Will the US get more Blue Zones ?

SunshineHugSunshineHug
edited February 7 in General

An interesting article came out in the business insider recently featuring San Mateo and touching on the subject of loneliness being an epidemic.

While coming out of an epidemic and the transitions we all have made; thought we would get a conversation going here in the forums that can do a little bit more 😊 introspection and positive alignment thinking. 🤔

Many of us are lonely, touch starved, companion deprived and that’s why we seeking companionship and cuddling in order to combat the stress.

This article also sort of ties into the blue zone theories.

And no, we’re not talking about politics we’re talking about health, life and longevity.

https://www.businessinsider.com/california-county-declares-loneliness-silicon-valley-public-health-emergency-2024-2?amp

https://www.forbes.com/health/nutrition/blue-zones-in-the-us/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6179015/

Maybe 🤔 cuddling will soon qualify for HSA/Fsa. ( yes after roe v wade is overturned and they police women’s bodies I’m not for more govt policing. But it is interesting push article and will have zero traction because lobbying and monetizing for it is not gonna help.) BUT it got people thinking and chatting about it. A good light 💡

What steps do you feel should be implemented for a more well rounded life and focus on community health creating a ripple into Blue Zones?

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Comments

  • TxTomTxTom

    What steps do you feel should be implemented

    None. We don't need more mandates.

  • SunshineHugSunshineHug

    @TxTom Thank you for responding.

    Not with government overreach or interference but steps in our personal lives and communities, where we can make impact.

  • PeopleLikeUsPeopleLikeUs

    Veganism is approaching critical mass, so yes to question #1. Question #2 - fair trade. We are dependent on foods from other countries. Fairtrade will help stabilize our food supply and blue zone expansion.

  • TxTomTxTom

    @SunshineHug You're welcome, and that's good to hear.

    I think private initiatives such as this website are a great start. Loneliness is something for the individual, and his/her friends, family, and greater community to address.

  • Mr_Cuddle_BearMr_Cuddle_Bear

    Veganism reaching critical mass?

    Hardly.

  • Minestrone101Minestrone101
    edited February 6

    I read The Blue Zones book by accident a few years ago. I kinda saw it in my kindle feed and bought it.

    I'll say social connections was def an important part of Blue Zones (the communities with the most centenarians had string social ties , ikigai [reason or purpose to living], good nutrition , daily exercise embedded in their everyday life).

    Cuddling might help facilitate wellness, but it may not undo all the trappings of fast food, overly stressful lifestyles, and a sendentary lifestyle.

    This Tedtalk was done by the author of the book who assembled the scientists and specialists who helped study these groups of people and decipher their lifestyle choices and habits as well as how they had similarities to other Blue Zones.

    It was nice to see video footage that was described in the book such as a 108 yo shepherd beating the 50 something yo author in arm wrestling. lol

  • JasonCuddlesJasonCuddles

    What is a blue zone? Also what would critical mass be?

  • Minestrone101Minestrone101

    @JasonCuddles Pockets of regions in the world with the most pple living over 100 years old.

  • natickbennatickben

    I think government programs aimed at reducing g loneliness are interesting and worth studying. The Surgeon General of the US has spoken to this, and failing to address it will cause personal, social, and economic harm.

    I don't know enough about "blue zones" to speak on those. But I do think given the scale of the problem the federal government is the entity to address in the US at least.

    That said, I wouldn't expect to see federal cuddling initiatives or tax breaks for cuddling in our lifetimes. I think this would look more like understanding the root causes of loneliness and implementing social programs that support and enable interpersonal connections.

  • TxTomTxTom

    Also what would critical mass be?

    It may mean that there's enough twigs and leaves to munch on that bureaucrats feel comfortable regulating animal products out of existence.

  • JasonCuddlesJasonCuddles

    Twigs have dubious nutritional value.

  • TxTomTxTom

    I don't think that's really a concern.

  • jplemmonjplemmon

    Why do you have to twist everything into politics dude?

  • TxTomTxTom

    Everything is not politics, dude.

    But red flags naturally pop up when I see epidemic, a .gov link, and implement in the same post.

  • SoosonSooson

    When you suggest a govt program to fix a problem you pretty much identify yourself politically. but then when someone responds, they are accused of making it political...
    I have no problem with the post but at the same time people should be able to respond without feeling trapped.

  • SoosonSooson

    @Minestrone101 Make a move chief. it's been two days. =) =) =)

  • jplemmonjplemmon

    So just the mention of government even if it's to help with loneliness brings out the MAGAT hats eh?

