "

--Eric Sevareid

 

The idea of the mind/body connection is that what goes on in your mind

affects your body. Eric is telling us that millions of people are consuming

junk food for their mind. I've found one simple solution for this problem. I

often tune in to network news after it's been on for 15 minutes or so. By

then they've already finished with the awful " news " of the day.

 

The reason I put news in quotes is because I routinely disagree with the

choices the networks habitually make. For example, if Arabs and Israelis have

been killing each other for centuries and they do it again today, is that

really _news_? It makes as much sense as broadcasting an in-depth TV news

story every day about how the predicted high temperature for today in Hawaii

is warm.

 

Rich in Mankato, Minnesota

388-5463

 

PS: Feel free to copy and share the above comments.

[Guest guest]

I am in complete agreement that the media is not doing any of us much

good healthwise. In general, when I see something about health, it is

either sensational and frightening or something that has already been

common knowledge in the holistic community for many years. There is

far and away enough paranoia and panic without the press ignorantly

contributing their dime.

 

I am especially uncomfortable with the way that various things are

blamed for illness with little concept of how that will affect

people; in fact, many times the studies that find some particular new

culprit for cancer or heart disease are disproven in a few years. Yet

the media seems to relish scaring the britches off of everyone with

the newest phobia or avoidance.

 

There was a pretty good article recently in an online newspaper,

however, about nocebo effect.... that is, the opposite of placebo.

Nocebo means " I do harm " , and it is the effect that occurs when

someone is told that something is dangerous or will harm them, and it

becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Placebo, " I do no harm " , is the

opposite, and is the effect we are more familiar with, the " sugar

pill " effect that something neutral can have positive effects if the

person is convinced of its efficacy.

 

So telling someone that something will harm them is contributing to

the mindset of danger. We must be careful of our words with people

and avoid shaming or threatening them by endangering them with our

well meaning warnings. It is doubtful that most people have avoided

being exposed to the concept that some foods or habits are dangerous,

for instance... but the media, their health care providers and loved

ones repetitively reminding them is almost a sure fire method of

reinforcing the nocebo effect.

 

Blessings,

Crow

 

 

, rputman@a... wrote:

> " The biggest big business in America is not steel, automobiles,

> or television. It is the manufacture, refinement and distribution

of

> anxiety. "

> --Eric Sevareid

>

[Guest guest]

rputman wrote:

I've found one simple solution for this problem. I

> often tune in to network news after it's been on for 15 minutes or so. By

> then they've already finished with the awful " news " of the day.

 

Why bother at all. I can get the same effect by not turning on the news

at all. I have more interesting things to do with my time. I rarely

watch or listen to the news.

 

 

Andy

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone.

 

I think what most people lack is experience. And what I mean by that is

having taken the risk to go beyond the accepted morrays and rules. If one

has never stepppped out of place according to ones own inclination, intuition

or inner prompting one is dependant on others for information. I can tell

you anything about an herb some of it might be true some may not be but if

you dont know your own feeling and response you have no way to judge the

appropriateness of the dose given or other conditions. Therefore you can

play it safe by belonging to the system which will always make you fear your

own mindbody intelligence.

 

Marianne