MedWorm Tags: feeling

Why Women Are More Tired Than Men

Genetics and Health — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:12:56 +0100

We all want to be that woman–you know, the one who never lets a day pass without posting about her five zillion accomplishments on Facebook. The woman who got up at 5am, did a two-hour workout, dressed in her perfectly-pressed suit, worked all day (in heels, no less), stopped at the bank, the grocery store and Target on her way home, did a quickie change of clothes, met friends out for dinner and made it home just in time to pay some bills, do the laundry and read three more chapters of her favorite book before getting up the next day to do it all over again. If this doesn’t sound like your day—or your energy level, you’re not alone. According to Health magazine, women are exhausted. In fact, we are four times more tired than men. And it has nothing to do with our incre...

God in the tangible

Turquoise Gates — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:48:00 +0100

I read the assignment: share a moment you've felt close to God lately.The cool breeze of a fan in the claustrophobic Southern sun.The turquoise of hurricane shutters down by the beach.The criss-cross of the palmetto shrub,so familiar, the raspy rub of it against palm.4 years now I've been traveling here to feel this.Grassy palmetto tops seclude the beach access brush hair back with their rough edgesand sing a rustling song in the ocean breeze.In nature I feel him.But He is so silent.He is so still.He is so far away, other times.Where are you, oh God, that I cannot touch or feel you?Where is your whisper?Where is your windsong?When is my escape? (Source: Turquoise Gates)

5 Simple Yet Effective Feel Good Factors

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement — Sat, 28 May 2011 05:48:00 +0100

“When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That is my religion.” ~ Abraham Lincoln Who doesn’t want to feel good about themselves? We all do. Though, in our own good, unique ways. I have jotted down my feel good factors and I would be happy to know if you could add your take to the list. Receiving Compliments: ‘I can live my entire life on a good compliment’.. someone must have said this keeping a person like me in mind. I love receiving compliments and that’s the reason I am quite generous in paying compliments. I remember a few things that people told me about myself, that manage to bring smile to my face even in the darkest hours. When the middle aged Air India Flight attendant complimented me on my smile it was unforgettable and when my...

5 Life Changing Ideas from Happiness Research

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 05:20:28 +0100

What is a greater priority in your life: happiness or success? While it is possible to achieve both, we often sacrifice one for the other when making major life decisions such as what career to pursue, whether to move to the suburbs to afford a bigger house, or whether to attend a family event if it means getting less work done. The science of happiness, also known as positive psychology, basically studies human behavior and positive emotions with the aim of determining what factors can result in an increased level of happiness. The conclusions from this research can provide interesting insights into how we can maximize our happiness. The following concepts are featured in the book Happiness Hypothesis, which is a great book for learning about the findings from happiness research. Does In...

Bottled up

Turquoise Gates — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 10:34:00 +0100

Emotions, bewildered and with no home or expression in which to fly outward, get put in a bottle big enough to hold, stuffed down like constricted gas in a container of your own making.Medicine. Comes in bottles - not so pretty these days in their plastic with sanitary white labels and prescription numbers, but still amber. Temporary peacemaker for the bottled up emotion, temporary relaxation so your shoulders don't turn to stone, loosen your grip so you can hug someone in the deeps of your own emotional winter.Memories. Memories in bottles too, like a sweet perfume bottle you just lift the lid on to recapture joy, recapture someone long lost, like Evening in Paris brings Fern back to life for my aunt Rosalie. Rosalie with the fragmented memory of all childhood, brought back into the deep ...

