How does an atheist deal with fear of death?

I'm not exactly an atheist.  Agnostic might be a better word, but if you really get into the philosophy and the literal meanings of the two words it can be very hard to make a distinction.  That would be a lengthy discussion for another post.

I think most modern educated American's are agnostics, no matter what they call them selves.  Most people who call themselves believers actually have some doubts, hope that God exists, and know their social life will be easier if they just say they believe.  I could be wrong about this.  Again it would be a lengthy discussion for another post.

Now we come to death, and the fear of death, the topic of this post.

Going back to shcool

In Georgia you can go to any school in the Georgia University system for free if you are 62 or over.  I am now 63.

A few days ago I went down town to Georgia State University to look around.  It took me nearly an hour to get there.  A 20 minute  drive to the nearest MARTA station, 20 minutes on MARTA plus parking, waiting and walking.

Dissolution of the Soviet Union

The dissolution of the Soviet Union is probably the major historical event of my life.  Here are some articles that explain what happened

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_the_Soviet_Union

Anxiety Depression Antibiotics and Inositol

Anxiety Depression Antibiotics and Inositol

I had an attack of diverticulitis, a painful intestinal infection that requires very strong antibiotics. I took the antibiotics my doc prescribed for 10 days. They made me feel strange and I was very glad when the 10 day course was over and I could stop taking them. Unfortunately a few days later the pain came back worse than before and I had to go to a GI specialist who put me on a 21 day course of even stronger antibiotics. It had a major effect on my mood. I had intense irrational anxiety, mood swings and suicidal thoughts.


One night I was in a very dark state of mind. Katherine suggested I try a mega dose of inositol, which is a type of B vitamin that can sometimes be used effectively for anxiety and depression. An hour later I started to relax. The result was astonishing. The next day I felt normal. I wondered what happened and did some internet research.

It tuns out that inositol is an important nutrient for brain chemistry. It is in lots of different foods and most people get plenty from their diet. The problem is that the inositol has to be converted from the food by certain bacteria in the intestine. These bacteria are killed by antibiotics.

I talked about this with a group of people the next day. One guy told me in private that he ended up in a psych ward after taking antibiotics.

I will not go into the technical details here, but do a google on:

inositol anxiety depression

and then do one on

inositol antibiotics

You can put the pieces together. Inositol has major effects on mood, and antibiotics can keep you from absorbing it.

Warning

I have read that large doses of inositol can throw you in to the manic phase of manic depression if you are bipolar. If you are bipolar or even think you might be, you should not do this without talking to a doctor.

Dosage

You have to take a mega dose. Don't buy the pills if you can get the powder, because you will have to take a handful of pills and it is so much easier to stir the powder up in water. This will work better if you also take a super B complex and calcium and magnesium.

Here is the dosage that worked for me.

1 level teaspoon of inositol 3 times a day. You can increase this if needed.

1000 mg calcium citrate and 500 mg magnesium citrate. Warning, read the directions if you are taking antibiotics. Some of them tell you not to take minerals withing several hours of taking the antibiotic.

1 super B complex

1 good quality multi vitamin. Warning, read the directions if you are taking antibiotics. Some of them tell you not to take minerals withing several hours of taking the antibiotic.

You can order all of this from Amazon or get it at any health food store.

I kept doing this after the antibiotics and it has had a major positive effect on my mood

According to wikipedia:

Some preliminary results of studies on high-dose inositol supplements show promising results for people suffering from problems such as bulimia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, agoraphobia, and unipolar and bipolar depression.

In a single double-blind study on 13 patients, Myo-inositol has been found to reduce the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) significantly, with effectiveness equal to SSRIs and virtually without side-effects. In a double-blind, controlled trial, myo-inositol was superior to fluvoxamine for decreasing the number of panic attacks and had fewer side-effects.

Patients suffering from clinical depression, in general, have decreased levels of inositol in their cerebrospinal fluid.[14][15] A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of depressed patients showed that a high dose of inositol (12 grams daily) resulted in significant improvement of symptoms, with no changes noted in liver, kidney, or hematological function.


Wikipedia link to info on use of inositol for psychiatric conditions

I have always been a moody person. I decided to continue on the inositol, vitamins and minerals after I finished to antibiotics. I feel very calm and cheerful. I plan to continue on these nutrients and learn more about the effects of nutritional supplements on the brain. As I learn more I will post the details here.

This blog is just a first draft of my web page on the same subject. If you want to know more, go here:

Anxiety Depression Antibiotics and Inositol Website







.

With all of its terror it is better to live in the wilderness than the ant heap

With all of its terror it is better to live in the wilderness than the ant heap.

The practice of philosophy is a way of life that results from falling in love with questions.

Tales of the South Pacific

"Tales of the South Pacific" by James Michener, is one of the best books I have ever read. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948 and was later made into a musical. However the book is much more intense than the musical. The last chapter is one of the most horrifying description of war that I have ever read.

Here is my addition to a discussion on one of the islands in the book:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_Kuralei_a_real_island

Dark Night of the Soul

I don't know much about Saint John of the Cross, except that he was a Spanish mystic, poet and priest who lived about 500 years ago and came up with the phrase, "The Dark Night of the Soul". He saw The Dark Night of the Soul as an inevitable part of the spiritual journey.

I think of the last few days as a Dark Night of the Soul experience, and although it was very unpleasant and I don't look forward to experiencing it again, there was something about it that seems useful. I took a look at my fear of death, decay and helplessness. I was afraid. It's useful, now that it's past, to see how strong that fear can be. It is also useful, now that it is past, to see the way out of that fear.

I know part of this is biochemical, and sometimes a person will have an elaborate philosophical, psychological, spiritual or poetic explanation for something that comes down to chemicals in the brain, but bear with me.

Things turned around when I shifted from thinking about the future to living in the present.

Thoughts on cheering up

Thanks everyone for your kind words during my brief journey into the dark night of the soul.

I am now back to a more normal state of cheerful amazement, resting in the present moment, the Eternal Now, the Big Mystery. It is once again obvious that Life is Good.

I am the Universe, speaking to you through the body mind of Tom Carr, whispering "Enjoy your life".