Most People in Japan are Slender!

I just came back from the trip of a lifetime: a week in Japan, sponsored by the Japanese Society for Home Hemodialysis. I gave three talks. The first was for the Conference of the Japanese Society for Home Hemodialysis in Shizuoka. The second, for a group of young nephrologists at Kyoto University, and the third was for the staff of the Sakai Rumi Clinic in Kobe, Japan.

Linda with a Group of Young Nephrologists at
the Golden Temple in Kyoto, Japan

My first observation - arriving at the Tokyo Airport (Narita), and heading for Shizuoka by way of the Shinkansen ("bullet train") was, "These people really move!" They walk with purpose; the trains are never late.

The food was fabulous. I ate sashimi (raw fish) for the first time, though I doubt it will become a regular part of my diet. The tempura was extraordinary. Normally, I don't have eye contact with my food as I did with the little tempura'd fish. And I did eat a tiny squid! I thought it was a baby, but was reassured that it was a full-grown adult.

The food was fresh, beautiful, and quite filling. Dessert? One night, it was a scoop of sesame ice cream the size of a golf ball. Another night, fresh melon with three perfect fresh strawberries.

So, all along, we've been stressing exercise and portion control. The Japanese people I met had it all figured out.

Remember, we're all in this together.
Linda Gromko, MD

Week 15: A Grain of Grace

Last week was one of those weeks where we had a little tiny group of two! Traffic, other commitments, who knows?

But it led to an interesting discussion and one which is very appropriate for the group as a whole.

We were discussing various problems we'd encountered; she had a history of abuse from a very young age. It seemed like she had triumphed against horrific odds, becoming the happy and well-adjusted woman she is today.

 

Sometimes when people are asked, "how did you possibly get through all that?" we hear the answer, "you just do. You do what you have to."

 

 

But in reality, not everyone does get through a challenging life unscathed. Some people tune out. Some people suicide. Some drink or use drugs. Some people "check out" of life, never accomplishing  much - even though they are still living.

 

 

So I asked my compadre, "Why do you think you made it through?" Clearly, others in her dysfunctional family hadn't fared as well.

 

"There were little bits of grace: grains of grace," she said. "There would be the right person to help when I needed help. And I made it through."

 

I would submit that we have all experienced grains of grace: talking with the right person at the right minute, maybe finding the book we needed to read. Perhaps an art exhibit or a symphony performance allowed us to see the expansive universe beyond our own distressing sphere - just enough to give us enough hope to get us to the next level.

 

We'll be talking about this a bit more.

 

Take care; we're all in this together.

 

Linda Gromko, MD