What do you do when you see a woman you are attracted to? Do you run and hide? Do you use some canned line that you read on the Internet? Do you stand there in fear trying to think of the right thing to say? What is the right thing to do?
When approaching a woman, most guys make the mistake of thinking too much about what to say. They believe there's one magic line that will work in all situations. They rehearse this magic line, and when they deliver it, they hope the woman will become instantly attracted to them.
Unfortunately, rarely does this approach work -- because most of what you say is irrelevant. To catch a woman's attention, it is all about the confidence you display when approaching her.
Here are 10 surefire ways to intrigue her every time:
1. Observe something. Make a comment about something you observe in the environment. This is especially effective at the grocery store. For example, if she is ordering a turkey sandwich, ask her if the turkey is good here.
Make your comment immediate to the situation and it will seem perfectly natural. No matter where you are, there is always something interesting to comment on.
2. Smile. This shows her that you are friendly and confident. A genuine smile not only feels good to you, but will put her at ease while creating openness in the interaction -- a requirement for building rapport.
3. Do not hesitate. If you hesitate in your approach, this tells her that you are not feeling confident -- an immediate turn-off. When you see her, walk over to her within a short period of time (the three-second rule). Show her you are a man who knows what he wants and goes after it.
4. Positive body language. If you approach hunched over with your head down, you are sending negative information about yourself, which makes you dead in the water before you begin. Stand up straight, with shoulders back and chest out, and use a firm yet relaxed walk.
5. Not too fast. If you walk over too fast, you could likely trigger her internal alarm. A calm, casual approach is usually the best way to make her feel at ease with you.
6. Keep eye contact. Never be the first to break eye contact when you approach. If you do, this sends the message that you are not feeling good about approaching. When you use strong eye contact, she will feel more drawn to you. With practice, you can master this.
7. Listen up. Make sure you pay careful attention to what she says. Do not have your response pre-thought out. Women love a man who pays attention to the details of what she says. If you start throwing out random words, she will lose interest fast.
8. Do not fidget. Fidgeting after you approach is distracting and shows you are uncomfortable. If you communicate that you are uncomfortable, she will feel uncomfortable, too, and will close up. Practice being aware of your movements. Pay attention to those movements, or lack of movements, that communicate comfort and confidence.
9. Lighten your tone of voice. The tone of your voice is a very powerful tool. Approaching her in a light and playful tone is one of the best ways to start. You could also begin in a serious tone, accusing her of something like "
I hope you saved some turkey for me," followed by a quick smile to let her know you are joking. Practice playing with your vocal tone with your friends -- notice the different reactions you get when you say the exact same thing using varied tones and fluctuations.
10. Lean away from her. A man who leans in too far when he talks often makes a woman feel crowded. A better approach is to lean away from her slightly. This lets her know that you respect her space, boundaries, and are comfortable with yourself.
The key to making these tips work for you is putting them into practice! Practice these tips and see the reaction you get. When you put them all together, you will be surprised at their power.
Monday, September 29, 2008
How to Be Confident in Your Dating Life
Dating question: How does an "average Joe" attract and date beautiful women?
Answer: Read on.
What's the number one thing that all daters are attracted to? Here's a hint: It's the same thing that all women find really desirable. OK, I know what you're probably thinking -- fame, or money, or good looks, right? And yes, women are attracted to these things, but the number one quality that you must possess to market yourself to single women -- and to win with women in general -- is intangible, and you don't have to be a millionaire or to have won the genetic lottery to have it. It's dating confidence. (That's C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-C-E.)
Not coincidentally, confidence is also the key attribute that all professional salespeople must call their own in order to be successful. People do not buy products or services from someone who has no confidence in the products they represent. Remember, in the dating world, the "product you represent" is you! Within the dynamics of dating, you are the salesman, and women are your customers. It's up to you to sell the product with assurance and believability -- with such confidence -- that your customers will want to buy it. Think about it:
Why would a woman have confidence in you if you don't have confidence in yourself?
And while you might agree with what I'm saying about confidence, do you apply it in your dating life?
Here's what I mean. If a woman asked you to describe yourself, how would you do it? By saying you're a "typical" guy or an "average Joe"? If so, stop selling yourself short! And go look up "average" in the dictionary: "standard, usual, ordinary, mediocre, not very good." To get my point across, consider this ad statement: "He is a very average director who makes very average movies." I bet you can't wait to buy tickets to this guy's movie, right?
Women don't want the "average" guy any more than you want your "average" girl. Women are attracted to confident, exciting men who have passion. If you want to start winning with women, you must stop talking about yourself like you're an "average guy" and start acting like you're the greatest guy. Attracting women is all about your attitude -- and if you think of yourself as just "average," your attitude needs a boost!
How is your dating attitude projected? Your attitude is projected in the way you walk, talk, and act toward other people. Attitude is the outward reflection of what's going on inside. When you know you're wonderful, it's reflected in everything you do. There's a level of confidence that simply shines through.
Now, an obvious question is, "What if you don't have confidence?"
I should know a thing or two about finding your dating confidence. I wrote an entire book on the subject called "Date Out Of Your League. It's almost entirely dedicated toward helping single men appeal to the most attractive women by achieving a better attitude, and it totally dispels the dating myth that I hear all the time from guys about confidence. The myth goes something like this: Confidence is something that comes naturally. You either have it or you don't. Not true. In fact, very rarely is confidence something you are born with.
Dating confidence is a quality that is learned and acquired.
Its growth is gradual and based upon the accumulation of little successes and skills over time. Confidence comes in knowing what to do and when to do it, then in following through and doing it! Because confidence is a characteristic that you can obtain, the important thing is to set the wheels in motion and begin methodically and progressively building it now, and then continue adding to it -- for life.
The biggest contributor to (or detractor of) confidence is attitude. The "Law of Concentration" has proven that you really are what you think. If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you are right! Thought becomes reality, and when you take control of your conscious mind and purposely think of who you want to be rather than who you aren't, and focus on what you want rather than what you're afraid you can't have, you will have taken a huge leap toward success.
OK, so you can see how confidence affects your attitude, and attitude affects whether or not you get your ideal woman along with just about everything else you want in life. But you still don't have it. What to do now?
Start by implementing a plan of dating action that will help your confidence.
1. Squash negative thoughts. While we may all have self-doubt at times, when it overruns your life, or dictates your decisions, you've let it go too far. It's within your power to put these feelings aside and opt for more positive, optimistic ones. Plus, women can sense negativity and insecurity from a mile away, and it's a turn-off.
2. Have a goal. Don't wander aimlessly through life with no plans and no direction. Get focused on something, anything, and move toward it. Find your passion. Women feel passionately about passionate men. Whether it's your career, or art, or, well, just about anything, we like it when you're moved by something. And yes, even sports count, though they may not be at the top of our lists.
3. Believe in your own dating greatness. This one is the result of the first two. You don't have to do anything in order to get confident except follow through with your plan of action. A guy who thinks he's fantastic without being too arrogant is intoxicating to women. Trust me, you'll see.
Answer: Read on.
What's the number one thing that all daters are attracted to? Here's a hint: It's the same thing that all women find really desirable. OK, I know what you're probably thinking -- fame, or money, or good looks, right? And yes, women are attracted to these things, but the number one quality that you must possess to market yourself to single women -- and to win with women in general -- is intangible, and you don't have to be a millionaire or to have won the genetic lottery to have it. It's dating confidence. (That's C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-C-E.)
Not coincidentally, confidence is also the key attribute that all professional salespeople must call their own in order to be successful. People do not buy products or services from someone who has no confidence in the products they represent. Remember, in the dating world, the "product you represent" is you! Within the dynamics of dating, you are the salesman, and women are your customers. It's up to you to sell the product with assurance and believability -- with such confidence -- that your customers will want to buy it. Think about it:
Why would a woman have confidence in you if you don't have confidence in yourself?
And while you might agree with what I'm saying about confidence, do you apply it in your dating life?
Here's what I mean. If a woman asked you to describe yourself, how would you do it? By saying you're a "typical" guy or an "average Joe"? If so, stop selling yourself short! And go look up "average" in the dictionary: "standard, usual, ordinary, mediocre, not very good." To get my point across, consider this ad statement: "He is a very average director who makes very average movies." I bet you can't wait to buy tickets to this guy's movie, right?
Women don't want the "average" guy any more than you want your "average" girl. Women are attracted to confident, exciting men who have passion. If you want to start winning with women, you must stop talking about yourself like you're an "average guy" and start acting like you're the greatest guy. Attracting women is all about your attitude -- and if you think of yourself as just "average," your attitude needs a boost!
How is your dating attitude projected? Your attitude is projected in the way you walk, talk, and act toward other people. Attitude is the outward reflection of what's going on inside. When you know you're wonderful, it's reflected in everything you do. There's a level of confidence that simply shines through.
Now, an obvious question is, "What if you don't have confidence?"
I should know a thing or two about finding your dating confidence. I wrote an entire book on the subject called "Date Out Of Your League. It's almost entirely dedicated toward helping single men appeal to the most attractive women by achieving a better attitude, and it totally dispels the dating myth that I hear all the time from guys about confidence. The myth goes something like this: Confidence is something that comes naturally. You either have it or you don't. Not true. In fact, very rarely is confidence something you are born with.
Dating confidence is a quality that is learned and acquired.
Its growth is gradual and based upon the accumulation of little successes and skills over time. Confidence comes in knowing what to do and when to do it, then in following through and doing it! Because confidence is a characteristic that you can obtain, the important thing is to set the wheels in motion and begin methodically and progressively building it now, and then continue adding to it -- for life.
The biggest contributor to (or detractor of) confidence is attitude. The "Law of Concentration" has proven that you really are what you think. If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you are right! Thought becomes reality, and when you take control of your conscious mind and purposely think of who you want to be rather than who you aren't, and focus on what you want rather than what you're afraid you can't have, you will have taken a huge leap toward success.
OK, so you can see how confidence affects your attitude, and attitude affects whether or not you get your ideal woman along with just about everything else you want in life. But you still don't have it. What to do now?
Start by implementing a plan of dating action that will help your confidence.
1. Squash negative thoughts. While we may all have self-doubt at times, when it overruns your life, or dictates your decisions, you've let it go too far. It's within your power to put these feelings aside and opt for more positive, optimistic ones. Plus, women can sense negativity and insecurity from a mile away, and it's a turn-off.
2. Have a goal. Don't wander aimlessly through life with no plans and no direction. Get focused on something, anything, and move toward it. Find your passion. Women feel passionately about passionate men. Whether it's your career, or art, or, well, just about anything, we like it when you're moved by something. And yes, even sports count, though they may not be at the top of our lists.
3. Believe in your own dating greatness. This one is the result of the first two. You don't have to do anything in order to get confident except follow through with your plan of action. A guy who thinks he's fantastic without being too arrogant is intoxicating to women. Trust me, you'll see.
Why Nice Guys Finish Last
Are you a nice guy who has always wondered why the cocky guy -- the one who barely appears interested in the girl -- is usually the one who gets the girl?
Have you suffered from hearing the words, "You're a really nice guy, but I only like you as a friend," from a woman who you would do (or may, in fact, have already done) just about anything and everything for -- only to turn around and watch her date (or even chase) a guy who treats her like she's nothing special? And are you stumped wondering why she would date a guy who treats her like that when she could have you who would treat her like a princess and give her everything she wants? Well, you better brace yourself because I'm going to tell you a couple of secrets that you might not want to hear.
First, "nice" equates with boring and predictable. Look up "nice" in the dictionary and you find: pleasant; agreeable; satisfactory. In other words, average -- not exceptional, not exciting, and not sexy.I'll bet you've never heard a woman say she didn't want to date a guy because he was too confident, too passionate, or too exciting -- have you? But, I'll bet you have heard women say things like, "He's such a nice guy. He's so sweet and he's always there for me, but I only like him as a friend." Or, "He's such a good guy -- kind, thoughtful, generous, honest, loyal -- but there's no chemistry. He just doesn't turn me on." Sadly, I hear it all the time. The fact is, Mr. Nice Guy, you cannot bore a woman into feeling attracted to you or into wanting to date you. And as obvious as that sounds, if you are one of those guys I described that is exactly what you are trying to do. And it won't work.
Please understand that I am not suggesting that you mistreat women or disrespect them in any way.
What I suggesting is that you value and respect yourself more.
To illustrate what I mean: The answer to the question, "Why does the guy who doesn't appear to care as much about the girl get the girl?" is simple: The nice guy cares too much, too soon. He has made the woman too important and too valuable and it shows in everything he says and does. He is too available, too eager to please, too accommodating, and he gives too much -- all without getting anything in return. By doing so, he has made himself appear desperate, insecure, needy of this woman's attention, affection, and approval -- and he has stripped himself of any value in her eyes. After all, if he's already doing and giving everything, without her doing or giving anything - why would she value him? She won't. She is not going to value him any more than he values himself. What she is going to do is look for someone else, someone who she perceives as being more worthy, more confident, and more valuable.
It works like this:
Once you need something, or you want it too badly, you forfeit your strength and lose all power of negotiation. You are in a position of weakness and you are perceived as weak. Someone (or something) else is in control of you, the situation, and it's outcome. Men in this situation appear to be anything but confident, strong, and exciting. More, they are perceived as being unworthy and as lacking value.
Translation: Things that are easily acquired, obtained, or maintained, without any effort or sacrifice, lack value... it's human nature.
The secret to why the cocky guy wins with women, over the nice guy, is that he is perceived as being a stronger, more confident guy with more value. How? He never invests everything -- his entire being, ego, and self-worth in what one woman's response or reaction to him is. He doesn't gush with compliments; he isn't always available; he doesn't give too much; and he knows he isn't going to die if a woman says "no" to him. More, his attitude is, yeah, I'd like to go out with you, but if I can't, that's OK -- I'm a busy guy, with exciting things going on, and lots of other options.
Have you suffered from hearing the words, "You're a really nice guy, but I only like you as a friend," from a woman who you would do (or may, in fact, have already done) just about anything and everything for -- only to turn around and watch her date (or even chase) a guy who treats her like she's nothing special? And are you stumped wondering why she would date a guy who treats her like that when she could have you who would treat her like a princess and give her everything she wants? Well, you better brace yourself because I'm going to tell you a couple of secrets that you might not want to hear.
First, "nice" equates with boring and predictable. Look up "nice" in the dictionary and you find: pleasant; agreeable; satisfactory. In other words, average -- not exceptional, not exciting, and not sexy.I'll bet you've never heard a woman say she didn't want to date a guy because he was too confident, too passionate, or too exciting -- have you? But, I'll bet you have heard women say things like, "He's such a nice guy. He's so sweet and he's always there for me, but I only like him as a friend." Or, "He's such a good guy -- kind, thoughtful, generous, honest, loyal -- but there's no chemistry. He just doesn't turn me on." Sadly, I hear it all the time. The fact is, Mr. Nice Guy, you cannot bore a woman into feeling attracted to you or into wanting to date you. And as obvious as that sounds, if you are one of those guys I described that is exactly what you are trying to do. And it won't work.
Please understand that I am not suggesting that you mistreat women or disrespect them in any way.
What I suggesting is that you value and respect yourself more.
To illustrate what I mean: The answer to the question, "Why does the guy who doesn't appear to care as much about the girl get the girl?" is simple: The nice guy cares too much, too soon. He has made the woman too important and too valuable and it shows in everything he says and does. He is too available, too eager to please, too accommodating, and he gives too much -- all without getting anything in return. By doing so, he has made himself appear desperate, insecure, needy of this woman's attention, affection, and approval -- and he has stripped himself of any value in her eyes. After all, if he's already doing and giving everything, without her doing or giving anything - why would she value him? She won't. She is not going to value him any more than he values himself. What she is going to do is look for someone else, someone who she perceives as being more worthy, more confident, and more valuable.
It works like this:
Once you need something, or you want it too badly, you forfeit your strength and lose all power of negotiation. You are in a position of weakness and you are perceived as weak. Someone (or something) else is in control of you, the situation, and it's outcome. Men in this situation appear to be anything but confident, strong, and exciting. More, they are perceived as being unworthy and as lacking value.
Translation: Things that are easily acquired, obtained, or maintained, without any effort or sacrifice, lack value... it's human nature.
The secret to why the cocky guy wins with women, over the nice guy, is that he is perceived as being a stronger, more confident guy with more value. How? He never invests everything -- his entire being, ego, and self-worth in what one woman's response or reaction to him is. He doesn't gush with compliments; he isn't always available; he doesn't give too much; and he knows he isn't going to die if a woman says "no" to him. More, his attitude is, yeah, I'd like to go out with you, but if I can't, that's OK -- I'm a busy guy, with exciting things going on, and lots of other options.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
How to Handle Rejection
So there you are at the deli getting a ham sandwich, when that person you're attracted to comes and stands next to you at the counter. You've seen them over and over again, and you finally have the guts to turn and smile at them... and they do nothing in return. They almost look right through you like you don't exist.
So you grab your ham sandwich and run out of there as quickly as you can, saying to yourself, "I will never do that again. This doesn't work." Is this the best way to deal with rejection? How do you personally deal with rejection? More importantly, are you someone who believes that if you become "good" at dating you will no longer get rejected?
The dating truth is that being able to deal with rejection is the key to being successful at going out and meeting singles. It's also not the ultra-significant event so many make it out to be. So here are five essential tips on how to handle rejection, which you need to embrace if you are going to have a full and successful dating life:
1. Change Your Dating Expectations.
One of the first and most important things to understand is that no matter what you do, not everybody is going to respond positively to you. Not everyone you smile at will smile back at you. Not everyone you say hello to is going to say hello back to you.
Stop expecting a positive response 100% of the time. Just because somebody did not smile back at you does not mean that you're not an attractive person or that you made a mistake by smiling. The only thing it means is that it did not work with that one person.
2. Life Is All About Rejection. Everything in life has rejection involved in it.
If you're a salesperson who makes 10 sales calls, you may only get one or two people to say yes. A baseball player whose batting average is around 300 will likely end up in the Hall of Fame. A quarterback who can complete 55 percent of his passes is doing pretty well. Everything in life is about percentages. You don't quit simply because you experienced some rejection. Imagine if you stopped looking for work when your very first interview didn't result in a job offer. That would, of course, be ridiculous. Remember that you also need to keep going in your dating life when you're rejected, because you want to keep increasing your odds of success.
3. Focus on Increasing Your Dating Odds.
When you feel like you are getting more than your fair share of rejections, instead of focusing on those rejections, focus on increasing your odds of success. The fact is that by playing the percentages as I mentioned above, you will be successful.
The reason is that every time you take action -- every time you smile, say hello, or walk over and initiate a conversation -- you get better at it.
If you're going to go out there and only talk to one person a day, then your chances of success are not going to be great. Increase your odds every single day and in everything you're doing.
4. Keep Things in Perspective.
I hear some version of this from clients all the time: "What if I approach somebody, get rejected, and someone sees me? I'll never be able to go in that store again!" Get a little perspective here. Let me tell you something -- you're not front page news! When you're rejected, you need to just get over it. No one is talking about you. People are concerned about themselves and what is going on in their own lives, just as you are focused on what's going on in yours. So the fact that you get rejected in front of other people at the market, at the gym, or anywhere else is not a big deal to anyone but you.
5. Don't Overreact When Dating.
The other thing I commonly hear from clients who have been rejected is some version of this: "I'm never going to talk to that person ever again now that I was rejected by them." This is not only a total overreaction, it is also absolutely the wrong thing to do. So you tried to talk to (or smile or look at) someone, and they didn't respond. As I mentioned above, there are a million possible reasons why that person did not respond to you. It doesn't necessarily mean that person wouldn't want to talk to you another time. If I smile at a woman and she doesn't respond, I don't play hide-and-go-seek the next time I see her. I am equally friendly to her the next time I see her, because you never know what will happen that second time. It's a different day. Put the last time behind you.
These are some ways to help you get over rejection. Realize that in order to get good at interacting with potential mates, you are going to get rejected. In fact, you want to get rejected every single day, because if you're not, it means you're not trying.
So ask yourself this: Did you get rejected today, and how can you go out tomorrow and make it an even better day than today? Learn to not only handle but to embrace rejection, and you will meet great new people and have an amazing social life.
So you grab your ham sandwich and run out of there as quickly as you can, saying to yourself, "I will never do that again. This doesn't work." Is this the best way to deal with rejection? How do you personally deal with rejection? More importantly, are you someone who believes that if you become "good" at dating you will no longer get rejected?
The dating truth is that being able to deal with rejection is the key to being successful at going out and meeting singles. It's also not the ultra-significant event so many make it out to be. So here are five essential tips on how to handle rejection, which you need to embrace if you are going to have a full and successful dating life:
1. Change Your Dating Expectations.
One of the first and most important things to understand is that no matter what you do, not everybody is going to respond positively to you. Not everyone you smile at will smile back at you. Not everyone you say hello to is going to say hello back to you.
Stop expecting a positive response 100% of the time. Just because somebody did not smile back at you does not mean that you're not an attractive person or that you made a mistake by smiling. The only thing it means is that it did not work with that one person.
2. Life Is All About Rejection. Everything in life has rejection involved in it.
If you're a salesperson who makes 10 sales calls, you may only get one or two people to say yes. A baseball player whose batting average is around 300 will likely end up in the Hall of Fame. A quarterback who can complete 55 percent of his passes is doing pretty well. Everything in life is about percentages. You don't quit simply because you experienced some rejection. Imagine if you stopped looking for work when your very first interview didn't result in a job offer. That would, of course, be ridiculous. Remember that you also need to keep going in your dating life when you're rejected, because you want to keep increasing your odds of success.
3. Focus on Increasing Your Dating Odds.
When you feel like you are getting more than your fair share of rejections, instead of focusing on those rejections, focus on increasing your odds of success. The fact is that by playing the percentages as I mentioned above, you will be successful.
The reason is that every time you take action -- every time you smile, say hello, or walk over and initiate a conversation -- you get better at it.
If you're going to go out there and only talk to one person a day, then your chances of success are not going to be great. Increase your odds every single day and in everything you're doing.
4. Keep Things in Perspective.
I hear some version of this from clients all the time: "What if I approach somebody, get rejected, and someone sees me? I'll never be able to go in that store again!" Get a little perspective here. Let me tell you something -- you're not front page news! When you're rejected, you need to just get over it. No one is talking about you. People are concerned about themselves and what is going on in their own lives, just as you are focused on what's going on in yours. So the fact that you get rejected in front of other people at the market, at the gym, or anywhere else is not a big deal to anyone but you.
5. Don't Overreact When Dating.
The other thing I commonly hear from clients who have been rejected is some version of this: "I'm never going to talk to that person ever again now that I was rejected by them." This is not only a total overreaction, it is also absolutely the wrong thing to do. So you tried to talk to (or smile or look at) someone, and they didn't respond. As I mentioned above, there are a million possible reasons why that person did not respond to you. It doesn't necessarily mean that person wouldn't want to talk to you another time. If I smile at a woman and she doesn't respond, I don't play hide-and-go-seek the next time I see her. I am equally friendly to her the next time I see her, because you never know what will happen that second time. It's a different day. Put the last time behind you.
These are some ways to help you get over rejection. Realize that in order to get good at interacting with potential mates, you are going to get rejected. In fact, you want to get rejected every single day, because if you're not, it means you're not trying.
So ask yourself this: Did you get rejected today, and how can you go out tomorrow and make it an even better day than today? Learn to not only handle but to embrace rejection, and you will meet great new people and have an amazing social life.
MVP
Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a valvular heart disease characterized by the displacement of an abnormally thickened mitral valve leaflet into the left atrium during systole. In its nonclassic form, MVP carries a low risk of complications. In severe cases of classic MVP, complications include mitral regurgitation, infective endocarditis, and — in rare circumstances — cardiac arrest, usually resulting in sudden death.
Overview
St. Zenon of Verona wearing a mitre.The mitral valve, so named because of its resemblance to a bishop's miter, is the heart valve that prevents the backflow of blood from the left ventricle into the left atrium. It is composed of two leaflets (one anterior, one posterior) that close when the left ventricle contracts.
Each leaflet is composed of three layers of tissue: the atrialis, fibrosa, and spongiosa. Patients with classic mitral valve prolapse have excess connective tissue that thickens the spongiosa and separates collagen bundles in the fibrosa. This is due to an excess of dermatan sulfate, a glycosaminoglycan. This weakens the leaflets and adjacent tissue, resulting in increased leaflet area and elongation of the chordae tendineae. Elongation of the chordae often causes rupture, and is commonly found in the chordae tendineae attached to the posterior leaflet. Advanced lesions — also commonly involving the posterior leaflet — lead to leaflet folding, inversion, and displacement toward the left atrium.
History
The term mitral valve prolapse was coined by J. Michael Criley in 1966 and gained acceptance over the other descriptor of "billowing" of the mitral valve, as described by JB Barlow.
For many years, mitral valve prolapse was a poorly understood anomaly associated with a wide variety of both related and seemingly unrelated signs and symptoms, including late systolic murmurs, inexplicable panic attacks, and polythelia (extra nipples). Recent studies suggest that these symptoms were incorrectly linked to MVP because the disorder was simply over-diagnosed at the time. Continuously-evolving criteria for diagnosis of MVP with echocardiography made proper diagnosis difficult, and hence many subjects without MVP were included in studies of the disorder and its prevalence. In fact, some modern studies report that as many as 55% of the population would be diagnosed with MVP if older, less reliable methods of MVP diagnosis—notably M-mode echocardiography—were used today.
In recent years, new criteria have been proposed as an objective measure for diagnosis of MVP using more reliable two- and three-dimensional echocardiography. The disorder has also been classified into a number of subtypes with respect to these criteria.
Subtypes
Diagnosis of mitral valve prolapse is based on modern echocardiographic techniques which can pinpoint abnormal leaflet thickening and other related pathology.Prolapsed mitral valves are classified into several subtypes, based on leaflet thickness, concavity, and type of connection to the mitral annulus. Subtypes can be described as classic, nonclassic, symmetric, asymmetric, flail, or non-flail.
All measurements below refer to adult patients; applying them to children may be misleading.
Classic versus nonclassic
Prolapse occurs when the mitral valve leaflets are displaced more than 2 mm above the mitral annulus high points. The condition can be further divided into classic and nonclassic subtypes based on the thickness of the mitral valve leaflets: up to 5 mm is considered nonclassic, while anything beyond 5 mm is considered classic MVP.
Symmetric versus asymmetric
Classical prolapse may be subdivided into symmetric and asymmetric, referring to the point at which leaflet tips join the mitral annulus. In symmetric coaptation, leaflet tips meet at a common point on the annulus. Asymmetric coaptation is marked by one leaflet displaced toward the atrium with respect to the other. Patients with asymmetric prolapse are susceptible to severe deterioration of the mitral valve, with the possible rupture of the chordae tendineae and the development of a flail leaflet.
Flail versus non-flail
Asymmetric prolapse is further subdivided into flail and non-flail. Flail prolapse occurs when a leaflet tip turns outward, becoming concave toward the left atrium, causing the deterioration of the mitral valve. The severity of flail leaflet varies, ranging from tip eversion to chordal rupture. Dissociation of leaflet and chordae tendineae provides for unrestricted motion of the leaflet (hence "flail leaflet"). Thus patients with flail leaflets have a higher prevalence of mitral regurgitation than those with the non-flail subtype.
