If you are Chinese...

[slayer]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC61045/

ignore the superstition about the 4.
See the study above

[Ken]

Hi slayer,

Thanks for the interesting article of some research findings.

It is interesting to note that the 4th day effect had little impact on non-Chinese and non-cardiac related fatalities.  This shows that:

1) Since the Chinese customarily fears or dislikes 4, this had an impact on them and not non-Chinesse
2) That the number 4 had signficant impact only on cardiac fatalities shows that it is our heart that fears 4 and not our brain.  Western medicine has long taken the stand that humans think through their brain.  That is a fallacious concept which Chinese medicine took the stand of the heart being the driver of human actions

What significance does the above findings have?  It has reinforced what I adopt all these while

a) Placebo or psychological cure is also an effective cure
b) It is most effective to direct your cure towards what the heart fancies most
c) Without Fengshui, half the battle is won already if we can condition the heart to believe
d) A bad Fengshui is not so bad as long as the heart and spirit does not believe the Feng Shui to be bad
e) Wallowing in self pity is the worst form of Feng Shui

[slayer]

Hi slayer,

Thanks for the interesting article of some research findings.

It is interesting to note that the 4th day effect had little impact on non-Chinese and non-cardiac related fatalities.  This shows that:

1) Since the Chinese customarily fears or dislikes 4, this had an impact on them and not non-Chinesse
2) That the number 4 had signficant impact only on cardiac fatalities shows that it is our heart that fears 4 and not our brain.  Western medicine has long taken the stand that humans think through their brain.  That is a fallacious concept which Chinese medicine took the stand of the heart being the driver of human actions

What significance does the above findings have?  It has reinforced what I adopt all these while

a) Placebo or psychological cure is also an effective cure
b) It is most effective to direct your cure towards what the heart fancies most
c) Without Fengshui, half the battle is won already if we can condition the heart to believe
d) A bad Fengshui is not so bad as long as the heart and spirit does not believe the Feng Shui to be bad
e) Wallowing in self pity is the worst form of Feng Shui

Did you mean, can the brain influence the heart? If you've ever had
your heart increase it's rate because you saw something frightening, or
startling, or someone very attractive, there can be little doubt that
the brain can influence the heart.

If people REALLY thought the seat of reason was the heart, then if you
get a heart transplant, your thoughts and memories would all change.
In contrast, such a person would have no problem donating their heart to
someone younger and healthier, even if they aren't dead.

[slayer]

Hi slayer,

Thanks for the interesting article of some research findings.

It is interesting to note that the 4th day effect had little impact on non-Chinese and non-cardiac related fatalities.  This shows that:

1) Since the Chinese customarily fears or dislikes 4, this had an impact on them and not non-Chinesse
2) That the number 4 had signficant impact only on cardiac fatalities shows that it is our heart that fears 4 and not our brain.  Western medicine has long taken the stand that humans think through their brain.  That is a fallacious concept which Chinese medicine took the stand of the heart being the driver of human actions

What significance does the above findings have?  It has reinforced what I adopt all these while

a) Placebo or psychological cure is also an effective cure
b) It is most effective to direct your cure towards what the heart fancies most
c) Without Fengshui, half the battle is won already if we can condition the heart to believe
d) A bad Fengshui is not so bad as long as the heart and spirit does not believe the Feng Shui to be bad
e) Wallowing in self pity is the worst form of Feng Shui

must admit that I'm a bit skeptical. The fourth day comes around every
month (and that's if you don't include days that just include the number
four, like day 14 or day 24), so it's hard to imagine that people would
be TOO stressed out by it. It seems reasonable that a population might
experience additional stress on any day they think is unlucky, but when
the day comes around so regularly, how worried could people be?


> 2) That the number 4 had signficant impact only on cardiac fatalities shows
that it is our heart that fears 4 and not our brain.


Heh, heh. This is pretty funny, isn't it? So if I tended to get
hemorrhoids on the fourth of every month, it would be my butt that
feared the number?


> a) Placebo or psychological cure is also an effective cure


No argument there. But I don't see the point.


> b) It is most effective to direct your cure towards what the heart fancies
most


Complet How do we know what my heart "fancies"? Since it's a
lump of muscle tissue, it's hard to imagine that it has the capability
to "fancy" anything.


> c) Without Fengshui, half the battle is won already if we can condition the
heart to believe


Well, other than that crazy stuff about the heart "believing," this
seems to indicate that Fengshui is just a placebo for people who believe
it. That seems reasonable enough.


> d) A bad Fengshui is not so bad as long as the heart and spirit does not
believe the Feng Shui to be bad


Sure. Fengshui doesn't affect anything if you don't believe it. If you
do believe it, it might have some kind of placebo effect, I suppose.

[Ken]

Hi slayer,

Thanks for the interesting article of some research findings.

It is interesting to note that the 4th day effect had little impact on non-Chinese and non-cardiac related fatalities.  This shows that:

1) Since the Chinese customarily fears or dislikes 4, this had an impact on them and not non-Chinesse
2) That the number 4 had signficant impact only on cardiac fatalities shows that it is our heart that fears 4 and not our brain.  Western medicine has long taken the stand that humans think through their brain.  That is a fallacious concept which Chinese medicine took the stand of the heart being the driver of human actions

What significance does the above findings have?  It has reinforced what I adopt all these while

a) Placebo or psychological cure is also an effective cure
b) It is most effective to direct your cure towards what the heart fancies most
c) Without Fengshui, half the battle is won already if we can condition the heart to believe
d) A bad Fengshui is not so bad as long as the heart and spirit does not believe the Feng Shui to be bad
e) Wallowing in self pity is the worst form of Feng Shui

Did you mean, can the brain influence the heart? If you've ever had
your heart increase it's rate because you saw something frightening, or
startling, or someone very attractive, there can be little doubt that
the brain can influence the heart.

