Friday, November 20, 2009
Now that the holidays are upon us, millions of people will be experiencing an especially acute type of pain. The holiday blues are very common, although most people who experience sadness at the holidays don't talk about it. We're all under the assumption that it is the happiest time of the year, so we tend not to let others know that we are not falling in line.
The main culprit of the holiday blues is UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS. Want to make this year the happiest yet? Eliminate ideas about how you imagine the holidays should be. Wipe out of your mind's eye all the television commercials and hype that paint an idyllic picture of the perfect house with a fire blazing in the fireplace, family and friends gathered 'round a gorgeous Christmas tree with spiced cider in hand, singing Christmas carols, prepared to open dozens of perfectly-wrapped gifts.
Instead, prioritize. Put your relationship to our Lord #1. Meditate on God's word and pray often, focusing on God's will for your life. Ask for guidance regarding how much money to spend of gifts and how much to give to the needy. Ask for strength and wisdom regarding the busy-ness of the season. Make sure to spend good time each day, alone, quiet , with the Lord.
Give of yourself in non-monetary ways. Volunteer. Reaching out to others is one of the best cures for sadness. And give to your family members. Most all of us have dysfunction and brokenness in our families, and that pain is exacerbated this time of year. Family therapist Dr. Linda Mintle has the best advice I've ever heard for how to deal with family during the holidays. She says, "Even though that person is difficult and maybe even mean at times, YOU be the person of Christ to that person. YOU exercise grace, YOU exercise forgivenes,, YOU give them the benefit of the doubt and YOU do what Jesus sais. You bless those who curse you, you love your enemeis, you act like Jesus to that person and you woudl be surprised at how far that can go in the long run."
Finally, employ some practical tips such as eating right, sleeping enough and exercising...all things that heighten your emotional well-being.
I pray that everyone reading this can turn away from the false messages thrust upon us ad nauseum about what contemporary society says the holidays are about...spending too much, eating too much, doing too much. It's my wish that we can have a simple holiday season full of true joy where we focus on loving God and eachother.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Recently the Alzheimer's Association came out with a product that will bring freedom to the more than five million Americans who have Alzheimer's. It will also bring peace of mind to the caregivers of Alzheimer's patients. Alzheimer's is a degenerative brain disease that causes memory loss. Therefore, caregivers are burdened with the responsibility of constantly looking after the Alzheimer's patient, for fear that person will wander off and not remember where, or even who, they are.
But this new device allows the Alzheimer's patient to be left alone, even go outside on their own. This is possible because in a sense, they're not alone. Someone is keeping tabs on them and can find them at a moment's notice.
It's called "Comfort Zone." Aptly named, because it calls for the caregiver to pinpoint just that: a zone in which the patient can move about freely. But if the patient goes outside that zone, the caregiver is alerted, and if needed, the patient can be located with the device's tracking system.
One of the qualities of "Comfort Zone" is that the zone can be changed and re-set as often as the caregiver likes. For example, in the early stages of the disease it might make sense to set the zone larger, say a five-mile radius from the home. But later, that zone can be reduced to say, just a block's radius from home. The zone is set on the caregiver's personal computer. The patient needs to wear the tracking device. If the patient goes outside the zone, the caregiver is alerted via computer alarm as well as a text-message, which is great if the caregiver isn't near a computer. If the caregiver needs assistance finding the patient who has wandered outside the pre-determined zone, the tracking device can identify exactly where the person is.
Another plus: caregivers don't even need to be near the patient to take advantage of "Comfort Zone." Family members thousands of miles away can set zones and recieve alerts if the patients goes outside the zone.
People who care for Alzheimer's patients need time away from that patient to attend to other family members and oftentimes work. Leaving an Alzheimer's patient alone can be enormously distressing due to fears the patient will wander away and get lost. "Comfort Zone" allows caregivers to get their necessary breaks without having to worry so much.
The device is also great for the patients, particularly those in the early stages of Alzheimer's who still enjoy a recollection of where they are and appreciate the freedom of moving about independantly.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Health experts worldwide are trying to keep up with the latest developments in the Swine Flu pandemic. It's difficult, because the facts keep changing. The latest news is generally good.
It appears the Swine Flu vaccine will be ready earlier than previously thought. It is expected to be available to the public the first week of October. Previous predictions were for mid-October. The vaccine will likely only need to be given in one dose to most people. Earlier, the estimates were that everyone would need two doses. Also, it looks like the vaccine is a good match for the virus that is currently circulating.
That means the vaccine has a good chance of working. Since vaccine manufacturers began making the Swine Flu vaccine months ago, they used the strain that was circulating at that time. There were concerns that the virus would change, or mutate, and be resistant to the Swine Flu vaccine being manufactured, but fortunately that does not appear to be the case. The strain has remained the same as when manufacturers began making the vaccine.
