MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'days,'. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:54:03 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2857445&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34706&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdeborahserani.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fworld-mental-health-day-10102009.html World Mental Health Day was first observed on October 10, 1992. It was started as an annual activity of the World Federation for Mental Health by the then US Deputy Secretary General Richard Hunter - and is officially commemorated worldwide every year on October 10th.This year's theme is Mental Health in Primary Care: Enhancing Treatment and Promoting Mental HealthI happen to have a wonderful Primary Care Physician. She endorses psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, and often calls me to help her refer patients to therapists. And I often consult with her to find specialists in the medical field for my patients. It's so great that the fields of mental health and medicine have been working better over the years - understanding the art and science of each respective field. Mind and Body are *so*... Dr. Deborah Serani blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2857445 Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:33:00 +0100 2857445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2782062&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34706&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdeborahserani.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fworld-suicide-awareness-day-september.html World Suicide Prevention Day is today, September 10, 2009. This public health education campaign is sponsored by The International Association for Suicide Prevention, The World Health Organization, The United Nations and many grassroot organizations and agencies. This year's theme is "Suicide Prevention in Different Cultures."According to the World Health Organization, every 40 seconds a person committs suicide. Link here for the warning signs. For suicide resources in the USA link here and for worldwide referrals go here. (Source: Dr. Deborah Serani) Dr. Deborah Serani blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2782062 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:29:00 +0100 2782062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2778633&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fflipping-and-cycling.html We had a sporty weekend. Thomas and Lady had their jujitsu class after which Lady tried out to join the new competition squad set up by her cheerleading group. Thomas and I watched and she was great. Afterwards one of the coaches I didn't know asked if she'd like to join 2 other squad classes, in tumbling and acrobatics. Hell yeah! She is so keen on her gymnastics and has for ages been hoping that a time may come when she could join a squad. She is very happy and I am proud of her. She will be doing over 7 hours a week of gymnastics and would happily do twice that. Flipping ace!Gordon got bike racks for the car so we can fit all 5 bikes on and head off to various cycle start points. After lunch we drove to Comber and rode the Greenway into Belfast. It was a beautiful day and there were ple... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2778633 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:55:00 +0100 2778633 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2737968&cid=t_287826_134_f&fid=35162&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FLemonadeLife%2F%7E3%2F_l5m8aORWy0%2F This weekend I’ll be completing #82 on my 101 Things in 1,001 Days List. It’s a pretty big accomplishment, considering how long it’s taken me to actually get to this point. But I’m already starting to think about what else I can accomplish. I only have one year left, and although I’m well on my way to finishing my 101 Movies List (I’m at 58 movies) and I’ll be visiting my third state (out of a goal of 5) this weekend, plus a few other goals that I’m currently in the middle of completely, there are still A TON I have yet to get to. Since it’s crunch time, with just a year left (the end date for my 1,001 dates is actually September 28, 2010, so technically I have 13 months to go), I am trying to prioritize what I should work on. Next up ... Lemonade Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2737968 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:46:56 +0100 2737968 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2712301&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fladys-birthday.html Lady with her Grandma and Pippi. My girl is growing up!A week has passed since Lady turned 11. I still don't understand how I can have so old a daughter! We celebrated with a party, friends, a clown boucy castle, copious quantities of junk food, party poppers and two home made cakes. Best of all, her BFF (best friend forever for those who don't speak Girl) and her sister came over from London for a few days with their mum. It's been 2 years since they last visited so we were very happy to have them over again. The girls had a few hours to reconnect, then the rest of the party people arrived. It turned out to be a grand day, fine weather, great company, lovely gifts (thanks all!) and a bunch of happy sweet children running about keeping themselves busy.Some of us went for a walk to the beac... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2712301 Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:31:00 +0100 2712301 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2678808&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Floads-of-books-and-punch-to-head.html Duncan and I took his brother and sister to summer scheme. He asked to look in the charity shop and being in no hurry, I parked the car and off we went. Well talk about hitting pay dirt. Someone must have cleared their book shelves and dropped the boxes off very recently. There were a good few children's book spilling out so I asked if I could dig through the lot and the man working there, a good guy as I've learned from previous visits, said to work away. So we plonked ourselves on the floor and shifted through the boxes. Duncan made a little pile of those he was interested in and I made a huge pile of my own. Then ecstasy, we found 3 Thomas the Tank Buzz books, Duncan's absolute favourites. I hauled the booty to the pay desk and told the man I'd probably need to nip over to the ATM as I ... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2678808 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:54:00 +0100 2678808 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2657844&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fscooting-all-way.html My Dad called around just after lunchtime. Lady and Thomas were at the leisure centre for summer scheme, so only myself and Duncan were at home. We decided to go for a walk after having a cup of tea, but there came an almighty shower of rain. Ach well, we thought, it's only rain. What do you expect in Ireland. I took a couple of raincoats for myself and Duncan, packed Pippi's poop pick up bags and off we went, 3 humans and a dog. Or rather, since Duncan was categorising his family members as either human or elf yesterday, one elf, two humans and a dog.Where we were.Despite the earlier rain, it was a beautiful, clear and sunny afternoon. Before long I was too hot to wear my raincoat so tied it and Duncan's about my waist. I should have taken a bag. I had intended to walk part of the way alo... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2657844 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:59:00 +0100 2657844 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2641459&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fnotes-from-week.html The first week of summer scheme was a great success. Thomas informed me that it was excellent and that he didn't even know he'd make some new best friends. He's especially keen on a boy whom he likes because he's kind, funny and thinks Thomas is funny too. I thought those particularly good qualities to look for in a friend. Lady told me that Thomas is hanging out with a few other boys his age who run around saying, "uh oh, spaghetti-o!" which is Thomas' new catch phrase. There are worse things he could have taught them! His other new thing is to describe everything, deadpan style as, "fascinating." I don't know where he gets these things.Lady has joined a group of pals all into sporty stuff. She loved the swimming, badminton and gymnastics best. I'm happy that they're both enjoying it.Dunc... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2641459 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:50:00 +0100 2641459 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2598426&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fglorious-day.html While some of my country folk were marching up and down the streets of our cities and towns, we chose to head for the soft paths of the country park around the corner. It was warm and cloudy so I packed a bag full of light rain coats but we never needed them. Pippi came too, she adores the park with it's cornucopia of tantalising scents and trails. Duncan has been happy to walk when we go out now and doesn't want to sit in the buggy. Neither has he asked me to carry him for ages, thankfully for though he's fairly light and knows exactly how to snuggle his centre of gravity in to make the job of holding him easier, I prefer not to.On the way, we stopped off for a few minutes in the smaller hilly grove opposite the main park. Duncan has decided that the narrow paths through the trees are tra... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2598426 Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:39:00 +0100 2598426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2588274&cid=t_287826_111_f&fid=38039&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsomedaynurse.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F07%2F09%2Fnot-the-brady-bunch%2F I don’t know what to do anymore. For months now, everything with Jamey is a crisis. He hates my son and is very vocal about what a permissive  mother I am. Jamey has decided the only way to interact with me is to act “pissed off” all the time, so I will never be able to tell if and about what he is really mad. I told him I could not live like that. I thought he understood. After talking to him for hours last night, I thought I’d convinced him things would be okay. This is your fault, he tells me, looking at the hole in the door. Of course he’s right, though not in the way he means. It’s my fault because I thought we could get through this. I thought our love was stronger than the demons that haunt him.Ostensibly, he is upset because my son asked me to c... How I Spent My Nursing Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2588274 Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:13:31 +0100 2588274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570643&cid=t_287826_111_f&fid=38039&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsomedaynurse.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F07%2F03%2Ftornado-weather%2F It was an old argument. The details are unimportant. He thinks I let my son run the house. He wants him to conform to a standard of behavior I find unneccessarily rigid. My kid has come a long way. He was seriously out of control when he was younger, and he is so much more mature, so in touch with his emotions and about to express–verbally–his anger as well as his joy. He might be spoiled, whatever that really means, but he does what he’s told and he statys out of trouble. I always know where he is and I know who all his friends and their parents are. Jamey just can’t handle the way my son speaks to me sometimes. He is still, above all, a fourteen year-old boy. Somehow things just escalated and Jamey never tells me when he’s upset, he just starts acting really... How I Spent My Nursing Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570643 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:04:57 +0100 2570643 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2561495&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fsunday.html was another fine day. We had to take the train into Belfast to pick up the car, abandoned the previous night. We decided to go to Delamont Park for the first time since Duncan's 6th birthday. It was beautiful. Even the drive was pleasant. The children were in great form, Duncan was leading the others in a clapping/chanting game about hot chocolate. The park itself borders the gorgeous Strangford Lough. After riding the miniature train (we could hardly be expected not to!) we followed one of the many guided trails opting to go by the lake. Duncan started off in the buggy but lept out almost instantly to run after his siblings. We passed a lawn on which Lady performed various gymnastics/tumbling maneuvers. Various bits of exercise equipment dot the paths and the children all had a go on a d... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2561495 Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:07:00 +0100 2561495 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2550256&cid=t_287826_111_f&fid=38039&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsomedaynurse.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F27%2Fclarity%2F My mood has taken a dive in the last few days. Part of it is being out of work, I’m sure. I am bored out of my mind and even more broke than usual. I’m trying to be productive. I’m study for NCLEX (zzzz), brushing up on neurology, and even cleaning up around here. There’s more to it than boredom, though. I think my main problem is that I am having a moment of clarity, and to be honest, I don’t really like what I see. Worse still, I am not quite sure how to change things. What does one do when faced with the realization that one is still, when it comes right down to it, that same ugly, jealous little  girl that pouted in the corner while her best friend got all the attention? Why can’t I be happy for the successes of my friends the way they are of mine? ... How I Spent My Nursing Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2550256 Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:23:19 +0100 2550256 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473910&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fduncans-9th-birthday.html The day began with the birthday boy, and king for the day, unwrapping his birthday present; a Hornby train set with a Percy engine. Later his dad and I took him to the playground. He had a go on the play train, helping push it around on the turntable. He decided to have a dip in the paddling pool, being the only child willing to face the chill. Last thing after dinner, he sang the birthday song to himself, blew out his candles and we all had a slice or two of chocolate cake. It was a good birthday. (Source: The Voyage) The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473910 Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:29:00 +0100 2473910 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473258&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fback-to-good-old-days.html Dove Grey ReaderA wonderful story from Dove Grey Reader, who is now a retired nurse and health visitor. There she is above when she was training at Great Ormond Street. Any excuse to look at that hat again. DGR is now a well established literary critic, and has recently been reviewing Tales of a Country GP by Dr Michael Sparrow. It may not be a work of litearary merit, but it is of particular intererst to DGR as she used to work with him when she was a health visitor. She tells of a visit she did to a house...decorated inside and out to match the parrot perched in the centre of the living roomAnd she goes on to tell of two old fashioned GPs, a married couple, Dr "Marg" and Dr "Charles".Dr John SparrowWhen some years later Dr Charles died during morning surgery as local legend has it and Mi... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473258 Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:43:00 +0100 2473258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2448089&cid=t_287826_137_f&fid=35426&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheAlzheimersReadingRoom%2F%7E3%2FoQDSzlrOSQU%2Fmemoir-of-daughter-her-parents-and.html Deborah Ann Tornillo chronicles the time spent taking care of her mother and father, both of whom were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in February 2006.36 Days Apart: A memoir of a daughter, her parents and the Beast named – Alzheimer’s: A story of Life, Love and Death“I didn’t know when I would tell this story, I just knew I would,” Tornillo writes. “Both my mother and father had Alzheimer’s. My Mom was further along in the disease process than my Dad. It was an incredible journey spending the last year and a half of their life with them, slowly watching the disease take its toll.”Get insight into Alzheimer's --Subscribe to The Alzheimer's Reading Room36 Days Apart recounts this painful, enlightening journey, and Tornillo writes candidly about the struggles and fears she face... Alzheimer's Reading Room, The blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2448089 Sat, 30 May 2009 19:03:38 +0100 2448089 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442355&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Ffishnchips-and-family.html There was something odd about the sky. It was the wrong colour and a peculiar big yellow ball was visible overhead. This might have been linked to the strange feeling of warmth on my skin when I went out, but I don't want to mistake correlation and causation. I ran with the dog down through the park, beautiful with the last of the bluebells and pungent in places with wild garlic. It was early and few people were about so I slipped her lead off. I tested her recall by sitting down every so often, calling her over for a cuddle and praise before sending her off again. She was great, exploring but watchful. The beach was deserted except for ourselves and the birds. It was perfect.Gordon cooked a Jamaican style breakfast with supplies brought over from their recent trip to Oxford. It's harder t... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442355 Wed, 27 May 2009 12:57:00 +0100 2442355 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441760&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34706&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdeborahserani.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fsacrifice-honor-loss-memorial-day-2009.html Powering down to honor those who served and died fighting for our country. Wishing peace to us all, everywhere. (Source: Dr. Deborah Serani) Dr. Deborah Serani blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441760 Mon, 25 May 2009 14:36:00 +0100 2441760 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442667&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35455&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoapywater.