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Jimi's Daily Health Articles

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
If they’re so safe, why don’t they come out with solid evidence absolutely proving their safety? Instead of bashing “anti vaxxers”.


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Because they can't:rolleyes: they aren't safe:eek: IMHO, how could they be with all those heavy metals and other toxins in them, so then "they" are saying Arsenic Murcury Cesium and the others are safe to inject into your bloodstream:gaah: or even injest:facepalm:.
 

Rhianne

Diamond Contributor
Member For 2 Years
ECF Refugee
Because they can't:rolleyes: they aren't safe:eek: IMHO, how could they be with all those heavy metals and other toxins in them, so then "they" are saying Arsenic Murcury Cesium and the others are safe to inject into your bloodstream:gaah: or even injest:facepalm:.

That’s the crazy part, they’re saying heavy metals are fine. My parents used to bug me about not getting a flu shot if I said I got a cold. I’d rather get a cold than risk that crazy shot. I haven’t been vaccinated since they made me get MMR to go to college. It was required! I was okay, thankfully. But no more for me and my hubs. They’re not like the ones I got as a kid that didn’t almost kill you to “protect” you!


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Artemis

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Sadly, I am always forced to get a flu shot. I'm glad I don't have a reaction. Last year I didn't get one. LOL the facility I worked in was bonkers. However, with starting a new job in healthcare (low paid nurse) :) I have to get one if I want employment. In my next life I will not be a nurse.
 

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
That’s the crazy part, they’re saying heavy metals are fine. My parents used to bug me about not getting a flu shot if I said I got a cold. I’d rather get a cold than risk that crazy shot. I haven’t been vaccinated since they made me get MMR to go to college. It was required! I was okay, thankfully. But no more for me and my hubs. They’re not like the ones I got as a kid that didn’t almost kill you to “protect” you!


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That's very true, they are not like the ones when we were kids
 

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Sadly, I am always forced to get a flu shot. I'm glad I don't have a reaction. Last year I didn't get one. LOL the facility I worked in was bonkers. However, with starting a new job in healthcare (low paid nurse) :) I have to get one if I want employment. In my next life I will not be a nurse.
That's sad, nobody should be forced to take the vaccines to get/keep a job:facepalm:. Kinda goes against the idea of being a "free" country:mad:
 

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
The Scandal of Prozac and
Big Pharma Lies

After 30 years, the truth is now known—Eli Lilly, the makers of Prozac, secretly paid off plaintiffs in a court case following a mass shooting incident. Prozac was and is the number one deadly type of drug that sends people crazy and triggers aggression and murderous violence. It was known to do so by the FDA when the drug was first reviewed.

That agency went rogue a long, long time ago. It takes no responsibility for launching killer chemicals on the population. In fact the original FDA examiner said NO to the drug: it caused aggression and violence. He knew that. But he was overruled. The drug came to the market anyway.

The plaintiffs suing Eli Lilly were families of the victims of Joseph Wesbecker, a man who went on a deadly shooting rampage in Louisville, Kentucky. He killed 8 and injured 12. It was a critical moment in the history of these drugs because they had been reported to cause violence. If Eli Lilly lost the case, that could be the end of a marvelous gravy train for the industry (as of this writing, 1 in 5 US citizens are on some form of psychiatric medication).

But the trial was rigged. Eli Lilly was exonerated at the time, absolved of any blame for murders by the jury. But it was not an honest trial. Eli Lilly shamelessly (and criminally) gave $20 million in secret bribes to potential witnesses in another trial, which could have gone badly for them at the critical moment.

Not only was Eli Lilly bailed out and escaped consequences. The drug too was “exonerated” and now it’s difficult to get the bent psychiatric profession to tolerate the idea that their stupid drugs are causing mass murders. Prozac and other SSRIs KILL people.

Eli Lilly vigorously shielded the illegal and corrupt payment for more than two decades, defying the Louisville judge who fought to reveal it because he said it swayed the Wesbecker jury's verdict.

That heroic judge, Circuit Judge John Potter, suspected that Lilly bribed plaintiffs and their lawyers before the jury verdict. He uncovered evidence of bribery, and fought Eli Lilly for years but failed to obtain adequate proof of the terms of the Prozac payoff deal. Lilly succeeded in keeping its criminal action from a judicial proceeding.

