Category: Education

A repeat of my post ‘Being scammed’.

I thought it very worthwhile to repeat this, plus a real treat at the end of the post!

Scamming in all its forms has only got worse in the last couple of years, since I parted with $9,000 in 2021!

As a direct result of that error, I changed my bank, installed a VPN at home (Proton), changed my email account to ProtonMail, and also changed my calendar (also to Proton).

But I still do not take it as important as it is. I guess because it is not my first thought whenever I come across an unfamiliar email.

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Please read this; and do not make the same mistake as me!

The Story of a Scam

(or how I lost the thick end of $10,000.)

On Friday, 6th August, 2021 at 05:51 in came the following email:

Norton Customer ,

User name:paulhandover

*we like to confim you that the NortonDesk re-newal. has been done on your request*

It is very easy to unsubscribe it,

and related to your any query,  reach us at +1-(860) – (852) – (6259).

Product-Name : NortonDesk

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Price : $475.04

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Subscription ID : 8837-77942826-947192-8126

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Expiration Date　:　3 Year from the Date of Purchase

………………………………………………………………………………………………

* If you wish to Cancel this Membership then please feel free to Contact our Billing department as soon as Possible*

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

*Please do not write to this mail address, that will not help*

Reach us on +1 – (860) – (852) – (6259)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Regards,

Billing department

Contact: +1 – (860) – (852) – (6259)

693 Amwell Rd, Hillsborough, NJ 


My first mistake was not to check the incoming email address. It was mahaliashomakerxhv928@gmail.com

I telephoned the number given and told the person that I wanted to cancel this membership. Indeed that I had never subscribed for this membership in the first place.

I spoke with ‘Adam’. I was then asked to go to a webpage where I filled in a Refund Application Order form. I filled in my details including the refund amount and my bank details: Sort Code & Account Number.

I then submitted the form and imagine my surprise when a few minutes later I was informed that I had received the sum of $10,000. I quickly checked our bank account online and there was the $10,000 credit in our checking account. 

My second mistake was me not examining the total in our accounts. I have the facility to show the total funds in our accounts. Why I didn’t do that I can not explain.

Then it was back on the telephone and Adam also was surprised (later I realised that this was a feigned surprise and all part of the scam) and said could I go to the bank and fill in an International Wire Transfer for the amount of $9,500. Adam also said that he would give me the details of the person in Thailand that was to receive the funds, and could I say this was for a medical operation because it would save ‘Norton’ the taxation.

My third mistake was not to discuss this with Jeannie and to assume that it was just a harmless error.

The details came through and I went to our bank in Grants Pass. I got to the bank a little after 09:00. I saw a staff member of the bank and explained what I needed to do. The bank member queried this and said that it sounded like a scam. I lied and said I knew the woman in Thailand and wanted to go ahead. That was what I had been instructed to say.

My fourth mistake was not listening to the woman at the bank. (And I still thought that the ‘Norton’ funds were in my account.)

The International Wire Transfer was completed and I signed it. I also asked the balances on our two accounts. It was about $10,000 less than I expected and I queried it but was told that there had been a transfer from my savings account to my checking account of $10,000 for Norton. I thought that this was still a little low but that I could check it carefully once I got home. I had a thirty-minute window to change my mind.

Mistake number five, a huge mistake, was while at the bank not to ask them carefully to go through all my transactions that day because that would have revealed that the receipt of $10,000 that I had seen online had mysteriously disappeared. Indeed had never been received. That would have enabled me to stop the wire transfer within the thirty-minute window.

I returned home and found out the truth. I had been scammed out of $9,500.

The strange thing was that ‘Adam’ of the billing department of so-called Norton kept ringing me throughout the day to say that the funds would be sent back to me and gave me the details of three wires and that the funds would be back in my bank account on Monday, 9th August!

Later that morning I rang Kevin Dick who manages our investments and told him the tale. He said that there was a huge amount of scamming about and that I should make three phone calls: to the bank and report the fraud; to the Sheriff’s office and report the fraud; and to my insurance company. The first two were done straight away. Kevin also told me to close my bank accounts and amend my email address. Alex, my son, said to use my Proton mail account and straight away I started to make the change.

A person from the humanists group that we belong to said also to inform The Daily Courier.

Kevin also sent me the following links:

From a recent Podcast I created:

 https://pivot-with-kdi-wealth.simplecast.com/episodes/financial-fraud-and-how-to- keep-from-being-a-victim

A video from our site:

https://www.kdiwealth.com/resource-center/money/data-thieves-from-outer-space

From Finra on Fraud to dos:

https://www.finra.org/investors/insights/investment-fraud-awareness

On Monday morning Ryan of ‘Norton’ called me at 07:15 and said that Adam Prescott was no longer with the firm. Ryan said that their General Manager, Ron Cooper, would call me shortly. Ron did indeed call me and said that they would return the money but that the minimum cheque they could write was $30,000. I was then told that in advance of me receiving the money I would have to pay a small amount to them. At this point I put the phone down for it was clearly a second attempt to steal more funds from me.

Finally we went back to the bank on Monday morning. We were informed that there was never a credit of $10,000 but that a clever switch of the money from one account to another made it look as though the money had been credited. The event had been reported to the bank’s fraud department.

