It’s Baaack, I have scoured every corner of cyberspace, selflessly and tirelessly in a relentless, never ending search for that which enlightens on the subjects of mind, soul, and body and then I got tired and took a nap.  Anyway, here is the fruits of my labor, especially for you, the reader, I present the best of the Internet-

Regarding the Mind-

 At the New York Times, Jennifer Egan has written a magnificent, but lengthy in-depth article that explores the complex and controversial problem posed by bipolar disorder in children, giving a compelling case that it does, in fact, exist, and then describing the unique difficulties involved in diagnosing it right and treating it.

The Situationist examines an intriguing study that shows we carry our racial biases with us into the virtual world, where we react differently to avatars of different races.  I am always tempted to go for the dark skin with the extraordinarily large afro and goatee, I wonder what exactly does that say about me?  Maybe that I am just your typical, everyday, self-hating, politically correct white male.

By the way, I apologize for the lengthy wait wou had to load this page.  My upspike in traffic has just been unbelievable.  I am at a loss for what I can possibly do with these droves and droves of new fans, but I will note The Situationist is on a roll as they share a way to mess with the mind to get people to do what you want them to, with the simple, age old  ”everyone else is doing it” line.  

Regarding the Soul-

At LDS Philosopher, Nathan Richardson shares a solution for creating an analogy that accounts for both our individuality and the fundamental unit of society that is family.  It is the building block that stands alone but incorporates into strong, reinforced, and structurally sound units, the building block that is the Lego.

S. Faux, at LDS Insights has a wonderful essay about the obedience of spiritual growth and discipleship, particularly as it contrasts to the laziness of blind obedience.

At Mormon Matters, Stephen Marsh shares some beautiful insights about the highs and lows we all run into spiritually, along with some tips for getting through the lows and help for us to have more compassion for those in our community who may be running on empty themselves.

Regarding the Body-

At Musings of a Distractible Mind, Dr. Rob continues his uproarious series on the physicians examination by venturing into my territory, the frighteningly unfamiliar and mysterious specimen that is the baby.

Brain Blogger has an interesting piece by Nirupama Shankar on Water intoxication, when that most benign and life sustaining of chemicals becomes too much.  It goes to prove the mantra of toxicology, the poison is not in the substance, the poison is in the dose.

Fall is here, the days are shortening, temperatures are dropping and the yearly blues brought on by these changes, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), is around the corner for many.  Dr. Shock, MD PhD, has a nice piece on the neurophysiology of the process.

or All the Above-

At Mental Health Notes, Airdrie Miller, a Vancouver, Canada blogger has a guest post in which she shares her experience with depression, noting that it just doesn’t seem to matter how many cookies you bake, sometimes that will never fix the problem.  Personal stories are something I am a sucker for, likely because it  always hits so close to home.

Speaking of Depression, the Catatonic Kid has yet another incredible self reflection as she ponders the very difficult question of what exactly is her role when it comes to her depression.

In the midst of her own blue period, the Anesthesioboistleaves the subject of Medicine for a moment amd ponders, in her typically eloquent way, the dumbing down of American culture, the rampant anti-intellectualism that even in the medical community seems to hold sway, and grieves for our general disdain for culture, intellectual growth, and refinement.

and just because I Liked it-

The Placebo Journalis way ahead of big pharma, sharing a brilliant idea for new medication delivery systems that will ensure patient compliance and make money without all that pesky discovering new and better drugs,  medicine that tastes so good, you’ll pop it like candy.

At Musings of a Distractible Mind, Dr. Rob draws on his wealth of experience as a public health service to let all you frustrated patients out there know exactly how to exasperate and annoy your own doctor, with a list that rings oh, so true, brief as my career has been.

Disappearing John, RN shares a tongue in cheek look at why its great to be a Man.  I’m not all that comfortable with how the offspring bit is supposed to mean I’m happier, or even speak all that well of my gender, but I think men and women might get a chuckle or two out of the post.

Finally, to top it all off I present this stirring musical number by the Laryngospasms, an A Capella group of nurse anesthetists, or CRNAs, that obviously have tooo much time on their hands.

 With that I bid farewell.  Please remember to breathe.  I’ll see ya next time.

   Tagged: anesthesia, anti-intellectualism, bipolar disorder, child psychiatry, children, Depression, family, individuality, intellectualism, legos, men, music, obedience, peer pressure, physical exam, prejudice, racism, satire, social cues, water. seasonal affective disorder, women