As is Big Pharma’s usual strategy, they also trashed the judge and ruined his life, for his pursuit of the truth (Jon Rappoport. www.nomorefakenews.com).

Who Is The Victim Here, The Killer?
On Sept. 14, 1989, Joseph Wesbecker entered a Louisville print shop around 8:30 a.m., carrying a bag full of weapons, including a semiautomatic rifle. Over the next 30 minutes, as he walked through the building, Wesbecker fired more than 40 rounds at those he encountered before shooting himself in the [head] with a handgun.

So the “official” story is he was crazy. That’s why he committed the murders. But Wesbecker had no murderous traits or suicidal till he started taking Prozac a month before. Moreover this was far from a one-off. Scored of mass murders have now been committed by individuals driven mad by psychiatric drugs.

But the call is now for more drugs, to dose more patients, because they are crazy and might do harm. They are now even subjecting kids at school to psychiatric tests, to see if they have any “tendencies”. If any are spotted, they are out of psych meds. That’s why so many mass murderers are mere kids of school age (Sandy Hook, Columbine, Parkland… look ‘em up).

Jon Rappoport has done a sterling job in collecting media critiques of these deadly drugs:

On February 7th, 1991, Amy Marcus' Wall Street Journal article on the drug carried the headline, "Murder Trials Introduce Prozac Defense." She wrote, "A spate of murder trials in which defendants claim they became violent when they took the antidepressant Prozac are imposing new problems for the drug's maker, Eli Lilly and Co."

Also on February 7, 1991, the New York Times ran a Prozac piece headlined, "Suicidal Behavior Tied Again to Drug: Does Antidepressant Prompt Violence?"

In his landmark book, Toxic Psychiatry, Dr. Breggin mentions that the Donahue TV show (Feb. 28, 1991) "put together a group of individuals who had become compulsively self-destructive and murderous after taking Prozac and the clamorous telephone and audience response confirmed the problem."

Breggin also cites a troubling study from the February 1990 American Journal of Psychiatry (Teicher et al, v.147:207-210) which reports on "six depressed patients, previously free of recent suicidal ideation, who developed an intense, violent suicidal preoccupations after 2-7 weeks of fluoxetine [Prozac] treatment. The suicidal preoccupations lasted from three days to three months after termination of the treatment. The report estimates that 3.5 percent of Prozac users were at risk.

While denying the validity of the study (of course), Dista Products, a division of Eli Lilly, put out a brochure for doctors dated August 31, 1990, stating that it was adding 'suicidal ideation' to the adverse events section of its Prozac product information."

An earlier study, from September 1989 Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, by Joseph Lipiniski, Jr., indicates that, in five examined cases, people on Prozac developed what is called akathisia. Symptoms include intense anxiety, inability to sleep, the "jerking of extremities," and "bicycling in bed or just turning around and around."

Breggin comments that akathisia "may also contribute to the drug's tendency to cause self-destructive or violent tendencies ... Akathisia can become the equivalent of biochemical torture and could possibly tip someone over the edge into self-destructive or violent behavior ... The June 1990 Health Newsletter, produced by the Public Citizen Research Group, reports, 'Akathisia, or symptoms of restlessness, constant pacing, purposeless movements of the feet and legs, may occur in 10-25 percent of patients on Prozac.'"

There are other studies: "Emergence of self-destructive phenomena in children and adolescents during fluoxetine [Prozac] treatment," published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (1991, vol.30), written by RA King, RA Riddle, et al. It reports self-destructive phenomena in 14% (6/42) of children and adolescents (10-17 years old) who had treatment with fluoxetine (Prozac) for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, September, 1991. Author Laurence Jerome reports the case of a ten-year old who moves with his family to a new location. Becoming depressed, the boy is put on Prozac by a doctor. The boy is then "hyperactive, agitated ... irritable." Then he calls a stranger on the phone and says he is going to kill him. The Prozac is stopped, and the aggressive symptoms disappear.And Jon Rappoport (www.nomorefakenews.com) reminds us that what is true about Prozac is true about Paxil or Zoloft or any of the other SSRI antidepressants.
 