Diagnosis
Echocardiography is the most useful method of diagnosing a prolapsed mitral valve. Two- and three-dimensional echocardiography are particularly valuable as they allow visualization of the mitral leaflets relative to the mitral annulus. This allows measurement of the leaflet thickness and their displacement relative to the annulus. Thickening of the mitral leaflets >5 mm and leaflet displacement >2 mm indicates classic mitral valve prolapse.
Prevalence
Prior to the strict criteria for the diagnosis of mitral valve prolapse, as described above, the incidence of mitral valve prolapse in the general population varied greatly. Some studies estimated the incidence of mitral valve prolapse at 5 to 15 percent or even higher.
As part of the Framingham Heart Study, the prevalence of mitral valve prolapse in Framingham, MA was estimated at 2.4%. There was a near-even split between classic and nonclassic MVP, with no significant age or sex discrimination. Based on data gathered in the United States, MVP is prevalent in 7% of autopsies.
igns and symptoms
Some patients with MVP experience heart palpitations, atrial fibrillation, or syncope, though the prevalence of these symptoms does not differ significantly from the general population. Between 11 and 15% of patients experience moderate chest pain and shortness of breath. These symptoms are most likely not caused directly by the prolapsing mitral valve, but rather by the mitral regurgitation that often results from prolapse. In addition, the American Heart Association has linked anxiety and panic attack disorders to mitral valve prolapse. A statistical relationship has been reported between mitral valve prolapse and bipolar disorder.
For unknown reasons, MVP patients tend to have a low body mass index (BMI) and are typically leaner than individuals without MVP. MVP is a frequent occurrence in individuals with the Marfan syndrome.
Auscultation
Upon auscultation of an individual with mitral valve prolapse, a mid-systolic click, followed by a late systolic murmur heard best at the apex is common.
Mitral valve prolapse syndrome
Mitral valve prolapse syndrome (MVP Syndrome, Barlow's syndrome), also referred to as mitral valve prolapse dysautonomia, is an imbalance of the autonomic nervous system that may be associated with mitral valve prolapse. It is unclear what the underlying etiology is that causes both autonomic dysregulation and the structural abnormalities present in mitral valve prolapse.
Symptoms generally attributed to MVP syndrome include palpitations, shortness of breath, and fainting. Because of the low specificity of these symptoms, and the fact that there is significant overlap in the causes of these symptoms with sequelae of significant mitral regurgitation often seen with mitral valve prolapse, MVP syndrome is often misdiagnosed. This is made more difficult because there is no consensus criteria to diagnose MVP syndrome.
Some patients who suffer from mitral valve prolapse syndrome will have dysautonomia as the cause of their symptoms. Occasionally, supraventricular arrhythmias are associated with increased parasympathetic tone. Mitral valve prolapse syndrome is often misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder.
Therefore, careful evaluation from an experienced center familiar with MVP is advised.
Complications
Mitral regurgitation
Mitral valve prolapse is frequently associated with mild mitral regurgitation, where blood aberrantly flows from the left ventricle into the left atrium during systole. Occasionally MVP patients experience severe regurgitation, often due to chordae tendineae rupture.
Sudden death
Severe mitral valve prolapse associated with arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation that may progress and lead to sudden death is extremely rare.[citation needed] As there is no evidence that a prolapsed valve itself contributes to such arrythmias,[8] these complications are more likely due to mitral regurgitation and congestive heart failure.
Prognosis
The major predictors of mortality are the severity of mitral regurgitation and the ejection fraction. Generally, MVP is a benign disorder. However, MVP patients with a murmur, not just an isolated click, have a general mortality rate that is increased by 15-20%.
Treatment
Most patients only need reassurance. Those with mitral valve prolapse and symptoms of dysautonomia (palpitations, chest pain) may often benefit from beta-blockers (e.g., propranolol). Patients with prior stroke and/or atrial fibrillation may require blood thinners, such as aspirin or warfarin.
Mitral valve prolapse associated with severe mitral regurgitation can be treated with repair or surgical replacement of the mitral valve. Repair of the mitral valve is always preferable to replacement and should be performed by surgeons that are skilled in the procedure. Current ACC/AHA guidelines suggest that early repair of mitral valve, performed in centers of surgical excellence, should be considered even in patients without symptoms of heart failure. Symptomatic patients, those with evidence of diminished left ventricular function or left ventricular dilatation need urgent attention.
Prevention of infective endocarditis
People with mitral valve prolapse are at higher risk of infective endocarditis (bacterial infection of the heart tissue), as a result of certain non-sterile procedures such as teeth cleaning and biopsy during colonoscopy. However, an April 2007 study by the American Heart Association has determined that the risks of prescribing antibiotics outweigh the benefits of antibiotic prophylaxis before an invasive procedure (such as dental surgery). Therefore, MVP patients who have taken prophylactic antibiotics routinely in the past may no longer need them.
Overview
St. Zenon of Verona wearing a mitre.The mitral valve, so named because of its resemblance to a bishop's miter, is the heart valve that prevents the backflow of blood from the left ventricle into the left atrium. It is composed of two leaflets (one anterior, one posterior) that close when the left ventricle contracts.
Each leaflet is composed of three layers of tissue: the atrialis, fibrosa, and spongiosa. Patients with classic mitral valve prolapse have excess connective tissue that thickens the spongiosa and separates collagen bundles in the fibrosa. This is due to an excess of dermatan sulfate, a glycosaminoglycan. This weakens the leaflets and adjacent tissue, resulting in increased leaflet area and elongation of the chordae tendineae. Elongation of the chordae often causes rupture, and is commonly found in the chordae tendineae attached to the posterior leaflet. Advanced lesions — also commonly involving the posterior leaflet — lead to leaflet folding, inversion, and displacement toward the left atrium.
History
The term mitral valve prolapse was coined by J. Michael Criley in 1966 and gained acceptance over the other descriptor of "billowing" of the mitral valve, as described by JB Barlow.
For many years, mitral valve prolapse was a poorly understood anomaly associated with a wide variety of both related and seemingly unrelated signs and symptoms, including late systolic murmurs, inexplicable panic attacks, and polythelia (extra nipples). Recent studies suggest that these symptoms were incorrectly linked to MVP because the disorder was simply over-diagnosed at the time. Continuously-evolving criteria for diagnosis of MVP with echocardiography made proper diagnosis difficult, and hence many subjects without MVP were included in studies of the disorder and its prevalence. In fact, some modern studies report that as many as 55% of the population would be diagnosed with MVP if older, less reliable methods of MVP diagnosis—notably M-mode echocardiography—were used today.
In recent years, new criteria have been proposed as an objective measure for diagnosis of MVP using more reliable two- and three-dimensional echocardiography. The disorder has also been classified into a number of subtypes with respect to these criteria.
Subtypes
Diagnosis of mitral valve prolapse is based on modern echocardiographic techniques which can pinpoint abnormal leaflet thickening and other related pathology.Prolapsed mitral valves are classified into several subtypes, based on leaflet thickness, concavity, and type of connection to the mitral annulus. Subtypes can be described as classic, nonclassic, symmetric, asymmetric, flail, or non-flail.
All measurements below refer to adult patients; applying them to children may be misleading.
Classic versus nonclassic
Prolapse occurs when the mitral valve leaflets are displaced more than 2 mm above the mitral annulus high points. The condition can be further divided into classic and nonclassic subtypes based on the thickness of the mitral valve leaflets: up to 5 mm is considered nonclassic, while anything beyond 5 mm is considered classic MVP.
Symmetric versus asymmetric
Classical prolapse may be subdivided into symmetric and asymmetric, referring to the point at which leaflet tips join the mitral annulus. In symmetric coaptation, leaflet tips meet at a common point on the annulus. Asymmetric coaptation is marked by one leaflet displaced toward the atrium with respect to the other. Patients with asymmetric prolapse are susceptible to severe deterioration of the mitral valve, with the possible rupture of the chordae tendineae and the development of a flail leaflet.
Flail versus non-flail
Asymmetric prolapse is further subdivided into flail and non-flail. Flail prolapse occurs when a leaflet tip turns outward, becoming concave toward the left atrium, causing the deterioration of the mitral valve. The severity of flail leaflet varies, ranging from tip eversion to chordal rupture. Dissociation of leaflet and chordae tendineae provides for unrestricted motion of the leaflet (hence "flail leaflet"). Thus patients with flail leaflets have a higher prevalence of mitral regurgitation than those with the non-flail subtype.
Diagnosis
Echocardiography is the most useful method of diagnosing a prolapsed mitral valve. Two- and three-dimensional echocardiography are particularly valuable as they allow visualization of the mitral leaflets relative to the mitral annulus. This allows measurement of the leaflet thickness and their displacement relative to the annulus. Thickening of the mitral leaflets >5 mm and leaflet displacement >2 mm indicates classic mitral valve prolapse.
Prevalence
Prior to the strict criteria for the diagnosis of mitral valve prolapse, as described above, the incidence of mitral valve prolapse in the general population varied greatly. Some studies estimated the incidence of mitral valve prolapse at 5 to 15 percent or even higher.
As part of the Framingham Heart Study, the prevalence of mitral valve prolapse in Framingham, MA was estimated at 2.4%. There was a near-even split between classic and nonclassic MVP, with no significant age or sex discrimination. Based on data gathered in the United States, MVP is prevalent in 7% of autopsies.
igns and symptoms
Some patients with MVP experience heart palpitations, atrial fibrillation, or syncope, though the prevalence of these symptoms does not differ significantly from the general population. Between 11 and 15% of patients experience moderate chest pain and shortness of breath. These symptoms are most likely not caused directly by the prolapsing mitral valve, but rather by the mitral regurgitation that often results from prolapse. In addition, the American Heart Association has linked anxiety and panic attack disorders to mitral valve prolapse. A statistical relationship has been reported between mitral valve prolapse and bipolar disorder.
For unknown reasons, MVP patients tend to have a low body mass index (BMI) and are typically leaner than individuals without MVP. MVP is a frequent occurrence in individuals with the Marfan syndrome.
Auscultation
Upon auscultation of an individual with mitral valve prolapse, a mid-systolic click, followed by a late systolic murmur heard best at the apex is common.
Mitral valve prolapse syndrome
Mitral valve prolapse syndrome (MVP Syndrome, Barlow's syndrome), also referred to as mitral valve prolapse dysautonomia, is an imbalance of the autonomic nervous system that may be associated with mitral valve prolapse. It is unclear what the underlying etiology is that causes both autonomic dysregulation and the structural abnormalities present in mitral valve prolapse.
Symptoms generally attributed to MVP syndrome include palpitations, shortness of breath, and fainting. Because of the low specificity of these symptoms, and the fact that there is significant overlap in the causes of these symptoms with sequelae of significant mitral regurgitation often seen with mitral valve prolapse, MVP syndrome is often misdiagnosed. This is made more difficult because there is no consensus criteria to diagnose MVP syndrome.
Some patients who suffer from mitral valve prolapse syndrome will have dysautonomia as the cause of their symptoms. Occasionally, supraventricular arrhythmias are associated with increased parasympathetic tone. Mitral valve prolapse syndrome is often misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder.
Therefore, careful evaluation from an experienced center familiar with MVP is advised.
Complications
Mitral regurgitation
Mitral valve prolapse is frequently associated with mild mitral regurgitation, where blood aberrantly flows from the left ventricle into the left atrium during systole. Occasionally MVP patients experience severe regurgitation, often due to chordae tendineae rupture.
Sudden death
Severe mitral valve prolapse associated with arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation that may progress and lead to sudden death is extremely rare.[citation needed] As there is no evidence that a prolapsed valve itself contributes to such arrythmias,[8] these complications are more likely due to mitral regurgitation and congestive heart failure.
Prognosis
The major predictors of mortality are the severity of mitral regurgitation and the ejection fraction. Generally, MVP is a benign disorder. However, MVP patients with a murmur, not just an isolated click, have a general mortality rate that is increased by 15-20%.
Treatment
Most patients only need reassurance. Those with mitral valve prolapse and symptoms of dysautonomia (palpitations, chest pain) may often benefit from beta-blockers (e.g., propranolol). Patients with prior stroke and/or atrial fibrillation may require blood thinners, such as aspirin or warfarin.
Mitral valve prolapse associated with severe mitral regurgitation can be treated with repair or surgical replacement of the mitral valve. Repair of the mitral valve is always preferable to replacement and should be performed by surgeons that are skilled in the procedure. Current ACC/AHA guidelines suggest that early repair of mitral valve, performed in centers of surgical excellence, should be considered even in patients without symptoms of heart failure. Symptomatic patients, those with evidence of diminished left ventricular function or left ventricular dilatation need urgent attention.
Prevention of infective endocarditis
People with mitral valve prolapse are at higher risk of infective endocarditis (bacterial infection of the heart tissue), as a result of certain non-sterile procedures such as teeth cleaning and biopsy during colonoscopy. However, an April 2007 study by the American Heart Association has determined that the risks of prescribing antibiotics outweigh the benefits of antibiotic prophylaxis before an invasive procedure (such as dental surgery). Therefore, MVP patients who have taken prophylactic antibiotics routinely in the past may no longer need them.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Jean Paul Getty
Jean Paul Getty was born on December 15, 1892, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His father, George Franklin Getty, was a lawyer, but in 1904 he moved his wife, Sarah Risher Getty, and his son to the Oklahoma territory to begin a successful career as an independent oilman. Two years later the family moved to Los Angeles, California, where young Getty attended private school before graduating from Polytechnic High School in 1909. After a European tour he attended the University of Southern California and the University of California at Berkeley; he spent his summers working on his father's oil rigs as a "roustabout." In 1912 Getty enrolled in Oxford University in England, from which he received a degree in economics and political science in 1914.
In 1914 Getty arrived in Tulsa, Oklahoma, determined to strike it rich as a wildcat oil producer. Although he operated independently of his father's Minnehoma Oil Company, his father's loans and financial backing enabled him to begin buying and selling oil leases in the red-bed area of Oklahoma. Getty saw himself as a modern oil man, relying on geological data and not simply on the instinct of the experienced veterans, but he also thrived on the excitement, gamble, risks, and high stakes of the oil business. Getty's own first successful well came in in 1916, and by the fall of that year he had made his first million dollars as a wildcatter and lease broker.
For the next two years Getty "retired" to the life of a wealthy playboy in Los Angeles, but he returned to the oil business in 1919. During the 1920s he and his father continued to be enormously successful both in drilling their own wells and in buying and selling oil leases, and Getty became more active in California than in Oklahoma. He amassed a personal fortune of over three million dollars and acquired a third interest in what was to become the Getty Oil Company.
After his father's death in 1930 Paul Getty became the president of the George Getty Oil Company (successor to Minnehoma Oil), but his mother inherited the controlling interest, as his father had been upset with his son's profligate personal life. During the 1930s Getty followed several paths to both short-term and long-term success. His wells continued to produce, and profits poured in. He also bought a controlling interest in the Pacific Western Oil Corporation, one of the ten largest oil companies in California. After a series of agreements with his mother he obtained the controlling interest in the George Getty Oil Company, and he began real estate dealings, including the purchase of the Hotel Pierre in New York City.
The Getty Oil Company
Getty's ambition was to build up an independent, self-contained oil business involving refining, transporting, and selling oil as well as exploration and drilling. To that end he began in the 1930s to gain control of the Tidewater Oil Company. Getty pursued that goal in a series of complicated maneuvers, which involved tilting with the giant Standard Oil of New Jersey, until in the 1950s he had control of Tidewater, Skelly Oil, and the Mission Corporation. In 1967 these companies merged into the Getty Oil Company, the foundation of Getty's fortune. Getty had a majority or controlling interest in Getty Oil and its nearly 200 affiliated and subsidiary firms, and he remained its president until his death in 1976.
At the outbreak of World War II, Getty, a yachtsman, volunteered for service in the Navy, but his offer was rejected. At the request of Naval officers, however, he took over personal management of Spartan Aircraft, a Skelly and Getty subsidiary. The corporation manufactured trainers and airplane parts, and it later converted to the profitable production of mobile homes.
After the war Getty took a lucrative gamble on oil rights in the Middle East. In 1949 he secured the oil rights in Saudi Arabia's half of the Neutral Zone, a barren tract between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. He made major concessions to King Saud, which shocked the large oil companies, but after three years and a $30 million investment, Getty found the huge oil deposits which helped make him a billionaire.
In his business career, Getty continued to invest and reinvest; his fortune consisted not of cash, but stocks, corporate assets, and real estate. A loner, he saw himself as a solitary knight in fierce battle with the giant "Seven Sisters" oil firms, and that competitive urge fueled his desire to build a larger and larger fortune.
A "Public" Personal Life
In 1957 Fortune magazine published a list of the richest men in America. Getty's name headed the list, and the resultant publicity turned the reclusive Getty into an object of public fascination and legend. Getty complained about the fame, the requests for money, and the assumption that he would pick up every restaurant check, but he also furthered his own legends: he wrote articles on such topics as "How To Be Rich" and pretended to poverty by wearing rumpled suits and threadbare sweaters. The public was fascinated by Getty's wealth and extravagance and also by his reputed stinginess. After 1959 he stopped living out of hotel rooms and established his home and offices at Sutton Place, a 16th-century, 700-acre manor outside London. The huge estate, with its gardens, pools, trout stream, and priceless furnishings, was also a near garrison, with elaborate security arrangements. Giant Alsatian dogs had the run of the estate, and there were also two caged lions, Nero and Teresa. Numerous stories circulated about Getty's penny-pitching; the most famous incident was the installation of a pay telephone on the Sutton Place grounds. Getty offered various explanations, but the public preferred to see the phone booth as a symbol of his stinginess.
The public also seemed to like to read into Getty's life the lesson that money does not buy happiness. Getty was married five times: to Jeannette Dumont (1923), Allene Ashby (1925), Adolphine Helmle (1928), Ann Rork (1932), and Louisa Lynch (1939); each marriage ended in divorce. He had five sons, two of whom predeceased him, and his relationship with each of them was difficult. His grandson, J. Paul Getty III, was kidnapped in Italy in 1973. Although he was returned for a ransom, part of his ear had been cut off. Getty was a celebrity, and public interest, fueled by envy and admiration, focused on Getty's tragedies as well as his billions.
Besides oil, Getty's major interest was art. He began serious collecting in the 1930s - European paintings, furniture, Greek and Roman sculptures, 18th-century tapestries, silver, and fine Persian carpets, including the 16th-century Ardabil carpet from Tabriz. He housed his collection at Sutton Place and at his ranch house at Malibu, California, one wing of which he opened as the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1954. In 1969 construction began on a new Getty Museum, also on his Malibu property. The huge building is a replica of an ancient Roman villa found near the ruins of Pompeii, and the extensive Getty collection was moved thereafter his death.
Jean Paul Getty died at Sutton Place on June 6, 1976; he is buried on his Malibu estate.
oil executive and art collector. Born in Minneapolis to a lawyer who turned a lease bought on a gamble into a successful oil company, J. Paul Getty, through his autocratic rule and skillful manipulation of the stock market, brought the Getty Oil Company to the status of an "eighth sister" among the giants in the business. But eight years after his death, the company became the subject of a fierce takeover battle and was eventually absorbed by Texaco.
The young J. Paul worked in the oil fields during school vacations as a general laborer, acquiring the hands-on experience he later found useful in his management of the company. After his father's death in 1930, he and his eighty-year-old mother battled for control of the family wealth. Sarah was skeptical of her son's practice of buying the stock of companies in shaky financial condition during the depression. To control his spending, and to preserve some of the wealth for future generations, his mother created the Sarah Getty Trust, which later became the subject of litigation among its beneficiaries. J. Paul's stock market speculation, however, proved to be a sound business strategy. It laid the foundation of what eventually became the billion-dollar Getty Oil empire, which included holdings in oil and natural gas, as well as gold and uranium mines, a copper deposit, vineyards, orchards, grazing lands, timberlands, refineries, and chemical plants.
As shrewd a businessman as Getty proved to be, he was unsuccessful in his personal life. Though he tried to emulate the Rockefellers and Kennedys, his own family was too fragmented and embattled to invite comparison. He had five sons by four wives and never invited his parents to any of his weddings. Similarly, he failed to attend his sons' weddings and even missed the funeral of his youngest son, Timothy. All of his surviving sons did a stint in the family business, but none lived up to his expectations. He changed his will twenty-one times, using it as a weapon to punish filial "disloyalty."
Getty spent the final twenty-five years of his life at his Sutton Place estate twenty miles from London, surrounded by double barbed-wire fences and patrolled by plainclothes guards and twenty-five German shepherd attack dogs. Yet he maintained firm control of his company, though fear of flying kept him from visiting the Los Angeles headquarters. Declared the richest man in the world by Fortune magazine in 1957, he was nevertheless tight with money: he installed a pay phone in his home, saved bits of string and was delighted when he had enough to tie up a parcel, and throughout his life washed his own underwear. Perhaps the most notorious example of his penny-pinching was his refusal to pay ransom for his grandson, J. Paul III, until finally the kidnappers cut off the boy's right ear.
Always an avid art collector, Getty left virtually his entire estate to the J. Paul Getty Museum Trust. Designed as a replica of a Roman villa, the Malibu museum houses paintings, sculpture, and eighteenth-century French furniture. Though the endowment has grown to $3 billion since Getty's bequest, making the collection one of the world's richest cultural institutions (its budget is roughly twenty-five times the New York Metropolitan Museum's), it has failed to monopolize the art market in the way many feared. Critics charge that the museum has not been aggressive in broadening its mediocre collection to include modern art, or pieces from periods other than what its founder collected, although its acquisition of van Gogh's Irises in 1990 was an important exception. The museum has also come under intense public scrutiny with questions about the authenticity of some of its recent purchases.
In 1914 Getty arrived in Tulsa, Oklahoma, determined to strike it rich as a wildcat oil producer. Although he operated independently of his father's Minnehoma Oil Company, his father's loans and financial backing enabled him to begin buying and selling oil leases in the red-bed area of Oklahoma. Getty saw himself as a modern oil man, relying on geological data and not simply on the instinct of the experienced veterans, but he also thrived on the excitement, gamble, risks, and high stakes of the oil business. Getty's own first successful well came in in 1916, and by the fall of that year he had made his first million dollars as a wildcatter and lease broker.
For the next two years Getty "retired" to the life of a wealthy playboy in Los Angeles, but he returned to the oil business in 1919. During the 1920s he and his father continued to be enormously successful both in drilling their own wells and in buying and selling oil leases, and Getty became more active in California than in Oklahoma. He amassed a personal fortune of over three million dollars and acquired a third interest in what was to become the Getty Oil Company.
After his father's death in 1930 Paul Getty became the president of the George Getty Oil Company (successor to Minnehoma Oil), but his mother inherited the controlling interest, as his father had been upset with his son's profligate personal life. During the 1930s Getty followed several paths to both short-term and long-term success. His wells continued to produce, and profits poured in. He also bought a controlling interest in the Pacific Western Oil Corporation, one of the ten largest oil companies in California. After a series of agreements with his mother he obtained the controlling interest in the George Getty Oil Company, and he began real estate dealings, including the purchase of the Hotel Pierre in New York City.
The Getty Oil Company
Getty's ambition was to build up an independent, self-contained oil business involving refining, transporting, and selling oil as well as exploration and drilling. To that end he began in the 1930s to gain control of the Tidewater Oil Company. Getty pursued that goal in a series of complicated maneuvers, which involved tilting with the giant Standard Oil of New Jersey, until in the 1950s he had control of Tidewater, Skelly Oil, and the Mission Corporation. In 1967 these companies merged into the Getty Oil Company, the foundation of Getty's fortune. Getty had a majority or controlling interest in Getty Oil and its nearly 200 affiliated and subsidiary firms, and he remained its president until his death in 1976.
At the outbreak of World War II, Getty, a yachtsman, volunteered for service in the Navy, but his offer was rejected. At the request of Naval officers, however, he took over personal management of Spartan Aircraft, a Skelly and Getty subsidiary. The corporation manufactured trainers and airplane parts, and it later converted to the profitable production of mobile homes.
After the war Getty took a lucrative gamble on oil rights in the Middle East. In 1949 he secured the oil rights in Saudi Arabia's half of the Neutral Zone, a barren tract between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. He made major concessions to King Saud, which shocked the large oil companies, but after three years and a $30 million investment, Getty found the huge oil deposits which helped make him a billionaire.
In his business career, Getty continued to invest and reinvest; his fortune consisted not of cash, but stocks, corporate assets, and real estate. A loner, he saw himself as a solitary knight in fierce battle with the giant "Seven Sisters" oil firms, and that competitive urge fueled his desire to build a larger and larger fortune.
A "Public" Personal Life
In 1957 Fortune magazine published a list of the richest men in America. Getty's name headed the list, and the resultant publicity turned the reclusive Getty into an object of public fascination and legend. Getty complained about the fame, the requests for money, and the assumption that he would pick up every restaurant check, but he also furthered his own legends: he wrote articles on such topics as "How To Be Rich" and pretended to poverty by wearing rumpled suits and threadbare sweaters. The public was fascinated by Getty's wealth and extravagance and also by his reputed stinginess. After 1959 he stopped living out of hotel rooms and established his home and offices at Sutton Place, a 16th-century, 700-acre manor outside London. The huge estate, with its gardens, pools, trout stream, and priceless furnishings, was also a near garrison, with elaborate security arrangements. Giant Alsatian dogs had the run of the estate, and there were also two caged lions, Nero and Teresa. Numerous stories circulated about Getty's penny-pitching; the most famous incident was the installation of a pay telephone on the Sutton Place grounds. Getty offered various explanations, but the public preferred to see the phone booth as a symbol of his stinginess.
The public also seemed to like to read into Getty's life the lesson that money does not buy happiness. Getty was married five times: to Jeannette Dumont (1923), Allene Ashby (1925), Adolphine Helmle (1928), Ann Rork (1932), and Louisa Lynch (1939); each marriage ended in divorce. He had five sons, two of whom predeceased him, and his relationship with each of them was difficult. His grandson, J. Paul Getty III, was kidnapped in Italy in 1973. Although he was returned for a ransom, part of his ear had been cut off. Getty was a celebrity, and public interest, fueled by envy and admiration, focused on Getty's tragedies as well as his billions.
Besides oil, Getty's major interest was art. He began serious collecting in the 1930s - European paintings, furniture, Greek and Roman sculptures, 18th-century tapestries, silver, and fine Persian carpets, including the 16th-century Ardabil carpet from Tabriz. He housed his collection at Sutton Place and at his ranch house at Malibu, California, one wing of which he opened as the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1954. In 1969 construction began on a new Getty Museum, also on his Malibu property. The huge building is a replica of an ancient Roman villa found near the ruins of Pompeii, and the extensive Getty collection was moved thereafter his death.
Jean Paul Getty died at Sutton Place on June 6, 1976; he is buried on his Malibu estate.
oil executive and art collector. Born in Minneapolis to a lawyer who turned a lease bought on a gamble into a successful oil company, J. Paul Getty, through his autocratic rule and skillful manipulation of the stock market, brought the Getty Oil Company to the status of an "eighth sister" among the giants in the business. But eight years after his death, the company became the subject of a fierce takeover battle and was eventually absorbed by Texaco.
