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 'healing'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:51:24 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182240&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39212&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbahtocancer.com%2F2011%2F09%2Fheal-thyself%2F I was buying groceries in Tesco yesterday morning when the cover of ‘New Scientist’ caught my eye. The tag line reads, ‘Heal thyself: the real power of mind over matter’. Well, I bought it, and I read it, and I found it interesting. The article identifies 6 ways that the mind can help the body. You can read most of the article online here, but here’s a digest: 1 Fool yourself- the potential of the placebo effect is huge, and something that we can all use: believing that a glass of water will cure a headache cures the headache, with measurable physiological results such as endorphin release and lowered blood pressure. 2 Think positive – a phrase that, in itself, I dislike intensely, but the fact is that optimists like me recover better from illness and l... Bah! to cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182240 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:38:29 +0100 5182240 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130751&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fshould-you-consider-surgery-to-improve-a-scar%2F2011.08.14 I have a wide scar on my leg that I got years ago. I have tried creams and stuff. When is surgery a good idea to improve a scar? Can a cream or a laser make it thinner? Scar improvement has several phases and the condition of your body and how the wound occurred have parts to play. Early on after wounding there is the question of whether or not to have surgery to repair the wound. If the edges are clean and close together, then surgery is not always beneficial. If they are apart or the wound is dirty a proper medical evaluation and/or surgery can make things better down the line. When in doubt, get that evaluation. Once the wound has started healing, (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=5130751 Sun, 14 Aug 2011 16:00:56 +0100 5130751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159029&cid=t_101606_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D4683%26utm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dprofessor-geoffrey-petts-of-the-university-of-westminster-says-they-are-not-teaching-pseudo-science-the-facts-show-this-is-not-true Jump to follow-up On 23rd May 2008 a letter was sent to the vice-chancellor of the University of Westminster, Professor Geoffrey Petts Dear Professor Petts   You may be aware an article by Zoe Corbyn, published in Times Higher Education 24 April 2008, with the title Experts criticise ‘pseudo-scientific’ complementary medicine degrees.   The subtitle of the article was Vice-chancellors should re-examine courses, say campaigners.  In the light of that, we wondered whether you had anything to add to the comments made by David Peters in todays THE.  We are preparing a response to that, and it seems fair to ask your view before we proceed. (In order to save you time, copies of the two articles are attached.)   As an expert on... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159029 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:37:57 +0100 5159029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057897&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fbeautiful-lament.html It's the best place in the world to be a color photographer. The vibrant personality of the beach is even painted on the buildings.I body surf on a skim board and skin my knees on the bottom as the wave flips over the break and pummels me with a million grains of sand. My lips are chapped from the salt. My hair stands tall in the surf, whipped with wind and coated with ocean water. I laugh long and loud and my heart swells in my chest. I almost forgot how true belly-laughing, body encompassing joy feels.I revel in the colors and stare deep into the wavy turquoise of a small fishing boat. I eat shrimp and grits for breakfast with a good friend and we swap stories of children and research, husbands and colleges hiring.I come home from a day of number collecting, alive with the feeling of dis... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057897 Sat, 23 Jul 2011 14:23:00 +0100 5057897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984649&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarolinemfr.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fwriting-helps-healing.html I could have written this. A woman writes about how writing helps you heal. A few points here: - Serious upheaval in one's life associated with lowered immune function, an increased risk of heart attacks- People who can write about life traumas seem to have fewer health problems, recover better- Being able to see trauma from different points of view indicates a better mental stateThe author is a freelance writer so she obviously has better writing skills than me (I was told by a high school English teacher that I had terrible writing skills) and she also had breast cancer. So she wrote an article about writing your way through medical issues.Writing is something that allows us to express our thoughts and get them out there and out of our minds. Where I work, Center for Cancer Support & Edu... Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984649 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 10:19:00 +0100 4984649 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953292&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fday-set-aside-for-thankfulness.html For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness; and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself. And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was. (Hebrews 4:15, 5:1-4)I am thankful to call Christ my High Priest. Thankful that I am free, under His grace, to attend church wherever I feel called. I am thankful to have a new pastor who deals g... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953292 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:40:00 +0100 4953292 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934753&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fhope-breaking-through.html One misty, moisty morning,when cloudy was the weather;I chanced to meet an old man,dressed all in leather.He began to complimentand I began to grin,"How do you do?How do you do?Hod do you do?" again.~One Misty Morning, children's nursery rhyme~After a week of sun, we had rain and dreary skies yesterday. It was also my first day taking care of my home and children all by myself - the first time since late April. The weather matched my mood.I'm a researcher at heart. Constantly on the look-out for trends, patterns, similarities, differences. I find myself applying a grid to this stage of poor mental health, looking for triggers and safe places, keys to shut things off and turn them on. Variables I can adjust.The thing about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is that there are often multiple laye... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934753 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:16:00 +0100 4934753 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934750&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=38061&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBreastCancerReconstructionBlog%2F%7E3%2FCapAn6808Z0%2Fimprove-how-your-scars-heal.html Wounds need a lot of energy to heal well. Since energy can only come from food, it is vital to eat healthily especially before and after surgery, or after an injury. Crucial nutrients for wound healing include protein, zinc and the vitamins A and C. So what are the best things to eat? Meats, nuts, beans and dairy products are great sources of protein. Yogurt, green peas, beef, oysters, black beans and crab are great sources of zinc. Carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach and apricots are great sources of vitamin A. Citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables are great sources of Vitamin C. Unfortunately, the body does not divert enough vitamin C to the skin. Using a topical scar treatment containing a stable form of vitamin C will increase the amount of vitamin C reaching the skin. Goo... Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934750 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 20:51:45 +0100 4934750 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921697&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fspectator.html First, take a little kid. Any age, really, but for me it was at 7 1/2.Before my mom told me about puberty.Before I had any grid in which to put sexual acts or information.So, it happened. Sexual abuse. Seven years later I locked it in a Pandora's box and put it under my bed. Over time it became invisible even to me. I never thought about it and I certainly didn't think I needed to be healed from it. It was just something that happened when I was a kid.Add to that the sins I entered because of the abuse. I had a lot of trouble with sexual orientation, but I just thought it was because I was a bad person and my bad was leaking through in sexual areas.Now you've got a Pandora's box of long-standing abuse, wrapped neatly in the grotesque shame and guilt you feel for your own sins since. That i... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921697 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:41:00 +0100 4921697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4876419&cid=t_101606_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F29%2F7-good-reasons-to-cry-the-healing-property-of-tears%2F New York Times reporter Benedict Carey referred to tears in a piece as “emotional perspiration.” Given that I sweat a lot and hate deodorant, I suppose it makes sense that I weep often. But I’m not going to apologize for that, because after a good cry, I always feel cleansed, like my heart and mind just rubbed each other’s backs in a warm bath. In his intriguing article, “The Miracle of Tears”, from which I’ve borrowed some of the research for this post, author Jerry Bergman writes: “Tears are just one of many miracles which work so well that we taken them for granted every day.” Here, then, are seven ways tears and the phenomenon we call “crying” heal us physiologically, psychologically, and spiritually. 1. Tears help us ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4876419 Sun, 29 May 2011 10:58:25 +0100 4876419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841586&cid=t_101606_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F17%2Fthe-healing-power-of-laughter%2F A year and a half ago, John McManamy interviewed me on the topic of humor in relation to mental health in a post he called “On the Dark Side of Humor.” I explained to him that of all my tools to combat depression and anxiety, humor is by far the most fun. I realize I run into trouble with some folks who think there is nothing funny about being depressed and not able to get up from bed. But even if you have a broken funny bone while buried in the Black Hole, the minute you surface I think it’s helpful to look back and poke fun of what just happened. If that is at all possible. I wasn’t always able to laugh at myself. In fact, on my dad’s deathbed, he urged me to have more fun. That was his only wish. I took life WAY too seriously and was annoyed by people who didn’t. And then it... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841586 Tue, 17 May 2011 18:05:20 +0100 4841586 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4794898&cid=t_101606_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F06%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-may-6-2011%2F I took a few days off last week basking in the glow of a rare and beautiful sunny sky in Portland, Oregon. It felt like heaven. I almost forgot what it felt like to really live, to have the kind of day I think Leonardo da Vinci is talking about when he said, “As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death.” And it didn’t take much to make me feel that way. Just a bike ride near the water, dinner with friends, a trip to the zoo with my nephew. But in comparison to the daily grind, the to-do lists that never get finished, the endless amount of tasks that pile one atop the other, the feeling of just being for the sake of being was pure bliss. I realized that what was so sublime about the experience was that I was completely living in the moment.... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4794898 Fri, 06 May 2011 10:45:55 +0100 4794898 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742324&cid=t_101606_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fbreast-cancer-skin-findings%2F In addition to a palpable mass, physical exam in patients with breast cancer sometimes reveals one of the characteristic breast skin changes that can accompany this condition. These are: 1. a chronic, non-healing sore 2. inflammed tissue that does not resolve with antibiotics 3. crusty, itchy nipple resembling eczema 4. nipple deviation 5. dimpled skin in one quadrant of the breast 6. unilateral nipple inversion (caused by subareolar carcinoma) 7. peau d’orange (large prominent skin pores) 8. stiffened, leathery skin (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742324 Sat, 23 Apr 2011 06:02:58 +0100 4742324 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734432&cid=t_101606_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FCQ8IXUUvbqU%2F Last week, I wrote that I didn’t really know what Reiki was (“It sounds like gardening to me“).  Afterward, I thought that statement might be a bit unfair, seeing as how Reiki has been receiving a lot of media hype lately as an alternative path to healing. Which got me to thinking: maybe I should give Reiki a whirl. I’m open minded and willing to try anything, so why not discover for myself what this practice is all about? In my research, I came across an article in Alternative Therapies magazine, written by Ph.D Gala True, in which she defines Reiki as: “A vibrational, or subtle energy, therapy most commonly facilitated by light touch, which is believed to balance the bio-field and strengthen the body’s ability to heal itself.  Although systematic stu... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734432 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:29:37 +0100 4734432 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4724268&cid=t_101606_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fresolve-to-be-thyself%2F Resolve to be thyself; and know that who finds himself, loses his misery.–Matthew ArnoldIn recovery from alcoholism, addiction and ACOA our need for approval compels us to try to look good – no matter what’s going on. We imagine that somehow everything will be okay as long as it looks okay. Our hearts may be breaking from fear, disillusionment, and rejection, real or imagined, but we keep smiling so that no one will guess. Why do we do this to ourselves? Is it so hard to turn to a friend and say, “Hey, I’m hurting. I’ve been having a bad time and I need help”? Would the earth tremble if we said it right out, just like that?We’re not likely to get what we don’t ask for.  Instead of denying that our knees are shaking, our hands are sweat... