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Independence is What I Seek

The Star-Spangled day of hamburgers, hot-dogs and apple pie is officially upon us.

Fireworks started exploding last night and the dogs are freaking out.  People are smiling, yet, only a few homes on the streets of my neighborhood fly American flags.  And, those with smiles seem distant . . . like smiles of memory, not the present.

There are fewer flags in the yards of the people . . .

Other flags fly from businesses & corporations . . .

Where is the red, white and blue of years past trumpeting from the markets, street corners and parks this year? Something changed. 

What does the Fourth-of-July really mean, today, in grownup land?

I’ve no longer heard people talk of our “Independence.”  In the grocery store, the gas station, even at church, I heard nothing of gratitude for our nation’s sovereignty. Though we sang the Star Spangled Banner today in our worship meetings, the underlying understanding of the holiday seems lost in conversation.

This “free” country has been slowly covered with a dark multicolored mold that has crept into every corner, under every crack, upon every walk way, and buried in the crevices of our society.

“Your health is more important than your freedom,” they say.  “You’re a bigot if your neighbor’s feelings are more important than your freedom, don’t you think?”

The pen of every lawmaker seems to have usurped some “freedom for your own safety” over the last year.

Every government circumvention . . .

Every bail-out . . .

Every stimulus . . .

Every theory . . .

Every ruling . . .

“Your freedom will return when you get the vaccine,” they say.

“You can have a few friends over on the Fourth of July for a hot-dog if you are obedient,” we were told.

Yes.  Schools, churches and gyms are now open . . . open only on conformity to the pen – with limits.  

“This is for the public good . . .” they say.

“It is too difficult for you think about this yourself . . .” they say.

“Those words are scarry and too extreme . . .” they say.

Yet the mold is thicker, darker, deeper, with a despotic stench of repression . . . maybe people are still wearing a mask to avoid the mold?

You can have your liberty back when you are “inoculated,” they promise.

And yet, isn’t this the exact reason a Declaration was penned 245 years ago? 

“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly, all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

The populace has been conditioned.  The populace is now compliant.  How does tyranny taste?  Are we soft enough for another dose?

This is nothing more than a closed-door measurement of your backbone, a measurement of my spine.

Or, has resolve been hardened?  Is the sleeping giant of a still-free, sovereign people awakened or sedated?

They still see the “great unwashed” in need of a corral . . .

Yet, I see my compatriots.  I see my brothers and sisters, waking from a deep sleep. . . perhaps for the first time seeing how easily freedom and liberty can be lost, taken, or stolen.

All the blessings of this great nation are enjoyed under the rule of law. The rule of law comes from our Constitution, born out of that Declaration of Independence. Our allegiance runs to the Constitution and to the principles which it embodies, not to individuals or specific elected officials. The rule of law us the basis of our liberty, and provides continued independence.

I cannot shake the feeling that we stand in danger of losing our liberties, and that once lost, only blood will bring them back. Once lost we will have more sacrifices to make and persecution to endure than we have yet known in coming to this point in our Nation’s history.

To all with a discerning eye, the democratic republic formed by our forefathers cannot long endure once fundamental principles are abandoned. Momentum for another conflict – repeating the crisis 245 years ago – is building speed. The collision of ideas is now worldwide – will men be free to determine their own course of action or must they be coerced?

Let us resolve today under the bright stars and the stripes that will never run:

  • There shall be no slow frog-boil today on this soil
  • There shall be no toe-hold for tyranny, no matter how sweet the promise of safety or familiarity may be
  • Any over-reach and “bureaucratic help” is too expensive at the price of freedom and liberty.
  • We will prevail as a free people . . . no matter the cost, come what may.

To your freedom, your independence and a wonderful 2021!

Adam Nally, D.O. (AKA – @DocMuscles)

That Pivotal Day 77 Years Ago

I was reminded this morning of today’s profound meaning.  Upon looking at the date, June 6, I remembered that 77 years ago tremendous sacrifice was made on our behalf.  The U.S., Canadian, and British allied forces, 160,000 of our bravest and strongest young men, invaded and captured the Nazi-held beaches in Normandy, France, in 1944. That is 77 years ago today.

