By Jeremy Hsu, LiveScience Senior Writer
02 August 2010

Our love of all things furry has deep roots in human evolution and may have even shaped how our ancestors developed language and other tools of civilization.

This "animal connection" compelled humans to learn about and care for fellow creatures, said Pat Shipman, a paleoanthropologist at Penn State University. She added that the behavior seems highly abnormal for other animals on the rare occasions that, say, captive tigers nurture pigs or vice versa.

To read the complete LiveScience article, CLICK HERE

Posted by Ron Klein at 2:16 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Psychologist: Oil Spill Worst Disaster in U.S. History

A recent article published on June 3rd by Live Science, reports that psychologically speaking, the BP oil spill may be among the worst disasters in U.S. history.

With no end in sight to the oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico, attention is turning to the long-term consequences of the tragedy. While the ill effects on ecosystems, endangered wildlife and local economies are being extensively explored, one aspect is being dangerously overlooked: human mental health.

To read the complete article, CLICK HERE

Editor's Note: These effects are potentially being experienced by people thoughout the country, not just folks who live in the Gulf of Mexico region.

Posted by Ron Klein at 10:11 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Your Office Copy Machine Might Digitally Store Thousands of Documents That Get Passed on at Resale!
At a warehouse in New Jersey, 6,000 used copy machines sit ready to be sold. CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports almost every one of them holds a secret.

Nearly every digital copier built since 2002 contains a hard drive - like the one on your personal computer - storing an image of every document copied, scanned, or emailed by the machine.

In the process, it's turned an office staple into a digital time-bomb packed with highly-personal or sensitive data.

If you're in the identity theft business it seems this would be a pot of gold.

To Read the rest of the article, CLICK HERE

Also, to watch the online video CLICK HERE

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Source: September 1, 2009 -Associated Press, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

A White House report from an expert panel suggests that from 30% to half the population could catch swine flu during the course of this pandemic and that from 30,000 to 90,000 could die. Since it first emerged in April, the global swine flu epidemic has sickened more than 1 million Americans and killed about 500.

So who is most at risk and how do you prepare?

Here are 3 things you need to know…Swine flu is more of a threat to certain groups — children under 2, pregnant women, people with health problems like asthma, diabetes and heart disease. Also, teens and young adults also seem more vulnerable to swine flu.

What to do to lessen the chance of contracting the flu... Wash your hands often and long. Swine flu spreads through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick. Cough or sneese into you sleeve, not you hand. Wash your hands with soap and water long enough to finish singing the alphabet song, "Now I know my ABC's..." Also use alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

If you have other health problems or are pregnant and develop flu-like symptoms, call your doctor right away. You may be prescribed Tamiflu or Releza. These drugs can reduce the severity of swine flu if taken right after symptoms start. If you develop breathing problems (rapid breathing for kids), pain in your chest, constant vomiting or a fever that keeps rising, go to an emergency room.

Here is the problem...70 million Americans have no prescription coverage at all. 1/6th of everyone in the U.S. right now, don’t even have a basic health insurance that covers doctor visits or lab work so they avoid going to the doctor all together.

They just try to stick it out. NOT GOOD ! ! !

Posted by Ron Klein at 7:07 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.”

As it turned out, Americans had a great deal more to fear than that, and their innocent belief that money buys happiness was entirely correct. Psychologists and economists now know that although the very rich are no happier than the merely rich, for the other 99 percent of us, happiness is greatly enhanced by a few quaint assets, like shelter, sustenance and security. Those who think the material is immaterial have probably never stood in a breadline.

To read the rest of this very interesting article published in the New York Times, May 21, 2009, CLICK HERE

Posted by Ron Klein at 7:49 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Reading the March 26th copy of the New York times, I came across an article entitled Learning How To Think by Nocholas D. Kristof. As I read his piece, I thought I just had to send the article along you all you NBCCH folks. Hope you find it both very interesting from a psychological point of view, and that you too will be a lot less impressed it by all the so-called experts we are subjected to on TV every night.