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fout-of-practice.html I've let the blog go to seed a bit. I need to moderate some comments for viagra out of the posts from 2006, and when I went to type "blogger.com" into my web browser, I wrote "globber.com." I'm totally out of sync with the me that used to write this thing. I'm a mess, generally. I need to get my writer self back, I don't even know what voice to use any more.So, like, my life changed pretty significantly last year. I moved to take care of my mother, and my jamming personal space was totally disrupted, so the ambiance I like to write in is all but gone. I also changed jobs, same company and all, but totally different job, where I'm now essentially a technical writer. I write all effing day, and I don't have the creative juices to write for myself anymore. It's totally soul crushing, this tec... Soapy Water blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442667 Sat, 23 May 2009 02:03:00 +0100 2442667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2415668&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F3RI0pBJPI-Q%2F Here’s a national awareness day I’d like to see. Or perhaps it should be a freedom-from-awareness day. We’re not a family who does biomedical interventions (although there are all those things Jeff loves to dissolve in water). But we live with and think about autism every day. Am I the only one who finds this exhausting, especially when you throw in the occasional broken night of sleep? Photo by Elsie Esq. (flickr.com) If Autism Awareness increases others’ understanding of this disorder, Freedom from Autism Awareness helps people to recognize the burden on families living with autism so they can support them with sympathy and understanding. So I’d love one day of the year that proclaimed freedom from thinking about, worrying about, reading about autism. Instea... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2415668 Sun, 17 May 2009 14:38:45 +0100 2415668 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2387118&cid=t_287826_134_f&fid=34841&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diabetesmine.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fdiabetes-and-the-swine-flu.html (To be fair, Diabetes Health magazine beat me to this topic with some good tips last week. Below is my 2 cents) Everywhere we turn at the moment, we see breaking news about the swine flu that has infected thousands in Mexico and has made its way into the United States and Europe. As of April [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine) Diabetes Mine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2387118 Mon, 04 May 2009 16:42:51 +0100 2387118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2380717&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FffTTAB9H2nw%2F New articles, videos and Podcasts today: In the Chicago Tribune, David Boaz questions whether Arlen Specter’s party change will take the Senate further to the left. Appearing on News Channel 8 in Washington, Boaz comments on Obama’s record as president. Watch Brandon Arnold discuss Obama’s first 100 days in office on BNN Canada. For  more on Obama’s first 100 days, watch Gene Healy’s interview on AP TV. Join Cato on Capitol Hill tomorrow to see Chris Preble and Paul J. Saunders discuss Preble’s new book, The Power Problem: How American Military Dominance Makes Us Less Safe, Less Prosperous, and Less Free. Chris Preble will be on Capitol Hill again on May 11 with Jim Harper to explain why overreaction and misdirection play into the strategy o... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2380717 Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:29:26 +0100 2380717 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2380720&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTYlr77MArhw%2F Yesterday, I had an op-ed go up on Townhall.com summarizing what I think of President Obama’s first 100 days when it comes to education. Long story short: Lots of nice-sounding rhetoric, but the opposite of real reform. Today, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan — who has embodied the administration’s all-talk, awful-action approach to education — did me a real solid by penning an op-ed for CNN.com beautifully illustrating exactly what I wrote.  Whether it’s his effusive praise of his boss for shoveling tons of federal dough into already obese schools, or his empty, jargon-soaked rhetoric about change – “These discretionary funds are a carrot for educators who will break the mold, scale up successful programs and transform whole ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2380720 Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:46:58 +0100 2380720 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2375847&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FHCqoRE_cuhg%2F Here are a few highlights from Cato Today, a daily email from the Cato Institute. Dan Ikenson and Scott Lincicome argue in a new study that restoring the pro-trade consensus must be a top priority for the Obama administration. In the DC Examiner, Gene Healy discusses Obama’s first 100 days and argues that he’s massively expanded the power of government in a short period of time. In the Asia Times Online, David Isenberg discusses private security contractors in the war in Iraq. Watch Patrick J. Michaels discuss energy on CNBC. In Tuesday’s Cato Daily Podcast, Peter Van Doren discusses the interaction between Congress and regulators on the issue of food safety. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2375847 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:07:20 +0100 2375847 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2375852&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FLTDX_h9nBD4%2F President Obama campaigned on a promise of change. But the first 100 days of his administration have seen a continuation of the Bush administration’s irresponsible fiscal policies: more bailouts, higher spending, and mounting debt. The president has already signed a tax hike that disproportionately hurts lower-income people, and is seeking additional tax increases to fund a transition to a more centrally-planned, European-styled economy. Just as previous administrations have done, the president is using the current economic ‘crisis’ to justify further government encroachment upon the private sector. In doing so, dangerous precedents are being set that could have negative repercussions for future economic growth and individual liberty. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2375852 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:45:48 +0100 2375852 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2375970&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fswine-flu-realities.html I think it is all Danny Boyle’s fault. Not for making Slumdog Millionaire but for the far more enjoyable “28 days later”. And you thought that film was just escapist fantasy. Having London to yourself does have a certain appeal. But it is not going to happen with "swine flu".Whether or not “swine flu” becomes a real threat to the country, the story is going to run and run. Dr Crippen wrote about it here in today’s Guardian and the article was picked up by the Radio 4 Today programme.Dr Maureen Baker CBE DM FRCGPMaureen Baker, the honorary secretary of the Royal College of General Practitoners, was wheeled on to the TODAY programme to say that GPs were alerted about swine flu some months ago.Thank you, Maureen.I feel like Arthur Dent, complaining that he had not been warned abo... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2375970 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:59:00 +0100 2375970 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2367424&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fmeatless-mondays-good-for-your-health%2F Did you know that… The meat industry generates nearly 1/5 of the man-made greenhouse gases that are accelerating climate change worldwide, far more than transportation. About 40 calories of fossil fuel energy go into every calorie of feed lot beef in the U.S.(2) Compare this to the 2.2 calories of fossil fuel energy needed to produce one calorie of plant-based protein. The estimated 634 gallons of fresh water required to produce one 5.2 ounce hamburger would be enough for a four-hour shower. Compare this to the 143 gallons of water required to produce the same quantity of tofu. 2/3 of Americans are overweight or suffer from obesity. 6 Studies show that individuals on vegetarian or low-meat diets have significantly lower body weights and body mass indices. Chronic preventable conditions l... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2367424 Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:00:40 +0100 2367424 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2354020&cid=t_287826_134_f&fid=35162&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FLemonadeLife%2F%7E3%2FNOllaIGYRPU%2F The crazy thunderstorm that wreaked havoc on the tri-state area last night might convince outsiders that the weather lately has been terrible. But not so! This weekend was absolutely spectacular, with sunny blue skies and temperatures hovering in the low 70s. For a rain-soaked northeast just begging for some relief, the spring-like weekend was a welcomed respite. Erik and I decided to take advantage of the weather and an open schedule by crossing off another item on my 101 Things list (it’s listed down at #97) - we went to the zoo! Visiting the Bronx Zoo has been something I’ve wanted to do since I moved here, but for some reason, I never got around to it. For the first pleasant weekend of the season, the zoo was not too crowded. We waited in line for about twenty minutes at th... Lemonade Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2354020 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:17:27 +0100 2354020 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349420&cid=t_287826_134_f&fid=35162&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FLemonadeLife%2F%7E3%2F_rc7NJQrgLA%2F I used to love reading, but college all but killed any desire to pick up a book that wasn’t attached to a letter grade that determined whether or not I would graduate with a degree in my chosen field. Post-college, my reading streak has been meek (whoa! rhyming!). I don’t think I read more than ten books my first year out of college. Probably less. When I signed up for the 101 Things in 1,001 Days Challenge, I decided it was important to include a “reading” portion to that list. Of course, I didn’t really think of the consequences on time, energy, and feasibility in actually completing what I was determined to do: read 101 books in 1,001 days (see #33). Yeah. Right. Needless to say, I’m not making very good progress. I’m currently reading Middle... Lemonade Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349420 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:50:27 +0100 2349420 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349344&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fabsent-minded-mum.html Lady has been staying with one of her friends and her family in their Donegal caravan for a few days. Gordon and I took the boys into Belfast on the train yesterday morning. Duncan was so chilled out as we travelled. We went to St George's Market first. I'd hoped he would have enjoyed it like when we last were there and he was enthralled by the large clock with the visible mechanism. But the crowd and live music bothered him too much yesterday and I'd forgotten to bring his ear defenders or hat so he darted in with hands over his ears for just long enough to spy a bag of fudge for sale, ask me to buy it, and then he went back out and sat on some stairs. Gordon and Thomas wandered around the market for a while while I sat by Duncan. We shared a little fudge, unfortunately it was horrible. I... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349344 Sun, 19 Apr 2009 13:49:00 +0100 2349344 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348541&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F04%2F17%2Fsusan-boyle-a-lesson-in-expectations-and-emotion%2F In a mere six days, Susan Boyle from Scotland has become a multi-million-view sensation on YouTube. Her rendition of “I Dreamed A Dream” from Les Miserables has been a phenomenon, growing steadily by the minute as more and more people see the video. Clearly, Susan has an amazing voice. She owned this song, and the audience before too long. In my opinion, “I Dreamed a Dream” is one of the most gorgeous songs ever written, and it’s difficult to sing well. It has a musical range much like the “Star Spangled Banner” (ever have to sing that one by yourself in front of people?). To really pull it off, you need to have some good singing chops. Boy, does she. But here’s the thing, the real secret to why this woman is getting so much attention and s... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348541 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:00:13 +0100 2348541 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349421&cid=t_287826_134_f&fid=35162&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FLemonadeLife%2F%7E3%2FLqGdVeWeV4I%2F I was a Girl Scout. Did I ever tell you that? I joined when I was seven years old, as a Brownie. I lasted all the way until sixth grade when my Girl Scout troop spontaneously combusted once. Only one girl managed to last all the way through high school. I think she’s a Girl Scout leader now. Every spring, I would go door to door around my neighborhood asking if anyone “would like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?” It’s almost like a song you memorize by heart. I was a Girl Scout cookie selling machine. I loved it. I marched up and rang the doorbell of my neighbors and sometimes of complete strangers! I loved filling up my order form and explaining all the different kinds of cookies. I gazed longingly at the prizes available. My favorite cookies were Thin Mints. I a... Lemonade Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349421 Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:57:05 +0100 2349421 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349355&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35124&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Faspergerwoman%2F%7E3%2FZ8y-iZ4saTQ%2Fnew-day-with-autism.html Imagine you wake up one day, and someone tells you that your autism has gone. What would you do? Would you feel free? Will you miss the "special" feeling of being autistic? Can not imagine what I would do. I think when my autism would have been gone, there will be some kind of damaged personality left anyway. The pain, the grief will always be there. Hmmm, would I like it?? I have my doubts.Every morning I seem to have trouble starting up the day. There is always the thought of 'o yes, another day with autism', followed with a sigh. What about you? Every day is new, every day is like inventing the wheel again. (Source: The Art of Being Asperger Woman) The Art of Being Asperger Woman blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349355 Tue, 14 Apr 2009 06:16:00 +0100 2349355 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2324228&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fgood-friday.html This has been a good Friday so far.Right now, Lady is at the cinema with 2 friends. They're watching Race to Witch Mountain. Duncan is at home with me. He's getting changed. Today he dressed up as Donald Duck by putting a pull-up nappy over his pants to create a nice bulky white bum, and wearing a blue T-shirt with 4 cardboard "buttons" stuck on with tape. A couple of days ago, he and I were in town with the girl who lives next door. We'd dropped the others off at gymnastics and were on our way to the charity shop to buy videos. Then, Duncan was dressed in a new long, navy dressing gown, short green "Peter Pan" trousers, wellies and a back-to-front blue cap and carrying a torch. He was, as will no doubt be obvious, Professor Ludwig Von Drake. Our neighbour, rather admiringly described his ... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2324228 Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:36:00 +0100 2324228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2347986&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fhow-to-stop-smoking-with-little-help.html Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the EconomyKevin MD is looking at the current controversy in the USA about a hard-hitting anti-smoking TV ad. I don’t find this one any stronger than the various ones running in the UK at the moment – about which there have been a number of complaints. And it does not bother me at all the some of these ads may frighten children. It might stop them starting.I had not realised what a wonderful selection of stop smoking propaganda exists. Some of these ads have not been shown on TV, for varying reasons. Or maybe I just missed them.I liked this one.I had not seen this next one as it was banned. I thought it was very very funny. Which is probably a reflection on me. I have insight!The good humour of this next one appealed, though... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2347986 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:14:00 +0100 2347986 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2287270&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34706&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdeborahserani.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fbe-good-to-your-brain-its-brain.html I'm a big fan of my Brain.It's such a totally cool organ. Without it, I couldn't do anything, really. No doubt that you probably feel the same way. Brain health is vital to our mental and physical well-being. And as time marches on, exciting research and technologies will bring us even greater understanding of how our Brains work and offer insight into illness and disease.So, now that you know it's Brain Awareness Week, go out and celebrate your Brain. I'm going to attempt some super difficult crosswords puzzles. Make sure I eat green leafy vegetables. Take my Brain for a longer walk than usual. And get a manicure. Hey, I daydream when I get one, so I am totally working out the ol' bean! For more Brain tips go here and here. (Source: Dr. Deborah Serani) Dr. Deborah Serani blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2287270 Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:45:00 +0100 2287270 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2266685&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F03%2F13%2Ffriday-flashback-for-march-13-2009%2F Well, one day last week it was 60 degrees here in New England, and then a few days later it’s snowing. It must be March. And if it’s Friday, it must be time for another Friday Flashback while I’m attending the annual SXSW conference in Austin, Texas. Yes, I’ll eat some BBQ for you. 10 Years Ago on Psych Central Detecting Deception A decade ago, I wrote about the research to-date that demonstrated how lousy human beings are in detecting deception in others — to catch another person in a lie. “The conclusions from this research are obvious — trained professionals and untrained laypeople, in general, cannot tell when a person is lying.” A decade later, our ability to detect deception has increased slightly and 4 years ago, we noted Paul Ekma... