The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog. – Mark Twain
Stress may kill you or make you stronger: Fight, Flight or play Dead. It is not stress itself but how we respond to the stress that can kill us or make us stronger. We have a new pandemic of “psychological warfare” as a society with anxiety, depression and PTSD. What is going on? The quotes in this article are from Mark Twain, the great humorist and writer. Whenever I hear his quotes in the newspaper, a book or on the internet, I cannot help laughing at his get-to-the-point humor with inspirational sarcasm.
I decided to take a long view and look back at what I have learned and written about the emotional aspects of healing and how they are essential to recovery; the burdens of stress and negativity and how they impact health over time; and the range of emotional and cognitive healing practices, therapeutic approaches, and new technologies that can help refresh and reboot our emotions, feelings, thinking, behavior, brains, and physical health. Here are some examples over the past 15-20 years. I hope we can indulge in Mark Twain’s popular quotes in bold throughout this essay.
What has changed over this period? We have gone from the gifted village idiot in the holistic medical community to the gifted internet idiot. We have added stress from COVID and post-COVID, the pandemic shutdown causing fear and isolation, the polarization of politics and polemics of fake news and false election claims, the rise of Big Pharma, insurance-driven health care, and of private equity hospitals, heightened income inequality, etc. What is the next rigged event? Possible World War III? If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you’re misinformed. – Mark Twain. The Internet and social media repeatedly amplify this on steroids.
My 2008 article, “Stress? What Stress? Psychological Warfare and Bio-feedback Therapy,” focused on medical-related psychological stress. It discussed how unresolved stress and emotional conflict feed each other and escalate into medical illnesses. Your anger and resentment may manifest as liver and gallbladder dysfunction. Emotional shock may trigger a heart attack. Fear and grief may suppress your immune system. Anxiety and loneliness may affect your digestive function. There is psychological warfare going on in America today. Do you know who’s engaged in psychological warfare on people? It is not who you may think it is. If voting made any difference they wouldn’t let us do it. – Mark Twain. However, not voting does make a difference.
Dealing with a patient’s fear, anxiety and depression and managing their stress has been the most challenging part of my practice. It is not so much how much stress you have, but rather how you deal with it. “We age not by years but by events and our emotional reaction to them,” to paraphrase Dr. Arnold Hutschnecker. Ignorance is not, not knowing something. It is knowing what isn’t so. – Mark Twain. This is true for patients, physicians, and dentists. We need deeper ancient intelligence, which is why I use Acupuncture’s Intelligence (AI), via Acupuncture Meridian Assessment (AMA).
My 2010 article, “Original Incurable: The Gifted Village Idiot in the Holistic Medical Community,” told the story of Dandy PouPou, one of the more challenging of many incurables I have encountered over many years. Every village seems to have their village idiot. Dandy Poupou was the gifted village idiot in the holistic medical community. He challenged everything and wanted cold hard proof and guarantees before taking the first step. I wished him well; however, it was up to him to choose to be truly gifted or simply the gifted village idiot. The truth hurts, but silence kills. – Mark Twain.
My 2015 article, “Rip-off Report on Stress and Negativity,” noted how we live in a society perpetually engineered by an artificially generated fear, stress, and negativity. Many people are unfortunately naturally attracted to negative publicity. Sensationalism and fear mean making a fortune for those who can benefit from it and stealing fortunes from the fearful and gullible. There are many professionals, including physicians, who are afraid of negative reviews on the Internet, and, therefore, are willing to spend money to attempt to remove any real or unfair malicious reviews.
I find that even though a patient has decided to see me, the more that he/she is attracted to negativity from the Internet, social media, or other sources, the less likely they are to respond to any therapies, no matter what I do. These negative thoughts and emotions are often based on Fear, Blame, Anger, Shame, Guilt, Insecurity, or Victimhood. My message to you is: Do not surrender to Negativity! Negativity is an unseen force, like whispering gossip or Internet bullying, that damages our lives and poisons our dreams. Just because you’re taught that something’s right and everyone believes it’s right, it doesn’t make it right. – Mark Twain. Try this: trust your instinct and gut feeling.
From the political point of view: Our lives, our liberty, and our prosperity are never in greater danger when Congress is in session. Congress: America’s only true criminal class. God created war so that Americans would learn geography. The nation is divided, half patriots and half traitors, and no man can tell which from which. – Mark Twain
On eating and lifestyle: Part of the secret of a successful life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside. The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself. The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become. Quitting smoking is easy, I’ve done it hundreds of times. Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough. – Mark Twain. Respect food allergies but enjoy what you eat. On healthy living, all things in moderation.
On general topics: Work is a necessary evil to be avoided. Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. Truth is more of a stranger than fiction. I deal with temptation by yielding to it. The problem with education is school. God cures and the doctor sends the bill. Experience comes from bad judgement. Laughter is the greatest weapon we have… A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the banjo and doesn’t. The lack of money is the root of all evil. To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence. – Mark Twain.
I hope you enjoyed the quotes from Mark Twain and are able to laugh. When you are under stress, triggering anxiety, depression or PTSD, and cannot break the cycle by yourself, read my recent articles and consider Brain Neuromodulation and Vagus nerve stimulation rather than rely on medications. When you are under stress, read Mark Twain’s quotes or watch your favorite comedies, relax, practice mindfulness, enjoy nature, fight, run, play dead, or try brain neuromodulation. Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing. I was educated once; it took me years to get over it. – Mark Twain. I agree.