Feeling

Turquoise Gates — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:08:00 +0100

I sit on the front stepsand feel grief in the dry windCoyotes howlingsing my heart's songlocked in longRemnants of rain drip off the roofthe rhythm of my fearthat life is cold and meaninglessand friends all disappearCold night airwashes sweetover life unfairI look out atWoods covered in mistand know Christcovers grief with His quilttear-stained cheeks and doubtof a still nightin the blanket of his tearsand I am comforted. (Source: Turquoise Gates)

10 Forms of Twisted Thinking

World of Psychology — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 18:17:59 +0100

Both David Burns (bestselling author of Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy and Abraham Low (founder of Recovery, Inc.) teach techniques to analyze negative thoughts (or identify distorted thinking — what psychologists call “cognitive distortions”) so to be able to disarm and defeat them. Since Low’s language is a bit out-dated, I list below Burns’ “Ten Forms of Twisted Thinking,” (adapted from his “Feeling Good” book, a classic read) categories of dangerous ruminations, that when identified and brought into your consciousness, lose their power over you. 1. All-or-nothing thinking (a.k.a. my brain and the Vatican’s): You look at things in absolute, black-and-white categories. 2. Overgeneralization (also a favorite): You view a nega...

Best of Our Blogs: February 4, 2011

World of Psychology — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 11:00:32 +0100

I love what you have been sharing on our Facebook page recently. Reading about the things you love about your uniqueness has been very inspiring. (If you missed it, catch up here.) Some days it’s hard to love ourselves-the quirky things we say, our crooked smile, or how we need to be around people as much as we need to get away from them. The funny thing is that what makes us different is often what makes us so lovable. Simply because there is no single person on this earth like you. When you think about it, isn’t that pretty cool? In the world we live in, it is sometimes hard to love our unusual parts, the things that make us stand out from the crowd. But your uniqueness (the way you write, speak, walk and how you just are) is really a fingerprint, a distinct and permanent imp...

Feeling SAD? Maybe It’s Seasonal Affective Disorder

Better Health — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 22:00:27 +0100

This picture shows the view from my office window in Boston: Dull, dreary, and depressing — at least on overcast days like today. Lack of light is one of the reasons that people feel mentally foggy. One of the bloggers I follow, Rachel Zimmerman of WBUR’s CommonHealth blog, recently wrote that she’s been drinking three times as much coffee as usual. In addition to imbibing more caffeine, I’ve been trying to boost my spirits and alertness with mid-day runs to the snack machine (not the best strategy, in case you’re wondering). At this time of year, many people aren’t just foggy and sad — they’ve got SAD, or seasonal affective disorder. About half a million Americans — women more often than men — are diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder each year. Ma...

6 Tips To Looking Better In Photos, Even If You Have A Face For Radio

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 16:21:11 +0100

Do you avoid the camera like some celebrities dodge the paparazzi? Are you about as photogenic as a plate full of Brussels Sprouts? Is the thought of sending out a Holiday Greeting Photo Card about as appealing as burying yourself naked in a pile full of dirty snow? If so, don’t despair. While this post might not turn you into the next super model, it will help you make the most of what you have and hopefully shift your focus to capturing as many magical moments as you can. Remember – only wine and cheese get better with age, so what you hate in your 30’s, might actually look good to you when you are in your 80’s. 1. Avoid The Dreaded Double Chin Camera position is key. The lens must be at your eye level or higher. Bend your knees if you are taller than the photographer. Or t...

Find Your Inner Child: 10 Ideas That Work

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 18:07:54 +0100

“The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of childhood into maturity.” ~T.H. Huxley Was your childhood tragic enough to murder your inner child? Unfortunately, as an adult survivor, you may have blocked bad memories enough to deny your inner child their opportunity to thrive. Your inner child has been hiding for too long. Accept the fact that you were once a child, then give the inner YOU that’s been longing to come out permission to play. Here Are 10 Ways To Find Your Inner Child: 1. Expand your 5 senses. Look at all the beauty that surrounds you. Take time to observe sunrises, sunsets, stars, moonlight, and nature. Listen to bird calls, children playing, trees rustling, happy music, and people laughing. Smell the aroma of food, flowers, and bubble baths. Touch finger paint...