To read the article CLICK HERE

Ron Klein, Editor

Posted by Ron Klein at 11:57 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love is the spirit behind Valentine’s Day—plenty of good vibes, love and the heady scent of roses floating in the air. February 14 is a day that catches popular imagination and enthuses young and old alike onto a loving exchange of greetings, gifts, hugs and kisses. Speaking of kisses, the Washington Post newspaper has a very interesting article on the history and nature of kissing. To read the article, click the following link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/13/AR2009021303465.html

Enjoy your Valentine's day, and spread a little love around.

Ron Klein
Editor

Posted by Ron Klein at 10:28 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

In case you haven't heard about the recent recall of peanut butter and peanut butter products, I thought I'd let you know. The peanut butter is only institutional sized containers, so the typical family sized jars were not recalled. Child care centers, nursing homes and restaurants should be checking for the specific brands associated with this recall, since they would use the large containers. Since cookies, crackers, nutrition bars, etc are made from large quantities of peanut butter, they are included in the recall (the large institution sized containers again!).

Another Update!! The following might not be all inclusive. Here is a list of some of the most common products recalled - do not take a chance - throw them away!!!

Austin Brand Peanut butter sandwich crackers
Keebler Peanut Butter Sandwich crackers
Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies - 2 & 3 oz packages
Keebler Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut butter Cookies - 2.5 pz package
Little Debbie Peanut Butter Toasty Sandwich Crackers
Little Debbie Peanut Butter Cheese Sandwich Crackers
Zone Perfect Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Zone Perfect Peanut Toffee Bars
NutriPals Peanut butter Chocolate Nutrition Bars
Health Valley Organic Peanut Crunch chewy Granola Bars

You can find recalls of specific products at the link below, however, the list is increasing daily, so it might be best to stay away from all peanut butter products. Check it out! The following link includes all recalls, so you might want to bookmark it for future reference and check it frequently.

http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html --

Posted by Ron Klein at 12:41 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Personal Health: The Possibilities in Hypnosis, Where the Patient Has the Power

What Hypnosis Can Do

In effect, hypnosis is the epitome of mind-body medicine. It can enable the mind to tell the body how to react, and modify the messages that the body sends to the mind. It has been used to counter the nausea of pregnancy and chemotherapy; dental and test-taking anxiety; pain associated with surgery, root canal treatment and childbirth; fear of flying and public speaking; compulsive hair-pulling; and intractable hiccups, among many other troublesome health problems.

Writing in The Permanente Journal in 2001, Dr. Alman said that “useful potential” for benefiting from hypnosis “exists within each patient.” “The goal of modern medical hypnosis,” he said, “is to help patients use this unconscious potential.”

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE

Or copy the following link into your internet browser:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/health/04brody.html?_r=1&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin

Posted by Ron Klein at 9:25 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

We just received an email from LiveScience.com regarding some interesting studies about the limits of memory. We suggest you get on their distribution list to be emailed each time new articles are published.

To read the article, CLICK HERE.

Posted by Ron Klein at 5:42 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I was reading an old newspaper the other day and ran across the following article. I thought it might be of interest to NBCCHers, especially those therapists who work with students.

Ron Klein

The Washington Post

By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 6, 2007; Page A06

Susan Wagner Cook, a third grader, stands at the front of her classroom, with an unfinished equation printed neatly on the whiteboard.

4 + 3 + 6 = ____ + 6

"I want to make one side," she says, as her left hand sweeps under the left side of the equation, "equal to the other side," she continues, now sweeping her right hand under the right side of the equation.

Equations are something the call is just ready to learn: The total value on one side of an equation should equal that on the other.

Some of the kids learn it quickly. Others taklonger. But what none of them know is that they are subjects in an experiment that is helping scientists understand one of the most familiar and yet mysterious components of human behavior: the hand gestures and how they may impact on learning. To read the rest of the article,

CLICK HERE.

Posted by Ron Klein at 3:43 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

By Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

"The subconscious brain is more active, independent and purposeful than once thought." That is the conclusion of Benedict Carey who wrote an article, "Who's Minding the Mind?" in the July 31, 2007 issue of The New York Times. Carey cites several recent research studies showing that our decisions and judgments are often influenced by cues in the environment. Everyday sights, smells, and sounds can selectively activate motives that people already have.