If people REALLY thought the seat of reason was the heart, then if you
get a heart transplant, your thoughts and memories would all change.
In contrast, such a person would have no problem donating their heart to
someone younger and healthier, even if they aren't dead.

The brain is just the executer of the heart's wishes.  The heart does not storememory so you cannot say because of transplant, this is a changed person.  In the computer you have CPU and memory system. The brain is the memory system, the heart is the CPU.  You tell me is it the CPU tha makes the decision or the memory system.

One particular case about a human receiving a pig heart for transplant, able to bleat out "oinks" spontaneously.

[Ken]

must admit that I'm a bit skeptical. The fourth day comes around every
month (and that's if you don't include days that just include the number
four, like day 14 or day 24), so it's hard to imagine that people would
be TOO stressed out by it. It seems reasonable that a population might
experience additional stress on any day they think is unlucky, but when
the day comes around so regularly, how worried could people be?

I understand what you mean.  But you never know how individuals react to such things.  Do you know that the whole of Hong Kong, you probably cannot find a building with 4th floor on it?

> 2) That the number 4 had signficant impact only on cardiac fatalities shows
that it is our heart that fears 4 and not our brain.


Heh, heh. This is pretty funny, isn't it? So if I tended to get
hemorrhoids on the fourth of every month, it would be my butt that
feared the number?

Your butt does not know how to think.  In the human body, only the brain or the heart is known to be capable of thnking.

> a) Placebo or psychological cure is also an effective cure


No argument there. But I don't see the point.

Conditining the heart and belief is one of the crticial step towards curing a person.  Like the Chinese that lives better believing they don't come into the harm of the number 4.

> b) It is most effective to direct your cure towards what the heart fancies
most


Complet How do we know what my heart "fancies"? Since it's a
lump of muscle tissue, it's hard to imagine that it has the capability
to "fancy" anything.

It is abstract concept I agree.  But it is not impossible to use some indicators or psychological test to know what the heart fancies.  Haven't we heard of the proverbial conundrum of whether to  think with the heart or the brain?

> c) Without Fengshui, half the battle is won already if we can condition the
heart to believe


Well, other than that crazy stuff about the heart "believing," this
seems to indicate that Fengshui is just a placebo for people who believe
it. That seems reasonable enough.

 Not entirely but there definitely is a psychological aspect to it.  This happens even in western medicine.  Haven't you read that in some tests, they feed patients with "empty medicine" and yet the patients are cured because they believed they have received the necessary cure from the doctor.  Can you say because of this western medicine is also placebo?

> d) A bad Fengshui is not so bad as long as the heart and spirit does not
believe the Feng Shui to be bad


Sure. Fengshui doesn't affect anything if you don't believe it. If you
do believe it, it might have some kind of placebo effect, I suppose.

well, like i said earlier there are so many things that are placebo as well so I do believe we should cut fengshui some slack.  Beyond that, Astrlogoy is still a much more effective cure than Feng Shui

[slayer]

must admit that I'm a bit skeptical. The fourth day comes around every
month (and that's if you don't include days that just include the number
four, like day 14 or day 24), so it's hard to imagine that people would
be TOO stressed out by it. It seems reasonable that a population might
experience additional stress on any day they think is unlucky, but when
the day comes around so regularly, how worried could people be?

I understand what you mean.  But you never know how individuals react to such things.  Do you know that the whole of Hong Kong, you probably cannot find a building with 4th floor on it?

> 2) That the number 4 had signficant impact only on cardiac fatalities shows
that it is our heart that fears 4 and not our brain.


Heh, heh. This is pretty funny, isn't it? So if I tended to get
hemorrhoids on the fourth of every month, it would be my butt that
feared the number?

Your butt does not know how to think.  In the human body, only the brain or the heart is known to be capable of thnking.

> a) Placebo or psychological cure is also an effective cure


No argument there. But I don't see the point.

Conditining the heart and belief is one of the crticial step towards curing a person.  Like the Chinese that lives better believing they don't come into the harm of the number 4.

> b) It is most effective to direct your cure towards what the heart fancies
most


Complet How do we know what my heart "fancies"? Since it's a
lump of muscle tissue, it's hard to imagine that it has the capability
to "fancy" anything.

It is abstract concept I agree.  But it is not impossible to use some indicators or psychological test to know what the heart fancies.  Haven't we heard of the proverbial conundrum of whether to  think with the heart or the brain?

> c) Without Fengshui, half the battle is won already if we can condition the
heart to believe


Well, other than that crazy stuff about the heart "believing," this
seems to indicate that Fengshui is just a placebo for people who believe
it. That seems reasonable enough.

 Not entirely but there definitely is a psychological aspect to it.  This happens even in western medicine.  Haven't you read that in some tests, they feed patients with "empty medicine" and yet the patients are cured because they believed they have received the necessary cure from the doctor.  Can you say because of this western medicine is also placebo?

> d) A bad Fengshui is not so bad as long as the heart and spirit does not
believe the Feng Shui to be bad


Sure. Fengshui doesn't affect anything if you don't believe it. If you
do believe it, it might have some kind of placebo effect, I suppose.

well, like i said earlier there are so many things that are placebo as well so I do believe we should cut fengshui some slack.  Beyond that, Astrlogoy is still a much more effective cure than Feng Shui

Where did you get that the Heart thinks.Any evidence? I never heard of that!!

[Ken]

Hi Slayer,

Obviously my source won't be in English text for me for show you.  But if you consider empirical evidence of how people behave, you will realize it is really the heart that drives our action.