MICHAEL SIEVERTS' TIPS/TRICKS TO RECOVER YOUR LIFE

 

This is the last installment of Michael Sieverts' Tips/Tricks to Recover Your Life.  Please see past posts for valuable information and resources from Michael on a variety of topics, including nutrition, meditation, and support.

 

Michael Sieverts is a brain cancer survivor since 2000. He is the instructor for Cancer Support Community’s qigong classes in the parks. Roxbury Park classes meet every Tuesday & Thursday from 10:30a.m. to 12 noon and in Clover Park every Monday and Friday from 9:30 to 11:00a.m. Free to all those affected by cancer. Call 310-314-2555.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attitude/Belief/Support:

Last but not least: the goal is not to live forever, nor to return to an old place, but rather to transform ourselves into healthy people, utterly at peace with ourselves, our families and our friends. Create a tradition of peacefulness:

● Feel gratitude

● Forgive yourself, lighten up, and loosen your grip. Find some humor in your situation.
● Cycle through the Mel Brooks catalog and other comedies.
● Connect to others, don’t try to keep everything internal. Cultivate relationships with those who support your healing process and your medical choices.
● Be aware of whether someone is being helpful or not—and if not, find a way to marginalize and ignore them.
● Develop an immune-competent personality, monitoring and taking care of your own needs, and resisting becoming a self-sacrificing martyr.
● Reduce your anger, stress and anxiety.
● Don’t do anything you hate doing—if it’s something that you have to do, find a way to re-frame it so that you’re not flooding your system with stress hormones.
● Use your illness as a teacher—learn what it can tell you about medicine, about compassion for yourself and others, and about how to care for yourself.
● An illness is a terrible thing, but with the right attitude it might be a benefit—and it might wind up being the best thing that ever happened to you.
● Find your true talent, discover your purpose in life. Why have we been put here?

Reading List and Web Resources:

• Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
• A General Theory of Love by Thomas;Amini, Fari;Lannon, Richard Lewis
• Cancer As a Turning Point: A Handbook for People with Cancer, Their Families, and Health Professionals by Lawrence Leshan
• Wellness Community Guide to Fighting for Recovery from Cancer by Harold H. Benjamin
• http://www.cancersupportcommunitybenjamincenter.org/
• http://www.simmsmanncenter.ucla.edu/

I’d like you to keep in mind Raymond Carver’s last poem:
Did you get what you wanted from this life, even so?

I did.

And what did you want?

To find myself loved,

To feel myself loved, on this earth.

 

MICHAEL SIEVERTS' TIPS/TRICKS TO RECOVER YOUR LIFE

Michael Sieverts is a brain cancer survivor since 2000. He is the instructor for Cancer Support Community’s qigong classes in the parks. Roxbury Park classes meet every Tuesday & Thursday from 10:30a.m. to 12 noon and at Clover Park every Monday and Friday from 9:30 to 11:00a.m. Free to all those affected by cancer. Call 310-314-2555 for more information.

(Photo by Bill Aron)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nutrition Part 2 (adapted from “Food Rules” by Michael Pollan and Maira Kalman): Other rules:

● Don’t eat food that comes through your car window.

● Read labels-- avoid foods with sugar (or sugar equivalent) as one of the first 3 ingredients.

● Avoid food with more than 5 ingredients, or made with ingredients you wouldn’t plausibly have in your pantry.

● Junk food is fine if you make it yourself. If you had to clean up after every batch of French fries, you’d rarely make them.

● Get the best ingredients, from farmers if possible. If you shop in supermarkets, buy only on the perimeter—it’s where they put the freshest food.

● Eat until you are satisfied, not full.

● Don’t feel like you have to finish what’s on your plate.

● Don’t go back for seconds.

● Spend more on ingredients, but eat less.

● Transparency is important—don’t buy from vendors who are secretive about where their food comes from.

● Local non-organic is better than organic from long distances—foreign agricultural practices are unregulated.

● Eat food in season—it tastes better, has traveled less.

● Eat a rainbow of plant foods—the phytonutrients in the colors are very healthful.

● Spend at least as much time eating a meal as it took to prepare it.

● Try not to eat alone.

● Break the rules occasionally.