On Tuesday morning, the 10th August, the bank said that as well as our two accounts being locked out from us and that only cheques and cash withdrawals would be honoured for the time being, the fraud department had made the decision to issue us with a ten-day notice to terminate our accounts. In other words, within ten days the bank would no longer want us as customers. Since then I have done much research and found out via the Forbes website that this was more to do with the bank being ultra conservative than anything else. Indeed Kevin said that he had spoken with his IT department and they thought that it was strange that my ex-bank had terminated us so quickly. The IT department thought that the teller at the bank realised that she had been partly culpable.

However the bank did recommend another bank to go to in Grants Pass.

I have since reset my iMac and changed my email address.

It is a most humiliating affair. I have beaten myself up several times over and have at last understood the frame of mind that I had gotten myself into.

To explain that, first of all I thought that I needed to stop the billing urgently and because it was early on a Friday morning thought that the best thing to do was to call immediately.

Secondly, during the call that scammers spoke to me in friendly tones and quietly complimented me on my integrity. I am sure that this ‘spoke’ to my psychological fear of rejection that I have had since I my father died in 1956.

Then in the morning of the 11th August I received a call from a regular contact at the English company who manage my UK SIPP. He wanted to check if I had tried to log on at 09:00 UK time and I replied that there was no way that was me for that UK time was 01:00 Pacific time. There were apparently three attempts to log on. Unsuccessfully as it turned out and my SIPP account is temporarily closed as a result.

The scammers are very thorough in their crooked craft!

Now as of Thursday, the 12th August, we are pretty much out of the grim shadow of this event. We have new accounts at The People’s Bank here in Grants Pass. I have changed my email address and yesterday afternoon I decided that the only safe way of protecting myself was to get another iMac. I was speaking to the sales department of Apple and mentioned the scam and the woman immediately said I should speak with their Technical Support and transferred me. Then I was helped via screen sharing to go through many pages deleting unnecessary files and other stuff. And the helpful woman found another item of malware that was deleted and removed. She spent 54 minutes getting me properly cleaned out and then forwarded an email with all the links for me to do the same process at a later date. It was a superb experience.

So that is it.

Now watch these two YouTube videos. The first is just 5 minutes long and is important to all who use computers and want to be protected against scammers. (NB: This first video is now not included.)

and then watch this slightly longer video from Jim

Be safe! Please!

An addendum dated Saturday, 14th August, at 7am Pacific Time.

Only to say that I also posted my scamming report on Ugly HedgeHog under their General Chit Chat forum. Of the many responses that came in I wanted to post here two of them.

The first from ‘Stanikon’:

Sorry you had to go through this. Your first clue should have been the grammar and phrasing of the original email. That would have given it away. Legitimate companies go to great lengths to make sure their grammar, phrasing and language are correct. I have avoided several scams by paying attention to that so there is some value in being slightly OCD.

and the second from ‘Red6’:

The safest thing to do in these situations is simply not to open the email. I receive on a daily basis, emails telling me that the items I ordered are being shipped, my subscription to something has been renewed etc, etc. 99.9% of these are scams and nothing bad will happen if you just delete them. Older working people often have the fear that there’s a bill out there that has not been paid and they are afraid of getting a bad credit report. So they aggressively try to send someone money for something they cannot even recognize. If it is a true debt, you will be reminded of it several times before any reports are made.

I follow several simple rules in preventing scams. There are many more but this will take care of most of them.

1. Examine the sender’s email address, if you do not recognize it then DO NOT OPEN and DELETE immediately. Most of these scammer’s email addresses will not have the company name in the email address OR it will be combined with other names. Most will not have the .com, .org, etc but will be gmail, Hotmail, or other generic URL. Many of these scammers “broadcast” their emails to everyone on a purchased email list not knowing whether some or valid or not. If you open or reply to these it verifies your email as valid and active and worthy of more attention. Also, if it is an unknown email address, it could be a carrier of a virus or some other bad computer/software infection.

2. If you do get involved with something that does not feel right and you take it to the bank – TRUST THE BANK if they tell you it is suspicious. They see these things every day and develop a feel for them. I received a cashier’s check for something I sold on craigslist. I took it to the bank to deposit and the bank rep immediately recognized the cashier’s check as a fake. She even called the bank the check was supposed to be drawn on and they checked the records and told her that it was counterfeit. You trust your bankers, credit union, etc with your money every day so trust them when they tell you something does not seem right.

3. Scammers know that many older people do NOT like to use credit cards. So a lot of their dealings involve checks, bank transfers, and other forms of older less secure payment methods that older citizens are comfortable with. I NEVER, NEVER send money for something I purchase or order online unless it is through a credit card. In fact, I rarely buy ANYTHING anymore that does not go on the credit card. They are safer, quicker, and easier. If somehow you do get something on your bill that you did not authorize, the credit card company will investigate and go after the person or company that charged you. This is one more safety step that protects the consumer. This does not always apply to debit cards. Debit cards are issued by individual banks or credit unions and some have policies in the fine print that they do NOT have the same policies as the big credit card companies and may not forgive or relieve the user for bad charges made to their debit card.