The young J. Paul worked in the oil fields during school vacations as a general laborer, acquiring the hands-on experience he later found useful in his management of the company. After his father's death in 1930, he and his eighty-year-old mother battled for control of the family wealth. Sarah was skeptical of her son's practice of buying the stock of companies in shaky financial condition during the depression. To control his spending, and to preserve some of the wealth for future generations, his mother created the Sarah Getty Trust, which later became the subject of litigation among its beneficiaries. J. Paul's stock market speculation, however, proved to be a sound business strategy. It laid the foundation of what eventually became the billion-dollar Getty Oil empire, which included holdings in oil and natural gas, as well as gold and uranium mines, a copper deposit, vineyards, orchards, grazing lands, timberlands, refineries, and chemical plants.
As shrewd a businessman as Getty proved to be, he was unsuccessful in his personal life. Though he tried to emulate the Rockefellers and Kennedys, his own family was too fragmented and embattled to invite comparison. He had five sons by four wives and never invited his parents to any of his weddings. Similarly, he failed to attend his sons' weddings and even missed the funeral of his youngest son, Timothy. All of his surviving sons did a stint in the family business, but none lived up to his expectations. He changed his will twenty-one times, using it as a weapon to punish filial "disloyalty."
Getty spent the final twenty-five years of his life at his Sutton Place estate twenty miles from London, surrounded by double barbed-wire fences and patrolled by plainclothes guards and twenty-five German shepherd attack dogs. Yet he maintained firm control of his company, though fear of flying kept him from visiting the Los Angeles headquarters. Declared the richest man in the world by Fortune magazine in 1957, he was nevertheless tight with money: he installed a pay phone in his home, saved bits of string and was delighted when he had enough to tie up a parcel, and throughout his life washed his own underwear. Perhaps the most notorious example of his penny-pinching was his refusal to pay ransom for his grandson, J. Paul III, until finally the kidnappers cut off the boy's right ear.
Always an avid art collector, Getty left virtually his entire estate to the J. Paul Getty Museum Trust. Designed as a replica of a Roman villa, the Malibu museum houses paintings, sculpture, and eighteenth-century French furniture. Though the endowment has grown to $3 billion since Getty's bequest, making the collection one of the world's richest cultural institutions (its budget is roughly twenty-five times the New York Metropolitan Museum's), it has failed to monopolize the art market in the way many feared. Critics charge that the museum has not been aggressive in broadening its mediocre collection to include modern art, or pieces from periods other than what its founder collected, although its acquisition of van Gogh's Irises in 1990 was an important exception. The museum has also come under intense public scrutiny with questions about the authenticity of some of its recent purchases.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
She Says vs. He Says: Do Single Women Really Like Dating Jerks?
SHE SAYS: No, but we think we do. As someone who dated a jerk, whom I now refer to as my "learning experience," I admit to falling under the jerk spell.
Here's how the jerk spell works: we meet the jerk and in some twisted way are seduced by his confidence, charm, and passion. We don't see these as the disguises they are: confidence is really arrogance, charm comes from him being a player, and his passion is being the center of his own universe.
The jerk sniffs out our insecurities and uses them to reel us in with compliments that eventually turn into criticisms. And if we see a red flag, like the time my "learning experience" told me his definition of a relationship was "light, fun and physical," we play mind games with ourselves. We use our normally rational inner voice to convince ourselves that we can tame him or that with the right kind of girlfriend he will lose his jerk armor and transform into a leading man fit for a romantic comedy. Come on ladies, what are we thinking?!
A jerk loves being a jerk -- way more than he loves us. I guess if they've always gotten away with treating people poorly and nobody ever set them straight, why would they change? Besides, a jerk seems to always have an attractive woman on his arm laughing at his mediocre jokes and ignoring his wandering gaze. How? I think it's because deep down every woman wants a challenge or a little danger. It's not really the jerk we like; it's the thrill of the chase, the rush of adrenaline when the jerk's phone number pops up on our cell (which is usually right after last call).
However, it's been my experience that "jerkdom" isn't some phase we can pull a guy out of. Guys only outgrow that phase when life no longer succumbs to their demands.
Any woman who has dated a jerk for more than a week knows that it's a hollow relationship that ultimately leaves you disappointed, hurt, and commiserating with your friends.
The only challenge worth overcoming when dating a jerk is to not let him affect or define your self worth. So if there is a jerk out there making your heart go pitter-pat and estrogen is messing with your reasoning, go ahead and let him woo you, but when he asks for your number tell him that you only date guys who prove their value by respecting a woman. If he's a jerk he'll roll his eyes, say you have an attitude and snicker as he leaves. If he sincerely accepts your ground rules, then chances are you should give him at least one date to prove he's relationship material. Although you may not be spellbound at first, the nice guy without all the smooth answers may ultimately fulfill your needs in more meaningful ways.
HE SAYS: As much as I hate to say it, girls love jerks! At least until the jerk stops calling, which is usually right after he gets what he wants. Speaking from the guy's perspective, I've never quite understood what draws sane, attractive, bright women to guys who act like jerks. Maybe it is the thrill of the unexpected. Maybe it is trying to outplay him in his own game. Maybe it is hoping that deep down he is a nice guy and you are going to prove it to your naysayer friends. What I do know is that too many women who could easily be in a healthy relationship instead choose the cliffhanger ending of dating a jerk that walks with a swagger, winks at anything that moves, and always has a one-liner at the ready.
Truth be told, there aren't many nice guys who haven't considered acting like a jerk, especially when they steal your girl (here I speak from experience). However, daydreaming of jerkdom fades as soon as nice guys remember one thing: being a jerk means acting like a jerk all the time. That means causing the mental pain and emotional anguish that drives a girl to phone her friends -- guy friends included -- crying about what the jerk did to her in public on their first date. Even guys bear the brunt of girls who fall head over heels for jerks.
If you're a girl who feels worse about yourself with every jerk you date, I hope you will make a big move towards respecting yourself and go on a date with a nice guy. They may not offer the drama and constant criticism you've come to expect, but they also won't try to hook up with you after dropping off their other girlfriend.
And if you are having trouble distinguishing between a jerk and a nice guy, here are three ways to tell:
He's probably a jerk if he tells you to skip desert because your butt already jiggles enough.
He's definitely a jerk if he "guilts" you into doing things that make you feel bad about yourself -- usually starting with the line "If you really cared about me..."
He's absolutely a jerk if he takes you on a date and leaves you the bill, while he leaves with the waitress.
Here's how the jerk spell works: we meet the jerk and in some twisted way are seduced by his confidence, charm, and passion. We don't see these as the disguises they are: confidence is really arrogance, charm comes from him being a player, and his passion is being the center of his own universe.
The jerk sniffs out our insecurities and uses them to reel us in with compliments that eventually turn into criticisms. And if we see a red flag, like the time my "learning experience" told me his definition of a relationship was "light, fun and physical," we play mind games with ourselves. We use our normally rational inner voice to convince ourselves that we can tame him or that with the right kind of girlfriend he will lose his jerk armor and transform into a leading man fit for a romantic comedy. Come on ladies, what are we thinking?!
A jerk loves being a jerk -- way more than he loves us. I guess if they've always gotten away with treating people poorly and nobody ever set them straight, why would they change? Besides, a jerk seems to always have an attractive woman on his arm laughing at his mediocre jokes and ignoring his wandering gaze. How? I think it's because deep down every woman wants a challenge or a little danger. It's not really the jerk we like; it's the thrill of the chase, the rush of adrenaline when the jerk's phone number pops up on our cell (which is usually right after last call).
However, it's been my experience that "jerkdom" isn't some phase we can pull a guy out of. Guys only outgrow that phase when life no longer succumbs to their demands.
Any woman who has dated a jerk for more than a week knows that it's a hollow relationship that ultimately leaves you disappointed, hurt, and commiserating with your friends.
The only challenge worth overcoming when dating a jerk is to not let him affect or define your self worth. So if there is a jerk out there making your heart go pitter-pat and estrogen is messing with your reasoning, go ahead and let him woo you, but when he asks for your number tell him that you only date guys who prove their value by respecting a woman. If he's a jerk he'll roll his eyes, say you have an attitude and snicker as he leaves. If he sincerely accepts your ground rules, then chances are you should give him at least one date to prove he's relationship material. Although you may not be spellbound at first, the nice guy without all the smooth answers may ultimately fulfill your needs in more meaningful ways.
HE SAYS: As much as I hate to say it, girls love jerks! At least until the jerk stops calling, which is usually right after he gets what he wants. Speaking from the guy's perspective, I've never quite understood what draws sane, attractive, bright women to guys who act like jerks. Maybe it is the thrill of the unexpected. Maybe it is trying to outplay him in his own game. Maybe it is hoping that deep down he is a nice guy and you are going to prove it to your naysayer friends. What I do know is that too many women who could easily be in a healthy relationship instead choose the cliffhanger ending of dating a jerk that walks with a swagger, winks at anything that moves, and always has a one-liner at the ready.
Truth be told, there aren't many nice guys who haven't considered acting like a jerk, especially when they steal your girl (here I speak from experience). However, daydreaming of jerkdom fades as soon as nice guys remember one thing: being a jerk means acting like a jerk all the time. That means causing the mental pain and emotional anguish that drives a girl to phone her friends -- guy friends included -- crying about what the jerk did to her in public on their first date. Even guys bear the brunt of girls who fall head over heels for jerks.
If you're a girl who feels worse about yourself with every jerk you date, I hope you will make a big move towards respecting yourself and go on a date with a nice guy. They may not offer the drama and constant criticism you've come to expect, but they also won't try to hook up with you after dropping off their other girlfriend.
And if you are having trouble distinguishing between a jerk and a nice guy, here are three ways to tell:
He's probably a jerk if he tells you to skip desert because your butt already jiggles enough.
He's definitely a jerk if he "guilts" you into doing things that make you feel bad about yourself -- usually starting with the line "If you really cared about me..."
He's absolutely a jerk if he takes you on a date and leaves you the bill, while he leaves with the waitress.
Are Bad Dating Habits Keeping You Single?
In the search for love, it's all too easy to get sidetracked by bad dates, broken hearts, and bad love habits. And while bad dates and broken hearts are part of the dating journey toward happily-ever-after, bad love habits can and should be avoided at all costs.
So what's a bad love habit? Any dysfunctional, destructive, difficult belief or habit you have towards love and relationships that's keeping you from finding, attracting, and/or maintaining a healthy relationship. The following are some common bad dating beliefs:
You choose potential partners who are incapable of meeting your emotional needs.
You think love has to be difficult, painful, and/or hard.
You think your potential partner is going to fix whatever you don't like about yourself or your life.
You believe time is running out on your search for love and/or your chance to have children.
If any of the above sound familiar, don't worry. You're not a lost cause. In fact, with a little time and effort, you can turn things around! What follows are five simple and effective tips and techniques geared toward helping you break free of limiting relationship beliefs and bad dating habits. Practiced over time, you can and will kick any bad dating habit -- for good!
1. Identify the dating traps you're stuck in
Think you've got to miraculously solve all your problems before you'll be deserving of love? Convinced there are no good "ones" left? Or do you believe that your perfect partner will one day swoop in and magically save you from your life? If any or all of the above sound familiar, chances are good that you suffer from some common dating traps. In order to become a successful single, you first need to free yourself from these traps. Acknowledging the traps you're stuck in is the first step. Next, you've got to break free of these traps, as well as any other limiting or destructive beliefs that are keeping you stuck. To find out how, keep reading.
2. Assess your excess baggage
Next, it's important to get honest with yourself about what you might be lugging around with you on dates (or in life in general). What are you holding onto that no longer serves you? Rejection, disappointment, betrayal? This is from your past, not your present or future. If you've got negative or destructive beliefs or fears weighing you down, you owe it to yourself to dump that excess baggage!
3. Dump your excess baggage
In order to have a happily ever after future, you have to first believe you deserve finding a mate. Gather those painful memories, that chip on your shoulder, any residual anger from past relationship experiences, and tell them they've got to go. Thank them for the lessons you've learned and tell them that it's now time for you to stand on your own two feet. In your mind's eye, give them the heave-ho! Next, start visualizing the kind of life you want to have, complete with your dream job, perfect partner, ideal home, etc. By getting clear about what you want, you give yourself permission to attract it.
4. Stop putting off your life and/or personal happiness
So many of us put off personal happiness waiting for some external result like "I'll be happy when I lose weight, when I pay off my debts, when I get a better job." The truth is, you deserve to enjoy your fabulously imperfect life right this very minute!
When you stop putting off happiness, you start attracting happy people, healthy relationships, exciting and new opportunities.
When you stop putting off happiness, you start attracting happy people, healthy relationships, exciting and new opportunities. Instead of postponing joy until something external happens, today's the day to start celebrating the joy in your everyday life.
5. Embrace a new dating vocabulary
Now that you're baggage light and dating-trap free, it's time to introduce a new vocabulary to your dating belief system. Every morning and night for 30 days, practice the following exercise: Say to yourself "Love/dating/my ideal relationship is..." and then fill in the blank with the appropriate words (words like healthy, whole, loving, fun, etc.). By creating a new vocabulary for yourself, you may be surprised at how your outlook on dating and relationships changes, and as a result, you'll start attracting happier and healthier potential partners. Love that!
So there you have it -- five simple dating tips and techniques to help you break free of limiting relationship beliefs and bad love habits. May you learn them, love them, live them. In doing so, you just may fall in love with your life all over again, not to mention exponentially increase your chances of future relationship success.
So what's a bad love habit? Any dysfunctional, destructive, difficult belief or habit you have towards love and relationships that's keeping you from finding, attracting, and/or maintaining a healthy relationship. The following are some common bad dating beliefs:
You choose potential partners who are incapable of meeting your emotional needs.
You think love has to be difficult, painful, and/or hard.
You think your potential partner is going to fix whatever you don't like about yourself or your life.
You believe time is running out on your search for love and/or your chance to have children.
If any of the above sound familiar, don't worry. You're not a lost cause. In fact, with a little time and effort, you can turn things around! What follows are five simple and effective tips and techniques geared toward helping you break free of limiting relationship beliefs and bad dating habits. Practiced over time, you can and will kick any bad dating habit -- for good!
1. Identify the dating traps you're stuck in
Think you've got to miraculously solve all your problems before you'll be deserving of love? Convinced there are no good "ones" left? Or do you believe that your perfect partner will one day swoop in and magically save you from your life? If any or all of the above sound familiar, chances are good that you suffer from some common dating traps. In order to become a successful single, you first need to free yourself from these traps. Acknowledging the traps you're stuck in is the first step. Next, you've got to break free of these traps, as well as any other limiting or destructive beliefs that are keeping you stuck. To find out how, keep reading.
2. Assess your excess baggage
Next, it's important to get honest with yourself about what you might be lugging around with you on dates (or in life in general). What are you holding onto that no longer serves you? Rejection, disappointment, betrayal? This is from your past, not your present or future. If you've got negative or destructive beliefs or fears weighing you down, you owe it to yourself to dump that excess baggage!
3. Dump your excess baggage
In order to have a happily ever after future, you have to first believe you deserve finding a mate. Gather those painful memories, that chip on your shoulder, any residual anger from past relationship experiences, and tell them they've got to go. Thank them for the lessons you've learned and tell them that it's now time for you to stand on your own two feet. In your mind's eye, give them the heave-ho! Next, start visualizing the kind of life you want to have, complete with your dream job, perfect partner, ideal home, etc. By getting clear about what you want, you give yourself permission to attract it.
4. Stop putting off your life and/or personal happiness
So many of us put off personal happiness waiting for some external result like "I'll be happy when I lose weight, when I pay off my debts, when I get a better job." The truth is, you deserve to enjoy your fabulously imperfect life right this very minute!
When you stop putting off happiness, you start attracting happy people, healthy relationships, exciting and new opportunities.
When you stop putting off happiness, you start attracting happy people, healthy relationships, exciting and new opportunities. Instead of postponing joy until something external happens, today's the day to start celebrating the joy in your everyday life.
5. Embrace a new dating vocabulary
Now that you're baggage light and dating-trap free, it's time to introduce a new vocabulary to your dating belief system. Every morning and night for 30 days, practice the following exercise: Say to yourself "Love/dating/my ideal relationship is..." and then fill in the blank with the appropriate words (words like healthy, whole, loving, fun, etc.). By creating a new vocabulary for yourself, you may be surprised at how your outlook on dating and relationships changes, and as a result, you'll start attracting happier and healthier potential partners. Love that!
So there you have it -- five simple dating tips and techniques to help you break free of limiting relationship beliefs and bad love habits. May you learn them, love them, live them. In doing so, you just may fall in love with your life all over again, not to mention exponentially increase your chances of future relationship success.
The Key to Wedded Bliss? Money Matters
If you ask married people why their marriage works, they are probably not going to say it's because they found their financial soul mate.
But if they are lucky, they have. Marrying a person who shares your attitudes about money might just be the smartest financial decision you will ever make. In fact, when it comes to finances, your marriage is likely to be your most valuable asset — or your largest liability.
Marrying for love is a relatively recent phenomenon. For centuries, marriages were arranged affairs, aligning families for economic or political purposes or simply pooling the resources of those scraping by.
• Where to Keep Cash When No Investment Seems Safe
• Learning to Share
• Miles of Aisles for Milk? Not Here
Today, while most of us marry for romantic reasons, marriage at its core is still a financial union. So much of what we want — or don't want — out of life boils down to dollars and cents, whether it's how hard we choose to work, how much we consume or how much we save. For some people, it's working 80-hour weeks to finance a third home and country club membership; for others, it means cutting back on office hours to spend more time with the family.
"A lot of the debates people have about money are code for how we want to live our lives," said Betsey Stevenson, assistant professor of business and public policy at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, who researches the economics of marriage and divorce. "A lot of the choices we make in how we want to live our lives involve how we spend our money."
Making those choices as a team is one of the most important ways to preserve your marital assets, and your union, experts say. But it's that much easier when you already share similar outlooks on money matters — or when you can, at the very least, find some middle ground.
The economies achieved by pairing up are fairly obvious. However, the costs of divorce can be financially devastating, especially when children are involved. And, not surprisingly, money manages to force a wide wedge between many couples.
"Most people think people break up over sex issues and children issues — and those are issues — but money is a huge factor in breaking up marriages," said Susan Reach Winters, a divorce lawyer in Short Hills, N.J.
Not everyone is married to a financial twin, and that's not necessarily a problem. There are several ways that you and your significant other can become more compatible, and ultimately more prosperous, when it comes to money.
These guidelines are compiled from the successfully married and from experts on psychology, divorce and finance:
Talk and Share Goals
Before walking down the aisle, couples should have a talk about their financial health and goals. They should ask each other tough questions: Do we want children? When? Who will care for them? Will they go to public or private school? What kind of life do we want? When will we retire?
"In my ideal plan for couples, they would have a meeting every week on their finances," said Karen Altfest, a financial planner who runs the New York firm L. J. Altfest & Company, with her husband, Lewis. "That way, they are in sync with each other's goals."
Set those goals together. Jerry Ballard, 58, a former insurance executive in Houston, said that he and his wife of 36 years, Susan, also 58, managed to avoid money clashes because they share a savings philosophy. "The cardinal rule was that we don't interrupt our savings," he said, adding that they saved between 10 and 20 percent of their salaries each year. As long as they did that, they were less likely to disagree about spending.
Eric Gundlach, 53, of Owings Mills, Md., who has been married for 29 years, said he and his wife, Ann-Michele, "made our expectations explicit." These included sending their son to private school and having big experiences, like traveling, in lieu of purchasing things.
Run Home Like a Business
Make a budget and keep track of earnings, expenses and debts. And structure your business as a partnership; when it comes to making big financial decisions and setting goals, do it together. "When they are making the decisions together, they really have ownership of those decisions and any results of those decisions," said Mary Ann Sisco, national wealth adviser at JPMorgan's private wealth management division. "Even if you have negative results, you tend to weather the storm better."
Share responsibilities, too. Though one partner tends to control the finances, advisers recommend rotating tasks. One person should handle investments for a certain period, while the other pays the bills; rotate and repeat.
Be Supportive of Careers
Having a supportive partner helps you professionally, which should trickle down to your mutual bottom line. "Marrying the right person helps you succeed in your career through encouragement and support, the only kind of support that comes through a supportive, intimate relationship," said Mr. Gundlach, whose wife backed his decision to start a management consulting practice after 22 years as a human resources executive.
Enjoy, but Within Reason
Create a cash cushion, and live a lifestyle you can sustain. Many people who were working at hedge funds that went bust or financial firms like Bear Stearns are learning these lessons now. Ms. Sisco, of JPMorgan, said that because her younger clients haven't experienced a downturn, they assumed the money would keep pouring in.
She said she is working with one couple in their early 30s who have two young children. Right before the husband lost his job on Wall Street, the couple had ordered $35,000 drapes. They had to move to a smaller apartment in Manhattan and had to sell their vacation home.
More from Yahoo! Finance:
• Honey, They Shrank the Groceries
• 10 Best/Worst Cars for Repair Costs
• Price War Erupts for High-Speed Internet Service
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Visit the Family & Home Center
Use a Mediator
Perhaps both of you have strong yet divergent opinions about how to invest. Or maybe you are a saver while your spouse prefers to hand over a big piece of earnings to Bavarian Motor Works. An independent third party, whether a financial planner or a therapist, can help you find a middle ground.
Marc B. Schindler, a financial planner at Pivot Point Advisors in Bellaire, Tex., recently did this for a client who complained that his wife spent a thousand dollars a month on her wardrobe. Mr. Schindler then contacted the wife, who said her husband spent just as much on dinner with his buddies. So the husband asked Mr. Schindler to show how much they would save if they invested the $12,000 she spent each year. Mr. Schindler — careful to title the report "Clothing, Dinner or Invested?" — ran an analysis and found that the couple would have $1.6 million after 28 years, assuming a 9 percent rate of return. "They are going to try and compromise," he said.
Maintain Some Independence
Pooling resources is important, but so is maintaining a degree of financial independence. Carve out some money for both partners to spend on things that make them happy. And when paring back, it's essential that each person make sacrifices.
Invest in Your Marriage
Spend it — time and money — together. Go on dates. "What that does is enliven the marital foundation," said Gary S. Shunk, a Chicago therapist who specializes in wealth issues. "It's a kind of investment into the heart and soul of the relationship."
Think of it as dollar-cost averaging your marriage, where you make small investments over time. If you wait until retirement, it could be too late.
Melanie Schnoll-Begun, a managing director in the Citigroup Family Office, worked with a couple that waited too long. The husband had amassed great wealth for the family, and his wife kept a beautiful home. But once the husband retired, "they found out that over the years they grew so far apart that they didn't have enough in common," she said.
"They had this magnificent wealth, and it was the building of this wealth that ultimately led to their divorce."
But if they are lucky, they have. Marrying a person who shares your attitudes about money might just be the smartest financial decision you will ever make. In fact, when it comes to finances, your marriage is likely to be your most valuable asset — or your largest liability.
Marrying for love is a relatively recent phenomenon. For centuries, marriages were arranged affairs, aligning families for economic or political purposes or simply pooling the resources of those scraping by.
• Where to Keep Cash When No Investment Seems Safe
• Learning to Share
• Miles of Aisles for Milk? Not Here
Today, while most of us marry for romantic reasons, marriage at its core is still a financial union. So much of what we want — or don't want — out of life boils down to dollars and cents, whether it's how hard we choose to work, how much we consume or how much we save. For some people, it's working 80-hour weeks to finance a third home and country club membership; for others, it means cutting back on office hours to spend more time with the family.
"A lot of the debates people have about money are code for how we want to live our lives," said Betsey Stevenson, assistant professor of business and public policy at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, who researches the economics of marriage and divorce. "A lot of the choices we make in how we want to live our lives involve how we spend our money."
Making those choices as a team is one of the most important ways to preserve your marital assets, and your union, experts say. But it's that much easier when you already share similar outlooks on money matters — or when you can, at the very least, find some middle ground.
The economies achieved by pairing up are fairly obvious. However, the costs of divorce can be financially devastating, especially when children are involved. And, not surprisingly, money manages to force a wide wedge between many couples.
"Most people think people break up over sex issues and children issues — and those are issues — but money is a huge factor in breaking up marriages," said Susan Reach Winters, a divorce lawyer in Short Hills, N.J.
Not everyone is married to a financial twin, and that's not necessarily a problem. There are several ways that you and your significant other can become more compatible, and ultimately more prosperous, when it comes to money.
These guidelines are compiled from the successfully married and from experts on psychology, divorce and finance:
Talk and Share Goals
Before walking down the aisle, couples should have a talk about their financial health and goals. They should ask each other tough questions: Do we want children? When? Who will care for them? Will they go to public or private school? What kind of life do we want? When will we retire?
"In my ideal plan for couples, they would have a meeting every week on their finances," said Karen Altfest, a financial planner who runs the New York firm L. J. Altfest & Company, with her husband, Lewis. "That way, they are in sync with each other's goals."
Set those goals together. Jerry Ballard, 58, a former insurance executive in Houston, said that he and his wife of 36 years, Susan, also 58, managed to avoid money clashes because they share a savings philosophy. "The cardinal rule was that we don't interrupt our savings," he said, adding that they saved between 10 and 20 percent of their salaries each year. As long as they did that, they were less likely to disagree about spending.
Eric Gundlach, 53, of Owings Mills, Md., who has been married for 29 years, said he and his wife, Ann-Michele, "made our expectations explicit." These included sending their son to private school and having big experiences, like traveling, in lieu of purchasing things.
Run Home Like a Business
Make a budget and keep track of earnings, expenses and debts. And structure your business as a partnership; when it comes to making big financial decisions and setting goals, do it together. "When they are making the decisions together, they really have ownership of those decisions and any results of those decisions," said Mary Ann Sisco, national wealth adviser at JPMorgan's private wealth management division. "Even if you have negative results, you tend to weather the storm better."
Share responsibilities, too. Though one partner tends to control the finances, advisers recommend rotating tasks. One person should handle investments for a certain period, while the other pays the bills; rotate and repeat.
Be Supportive of Careers
Having a supportive partner helps you professionally, which should trickle down to your mutual bottom line. "Marrying the right person helps you succeed in your career through encouragement and support, the only kind of support that comes through a supportive, intimate relationship," said Mr. Gundlach, whose wife backed his decision to start a management consulting practice after 22 years as a human resources executive.
Enjoy, but Within Reason
Create a cash cushion, and live a lifestyle you can sustain. Many people who were working at hedge funds that went bust or financial firms like Bear Stearns are learning these lessons now. Ms. Sisco, of JPMorgan, said that because her younger clients haven't experienced a downturn, they assumed the money would keep pouring in.
She said she is working with one couple in their early 30s who have two young children. Right before the husband lost his job on Wall Street, the couple had ordered $35,000 drapes. They had to move to a smaller apartment in Manhattan and had to sell their vacation home.
More from Yahoo! Finance:
• Honey, They Shrank the Groceries
• 10 Best/Worst Cars for Repair Costs
• Price War Erupts for High-Speed Internet Service
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Visit the Family & Home Center
Use a Mediator
Perhaps both of you have strong yet divergent opinions about how to invest. Or maybe you are a saver while your spouse prefers to hand over a big piece of earnings to Bavarian Motor Works. An independent third party, whether a financial planner or a therapist, can help you find a middle ground.
Marc B. Schindler, a financial planner at Pivot Point Advisors in Bellaire, Tex., recently did this for a client who complained that his wife spent a thousand dollars a month on her wardrobe. Mr. Schindler then contacted the wife, who said her husband spent just as much on dinner with his buddies. So the husband asked Mr. Schindler to show how much they would save if they invested the $12,000 she spent each year. Mr. Schindler — careful to title the report "Clothing, Dinner or Invested?" — ran an analysis and found that the couple would have $1.6 million after 28 years, assuming a 9 percent rate of return. "They are going to try and compromise," he said.