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4724268 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:21:00 +0100 4724268 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704654&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwarning-dr-mehmet-oz-is-not-a-trustworthy-source-of-health-information%2F2011.04.12 When I was in medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Mehmet Oz had the reputation of being a competent and caring cardiothoracic surgeon whose research interest was reducing preoperative stress. I remember hearing about a music study of his in which soothing melodies reduced blood pressure and heart rates in patients preparing for heart surgery. I felt pleased that a surgeon was leading the charge in improving patients’ O.R. experiences, and had no inkling that 15 years later Dr. Oz would be America’s chief snake oil salesman. I have been slow to criticize Dr. Oz on my blog because of a sense of loyalty to my medical school, however yesterday he crossed the line when things got personal – a friend of mine was negatively impacted by h... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704654 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:00:23 +0100 4704654 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4622477&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fshame-that-leads-to-repentance.html Winter yields into spring, and spring back into winter, summer birds singing sweetly through the snow-showers, and dogs slogging through the slush. Cars skidding off our road, and children trapped inside by the cold and wet, unwilling to go back to winter boots and snowpants.Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dlambpics/5528069703/sizes/l/November has been our hardest month, following the seasons, for the past 3 years. (see links here, here, and here for an explanation if you are new here.) There follows a slump of digging ourselves out of the graves of snow poured down on our yellow farmhouse, the winter colds and the getting to know each other again after hospitalizations, and the gaps in our routines to be filled back in and built back with mortar of prayer and Gospel grace.... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4622477 Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:40:00 +0100 4622477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4610961&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Ftake-hold-of-something-real.html The spring mud has sprung. And with it, rainboots, and shovels, and lots of laundry. But the grins on those snowpant, mitten-less kiddos as they come in from their mud pies and explorations...As an adult, have you forgotten how to play? Do you remember the squish of mud between your toes, the sucking sounds as your boot is swallowed in the wallow and you come up bootless and stranded on one leg like a pink flamingo?Do you recall the joy of the wheels sputtering along with the flying mud painting your back a caked brown? The glory of the driveway emerging from white and a whole new vista of play to be discovered all over again in spring?Revelry. We lose it as adults. And so often twist it to mean something different...drinking, long late nights with friends, things that leave us spent and d... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4610961 Fri, 18 Mar 2011 09:52:00 +0100 4610961 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4577905&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fchronic-pain-chocolate-and-vicodin%2F2011.03.12 Chocolate and vicodin? No, it’s not the latest Ben & Jerry’s flavor. “Chocolate & Vicodin: My Quest For Relief From the Headache That Wouldn’t Go Away” is the latest book by author, blogger, web designer, and busy woman Jennette Fulda. I became acquainted with Jennette’s blog during BlogHer 2008, where I had purchased her first book, “Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir.” When she asked if I would like a copy of “Chocolate & Vicodin” to review, I jumped at the chance. In “Half-Assed,” Jennette chronicled her journey to a near-200 pound weight loss. Just prior to that book’s release, she began another journey — one whose goal proved elusive. On February 17, 2008, Jennette went to bed with a headache. She still ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4577905 Sat, 12 Mar 2011 18:00:18 +0100 4577905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560525&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fawakening-to-love.html Long ago, something happened to me that I haven't talked about much since. I suffered child sexual abuse, like 3 out of every 5 American women, and 2 of every 5 men. Ill equipped at seven to understand the depth of the injury to my heart, I was a quick forgiver and a stuffer. I just took a stick and rammed all that ugliness, fear, pain, confusion, and desolation deep down, hiding it down in the dark depths of my soul. For a long time, no one broke through that shell. Again in college, someone took the knife of their own evil and pierced me through again. I was kidnapped and raped and - perhaps worse - participated in the prosecution of these men, undergoing a grueling 19 hour interrogation on the stand, forced to repeat details of the events in front of my parents and strangers. I was... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560525 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:46:00 +0100 4560525 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4549914&cid=t_101606_140_f&fid=34844&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheicarusproject.net%2F-icarus-project%2Fcrooked-beauty-and-embodiment-madness Crooked Beauty and The Embodiment of ‘Madness’ by Ken Paul Rosenthal c. 2010 A filmmaker delves deep into the creative and conceptual process of embodying madness in the poetic documentary, Crooked Beauty.read more (Source: The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness) The Icarus Project - Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4549914 Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:32:35 +0100 4549914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4536265&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarolinemfr.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fwaiting-for-medical-magic-wand.html Still waiting. Yesterday I went back to my stupid ankle doctor (my ankle and I are stupid, not the doctor - I sprained my ankle by thinking I was smart and could look over my shoulder while walking). The last time I saw her six weeks ago she gave me a cortisone injection in my ankle to see if it could help drain some of the fluid left in it when the ligament and tendon tears healed up. It worked for a bit but then my ankle started hurting again. Her response to that was that's about the length of time that an injection will work.The only thing she can do is if I still have pain in another six months (two years from the original injury) she can go in with a scope and clean it out. I have had enough surgeries thankyouverymuch. So as there is still no medical magic wand to heal me, I am stuck... Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4536265 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:09:00 +0100 4536265 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489931&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fwhen-god-seems-far-away.html I remember the moment clearly, when last He showed His face. It was only the second time in my life I felt like I had seen Him. Both times I was wrung out, wasted, worn, weary. The first time by the confounding decisions I faced as a single woman. This day, by the suffering of life...Amy's illness, the newly worsened drudgery of my days as a mom, failures at school and work, at home as wife and mother and housekeeper.So I flung myself like a rag doll across my bed, and my inner two year old showed herself in the hot tears and loud sobs. I heard the kids edging toward the closed door of the bedroom, but the sobs kept coming. And WHY? It wasn't as though someone had died or anything truly terrible had happened. I was undone by a whole list of small problems, that's all.Where are you? I sobbe... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489931 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:09:00 +0100 4489931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4459958&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmind-over-matter-in-medicine%2F2011.02.10 [Recently] I came upon a Jan 24 op-ed, “A Fighting Spirit Won’t Change Your Life” by Richard Sloan, Ph.D., of Columbia University’s psychiatry department. Somehow I’d missed this worthwhile piece on the sometimes-trendy notion of mind-over-matter in healing and medicine. Sloan opens with aftermath of the Tucson shootings: …Representative Giffords’s husband describes her as a “fighter,” and no doubt she is one. Whether her recovery has anything to do with a fighting spirit, however, is another matter entirely. He jumps quickly through a history of the mind cure movement in America: From Phineas Quimby’s concept of illness as a product of mistaken beliefs — to William James and “New Thought” ideas — to Norman Vincent Peale’s 1952 “... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4459958 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:00:02 +0100 4459958 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4460147&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Ffly-away.html Love can be defined as the free gift that voluntarily cancels the debt in order to free the debtor to become what he might be if he experiences the joy of restoration. ~Dan AllenderI am the harvest frozen under winter's white blanket.He is the bright speck in the darkness.I am the girl with her hobo stick swinging, ready for a new adventure.He is the silent companion in the twilight of this season,waiting to shine light when the darkness grows impenetrable.Together we're driving back into town from the windblown prairie.Armed with new dreams.Uncovering fresh hope carved with ancient letters.Lifted by the updraft of healingWinged with prayerHeavenward.Oh I swear this town gets smaller everyday,and I'm waitin for my chance. I'm gonna break away.I'm so sick and tired of being told what's good... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4460147 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:36:00 +0100 4460147 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4445851&cid=t_101606_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F02%2F07%2Fhow-food-heals%2F I’m currently reading the book Keeping the Feast: One Couple’s Story of Love, Food, and Healing in Italy by Paula Butturini about the curative powers of food, love, and daily rituals. And it got me thinking about food’s impact on my own life. Being a Russian Jewish American (I immigrated to America with my family when I was seven), the foods that cross my family’s table are eclectic. When we go out to eat, we love Italian, Greek, German, and Thai cuisine. I love sampling new foods and will try anything once. On a side note, I truly believe that I could eat pasta every day and be very happy. But this isn’t a post about my favorite foods (though that would be yummy!). It is a short story about food, family and how having a healthy relationship with food helped a once sh... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4445851 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:07:03 +0100 4445851 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4324885&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fcomforting-touch.html Five days without touching anyone. I remember my mother saying you need 12 hugs a day to live happiest, and hugging us and hugging us at the end of the day if we weren't at our quota. For someone raised like that, I am in a serious hug deficit!One of my best friends in the world was diagnosed with thyroid cancer this past autumn. She already had her radioactive iodine, for hyperthyroidism, long ago. So she hugs me. She's not afraid of my radiation glow. I didn't expect to fall apart from one hug, but it was like your first drink of water after a hike through the desert. My whole body shook as she squeezed me tight through my thick wool sweater and her down coat.Yesterday was my scan day. It took over an hour this time. They took two extra scans of my head and neck. They've never done that ... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4324885 Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:43:00 +0100 4324885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4300622&cid=t_101606_122_f&fid=35055&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsarasotaneurology.com%2F2010%2F12%2F30%2Fplatelet-rich-plasma-in-sarasota-for-joint-pain-new-therapies%2F Patients are being treated currently at Sarasota Neurology with PRP (platelet rich plasma) for a wide variety of joint pain and other pain issues. Among the more common uses for PRP are knee pain, shoulder pain and other painful conditions such as plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, some types of low back pain. PRP can also be used in patients that have residual joint pain from having had orthopedic arthroscopic knee or shoulder surgery. PRP works to heal painful joints by using the patients’ own natural biological healing mechanism. The injured or damaged tissue in the joints, ligament and tendons or muscle send out chemical signals that there is injury or incomplete healing. PRP has receptors on the active platelets that seek out these damaged tissues. The PRP graft then biologically ... Sarasota Neurology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4300622 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:58:13 +0100 4300622 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265859&cid=t_101606_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F12%2F15%2Fwhen-sorry-is-not-enough%2F Barely a week goes by without one or other public figure apologizing for a disaster of monumental proportions. There’s an endless parade of politicians, business leaders, celebrities and others appearing on TV and in print, to own up and say sorry for what they’ve done wrong. We’ve come to expect this: just as night follows day, so public apology follows misdemeanor. Sometimes these apologies seem genuine and heartfelt, other times they’re perfunctory and insincere. But does any type of apology really help the healing process? The penitent hope their red-faced admissions of guilt will bring absolution, but can saying sorry really be enough to restore their credibility? High Expectations for the Power of ‘Sorry’ In private life we also have very high exp... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265859 Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:39:41 +0100 4265859 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4207386&cid=t_101606_117_f&fid=38158&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwwww.wahmsmotivatedforever.blogspot.comhttp%3A%2F%2Famericanacupuncture.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fhealing-powers-of-john-of-god.html hHEALING POWERS OF JOHN OF GODThe following are excerpts from the Oprah show this month.  