Rhianne

Diamond Contributor
Member For 2 Years
ECF Refugee
Sadly, I am always forced to get a flu shot. I'm glad I don't have a reaction. Last year I didn't get one. LOL the facility I worked in was bonkers. However, with starting a new job in healthcare (low paid nurse) :) I have to get one if I want employment. In my next life I will not be a nurse.

I’ve heard about a lot of people having to get them for work, but especially nurses or people in healthcare. I’m glad that you’re okay! :hug:


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Artemis

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I’ve heard about a lot of people having to get them for work, but especially nurses or people in healthcare. I’m glad that you’re okay! :hug:


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That's sad, nobody should be forced to take the vaccines to get/keep a job:facepalm:. Kinda goes against the idea of being a "free" country:mad:

I'm not thrilled because I believe it does nothing but waste my time. The easy way to prevent flu is wipe down surfaces, cover your mouth and stay away from sick people at least 3 feet. In my line of work I'm always around sick people. I have to be super careful since I have a auto immune disease already.
When washing hands. Always use a paper towel to turn on faucet and obtain liquid soap/dispose and grab a few new paper towels. Use one to turn off the sink. Use one when touching the door to exit. (of course this is when out in public).

Another fun fact! I see this all the time. Children and adults coughing in the grocery stores on the very products one buys. Wipe those canned goods down with a decent anti fungal cloth. I always grab from behind if needed. I have some anal ways but I have to. I would wear a mask in public but they would think I'm sick. I am/would be protecting myself from their nasty ass germs they spread. (I'm speaking of parents who won't curb their children from touching everything in the damm stores).
 

Rhianne

Diamond Contributor
Member For 2 Years
ECF Refugee
The Scandal of Prozac and
Big Pharma Lies

After 30 years, the truth is now known—Eli Lilly, the makers of Prozac, secretly paid off plaintiffs in a court case following a mass shooting incident. Prozac was and is the number one deadly type of drug that sends people crazy and triggers aggression and murderous violence. It was known to do so by the FDA when the drug was first reviewed.

That agency went rogue a long, long time ago. It takes no responsibility for launching killer chemicals on the population. In fact the original FDA examiner said NO to the drug: it caused aggression and violence. He knew that. But he was overruled. The drug came to the market anyway.

The plaintiffs suing Eli Lilly were families of the victims of Joseph Wesbecker, a man who went on a deadly shooting rampage in Louisville, Kentucky. He killed 8 and injured 12. It was a critical moment in the history of these drugs because they had been reported to cause violence. If Eli Lilly lost the case, that could be the end of a marvelous gravy train for the industry (as of this writing, 1 in 5 US citizens are on some form of psychiatric medication).

But the trial was rigged. Eli Lilly was exonerated at the time, absolved of any blame for murders by the jury. But it was not an honest trial. Eli Lilly shamelessly (and criminally) gave $20 million in secret bribes to potential witnesses in another trial, which could have gone badly for them at the critical moment.

Not only was Eli Lilly bailed out and escaped consequences. The drug too was “exonerated” and now it’s difficult to get the bent psychiatric profession to tolerate the idea that their stupid drugs are causing mass murders. Prozac and other SSRIs KILL people.

Eli Lilly vigorously shielded the illegal and corrupt payment for more than two decades, defying the Louisville judge who fought to reveal it because he said it swayed the Wesbecker jury's verdict.

That heroic judge, Circuit Judge John Potter, suspected that Lilly bribed plaintiffs and their lawyers before the jury verdict. He uncovered evidence of bribery, and fought Eli Lilly for years but failed to obtain adequate proof of the terms of the Prozac payoff deal. Lilly succeeded in keeping its criminal action from a judicial proceeding.

As is Big Pharma’s usual strategy, they also trashed the judge and ruined his life, for his pursuit of the truth (Jon Rappoport. www.nomorefakenews.com).

Who Is The Victim Here, The Killer?
On Sept. 14, 1989, Joseph Wesbecker entered a Louisville print shop around 8:30 a.m., carrying a bag full of weapons, including a semiautomatic rifle. Over the next 30 minutes, as he walked through the building, Wesbecker fired more than 40 rounds at those he encountered before shooting himself in the [head] with a handgun.

