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 'family'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:49:01 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182329&cid=t_99506_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Faging-and-addiction%2F Addiction among older adults is a hidden and hushed problem. Signs and symptoms of alcohol or medication abuse can easily be mistaken for conditions related to aging. And even when friends or family members recognize signs of addiction, they often discount the need for intervention or treatment. With an estimated three million older Americans struggling with alcohol and drug misuse and abuse, Aging and Addiction is a much-needed resource. The authors, both experts in the field of addiction treatment and intervention, provide a respectful, definitive guide for recognizing and addressing substance abuse among older adults. Key topics include: understanding the relationship between aging and addiction, finding help for a loved one, and recognizing the treatment needs of older adults. ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182329 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 17:34:53 +0100 5182329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181815&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1841 : ‘Not now.’ (This column first appeared in the Greenville News, but I re-wrote and expanded  it for my EMN readers in the September edition.  So here it is with a few special thoughts for the medical community.) Here’s the link to the EMN online edition as well: http://journals.lww.com/em-news/Fulltext/2011/09000/Second_Opinion__Two_of_the_Worst_Words_of_All__Not.8.aspx If you were watching me, secretly, you would see that I sometimes do things that are decidedly non-adult. I can be seen dancing across the hardwood floor with my daughter, with no music audible (except inside her lovely head). She apparently aspires to be a choreographer, and though I am no dancer, I am the only male in the house who will dance with her. When she asks, what can I say? I know many l... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181815 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:02:36 +0100 5181815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181802&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmisdiagnosis-happens-all-the-time-tips-to-avoid-it%2F2011.09.01 Billionaire Teddy Forstmann has apparently been diagnosed with a serious form of brain cancer.  There’s a tragic twist to the story: according to Fox Business News, Forstmann believes that for more than a year, he had been misdiagnosed with meningitis. ABC News wonders: How could such a misfortune befall a billionaire —- a man able to afford the best doctors, best technology and the most sophisticated diagnostic tests? They’re missing the point.  Misdiagnosis happens with shocking regularity – as much as (more…) *This blog post was originally published at BestDoctors.com: See First Blog* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181802 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:00:03 +0100 5181802 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182331&cid=t_99506_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fwhat-does-letting-go-mean%2F Let go as they fall “To let go does not mean to stop caring, it means ’I can’t do it for someone else. To let go is not to cut myself off, its the realization I can’t control another human. To let go is not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences. To let go is to admit powerlessness, Which means the outcome is not in my hands. To let go is not to try to change or blame another, it’s to make the most of myself To let go is not to care for, but to care about. To let go is not to fix, but to be supportive. To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being. To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their own destinies. To let go is not to be protective, it’s to permit another to face reali... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182331 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:16:04 +0100 5182331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181816&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1837 I think a lot about the slow, certain dissolution of medicine as we know it.  Mental health issues crowd emergency departments, as few mental health clinics are available.  Psychiatrists are in short supply.  Drug abuse overwhelms the medical system, with either patients seeking pills or patients families hoping to get them off of pills. Persons with little interest in their own health continue to smoke and drink, use Meth and eat poorly.  Disability claims are skyrocketing as younger and younger individuals confabulate their misery in hopes of attaining a check, paid for by someone else. The poor, with genuine medical problems, have increasing difficulty finding care as jobs, and insurance, fade away.  Politicians, eager to be re-elected, eager to be loved, promise more and supply le... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181816 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:14:08 +0100 5181816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181771&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOQfxnCT1GtU%2F By Michael F. CannonHere are a few takeaways from the Kaiser Family Foundation’s most recent monthly poll. 1. Nearly Two Thirds of ObamaCare’s Supposed Beneficiaries Think It Won’t Help Them. ObamaCare‘s actual beneficiaries are politicians, government bureaucrats, insurance companies, drug manufacturers, etc.—but that’s another blog post for another time. The law’s supposed beneficiaries are the uninsured. Yet 61 percent of them think the law will either not help them or will hurt them (see pie chart below). The main takeaway: Congress can repeal ObamaCare and its supposed beneficiaries won’t even care.   2. Some of the Uninsured Who Think ObamaCare Will Help Them Are Wrong. One respondent said that under ObamaCare, you “can go to ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181771 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 18:56:48 +0100 5181771 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174627&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1829 This is my column in yesterday’s Greenville News.  A direct link requires a subscription, so I reprinted it here. Thanks! Being ‘hung up’ about sex isn’t so horrible One of the chief objections to Christianity is that it meddles in people’s personal lives. This is a curious objection, in some ways. Christianity has fairly little to say about food or drink, except to advocate moderation. And very little to say about clothing, except that modesty is appropriate. It’s silent on computers and automobiles. And it generally advocates discipline couched in love where children are concerned. What its detractors mean often comes down to this: ‘Christianity has something to say about sex, and we don’t like it one bit.’ Typically, one hears that ... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174627 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 22:10:39 +0100 5174627 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174824&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fdreaming-about-cancer%2F I sleep with a dog. Well, actually, I sleep with two dogs and a husband. So you would think that when Sister and I spent several days at her cottage this past week, just the two of us, I would relish the opportunity to sleep sprawled out and alone on a comfy queen-size bed. I will admit that I was kind of looking forward to it, so I was deeply disappointed when I found it difficult to fall asleep. Sleep is my thing, so it was surprising that sleeping without my companions didn’t provide the enjoyment I was expecting, especially in the peaceful atmosphere of Northern Ontario cottage country. The fact that I tossed and turned for long periods of time before falling asleep all three nights and had a horrible dream about cancer was very perplexing. I haven’t dreamed about having cancer ev... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174824 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:34:38 +0100 5174824 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174666&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F28%2Ftending-the-family-heart-wins-a-gold-young-voices-award%2F Psych Central is pleased to congratulate Dr. Marie Hartwell-Walker, author of our first e-book, Tending the Family Heart on receiving a Gold “Young Voices Foundation Award” in the parenting category. This prestigious award is handed out only once a year, and Dr. Hartwell-Walker was the only winner this year in the parenting category. The Young Voices Foundation is the sponsor of the Young Voices Foundation Awards, which honors books and media that inspire, mentor and educate young people and their families. Judging is based on content (emphasis on strong family values and suitability for the specified age group), originality, design, and production quality. The judging panel for the award includes published authors, editors, publishers, educators, young readers, parents, and f... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174666 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 15:58:39 +0100 5174666 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169713&cid=t_99506_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fam-i-an-alcoholic%2F Individual drinking habits may be found on a continuum from responsible drinking through alcohol abuse to alcoholism, or physical dependence. There are many signs that may point to an alcohol problem. Drunkenness on its own or solitary drinking does not necessarily indicate alcoholism. The questionnaire will be meaningful to you only if you are honest with yourself when taking it. The important question is: Is your use of alcohol creating significant negative consequences in your life? Do you sometimes drink heavily after a setback or an argument, or when you receive a poor grade? When you experience trouble or are undergoing stress, do you always drink more heavily than usual? Can you handle more liquor now than you could when you first began drinking? Have you ever awakened the “... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169713 Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:30:01 +0100 5169713 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169572&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F27%2F5-tips-for-staying-calm-in-a-hurricane%2F When hurricanes or tropical storms are forecast to reach us, we often go into a panic and fear the worst about the coming storm. The uncertainty of the storm provokes a certain in anxiety in most of us. Some of those fears are very real, as government officials ask residents to evacuate areas directly in the path of the hurricane. Low-lying areas are especially at risk for flooding. Calm is a hard emotion to muster when our entire environment is turning against us. It is ever harder to remain calm when you’re asked to evacuate your home, and live in a shelter or with a family member for a few days. Will my home still be standing when I return? What about my most cherished possessions? Even folks who aren’t asked to evacuate fear the loss of electricity to their homes, and wheth... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169572 Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:18:51 +0100 5169572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169552&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-state-of-drug-seeking-in-america-nothing-should-hurt%2F2011.08.26 This might sting a little… When I was a child, I was often painted orange with Merthiolate.  My grandmother, like every good grandmother, kept a bottle handy at all times.  Merthiolate was an antiseptic, containing Mercury, that was marketed for cuts and scrapes. A fall on the gravel, a slide on the pavement, a run through the briar patch and you’d be sitting on the kitchen table while grandma colored you orange with the magical elixir, which incidentally burned like fire! On a recent emergency department shift, we were colluding about the general state of drug-seeking in America, which has been enabled by our ‘nothing should hurt’ ideology.   One of my dear friends, Nurse Nancy, had a realization; an epiphany, really. (more…) *This blog post was originally publ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169552 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:00:34 +0100 5169552 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159142&cid=t_99506_106_f&fid=36682&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSutureForALiving%2F%7E3%2FIK0O26jAqEw%2Frazorback-blanket-with-quilted-border.html My nephew is headed to my old alma mater, University of Arkansas, this fall.  He is starting law school.  His birthday is in early September.   These two facts and then finding the fleece fabric in the “remnants bind” at Hobby Lobby inspired me to make this. The fleece piece was not large enough for a guy my nephew’s size (well over 6 ft tall), but I had some left over Arkansas Razorback cotton I had used for a surgeon’s cap. The border is reversible.  I machine pieced the 4-patches of red and white to the larger black patches.  The end borders (front and back) were sewn to the fleece first.  The fusible batting (good use for leftovers) was carefully placed in-between.  Then the two longer side borders (front and back) were done in the same ... Suture for a Living blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159142 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 11:15:00 +0100 5159142 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159490&cid=t_99506_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fwelcome-to-the-human-condition%2F Sometimes life comes at us with such force, surprise and ruthlessness, it stuns us. I don’t have any more answers than you do but I do have it whacking me in the face or elsewhere, every day of my life. I know if you’re reading this, you do, also. This week has been a good example of that as so much is going on in our little world as well as the impending danger for millions of Americans facing a hurricane in the east. Let me use yesterday as an example. Jim, my dear man, who had just returned from a trip to California on family business had missed his flight because the hotel did not give him the wake-up call he had requested. While he was in CA he went to visit an old friend many miles from where he was staying to discover that old friend’s wife had been found dead tha... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159490 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 22:04:24 +0100 5159490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159198&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F25%2Fcan-religion-or-spirituality-help-ward-off-depression%2F People of all shapes, sizes, colors and nationalities get depression. There seems to be little rhyme or reason to whom it strikes and when. Many people swear by certain things to help them keep depression away. Some people use exercise, while others throw themselves more into their work. Others take a daily dose of a herb like St. John’s Wort or fish oil, because of the association these ingredients have had with a reduction in depression in some studies. But what about religion? Can a strong sense of spirituality or religion help you ward off depression? According to new research that followed a group of people over 10 years, the answer is a qualified “Yes.” The new longitudinal research out of Columbia University wanted to followup on previous research demonstrating th... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159198 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:10:27 +0100 5159198 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159654&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fgood-character-or-great-body-what-are-we-teaching-our-kids%2F When I was a teenager, all the girls my age were concerned about the size of their breasts, their weight, and how they looked. Thirty years later, teenage girls are still obsessed with the same thing. How sad — if only young women were more interested in becoming intelligent, caring human beings! Not that these young women don’t care about both their bodies and global issues, it is just that body image has such an effect on how they feel about themselves and can even impact what they accomplish with their education and careers. Breast cancer has a dual effect on women who are diagnosed. On the one hand it affects our wellbeing and health, but on the other it impacts how we feel about ourselves as women especially because of the disfigurement of our breasts. I wonder if it would be ... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159654 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:56:04 +0100 5159654 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159202&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F23%2Fsecrets-of-adulthood-family-vacation%2F Good-bye, I’m off for vacation! Right now, I’m in that stage where it feels like so much work to get away, I’d rather just stay home. But I’m sure once we’re underway, I’ll be glad we undertook it. As I’m getting ready to leave, I’m reminding myself of my Secrets of Adulthood for family vacations. What are they? Click through to find out! (And then add your own in the comments…) Less is more. Start early if possible. When packing an item that might leak, put it in a plastic bag. Don’t let anyone get too hungry. Especially me. Cheerfulness is contagious, and crabbiness is even more contagious. Wear sunscreen. Carry tissues. Remind kids to visit the bathroom—don’t wait for the thought to occur to them. Never choose the buffet opti... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159202 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:37:03 +0100 5159202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159020&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1821 This might sting a little… When I was a child, I was often painted orange with Merthiolate.  My grandmother, like every good grandmother, kept a bottle handy at all times.  Merthiolate was an antiseptic, containing Mercury, that was marketed for cuts and scrapes. A fall on the gravel, a slide on the pavement, a run through the briar patch and you’d be sitting on the kitchen table while grandma colored you orange with the magical elixir, which incidentally burned like fire! On a recent emergency department shift, we were colluding about the general state of drug-seeking in America, which has been enabled by our ‘nothing should hurt’ ideology.   One of my dear friends, Nurse Nancy, had a realization; an epiphany, really. ‘It all went downhill when we stopped... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159020 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:32:34 +0100 5159020 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159633&cid=t_99506_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F23%2Fa-letter-to-canadians-from-the-honourable-jack-layton%2F August 20, 2011 Toronto, Ontario Dear Friends, Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159633 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 04:43:59 +0100 5159633 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159021&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1818 , no matter what the season This is my column in today’s Greenville News I am sitting here, looking into the sky and out into the yard. The clouds are hanging low over Tamassee. They are pregnant, but not so much with rain as with change. I can see, in their fullness and varied shades of blue and gray, that Autumn is lurking, and waiting eagerly to descend. Most years, there is a weekend in September that blows in cool, with low humidity and breezes. I mark the end of summer by that event, and often in years past would note it as I drove home from my night-shift in the emergency room. The air through my car windows had a chill, and as I slept off the night’s work, I would revel in warmth, not cool. This time, while not as cool, it came in August. Frankly, anything less than a h... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159021 Sun, 21 Aug 2011 19:56:57 +0100 5159021 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159207&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F20%2Fthree-is-a-crowd%2F “Three is a crowd,” my husband told me when I shyly brought up the question of whether we should have more children. Maybe it was the complicated nature of the question or just the wrong timing (dinner), but we managed to get into a long discussion that culminated in an argument. An hour overdue, banana bread in the oven interrupted us with its burnt smell. I don’t even know if I want to have more children, but I have been plagued by the question the last few months. We have two. They are at the age where I can forget about buying mountains of diapers, carrying ten pounds of baby paraphernalia anywhere I go and performing the never-ending gymnastics of helping my kids with every move they make. I am finally becoming just a tad more relaxed, relearning the joy of adult company, uninte... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159207 Sat, 20 Aug 2011 10:51:49 +0100 5159207 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159656&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Flove-enough-to-find-a-cure-for-breast-cancer%2F My husband and I structured this vacation to be leisurely and unplanned. This gives us lazy mornings drinking coffee and exploring the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains off the deck of the condo we are staying in. It also means we didn’t get upset over the stormy weather that kept us inside a little longer Thursday morning. We got to watch “Good Morning America,” which I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing for months. I was wonderfully surprised when we tuned in to find host Robin Roberts introducing a music video that she appeared in for Martina McBride’s new song, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It.” Martina’s new song is about breast cancer and the people we love — or those who love us — who are going through it. It’s an emotional tribute to br... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159656 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:54:04 +0100 5159656 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140176&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Flife-after-the-battle-with-breast-cancer%2F I am in North Carolina on vacation this week. My husband and I have been enjoying leisure time fishing, exploring, and watching the sun set over the mountains. Vacation time is important to me, and even though I am a full-time student and our income is drastically reduced, I would not go without it. I can’t tell you if this is because of having been threatened by breast cancer, or because of the change in attitude towards life I experienced when my dad died. It was after his death that I realized that life was for the living, that when it was over it was over, and all the things you wanted to do wouldn’t get done. My dad didn’t live for tomorrow. He enjoyed each day as it came. He was the most patient, content person you could ever meet. When he was in the hospital before his death... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140176 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:05:27 +0100 5140176 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125806&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F13%2Fthe-idiots-guide-to-dealing-with-idiots%2F Idiots. The world is full of them. How hard it is for us, non-idiots, to put up with them. But to get our jobs done, our kids fed, and our pets groomed, we must deal with them. Idiots come in many shapes, forms, and types, but the ones that frustrate me the most are those who don’t believe in any form of mental illness. These creatures maintain that all mood disorders are cute, creative stories crafted by persons who enjoy obsessing, ruminating, and crying their eyes out… a wealthy bunch who can’t think of anything better to do than come up with a make-believe tale about a few neurons wandering around the limbic system afraid to ask for directions, just like Moses. We must tune out the idiots to achieve any kind of sanity or serenity. But how? Here are four ways that have work... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125806 Sat, 13 Aug 2011 11:07:11 +0100 5125806 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125751&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fever-want-something-then-realize-you-didnt-want-it.html I have a few things I really like. Vacation trips to SoCal (nearly always to Disneyland), silly and trivial but fun events there, and a nearly Holy Grail trip to In-N-Out Burger are some of my favorites. I’m easy to please, really. Attainable fun and gastronomic happiness in one trip. Bliss. (I’m not an expert on pleasure. I’m the weirdest extrovert you’ll meet, in that I will include everyone very happily in my public life, and by that I mean I have a blog, I tell people about all the superficial things in my life (I just had my pond filled in, and I have bored everyone at work with that), I’ve blogged a lot of things people know about, and I keep my private life and friends private. You might be surprised that things happen I don’t blog. You might not.... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125751 Sat, 13 Aug 2011 09:30:34 +0100 5125751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125709&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2Frevisiting-the-iud Many women may remember news about the injuries caused by the Dalkon Shield intrauterine device, a product that caused infection and other problems in many women in the 1970s. Newer, safer IUDs are now on the market, and the contraceptive method is apparently being used more and more, reportedly rising from 2.4 percent in 2002 to 5.6 percent by 2008. CommonHealth, a blog at Boston’s NPR affiliate WBUR, explores this rise in the recent post “Why The IUD Is On The Rise (And You Might Want One).” The author, Carey Goldberg, suggests that one reason for the rise may be the convenience of the IUD as a long-acting birth control method that has less chance of user error (compared to birth control pills that you might forget to take, for example). She also explores a bit of the h... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125709 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 19:15:25 +0100 5125709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118830&cid=t_99506_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fthe-view-from-both-sides-of-the-sheets%2F As an RN of 35 years, I have always been fascinated by the way people embrace or reject their physical frailties. There is so much diversity in the way each of us responds to pain, disease, life and death. I’ve seen large men fall to the ground in a faint while getting an injection and held down screaming children while they received treatment or a simple exam. I wonder when we learn to be submissive and decide “it’s for your own good?” The truth is sometimes it is good care, sometimes it isn’t. A good, principled nurse or doctor knows the difference. Just ask one of us who we would let treat us or a member of our family. At the same time we are either participants in our care or we shift into neutral and expect someone else to make our decisions for us. Those of us who have stru... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118830 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:38:21 +0100 5118830 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118674&cid=t_99506_93_f&fid=38821&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheapstudent.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fsleeping-through.html Research confirms it . . . sleeping helps you learn A&P! OK, I'm not talking about sleeping during your A&P class.  That kind of sleeping hurts your ability to learn A&P.Although we've known about this for a long time, recent research in mice adds to the evidence that a session of uninterrupted sleep helps you learn things.  Here's a link to a brief, easy-to-understand explanation of the research: my-ap.us/ne2WaPWhat this means is that you should make great effort to get a good night's sleep every day that you study A&P.  That means sleeping well on nights that follow your lectures, labs, and study sessions. Or even better: getting a good night's sleep every night!Yeah, I know . . . there are all kinds of things that interrupt your sleep.  What I'm ... The A and P Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118674 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:00:00 +0100 5118674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118641&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbeing-a-doctor-is-a-lot-like-being-a-parent-you-cant-tap-out%2F2011.08.11 The American College of Graduate Medical Education has enacted further restrictions on resident work hours.  No more than 80 hours per week of work for resident physicians, averaged over one month.  And no more than 16 hours of continuous work for first year residents (24 after that), which includes patient care, academic lectures, etc. Whenever they do this sort of thing, everyone seems excited that it will make everyone safer.  After all, residents won’t be working as much, so they’ll be more rested and make much better decisions.  It’s all ‘win-win,’ as physicians in training and patients alike are safer. I guess.  The problem of course is that after training, work hours aren’t restricted.  There is no set limit on the amount of work a physician can be expected to do, ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118641 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:05:30 +0100 5118641 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118709&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F11%2Fthe-ecstasy-of-crossing-something-off-the-list%2F Recently, my older daughter and I went to the post office to apply for her passport. I’d been dreading this trip for days. Every task associated with it filled me with anxiety — but nothing ended up being as hard as I expected. And as we walked out of the post office, I felt a giant surge of energy, happiness, and relief. Ah, the ecstasy of crossing something off the list! Even accomplishing the smallest task gives me a little jolt. This is my new Secret of Adulthood: Crossing something off the list is very cheering. (Also: Make sure you know where to find family members’ birth certificates. I was very happy when I found that document in the proper file.) (Source: World of Psychology) World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118709 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:25:40 +0100 5118709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5115091&cid=t_99506_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F08%2F10%2Fdadaab-kenya-4%2F A father sits with his malnourished child in the intensive therapeutic feeding center at the MSF hospital in the Dagahaley Refugee Camp in Dadaab, Kenya, July 26, 2011. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5115091 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:05:29 +0100 5115091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107601&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F08%2Fantidepressants-overprescribed-in-primary-care%2F Antidepressants have long enjoyed a reputation as being a quick and “easy” treatment for all types of depression — from a mild feeling of being a little down, all the way up to severe, life-debilitating depression. But like all medications, they have side effects and instances where they should not be prescribed. Hence their continued need for a prescription after seeing a doctor. So what does it mean when primary care physicians are handing them out like candy? It suggests that your family doctor doesn’t really understand how antidepressants work, or what they are approved to treat. In short, it suggests that antidepressant medications are being over-prescribed by well-meaning doctors who are simply not using very good judgment. Melissa Healy, writing for the LA T... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107601 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:35:31 +0100 5107601 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103491&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F08%2Falmost-a-love-triangle%2F Joy, my daughter, adores her godson, Tarran, and Tarran loves Joy right back. Joy also adores her dog, Hope, another deeply mutual arrangement. And Tarran loves Hope. (In a way that is perfectly logical to a 2 year old, he has suggested that Hope should go home with him, and Joy could have two other doggies instead.) The only question is how Hope feels about being loved and cherished by a toddler. Still, it works. (Source: Bah! to cancer) Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103491 Sun, 07 Aug 2011 10:15:38 +0100 5103491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103349&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1780 Texas Governor Rick Perry suggests that we pray for our nation.  I read the article, then began reading the comments.  Here’s the link: http://tinyurl.com/3sasw88.  Fascinating, really. America wants leaders who live by a high standard of ethics, who seek the best for their citizens, and for the world at large.  America wants leaders who believe in honesty and truth. So Gov. Perry, who may be the Republican presidential candidate, says it’s important to pray.  Not to a God who calls for child sacrifice, or asks us to wage war for our faith.  Not to a God who is hateful.  Not to a God who accepts lies. Gov. Perry asks America to pray for help in hard times.  Not to smite his enemies.  (He said we should pray for our president as well.)  Not to let him win the election.... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103349 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 22:12:14 +0100 5103349 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103350&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1773 The American College of Graduate Medical Education has enacted further restrictions on resident work hours.  No more than 80 hours per week of work for resident physicians, averaged over one month.  And no more than 16 hours of continuous work for first year residents (24 after that), which includes patient care, academic lectures, etc. Whenever they do this sort of thing, everyone seems excited that it will make everyone safer.  After all, residents won’t be working as much, so they’ll be more rested and make much better decisions.  It’s all ‘win-win,’ as physicians in training and patients alike are safer. I guess.  The problem of course is that after training, work hours aren’t restricted.  There is no set limit on the amount of work physician c... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103350 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 03:31:30 +0100 5103350 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103519&cid=t_99506_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fhow-children-deal-with-parents-alcoholism%2F Millions of Americans suffer from the psychological and physical disease of alcoholism. The resulting emotionally destructive impact on the children of alcoholic parents and the family unit is enormous. Alcoholic parents usually act out their addiction in one of two negative ways: violent and abusive behavior or emotional unavailability and neglect. People who grow up in an alcoholic family often demonstrate a pattern of specific emotional issues and behaviors as a result of their parent’s addiction and dysfunction. For example, among alcoholic families, there is a high percentage of abuse — physical, verbal and sexual. The resulting dangerous climate in the home often pits the children against one another. Full story at; How children deal with parents’ alcoholism » Lifestyl... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103519 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:49:49 +0100 5103519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103479&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fblog-post.html If you are reading this post on a site other than Not Just About Cancer (besides Facebook or a feed reader), you are reading stolen content. (Source: Not just about cancer) Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103479 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:48:00 +0100 5103479 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096940&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=39213&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbeingcancer.net%2F2011%2F08%2F05%2Fi-cant-direct-the-wind-guest-post%2F A second post about Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  (see August 1 – “The Good Cancer”) this one by the mother of a very young survivor.  She writes at the very creatively and hopefully titled blog I Cant Direct The Wind But I Can Adjust The Sails Take care, Dennis Hello Blogger Friends! As you may have noticed I haven’t blogged in a little bit and there is a reason for that…. there isn’t much to blog about. Nick is now wrapping up his second week of radiation and so far (knock on wood) aside from a slight scratchy throat and some fatigue he hasn’t had the side effects that sometimes accompany this treatment. He now even has some uber soft peach fuzz growing atop his head…. the doctor said that this new baby soft hair is likely to fall out ... Being Cancer Network blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096940 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:49:18 +0100 5096940 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096148&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2Fthe-effects-of-birth-control-right-wing-version As previously reported, women with health insurance will soon have access to a host of preventive health care services, including contraception, without having to pay out-of-pocket costs such as co-payments, co-insurance and deductibles. Not surprisingly, the news rankled some conservatives who refuse to acknowledge the long-term economic or health benefits. Take, for instance, Sandy Rios, a FOX News contributor and vice president of the Family-PAC Federal, a conservative political action committee, who likened women’s health needs to beauty services: ”We’re $14 trillion in debt and now we’re going to cover birth control, breast pumps, counseling for abuse? Are we going to do pedicures and manicures as well?” Once again, we turn to Stephen Colbert to explain the outrage... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096148 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:09:01 +0100 5096148 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096677&cid=t_99506_118_f&fid=34892&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifeinthenhs.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F04%2Fits-been-a-long-time%2F Over two months to be precise. Since my last post in April the NHS has paused so that the NHS Health and Social Care Bill can be properly consulted on. Sadly it looks like there will be little significant difference to the way in which health services will be commissioned and provided. Andrew Lansley’s legislation continues its slow and painful process through Parliament and PCT employees not already redundant or moved await their fate. I on the other hand have taken a small step towards safety. In a bit over a month I will start a secondment with our local Cancer Network, I am taking a job with responsibility for improving the quality of cancer services. This is a pretty tall order, but will be an interesting challenge. I hope that this secondment will lead to something permanent on... Life in the NHS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096677 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 20:20:09 +0100 5096677 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096221&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1769 We are called by Christ, among other things, to mourn with those who mourn, to weep with those who weep. This sometimes happens, suddenly and briefly, in the emergency room.  I was sitting at my desk one quiet morning recently.  EMS traffic caught my ear and I learned that there had been a terrible accident not far from the hospital.  However, far enough that the regional helicopter had been called to the scene. One patient would fly out.  One patient, one poor girl, one daughter, would not fly out.  And she would not come to me for care.  She died on the road at about 7:15 am.  She died on the road I sometimes drive to work, about 20 minutes after I would have passed the exact place she passed from this life. I was stricken, I was saddened.  Father of four, I was nauseated and hea... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096221 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:42:20 +0100 5096221 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096222&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1764 No co-pay for contraception? So it turns out that one of the provisions of Obama-care is  that it prohibits prohibits insurance co-pays for contraception.  I find this curious. I always pay co-pays! Having a child with diabetes, I have paid plenty of co-pays for products and medication necessary to his health.  And for visits to the pediatrician, surgeon, obstetrician, etc. Many people have high co-pays for essential services, from cancer therapy to cholesterol medications and all the rest. What’s the difference? So why is contraception so sacred?  Why is it, in an era of falling revenues, in an age when western civilization is slowly depopulating, that we would encourage contraception?  When what we need, in fact, is (quite to the frustration of many) more people? You can&#821... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096222 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:09:55 +0100 5096222 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086133&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F08%2Fyes-hhs-approves-iom-recommendations-for-preventive-care-for-women Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that it is adopting the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations for preventive care services for women. This will ensure that women have access to the following services under health insurance plans without having to pay a co-payment, co-insurance or deductible: well-woman visits screening for gestational diabetes HPV testing STI counseling HIV screening and counseling contraception methods and counseling breastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling screening and counseling for domestic and interpersonal violence Coverage for these services is expected to begin Aug. 1, 2012. There is one caveat for some women regarding access to contraception without a co-pay — a provision that “Group health plans spon... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086133 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:30:20 +0100 5086133 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086256&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F01%2Fare-you-living-vicariously-through-your-kids%2F In his book, The Available Parent: Radical Optimism for Raising Teens and Tweens, psychologist John Duffy, PsyD, talks about an adolescent client named John, who’s a star football player. He’s so good that the local paper predicts that he’ll play in Division I football, and college scouts have already started contacting him. A teenager’s dream, right? Well, unfortunately, John isn’t too keen on football. He plays the sport solely because it’s the only time his father, a famous college football player, pays attention to him.  And John pines for that attention and his dad’s approval. But he also wants to quit football and pursue other interests. Maybe you’ve felt a similar trap with your own parents: not enjoying or downright hating something you’re doing but sticking ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086256 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 15:45:03 +0100 5086256 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086258&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F31%2Flifesaving-list%2F Help save lives by sharing this list. Online Suicide Prevention Resources is a small wiki focussed on crisis resources available online without a telephone. There are listings for social media, secure IM chat, and public forums. It was inspired by the International Suicide Prevention Wiki, created by Post Secret, which features a table of links and directories for telephone crisis hotlines and resources all over the world. The list I created today is solely for non-phone contacts. Included are details of the hours for each service. Why make such a list? In today’s cell phone family plan homes, calls show up on bills read by parents, and youth might want privacy for a long list of reasons including the parents being the problem. By using the Internet, people can connect one on one to ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086258 Sun, 31 Jul 2011 19:00:50 +0100 5086258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069530&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F27%2Flunch-wars-win-the-battle-for-our-childrens-health%2F Oh how happy I was to see the new book Lunch Wars: How to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the Battle for Our Children’s Heath by Amy Kalafa, producer of the award-winning documentary “Two Angry Moms.” I get on my soapbox all too often about this very issue, because I have one child who is so sensitive to food that teachers can tell if he ate a cookie at lunch, and the other possesses about as much will power as I have when it comes to saying no to cinnamon-flavored soft pretzels. Why, in the world, would they offer seven-year-olds the option to buy Klondike bars, cinnamon-flavored soft-pretzels, Doritos, and Gatorade? I think the answer has to do with budgets. But in the process we are raising fat kids whose academic progress is compromised by all the crap they shove in their ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069530 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:56:50 +0100 5069530 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069477&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Finstitute-of-medicine-suggests-8-new-preventive-services-to-improve-womens-health%2F2011.07.26 Eight preventive health services for women should be added to the services that health plans will cover at no cost to patients under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, according to a report by the Institute of Medicine. The recommendations encompass diseases and conditions that are more common or more serious in women than in men. They are based on existing guidelines and an assessment of the evidence on the effectiveness of different preventive services. They include: 1) screening for gestational diabetes in pregnant women between 24 and 28 weeks and at the first prenatal visit for women at high risk for diabetes, 2) adding high-risk human papillomavirus DNA testing in addition to conventional cytology testing in women with normal cytology results starting at age 30, ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069477 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:00:00 +0100 5069477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062293&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F25%2Fchange-in-relationships-what-to-do-when-your-partner-changes%2F Your once sort of neat partner becomes a sloppy mess. Or they start spending more time on the golf course. Or worse, when you first met they wanted to have children, but now say they’re not interested. What do you do when your partner changes in small or big ways? Here, Terri Orbuch, Ph.D, clinical psychologist and author of 5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great, offers her insight on change in relationships. Myths about Change It’s a myth that people or relationships don’t change, Orbuch said. In fact, it’s inevitable. Relationships go through different developmental stages and situations, such as job loss, health problems, financial issues and family conflict. So it’s natural for changes to occur. Another myth, according to Orbuch, is that change is bad. So m... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062293 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:48:21 +0100 5062293 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062256&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1743 This is my column from Friday in our local paper, the Daily Journal Messenger. Oh Socks, where art thou? Small losses can leave deep wounds. This is why my son, Elijah, still gets misty when we mention Socks, the cat. Not everyone is a cat person, you see, but Elijah has been one from way back. Socks came to us one Christmas when Elijah was about six years old. ‘What do you want, son?’ ‘A kitten, and some snacks for my dog.’ How do you argue with that? Well, we didn’t. So Socks, and his brother Barbie (it’s a long story) came to live in our home. We knew they were for us when we found them at Fox’s Nest, lying in a hammock, arm in arm. Barbie, sleek and black, Socks gray and white, with (you might have guessed) a white moustache and white socks on ... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062256 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 03:59:46 +0100 5062256 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062274&cid=t_99506_106_f&fid=36682&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSutureForALiving%2F%7E3%2FMk6h5o5iSNw%2Fmore-fabric-postcards.html Last weekend I went on a fabric postcard making spree!  These have been sent to friends/family I think will appreciate them as birthday cards. This first one is going to a friend who loves purple (background fabric) and loves to photograph feet (bare, in sandals, etc).   It is 5 in X 7 in. This one is going to a friend whom I’ve known since grade school.  It is 3.5 in X 5 in. and this is the back!  This one is going to a nephew-in-law who is an artist (photography and painting).  The background fabric is black linen with “fussy-cut” Batik figures machine appliqued with gold metallic thread.  It is 5 in X 7 in. Here is the black of it. This one is for another friend whom I’ve known since elementary school.  She too is an artist (photography... Suture for a Living blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062274 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 11:35:00 +0100 5062274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050775&cid=t_99506_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fwhy-do-doctors-give-kickbacks-and-whats.html It's very easy for people to moralise and wax eloquent about the declining standards of ethics and morality amongst doctors in India today. However, rather than blame individuals or the medical profession, I think we need to focus on finding a solution.This is my viewpoint.Individually, most doctors are good people. They enter medicine because they want to be of service to others - and most are intelligent, conscientious, idealistic and hardworking when they enter medical college.However, as time goes by, they gradually become cynical and bitter. There are few positive role models they can look upto - and when they see their seniors indulge in unethical practises, they are quite resigned to toeing the party line. After all, how can you fight the "system" ? In India, isn't everyone corrupt,... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050775 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 03:24:00 +0100 5050775 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050715&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F21%2Ftaking-your-teen-to-a-therapist%2F It’s hard enough knowing when you need to see a therapist and navigating the entire process from picking a professional to making the most of your time once you do. (Here are some tips, by the way.) But doing this for your teen can seem outright overwhelming. Educating yourself on the process, however, helps immensely. Below, clinical psychologist John Duffy, Psy.D, who works with teens and authored the book The Available Parent: Radical Optimism for Raising Teens and Tweens, discusses everything from telltale signs to see a therapist to talking to your child to making the most of therapy. When Your Teen Needs Therapy According to Duffy, the time to take your teen to a therapist is “when you note a marked change in either her affect, her behavior, or both,” especially “if the chan... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050715 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 12:06:53 +0100 5050715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050508&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2Finstitute-of-medicine-recommends-birth-control-as-a-covered-preventive-service Good news! You may remember that the health care reform legislation enacted last year included provisions for preventive health care services to be fully covered without requiring patients to have copayments. It was not clear, however, whether birth control would be included as a preventive service. It seems obvious to us, but the Institute of Medicine was asked to make some recommendations about which preventive services for women should be included, and included birth control in those recommendations, released yesterday. If they are adopted, preventive services including birth control could become much more affordable and accessible to women in the United States. The Institute, after reviewing the rate and consequences of unintended pregnancy, effectiveness of birth control, and cost and... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050508 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:44:01 +0100 5050508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051121&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=39026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarolinemfr.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fpart-time-vs-full-time.html If you are a patient, you are a patient 24 hours a day. Your doctor works 8, 10, 12 hours a day, more or less. This leaves you with no way to contact your doctor for 12-16 hours a day - never mind weekends. And now, heavens above, doctors want to work part time? What is the craziness? Maybe they are looking for work/life balance and a bit of sanity. Well, some people have a problem with this. In general, more women and men are working part time while their children are young so they can be parents. So why shouldn't doctors? I don't see a problem with this - a doctor who is trying to be a professional and a parent who is allowed some flexibility in their schedule might actually be less stressed and more able to focus on the patient's needs.My oncologist is just back from maternity leave. Wh... Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051121 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:49:00 +0100 5051121 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5046203&cid=t_99506_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F07%2F20%2Fdadaab-kenya%2F A child has the circumference of his upper arm measured with a MUAC band by MSF health staff, at a health post in Dagahaley refugee camp, Dadaab, Kenya. The Dadaab refugee camp complex in northeastern Kenya consists of three camps: Ifo, Hagadera and Dagahaley. It constitutes the largest refugee camp in the world with more than 370,000 inhabitants, and it is beyond full. But, thousands of Somali refugees continue to arrive every day, fleeing the violent conflict in their home country and the devastating effects of the drought and lack of food. Between June 6 and July 6, approximately 40,000 people arrived in Dadaab in search of humanitarian assistance and safety. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5046203 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:08:24 +0100 5046203 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050721&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F18%2Fbed-sharing-seems-okay-for-toddlers%2F While not particularly popular here in the U.S., bed sharing arrangements are a little more common in many other countries, especially when sleeping quarters may be scarce. A new study just published suggests that such bed sharing between parents and their toddlers and young children probably don’t result in any kind of long-term psychological or social problems. The study followed a sample of 944 low-income families who were enrolled in the Early Head Start program, and followed the toddlers and parents over the course of five years. Once other factors were accounted for — such as the family’s socioeconomic status, the mom’s educational level, ethnicity and parenting style — the negative outcomes associated with bed sharing went away. This suggests that bed s... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050721 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:06:36 +0100 5050721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036240&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1726 Church Camp Helps Kids Learn How to Choose This is my column in today’s Greenville News. My wife and I just returned from helping to chaperone 20 middle and high-school students at a church camp populated by a total of 600 youth. We were at SummerSalt, the flagship camp of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, located near Winnsboro, SC at White Oak Conference Center. (Actually, I’ve always referred to it as ‘Hotternhades, South Carolina,’ but that’s just me.) Since it is a Southern Baptist Camp, let me immediately set fire to the standard ’straw-man’ stereotypes leveled at our denomination; and indeed, at evangelicals in general. We did not spend our time making lists of all the people we believed were going to hell. We did not meet secretly to d... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036240 Sun, 17 Jul 2011 18:59:47 +0100 5036240 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036234&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbudget-cuts-and-their-potential-complications-for-family-medicine%2F2011.07.16 Every day in the news, you hear about the United States federal budget and the potential political complications if something is done or if nothing is done. And every day in the news you hear about possible cuts in Medicare. What you don’t know is that some cuts in Medicare can significantly impact the training of future Family Physicians. What do I mean by this? Well, did you know that residency programs are paid Medicare funds (called Graduate Medical Education funds) going to hospitals? Check out this great article about how residency programs are funded. So, let’s play this out with its potential complications for Family Medicine. If GME funds are cut as they are proposed, then many hospitals with only one residency program (usually a Family Medicine program), may be forced... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036234 Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:00:45 +0100 5036234 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028232&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F07%2Funsolicited-praise-for-bxpanded-com.html About a month ago I bought a micro-tractor to have around the micro homestead, which is a lot of fun. (It’s a Kubota BX25, which I’d link to but their site is apparently Flash based, and therefore stinks and is unlinkable). So, a little tiny tractor with a tiny loader and backhoe. It’s stupidly fun. I had no idea digging things with a backhoe would be so satisfying. I’m not going to give up the day job to do it, but it’s really a barrel of monkeys. Apparently part of having a tractor is the parts/accessorizing (yes, I concur that accessorizing is probably the wrong word for a macho tractor, but I’m new to this, remember)? So, I have bought bucket hooks and a light kit for it, from BXpanded, and they’re the object of this praise. I tried the bucket ... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028232 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 06:48:21 +0100 5028232 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028464&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FfuZ8T941wuc%2F URL: http://www.safersociety.org/Safer Society Foundation is dedicated to ending sexual abuse so that we all can enjoy safer communities, healthier families and happier lives. For: Anyone, ConsumersTopics: Clinical Psychology, Depression, Emotional Health, Family Therapy, Mental Health, Personality, Personality disorders, Physical Health, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Sexual Assault, Social SupportFeatures: Articles, Information, Links, e-learningSafer Society Foundation is dedicated to ending sexual abuse so that we all can enjoy safer communities, healthier families and happier lives. Our work focuses on providing information and resources to help create safer communities through prevention and effective public policy, to provide victims with healing and restitution, and to provide off... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028464 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:00:27 +0100 5028464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029055&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=39213&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbeingcancer.net%2F2011%2F07%2F14%2Fsurviving-someone-elses-cancer-guest-post%2F Lori Marx-Rubiner, MA, MSW, describes herself as a Breast Cancer Coach/Advocate.  She has started a new blog that combines her personal and professional roles.  This particular post was written by her son Zach. – regrounding | of chemo, cancer and red, red wine Surviving Someone Else’s Cancer I was 3 ½ when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I can’t remember much of that time, but what I do remember will stay with me for the rest of my life. Mostly I remember a few things that happened when my mom had surgery. My grandma stayed with us to help out. I remember once when my mom was still in the hospital and I was with my grandma and I was crying. I don’t remember why I was, but I do remember my dad coming home and reading me a bedtime story. I think that it was h... Being Cancer Network blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029055 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:33:55 +0100 5029055 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028243&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1724 Does it seem ironic that ARG stands for Antibiotic Resistant Gonorrhea?  Maybe a little? In an era of movies like ‘Friends with Benefits,’ in a time when entertainers like Russell Brand and David Duchovny are treated for sexual addiction, in a time when we simply shrug off the words ‘promiscuous’ or ‘fornication; as antiquated bits of fundamentalism, we have yet another reason to pause and think. Gonorrhea that resists current antibiotic therapy. http://www.cdc.gov/std/gonorrhea/arg/default.htm It isn’t just burning, unfortunately.  It’s also infertility and in some cases infections of the blood-stream, heart valves or brain that can result from untreated (or now, untreatable) gonorrhea. But we’ll probably ignore this too.  Moderns are sim... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028243 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:00:07 +0100 5028243 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029222&cid=t_99506_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fbeyond-co-dependency%2F : And Getting Better All the Time By Melody Beattie A book for any one who has had a relationship with an alcohol, addict or compulsive gambler. Adult Children of Alcoholism / addiction, wives, husbands, parents &etc. Review By Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) While I have not read Melody Beattie’s other works, I thought this a very valuable book in and of itself. It sheds much light on the topic and helped me to become sensitized to the obvious signs of co-dependency in people. By doing this, it enabled me to avoid situations where I could become codependent in a relationship. I think that, as in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, there are levels of psychological situations and/or problems. Thus, there may be people inherently inclined towards co-dependency, but there may also be peopl... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029222 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 11:47:07 +0100 5029222 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028244&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1721 Ally gets it. You see, Ally works hard. I talk to her in the grocery store where she is employed She is young, but speaks to me like an adult every time we chat. ‘Hi Dr. Leap, how are you?’ She engages me, even as she does her job, swiping items from the bottomless grocery cart of food my wife and I require to feed our teens and their friends. A few days ago Ally and I had a great chat. I love to ask young people what they hope to do. There is a joy, an excitement in the best of them that is sometimes contagious. It reminds me of the way my wife and I saw our futures when we were in college and graduate school. ‘What are your plans, Ally?’ ‘Well, I’m getting my GED, because I was sick and it messed up my high school schedule.’ In truth, Ally was mo... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028244 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:30:52 +0100 5028244 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028456&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F12%2Fhow-to-reach-members-of-the-military-and-their-families%2F As I was researching The Happiness Project, I was struck by the fact that I often found it more helpful to read about one person’s idiosyncratic happiness project than to read about general principles applying to all humankind or studies applying to large populations. For some reason, reading about Thoreau’s very individual decision to move to Walden Pond, or St. Therese’s struggle to stay patient with the nun who made clicking noises during evening prayers, was what taught me most about myself. I’ve heard from people whose lives are very different from mine, on the surface — but it turns out that we face many of the same challenges in our happiness projects. Here’s a question for you, readers: I’ve been steadily getting email from members of the ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028456 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:06:59 +0100 5028456 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028854&cid=t_99506_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FRQv7prG3aso%2F Almost a quarter of people surveyed in Ireland said they think depression is a “state of mind” rather than an illness, and two of every five respondents said they wouldn’t want to know if a friend or family member was depressed. The survey, called the 2011 Mental Health Barometer, was commissioned by pharmaceutical firm Lundbeck, the maker of the antidepressant Lexipro, and it gives some food for thought as to how we should really treat depression. You can tell from reading Lundbeck’s report that it has a positive interest in defining depression as an illness. While this is generally a good thing, I think we need to be careful to avoid looking at mood disorders like depression exclusively as illnesses. It negates the role that talk therapy or alternative therapies can have on treat... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028854 Sat, 09 Jul 2011 18:09:27 +0100 5028854 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008306&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F07%2Ftherapists-online-a-new-norm%2F Therapists, psychologists and even psychiatrists are dotting the online landscape with websites, blogs and even with their activity on social networking sites!  Has a new norm in our field been established? It’s been almost two years since the first post in my Psych Central series on the paradigm shift occurring for therapists in how we present ourselves on the web.  In October 2009, in Psychotherapists Unmasked on the Internet, I used an exchange between my psychiatrist father (of 45 years) and myself, a new Marriage and Family Therapist, to demonstrate the clash of eras and belief systems occurring.  He had given me a hard time about putting my picture up on my website several years back but in the end asked me to help him figure out how to get a website up for himself (sheepish gri... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008306 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:23:57 +0100 5008306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008318&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F07%2Fsinging-teh-brain-dead-workin-hard-blues-remodeling%2F Had a migraine this morning Cancelled on my shrink. Need to clean and organise But I can’t even think. Moved bedrooms three days ago O where is my daily pill box? Boxes and piles everywhere O where are my clean socks? I need to go out and garden Weeds have eaten the side yard. I [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008318 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 03:13:50 +0100 5008318 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008118&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2Fjoin-the-national-womens-law-center-for-a-birth-control-blog-carnival On July 21, the National Women’s Law Center is hosting a “Birth Control: We’ve Got You Covered” blog carnival to talk about the importance of access to birth control and to encourage the U.S. government to include birth control in a list of services that will be available without a co-pay. The Affordable Care Act requires coverage – without a co-pay – for preventive services. Decisions about which services will be included are expected sometime this summer. Advocates, including the NWLC, have been working to encourage the Institute of Medicine and Department of Health and Human Services to include birth control as one of the preventive services to be covered. If you’re unfamiliar with the “blog carnival” concept, it’s when lots of people post... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008118 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:56:05 +0100 5008118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008309&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F06%2Fwhen-does-flirting-become-cheating-9-red-flags%2F According to psychologist Michael Brickey, author of Defying Aging and many other relationship experts, playful bantering or gentle flirting with someone outside of your marriage is harmless if proper boundaries remain intact. Those boundaries differ with each relationship, of course. What would be considered a violation in one marriage might be perfectly acceptable for another couple. Difference of opinions even occur within a marriage. For example, I know a woman who recently asked her husband to either give her his Facebook password or close out his account after she found an email that he had sent to a former classmate that she found to be rather suggestive. He disagreed and thought it was perfectly appropriate. Social media sites and online interaction are pushing this issue to dinner... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008309 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:33:01 +0100 5008309 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008572&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=39026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarolinemfr.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fbut-i-dont-really-like-broccoli.html The one thing I have in common with the former President George H.W. Bush is that I am not a huge broccoli fan. I eat it, sometimes. But not all the time. My parents have an on-going issue with broccoli. My father is convinced it is good for him and he should eat it regularly - a couple times a week is fine with him. If he goes to a grocery store, he will come home with broccoli. If he goes to a restaurant which has a dish with broccoli in it, he will order it. My mother, on the other hand, would prefer to eat it less frequently - once a week at most. Bad news for my mother. The latest research shows that broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables contain Sulforaphane, one of the primary phytochemicals, which has been shown for the first time to selectively target and kill cancer cells whil... Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008572 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:03:00 +0100 5008572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997615&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F04%2Fhappy-independence-day-2011%2F We’re celebrating our Independence Day here in the U.S., so I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and safe day of celebration. The United States is celebrating our 235th birthday today. I’m honored and blessed to be living in a pretty great country (although, like every society, we certainly have our flaws). The United States was born of great dissatisfaction with the way the people were then being governed, especially an ever-increasing and seemingly never-ending tax burden. Today’s United States faces some of the same concerns — taxes keep going up while government takes on more and more. Let’s hope it never gets to another Revolution, but at the same time, I hope our politicians remember that their citizens don’t have endless pockets.... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997615 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:11:55 +0100 4997615 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997829&cid=t_99506_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fbig-book-quick-reference%2F A quick reference guide to the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book. We offer this quick guide in the hope that it may help another. It is not complete but may serve as a starting point. The Principles of the 12 Step Program Step 1 Honesty  Step 2 Hope Step 3 Faith Step 4 Courage Step 5 Integrity Step 6 Willingness Step 7 Humility  Step 8 Brotherly Love Step 9 Justice Step 10 Perseverance Step 11 Spirituality Step 12 Service Helpful Index of References AA Origin:  XV-XVII AA Organization:  XIX, 567 AA Program Summary:  164 Acceptance:  14, 30, 449, 452 Admission:  25, 72-73 Agnostics:  44-57 Alcoholic:  XXIV-XXVII Alcoholism:  30-43 Aloneness:  17, 89 Ambition:  68, 7... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997829 Sun, 03 Jul 2011 15:14:00 +0100 4997829 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992699&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1711 This is my column in July’s EM News.  Have a restful day! http://journals.lww.com/em-news/Fulltext/2011/07000/Second_Opinion__A_Rest_for_the_Heart.10.aspx We travel to Hilton Head, SC, every spring for an ‘end of school-year’ vacation. It is a tradition that started several years ago; one which our family treasures. We plan months ahead, when we arrange lodging. Then, as the date draws closer we have to restrain ourselves from jumping up and down at odd, inappropriate times. The beach calls to us in an inexplicable way. We live in a beautiful county, surrounded by mountains and lakes. It is, in itself, a worthy destination, perfect for biking, hiking, fishing and/or kayaking. But when May rolls around, our eyes turn to the east, and we long for the sand and sea. It is on... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992699 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 22:24:09 +0100 4992699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992928&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fgood-things-about-being-canadian.html Today is Canada Day. I've been feeling pretty out of sorts about my country lately, for a whole bunch of reasons (the most recent of which is our opposition to listing asbestos as a banned substance at the United Nations. Asbestos is a known cause of cancer. This kind of cancer is solely caused by asbestos. Asbestos is banned in Canada. But we still export the stuff. So it's OK to give people in other countries cancer. Shameful.)And I really don't care about the Royal Visit.I've only been to Parliament Hill once on Canada Day and that was more than twenty years ago, before I lived in Ottawa. I'll be spending the day on the road, in advance of an important family event in Toronto. We'll be listening to talking books, breaking up fights between the kids and trying to convince the dog to stay... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992928 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 13:00:00 +0100 4992928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984513&cid=t_99506_111_f&fid=34712&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdigitaldoorway.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fmy-mother-rest-in-peace.html On May 26th, just over one month ago, I posted a blog post entitled The Ride of a Lifetime in which I ruminated about life, death, mortality, and my own coming of age as an elder. In that post, I paid homage to my recently deceased father-in-law, my newly widowed mother-in-law, and my deceased step-father, whose ashes sit in a makeshift urn on my mother's kitchen counter.Not sixteen days later, I received a phone call from my sister that my mother, a relatively healthy 78-year-old woman with several well-controlled chronic health conditions, had suffered a serious stroke. A Juilliard-trained classical pianist, my mother was giving a recital with some of her students that afternoon, and in keeping with her desire to "die while playing the piano" (as she had often wished), she continued to p... Digital Doorway blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984513 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:46:00 +0100 4984513 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975876&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1706 Trained as an emergency physician, my entire career has been spent pondering, searching for, often finding and managing the worst possible eventualities in my patients.  Chest pain is, first and foremost, a heart attack or pulmonary embolus.  Abdominal pain is appendicitis, a ruptured tubal pregnancy.  Fever with headache is meningitis.  And neck pain from a car wreck is an unstable cervical spine fracture. So it has taken enormous effort to ‘dial-down’ my response to my wife’s recent cancer, treatment and recovery.  I drive her to distraction with ‘how are you feeling?’  I pester her endlessly to eat.  I have imagined every bump or cough a metastasis.  I have envisioned all the worst outcomes imaginable.  I endlessly ‘catastrophize,’ as o... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975876 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:01:30 +0100 4975876 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975972&cid=t_99506_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fanother-happy-patient-from-malpani.html We had been married for 10 years. We had our careers, home, and friends everything going for us. Just one thing made us feel incomplete, especially me, not having a child of our own. Initially we felt it will happen after 6 months, a year. Then we took treatment. We had hopes. But all the hopes kept dying year after year. What was worst was when elders and relatives kept asking us about when we were planning to have a baby. That pressure was unbearable. But after 10 years I was coming to terms with the fact that I would be childless.We kept reading about the latest developments of science in this field in newspapers and kept tabs of the most successful doctors in the field. But we were afraid of the costs involved and that kept us from approaching them. But then we read some articles abou... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975972 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:52:00 +0100 4975972 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976114&cid=t_99506_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2Fyaz1ATgmUwQ%2F I’ve spent the better part of last week in my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, during which time my little sister got married (I was maid of honor). I also had to introduce my boyfriend, whom I’m about to move from D.C. to Indiana with, to my parents and whole family for the first time.  If that sounds like the set up for a Katherine Heigl comedy, well — all I can say it that it all went perfectly well. Better, even, than expected. And yet … There are always complications involved in staying in your parent’s house as a grown-up, aren’t there? Especially when a significant other is in tow. My mother is very Catholic and very strict about no boys and girls sleeping in beds together under her roof until they’re married. Because out-of-town relatives had commandeered my old bed... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976114 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:35:22 +0100 4976114 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975870&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fmy-wife-objects-to-the-venting-of-our-whole-home-dehumidifier-into-the-laundry-room.html I can’t imagine why: Yeah, Africa Hot. But worse, except not in Africa. So, better! What’s the problem? Related posts:Destitute Companies Get Health Insurance Pass From Feds | WhiteCoat’s Call Room Why repeal the new health care law? Just get a... Joint Commission – Anti-Safety in Action | WhiteCoat’s Call Room “Severe pain can trigger suicide in hospital ERs” the headline... Wife of slain doctor pleads not guilty – SignOnSanDiego.com A woman suspected of stabbing her husband, a respected Navy... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. (Source: GruntDoc) GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975870 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 07:44:02 +0100 4975870 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968817&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=36162&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myelomablog.com%2F2011%2F06%2F26%2Fhospitals%2F Wow. Hospitals have sure changed! A family member was recently hospitalized, and the staff actually encouraged us to stay the night and help with care. It’s a good thing to be able to do, if you have the ability.  Sometimes responsibilities at home might get in the way, but being there as much as possible helped my loved one get through the rough patch. I remember one time when I was really sick and in the hospital, though. I didn’t even want calls or visitors.  I just wanted to be left alone. I bet most people prefer the company! (Source: beth's myeloma blog) beth's myeloma blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968817 Sun, 26 Jun 2011 18:52:22 +0100 4968817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968486&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fprimary-care-is-undervalued-what-should-be-done%2F2011.06.26 An article by Brian Klepper and Paul Fischer at Health Affairs has me all fired up. Finally these two health experts are calling it like it is. The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and EverythingHealth have written before about the way primary care is undervalued and underpayed in this country and how it is harming the health and economics of the United States. A secretive, specialist-dominated panel within the American Medical Association called the RUC has been valuing medical services for decades. They divvy up billions of Medicare and Medicaid dollars and all insurance payers base their reimbursement on these values also. The result has been gross overpayment of procedures and medical specialists and underpayment of doctors who practice primary care in internal medicine, family medi... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968486 Sun, 26 Jun 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4968486 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968944&cid=t_99506_180_f&fid=38603&url=http%3A%2F%2Fzenhabits.net%2Fdoh%2F Post written by Leo Babauta. My daughter Chloe is starting out in college in the fall, and with her newfound independence will come the newfound responsibilities of dealing with money. Like many young people, she hates thinking about finances. I was one of them. I always dreaded budgeting and paying bills and thinking about savings and retirement, and figured I could always deal with it later. Problem with that is you end up screwing yourself if you put things off until later. Living for the moment is great, until the finances catch up with you and the moment starts to suck because you owe a ton of debt. I’ve found that living mindfully means not just partying in the moment, but taking care of things now, when they’re small, rather than when they’re huge. So with that in ... Zen Habits blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968944 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:39:44 +0100 4968944 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968841&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cancerlifeandme.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fstream-of-consciousness%2F Surgery. What a word. Spooks the hell out of me. I really, really, really wish I didn’t have such vivid memories of my past surgical recoveries. The smell of alcohol, iodine, blood, and saline. The way every whisper of a breath feels like a sledgehammer to the chest and ribs. Feeling the searing, white hot, blast Continue reading Stream of consciousness (Source: Cancer, life, and me) Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968841 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:21:07 +0100 4968841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953393&cid=t_99506_160_f&fid=36189&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skinmdblog.com%2F517%2Fprotect-your-skin-this-summer%2F It’s the summer and while you proceed to spend some fun in the sun with your family and friends, it’s important that you properly protect your skin from overexposure—too much sun can lead not only to painful sunburns, but skin cancer and early skin aging such as unattractive wrinkles and sun spots as well. But when it comes to selecting the best sunscreen for you and/or your family, sometimes it’s confusing. So confusing in fact, that the Food and Drug Administration has mandated new sun screen regulations so that consumers can better understand labels and get the protection they need. Under the new regulations, which will take effect next summer, sunscreens will now have to pass a “broad spectrum” test before they can be placed on the market. This test will... Skin MD blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953393 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 18:31:52 +0100 4953393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952861&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1689 Happy Birthday Mountain State! I was born in West Virginia, and lived there until I completed medical school in 1990.  My wife comes from a family of coal-miners, proud and solid.  My ancestors were there as far back as the late 1700s, well before it was a state and when it was still a wilderness, full of opportunity and peril.  They were subsistence farmers.  Though I live elsewhere now, a piece of my heart always beats for home. So, today, I wish West Virginia a Happy Birthday!  I am proud of my home state.  And I’ll tell you why.  It’s people are durable.  They have faced battles and disease, natural disaster and economic devastation, socialism and corrupt politicians, abusive employers and reckless unions,  and yet, they go on.  They have provided natural resource... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952861 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:47:02 +0100 4952861 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953268&cid=t_99506_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F19%2Fnot-pictured%2F View Full Album I am mindful, on this Father’s Day, that I do not have many photographs of Thomas Arnold (“Arnie”) Chaplin.  (The additional ones I do have are wedding party shots with people who might not wish to be published.)  