Maintain Some Independence
Pooling resources is important, but so is maintaining a degree of financial independence. Carve out some money for both partners to spend on things that make them happy. And when paring back, it's essential that each person make sacrifices.
Invest in Your Marriage
Spend it — time and money — together. Go on dates. "What that does is enliven the marital foundation," said Gary S. Shunk, a Chicago therapist who specializes in wealth issues. "It's a kind of investment into the heart and soul of the relationship."
Think of it as dollar-cost averaging your marriage, where you make small investments over time. If you wait until retirement, it could be too late.
Melanie Schnoll-Begun, a managing director in the Citigroup Family Office, worked with a couple that waited too long. The husband had amassed great wealth for the family, and his wife kept a beautiful home. But once the husband retired, "they found out that over the years they grew so far apart that they didn't have enough in common," she said.
"They had this magnificent wealth, and it was the building of this wealth that ultimately led to their divorce."
Monday, September 8, 2008
Do Opposites Attract ?
It seems logical that like would attract like, but in my private practice as a marriage counselor and psychotherapist, I often see people drawn to their opposite.
For "opposite" couples, your relationship feels great at first, because it's new and exciting. But if there isn't a certain degree of similarity between you and your partner, it will be too stressful to last.
For "opposite" couples, your relationship feels great at first, because it's new and exciting. But if there isn't a certain degree of similarity between you and your partner, it will be too stressful to last. The excitement and challenge of your relationship comes from your differences; the security and ease of your relationship comes from your similarities.
Dating subjects you should understand to overcome challenging differences between you and your partner:
Different Genders
To begin with, unless you're in a same-sex couple, you're dealing with different genders. Part of figuring out if you'll make a good couple is working out the differences in your social expectations. It's no wonder people are nervous, social mores are changing rapidly, and no one is too sure how to act. The best thing you can do is react slowly, and give your date a chance to telegraph what he or she is going to do.
For single women: Don't rush to get out of the car. Fiddle a bit with your handbag until you see if he makes a move to come around and open your door. Don't just yank a door open and walk through. Walk a little slowly to give him a chance to open it. If he does neither of these things, no harm done -- just do it yourself and now you know. When the bill comes for the first date, if he asked you out and selected the restaurant, it's safe to assume he's paying. Don't take it for granted -- definitely thank him.
If you have his address, it's charming to send a little thank you note, and it doesn't seem as forward as a call. Or use email, or call his home phone and leave a little thank you message when you know he's at work.
Men value competency and problem solving. Women value intimacy and emotional connection. The truth is that learning successful problem solving ends fighting and power struggles, and therefore leads to more intimacy. Women, you may think he's focused entirely on time, power, or money, but what he's really trying to do is create enough security that he can feel safe to let his guard down. Men, you might think she's illogical or irrational, but she's responding to emotional cues you haven't been trained to see.
Different Families and/or Cultures
It's not just that "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus" -- it's that all of us have grown up on different planets. Whatever your family did seems "normal" and "right" to you, and
couples can get caught up in arguing about who's right rather than focusing on what will work.
couples can get caught up in arguing about who's right rather than focusing on what will work. This is especially difficult in mixed-culture families. Blended couples have blended children, who need both cultures. Learning to combine traditions, cuisines, and family celebrations can really create a brand new culture that celebrates everyone. I have helped many couples accomplish this, and the result is joyful.
Coming Together
When your differences are grating against each other, you need to stop insisting you're right or your partner is wrong, and seek to re-establish your connection. To reconnect, be sure you are listening to each other and understanding your mutual needs and wants. The most powerful thing you can do to keep a marriage strong is form a partnership, a team, where both parties feel respected, cared about, and needed. If you really want to revive your relationship, begin not by complaining about your needs that aren't being met, but by focusing on understanding your partner's needs, and communicating what you want. Once you make the connection, you can begin to work out the issues.
Intimacy Breaks Barriers
Intimacy is the art of making your partner feel understood and accepted. When this feeling is created, barriers fall. Gentle touch, eye contact, a gentle sense of humor, and the right words all create an intimate atmosphere. Commenting positively on your partner's looks or the day's activities will also help. Partners often disconnect when they don't feel interested in each other anymore. When there's a problem with intimacy, a partner who's sympathetic and doesn't make demands can be very healing and appealing.
Four simple steps to create a successful relationship despite your differences:
1. Talk frequently and honestly to each other about your frustrations, about intimacy, about anger, about disappointment, about your appreciation of each other, about the meaning of life, about everything.
2. Strive to work together to solve anything that comes up. Learn to be a team, a partnership. Don't get stuck on who's right or wrong. Instead, focus on what will solve the problem.
3. Keep your connection going through communication, affection, understanding, and mutual concern for one another.
4. Have a sense of humor, give the benefit of the doubt, and lighten up. Try not to react so dramatically, and let small things roll off your back.
When you follow these four steps, your differences won't separate you -- they'll excite you.
For "opposite" couples, your relationship feels great at first, because it's new and exciting. But if there isn't a certain degree of similarity between you and your partner, it will be too stressful to last.
For "opposite" couples, your relationship feels great at first, because it's new and exciting. But if there isn't a certain degree of similarity between you and your partner, it will be too stressful to last. The excitement and challenge of your relationship comes from your differences; the security and ease of your relationship comes from your similarities.
Dating subjects you should understand to overcome challenging differences between you and your partner:
Different Genders
To begin with, unless you're in a same-sex couple, you're dealing with different genders. Part of figuring out if you'll make a good couple is working out the differences in your social expectations. It's no wonder people are nervous, social mores are changing rapidly, and no one is too sure how to act. The best thing you can do is react slowly, and give your date a chance to telegraph what he or she is going to do.
For single women: Don't rush to get out of the car. Fiddle a bit with your handbag until you see if he makes a move to come around and open your door. Don't just yank a door open and walk through. Walk a little slowly to give him a chance to open it. If he does neither of these things, no harm done -- just do it yourself and now you know. When the bill comes for the first date, if he asked you out and selected the restaurant, it's safe to assume he's paying. Don't take it for granted -- definitely thank him.
If you have his address, it's charming to send a little thank you note, and it doesn't seem as forward as a call. Or use email, or call his home phone and leave a little thank you message when you know he's at work.
Men value competency and problem solving. Women value intimacy and emotional connection. The truth is that learning successful problem solving ends fighting and power struggles, and therefore leads to more intimacy. Women, you may think he's focused entirely on time, power, or money, but what he's really trying to do is create enough security that he can feel safe to let his guard down. Men, you might think she's illogical or irrational, but she's responding to emotional cues you haven't been trained to see.
Different Families and/or Cultures
It's not just that "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus" -- it's that all of us have grown up on different planets. Whatever your family did seems "normal" and "right" to you, and
couples can get caught up in arguing about who's right rather than focusing on what will work.
couples can get caught up in arguing about who's right rather than focusing on what will work. This is especially difficult in mixed-culture families. Blended couples have blended children, who need both cultures. Learning to combine traditions, cuisines, and family celebrations can really create a brand new culture that celebrates everyone. I have helped many couples accomplish this, and the result is joyful.
Coming Together
When your differences are grating against each other, you need to stop insisting you're right or your partner is wrong, and seek to re-establish your connection. To reconnect, be sure you are listening to each other and understanding your mutual needs and wants. The most powerful thing you can do to keep a marriage strong is form a partnership, a team, where both parties feel respected, cared about, and needed. If you really want to revive your relationship, begin not by complaining about your needs that aren't being met, but by focusing on understanding your partner's needs, and communicating what you want. Once you make the connection, you can begin to work out the issues.
Intimacy Breaks Barriers
Intimacy is the art of making your partner feel understood and accepted. When this feeling is created, barriers fall. Gentle touch, eye contact, a gentle sense of humor, and the right words all create an intimate atmosphere. Commenting positively on your partner's looks or the day's activities will also help. Partners often disconnect when they don't feel interested in each other anymore. When there's a problem with intimacy, a partner who's sympathetic and doesn't make demands can be very healing and appealing.
Four simple steps to create a successful relationship despite your differences:
1. Talk frequently and honestly to each other about your frustrations, about intimacy, about anger, about disappointment, about your appreciation of each other, about the meaning of life, about everything.
2. Strive to work together to solve anything that comes up. Learn to be a team, a partnership. Don't get stuck on who's right or wrong. Instead, focus on what will solve the problem.
3. Keep your connection going through communication, affection, understanding, and mutual concern for one another.
4. Have a sense of humor, give the benefit of the doubt, and lighten up. Try not to react so dramatically, and let small things roll off your back.
When you follow these four steps, your differences won't separate you -- they'll excite you.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Serangoon Gardens: Where 5,000 expats call home
Housewife Laura Tamburrini, who is from Switzerland, has never felt anything but welcome since she moved into Serangoon Gardens with her family two months ago.
‘Though I’m just getting to know the area, people here have been very warm,’ said the 34-year-old mother of two.
She and her husband, who works in a Swiss bank, moved to the private estate in the north-east because it is near the Australian International School in Lorong Chuan which her sons attend.
Australian Ron Barnes, 47, a physical education teacher at the school, has been living in Chuan Park, a condominium on the fringe of the estate, for a year.
‘It’s such a friendly, nice little community,’ he said with affection.
Last week, foreigners in Serangoon Gardens made the news, although these weren’t middle-class types like Ms Tamburrini and Mr Barnes but blue-collar ones who work in jobs like construction.
Residents were up in arms over news that the authorities were thinking of turning the premises of the former Serangoon Gardens Technical School in Burghley Drive into dormitories for at least 1,000 workers.
A petition was started and signed by residents in about 1,600 households. There are between 4,000 and 7,000 households in the estate, depending on where the boundaries are drawn. Among other things, the residents were worried that the crime rate would rise.
Even before the possible influx of these foreign workers, the face of the estate has been changing, with more non-Singaporeans calling the area home.
There are an estimated 5,000 foreigners living in the area and many are there because of their children.
In 1999, the Lycee Francais De Singapour, or the Singapore French School, was set up in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, a short distance from the estate. And in 2003, the Australian International School set up home in Lorong Chuan.
By all accounts, shopkeepers and residents have welcomed these expatriates.
Mr N.K. Hazra, 66, general manager of the Serangoon Gardens Country Club, said there are 150 term members - those with short-term membership - at the club, most of whom are expatriates.
‘They seem to feel very comfortable here and mingle with the local residents quite well,’ he said.
Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, an MP for Aljunied GRC who looks after the area, noted that these expatriates have assimilated so well that they do not seem out of place.
‘I notice that they hang out quite comfortably at the ‘circus’ and shops,’ she said, referring to the area’s roundabout.
Relief teacher Janet Tan, who is in her 50s and has been living in the area for 40 years, welcomes them.
‘During the colonial days, we used to have parties and play together with the European children. It was like one happy family and I don’t mind them here,’ she said.
Even businesses have begun to cater to these expatriates.
Last November, a Cold Storage speciality store opened in the area.
‘It carries over 4,000 products from around the world and it is equipped with additional services such as home delivery, party platters ordering and requests for speciality food,’ said a spokesman.
Long-time residents said this is just one of the many changes that have taken place in the area, which started life in the 1950s when houses were built to accommodate the British soldiers in colonial Singapore. They said their sleepy ‘village’ is now becoming more vibrant, crowded and youthful.
‘There are a lot of younger people these days. Shops that cater to the younger crowd have moved in, like Coffee Bean and Cafe Cartel,’ said Mr Lim Sim Kwang, 56, owner of the New Huak Hing coffee shop. His shop has been around since the 1960s.
Mr Jeffery Wong, 35, owner of the Tuan Kee steamboat restaurant, said he set up his eatery next to the roundabout three months ago because he thinks the area has potential to boom.
‘Traffic here is very heavy and I believe it can become the next Holland Village in two or three years’ time,’ he said.
Denise The Wine Shop opened an outlet eight months ago and it is enjoying roaring business.
‘At first there were fewer than 100 customers on weekends, but in just eight months, it has risen to 200,’ said branch supervisor Joey Liew, 21.
But some residents are worried that the area is changing too quickly.
It has been reported that the Serangoon Gardens Village complex, which opened 50 years ago as the Paramount Theatre, will be torn down next February to make way for a big mall.
‘I used to watch movies there and it will be sad when it’s gone,’ said retiree Jonathan Choo, 61.
Others are worried about the crowds and heavy traffic.
‘Four years ago, on weekends, there would be cars parked outside our house, blocking the driveway. Now they are there on weekdays too,’ said Singaporean polytechnic student Ryan Peterson, 20.
‘People are already fighting for parking. What will it be like with the new developments?’
‘Though I’m just getting to know the area, people here have been very warm,’ said the 34-year-old mother of two.
She and her husband, who works in a Swiss bank, moved to the private estate in the north-east because it is near the Australian International School in Lorong Chuan which her sons attend.
Australian Ron Barnes, 47, a physical education teacher at the school, has been living in Chuan Park, a condominium on the fringe of the estate, for a year.
‘It’s such a friendly, nice little community,’ he said with affection.
Last week, foreigners in Serangoon Gardens made the news, although these weren’t middle-class types like Ms Tamburrini and Mr Barnes but blue-collar ones who work in jobs like construction.
Residents were up in arms over news that the authorities were thinking of turning the premises of the former Serangoon Gardens Technical School in Burghley Drive into dormitories for at least 1,000 workers.
A petition was started and signed by residents in about 1,600 households. There are between 4,000 and 7,000 households in the estate, depending on where the boundaries are drawn. Among other things, the residents were worried that the crime rate would rise.
Even before the possible influx of these foreign workers, the face of the estate has been changing, with more non-Singaporeans calling the area home.
There are an estimated 5,000 foreigners living in the area and many are there because of their children.
In 1999, the Lycee Francais De Singapour, or the Singapore French School, was set up in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, a short distance from the estate. And in 2003, the Australian International School set up home in Lorong Chuan.
By all accounts, shopkeepers and residents have welcomed these expatriates.
Mr N.K. Hazra, 66, general manager of the Serangoon Gardens Country Club, said there are 150 term members - those with short-term membership - at the club, most of whom are expatriates.
‘They seem to feel very comfortable here and mingle with the local residents quite well,’ he said.
Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, an MP for Aljunied GRC who looks after the area, noted that these expatriates have assimilated so well that they do not seem out of place.
‘I notice that they hang out quite comfortably at the ‘circus’ and shops,’ she said, referring to the area’s roundabout.
Relief teacher Janet Tan, who is in her 50s and has been living in the area for 40 years, welcomes them.
‘During the colonial days, we used to have parties and play together with the European children. It was like one happy family and I don’t mind them here,’ she said.
Even businesses have begun to cater to these expatriates.
Last November, a Cold Storage speciality store opened in the area.
‘It carries over 4,000 products from around the world and it is equipped with additional services such as home delivery, party platters ordering and requests for speciality food,’ said a spokesman.
Long-time residents said this is just one of the many changes that have taken place in the area, which started life in the 1950s when houses were built to accommodate the British soldiers in colonial Singapore. They said their sleepy ‘village’ is now becoming more vibrant, crowded and youthful.
‘There are a lot of younger people these days. Shops that cater to the younger crowd have moved in, like Coffee Bean and Cafe Cartel,’ said Mr Lim Sim Kwang, 56, owner of the New Huak Hing coffee shop. His shop has been around since the 1960s.
Mr Jeffery Wong, 35, owner of the Tuan Kee steamboat restaurant, said he set up his eatery next to the roundabout three months ago because he thinks the area has potential to boom.
‘Traffic here is very heavy and I believe it can become the next Holland Village in two or three years’ time,’ he said.
Denise The Wine Shop opened an outlet eight months ago and it is enjoying roaring business.
‘At first there were fewer than 100 customers on weekends, but in just eight months, it has risen to 200,’ said branch supervisor Joey Liew, 21.
But some residents are worried that the area is changing too quickly.
It has been reported that the Serangoon Gardens Village complex, which opened 50 years ago as the Paramount Theatre, will be torn down next February to make way for a big mall.
‘I used to watch movies there and it will be sad when it’s gone,’ said retiree Jonathan Choo, 61.
Others are worried about the crowds and heavy traffic.
‘Four years ago, on weekends, there would be cars parked outside our house, blocking the driveway. Now they are there on weekdays too,’ said Singaporean polytechnic student Ryan Peterson, 20.
‘People are already fighting for parking. What will it be like with the new developments?’
另一伴对理财路的影响
突然想起, 爱人曾经说过, 有两种女人, 一种是专门帮忙男人"散水", 一种则是"聚水"的. 如果一个男人选择了"散水"女人, 就不用想会有致富的一天, 因为无论男人赚再多的钱, 都很快被女人花光光.
在理财路, 另一伴的思想和心态最好还是选择和自己大致相同的, 至少日后可以减少为钱而吵的局面.
朋友和她爱人在约两年前买了一间两层半的花园屋, 而在买屋后的约两年, 该屋依然还没有储蓄到足够的钱做装修. 记得朋友说过, 某房间的不懂什么东东让她不满意, 她要把墙给拆了, 以便做扩大空间.
歪歪总是忍不住要念这朋友, 不要花太多钱的, 因为这朋友的爱人目前已经做着两份工作, 为的就是要供屋, 储蓄结婚典礼的费用, 还有那高昂的家具和装修费.
其实结婚后的两个人需要住在多大的空间才足够呢? 而结婚后的两个人又会花多少的时间呆在屋里享受漂亮的爱窝呢?
如果我们拼命的工作, 就为了继续拥有一间漂亮又大的屋子, 那么我们可以确保自己的每天会呆在该房子多少的时间呢?
当我们为了拥有漂亮又大的屋子而不得不拼命工作时, 那么那房子不就大部份的时间都是主人不在家吗? 因为房屋的主人必须每天在外忙碌的工作, 就为了拼命赚取房屋贷款的费用.
两个人结婚后的日子是否能过得让双方的手头越来越松动, 还是负担越来越沉重都抉择在两人的理财态度上.
一个节省的人和一个爱花钱的人结合, 钱财赚得再多, 也会守不住. 守不住钱财, 就更不用去奢望能靠投资理财让日后的生活变得舒服.
屋子
当两个人决定生活在一起时, 第一个也许就会先考虑到屋子. 而这屋子的抉择和日后的理财路的影响则是非常大的.
如果两个人选择了买大一点的房子, 日后就会更难储蓄到闲钱作为投资用途. 因为现金流入的大部份都被锁定在需要成为房屋贷款的费用流回出去.
汽车
也有些的两个人, 最容易就是做出旧车换新车的决定, 而最终的目标就是为了让自己出入能坐在更舒服的汽车.
汽车对于日后的现金流动也带来了很大的影响. 汽车再大, 再豪华毕竟还是会贬值的负资产. 每一辆新车在购买后, 就会降价成为二手车, 而再使用了一段的日子后, 也一样会成为旧车. 除了分期汽车贷款要付外, 新车也依然需要定期保养和维修.
不要忘记, 结婚后的两个也要给未来的孩子准备养育费用. 如果在孩子还没有到来前, 自己的经济负担已经过于沉重, 日后又要怎么給孩子过好一些的生活和好一些的教育呢?
两个人
两个人如果选择了对方成为终生伴侣, 那么就是说认定了要和对方一起度过每一个今天和明天. 竟然如此是否应该心连心, 无论做出什么决定都要想到这决定到底会让双方成为负担, 还是会更幸福呢?
而在选择了现在看起来会很舒服的物品, 是否也会让未来的日子过得轻松舒服? 又或者是现在的选择会让双方在今天的开始后, 都必须变得更忙碌, 不得不减少陪伴对方的时间, 就为了拥有现在这看起来会让大家会过得很舒服的物品呢?
在理财路, 另一伴的思想和心态最好还是选择和自己大致相同的, 至少日后可以减少为钱而吵的局面.
朋友和她爱人在约两年前买了一间两层半的花园屋, 而在买屋后的约两年, 该屋依然还没有储蓄到足够的钱做装修. 记得朋友说过, 某房间的不懂什么东东让她不满意, 她要把墙给拆了, 以便做扩大空间.
歪歪总是忍不住要念这朋友, 不要花太多钱的, 因为这朋友的爱人目前已经做着两份工作, 为的就是要供屋, 储蓄结婚典礼的费用, 还有那高昂的家具和装修费.
其实结婚后的两个人需要住在多大的空间才足够呢? 而结婚后的两个人又会花多少的时间呆在屋里享受漂亮的爱窝呢?
如果我们拼命的工作, 就为了继续拥有一间漂亮又大的屋子, 那么我们可以确保自己的每天会呆在该房子多少的时间呢?
当我们为了拥有漂亮又大的屋子而不得不拼命工作时, 那么那房子不就大部份的时间都是主人不在家吗? 因为房屋的主人必须每天在外忙碌的工作, 就为了拼命赚取房屋贷款的费用.
两个人结婚后的日子是否能过得让双方的手头越来越松动, 还是负担越来越沉重都抉择在两人的理财态度上.
一个节省的人和一个爱花钱的人结合, 钱财赚得再多, 也会守不住. 守不住钱财, 就更不用去奢望能靠投资理财让日后的生活变得舒服.
屋子
当两个人决定生活在一起时, 第一个也许就会先考虑到屋子. 而这屋子的抉择和日后的理财路的影响则是非常大的.
如果两个人选择了买大一点的房子, 日后就会更难储蓄到闲钱作为投资用途. 因为现金流入的大部份都被锁定在需要成为房屋贷款的费用流回出去.
汽车
也有些的两个人, 最容易就是做出旧车换新车的决定, 而最终的目标就是为了让自己出入能坐在更舒服的汽车.
汽车对于日后的现金流动也带来了很大的影响. 汽车再大, 再豪华毕竟还是会贬值的负资产. 每一辆新车在购买后, 就会降价成为二手车, 而再使用了一段的日子后, 也一样会成为旧车. 除了分期汽车贷款要付外, 新车也依然需要定期保养和维修.
不要忘记, 结婚后的两个也要给未来的孩子准备养育费用. 如果在孩子还没有到来前, 自己的经济负担已经过于沉重, 日后又要怎么給孩子过好一些的生活和好一些的教育呢?
两个人
两个人如果选择了对方成为终生伴侣, 那么就是说认定了要和对方一起度过每一个今天和明天. 竟然如此是否应该心连心, 无论做出什么决定都要想到这决定到底会让双方成为负担, 还是会更幸福呢?
而在选择了现在看起来会很舒服的物品, 是否也会让未来的日子过得轻松舒服? 又或者是现在的选择会让双方在今天的开始后, 都必须变得更忙碌, 不得不减少陪伴对方的时间, 就为了拥有现在这看起来会让大家会过得很舒服的物品呢?
