Mark Twain’s Way of Looking at Things
By Simon Yu MD
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.
A lot has changed over the past 15-20 years. 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. 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.
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).
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.
When you are under stress, triggering anxiety, depression or PTSD, and cannot break the cycle by yourself, read Mark Twain’s quotes or watch your favorite comedies, relax, practice mindfulness, enjoy nature, fight, run, play dead, or try new brain neuromodulation and vagus nerve stimulation therapy. I hosted training by Dr. Petros Kattou of the SOZO Brain Center in August. Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing. I was educated once; it took me years to get over it. – Mark Twain. I agree.
Dr. Simon Yu, MD is a Board-Certified Internist. He practices Internal Medicine with an emphasis on Integrative Medicine to use the best each has to offer. For more articles and information about integrative medicine, patient success stories, and Dr. Yu’s latest book, AcciDental Blow Up in Medicine: Battle Plan for Your Life, visit his website at www.preventionandhealing.com or call Prevention and Healing, Inc., 314-432-7802. You can also attend a free monthly presentation and discussion on Integrative Medicine at his office on the second Tuesday each month at 6:30 pm. Call to verify the date. Seating is limited, arrive early.
Simon Yu, MD
Prevention and Healing, Inc.
10908 Schuetz Road
St. Louis, MO 63146 314-432-7802
www.preventionandhealing.com
Weaving Internal Medicine with Integrative Medicine to Use the Best Each Has to Offer