So the “official” story is he was crazy. That’s why he committed the murders. But Wesbecker had no murderous traits or suicidal till he started taking Prozac a month before. Moreover this was far from a one-off. Scored of mass murders have now been committed by individuals driven mad by psychiatric drugs.

But the call is now for more drugs, to dose more patients, because they are crazy and might do harm. They are now even subjecting kids at school to psychiatric tests, to see if they have any “tendencies”. If any are spotted, they are out of psych meds. That’s why so many mass murderers are mere kids of school age (Sandy Hook, Columbine, Parkland… look ‘em up).

Jon Rappoport has done a sterling job in collecting media critiques of these deadly drugs:

On February 7th, 1991, Amy Marcus' Wall Street Journal article on the drug carried the headline, "Murder Trials Introduce Prozac Defense." She wrote, "A spate of murder trials in which defendants claim they became violent when they took the antidepressant Prozac are imposing new problems for the drug's maker, Eli Lilly and Co."

Also on February 7, 1991, the New York Times ran a Prozac piece headlined, "Suicidal Behavior Tied Again to Drug: Does Antidepressant Prompt Violence?"

In his landmark book, Toxic Psychiatry, Dr. Breggin mentions that the Donahue TV show (Feb. 28, 1991) "put together a group of individuals who had become compulsively self-destructive and murderous after taking Prozac and the clamorous telephone and audience response confirmed the problem."

Breggin also cites a troubling study from the February 1990 American Journal of Psychiatry (Teicher et al, v.147:207-210) which reports on "six depressed patients, previously free of recent suicidal ideation, who developed an intense, violent suicidal preoccupations after 2-7 weeks of fluoxetine [Prozac] treatment. The suicidal preoccupations lasted from three days to three months after termination of the treatment. The report estimates that 3.5 percent of Prozac users were at risk.

While denying the validity of the study (of course), Dista Products, a division of Eli Lilly, put out a brochure for doctors dated August 31, 1990, stating that it was adding 'suicidal ideation' to the adverse events section of its Prozac product information."

An earlier study, from September 1989 Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, by Joseph Lipiniski, Jr., indicates that, in five examined cases, people on Prozac developed what is called akathisia. Symptoms include intense anxiety, inability to sleep, the "jerking of extremities," and "bicycling in bed or just turning around and around."

Breggin comments that akathisia "may also contribute to the drug's tendency to cause self-destructive or violent tendencies ... Akathisia can become the equivalent of biochemical torture and could possibly tip someone over the edge into self-destructive or violent behavior ... The June 1990 Health Newsletter, produced by the Public Citizen Research Group, reports, 'Akathisia, or symptoms of restlessness, constant pacing, purposeless movements of the feet and legs, may occur in 10-25 percent of patients on Prozac.'"

There are other studies: "Emergence of self-destructive phenomena in children and adolescents during fluoxetine [Prozac] treatment," published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (1991, vol.30), written by RA King, RA Riddle, et al. It reports self-destructive phenomena in 14% (6/42) of children and adolescents (10-17 years old) who had treatment with fluoxetine (Prozac) for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, September, 1991. Author Laurence Jerome reports the case of a ten-year old who moves with his family to a new location. Becoming depressed, the boy is put on Prozac by a doctor. The boy is then "hyperactive, agitated ... irritable." Then he calls a stranger on the phone and says he is going to kill him. The Prozac is stopped, and the aggressive symptoms disappear.And Jon Rappoport (www.nomorefakenews.com) reminds us that what is true about Prozac is true about Paxil or Zoloft or any of the other SSRI antidepressants.

Good article. I looked at his website and it was pretty interesting. Thanks, Jimi. :hug: Hope you had a good day! How’s the garden doing?


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Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
For the dog owners:


Don't Feed Your Dog Pig Ears

By Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen, MDs

In the 1960s sitcom “Green Acres,” Fred Ziffel and his wife Doris have a son named Arnold. The only problem is, Arnold is a pig (a Chester White breed).

But everyone in Hooterville, where they live, treats Arnold as Fred and Doris' son, inviting him to town meetings and understanding him when he grunts and squeals.

In fact, Arnold repeatedly beats the local farmers at checkers, is working on a novel, plays the piano, and is an accomplished abstract painter.

