RSS Arthritis


SAFE G: Empowering Resilient Communities


Mission. To empower local communities to design immediate and effective SAFE G solutions that implement optical fiber wired to the home and office. Local taxpayers and ratepayers are entitled to this alternative to wireless, because they have already paid for it. Please see: Irregulators v. FCC.

5G/AI/Internet of Things Juggernaut presents an imminent threat. The harms to our community’s physical and mental health, the local environment, violations of citizen’s rights to due process, property, and personal privacy are foreseeable and preventable. The threat is especially dangerous to our children, elderly people, those with special sensitivities, disabled persons with chronic illnesses, caregivers, and our economically disadvantaged and minority communities that have no escape in their homes or workplaces.

Remedy: Community Empowerment: An effective remedy begins with widespread education and training in a proven system of wise leadership, community organization, team building, and negotiation. With this purpose we have created a 5G Dojo to support local communities around the world that are facing similar challenges. The key is to share negotiation successes and practical experience, so these lessons can be immediately deployed within the network. Equally essential is to fortify community-wide resilience rapidly and effectively. (See: 5 Minutes toResilience)

Our Funding Goal: $ 100,000

Donations: Please make your check or money order payable to National Institute for Science, Law, and Public Policy, designated for "SAFE G/Community Empowerment Initiative". You can contribute in two ways.

o   Simple donation with full tax deduction.

o   Partial tax deduction (at cost) with benefits. Please see benefit levels below.

Sponsors: Please contact us to discuss any questions or concerns and customized donation options.

Springs of Amethysts - $100

  • Public Recognition as a Community Health Charter Sponsor
  • Signed copy of Julian Gresser, Piloting through Chaos—Wise Leadership/Effective Negotiation for the 21st Century (1995)
  • Free gift of the 5 Minutes to Resilience web app


Rivulets of Moonstones - $500

  • All of the above awards plus:
  • 5 Free Copies of 5 Minutes to Resilience App
  • 5 Free Copies of My Personal Resilience Journey/The Resilient Negotiator/Realizing Your Passion/Advancing Your Cause online courses


Sparkles of Opal - $1K

  • All of the above awards plus:
  • Public Lecture in Your Honor
  • 10 Free Copies of 5 Minutes to Resilience App
  • 10 Free Copies of My Personal Resilience Journey/The Resilient Negotiator/Realizing Your Passion/Advancing Your Cause online courses


Fountains of Pearls - $5K

  • All of the above awards plus:
  • ½ day workshop training and consultation with any organization or company


Jade Eddies - $10K

  • All of the above awards (except memberships) plus:
  • Two ½ day workshop, training and consultation with any organization or company of your choice
  • 20 Free Copies of 5 Minutes to Resilience App
  • 20 Free Copies of My Personal Resilience Journey/The Resilient Negotiator/Realizing Your Passion/Advancing Your Cause online courses


Sapphire Brooks of Laughing Hearts - $25K

  • All of the above awards plus:
  • 1 day of professional consultation and meetings


Ruby Streams of Laughing Hearts - $35K

  • All of the above awards (except memberships) plus:
  • One full day training program with materials for organization of choice to you.
  • 50 Free Copies of 5 Minutes to Resilience App
  • 50 Free Copies of My Personal Resilience Journey/The Resilient Negotiator/Realizing Your Passion/Advancing Your Cause online courses


Emerald Rivers of Laughing Hearts - $50K

  • All of the above awards plus:
  • Two full day training programs with materials for organizations of your choice
  • 100 Free Copies of 5 Minutes to Resilience App
  • 100 Free Copies of My Personal Resilience Journey/The Resilient Negotiator/Realizing Your Passion/Advancing Your Cause online courses


Diamond Rivers of Laughing Hearts - $100K

  • All of the above awards plus:
  • Four full day training programs with materials for organizations of your choice.
  • 200 Free Copies of 5 Minutes to Resilience App
  • 200 Free Copies of My Personal Resilience Journey/The Resilient Negotiator/Realizing Your Passion/Advancing Your Cause online courses

Arthritis

Some studies suggest people with higher levels of resilience tend to recover faster from both osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, manage pain better, are less susceptible to chronic depression and anxiety, and have improved overall health outcomes.

The annual cost to the U.S. of osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis and related conditions is estimated at $86 billion. As in other areas, the suffering in economically disadvantaged, minority, and vulnerable populations is greater than affluent communities.