Feeling Pretty Thankful

Better Health — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 00:00:21 +0100

It’s Thanksgiving here in the States, and I’m feeling pretty thankful. While the day is reserved for turning hand tracings into turkeys, it’s also a good day to highlight what I’m thankful for this year: I’m thankful that we have a backyard that the cats can go [potty] in, because I was tired of cleaning that litterbox. (And I’m also secretly glad that our neighbors have a ridiculous cat that comes over and starts trouble with ours, because when they pile into the bushes out back and cause the shrubbery to vibrate with their Andy Capp-style battles, it cracks me right up.) I’m thankful for our family and friends, who have helped Chris and I adjust to our new lives as “parents” and who make “home” a place that matters....

10 Ways to Lose Weight and Improve Your Self Esteem

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 04:38:37 +0100

It is true that a lot of people want to lose weight for health reasons, but it is also true that one of the primary reasons that makes people think of their weight is because they want to look good. This is certainly acceptable because what we look outside greatly affects how we feel about ourselves inside. People who are leaner receive compliments from family and friends and this improves their self-esteem in one way or another. Fat (overweight) people on the other hand are even criticized for being fat and this has a negative impact on their self-esteem and sometimes it may even cause depression. An overweight or obese person could even hear hurtful words like “you are ugly”, “we don’t have your size”, and “you’ll die young” which could pull their self-esteem to the groun...

There’s Nothing More Important Than Your Health

Better Health — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:00:00 +0100

I don’t do well with pain. I learned that lesson all too well during the birth of my first son when, after 10 hours of labor jump-started by a pitocin drip, I finally got an epidural. Nothing — and I mean nothing – has ever felt as good as the ebbing of that pain. I relearned the lesson during the birth of the second son, this time determined to go natural all the way when, after a few hours, I told the doula to “shut up” and ordered my husband to hunt down the anesthesiologist and “Get me an epidural — NOW!” He listens well. By the time the third son was born, I had the drill down pat. I was admitted to the hospital to be induced again but this time, as soon as the IV was hooked up and before the first labor pain hit, I had the anesthesiolo...

The mammal's brief moment of sorrow

hemodynamics — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:41:00 +0100

Photo: Jacob in the movie Twilight, being a mammal. Sometimes when we're leaving for work, the cat follows us to the door. As we go out, there's a glass-paned door that we shut between her and us. She will have been following us, looking up at us. Then there's a sad little moment. As we put our shoes on outside the door, she sits down on the floor on the inside, and then she stops looking at us and looks at some distant space on the floor a few feet away. It's a moment we all recognize. This gesture, this way of experiencing a moment, this passing brief sad look, is something that cats and dogs do, and people do. We are all social mammals. And this little look-down-at-the-floor maneuver is something we do when we are feeling small, feeling that someone who we want to pay attention to us is...

7 Ways To Let Go of What’s Ailing You

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 06:07:55 +0100

Photo credit: OnceUponaLife Have you ever had a thought that stressed you out, rattled around in your brain, and just wouldn’t go away? I’m sure it has; it happens to everyone. The problem is that when non-useful thoughts get stuck in our heads, they destroy our focus, creativity, and productivity. One simple nagging thought can throw off an hour, a day, or even an entire week. If you want to avoid losing those precious hours and days, then you need to let go of those thoughts… “Letting go” doesn’t mean ignoring the problem. It simply means that you realize that there is nothing you can do about the issue right now, and rather than having it consume your life with stress and anxiety you are going to put it aside until you are in a position where you can...

12 Steps to Freedom from Resentments

Recovery Is Sexy.com — Tue, 25 May 2010 16:24:00 +0100

AA’s Twelve Steps teach people to live without resentment The Big Book of "Alcoholics Anonymous" includes the story of a woman whose drinking landed her in jail twice and nearly ruined her third marriage. Her final drunk, she recalls, lasted 60 days around the clock. "It was my intention, literally, to drink myself to death," she said. Joining AA saved her life, largely because it helped her overcome the habit of resentment. This woman wrote that "self-pity and resentment were my constant companions … for I seemed to have a resentment against everybody I had ever known." Moreover, "the only people who would support this attitude or whom I felt understood me at all were the people I met in bars and the ones who drank as I did." AA recognizes t...