Pigs have long been known to be remarkably intelligent. If that's not a good enough reason to avoid feeding processed pig-ear treats to your dog, here's another: The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated info on the link between smoked pig-ear pet treats (apparently dogs love them) and human cases of salmonella.

Not only can contaminated pig-ear treats make your pooch sick, but if the dog is infected and licks you or your child on the face, you can get sick, too.

To date, pig ears have been linked to a “multidrug-resistant salmonella” outbreak in 35 states.

If you have pig-ear treats in your pantry, the FDA recommends disposing of them in a secure container so other animals can't access them.

And if your pig-ear-snacking pet seems to be getting sick, take it to a vet right away.

 

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Finding More Love
Nothing is quite as precious as that deep-down feeling of calm and security that comes from knowing you are loved. There’s science galore behind it…

Women who were subject to painful stimuli in an experiment (electric shocks) felt much calmer and relaxed, if they were holding their husband’s hand. They didn’t mind having their pain threshold tested!

A famous study in Israel many years ago showed that men who could say YES to the question: “Does your wife tell you she loves you?” lived far longer on average, to those who said NO.

Of course, it cuts the other way. People who are lost in love, hurt, bitter or lonely have far WORSE stats. You wouldn't want to be among them, I’m sure. They are subject to more disease and die younger on average.

And in case you are wondering, yes, those who were happily in love for a time but ended up divorced or widowed came somewhere in between, leading Dr. David Perlmutter to quip that it’s true scientifically: “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

The trouble is, we don’t control love. Or think we don’t. It just happens, you can’t stop it. Then you louse it up, get furious with each other, the relationship turns bad… and you can’t stop that either.

Break up and divorce seems almost inevitable.



But you know, it doesn’t need to be that way. There are certain principles of love; mechanisms or protocols if you like. There is a right and wrong way to do things. For example, if you blame your spouse or lover for your emotions: “You make me angry”, you are going to have trouble. It’s a LIE. No-one else makes your emotions but YOU. You create the anger.

He or she maybe forgot an anniversary or date. But YOU turned on the anger.

I don’t need to tell you falsehoods don’t work. So that’s at least ONE reason so many relationships are dysfunctional. Actually, at the bottom of it all, most problems arise from lousy communications.

I’ve shared before my patient who went around yelling at her husband, “You make me sick”. I’m sure she took delight in hurting him. But guess who really got hurt? She got cancer! It was only when I walked her through the passageways of her own mind and what she was ACTUALLY saying to herself that the light dawned for her (she made a full recovery from her cancer).

Anyway, I see a yawning hole here, where pseudo-knowledge is filled with B*S*, “everybody knows”, thought viruses (memes) and lousy, really lousy, religious teaching. It’s time we turned the searchlight of rational logic on the problems and, believe me, you come up with some pretty amazing stuff when you look with a fresh eye!
 

Rhianne

Diamond Contributor
Member For 2 Years
ECF Refugee
Jimi, do you know anything about Benzoic Acid that they use in nic salts? The mainstream health sites say it’s safe, but I wonder. You know, all those bs sites who love GMOs and vaccines.
 

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Jimi, do you know anything about Benzoic Acid that they use in nic salts? The mainstream health sites say it’s safe, but I wonder. You know, all those bs sites who love GMOs and vaccines.
Sorry but I really don't, I didn't get into the nic salts, old school I guess, so I haven't done much research on it:facepalm:. I mix and just use regular nic and have gotten to the 1 mg leavel, actually if I had to I think I could go 0 mg with no problem;). Sometimes it's hard to find trusted information on a substance:gaah:. When that happens I just avoid it. A lot of people use it, wish I had more for you my friend.
 

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Replace Inflammatory Foods

mail

The diet most Americans and those in industrialized nations have is very “unnatural” and is packed with inflammatory foods. And even foods that are high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories have been paired with inflammatory foods that destroy their benefit.

For example, raw organic cacao, which can be found in chocolate, is a great source of antioxidants. In fact, cacao is a superfood. It has 40 times the antioxidants as blueberries!

Yet we ruin the benefits of cacao by pairing it with inflammatory sweeteners, like sugar made from genetically-modified beets.

Another example you are familiar with is coffee. Organic coffee is rich in antioxidants, yet many people put cream or milk in their coffee. Dairy binds to the antioxidants in your coffee, reducing the health benefits by 300%!