  • lesmis33lesmis33

    What steps do you feel should be implemented for a more well rounded life and focus on community health creating a ripple into Blue Zones?

    My personal opinion is that so much of our communities in America have been dismantled by unchecked commodification and monetization. A person can no longer simply experiment with a hobby or a trade skill without some upfront cost, and many times it is incredibly steep. We, as a society, have treated so many aspects of our daily life as business opportunities, we effectively transformed the nature of society from communal to transactional. I could go on, but I fear my rantings would draw the ire of people who disagree with me and I would rather keep the conversation pleasant and productive.

    To combat this monetization/commodification, you simply need more public/semi-public spaces that fosters community interaction. I would propose bolstering local libraries and community recreation centers with adult nights. These avenues could serve as a great way to get in touch with people in your community. In my area, there are a lot of great hacker spaces that lets me connect with individuals who share my interests as well as giving me a space to further pursue my hobbies. Since I have the means, I try to make sure those spaces which are community driven stay properly funded, but they are always are on the brink of collapse sadly due largely to them being against a profit driven strategy.

    Since the article linked is about the county where I currently reside, I can tell you they are dumping all sorts of money into live music in town squares, cultural festivals, and traveling carnivals. I actually get slightly perturbed sometimes when I emerge from my cave and am surprised with a massive town celebration. I am pretty sure to the people who take note of me(probably very few but i digress) consider me the town hermit given my usually disheveled appearance lol. Still, it is nice to see it all and I have met some nice people at these events.

  • JasonCuddlesJasonCuddles

    Txtom, if twigs aren't of concern why did you bring them up? Your post seems to be referring to things that don't exist in this thread. We still don't know what peoplelikeus meant by critical mass.

  • Minestrone101Minestrone101

    @Sooson Started a new job! been busy training. lol I would worry more about your pawn formation sir (jk jk). lol

  • SoosonSooson

    @Minestrone101 lol well congrats and good luck with that !! Take your time no rush. you know by now that playing safe is not realy in my DNA.

  • Minestrone101Minestrone101
    edited February 6

    @Sooson Thank you.

    "I don't like you Maverick, you're dangerous." -Iceman

  • MonkeyNeedsAHugMonkeyNeedsAHug

    Imagine someone distrusting the contents of a book, because someone links to its description in the library of congress. That’s some serious mistrust of gubmint there, Tom.

    “These resources are scientific literature databases offered to the public by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM). NLM is not a publisher, but rather collects, indexes, and archives scientific literature published by other organizations. The presence of any article, book, or document in these databases does not imply an endorsement of, or concurrence with, the contents by NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), or the U.S. Federal Government.”

  • Mr_Cuddle_BearMr_Cuddle_Bear

    For those of you wondering, this is the best definition of critical mass I could find (in 35 seconds of caring enough to look so im sure there are better.)...

    "if a certain number of people, like in a one-minded group, like being vegetarian, if a certain number is reached, then that number will influence the whole planet in time and make everyone become vegetarian or vegan."

    I don't think we are anywhere near the point of critical mass where they will influence carnivores to switch. Yeah, sure, I'll eat a veggie burger now and then, but that's because I like the taste of them occasionally. Doesn't mean I'm not going to have myself a rare prime rib the next day.

  • TR23TR23

    Thanks for sharing.

    I previously read an article about government recognizing the problem of loneliness while in CA visiting family. Maybe it was related to that Surgeon General study referenced. I thought it was interesting because did not anticipate such concern from the government.

    Sorry, @SunshineHug, I see it as improbable to change things like HSA/FSA eligibility. Those involve complicated lobbying changes, and I’m doubtful the cuddle community has the financial resources or organization to achieve that. Just getting certain services, tests, or items that can be medically necessary can in some cases be problematic to get existing insurance to cover.

    Many state and federal government programs often have terrible track records for achieving desired outcomes. Perhaps a better way at the local level is to help incentivize groups to host more events open to the public. Reduce permit fees and insurance requirements for selected types of events, offer smaller sized grants to help some established local groups organize more events, and provide low interest rates to places looking to expand or renovate local places that host a variety of events. Have government be supportive of groups doing what they do best, instead of government trying to recreate the efforts of groups.