However my memory informs me of many more, in safe-keeping with Mom, from the [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953268 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 20:51:16 +0100 4953268 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952989&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F19%2F10-tips-for-new-fathers%2F If you are a new dad, guess what research shows is one of the best things you can do to bond with your new baby and make your marriage stronger? Change his diaper. Yep… Becoming a new father can be a daunting task, but there are ten things to keep in mind that will help you, your new baby, and your marriage. 1. Time and tolerance. The most important thing you can do is simply spend time with your newborn.  Serious research about fatherhood is only a scant 30 years old, and what we know is that the more time fathers spend with their infants the better. Researchers in the early years of father-infant bonding couldn’t find fathers spending enough time with their infants to study them.  In other words, dads weren’t spending an adequate amount of time with their baby to even start... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952989 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 10:29:58 +0100 4952989 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952863&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1683 Thank you all for your prayers for my dear wife.  I haven’t update lately, so here’s the latest. We went to MUSC in Charleston a couple of weeks ago for follow up, some 12 weeks after completion of chemotherapy and radiation.  Jan’s exam looked very good.  Nothing going on in her tongue or throat except some generalized edema.  Healthy looking cells, unlike the scary white ones we saw back in December. ‘Hallelujah, thine the Glory,’ as the song goes! She also had a PET scan.  It took a couple of weeks for the final reading and review by the tumor board at MUSC.  But the results were pretty good.  The left side of her neck was clear (that’s where the original malignant nodes were found).  The right side of her neck was clear except for one lymph n... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952863 Sat, 18 Jun 2011 17:39:28 +0100 4952863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953270&cid=t_99506_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F17%2Fa-change-in-mr-gs-eye-exam%2F  Mr. G’s eye exam has been changed again, maybe for the last time, so that the antagonist, though dead for more than a decade, might only be identified by his last initial and the responsibilities he held. (Anyone familiar with the school at the time does not need to have him named.) I’m doing this [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953270 Sat, 18 Jun 2011 03:01:52 +0100 4953270 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952994&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F17%2Ffatherless-on-fathers-day%2F {Holidays, 2008} This Father’s Day, I’ll be spending the day at my dad’s gravesite. It’ll be two years this August since my father passed away. I thought the wounds would heal by now. But they haven’t. Instead, it feels like the scar tissue is healing all wrong. The first year was a blur. Days dissolving into one another, melting like the clock in one of my father’s favorite Dali paintings. Days spent focused on checking off items on a to-do list. Months spent trying to carve out some sort of a routine in a half-empty house. Time heals all wounds; you hear that all the time. But I don’t think that’s true. Time tears off the Band-Aid, little by little, instead of ripping it off in one fell swoop. As the days, weeks, months and years go by, you just get caught... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952994 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:11:12 +0100 4952994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934642&cid=t_99506_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FHMBed74AHa8%2F My dad still has a subscription to Rolling Stone magazine. Last time I was home, he was paging through one of those consummate Rolling Stone best-of articles, this one featuring the ‘Top 50 Songs by Bob Dylan.’ “Can you tell me what number one is?” my dad asked my sister and I. “Like a Rolling Stone?” we both answered. Correct. “I guess I raised you guys right,” he said. Some things, like my dad’s knowledge of and love for 1960s and 70s-era music, my sister and I picked up practically through osmosis during our childhood. Other things we never did learn—for instance, we’ve oft gone against everything my dad believes in by purchasing books and movies from Amazon rather than borrowing them from the public library. And neither of... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934642 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 20:54:20 +0100 4934642 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934330&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F16%2Ffresh-air-fund-needs-host-families-2011%2F Imagine growing up in a city environment where you rarely see a tree, a patch of grass, or a bird. Imagine having nowhere to play a game of baseball or play catch with your dog. Imagine a place where the only thing summer brings is sweltering indoor temperatures, with no vacation or fun outside of playing in the fire-hydrant spray. For many children, this is inner-city life and the only life they know. But the Fresh Air Fund is a non-profit that has been giving free summer experiences to poor children in New York City since 1877. During that time, they’ve helped millions of children have a very different kind of summer vacation — a chance to breath some fresh air in a different, less urban environment. They need more host families living in a northeastern state this summer. Continue re... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934330 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 10:11:23 +0100 4934330 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934180&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1674 This is my article in Taki’s Magazine on the potential impact of high gas prices on rural life.  No, we can’t just ride the bus! http://takimag.com/article/high_gas_prices_low_regard_for_rural_culture (Source: edwinleap.com) edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934180 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:33:34 +0100 4934180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953304&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=39026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarolinemfr.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fon-how-many-levels-is-this-wrong.html A woman was diagnosed with cancer and a relatively bad diagnosis. Her husband asked his boss for flexibility so he could attend treatments with her and offered to work nights and weekends. He was terminated as a result. How wrong is this?Now, as the article says it may not be illegal but it certainly is not moral or ethical.A long term employee made a request and it was declined. They now have to replace him and will bear a burden of hiring and training a new person. I bet the transition will cost more over time than keeping someone who is working odd hours. Never mind what this will do to company morale. Maybe others will leave as a result as well. I mean what if one of their family members got sick and they wanted some flexibility to take care of them? They would have gotten their answer... Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953304 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:54:00 +0100 4953304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934334&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F14%2Flearning-how-to-die-the-handbook-for-mortals%2F In any bookstore, you will find aisles and aisles of self-help books coaching us how to live more fully, how to embrace life with passion, and how to age in a way that we aren’t getting older! But how to die? Are you kidding me? DEPRESSING! But we desperately need a teacher in this area. Because each of us is eventually going to perish, and how nice it would be to have a few guidelines as we are getting close. In their book, Handbook for Mortals: Guidance for People Facing Serious Illness, authors Joanne Lynn, MD, Joan Harrold, MD, and Janice Lynch Schuster, MFA discuss the topic of dying from several perspectives: living with serious illness, helping families make wise decisions, getting the help you need, controlling pain, planning ahead, and enduring loss. It is a comprehensive and in... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934334 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:12:29 +0100 4934334 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934181&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1668 My wife was in New York City with her girlfriends last week.  Which meant I was in charge of the house, dogs and especially, the kids.  Believe it or not, I love taking care of my family!  Though I’m pretty bad at laundry, I am a passable cook, I can order carry-out with practiced skill, I make sure everyone changes clothes, brushes their teeth and behaves in a (relatively) civilized manner. The kids and I have great discussions, watch movies, read, laugh and play.  We usually sleep in my bedroom, like a bunch of large gerbils with blankets strewn everywhere.  I like to think that, as dad’s go, I’m pretty fun.  While we miss mama, we always have a good time when it’s papa time. But fun isn’t everything, is it?  Upon her return, one of my children went t... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934181 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:39:10 +0100 4934181 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934337&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F13%2Fwhen-my-mother-died-she-told-me-to-try-to-enjoy-life-more%2F Happiness interview: Meghan O’Rourke. Meghan O’Rourke is a writer in many incarnations — an essayist, poet, critic, and editor. I got to know Meghan during the time that this blog appeared on Slate , and I was very eager to get my hands on her new book. The Long Goodbye is a memoir of her mother’s death from cancer in 2008, at the age of 55, when Meghan was 32 years old. Going through great unhappiness is one of the best, and most difficult, teachers of happiness, so I was very interested to hear what Meghan had to say. Gretchen: What’s a simple activity that consistently makes you happier? Meghan: Taking a walk. I used to run a lot, and that always made me happier (even if I was unhappy lacing up my shoes to do it). But I tore the cartilage in my right hip and n... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934337 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:34:15 +0100 4934337 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934341&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F11%2Fcan-a-negative-emotion-like-regret-actually-make-you-happier%2F Assay: Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the important role of negative emotions in a happy life. Some people seem to believe that the purpose of a happiness project would be to achieve a life in which you were 100% happy, 100% of the time. This isn’t realistic, and in any event, even if it were possible, it wouldn’t be desirable. Negative emotions are a key part of rational thought and effective performance. Also, up to a point, they can be of great service to happiness. They’re loud, flashy signs that something isn’t right. Because they’re so unpleasant, they can sometimes prod us to take action when nothing else can. For instance, envy and deception have helped me to make useful changes in my life. I just finished Neal Roese’s book, If Onl... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934341 Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:46:28 +0100 4934341 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953296&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Frestless-night.html My smallest one is down and out with a stomach bug and kept us up for a large portion of the night with his stomach pain and fever. I look at his 3-year-old face and I remember the first time he was put in my arms, his quizzical look and blinking baby eyes.Nothing else much going on at the Thul house today. Just trying to keep the sick one happy and the rest of us healthy! (Source: Turquoise Gates) Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953296 Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:09:00 +0100 4953296 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921517&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F11%2F6-ideas-for-creating-fun-rituals-with-your-family%2F My parents and I have always been like the Three Musketeers. When I lived at home, we’d sit down to dinner every single night—no TV or cell phones, though my dad would leave the soccer game on in the living room and spring from his chair to stand at the edge of the kitchen to catch a good play. (Or if he heard the signature “Gooaaaallllll!” roaring from the announcer.) We took family vacations regularly and rarely experienced big events separately. For instance, whenever I had a performance at school, my parents always made sure that one of them was there. If they had to, they’d miss work to support me during one of my silly shows. My father passed away almost two years ago, but my mom and I still try to eat dinner together and regularly have shopping dates. When my g... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921517 Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:31:41 +0100 4921517 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921789&cid=t_99506_180_f&fid=38603&url=http%3A%2F%2Fzenhabits.net%2Ftransit%2F Post written by Leo Babauta. For almost a year now, my wife Eva, my six kids and I have been walking and riding mass transit almost exclusively. We have bikes but we’re still new to them, and we also use City Carshare for longer trips out of the city. But for everything else, it’s walking and mass transit — for meeting with people, going to restaurants and movies and museums and parks, for grocery shopping (we only buy what we can carry), farmer’s markets, fairs, visiting relatives, and more. It’s been one of the best things ever for us. We’ve adjusted from being car users when we were on Guam. I love walking tremendously (I can walk anywhere in the city), but I also love the mass transit … for the lessons it has taught my family. Some of the lesso... Zen Habits blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921789 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:16:00 +0100 4921789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921519&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F10%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-june-10-2011%2F One of the unexpected gifts that come when you get healthy is the sudden realization that everyone around you isn’t. Awhile back Gabrielle of the The Therapist Within talked about the black sheep of the family as being the scapegoat. Sometimes after stepping back and working on your own stuff, you realize that you were not the big problem that you thought you were. Maybe it was your parents, your friends or even your partner that unintentionally made you the big bad black sheep so that they could be okay with their own idiosyncrasies. In your light, it made their shadows not so bad. So you’ve broken away from the pack and rediscovered yourself. The question is, “How do you venture back?” It’s summertime and that may mean gathering for friend’s birthdays ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921519 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:20:58 +0100 4921519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934718&cid=t_99506_134_f&fid=36052&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.daily-diabetic.com%2F50220604%2Flife_with_diabetics.php © bodytelDiabetes is not like other health problems. It needs daily attention several times a day, every day. It also requires knowledge on how to cope with special occasions, sickness, and emergencies. Your family will become the greatest experts on diabetes. Everyone in the family may be anxious in the early stages, but as you all settle into a routine, anxiety levels should drop. There is no cure for diabetes, however it can be successfully controlled. Insulin injections will enable the patient to recover ... (Source: Daily Diabetic) Daily Diabetic blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934718 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 08:42:12 +0100 4934718 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893469&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1653 Dear friends, Jan is doing wonderfully, and her recovery from both her cancer therapy, and her pulmonary embolus, has been nothing short of miraculous.  I am so thankful for God’s grace and mercy, and for the skill of those whose treatment of my wife honored the One who called them into medicine.  (Whether they knew it or not!) She has been eating better every day, working out, mowing the lawn and organizing our lives like normal.  I’m very proud of the courage, fortitude, love and patience she has shown throughout her ordeal.   And of the faithfulness in trial that our amazing children displayed. Monday June 6 is the day of her follow-up PET scan and pharyngoscopy at MUSC.  Please pray that her cancer is completely gone.  Her scan is early, I think at 7 am, and her exam... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893469 Sat, 04 Jun 2011 02:17:19 +0100 4893469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893923&cid=t_99506_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fstages-in-the-alcoholic-family%2F Chaos in alcoholic familiesA family with an alcohol in its midst will go through several stages in dealing with the chaos and disruption caused by the alcoholic. These stages are described below in order of appearance.Denial: Early in the development of alcoholism, occasional episodes of excessive drinking are explained away by both marriage partners. Drinking because of tiredness, worry, or a bad day is not unbelievable. The assumption is that the episode is isolated and is, therefore, not a problem.Attempts to Eliminate the Problem:The non-alcoholic spouse realizes that the drinking is not normal and tries to pressure the alcoholic to quit, be more careful, or cut down. At the same time, the spouse tries to hide the problems from the outside and keep up a good.front. Children may start t... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893923 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 19:03:25 +0100 4893923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893441&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FGKtYZzVjl7Q%2F With summer break right around the corner, more kids unsupervised at home, and prescription drug abuse on the rise, the National Family Partnership’s Lock Your Meds campaign offers tips for parents. Studies show that more teens start using drugs during the summer months – while unsupervised and with more free time. 70% of teens who abuse Rx drugs get them from family and friends. 68% of households do not properly secure their Rx medications. Studies show that unmonitored kids are four times more likely to engage in substance abuse. The distressed employment market makes it harder for teens to find summer jobs, leading to more boredom, restlessness and free time.  A new study surveyed 2,500 high schoolers and reported that one in four admitted to abusing Rx drugs. TIPS F... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893441 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:39:43 +0100 4893441 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893470&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1649 My son Sam and I were driving along (well, he was driving) and discussing all of the things we’d like to do in life.  His interests are expansive, just like his dear old Papa, aka me.  We both recognize that life is not long enough to try all of the careers, degrees and experiences we would so love to enjoy.  ‘I think that’s what heaven is for, Sam.  Maybe we want to do those things because we’re supposed to do them in eternity!’ Sam, who sometimes toys with the idea of being a physician, pondered it all then said ‘No offense, but I don’t think we’ll need doctors.’ ‘That’s fine with me,’ I replied earnestly.  And I began to think about it. No more doctoring… A doctor I will no more be When I pass heaven&#821... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893470 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 03:21:17 +0100 4893470 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893557&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F02%2Frun-like-a-girl-how-sports-can-empower-you%2F I never considered myself an athlete. My twin sister grew up with the reputation of being the tomboy of the family, the sporty one who participated in soccer and other organized sports. I was the brain and artsy one, who spent more time practicing my scales and arpeggios on our baby grand piano and perfecting pirouettes in the dance studio. I was intimidated by sports. And I found that I had absolutely no coordination once you threw a ball into the competition. So out were softball, volleyball, soccer, and pretty much every other sport. I swam during the summer and for my high school, and I started running in junior high, but just to lose enough weight to stop my period (I was a tad anorexic). I continued jogging and swimming through college into early adulthood. But just to stay in shape.... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893557 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:37:03 +0100 4893557 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893456&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdoes-your-doctor-have-time-to-think-about-you%2F2011.06.02 At the New York Times’ City Room Blog, Joel Cohen writes: my wife and I are convinced that all medical students should have to pass Overbooking 101 before they can become doctors.Again and again, we arrive at a doctor’s aptly named waiting room on or before the scheduled time, only to learn that three or four others sitting there have been given the same appointment. He says doctors need to understand the impact of this on their patients.  I agree, but not just because it’s annoying. A typical doctor sees thirty patients a day.  Some see even more. Reflect on that math.  If your doctor sees 30 patients a day, that’s 150 a week, 600 a month, maybe 7,000 a year. It means that if it’s been even two months since you last saw your doctor, he has probably seen more than a thousand p... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893456 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:00:57 +0100 4893456 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893558&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F02%2F9-tips-to-find-a-fulfilling-work-life-balance%2F Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing several amazing women on how they juggle all the responsibilities that come with their professional and personal lives. (Stay tuned for the article in our mental health library!) In addition to sharing what works for them, they provided a slew of solutions for readers, too. Here’s what they had to say… 1. Challenge society’s standards. In our society, productivity is prized and praised. We reward workaholic ways, even though this is both emotionally and physically unhealthy. As such, productivity coach Laura Stack, MBA, suggested “challenging the social acceptance — even society’s encouragement — of these common phrases: ‘Look how productive you’re being. You are accomplishing great things’ ‘After all, you posses... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893558 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:07:08 +0100 4893558 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893471&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1645 As a home-school dad I found this article very interesting! http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-robbins-high-school-20110528,0,2505340.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Fopinion%2Fcommentary+%28L.A.+Times+-+Commentary%29 (Source: edwinleap.com) edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893471 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 01:29:08 +0100 4893471 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893828&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=39027&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cancerlifeandme.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fgood-times-good-times%2F This past weekend was a good one. Saturday was my nephew’s Baptism and birthday party. Telly and Lexi were not able to go due to dance commitments, but I represented for my ladies. Here are some random clips from the day: Click here to view the embedded video. Click here to view the embedded video. Click here to view Continue reading Good times, good times (Source: Cancer, life, and me) Cancer, life, and me blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893828 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:05:04 +0100 4893828 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872143&cid=t_99506_106_f&fid=36682&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSutureForALiving%2F%7E3%2FIy7Rw_d2A9k%2Fdallas-patriotic-quilt.html I made this quilt for my nephew when his mother mentioned the one I had made for him previously was getting quite worn.  This time I chose to make him a patriotic quilt.  I began with the 8-pointed star which was left over from some long forgotten project and used it as the center of the medallion. The quilt was sort of a personal “round-robin” as I added sections.  The quilt is machine pieced and quilted.  I finished it in October 2003.  It is 77 in X 79 in.  I want to thank Amy, his mom and my sister-in-law, for taking the photos for me.  Sorry they don’t show the entire quilt. This shows the center a little better. As we begin Memorial Day weekend, I want to thank all active and retired military, as well as their families, for the service and... Suture for a Living blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872143 Fri, 27 May 2011 11:15:00 +0100 4872143 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872108&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1628 A friend recently asked how to explain the death and resurrection of Jesus to his young son in a non-judgmental, values-neutral way.  I have to admit, while a noble thought it’s very difficult.  Jesus himself said he came  ‘not to bring peace, but a sword,’  and that he would cause divisions even in households.  It’s tough to explain it without embracing the story or discounting it. But since so much of faith requires metaphorical thinking, I have an idea.  Let’s think, first, about sin.  Modern society gets very upset about that word.  And probably, the church (temporal) has done a rotten job of explaining it.  Sin isn’t just cheating, lying, stealing, adultery, drunkenness, murder, blasphemy, etc.  Sin isn’t ‘making us guilty for ... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872108 Thu, 26 May 2011 17:36:12 +0100 4872108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862625&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F25%2Fwhat-little-awesome-things-make-you-happy%2F One of my friends from blogland is Neil Pasricha, who has the wonderful site 1000 Awesome Things, where he lists, yes, awesome things! It always makes me happy to visit there. For example, some awesome things include: The Kids’ Table The smooth feeling on your teeth when you get your braces off Pulling a weed and getting all the roots with it That moment in the shower when you decide to make it a really long shower Letting go of the gas pump perfectly so you end on a round number Sneaking cheaper candy into the movie theater Picking the fastest moving line at the grocery store checkout Coming back to your own bed after a long trip Neil has also written two books of awesome things, and the second one hits the shelves today: The Book of Even More Awesome. (Neil and I bond over Canada&... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862625 Wed, 25 May 2011 23:32:40 +0100 4862625 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862626&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F25%2Ffinding-a-male-therapist-take-two%2F I had about 10 people forward me the New York Times article on the dwindling number of men going into counseling professions. Most of them know that male psychology is an area of special interest to me, and I’m also one of the only male therapists that they know. It has been interesting for me to learn that some controversy has emerged from the article, and the rationale for there being cause for alarm. The article essentially made the case that if fewer men go into counseling professions, then fewer men may want to attend because they feel more comfortable talking about certain topics with other men. Dr. Grohol wrote a fabulous piece on this blog yesterday making the counter-point that there is no research evidence to support that view. While I also understand this to be true, I sti... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862626 Wed, 25 May 2011 21:08:17 +0100 4862626 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862634&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FovqaR0_pg1c%2F URL: http://www.mincava.umn.edu/The Minnesota Center against Violence and Abuse (MinCAVA) has information on these subjects: child abuse, domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, trafficking, workplace violence, youth violence and more. Most information is in PDF form, but some are in regular text or web pages. For: AnyoneTopics: Abnormal, Academia, Addiction, Anger, Behaviour Management, Child and Adolescent, Clinical Psychology, Common Factors, Depression, Emotional Health, Family Therapy, General Psychology, Life, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Mental Health Promotion, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Quality of Life, RelationshipsFeatures: Articles, Grants & Funding, Information, Links, Multimedia, Resources We are an online resource community only.  Our services are limited t... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862634 Wed, 25 May 2011 17:00:13 +0100 4862634 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862964&cid=t_99506_180_f&fid=38603&url=http%3A%2F%2Fzenhabits.net%2Fcash%2F Post written by Leo Babauta. I haven’t written about finances in awhile, because these days I barely think about them. That’s because for several years, I focused on getting out of debt — and these days, I live completely debt-free and worry little about finances. It’s a beautiful thing. However, recently a reader asked me to write about Simple Budgeting, and so I thought I’d revisit the topic. I’ll talk about how I deal with finances these days, and then a Simple Budgeting method for those who aren’t exactly debt-free yet. How I Deal with Finances As I said, these days my finances barely register on my brain. Now that I’m out of debt, it’s not a major issue for me, and I’ve automated most of my finances. Here’s what I do: ... Zen Habits blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862964 Wed, 25 May 2011 15:08:48 +0100 4862964 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862555&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fmay-congrats-to-bob.html Bob’s my son, and today most of the family got to witness his swearing into the Texas Bar by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (along with about 400 new colleagues). It was a good, brief ceremony, and as we didn’t get to see him graduate from Law School this was our Graduation event for him. Afterward we had a nice lunch, and I beat the odds by driving home without my mother in law giving me driving tips. Life is good! Related posts:Employment rocks It’s a bad economy and a poor employment situation, especially... I’ve made it here From the Triage nurses: I’ve made it. More and more... One of the ER Doc curses I was reminded of one of our particular curses the... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. (Source: GruntDoc) GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862555 Tue, 24 May 2011 03:35:33 +0100 4862555 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4846343&cid=t_99506_46_f&fid=38787&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fphotos%2F2011%2F05%2F20%2Fcentral-african-republic-3%2F Zemio, CAR – November 2010 A family that just arrived in the Zemio Hospital where MSF doctors and nurses are working. An upsurge in attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in late April 2010 caused thousands of people to leave their homes and head to Zémio, a small rural town in the southeast of the Central African Republic. Since May 2010 MSF is running an outpatient and inpatient department and four health posts in the area, providing medical support to the displaced people, as well as to the host population. (Source: MSF Blogs) MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4846343 Fri, 20 May 2011 12:43:34 +0100 4846343 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841764&cid=t_99506_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fa-new-book-for-the-children-of-multiple-sclerosis%2F While I am a card carrying member of the child-free, it has never escaped me how difficult parenting with multiple sclerosis must be. Not only do parents with MS have to do all of the other stuff parents have to do; they must do it from behind the varyingly thickness of the curtain of this whacky disease. Fathers must wonder if they’ll be able to walk their daughters down the wedding aisle, and I can’t tell you the number of times I hear “I can’t throw a ball around with my kids” (as if that is the highest responsibility of a “healthy” father). Busy mom trying to juggle job, house, family and MS??? What a balancing act! One thing I have had a little bit of experience with is telling young ones about my MS. I am the uncle of four and the godfather to the sweetest c... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841764 Wed, 18 May 2011 20:18:14 +0100 4841764 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841587&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F17%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-may-17-2011%2F Do you feel it in the air? It’s change. Every season has an end. And with any end comes fear, uncertainty and sometimes sadness. Even if ends bring new beginnings like a marriage, a baby or a new career, the loss of what we know can feel earth shattering. Instead of embracing change, we grasp on, holding desperately to what was instead of what will be. Does that sound like you? How are you continuing to do things that don’t serve you or your new life out of fear of change? Maybe you need to take the time to grieve for your old self and your old life so that you can embrace your new one. It’s something important to contemplate this week as we get closer to summer. It also fits with one of our posts on transitions. Have a great week and enjoy! Seven Rules of Mindful Eating ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841587 Tue, 17 May 2011 13:50:25 +0100 4841587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841472&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FQDJmCLnbB54%2F By Jane Sarasohn-Kahn. Americans are opting for Botox and cosmetic procedures more than colonoscopies and cancer tests, according to a story in Reuters. This trend makes companies like Allergan, makers of Botox and the Lap-Band for gastric surgery, very happy indeed. Plastics and gastric bypass surgeries are back up to pre-recession levels as of 2Q11. However, for companies and providers in other segments of the health care and surgery value-chain, prospects for bounceback in 2011 aren’t as promising. Various indices on consumers’ health care sentiment — such as the Thomson-Reuters Consumer Healthcare Sentiment Index and the EBRI Health Confidence Survey, show U.S. consumers’ perceptions of their ability to pay for needed health care falling. Health Populi’s Hot Points:  T... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841472 Tue, 17 May 2011 13:30:41 +0100 4841472 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4829216&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fjudge-rules-that-mom-with-breast-cancer-cant-parent%2F I have been following the story of Alaina Giordano, the North Carolina woman whose two children (ages 5 and 11) have been removed from her care and placed in the custody of their father because she has stage 4 breast cancer. It doesn’t matter that Giordano’s cancer is under control; it doesn’t seem to concern Judge Nancy Gordon that the children’s father lives in Chicago and that she is relocating the children far from their home. It only matters that this judge feels they will do better by being with the non-ill parent. Is Judge Gordon surmising that women with breast cancer can no longer parent? Since when did breast cancer take away our ability to be a loving, caring, and responsible parent? I wanted to write about this when I first heard about it from my editor last week.... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4829216 Mon, 16 May 2011 18:18:14 +0100 4829216 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828883&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-family-medicine-needs-social-media%2F2011.05.16 I wasn’t able to attend the Annual Leadership Forum (ALF) and the National Conference of Special Constituencies (NCSC) meetings in person this year. This is an annual meeting in Kansas City put on by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). I know that it can be hard to believe that someone actually likes going to a meeting. However, for me, these meetings always re-energize me and connect me with people with a passion for Family Medicine. In 2010, there were only a few of us utilizing social media tools like twitter and facebook (including my blog posts from Thursday & Friday). However, just a year later, there seems to have been an explosion of people utilizing these platforms to a point yesterday when I saw a bunch of people signing up for the first time during the me... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828883 Mon, 16 May 2011 18:00:18 +0100 4828883 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828897&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1592 I'm not judging, I'm just saying... Warn others, and don’t worry about the hypocrisy label My column in yesterday’s Greenville News Graduating high school students will soon be headed for beaches and other sunny locales to celebrate their liberation; often with behavior that is best performed far from home. Some will then become college students, many of whom will spend several years exploring the moral universe in an attempt to ‘find themselves,’ right before the hard world finds them and offers them little reward for being fun at parties. As parents launch their children from home, many of them find it difficult to give suggestions for proper behavior. And the reason is often this: ‘well, who am I to say what they should or shouldn’t do? I did ... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828897 Sun, 15 May 2011 21:12:03 +0100 4828897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828987&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F14%2F8-reasons-why-twitter-can-make-you-happy%2F I’m a huge fan of Twitter, and I’ve tried to persuade several people to give it a try. (My greatest triumph: convincing my sister to use it. Seeing my sister in my Twitter feed — that makes me very happy.) We’ve all seen how Twitter can play an unprecedented role in world events and in news communication. But on a very personal, routine level, there are several (other) ways in which Twitter can boost your happiness. After all, is it just a coincidence that a blue bird is both the symbol for happiness and the symbol for Twitter? Probably yes, I know, but still, it’s a happy coincidence. 1. Twitter allows you to pursue your passion — even if only in your imagination. A key to a happier life is to have fun – people who regularly have fun are twenty times ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828987 Sat, 14 May 2011 16:30:58 +0100 4828987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828973&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34619&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthelastpsychiatrist.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fthe_c_team.html back in the day (Source: The Last Psychiatrist) The Last Psychiatrist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828973 Sat, 14 May 2011 14:36:31 +0100 4828973 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828988&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F14%2Fthe-interventionist-an-interview-with-joani-gammill-about-addiction%25e2%2580%25a8%25e2%2580%25a8%25e2%2580%25a8%2F Today I have the honor of interviewing a friend of mine who has just written a compelling memoir, The Interventionist, about addiction from the perspective of both an addict and an interventionist. You begin your book with the quote from Khaled Hosseini’s book, The Kite Runner: “And that, I believe, is what true redemption is … when guilt leads to good.” Do you believe your work with other addicts is partly what keeps you clean and sober? Why compels you to enter into such hopeless situations and try to fix things? Joani: I think as the quote infers “when guilt leads to good,” my work with addicts and alcoholics assuages my own continued ambivalence about my responsibility about having this disease. It is not at all logical. There is no “choice” about having this ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828988 Sat, 14 May 2011 10:29:48 +0100 4828988 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4821096&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fbeautiful-eyes.html That's what struck me when I met Sarah in person: she had the most beautiful deep brown eyes I had ever seen, with a lovely smile to match.It was February 2010 and we were both in attendance at the Annual Conference for Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer. We had met online through our online community, Mothers With Cancer.A short time after we met, Sarah found out that her breast cancer had become metastatic and she began treatment anew. A few weeks ago, she learned that the cancer had spread to her brain and she started radiation treatment. A couple of days ago, she was admitted to hospital with breathing issues. Last night, she passed away.I won't claim to have known beautiful Sarah better than I did. But I did consider her my friend. And I will miss her. Here are some things I knew a... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4821096 Thu, 12 May 2011 17:22:00 +0100 4821096 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820924&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F12%2Fi-focused-on-who-i-wasnt-by-my-mid-30s%2F One reason that this blog has brought me so much happiness is that blogging has widened my circle of friends so much. I met Melanie Notkin because we’re both interested in using social media to engage with readers, and I’m very excited for her this week — her first book just hit the shelves, Savvy Auntie: The Ultimate Guide for Cool Aunts, Great-Aunts, Godmothers, and All Women Who Love Kids. In it, she shines a light on relationships that bring a tremendous amount of love and happiness — the bond among “aunties” and their nieces, nephews, god-children, etc. I knew Melanie has done a lot of thinking about happiness, so I was eager to hear what she had to say. Gretchen: What’s a simple activity that consistently makes you happier? Melanie: I call my... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820924 Thu, 12 May 2011 12:27:26 +0100 4820924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813245&cid=t_99506_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FGSv73gL_4_A%2F By Michael F. CannonDefending ObamaCare in federal court yesterday, the Obama administration’s acting solicitor general, Neal K. Katyal, peddled the widely discredited claim that the uninsured increase your and my health insurance premiums by $1,000: “When people self-finance their health care,” Katyal contended, “that raises the cost of health care overall by $43 billion a year, and that raises the average family’s premiums by $1,000 a year. That will price untold numbers of people out of the market.” That estimate comes from two left-wing groups, Families USA and the Center for American Progress Action Fund. When President Obama himself made this claim, FactCheck.org reported: [Obama] said ”the average family pays a thousand dollars in extra premiums to pay for pe... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813245 Wed, 11 May 2011 17:47:04 +0100 4813245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813613&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Ftaller-than-i.html My beautiful first born turned 13 yesterday. The cliche is true - it happens in the blink of an eye. He's a good person - smart, creative, caring and funny. We are so proud of the man he is becoming.If you are reading this post on a site other than Not Just About Cancer (besides Facebook or a feed reader), you are reading stolen content. (Source: Not just about cancer) Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813613 Wed, 11 May 2011 17:38:00 +0100 4813613 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813295&cid=t_99506_88_f&fid=34491&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgruntdoc.com%2F2011%2F05%2Femployment-rocks.html It’s a bad economy and a poor employment situation, especially for lawyers. It has been for a couple of years, but for my son the drought has broken, at least temporarily. A job! In law! And in Fort Worth. The job does not pay a ton of money, and since law firms aren’t stupid it’s for a ‘trial period’ (pardon the pun), but it’ll get him some experience, some income, and get him some contacts in their world. So, winning! Kudos to Bob! Related posts:Family Medicine Rocks – Family Medicine Rocks Blog – Mike Sevilla, MD – Grand Rounds Volume 7 Number 27 I’m honored to be hosting Grand Rounds for the fourth... I’ve made it here From the Triage nurses: I’ve made it. More and more... Physician Employment Protections The Ar... GruntDoc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813295 Wed, 11 May 2011 08:52:17 +0100 4813295 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803434&cid=t_99506_134_f&fid=36052&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.daily-diabetic.com%2F50220604%2Fkids_with_diabetes.php © Sleeping JudyAccording to a new study on kids with diabetes, a third of children with type 1 diabetes also have signs of other immune system disorders when they are diagnosed. This underscores the importance of keeping an eye out for symptoms of these diseases in diabetic children. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, where the immune system attacks the body's own tissue, killing off cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Other autoimmune diseases like autoimmune thyroid disease, celiac disease, and Addison's ... (Source: Daily Diabetic) Daily Diabetic blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803434 Tue, 10 May 2011 03:22:08 +0100 4803434 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803441&cid=t_99506_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Falone-on-mothers-day.html When my spouse first mentioned that he was thinking of taking the boys to the Toronto Comic Arts Festival in Toronto, I protested, "But that's Mothers' Day week end!"Then I stopped to think."Would you be taking both boys?" "I think I'd have to."After a moment's thought (empty house! to myself! quiet writing and reading time!), I bravely said, "I think you should go. I don't want to deprive the boys of this chance."My spouse (clueing in) "Do you want your Mother's Day present to be a week end by yourself?"Me shaking my head and stammering and not quite keeping a straight face, "I'll miss you."So they went. And I have missed them. I've also slept more than 8 hours each night, done a considerable amount of cleaning, read a book, watched stuff on Netflix, had dinner with a friend and taken the... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803441 Sun, 08 May 2011 17:58:00 +0100 4803441 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803235&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F08%2Fhappy-mothers-day-2011%2F Happy Mother’s Day! For all the moms out there today, I wish you a very warm and thoughtful day full of the love and appreciation from your daughters and sons. I’m eternally thankful for my mom and try and let her know throughout the year of my appreciation. Because, after all, you don’t need a special day once a year to let your loved ones know how much you care about them. While you don’t need to let them know every day, just remembering to let them know from time to time is all that’s needed. People just need to know — and hear — they are loved and appreciated (even if they’re “supposed” to know it). Each year, our writers and bloggers put together some great entries for Mother’s Day. Here’s the batch from this year... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803235 Sun, 08 May 2011 14:30:04 +0100 4803235 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4797800&cid=t_99506_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F08%2Fdo-you-need-a-mama-psychodrama%2F Grown don’t mean nothing to a mother.  A child is a child.  They get bigger, older, but grown?  What’s that suppose to mean?  In my heart it don’t mean a thing.  ~Toni Morrison, Beloved, 1987 The first relationship with another human being is with our mother.  We forge our sense of who we are, who we are going to love, and our needs based on the interactions and understandings derived from through thousands of encounters with mom.  For better or worse we are molded by an emotional dance with mom. Then we move on.  We deal with dad and siblings, develop friendships, find lovers, and then a spouse.  Throughout this journey mom serves as a role model and becomes a source of  encouragement, love, anxiety, frustration, avoidance, support and conflict. “It’s comp... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4797800 Sun, 08 May 2011 10:35:06 +0100 4797800 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4797878&cid=t_99506_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F07%2Fmays-contradictions-2%2F The month of May is one tinged with melancholy for members of my family. On May 4, 2002 my father dropped dead in his garden which, for him, could not have been a more suitable place. Yet he was only seventy-five, a birthday celebration only a few weeks earlier for which the entire family had [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4797878 Sat, 07 May 2011 16:44:23 +0100 4797878 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4794953&cid=t_99506_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fgreed-grief-and-the-choices-of-a-lifetime%2F As most of you already know, my daughter, Beth and I have just returned from a working trip to the high desert region of California. My sweet mother-in-law passed away last May and due to other family matters it has taken us a year to make it down there to clean out her home. The weather is also a factor because I cannot tolerate heat or sun. When we left home it was drizzling here in beautiful, green yet soggy Oregon. The contrast to the high desert is startling. Yucca trees, a few evergreens and lots of brown greeted us. It was also 90 degrees. I got out the sunscreen but still have many fever blisters. You all know I have trouble sitting, and had to go to the hotel and just lie down after the trip. We had drawn row 12 on our small commuter plane and got stuck right in front of the emerg... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4794953 Fri, 06 May 2011 20:36:00 +0100 4794953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4829165&cid=t_99506_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FL_xwCMvtJqs%2F It’s now time for Flashback Friday: The Mother’s Day edition. Frankly, I can’t imagine a Mother’s Day weekend during which I didn’t watch Mr. T’s Treat Your Mother Right at least half-a-dozen times. In fact, I’ve already watched it twice today. (If you don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, read on.) In honor of all you special, beloved moms (and non-moms) out there, I present to you three funny, cool, cheesy, and/or vintage maternal-related videos that are available on YouTube. Because what would Mother’s Day be without Legos, Florence Henderson, and Mr. T? (If your mom is the computer-savvy-type who has a sense of humor, forward this post to her, but don’t expect that to replace the flowers you should be sending her o... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4829165 Fri, 06 May 2011 16:00:06 +0100 4829165