So even foods that could improve your health are often contaminated with inflammatory foods.

With all that being said, here are the inflammatory foods you should avoid:

  • Sugar
  • High-Fructose Corn Syrup
  • Nutra-Sweet (i.e., Aspartame)
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Fried Foods
  • Dairy (especially in coffee)
  • Processed Meats (e.g., bacon, hot dogs, bologna)
Good news! Having a healthier diet doesn’t need to be painful. In fact, reducing inflammatory foods could reduce pain from inflammation in your joints.

Eating healthy can even be pleasurable! There are lots of delicious anti-inflammatory sweeteners and spices that you can add to your favorite foods, desserts, and even your coffee!

So relax...there are lots of healthy and tasty alternatives that can satisfy your sweet tooth and deliver the flavors you crave...
 

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
One article two posts

Helps Cure the Blues Even When Your
World Is Falling Apart

A great many people suffer from depression these days, but if you’ve just been diagnosed with cancer, or you’re being treated for it, you’re in a category all your own.

You could just about say depression is a normal response.

So this might surprise you: The latest research shows you need to be almost as concerned about treating depression as you are about treating your cancer. You see, regardless of the cause, depression is correlated with a higher risk of death in clinical study.1

Now, when it comes to cancer specifically, the clinical evidence confirming that depression causes cancer is inconclusive.2 Yet many of today’s top oncologists will tell you that a cancer patient’s mental and emotional wellbeing does influence whether a cancer grows or recedes. In fact, that’s why so many alternative doctors employ treatments that improve a cancer patient’s mental and emotional health while also fighting the tumor.

In the world of alternative cancer treatment, it’s widely accepted: Being happy and upbeat gives you a better chance of beating the disease.

So how do you get yourself to feel happier when you’re facing a cancer diagnosis?

There are lots of ways such as taking anti-depressants (but you need a doctor’s prescription). . . trying to get a “runner’s high” through physical activity (nice idea but not for everybody). . .meditating and focusing on spiritual health (good idea and accessible to all).

Well, today I’ve got another key to unlocking a happier you that you probably never thought of. .

Just volunteer.

That’s right. According to studies, volunteering can have similar effects to mood-enhancing drugs or a runner’s high.

Volunteering releases a rush of endorphins – your body’s natural painkillers – which operate much like morphine. Even after some time has passed, just thinking back on the experience of helping others sets off a less-intense version of the endorphin rush.

This effect has been dubbed “helper’s high.”

So the age-old adage “it’s better to give than to receive” may be truer than we ever imagined.

Brain images confirm it

Brain scans support this theory. A National Institutes of Health (NIH) study showed that when people even think about donating to a charity, the same reward areas of the brain were activated as when they thought about food or sex.3

According to William T. Harbough, one of the study’s authors, “The surprising thing about this is that we actually see people getting rewards as they give up money to a cause.” Who would’ve thought?

A terrific longevity hack

Numerous studies suggest that active volunteers reduce their risk of premature death, and live longer, happier, healthier lives.

In a 1999 study published in the Journal of Health Psychology, those subjects who volunteered with two or more organizations were 44% less likely to die prematurely, compared to those who didn’t volunteer.

Some studies note if you want to achieve that outcome, the reason for volunteering should be to help others, not to gain some personal benefit.4 A 2011 study was the first to find that motives for volunteering affected life span.

From a health standpoint, volunteering makes you feel good because you’re helping someone. You do well when you do good.

Feeling good while doing good – 8 mental health benefits

Volunteering gives many benefits…

  1. Combats depression5 – keeps you from thinking so negatively or being hypercritical.
  2. Reduces stress – focusing your attention on others takes your mind off your own worries.
  3. Increases motivation – provides a sense of accomplishment, yielding a “What else is possible?” mindset.
  4. Prevents feelings of isolation – gives you opportunities to make new friends and grow your social and professional networks. For the introverted, volunteering can help break the ice as you share an activity or passion you have in common with others.
  5. Boosts confidence6 – via new skills, mental stimulation, and a more positive view of self.
  6. Instills a sense of purpose and meaning – helps put your own life and troubles in perspective.
  7. Ignites passion – it’s a fun way to explore interests, whether new or long-standing.
  8. Makes you happy – as already noted.
The theory of the research is that volunteers live longer if they have altruistic or social reasons for volunteering. But given the complexity of human emotions and motives, this isn’t an easy factor for scientists to tease out. In fact, people volunteer for a host of different reasons.