Gratitude, Grace and Granola

World of Psychology — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:35:22 +0100

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” — Epictetus When I began my academic career and clinical practice, I would wake up every morning with a feeling of dread. The heaviness and ache on my chest and in my mind, the struggle to attack the day, was oppressive and demoralizing. This crush of morning depression weakened me so much, I was worn out even before the tsunami of “to do” engulfed me. Then one of my 12-step patients came back from a retreat marveling at how she was able to break this lifelong struggle she had in the morning, this heaviness and burdensome dread she’d wrestled with throughout her adult life. She was visibly more energized and jubilant. She had my attention. “Tell me more,”...

9 Ways to Wake Up Ready to Rock

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:03:35 +0100

“Never Wake Up” courtesy of Heiko Muller I bet you’ve had days when you just want to stay under the duvet. Maybe you slept badly, or perhaps you just can’t face dragging yourself out of bed and facing your to-do list. Yet you know that if you could get up when you want to every day – rather than at the last minute possible – you’d be able to accomplish a lot more of your goals. Here are nine ways to wake up ready to rock, roughly in order of when you’ll need to do them the day before. Feel free to add your own tips in the comments! 1. Exercise During the Day There are plenty of great reasons to exercise, and I won’t rehash them all here. Many people, though, find that exercising helps them to sleep well at night – yet another health-boosting benefit. If yo...

Panic Disorder

Inside Surgery — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:16:30 +0100

Pathophysiology 1) episodic, unpredictable attacks of intense fear, agitation, and discomfort (especially agoraphobic) 2) onset must occur over a 10 minute period 3) attacks generally occur for < 1 hour 4) exact cause is unknown, but genetic predisposition occurs Signs and Symptoms presence of at least four of the following during attack – 1) tachycardia/palpitations 2) trembling/shaking 3) sweating 4) shortness of breath 5) dizziness 6) chest pain 7) choking sensation chills or hot flushes 9) abdominal pain or diarrhea 10) sense of impending doom or death 11) feelings of anxiety Biochemistry 1) altered autonomic functioning 2) increased noradrenergic discharge from locus ceruleus Inheritance/Epidemiology onset is usually in late adolescence to early adulthood Treatment 1) SSRIs (se...

Alzheimer's Reading Room Man

Alzheimer's Reading Room, The — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 15:04:39 +0100

What do you see?...... By Bob DeMarco What do you see? What do you think this signifies? Does it elicit any feelings and/or emotions? Feedback welcome. Bob Subscribe to The Alzheimer's Reading Room Popular articles on the Alzheimer's Reading Room Advice and Insight -- Alzheimer's Reading Room Communicating in Alzheimer's World Worried About Alzheimer's Disease -- You Should Be Dementia and the Eight Types of Dementia The Mini-Cog Test for Alzheimer's and Dementia Is it Really Alzheimer's or Something Else? Alzheimer's Wandering Why it Happens and What to Do 50 Good Reasons to Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading Room Now World Health Care Spending and Performance Ranking by Country (Table) Urinary Incontinence -- How We Beat Alzheimer's Incontinence Are Alzheimer's Caregivers the F...

To Gift or Not to Gift

Alzheimer's Reading Room, The — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:33:46 +0100

We know as Alzheimer's develops a person losses their ability to remember. Do we know for certain that they lose their ability to feel?By Bob DeMarco I read several stories on the Internet about Alzheimer's caregivers and gifts to Alzheimer's sufferers. It appears some Alzheimer's caregivers decide not to gift. Their reasoning is easy to understand, they believe the person suffering from Alzheimer's won't remember the gift, or won't appreciate the gift like they did in days gone by. So why bother? I believe, as many of you know, that there is more going on in the brain of someone suffering from Alzheimer's than might be apparent on the surface. How do you know for certain that the person suffering from Alzheimer's won't appreciate a gift? How do you know for certain that it doesn't ...