For example, participants in a study were asked to help a lab assistant, who was carrying textbooks, a clip board, papers and a cup of coffee. They were asked to hold the cup, which contained either hot coffee or iced coffee. Later, the students who had held the hot cup rated the assistant as a warm person, while the students who held the cold cup rated the assistant as cold.

Continue reading "Priming the Subconscious Mind" »

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A recent article in the New York Times talks about the risk of microwave meals not reaching high enough temperatures to kill illness causing bacteria. To read the full article CLICK HERE

You might consider passing this information on to the people on your email lists, if you think it might be of interest to them.

Ron Klein
Editor

Posted by Ron Klein at 4:08 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

For those of you who have attended the NLP training, the term "Sleight of Mouth" will be familiar. For those who don't recognize the phrase, you can go to http://www.nlpu.com, click on the ENCYCLOPEDIA, and then on the book labeled "S". Next scroll down to "Sleight of Mouth Book and Patterns", where you can read all about it. Robert Dilts has published a book by the same name.

One of the best practioners of Sleight of Mouth Patterns, was Milton H. Erickson, M.D. He used these powerful patterns to heal. Unfortuately, these same patterns can be uses for good and for ill.

I, Ron Klein, have been a NLP Certified Trainer for the past 25 years. When I teach Sleight of Mouth patterns, I point out that some of the best examples can be found in the rhetoric of local, state and national politicians. The June 19, 2007 Washington Post column of Ann Applebaum, is a case in point. I say, WAKE UP AMERICA!!!

To read her column, go to :

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/18/AR2007061801364.html

Posted by Ron Klein at 2:36 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Every time I teach my Public Speaking and Train the Trainer workshop, participants ask me if I recommend using PowerPoint. I tell them that the first time I heard the term "Death by PowerPoint" was when my wife came home from one of her graduate school classes. She used it to describe how boring it was to sit in a class reading bullet points on a screen while the instructor pretty much read the same material from his lecture notes. I told her that the term nailed the experience for me too.

Needless to say, I have suggested that my Public Speaking and Train the Trainer workshop trainees either use Power Point sparingly, or better still, avoid using it altogether. Recently, a friend emailed a link to an article published in Sidney Morning Herald (Australia) about some interesting research that makes the case for not using PowerPoint even stronger. To read the article CLICK HERE .

ADVERTISEMENT: Want more success building your practice or teaching workshops? If you answer yes -- you'll want to attend my Public Speaking and Train the Trainer workshop late in June this year. To find out about the workshop, CLICK HERE, or give Ron a call on my cell: 301-523-5659.

Posted by Ron Klein at 3:14 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Washington Post, March 2, 2007. Jay Haley, 83, a psychologist recognized as a pioneer of family therapy and a co-founder of the Family Therapy Institute in Chevy Chase, died Feb. 13 of cardiopulmonary failure at his home in La Jolla, Calif. Read the full article, CLICK HERE .

Posted by Ron Klein at 11:28 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

There is a pain --so utter

So Memory can step around -- across. . .

Emily Dickinson wrote those lovely words sometime in the middle of the 19th century. Ever since that same idea found its way into literature, the theater and movies -- the idea is that when a memory becomes too painful to bear, the mind finds a way to shut it out and seal it off, to "step around -- across."

Repressed memory has been studied by a team of researchers at the Harvard Medical School. Their findings may shed some light on the subject. It certainly is fruit for thought.

To read two articles about their study, click the links below:

Washington Post

New York Times

Posted by Ron Klein at 12:03 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

As reported in the Washington Post, December 8, 2006, tens of thousands of students throughout the country will receive grades for the fall semester. There might be more to the grades they get than whether they studied hard. A number of experiments indicate that subtle cues can alter the student's course preferences -- and their test performance -- without anyone being aware of it.

To read the article Click here

Posted by Ron Klein at 9:08 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

It's normal to occasionally feel sad, happy, anxious, confused, forgetful or fearful, but when a person's emotions, thoughts or behavior disrupt their lives, they may be suffering from mental illness. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 450 million people worldwide are affected by mental, neurological or behavioral problems at any given time.