Saturday, September 6, 2008
茶里放姜，身体安康
生姜含多种活性成分，具有解毒、消炎、去湿活血、暖胃、止呕、消除体内垃圾等作用。
科学证实，生姜还有抑制癌及预防心血管疾病的作用。从姜中提取的精华素，还可以被用来治疗偏头痛、行动障碍和关节炎。
我国民间早就有喝姜茶的习惯。把10克姜洗净之后切成五等份，与5 10克茶叶及300毫升水齐煮滚五至十分钟，隔去渣滓及茶叶，加30克冰糖搅匀后饮用。
这种姜茶可能喝一次即驱走轻微的感冒，症状较重者一连三天每日喝一次，就不再流鼻水、咳嗽、发烧、喉咙痛、头痛；容易患感冒者也可以每三天喝一次以起预防之效。
如果你频频便秘，动不动疲倦不堪，喝自制的姜茶可以通便，而且精力充沛。
生姜可以治疗晕车船、恶心。专家建议乘车船之前喝一杯姜茶。这种姜茶的做法是：取指头大小一块鲜姜，去皮，切丁，加点蔗糖放入杯中，倒入滚水，泡15分钟后饮用。不要用姜酒，因为其中姜的成分太低。
科学证实，生姜还有抑制癌及预防心血管疾病的作用。从姜中提取的精华素，还可以被用来治疗偏头痛、行动障碍和关节炎。
我国民间早就有喝姜茶的习惯。把10克姜洗净之后切成五等份，与5 10克茶叶及300毫升水齐煮滚五至十分钟，隔去渣滓及茶叶，加30克冰糖搅匀后饮用。
这种姜茶可能喝一次即驱走轻微的感冒，症状较重者一连三天每日喝一次，就不再流鼻水、咳嗽、发烧、喉咙痛、头痛；容易患感冒者也可以每三天喝一次以起预防之效。
如果你频频便秘，动不动疲倦不堪，喝自制的姜茶可以通便，而且精力充沛。
生姜可以治疗晕车船、恶心。专家建议乘车船之前喝一杯姜茶。这种姜茶的做法是：取指头大小一块鲜姜，去皮，切丁，加点蔗糖放入杯中，倒入滚水，泡15分钟后饮用。不要用姜酒，因为其中姜的成分太低。
治疗胃寒的养胃偏方
下面介绍三个治疗胃寒的三个偏方
治疗胃寒方法一：鲜姜、白糖治胃寒痛：鲜姜500克（细末），白糖250克，腌在一起；每日3次，饭前吃，每次吃1勺（普通汤匙）；坚持吃一星期，一般都能见效；如没彻底好，再继续吃，直至好为止。治疗胃寒方法二：白酒烧鸡蛋治胃寒：二锅头白酒50克，倒在茶盅里，打1个鸡蛋，把酒点燃，酒烧干了鸡蛋也熟了，早晨空胃吃。轻者吃一、二次可愈。注意鸡蛋不加任何调料。
治疗胃寒方法三：吃苹果可缓解胃酸：有的人在冬末春初，遇阴冷天或饮食不当，常泛胃酸，很难受。如果此时吃一个或半个大苹果，胃很快舒服了。
治疗胃寒方法一：鲜姜、白糖治胃寒痛：鲜姜500克（细末），白糖250克，腌在一起；每日3次，饭前吃，每次吃1勺（普通汤匙）；坚持吃一星期，一般都能见效；如没彻底好，再继续吃，直至好为止。治疗胃寒方法二：白酒烧鸡蛋治胃寒：二锅头白酒50克，倒在茶盅里，打1个鸡蛋，把酒点燃，酒烧干了鸡蛋也熟了，早晨空胃吃。轻者吃一、二次可愈。注意鸡蛋不加任何调料。
治疗胃寒方法三：吃苹果可缓解胃酸：有的人在冬末春初，遇阴冷天或饮食不当，常泛胃酸，很难受。如果此时吃一个或半个大苹果，胃很快舒服了。
天凉，艾灸治疗胃寒症状
进入冬季，陈小姐一吃生冷、冰冻的食物，胃部就会感觉不适。每当胃痛难忍的时候，她就随意买点胃药吃，但效果总不如意。东莞市东华医院消化内科主任刘玉洁教授指出，陈小姐是典型的胃寒表现。冬季昼夜温差较大，如果不注意腹部保暖，嗜食生冷，引起腹部着凉，就会导致胃病的发生。因此，这个季节是胃病的多发季节，患者应格外小心，以防胃病发作或复发。
一般来讲，胃寒症状比较轻者，只要调理饮食，忌食生冷，注意保暖，调整作息时间，保持开朗的心境，症状可得到改善。如果通过以上方法，症状不能缓解者，不妨通过温补的食疗来改善症状，可在煲汤时加入高丽参、北芪、党参或者红参等；另外可以通过中医调理，治以温补脾胃中药，或者通过艾灸，既能止痛，又能缓解胃部寒冷症状。中医药治疗可从根本上调理好胃寒的病症，恢复健康脾胃，但患者要坚持治疗，注意复诊。
刘玉洁同时表示，当出现胃部经常疼痛、体重下降、食欲不振等症状时就要警惕了，最好去医院做胃镜检查，以排除胃的器质性病变。
一般来讲，胃寒症状比较轻者，只要调理饮食，忌食生冷，注意保暖，调整作息时间，保持开朗的心境，症状可得到改善。如果通过以上方法，症状不能缓解者，不妨通过温补的食疗来改善症状，可在煲汤时加入高丽参、北芪、党参或者红参等；另外可以通过中医调理，治以温补脾胃中药，或者通过艾灸，既能止痛，又能缓解胃部寒冷症状。中医药治疗可从根本上调理好胃寒的病症，恢复健康脾胃，但患者要坚持治疗，注意复诊。
刘玉洁同时表示，当出现胃部经常疼痛、体重下降、食欲不振等症状时就要警惕了，最好去医院做胃镜检查，以排除胃的器质性病变。
白术暖胃散治疗马属动物胃寒腹痛气胀
胃寒腹痛是阴冷刺激胃肠、消化机能受阻、食积气滞的一种疾病，有急性和慢性之分。急性发作无明显季节性，发病急若治疗不及时致使寒凝气滞，最后导致死亡。慢性发作多因久食霜冻草料或过饮寒冷凉水，若遇风冷袭，内外合邪则可发病，多在深秋或初春之机，特别是平时体质衰弱之马属动物发病较多，临床上以慢性病多见。笔者共治疗该病13例，治愈率达100%。
1病因
空腹过饮冷水或吃霜冻草料，使寒邪凝聚于胃，阴冷传之于脾，胃火不足、脾阳不振，胃的排空和输送机能受损，或因使役过重，气虚血亏脏腑失调寒邪趁虚而入，互相转于脏腑，寒邪凝聚气滞致成其患，轻则胃内寒胀，腹痛起卧，时痛不止，间隔时间长，呈阵发性。重则继发肚胀，疼痛、起卧剧烈，持续时间较长。
2 症状
急性：腹胀急痛，突然急起急卧，卧地滚转扭腰呻吟，站立时弓腰拍蹄，急走急跑，呼吸迫粗，肠音响亮，叩诊腹部呈臌音，严重时被毛出现震颤；慢性：精神不振，表现阵发性腹痛，痛时站立不宁，肢蹴腰弓，肠音响亮，间歇期精神萎靡，卧地不起，食欲不振或废绝。脉象沉迟无力，口色青白，舌苔青灰，口津滑润。
3 治疗
暖胃健脾，理气止痛。药用自拟白术暖胃散：炒白术80 g，肉桂60 g，干姜20 g，炒厚朴40 g，砂仁30 g，陈皮60 g，醋香附子40 g，炒益智仁40 g，当归80 g，炒枳壳60 g，炒二丑40 g，炙川乌20 g，炙甘草30 g，共为末，开水冲，加大葱(捣烂)250 g，白酒100～200 ml，一次灌服，牵遛至畜体发热为度。同时肌肉注射解热镇痛药。
4 病例
天祝县王某一匹马来站就诊。症见：膘情差，精神不振，表现出阵发性腹痛，肠音响亮，腹痛时站立不宁，回头看腹，脉象沉迟无力，口津滑润，口色青白，不痛时卧地不起，精神萎靡，诊为胃寒腹疼气胀。治疗：30%安乃近20 ml，肌肉注射。自拟白术暖胃散：炒白术80 g，肉桂40 g，干姜40 g，炒厚朴40 g，砂仁20 g，陈皮60 g，炒益智仁40 g，当归80 g，炒枳壳40 g，炒二丑40 g，炙川乌20 g，炙甘草30 g，共为末，开水冲，加大葱(捣烂)250 g，白酒100～200 ml，混合一次灌服，后牵遛至发热为度，一剂即愈。
1病因
空腹过饮冷水或吃霜冻草料，使寒邪凝聚于胃，阴冷传之于脾，胃火不足、脾阳不振，胃的排空和输送机能受损，或因使役过重，气虚血亏脏腑失调寒邪趁虚而入，互相转于脏腑，寒邪凝聚气滞致成其患，轻则胃内寒胀，腹痛起卧，时痛不止，间隔时间长，呈阵发性。重则继发肚胀，疼痛、起卧剧烈，持续时间较长。
2 症状
急性：腹胀急痛，突然急起急卧，卧地滚转扭腰呻吟，站立时弓腰拍蹄，急走急跑，呼吸迫粗，肠音响亮，叩诊腹部呈臌音，严重时被毛出现震颤；慢性：精神不振，表现阵发性腹痛，痛时站立不宁，肢蹴腰弓，肠音响亮，间歇期精神萎靡，卧地不起，食欲不振或废绝。脉象沉迟无力，口色青白，舌苔青灰，口津滑润。
3 治疗
暖胃健脾，理气止痛。药用自拟白术暖胃散：炒白术80 g，肉桂60 g，干姜20 g，炒厚朴40 g，砂仁30 g，陈皮60 g，醋香附子40 g，炒益智仁40 g，当归80 g，炒枳壳60 g，炒二丑40 g，炙川乌20 g，炙甘草30 g，共为末，开水冲，加大葱(捣烂)250 g，白酒100～200 ml，一次灌服，牵遛至畜体发热为度。同时肌肉注射解热镇痛药。
4 病例
天祝县王某一匹马来站就诊。症见：膘情差，精神不振，表现出阵发性腹痛，肠音响亮，腹痛时站立不宁，回头看腹，脉象沉迟无力，口津滑润，口色青白，不痛时卧地不起，精神萎靡，诊为胃寒腹疼气胀。治疗：30%安乃近20 ml，肌肉注射。自拟白术暖胃散：炒白术80 g，肉桂40 g，干姜40 g，炒厚朴40 g，砂仁20 g，陈皮60 g，炒益智仁40 g，当归80 g，炒枳壳40 g，炒二丑40 g，炙川乌20 g，炙甘草30 g，共为末，开水冲，加大葱(捣烂)250 g，白酒100～200 ml，混合一次灌服，后牵遛至发热为度，一剂即愈。
口香糖鼻祖治疗胃寒呕吐
中医认为丁香性温、味半，归脾、胃、肺、肾经，具温中降逆、温肾助阳的功效，可用于胃寒呕吐，呃逆，以及肾阳不足所致的阳萎、脚弱等症。 丁香树属桃金娘科常绿乔木，其栽培已有2000多年的历史，其干燥花蕾名公丁香，成熟果实名母丁香，又名鸡舌香。印度尼西亚的摩鹿加岛盛产丁香。据考证，古时爪哇国人，口噙丁香，以使口气芬芳。公元前200年，爪哇国使臣觐见汉朝皇帝时，进献丁香。东汉应邵在《汉官仪》中记述：汉桓帝刘志“赐侍中于存以鸡舌香，令含之。”原来于存因年老口臭，皇帝怜惜这位老臣，特赐此物以除口臭。这是1800年前的事，鸡舌香可称得上是世界上最早的“口香糖”了。
传统中医认为，“齿疳”等口腔疾患， 多为阳明胃经湿热上攻所致，丁香能散阳明之邪，故可消除多种口腔病症。古医书中收载有相当多的口香剂与口香糖丸，其配方大多离不开丁香。治口臭，可用丁香1-2只含服或泡水J良，或常咀嚼丁香、小豆寇等清香食品。治龋齿疼痛：可取公丁香10粒，研细末贮瓶中备用，痛时将丁香粉纳入龋洞内或牙隙处，一般数秒钟即能止痛。重者可连续使用2-3次;也可将丁香油滴入龋洞，痛即止。治口臭或用于口腔保健，可取丁香2份，厚朴2份，薄荷1份，将以上药物采用蒸馏法，馏取挥发油，密封贮存备用;或每次取公丁香4克，厚朴4克，薄荷2克，用开水浸泡15分钟，滤去药渣后使用。用时先取温开水50毫升，加入丁香漱口液O 5-1.0毫升，摇匀后含漱;牙痛者可用棉球蘸少许上药贴在牙痛处，或用开水浸泡液合漱。
中医认为丁香性温、味半，归脾、胃、肺、肾经，具温中降逆、温肾助阳的功效，可用于胃寒呕吐、呃逆，以及肾阳不足所致的阳萎、脚弱等症。例如治胃寒呃逆，可用丁香5克，橘皮15克，水煎服;治反胃，将丁香15颗，研成细末，以甘蔗汁、生姜汁和丸，如莲子大，含咽之;治脘腹冷痛，用丁香、吴茱萸各15克，共研细末，每服3克，饭前温酒调服。现代分析表明，丁香含挥发油，主要为丁香油酚和鞣质、齐墩果酸等，丁香油能促进胃液分泌，有抗菌、驱虫、止痛及产生麻醉、抗惊厥等作用。目前利用其健胃、抗菌特性以治疗腹泻，已取得较理想的疗效。方法定：以丁香30克，炒车前子20克，荜茇10克，胡椒、肉桂各5克，研成极细末，装瓶备用;用时取药末100~300毫克，置脐窝内(脐部发炎或过敏者忌用)，胶布固定，1-2天换药1次，一般1-2次即可使大便恢复正常，此法对小儿尤为奏效，亦可用丁香2克，草果4克打碎，分别炒焦黑存性并研细末，再炒250克面粉至焦黄(以味香不苦为宜)，加入200克食糖，趁热在锅内搅匀成颗粒状，每次2-3匙口服，小儿酌减。还可以丁香5-10克、肉桂4-6克、木香5-10克，研成细末，置于纱布袋里，用绷带缚在小儿脐上一夜，一般用药1-3次则见效。
此外，治麻痹性肠梗阻，用丁香30-60克，研细末，加75%酒精调和(对酒精过敏者可用开水)，敷于脐及脐周，直径约6—8厘米，用塑料薄膜覆盖，胶布或绷带固定。大多经用药1～3次，用药2小时后即可听到肠呜音，4-8小时排便、排气，效果满意。
传统中医认为，“齿疳”等口腔疾患， 多为阳明胃经湿热上攻所致，丁香能散阳明之邪，故可消除多种口腔病症。古医书中收载有相当多的口香剂与口香糖丸，其配方大多离不开丁香。治口臭，可用丁香1-2只含服或泡水J良，或常咀嚼丁香、小豆寇等清香食品。治龋齿疼痛：可取公丁香10粒，研细末贮瓶中备用，痛时将丁香粉纳入龋洞内或牙隙处，一般数秒钟即能止痛。重者可连续使用2-3次;也可将丁香油滴入龋洞，痛即止。治口臭或用于口腔保健，可取丁香2份，厚朴2份，薄荷1份，将以上药物采用蒸馏法，馏取挥发油，密封贮存备用;或每次取公丁香4克，厚朴4克，薄荷2克，用开水浸泡15分钟，滤去药渣后使用。用时先取温开水50毫升，加入丁香漱口液O 5-1.0毫升，摇匀后含漱;牙痛者可用棉球蘸少许上药贴在牙痛处，或用开水浸泡液合漱。
中医认为丁香性温、味半，归脾、胃、肺、肾经，具温中降逆、温肾助阳的功效，可用于胃寒呕吐、呃逆，以及肾阳不足所致的阳萎、脚弱等症。例如治胃寒呃逆，可用丁香5克，橘皮15克，水煎服;治反胃，将丁香15颗，研成细末，以甘蔗汁、生姜汁和丸，如莲子大，含咽之;治脘腹冷痛，用丁香、吴茱萸各15克，共研细末，每服3克，饭前温酒调服。现代分析表明，丁香含挥发油，主要为丁香油酚和鞣质、齐墩果酸等，丁香油能促进胃液分泌，有抗菌、驱虫、止痛及产生麻醉、抗惊厥等作用。目前利用其健胃、抗菌特性以治疗腹泻，已取得较理想的疗效。方法定：以丁香30克，炒车前子20克，荜茇10克，胡椒、肉桂各5克，研成极细末，装瓶备用;用时取药末100~300毫克，置脐窝内(脐部发炎或过敏者忌用)，胶布固定，1-2天换药1次，一般1-2次即可使大便恢复正常，此法对小儿尤为奏效，亦可用丁香2克，草果4克打碎，分别炒焦黑存性并研细末，再炒250克面粉至焦黄(以味香不苦为宜)，加入200克食糖，趁热在锅内搅匀成颗粒状，每次2-3匙口服，小儿酌减。还可以丁香5-10克、肉桂4-6克、木香5-10克，研成细末，置于纱布袋里，用绷带缚在小儿脐上一夜，一般用药1-3次则见效。
此外，治麻痹性肠梗阻，用丁香30-60克，研细末，加75%酒精调和(对酒精过敏者可用开水)，敷于脐及脐周，直径约6—8厘米，用塑料薄膜覆盖，胶布或绷带固定。大多经用药1～3次，用药2小时后即可听到肠呜音，4-8小时排便、排气，效果满意。
蜂蜜是寒性的
蜂蜜的功效
蜂蜜，味甘性平，《神农本草经》：“主心腹邪气，诸惊痫痉，安五脏诸不足，益气补中，止痛解毒，除众病，和百药，久服强志轻身，不饥不老”，可见它集合了治病强身两大功用。归纳其作用为：
清热。《良疗本草》说“若觉热，四肢不和，即服蜜浆一碗，甚良”，由于蜜有养阴作用，故用于虚热者为宜。近有用于鼻炎，鼻窦炎及角膜溃疡及脸缘炎等。
补中。蜜能补养脾气，古代谓其长服能明耳目、面如花色、强志、轻身、不饥不老、适宜于虚弱之体及病后调养。故《药品化义》有：蜂蜜采百花之精，味甘主补，滋养五脏之说。
解毒。可治各种皮炎及阴道滴虫，及解乌头毒，解酒毒，现代科研认为其〈含咖啡酸〉有抗癌作用。据俄罗斯报道蜜是一种良好的口腔消毒剂。由于蜜既能解毒又能补益，古人常用其制成各种膏方。美国已用蜂蜜兑各种果汁作澄清剂，效果理想，并能保持全部的营养价值。
润燥。可治肺燥咳嗽。配生姜更佳。张锡纯认为其性“其凉滑润，为清肺润肺、利痰宁嗽之要品也”；老人津亏便结，可用此开水冲服润下。
止痛。蜜具缓急止痛作用，魏长春医师常用此配合乌梅安胃丸等冲服以治痛胆道蛔虫症、胆囊炎、胆石症等。蜜外涂还可疗烧伤，冻伤及各种外伤。
但须注意，凡痰湿较盛，脘腹胀满或肠弱泄泻者，蜂蜜则当慎用。
蜂蜜是蜜蜂采集植物花蜜或分泌物，经过充分酿造而贮藏在巢脾内的甜物质。
古代祖先早就知道蜂蜜的医疗性能，汉代已将蜂蜜列为中药上品，我国第一部医药巨著《神农本草经》中记述：“蜂蜜甘平无毒，主益气补中，久服轻身延年。”《本草纲目》所载：“蜂蜜生则性凉，故能清热，熟则性温，故能补中；甘而平和，故能解毒，柔而濡泽，故能润燥，其入药之功有五，，清热也、补中也、解毒也、润燥也、止痛也……”
现代研究表明，蜂蜜是一种营养丰富的食疗佳品。蜂蜜中含有单糖及少量的矿物质、维生素、蛋白质、有机酸、酶类等多种营养成份。临床医学证明，用蜂蜜或蜂蜜与其它药物配伍治疗各种疾病并取得良好的疗效。1．治疗肠胃道疾病 由于蜂蜜有杀菌作用，且具有调节肠胃功能，治疗胃及十二指肠溃疡有显著效果，同时蜂蜜对结肠炎、习惯性便秘、老人和孕妇便秘及儿童痢疾等都有良好的疗效；2．治疗呼吸系统疾病 临床经验表明，结核病患者服蜂蜜后，血红蛋白增加，血沉减慢，咳嗽逐渐减轻，食欲增强；3．治疗肝脏病 蜂蜜治疗肝脏病主要由于它的化学和生物学上的成份所决定，此外也用它来治胆囊病；4．治疗心脏病 主要由于蜂蜜能营养心肌和改善心肌的代谢功能，蜂蜜能扩张冠状动脉，所以它也能治疗心绞痛；5．治疗神经系统疾病；6．美容作用 蜂蜜是皮肤细胞滋生剂，外用可增加表皮细胞的活动，改善皮肤的营养状况，从而使皮肤保持自然的红润、白嫩，消除和减少皱纹，有防止皮肤衰老的特殊功效。此外，蜂蜜对皮炎手足皲裂、口腔炎、冻伤、烫伤等疾患有一定的疗效。
蜂蜜，味甘性平，《神农本草经》：“主心腹邪气，诸惊痫痉，安五脏诸不足，益气补中，止痛解毒，除众病，和百药，久服强志轻身，不饥不老”，可见它集合了治病强身两大功用。归纳其作用为：
清热。《良疗本草》说“若觉热，四肢不和，即服蜜浆一碗，甚良”，由于蜜有养阴作用，故用于虚热者为宜。近有用于鼻炎，鼻窦炎及角膜溃疡及脸缘炎等。
补中。蜜能补养脾气，古代谓其长服能明耳目、面如花色、强志、轻身、不饥不老、适宜于虚弱之体及病后调养。故《药品化义》有：蜂蜜采百花之精，味甘主补，滋养五脏之说。
解毒。可治各种皮炎及阴道滴虫，及解乌头毒，解酒毒，现代科研认为其〈含咖啡酸〉有抗癌作用。据俄罗斯报道蜜是一种良好的口腔消毒剂。由于蜜既能解毒又能补益，古人常用其制成各种膏方。美国已用蜂蜜兑各种果汁作澄清剂，效果理想，并能保持全部的营养价值。
润燥。可治肺燥咳嗽。配生姜更佳。张锡纯认为其性“其凉滑润，为清肺润肺、利痰宁嗽之要品也”；老人津亏便结，可用此开水冲服润下。
止痛。蜜具缓急止痛作用，魏长春医师常用此配合乌梅安胃丸等冲服以治痛胆道蛔虫症、胆囊炎、胆石症等。蜜外涂还可疗烧伤，冻伤及各种外伤。
但须注意，凡痰湿较盛，脘腹胀满或肠弱泄泻者，蜂蜜则当慎用。
蜂蜜是蜜蜂采集植物花蜜或分泌物，经过充分酿造而贮藏在巢脾内的甜物质。
古代祖先早就知道蜂蜜的医疗性能，汉代已将蜂蜜列为中药上品，我国第一部医药巨著《神农本草经》中记述：“蜂蜜甘平无毒，主益气补中，久服轻身延年。”《本草纲目》所载：“蜂蜜生则性凉，故能清热，熟则性温，故能补中；甘而平和，故能解毒，柔而濡泽，故能润燥，其入药之功有五，，清热也、补中也、解毒也、润燥也、止痛也……”
现代研究表明，蜂蜜是一种营养丰富的食疗佳品。蜂蜜中含有单糖及少量的矿物质、维生素、蛋白质、有机酸、酶类等多种营养成份。临床医学证明，用蜂蜜或蜂蜜与其它药物配伍治疗各种疾病并取得良好的疗效。1．治疗肠胃道疾病 由于蜂蜜有杀菌作用，且具有调节肠胃功能，治疗胃及十二指肠溃疡有显著效果，同时蜂蜜对结肠炎、习惯性便秘、老人和孕妇便秘及儿童痢疾等都有良好的疗效；2．治疗呼吸系统疾病 临床经验表明，结核病患者服蜂蜜后，血红蛋白增加，血沉减慢，咳嗽逐渐减轻，食欲增强；3．治疗肝脏病 蜂蜜治疗肝脏病主要由于它的化学和生物学上的成份所决定，此外也用它来治胆囊病；4．治疗心脏病 主要由于蜂蜜能营养心肌和改善心肌的代谢功能，蜂蜜能扩张冠状动脉，所以它也能治疗心绞痛；5．治疗神经系统疾病；6．美容作用 蜂蜜是皮肤细胞滋生剂，外用可增加表皮细胞的活动，改善皮肤的营养状况，从而使皮肤保持自然的红润、白嫩，消除和减少皱纹，有防止皮肤衰老的特殊功效。此外，蜂蜜对皮炎手足皲裂、口腔炎、冻伤、烫伤等疾患有一定的疗效。
治疗胃寒小方法
由于肠胃受寒有别于细菌感染，因此患者别自作主张吃抗生素、解痉止痛或止泻药，有时只要禁食一段时间，减轻消化道负担，等肠胃功能恢复正常即可。今介绍两则小验方。
1.二锅头白酒一两，倒在茶盅里，打一个生鸡蛋，把酒点燃，酒烧干了，鸡蛋也熟了，早晨空腹吃，轻者吃一
两次可愈，重者三五次可愈。
注意：鸡蛋不加调料。白酒需高度的。
2.鲜姜末500克，白糖250克，腌在一起，每日三次，饭前吃，每次吃一调羹（普通汤匙），坚持吃一星期，一般就能见效。如没彻底好再继续吃，直至好为止。
另外，应忌吃油腻食物，以减轻肠胃负担。也可做一些热身运动。如跑步、俯卧撑等，可使人体内的产热量增加，增强抵御寒冷的能力。错埠岭二路大风
1.二锅头白酒一两，倒在茶盅里，打一个生鸡蛋，把酒点燃，酒烧干了，鸡蛋也熟了，早晨空腹吃，轻者吃一
两次可愈，重者三五次可愈。
注意：鸡蛋不加调料。白酒需高度的。
2.鲜姜末500克，白糖250克，腌在一起，每日三次，饭前吃，每次吃一调羹（普通汤匙），坚持吃一星期，一般就能见效。如没彻底好再继续吃，直至好为止。
另外，应忌吃油腻食物，以减轻肠胃负担。也可做一些热身运动。如跑步、俯卧撑等，可使人体内的产热量增加，增强抵御寒冷的能力。错埠岭二路大风
治疗胃寒的几种食疗方法图
来源】 《饮膳正要》
【原料】 高良姜15克，粳米50克。
【制作】 先煎高良姜，去渣取汁，后下米煮粥。
【用法】 空腹服食。
【疗效】 温中散寒。治胃寒作痛或寒霍乱、吐泻交作、腹中疼痛等。
二、茴香狗肉汤
〖 来 源 〗： 民间药膳方
〖 原 料 〗： 大茴香10克，桂皮5克，陈皮6克，草果6克，生姜2片，狗肉250克，酱油适量，大蒜头4枚。
〖 做 法 〗： 将大回香、陈皮、桂皮、草果、生姜洗净；大茴香、桂皮、草果槌碎；大蒜头去皮；狗肉洗净，切小块，放鼎内热油炒去膻味。将全部用料放入锅内，加水适量，武火煮沸，改用文火煮至狗肉熟烂即成，饮汤吃狗肉。每天1料，分2次食完，连服5天为1疗程。
〖 功 效 〗： 温中、助阳、暖胃。用于寒胃上脘疼痛、喜热喜按、呕吐清水、神疲乏力。又可用于胃虚胃寒、平素四肢不温者。
三、其他相关食疗方
1、香花菜水煎服，治胃寒痛。
2、姜捣汁，加少量开水饮服，治胃寒呕吐。
3、龙眼核三颗，烧炭存性研末，冲热酒服，治胃寒痛。
4、治胃寒呕吐，妊娠呕吐：生姜绞汁1汤匙，砂仁5克，清水半碗，蒸半小时，去渣饮汁。每日2次。
5、公鸡一只，宰杀后去毛及内脏，党参20克，干姜6克，苹果2克，陈皮3克，桂皮3克，胡椒10粒，同煮汤食用，可治脾胃虚弱，饮食不振，虚寒胃寒，腹部隐痛等症。
6、治胃寒腹痛：狗肉250克，干姜10克，白术10克，党参30克，豆蔻仁12克，水煎去药渣，饮汁食狗肉，每日1料。
7、治胃寒痛症：芫荽1000克，浸入葡萄酒500毫升。3天后去渣饮酒，痛时服15毫升。
8、取50度以上白酒50克，倒在碗中，打一鸡蛋，把酒点燃，酒烧完，鸡蛋也就熟了，早晨空胃吃。轻者二、三次，重者三、五次可愈。
【原料】 高良姜15克，粳米50克。
【制作】 先煎高良姜，去渣取汁，后下米煮粥。
【用法】 空腹服食。
【疗效】 温中散寒。治胃寒作痛或寒霍乱、吐泻交作、腹中疼痛等。
二、茴香狗肉汤
〖 来 源 〗： 民间药膳方
〖 原 料 〗： 大茴香10克，桂皮5克，陈皮6克，草果6克，生姜2片，狗肉250克，酱油适量，大蒜头4枚。
〖 做 法 〗： 将大回香、陈皮、桂皮、草果、生姜洗净；大茴香、桂皮、草果槌碎；大蒜头去皮；狗肉洗净，切小块，放鼎内热油炒去膻味。将全部用料放入锅内，加水适量，武火煮沸，改用文火煮至狗肉熟烂即成，饮汤吃狗肉。每天1料，分2次食完，连服5天为1疗程。
〖 功 效 〗： 温中、助阳、暖胃。用于寒胃上脘疼痛、喜热喜按、呕吐清水、神疲乏力。又可用于胃虚胃寒、平素四肢不温者。
三、其他相关食疗方
1、香花菜水煎服，治胃寒痛。
2、姜捣汁，加少量开水饮服，治胃寒呕吐。
3、龙眼核三颗，烧炭存性研末，冲热酒服，治胃寒痛。
4、治胃寒呕吐，妊娠呕吐：生姜绞汁1汤匙，砂仁5克，清水半碗，蒸半小时，去渣饮汁。每日2次。
5、公鸡一只，宰杀后去毛及内脏，党参20克，干姜6克，苹果2克，陈皮3克，桂皮3克，胡椒10粒，同煮汤食用，可治脾胃虚弱，饮食不振，虚寒胃寒，腹部隐痛等症。
6、治胃寒腹痛：狗肉250克，干姜10克，白术10克，党参30克，豆蔻仁12克，水煎去药渣，饮汁食狗肉，每日1料。
7、治胃寒痛症：芫荽1000克，浸入葡萄酒500毫升。3天后去渣饮酒，痛时服15毫升。
8、取50度以上白酒50克，倒在碗中，打一鸡蛋，把酒点燃，酒烧完，鸡蛋也就熟了，早晨空胃吃。轻者二、三次，重者三、五次可愈。
治胃寒3法
①鲜姜、白糖治胃寒痛：鲜姜500克（细末），白糖250克，腌在一起；每日3次，饭前吃，每次吃1勺（普通汤匙）；坚持吃一星期，一般都能见效；如没彻底好，再继续吃，直至好为止。
②白酒烧鸡蛋治胃寒：二锅头白酒50克，倒在茶盅里，打1个鸡蛋，把酒点燃，酒烧干了鸡蛋也熟了，早晨空胃吃。轻者吃一、二次可愈。注意鸡蛋不加任何调料。
③吃苹果可缓解胃酸：有的人在冬末春初，遇阴冷天或饮食不当，常泛胃酸，很难受。如果此时吃一个或半个大苹果，胃很快舒服了。
②白酒烧鸡蛋治胃寒：二锅头白酒50克，倒在茶盅里，打1个鸡蛋，把酒点燃，酒烧干了鸡蛋也熟了，早晨空胃吃。轻者吃一、二次可愈。注意鸡蛋不加任何调料。
③吃苹果可缓解胃酸：有的人在冬末春初，遇阴冷天或饮食不当，常泛胃酸，很难受。如果此时吃一个或半个大苹果，胃很快舒服了。
怎样治疗胃寒？
一般胃寒都是因为胃部长期受凉导致的。首先要想治疗胃寒显而易见的就是从饮食上面对自己进行控制，注意自己的饮食方式，饮食节奏以及饮食质量。少吃或者禁止吃凉的食物。比如：生的瓜果，凉拌黄瓜，凉拌西红柿，各种凉拌菜等以及一些凉的水果，特别是放在冰箱里面的西瓜。
另外反之。尽量多喝热姜汤。姜汤是暖胃的良药，有条件有时间可以坚持每天晚上睡觉前喝一碗姜汤，加个鸡蛋会更好。特别是蛋清是保护胃的最好的营养物质。还有就是药物的治疗。去年冬天我胃寒总是想吐什么都吃不进去。去医院做全面检查后，医生开了这个药效果非常的好 小柴胡冲剂和温胃舒。
很便宜的药却效果很不错。其实治疗胃寒最重要最有效的就是自己的饮食习惯，自己的生活习惯。睡觉注意盖好胃部，有胃寒千万不可以吃刺激性的冷的食物，还有一点就是，尽量不要让自己饿肚子，要按时吃饭，这样可以保证自己的胃能够经常处于一种按时工作状态。再好的药物不如自己的平时饮食的注意。希望我回答的对你有帮助。
另外反之。尽量多喝热姜汤。姜汤是暖胃的良药，有条件有时间可以坚持每天晚上睡觉前喝一碗姜汤，加个鸡蛋会更好。特别是蛋清是保护胃的最好的营养物质。还有就是药物的治疗。去年冬天我胃寒总是想吐什么都吃不进去。去医院做全面检查后，医生开了这个药效果非常的好 小柴胡冲剂和温胃舒。
很便宜的药却效果很不错。其实治疗胃寒最重要最有效的就是自己的饮食习惯，自己的生活习惯。睡觉注意盖好胃部，有胃寒千万不可以吃刺激性的冷的食物，还有一点就是，尽量不要让自己饿肚子，要按时吃饭，这样可以保证自己的胃能够经常处于一种按时工作状态。再好的药物不如自己的平时饮食的注意。希望我回答的对你有帮助。
胃寒
病症名。指脾阳虚衰，过食生冷，或寒邪直中所致阴寒凝滞胃腑的病症。症见胃脘疼痛，得温痛减，呕吐清涎，口淡喜热饮，食不化，舌淡苔白滑，脉沉迟。治宜暖胃散寒。
生物信息学对于寒热的解释（别说中药不行）
“寒、热”是中医辨证“八纲”中具有代表性的两纲。近30年的寒、热证候相关研究涉及神经系统机能、神经一内分泌一免疫(NEI)、能量代谢，以及第二信使、微量元素、微循环等方面，具有较为丰富的研究积累。进一步发现寒热证候相关的“系统”在生物信息学上取得突破。寒热证候与NEI网络的不同调节模式有关，即寒证、热证在NEI背景下具有可分性。从构建基于NEI网络相互作用的中医寒、热证网络模型的，通过网络拓扑结构分析，发现寒证与激素状态有关，热证与细胞因子状态有关，寒证、热证在神经递质的相关性上无显著差异。同时，随着激素、细胞因子量的变化，寒、热证具有相互转化的趋势。我国研究者选取21种“但寒不热”的疾病(寒证相关疾病)和38种“但热不寒”的疾病(热证相关疾病)，从OMIM数据库调查其基因分布并进行NEI相关通路的统计显著性检验，发现寒证相关疾病与热证相关疾病在细胞因子通路(Pathway)上具有显著性差异，从“异病同证”的角度验证了寒证、热证的以上网络模式。通过生物信息学的进一步分析发现寒热证网络具有复杂网络的性质，即网络的功能实现依赖于部分关键节点，分别选取了寒证、热证网络的关键节点，从“同病异治”的角度，通过动物实验进行寒、热方剂的干预效应观察，结果发现寒热方剂的效应靶点与寒热证候网络的关键节点密切相关，进一步验证了寒热证的生物网络模型。以上结果综合表明，证候的形成并非单一因素作用的结果，机体生物网络的异常模式可较好地反映寒热证候的生物学基础，在治疗上提示复杂病证对于单因素刺激具有很强的耐受性，而中药方剂的协同式刺激有助于改善证候状态¨ 。该研究为中医探索寒热证候在多种具体疾病过程中的共性规律及其辨识方法提供了基础。同时，通过证候网络关键节点相互作用的量化，也可解决证候研究的预选微观指标等难题。我们的进一步工作发现，证候研究中的实测指标无统计意义，而计算模型所推导出的未测指标，则具有统计学差异，可有效反映证候的特点。这也解释了为什么以往时候在没有大量信息学工具的帮助下，往往认为中医是伪科学的原因是统计的范围一开始就选对。
胃寒呕吐
症名。因真阳不足，脾胃虚寒不能运化水谷所致的呕吐。见《症因脉治·呕吐论》。其证畏寒喜热，不思饮食，遇冷即呕，四肢清冷，二便清利，口不渴，唇不焦，食久不化，吐出不臭，脉沉迟。真阳不足者，宜八味肾气丸；脾胃虚寒者，宜理中汤、四逆汤。参见寒呕条。
胃寒恶阻
病名。恶阻证型之一。多因妇女平素脾胃虚寒，孕后胞门闭塞，脏气内阻，寒饮逆上。症见呕吐清水，倦怠畏寒，喜热饮，兼见面色苍白，肢冷倦卧。治宜温胃止呕。方用干姜人参半夏丸。
胃寒的症状表现为：常因天气变冷、感寒食冷品而引发疼痛，疼痛时伴有胃部寒凉感，得温症状减轻。
胃寒的主要病因是饮食习惯不良如饮食不节制、经常吃冷饮或冰凉的食物引起。再加上生活节奏快，精神压力大，更易导致胃病。所以需养成良好的饮食习惯，还有胃寒病人可多吃胡椒猪肚汤，生姜水。胡椒和生姜是健胃、暖胃的调味品，可以调理好胃寒的病症，恢复健康脾胃。当然，出现胃痛需警惕胃的器质性病变，最好去医院做胃镜检查。
治胃寒3法
①鲜姜、白糖治胃寒痛：鲜姜500克（细末），白糖250克，腌在一起；每日3次，饭前吃，每次吃1勺（普通汤匙）；坚持吃一星期，一般都能见效；如没彻底好，再继续吃，直至好为止。
②白酒烧鸡蛋治胃寒：二锅头白酒50克，倒在茶盅里，打1个鸡蛋，把酒点燃，酒烧干了鸡蛋也熟了，早晨空胃吃。轻者吃一、二次可愈。注意鸡蛋不加任何调料。
③吃苹果可缓解胃酸：有的人在冬末春初，遇阴冷天或饮食不当，常泛胃酸，很难受。如果此时吃一个或半个大苹果，胃很快舒服了
寒性胃痛忌食下列食物。
猕猴桃
性寒，味甘酸。《开宝本草》中指出：“冷脾胃。”《中药大辞典》也说：“脾胃虚寒者慎服。”凡胃寒痛者当忌。
甘蔗
性寒，味甘。虽有清热生津作用，但胃寒之人则不宜食。《本草经疏》中明确告诫：“胃寒呕吐者忌之”。故凡胃痛属寒者当忌食甘蔗。
莼菜
性寒，味甘。《本草汇言》中记载：“莼菜凉胃，……不宜多食久食，恐发冷气，困脾胃，亦能损人。”《医林纂要》亦指出：“多食腹寒痛”。凡胃寒疼痛者应忌食之。
西瓜
性大凉，能清胃火。《滇南本草》说它能“治一切热症”，素有“天生白虎汤”之称。《中药大辞典》中指出：“中寒者忌服。”故寒性胃痛之人切勿食之。
茭白
俗称茭瓜，唐代著名食医孟诜曾指出：“茭白寒，性滑，发冷气，滑中，不可多食。”《本草汇言》亦说：“脾胃虚冷者勿食。”因此，寒性胃痛者宜忌之。
蚌肉
性凉，味甘咸。《食疗本草》说它“性大寒”。《本草衍义》中认为：“多食发风，动冷气。”《随息居饮食谱》亦云：“多食寒中。”寒性胃痛之人，尤当忌食。
