Page 17 - Sept 2020 Citrus
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Senior Voice of Citrus County - SEPTEMBER 2020 • 17
Health Connections Senior Voice of Citrus County - SEPTEMBER 2020 • 17
Dying May Not Be as Awful an Experience as You Think
Does the very idea of death worry posts. George Mason University’s Center from inmates executed in Texas
and frighten you? There may be for the Advancement of Well- since 1982. Again, the people
reassurance from a new study Next, the study authors recruited Being, in Fairfax, Va. actually facing death voiced a
that finds those fears might be 50 healthy people and asked them brighter outlook, the findings
exaggerated. to imagine they had terminal “Most things that we fear aren’t showed.
cancer and were keeping a blog to nearly as bad as we thought they’d
In fact, the research shows, document their experience. Those be once they arrive,” said Maddux, “It was striking how positive the
death is often described as a people then wrote a “post” for the who was not involved in the study. inmates were,” Gray said. “They
peaceful, “unexpectedly positive” blog. “There’s no reason to think death made statements about feeling
experience by those who approach would be any different.” love, and even optimism about the
it. Finally, the researchers had future.”
independent raters code each Some other study findings, though,
Death is one of life’s guarantees, post -- real and pretend -- for its were more surprising, both It’s not clear how well those blog
yet it’s something people often emotional tone. Maddux and Gray said. posts and final words reflect what
avoid talking about, according most people experience as death
to study author Kurt Gray. He’s Overall, the study found, posts In a separate experiment, Gray’s nears.
an assistant professor at the from the dying patients were team had 150 people imagine they
University of North Carolina at more positive than those from were death-row inmates facing “Of course, people who choose
Chapel Hill. people who imagined death was execution. They then composed to blog may be different from
looming. And over time, the real their “final words.” those who don’t,” Maddux said.
“There’s almost an unspoken posts became more positive, as the They may, in fact, be more
assumption that death is something authors came closer to the end of The researchers compared those
to be avoided at all costs,” Gray life. statements against the last words Continued on page 21
said.
“I think that when people imagine
But his team found that the what dying is like, they see it as
abstract concept of death may be being very different from the life
scarier than the reality. they know,” Gray said. “But really,
death is part of life. And maybe
To look at the question, the you don’t need to fear it as much
researchers first searched for blogs as you might.”
by people who were terminally ill
with cancer or amyotrophic lateral The findings, published recently
sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s in Psychological Science, are not
disease) -- diseases where patients entirely surprising, according to
generally maintain their mental one researcher.
functioning into the advanced
stages. “In general, people are very bad at
predicting how they’ll feel about
The researchers turned up blogs something in the future,” said
from 25 patients, with over 2,600 James Maddux, a senior scholar at
ARTHRITIS then you will be making the her Science major at Brenau the Univ. of Bridgeport and
continued from page 16 time for illness.” Arthritis can University of Gainesville, Rehabilitation as well as the
have reversible stages. For the GA. She graduated Magna 420 credit hour Chiropractic
is when most people realize most modern healthcare, call Cum Laude from Life Orthopedist specialist
how important it is to be 352-795-8911 today! University with a Doctorate of program. She has studied the
active and engaged in our life. Chiropractic. She has been natural treatment of addictions
Chiropractic care can restore Dr. McFarland-Bryant practicing in Citrus County at the American College of
joint motion of the spine, hips graduated with honors from for 24 years. She has studied Addictive and Compulsive
and shoulders. Lake Michigan College Functional Integrative Eastern disorders and Nutrition at
with an Assoc. of Science
There is a saying “if you’re not in Medical Laboratory and Western Medicine via the Canadian Memorial
taking the time for wellness, Technology then continued Miller School of Med. and Chiropractic College.
