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 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

Exercise (adapted from “Brain Rules” by John Medina)

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Properly done to avoid depletion and injury, exercise is one of the best things you can do for your cognition. Early human brains developed in almost continuous motion, hunting and gathering food, walking vast distances daily. Only recently have we become physically idle.

 

All exercise increases blood flow and oxygen levels. Increased oxygen to the brain is associated with improved cognitive function. Exercise rids the body of stress chemicals, and boosts brain power. It cuts the risk of dementia in half.

My observation is that the healthier you are, the easier it is to survive the treatments. If you have the “luxury” knowing that a treatment or procedure is imminent (as opposed to requiring an emergency surgery), prepare yourself by getting as strong as possible. Train as if you’re training for a triathalon, you’ll need all the strength you can muster.

Your regular exercise:

● Exercise daily, but not necessarily vigorously—at least 30 minutes, out in natural light and fresh air when feasible.

● Power walking, swinging light weights in your hands to involve your upper body, is a great way to get exercise. Human brains evolved as we walked great distances, and it remains the best all-round exercise.

● Gentle yoga, Feldenkrais, Qi Gong—explore to find the ones that work best for you.

● Any exercise that makes you feel light—that’s the right one for you.

● Avoid exercise that depletes you, which is bad for your immune system.

 

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT FROM MICHAEL: SLEEP (ADAPTED FROM"Brain Rules" by John Medina)

The Cancer Support Community-Benjamin Center offers many different exercise options for its members.   All classes are at no cost to participants. 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 for holiday 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

MICHAEL SIEVERTS' TIPS/TRICKS TO RECOVER YOUR LIFE

Part 2 of a 9-Part Series: Techniques to Build Cognition

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.

 

 

 

 

“Ever try. Ever fail. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” – Samuel Beckett

 ● Build your memory: challenge your brain by learning a new language or a musical instrument. Doing crosswords and Sudoku are fine, but the skills involved don’t seem to translate to tackling other kinds of tasks.

● Keep your mind active—keep a journal, read literature and poetry, go to concerts and museums and lectures.

● Be actively involved in your medical treatment. Research and understand your illness—become a partner in your recovery with your medical team, stay current on advances in the field, join the e-patient movement.

● Research which parts of your brain are not functioning well, because that will inform you about where to direct your recovery effort.

● Find the best doctors for your specific illness, and then make them look like geniuses by having the best recovery possible.

● Find gentle ways of challenging yourself, look for your true talents—your gifts will always be your gifts, in my experience.

● Practice—aim for continual improvement and develop good habits.

● Treat your attention as a valuable resource, spend it wisely.

Reading List and Web Resources:

Your Brain After Chemo: A Practical Guide to Lifting the Fog and Getting Back Your Focus by Dan Silverman, MD, PhD, and Idelle Davidson
www.YourBrainAfterChemo.blogspot.com

Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina  http://www.brainrules.net/

The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (Null) by Norman Doidge

The Memory Bible: An Innovative Strategy For Keeping Your Brain Young by Gary W. Small

http://www.semel.ucla.edu/longevity

The Body Has a Mind of Its Own: How Body Maps in Your Brain Help You Do (Almost) Everything Better by Sandra Blakeslee and Matthew Blakeslee

The Better Brain Book by David Perlmutter and Carol Colman

http://www.powerupyourbrain.com/

Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagleman

http://www.eagleman.com/

SAT Question of the Day:

http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/

Word a Day:

http://wordsmith.org/awad/

Seek out intelligent discussions:
TED talks:
http://www.ted.com/talks

Google Talks:

http://www.youtube.com/user/AtGoogleTalks

Poptech Talks:

http://poptech.org/

e-patient movement:

http://e-patients.net/

Charlie Rose’s Brain Series:

http://www.charlierose.com/view/collection/10702

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT FROM MICHAEL:

Compensation Strategies (adapted from “Your Brain After Chemo” by Dan Silverman, MD, PhD and Idelle Davidson):

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/