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2266685 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:50:09 +0100 2266685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2258231&cid=t_287826_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FtMAN023azzg%2F Snowy days often evoke memories in Alzheimer’s patients and they’ll relate experiences and adventures from their childhood and yours.  My mom frequently repeated my grandfather’s stories about living through the Blizzard of 1888.  No, she wasn’t living then.  But my grandfather’s memories were so vivid that they became part of our family lore. These stories also fascinated me as a child, as Grandpa told them and then later my parents did. If you’d like to learn more about this period in our history, check out my page, Books About the Blizzards of 1888 & Other Storms. (There also was an earlier severe blizzard in the West in 1888.) (Source: A Hearty Life) A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2258231 Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:17:38 +0100 2258231 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2194866&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F02%2F17%2Fdoes-propranolol-erase-memories-still-no%2F Cool, a new memory erasing drug! At least that’s what you’d think if you read the health news headlines plastered over the ‘net over the past few days about propranolol’s magical memory erasing abilities: Blood Pressure Drug May Erase Fearful Memories - WebMD Common drug eases memories of fear - Boston Globe Could a blood pressure drug dim bad memories? - Scientific American How could so many respectable publications get the basic facts of this research so wrong? How wrong? Well, first of all, you’d think the new study studied memory. But you’d be wrong, of course. What the research actually looked at was the startle response and an artificial fear connection made to a picture: When those in the placebo group were given a series of electric shocks,... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2194866 Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:42:11 +0100 2194866 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2188087&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fdup-numpties-dragging-us-back-to-stone.html SO we've already had young Sammy Wilson, Minster for the Environment in the parliament of this peculiar and fought over minuscule corner of our planet, a climate change denialist, block a UK government commissioned TV ad advising people how to reduce consumption and CO2 emissions from their homes.There's a Royal Society's guide he'd be well advised to read.Last year the DUP MP Iris Robinson promoted her own brand of bigotry to the world.Today we hear again from Mervyn Storey, fellow DUP member who not only believes that this whole universe is about 6000 years old, but that it was all put together in just 6 days.Now the man can believe what he wants as long as he doesn't interfere with my or my children's right to enjoy life free from his fairy tales. But here's the problem; little Mervyn (... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2188087 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:22:00 +0100 2188087 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2182661&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fdarwin-day-2009.html Happy Darwin Day human animals!Clearly in the home of a biologist and (I may have been rubbish but...) an ex-physicist, a day dedicated to honouring the great man and science in general is not going to pass by unnoticed.I was reading to Lady and Thomas about Charles Darwin and his work. We talked about how he was fascinated by all the different species he observed on his travels and wanted to find a way to explain such diversity. We mentioned how the generations before Darwin thought there were only a few hundred types of animal, as many believed literally that they'd all had to fit on Noah's Ark. Thomas didn't know that story so Lady enlightened him. "Ah," said he, "it's like Evan Almighty". Well, close enough. But as I explained, by Darwin's time scientists and explorers already knew the... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2182661 Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:40:00 +0100 2182661 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2167473&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34706&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdeborahserani.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Ff-word-fat-that-is.html Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States are highlighting Eating Disorders Awareness in the month of February.The statistics regarding the prevalence and fallout from these disorders are eye-opening. And as more societal pressure is placed on the ideal look, more unhealthy behaviors are emerging in females and males. And starting at even younger ages. Orthnorexia and Compulsive Exercising are two that come to my mind as I write this post. Much goes into who we are - and genetics sets the stage for body size, bone structure and shape. Being healthy and fit is what it's all about. If you or someone you love is struggling with an Eating Disorder, help is available. Remember, vive la différence! How boring would the world be if we all looked alike. (Source: Dr. Deborah Serani) Dr. Deborah Serani blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2167473 Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:09:00 +0100 2167473 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2073781&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34706&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdeborahserani.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fjanuary-is-national-mentoring-month.html I have had many a mentor in my life growing up. A person who took a unique interest in me, fostered my growth and guided me onward. I am forever grateful to have known each of them.As an adult, I have been a mentor to young children and young adults. The experience is so rewarding and meaningful. A grand way of nurturing a young soul.January is National Mentoring Month . If you live anywhere in the world and are interested in being a mentor, or becoming a mentee, go here or here -- or for that matter, here! (Source: Dr. Deborah Serani) Dr. Deborah Serani blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2073781 Thu, 01 Jan 2009 16:08:00 +0100 2073781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2061183&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35455&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoapywater.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fhow-not-to-write-christmas-letter.html This time of year, mailboxes everywhere are filling up with letters from our friends and relatives recapping their years. To a parent of a kid with special needs, or any child struggling, or any family struggling, these letters can be as painful and annoying as sciatica. Maybe I should speak only for myself. I find them to occassionally be as painful and annoying as not just sciatica, but as heartburn, canker sores, and blisters.I should stop here, or at least pause, to say I do share in the victories of my friends and their kids. I guess I have a hard time with the comparison. Were I to write a Christmas letter, this or any year, it comes out sad and tragic and just not right. Perhaps it's just my writing style, or my intense need to be honest (should anyone ever ask me about it later, I ... Soapy Water blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2061183 Wed, 24 Dec 2008 03:21:00 +0100 2061183 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2061076&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fbig-family-christmas-party.html It happened yesterday. I'll get my complaining out of the way first.We gathered in a hotel back home, and though my Dad had requested and been promised a function room for our horde of 13 adults, 9 children and 2 babies, someone in management decided the room wasn't big enough for us and set our tables up in the main function room instead. And though we'd expected to have a room for 3 hours or so, we had to clear out after only 90 minutes to make way for a kid's disco.Then the whole meal/drinks delivery was utterly chaotic. Instead of having service at the table, we had to join the queues for their lunchtime carvery in the adjoining room. When you've got loads of hyped up kiddies, going back and forth to fetch food isn't as easy as just sitting there and having it brought to you. The food ... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2061076 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:44:00 +0100 2061076 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2026947&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F12%2F09%2Fand-the-winners-of-the-sugarettes-book-giveaway-are%2F The three luck winners of the Win One of Three Copies of Sugarettes by Dr Scott Olson giveaway, chosen by a random number selector, are… Jon H. Lula Ginny Congratulations to you all. You should be getting an email shortly with directions on how and where to provide your mailing address. Now if you didn’t win but still want to learn more about the addictive affects of sugar and how to reduce or remove it from your diet, head on over to Scott Olson’s website where you’ll find articles and all sorts of resources and information. And don’t forget about the 30 Sugar Free Days Challenge in January…   Tags: 30 sugar free days, book giveaways, healthbolt giveaways, scott olson, sugar addiction, sugarettesShare This (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2026947 Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:00:00 +0100 2026947 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2006062&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35455&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoapywater.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Finternal-debate.html Me: I think I'm going to kill Soapy Water.Me: But you love Soapy Water. You at least have to keep the archives!Me: But the archives make me want to cringe. All that bloviating about the "idiots" at The Kid's schools, all the "thank God for psychiatric medications..." It's just a big emblem of the wrong path, the lost years...Me: And yet, that's what got you and The Kid here.Me: But where are we? Who wants to read about it?Me: You know people will read it, the people who love you will.Me: Yeah, we can't all be as famous as Mr. Lady. But the posts aren't coming out any more. I'm too self aware. I've lost that voice, I've certainly lost all semblance of hip-mom that seems to be prerequisite for mom-blogging.Me: Dude, you were never "hip."Me: True. But I thought I was. I have lost something. I... Soapy Water blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2006062 Wed, 03 Dec 2008 05:29:00 +0100 2006062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2011076&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F12%2F02%2Fhealthbolt-giveaway-win-a-rhythms-starter-pack-dance-exercise-program%2F This looks like just the thing to help you keep fit during the holiday season. Or perhaps after Christmas and New Years, once all the partying and eating have slowed down.                        The Core Rhythms Starter Pack Dance Exercise Program is a set of four DVDs designed to speed-shrink the waistline, burn away fat, and tone the abs without doing floor crunches or purchasing expensive equipment.  Through interactive instruction, Core Rhythms teaches three core movements essential to Latin dancing, and then expands them with step-by-step invigorating dance instruction in the Salsa, Samba and Merengue.  The starter pack includes A Full Workout; Quick Workout; Latin Dance Made Easy; and Kick Start DVDs, as well as a free seven-day Diet Guide with menu plans to ... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2011076 Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:00:00 +0100 2011076 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2005717&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F12%2F02%2Fhealthbolt-giveaway-win-a-rhythms-starter-pack-dance-exercise-program%2F This looks like just the thing to help you keep fit during the holiday season. Or perhaps after Christmas and New Years, once all the partying and eating have slowed down.                        The Core Rhythms Starter Pack Dance Exercise Program is a set of four DVDs designed to speed-shrink the waistline, burn away fat, and tone the abs without doing floor crunches or purchasing expensive equipment.  Through interactive instruction, Core Rhythms teaches three core movements essential to Latin dancing, and then expands them with step-by-step invigorating dance instruction in the Salsa, Samba and Merengue.  The starter pack includes A Full Workout; Quick Workout; Latin Dance Made Easy; and Kick Start DVDs, as well as a free seven-day Diet Guide with menu plans to ... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2005717 Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:00:00 +0100 2005717 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1998913&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F11%2F30%2Fhealthbolts-31-days-of-giveaways%2F I mentioned in the Healthbolt Holiday Gift Guide that it looked like the silly season was upon us - a time when everyone gets carried away buying presents for the nearest and dearest. Well, Healthbolt is going to go one better and start giving away a present everyday for the month of December. “Why?” you say. “Why Not?” I reply. Thanks to some very generous and kind people out in there in cyberspace, I have put together a collection of mainly fitness goodies – DVDs and books, sneakers and socks, gadgets and toys- to giveaway. Here’s the plan… - Every evening for the next 31 days, there will be a new giveaway announced. - enter by leaving a comment and your email address. Entry will be disqualified without email. - each giveaway will run for 7 days. - winner will be contacted ... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1998913 Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:36:14 +0100 1998913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1914745&cid=t_287826_136_f&fid=35300&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.metastaticlivercancer.org%2F2008-10-29-cancer-treatment%2Flesly-is-losing-the-love-of-her-life-to-metastatic-liver-cancer%2F Lesly shares how she is living the last days together with the only love of her live who is suffering with metastatic liver cancer. She left her condolences in a comment at Patrick’s post who very recently lost his father due to metastatic liver cancer.   Thanks to the cancer stories you leave on our blog, people that go the same path don’t have to walk it alone.   Thanks Lesly, Patrick and all others for contributing to this website and as such contributing to the life of others!   Like you say Lesly, love indeed is a beautiful thing. It gives the motivation to do the things needed to be done when you take care of your loved one.   51 is way too young to go I find, be it due to cancer or any other disease.   Cherish the precious time together as long a... Metastatic liver cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1914745 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 07:57:26 +0100 1914745 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1782617&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F09%2F10%2Fhealth-wellness-theme-day-back-to-school-survival-guide%2F Theme Day once again guys, and this time the focus across the Health & Wellness channel is Back to School. We’ve got posts on everything from getting boys through puberty to nursing your baby at PTA meetings to dealing with juvenile diabetes at school and more. There’s something for everyone, so be sure to visit Grace at Kids Health Notes. Grace was good enough to host this month’s round-up (and she has a pretty sweet contest going on over there as well), so check it out. Of course, be sure to see the post below to check out our contribution - new research on antibacterial hand soaps. Hope your Back to School season is kicking off right! Share This (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1782617 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:55:29 +0100 1782617 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1782618&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F09%2F09%2Fguess-what-antibacterial-soap-is-not-all-that%2F As the kiddies head back to school (and back to scads of germ-acquiring opportunities) resist the urge to splurge on antibacterial soaps. Though the sheer impact of their title may make a weary parent squee with anticipation of heading off the beasties, antibacterial soaps are really no better than just plain soap and water. True, many brands claim superiority, but the fact of the matter is that most of these drugstore soaps do not contain enough of the active ingredient triclosan to make them effective. In fact, in studies, families who used antibacterial soaps averaged the same number of germs on their mitts as those who lathered up with the old standby soap and water. Lesson? Stick with plain old soap, but remember to wash often and well. This has been your Healthbolt Easy Health Tip o... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1782618 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 01:35:44 +0100 1782618 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1773151&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34706&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdeborahserani.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F09%2Fworld-suicide-awareness-day-is.html Suicide is responsible for almost one million deaths every year.Another way to look at this is how Dr. Catherine Le Galès-Camus, from the World Health Organization , describes the rate of suicide each year: "Worldwide, more people die from suicide than from all homicides and wars combined."Those statistics always astonish me. Maybe because many who commit suicide let us know in ways, subtle and overt, of their intentions. Click here for warning signs you can learn about. Then there are others like 9/11 Survivor Kenny Johannemann - who spiral into the depths of depression, and just leave this world without giving anyone notice. (Trigger alert for the linked story)It will be 25 years since my dear friend killed herself, and it still continues to linger in my life in a haunting way. If you k... Dr. Deborah Serani blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1773151 Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:15:00 +0100 1773151 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1742836&cid=t_287826_137_f&fid=35357&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAlzheimersNotes%2F%7E3%2FUCl54wQxLGM%2F AlzheimersNotes.com All this mention of lunch boxes in the giveaways we’re conducting at One Book Two Book brings to mind memories of my school days.  We used either a brown paper bag or metal lunch box.  (It seems metal lunch boxes are making somewhat of a come back.) That’s all that was available then. If we were fortunate, we got a new one when school started. (With four in the family needing lunch boxes, book bags, pencil boxes, and clothes, new lunch boxes weren’t always in Mother’s budget.) Many of these lunch boxes came with a thermos. (Occasionally Mother bought one separately.)  In these we usually carried milk. We didn’t have boxed juices and beverages, so either drank milk or water. Mother might put soup in the thermos on cold weather days. Attending a One-Room Sch... Alzheimer's Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1742836 Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:00:10 +0100 1742836 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1717134&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F08%2F19%2Fits-all-about-summer-fun-at-the-health-wellness-channel%2F Not sure about yours, but my calendar is saying that summer is (gasp!) almost over! And while the underlying excitement of autumn’s sites and smells, routine schedules and child-free moments helps soften the blow, it’s always hard to say goodbye to such a carefree time of year like summer, is it not? Well today you don’t have to. Because it’s Theme Day once again here at the b5 media Health & Wellness channel, and this month’s theme is all about eeking out that last bit of Summer Fun. Check out what our bloggers have to say: We at Healthbolt believe that you should be able to laugh a little about your health, and thus, would like to introduce you to the Laryngospasms. Enjoy. While it’s often difficult for Alzheimer’s caregivers to plan for sum... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1717134 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:54:11 +0100 1717134 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1807198&cid=t_287826_111_f&fid=38039&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsomedaynurse.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F08%2F07%2Fnursing-school-is-giving-me-diabetes%2F When I started school, I was bright and hopeful. I wanted to save the world one butt wipe at a time, and I thought my classmates felt the same way. Here I am, a year later, disheartened and disillusioned. I can count the number of people in my class I would trust on one hand. I am, however, glad I have this blog, and I have never once regretted keeping it. It has been both cathartic and connective for me. This is a place for celebration and confession, for clinical reflection and for collecting the random things I come across during this unique part of my life. I know that it has provided comfort (dare I say inspiration?) to those who struggle with many of the same issues I do. I have written of my experiences in general terms, but the only secrets I have ever revealed are my own.* Until t... How I Spent My Nursing Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1807198 Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:56:36 +0100 1807198 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1671636&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fthis-blog-is-number-37-in-top-100.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1671636 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:54:00 +0100 1671636 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1755243&cid=t_287826_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fdrinking-and-gambling-linked%2F Strong Link Between Problem Drinking and Gambling A new study reveals a strong link between alcohol dependency and gambling problems, Reuters reported Dec. 17. According to researchers at the Research Institute on Addictions at the University at Buffalo, N.Y., adults with an alcohol addiction are 23 times more likely to have a gambling problem than those who do not drink. "If you’re in trouble with alcohol, the odds you’re also in trouble with gambling increase enormously," said lead author Dr. John W. Welte. "Most of that correlation is that problem behaviors tend to cluster in the same people." The study also found factors that identified which racial and ethnic groups were more likely to have a gambling problem. "Gambling is more common among lower ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1755243 Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:16:54 +0100 1755243 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1652609&cid=t_287826_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fcoffee-may-help-alcoholics-quit-drinking%2F Vanderbilt study suggests coffee may help alcoholics quit drinking Not all recovering alcoholics smoke cigarettes, but almost all of them drink coffee, according to a new Vanderbilt study suggesting that healthy intake behaviors could help addicts kick their habit. The study, “Coffee and Cigarette Consumption and Perceived Effects in Recovering Alcoholics Participating in Alcoholics Anonymous in Nashville, Tenn.,” will be featured in the October print issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research (ACER). Study co-author Peter Martin, M.D., director of the Vanderbilt Division of Addiction Medicine, said Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) participants are reportedly notorious for their coffee drinking and cigarette smoking, but very little research has quantified their cons... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1652609 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:24:41 +0100 1652609 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1648977&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F07%2F23%2Fcelebrate-independence-this-month-across-the-health-and-wellness-channel%2F In case you didn’t get enough reading in with today’s Healthbolt Carnival, here’s some more for you. It’s Theme Day around the Health & Wellness Channel, and this month we’re all about independence. Check out what our fellow bloggers had to say: Gloria at Cancer Commentary gives us Freedom from Cancer- What does that really mean?… Speaking of freedom, in the context of cancer…what does freedom really mean? The definition varies from case to case, from person to person, from one’s perspective to another. Pink Ribbon Review blogger Karen Lynch recaps the dependent days that followed her double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in an essay about her personal independence day. Read her post here Kelly at Grounded Fitness has given us… Dec... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1648977 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:39:44 +0100 1648977 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1642748&cid=t_287826_137_f&fid=35357&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAlzheimersNotes%2F%7E3%2F341748652%2F AlzheimersNotes.com  Sometimes phrases will spark memories and enthrall the Alzheimer’s patient.  See if you can remember any they may have been mentioned about your patient’s childhood.  These may be outdated words and phrases, but they reflect the world where your patient currently resides. The Dog Days of Summer….this was an expression of my childhood during the lazy, hazy days of languid, humid heat and still seems to be a saying or description of this time of year from about July 3 to August 11.  I recall my mom mentioning this when we were in the midst of haying and canning and the weather was hottest in the Hudson River Valley of New York State. The term seems to go way back to mythology  and the conjunction of Sirus (called the “dog star”) a... Alzheimer's Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1642748 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:58:59 +0100 1642748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1631242&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fquotes-and-poems-heres-good-one_16.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1631242 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:04:00 +0100 1631242 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1625717&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fsummer-days-building-up-from-foundation.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1625717 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:37:00 +0100 1625717 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1531375&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F315713475%2F You’ve probably heard by now that autism will be part of the storyline of NBC’s Days of Our Lives, starting with the June 24th episode. Seems that All My Children has already mentioned autism. From TV Guide: It’s official: Leven Rambin, who for the past few years has starred on All My Children as both Lily, who has autism, and her wild-child sister, Ava (there’s always a look-alike, isn’t there?), is joining Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles as a series regular. Funny but in the past autistic children and wild/feral children were thought to be one and the same. Guess it’s time for a little soap opera therapy. Tags: all my children, asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, days of our lives, disabilities blog, disability, Family, family blog, Parenting, ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1531375 Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:22:59 +0100 1531375 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1531885&cid=t_287826_158_f&fid=36018&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcaregiversbeacon.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2F30-days-in-wheelchair-on-hulucom.html Caregivers can understand the perspective of those who spend life in a wheelchair by watching "30 Days in a Wheelchair" on Hulu.com. NFL player Ray Crockett spends 30 days in a wheelchair, experiencing the adaptations needed for daily living. As he gets ready to start on the first day he is advised that he'll learn to have an appreciatiion for the frustration that is felt when someone spends so much time "looking at everyone's belt buckle" and he'll find that often people won't make eye contact because they are uncomfortable. The program focuses on spinal cord injuries but the insights about life using a wheelchair will apply for others as well.Ray starts at the Baylor Rehabilitation Institute. He is advised that people will choose to make eye contact with his wife if she is standing nearb... The Caregiver's Beacon - Resources, Links, Ideas, News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1531885 Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:09:00 +0100 1531885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1526103&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F06%2F17%2Fits-theme-day-at-the-hw-channel-schools-out-yall%2F Image details: Sunbed served by picapp.com For lots of us, June means one thing: School’s Out. Which could be a good thing…or not so much. Doesn’t matter how we feel, this time of year seems to come whether we want it to or not. And thus, it is the center of this month’s Theme Day here across the b5media Health & Wellness Channel. Gloria of Cancer Commentary has been so kind as to host this month’s round-up, full of tips and tricks to get you through the months ahead. You know the bloggers here at this channel always have plenty to say - and this month is no exception. Hope on over and give Gloria a hearty Howdoyado, and check out what we’re all flapping our gums about this month. Enjoy…and Happy Summer! Tags: Healthbolt, Summer ActivitiesShar... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1526103 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:19:17 +0100 1526103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1516440&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fwhat-will-tory-leadership-do-with-david.html Dr Crippen speculates here.My ageing Greek friend gives an outstanding analysis of the superficial and judgmental way the main stream media (and in particular the biased BBC) has so far covered the resignation:This is the only way to draw attention to the erosion of our liberties, he’s saying; the only way to force a public debate on the issues, because media coverage is so superficial; in the age of 24-hour news, it’s all about what happened earlier and what happens next, and almost never about what’s actually happening.Mr E (Source: NHS Blog Doctor) NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1516440 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:35:00 +0100 1516440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1512112&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fdavid-davis-on-liberty.html Thank God for David Davis.His speech could and should have been made in the House of Commons. It is a disgrace that the Speaker should decline to let him make the speech in the Commons. Yes, the issue was discussed yesterday, but when one of the most prominent English politicians, the shadow Home Secretary no less, resigns both his office and his seat in the House of Commons, he should be heard in the House of Commons. Michael Martin is the embodiment of partisan mediocrity and so perhaps we should not be surprised at his decision.What is David Davis complaining about?The most intrusive identity card system in the worldA CCTV camera for every 14 citizens a DNA database bigger than in any dictatorship, with 1000s of innocent children and a million innocent citizens on it.An assault on jur... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1512112 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:14:00 +0100 1512112 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1508601&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35448&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseemedlikeagoodideathetime.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F06%2F10%2Fdimestore-d%2F ~My Hair Turned Orange & My General Practitioner Advised Me to Become a Slut …all in the same day~ Yeah-pull my hair baby-just not too hard, it’s been through a lot…it may come right out. This story is old now-a lot has happened since. My hair is now “throw dimes at me blonde”, I have had another lawn accident [...] (Source: bipolar chicks blogging) bipolar chicks blogging blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1508601 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:42:18 +0100 1508601 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1500420&cid=t_287826_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fmultiple-sclerosis%2Flife-with-ms%2Fthe-impact-a-good-window-has-on-your-ms%2F Our recent move allowed for many positive changes in our life. First, of course was the increase of space. My old place was great for Sadie and I, but once Caryn (my fiancée) moved in with her dog Stella, well…three rooms and a bath just didn’t make the cut. Second, an old friend from North Carolina has a great saying; “Three moves is as good as a fire.” Moving gives one a chance to sort, separate and sling. We were able to pare down some of our stuff and that’s always a good feeling. Finally, and the point of this post, is the ability to rearrange the furniture. My desk (I mean “our” desk, see Caryn, I’m learning) is facing a window into the back garden. It’s a nice yard with a very tall hedge row of cedars in the back, wonderful flowering bushes and a prodigiously prod... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1500420 Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:59:56 +0100 1500420 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1497534&cid=t_287826_136_f&fid=35300&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.metastaticlivercancer.org%2F2008-06-06-cancer-treatment%2Fkayes-metastatic-liver-cancer-story%2F Kaye shares here metastatic liver cancer story below commenting on Kristen’s cancer story. Please share your cancer stories, as they will help others: coping with the drastic change that occurs in your daily life due to cancer knowing that they are not alone and can ask us Thanks for sharing Kaye! Kaye’s Cancer Story I feel so much for what you and your family are going through Kristen. I went through the diagnosis and dying period of my husband Kim in a state of shock and the period where he withdrew was so hard as we were like one in life. I reckon if a cancer can enter your families’ life as unforeseen and uninvited as it has then there is every possibility that a miracle can as well. It just wasn’t the case for my Kim and he left us soooo quickly. Kim was not af... Metastatic liver cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1497534 Fri, 06 Jun 2008 07:22:32 +0100 1497534 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1466825&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fhow-not-to-stop-smoking.html As readers of NHS BLOG DOCTOR will be only too well aware, I am a curmudgeonly, cantankerous old bugger at times. There is nothing more likely to reduce me to rage than a patient leaving a chitty from a “health care professional” instructing me to prescribe nicotine substitutes. Lots of reasons for my anger.  First and foremost, I am not going to be told what to do by an unqualified HCP. Secondly, most HCPs are not allowed to prescribe, and for good reason, and the ones who are so allowed are dangerous. The way things are going soon they will all be allowed to prescribe independently. So be it. I will not be responsible for their actions - and don’t say I didn’t warn you about the dangers.  Thirdly, I object to the taxpayer having to underwrite the substantial cost of nicotine su... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1466825 Sat, 24 May 2008 20:21:00 +0100 1466825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1466308&cid=t_287826_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fthe-promises-of-drinking-or-drugging%2F The Promises…of Alcohol and Drug Addiction If we are casual with this phase of our development, we will be drunk before we are halfway through. We are going to know a new imprisonment and a new misery. We will relive the past and won’t be able to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word CONFLICT and we will know PAIN. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we’ll sink even lower. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will deepen. We will gain interest in selfish things and lose interest in our fellows. Self esteem will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will SUCK. Fear of people, and of economic insecurity will multiply. We will intuitively know how to run from situations which never used to bother us. We will suddenly realize that God... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1466308 Sat, 24 May 2008 12:13:05 +0100 1466308 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1446016&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F05%2F16%2Fmy-pick-healthbolts-top-5-posts%2F I suddenly realized that Liberty and I have just passed our 5 month anniversary as Healthbolt bloggers. Wow, how time flies when you’re having fun. And it is fun. Getting to research and post on all the interesting, informative, bizarre, and oddball health and medical things is like a dream come true… I did some maths and five months working on ‘the Bolt’ equates to around 250 posts between us. That’s a whole lot of words. My choice for Top 5 Posts… Doing a Hasselhoff…new medical slang and it’s companion piece Pumpkin Positive - more medical slang would be my all time favorite post to write. I simply laughed my way through it. On the other hand, it was tears and laughter when writing Randy Pausch’s ‘The Last Lecture’ Revisit... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1446016 Fri, 16 May 2008 11:52:25 +0100 1446016 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1439521&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F05%2F12%2Fdepression-doesnt-play-favorites-an-exclusive-interview%2F Tomorrow is theme day once again here at the b5media Health & Wellness channel and this month is all about depression. Not a sunny topic, I know, but one that is vitally important and has most likely touched each and every one of us in some way or another. Thus, I am so honored to have been able to interview Tristram Hussey, our very own blogger training extraordinaire. Tris has been suffering with depression for many years and has some incredibly valuable insight to share regarding diagnosis, treatment, triggers and more. Tris’s hope is that if this interview helps even one person see a doctor for treatment, we have accomplished something great. Indeed, Tris. And now, the interview: 1. Depression is often considered a quiet disease or one that many folks live with for quite som... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1439521 Tue, 13 May 2008 02:04:08 +0100 1439521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1413381&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34706&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdeborahserani.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fmay-health-awareness-days.html There are many country and worldwide Health Awareness Days in May. It is easy to overlook medical conditions and/or environmental issues as contributing to one's mental health. So for greater emotional well being, take the time to understand your unique relationship with your mind, body and environment. (Source: Dr. Deborah Serani) Dr. Deborah Serani blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1413381 Thu, 01 May 2008 15:30:00 +0100 1413381 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1393710&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F04%2F23%2Fhealth-wellness-channel-theme-day-all-about-cancer%2F Today is theme day here at the Health & Wellness Channel. And what a better way to celebrate our channel’s name change than a round-up post from our mega-talented group of bloggers? This month’s theme, while not exactly chipper, is vitally important. All the posts listed in today’s Theme Day Round-Up are focused on cancer: What causes it, new methods of diagnosing it, how to live with it, etc. The information is thorough, fantastic and very insightful. Do give it a look. A special thanks to Marijke at the phenomenal Help My Hurt . She was the lucky blogger in charge of corralling all of our Cancer-themed posts for this month. Great job, Marijke, and great job to everyone all across the b5media Health & Wellness Channel. Tags: b5media Health & Wellness Theme ... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1393710 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:08:40 +0100 1393710 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1368008&cid=t_287826_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fbreast-cancer%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fmy-dentist-rules-out-oral-cancer%2F This Tuesday I went for a root canal on a back molar. Since I was 12 years old, I haven’t had a new cavity because of my deathly fear of dentists; I was determined never to get another filling. I started having a problem with one of the old fillings in September of 2007, but after antibiotics and pain medication the problem subsided. I kind of tried to live with it but that changed when the toothache returned with a vengeance and I knew it was time to give in and get to a dentist for the root canal. Well, it was almost pleasant! Honestly, the dentist was amazing and entertaining all at once, so my fears were completely unfounded. Dr. Zuroff even got excited about the anatomy of my tooth which he said was cool and invited his father, who is in practice with him to view my peculiar roots. ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1368008 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:15:03 +0100 1368008 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1361281&cid=t_287826_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fbreast-cancer%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fanother-day-with-chemo-brain%2F I have blogged often on chemo brain, and I was reading a recent comment on an old blog where a reader stated that after several years she is convinced that chemo brain doesn’t go away. That got me to thinking about my own struggle with the effects of chemo brain like absentmindedness, not remembering words while I’m talking and a feeling of disconnection from my own brain. These are still prevalent effects. Even though my brain still works and I am learning new things by taking college courses, the impaired memory and stuck-on-a -thought incidences still linger. Some days, I actually feel completely disconnected from my brain and that I am just acting on instinct. What if it never goes away? In fact, what if my thinking it is getting better is only because I have learned to live with m... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1361281 Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:24:17 +0100 1361281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1344104&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34706&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdeborahserani.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fapril-awareness-days.html April 2 2008 is World Autism Awareness Day . For a list of world-wide organizations participating in the project, click hereApril is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The theme for 2008 highlights the need for employers to recognize signs for when the workplace may become an unhealthy environment. For more click hereWorld Health Day is on April 7 2008. This year's focus is on the need to protect health from the adverse effects of climate change. Check this out for more. (Source: Dr. Deborah Serani) Dr. Deborah Serani blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1344104 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:07:00 +0100 1344104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1338058&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fsome-decadent-days.html We went to my brother's house in Leitrim for Easter. Lady and Thomas played with their cousins, Lady mostly played up with 6 year old C. and Thomas with 4 year old E. They get on really well together. Duncan preferred to ride a trike around outside. He had a notion to buy a toy bow and arrow (or "boanarro" as he wrote on his first trial on Google) and didn't really accept my explanation that toy shops are closed on Easter Sunday. Well, copious quantities on chocolate helped settle everyone, and we adults enjoyed good food, a few drinks and much chat.Lady and Thomas stayed for 3 extra nights with their cousins, which was, by all accounts, a very successful event. They went swimming in a super duper, waves and slides pool, then they all won medals in some children's races at a 10k race my SI... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1338058 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:07:00 +0100 1338058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1311120&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fcensure-of-strangers.html It was Paddy's Day, which I don't much care about any more to be honest, but the steam train in Downpatrick would be running for the first time this year, so we jumped in the car and drove down.Since there was a parade in the town, we parked at the small station on the outskirts, and rode the train from there into town. We were just in time to board, paid our £20 return fare, (pretty steep for a pair of 6 minute journeys but it contributes to the upkeep and restoration of the museum) and took our seats for the journey. Duncan and Thomas stood by the open window all the way, blinking at the smoke a few times, and starting at the loud whistle.In town, the parade was just about to start. Gordon stood with Thomas and Lady to watch, and I walked up and down the pavement behind the crowds with ... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1311120 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:26:00 +0100 1311120 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1304938&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F03%2F14%2Fits-all-about-nutrition-today-across-the-channel%2F It’s theme day across the b5 Science & Health Channel, and the health-tastic Ruth over at Eating Fabulous was good enough to piece together the best of the best in nutrition posts. You’ll find a little bit of everything (including one from yours truly). So if you’re in the mood for blog-hopping about all things nutrition, this is your day. Enjoy! Tags: Nutrition, Theme DaysShare This (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1304938 Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:43:51 +0100 1304938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1300364&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fday-with-autism.html I have breakfast early with Gordon before he goes to work. As usual, Thomas is the first of the children to rise, but then, he's always first to fall asleep too. After I've opened their curtains and hassled them both a bit, Lady and Duncan manage to drag themselves out of bed at 8.30 or so. They have breakfast, then Thomas goes to play The Simpsons Wii game, which he desperately wants to finish; he's going well too. Lady heads upstairs to get dressed and tidy her room, then she has to feed her guinea pigs. Duncan settles in front of the PC to watch YouTube films (mostly Noddy) and to play Roller Coaster Tycoon. He's getting very good at it now, and designs all his own coasters rather than using the pre-set selections. While they're occupied, I tidy up and do a few chores. For the rest of t... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1300364 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:20:00 +0100 1300364 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1270481&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34706&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdeborahserani.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fmarch-mental-health-awareness-days.html Here are some notable Awareness Days in March. And here's to wishing you all good mental health.March 1st: Self Injury Awareness Day Australia, Canada, NZ, UK & USMarch 3rd: National Social Work Week CanadaMarch 5th: National Sleep Awareness Week United StatesMarch 9th: International Women's DayMarch 9th: Gambling Addiction Awareness Week United StatesMarch 14th : World Brain Awareness Week March 26th: Mental Health Action Week United Kingdom (Source: Dr. Deborah Serani) Dr. Deborah Serani blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1270481 Sat, 01 Mar 2008 14:18:00 +0100 1270481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1255118&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F02%2Fhis-own-vision.html On Sunday morning, we went to the animal rescue centre to walk a dog, something we've done a few times now and which Lady in particular, just loves to do. Duncan wasn't in the mood. He was irritable and insisted on being carried, so I had to walk him back to the car while Gordon carried on with the other 2. It probably didn't help that he was dressed in shorts. He had utterly refused to wear long trousers. He's going through a Noddy phase, so besides the shorts he had on an orange top and a Santa hat; the closest approximation to a Noddy hat in the dressing up box.So he sat in the car listening to High School Musical songs on my MP3 player. He likes Get'cha Head in the Game best. I think he's going to be using this device more and more, as a nice way of blocking out excess information and ... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1255118 Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:44:00 +0100 1255118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1239302&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F02%2Fin-which-we-drive-and-party.html For much of Saturday, we were all in the car traversing the country in a south westerly direction. It was a beautiful, crisp day and somehow, amazingly, everybody was on great form despite the long journey. The clan was gathering to attend my nephew's christening. We arrived at the church about 10 minutes late, but after having travelled for over 150 miles, much of it on windy, narrow roads, that wasn't too bad...for us.Duncan expressed his desire to go directly to my aunt P's house (she has a nice cuckoo clock and his favourite little dog) about 100 times as we drove. I'd told him that we would go there another day (she lives about 100 miles from our destination), or later, or soon, though he tried hard to pin me down to giving him a more accurate and desirable response.As I'd expected, h... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1239302 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:02:00 +0100 1239302 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1237107&cid=t_287826_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fkey-to-solving-drinking-problems%2F Understanding alcohol abuse and alcoholism can be a key step in solving drinking problems Some people worry about their alcohol use but are not convinced that they need help. Friends or relatives might express their concern–"You have a drinking problem." But often that well-intentioned statement fails to define the issue or suggest a clear solution. To cut through the confusion, it helps to understand the difference between alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. Making this distinction can help you think clearly about a "drinking problem"–and allow you or a loved one to get the kind of help that makes a difference. Alcohol dependence–often called "alcoholism"–is only one potential complication of drinking. Alcohol abuse can disrupt liv... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1237107 Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:48:19 +0100 1237107 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1231890&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F02%2Fgroups-and-classes.html Lady takes piano lessons on Mondays, on Wednesdays she and Thomas have a gymnastics lesson one after the other and on Saturdays, they both attend Ju Jitsu. Right now, Duncan isn't going to any organised classes. I dropped the art class as it was too inflexible, very expensive, and clashed with Lady's gymnastics class meaning we had to leave early each week. So we do art at home.The gymnastics didn't work out for him either. He's just not ready to take instruction in that way. I'd love for him to try Ju Jitsu when he's older. I'll just have to see what he wants and is capable of.The 'Saturday club' for disabled children he went to twice, has been postponed indefinitely due to lack of funding and staff. It was only held once a month and it's disgusting that it can't be guaranteed; something ... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1231890 Thu, 14 Feb 2008 07:57:00 +0100 1231890 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1220031&cid=t_287826_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fi-drank-too-much-with-wrong-effect%2F When I was drinking it was simply terrible. I was playing the drums with a group of mates and a bottle of port was passed around. I would have been about 16 years old and still at high school. A girl who had shown interest and I was interested in her came around to hear our music (such as it was). I went up to her and talked for a bit and then told her I was drinking. She shrugged her shoulders as if to say ‘So what?’ and walked off. I was not bothered and took another swig at the bottle. When I look back that was a sign of things to come. On that occasion I distinctly preferred drinking to a relationship with a girl. The next time I drank I had a blackout. The same mates and we were at a beach party. I remember the early part of the night, then nothing until I found myself v... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1220031 Sat, 09 Feb 2008 13:23:59 +0100 1220031 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1197948&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F02%2Flooking-back.html I would have never thought four years ago I would be where I am now.  I remember those cold homeless mornings so vividly.  I would crawl out of my tent to a frost covered world as I got a fire started.  Freezing cold, I would stamp my feet on the ground to warm them.  I would immediately crack open a beer as I ate my usual gruel breakfast of grits or instant oatmeal.  Lunch time would find me drunk as a warming sun would rise high in the sky.  I remember that warmth vividly.  A nap would follow in my tent and more drinking would earnestly start in the afternoon.  Nightfall would find me three sheets to the wind.  I discovered homeless blogs then.  I would sneak over to my deceased grandmother's house every night to use the computer.  ... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1197948 Sun, 03 Feb 2008 18:09:00 +0100 1197948 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1188651&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fanxious-days.html We headed off to W5 (cool science play and exploration place) yesterday with a few other HE families. The children enjoyed their day out. Thomas was so excited when he woke, wanting to leave immediately to see his best friend J. whom we haven't seen for a while. While there, I stayed by Duncan as he explored where and when he wanted, while Thomas and Lady hung out with their friends and the other families. Occasionally our paths crossed. Duncan enjoyed filming himself in front projected images of a hurricane or volcano. Mostly, he pretended to be flung around by the 'wind' but he kept breaking into song; Kooks by David Bowie, as heard on his picture video. He doesn't get the pronunciation quite right, but what he's singing is instantly recognisable. He particularly likes the lines,'And if ... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1188651 Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:09:00 +0100 1188651 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1185674&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34706&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdeborahserani.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fjanuary-is-national-mentoring-month.html Many of us have become the person we are with the help and guidance from others. It is National Mentoring Month - a time for us to reflect on those special individuals who took an interest in us.I've had great mentors in my life. Interestingly, most have all been teachers. I was so grateful for their interest, their wisdom and their generosity. Through them, I learned to believe in myself and found my own unique way in the world. Being a role model, big sister or mentor has been a very meaningful experience for me as well.I'm gonna head over to Halllmark - where there are these free mentor ecards - and send a slew out!Pass it on. (Source: Dr. Deborah Serani) Dr. Deborah Serani blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1185674 Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:25:00 +0100 1185674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1181851&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35455&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoapywater.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fin-real-life-i-really-do-say-dude-this.html Question: Gee, Molly, you've been notably absent from the internets lately. I mean, you've been logging in to facebook to play scrabble and whatnot, but no blog posts. What gives?Answer: Dude. So much is going on. Too much, in fact.Question: Like what? A fabulous vacation? A new hunky love interest?Answer: No, dude. It's like I've traveled back in time to that one time The Kid was going to hospital school and my mom had eye surgery. Remember? I'm saying this because these exact things are going on right now. Again.Question: Dude.Answer: I know! But, apart from my mom and her retinal detachment (which we believe is going to be fine, she's just not seeing all that well yet, so we've moved house and home and cat over to her house to make her coffee and clean her house and wrestle in her bathr... Soapy Water blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1181851 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 02:52:00 +0100 1181851 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1181600&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fgot-till-it-gone.html There was a homeless man at tonight's AA meeting.  He was scared, had been drinking, and didn't know what to do.  He used his time to speak tonight to ask for help.  Several people came to his aid after the meeting.  I spared him my information about Clara and the Rescue Mission.  AA people do take care of their own. It made me think tonight how lucky I have it, even though I might bitch and moan about not having a job and financial independence. I have Maggie and Rosa and they are both healthy. I have my own health these past few weeks.  I have a home. I have plenty of food my mother buys for me. I have warmth. I have a very reliable car that should last me for many years. I have plenty of furniture including a soft bed. I have a reliable computer and steady ... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1181600 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:33:00 +0100 1181600 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1179614&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fmission-of-mercy.html Ferret asked me this morning to drive him down to Perlis truck stop for a shower.  I think the shower cost $7 dollars he said.  It was a long drive down the interstate without my radio as it says I need to enter a code to get it to work (some anti-theft bullshit).  They unhooked the battery when they changed the locks on my car.  I suspect I will have to take it to the dealership and fork out moolah to get it fixed. Ferret looked like a new man after a shower and shave.  I dropped him off at the laundromat in town so he could launder the clothes in a big black plastic trash bag he was totting around.  "I am still going to get a home," he told me fiercely as he got out of my car. "Keep talking like that and you will," I replied as I bid him goodbye. I drove off... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1179614 Sat, 26 Jan 2008 20:43:00 +0100 1179614 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1155946&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35448&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseemedlikeagoodideathetime.com%2F2008%2F01%2F16%2Fwasted-days-and-wasted-nights%2F Not the kind of wasted that is fun, either. For about the last month or so (or maybe year or so), I just can’t get my ass in gear to do the things that need done. I get up in the morning with big plans to do this and that. But, soon, I’m diverted to something else….usually something that I just want to do. Needed things are just not getting attention around here. I start them or piddle with them a bit, then….off to something else. Lately, I’ve been fooling around with pictures and posting them to Flickr. Just my latest obession that will die a sudden death one day. I went up to my office yesterday fulling intended to clean out old business files and start organizing stuff for taxes. Instead, here is what I did…….     (Sat. Dance at the Old Folks... bipolar chicks blogging blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1155946 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:54:03 +0100 1155946 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1146121&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Flaughable-at-best.html Listening to Coast to Coast AM this morning out of Portland, Oregon as I drink my coffee and smoke cigars.  George Noory has on someone who claims to build time machines and sells them.  I couldn't help but smile at the amount of bullshit being bantered about. I can imagine George trying hard to keep a straight face as this guy talks and George has heard it all.  I know he wants to burst out laughing.  I went for another long walk this morning.  I just haven't been able to sleep at night lately -- mainly the early mornings.  This afternoon will find me curled up in the bed with Maggie sleeping no doubt.  I did stop by my favorite convenience store this morning for some hot chocolate, and heard some disheartening news about Ferret. "I had to quit serving y... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1146121 Sat, 12 Jan 2008 11:36:00 +0100 1146121 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1139680&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fstorms-pass-life-goes-on.html The storms last night came in with a whimper by the time they reached Eastern Alabama.  We didn't even get much rain.  I was relieved for Ferret's sake.  I walked down to the shopping center this morning to check on him.  He was no worse for wear. "My mother is buying me a tent," Ferret told me after I had sat awhile. "I talked to her today." "Why don't you move in with your mother?" I asked. "I'm not moving in with that alcoholic bitch," he replied. Alcoholism tens to run in families and Ferret's is one of the best examples.  According to Ferret, his grandmother was a severe alcoholic and so is his mother.  I've met Ferret's mother once and she was drunk out of her gourd.   I don't blame Ferret for not wanting to live with her as he has done in the ... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1139680 Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:46:00 +0100 1139680 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1138068&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F01%2F08%2Fwhats-the-scoop-across-the-science-and-health-channel%2F Big things are going on these days at the Science & Health Channel. What’s the good word? Well hey, thanks for asking. Today is Theme Day channel-wide, and this time we’re celebrating all kinds of wacky and fantastic New Year’s Resolutions. So if you’re a bit of a procrastinator and are still looking to make some resolutions, check out these links to get some great ideas! And if you’re looking to win something, we have two contests going on within our channel as well. Nah, there’s not one here, but Ali has one at Daily Tomorrow and so does Tony over at Astronomy Buff. Both of them have outstanding prizes, so be sure to hop on over and enter to win. Also, don’t forget to vote on whether or not you think food packaging should be made more black ... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1138068 Wed, 09 Jan 2008 04:07:48 +0100 1138068 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1122524&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2007%2F12%2F30%2Fman-with-bipolar-uses-youtube-to-document-ect-experiences%2F In the videos, the man, Dale Shankins, describes his illnesses and various treatments he has tried over the past eleven years to deal with his Bipolar disorder. Prior to this year, Dale says he has had about thirty ECT sessions over the course of his illness and feels that overall it has been the most beneficial of all the treatments he has tried. I watched several of Dale’s videos and found the majority of them to be pretty informative. For example, in the day two video Dale talks about how the ECT of today is different from the ECT of the past and about how ECT is negatively portrayed in the media and movies such as “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. Also in the day two video; Dale describes exactly how ECT is delivered today and how he feels after the treatments. Mr. Shankins ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1122524 Mon, 31 Dec 2007 03:54:35 +0100 1122524 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1100233&cid=t_287826_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2F201801601%2F Fa-la-la-la-la…la-la-la-la……. The holidays are here and with them comes stress, anxiety and overall worry. Did I get all the shopping done? Have I finished the cookies? Did I send the cards out yet? “I forgot my cousin twice removed from my step fathers side of the family- he needs a gift!!!!!!!” Yup- that pretty much sums it up-the holidays blow in and out like a flash of light. It is hard sometimes to stop and think about what the true meaning is and to not get caught up in the hub bub! And what 2 days of the year do you think have the highest incidences of heart attacks and heart related deaths? I’m sure you guessed it… The two riskiest days of the year for heart-related deaths Dec.25 and Jan. 1. Christmas and New Year’s, it appears, can l... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1100233 Mon, 17 Dec 2007 19:29:59 +0100 1100233 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1096132&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2007%2F12%2F14%2Fthe-greatest-holiday-lists-youll-ever-read-b5-science-health-style%2F What a fun and successful theme day we had yesterday all across the Science & Health Channel. In case you missed any of it, here’s the rundown of our lists of holiday tips, suggestions and thoughts. There’s tons of funny and helpful stuff in there, so have at it - it’s our gift to you! Angela at Breastfeeding 1-2-3 started our theme day off today with her very witty and I mean witty, post, Top 10 Funny Breastfeeding Slogans. Kristina at Autism Vox gave us a very endearing look into her personal life with Top 10 Reasons Life Is Better With Charlie. Scott at Health and Men posted a helpful Five Gifts For The Fitness Freak. Ten Ways To Celebrate (And Help) This Holiday was given to us thankfully by Gabrielle at Fertility Notes. Alicia at Mental Health Notes gave a great... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1096132 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:44:45 +0100 1096132 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1093048&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2007%2F12%2F13%2Ftop-reasons-to-have-more-sex-this-holiday-season%2F Baby, it’s cold outside. Let’s hit the sheets! ‘Tis the season for trimming the tree, eating cookies, giving gifts, and…sex. Yeah, that’s right. Sex. Here at the Science & Health channel, it’s theme day today. Channel-wide, we’re giving you the tips and tricks you need to be at the top of your game this season. But you know at Healthbolt we can’t do things all status quo, so we’ve decided to give this theme a frisky spin and supply you with plenty of reasons to hit the sheets a bunch more this season (as if you needed any more ammunition, eh?) So…here we go: Beat holiday weight gain with some physical activity - Yes, ladies and germs, doing the horizontal mambo can burn about 150 cals per 30 minutes. That’s about one g... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1093048 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:59:32 +0100 1093048 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1070955&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fadolescence.html I've known a lot of homeless people.  Ferret and Clara come to mind as the most pertinent examples.  There seems to be common themes.  Substance abuse and/or mental illness are the most glaring causes of homelessness.  I was homeless mainly because I was an alcoholic who couldn't get sober no matter how hard I tried.  I lived to drink and lived for the next drink.  I couldn't afford rent with my drinking problem when confronted with my paltry income.  I made a conscious choice to be drunk and homeless, than sober with a home. Another thing I have noticed with homelessness, is the petulant and childlike qualities a homeless person will exhibit.  It is as if they never grew up.  I've been reading The Homeless Guy for years and it never ceases to a... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1070955 Wed, 05 Dec 2007 12:47:00 +0100 1070955 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1065862&cid=t_287826_136_f&fid=35299&url=http%3A%2F%2F500miles2nowhere.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fid-like-to-teach.html Lying here thinking I should go to sleep. Was just reading a few other bloggers and happened upon Schmutzie... This piece. It brings back some pretty interesting memories of my days in lessons on the Organ. With Mrs. F.Oh yeah. Good times.That's about all I wanted to say. It just seemed like it was time to update around here. Since somebody had gotten too busy to write or something. (Source: Keri - Still Running/Walking for a Reason!) Keri - Still Running/Walking for a Reason! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1065862 Mon, 03 Dec 2007 05:12:00 +0100 1065862 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1062733&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34706&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdeborahserani.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fdecember-world-awareness-days.html Lots of awareness days in December.December 1st is World AIDS DayThis global awareness day was established by the World Health Organization in 1988 to focus attention on the HIV andAIDS. Leadership" is the theme for 2007 - with the slogan "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise."December 3rd is International Day of Disabled PersonsThe annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. December 5th is International Volunteers DayThis is a time when we stop to thank those who v... Dr. Deborah Serani blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1062733 Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:07:00 +0100 1062733 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1054806&cid=t_287826_111_f&fid=34725&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnursesean.com%2F%3Fp%3D572 It’s a cold, winter day here. Snow fell overnight and stuck nicely to the ground. The dog won’t stop barking every time the snowblower drives past our apartment window. As a nice tribute to this weather, I have changed to a nice winter theme on my blog.I’m having a great week that has involved many exciting new things. Thanks to my new twelve-hour shift rotation, I frequently have several days off in a row. Right now, I’m smack dab in the middle of seven days off. I have taken this time to work on many projects. First of all, of course, I’ve been continuing on with my critical care nursing certificate. I’m still on the physiology course, and have two more tests to go. I got over the two biggest challenges: the massive and complex cardiac unit, and the (i... Nurse Sean blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1054806 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:30:58 +0100 1054806 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1047542&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fscreams-of-mental-illness.html I was on the phone with Joyce. I had just finished a volley of emails when the phone rang. I extinguished my cigar and picked up the phone. "Hey, neighbor," was the excited greeting. "Hey there, neighbor," I replied. Joyce wanted to know all about Maggie and told me what they had been concentrating on in therapy. "Joyce, what are your main symptoms?" I asked her in a moment of seriousness after our conversation had settled down. "I think everybody is watching me. Even the walls," she replied. "If I scream, they go away. They quit watching me." "Well, the screaming scares people," I told her. "I know it scares me. I think something is terribly wrong with you." "I know everybody just thinks I am crazy as shit," she replied. "I woke up last night screaming and they gave me an injection of a s... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1047542 Fri, 23 Nov 2007 21:11:00 +0100 1047542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1015809&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fhouse-of-fun.html We went to an indoor play centre yesterday early in the afternoon. The only other children there were aged 2 to 5, since most of the older children would have been at school. Duncan was playing in his favourite part which is designed for 1 to 3 year olds, but since there were no little ones there at the time he was OK. That section has a nice slide, but the slide in the other section is much too scary for him. He was singing to himself; 'Welcome to the House of Fun' by Madness. It's the soundtrack for one of his beloved roller coaster videos.Two boys aged 4 or 5 joined Duncan. They were playing with the foam blocks, and Duncan approached them. He laughed and imitated them in their game of jumping onto the blocks. The boys looked at me and whined that he was ruining their game. I just asked... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1015809 Fri, 09 Nov 2007 10:58:00 +0100 1015809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=993237&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F177601837%2F Days of screams and headbangs are over is the title of an article in the October 31st Scotsman about now-15-year-old James Paton. Paton was 11 when he was diagnosed with autism and began to attend the Daldorch School, which was created by the National Autistic Society Scotland. James’s parents, Daniel and Bernadette Paton, credit the school with helping their son undergo a “remarkable transformation”: The walls are painted in neutral shades without posters and the windows have opaque glass to prevent children becoming over-stimulated or distracted, while doors and cupboards are made from reinforced materials to prevent damage from violent behaviour. Mrs Paton, 46, from Newmilns in East Ayrshire, said she and husband, Daniel, 48, would not be able to cope with James withou... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=993237 Wed, 31 Oct 2007 08:48:22 +0100 993237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=961706&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F10%2Ftrajectories.html We went with my brother and his girlfriend to a Thai restaurant on Friday night and had a lovely meal and loads of crack too. On Saturday, we all accompanied the boys to a once-a-month club for children with disabilities, run by the Barnardo's charity. While I was talking to the project leader and watching Duncan settle in, one of the staff came up and asked if we had been to Fanad in Donegal during August. We had, and I remembered meeting her on the beach as she'd been out with her mum walking their dog. (Duncan had spotted their dog, and I had hastily gone to intervene if necessary. Duncan had been alternately running up to the dog, then squealing and running away. The dog was a bit spooked, she was quite a nervous animal. I had helped Duncan to calmly stoke her before he went off. I exp... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=961706 Thu, 18 Oct 2007 20:14:00 +0100 961706 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=945367&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F10%2Fwho-what-where-when-why-and-wow.html We all headed off to one of our favourite places yesterday, W5, named for the 1st 5 'W' words in the post title. As Thomas announced, 'all the things here were invented by scientists.' We met with a few other HE families and had a fantastic day out. There's so much to investigate and the children all love it.They have an area where you can record a weather report in front of a blue screen. You choose your background; either a TV studio or on-location footage of a hurricane or a volcano. There's a TV camera at the front and an auto-cue of the script. Lady enjoyed hamming it up, reading the script and pretending to be blown all over the place during a hurricane. Duncan joined her, watching himself on the monitor and jumping around the place for the camera. They then watched the recording on ... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=945367 Fri, 12 Oct 2007 08:52:00 +0100 945367 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=939699&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34706&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdeborahserani.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F10%2Fworld-mental-health-day.html has been celebrated annually on the 10th of October since1992.This year's campaign is: Mental health in a changing world: The impact of culture and diversity.Culture can influence many aspects of mental health - including how individuals from a given culture communicate and manifest symptoms, coping style, the kind of family and community supports - and their willingness or reluctance in seeking treatment.The goal of World Mental Health Day is to address stigma and to show that mental illness is neurobiological - not a scarlett letter with which to be ashamed or a weakness of someone's character. And this year's theme highlights the importance of culture and diversity among us all.Here are a some worldwide links to check out:AfricaAsia Pacific RegionAustraliaCanadaIndiaIrelandNew ZealandR... Dr. Deborah Serani blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=939699 Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:49:00 +0100 939699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=932698&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F10%2Fcuckoo.html I bought a cuckoo clock yesterday. Duncan has had a thing about them for a while, ever since he saw my aunt's clock during a visit to her house. I have drawn loads of clocks, and he has Googled and YouTubed. His current favourite YouTube film is about a quilt-shop cuckoo clock. It's so funny watching him watching this film. It's not what most 7 year old boys would enjoy! When we headed out in the car last week, he directed me to take him to the Black Forest! Sadly, it's not quite in the neighbourhood.He drew a lovely cuckoo clock picture on cardboard and I helped him to cut it out and make a 3D model clock, with doors and a bird inside. In his Wednesday art class, they were making things from Fimo and Duncan opted to make a little bird for his cardboard cuckoo clock. Thomas made a green sn... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=932698 Sat, 06 Oct 2007 17:19:00 +0100 932698 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=918033&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F10%2Fmodel-boys-and-model-railways.html Thomas and Lady headed off to their jujitsu class on Saturday with my dad. Duncan and I picked them up when it ended. Duncan was attired in his over-sized 'Duplo train' T-shirt, Gordon's sunglasses, a top hat and carrying an umbrella. He looked very dapper. He'd not wanted to wear any trousers under the T-shirt, but I'd managed to persuade him that he'd feel to cold without them.On arrival at the leisure centre, I saw a sign advertising an American model railway exhibition. Well, we had to check that out. We piled into the hall, and it was like a dream come true to a train fan like Duncan. There were maybe 10 different model railways, all very elaborate and detailed. Loads of engines, track and carriages were on sale also. These were mostly the Hornby type; proper model stock, and costly t... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=918033 Mon, 01 Oct 2007 21:31:00 +0100 918033 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=889590&cid=t_287826_111_f&fid=34725&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnursesean.com%2F%3Fp%3D546 How could I not love the fact that I showed up for work, sniffling, coughing, dripping from my cold, only to discover I made a mistake and didn’t have to work. And by some miracle, we weren’t short-staffed. So, here I am, back at home to enjoy another night watching movies and reading blogs! Sweet! (Source: Nurse Sean) Nurse Sean blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=889590 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 05:11:24 +0100 889590 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=883765&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Ffarm-some-trips-and-thinking-in-pubs.html A few days ago, my dad called and asked to borrow Duncan for the day, as a travelling companion. I consented (obviously!) and they headed off for the day, to visit my aunt and others back home. Since I had only 2 children to look after, we decided to go out. A trip to the farm was the consensus decision. We had a nice time, and were all especially enamoured of a tiny Jack Russel puppy who was the last of the litter born to the farm dog to be re-homed. Lady loves all the animals; it's not a trait she's inherited from either her parents. Thomas preferred the playground so we played there for a while. We walked about and they loaded my pockets with black berries.Duncan returned, having had a grand day out with his Granada. He's had an ice-cream cone, and a new toy car (the Fat Controller's ca... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=883765 Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:00:00 +0100 883765 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=876140&cid=t_287826_134_f&fid=36049&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FDiabetesNotes%2F%7E3%2F157604158%2F Well, I am back. I apologize, I haven’t been around for a few days. My middle daughter had surgery late last week and we have been nursing a hurtin’ little 5 year old back to “healthy”. She’s almost there. Kids sure do bounce back quicker than adults, don’t they? There hasn’t been much out there in the way of “new news” either. I did see an updated report on the drug Avandia. The study out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine reports that there is an increased risk of heart attack by 42 percent and a doubled risk of heart failure with long term use of the diabetic drug. Science Daily is reporting that the there has been a third abnormality found in the link between obese patients and type 2 diabetics. Apparently, neurons in our ... Diabetes Notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=876140 Mon, 17 Sep 2007 13:41:38 +0100 876140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=856709&cid=t_287826_109_f&fid=34706&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdeborahserani.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Fencephalon-31.html I became fascinated with the brain and brain behavior at a young age.I recall sitting in front of the television console watching the Star Trek episode, "Spock's Brain," and hearing one of the characters ask,"Brain brain, what is brain?"The phrase forever stuck, and here I am forty years later still asking that question.So without any further adieu, here is the 31st edition of the brain science blog carnival Encephalon .Fitbuff brings a fascinating post from the journal Science , in which two papers describe the first lab-induced out-of-body experiences. This begs the question: Are out-of-body experiences supernatural, or simply logical and explainable occurrences, resulting from neurological activity in the brain?Primate Diaries offers a truly interesting view on the evolution of Schizoph... Dr. Deborah Serani blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=856709 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:16:00 +0100 856709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=835497&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fbest-friends.html But to get back to what this blog is really all about, here's a little update on the family.First, on Monday, we said goodbye to M. the wonderful young woman who has been coming round almost very week for almost a year to play with Duncan and the others. She is starting full-time work as a primary school teacher. She had bought gifts for all 3 children (Underground Ernie engines for the boys- very much appreciated!) and had a lovely card for me, thanking me for inviting her into our home every week.It had been entirely our pleasure. She is a delightful, kind, fun and intelligent woman. Her class is lucky to have her as their teacher. She was so open to the children, always tried hard to engage Duncan and gained his love in return. She wanted to know a bit about autism to better help any au... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=835497 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 16:44:00 +0100 835497 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=830912&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2007%2F08%2F29%2Fnight-facts%2F Buenos Suenos The average person has between 4 and 6 dreams each night. Working the graveyard shift increases your risk of cancer! Right? Nope. A few studies in recent years linked the night shift to a higher risk for breast, colon and prostate cancers, but a recent review of 3.2 million people overturns the old findings. Working graveyard is still more dangerous than working during the day. Yep. Working the night shift increases your likelihood of hormonal imbalances, psychological distress, sleep disorders, cardiovascular disease, and gastrointestinal problems. Hormones most commonly affected: adrenaline, cortisol, testosterone, and melatonin. However, it appears that shift dissatisfaction may have as much or even more to do with subsequent health problems than actual disruptions caused ... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=830912 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 01:45:20 +0100 830912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=829952&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2007%2F08%2F29%2Fworst-alarm-clocks%2F Redundant, I know. Theme day alert here at the ‘bolt: Time We’ll begin our theme day’s horological festivities with the most annoying alarm clocks ever to defile a nightstand. Clocky: the alarm clock you play hide ‘n seek with. Stubbed toes increase circulation, and that wakes you up! Nooby: the alarm clock that verbally abuses you until you knock it around. This will not work. You have to wring Noobster’s neck. Escalation may be unhealthy, but at least you’ll be in a really bad mood every morning, and that’s all that counts. Kuku: the alarm clock that lays miniature eggs and crows until you put all its eggs in the basket. It’s fortuitous that Kuku’s chirp is pleasant, because when the dog eats one of her eggs, you’re goin... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=829952 Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:56:18 +0100 829952 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=802281&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fengines-caterpillars-and-falling-over.html I was talking with Duncan about Lady's birthday. I said, 'Lady is 9 now.''NO! Lady not 9, Lady is 5!''Oh, and how old is Duncan?'No answer'Is Duncan 7?''No, Duncan is 6.''And what about Thomas, what age is he...what number is he?'Thomas is 1. Daddy is 4 and Mummy is 2.'Then I got it. Duncan has assigned his own Thomas the Tank Engine names to everyone in the family, and a few friends and extended family members too, and he prefers to use our engine numbers, not our ages. Here's his version;Lady - James (no. 5)Duncan - Percy (no. 6)Thomas - Thomas (no. 1)me - Edward (no. 2)Gordon - Gordon (no 4)Grandma - The Fat Controller (no number!)Granda - Henry (no. 3)G. (my step-mum) - Diesel 10M. (NAS befriender) - Oliver the Great Western Engine (no 11)C. (my sister) - MavisIn fact, for any person I... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=802281 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 10:45:00 +0100 802281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=797978&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fbirthdays.html On Friday, Lady was 9. Yesterday, Gordon's mum was 80. It's been birthday season round here.Lady wanted to have her party on Saturday and have a family day on Friday. We all went for lunch at Mc's (her choice) then on to one of those indoor play centres. They scampered and climbed and jumped for an hour. Duncan really resisted going in at first, since we'd never been to that particular place before. I asked him if he wanted to just go in to watch Lady and Thomas, which he did. Then he saw a 'Tweenies' ride on toy, which he examined for a while, then a vending machine, reminding him of the vending machine on one of their PC learning games, since he repeated the dialogue about 'entering the exact change'. Soon he was off running, though he stopped every few minutes beside the vending machine... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=797978 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 11:35:00 +0100 797978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=797117&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F143842328%2F “‘Striking good hair days and bad hair days’”: That is how Harvard neuroscientist and Massachusetts General Hospital neurologist Martha Herbert suggests that certain environmental factors might “influence an autistic child’s health and mental state” in today’s Boston Globe. Herbert and a number of others researching possible connections between the environment and autism are quoted in the article, Under Suspicion: Researchers now believe that autism can be caused by genes in combination with environmental triggers. The question is, what are those triggers?, which also refers to the MARBLES (”markers of autism risk in babies-learning early signs”) study being conducted by the University of California at Davis M.I.N.D. Institute. As... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=797117 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:03:06 +0100 797117 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=789419&cid=t_287826_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fdisturb-denial%2F Breaking through denial is alcoholic’s first step in recovery Looking in the mirror and accepting what we see can be one of the hardest things we ever do. It’s especially hard when the image staring us in the face is painful or doesn’t fit with how we want to see ourselves. Sometimes, the truth is so painful that we avoid it at any cost. Refusing to accept a painful reality that alters the perception of ourselves is a psychological defense called denial. As human beings, we may use denial to protect ourselves from knowledge, insight or awareness that threatens our self-esteem, mental or physical health, or security. The term "denial" is often used in the chemical dependency field to describe people who deny substance abuse problems. "Denial is the tendency ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=789419 Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:11:03 +0100 789419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2609105&cid=t_287826_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2FJamesM%2F2007%2F07%2Funblind%2F this morning i was packing, preparing to leave amsterdam. i laid my things on the floor of my friend’s apartment and went through them, one by one. i wanted to rid myself of as many as i could. i am not sure if it is part of a larger lesson one learns while moving through an unfamiliar world, but each time i travel like this, or work like this, i do the same thing. i picked my way through, binning many. torn, frayed jeans, worn thin by a scrubbing stone. the sheaf of papers necessary for traveling in sudan. a broken skipping rope. i came to a black plastic bag and could not remember what it held. i opened it and pulled out two sandals. once black, they were now red with dust. they seemed from another time, ancient, an anachronism. i put them back in the bag then repacked them. i talk... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2609105 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 19:00:00 +0100 2609105 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2609106&cid=t_287826_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2FJamesM%2F2007%2F07%2Fcorner%2F so. it was like Maurizio said. the sights, the noises, the days that surrounded me so completely, they collapse. they collapse, but they don’t disappear. it is as if you have shut off an old tv and all the images and sounds are compressed into that one bright point in the middle of the screen. incandescent, it just lasts and lasts. abyei is still real. i am positive. i know that right now, as i type this, the people who remain are working their way through familiar struggles i have left behind, that the call to prayer will happen soon, that someone just looked at the thermometer and is scanning the sky hopefully for clouds. it has collapsed into a tiny white dot, but it is still too bright to forget. time is different here. hours are eaten up by little tiny minutes, almost instantly.... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2609106 Mon, 23 Jul 2007 22:00:00 +0100 2609106 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=749457&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35129&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwhitterer-autism.