4. Just do not believe anyone or any company that says they sent you a huge refund or overpayment or some amount of money by mistake. That rarely happens. It is even rarer if they also tell you to return the money to some foreign address, email, or wire transfer. When in doubt, wait for a week or so before you do ANYTHING. If they sent you the check, transfer etc, wait to see if it clears or is valid. We are conditioned by TV and movies that we need to act immediately in situations such as this. This is rarely the case. Take time to see what happens. During this cooling-off period check them out, research the internet to see if others have experienced this scam. It is almost a sure thing that if you are being scammed, others have been also and it has been reported somewhere with law enforcement agencies or on websites on the internet. Check them out before acting. Or better yet, do nothing for a while and most likely they will just go away. Much like the telephone scammers, they make their money on volume, calling as many as possible in the least amount of time. Scammers will not waste time working on you for days, they have thousands of other emails, accounts to call. Remember, they are after the fastest, easiest targets – the low-hanging fruit.

If it is a true mistake or debt you owe then most likely you will receive some official correspondence in regards to the debt. A good example is the IRS and Social Security phone scams in the past couple of years. You get a call from the IRS or Social Security informing you that you may have committed fraud and law enforcement is on their way to arrest you. But if you arrange repayment with their representative, an arrest can be avoided. The IRS and Social Security NEVER take action without first sending several official US Postal letters to you.
If you are still inclined to send money to someone in a foreign country then discuss it with your bank and listen.

Hope this helps.

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All very sound advice and as relevant today as it was when first published.

Finally, for something completely different; have a look at the recent Hunter’s Moon as featured on YouTube.

Keeping healthy in old age.

One has to work at it!

For most of us these days old age is part of the scene (and I am classifying old age as being over 70 years). Here are a few facts from the website of the World Health Organization.

Key facts

  • Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975.
  • In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 650 million were obese.
  • 39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight in 2016, and 13% were obese.
  • Most of the world’s population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.
  • 39 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2020.
  • Over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were overweight or obese in 2016.
  • Obesity is preventable.

What are obesity and overweight Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health.

Body mass index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height that is commonly used to classify overweight and obesity in adults. It is defined as a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of his height in meters (kg/m2).

Adults

For adults, WHO defines overweight and obesity as follows:

  • overweight is a BMI greater than or equal to 25; and
  • obesity is a BMI greater than or equal to 30.

BMI provides the most useful population-level measure of overweight and obesity as it is the same for both sexes and for all ages of adults. However, it should be considered a rough guide because it may not correspond to the same degree of fatness in different individuals.

World Health Organisation

This is the link for anyone who wants to use the BMI Calculator.

Now this is not a post about obesity or being overweight. It is a post taken from The Conversation about staying as healthy as one can in one’s older years.

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Steep physical decline with age is not inevitable – here’s how strength training can change the trajectory

Resistance training can take many forms and can be individualized to suit a person’s needs as they age. Jamie Grill/Tetra Images via Getty Images

Zachary Gillen, Mississippi State University

Raise your hand if you regularly find yourself walking up a flight of stairs. What about carrying heavy bags of groceries? How about picking up your child or grandchild? Most of us would raise our hands to doing at least one of those weekly, or even daily.

As people age, it can become more and more difficult to perform some physical tasks, even those that are normal activities of daily living. However, prioritizing physical fitness and health as you get older can help you go through your normal day-to-day routine without feeling physically exhausted at the end of the day.

It can also help you continue to have special memories with your family and loved ones that you might not have been able to have if you weren’t physically active. For example, I ran two half-marathons with my dad when he was in his 60s!

I am an exercise physiologist who studies how people can use resistance training to improve human performance, whether it be in sports and other recreational settings, in everyday life, or both. I am also a certified strength and conditioning specialist. My career has given me the opportunity to design exercise programs for kids, college athletes and elderly adults.

Staying physically active as you get older doesn’t need to include running a half-marathon or trying to be a bodybuilder; it could be as simple as trying to get through the day without feeling winded after you go up a flight of stairs. Although our muscles naturally get weaker as we age, there are ways we can combat that to help improve quality of life as we get older.

Man in his 60s, a middle-aged woman and a middle-aged man, all wearing race medals and running gear.
From left are the author’s father, who was age 61 at the time, the author’s wife and the author after completing the Lincoln Half Marathon. Zachary Gillen, CC BY-NC-ND

Muscle loss and chronic disease

One of the most important parts of exercise programming, no matter who I am working with, is proper resistance training to build muscle strength. Some amount of age-related loss of muscle function is normal and inevitable. But by incorporating resistance training that is appropriate and safe at any ability level, you can slow down the rate of decline and even prevent some loss of muscle function.

The medical term for a condition that involves age-related loss of muscle function and mass is sarcopenia. Sarcopenia can begin as early as age 40, but it tends to be more common in adults age 60 and older. Sarcopenia is associated with a number of health issues such as increased risk of falling, cardiovascular disease and metabolic disease, among others.

In one of our team’s previous studies, we saw that otherwise healthy individuals with sarcopenia had issues delivering vital nutrients to muscle. This could lead to greater likelihood of various diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes, and slow down recovery from exercise.

Recent estimates suggest that sarcopenia affects 10% to 16% of the elderly population worldwide. But even if a person doesn’t have clinically diagnosed sarcopenia, they may still have some of the underlying symptoms that, if not dealt with, could lead to sarcopenia.