麦门冬
性寒，故寒性胃痛者忌食。正如明·李时珍在《本草纲目》中早有告诫：“气弱胃寒者必不可饵。”
螺蛳
性大凉，寒性胃痛者切忌。《本草汇言》中早有告诫：“此物体性大寒，胃中有冷饮，不宜食之。”姚可成《食物本草》中也说：“多食令人腹痛不消。”不可不慎。田螺性同螺蛳，寒性胃痛者亦在忌食之列。
蟹
性寒，味咸，亦属大凉之物。《本草经疏》中记载：“若血因寒凝，与夫脾胃寒滑，腹痛喜热恶寒之人，咸不宜服。”《随息居饮食谱》也说“中气虚寒者均忌。”所以，寒性胃痛以及气虚胃痛之人，皆不宜食。
柿子
性大凉，味甘涩，寒性胃痛之人切忌服食。《本草经疏》中早有告诫：“……素有寒积、感寒腹痛、感寒呕吐者皆不得服。”尤其不得与螃蟹一同食用。
香蕉
性凉，味甘。明·李时珍在《本草纲目》中还说它“甘，大寒。”凡有寒性胃痛之人，均不宜服食，否则食后即感胃冷不适，甚则立即引起胃痛发作，故当忌之。
苦瓜
苦寒食品，胃寒疼痛之人法当忌食。《滇南本草》中曾说：“脾胃虚寒者，食之令人吐泻腹痛。”
梨
性凉水果，胃寒疼痛者，切忌多食。诚如《本草经疏》中告诫：“……腹痛冷积，胃冷呕吐，法咸忌之。”再如《增补食物秘书》、《饮食须知》等也都有“多食令人寒中”的记载，故胃寒痛者勿食生梨。
荸荠
甘寒之物，能清胃热，但寒性胃痛者则当忌食。正如唐代食医孟冼所说：“有冷气，不可食。”清代食医王孟英也在《随息居饮食谱》中说：“中气虚寒者忌之。”
甜瓜
俗称香瓜。性寒，味甘。《孙真人食忌》中早已告诫：“甜瓜动冷疾”。《食疗本草》中也指出：“动宿冷病”。凡平素胃寒之病者，切不可食，否则容易引起胃痛发作。
此外，寒性胃痛者还应忌食绿豆、柿饼、生番茄、竹笋、瓠子、生菜瓜、海带、生莴苣、生萝卜、生藕、生黄瓜、生地瓜、金银花、菊花、薄荷、鸭蛋、蛤蜊、蕹菜、蕺菜、地耳、豆腐、马兰头、冷茶以及各种冷饮、冰镇食品，性凉生冷的食品会使胃寒疼痛加剧。
生物信息学对于寒热的解释（别说中药不行）
“寒、热”是中医辨证“八纲”中具有代表性的两纲。近30年的寒、热证候相关研究涉及神经系统机能、神经一内分泌一免疫(NEI)、能量代谢，以及第二信使、微量元素、微循环等方面，具有较为丰富的研究积累。进一步发现寒热证候相关的“系统”在生物信息学上取得突破。寒热证候与NEI网络的不同调节模式有关，即寒证、热证在NEI背景下具有可分性。从构建基于NEI网络相互作用的中医寒、热证网络模型的，通过网络拓扑结构分析，发现寒证与激素状态有关，热证与细胞因子状态有关，寒证、热证在神经递质的相关性上无显著差异。同时，随着激素、细胞因子量的变化，寒、热证具有相互转化的趋势。我国研究者选取21种“但寒不热”的疾病(寒证相关疾病)和38种“但热不寒”的疾病(热证相关疾病)，从OMIM数据库调查其基因分布并进行NEI相关通路的统计显著性检验，发现寒证相关疾病与热证相关疾病在细胞因子通路(Pathway)上具有显著性差异，从“异病同证”的角度验证了寒证、热证的以上网络模式。通过生物信息学的进一步分析发现寒热证网络具有复杂网络的性质，即网络的功能实现依赖于部分关键节点，分别选取了寒证、热证网络的关键节点，从“同病异治”的角度，通过动物实验进行寒、热方剂的干预效应观察，结果发现寒热方剂的效应靶点与寒热证候网络的关键节点密切相关，进一步验证了寒热证的生物网络模型。以上结果综合表明，证候的形成并非单一因素作用的结果，机体生物网络的异常模式可较好地反映寒热证候的生物学基础，在治疗上提示复杂病证对于单因素刺激具有很强的耐受性，而中药方剂的协同式刺激有助于改善证候状态¨ 。该研究为中医探索寒热证候在多种具体疾病过程中的共性规律及其辨识方法提供了基础。同时，通过证候网络关键节点相互作用的量化，也可解决证候研究的预选微观指标等难题。我们的进一步工作发现，证候研究中的实测指标无统计意义，而计算模型所推导出的未测指标，则具有统计学差异，可有效反映证候的特点。这也解释了为什么以往时候在没有大量信息学工具的帮助下，往往认为中医是伪科学的原因是统计的范围一开始就选对。
胃寒呕吐
症名。因真阳不足，脾胃虚寒不能运化水谷所致的呕吐。见《症因脉治·呕吐论》。其证畏寒喜热，不思饮食，遇冷即呕，四肢清冷，二便清利，口不渴，唇不焦，食久不化，吐出不臭，脉沉迟。真阳不足者，宜八味肾气丸；脾胃虚寒者，宜理中汤、四逆汤。参见寒呕条。
胃寒恶阻
病名。恶阻证型之一。多因妇女平素脾胃虚寒，孕后胞门闭塞，脏气内阻，寒饮逆上。症见呕吐清水，倦怠畏寒，喜热饮，兼见面色苍白，肢冷倦卧。治宜温胃止呕。方用干姜人参半夏丸。
胃寒的症状表现为：常因天气变冷、感寒食冷品而引发疼痛，疼痛时伴有胃部寒凉感，得温症状减轻。
胃寒的主要病因是饮食习惯不良如饮食不节制、经常吃冷饮或冰凉的食物引起。再加上生活节奏快，精神压力大，更易导致胃病。所以需养成良好的饮食习惯，还有胃寒病人可多吃胡椒猪肚汤，生姜水。胡椒和生姜是健胃、暖胃的调味品，可以调理好胃寒的病症，恢复健康脾胃。当然，出现胃痛需警惕胃的器质性病变，最好去医院做胃镜检查。
治胃寒3法
①鲜姜、白糖治胃寒痛：鲜姜500克（细末），白糖250克，腌在一起；每日3次，饭前吃，每次吃1勺（普通汤匙）；坚持吃一星期，一般都能见效；如没彻底好，再继续吃，直至好为止。
②白酒烧鸡蛋治胃寒：二锅头白酒50克，倒在茶盅里，打1个鸡蛋，把酒点燃，酒烧干了鸡蛋也熟了，早晨空胃吃。轻者吃一、二次可愈。注意鸡蛋不加任何调料。
③吃苹果可缓解胃酸：有的人在冬末春初，遇阴冷天或饮食不当，常泛胃酸，很难受。如果此时吃一个或半个大苹果，胃很快舒服了
寒性胃痛忌食下列食物。
猕猴桃
性寒，味甘酸。《开宝本草》中指出：“冷脾胃。”《中药大辞典》也说：“脾胃虚寒者慎服。”凡胃寒痛者当忌。
甘蔗
性寒，味甘。虽有清热生津作用，但胃寒之人则不宜食。《本草经疏》中明确告诫：“胃寒呕吐者忌之”。故凡胃痛属寒者当忌食甘蔗。
莼菜
性寒，味甘。《本草汇言》中记载：“莼菜凉胃，……不宜多食久食，恐发冷气，困脾胃，亦能损人。”《医林纂要》亦指出：“多食腹寒痛”。凡胃寒疼痛者应忌食之。
西瓜
性大凉，能清胃火。《滇南本草》说它能“治一切热症”，素有“天生白虎汤”之称。《中药大辞典》中指出：“中寒者忌服。”故寒性胃痛之人切勿食之。
茭白
俗称茭瓜，唐代著名食医孟诜曾指出：“茭白寒，性滑，发冷气，滑中，不可多食。”《本草汇言》亦说：“脾胃虚冷者勿食。”因此，寒性胃痛者宜忌之。
蚌肉
性凉，味甘咸。《食疗本草》说它“性大寒”。《本草衍义》中认为：“多食发风，动冷气。”《随息居饮食谱》亦云：“多食寒中。”寒性胃痛之人，尤当忌食。
麦门冬
性寒，故寒性胃痛者忌食。正如明·李时珍在《本草纲目》中早有告诫：“气弱胃寒者必不可饵。”
螺蛳
性大凉，寒性胃痛者切忌。《本草汇言》中早有告诫：“此物体性大寒，胃中有冷饮，不宜食之。”姚可成《食物本草》中也说：“多食令人腹痛不消。”不可不慎。田螺性同螺蛳，寒性胃痛者亦在忌食之列。
蟹
性寒，味咸，亦属大凉之物。《本草经疏》中记载：“若血因寒凝，与夫脾胃寒滑，腹痛喜热恶寒之人，咸不宜服。”《随息居饮食谱》也说“中气虚寒者均忌。”所以，寒性胃痛以及气虚胃痛之人，皆不宜食。
柿子
性大凉，味甘涩，寒性胃痛之人切忌服食。《本草经疏》中早有告诫：“……素有寒积、感寒腹痛、感寒呕吐者皆不得服。”尤其不得与螃蟹一同食用。
香蕉
性凉，味甘。明·李时珍在《本草纲目》中还说它“甘，大寒。”凡有寒性胃痛之人，均不宜服食，否则食后即感胃冷不适，甚则立即引起胃痛发作，故当忌之。
苦瓜
苦寒食品，胃寒疼痛之人法当忌食。《滇南本草》中曾说：“脾胃虚寒者，食之令人吐泻腹痛。”
梨
性凉水果，胃寒疼痛者，切忌多食。诚如《本草经疏》中告诫：“……腹痛冷积，胃冷呕吐，法咸忌之。”再如《增补食物秘书》、《饮食须知》等也都有“多食令人寒中”的记载，故胃寒痛者勿食生梨。
荸荠
甘寒之物，能清胃热，但寒性胃痛者则当忌食。正如唐代食医孟冼所说：“有冷气，不可食。”清代食医王孟英也在《随息居饮食谱》中说：“中气虚寒者忌之。”
甜瓜
俗称香瓜。性寒，味甘。《孙真人食忌》中早已告诫：“甜瓜动冷疾”。《食疗本草》中也指出：“动宿冷病”。凡平素胃寒之病者，切不可食，否则容易引起胃痛发作。
此外，寒性胃痛者还应忌食绿豆、柿饼、生番茄、竹笋、瓠子、生菜瓜、海带、生莴苣、生萝卜、生藕、生黄瓜、生地瓜、金银花、菊花、薄荷、鸭蛋、蛤蜊、蕹菜、蕺菜、地耳、豆腐、马兰头、冷茶以及各种冷饮、冰镇食品，性凉生冷的食品会使胃寒疼痛加剧。
Cold and Flu: Immune Boosting Strategies
One in three Americans suffers from the common cold each year, but this year it doesn't have to be you! Fight the flu and combat your cold with these immune-boosting strategies and remedies.
Prepare for Cold Season!
The best natural protection from cold and flu is to keep your immune system going strong and to practice preventative measures. Wash your hands frequently with soap, and wash your face at least twice a day. Also, protect your upper back and neck area, because this is where most of the colds will attack the body. The activities listed below will help you build your immunity.
6 Simple Ways to Boost Your Immunity
1. Rest up.
Studies show that your immune system function drops by an average of 60% after just three nights of poor sleep, so be sure you are getting plenty of quality rest, at least eight hours each night.
2. Lessen your stress.
Keep your stress level low with meditation, tai chi or yoga.
3. Eat sweet potatoes and mushrooms.
These foods help optimize your body's immunity function. Sweet potatoes contain higher amounts of vitamin C (a famous immune support) and beta-carotene than carrots, as well as being rich in DHEA, a potent immunity booster. Certain types of mushrooms, like shitake, maitake and reishi, contain polysaccharides, sterols, coumarin, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that increase your immune function.
4. Pick potent herbs.
Eat lots of potent herbs and spices, especially garlic, ginger, cilantro, and oregano.
5. Astralagus: the immunity super herb.
Astralagus has been used in Asia to prevent cold and flu for more than 2,000 years. This herb stimulates the body's production of interferon, which is a potent immune protein that boosts your ability to fight infections and diseases.
6. Keep your middle warm.
In Chinese medicine, the abdomen is considered the storehouse of the body's energy. Keeping your abdomen warm and protected from weather extremes has immense immune benefits. A good way to replenish your energy bank is to regularly place a hot water bottle on your abdomen. Also beneficial is applying abdominal wraps soaked in rejuvenating herbal solutions, or pouches containing similar herbs.
Natural Remedies and Relief for Cold and Flu
If it's too late to prepare, and you are already suffering from the runny nose, headache and fever of cold and flu, these recommendations can help you get you back on your feet in no time!
• At the first sign of a cold attack, drink scallion and ginger tea, and lots of liquids.
• Fasting or light eating is sometimes recommended when you have a cold, so as not to detract from the body's healing by having to digest heavy foods. In general, eat as little solid food as possible to avoid burdening the immune system, but drink plenty of warm fluids such as soups, porridges and tea.
• Get plenty of rest and don't engage in exercise. When you have a cold, exercise depletes the body of qi, the vital energy needed to fight pathogens.
• Taking up to 50 milligrams of zinc a day may help reduce the symptoms of the common cold.
• It is helpful to inhale eucalyptus, oregano, and lavender, which are antibacterial, antiviral, and decongesting.
• I often recommend to my patients our Cold and Flu Formula that contains natural herbs like honeysuckle flower, burdock root, apricot seed, mulberry root and others that support healthy immune function, and comfort cold and flu symptoms. This formula is available online at askdrmao.com.
I hope you use these suggestions in times of sickness and that they serve you well. I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
Prepare for Cold Season!
The best natural protection from cold and flu is to keep your immune system going strong and to practice preventative measures. Wash your hands frequently with soap, and wash your face at least twice a day. Also, protect your upper back and neck area, because this is where most of the colds will attack the body. The activities listed below will help you build your immunity.
6 Simple Ways to Boost Your Immunity
1. Rest up.
Studies show that your immune system function drops by an average of 60% after just three nights of poor sleep, so be sure you are getting plenty of quality rest, at least eight hours each night.
2. Lessen your stress.
Keep your stress level low with meditation, tai chi or yoga.
3. Eat sweet potatoes and mushrooms.
These foods help optimize your body's immunity function. Sweet potatoes contain higher amounts of vitamin C (a famous immune support) and beta-carotene than carrots, as well as being rich in DHEA, a potent immunity booster. Certain types of mushrooms, like shitake, maitake and reishi, contain polysaccharides, sterols, coumarin, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that increase your immune function.
4. Pick potent herbs.
Eat lots of potent herbs and spices, especially garlic, ginger, cilantro, and oregano.
5. Astralagus: the immunity super herb.
Astralagus has been used in Asia to prevent cold and flu for more than 2,000 years. This herb stimulates the body's production of interferon, which is a potent immune protein that boosts your ability to fight infections and diseases.
6. Keep your middle warm.
In Chinese medicine, the abdomen is considered the storehouse of the body's energy. Keeping your abdomen warm and protected from weather extremes has immense immune benefits. A good way to replenish your energy bank is to regularly place a hot water bottle on your abdomen. Also beneficial is applying abdominal wraps soaked in rejuvenating herbal solutions, or pouches containing similar herbs.
Natural Remedies and Relief for Cold and Flu
If it's too late to prepare, and you are already suffering from the runny nose, headache and fever of cold and flu, these recommendations can help you get you back on your feet in no time!
• At the first sign of a cold attack, drink scallion and ginger tea, and lots of liquids.
• Fasting or light eating is sometimes recommended when you have a cold, so as not to detract from the body's healing by having to digest heavy foods. In general, eat as little solid food as possible to avoid burdening the immune system, but drink plenty of warm fluids such as soups, porridges and tea.
• Get plenty of rest and don't engage in exercise. When you have a cold, exercise depletes the body of qi, the vital energy needed to fight pathogens.
• Taking up to 50 milligrams of zinc a day may help reduce the symptoms of the common cold.
• It is helpful to inhale eucalyptus, oregano, and lavender, which are antibacterial, antiviral, and decongesting.
• I often recommend to my patients our Cold and Flu Formula that contains natural herbs like honeysuckle flower, burdock root, apricot seed, mulberry root and others that support healthy immune function, and comfort cold and flu symptoms. This formula is available online at askdrmao.com.
I hope you use these suggestions in times of sickness and that they serve you well. I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
Just can't say NO to SEX
Psychiatrists here are seeing more sex-addiction cases, mostly men. Stress can be a trigger for such urges
Just three years ago, psychiatrists here hardly saw what may be described as sex-addiction cases.
The situation today is different.
Risk group: The shy and introverted
'Often, it manifests in people with shy, introverted personalities who have social anxiety and are under some kind of stress.'
DR ANG YONG GUAN, a consultant psychiatrist at Paragon Medical
Three psychiatrists interviewed said they each see two to four cases a year, most of whom are men.
The disorder made the news last week when it was reported that Hollywood actor David Duchovny, 48, most famous for his TV series The X-Files, was seeking treatment for it.
'Before 2005, I saw zero cases. Now I see two or three cases a year,' said Dr Ang Yong Guan, a consultant psychiatrist at Paragon Medical.
Experts said sex addiction is a disorder similar to other addictions and dependencies like alcohol abuse.
There is seemingly no genetic cause for it and it may lie dormant in a person for years, only to appear when triggered by stress.
It also commonly occurs in people who are vulnerable to other addictions like drugs.
It can take several forms, ranging from a constant urge to view pornographic material to seeking out one-night stands with, say, prostitutes. Some even indulge in fetishes like sex with objects.
Although some addicts have partners, they often seek external stimulation at the expense of their relationships as they may find their partners boring.
The affliction becomes serious when one's social life or work is noticeably affected.
Several factors have contributed to the increase in the number of people being identified with sex addiction.
Dr Ken Ung, a consultant psychiatrist at Adam Road Medical Centre under the Pacific Healthcare Group, noted that the Internet has led to chatlines and easily available pornography.
Dr Adrian Wang, a consultant psychiatrist at Gleneagles Medical Centre, agreed and cited cases in which addicts were able to satisfy their urges online, from viewing pornography to contacting people for sex.
The Internet has also led to more people being caught for their addiction as partners or family members can track the addict's history of visited websites.
The experts said sex addiction is more prevalent in men and that it cuts across social classes.
Dr Ung added: 'It is seen more commonly in men as they are more open than women in dealing with their needs.'
Dr Ang said that people who have experienced abuse or neglect may be more prone to developing sex addictions.