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F07%2Fsat-sweet-and-sour.html A very long time ago, my mum would meet her chum [translation = British] for coffee in Dingles. [translation = a department store in the House of Fraser chain] Every Thursday morning after she had completed her shopping, there they would sit, to chat. Very occasionally, I would accompany her. During their chat I would nibble sugar lumps surreptitiously. [translation = delusions of invisibility were quite possibly a foreshadowing of my future existence] Some time during the intervening years, I found that I lost my sweet tooth. Despite this loathing of all things sweet, I took up the hobby of sugar craft in my late thirties, at about the same time as multiples of very small people also entered my life. [translation = 3 babies in 34 months]One day, a pal of mine came over to visit for coffee... Whitterer on Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=749457 Sat, 21 Jul 2007 19:54:00 +0100 749457 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2609107&cid=t_287826_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2FJamesM%2F2007%2F07%2Fsoon-suddenly%2F I am sitting in Khartoum’s airport. For the moment, everything is life size. The crying kid next to me, the men walking to the airport mosque with prayer mats, the man smoking under the no smoking sign. Soon, the hatch on the KLM flight will close, the announcements will begin overhead, and the telescope will start to swivel. By the time I arrive to Europe, it will have turned completely and everything in Sudan will seem miniature, far away. I tried to have a simple conversation with the driver on the ride here, but I couldn’t manage. Every thought was short circuited before it verbalized, my neurons a crossed jumble of sparking wires. It was then I realized that my brain had already left, maybe even the day before. Right now it is floating in an ice cream pail on some customs ... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2609107 Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:00:00 +0100 2609107 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=738806&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35433&url=http%3A%2F%2F4thavenueblues.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F07%2Fmad-scientist.html I was thoroughly enthralled with this week's book as Rosa began to ask me a hundred questions just like my mother, the queen, as my brother calls her. My mother can form a question upon her lips for my father before he has even pulled into the garage good. "Tell me about college," Rosa asked as one of her questions. "I hated it," I said, not wanting to talk much tonight. "Come on," Rosa said, pulling my book from my hands to get my full attention. "It's grade school for adults," I quipped. "Momma always wanted me to go to college, but I was too busy having my daughter," Rosa replied. "I was too busy avoiding class to graduate," I said as I laughed, not revealing the real reason I was holed up in my dorm room with a bottle of bourbon most nights neglecting my studies. At the time I was in c... The 4th Avenue Blues blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=738806 Tue, 17 Jul 2007 02:36:00 +0100 738806 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2609108&cid=t_287826_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2FJamesM%2F2007%2F07%2Fabyei-falls-away%2F this is how i spent my last day in abyei.  from my tukul, to the hospital to say goodbye to some of the people i have worked with and to play with some of the patients i have grown fond of, then rush through the market for the last time, rush to throw my things in the back of the landcruiser, then rush to the airstrip, the plane comes, and abyei falls away.  music by gui boratto. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2609108 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 16:01:53 +0100 2609108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=733584&cid=t_287826_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2007%2F07%2F12%2Fwant-to-help-the-planet-go-old-school%2F Really old school. PB&J instead of a burger old school. Delish as the all-American ground meat sammich may be to some souls, it’s not good for the environment (or you, but then you knew that). It’s a green theme day here at b5media’s Science and Health Channel. So, in the grand pursuit of health that is simultaneously not going to roast the planet, what can be done? Simple: instead of that burger this weekend, have a PB&J. (Better yet, have a salad. I don’t consider jam a very healthy idea, although it’s a relative step up from what you’ll find in a burger.) At any rate, skipping a few burgers is really good for the environment and even better for you. I won’t go into the freakish factory details, because we have the Meatrix for that, bu... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=733584 Fri, 13 Jul 2007 00:40:45 +0100 733584 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2609109&cid=t_287826_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2FJamesM%2F2007%2F07%2Feverything%2F it has been difficult for me to write lately. partly because days need space for words to creep in. partly that, but partly because across the street, a music store has opened. perhaps “music store” makes it sound a bit grand. it is a tin shack with half a dozen tapes and one gigantic speaker. at 8 am, their generator starts up and, seconds later, booming congolese tunes strain the speakers. i just sat down, enjoying some quiet for the first time this evening, hoping that a spare, bare wire may have dropped into a puddle and stunned the owner (temporarily). alas. i have been intending for a few weeks to write a smart ass post about how avant garde the minimal techno scene is here, how it was so minimal and meandering that you couldn’t even find the beat. found it. i&#8217... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2609109 Thu, 12 Jul 2007 22:00:00 +0100 2609109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=729125&cid=t_287826_113_f&fid=22291&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.medgadget.com%2Farchives%2F2007%2F07%2Fyour_productivity_is_about_to_drop_the_modern_mechanix_medical_section.html WARNING: Do not follow these links if you want to get anything done in the next 4 hours. Via another collection of awesome retro-ness, we found the Modern Mechanix blog. Here you'll discover the best collection of retro pop-science anywhere. The best part is, so much of it ties right in to today's major accomplishments. It's like medical technology was on hiatus from the 50s until about the 80s. Here we find an early stomach-cam: A NEW wonder in photography that will take pictures of the innermost recesses of the human stomach has recently been developed by three doctors of the University of Vienna. This amazing device, shown on the right, takes eight pictures simultaneously. There's this crazy thing at a Los Angeles hospital called a "blood bank," thoughts on the "Right-to-die" issue... Medgadget blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=729125 Thu, 12 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0100 729125 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=727328&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F07%2Fsteam-train.html On Sunday, (after I'd calmed down a bit, he he) we all got in the car and went to one of our favourite places, the Railway Museum. We rode in the steam train, and the children each bought a little gift in the shop. This shop is a Thomas the Tank Engine mecca.It was nice, and Duncan loved watching the engine back onto the carriages and seeing the man couple them together. The best bit was when he was able to watch the driver shoveling coal on the fire. We rode the train twice, and the second time it was raining. We had no coats, but Duncan still wanted to watch the engine shifting from one end of the train to the other, so I had to stand in the rain with him. We were the only people out there! (Source: The Voyage) The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=727328 Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:06:00 +0100 727328 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2609110&cid=t_287826_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2FJamesM%2F2007%2F07%2Finterspace%2F three days. friday the 13th. that is when i fly. i will overnight in a small southern town, rumbek, and continue to khartoum on saturday. in sh’allah. as i write this, one of our staff, scheduled to fly today, has been standing by the cracked air strip for several hours, scanning the sky. no plane so far. three days. were these the ones i have been waiting for all this time? they seem ordinary, the same as before. hot dry days end with hot sweat sleeps, abyei limping towards its future. three days and i will leave this place behind. i have been told that once you step off the gangplank in geneva, this world collapses, ceases to exist, becomes unreal, inaccessible. the rupture is complete. for now, it is all right here, available to me as soon as i walk out my tukul door and crack my head... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2609110 Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:29:48 +0100 2609110 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2609111&cid=t_287826_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2FJamesM%2F2007%2F07%2Ffuture-proof%2F the best way to get a hedgehog out of your room is to poke him with something blunt, like a shoe or a book. then, when he curls into a ball, you just roll him gently from behind your trunk and out the door. if you try to chase him out, it quickly becomes a game of corner-to-corner, one that he can play much better than you. one week. likely less by the time you get this. i can’t understand it. it seems not real. i am not sure if i have stopped looking for the end because i have fallen into step with the day to day cadence of this place, or because it is right in front of me. all i have for signposts are the disbelieving faces of those who have left before me as they throw their pack into the back of the landcruiser. noone believes it until they are on the way. perhaps part of the rea... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2609111 Mon, 09 Jul 2007 17:15:00 +0100 2609111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2609112&cid=t_287826_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2FJamesM%2F2007%2F07%2Fspace%2F a fever is the most comfortable thing in the world to slip into. it is like someone has covered you all over with fine, warm gauze. you are never so content to lie motionless, thoughtless, needless. you don’t want water, food, or comfort. you sweat through jagged half dreams cutting violently from one to the other and no cares penetrate your hot cocoon. there are exceptions. one of them is when you sleep near a handset that crackles alive after midnight with “compound one for hospital.” you are already half awake, but you don’t move. perhaps the sleeping half is having a half-dream. the call comes again, and shortly after it, a guard raps on your door. “ok… ok…” you say, and toss the wet sheet aside, fumble beside the dark bed for the radio. ... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2609112 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 18:05:00 +0100 2609112 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2609113&cid=t_287826_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2FJamesM%2F2007%2F07%2Fgood-news%2F a friend of mine once told me of an idea for a newspaper that carried only good news instead of advertising avarice and fomenting fear. headlines like: MAN OPENS ICE CREAM STORE or THE TEN MOST PEACEFUL PLACES ON EARTH franck, our logistician, just stuck his head into my tukul and said, “the car just returned from the transfer… they picked up that woman, the one you sent down last week for surgery. she is fine. so is her baby. they drove her to her home. just thought you would want to know.” good news. even in a day where it seems far away, it can happen. just like that. the patient we transferred down today, the other player in the patient shuffle, was a 3 year old boy who was bitten by a snake. his family waited for weeks before bringing him to hospital, and when they d... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2609113 Wed, 04 Jul 2007 17:00:00 +0100 2609113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2609114&cid=t_287826_46_f&fid=38794&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2FJamesM%2F2007%2F07%2Fphotos-again%2F abyei bus. abyei’s most famous bull. measles in gole, nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd. where diarrhea comes from. yes, you. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2609114 Tue, 03 Jul 2007 16:49:00 +0100 2609114 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=691322&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F06%2Fstuff-from-week.html Last Friday, I went to my cousin's wedding. Gordon wasn't able to go with me; work commitments. Instead I travelled across to the west with my dad and step-mum. Gordon's mum came to our house to mind the children for a few hours, and then M. (our NAS befriender friend) came over to stay until Gordon got home. Both baby sitters said the children were no trouble at all. Phew!I had a lovely day. My little cousin was looking utterly beautiful, as all brides must! It rained all day, but she never stopped grinning, and was a like a wee ray of sunshine all day. In between the service and the reception, we went to a cafe for a snack; my belly had been rumbling throughout the service, bloody embarrassing! Then we visited my 95 year old granny, whom I haven't seen for far too long. She was on great ... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=691322 Fri, 22 Jun 2007 15:14:00 +0100 691322 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=676237&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F06%2Fparenting-is-not-so-easy.html Mom26children has a post which got me thinking.When I introduce my children, I do not introduce them as Autistic children.My children are individuals who happen to be autistic. I am lucky, they do notmisbehave in public..they learned very early that they would be removed fromsituations if they could not behave appropriately in public.Even Caitlin and Kiernan know this.Just because you have an Autistic child does not give them free reign to disturb others in a public situation. If that was the case, we could allow any person to disrupt any situation.If you want your Autistic children to be taken seriously, you must take your Autistic child seriously.How can we prepare our Autistic children for their future and being accepted by society if we allow them, as children, to act inappropriately i... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=676237 Fri, 15 Jun 2007 06:57:00 +0100 676237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=676239&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F06%2Fmaking-friends.html Yesterday, we visited some home-educating friends for the first time at their house. Their home is big and beautiful, and they don't have a garden; they have grounds! Lady paired up with E, and they spent the day exploring, walking in the rain, riding bikes, practising high jumps, learning magic tricks, inventing spells, catching a frog (they released the creature again right away) and talking, talking, talking!Thomas spent his time with J, and they walked round with their heads bent, and their brows furrowed and discussed stuff. Thomas had taken his Harry Potter robe/Doctor Who coat and his sonic screwdriver (well, what kind of Time Lord travels without one).Duncan found a selection of Thomas the Tank Ladybird books. They were tightly packed in a large book case with only the spines on vi... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=676239 Wed, 13 Jun 2007 10:07:00 +0100 676239 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=659026&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F06%2Fjoys-of-june.html It's been a while since I last posted. I've been busy, and did much reading and thinking over the weekend.However, life has gone on and there are several things I want to make note of before I forget them. Like, our trip to the playground last Thursday, when we met up with a gang of other home-educating families, with some old friends and some new ones. It was wet and often cold, but the children still had fun. Lady has at last mastered the art of swinging, and she played most of the time with another 8 year old girl whom she really likes. Thomas paired up with his best buddy, and I rarely spoke to him for the few hours we were there. He was much too busy playing! Duncan enjoyed it too, although he did keep running to the exit at first, saying he wanted to go to McDonald's (we'd passed one... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=659026 Mon, 04 Jun 2007 15:44:00 +0100 659026 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=655579&cid=t_287826_140_f&fid=35469&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolardaily.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F06%2Fbipolar-airlines.html - Flying without wings since 1958 early this morning -photographer unknown (Source: BiPolar Daily(ish)) BiPolar Daily(ish) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=655579 Mon, 04 Jun 2007 08:27:00 +0100 655579 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=644828&cid=t_287826_111_f&fid=34725&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnursesean.com%2F%3Fp%3D526 It has been a great weekend! Friday evening was puppy playtime. Charlie is gaining so much confidence! He had no problem running and playing with the other dogs. He is completely over his need to hide under chairs or behind our legs. I’m really going to miss going to puppy playtime. I’m tempted to get another puppy, just so I have an excuse to go to what has now become a Friday night ritual. We need to buy a house! We really do want to have another puppy. Oh wait, if I stay in this city, I will NEVER own a house! I used to be such a cat person, but I’m finding that dogs bring you joy on such a completely different level (not more or less, just different). I think I am becoming a dog person…as crazy as that thought seems. I think it is a combination between how much ... Nurse Sean blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=644828 Mon, 28 May 2007 01:12:57 +0100 644828 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=631651&cid=t_287826_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F05%2Ffew-journeys.html The travellers returned on Sunday morning. They'd had a fabulous time, meeting/catching up with family and enjoying all sorts of outings and activities in Toronto. They'd stayed at a guest house called The Toronto Town House which was perfect in every way and in a great location. Gordon's Mum was in raptures regarding the whole experience. I'm so happy they did it. As well as really enjoying a wonderful city, the week served to strengthen so many strands of family relationships.The boys and I got on fine at home. We took a trip with my Dad, to visit my 2 brothers in counties Sligo and Leitrim. That kept us all busy for a day, and as always, it was great to see the brothers (or "brudders" as my nieces say!) and all the women folk.The gymnastics class on Friday didn't work out for Duncan thi... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=631651 Wed, 23 May 2007 09:22:00 +0100 631651