Burn-A-Thon? Gold's Gym & The ADA

Diabetes Daily — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0100

I picked up a flyer about this at the local ADA Expo last weekend. I think it is a great thing that Gold's Gym and the ADA are doing, so I wanted to help spread the word a bit. On Saturday, November 7, 2009, Gold's Gym will be hosting a "Burn-A-Thon Challenge". Every Gold's Gym in the world (!) will be open to everyone, members and non-members, to allow people to come in and burn some calories. There is more detailed information available at the ADA's Burn-A-Thon page. The ADA & Gold's Gym have set the bar high, pledging to burn 180 million calories in 24 hours, to demonstrate the need to "do a 180" on the diabetes epidemic. Fitness professionals will be available to demonstrate equipment and answer questions. This is a fund raising initiative, and I...

The Cranky Witch

Life with Chronic Pain — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:12:29 +0100

‘Tis the season so they tell me. Guess I’m right in style. After all I’m only human, and this pain it’s got me riled; Amidst the pumpkins, gourds and corncobs, cobwebs of massive size, midst hoards of tiny mobs. I think I’m just as scary as the crabby, cranky witch. Some days I feel too lousy to walk, to sit, to twitch. I think I kind of like it, the role of eerie witch. I could use a wart or two or a defacing rash with itch. With its ghosts and pumpkins this season I do love but the weather always changes and my body knows thereof. I feel the weather to the hour as I begin to feel “all in” as parts of me rebel I morph into my evil twin. I don’t feel like being nice, it’s so dull and boring. Cranky, crabby, grumpy I’d rather be destroying. Give me someone I can whack....

Winner of Smart But Feeling Dumb

A Hearty Life — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:42:10 +0100

I recently read and reviewed the book Smart But Feeling Dumb by Harold Levinson and really found it an amazing resource for parents and people with dyslexia. I learned a lot from it, and was happy to give it away as a gift for one lucky Blisstree reader. Our winner was: Denologis! For anyone who is interested in this book and didn’t win, be sure to check out his website, which offers tons of info on dyslexia, Dr. Levinson’s books, and more. Image: Harold Levinson Post from: Blisstree Winner of Smart But Feeling Dumb (Source: A Hearty Life)

Review & Giveaway: Smart But Feeling Dumb

A Hearty Life — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:58:30 +0100

Any parent that has a child with dyslexia can appreciate just how frustrating the disease is. While you want to sympathize with the child, sometimes it is difficult to know exactly what is going on to make them experience the difficulty with reading and comprehension. I learned so much from this book it was amazing. Dr. Levinson, author of Smart But Feeling Dumb, describes dyslexia in terms anyone can understand. He’s been studying dyslexia since the 1990s and brings every bit of his knowledge to this book. It’s a wonderful resource for any family touched by dyslexia. Want to win? Leave a comment on this post by Tuesday, September 29th. I’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky guy or girl the next day. Image: Dr. Levinson Post from:...

When ideal meets reality

The Chem Blog — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:59:47 +0100

Since starting my postdoc no less than 45 days or so I haven’t really commented on the subject, though I think I can now comment on, at the very least, the first 3 days (what with having all this time to reflect upon them and all). The position of a post doc is a confusing one, to say the least. You’re really not that much better than a 4th or 5th year graduate student, despite having additional initials after your name and, if you didn’t f. up, you’re probably at a bit more of a competitive lab or a more impressive school (or it was, at the least. a lateral promotion to something equivalent.) Either way, the people around you are f.ing smart and ready to take you and everyone else on intellectually. Now is not the time, of course, to retreat into your shell&#...

April check-in: How is your Crohn’s today?

Life with Crohn's — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:45:42 +0100

Hey everyone! How are you today? I hope well. Today’s blog is devoted to you telling us how you are doing today. This is something that I try to do at the end of each month in order for us all to know how everyone else in our Crohn’s community is doing with their illness and life in general. I’ll go first… I am tired but good. I am lowering my prednisone dosage which is always tricky, but I am thinking positive (or trying to not think about it). I don’t lower it very much (from 9 mg to 8.5 mg) and then in two weeks I will go to 8 mg. Right now I am alternating 8mg then 9mg every other day. This confuses my body so that it doesn’t know what is coming next which makes tapering easier. I am really happy to be down to 8.5 mg and hope that I don’t jinx myself. ...

