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 'good'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:55:43 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181895&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F09%2F02%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-september-2-2011%2F It starts at a young age. Schools encourage it. Our families help define it. We begin our lives with the labels they give us like big brother, baby sister, only child. And as we get older, they just get more serious. Sometimes the way we’re perceived such as the “good one,” the “bad one,” the “troubled one,” the “drama queen,” inevitably follow us throughout the rest of our life. Sometimes these seemingly harmless labels take on a life of their own. If we don’t achieve our own sense of self, they begin to define who we are. And we grasp on tight. These lyrics from the Barenaked Ladies song What a Good Boy reminds me of the pressures they can have on us: “When I was born they looked at me and said What a good boy, what a sma... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181895 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:04:52 +0100 5181895 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182177&cid=t_119130_133_f&fid=39137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fot_9%2Farchive%2F2011%2F09%2F01%2Fso-far-so-good.aspx I almost hate to post anything, because as sure as I do, I might jinx it all, but -- A. has been doing amazingly well in middle school so far. It's weird, because I completely anticipated that my daughter would completely fall to pieces after the first...(read more) (Source: From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism) From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182177 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:35:00 +0100 5182177 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181816&cid=t_119130_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=5174627&cid=t_119130_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=5174665&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F29%2Fbeliefs-about-memory-interview-with-dan-simons%2F In a recent survey of the U.S. population, researchers Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris assessed common beliefs about memory.  They found that common beliefs are often incongruent with scientific findings.  Recently I had an opportunity to ask Simons about some of the implications of the survey. What motivated this survey on understanding memory? Our goal in conducting the study was to supplement the research we had done for our book, The Invisible Gorilla. The book focuses on everyday illusions, cases in which people’s intuitive beliefs about how the mind works are faulty. In writing the book, we realized that nobody had ever conducted a national survey to measure how pervasive those beliefs are. Our PLoS One paper reports the results from a subset of the items in the survey,... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174665 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:53:28 +0100 5174665 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174834&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F08%2Frandomly-from-the-camera-roll%2F Someone had been busy at the beach. Joy has a new pet. (Well, she has two, but the other one is a little camera shy.) Fabric in my studio waiting for inspiration to strike – I took this so i could show it to a friend and get some advice on what quilt to make with it. Then forgot to show the friend. A recently finished scarf for the Ready For Christmas Pile - Clem’s Lace Scarf by Jeanette Sloan, knitted in Miski from Treacle Wool Shop. Pattern and yarn are both highly, highly recommended. A dragon in a Chinese restaurant – not very surprising, especially as the restaurant is called The Dragon House - - but look at what it’s called. (I hope that my dragon is relieved, when she pops by to see how I’m doing.) A breathtaking sky. Cecily, my younger goddaught... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174834 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:31:42 +0100 5174834 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169684&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fsmall-fruit.html Slow progress. I feel like that's what I'm making, up out of the deep dark pit that swallowed me whole in April. I see others making slow progress, too, and it hits me kind of like the sun on a 70 degree day. Slowly, the warmth builds and spreads, and yes, you will sweat just as hard as a hot day if you stay long enough. We planted a few tomato plants in a long-abandoned deck garden at the beginning of summer. They've been blasted with sun, never have seen a watering can, and are at the whim of every passing downpour or hailstorm. Yet there is some fruit growing on these vines. While we might have hoped for a huge crop - 20 tomatoes or so - we have seven. And we are thrilled with the seven who have survived the craziness of a in and out again hospital summer.I know believers like thes... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169684 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:06:00 +0100 5169684 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159587&cid=t_119130_133_f&fid=39137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fot_9%2Farchive%2F2011%2F08%2F25%2Ffamily-visits-to-the-lake.aspx A couple of weekends ago, we had a very nice visit with my extended family at the lake. Family visitations are not always easy events for A. They usually involve me placing her in a foreign environment with completely different rules and a sketchy schedule...(read more) (Source: From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism) From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159587 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:51:00 +0100 5159587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159588&cid=t_119130_133_f&fid=39137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fot_9%2Farchive%2F2011%2F08%2F24%2Fmiddle-school-begins.aspx A. has started Middle School, and so far everything has been going extremely well for her. I'm trying not to get too excited, to be perfectly honest. Whenever things change for A., there's always a "honeymoon period" where things go really well for a...(read more) (Source: From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism) From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159588 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:34:00 +0100 5159588 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159694&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fanother-favourite%2F We went to Deauville, which is a hundred sorts of pretty, and we stayed with our friends Nathalie and Nicolas, who are a thousand kinds of fabulous, and their gorgeous boys. We ate croissants and ice cream and tartiflette, a glorious concoction of potatoes and cream and Camembert. (We also ate fish, and salad, and fruit, which were also lovely. But the tartiflette was the best and loveliest thing I’ve eaten in…. well, for a long time.) We talked and walked and read and hung out with the boys, and Nathalie and I knitted. We went to Trouville and Le Mont Saint Michel and Honfleur, where I took one of my favourite pictures of my children ever: But my favourite thing of the whole week was seeing the Bayeux Tapestry. 70 metres of embroidery, made by nuns over ten years, almos... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159694 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:09:16 +0100 5159694 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159021&cid=t_119130_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=5159697&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fdear-alan%2F You’re 67 today. In the last year you’ve moved home, bought a bike, and (almost) got used to living with a dog. You’ve started the research for the book you’ve been talking about writing for as long as we’ve known each other. You’ve built on your knitting-based vocabulary and started to learn some spinning words. You’re supporting me through some tricky times and helping me to figure out just what it means to thrive after cancer. You’re lovely, and I don’t know what I’d do without you. But you know that, because…. well, because you know everything that’s important to me. Happy birthday, darling. Here’s to many more. (Source: Bah! to cancer) Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159697 Sat, 20 Aug 2011 07:52:34 +0100 5159697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159012&cid=t_119130_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FsWIbxRAFvBw%2F Where do good ideas come from? Ideas need to mingle and swap, and create new forms. May all this social media stuff isn't a waste of time after all? (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159012 Sat, 20 Aug 2011 07:23:44 +0100 5159012 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159936&cid=t_119130_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FER0ZwakDAC8%2F I’ve discovered a powerful remedy for self-destructive habits that is so simple I wondered how I missed it over the years. My self-destructive habit involved eating junk food late at night, yet my discovery will work for any chronic, self-defeating behavior. Do you do things every day that you wish you didn’t? Most people wish they had control over certain behaviors, from addictions like smoking, drinking, gambling and junk food to emotional behaviors such as anger outbursts and yelling. Other seemingly stress related habits plague millions, such as biting fingernails, fidgeting or even shopping too much. We are creatures of habit, but sometimes our habits get the best of us, even though we understand the consequences. Science Daily recently reported on a University of Alberta study in... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159936 Sat, 20 Aug 2011 06:26:34 +0100 5159936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140200&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fbah-revisited-thats-the-bah-spirit%2F The original posting of this got the most comments of any post I’d published up until then. I hope you see why. Ned continues in the same vein, I’m glad to say. * My son Ned, now nearing 16, has always been his own person. From the earliest age, he’s never simply done the thing that everyone else does. He’s needed to understand why things happen the way they do. He’s wanted to know the reasons behind whatever he’s asked to do. He’s not difficult or unpleasant about it; in fact, everyone who meets him is impressed by how laid-back he is. He’s just an intelligent young man who isn’t going to do anything just because you tell him to. ( I like this in Ned, and have encouraged it. There are enough sheep in the world.) The difficulty for Ned has been that the education ... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140200 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 07:21:46 +0100 5140200 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140125&cid=t_119130_133_f&fid=39137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fot_9%2Farchive%2F2011%2F08%2F16%2Fi-hate-to-brag-but.aspx One of the things that A. has been doing lately is starting out her sentences with, "I don't mean to brag, but..." or finishing up her statements with, "I'm sorry that I was bragging about that." I suppose that all of our hard work on the positive self-talk...(read more) (Source: From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism) From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140125 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:35:00 +0100 5140125 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125930&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fcancer-free-friday-hello-again%2F Remember this post, about how we shouldn’t let minor disagreements turn into major things? About how we should resolve things while we can? Well, here’s a bit of supporting evidence. That’s me and that’s Rachel Skye, reunited after eight years of not being in touch. We were just like we always were, with the added determination to make [...] (Source: Bah! to cancer) Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125930 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 06:53:57 +0100 5125930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118883&cid=t_119130_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FWNnKq_hC46M%2F I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. In each, it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes shape of achievement, a sense of one’s being, a satisfaction of spirit. One becomes, in some area, an athlete of God. Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired. —Martha Graham Related posts: Motivational Mantra: Jillian Michaels On Getting Empowered By Taking Responsibility Motivational Mantra: Celebrity Trainer David Kirsch Says Stop Counting Calories Motivational Mantra: Oprah Win... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118883 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:30:05 +0100 5118883 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118884&cid=t_119130_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2Fvq_YGtfzLuo%2F I’ve been re-reading my favorite how-to-be-good-at-life book, Laura Vanderkam‘s 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think, and it’s no less inspiring the second time around. The book’s basic thrust is that the whole ‘not enough time in the day’ gripe, and the idea that we’re all over-worked and under-leisured, is a myth (time use studies have even shown that we tend to over-estimate time spent working and underestimate time spent on other things, like surfing the internet or watching TV). We all have 168 hours in a week—if you subtract 40 hours of work a week, eight hours of sleep per night and one hour per work day commuting, that still leaves 67 hours per week for other things (and that’s provided you’re working a full 40-hours e... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118884 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:12:41 +0100 5118884 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118658&cid=t_119130_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1789 In following the stories out of the UK, I am saddened by the violence and senseless destruction in the nation that so many of us look to as kindred.  Many of us have a deep, almost genetic, reverence for the land of so many of our ancestors.  I certainly wish we could once again unite and rise up, standing for freedom and the greatness of the West.  Alas, not yet. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/08/11/london-police-raiding-houses-over-uk-riots/?test=latestnews It is, of course, like all such violence in places where a perfect storm of ideology brews. Closing the trough First, young poor people, told for decades it was the duty of the government and taxpayers to care for them, become animal-like when their feed-trough is threatened.  And, animal-like, brutal in nature, ‘red in t... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118658 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:54:36 +0100 5118658 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118615&cid=t_119130_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FxUA4OoCH_wM%2F By Aaron Ross PowellFifty years ago, Joseph Heller published Catch-22, giving us a new idiom and forging a new perspective on the business of war. While other novels—such as Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front—stripped warfare of its romance, Catch-22 exposed it as just another form of the fundamental absurdity of bureaucracy. Writes Walter Kirn in Slate: Then, that fall, Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 appeared, abruptly downgrading war’s special status as an existential crucible and also, unwittingly, beginning the process of rendering four-star male novelists irrelevant. The book treats war on a par with business or politics (to Heller they were very much the same), portraying it as a system for alienating people from their own interests and estranging... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118615 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:46:35 +0100 5118615 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107844&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F08%2Ftreacle-cares%2F On a day when events in the UK make you wonder….. I’m happy to share something positive with you. Treacle Cares is a project I’ve been peripherally involved in, to provide knitted items for people in need. Including people in need of pretty, soft, chemotherapy caps. You can read all about it here. (Source: Bah! to cancer) Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107844 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:25:43 +0100 5107844 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107518&cid=t_119130_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fplastic-surgeon-weighs-in-on-anti-aging-medicine%2F2011.08.08 Reader Question: Do you do anti-aging medicine? I do not see it on your web site. If not, what is your opinion of it? I am not a fan or follower of the anti-aging medicine fad in so much that it promotes what I believe to be a false concept. An older person cannot be made into a younger version of herself by boosting certain hormones. There is really no good evidence that it works. Patients don’t live any longer. It might also be found to be harmful in the long run. Plastic surgeons will differ in their opinions as to what works with low risk to improve things. To me (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Truth in Cosmetic Surgery* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107518 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:00:57 +0100 5107518 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103491&cid=t_119130_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=5103350&cid=t_119130_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=5103479&cid=t_119130_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=5096340&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F04%2F8-practical-pointers-to-help-your-child-pay-attention%2F Getting kids to pay attention is hard enough. But thanks to today’s technological advances, it can become an even bigger challenge. For instance, a University of Washington study found a link between toddlers watching TV and diminished attention spans by seven years old. Another study from UCLA found that kids who used technology had less reflective thought. Interestingly, however, they did have greater visual-spatial skills. “Technology is producing learners with a new set of cognitive strengths and weaknesses,” said Lucy Jo Palladino, Ph.D, psychologist, attention expert and author of Dreamers, Discoverers & Dynamos: How to Help the Child Who Is Bright, Bored and Having Problems in School, a guide for kids who are inventive thinkers, crave novelty and are strongly drawn to dist... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096340 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:49:03 +0100 5096340 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096899&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fdogs-can-fly.html The day after I wrote the post about my friend Rebecca, I went to Take the Plunge, a fundraiser for local dog rescue organizations. It was a lot of fun. We had the chance to meet many different kinds of dogs and the people who love them. They came in all shapes and sizes, colours and temperaments. We also met a miniature horse and some ferrets. One woman was pushing a cat in a stroller. The cat wasn't strapped in and seemed quite relaxed amidst all the canine chaos.The central event of the afternoon was the dock diving competition. We watched all kinds of dogs leap after toys into the pool. Some of the dogs needed to be persuaded to get out of the water. Most seemed incredibly pleased with themselves. Everyone - spectators, dogs and their human handlers seemed to be having a wonderful time... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096899 Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:17:00 +0100 5096899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086491&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F08%2Faround-the-table%2F Yesterday, some friends came for lunch. Feeding friends and family is one of my favourite things: whether it’s a long, grown-up dinner that I’ve been preparing for two days, one of our standby quick suppers or, like yesterday, a roast shared by adults and children. Three of the things I served had a bit of history. There were carrots cooked with sugar and thyme – a combination I learned from my Uncle Sid, who has long since died. He was the husband of Auntie Clarkie (also long dead) who was a courtesy aunt, as she and my Grandma were nurses together during the war. Clarkie and Sid lived in the East End of London and over the years many of our family went to stay with them. Uncle Sid did all the cooking, and his carrots were a particular marvel. We also had Jude’s Po... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086491 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:03:33 +0100 5086491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086459&cid=t_119130_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fthis-or-in-canadian-peace-order-good.html I found this in the comments section of  a TPM post; an otherwise forgettable rhetorical drive-by of an entirely deserving target. The thread was mostly partisan, and mostly well-aimed jibes at a target that more than deserves to be mocked, because she's an insult to the intelligence and principles of anyone who actually should be engaged in the process.Now, this assumption was inherent in the post and the reaction; it is of course the underpinning of the Resistance ... I mean, the rather incoherent gasp of horror that is the US Progressive movement. But I've never really seen the resistance to the tea-tards put so well. It's not enough to mock and resist; one really should know why, or one's disdain can and perhaps should be dismissed as mere partisan sniping... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086459 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 01:01:00 +0100 5086459 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086261&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F30%2Fif-i-have-to-tell-you-one-more-time-23-tools-for-parents%2F Before you read this post, I must confess that I have not read a parenting book for seven years: since my son was three and my daughter one. Up to that point, I averaged one a month. Some were helpful, but I was such an insecure parent, that the majority of these well-intentioned references made me like a horrible mother who was incapable of raising good kids. I then decided to “pick my battles,” and work on my self-esteem rather than perfecting my parenting skills. So I tossed any parenting books that came my way into the Goodwill pile. Whenever the topic of expert parenting advice or philosophies came up at play dates, I walked away and participated in another conversation… like about which kind of chocolate to buy. I must have evolved in these seven years because I was unafrai... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086261 Sat, 30 Jul 2011 18:15:30 +0100 5086261 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077976&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fcamera-roll%2F About a year and a half ago, I bought a grown-up camera - a Nikon digital SLR. I love it; I love all the things it can do to help me to really capture what it is I’m trying to capture. What tends to happen, though, is that because it’s quite heavy and I’m very conscious of having it with me, when I do have it i become Someone Taking Photos and I can forget to actually enjoy myself. (Well, I enjoy taking photos, but I exclude myself from whatever it is I’m taking photos of.) So I’ve got into the habit of using my iPhone camera to capture little things. Like the chicken Ellis drew for me while we were waiting for our pizzas in a restaurant. Like Ned waiting for a train, with his faithful travelling companion Ginger along for the ride. (Ned has had Ginger since ... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077976 Sat, 30 Jul 2011 08:04:03 +0100 5077976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077769&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F29%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-july-29-2011%2F I think I was about 10 years old when I was astounded by my teacher writing the word “ass” on the chalkboard. She asked the class, “Do you know what assume means? It’s to make an ass out of you and me.” I didn’t get it until years later. But the phrase stuck with me. I think about it every time I wrongly assume an ambivalent email is a slight or a lack of a response is a rejection. Unconsciously, I take one misunderstanding and assume the worse. As Alanis Morissette says in her song So Unsexy, “One forgotten phone call and I’m deflated.” Often our assumptions trigger something in us that makes us feel less than. Mark Lesser of Accomplishing More by Doing Less says triggers, “can be survival patterns from past experiences, or habit... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077769 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:22:06 +0100 5077769 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077692&cid=t_119130_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fphysician-shows-gratitude-for-his-often-unappreciated-colleagues%2F2011.07.28 Today I would like to say thanks to a group of colleagues that too often go un-thanked. These would be my hospital-based internal medicine friends: hospitalists are what they are called. This idea came to me after reading Dr Robert Centor’s post on KevinMD. In his usual concise manner, he laments the lack of respect that many sub-specialists show hospitalists. I feel differently about my hard-working colleagues. As a sub, sub-specialist who works primarily in the hospital, I would like to say how grateful I am to have knowledgeable, hospital-based internists available. I believe, and write frequently about the importance of seeing the forest through the trees. A good doctor must see the big picture: a little atrial fib, for instance, isn’t a major problem if you can’t move, eat or ha... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077692 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:00:54 +0100 5077692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077979&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F07%2Ftalking-about-singing%2F One of the lovely things about the Westminster summer recess is that there’s room on the Today programme – Butland listening of choice of a morning – for lots of things that aren’t politics. Like Placido Domingo talking about singing, and cancer, and recovery. Listen here. I especially love his positive response to singing baritone rather than tenor these days. I  heard this in the car, and it made me smile all day long. I hope it does the same for you. (Source: Bah! to cancer) Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077979 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 06:46:40 +0100 5077979 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069530&cid=t_119130_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=5069749&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fon-being-positive%2F People are mostly lovely about the Bah! blog, and the Bah! book, and the Bah! approach generally. But I’ve been interviewed a few times lately – by very friendly interviewers – who have all asked the same question: ‘How can you be so positive, all the time?’ The thing is, I don’t think I’m positive all the time. I think I’m ratty and moody and perfectly capable of being a bit down. If I was positive all the time, I’m fairly sure I’d spend a lot of time devising booby traps for myself to see just how long I could keep it up for. (“I’ve just had my eye poked out! Hooray! I’ve always thought I’d look good in an eye patch!”) I’m not a fan of the ‘positive thinking’ label. Too often it’s used as another way of not taking responsibility – becau... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069749 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:07:03 +0100 5069749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069533&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F26%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-july-26-2011%2F I call one of my relatives a “bad news bear.” Although he has good intentions, his spewing out the world’s greatest tragedies every few minutes does not help me. In fact, all that worrying and anxiety could hurt. After calling him out on it, he said his main intention was concern. I get that. I think parents today are like him. They just want to protect their children from the onslaught of offenders who are posted up all over the news 24/7. If you love someone, however, how do you best protect them? I think there is a balance between caring and being overprotective. And everyone deals with this in their own way. Some loved ones may minimize your pain because they hurt seeing you upset. That’s why they say things like, “I’m sure you’ll feel better s... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069533 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:02:25 +0100 5069533 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069723&cid=t_119130_133_f&fid=39137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fot_9%2Farchive%2F2011%2F07%2F25%2Fteacher-visits-and-sweet-gestures.aspx Yesterday, we arranged for a "playdate" for A., and invited her special education teacher from last year over to the house for a visit. A. had already given Ms. B. a tentative invite before school had ended -- she'd wanted to show her the house, her projects,...(read more) (Source: From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism) From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069723 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 23:53:00 +0100 5069723 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062255&cid=t_119130_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1745 Good news on disability:  or should I say ‘disability.’ Anyone working in social services or medicine (well, anyone with half a cerebrum and some rational thinking capacity mixed in with their compassion) knows that the disability system in the US is completely out of control.  We routinely see patients who say, when queried about their disability, ‘well doc, honestly, I don’t know why I’m on disability!’  Which is fine if you’ve had a serious head injury or stroke, but if your complaint is ‘injured back while using chain-saw,’ maybe disability is a little generous. So, here’s some light in the darkness: http://lsolum.typepad.com/legaltheory/2011/07/pierce-on-administrative-law-judge-disability-decisionmaking.html Hallelujah! ... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062255 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 17:03:37 +0100 5062255 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062506&cid=t_119130_151_f&fid=36896&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSuboxoneTalkZone%2F%7E3%2FYhgvJGg0qI0%2F By now, everyone who knows of Amy Winehouse is aware of her tragic death. I’ve always liked her music. So much music these days has been digitally processed and reprocessed, and assaults the senses– I’m thinking of Lady Gaga, for example, whose ‘Edge of Glory’ would be pretty boring in concert if you took away the flashing lights. But Amy Winehouse’s music had an earthy, sultry style that communicated her emotions in a way that words can’t… which is why we even listen to music, at least in my case. Every now and then I’ll meet a person coming in for help who has an addiction that seems to be almost part of a death wish, as if the person is taking agent after agent with one goal: to eliminate any sense of consciousness or emotion. It is ... Suboxone Talk Zone blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062506 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:16:44 +0100 5062506 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062244&cid=t_119130_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fsome-young-europeans-are-starting-to-eat-like-americans%2F2011.07.24 For years I have touted the health benefits of the “Mediterranean Diet” and encouraged patients to eat like the Europeans.   Fresh farm vegetables, olive oil, fish and red wine have been linked with longevity and good health.  I just read in NPR news that young Italians are forgoing the eating patterns of their elders and are imitating the “U.S. diet”.  The result is soaring obesity, just like in the United States. According the the article, young Italians ages 6-12 are sitting in front of the TV and are eating fast foods and soda.  In just three generations, the eating habits and activity of kids has changed from their healthy grandparents.  Italian health officials say obesity is reaching epidemic proportions. Part of the diet changes are a result of (more&#... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062244 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 21:00:00 +0100 5062244 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062454&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fdriving-at-night%2F Since passing my driving test, I’ve had a lot of conversations about driving. (Mostly instigated by me, in the hope that one day I will find someone who is as impressed by the fact i have passed my test as I am.) Something I’ve noticed is that many people really don’t like driving at night. Driving at night doesn’t bother me. Maybe it’s because, on the day I passed my test, I drove to Knit Night and back and so my first big solo drive was in the dark. Maybe it’s because the kind of night driving I do is mostly along quiet roads so I’m not really doing any complicated high-speed driverly things like joining a motorway from a sliproad while not being entirely sure which lane the oncoming headlights are in. My favourite night drive is the one back fro... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062454 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 11:19:16 +0100 5062454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057891&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fdo-me-favour-honour-my-friend-by-having.html My friend Rebecca died this week. She was all of 37 years old (if I've done the math right) and she had metastatic breast cancer. She was also one of the funniest people in my online community. She was also generous, straigtforward and honest. My heart goes out to her friends and family - the people she loved, wrote about and who knew her best.Rebecca left strict instructions that we were to shed no tears after her passing (I'm afraid I've let her down on that front but I've been doing my best) and that, instead of a funeral she wanted a celebration of her life. I'd love to join the party and to hear the stories that those closest to her would be bound to share. Because Rebecca took her fun seriously.I won't be able to attend the celebration (Rebecca lived in Cape Cod) but I would like to ... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057891 Sat, 23 Jul 2011 21:29:00 +0100 5057891 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051124&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fthis-narrow-road%2F I’m having a busy July. A precis: birthday dinner, birthday party, working in Kent, working in London, home for 36 hours, weekend in Norfolk, working in Germany, three day knit heaven and lovely friend catch-up at Knit Nation, home on Sunday. Lots of lovely dinners, involving conversations, intense concentration, laughter, cake. So, I’ve been busy, but it’s not as though I’ve been eyeballs-out for a deadline or anything like that. Yet if I’d tried to do that lot six months ago, I’d have fallen apart at the end of it, tired, tearful and resentful that I can no longer do what I used to. What’s helped me to ’survive’ this three weeks of busy and delightful loveliness – even the work was lovely – is a way I have at looking at my... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051124 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 08:07:36 +0100 5051124 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050607&cid=t_119130_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1728 For years now, we’ve all heard the drum-beat.  Bill-boards in cities have proclaimed it.  Various medical associations have touted it’s importance.  Stroke symptoms have to be treated immediately!  Give clot-busting drugs, also known as ‘thrombolytics!’ Until, of course, those in favor of giving the drugs (namely neurologists)  realized that a)  Not everyone with a stroke, aka ‘brain attack’ has insurance and b) people have a very inconsiderate habit of having said strokes at the most inconvenient of hours.  For instance, after 5PM, on the weekend, on holidays.  The nerve! So across the country, physicians in emergency departments like mine are finding themselves expected by the court of public opinion to give a potentially dangerous drug (albeit... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050607 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 01:27:57 +0100 5050607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050794&cid=t_119130_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FwbRRoA18ohw%2F In case you were still of the opinion that Google and Microsoft were the major players and groundbreaking pioneers of personal health records, here’s a partial list of other companies that have been at it for at least as long. I believe CapMed goes back as far as 1991. Some have been bought by larger firms, but many are still independent. Clip and save, or pass on to your favorite tech journalist that got snookered by the Google PR machine. Access Strategies CapMed ActiveHealth Management MEDecision HealthCapable MyMedLab NoMoreClipboard.com Carefx Good Health Network iPHER MedicalDrive.com MediKeeper Applied Research Works In any case, I remain unconvinced that the direct-to-consumer, “untethered” model—no connection to an electronic medical record unless the patient s... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050794 Mon, 18 Jul 2011 20:43:06 +0100 5050794 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036240&cid=t_119130_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=5036515&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F07%2Flast-sunday%2F , we left our pretty holiday home in Norfolk and headed off to a local town for spa treatments and a little light shopping. There was only one disappointment in leaving the house, really: I hadn’t managed to find a dragon. Emily and Rebecca and I had looked for one – in a house so full of objets and carvings and nooks and crannies and paintings it was unthinkable that there wouldn’t be one – but we failed. We just couldn’t find a dragon anywhere. I wondered, rather half-heartedly, if the reason we hadn’t found one was that, with so much love and happiness around, I didn’t need her, but that idea felt a bit unsatisfactory: surely she’d drop by the birthday weekend party, do a lap of honour? Still, I was soon distracted by shopping and a pedicu... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036515 Sun, 17 Jul 2011 06:20:41 +0100 5036515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028914&cid=t_119130_133_f&fid=39137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fot_9%2Farchive%2F2011%2F07%2F14%2Fcan-i-speak-to-you-in-private.aspx It's amazing to me how A. always tends to plateau with her development -- she'll go a few months without any real tangible milestones at all, and sometimes she'll even regress a little -- but then she'll just explode out of the blue with a new skill that...(read more) (Source: From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism) From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028914 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:01:00 +0100 5028914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029050&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fsix-go-to-norfolk-part-2%2F Here’s what I learned at the weekend. 1. ‘Poky’ does not only mean ‘small’, as I previously thought. It also means ‘with a kick’ (or, I suppose, ‘with a poke’), as in ‘Steve’s new convertible has quite a lot of poke’ and ‘Right now I could do with a really poky coffee’. 2. Fireman jokes never get old. I leave that to your imagination. 3. My friends are a thousand shades of awesome. I already knew that, of course, but now I really know it. For example: at dinner – lovely, lovely poached trout – I asked everyone to name their fish. No-one behaved as this was any sort of an odd request. The fish turned out to be called Arthur, Eric, Cedric, Montgomery, Clint, and Susannah. (This is Arthur, bathed in candlelight, poached with shallots and mushroom... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029050 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:08:53 +0100 5029050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029037&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fhorrible-terriblelaundry.html I have been known to tell my children that, if we lived in almost any 3rd world country, they would have 1, maybe 2 outfits. They would wear them all week and then I would scrub them down in a washtub, and leave them playing naked in the house while I scrubbed 6-12 outfits in the tub outdoors in the baking sun. And, if we were middle class, I would also have a maid.Pile #1 of clean laundryThat's not how middle class works here. My kids have scads of clothes and I seem to be forever buried in laundry. I remember being a country kid with a healthy covering of dirt most of the time, wearing outfits 2 or 3 days at a time. Our social standard now is sparkling clean kids in perfectly matched outfits. I had someone offer me information about the food stamp program while in line at the grocery sto... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029037 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:52:00 +0100 5029037 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029051&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fsix-go-to-norfolk-part-1%2F It was always going to be good. Jude, Diane and I travelled to Norfolk in this. The house was pretty amazing too. As Birthday Girl, I got to choose my bedroom. And who can resist a canopy? Not me. As this was my Birthday Weekend, I was the common factor. Rebecca and Jude know each other really well, Jude and Diane know each other a bit, but apart from that (and me) no-one had met before. (Though I gather there had been a great deal of email shennanigans beforehand). But within half an hour, everyone was drinking tea around the kitchen table, and I knew it was going to be all right. Funnily enough, one of the happiest moments of the whole weekend was late Saturday afternoon, when I was banned from the kitchen and the dining room, and sat on my own in the living room, curled up in a big ... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029051 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:05:09 +0100 5029051 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029052&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F07%2F40-words-the-winners%2F I couldn’t decide, in the end. I have 5 favourites from the 40 words competition, and here they are. Remember the rules: a 40 word uplifting piece, incorporating the word Bah! (capital letter and exclamation mark optional). Here’s the entry that made me laugh most, from Leigh Forbes: Old Girl peers at my daughter, all in pink. “Fine-looking lad. What’s he weigh?” “13lbs.” She nods. “I was a midwife. I know all about babies. What’s his name?” “Lilian.” “Bah!” She snorts. “That’s no name for a boy.’ * Hilda Lolly wins for being properly clever, and telling a great story: Bright and happy Beryl always had Birthdays at her Brother Alfred’s hotel. “Beryl’s annual holiday” Became a habit, But Alfred’s hospitality Belied a hi... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029052 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 07:31:53 +0100 5029052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008575&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fcancer-free-friday-flash-bang-wallop%2F Recently I was asked to provide a photgraph of Alan and I for an event. Easy, I thought, so I started going back through the photos on my computer. And there are lots of pictures of me. I’m showing off knitting, showing off hair, showing off scars and new bras, standing or sitting in nice places…. generally showing off, actually. And there are lots of pictures of Alan. Quite often holding a beer, or wearing a hat, or just looking nice and relaxed. (He’s much better at having his photo taken than I am.) But pictures of both of us, in which we both agree that we both look neither too mad nor too multi-chinned? Few and far between. In fact, we had to go back to a wood near the Welsh border and one of those self-taken pics before we were happy with a photo choice. August 2010... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008575 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:56:30 +0100 5008575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008726&cid=t_119130_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FsrvorhNwPLk%2F Do you have a friend or colleague who complains constantly? If you do, you’ll know how you feel after a conversation with them: tired, drained, feeling a bit fed up about your own life. Do you know anyone who’s always cheerful and positive? If you talk to them, you’ll feel quite differently afterwards: enthused, re-energized, happy. I’m guessing you can see why positive thinking matters. By being grateful for the good things in life – instead of moaning about the bad ones – you’ll find that your mood is better, and that almost miraculously, more good stuff starts happening to you. It’s easy, of course, for me to tell you to “look on the bright side!” – but I know that’s easier said than done. So here are five ways to be more positive about life, every single day: #1... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008726 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 07:06:08 +0100 5008726 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008577&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fblue-suede-shoes%2F I’ve written before about my feet and how thrilling it was to be getting into heels again, around Christmas time, here. Going further back, last summer was tricky. My feet swelled in the heat, and went from heel to calf in a solid line. I wrote about it here. This summer, I’m happy to tell you that things are better. I’ve been wearing dresses, and strappy sandals, and when I take the sandals off at the end of the day there’s no groove where my feet have swollen around them. Also, I’ve been able to wear heels all day long, for the first time in a loooong time. I wore these pretty babies for training, two days running. On reflection, wearing three inch heels in Chatham Historic Dockyard wasn’t my best footwear decision ever. I had to forgo the submarine ... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008577 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 08:56:08 +0100 5008577 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997615&cid=t_119130_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=4997781&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fa-good-place-to-be%2F I really have had the loveliest couple of days. There was dinner on Friday night, with my near and dear: Alan, Ned, Joy, and my parents. There was asparagus, and duck, and brown sugar meringues, and we laughed. We laughed a lot. (Though not at the point when this photo was taken, which was after the kindly-intentioned restaurant proprietor had made about 15 attempts to press the button. Nice of the guy at the next table to join in, though.) On Saturday afternoon, we put out the bunting. My family and friends came, and we spent the evening in the garden, and it was lovely. There were new friendships, and old stories, and pretty shoes. Though Hope got a bit anti-social. (You can see the party reflected in the windows; she’d got about as far away from it as she could. Though she perked... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997781 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 06:27:46 +0100 4997781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992699&cid=t_119130_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=4992691&cid=t_119130_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhow-to-be-a-good-doctor-10-rules-of-the-road%2F2011.07.01 He sat in a crisp white coat, staring at a computer screen, note cards in his lap. Occasionally, I noted him jot a note to himself as he compiled his list. A nurse sat next to him, pounding feverishly on the keyboard as she recorded her nurse’s note. He tentatively moved his mouse, then clicked, still staring. I recall my first day in clinical medicine: no computer, an ER rotation, a white board filled with names and abbreviated medical problems next to them with little magnetic color-coded labels nearby. Room 1: Head trauma. Room 2: Abscess. Room 3: UTI, Room 4: Rash. I got room 2. It was the biggest, bad-est infected sebaceous cyst on a guy’s back a newly minted doctor had ever seen. Can you say “softball?” “See one, do one,” they told me. And off I went. Much in medicine ha... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992691 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:00:00 +0100 4992691 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992928&cid=t_119130_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=4992939&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fcancer-free-friday-40%2F I had a good cry yesterday afternoon. It was because, driving back from shopping for my birthday party tomorrow, I remembered that there have been a few times over the last couple of years – only a handful, but even so – when I have seriously wondered whether I would make it to 40. When 40 seemed like the top of an unfeasibly high mountain that I needed to climb – and I very definitely wasn’t wearing the right shoes. Today, though, 40 feels like another beginning. The beginning of a decade I intend to sail through, happy, healthy, and well, enjoying life and appreciating all that I am blessed with. And I am so blessed. I came down this morning to this. Presents, from Ned, Alan, and Joy. Joy has taken the 40 thing very seriously….. and given me 40 presents. I... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992939 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 08:09:31 +0100 4992939 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992929&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fhow-ive-changed.html When I was a young adult, I definitely considered myself to be an extrovert. Then, in 2007, a year or so after my cancer diagnosis (and after being on leave from my job for most of that time), I did the Meyers-Briggs test. The person who explained my results to me said that mine was the most even split between introvert and extrovert that she'd ever seen.Fast forward to last weekend when I attended the PAB conference. Walking in the door on a Friday night to an environment where it felt like everyone already knew each other was terrifying. My chest tightened, my breathing became shallow and I felt something between "slightly queasy" and "I think I'm about to puke my guts  out." I texted Tim, "This is so hard" and sent out similar messages to the Twitterverse (I will be forever gr... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992929 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:07:00 +0100 4992929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984651&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fmaybe-its-happiness%2F The last couple of weeks have been busy. Alan and I spent a weekend with friends celebrating their 40th birthdays in Provence, it was Joy’s birthday as soon as we returned, and I’ve been getting ready for my celebrations ever since. I’ve been writing, too, and the ribboning of a sentence from my mind to the page never ceases to thrill. On Sunday, I travel to Kent to work, then on to London to see my darling godson on his birthday, work some more, visit my delicious goddaughters, and then head home. A quick turnaround then it’s off for a birthday weekend with my girlfriends, then working in Germany, then the thrill that is Knit Nation. It never rains but it pours. Of course, I’m looking forward to all of these things, and I will thoroughly enjoy them. (Apart fr... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984651 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 07:57:44 +0100 4984651 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975863&cid=t_119130_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcan-physical-exams-save-healthcare-costs%2F2011.06.28 I’ve often heard physicians say that “the history is 90% of the diagnosis.” In other words, they can usually determine the underlying cause of a patient’s problem just by listening to their account of how it evolved. The physical exam is merely to confirm the diagnosis, and is often cursory, limited, or ignored. I believe that the physical exam is far more important than it seems – and I learned this during my recent oral medical specialty board examination. Although I have been sworn to secrecy regarding the content of the test questions, I will share an epiphany that I had during the exam. The examiners’ job is to describe a patient and then ask the examinee what else she’d like to know and what she’d do next. With each description, I found... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975863 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:00:21 +0100 4975863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976144&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fmind-blown.html  PAB2011 group photo by Maurizio Ortolani, uploaded to flickr by Martin Jones.A chance encounter on Bank Street with my friend Andrea Ross led to a plan for a dog walk, which led to a conversation about "PAB", which led to me having my mind blown.The conference is called PAB 2011 (short for Podcasters Across Borders), and is for anyone who is a creater of "content" of any kind, using any medium. You don't have to know a thing about podcasting to attend, just an open spirit and a readiness to share and absorb ideas. It took place this past week end (June 24-26) and my brain is still very, very full.This year's theme was "Your story needs to be told. Well." As with every year for the last few, the venue was the wonderful Fourth Stage of the National Arts Centre (no fluorescent lights!) ... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976144 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:31:00 +0100 4976144 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968842&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fincurable%2F I have been at it again. Another shawl. This next sentence is for knitters, so if you don’t knit, feel free to hop on to the next bit. Cosette, knitted in DK instead of aran weight, lovely simple pattern with a short-row-shaped stocking stitch body and an eyelet trim and picot bind-off. Knitted in Tupa,which is 50% merino 50% silk, bought from Treacle Wool Shop in Morpeth. So…. I decided to knit this on Saturday 11th June, and finished it on Tuesday 21st. Pretty good going, no? Well, no. Because I decided to knit the shawl as I needed something in those colours to take to Provence. We flew out to Provence at stupid o’clock on the morning of the 16th, which meant I was allowing myself four days (not counting blocking time) to knit 600m of yarn into a shawl. It was never g... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968842 Sun, 26 Jun 2011 10:36:18 +0100 4968842 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968629&cid=t_119130_113_f&fid=22291&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FMedgadget%2F%7E3%2FJOI7iDez7lE%2Fwhen-nih-began-h-stood-for-hygiene.html NIH, the source of so much knowledge and red-tape, had to start somewhere. The Scientist magazine recently published an article on where the organization was in its early days. Think of it like preliminary data for the NIH’s application to exist. As epidemics swept across the United States in the 19th century, the US government recognized the pressing need for a national lab dedicated to the study of infectious disease. In 1887, the government set its sights on a small lab located in the Marine Hospital on Staten Island, New York. Its sole member, 27-year-old Joseph James Kinyoun, belonged to a new generation of scientists and hysicians who were beginning to understand how microscopic organisms underlay the terrible killers of their day, such as smallpox, yellow ever, and Asiatic cho... Medgadget blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968629 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:26:21 +0100 4968629 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960121&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F22%2Fcultivating-self-compassion%2F When something has gone wrong, when there’s been a mistake made, no matter how small, many people are all too quick to point the finger — at themselves. They flog themselves for any failure, letting their self-esteem bend and bow at the face of disappointments and triumphs. For many, self-esteem is shaky at best. But there’s something you can build that’s more substantial than self-esteem. Something that doesn’t waver and can actually boost your well-being — and your performance isn’t a factor. According to psychologist Kristin Neff, Ph.D, in her book Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind, that something is self-compassion. Being self-compassionate means that whether you win or lose, surpass your sky-high expectations or fall short, you sti... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960121 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:12:04 +0100 4960121 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953035&cid=t_119130_113_f&fid=22291&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FMedgadget%2F%7E3%2FALPid2D34Q4%2Fhealth-for-sale-exhibit-takes-a-look-at-miracle-cures-from-the-past.html Every day, we’re inundated with ads for the newest devices and pills that claim to improve our well-being. Often times we laugh and scoff at such remedies, but once in a while we’re irresistibly drawn to an ad that creates a picture of a happier you, thanks to a certain product (and only four payments of $9.99). Advertisements for health products is nothing new, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art has an exhibit that showcases posters for health remedies from around the world going as far back as the mid-1800′s that were collected by William H. Helfand. Some have more medical backing than others, but all present an interesting look into medical history. Here’s a description of the exhibit and its collector: In the mid 1950s, William H. Helfand began to collect prints... Medgadget blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953035 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:42:43 +0100 4953035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953308&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F06%2F15-2%2F I can’t quite believe it, but today my girl is 15. Yup. A year since this post. Joy’s fifteenth year has been an action-packed one. She’s finally achieved her lifetime ambition, and got a dog, the lovely Hope, and the two of them are devoted to each other. She’s moved home, and school, and made new friends. She’s got her first job. She managed to persuade her mother to let her dye her hair. Me: But your hair is sooooo beautiful the way it is! Joy: You’re my mother. You’re genetically programmed to think I’m beautiful. Which may be true, but she is, whatever colour her hair is. It hasn’t all been ice cream and hair dye for Joy this year, but she has faced difficulties with maturity and a degree of articulate intelligence and emotional... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953308 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:38:56 +0100 4953308 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953157&cid=t_119130_129_f&fid=27216&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifewithadhd.com%2Fadhd-research%2Fadhd-stimulants-can-be-good-for-your-brain.php ADHD stimulants are brain antioxidants. That will come as a surprise to many people. The use of stimulants, long term, for ADHD is a concern for patients and parents. The question of whether stimulant use is damaging to the brain is one that is frequently asked. Long term studies have found the stimulants used to treat ADHD to be safe overall and new studies are pointing to possible long term brain benefits from stimulant treatment. The stimulants improve brain oxygenation and decrease the damage caused by oxygen free radicals in the brain. There is some evidence to suggest that children who take stimulants to treat their ADHD symptoms perform better academically and later in their schooling than kids who are not treated with stimulants. The long term affects of stimulant use with regards ... Life With ADHD blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953157 Sat, 18 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4953157 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953310&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fthe-universe-speaks-about-sheep%2F I have a Google alert set up, which means that every time something pops up on the interwebs about Bah! to cancer, I get an email telling me about it. Shortly after writing the spinning post, an alert came in. The link took me to this headline: Pet Sheep Who Detected Breast Cancer Is Un-bah-lievable and the article goes on to tell how Alfie the sheep managed to tell his owner that all was not well in her breast. So you see. A sheep is not only a spinning necessity but also a safeguarder of health. Every home should have one. And was it a coincidence that this article found me just as I bought a spinning wheel and wrote about owning a sheep? I think not, my friends. I think not. The article is here. Enjoy. (Source: Bah! to cancer) Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953310 Sat, 18 Jun 2011 07:22:42 +0100 4953310 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953279&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fshort-term-planning.html I kind of left you in suspense yesterday.I was sitting an exam room, waiting to see my oncologist to discuss whether I could continue my break from chemo. Here's what happened next:We waited.We played a little Lexulous.I knit. My hands shook a little. And then the door swung open and Dr. B. entered the room. Dr. B. is not my oncologist. The cancer centre has a title called GPO (which I assume means general practitioner - oncology) for doctors who work with the oncologists. I hadn't seen Dr. B. in more than a year and without hesitating, we hugged each other - something I've never done with any doctor. She's wonderful and she's the only doctor I trust as much as my oncologist.After a physical exam (liver is where it should be and the size it should be. Chest sounds fine) and looki... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953279 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:00:00 +0100 4953279 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934729&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fnot-so-jaded-after-all.html Yesterday, I had an appointment with my oncologist, the first since our decision that I should take a break from chemo and do Herceptin only for three months.I usually do my appointments over the phone but I decided to go into the cancer centre so that I could have a physical exam and meet with him face to face. Also, I wanted Tim to come with me, so that he would get the same info as I did first hand and have a chance to ask questions. One of the great things about doing appointments on the phone is that I can carry on with my life around the house as I wait for my call. I was reminded of this after waiting first in the waiting area and then in the exam room for nearly an hour.But it was worth it.The first person I met was the nurse who works with my oncologist. It was the first time we m... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934729 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:38:00 +0100 4934729 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953312&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fgood-times%2F I am super busy at the moment. Super busy in a good way: as you read this, Alan and I are airborne and en route to Provence where we are celebrating two of our friends’ birthdays, which means today as I write (now your yesterday) I will mostly be trying to remember when I last had my passport and figuring out which dress in my wardrobe is closest to that trickiest of dress codes, smart casual. I’m working on finishing the second Bah! book within the next fortnight, which is do-able but pretty intense. I’m going away for work and for fun. I’m baking ahead for birthdays, and blogging ahead for the days when I won’t be able to post. Busy, busy, busy. So it makes no sense whatsoever that any spare time I have is spent on this. Or does it? I am making bunting for ... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953312 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 08:05:03 +0100 4953312 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921794&cid=t_119130_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FptmdWN0kacE%2F Not so long ago, influence was claimed as a matter of birthright. Now, even for the highborn, influence is a skill that is honed with dedicated practice, feedback and reflection. Here’s how to be more persuasive: Being right doesn’t equal winning Too often people get stuck in a trap of thinking that if I’m right I should win. You won’t. It’s a terrible flaw – and I’d advise you against it. Truths are subjective – and both parties must accept them as true or they’re just opinions. And haven’t you ever noticed how often what people think should happen is quite often what they want to happen? More than we’d like to admit, we structure our beliefs based upon emotions and desires rather than facts. Understanding that is the core of powerful persuasion. Understand why they... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921794 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 06:23:41 +0100 4921794 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921395&cid=t_119130_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWH-VnhnyEKE%2F By Roger PilonAt POLITICO this morning we find a long opinion piece by Matt Stoller, “Public Pays Price for Privatization,” summarized as “The real infrastructure trend in America today is privatizing what is left.” If that weren’t enough to give you the flavor of the piece, the bio line tells us that “Stoller worked on the Dodd-Frank financial reform law and Federal Reserve transparency issues as a staffer for Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.). He is currently a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute.” Say no more – except, there’s more to say. Stoller notes, among much else, that Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback “just turned over arts funding to the private sector, making Kansas the only state without a publicly funded arts agency.” Don’t reel in horror; the cited Los Angeles Times ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921395 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:35:59 +0100 4921395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911824&cid=t_119130_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FAutTWJ-YZYs%2F Faced with growing challenges in clinical trials, manufacturing and drug safety - among many other issues - the FDA has decided to elevate the Office of Compliance to a so-called Super Office on a par with others in the Center For Drug Evaluation and Research, such as the Office of New Drugs, the Office of Pharmaceutical Science and the Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology. The responsibilities will include ensuring compliance with requirements for good manufacturing practice, good clinical practice, human subject protection, adverse event and drug quality reporting, REMS, drug labeling, drug approval, drug importation, and supply chain integrity, among others, according to a memo from CDER director Janet Woodcock. And the new super compliance office will also have three officewide func... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911824 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:06:07 +0100 4911824 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902418&cid=t_119130_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fgoodbye-dr-oprah-%25e2%2580%2593-and-good-riddance%2F2011.06.06 I wrote once that not only is Oprah Winfrey not a doctor, she plays a really bad one on TV. From promoting Jenny McCarthy and the anti-vaccine movement, to allowing Suzanne Somers a bully-pulpit for her medical woo, to pushing Prudence Hall and her high-dose hormone treatments without acknowledging their potential risks, to leading the church of the Secret as a way to avoid facing the harsh realities of cancer, Oprah did more harm than good when it comes to health. And while the publishing industry may be hanging crepe, the medical community is breathing a sigh of relief that Oprah has left the airwaves, at least for now. After all, we “conventional” docs were repeatedly relegated to a seat in the audience by Oprah, who usually presented us as naysayers and officials in the Church of M... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902418 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:00:42 +0100 4902418 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893469&cid=t_119130_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=4893554&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F03%2F6-tips-for-battling-loneliness%2F The more I’ve learned about happiness, the more I’ve come to believe that loneliness is a terrible, common, and important obstacle to consider. A while back, after reading John Cacioppo’s fascinating book Loneliness, I posted Some counter-intuitive facts about loneliness, and several people responded by asking, “Okay, but what do I do about it? What steps can I take to feel less lonely?” I recently finished another fascinating book, Lonely — a memoir by Emily White, about her own experiences and research into loneliness. White doesn’t attempt to give specific advice about how to combat loneliness, but from her book, I gleaned these strategies… 1. Remember that although the distinction can be difficult to draw, loneliness and solitude are dif... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893554 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:22:22 +0100 4893554 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893805&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fpirate-day.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=4893805 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:18:00 +0100 4893805 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893556&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F03%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-june-3-2011%2F It’s easy to slip into the “coulda, woulda, shouldas” of our lives. There’s the trip you didn’t take. The relationship you might have ended too soon. The career that sits, still waiting to be pursued. And though it maybe difficult to admit, it’s not the boss that held you back or the friend that slighted you. In fact, there’s probably some true to the saying that “you are your own worst enemy.” It’s the weekend again. It’s June. Summer is upon us. Why not take the time to reflect on why you’re holding yourself back? A few days ago, I asked our Facebook friends what’s the best decision they ever made. It was one of our most popular topics and we received responses on everything from living to accepting their life.... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893556 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 11:16:55 +0100 4893556 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4876528&cid=t_119130_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FQ33t9A5G-Ug%2F “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... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4876528 Sat, 28 May 2011 05:48:00 +0100 4876528 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872365&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fkitchen-conversation-hes-so-so-right.html My spouse (after listening to lengthy rant #342 yesterday): "Not to excuse that person's bad behaviour, but a lot of things piss you off these days."Me: "True."Spouse: "Oh! We forgot to put the compost out!"Me: (String of expletives, unprintable in a blog my children might read).Spouse (Meaningful silence)Then we both burst out laughing.I need to get some perspective.But at least I can still laugh at myself.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=4872365 Fri, 27 May 2011 17:00:00 +0100 4872365 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872346&cid=t_119130_133_f&fid=39137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fot_9%2Farchive%2F2011%2F05%2F27%2Fawards-day.aspx I have a confession to make -- I can actually be a pretty horrible parent sometimes. The annual Awards Day ceremonies at A.'s schools have always been one area where I have completely failed. As a working mother, it's not always been easy for me to take...(read more) (Source: From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism) From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872346 Fri, 27 May 2011 09:01:00 +0100 4872346 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872366&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fgeneration-gap.html On Tuesday, as I waited at the Heart Institute for my regular echocardiogram, I had the following brief conversation with the older gentleman sitting beside me.Me: Is that a Playbook?Him: I don't play! This is an ipad!Me: Oh. I was just curious about the Blackberry version of the tablet.Him  (scornfully): Do you have a Blackberry?Me: I do.I didn't bother explaining that I don't find touch screens to be intuitive and that I prefer an actual keyboard for sending emails and texting. Instead, I pulled out my knitting, thus eradicating all doubt that I was the Luddite in our conversation.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=4872366 Thu, 26 May 2011 23:47:00 +0100 4872366 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862849&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fa-rainbow%2F Monday in Scotland and the north east of England was stormy and windy. By the end of Monday, much of Scotland had power cuts and the gale force winds were wreaking havoc. I was in Edinburgh (having lunch and talking books with lovely and clever Nicola Morgan and fitting in a sneaky visit to K1 Yarns while I was there), and got on my train home at 6.30 feeling more than a little lucky. The departure board at the station had been a parade of ‘cancelled’, the concourse bursting with people wailing “I don’t know what to do now, there’s not a hotel room to be had in Edinburgh” into their phones. yet my train left just 20 minutes after it said it was going to. (As I have been known to leave just 20 minutes after I said I was going to, I found this easy to forg... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862849 Wed, 25 May 2011 10:10:46 +0100 4862849 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862813&cid=t_119130_133_f&fid=39137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fot_9%2Farchive%2F2011%2F05%2F24%2Fthe-silliest-things-make-you-cry-sometimes.aspx When you're the parent of an autistic child, the silliest things make you cry sometimes. Sometimes these are sad cries, like whenever A. was about three years old and she was kicked out of a dance class with the instructor talking down her nose at me,...(read more) (Source: From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism) From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862813 Tue, 24 May 2011 08:42:00 +0100 4862813 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4852938&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F23%2Fhard-to-find-a-male-therapist%2F Well, yes. Fewer men are choosing clinical psychology as a profession. We’ve known this for many years, as graduate programs in psychology — both Master’s level and doctoral — have increasingly become female-dominated. In my graduate class of 1990, over 75% of the class was female. That percentage has only increased in the past two decades. So Benedict Carey’s new article in the New York Times is a bit of a puzzler. The angle is that because of this gender discrepancy, a good male therapist is increasingly becoming difficult to find: Researchers began tracking the “feminization” of mental health care more than a generation ago, when women started to outnumber men in fields like psychology and counseling. Today the takeover is almost complete. And I say, &#... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4852938 Mon, 23 May 2011 12:46:49 +0100 4852938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4853127&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F05%2Flife-affirming%2F I was chatting to someone the other day, and they mentioned the blog, and they said, “I just find it so….” and paused as they cast around for the right word. If I’d been asked to complete the sentence for them, I’d have plumped for ‘inspirational’, which is a word I’ve got used to, and have finally learned to own. But no. “I just find it so….life-affirming” was what I heard. Life-affirming. As you know, I pay a lot of attention to language, so I thought about this phrase. I even went to the dictionary, and found affirming to mean ’stating as a fact; asserting strongly and publicly’. I may have laughed out loud when I read that definition. Oooh. I love this. ‘Bah! to cancer’ and ‘life-affirming&#... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4853127 Sun, 22 May 2011 11:39:39 +0100 4853127 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4848004&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F20%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-may-20-2011%2F You probably noticed by now, but we’re all excited that it’s not only Mental Health Awareness Month, but a few days ago on May 18, our bloggers participated in blogging for mental health. It’s been a wonderful week spreading information about mental health and busting stigma that still exists on mental illness. Why is spreading mental health awareness and fighting prejudice so important? About ten years ago, I was talking to a college classmate about depression. He was just 20 years old and I was a few years older and several years ahead of him in terms of my experience with mental illness. I had witnessed the impact depression had on my grandfather when I was 16. When the topic of mental illness and depression came up, he passionately voiced his opinions to me. He felt t... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4848004 Fri, 20 May 2011 10:24:20 +0100 4848004 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841474&cid=t_119130_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcoffee-and-prostate-cancer-the-quality-of-news-reports-vary-significantly%2F2011.05.19 We simply don’t know why more news organizations can’t do an adequate job of explaining the limitations of observational studies – most notably, that they can’t prove cause and effect. Yes, they can show strong associations. But they can’t prove cause and effect. NBC Nightly News, as one example recently, inadequately explained the latest suggestion that coffee consumption can lower the risk of prostate cancer. In the anchor lead, Brian Williams framed this as another case of flip-flopping science, lightheartedly talking about what they say about “all those medical studies…if you don’t like the findings, wait for the next study.” The story seemed puzzled at how the same “lab” 30 years ago reported that coffee was linked to a... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841474 Thu, 19 May 2011 21:00:55 +0100 4841474 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4829215&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FpAnm0wW0a04%2F Everywhere I go I’m asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don’t stifle enough of them. There’s many a bestseller that could have been prevented by a good teacher. Flannery O’Connor Filed under: Ephemera Tagged: A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Flannery O'Connor, qotd (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4829215 Mon, 16 May 2011 13:07:50 +0100 4829215 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820920&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F13%2Fusing-music-to-relieve-depression%2F Caught in a terrible conundrum of whether I should break my diet over New York Super Fudge Chunk or Chunky Monkey at Ben and Jerry’s yesterday, I was reading the different fliers pinned to the community bulletin board inside this 200 square feet of ice-cream heaven. One flier read: “Got the blues? Learn to play them!” I don’t know whether to blame the kids or my depression for my stupidity (the death of my brain cells in the prefrontal cortex), but I had to read these seven words four times (that’s 28 words) before I understood the message, which is an important one: Music can help treat depression. Back before my Prozac and Zoloft days, music was my sole therapy. I pounded out Rachmaninoff’s “Prelude to C Sharp Minor” as a way of processing... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820920 Fri, 13 May 2011 15:37:54 +0100 4820920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820858&cid=t_119130_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Foverheard-at-the-nursing-desk-how-to-optimize-your-care-while-hospitalized%2F2011.05.12 It was interesting lunchtime conversation. A lone doctor listening to some highly experienced and capable nurses, reflecting on their work: “If the patient’s nice, it’s a lot easier to want to go back in that room with them. Their reputation travels at the nurses station. But if they’re mean, well, it’s not as easy to go back in there, so I might not stop by as often.” “I agree, it’s easier to catch flies with honey than vinegar.” Words to live by. *This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820858 Thu, 12 May 2011 13:00:00 +0100 4820858 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813613&cid=t_119130_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=4803232&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F10%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-may-10-2011%2F A friend once asked me how to handle her disobedient son. She was going through a divorce and her son was taking out his pain, confusion and anger about his parent’s relationship on her. She wanted to distance herself from him because he was being so hurtful. But I told her to reconsider. My mom and I have an imperfectly perfect relationship. We’re close. But we rarely see eye to eye on anything. We’re as different as we are alike. I like to find good deals. She loves brand names. She chose a traditional 9 to 5 job. I went the opposite way and designed my own career. At the same time, we’re both sensitive and emotional, which is the perfect recipe for personal and sometimes heated debates. But I have to say one thing. I grew up as a child of divorce too. And I told ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803232 Tue, 10 May 2011 11:50:07 +0100 4803232 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803449&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Foverflowing-grace.html I just found a plank in my eye. (I'm sure it won't be the last.) At this moment in my journey with both my faith and severe depression, I have more trust in the clearly definable, like a palette of acrylics. Colors, amounts, which way the peaks pointed...I am having a hard time trusting the indefinable, the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God (I Tim. 1:17).Don't let panic get you down,How could we forget God's amazing loveHear my tearsthis is whereyou'll shake the nightmares free~Jon Foreman~I've lived a long time believing that there would be some account or consequence for how well you lived Christ - bad decisions, bad consequences; good decisions, good consequences. The problem is that Jesus turned that whole paradigm upside down with His saving blood. In Romans 2, Paul writ... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803449 Mon, 09 May 2011 13:43:00 +0100 4803449 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803570&cid=t_119130_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2F-maF8n3xDXg%2F Slipped into the doldrums? Feeling sad and low and lonely? We all feel this way from time to time. Often, all we need is a good distraction to shake us out of the funk. Here are 45 quick and easy mood lifters that you can use right now: 1.Tell a good joke – or ask people nearby to tell you their favorites. I just read this one, in the intro to Tina Fey’s book Bossypants. “Two peanuts walked down the road. One was a salted (peanut.)” And a personal favorite: “What do you call cheese that isn’t yours? Nacho cheese.” 2. Follow funny people on twitter.  I am partial to goofy humor and silly puns, so Ellen DeGeneres always gets a giggle from me @theellenshow. Conduct a search on twitter to see if any of your favorite comedians tweet. 3. Spend a few minutes watching babies giggle... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803570 Mon, 09 May 2011 06:54:37 +0100 4803570 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803441&cid=t_119130_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=4797875&cid=t_119130_133_f&fid=39137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fot_9%2Farchive%2F2011%2F05%2F07%2Fbusy-weekends-good-and-bad.aspx It was a very, very busy weekend last weekend, but overall a very, very good one. I knew that the weekend was going to be rather hectic and full of out-of-routine situations for A., so I sat down with her on Friday night to explain everything that was...(read more) (Source: From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism) From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4797875 Sat, 07 May 2011 21:52:00 +0100 4797875 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4794860&cid=t_119130_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhat-makes-a-great-oncologist%2F2011.05.06 I had a WOW experience yesterday when I accompanied my wife to interview a new doctor for her.   As some reader may know she is being seen by specialists at MD Anderson Medical Center in Houston for Stage IV lung cancer.   She has not had a local oncologist for the past 6 years…but she does now.   And we both love this guy! You need to understand that I have been very underwhelmed by the local oncologists I had met up till now.   I am sure they were clinically proficient…but as a group not a one could muster a smile….or any sense of interest or curiosity in my wife’s medical condition.  I held out little hope that this new doctor would be any different. After being ushered into the exam room, a Physician’s Assistant came into the room to get smart about my wife’s histo... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4794860 Fri, 06 May 2011 13:00:04 +0100 4794860 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780501&cid=t_119130_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FXPVZyC9yd54%2F Do you enjoy your work? Maybe you do – you have a job which you love, and which you find interesting and fulfilling. Or maybe you don’t – you hate your job but you have to stick with it because you need the money. Chances are you fall somewhere in the middle: you have good days and bad days, and you could definitely be happier than you currently are. So, here are seven little ways to be happier at work, right now. #1: Be Friendly to Your Colleagues In some big offices, people might not even say “good morning” to one another. It costs nothing to be polite and friendly to your colleagues. You might think that you have nothing in common with them (especially if you’re just working a temporary job for money) – but if you strike up a conversation, you may well find that they share... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780501 Wed, 04 May 2011 04:05:08 +0100 4780501 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780458&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fnot-really-end.html Did you know that the world is going to end on May 21st, 2011? I saw a guy on a street corner today with a sign that said just that. And then I saw a big-ass caravan with the same message. Contemplation of our impending collective doom helps to put yesterday's election into perspective. It doesn't matter if the Conservatives were gifted with a whopping majority if none of us is going to live long enough to deal with the consequences. There must be more of these end of the world types than I previously suspected. That would help me understand how it is that so many of us thought endorsing the Conservatives would be a good idea.Or something. You'll have to forgive me, it's been a hell of a day. I stayed up way too late watching the election results and then stumbled around like a zombie all ... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780458 Wed, 04 May 2011 03:07:00 +0100 4780458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780483&cid=t_119130_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F87vE8pwrhuE%2F When in doubt…blame it on the laboratory. That’s the explanation given by Teva Pharmaceuticals in response to a finding by the FDA that a batch of an unnamed medication had failed to meet specifications. And instead of following up, the drugmaker invalidated test results despite being unable to determine the cause of the failure. What’s more, Teva selectively used passing test results from a different analysis to approve the lot in question. This sort of approach to manufacturing problems prompted the FDA to issue a Jan. 31 warning letter…and then some. The agency proceeded to lecture the Teva team about good manufacturing practice and to brush up on their reading. “We recommend you review the FDA guidance for industry entitled, ‘Investigating Out-of-Spe... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780483 Tue, 03 May 2011 15:58:29 +0100 4780483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775566&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fstratford-again%2F This weekend was the weekend of our annual pilgrimage to Stratford, to go to a rather lovely dress-up lunch and remember Mr Shakespeare on his birthday. (Except his birthday – and the day he died – was 23 April, but that was Easter, so lunch was delayed by a week. I hope that after four centuries a week won’t matter too much to the old bard.) Last year I was so excited to have hair that I wore a little blue feathery fascinator; the year before was a great big hat designed to hide my patchy pate and balance my chins. (Here’s the post about last year.) What was lovely about this year’s hat - - apart from its delightful campery of course, and the fact that I knew it was unique because I broke one of the two twiddly curls on top that it originally had – is ... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775566 Mon, 02 May 2011 09:55:19 +0100 4775566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4767993&cid=t_119130_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fis-national-debt-as-bad-as-paul-ryan-says-it-is-lessons-from-the-past%2F2011.04.30 The last two weeks have made clear that the debate over our national debt will play a major role in the next election cycle. On one side, many Republicans, lead by Representative Ryan, insist that the rate of growth of our national debt – especially the massive projected growth of Medicare and Medicaid – promises to destroy our society within a generation or two; and that the only way to avert that catastrophe is to make substantial structural changes to our entitlement programs. The subtext of their message is: Federal debt is bad, and debt of this magnitude will be fatal. On the other side, most Democrats, led by President Obama, stress that our entitlement programs are promises that simply can’t be changed in any substantial way, insist that such entitlements are “investments in... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4767993 Sat, 30 Apr 2011 14:00:10 +0100 4767993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4768198&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fhow-he-moves-in-world.html My baby turned 8 on Friday. I love him so much.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=4768198 Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:04:00 +0100 4768198 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4758970&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fsurprise%2F Last night, I went to the cinema to see ‘True Grit’. (Which is brilliant. I don’t usually go for Westerns, but I do go for the Coen brothers, for their way with camera and all the places you laugh when you don’t expect to. And for their fine appreciation of Jeff Bridges.) I went on my own, and I drove from home to the Alnwick Playhouse, about 15 miles away along country roads. I left home just after 6.30pm, and drove through a bright, beautiful evening, the sun low in the sky. All the way I thought how lovely it is, at this time of year, when the days are long and you have to wear your sunglasses at 7pm. I left the cinema at 9.15, and drove home again through that tawny almost-darkness, the blue of iris hearts, and I thought about how summer nights are good for the ... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4758970 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 07:41:32 +0100 4758970 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4744915&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fhappy-easter-2%2F I’m not a Christian. But that doesn’t stop me from having a fine appreciation for a festival involving lots of chocolate and a celebration of coming back from the dead. My guess is that everyone who has ever been told they have a cancer and is now thriving spends a little moment every day feeling as though they’ve come back from the dead themselves. My nieces and I have been baking. This is Nigella’s Easter chocolate cake from Feast, the perfect recipe entirely untampered with, although I think I will be making it all through the summer with raspberries instead of easter eggs on top. It’s delicious. And this is a cake of Emily and Hannah’s own devising. (Hannah, surveying her leggings afterwards, says they need their own aprons to have at my house. I&... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4744915 Sun, 24 Apr 2011 09:12:03 +0100 4744915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742623&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fa-cancer-free-friday-of-a-different-kind%2F I know I said there wouldn’t be Cancer Free Friday today, but after I posted yesterday I remembered something and realised it was the perfect post for today. A few weeks ago, I was staying with friends in London, and was on a bus into Wimbledon to meet Ned. It was mid-morning, so not overcrowded. and I sat downstairs, just behind the exit doors, near the buggy-and-wheelchair-park space. A man got on the bus, with a toddler fast asleep in a buggy. The man was tall and fit-looking (not in the phwoaaar sense, just in the well-looked-after sense), with short hair and smiling eyes. I recognised him, instantly: he recognised me, and we exchanged ‘hello!’ grins before we’d even thought about it. And then spent the rest of the journey taking surreptitious glances to try to ... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742623 Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:54:57 +0100 4742623 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742596&cid=t_119130_133_f&fid=39137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fot_9%2Farchive%2F2011%2F04%2F21%2Fshe-s-my-shining-superstar.aspx Yesterday, I went to A.'s school to have lunch with her. I sat with A. and her classmates, and they all quoted different Pokemon YouTube videos at each other and told silly jokes and talked about how much fun they had at A.'s slumber party a few months...(read more) (Source: From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism) From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742596 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:27:00 +0100 4742596 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742616&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fi-could-lose-myself-in-this.html Actually, I have.Someone posted a link to Hyperbole and a Half on Facebook this morning and I was so tickled (and so willing to procrastinate that I got sucked right in. I now have no time to write but I think you'll enjoy her more anyway.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=4742616 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:19:00 +0100 4742616 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734117&cid=t_119130_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1532 Sinner is my denomination. Here in the homeland of all things Southern Baptist, the appearance of faith has a shiny veneer. There are things that have been accepted tenets of Southern Christian life for generations. Two services and Sunday school on Sunday, Wednesday Bible Study, Thursday choir practice. Women’s Mission teas, and various types of training during the week, from Kids for Christ to Bible Drill to adult discipleship classes. Long, imploring altar calls that tug at the heart of the most hardened sinner, and rattle the comfort of the holiest saint. (No matter how much they want to go to lunch). There’s a consistency to it, an entrenched Protestantism with the unique flavor of iced tea and fresh biscuits, the smell of Magnolia and honeysuckle. It is pervasive. It is especial... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734117 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:44:03 +0100 4734117 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734715&cid=t_119130_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FjQGcsv9ocjM%2F Many of us go through life without truly living it. Jonathan Swift once said; “There are only few who live today, most of us live tomorrow”. I have mostly lived in tomorrow, always looking forward, aiming for my goals. Many times I have let my happiness and well being today slide so that I can produce results that will benefit me in the future. Find Balance I wrote about this in depth in an earlier post here at Pick The Brain: How to find Balance in Life but I want to mention it here since it is an important subject. If you cannot balance your needs of today with the needs of tomorrow you will not be able to focus 100% on your goals and you won’t be able to continuously produce high quality results. How I try to Increase “daily living” As I said I have had a lot of problems focus... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734715 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 06:08:50 +0100 4734715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734206&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F20%2Fdigital-detox-week-on-sort-of-staying-away-from-technology%2F Photo Credit: .:AR:. (Flickr) Happy Digital Detox Week! This week, I’m joining Adbusters in celebrating seven days away from technology — television, video games, and internet included. Wait. What was that last one? Did I just say “internet”? Yeah, internet. That internet thing…that thing that I’m on right now. Did I just out myself as a failure at my own little project? It’s only the third day of my week-long experiment and already I’m a hypocrite — but with good reason. Computers and the internet have invaded my life to such a great extent that I can’t completely disconnect. Not even if I wanted to. Here’s why: I work in an office. Every aspect of my day job, unfortunately, is performed in front of the big bright computer ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734206 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:51:34 +0100 4734206 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734505&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fhoot%2F The Owls sweater is done. Pattern: Owls. Yarn: Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed. Easy bottom-up in the round construction, really a joy to knit, and it fits perfectly. (Alan took the photos.) I have completed it, of course, to coincide with the warm weather, so rather than sticking it in the wardrobe I’ve loaned it to Treacle, the local yarn shop where I bought the yarn and the buttons, for the summer. Yes, my sweater is on tour. That’s the wonderful world of knitting for you. (Speaking of the wonderful world of knitting, I am having a bit of a destash over on Ravelry, including 3 skeins of leftover owl yarn. Look here if you’re so inclined.) (Source: Bah! to cancer) Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734505 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:48:26 +0100 4734505 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734506&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fwhat-a-wonderful-world%2F Here’s a little something that made me smile for a whole day. Thanks to the QI Elves on Twitter for finding it. What a Wonderful World (Source: Bah! to cancer) Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734506 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 07:54:53 +0100 4734506 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4724182&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fbittersweet-moment.html Yesterday afternoon, my baby fell asleep on my chest. He's almost 8 now and it had been years since this happened. He had two late nights followed by two early mornings, and he'd been tired and cranky. I suggested we curl up in bed for some quiet time. He had a new book to crack open and he was keen. But after awhile he grew restless. We talked about putting on a movie. I told him I felt tired and lazy. He said he did, too. After a few moments of lying quietly, his breath began to slow. Suddenly, he sat up, “Mama, could you stop feeling so lazy. I thought we were going to watch a movie!” “We could do that,” I answered. “But I thought we were going to have a little snooze first.” To my surprise, he said, “OK. I'll have a little snooze.” He put his head on my chest, and withi... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4724182 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:45:00 +0100 4724182 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4724187&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=36469&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fespeciallyheather%2FEH%2F%7E3%2F6dZ2qPPB18o%2F ……..I’ve dropped anchor in Your promises and I am holding on…… -Steven Curtis Chapman Emma is now re-intubated. We are no closer to an answer than when we began this journey almost seven weeks ago… But He is in control. ————————————————— “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” – Deuteronomy 8:3 “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vai... Especially Heather blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4724187 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:21:47 +0100 4724187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4720046&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fi-can-relate-to-this.html ...and so can, I would wager, anyone who has been harassed by  condescended to infantilized by dealt with an insurance company on health related matters. Especially if you have been on long-term disability for any length of time, you can expect regular correspondence. Blogger Katherine describes this experience:"But as sure as the swallows return to Capistrano, every March CIGNA sends me information on its Cancer Support program. Last year’s began “Good health is a gift.” This year’s reads like a grade school report:Dear KATHERINE O’BRIEN:The American Cancer Society estimates that two men and one in three women will face cancer in their lifetime. Although these are scary statistics, CIGNA HealthCare wants you to know we’re here to help…"Most of us just sigh, groan, maybe... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4720046 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0100 4720046 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4714826&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F14%2Fwhen-physical-exercise-feels-just-like-a-panic-attack%2F Photo credit: Thomas Hawk I’ve had more honest-to-goodness panic attacks in my life than I can count. And by “honest-to-goodness”, I mean the real deal: racing heart, palpitations, nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath, incredibly unsolicited surges of adrenaline…and so on. Simultaneously. Many people — from friends to doctors — told me to start exercising. My friends said it would reduce my stress and help me to sleep better at night. The University of Georgia says it can reduce my anxiety. My doctor told me that getting in shape will reduce heart palpitations and increase my lung capacity. True, true, and true. But here’s the big Catch-22 that kept me from following everyone’s good advice: exercising made me panic. And why? Well, a body ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4714826 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 01:22:48 +0100 4714826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4719984&cid=t_119130_129_f&fid=27216&url=http%3A%2F%2Flifewithadhd.com%2Fadhd-research%2Fchildren-with-adhd-unlocking-the-secrets-to-good-behavior-a-parenting-guide.php For the parents of a child with ADHD, everyday tasks turn into battles—from getting the child out the door in the morning to getting him to bed at night. My son was diagnosed with ADHD at age 6, so I remember what it was like to have a daily tug of war with an attention disordered child all too well. Parents look for help everywhere. They may read one book after another and hear a parade of behavioral experts speak who give them parenting tips that don’t seem to work. The more books they read and experts they seek out, the worse their child’s behaviorseems to get. ‘ADHD is a ‘brain difference.’ Your child’s brain works differently than 95% of his peers. So ‘one size fits all’ parenting techniques won’t necessarily fit your child.&#821... Life With ADHD blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4719984 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4719984 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4714974&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=36469&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fespeciallyheather%2FEH%2F%7E3%2FrJLEkM6qNeM%2F “…consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” ~Rom 8:18 That verse speaks volumes to me today. It reminds me that He is still at work and will never be done until He calls me home! The suffering here on earth is only temporary…This life is but a vapor compared to eternity…. Doesn’t that make your heart smile! Every time I want to give up, throw my hands in the air and shout “I give!”, something happens and I am reminded that I am no where near in control of my life. And that is a good thing. Anyways, onto Emma! Today is turning out to be a very good day. She is stable enough to do the swallow study, so we are having that done this afternoon. She is only on 1 l... Especially Heather blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4714974 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:27:29 +0100 4714974 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4714969&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fmy-kids-are-alright.html I had a dream a few nights ago.My kids were in a giant flash mob, dancing their hearts out, surrounded by dozens of other kids and adults. They were exuberant and focused, their movements fluid and in synch with those around them. My heart swelled with pride and joy.I learned that the flash mob had been created to drum up excitement over an upcoming performance. In a couple of hours, my kids would go on stage and perform. I could tell they were ready.Then I was handed a note. My own performance was scheduled for right after theirs. I was wholly unprepared. I hadn't even looked at my script. I was rushing off to find it when my alarm went off.Sacha was in a play very recently. And they did organize a flash mob a week before the performance, as a form of advertisement. And Sacha performed be... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4714969 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0100 4714969 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4709204&cid=t_119130_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhat-makes-a-good-therapist%2F2011.04.13 This is for Dr. D. We were having lunch when Dr. D mentioned she wanted to write a book aimed at teaching residents how to do psychotherapy. It would start with a section on What Makes a Good Therapist? What does she thinks makes a good therapist? Real life experiences which impart an ability to empathize. Do we grow from our own difficulties? More specifically, do we grow in to better therapists? I asked another shrink this, and he said that people like to believe there is some meaning to their suffering, and perhaps it’s nice to believe that if you’ve been stuck suffering, then it makes you a better therapist, but he wasn’t so convinced it was true. Me? I don’t know, maybe. Or maybe not. Personally, I’m fine with the idea of not suffering, at all, ever agai... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4709204 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:00:00 +0100 4709204 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704994&cid=t_119130_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FbnL5ROQ5iwI%2F It can be a challenge to jumpstart your productivity every day. That certainly was the case for me as I had no consistency at all. Some days I would start off my productive but for the majority I wasn’t. Over the years talking, seeing and living with productive friends (they are all self-help junkies like myself) I’ve noticed they all do similar things in the morning, so I started doing what they do. What one man can do, another man can do too. Right? After doing it myself I’ve come up with tried and tested ways to get yourself in a productive mode every single day. Here are five really simple and easy steps to jumpstart your day for maximum productivity. 1. Stoke the fire. Before we can get any work done we have to warm ourselves up. After you wake up your body and mind are just w... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704994 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:54:01 +0100 4704994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704989&cid=t_119130_177_f&fid=38135&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Falittlepregnant%2F%7E3%2FhI-OYKnp4ZI%2Fif-youre-not-kind-of-totally-freaked-out-you-havent-been-paying-attention.html A brief selection of images from the bookshelves of my children: "Wait, wait, Ben, why are you crying? I thought you liked dogs."   "Shhh. Shhhhhhh. Don't cry, bunny. Does this one make you feel better?"   Criteria to consider when selecting a children's book:Does it make me think of cat nipples?   ...or that?  (Still, it could be worse. It could be scratch 'n' sniff.)   Can you look at that picture without thinking of Boogie Nights?...Bet you can't now.   To exorcise that vision, please enjoy...a piglet...hungrily eyeing...the meat case. Yes. That's much, much better. (Source: a little pregnant) a little pregnant blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704989 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4704989 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4696684&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F11%2Fintroducing-sex-and-intimacy-in-the-digital-age%2F The Internet and smartphones have significantly changed how ordinary people interact not only with one another, but with their own sexuality. Intimacy takes on new definitions, as we use technology to not only keep in touch and connected with one another, but for sexting and other talk that has, in the past, been reserved for face-to-face time. You may not be doing it, but I bet dimes to donuts someone you know is. Which is a very good reason to have a blog about sex, intimacy and technology here at Psych Central. I’m pleased to introduce Sex and Intimacy in the Digital Age, a blog about sexual addiction and problems, adultery and cheating in the digital age of the Internet, smartphones, and always being connected. A day doesn’t go by where we don’t hear how the Internet and other di... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4696684 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:24:27 +0100 4696684 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4696640&cid=t_119130_88_f&fid=39185&url=http%3A%2F%2Fedwinleap.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1503 This is my column in today’s Greenville News. Acting helps us see we’re part of a great drama I like a well-executed play. I’ve been awed on Broadway, and humored in Las Vegas. I have laughed at local community productions of comedies. I respect the talent involved in taking a story and portraying it live. I have never been particularly interested in acting myself. (Although, I think I know the lines from Young Frankenstein well enough to play several roles.) Still, I can’t pass up the opportunity to be involved in the Passion Play at my church, College Street Baptist, in Walhalla. It’s an old tradition in the church. In Medieval times, church members often performed in community dramas known as ‘Morality Plays,’ based on Biblical stories. Given th... edwinleap.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4696640 Sun, 10 Apr 2011 21:37:19 +0100 4696640 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4696687&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F10%2Fwhat-not-to-say-to-a-grieving-family%2F Harold Kushner explains what not to say to a grieving family in his classic “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” using as an illustration the story of Job (the faithful, righteous, and pious man who loses his livestock, house, servants, and children, and is afflicted with boils all over his body). Having lost his own son, the rabbi knows all too well what helps and what hurts when trying to comfort a friend or relative. The three friends who came to console Job got terrible scores, and here’s why, according to Kushner… Because the friends had never been in Job’s position, they could not realize how unhelpful, how offensive it was for them to be judging Job, to be telling him he should not cry and complain so much. Even if they themselves had experienced si... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4696687 Sun, 10 Apr 2011 11:00:27 +0100 4696687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693466&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Foptimism-tested.html As we were listening to yet another story on the news this morning about how the Tories and the RCMP have barred people from attending campaign events (for things like having a photo of Ignatieff on their Facebook page or having been involved in an youth environmental organization), my spouse announced "It's going to work."I was only half way into my first coffee, so I made him repeat himself. "None of this is going to matter," he said. "It's a story for now but it won't affect the election. The Conservatives will get a majority and then, next time, the other parties will have learned that hateful advertising and ignoring the truth are the best strategies to get ahead." (Forgive me, Tim, I'm paraphrasing. That's the gist of what he said)I fear that he's right. Even the revelations about fo... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693466 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:40:00 +0100 4693466 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684263&cid=t_119130_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQPvbHPrpY8g%2F By George Scoville DON'T FORGET: Our fiscal policy conference, "The Economic Impact of Government Spending," featuring Senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), former Senator Phil Gramm (R-Tex.), Representative Kevin Brady (R-Tex.), and other distinguished guests, begins at 2:00 p.m. Eastern today. Please join us on the web--you can watch the conference LIVE here. Atlas Shrugged Motors presents the Chevy Volt. The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us about the moral value of voluntary charity toward the needy--it says nothing about using coercive government programs of the modern welfare state. It is not the role of the Court to rewrite laws for Congress. The failed "war on drugs" has reshaped our budgets, politics, laws, and society--and for what? Thursday Links is a pos... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684263 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 14:50:14 +0100 4684263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684674&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fearly-memories.html A few childhood memories remain incredibly vivid. Some have been worn into grooves in my brain, they have been retold so often. With those, I am unsure where my recollections end and those of others begin. Others, I am quite certain, are mine alone.Here are twenty memories, off the top of my head. Some I have likely shared here before but of some others, I have never spoken, let alone written:1. Sliding down the driveway at my friend's house, until my pants were worn out. I was wearing a jump suit with giraffes on it and I was in big trouble.2. Being in love with an airline pilot. He was my aunt's boyfriend and he brought me presents from all over the world. He also called me Miss Muffet.3. My father telling me that my baby sister had been born.Those first three memories were from when we ... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684674 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:32:00 +0100 4684674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4677038&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Frandom-on-rainy-day.html There's something about a cold, rainy day that makes me just want to crawl back under the covers. I've resisted that temptation all day but I'm fighting a cold and my brain doesn't seem to want to function, except in fits and starts.Here are some random thoughts, that I'm posting as a compromise between cogent and nothing at all.1. All four performances of my son's play went very, very well this week end. I could not be prouder of him. He worked very hard for many months, to learn his lines and his blocking and he got himself to every rehearsal on time. The director gushed about him and said that she'd loved to work with him again. He had a big part and he was brilliant.2. I thought, as his mother, that I was very restrained. I found myself reacting quite viscerally to the kids and teacher... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4677038 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 20:29:00 +0100 4677038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670171&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F02%2Fgoogle-science-fair-2011%2F I’m pleased to help spread the word today about the world’s first online global science competition, the Google Science Fair! Google has partnered with CERN, LEGO, National Geographic and Scientific American to create a new kind of online science competition that is more global, open and inclusive than ever before. Students aged 13 – 18 from around the world are invited to enter and compete for awesome once-in-a-lifetime experiences, scholarships and real-life work opportunities. Click continue to see the Rube Goldberg-inspired video and learn how to sign-up. Who doesn’t like a good science fair? It gives kids the opportunity to join in a new kind of online science competition that is more global, open and inclusive than ever before. Best yet, it offers full-time... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670171 Sat, 02 Apr 2011 16:00:21 +0100 4670171 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670300&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fquestions-for-candidates.html From the Canadian Breast Cancer Network: Questions to ask your local candidates during the election campaign Question 1: The Financial Impact of Breast Cancer  In May 2010, the Canadian Breast Cancer Network released the research report entitled Breast Cancer: Economic Impact & Labour Force Re-Entry, which firmly positioned breast cancer as an economic as well as a healthcare issue.  The economic impact of breast cancer is significant, and in many cases devastating for patients and their families. 80% of respondents experienced an economic impact following their diagnosis, often with distressing long-term financial consequences.   Some report findings: Average decline in household income was $12,000 or 10% of family income44% of respondents used savin... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670300 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:34:00 +0100 4670300 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4653379&cid=t_119130_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F29%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-march-29-2011%2F As a dental hygienist, my mom not only cleans people’s teeth, but listens to do them as she does so every day. And like hair stylists and therapists, she often hears their problems too. One of the most valuable advice she has ever given me is to not judge what other people are going through. “You never know what you would do in that situation unless it happened to you.” Our posts this week makes me think about what she said. You may have lived through difficulty, failure, loss of self-respect. You may, in fact, be going through this right now. If so, remember to find the people in your life who won’t judge you, but have compassion for your situation. That person may even be you. I hope you will enjoy our top posts this week! There are some good ones everything from ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4653379 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:31:31 +0100 4653379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636618&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fgiving-in-to-monkey-brain.html HerceptinI think I'm happy with the outcome of the brouhaha over Herceptin in Ontario. For those of you outside the province or outside the loop. Jill Anzarut, a 35 year old breast woman undergoing treatment for breast cancer made the news last week when she announced that the province had to pay for Herceptin because her Her2+ tumour was less than one centimetre (that's about 1/4 inch) in diameter. The province initially refused to budge but eventually caved after a massive campaign played out in the social and traditional media. Access to Herceptin will now much more room for discretion when it comes to providing access to the drug.I feel good about this. It's not that I think that every drug should be funded for every person. Her2+ cancers are very aggressive and, as best put by Stephen... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636618 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 17:33:00 +0100 4636618 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636440&cid=t_119130_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fis-radiation-good-for-you-ann-coulter-got-it-wrong%2F2011.03.25 Sometimes when a pundit or politician makes claims that are either contrary to or distort science for ideological or political advantage, I feel the need to discuss those claims, sometimes even sarcastically. Such was the case last week, when Ann Coulter wrote a blisteringly ignorant column, entitled A Glowing Report on Radiation. She wrote this article in the wake of the fears arising in Japan and around the world of nuclear catastrophe due to the damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plant caused by the earthquake and tsunami that hit northern Japan on March 11. Coulter was subsequently interviewed by Fox News pundit Bill O’Reilly on The O’Reilly Factor on Thursday evening: Yes, according to Coulter, radiation is good for you, just like toxic sludge! Even more amazing, in this video ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636440 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 17:00:25 +0100 4636440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636604&cid=t_119130_133_f&fid=39137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommunity.advanceweb.com%2Fblogs%2Fot_9%2Farchive%2F2011%2F03%2F25%2Fbest-day-ever-part-two-sword-fighting-social-skills.aspx Last week, I posted about an especially good day during Spring Break, where not only did A. come to work with me and do a fantastic job of being my office-mate for half a day, but she also went with me to a local volunteer shelter to help serve lunch...(read more) (Source: From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism) From Inside the Puzzle: Raising a Child with Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636604 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 14:33:00 +0100 4636604 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4631619&cid=t_119130_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fhow-i-fill-my-days-for-better-or-worse.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=4631619 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 02:12:00 +0100 4631619 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4631446&cid=t_119130_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F24%2Fnursing-times-2011-vol-107-no-10%2F Fade Fave: Improving quality in care homes using an electronic tool Fade Skinny: Measuring the quality of healthcare in care homes and domiciliary care settings is vital for effective commissioning and the safety of residents. NHS Nottingham have developed an electronic tool to measure the quality of care home services giving managers immediate feedback  on standards. Contact the Library for a copy of this article. Filed under: Journals, Primary Care, Quality Tagged: Care Homes, Good Practice, Older People, Quality Monitoring (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4631446 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:07:52 +0100 4631446