Strength training is key

So the question is, what can be done to reverse this decline?

Recent evidence suggests that one of the key factors leading to sarcopenia is low muscle strength. In other words, combating or reversing sarcopenia, or both, may be best done with a proper resistance-training program that prioritizes improving strength. In fact, the decline in muscle strength seems to occur at a much faster rate than the decline in muscle size, underscoring the importance of proper strength training as people age.

Chart showing the general pattern for changes in muscle strength and size across stage of life.
Typical age-related changes in muscle strength and size with and without strength training. Zachary Gillen

Continuing to regularly strength train with moderate to heavy weights has been shown to be not only effective at combating the symptoms of sarcopenia but also very safe when done properly. The best way to make sure you are strength training properly is to seek out guidance from a qualified individual such as a personal trainer or strength and conditioning specialist.

Despite the clear benefits of strength training, it’s been shown that only about 13% of Americans age 50 and older do some form of strength training at least twice a week.

Finding what works for you

So how does a person properly strength train as they age?

The National Strength and Conditioning Association, a leading organization in advancing strength and conditioning around the world, states that for older adults, two to three days per week of strength training can be incredibly helpful for maintaining healthy muscle and bone and combating a number of chronic conditions.

The organization recommends that these workouts involve one to two exercises involving multiple joints per major muscle group, with six to 12 repetitions per set. These are done at an intensity of 50% to 85% of what’s known as one-repetition maximum – the most weight you could handle for a single repetition – with the exception of body weight exercises that use one’s own body weight as the resistance, such as pushups.

I would also recommend resting for about two to three minutes between sets, or even up to five minutes if the set was challenging. For older adults, particularly those age 60 and older, the National Strength and Conditioning Association guidelines suggest that a program like this be performed two to three days per week, with 24 to 48 hours between sessions.

An example of a strength training routine for older adults based on the National Strength and Conditioning Association guidelines

There are a great variety of exercises that could be done interchangeably in a strength training program like this.

ExerciseNumber of setsRepetitions per setIntensity
Barbell squat3670-85%
Barbell bench press3670-85%
Dumbbell lunges38 per leg50-70%
Dumbbell bent over row31050-70%
Double-leg hops212Body weight
Pushups212Body weight

Table: The Conversation Source: Zachary Gillen Get the data Created with Datawrapper

Making life’s tasks lighter

The guidelines above are only one example out of many options, but they provide a framework that you can use to build your own program. However, I would highly recommend seeking out a professional in the field to give specific exercise programming advice that can be tailored to your own needs and goals as you age.

Following such a program would give your muscles an excellent stimulus to enhance strength, while also allowing enough recovery, a very important consideration as people age. You might think it looks like a huge time commitment, but an exercise routine like this can be done in less than an hour. This means that in less than three hours of strength training per week you can help improve your muscle health and reduce the risk of getting sarcopenia and associated health issues.

It’s also important to note that there is no one right way to do resistance training, and it needn’t involve traditional weight equipment. Group classes like Pilates and yoga or those that involve circuit training and work with resistance bands can all produce similar results. The key is to get out and exercise regularly, whatever that entails.

Zachary Gillen, Assistant Professor of Exercise Physiology, Mississippi State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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My wife, Jean, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in December, 2015. Many of you know that.

Fortunately at our local Club Northwest there was a group of PD sufferers who twice a week held a ‘Rock Steady Class’ under the instruction of a professional coach; Jean joined the group. It was a brilliant move for Jean and she gets a huge amount of care from being with them.

Luckily for me having to drive Jean into Club Northwest it made sense for me to sign up to a fitness class at the same time so I am put through a regular fitness routine under the coaching of Bruce. Plus I try and go bike riding three times a week.

In other words, we both try and stay as fit as we can.

A calmer mind – Wood

Concluding the series from BBC Radio 4

If you have not registered with the BBC then you will need to do so before the link at the bottom works.

This last time it is wood. Here it is:

In this episode – Wood – we visit the Woodwork for Wellbeing Workshop in Bethnal Green, London where every Tuesday people with mental health issues spend time making things with wood. They find it to be very therapeutic and fun. And Professor Miles Richardson of the University of Derby shares research from Japan which shows that simply touching wood is calming.

Produced and Presented by Helen Needham

Research by Anna Miles and Maud Start

Original Music by Anthony Cowie

Mixed by Ron McCaskill

BBC Radio 4

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001np8k

This is the last one of this series from the Beeb and if any of you have noticed I chose to present these programmes in a different order to that presented by the BBC.

‘chose‘ is only slightly accurate – the true reason is that I screwed up!

A calmer mind – Earth

Another broadcast from BBC Radio 4 in this series!

As I said before, so far this has been a fascinating series of programmes and, hopefully, some of you have listened to the episodes.

In Episode 5 – Earth – we visit the Horticultural Therapy Trust allotment in Plymouth and discover how gardening can be soothing for people with severe mental illnesses. We also hear about how putting our hands in the earth can be good for our gut microbiome and potentially our mental health.

Produced and Presented by Helen Needham
Research by Anna Miles and Maud Start
Original Music by Anthony Cowie
Mixed by Ron McCaskill and Malcolm Torrie

A BBC Scotland Production made in Aberdeen for BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001p6vt

Tomorrow we publish another programme in this series.