Vote for ME!!

Solo Shrink — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:25:00 +0100

For what? I don't know. Anything you can think of, I suppose. I'm not running for anything. I haven't been nominated for anything. I don't think that anyone is about run an election or contest that would include me, or even anything for which I would be an appropriate candidate. The only office I can recall ever winning was as a double write-in (both the title of the office and myself as an unknowing candidate) was sophomore class dog catcher at the undergraduate school which I finally escaped. This would seem to be as accurate an example of sophomoric behavior as any.To digress for a moment; this act was perpetrated by the the same "friends" who left a cat in a drawer of my desk when I went home for a weekend and who paid my demand for 30 pieces of silver to accept the strangest student i...

Healthbolt will Return Tomorrow.

Healthbolt — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 03:37:33 +0100

Surrounded by bugs… Hopefully will be able to resume regular posting again tomorrow!!! (image via newscom) Tags: cold, feeling unwell, flu, sickness, unwellShare This (Source: Healthbolt)

SSRI Antidepressants and Your Sex Life

World of Psychology — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:25:58 +0100

As we’ve noted in the past (such as here, here, and most recently here), SSRI antidepressant medications — the most commonly prescribed psychiatric medication today — often have sexual side effects. Inability to orgasm, delayed orgasm, losing sensation in your genitals, and a lack of sex drive are all possible side effects of these common medications. Despite this being a pretty well-known issue with SSRI antidepressants for at least 10 years and maybe even as long as 20 years, apparently someone over at the Boston Globe just found out. And decided to make it front page news today. Ostensibly the report is noting that some recent studies put the rate of sexual side effects as high as 1 in every 2 patients who take it (which seems about right based upon what I’ve he...

Can Doctors Be Happy? Part 2

World of Psychology — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:23:42 +0100

Pages: 1 2 Next » Single Page In Part 1, Can Doctors be Happy?, I discussed the various challenges facing doctors nowadays, and explored some of the possible reasons for physicians’ unhappiness in life. In this article, we’ll discuss three specific skills to practice to raise your happiness level: reducing unnecessary misery by learning mindfulness, experiencing more joy, and finding greater life satisfaction through strategic goal setting. Learn to be More Mindful Much unnecessary misery comes from mindlessness: the frantic, hypervigilant frame of mind that has us always rushing to cross to-dos off our lists, in a hurry, not listening, not concentrating, distracted, not fully present. Greater mindfulness will reduce that misery. There are two comp...

On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You're Not

SharpBrains — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:26:55 +0100

Where does our “Feeling of Knowing” come from? Have you ever felt certain that you knew an answer even though you couldn’t think of it right off? Where does that “feeling of knowing” come from? The answer to this question is the focus of neurologist Robert Burton’s new book On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You're Not. I recently reviewed Dr. Burton’s book on the Brain Science Podcast and last week I had the opportunity to interview him for the show. He explained that one of the origins for his book was his experience with patients with conditions like Cotard’s syndrome (where the patient thinks he is dead or does not exist). What Dr. Burton calls the “feeling of knowing” is so strong that people consistently trust it even when their beliefs contradict...

Feeling Fine versus Being Fine–do high glucose numbers matter?

SugarStats.com - Simple, Online Blood Sugar Tracking for Diabetes Management — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 19:53:17 +0100

“As long as I feel fine, it does not matter what my blood sugar numbers run.””—FALSE This is one of those myths that I think people talk themselves into believing. But it is like saying that the pot on the fire is not really hot unless it boils over. One of the reasons high blood sugars [...] (Source: SugarStats.com - Simple, Online Blood Sugar Tracking for Diabetes Management)

At hospital computers, anonymous toilers Google their inner states

hemodynamics — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 03:12:00 +0100