Although there is evidence that the progression of both osteo and rheumatoid arthritis can be slowed and even reversed, a greater part of the literature focuses on the elements of a resilient management of depression and pain. For example:

  • A body of research shows that people who demonstrate higher levels of resilience tend to recover faster, manage pain better, be less susceptible to chronic depression and anxiety, and have better overall health outcomes than those who are less resilient.

The conclusion of these and other studies is that resilience is a skill that can be developed and honed over time. The following strategies are recommended by experts in the field.

  • Focus on the upside. Studies show that optimism is part and parcel of resilience; the more hopeful you feel, the more resilient you’ll be.
  • Learn from experience. If you have a chronic disease, you’re already more resilient than you probably give yourself credit for.
  • Expand your knowledge. Learning boosts resilience. The more you learn about how best to live with your condition, the more control you have. Control as well as resourcefulness give you the confidence to move forward in the face of adversity.”
  • Find your bliss.Make time to find and do things you love.
  • Get moving.In addition to its physical benefits, exercise “decreases anxiety and depression, improves sleep and increases the levels of mood-improving chemicals, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that improves brain health.”
  • Seek support.Support systems are a linchpin of resilience
  • Count your blessings. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside reviewed 225 studies and found that individuals who expressed gratitude or wrote in a gratitude journal at least several times a week felt more connected, autonomous, optimistic and happy – traits that contribute to resilience. “Gratitude makes you think about what you have, which, in turn, keeps you from focusing on what you don’t have. When you feel blessed, it’s easier to keep going – no matter what you’re up against.

Specific references:

  • One study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology looked at 300 women with RA and found that those who scored high on resilience questionnaires reported less RA-related pain than those with lower scores.
  • A study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine looked at 275 patients with knee OA and found that those who exhibited the most resilience-related characteristics were also the most likely to show self-efficacy – for example, taking the initiative to see a physician or to exercise regularly. They also reported less pain and an increased ability to perform everyday activities compared with less resilient study participants.
  • Focus on the upside.  Boosting your optimism requires you to “reframe your experience so that you’re aware of the negative, but focused on the positive,” says David Hellerstein, MD, professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City.
  • Learn from experience. If you have a chronic disease, you’re already more resilient than you probably give yourself credit for, says Patricia O’Gorman, PhD, a psychologist in Albany, N.Y., who specializes in trauma and resilience. “When you’re dealing with a new setback, that’s the time to ask yourself, ‘How have I dealt with problems in the past? When pianist Lisa Emrich, 43, was diagnosed with RA she took this approach, drawing on her experience with multiple sclerosis. “I saw a doctor right away, kept getting tested until I had a diagnosis, and worked with my physician to formulate a plan – in this case, medication plus occupational therapy, which ultimately allowed me to return to playing the piano,” she says.
  • Expand your knowledge.  “Learning boosts resilience,” says Dr. Hellerstein. “The more you learn about how best to live with your condition, the more control you have. Control as well as resourcefulness give you the confidence to move forward in the face of adversity.”
  • Find your bliss.Make time to find and do things you love. As resilience researchers at the University of California, Riverside, wrote for the Handbook of Adult Resilience (Guilford Press, 2010), “emotions like joy, satisfaction and interest … provide individuals with a sort of ‘psychological time-out’ in the face of stress and help them perceive the ‘big picture’ of their situations.”
  • Get moving.In addition to its physical benefits, exercise “decreases anxiety and depression, improves sleep and increases the levels of mood-improving chemicals, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that improves brain health,” says Dr. Hellerstein. Studies have shown that physically fit people don’t experience the same spikes in blood pressure and stress hormones such as cortisol in stressful situations.
  • Seek support.Support systems are a linchpin of resilience. “If you don’t feel like you have to go it alone, it’s much easier to persevere.”
  • Count your blessings. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside reviewed 225 studies and found that individuals who expressed gratitude or wrote in a gratitude journal at least several times a week felt more connected, autonomous, optimistic and happy – traits that contribute to resilience. “Gratitude makes you think about what you have, which, in turn, keeps you from focusing on what you don’t have,” says Wicks. “When you feel blessed, it’s easier to keep going – no matter what you’re up against.”

Notes:

 

Next: Breast Cancer

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