According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, just about all cases of influenza that are circulating right now are Swine Flu. That means if someone has the flu, it's probably the Swine Flu. Health officials are treating all flu cases as Swine Flu cases.
Right now influenza is widespread and more prevalent than what is normal for this time of year. But according to the CDC, right now the Swine Flu is overall, mild.
People experiencing flu-like symptoms are urged to stay home from work or school and treat the symptoms like they have in past years with the seasonal flu.
HOWEVER, PEOPLE IN HIGH RISK GROUPS WHO EXPERIENCE FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS SHOULD SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY. This includes the very young, the very old and people with medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes.
People are being urged to get the seasonal flu shot, which is available now, in addition to the Swine Flu shot, which will be available in October. One does not protect against the other.
It's been said hundreds of times before, but bears repeating: the best way to protect yourself from the flu is by good hygiene! So wash those hands often and use hand sanitizer. Get plenty of sleep and eat lots of fresh fresh fruits and veggies. Strengthen your immune system by lowering your stress level. This can be achieved with exercise, thinking positively and PRAYING.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Have you ever wondered if talking on your cell phone was bad for you? You're not the only one. People have long been questioning the effects of the radiation emitted from cell phones. As it turns out, cell phones may indeed be harmful to our health. Very harmful. But the jury's still out.
Just about everyone uses a cell phone. Get a group of people together and look around: chances are someone is on their cell phone. But think about it. There was a time when the same could be said about cigarettes. Then we learned how dangerous they were. Some folks think cell phones are the new cigarettes. But not everyone.
A senate panel is hearing evidence regarding the safety of cell phones. The lawmakers are reviewing the results of several studies. One such study claims after 10 years of cell phone use, the risk of getting a brain tumor increases a whopping 50 to 90 percent. Another study claims even carrying your cell phone in your front pants pocket decreases some mens' sperm.
But the results of these studies are being challenged by people who say the samplings were too small, among other things. Meanwhile the FDA contends there is no link between cell phones and cancer.
If you are concerned about the amount of radiation emitted from your cell phone, here are some things you can do to reduce its impact on your body:
1. Keep the phone at least a couple of inches from your head and torso. Use an earphone or speaker, carry it in your purse.
2. Choose texting over talking
3. Stay off the phone when your signal is weak
4. Buy a low radiation cell phone.
A list of the levels of radiation for all phones can be found here
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As school revs-up for yet another year, we parents begin it with a sense of uncertainty that is different from all others before. We're all wondering what effect the Swine Flu will have on our schools and our own individual children. More importantly, we're wondering about the best way to keep our children and their classmates safe.
Recently one federal report predicted as many as 30 to 50 percent of Americans may contract the Swine Flu in the upcoming year. Government predictions about a variety of topics have been wrong before. So there is just no real way of knowing how bad it's going to be.
We do know that a Swine Flu vaccine is expected to be ready in mid-October. It will not be mandatory, but highly recommended, particularly for children and young adults, who are at greatest risk for the Swine Flu. The Swine Flu vaccine will not protect against the seasonal flu, so health experts are also recommending that people get a seasonal flu vaccine in addition to the Swine Flu vaccine.
Athough a Swine Flu vaccine will be available in October, health experts have been concerned that the Swine Flu might mutate and change to a different strain, thus rendering the Swine Flu vaccine useless. Experts are less concerned about that happening. Recently it was discovered the Swine Flu does not appear to have the tendency to mutate.
In just the first week of classes, college campuses are seeing a huge numbers of students, in the thousands, who have already come down with the Swine Flu. The good news is that so far we have no reports of kids who have died or have even been hospitalized. The kids are getting it, then recovering from it.
Of the over 500 deaths in America from the Swine Flu since it broke-out in our country last spring, a large number are among people who already had health concerns such as asthma or diabetes.
The Swine Flu is contracted in the same way as the seasonal flu. You get it from someone else who has it. The best way to protect yourself is to practice good hygiene. That means washing your hands often, particularly before you eat or touch your eyes or nose.
Many of us are very interested in looking and feeling as young as possible. Dr. Harry Lodge, a New York physician, reveals the way to find the fountain of youth in his book, "Younger Next Year."
In the book he details his observations about his patients who have aged well. He also analyzes new medical research on the subject of aging well.
It turns out there are two key factors to aging well: exercise and a positive attitude.
Our bodies contain trillions of cells. Most of the cells live less than three months. They die and the new ones are created. Whether the new cells are full of decay or growth, depends on how we treat our body. In other words, if we exercise an hour a day for six days a week, we are programming our cells to come back stronger and younger, better able to resist disease and degeneration. If we are lethargic, we program our cells to decay and die and become targets of all kinds of maladies.