Statcounter.com allows me to track what recent search terms people have used to find this site. A few people are clearly looking for this site specifically; most stumble on it with Google searches that lead them here--maybe the same way you ended up here. Here's my favorite Google search phrase that led someone here, from a hospital-based server far far away:"i'm a medical resident and i feel stupid"This phrase put into Google's search box led the searcher to this blog. And all I can say is, brother or sister doctor-in-training, I feel you. Keep searching. (Source: hemodynamics)

Nine Reasons to Get Psychotherapy

World of Psychology — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 03:38:30 +0100

When is it time to consider psychotherapy? is a great article written by Karen Rogers, MFCC. Sometimes people don’t seek professional help because of stigma and stereotypes, like that a belief it’s only for seriously ill people. Rogers explains what psychotherapy is (for example, that it doesn’t provide answers but helps you reach your own) and suggests nine reasons to consider it. A major life event like a breakup, death, financial crisis or an accident will cause distress - which is totally normal - but if the distress doesn’t improve over time therapy can help resolve it. Other reasons include “when you notice yourself repeating negative patterns with work, family, friends or personal pursuits,” “when your work and/or personal life is negative...

Sunday Seven: Seven symptoms not to ignore

The Cancer Blog — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Filed under: All Cancers, Sunday SevenOur bodies are good at telling us when something is wrong most of the time. It is important to listen to those messages and seek medical attention when specific symptoms arise. The June issue of the Mayo Health Letter covers symptoms that should not be ignored. Seven symptoms not to ignore: Unexplained weight loss: This could be a symptom of such conditions as an overactive thyroid, depression, liver disease, cancer or other noncancerous disorders that interfere with how well your body absorbs nutrients. Fever: A fever can point to underlying infections. A fever accompanied by chills or one that is greater than 103 degrees should be evaluated immediately. Shortness of breath: Gasping for air or wheezing are medical emergencies. Shortness of br...

Sunday Seven: 7 words for milestones magnified by cancer

The Cancer Blog — Sun, 06 May 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Filed under: Breast Cancer, Sunday Seven, Cancer SurvivorsI am on the verge of tears watching Danny sleep peacefully and happily in his new big-boy bed, surrounded by comfy covers and his favorite snuggly items. I am choked up by the sight of Joey's two missing front teeth, that smile that shows one big tooth struggling to emerge, the way his tongue slips through that big opening when he says his friend's name -- Catherine -- with the sweetest little lisp.My boys' milestones have always warmed my heart. Walking behind Joey as he learned to ride his bike with training wheels was a joyous rite of passage. Watching my little boy from behind as he propelled himself forward on our neighborhood sidewalk will be forever etched in my mind. This was before breast cancer, though. Now, after breast c...

Thought for the Day: Three signs of ovarian cancer

The Cancer Blog — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Filed under: Ovarian Cancer, Research, Daily news, Thought for the DayOvarian cancer is difficult to detect. There are no great screening tests to pick up on its presence in the body, and by the time symptoms appear, the disease has often progressed into an advanced stage. But a ray of light has recently emerged in the study of ovarian cancer -- and it could help in the prevention and early detection of this deadly disease.Think about this, from the April 2007 issue of Woman's Day magazine:Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine have identified a simple checklist of six symptoms associated with an increased risk of the disease and three of them -- if they occur at least 12 times per month and are present for less than one year -- were present 57 percent of the time i...

The art of explaining away

The Cancer Blog — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100

Filed under: All Cancers, Cancer SurvivorsI've read stories about women whose breast cancer diagnoses were delayed because they explained away certain symptoms. One woman, an athlete, was told by her husband one day that her nipple looked different from the other. "It's probably just the jog bra I've been wearing all day," she assured him. They both moved on.Some time later, this woman learned that her different nipple was a sign of breast cancer. And she had it. She just didn't know it. And so her diagnosis came late. Eight years later, this young mother of two small children died from a disease she explained away.This is normal -- the art of explaining away all the odd messages our bodies give us. Perhaps it's the stigma of whining about every little ache and pain that keeps us from purs...