On Sleeplessness 08/24/2009
 
Today, the Los Angeles County Coroner sent a message to all would-be physicians hoping to make a small fortune as the go-to Doc for prescription medications for sleepless celebrities.  The message was this; prescribe irresponsibly and you just may end up being charged with homicide should your paparazzi-dodging pop star end up unable to survive the pharmaceutical cocktail you administered.  Apparently, the LA Coroner has determined that Michael Jackson's physician committed a homicide (at best manslaughter, I suppose).  This has got to be a frightening idea for many physicians that cater to celebrities, and the like.  But what strikes me as sadly ironic is the fact that the King of Pop may have had sleep elude him for not months or years, but decades.   Here was a man that  had access to resources into which the average mortal would never be able to tap in a million life times.  But, BUT!, the one thing that is free of charge to all of us as human beings and animals alike on this planet, is sleep.  We NEED sleep, physiologically, psychologically, and in the opinion of many, spiritually.  In order to for us to thrive, we require rest, we require REM-the restorative sleep that offers us the wild, complicated, vivid dreams that have us scurrying for our desktop dream analysis guides. Without this stage of the sleep cycle, the chemical sin our brain go haywire (to use a really technical term) and our bodies express symptoms that are not pretty.  There is a reason why telling someone they "look tired" is not a flattering comment.
In our culture, it is all too easy to combat a night of sleeplessness with the aid of a few prescription (or over-the-counter) medications.  But this doctor seemed to have been prescribing medications, that when researched on the internet, seem to be used mostly, if not solely, for general anesthesia!  Doesn't that seem outrageously extreme?? 
When I work with clients, the topic of sleep and sleep habits is discussed.  Knowing how one sleeps lends great insight as to their way of life (ever talk to a cocaine addict that hasn't slept for a while-not very coherent!) and their symptomology.  If someone is sleeping too much, or too little it speaks to something inside of themselves that they are often unable to face alone.  As a coach and counselor, it is important for me to get a sense of the client's sleeping life, as well as a portrait of their waking life. 
I am not surprised that the LA Coroner has found Michael Jackson's death to have been avoidable.  It only bewilders me that with all the resources available to him, and the myriad specialists in sleep and healthy life choices accessible to a star living in Los Angeles, he didn't get guidance from somebody that could see the writing on the wall, what a tragic irony.
 
On Irony 07/02/2009
 

I admit that I appreciate the humor found in irony as much as the next person.  I especially love irony that borders on the absurd, you know, the kind that makes you bite your tongue so as not to squeal at the top of your lungs about the absurdity of life. One of those absurdities is the plastic shopping bag irony/absurdity.  Now let me preface this by saying that I am a true proponent of the idea that one person can make a huge impact on life/the planet/the economy (hey! I'm an optimist, remember?) by doing things in a certain way. That's great, I am all for going the extra mile to save our home.  But, one of the things that has me scratching my head is the plastic bag absurdity.  I was at the grocery store the other day and the check-out clerk asked if I would like to purchase a non-plastic shopping bag.  I told her that I wouldn't mind taking a couple (they seemed like convenient transportation bags for such things as library books).  The woman behind me then decided to educate me on the importance of saving our planet.  I agreed with her that this was indeed a noble and needed pursuit.  I noticed that she had about a half dozen of these totes in her possession (clearly she was ahead of the curve and had purchased them eons ago-or at least a couple of weeks ago).  She explained that since she passes on the entire "paper or plastic" dilemma by providing her own carry-all for groceries, she is doing her part in saving the planet.  I found it to be ironic that she had a jumbo-sized box of trash bags.  I didn't point out her plastic-waste-discrepancy but, I did find the whole interaction took on absurd proportions when she boarded her Hummer in the parking lot!  So, all this brings me to this; is it not more noble to drive a Hummer, purchase plastic bags, but carry a portion of one's organic arugula in earth-friendly totes, all the while beginning to be more aware of one's impact on the planet than it is to simply drive a Hummer, and to buy and use excess plastic bags in a clueless fashion?  I mean, honestly, is the planet not far better off to have this woman simply thinking about saving it from destruction than it is having her remain clueless? I say yes.  So, hats off to the woman that is doing her part.  Now how ironic is that?