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Showing posts from January, 2009

Natural sleep

There is an idea gaining traction that our modern idea of eight or so hours of uninterrupted sleep is more an unnatural response the demands of commerce. In pre -industrial Europe, people would typically go to bed as it became too dark to work, would have a period of deep sleep for a few hours, be wakeful though the wee hours of the night, and then enjoy a second lighter sleep until dawn. The wakeful time at night was occupied by meditation, prayer, stoking the fire, making love. During the full moon, people would be more active doing chores, visiting with neighbours, maybe pillaging. Perhaps this is the root of the perception that behaviours become more extreme during the time of the full moon. In many countries not governed by the demands of Western commerce, this pattern of sleep continues. in such cultures, sleep is supplemented by a mid-day nap or siesta. We find a similar pattern in most other higher primates. Ergo, that time spent awake through the night, and that groggy time yo

Corsets and a Healthy Back

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The fun of corsets. Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/socialstudies Jan 09/09. ".... "The corset is a vilified article of clothing. It was and is blamed for a host of feminine miseries, both physical and spiritual, for ruining women's bodies and for closing their minds. It is interesting to note, however, that while women wore them, it was male doctors who led the campaign against the corset. Most women were for it. ... Wearing a corset is a little like finding oneself in a permanent embrace, a hug around the middle that goes on and on. This is pleasant and vaguely erotic - a squeeze that lasts." Ahem... Corsets also provided a degree of stability to the lower back and forced the lady to attend to better posture. It had to.. it was too uncomfortable to slump or bend over at the waist. We find a comparable device with industrial back supports (see picture). These devices became popular through the 90's when they were touted as being preventative for low back