But exercise is only half of it. Our emotions play as significant, if not more significant, a role in cell generation than exercise. That means the way we FEEL triggers our cells to either grow or decay. Negative emotions like stress, anger, lonliness, depression, feeling victimized and defeated all tell our cells to decay and degenerate. Those negative emotions trigger a slow release of cortizol and adrenaline that cause our immune system to shut down, making us vulnerable to all the hallmarks of aging, not the least of which is disease.
On the other hand, feeling joy, love, forgiveness, freedom, all signal our cells to grow younger. In addition to those individual emotions, positive feelings connected with the community can be even more beneficial. Volunteering, serving the community, connecting in a positive way with others, getting involved in something bigger than yourself have all been proven measures to boost the growth of cells, enabling your body to function at its peak capability.
Childhood obesity has tripled in our country since 1980. About 16 percent of our kids are obese. A child who is obese is much more likely to become an obese adult and suffer from a heart condition, diabetes or cancer. These physical burdens are also an economic burden for the patient and our society as a whole.
Parents can help obese kids slim down in a number of ways. First, make losing weight a family affair. Singling-out a child who needs to lose weight, while the rest of the family behaves differently is a set-up for failure. Healthy living should be pervasive throughout the entire family unit. That means removing all the junk food from the house and filling it with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low fat protein like skim milk, lowfat yogurt, fish and lean poultry.
Families should refrain from getting fast food or even eating in restaurants. Make every effort to sit down together at a table for meals. Keep portions small, about the size of a fist. Make sure during dinnertime, all electronics are off.
And keep them off. The television, cell phone, video games and the computer should stay off unless they're being used for school or work.
Parents should get outside with their child and make exercise a part of the family activity. Taking a walk together after dinner or waking up early to walk through the neighborhood is just one idea.
The entire family should learn together the facts about basic nutrition, such as how many calories and how much exercise is right for each member of the family.
A good night's sleep is a blessing often overlooked until you start having trouble getting your eight hours. Many people suffer day after day, living only a portion of the life they are intended to live because they are trying to function are far too little sleep.
Some people having difficultly falling asleep in the first place. Others have no trouble falling asleep: their problem is waking up in the middle of the night and having trouble falling back asleep.
Either way, doctors say there are a few lifestyle changes that can have you sleeping like a baby in no time.
First, doctors caution people to STAY AWAY FROM SLEEPING PILLS. Most sleep experts will tell you sleeping pills should only be used when all other attempts to sleep well have failed. Sleeping pills cause drowsiness during the day and can be habit forming, in addition to several other side effects.
Get your body primed for a good night's sleep by refraining from caffeine after 12 noon. In addition to coffee, that means laying-off tea, soda and even chocolate, which all contain caffeine.
Stay away from alcohol and big meals before bed. Many people recognize that alcohol and heavy food put you to sleep. But many do not realize that alcohol and food lead to a restless sleep and might trigger waking-up and the inability to fall back asleep.
Don't watch television right before bed. TV can have an antagonizing effect on our minds. Instead, spend at least the last 30 minutes at night reading and/or praying. Our thoughts and feelings at bedtime impact our quality of sleep, so make them peaceful. That means no arguing. Put to bed all negativity before you go to bed.
If you wake up worrying, go to a different room and write down your worries on a piece of paper. Subconsciously, this transfers your problems to the paper and empties them from your mind so you can go back to sleep. And removing yourself from the bed further separates your problems from where you sleep.
Lastly, exercise in the late afternoon or early evening. This is a great stress reliever and allows your body and mind to properly relax when it's time for sleep.
We all want to be as healthy as possible. If that means taking supplements, so be it. But check out the vitamin aisle at the store and it can be overwhelming! We can't possibly take all those supplements out there, and even if we could, who could afford it?
So which ones should we put in our cart, and which ones should we leave on the shelf?
Most doctors agree the most fundamental supplement is the multi-vitamin. If you only take one pill, it should be the multi-vitamin.
Beyond the multi-vitamin, most doctors encourage women to take a calcium supplement. Calcium helps prevent bone loss and osteoporosis. That leads me to the next very important vitamin.
Vitamin D: whether you are male or female, get your D. First of all, you are wasting your time taking calcium if you don't also take vitamin D, because vitamin D allows for the ABSORPTION OF CALCIUM. But aside from aiding in the absorption of calcium, vitamin D has many other health benefits. One of the most exciting discoveries about vitamin D is its immune-boosting powers. For this reason, some doctors recommend as many as 4,000 IUs a day.
Fish oil contains wonderful Omega-3s, which are marvelous for heart health and brain health. Fish oil supplements are important because getting Omega 3s from fish alone could prove dangerous because of the mercury levels in fish.
Most doctors say limit fish intake to three times a week and get the balance of your Omega 3s through fish oil supplements that have been refined.