'Often, it manifests in people with shy, introverted personalities who have social anxiety and are under some kind of stress,' he said.
Added Dr Ung: 'People with high sex drives who use sex as a way of coping with life's stresses are also more prone to addiction.'
In women, sex addiction usually takes the form of highly impulsive sexual relationships like one-night stands.
Sex addiction can lead to crimes like molestation or the stealing of fetish items like underwear.
There are various treatments, lasting from six months to a year.
Dr Ung uses a combination of medication like anti-depressants and therapy. In the latter, the patient has to imagine his arousing behaviour alongside consequences like getting caught.
'Sometimes, practical methods help. A businessman travelling often can limit the opportunity to stray by arranging to share a room with a male colleague,' he said.
Dr Wang teaches patients to focus on the negative impact of their addictions and helps them identify the trigger factors, which can be anything from low selfesteem to relationship or work stress.
It is also important to improve their sex lives with their partners, who they sometimes find sexually boring, he said.
He had a case of a young man who was addicted to seeking commercial sex but seldom had sex with his own girlfriend.
The man later learnt that sex with his girlfriend could be more satisfying if he abstained from commercial sex.
He added: 'Sex addiction is probably more prevalent than we imagine because it is less socially acceptable than addictions like drinking or gambling. People are still less likely to seek help.'
Just three years ago, psychiatrists here hardly saw what may be described as sex-addiction cases.
The situation today is different.
Risk group: The shy and introverted
'Often, it manifests in people with shy, introverted personalities who have social anxiety and are under some kind of stress.'
DR ANG YONG GUAN, a consultant psychiatrist at Paragon Medical
Three psychiatrists interviewed said they each see two to four cases a year, most of whom are men.
The disorder made the news last week when it was reported that Hollywood actor David Duchovny, 48, most famous for his TV series The X-Files, was seeking treatment for it.
'Before 2005, I saw zero cases. Now I see two or three cases a year,' said Dr Ang Yong Guan, a consultant psychiatrist at Paragon Medical.
Experts said sex addiction is a disorder similar to other addictions and dependencies like alcohol abuse.
There is seemingly no genetic cause for it and it may lie dormant in a person for years, only to appear when triggered by stress.
It also commonly occurs in people who are vulnerable to other addictions like drugs.
It can take several forms, ranging from a constant urge to view pornographic material to seeking out one-night stands with, say, prostitutes. Some even indulge in fetishes like sex with objects.
Although some addicts have partners, they often seek external stimulation at the expense of their relationships as they may find their partners boring.
The affliction becomes serious when one's social life or work is noticeably affected.
Several factors have contributed to the increase in the number of people being identified with sex addiction.
Dr Ken Ung, a consultant psychiatrist at Adam Road Medical Centre under the Pacific Healthcare Group, noted that the Internet has led to chatlines and easily available pornography.
Dr Adrian Wang, a consultant psychiatrist at Gleneagles Medical Centre, agreed and cited cases in which addicts were able to satisfy their urges online, from viewing pornography to contacting people for sex.
The Internet has also led to more people being caught for their addiction as partners or family members can track the addict's history of visited websites.
The experts said sex addiction is more prevalent in men and that it cuts across social classes.
Dr Ung added: 'It is seen more commonly in men as they are more open than women in dealing with their needs.'
Dr Ang said that people who have experienced abuse or neglect may be more prone to developing sex addictions.
'Often, it manifests in people with shy, introverted personalities who have social anxiety and are under some kind of stress,' he said.
Added Dr Ung: 'People with high sex drives who use sex as a way of coping with life's stresses are also more prone to addiction.'
In women, sex addiction usually takes the form of highly impulsive sexual relationships like one-night stands.
Sex addiction can lead to crimes like molestation or the stealing of fetish items like underwear.
There are various treatments, lasting from six months to a year.
Dr Ung uses a combination of medication like anti-depressants and therapy. In the latter, the patient has to imagine his arousing behaviour alongside consequences like getting caught.
'Sometimes, practical methods help. A businessman travelling often can limit the opportunity to stray by arranging to share a room with a male colleague,' he said.
Dr Wang teaches patients to focus on the negative impact of their addictions and helps them identify the trigger factors, which can be anything from low selfesteem to relationship or work stress.
It is also important to improve their sex lives with their partners, who they sometimes find sexually boring, he said.
He had a case of a young man who was addicted to seeking commercial sex but seldom had sex with his own girlfriend.
The man later learnt that sex with his girlfriend could be more satisfying if he abstained from commercial sex.
He added: 'Sex addiction is probably more prevalent than we imagine because it is less socially acceptable than addictions like drinking or gambling. People are still less likely to seek help.'
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Uncertainty principle
In quantum physics, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle states that locating a particle in a small region of space makes the momentum of the particle uncertain; and conversely, that measuring the momentum of a particle precisely makes the position uncertain.
In quantum mechanics, the particle is described by a wave. The position is where the wave is concentrated and the momentum, a measure of the velocity, is the wavelength. Neither the position nor the velocity is precisely defined; the position is uncertain to the degree that the wave is spread out, and the momentum is uncertain to the degree that the wavelength is ill-defined.
The only kind of wave with a definite position is concentrated at one point, and such a wave has no wavelength. Conversely, the only kind of wave with a definite wavelength is an infinite regular periodic oscillation over all space, which has no definite position. So in quantum mechanics, there are no states which describe a particle with both a definite position and a definite momentum. The narrower the probability distribution is for the position, the wider it is in momentum.
For example, the uncertainty principle requires that when the position of an atom is measured with a photon, the reflected photon will change the momentum of the atom by an uncertain amount inversely proportional to the accuracy of the position measurement. The amount of uncertainty can never be reduced below the limit set by the principle, regardless of the experimental setup.
A mathematical statement of the principle is that every quantum state has the property that the root-mean-square (RMS) deviation of the position from its mean (the standard deviation of the X-distribution):
times the RMS deviation of the momentum from its mean (the standard deviation of P):
can never be smaller than a small fixed multiple of Planck's constant:
The uncertainty principle is related to the observer effect, with which it is often conflated. In the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, the uncertainty principle is a theoretical limitation of how small this observer effect can be. Any measurement of the position with accuracy Δx collapses the quantum state making the standard deviation of the momentum Δp larger than .
While this is true in all interpretations, in many modern interpretations of quantum mechanics (many-worlds and variants), the quantum state itself is the fundamental physical quantity, not the position or momentum. Taking this perspective, while the momentum and position are still uncertain, the uncertainty is an effect caused not just by observation, but by any entanglement with the environment.
Historical Introduction
Main article: Introduction to quantum mechanics
Werner Heisenberg formulated the uncertainty principle in Niels Bohr's institute at Copenhagen, while working on the mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics.
In 1925, following pioneering work with Hendrik Kramers, Heisenberg developed matrix mechanics, which replaced the ad-hoc old quantum theory with modern quantum mechanics. The central assumption was that the classical motion was not precise at the quantum level, and electrons in an atom did not travel on sharply defined orbits. Rather, the motion was smeared out in a strange way: the time Fourier transform only involving those frequencies which could be seen in quantum jumps.
Heisenberg's paper did not admit any unobservable quantities, like the exact position of the electron in an orbit at any time, he only allowed the theorist to talk about the Fourier components of the motion. Since the Fourier components were not defined at the classical frequencies, they could not be used to construct an exact trajectory, so that the formalism could not answer certain overly precise questions about where the electron was or how fast it was going.
The most striking property of Heisenberg's infinite matrices for the position and momentum is that they do not commute. His central result was the canonical commutation relation:
and this result does not have a clear physical interpretation.
In March 1926, working in Bohr's institute, Heisenberg formulated the principle of uncertainty thereby laying the foundation of what became known as the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. Heisenberg showed that the commutation relations implies an uncertainty, or in Bohr's language a complementarity. Any two variables which do not commute cannot be measured simultaneously — the more precisely one is known, the less precisely the other can be known.
One way to understand the complementarity between position and momentum is by wave-particle duality. If a particle described by a plane wave passes through a narrow slit in a wall, like a water-wave passing through a narrow channel the particle will diffract, and its wave will come out in a range of angles. The narrower the slit, the wider the diffracted wave and the greater the uncertainty in momentum afterwards. The laws of diffraction require that the spread in angle Δθ is about λ / d, where d is the slit width and λ is the wavelength. From de Broglie's relation, the size of the slit and the range in momentum of the diffracted wave are related by Heisenberg's rule:
In his celebrated paper (1927), Heisenberg established this expression as the minimum amount of unavoidable momentum disturbance caused by any position measurement[1], but he did not give a precise definition for the uncertainties Δx and Δp. Instead, he gave some plausible estimates in each case separately. In his Chicago lecture[2] he refined his principle:
(1)
But it was Kennard[3] in 1927 who first proved the modern inequality
(2)
where , and σx, σp are the standard deviations of position and momentum. Heisenberg himself only proved relation (2) for the special case of Gaussian states.[2].
[edit] Uncertainty principle and observer effect
The uncertainty principle is often explained as the statement that the measurement of position necessarily disturbs a particle's momentum, and vice versa—i.e., that the uncertainty principle is a manifestation of the observer effect.
This explanation is sometimes misleading in a modern context, because it makes it seem that the disturbances are somehow conceptually avoidable--- that there are states of the particle with definite position and momentum, but the experimental devices we have today are just not good enough to produce those states. In fact, states with both definite position and momentum just do not exist in quantum mechanics, so it is not the measurement equipment that is at fault.
It is also misleading in another way, because sometimes it is a failure to measure the particle that produces the disturbance. For example, if a perfect photographic film contains a small hole, and an incident photon is not observed, then its momentum becomes uncertain by a large amount. By not observing the photon, we discover that it went through the hole, revealing the photons position.
It is misleading in yet another way, because sometimes the measurement can be performed far away. If two photons are emitted in opposite directions from the decay of positronium, the momentum of the two photons is opposite. By measuring the momentum of one particle, the momentum of the other is determined. This case is subtler, because it is impossible to introduce more uncertainties by measuring a distant particle, but it is possible to restrict the uncertainties in different ways, with different statistical properties, depending on what property of the distant particle you choose to measure. By restricting the uncertainty in p to be very small by a distant measurement, the remaining uncertainty in x stays large.
But Heisenberg did not focus on the mathematics of quantum mechanics, he was primarily concerned with establishing that the uncertainty is actually a property of the world--- that it is in fact physically impossible to measure the position and momentum of a particle to a precision better than that allowed by quantum mechanics. To do this, he used physical arguments based on the existence of quanta, but not the full quantum mechanical formalism.
The reason is that this was a surprising prediction of quantum mechanics, which was not yet accepted. Many people would have considered it a flaw that there are no states of definite position and momentum. Heisenberg was trying to show that this was not a bug, but a feature--- a deep, surprising aspect of the universe. In order to do this, he could not just use the mathematical formalism, because it was the mathematical formalism itself that he was trying to justify.
[edit] Heisenberg's microscope
Heisenberg's gamma-ray microscope for locating an electron (shown in blue). The incoming gamma ray (shown in green) is scattered by the electron up into the microscope's aperture angle θ. The scattered gamma-ray is shown in red. Classical optics shows that the electron position can be resolved only up to an uncertainty Δx that depends on θ and the wavelength λ of the incoming light.Main article: Heisenberg's microscope
One way in which Heisenberg originally argued for the uncertainty principle is by using an imaginary microscope as a measuring device [2] he imagines an experimenter trying to measure the position and momentum of an electron by shooting a photon at it.
If the photon has a short wavelength, and therefore a large momentum, the position can be measured accurately. But the photon will be scattered in a random direction, transferring a large and uncertain amount of momentum to the electron. If the photon has a long wavelength and low momentum, the collision will not disturb the electron's momentum very much, but the scattering will reveal its position only vaguely.
If a large aperture is used for the microscope, the electron's location can be well resolved (see Rayleigh criterion); but by the principle of conservation of momentum, the transverse momentum of the incoming photon and hence the new momentum of the electron will be poorly resolved. If a small aperture is used, the accuracy of the two resolutions is the other way around.
The trade-offs imply that no matter what photon wavelength and aperture size are used, the product of the uncertainty in measured position and measured momentum is greater than or equal to a lower bound, which is up to a small numerical factor equal to Planck's constant.[4] Heisenberg did not care to formulate the uncertainty principle as an exact bound, and preferred to use it as a heuristic quantitative statement, correct up to small numerical factors.
[edit] Critical reactions
The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics and Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle were seen as twin targets by detractors who believed in an underlying determinism and realism. Within the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, there is no fundamental reality which the quantum state is describing, just a prescription for calculating experimental results. There is no way to say what the state of a system fundamentally is, only what the result of observations might be.
Albert Einstein believed that randomness is a reflection of our ignorance of some fundamental property of reality, while Niels Bohr believed that the probability distributions are fundamental and irreducible, and depend on which measurements we choose to perform. Einstein and Bohr debated the uncertainty principle for many years.
[edit] Einstein's Slit
The first of Einstein's thought experiment challenging the uncertainty principle went as follows:
Consider a particle passing through a slit of width d. The slit introduces an uncertainty in momentum of approximately h/d because the particle passes through the wall. But let us determine the momentum of the particle by measuring the recoil of the wall. In doing so, we will find the momentum of the particle to arbitrary accuracy by conservation of momentum.
Bohr's response was that the wall is quantum mechanical as well, and that to measure the recoil to accuracy ΔP the momentum of the wall must be known to this accuracy before the particle passes through. This introduces an uncertainty in the position of the wall and therefore the position of the slit equal to h / ΔP, and if the wall's momentum is known precisely enough to measure the recoil, the slit's position is uncertain enough to disallow a position measurement.
[edit] Einstein's Box
Another of Einstein's thought experiments was designed to challenge the time/energy uncertainty principle. It is very similar to the slit experiment in space, except here the narrow window through which the particle passes is in time:
Consider a box filled with light. The box has a shutter, which opens and quickly closes by a clock at a precise time, and some of the light escapes. We can set the clock so that the time that the energy escapes is known. To measure the amount of energy that leaves, Einstein proposed weighing the box just after the emission. The missing energy will lessen the weight of the box. If the box is mounted on a scale, it is naively possible to adjust the parameters so that the uncertainty principle is violated.
Bohr spent a day considering this setup, but eventually realized that if the energy of the box is precisely known, the time at which the shutter opens is uncertain. In the case that the scale and the box are placed in a gravitational field, then in some cases it is the uncertainty of the position of the clock in the gravitational field that will alter the ticking rate, and this can introduce the right amount of uncertainty. This was ironic, because it was Einstein himself who first discovered gravity's effect on clocks.
[edit] EPR Measurements
Bohr was compelled to modify his understanding of the uncertainty principle after another thought experiment by Einstein. In 1935, Einstein, Podolski and Rosen published an analysis of widely separated entangled particles. Measuring one particle, Einstein realized, would alter the probability distribution of the other, yet here the other particle could not possibly be disturbed. This example led Bohr to revise his understanding of the principle, concluding that the uncertainty was not caused by a direct interaction.[5].
But Einstein came to much more far reaching conclusions from the same thought experiment. He felt that a complete description of reality would have to predict the results of experiments from locally changing deterministic quantities, and therefore would have to include more information than the maximum possible allowed by the uncertainty principle.
In 1964 John Bell showed that this assumption can be tested, since it implies a certain inequality between the probability of different experiments. Experimental results confirm the predictions of quantum mechanics, ruling out local hidden variables.
While it is possible to assume that quantum mechanical predictions are due to nonlocal hidden variables, in fact David Bohm invented such a formulation, this is not a satisfactory resolution for the vast majority of physicists. The question of whether a random outcome is predetermined by a nonlocal theory can be philosophical, and potentially intractable. If the hidden variables are not constrained, they could just be a list of random digits that are used to produce the measurement outcomes. To make it sensible, the assumption of nonlocal hidden variables is sometimes augmented by a second assumption--- that the size of the observable universe puts a limit on the computations that these variables can do. A nonlocal theory of this sort predicts that a quantum computer will encounter fundamental obstacles when it tries to factor numbers of approximately 10000 digits or more, an achievable task in quantum mechanics [6].
[edit] Popper's criticism
Karl Popper criticized Heisenberg's form of the uncertainty principle, that a measurement of position disturbs the momentum, based on the following observation: if a particle with definite momentum passes through a narrow slit, the diffracted wave has some amplitude to go in the original direction of motion. If the momentum of the particle is measured after it goes through the slit, there is always some probability, however small, that the momentum will be the same as it was before.
Popper thinks of these rare events as falsifications of the uncertainty principle in Heisenberg's original formulation. In order to preserve the principle, he concludes that Heisenberg's relation does not apply to individual particles or measurements, but only to many many identically prepared particles, to ensembles. Popper's criticism applies to nearly all probabilistic theories, since a probabilistic statement requires many measurements to either verify or falsify.
Popper's criticism does not trouble physicists. Popper's presumption is that the measurement is revealing some preexisting information about the particle, the momentum, which the particle already possesses. In the quantum mechanical description the wavefunction is not a reflection of ignorance about the values of some more fundamental quantities, it is the complete description of the state of the particle. In this philosophical view, the Copenhagen interpretation, Popper's example is not a falsification, since after the particle diffracts through the slit and before the momentum is measured, the wavefunction is changed so that the momentum is still as uncertain as the principle demands.
[edit] Refinements
[edit] Everett's uncertainty principle
While formulating the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics in 1957, Hugh Everett III discovered a much stronger formulation of the uncertainty principle [7]. In the inequality of standard deviations, some states, like the wavefunction:
have a large standard deviations of position, but are actually a superposition of a small number of very narrow bumps. In this case, the momentum uncertainty is much larger than the standard deviation inequality would suggest. A better inequality uses the Shannon information content of the distribution, a measure of the number of bits which are learned when a random variable described by a probability distribution is found to have a certain value.
The interpretation of I is that the number of bits of information an observer acquires when the value of x is given to accuracy ε is equal to Ix + log2(ε). The second part is just the number of bits past the decimal point, the first part is a logarithmic measure of the width of the distribution. For a uniform distribution of width Δx the information content is log2Δx. This quantity can be negative, which means that the distribution is narrower than one unit, so that learning the first few bits past the decimal point gives no information since they are not uncertain.
Taking the logarithm of Heisenberg's formulation of uncertainty in natural units.
but the lower bound is not precise.
Everett conjectured that for all quantum states:
Ix + Ip > log2(eπ).
He did not prove this, but he showed that Gaussian states are minima in function space for the left hand side, and that they saturate the inequality. Similar relations with less restrictive right hand sides were rigorously proven many decades later.
[edit] Derivations
When linear operators A and B act on a function ψ(x), they don't always commute. A clear example is when operator B multiplies by x, while operator A takes the derivative with respect to x. Then
which in operator language means that
This example is important, because it is very close to the canonical commutation relation of quantum mechanics. There, the position operator multiplies the value of the wavefunction by x, while the corresponding momentum operator differentiates and multiplies by , so that:
It is the nonzero commutator that implies the uncertainty.
For any two operators A and B:
which is a statement of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality for the inner product of the two vectors and . The expectation value of the product AB is greater than the magnitude of its imaginary part:
and putting the two inequalities together for Hermitian operators gives a form of the Robertson-Schrödinger relation:
and the uncertainty principle is a special case.
[edit] Physical interpretation
The inequality above acquires its physical interpretation:
where
is the mean of observable X in the state ψ and
is the standard deviation of observable X in the system state ψ.
by substituting for A and for B in the general operator norm inequality, since the imaginary part of the product, the commutator, is unaffected by the shift:
The big side of the inequality is the product of the norms of and , which in quantum mechanics are the standard deviations of A and B. The small side is the norm of the commutator, which for the position and momentum is just .
[edit] Matrix mechanics
In matrix mechanics, the commutator of the matrices X and P is always nonzero, it is a constant multiple of the identity matrix. This means that it is impossible for a state to have a definite values x for X and p for P, since then XP would be equal to the number xp and would equal PX.
The commutator of two matrices is unchanged when they are shifted by a constant multiple of the identity--- for any two real numbers x and p
Given any quantum state ψ, define the number x
to be the expected value of the position, and
to be the expected value of the momentum. The quantities and are only nonzero to the extent that the position and momentum are uncertain, to the extent that the state contains some values of X and P which deviate from the mean. The expected value of the commutator
can only be nonzero if the deviations in X in the state times the deviations in P are large enough.
The size of the typical matrix elements can be estimated by summing the squares over the energy states :
and this is equal to the square of the deviation, matrix elements have a size approximately given by the deviation.
So in order to produce the canonical commutation relations, the product of the deviations in any state has to be about .
This heuristic estimate can be made into a precise inequality using the Cauchy-Schwartz inequality, exactly as before. The inner product of the two vectors in parentheses:
is bounded above by the product of the lengths of each vector:
so, rigorously, for any state:
the real part of a matrix M is , so that the real part of the product of two Hermitian matrices is:
while the imaginary part is
The magnitude of is bigger than the magnitude of its imaginary part, which is the expected value of the imaginary part of the matrix:
Note that the uncertainty product is for the same reason bounded below by the expected value of the anticommutator, which adds a term to the uncertainty relation. The extra term is not as useful for the uncertainty of position and momentum, because it has zero expected value in a gaussian wavepacket, like the ground state of a harmonic oscillator. The anticommutator term is useful for bounding the uncertainty of spin operators though.
[edit] Wave mechanics
In Schrödinger's wave mechanics The quantum mechanical wavefunction contains information about both the position and the momentum of the particle. The position of the particle is where the wave is concentrated, while the momentum is the typical wavelength.
The wavelength of a localized wave cannot be determined very well. If the wave extends over a region of size L and the wavelength is approximately λ, the number of cycles in the region is approximately L / λ. The inverse of the wavelength can be changed by about 1 / L without changing the number of cycles in the region by a full unit, and this is approximately the uncertainty in the inverse of the wavelength,
This is an exact counterpart to a well known result in signal processing --- the shorter a pulse in time, the less well defined the frequency. The width of a pulse in frequency space is inversely proportional to the width in time. It is a fundamental result in Fourier analysis, the narrower the peak of a function, the broader the Fourier transform.
Multiplying by h, and identifying ΔP = hΔ(1 / λ), and identifying ΔX = L.
The uncertainty Principle can be seen as a theorem in Fourier analysis: the standard deviation of the squared absolute value of a function, times the standard deviation of the squared absolute value of its Fourier transform, is at least 1/(16π²) (Folland and Sitaram, Theorem 1.1).
An instructive example is the (unnormalized) gaussian wave-function
The expectation value of X is zero by symmetry, and so the variance is found by averaging X2 over all positions with the weight ψ(x)2, careful to divide by the normalization factor.
The fourier transform of the gaussian is the wavefunction in k-space, where k is the wavenumber and is related to the momentum by DeBroglie's relation :
The last integral does not depend on p, because there is a continuous change of variables which removes the dependence, and this deformation of the integration path in the complex plane does not pass any singularities. So up to normalization, the answer is again a Gaussian.
The width of the distribution in k is found in the same way as before, and the answer just flips A to 1/A.
so that for this example
which shows that the uncertainty relation inequality is tight. There are wavefunctions which saturate the bound.
[edit] Robertson-Schrödinger relation
Given any two Hermitian operators A and B, and a system in the state ψ, there are probability distributions for the value of a measurement of A and B, with standard deviations ΔψA and ΔψB. Then
where [A,B] = AB - BA is the commutator of A and B, {A,B}= AB+BA is the anticommutator, and is the expectation value. This inequality is called the Robertson-Schrödinger relation, and includes the Heisenberg uncertainty principle as a special case. The inequality with the commutator term only was developed in 1930 by Howard Percy Robertson, and Erwin Schrödinger added the anticommutator term a little later.
[edit] Other uncertainty principles
The Robertson Schrödinger relation gives the uncertainty relation for any two observables that do not commute:
There is an uncertainty relation between the position and momentum of an object:
between the energy and position of a particle in a one-dimensional potential V(x):
between angular position and angular momentum of an object with small angular uncertainty:[8]
between two orthogonal components of the total angular momentum operator of an object:
where i, j, k are distinct and Ji denotes angular momentum along the xi axis.
between the number of electrons in a superconductor and the phase of its Ginzburg-Landau order parameter[9][10]
[edit] Energy-time uncertainty principle
One well-known uncertainty relation is not an obvious consequence of the Robertson-Schrödinger relation: the energy-time uncertainty principle.
Since energy bears the same relation to time as momentum does to space in special relativity, it was clear to many early founders, Niels Bohr among them, that the following relation holds:
,
but it was not obvious what Δt is, because the time at which the particle has a given state is not an operator belonging to the particle, it is a parameter describing the evolution of the system. As Lev Landau once joked "To violate the time-energy uncertainty relation all I have to do is measure the energy very precisely and then look at my watch!"
Nevertheless, Einstein and Bohr understood the heuristic meaning of the principle. A state which only exists for a short time cannot have a definite energy. In order to have a definite energy, the frequency of the state needs to be accurately defined, and this requires the state to hang around for many cycles, the reciprocal of the required accuracy.
For example, in spectroscopy, excited states have a finite lifetime. By the time-energy uncertainty principle, they do not have a definite energy, and each time they decay the energy they release is slightly different. The average energy of the outgoing photon has a peak at the theoretical energy of the state, but the distribution has a finite width called the natural linewidth. Fast-decaying states have a broad linewidth, while slow decaying states have a narrow linewidth.
The broad linewidth of fast decaying states makes it difficult to accurately measure the energy of the state, and researchers have even used microwave cavities to slow down the decay-rate, to get sharper peaks [11]. The same linewidth effect also makes it difficult to measure the rest mass of fast decaying particles in particle physics. The faster the particle decays, the less certain is its mass.
One false formulation of the energy-time uncertainty principle says that measuring the energy of a quantum system to an accuracy ΔE requires a time interval Δt > h / ΔE. This formulation is similar to the one alluded to in Landau's joke, and was explicitly invalidated by Y. Aharonov and D. Bohm in 1961. The time Δt in the uncertainty relation is the time during which the system exists unperturbed, not the time during which the experimental equipment is turned on.
In 1936, Dirac offered a precise definition and derivation of the time-energy uncertainty relation, in a relativistic quantum theory of "events". In this formulation, particles followed a trajectory in space time, and each particle's trajectory was parametrized independently by a different proper time. The many-times formulation of quantum mechanics is mathematically equivalent to the standard formulations, but it was in a form more suited for relativistic generalization. It was the inspiration for Shin-Ichiro Tomonaga's to covariant perturbation theory for quantum electrodynamics.
But a better-known, more widely-used formulation of the time-energy uncertainty principle was given only in 1945 by L. I. Mandelshtam and I. E. Tamm, as follows.[12] For a quantum system in a non-stationary state and an observable B represented by a self-adjoint operator , the following formula holds:
,
where ΔψE is the standard deviation of the energy operator in the state , ΔψB stands for the standard deviation of the operator and is the expectation value of in that state. Although, the second factor in the left-hand side has dimension of time, it is different from the time parameter that enters Schrödinger equation. It is a lifetime of the state with respect to the observable B. In other words, this is the time after which the expectation value changes appreciably.