Over last 21 years of my medical practice, I’ve had the tremendous privilege of caring for a few handfuls of these men that served on the beaches of Normandy or parachuted into France.  They rarely talked much about it, but there was something in their eyes.  Many of them have already passed on.  But, their nobility and honor brings me great joy when I see them or remember visiting with them.

Today, the day they called D-Day (the “D” simply stands for day and the term denotes the starting of a distinctive military field operation) marked the beginning of a 3-month strategy known as Operation Overlord.  Many historians believe this strategic action determined the course of World War II (1939-1945) by paving the way for allied expansion into France.

You really should take the next nine minutes and watch some recently colorized footage of our 18-26 year old grandfathers protecting our countries and pushing back German troops from France.  It is actual black and white footage that has been colorized.  You can watch that short nine minutes of footage here.  I am just amazed at the hundreds of thousands of young men that sacrificed to push back fascism and communism for our sacred freedoms today.

The totality of Operation Overlord was an elaborate orchestration of events aimed at opening a new western front on the Atlantic that could put pressure on Nazi Germany, along with the advancing allied forces from the south and the east. Here is another nine minute video that summarizes D-Day and Operation Overlord in a very understandable way.

To those men, their wives and families, I tip my hat, and I thank you.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your service and willingness to sacrifice you all for our freedom and peace upon the earth.  Wherever you are, may God bless you and your families.

Does Jung & Myers-Briggs Typology Effect Obesity?

Sitting around the dinner table this evening we began discussing personality types.  As a fun exercise, we each took the Jung Typology Test based on Jung and Myers-Briggs findings about personality.   If you haven’t taken this personality test, you might find it quite interesting and the topic of hours of conversation around the dinner table  . . . as we did this evening. The test is free on-line and takes about 10 minutes.

jung
Carl Gustav Jung – Swiss Psychiatrist & Psychotherapist

The actual Myers-Briggs Type Indicator costs about $50.00 and includes an interpretation by someone trained in giving the test. It differs slightly in its questions and the way the testing is interpreted.

Both tests provide an interesting insight into your individual psychological preferences regarding four categories.  According to Carl G. Jung’s theory of psychological types published in 1971, people can be characterized, first, by their preference or general attitude about the source of and how they express their energy:

  • Extraverted (E) vs. Introverted (I)

The second preference is one of the two functions of perception, or related to how they perceive information coming from either the external or internal world:

  • Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N)

and the third preference relates to how one processes the information that they have received, acting as one of the two functions of thought or judgement:

  • Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)

Isabel Briggs Myers, a researcher and practitioner of Jung’s theory, proposed that the fourth preference related to how one applies or implements the information that he or she processed above.  She proposed a judging-perceiving relationship as the fourth dichotomy influencing personality type in 1980:

  • Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P)

Each of these dichotomies represents an opposite pole of preference and each of us have a dominant pole toward which we gravitate.

Based upon your dominant traits, a personality type index is assigned.

PersonalityChart

Kim and Lee studied these personality preferences and how they relate to diet, health and propensity toward obesity.  Their findings were interesting in that expression, perception and judgement did not seem to have any bearing on  health or obesity. However, the application of judgement vs perception did play a role in health. Judging (J) means that a person organizes all of his or her life events and, as a rule, sticks to those plans. Perceiving (P) means that he or she is inclined to improvise and explore alternative options.

Significantly better dietary and health behaviors were identified in those preferring Judging (J) versus those preferring Perceiving (P) traits.  Those preferring the Judging (J) behaviors included eating breakfast, regularly eating three meals a day, smoking less, exercising more and having a lower tendency to nocturnal eating.

The findings show that the use of  Jung Type or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator may be helpful in identifying and index those with a Perceiving (P) trait that would benefit from dietary and exercise education, nutritional counseling and/or behavior modification programs.

It has been my experience that those with a “P” type dichotomy preference would benefit greatly from daily food planning and journaling.

