Personal Well-being: Music the mood changer.

Personal Well-being: Music the mood changer.

In my teens I recall being in buoyant mood one minute, only to be thrust into a sad melancholy mood the next, without any obvious cause.  Why?  I didn't realise then that it was a form of depression.

I recall times when depression hit me when all I wanted to do was curl up in the foetal position and sleep.  I learned at such times that music can be a powerful mood changer.

I play the guitar (badly) but know a few chords and can pick out or sing a tune that reflects that mood.  I learned that those sad songs could actually banish sadness.  So, Instead of falling asleep I sing the blues and everything gets put into perspective.

The Germans have a word for it 'schadenfreude'; it means to delight in another person's misfortune.  Think of Charlie Chaplin, Norman Wisdom, and Mr Bean their failed antics caused uproarious laughter.  The worse their situation became the louder we laughed. 

The same is true of the blues singer, we listen to their sad tale and empathise with his/her plight and realise our condition is not so bad after all.  I find that singing sad words with feeling lightens my mood.  I can't say that singing happy tunes depresses me but why would I want them to?

Charlie Chaplin co-wrote a song that says it all (Smile):

Smile though your heart is aching

smile even though it's breaking

although a tear might be ever so near.

Just smile through your tears and sorrow

smile and maybe tomorrow

you'll find that life is still worthwhile

if you just smile.

I think that Charlie knew the secret of cheering people up.

Norman Wisdom wrote his signature tune (Don't laugh at me cause I'm a fool):

Don't laugh at me, cos I'm a fool.

I know it's true, that I'm a fool.

No one seems to care, I'd give the world to share

my life with someone who really loves me...

I see them all falling in love, but my luck star shines up above.

someday maybe, that star will shine on me.

Don't laugh at me, cos I'm a fool.

Norman also knew how to bring joy into the lives of others. 

If you are feeling down or depressed, sing or play a sad song and see how you react to it, what have you got to lose, (pills cost money), but 'schadenfreude'?

As always, you try my remedies at your own risk.  If in doubt consult a doctor.

Personal Well-being: Relief from chronic pain?

Personal Well-being: Relief from chronic pain?

It was 1975 when I made an earth-shattering discovery. 

I remember it clearly it was the day of the cup final, West Ham v Fulham, the Hammers won 2 - 0.

 I had a raging toothache, I had doused the tooth with 'Oil of Cloves' without effect, even paracetamol failed me.  Beating my head on the wall didn't help either.

  

  The only respite came from biting my lower left lip, this eased the pain. But, after a while, it returned.  First as a dull ache, pretty soon it was as bad as ever.

  I bit my lip on the lower right side this time, and for a while, it worked.  I found that if I bit for twenty to thirty seconds, then stopped for twenty to thirty seconds, the effect lasted much longer.

Inevitably the toothache returned.  By that time my lower lip was sore and bleeding.

 So, I put up with the pain from the toothache as long as I could before starting on the upper lip.  Aware of the damage to my lower lip I tried not to bite so hard on my upper lip.  I bit down gently, slowly increasing pressure until it relieved the pain.  I alternated left to right; thirty seconds on thirty off.  My upper lip was undamaged.  But the pain still returned after a while.

 Then I had an epiphany.  the toothache was a prolonged chronic pain!  When I bit my lips I was producing a sharp acute pain.  My body was drawing attention to the acute pain disregarding the fact it was the lesser of two evils.  

 What if I produced an acute pain somewhere else? 

 I made several assumptions:

• What if the body can only cope with one pain at a time?
• What if acute pain trumps chronic pain?
• What if this is the basis of acupuncture?
• I looked around for something I could use in place of my teeth.

 I found a drawing pin (thumbtack), and pressed it into one of the finger pads on my right hand, not hard enough to break the skin.  I applied gentle pressure until the toothache was nullified.  I held the tack in place with the finger by making a fist.  When the pain started to return I first increased the pressure then swapped the tack to another pad; no skin was broken, no physical harm was done, and within the hour the toothache was gone.  To be safe I doused the tooth with oil of cloves, the pain did not return.

  I have since used the same method to successfully alleviate earache, and other chronic pain.  At no time did I break the skin. 

  Yes, it has been pointed out that medication can accomplish the same result, but it doesn't always work and is not always available, or even desirable.  It's reassuring to know that when all else fails, there is another 'natural' method of pain control you can call upon.

As always, you try my remedies at your own risk.  If in doubt consult a doctor.