A calmer mind – Air

The choice is now air.

This is about breathing and is something I know about. Because Bruce at our local ClubNorthwest has a session with me when I spend five minutes or so taking in through the nose the deepest breath that I can.

If you have not registered with the BBC then you will need to do so before the link at the bottom works.

In Episode 4 – Air – we visit an infant school in Nottingham where young children regularly learn breathing techniques to reduce stress and anxiety. We also hear about research from Italy showing how slowing our breathing impacts positively on brain activity. Plus breath coach and founder of School Breathe, Aimee Hartley, shares her experience of learning to breathe well.

Produced and Presented by Helen Needham
Research by Anna Miles and Maud Start
Original Music by Anthony Cowie
Mixed by Ron McCaskill and Malcolm Torrie

A BBC Scotland Production made in Aberdeen for BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001p1pg

Another programme tomorrow!

A calmer mind – Water

Continuing this fascinating series from BBC Radio 4.

Last week the BBC chose to present a programme called An Almanac for Anxiety. There were five episodes: Fire; Wood: Water: Air; Earth.

If you have not registered with the BBC then you will need to do so before the link below works.

The details of each episode were presented on the BBC website:

In Episode 3 – Water – we join a group of socially prescribed outdoor swimmers on Teignmouth Beach in Devon who find joy in immersing themselves in cold water. We also hear why spending time around blue spaces is so effective at promoting a sense of calm from Dr Catherine Kelly of the University of Brighton.

Produced and Presented by Helen Needham
Research by Anna Miles and Maud Start
Original Music by Anthony Cowie
Mixed by Ron McCaskill and Malcolm Torrie

A BBC Scotland Production made in Aberdeen for BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001nvp1

Tomorrow we present the episode on Air.

Trust you are enjoying these!

A calmer mind – Fire

A fascinating series from BBC Radio 4

Last week the BBC chose to present a programme called An Almanac for Anxiety. There were five episodes: Fire; Wood: Water: Air; Earth.

If you have not registered with the BBC then you will need to do so before the link below works.

The details of each episode were presented on the BBC website:

Anxiety is the most common form of mental illness in the UK, with nearly a fifth of people experiencing it over the course of a year. Although it is often treated through medication, there are many alternative ways which are proving to be very effective in reducing anxiety amongst some people. In this series, we explore how connecting with the elemental forces of nature helps people with a range of mental illnesses to feel better. We also learn about the current academic research behind these methods.

In Episode 1 – Fire – we visit an overnight camp on the banks of the River Spey near Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands run by the charity Fire and Peace. According to the participants, – who have a range of mental ill health and addiction issues – the experience of spending time around the fire in nature is transformative when it comes to promoting feelings of connection and wellbeing. We also hear new research which shows how being around a campfire can be calming.

BBC Radio 4

I am going to share the link to the BBC each day this week with a new episode each day. The programmes are 15 minutes long and in my opinion well worth listening to.

So here’s the first one:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001ng75

Tomorrow, it is the turn of wood!

Now above we were told: ‘Anxiety is the most common form of mental illness in the UK’ but of course we all know that anxiety affects many millions across the world. That is why I intend to share with you all five programmes.

The brain

A fascinating account

I was struggling with the post for tomorrow and then saw this article on The Conversation. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea but nevertheless I find it sufficiently interesting to publish it.

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Psychedelics plus psychotherapy can trigger rapid changes in the brain − new research at the level of neurons is untangling how

New research hints at how psychedelics can trigger rapid, lasting change. wildpixel/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Edmund S. Higgins, Medical University of South Carolina

The human brain can change – but usually only slowly and with great effort, such as when learning a new sport or foreign language, or recovering from a stroke. Learning new skills correlates with changes in the brain, as evidenced by neuroscience research with animals and functional brain scans in people. Presumably, if you master Calculus 1, something is now different in your brain. Furthermore, motor neurons in the brain expand and contract depending on how often they are exercised – a neuronal reflection of “use it or lose it.”

People may wish their brains could change faster – not just when learning new skills, but also when overcoming problems like anxiety, depression and addictions.

Clinicians and scientists know there are times the brain can make rapid, enduring changes. Most often, these occur in the context of traumatic experiences, leaving an indelible imprint on the brain.

But positive experiences, which alter one’s life for the better, can occur equally as fast. Think of a spiritual awakening, a near-death experience or a feeling of awe in nature.

a road splits in the woods, sun shines through green leafy trees
A transformative experience can be like a fork in the road, changing the path you are on. Westend61 via Getty Images

Social scientists call events like these psychologically transformative experiences or pivotal mental states. For the rest of us, they’re forks in the road. Presumably, these positive experiences quickly change some “wiring” in the brain.

How do these rapid, positive transformations happen? It seems the brain has a way to facilitate accelerated change. And here’s where it gets really interesting: Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy appears to tap into this natural neural mechanism.

Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy

Those who’ve had a psychedelic experience usually describe it as a mental journey that’s impossible to put into words. However, it can be conceptualized as an altered state of consciousness with distortions of perception, modified sense of self and rapidly changing emotions. Presumably there is a relaxation of the higher brain control, which allows deeper brain thoughts and feelings to emerge into conscious awareness.

Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy combines the psychology of talk therapy with the power of a psychedelic experience. Researchers have described cases in which subjects report profound, personally transformative experiences after one six-hour session with the psychedelic substance psilocybin, taken in conjunction with psychotherapy. For example, patients distressed about advancing cancer have quickly experienced relief and an unexpected acceptance of the approaching end. How does this happen?

glowing green tendrils of a neuron against a black background
Neuronal spines are the little bumps along the spreading branches of a neuron. Patrick Pla via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Research suggests that new skills, memories and attitudes are encoded in the brain by new connections between neurons – sort of like branches of trees growing toward each other. Neuroscientists even call the pattern of growth arborization.

Researchers using a technique called two-photon microscopy can observe this process in living cells by following the formation and regression of spines on the neurons. The spines are one half of the synapses that allow for communication between one neuron and another.

Scientists have thought that enduring spine formation could be established only with focused, repetitive mental energy. However, a lab at Yale recently documented rapid spine formation in the frontal cortex of mice after one dose of psilocybin. Researchers found that mice given the mushroom-derived drug had about a 10% increase in spine formation. These changes had occurred when examined one day after treatment and endured for over a month.

diagram of little bumps along a neuron, enlarged at different scales
Tiny spines along a neuron’s branches are a crucial part of how one neuron receives a message from another. Edmund S. Higgins

A mechanism for psychedelic-induced change

Psychoactive molecules primarily change brain function through the receptors on the neural cells. The serotonin receptor 5HT, the one famously tweaked by antidepressants, comes in a variety of subtypes. Psychedelics such as DMT, the active chemical in the plant-based psychedelic ayahuasca, stimulate a receptor cell type, called 5-HT2A. This receptor also appears to mediate the hyperplastic states when a brain is changing quickly.

These 5-HT2A receptors that DMT activates are not only on the neuron cell surface but also inside the neuron. It’s only the 5-HT2A receptor inside the cell that facilitates rapid change in neuronal structure. Serotonin can’t get through the cell membrane, which is why people don’t hallucinate when taking antidepressants like Prozac or Zoloft. The psychedelics, on the other hand, slip through the cell’s exterior and tweak the 5-HT2A receptor, stimulating dendritic growth and increased spine formation.

Here’s where this story all comes together. In addition to being the active ingredient in ayahuasca, DMT is an endogenous molecule synthesized naturally in mammalian brains. As such, human neurons are capable of producing their own “psychedelic” molecule, although likely in tiny quantities. It’s possible the brain uses its own endogenous DMT as a tool for change – as when forming dendritic spines on neurons – to encode pivotal mental states. And it’s possible psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy uses this naturally occurring neural mechanism to facilitate healing.

A word of caution

In her essay collection “These Precious Days,” author Ann Patchett describes taking mushrooms with a friend who was struggling with pancreatic cancer. The friend had a mystical experience and came away feeling deeper connections to her family and friends. Patchett, on the other hand, said she spent eight hours “hacking up snakes in some pitch-black cauldron of lava at the center of the Earth.” It felt like death to her.

Psychedelics are powerful, and none of the classic psychedelic drugs, such as LSD, are approved yet for treatment. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2019 did approve ketamine, in conjunction with an antidepressant, to treat depression in adults. Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy with MDMA (often called ecstasy or molly) for PTSD and psilocybin for depression are in Phase 3 trials.

Edmund S. Higgins, Affiliate Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Family Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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This is not for the innocents and it requires someone of the ilk of Professor Higgins to advise.

Plus one needs to stay close to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. To close, I will repeat the phrase above, psychedelics are powerful.

Common dog diseases

A very valuable guest post.

Back on September 19th I received an email offering me a guest post. It was from Luna Angeni. At first I was highly suspicious thinking of scams and the like and replied: “Before responding further please explain what your niche is?”

Luna replied: “Thank you for your response. I’m working on Animal Health care. It’s the perfect fit for your site.”

I agreed and this is her article.

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How to Control and Prevent Common Dog Diseases Effectively

By Luna Angeni

“Man’s best friend” is a phrase that perfectly defines the deep bond between humans and their canine companions.

It’s our duty to ensure the health and well-being of our furry friends. One of the most critical aspects of canine care is disease prevention and control. This is what we are going to focus on here.

In this blog, we will learn about some effective ways we can control and prevent common dog diseases to keep our canine fellows happy and healthy.

Let’s get started!

Understanding Common Dog Diseases

Dogs, like humans, are susceptible to a range of diseases and health issues.

To effectively control and prevent these complications, we need to understand them first.

Let’s review some common canine diseases:

Canine Parvovirus (Parvo)

Canine parvovirus is a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease that affects puppies and unvaccinated dogs.

It spreads through direct contact with an infected dog or contaminated environment.

Symptoms include:

1. Severe diarrhea

2. Vomiting
3. Lethargy
4. Loss of appetite

To prevent parvo, ensure your dog is up-to-date on vaccinations and avoid areas where the virus may be present.

Canine Distemper

Canine distemper is another contagious viral disease that can be fatal, particularly in puppies.