[edit] Popular culture
The uncertainty principle appears in popular culture in many places, although it is sometimes stated imprecisely, or as a stand-in for the observer effect:
In the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the fictional transporters used to "beam" characters to different locations overcame the sampling limitations due to the Uncertainty Principle with the use of "Heisenberg compensators." When asked, "How do the Heisenberg compensators work?" by Time magazine on 28 November 1994, Michael Okuda, technical advisor on Star Trek, famously responded, "They work just fine, thank you."[13]
In The Luck of the Fryrish episode of the animated sci-fi sitcom Futurama the Professor loses at the horse track when his horse is narrowly beat out in a "quantum finish". He complains, "No fair! You changed the outcome by measuring it!", conflating the Uncertainty principle with the observer effect.
In the well known joke: "Heisenberg is pulled over by a policeman whilst driving down a motorway, the policeman gets out of his car, walks towards Heisenberg's window and motions with his hand for Heisenberg to wind the window down, which he does. The policeman then says ‘Do you know what speed you were driving at sir?’, to which Heisenberg responds ‘No, but I knew exactly where I was.’"
In the 1997 film The Lost World: Jurassic Park, chaostician Ian Malcolm claims that the effort "to observe and document, not interact" with the dinosaurs is a scientific impossibility because of "the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, whatever you study, you also change." This conflates the uncertainty principle with the observer effect.
The Michael Frayn play Copenhagen (1998) highlights some of the processes that went into the formation of the Uncertainty Principle. The play dramatizes the meetings between Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr. It highlights, as well, the discussion of the work that both did on nuclear bombs - Heisenberg for Germany and Bohr for the United States and allied forces.
In an episode of the television show Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Meatwad (who was temporarily made into a genius) tries to explain (albeit incorrectly) Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle to Frylock to explain his new found intelligence. "Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle tells us that at a specific curvature of space, knowledge can be transferred into energy, or — and this is key now — matter."
In an episode of Stargate SG-1, Samantha Carter explains, using the Uncertainty Principle, that the future is not predetermined, that one can only calculate possibilities.
On the television show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" in the episode Living Doll, Gil Grissom says that he lives "by the uncertainty principle. The mere act of observing a phenomenon changes its nature" again conflating it with the observer effect.
In Episode 16 (No Need for Hiding) of the English-dubbed version of the Japanese anime Tenchi Universe, Washu gives a rapid explanation of the Uncertainty Principle while singing karaoke.
The French electronic music group Télépopmusik recorded a song called "dp.dq>=h/4pi" for their album Genetic World (2001).
In the webcomic Questionable Content, Pintsize tries to explain his lateness using relativity and the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.
In 2008 Thinkgeek, the geek culture ecommerce site, sold a t-shirt saying "I am uncertain about quantum mechanics".
In quantum mechanics, the particle is described by a wave. The position is where the wave is concentrated and the momentum, a measure of the velocity, is the wavelength. Neither the position nor the velocity is precisely defined; the position is uncertain to the degree that the wave is spread out, and the momentum is uncertain to the degree that the wavelength is ill-defined.
The only kind of wave with a definite position is concentrated at one point, and such a wave has no wavelength. Conversely, the only kind of wave with a definite wavelength is an infinite regular periodic oscillation over all space, which has no definite position. So in quantum mechanics, there are no states which describe a particle with both a definite position and a definite momentum. The narrower the probability distribution is for the position, the wider it is in momentum.
For example, the uncertainty principle requires that when the position of an atom is measured with a photon, the reflected photon will change the momentum of the atom by an uncertain amount inversely proportional to the accuracy of the position measurement. The amount of uncertainty can never be reduced below the limit set by the principle, regardless of the experimental setup.
A mathematical statement of the principle is that every quantum state has the property that the root-mean-square (RMS) deviation of the position from its mean (the standard deviation of the X-distribution):
times the RMS deviation of the momentum from its mean (the standard deviation of P):
can never be smaller than a small fixed multiple of Planck's constant:
The uncertainty principle is related to the observer effect, with which it is often conflated. In the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, the uncertainty principle is a theoretical limitation of how small this observer effect can be. Any measurement of the position with accuracy Δx collapses the quantum state making the standard deviation of the momentum Δp larger than .
While this is true in all interpretations, in many modern interpretations of quantum mechanics (many-worlds and variants), the quantum state itself is the fundamental physical quantity, not the position or momentum. Taking this perspective, while the momentum and position are still uncertain, the uncertainty is an effect caused not just by observation, but by any entanglement with the environment.
Historical Introduction
Main article: Introduction to quantum mechanics
Werner Heisenberg formulated the uncertainty principle in Niels Bohr's institute at Copenhagen, while working on the mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics.
In 1925, following pioneering work with Hendrik Kramers, Heisenberg developed matrix mechanics, which replaced the ad-hoc old quantum theory with modern quantum mechanics. The central assumption was that the classical motion was not precise at the quantum level, and electrons in an atom did not travel on sharply defined orbits. Rather, the motion was smeared out in a strange way: the time Fourier transform only involving those frequencies which could be seen in quantum jumps.
Heisenberg's paper did not admit any unobservable quantities, like the exact position of the electron in an orbit at any time, he only allowed the theorist to talk about the Fourier components of the motion. Since the Fourier components were not defined at the classical frequencies, they could not be used to construct an exact trajectory, so that the formalism could not answer certain overly precise questions about where the electron was or how fast it was going.
The most striking property of Heisenberg's infinite matrices for the position and momentum is that they do not commute. His central result was the canonical commutation relation:
and this result does not have a clear physical interpretation.
In March 1926, working in Bohr's institute, Heisenberg formulated the principle of uncertainty thereby laying the foundation of what became known as the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. Heisenberg showed that the commutation relations implies an uncertainty, or in Bohr's language a complementarity. Any two variables which do not commute cannot be measured simultaneously — the more precisely one is known, the less precisely the other can be known.
One way to understand the complementarity between position and momentum is by wave-particle duality. If a particle described by a plane wave passes through a narrow slit in a wall, like a water-wave passing through a narrow channel the particle will diffract, and its wave will come out in a range of angles. The narrower the slit, the wider the diffracted wave and the greater the uncertainty in momentum afterwards. The laws of diffraction require that the spread in angle Δθ is about λ / d, where d is the slit width and λ is the wavelength. From de Broglie's relation, the size of the slit and the range in momentum of the diffracted wave are related by Heisenberg's rule:
In his celebrated paper (1927), Heisenberg established this expression as the minimum amount of unavoidable momentum disturbance caused by any position measurement[1], but he did not give a precise definition for the uncertainties Δx and Δp. Instead, he gave some plausible estimates in each case separately. In his Chicago lecture[2] he refined his principle:
(1)
But it was Kennard[3] in 1927 who first proved the modern inequality
(2)
where , and σx, σp are the standard deviations of position and momentum. Heisenberg himself only proved relation (2) for the special case of Gaussian states.[2].
[edit] Uncertainty principle and observer effect
The uncertainty principle is often explained as the statement that the measurement of position necessarily disturbs a particle's momentum, and vice versa—i.e., that the uncertainty principle is a manifestation of the observer effect.
This explanation is sometimes misleading in a modern context, because it makes it seem that the disturbances are somehow conceptually avoidable--- that there are states of the particle with definite position and momentum, but the experimental devices we have today are just not good enough to produce those states. In fact, states with both definite position and momentum just do not exist in quantum mechanics, so it is not the measurement equipment that is at fault.
It is also misleading in another way, because sometimes it is a failure to measure the particle that produces the disturbance. For example, if a perfect photographic film contains a small hole, and an incident photon is not observed, then its momentum becomes uncertain by a large amount. By not observing the photon, we discover that it went through the hole, revealing the photons position.
It is misleading in yet another way, because sometimes the measurement can be performed far away. If two photons are emitted in opposite directions from the decay of positronium, the momentum of the two photons is opposite. By measuring the momentum of one particle, the momentum of the other is determined. This case is subtler, because it is impossible to introduce more uncertainties by measuring a distant particle, but it is possible to restrict the uncertainties in different ways, with different statistical properties, depending on what property of the distant particle you choose to measure. By restricting the uncertainty in p to be very small by a distant measurement, the remaining uncertainty in x stays large.
But Heisenberg did not focus on the mathematics of quantum mechanics, he was primarily concerned with establishing that the uncertainty is actually a property of the world--- that it is in fact physically impossible to measure the position and momentum of a particle to a precision better than that allowed by quantum mechanics. To do this, he used physical arguments based on the existence of quanta, but not the full quantum mechanical formalism.
The reason is that this was a surprising prediction of quantum mechanics, which was not yet accepted. Many people would have considered it a flaw that there are no states of definite position and momentum. Heisenberg was trying to show that this was not a bug, but a feature--- a deep, surprising aspect of the universe. In order to do this, he could not just use the mathematical formalism, because it was the mathematical formalism itself that he was trying to justify.
[edit] Heisenberg's microscope
Heisenberg's gamma-ray microscope for locating an electron (shown in blue). The incoming gamma ray (shown in green) is scattered by the electron up into the microscope's aperture angle θ. The scattered gamma-ray is shown in red. Classical optics shows that the electron position can be resolved only up to an uncertainty Δx that depends on θ and the wavelength λ of the incoming light.Main article: Heisenberg's microscope
One way in which Heisenberg originally argued for the uncertainty principle is by using an imaginary microscope as a measuring device [2] he imagines an experimenter trying to measure the position and momentum of an electron by shooting a photon at it.
If the photon has a short wavelength, and therefore a large momentum, the position can be measured accurately. But the photon will be scattered in a random direction, transferring a large and uncertain amount of momentum to the electron. If the photon has a long wavelength and low momentum, the collision will not disturb the electron's momentum very much, but the scattering will reveal its position only vaguely.
If a large aperture is used for the microscope, the electron's location can be well resolved (see Rayleigh criterion); but by the principle of conservation of momentum, the transverse momentum of the incoming photon and hence the new momentum of the electron will be poorly resolved. If a small aperture is used, the accuracy of the two resolutions is the other way around.
The trade-offs imply that no matter what photon wavelength and aperture size are used, the product of the uncertainty in measured position and measured momentum is greater than or equal to a lower bound, which is up to a small numerical factor equal to Planck's constant.[4] Heisenberg did not care to formulate the uncertainty principle as an exact bound, and preferred to use it as a heuristic quantitative statement, correct up to small numerical factors.
[edit] Critical reactions
The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics and Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle were seen as twin targets by detractors who believed in an underlying determinism and realism. Within the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, there is no fundamental reality which the quantum state is describing, just a prescription for calculating experimental results. There is no way to say what the state of a system fundamentally is, only what the result of observations might be.
Albert Einstein believed that randomness is a reflection of our ignorance of some fundamental property of reality, while Niels Bohr believed that the probability distributions are fundamental and irreducible, and depend on which measurements we choose to perform. Einstein and Bohr debated the uncertainty principle for many years.
[edit] Einstein's Slit
The first of Einstein's thought experiment challenging the uncertainty principle went as follows:
Consider a particle passing through a slit of width d. The slit introduces an uncertainty in momentum of approximately h/d because the particle passes through the wall. But let us determine the momentum of the particle by measuring the recoil of the wall. In doing so, we will find the momentum of the particle to arbitrary accuracy by conservation of momentum.
Bohr's response was that the wall is quantum mechanical as well, and that to measure the recoil to accuracy ΔP the momentum of the wall must be known to this accuracy before the particle passes through. This introduces an uncertainty in the position of the wall and therefore the position of the slit equal to h / ΔP, and if the wall's momentum is known precisely enough to measure the recoil, the slit's position is uncertain enough to disallow a position measurement.
[edit] Einstein's Box
Another of Einstein's thought experiments was designed to challenge the time/energy uncertainty principle. It is very similar to the slit experiment in space, except here the narrow window through which the particle passes is in time:
Consider a box filled with light. The box has a shutter, which opens and quickly closes by a clock at a precise time, and some of the light escapes. We can set the clock so that the time that the energy escapes is known. To measure the amount of energy that leaves, Einstein proposed weighing the box just after the emission. The missing energy will lessen the weight of the box. If the box is mounted on a scale, it is naively possible to adjust the parameters so that the uncertainty principle is violated.
Bohr spent a day considering this setup, but eventually realized that if the energy of the box is precisely known, the time at which the shutter opens is uncertain. In the case that the scale and the box are placed in a gravitational field, then in some cases it is the uncertainty of the position of the clock in the gravitational field that will alter the ticking rate, and this can introduce the right amount of uncertainty. This was ironic, because it was Einstein himself who first discovered gravity's effect on clocks.
[edit] EPR Measurements
Bohr was compelled to modify his understanding of the uncertainty principle after another thought experiment by Einstein. In 1935, Einstein, Podolski and Rosen published an analysis of widely separated entangled particles. Measuring one particle, Einstein realized, would alter the probability distribution of the other, yet here the other particle could not possibly be disturbed. This example led Bohr to revise his understanding of the principle, concluding that the uncertainty was not caused by a direct interaction.[5].
But Einstein came to much more far reaching conclusions from the same thought experiment. He felt that a complete description of reality would have to predict the results of experiments from locally changing deterministic quantities, and therefore would have to include more information than the maximum possible allowed by the uncertainty principle.
In 1964 John Bell showed that this assumption can be tested, since it implies a certain inequality between the probability of different experiments. Experimental results confirm the predictions of quantum mechanics, ruling out local hidden variables.
While it is possible to assume that quantum mechanical predictions are due to nonlocal hidden variables, in fact David Bohm invented such a formulation, this is not a satisfactory resolution for the vast majority of physicists. The question of whether a random outcome is predetermined by a nonlocal theory can be philosophical, and potentially intractable. If the hidden variables are not constrained, they could just be a list of random digits that are used to produce the measurement outcomes. To make it sensible, the assumption of nonlocal hidden variables is sometimes augmented by a second assumption--- that the size of the observable universe puts a limit on the computations that these variables can do. A nonlocal theory of this sort predicts that a quantum computer will encounter fundamental obstacles when it tries to factor numbers of approximately 10000 digits or more, an achievable task in quantum mechanics [6].
[edit] Popper's criticism
Karl Popper criticized Heisenberg's form of the uncertainty principle, that a measurement of position disturbs the momentum, based on the following observation: if a particle with definite momentum passes through a narrow slit, the diffracted wave has some amplitude to go in the original direction of motion. If the momentum of the particle is measured after it goes through the slit, there is always some probability, however small, that the momentum will be the same as it was before.
Popper thinks of these rare events as falsifications of the uncertainty principle in Heisenberg's original formulation. In order to preserve the principle, he concludes that Heisenberg's relation does not apply to individual particles or measurements, but only to many many identically prepared particles, to ensembles. Popper's criticism applies to nearly all probabilistic theories, since a probabilistic statement requires many measurements to either verify or falsify.
Popper's criticism does not trouble physicists. Popper's presumption is that the measurement is revealing some preexisting information about the particle, the momentum, which the particle already possesses. In the quantum mechanical description the wavefunction is not a reflection of ignorance about the values of some more fundamental quantities, it is the complete description of the state of the particle. In this philosophical view, the Copenhagen interpretation, Popper's example is not a falsification, since after the particle diffracts through the slit and before the momentum is measured, the wavefunction is changed so that the momentum is still as uncertain as the principle demands.
[edit] Refinements
[edit] Everett's uncertainty principle
While formulating the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics in 1957, Hugh Everett III discovered a much stronger formulation of the uncertainty principle [7]. In the inequality of standard deviations, some states, like the wavefunction:
have a large standard deviations of position, but are actually a superposition of a small number of very narrow bumps. In this case, the momentum uncertainty is much larger than the standard deviation inequality would suggest. A better inequality uses the Shannon information content of the distribution, a measure of the number of bits which are learned when a random variable described by a probability distribution is found to have a certain value.
The interpretation of I is that the number of bits of information an observer acquires when the value of x is given to accuracy ε is equal to Ix + log2(ε). The second part is just the number of bits past the decimal point, the first part is a logarithmic measure of the width of the distribution. For a uniform distribution of width Δx the information content is log2Δx. This quantity can be negative, which means that the distribution is narrower than one unit, so that learning the first few bits past the decimal point gives no information since they are not uncertain.
Taking the logarithm of Heisenberg's formulation of uncertainty in natural units.
but the lower bound is not precise.
Everett conjectured that for all quantum states:
Ix + Ip > log2(eπ).
He did not prove this, but he showed that Gaussian states are minima in function space for the left hand side, and that they saturate the inequality. Similar relations with less restrictive right hand sides were rigorously proven many decades later.
[edit] Derivations
When linear operators A and B act on a function ψ(x), they don't always commute. A clear example is when operator B multiplies by x, while operator A takes the derivative with respect to x. Then
which in operator language means that
This example is important, because it is very close to the canonical commutation relation of quantum mechanics. There, the position operator multiplies the value of the wavefunction by x, while the corresponding momentum operator differentiates and multiplies by , so that:
It is the nonzero commutator that implies the uncertainty.
For any two operators A and B:
which is a statement of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality for the inner product of the two vectors and . The expectation value of the product AB is greater than the magnitude of its imaginary part:
and putting the two inequalities together for Hermitian operators gives a form of the Robertson-Schrödinger relation:
and the uncertainty principle is a special case.
[edit] Physical interpretation
The inequality above acquires its physical interpretation:
where
is the mean of observable X in the state ψ and
is the standard deviation of observable X in the system state ψ.
by substituting for A and for B in the general operator norm inequality, since the imaginary part of the product, the commutator, is unaffected by the shift:
The big side of the inequality is the product of the norms of and , which in quantum mechanics are the standard deviations of A and B. The small side is the norm of the commutator, which for the position and momentum is just .
[edit] Matrix mechanics
In matrix mechanics, the commutator of the matrices X and P is always nonzero, it is a constant multiple of the identity matrix. This means that it is impossible for a state to have a definite values x for X and p for P, since then XP would be equal to the number xp and would equal PX.
The commutator of two matrices is unchanged when they are shifted by a constant multiple of the identity--- for any two real numbers x and p
Given any quantum state ψ, define the number x
to be the expected value of the position, and
to be the expected value of the momentum. The quantities and are only nonzero to the extent that the position and momentum are uncertain, to the extent that the state contains some values of X and P which deviate from the mean. The expected value of the commutator
can only be nonzero if the deviations in X in the state times the deviations in P are large enough.
The size of the typical matrix elements can be estimated by summing the squares over the energy states :
and this is equal to the square of the deviation, matrix elements have a size approximately given by the deviation.
So in order to produce the canonical commutation relations, the product of the deviations in any state has to be about .
This heuristic estimate can be made into a precise inequality using the Cauchy-Schwartz inequality, exactly as before. The inner product of the two vectors in parentheses:
is bounded above by the product of the lengths of each vector:
so, rigorously, for any state:
the real part of a matrix M is , so that the real part of the product of two Hermitian matrices is:
while the imaginary part is
The magnitude of is bigger than the magnitude of its imaginary part, which is the expected value of the imaginary part of the matrix:
Note that the uncertainty product is for the same reason bounded below by the expected value of the anticommutator, which adds a term to the uncertainty relation. The extra term is not as useful for the uncertainty of position and momentum, because it has zero expected value in a gaussian wavepacket, like the ground state of a harmonic oscillator. The anticommutator term is useful for bounding the uncertainty of spin operators though.
[edit] Wave mechanics
In Schrödinger's wave mechanics The quantum mechanical wavefunction contains information about both the position and the momentum of the particle. The position of the particle is where the wave is concentrated, while the momentum is the typical wavelength.
The wavelength of a localized wave cannot be determined very well. If the wave extends over a region of size L and the wavelength is approximately λ, the number of cycles in the region is approximately L / λ. The inverse of the wavelength can be changed by about 1 / L without changing the number of cycles in the region by a full unit, and this is approximately the uncertainty in the inverse of the wavelength,
This is an exact counterpart to a well known result in signal processing --- the shorter a pulse in time, the less well defined the frequency. The width of a pulse in frequency space is inversely proportional to the width in time. It is a fundamental result in Fourier analysis, the narrower the peak of a function, the broader the Fourier transform.
Multiplying by h, and identifying ΔP = hΔ(1 / λ), and identifying ΔX = L.
The uncertainty Principle can be seen as a theorem in Fourier analysis: the standard deviation of the squared absolute value of a function, times the standard deviation of the squared absolute value of its Fourier transform, is at least 1/(16π²) (Folland and Sitaram, Theorem 1.1).
An instructive example is the (unnormalized) gaussian wave-function
The expectation value of X is zero by symmetry, and so the variance is found by averaging X2 over all positions with the weight ψ(x)2, careful to divide by the normalization factor.
The fourier transform of the gaussian is the wavefunction in k-space, where k is the wavenumber and is related to the momentum by DeBroglie's relation :
The last integral does not depend on p, because there is a continuous change of variables which removes the dependence, and this deformation of the integration path in the complex plane does not pass any singularities. So up to normalization, the answer is again a Gaussian.
The width of the distribution in k is found in the same way as before, and the answer just flips A to 1/A.
so that for this example
which shows that the uncertainty relation inequality is tight. There are wavefunctions which saturate the bound.
[edit] Robertson-Schrödinger relation
Given any two Hermitian operators A and B, and a system in the state ψ, there are probability distributions for the value of a measurement of A and B, with standard deviations ΔψA and ΔψB. Then
where [A,B] = AB - BA is the commutator of A and B, {A,B}= AB+BA is the anticommutator, and is the expectation value. This inequality is called the Robertson-Schrödinger relation, and includes the Heisenberg uncertainty principle as a special case. The inequality with the commutator term only was developed in 1930 by Howard Percy Robertson, and Erwin Schrödinger added the anticommutator term a little later.
[edit] Other uncertainty principles
The Robertson Schrödinger relation gives the uncertainty relation for any two observables that do not commute:
There is an uncertainty relation between the position and momentum of an object:
between the energy and position of a particle in a one-dimensional potential V(x):
between angular position and angular momentum of an object with small angular uncertainty:[8]
between two orthogonal components of the total angular momentum operator of an object:
where i, j, k are distinct and Ji denotes angular momentum along the xi axis.
between the number of electrons in a superconductor and the phase of its Ginzburg-Landau order parameter[9][10]
[edit] Energy-time uncertainty principle
One well-known uncertainty relation is not an obvious consequence of the Robertson-Schrödinger relation: the energy-time uncertainty principle.
Since energy bears the same relation to time as momentum does to space in special relativity, it was clear to many early founders, Niels Bohr among them, that the following relation holds:
,
but it was not obvious what Δt is, because the time at which the particle has a given state is not an operator belonging to the particle, it is a parameter describing the evolution of the system. As Lev Landau once joked "To violate the time-energy uncertainty relation all I have to do is measure the energy very precisely and then look at my watch!"
Nevertheless, Einstein and Bohr understood the heuristic meaning of the principle. A state which only exists for a short time cannot have a definite energy. In order to have a definite energy, the frequency of the state needs to be accurately defined, and this requires the state to hang around for many cycles, the reciprocal of the required accuracy.
For example, in spectroscopy, excited states have a finite lifetime. By the time-energy uncertainty principle, they do not have a definite energy, and each time they decay the energy they release is slightly different. The average energy of the outgoing photon has a peak at the theoretical energy of the state, but the distribution has a finite width called the natural linewidth. Fast-decaying states have a broad linewidth, while slow decaying states have a narrow linewidth.
The broad linewidth of fast decaying states makes it difficult to accurately measure the energy of the state, and researchers have even used microwave cavities to slow down the decay-rate, to get sharper peaks [11]. The same linewidth effect also makes it difficult to measure the rest mass of fast decaying particles in particle physics. The faster the particle decays, the less certain is its mass.
One false formulation of the energy-time uncertainty principle says that measuring the energy of a quantum system to an accuracy ΔE requires a time interval Δt > h / ΔE. This formulation is similar to the one alluded to in Landau's joke, and was explicitly invalidated by Y. Aharonov and D. Bohm in 1961. The time Δt in the uncertainty relation is the time during which the system exists unperturbed, not the time during which the experimental equipment is turned on.
In 1936, Dirac offered a precise definition and derivation of the time-energy uncertainty relation, in a relativistic quantum theory of "events". In this formulation, particles followed a trajectory in space time, and each particle's trajectory was parametrized independently by a different proper time. The many-times formulation of quantum mechanics is mathematically equivalent to the standard formulations, but it was in a form more suited for relativistic generalization. It was the inspiration for Shin-Ichiro Tomonaga's to covariant perturbation theory for quantum electrodynamics.
But a better-known, more widely-used formulation of the time-energy uncertainty principle was given only in 1945 by L. I. Mandelshtam and I. E. Tamm, as follows.[12] For a quantum system in a non-stationary state and an observable B represented by a self-adjoint operator , the following formula holds:
,
where ΔψE is the standard deviation of the energy operator in the state , ΔψB stands for the standard deviation of the operator and is the expectation value of in that state. Although, the second factor in the left-hand side has dimension of time, it is different from the time parameter that enters Schrödinger equation. It is a lifetime of the state with respect to the observable B. In other words, this is the time after which the expectation value changes appreciably.
[edit] Popular culture
The uncertainty principle appears in popular culture in many places, although it is sometimes stated imprecisely, or as a stand-in for the observer effect:
In the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, the fictional transporters used to "beam" characters to different locations overcame the sampling limitations due to the Uncertainty Principle with the use of "Heisenberg compensators." When asked, "How do the Heisenberg compensators work?" by Time magazine on 28 November 1994, Michael Okuda, technical advisor on Star Trek, famously responded, "They work just fine, thank you."[13]
In The Luck of the Fryrish episode of the animated sci-fi sitcom Futurama the Professor loses at the horse track when his horse is narrowly beat out in a "quantum finish". He complains, "No fair! You changed the outcome by measuring it!", conflating the Uncertainty principle with the observer effect.
In the well known joke: "Heisenberg is pulled over by a policeman whilst driving down a motorway, the policeman gets out of his car, walks towards Heisenberg's window and motions with his hand for Heisenberg to wind the window down, which he does. The policeman then says ‘Do you know what speed you were driving at sir?’, to which Heisenberg responds ‘No, but I knew exactly where I was.’"
In the 1997 film The Lost World: Jurassic Park, chaostician Ian Malcolm claims that the effort "to observe and document, not interact" with the dinosaurs is a scientific impossibility because of "the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, whatever you study, you also change." This conflates the uncertainty principle with the observer effect.
The Michael Frayn play Copenhagen (1998) highlights some of the processes that went into the formation of the Uncertainty Principle. The play dramatizes the meetings between Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr. It highlights, as well, the discussion of the work that both did on nuclear bombs - Heisenberg for Germany and Bohr for the United States and allied forces.
In an episode of the television show Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Meatwad (who was temporarily made into a genius) tries to explain (albeit incorrectly) Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle to Frylock to explain his new found intelligence. "Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle tells us that at a specific curvature of space, knowledge can be transferred into energy, or — and this is key now — matter."
In an episode of Stargate SG-1, Samantha Carter explains, using the Uncertainty Principle, that the future is not predetermined, that one can only calculate possibilities.
On the television show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" in the episode Living Doll, Gil Grissom says that he lives "by the uncertainty principle. The mere act of observing a phenomenon changes its nature" again conflating it with the observer effect.
In Episode 16 (No Need for Hiding) of the English-dubbed version of the Japanese anime Tenchi Universe, Washu gives a rapid explanation of the Uncertainty Principle while singing karaoke.
The French electronic music group Télépopmusik recorded a song called "dp.dq>=h/4pi" for their album Genetic World (2001).
In the webcomic Questionable Content, Pintsize tries to explain his lateness using relativity and the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.
In 2008 Thinkgeek, the geek culture ecommerce site, sold a t-shirt saying "I am uncertain about quantum mechanics".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)