Reading List and Web Resources:
Anticancer, A New Way of Life, New Edition by David Servan-Schreiber MD PhD
What Color Is Your Diet? by David Heber
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan and Maira Kalman

Dr. Jeanne Wallace:

http://www.nutritional-solutions.net/

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT FROM MICHAEL: Attitude/Belief/Support

CSC’s Brain Tumor Group—for patients & family members—meets the 1^st and 3^rd Monday of each month from 7-9pm. No RSVP required. 1990 S. Bundy Drive, Suite 100, LA, CA 90025. 310-314-2555. CSC validates parking. This blog originally from 'Your Brain After Chemo' http://www.yourbrainafterchemo.blogspot.com/

MICHAEL SIEVERTS' TIPS/TRICKS TO RECOVER YOUR LIFE

Michael Sieverts is a brain cancer survivor since 2000. He is the instructor for Cancer Support Community’s qigong classes in the parks. Roxbury Park classes meet every Tuesday & Thursday from 10:30a.m. to 12 noon and at Clover Park every Monday and Friday from 9:30 to 11:00a.m. Free to all those affected by cancer. Call 310-314-2555 for more information.

(Photo by Bill Aron)

 

Nutrition-Part 1 (adapted from “Food Rules” by Michael Pollan and Maira Kalman):

Eating should be a source of pleasure. The reality is that we’re omnivores, and people have been thriving on a wide variety of diets for millenia. Michael Pollan says that the field of nutrition today is like the field of surgery in 1650—promising, and interesting to watch, but not yet deserving of our total trust. The popular press has made a total hash of the field of nutrition by using the latest headlines to sell papers— findings which gyrate wildly. Margarine, fats, carbohydrates, —sometimes they are the villains, causing all sorts of health problems—then they regain or fall out of favor. And the government is under the sway of the agriculture and food lobbyists; federal dietary guidelines and recommendations are compromised and getting worse.

But don’t stress too much, it’s not difficult to make good food decisions, especially now. Make sure to enjoy yourself, to make eating a pleasurable, slow, and social, function. Follow some simple guidelines, and use your self-awareness to inform you whether what you’re choosing to eat is helping you or causing you setbacks.

Whenever feasible, do your own cooking with organic, local, seasonal, sustainable fruits and vegetables. (Support farmers and the local economy with your money—you are voting for a healthful food system.) Not only can you control the ingredients and the cooking methods, but you are taking an active role in your fight for recovery. Plus you will save money by not eating out. It’s estimated that as much of 2/3 of the cost of medical care in this country is attributable to our poor eating habits. Cooking is a profound way to influence your health: “The best public health tools are a sharp chef’s knife, two cutting boards and a salad spinner.” (Preston Maring, MD, associate physician-in-chief at Kaiser Permanente Oakland)

Restrict wheat, dairy and try to eliminate sugar—but aim for “90-10”: allow yourself some small indulgences to retain feelings of pleasure, since mood affects how you digest. A happily-enjoyed burger is probably providing better-absorbed nutrients than an organic raw kale salad that you are forcing down. Savor what you eat.

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT FROM MICHAEL:

Nutrition-Part 2 (adapted from “Food Rules” by Michael Pollan and Maira Kalman):
CSC’s Brain Tumor Group—for patients & family members—meets the 1^st and 3^rd Monday of each month from 7-9pm. No RSVP required. 1990 S. Bundy Drive, Suite 100, LA, CA 90025. 310-314-2555. CSC validates parking. This blog originally from 'Your Brain After Chemo' http://www.yourbrainafterchemo.blogspot.com/

MICHAEL SIEVERTS' TIPS/TRICKS TO RECOVER YOUR LIFE

Sleep (adapted from “Brain Rules” by John Medina; resources at end of blog for both 'Exercise' & 'Sleep')

Michael Sieverts is a brain cancer survivor since 2000. He is the instructor for Cancer Support Community’s qigong classes in the parks. Roxbury Park classes meet every Tuesday & Thursday from 10:30a.m. to 12 noon and at Clover Park every Monday and Friday from 9:30 to 11:00a.m. Free to all those affected by cancer. Call 310-314-2555 for more information.

 

Sleep is incredibly important, for cognition, for the immune system, for mood and happiness, so develop good sleep hygiene. Avoid going deep into sleep debt—accumulating consecutive nights of short sleep. “You can’t be healthy if you’re not getting good sleep”:

● Go to bed at a regular time, preferably before 11pm.

