BERNIE


By Bernie Siegel, MD


Are You Almost as Good as Your Dog? T


here is a story about a boy who is willing to give his life, with his parents’ permission, to save another and bursts into joyful laughter when they are about to kill him. What did he tell his parents to get them to agree? Now most high school students feel their parents would agree without them asking for permission. That’s sad but true. The boy said, “Consider this; sooner or later my body will perish


at any rate but if it perishes without love, which the wise declare is the only thing of permanence, of what use will it have been? What greater merit can my body reap than the love of this act?” And his parents agree.


When his parents are holding his arms and legs and he is about to be slain what was his last prayer? “Let me be born again and again on the wheel of rebirth so again and again I may offer this body for the benefit of others.” It’s the age-old message that we are here to serve and not be served. Last but not least what did he know about life that would allow him to burst into joyful laughter at that moment? I feel he knows that we are here to perform acts of love and serve in a way that we choose. No one else should be deciding how you live and what you do with your life. It is not about the years you are alive but what you do with them. I know children who are immortal through their efforts to help find a cure for the disease they died of. Those who survived them continue their efforts and they live on through their acts. I think animals understand this better than people. I may add in


another story a young man is asked, by the vet who is about to eu- thanize his dog, why he thinks animals have shorter lives than we do. The boy answers that they know about love, kindness and forgiveness and don’t need all the time we do to learn about them. Our pets teach us about the importance of connections and that is really the reason we are here and given bodies to perform acts of love and compassion. When you pet a dog your oxytocin and serotonin levels rise. These are the bonding hormones that rise after a woman gives birth. Some examples of the benefit of the presence of pets are increased longevity in nursing homes, decreased truancy in schools and decreased violence in prisons. One study showed that 30% of single women met the man they married while walking their dog and another study showed that if you went home to a house with a dog, after having a heart attack, the mortality rate after twelve months was close to 6% but if no dog was present it was closer to 30%. It isn’t just about pets it is about meaning in our work and lives. Most people do not like their jobs because they have to interact with people. Yet when you see the people as giving your life meaning and that you are here to serve them with love your life changes and ev- eryone benefits. It’s no accident that women live longer than men and married


men longer than single men with the same cancers. Married men also have a lower incidence of lung cancer than single men who smoke the same amount. So what is protecting the married men and


8 Natural Nutmeg May 2013


women? One oncologist suggested that women must be protected by female hormones in some way. I then suggested that the married men were protected by sleeping with female hormones. Just kidding. What protects them are their relationships. A recent study of loneli- ness shows it affects the genes, which control your immune response. Lonely people are more likely to have viral and inflammatory dis- eases and cancer. Our lives and our health are inter-related so when your life has meaning Monday morning becomes less of a threat to your health. When you ask adults what day of the week is bad for their health they all say, Monday. Right, there are more suicides, strokes, illnesses and heart attacks on Monday. When you ask kids what day of the week is bad for your health


they yell out Saturday and Sunday. Why, because they think running around and getting tired makes them susceptible to disease. They are wrong. They are burning up and adults are burning out. We need a new life and all they need is a nap. Many of you have seen the list, which appeared many years ago in


an Ann Landers column. Here are some elements of it; If you can get going without pep pills, conquer tension without medical help, relax without liquor, sleep without the aid of drugs, resist boring people with your troubles, eat the same food every day and be grateful for it, resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend, face the world without lies and deceit, take criticism without resentment and say honestly that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against any race, religion or politics then my friend you are almost as good as your dog. So what do I ask of all of you from here on? Just follow my advice


and when in doubt as to how to act or behave ask...WWLD. Yes, What Would Lassie Do?


Bernie runs a Woodbridge Cancer Support group on the second


and fourth Tuesday evenings of each month and a Mind, Body, Health Support Group on the first Tuesday evening of every month at Coach- man’s Square, Bradley Road, Woodbridge, CT. Contact: Lucille Ran- ciato at 203-288-2839 or email her at lranciato@yahoo.com or email Bernie at bugsyssiegel@sbcglobal.net. Wisdom of the Ages, a special place to nurture your spiritual side.


It's filled with items to calm the mind, heal the body & empower your spirit. They also provide massages & monthly meditation classes. Wis- dom of the Ages is owned by Bernie's son & daughter- in-law, Keith & Jane Siegel. Located at 1408 Hopmeadow St. Simsbury. Please call for info or to register for Bernie's group. (860) 651-1172, www.wis- domoftheages.biz. See ad on page 7.


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