It affects various body systems and presents symptoms such as:

1. Fever
2. Nasal discharge

3. Coughing
4. Neurological signs

Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent distemper.

Heartworm Disease

Heartworm disease is transmitted through mosquito bites and can be life-threatening if left untreated.

It affects the heart and lungs, leading to symptoms like:

1. Coughing
2. Exercise intolerance

3. Weight loss

Prevention through vaccination is key for this common dog disease.

Preventive Measures for Common Canine Diseases

Preventing common dog diseases is often more manageable than treating them.

Here are some essential preventive measures every dog owner should follow:

Vaccination

Regular vaccination is the cornerstone of disease prevention in dogs.

As your veterinarian recommends, ensure your dog receives all necessary vaccinations against parvovirus, distemper, rabies, and others.

Regular Exercise

Exercise not only keeps your dog physically fit but also mentally stimulated.

Engaging in regular exercise helps boost dogs’ overall health and keeps obesity-related diseases at bay.

Proper Nutrition

A balanced diet is crucial for maintaining a healthy immune system.

Consult your veterinarian to determine the best diet for your dog’s specific needs.

Avoid feeding your canine human food, as some ingredients can be toxic to them.

Hygiene and Cleanliness

Maintaining proper hygiene for your dog and their living environment is essential.

In this regard, you must ensure:

1. Regular grooming
2. Cleaning your dog’s bedding
3. Keeping their living area free from parasites and bacteria

Regular Vet Check-ups

Routine visits to the veterinarian are crucial for early disease detection and prevention.

Your vet can identify potential health issues before they become severe and provide guidance on maintaining your dog’s health.

Recognizing the Signs of Illness

Despite your best efforts, your dog may still fall ill occasionally.

Recognizing the early signs of common dog diseases is essential for prompt treatment.

Here are some common signs of complications in dogs:

Changes in Appetite

A sudden loss of appetite or excessive hunger can indicate a health issue.

So, you must monitor your dog’s eating habits closely.

Changes in Behavior

Drastic changes in behavior, such as increased aggression, withdrawal, or excessive vocalization, can be indicative of pain or discomfort.

Vomiting and Diarrhea

Frequent vomiting or diarrhea can be symptomatic of various diseases, including gastrointestinal complications.

Lethargy

If your dog is unusually lethargic or lacks energy, it could be a sign of an underlying problem.

In such cases, seek a veterinarian’s help immediately.

Breathing Problems

Labored breathing, coughing, or wheezing may suggest respiratory or cardiac problems.

Immediate Action and Veterinary Care

Taking immediate action is essential if you notice any signs of illness or discomfort in your dog.

Contact your veterinarian and follow their guidance.

Early intervention can often make a significant difference in the outcome of the disease.

Conclusion

Your dog’s health is in your hands.

Effective disease control and prevention are crucial for ensuring your furry friend’s long and happy life.

Understanding common dog diseases and treatment and following preventive measures can significantly reduce the risk of complications and provide them with the best possible care.

For more guides on animal health solutions and tips for healthy dogs, you must visit Vet and Tech – a source for online veterinary education.

FAQs

What Vaccinations Does My Dog Need?

Consult your vet for a personalized vaccination schedule. Common dog vaccinations include rabies, distemper, parvovirus, and kennel cough.

What’s the Best Diet for My Dog?

High-quality commercial dog food is a good option. Still, you need to consult your vet for a diet tailored to your dog’s age, breed, and health.

How Often Should I Take My Dog to the Vet?

Generally, annual check-ups are recommended, but older dogs can benefit more from biannual visits. And–puppies may need more frequent check-ups.

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That is a wonderful set of recommendations and advice. Really of no surprise when one considers Luna’s biography:

I am a clinical veterinarian, researcher, and professional content writer. Being a medical professional and a content writer, I hold key writing skills such as Blog writing. I shall provide beautifully crafted, interesting to read, easily understood, highly informative, 100% original, error, and plagiarism-free content. 

Luna Angeni

I sincerely hope this will be far from the one and only post!

P.S. I also openly admit that I have featured her blog site Vet and Tech but will also explain that I have no special association with her blog or with Luna Angeni.

OSIRIS-REx report

I just find this incredible!

Firstly, I am simply going to post three YouTube videos of this amazing feat by NASA.

The first by Associated Press at less than two minutes:

And the next two from NASA with the second at just over an hour long:

and the third at over three hours long:

Then I am going to republish, hopefully with permission, an article from Nature that further explains what has just happened:

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Special delivery! Biggest-ever haul of asteroid dust and rock returns to Earth

Samples collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission excite scientists with their potential to reveal secrets of the Solar System.

The OSIRIS-REx sample capsule, which contains pieces of the asteroid Bennu, landed safely in the Utah desert on 24 September. Credit: Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty

Dugway Proving Ground, Utah

A saucer-shaped capsule parachuted down gently in the Utah desert today, after a years-long journey through space. Its cargo is a precious collection of rocks and dust from the asteroid Bennu — the first time NASA has ever brought pieces of this type of celestial object back to Earth.

Over the coming days, NASA will fly the bits of Bennu to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. There, curators will carefully disassemble the container and begin analysing the chemistry and mineralogy of the pristine samples — which might hold clues to the origins of the Solar System.