So, what is your Jung/Myers-Briggs type?

Just for fun, and because my kids were very curious about what each personality type would appear as in character, I’ve included the Jung/Myers-Briggs Disney typing.

I’m an ENFJ, just in case you’re curious.

Disney Character Personality Types

References:

  1. Jung, C. G. (1971). Psychological types (Collected works of C. G. Jung, volume 6, Chapter X)
  2. Briggs Myers, I. (1980, 1995) Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type
  3. Kim BS, Lee YE. College Students’ Dietary and Health Behaviors related to Their Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Personality Preferences. Korean J Community Nutr. 2002 Feb;7(1):32-44. Korean.

 

How to Stay Motivated on Carbohydrate Restriction

This evening on PeriScope, we talked about the 10 things you can do to stay motivated on your low-carb lifestyle.  A number of great questions were asked including:

  • How much carbohydrate should be restricted?
  • What labs should you be monitoring regularly?
  • What’s a normal blood sugar?
  • Why is Dr. Nally freezing in Denver?
  • Is fermented food good for you?
  • Why should you eat pickles and kimchi even when you’re not pregnant?

And, much much more . . . It’s like a college ketogenic course on overdrive . . . for FREE!!!

You can see the PeriScope with the comments rolling in real-time here: katch.me/docmuscles

Or, you can watch the video stream below:

See you next time.

Principles of Life for Consideration

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Over the years, I have collected quotes, bits of wisdom, quips of life and principles of living.  I have taken them from a number of sources, friends, family and thoughts that have just come to me while reading, pondering or out riding my horse with my family.  I have made a point to try to write these down and I thought that I would share them with you today.  Some of them apply to health, obesity, weight and others just apply to being a gentleman. Some of these I struggle with and maybe you do too. Some of them I am good at, and some of them I need to work on.  Let me know what you think:

  • Ponder each night upon the events of the day, and make a goal for tomorrow.
  • Never cancel dinner plans by text message.
  • Every action in public should be done with some sign of respect to those present.
  • When entrusted with a secret, keep it.
  • When in the presence of others, do not sing to yourself, hum to yourself, or drum fingers or feet.
  • If you cough, sneeze, sigh or yawn, cover your mouth.
  • Being old is not dictated by your bedtime.
  • Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: its starting point.
  • Of all the things a leader should fear, complacency should head the list.
  • The great man is not only responsible for harvesting his own success, but for cultivating the success of the next generation.
  • Vitality is shown not only in the ability to persist, but in the ability to start over.
  • Smile when you pass a stranger.
  • Know the words to your national anthem.
  • Even if your dance moves aren’t the best, making a fool of yourself is much more fun than sitting on the bench.
  • A suntan is earned, not purchased.
  • Don’t sleep when others are talking, don’t sit when others stand, don’t talk when you should hold your peace, don’t walk when others stop.
  • Don’t remove your clothes in the presence of others or leave the privacy of your home half dressed.
  • Don’t bite your nails in the presence of others.
  • Avoid turning your back on someone who is speaking.
  • Don’t lean upon or kick the table upon which someone is reading or writing.
  • Always be the first to remove your hat, salute, or extend your hand to your equal or superior.
  • Let your speech with men of business be short and comprehensive.
  • Whenever writing or speaking, give to every person his due title according to his degree and the custom of the time.
  • Let your recreation be manful, not sinful.
  • Don’t talk with food in your mouth.
  • It is the duty of the senior ranking official within the group or company to unfold his napkin and begin eating first; however, that same official should begin with-in time and demonstrate enough dexterity that the slowest may have the necessary time allowed him to partake of the meal.
  • Avoid strife in disagreement with a superior, but always submit your judgement to others with modesty.
  • Associate yourself with men and women of good quality if you esteem your reputation, for it is better to be alone, then in bad company.
  • Don’t point.
  • Keep your promises.
  • The only things that evolve on their own in any organization are disorder, friction, and nonperformance.
  • Morale is really only faith in the man at the top.
  • No great invention was ever made without true exercise of imagination.
  • All bleeding stops . . . eventually.