    Many years ago I read an intriguing article discussing the Des Moines area revitalization plan and why it was successful. It focused on pairing unrelated projects together when pursuing funding. I don’t recall specifics, but think ice skating rink with the symphony, or sculpture park and open air auditorium riverside for events. The concept was getting people invested in the success of multiple projects beyond their set interest. The old saying a rising tide lifts all ships. Now the downtown and East Village areas are thriving places to live, eat, have a shop, or attend an event. I don’t live near there.

    The bigger question is how does one effectively identify, target, and engage people still feeling very isolated and lonely following the pandemic? I’m part of that demographic due to health constraints and disability, and I don’t have a great answer to this question.

    As for blue zones, my initial thought was something political, so not a context I was familiar with. Interesting topic. I would not have thought that that region of CA would the highest lifespan of the state.

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel

    I agree with @TR23 that changing HSA/FSA is improbable. One reason is to do that there would be a need for health insurance to pick up some of the cost as well and although forms of therapy such as cuddling are proactive steps for your health, insurance is about numbers and the savings on not paying out for expensive surgeries or treatments in the future better significantly be offset by the cost of routine procedures. But it has to be proven and that is difficult. If that were the case yoga classes would be paid for because stretching and mobility exercise reduces the number of joint and ligament surgeries as well as arthritis treatments. Proactive measures are often a bridge too far for health insurance, and as a result, HSA/FSA as well.

  • SunshineHugSunshineHug
    edited February 7

    “And no, we’re not talking about politics we’re talking about health, life and longevity.”

    I did link an all encompassing articles that is data gathered from multiple sources and it is on a government website. Library website without paywalls.

    **I didn’t mean to offend anybody or make anybody try to guess what political party I’m affiliated with that’s a far over reaching for what this post is for. **

    I am interested in utilizing the information and data that’s out there to see what could happen if we started creating more of a community effort and more focus on the systems that have been sustained throughout different countries that are also ran by different types of governments.

    The studies are very interesting on the diet community health and well-being practices that have been utilized for centuries, and I feel that the US is such a new country and we just kind of went in came in like a bull 🐂 in a China shop; ruining the people and lands, incorporating many forms of slavery. A dark history.

    I’m NOT here to review that history or politics. Human nature is ugly at times and every county has its omflickinggeewiz stuff. ******

    What steps ( akin to New Year resolutions) can we take as regular citizens in order to navigate towards blue zones in the US and in California?

    I feel that the focus needs to be put towards small steps of measures. We can take without government interference.

    This is not a political post , people are very highly sensitive to everything political and really kind of overreach and over analyze things that are there.

    This is about health wellness, and having more vision and data into things that we can do on a daily basis that chip away at some of these current practices that we have that are isolating, and taking away from our longevity and health.

    Loneliness is a huge factor in this, but it’s multiple things that dial it down and dial into that in a modern society.

    In looking at some of the other societies worldwide where there are blue zones that have been an effect for centuries, we can learn a lot of great lessons from them.

    These linked articles and links to data would get people talking and thinking.

    I am not talking about Any political party and frankly not running for Cuddle Congress. Haha 😂

    I’m here for the human nature side of things.

    Education

    Awareness

    Human capacities to heal and evolve with modern society but STILL live a best life to combat these isolation issues that snowball and are even more heightened coming out of a pandemic/endemic 😷 and a lot of people working more remotely and transitionally. Inflation and housing is sky high and therefore we all work more and take less care of ourselves.

    That’s the focus of my post. ****

    Do we work to live or live to work?

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel

    @SunshineHug I think most of us know you weren’t being political. There is a minority that wish to turn things political given the opportunity. Don’t worry about it as they will always miss the point anyway. But, long story short, I only saw a couple seize on the opportunity to be political and really has nothing to do with you or your topic, it has to do with those people that like to argue and are looking for the slightest of triggers to do so. I can say I am not offended at all nor are most people on the thread.

  • SunshineHugSunshineHug
    edited February 7

    Thank you @BoomerSpooner I like to clarify my long winded thoughts 💭 but I let my farts fly.

    My govt day job is different. The data I see. Whoa 🤯

    Cuddling is way bettah!!

  • TR23TR23

    @SunshineHug, after reading through your post, I didn’t take it as something naturally political.

    Many years ago when there was still respectful civil discourse in politics, I worked professionally in public policy. Now it just so much more toxic and I’m happy to be removed from that life.

    I had never heard of blue zones in the context you mentioned before, and realized that after reading the links. Not being familiar with that term, clicking on the title I figured it was something political which I thought was odd for this site. I apologize if you thought I was saying the content of your post was too political, that wasn’t the intent.

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