“I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve who is just too excited to go to sleep,” says Michelle Thompson, a planetary scientist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and a member of the ‘quick look’ team who will have the first chance to study the rocks.

Space hoover

The material comes from the US$1.2-billion OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer) mission, which launched in 2016 and arrived at Bennu in 2018. It spent nearly two years studying the dark-coloured, diamond-shaped asteroid before extending its robotic arm to the rocky surface, blasting it with a puff of gas and collecting the dust and rocks it kicked up. That ‘fist bump’ hoovered up so much material that pieces of rock got jammed in the collection mechanism, allowing some of the smaller pebbles to escape. Watching some of those samples get away was “heart breaking”, says Dante Lauretta, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona in Tucson who was the first principal investigator of the OSIRIS-REx mission.

Still, the spacecraft managed to collect around 250 grams of rocks and dirt — a large cupful — including several chunks that are at least one centimetre long. It is by far the largest amount of material ever brought back from an asteroid. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) had previously collected less than one milligram from the asteroid Itokawa in 2005, and 5.4 grams from the asteroid Ryugu in 2019.

Bringing planetary samples back to Earth allows researchers to use cutting-edge laboratory techniques to study what the rocks are made of. The NASA curation team planned to put the Bennu samples into an atmosphere of pure nitrogen soon after the capsule touched down, to reduce the potential for contamination. That will enable scientists to study the asteroid’s geology and chemistry, preserved all the way back to the formation of the Solar System, more than 4.5 billion years ago. The pristine material hasn’t been altered by passing through Earth’s atmosphere, as happens with meteorites. “The thing that will really be different about this sample is we’ll have that chain of custody of keeping it protected from Earth’s atmosphere,” says Nicole Lunning, the mission’s lead sample curator at the Johnson Space Center.

Precious cargo

Bennu is a carbon-rich asteroid, so the samples might resemble carbon-rich meteorites that have fallen to Earth, Thompson says. The bits collected by OSIRIS-REx probably contain organic compounds — carbon-based molecules found in many meteorites that are the building blocks of many exciting types of chemistry, including those conducive to life. “What I find most fascinating are the nucleobases, the components of the genetic code that make up all life from DNA and RNA,” says Daniel Glavin, the senior scientist for sample return at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. These compounds have been found in meteorites before, but those rocks have not been as pristine as the Bennu samples are expected to be. “We can trust the results, because this stuff is clean,” he says.

NASA curators will work their way through unpacking and studying the dust and pebbles inside OSIRIS-REx’s storage container in the coming weeks. Using nitrogen-filled gloveboxes, technicians will analyse the samples with scanners and other instruments to discern how many rock types were collected, and they will record the samples’ colour, volume and porosity.

Mission specialists prepare the OSIRIS-REx sample capsule for transport to a clean room after its landing in the Utah desert on 24 September.Credit: Keegan Barber/NASA via Getty

The curators will collect up to 100 milligrams for the quick-look team to analyse over the first 72 hours. That initial sample will probably be made up of fine-grained material obtained from the outermost parts of the sample capsule, Thompson says. After that, the team will get a chance to study grains that were picked up by 24 stainless-steel contact pads on the outside of the sample container — which were the first things to actually come into contact with Bennu. It will probably be several weeks before the curators open the heart of the sample container and begin extracting the bulk of the material inside.

Early experiments could include looking at how material that was on the surface of Bennu compares with what came from deeper inside the asteroid, Thompson says. OSIRIS-REx’s robotic arm might have plunged as deep as 40 centimetres under Bennu’s rubbly surface when executing its fist bump.

Work interrupted?

NASA has scheduled a press conference on 11 October to unveil the first scientific results. But its work on the mission could be interrupted if the US government shuts down on 1 October. Republicans and Democrats in Congress have been battling over priorities for funding the federal government in 2024.

After OSIRIS-REx fist-bumped the asteroid Bennu in 2020, it pulled the collected samples into the spacecraft (left) and stowed them inside its sample-return capsule (right).Credit: NASA/Goddard/Univ. Arizona/Lockheed Martin

If the situation remains in a stalemate by the time the US fiscal year ends on 30 September, then federal agencies, including NASA, might close until an agreement can be reached. If that were to happen while the Bennu sample is at NASA, then “certain steps leading to its highly anticipated analysis will possibly be delayed, but the sample will remain protected and safe”, says Lori Glaze, head of NASA’s planetary sciences division. “The sample waited for more than 4 billion years for humans to study it, and if it takes us a little longer, I think we’ll be okay.”

At least 70% of the Bennu material will be saved for scientists outside NASA and for future generations to study. Furthermore, 4% of the sample will go to the Canadian Space Agency, which helped to build a laser instrument aboard OSIRIS-REx, and 0.5% will go to JAXA in exchange for samples of Ryugu, so that researchers can compare the two asteroids.

Meanwhile, the rest of the OSIRIS spacecraft continues to fly through space after dropping off its sample-return capsule. It is headed to study Apophis, an asteroid with a different, ‘stony’, chemical composition that will whizz dramatically close past Earth in 2029.

Copyright © 2023, Springer Nature Limited

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There we go, my credit to an incredible feat of exploration that, hopefully, will lead to some interesting results over the next few weeks.