However, determining that someone has a mental illness, and which one, is one of the challenges mental health professional face. One effort to catalogue these afflictions is the "psychiatrists' bible", the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - the latest edition fills nearly one thousand pages and lists over 400 disorders.... and counting.

Posted by Ron Klein at 3:58 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

FDA Notifies Consumers that Tomatoes in Restaurants Linked to Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced the results of an investigation by state and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigators, which found consuming tomatoes in restaurants as the cause of illnesses in the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak. To date, 21 states have reported 183 cases of illnesses to the CDC.

Continue reading "In the News-Tomatoes in Restaurants Linked to Salmonella Typhimurium Outbreak" »

Posted by Ron Klein at 2:29 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

An interesting article in the New York Times, October 31, 2006

Who doesn't know the difference between right and wrong? Yet that essential knowledge, generally assumed to come from parental teaching or religious or legal instruction, could turn out to have a quite different origin.

READ the ARTICLE

Posted by Ron Klein at 3:23 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

IT SEEMS that emotional self-control really does come from within.

Previous studies have shown that people can learn to control the activity levels of specific brain regions to alter, for example, pain levels, when shown real-time "neurofeedback" from fMRI brain images. Now a similar approach may help people increase their emotional fluency. Read More

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Let's hear it for Lipitor, not only does it decrease cholesterol, but it helps prevent/treat Avian flu!

Three leading drug researchers are urging statins be studied as a possible cheap way to treat and prevent a bird flu pandemic. Statins already are known to be effective in blocking the cytokine storm, an extreme response by the immune system and often the cause of death in patients with virulent forms of flu.

Read the article: The Times (London)

Posted by Ron Klein at 7:50 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

A current outbreak of E. coli infections from spinach has brought the food borne illness to national attention. Last week, an E. coli outbreak forced supermarkets and restaurants to pull spinach from shelves and menus, but it also opened our eyes to the dangers of this potentially deadly bacteria. What is E.coli, and when do you need to worry about it?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050104112451.htm

Posted by Ron Klein at 6:39 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

It is the biggest contributor to climate change. Now chemists are hoping to convert carbon dioxide into a useful fuel, with a little help from the sun. If they succeed, it will be possible to recycle the greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels.

To read more, CLICK HERE.

Posted by Ron Klein at 10:22 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

You do want the large size fries, don't you? Its only 55 cents more!

Ordering a "super-value" meal and drink seems like it makes a lot of sense because you're getting a lot more food for a little more money. Who can resist a bargain? But is it actually such a good deal?

A new study indicates while you get about 73 percent more food in these larger portions, the added calories and fat can translate into much higher costs for health care, extra food and even gasoline. "In essence," writes Rachel Close, study author from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, "the more a person overeats, the greater the financial cost."

Based on this study, every extra value meal adds up to 35 cents extra in overall food costs, since heavier people eat more calories as they gain weight. Additionally health care can cost up to $6.64, because of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. Furthermore, for every extra value meal a person eats, they will end up paying more in fuel costs, because heavier people makes cars and planes less fuel efficient.

That larger size fries can end up costing people a lot more than the extra 55 cents the food server suggests.

Source: Science Daily

Posted by Ron Klein at 9:31 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

By Stacey Colino
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, May 30, 2006

That Look -- It's Catching!

It takes only a sneeze, a cough or a handshake to spread cold or flu germs from one person to another. But emotions can be transmitted even more easily, faster than the blink of an eye. Read the full article by clicking the following link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/29/AR2006052900757.html?referrer=emailarticle

Posted by Ron Klein at 6:08 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

By: Marc Kaufman

When people think about someone they believe is politically or socially similar to them, a particular region of the brain becomes active. But when they think about someone they see as significantly different, another part of the brain lights up, new research indicates.

Using magnetic resonance imaging, researchers at Harvard University and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland identified two regions of the brain's medial prefrontal cortex that were stimulated differently by questions designed to reveal how similar, or dissimilar, another person might be.

To read the rest of this article published in the Washington Post Science Notebook, May 22, 2006, click the following link and scroll down to the third article.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/21/AR2006052100726.html?referrer=emailarticle

This research may have implications for the therapist who is interested in the mechanisms for establishing rapport.

Posted by Ron Klein at 7:04 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)