● Avoid stimulating activity for the few hours before bed, prepare.

● Avoid eating before going to bed.

● Don’t watch television, or work on a computer in bed.

● Use relaxation techniques to help yourself fall asleep.

● Use the bedroom only for sleeping and sex, not for eating or working.

● Keep the bedroom dark—light interferes with the functioning of your pineal gland.

● If you are occasionally unable to sleep, don’t stress about it, get up for a little while and do something else, preferably not too stimulating.

● If you feel drowsy, be extremely careful, you literally could fall asleep in a heartbeat—do not drive!

● If you’re having regular trouble sleeping, see a specialist.

Reading List and Web Resources:

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey and Eric Hagerman

The Way of Energy: Mastering the Chinese Art of Internal Strength with Chi Kung Exercise (A Gaia Original) by Kam Chuen Lam

The Promise of Sleep: A Pioneer in Sleep Medicine Explores the Vital Connection Between Health, Happiness, and a Good Night's Sleepby William C. Dement and Christopher Vaughan

 

http://www.bettermovement.org/author/toddhargrove/

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT FROM MICHAEL: 
NUTRITION (adapted from “Food Rules” by Michael Pollan and Maira Kalman)
Having difficulty sleeping? Try one of these relaxing classes at Cancer Support Community. All classes are at no cost to those with cancer and their families/support.
1)'Meditation' every Thursday from 6 - 6:45pm with Malcolm Schultz, LMFT; 2) 'Mindfulness' from 11:30a.m. to 1:00p.m. once a month on Monday (date varies check calendar) with Lisa LaCorte-Kring, LCSW; 3) Relaxation/Visualization every Wednesday from 6:00 to 6:45pm with Christel Trink; and 4) 'Mindfulness Series' with Lisa LaCorte-Kring, LCSW offered throughout the year--check calendar or call 310-314-2555 for information.

And exercise classes: 1)'Core Strength' every Wednesday from 6:15 - 7:00pm with Eileen Johnson, PT; 2) 'Feldenkrais Method' every Wednesday from 1:30 to 2:30p.m. with Marci Spiegler, MS, GCFP; 3) 'Move to Heal Dance Class' every Monday from 6:00 to 7:00pm with Eva Wieland; and 4) 'Pilates: Return to Health' every Tuesday from 3:45 - 4:45pm with Sandy Shimoda; 5) 'Qigong' (see schedule at top of blog) with Michael Sieverts; 6) 'T'ai Chi' every Tuesday from 5 - 6pm with Marianne Lu; 7) 'Yoga' CSC has 7 yoga classes-please check website for dates and times; 8) 'Zumba' every Tuesday from 6:15 - 7pm with Alejandra Ortiz. 

Always check calendar at www.cancersupportcommunitybenjamincenter.org for schedule changes or call 310-314-2555 for more infomation. CSC vallidates parking.

MICHAEL SIEVERTS' TIPS/TRICKS TO RECOVER YOUR LIFE

Part 5 of a 9-Part Series:  Driving

Michael Sieverts is a brain cancer survivor since 2000. He is the instructor for Cancer Support Community’s qigong classes in the parks. Roxbury Park classes meet every Tuesday & Thursday from 10:30a.m. to 12 noon and at Clover Park every Monday and Friday from 9:30 to 11:00a.m. Free to all those affected by cancer. Call 310-314-2555.

 

● If you drive a car, be aware that cognitive deficits don’t make you a better driver, and that a car is a weapon to bicycles and pedestrians.

● Drive carefully, on familiar routes, being patient and generous with other drivers.

● Allow enough time or permit yourself to be slightly late—“caught in traffic” is a completely valid excuse in LA.

● If you are feeling iffy about your cognition—we can often tell when we’re not 100%--either stay home or, if you’re out, drive slowly and carefully home.

● Drowsiness is a cause for red alert—pull over immediately.

● Learn the bus system, let professionals drive you where you need to go.