“Why do you volunteer?” In their own words…

VolunteerMatch, a web-based volunteer engagement network, asked more than 7,000 volunteers why they did it.

Here are some of the responses:

66% did it to improve their communities
83% wanted to contribute to a cause they care about
Over 35% said they did it to socialize
About 33% of daily volunteers do so to build a particular skill set

Motivations for volunteering can be complicated, highly personal, and subjective – which is why scientists have such a hard time knowing whether a person’s reasons are purely altruistic or not. The results above reflect what people report about their own motives, and this particular survey did not investigate whether these people lived longer compared to non-volunteers.

Here are some of the reasons volunteers gave their time and energy to a cause…

  • “I love animals.”
  • “To fight depression.”
  • “It gives my life purpose.”
  • “To show my children and grandchildren the importance of giving back.”
  • “So those I’m serving feel cared for.”
Choosing where to volunteer – cancer-related

Once you decide to volunteer, think about your interests, passions, skills, and expertise. Consider how you could use them to help promote the mission of an organization.

Cancer organizations offer many volunteer opportunities. If you’re into natural health, you may want to target those organizations that promote treatment approaches you support.

Within the cancer universe, here are some options to consider:

  • Be a telephone hotline counselor – giving easy-to-understand info and lending emotional support over the phone
  • Lead or co-lead a cancer support group
  • Provide emotional and practical support to cancer patients and their families (providing specialty items, books, medical referrals, legal services, and rides to medical appointments)
  • Help fund-raise
  • Become an advocate, maybe even speaking publicly to promote a particular cause
  • Become a research advocate – participating in grant review panels, research policy discussions, and the like
 

Jimi

Diamond Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Part Two

Other volunteer options

Your local school, church, or library can always use support.

Keep in mind that schools tend to be germ havens, so they may not be your best option if you’re a cancer patient with a compromised immune system. At a minimum, consider boosting your immune system with supplements first.

If you love animals, you can train support dogs, help at a riding stable for disadvantaged or physically challenged kids or adults, foster pets needing a new home, assist with animal adoption programs, and more.

Love sports? Volunteer as a coach or assistant coach (if your energy level allows), or perform administrative tasks for a team or sports program.

There are also organizations like Make-a-Wish, Big Brother Big Sister, Junior Achievement (great if you’re a business person), and more.

If you enjoy construction work, Habitat for Humanity or a similar organization might be a good fit.

Love to travel? If your health allows, consider overseas options like International Volunteer HQ – which offers opportunities in childcare, teaching, healthcare, environment, conservation, wildlife, construction, arts and music, sports, refugee support, eldercare, community development, and more.

Faith-based organizations such as Samaritan’s Purse also operate internationally (and domestically).

Obviously, there are far too many options to list them all here. These are just a few suggestions to get your creative juices flowing.

No two people have exactly the same skill set or the same passions. So pick what fits you.

One woman’s story

One outgoing cancer patient felt so extremely isolated during treatment that she offered to volunteer as a receptionist at her husband’s place of work.

The glitch came when the company’s HR department nixed volunteering, claiming that regulations wouldn’t allow them to have unpaid workers. So they made her a low-paid “employee.” Now she gets to use her skills and be around people four or five half-days per week.

It’s been a godsend for her, as it gets her out of the house and into a social setting. And it’s only five minutes from home.

Her “volunteering” pays more than she expected.

But her real jackpot is getting to be out with people instead of at home brooding and worrying about her health.

What if your health status prohibits volunteering?

Keep in mind that you don’t have to be part of an organization to make a difference in the world. The bottom line is that simple acts of kindness toward friends, family members, or neighbors can bring great joy and satisfaction.

And it still qualifies as giving back.

You’ll light up their life as well as your own. So plan to commit your next random act of kindness today.

And one more thing, don’t “guilt” yourself if your health is too weak to volunteer. You should carefully take into account how much your physical condition will allow you to do.

The idea is for volunteering to make you feel better, not worse!
 

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