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The Extreme Self
By Katie Drummond
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I envision my Portfolio as a collection of features, profiles and reported research that examine the outer reaches of health and the pursuit of a better self. New York has long been a breeding ground for diversity and innovation; I want to find the new, extreme approaches that are developing and flourishing here, and explore the frontiers of human wellness they claim to conquer.
We are obsessed with getting better. Smarter. Fitter. Kinder. Saner. As a culture, we are fixated on wellness, convinced that once we are well we will finally be satisfied. But what does it mean to be well? And how far are we willing to go to get there?
Typical western approaches to medicine, exercise, nutrition and mental health propose one option to address the problems and shortcomings of the mind and body. Many, however, would argue that something isn't working. Despite the pills and procedures, we are sadder, fatter and sicker than ever. This mistrust and dissatisfaction leads to alternative pursuits of health and happiness.
What these approaches share is the doubt they raise among skeptics and the staunch adherence of their converts. What differentiates them is what they think defines that vague notion of wellness – of harmony between body and mind.
From living forever to living on fruit, or from plastic surgery day camps to bulimic purging parties, there are a myriad of diverse approaches to health and fulfillment to explore, consider and even partake in.
Follow The Extreme Self at True/Slant
For my complete resume and published work, visit my website here
Read my military medical coverage at Wired's Danger Room
Back to Katie Drummond's portfolio
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Recent Work:
A (not so) extreme self: Q&A with Dean Karnazes
David Barton Gym: Fitness for small penises
When Nike goes narcotic: exercise withdrawal gone extreme
Complicit in consumption: Hank Cardello's war on fat
Blogging for Balance: Q&A with Heather Demetra
Military on PTSD: Treatment good, prevention better
Physicist's fool-proof war formula (just add media accounts)
Hardcore Herbivore: Vegan families in NYC
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