Reading List and Web Resources:

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT FROM MICHAEL: Meditation

CSC’s Brain Tumor Group—for patients & family members—meets the 1^st and 3^rd Monday of each month from 7-9pm. No RSVP required. 1990 S. Bundy Drive, Suite 100, LA, CA 90025. 310-314-2555. CSC validates parking. This blog originally from 'Your Brain After Chemo' http://www.yourbrainafterchemo.blogspot.com/

MICHAEL SIEVERTS' TIPS/TRICKS TO RECOVER YOUR LIFE

 

Part 4 of a 9-Part Series: Manage Your Technology 
Michael Sieverts is a brain cancer survivor since 2000. He is the instructor for Cancer Support Community’s qigong classes in the parks. Roxbury Park classes meet every Tuesday & Thursday from 10:30a.m. to 12 noon and at Clover Park every Monday and Friday from 9:30 to 11:00a.m. Free to all those affected by cancer. Call 310-314-2555.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

● Use email to make a data trail of conversations and commitments, and ask family and friends to sign on too to this method of communicating.

● If you have a task to accomplish, don’t respond to every email as it comes in—look at them and respond to them in batches.

● Manage the phone—don’t answer unless you know who it is and it’s someone you want to talk to at that moment. Use anonymous call blocking, caller ID, and an answering machine to screen calls.

● Minimize television viewing, especially TV news.

● Don’t expect a smart phone to replace a computer—it’s too hard to read attachments on a phone, you don’t retain the information the same way.

● Use your computer’s alarm functions to remind you to do certain tasks—moving the car for street cleaning, for example, or picking up kids.

● Leave messages for yourself as reminders. Call your own answering machine.

● Use a timer when cooking, stay near the stove when it’s on, don’t wander away from the kitchen.

 

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT FROM MICHAEL: DRIVING

CSC’s Brain Tumor Group—for patients & family members—meets the 1^st and 3^rd Monday of each month from 7-9pm. No RSVP required. 1990 S. Bundy Drive, Suite 100, LA, CA 90025. 310-314-2555. CSC validates parking. This blog originally from 'Your Brain After Chemo' http://www.yourbrainafterchemo.blogspot.com/

MICHAEL SIEVERTS' TIPS/TRICKS TO RECOVER YOUR LIFE

Part 3 of a 9-Part Series:  Compensation Strategies (adapted from “Your Brain After Chemo” by Dan Silverman, MD, PhD and Idelle Davidson)
Michael Sieverts is a brain cancer survivor since 2000. He is the instructor for Cancer Support Community’s qigong classes in the parks. Roxbury Park classes meet every Tuesday & Thursday from 10:30a.m. to 12 noon and at Clover Park every Monday and Friday from 9:30 to 11:00a.m. Free to all those affected by cancer. Call 310-314-2555.

● Stay present. Remind yourself to focus. Learn to meditate, and to pause before you take an action.

● Prioritize. Don’t think that you can multitask and perform. Do fewer things and do them well. What you decide not to do might be as important as what you actually decide to do.

● Develop routines. Keep the same daily schedule as much as possible. Prepare for the day the night before by reviewing your calendar. Exercise and eat at regular times, use a divided pillbox to remind you to take your medications properly.

● Rehearse. “Repeat to remember” to improve short-term memory, “remember to repeat” for longer term memory.

● Tell yourself stories about the person you just met. Say the name out loud, ask them to spell it, remark on the similarities to a celebrity’s name, or to someone else you know with the same name.

● Use word associations and rhyming. This increases the impact of a name or address on memory.

● Cue the senses.

● Break numbers into chunks.

● Don’t use scratch paper. Instead use a single notebook.

● Use a paper daily planner to write down all your activities, even movies and chores—and remember to look at it. You remember things better when you write them by hand than if you type them on a keyboard.

● Use your planner to keep track of your memory problems and other symptoms, so you can discuss changes in your condition with your doctor, who’s going to want to know what happened and when. Do not ignore symptoms, regard them as a blessing, if they lead you to solving a problem earlier than later.

 

● Everything in its place. Always put keys, checkbook, cell phone and wallet in exactly the same places. Start regarding your purse or backpack as a system.

● Chew gum, yawn—increases oxygen flow to the brain.

● Retain a sense of humor—it’s lighter than you think. Self-forgiveness is an important way to “get over it.”

● Sometimes something that seems terrible can be viewed from a different angle, and regarded as not only not so serious, but maybe as a benefit—and possibly as a great benefit.

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT FROM MICHAEL: MANAGE YOUR TECHNOLOGY