Using a powerful acupuncture point  CV 17    Joao a Brazilian healer, shows  the power of activated invisible forces,  (as found in medical acupuncture).A video screen in a one-story coral building, was playing a video where a man’s chest was being cut open with a rusty paring knife. His eyes were closed and he looked peaceful as blood ran down his white shirt. (acupuncture point: Conception vessel 17 was entered).A 62 year old Brazilian healer named John of God, in a small town of Abadiania  Brazil, walks barefoot,on a stage,  dressed totally in white,  his eyes scanning the hall with a laser-like focus.John of God, a Catholic, is known in town as �... Dr. Needles Medical Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4207386 Sun, 28 Nov 2010 15:50:00 +0100 4207386 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4197068&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhow-low-can-oprah-winfrey-go-promoting-faith-healer-john-of-god-to-the-masses%2F2010.11.23 Several of the bloggers on Science-Based Medicine have been — shall we say? — rather critical of Oprah Winfrey. The reason, of course, is quite obvious. Oprah is so famous that if you mention her first name nearly everyone will know exactly of whom you speak. For the last quarter century, Oprah’s daytime TV talk show has been a ratings juggernaut, leading to the building of a media behemoth and making her one of the richest and most famous women in the world. Unfortunately, part of Oprah’s equation for success has involved the promotion of quackery and New Age woo, so much so that last year I lamented about the Oprah-fication of medicine, which scored me a writing gig in the Toronto Star. Whether it be promoting bio-identical hormones, The Secret (complete with a testimonial ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4197068 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 19:00:00 +0100 4197068 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4179320&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcolor-changing-dressing-indicates-infections%2F2010.11.18 When using dressings to speed up the healing process of an open wound, it is necessary to periodically remove the dressing to check for infection. However, removing this protective covering creates an opportunity for bacteria to enter the wound site. To remedy this problem, researchers at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Modular Solid State Technologies EMFT have developed dressings which change color if the wound becomes infected. Early tests have shown promise, and the scientists now plan to test their invention in the field at the University of Regensburg’s dermatology clinic. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Medgadget* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4179320 Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:00:09 +0100 4179320 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4134313&cid=t_101606_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FCv6MunBVyj8%2F Forget the roses and moonlight serenades, the secret to winning a place in a woman’s (or man’s) heart is a great big belly laugh. Laughter not only makes us feel good, it can also be the cement that seals the relationship. Laughter builds trust Laughing out loud releases endorphins and oxytocin, naturally occurring chemicals that help to relieve stress and increase feelings of well being and belonging. Oxytocin facilitates a greater sense of trust, which is important when establishing new relationships. When you are able to make the object of your interest laugh heartily, it floods his or her body with these feel good chemicals, making it easier for them to open up to you and start building a foundation of trust and intimacy. Better yet, laughter is contagious which explains why many o... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4134313 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 14:10:05 +0100 4134313 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4125230&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=38061&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBreastCancerReconstructionBlog%2F%7E3%2Fm2bQP3izlqw%2Fhow-to-boost-healing-after-surgery.html Wounds need a lot of energy to heal well. Since energy can only come from food, it is vital that patients eat as healthily as possible especially before and after surgery. Crucial nutrients for wound healing include protein, zinc and the vitamins A and C. So what are the best things to eat? Meats, nuts, beans and dairy products are great sources of protein. Carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach and apricots are great sources of vitamin A. Citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables are great sources of Vitamin C. Yogurt, green peas, beef, oysters, black beans and crab are great sources of zinc. Patients must also stay well hydrated before and after surgery by drinking enough water. Dehydration causes the skin and soft tissues to lose moisture and become dry. Dry wounds do not heal well... Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4125230 Tue, 02 Nov 2010 01:02:29 +0100 4125230 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4125233&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarolinemfr.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fcaregivers-have-feelings-too.html I have been pondering this one for a few days. A woman who has had breast cancer twice and had one mastectomy followed by another wrote into an advice column. She was writing about how her husband wouldn't have sex with her since her last surgery 3 years ago. The advice column said she was right in going to counseling because her husband was probably still upset about her second round of breast cancer and surgery and it wasn't about her loss of breasts. Readers also commented on it. One said said he's having an affair. Two said counseling. But overall the answer was he was too scared of losing her and traumatized by it. I have been on both sides of the cancer diagnosis. It is traumatic. If you are the patient, its mostly focused on you. Very little is focused on the caregiver. Once the phy... Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4125233 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:16:00 +0100 4125233 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4098358&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fcarrying-my-story.html She stood at the back of the room, the ridges of her thin-exposed spine pressed hard against the faint give of the wallpaper, and spoke through tears.  She quoted John 5, through clotted tears in her throat and the pain of 20 years as a pastor's wife:Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus sa... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4098358 Sat, 23 Oct 2010 13:48:00 +0100 4098358 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4098060&cid=t_101606_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F10%2F21%2F6-ways-to-open-up-and-talk-in-therapy%2F “I’ve shared more in my blog than I could ever tell my therapist.” “I wish my therapist could read this online support group. Then they might begin to understand what I’m really going through.” You’ve gathered up the energy and resources to start psychotherapy. It’s a big step and you’re excited to begin. But you find yourself unable to talk in therapy. What’s the point of talk therapy without the talking? We find it so incredibly easy to open up online, but when we’re in the therapy office, we become suddenly mute. There are many strategies to help “open up” and be able to talk more freely while in psychotherapy. Here are a few. 1. Write it down. One of the easiest ways to help overcome your fear or inability to... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4098060 Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:24:49 +0100 4098060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003221&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2F202061%2F The Power of Touch: Touching yourself (not like that, sicko!) could help you heal. (via TIME) Post from: BlissTree (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003221 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:43:56 +0100 4003221 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3961930&cid=t_101606_134_f&fid=35187&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDiabetesDaily%2F%7E3%2FTHSsag85og4%2Fthe-healing-effect-of-creating-art.php The first annual Diabetes Art Day launched by Lee Ann Thill of The Butter Compartment and suggested by Cherise Stockley of Diabetes Daily fame gave us all some time to think about how the act of creating something, however humble or grand it may be allows us a chance to connect with a deeper part of ourselves we oft bury under the mire of everyday life and all that it entails. They may be seen gracing the halls of a Soho art gallery any time soon, but I enjoyed creating them and putting a positive spin on what more often than not feels like little more than a heavy burden I reluctantly carry because it won't let go.  Submission 1:  "ALIVE"11 x 17, Collage(Matted Photos from Family; text from poem by Amylia Grace)Submission 2: &nbs... Diabetes Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3961930 Mon, 13 Sep 2010 06:57:56 +0100 3961930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3933233&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fbonding-over-surgery-with-other-breast-cancer-survivors%2F I went to a follow-up appointment with my doctor for the reconstructive surgery I had a few weeks ago. I am still very concerned about everything healing up with minimal scarring, so I am taping the scars while they heal and being careful not to get anything near the wounds. It is such a task. Anyway, while I was in the waiting room I got to meet another woman who was considering DIEP flap surgery and was there to consult with my doctor. Speaking to her reminded me of what a huge decision breast reconstruction is — not getting the breasts, but settling on the type of surgery. There are still far fewer doctors performing a DIEP flap than there are who do implant surgery or TRAM flap. While each surgery has its benefits, I chose DIEP flap as it seemed to have the best outcome. For example,... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3933233 Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:39:03 +0100 3933233 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3899606&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fgod-knows-best.html Summer has been quiet at the Thul household.  At least the majority of it - if you start counting after July 4th.  The past month has been pretty good, a welcome reprieve from suffering.  A vacation from days spent mulling over big questions with no obvious answers.  It's been good to step back from intellectual debate and just experience summer with kids in hand and God shining through brightly from above.  This past week has been a bit of a step backward.  It's always a decision whether to blog about the bad.  But that's what this blog is about.  It's a journal of pain and how we survive it.  A journal of brokenness and what heals us.  So, while it is a delight to celebrate when things are going well, it is also a duty to speak when struc... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3899606 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:46:00 +0100 3899606 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3896057&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fa-few-complaints-after-surgery%2F Now I remember why I put off the surgery to fix my reconstructed breasts — healing after surgery is no fun! I feel okay, but I can’t get the sutures wet while I’m healing, so I can’t go swimming and I can’t even go outside because I’ll sweat too much. My body is having a reaction to the surgical tape, and one little spot is red and getting infected. It just sucks. The only good thing is that this time I didn’t come home with any drains attached to my body. After every surgery I usually go home with the drains, and the last time I had to keep them for almost two weeks. I’ll say it again: healing isn’t fun. I bounce back quicker than most people, but I still need to whine a little about the discomfort and limited activity due to the surgery. Because I am a little swollen ar... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3896057 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:55:52 +0100 3896057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3885342&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-self-care-and-the-doc-tom-interview%2F2010.08.19 Next in our series of posts about our founder Doc Tom. Previous time capsules: 1980 and 1985. Come, ye economics buffs and algebra fans: Get out your pencils and solve for x, n, and XX: Whatever else the year 19XX is remembered for, it will — without a doubt — go down in history as a record year for medical expenses here in the United States. All indications are that before the calendar year is out, Americans will have spent $x (n% of the Gross National Product) on drugs, X-rays, surgery, physicians’ fees, laboratory tests, hospital overhead, health insurance, etc. That’s up from the [$0.3x] ([.7n%] of GNP) just 13 years ago. Clearly, the medical establishment has become a threat to the average American’s budget (if not his health). Ready? That was…1978. Check the tiny numb... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3885342 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 23:00:15 +0100 3885342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3872557&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdoctor-patient-relationship-humanized-by-touch%2F2010.08.16 I’ve written previously that many doctors are finding the physical exam obsolete, and are favoring more technologically-advanced, and expensive, tests. In fact, I alluded to traditional physical exam advocates as “arguing for staying with a horse and buggy when cars are rapidly becoming available.” In a recent piece from the New York Times, internist Danielle Ofri says we need to look past the lack of evidence supporting the physical exam. The benefits of touching the patient, and listening to his heart and lungs, cannot be quantitatively measured: Does the physical exam serve any other purpose? The doctor-patient relationship is fundamentally different from, say, the accountant-client relationship. The laying on of hands sets medical practitioners apart from their counterparts in th... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3872557 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:00:41 +0100 3872557 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3805993&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fweekly-report.html We spent the day today alone as a family.  My glasses came in yesterday, so I am able to drive, and I was just about giddy with the freedom of that when we drove out of the driveway this morning!  Amelia has had some difficulty with seizures in the last few days, so we headed to the pool.Music and water...the only two things that pull her out of the deep, long partial seizures.  A day in June was happily spent with my good friend Natasha, who gave us an impromptu private session of her wonderful music and motion class.  Her kids tagged along, and Amy had fun initiating a game of "chase" with Max during the banner-waving segment.  Today, we headed to the pool instead.God went before us, as usual, and we arrived to discover that it was a party day at the pool, comple... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3805993 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:55:00 +0100 3805993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3787103&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fchronology.html Reading the lyrics of "Wonder" by Natalie Merchant the other day brought me back.  Made me think some things over.  I had to scan a few photos in for another post, photos from my childhood album.  This is my favorite picture in that album.  Whenever I start thinking I might be making some headway in this photography hobby of mine, I look back and I am reminded that I have a long way to go to match my dad's black and white film and Canon A1 with it's old kit lens...a photojournalists camera, his first major purchase as a high school student.I remember fainting and nearly dying at a friend's wedding when I was in high school.  I remember them thinking I was pregnant and hemorrhaging or something, and how I said a thousand times through gritted teeth that was impossib... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3787103 Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:34:00 +0100 3787103 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3733085&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vimeo.com%2Fmoogaloop.swf%3Fclip_id%3D10444174%26amp%3Bserver%3Dwww.vimeo.com%26amp%3Bfullscreen%3D1%26amp%3Bshow_title%3D1%26amp%3Bshow_byline%3D0%26amp%3Bshow_portrait%3D0%26amp%3Bcolor%3D01AAEA ePatient Dave, who shared his story (video below) with my students in the “Internet in Medicine” course this semester, is about to publish his own book: “Laugh, Sing, and Eat Like a Pig: How an Empowered Patient Beat Stage IV Cancer.” Now three of his friends have written essays about this important issue: We who’ve worked on it hope it will provoke thought about how healthcare is changing because of what e-patients can contribute, empowered as individuals and enabled by the Internet. To start that process, we’re publishing the introduction. Three friends and mentors generously offered introductory essays. These essays they have little to do with my story, and everything to do with how e-patients can help heal healthcare: Part 1, by Dr. Danny Sands: Putting Informatio... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3733085 Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:00:37 +0100 3733085 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3726746&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fhome-bed-heaven.html I skipped everything I *thought* I wanted to do on the way home from the hospital yesterday...even walking in to Walgreens for a few essentials.  Coming out of the hospital after the pacemaker was a different experience - felt great.  Yesterday I felt more tired and more on the verge of nothingness than I have since my college days.  Which is interesting.  Back then, I thought it was my heart making me so tired, but now I wonder if it is the many, many times I hit my head when I fainted.  As soon as I got home yesterday, I went to bed and I really haven't gotten up yet, except for brief intervals to use the bathroom and have a drink.  I forced myself to eat something this morning, as I have no appetite yet.  I haven't had to take any pain relievers as my ... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3726746 Mon, 05 Jul 2010 17:36:00 +0100 3726746 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3718653&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Flisten-to-your-life.html Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis, all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.~ Frederick BuechnerI had a wonderful night.  I was awake for much of it, because of the random bouts of high heart rate.  I topped out at 172 last night.  But it didn't bother me much.  Without the sudden drop back down to 40 or 50 beats per minute, I did not suffer any chest pain or dizziness.  The only thing I felt was a sense of a my heart racing - as if I had jumped out of bed and run a lap around the unit.  This is due to my thyroid hormone levels being out of whack. Th... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3718653 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:23:00 +0100 3718653 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3718643&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=35301&url=http%3A%2F%2F2hands.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fthoughts-on-anniversaries-healing-and.html Each year, on this day, it has been hard not to look back and think about the day as it unfolded six years ago. Each broad-ranging emotion, each action, each word as it was said to me, the look on each person’s face as I told them of my diagnosis. At times those memories sting with the poignancy of the moment as though it happened seconds ago. This year, only one year out of treatment from the recurrence, I find myself place facing the day differently.As 2009 came to a close, I dedicated 2010 to a new start. I needed to put the cancer in its appropriate place in my life – in the past. So I set off on a journey. I had physical side effects that were lingering from treatment and side effects from the hormone-suppressing medication I would be taking for five years. I was trying to heal, p... Two Hands blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3718643 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:23:00 +0100 3718643 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3707003&cid=t_101606_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fdays-of-healing-days-of-joy%2F  – A Recovery Book From the winter of our doubts and confusion and sadness we awaken to a spring of the self-stirring anew. In the days of healing and joy that lie ahead, let this book of daily meditations speak to you, instilling hope and confidence and courage. A year’s worth of quotations, meditations, and closing thoughts encourage the small but consistent efforts of those seeking to give voice to the often timid, unsure, and frightened child within. Each day, find in these pages the strength and wisdom and support that light the way to serenity in any season of life. -   Order Today >> Days of Healing, Days of Joy - Recovery Books, Medallions & DVD's (Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com) Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3707003 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:45:59 +0100 3707003 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3644966&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Funexpected-joy.html Katy commented we'll have the unexpected joy of hosting back-to-backbabies adopted from Ethiopia - this sweet girl dropped into our laps unexpectedlyon Tuesday, and the Glovers bringing their sweet girl on Thursday!Busy days ahead - planning for VBS, doing last minute clutter cleaning,taking some more photos (planned this time!) and picking the Glovers upat the airport.So I leave you with some of the shots I snapped of our dear little friend,and the substantial, significant, long-awaited, yearned-for news thatAmy has not had a seizure for an entire week!Perhaps the Keppra is working...regardless, I burst forth with songs ofpraise tonight, instead of songs of mourning.Give thanks to the LordOur God and KingHis love endures foreverFor He is good, He is above all thingsHis love endures foreve... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3644966 Wed, 09 Jun 2010 11:13:00 +0100 3644966 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3570038&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarolinemfr.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fwould-you-want-to-know.html Science is at the stage where now they can promise all sorts of things by analyzing your DNA. (This always makes me think of a cross between Igor in Dr. Frankenstein's lab with bubbling beakers and a weird 1950's black and white sci fi movie where they are trying to find martians among the residents of a normal neighborhood. But I digress.) So do you want to know? Do you really want to know that you are more likely to get cancer or any number of other life threatening or changing ailments? Really? Are you sure? To me its kind of like knowing that you are going to die in a car accident in a certain number of years. Wouldn't you live with a feeling of doom? I think we all know now that we are going to go at some point but I don't know that we want to know when or how ahead of time. I was sur... Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3570038 Mon, 17 May 2010 10:36:00 +0100 3570038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3552556&cid=t_101606_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FRB3c9rXNc00%2F Judy recently shared the following on her Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA) e-mail group. I found it so useful that I asked her to allow it to be published here. Judy readily agreed. Good morning group, When I read the daily reading on losing a sense of humor it reminded me … I had to learn to play. When I came to ACA some of the members encouraged me to play by asking what I had never done as a child that I wanted to do. I wanted to learn to roller skate and I wanted a bicycle. I went out and bought a used pair of skates and a used bike. My friends took me roller skating and held my hand around the rink until I could go it alone. It was fun but what I discovered was that what I really wanted to do was dance. I gave away my skates and took dance lessons and I’ve been dancing for ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3552556 Sun, 09 May 2010 17:57:22 +0100 3552556 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3546994&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Ffloating.html For this little girl, the best medicine is and always has been the bath. She had two seizures on Friday and took 4 baths. I reveled in the unbroken beauty of her spirit and her lithe figure, even in illness. She is preserved, so completely. Happy mother's day!Reminds me that, in addition to our brains and our science and our technological advances, we were first given herbs, wine, bread, oil (Psalm 104). The smallest blessings (running water, heated water, a large antique clawfoot tub) are sometimes the grandest life has to offer.He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy. When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, And I realise just how beautiful You are, And how great Your affections are for ... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3546994 Sun, 09 May 2010 11:47:00 +0100 3546994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3545606&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Ffashion-plates.html I found them at a garage sale...and was transported, instantly, to my friend Erica's yellow farmhouse, the fertile must of the cows, the murmur of machinery, the hot, stifled air of the piano room at the front of the house. I never had this toy, myself. But she did...and I think she was rather confused by my interest in it as the fascination, for her, had long ago worn off. The quick and easy perfection of your creation as you slid the wax stick over the raised fashion plate, the hours you could spend coloring in your own combinations of dresses, pants, tops, hair styles, accessories...I was smitten! It seems funny to me now, looking back at my childhood, which was mostly a story of sports, outdoors, tomboyishness - those fashion plates, and my dozen or so baby dolls, were the feminine mom... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3545606 Fri, 07 May 2010 18:12:00 +0100 3545606 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3529994&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fhealing.html You cause the lame to walk You open lips to talk You calm the storms at night You turn the dark to light My saviormy healerredeemerthat is who You arecreatormy makermy fatherthat is who You are ~ Desperation Band, Who You Are ~I remember the time surrounding my original diagnosis with cancer vividly. I remember being very uncomfortable with God as Healer for a very long time. After all, I still - 2 years later - have cancer. I am not healed. It hasn't been dramatic. We read in Matthew 17 this week in church - the healing of the lepers. When I look down at my body, I still don't see the healing. But I guess I will start walking, as the lepers did, before the healing is evident. Trusting He is who He says He is.There is powerful evidence of healing in the sum total of everything God has done... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3529994 Tue, 04 May 2010 09:45:00 +0100 3529994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519655&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=35301&url=http%3A%2F%2F2hands.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fso-many-times-i-have-started-to-write.html ...While I looked around; For my possibilities....I disappear for months and start back with a quote from the Bangles? Well, let me tell you, there are no hazy shades of winter here. Nothing is hazy at all. It's been full speed ahead.So many times I have started to write and as I write I get this odd feeling that I am either sounding a) whiny about the little things when really I should be grateful to be alive or b) a little full of myself regarding the things I find important as a survivor. Meh, all bloggers are a little whiny and arrogant, no? On with life as a survivor….This year is going by at lightening speed. Seriously. Where did the first four months go? I started the year teaching three classes in addition to my regular job. I’m not sure exactly what I was thinking with this sc... Two Hands blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519655 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:55:00 +0100 3519655 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3475771&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Ffeel%2Fromantic-relationships-touch-me-please%2F Ah, affection. In my five-week experience of working through the self-help book, How to Be an Adult in Relationship: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving by David Richo with my BF, we’ve reached the fourth “A” – my fave – “Affection.” I was mostly celibate during my 20s for spiritual (cleansing the palate at the behest of an odd yogi), emotional (had some collegiate trauma-drama), and practical (where did all the hot guys go?) reasons. Though I missed the sex – I’ve always been a fan, with a bigger libido than almost any man I’ve ever dated – I really, really, really missed the affection. Petting, cuddling, massaging, hand-holding – all of it. Without sex, I was perpetually low-grade cranky – even though I was living in Hawaii. The ocean helped (kind of like a full... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3475771 Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:50:40 +0100 3475771 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3403926&cid=t_101606_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F25%2Fintroducing-light-laughter-and-life%2F I’m pleased to introduce you to our blog, Light, Laughter and Life with Leslie Hull. Leslie hopes that with a blend of humor, compassion and healing, Light, Laughter and Life will present the perspective of a woman who has realized that bipolar is such an integral part of her foundation, that the castles we build each day could never be achieved without this component that makes us who we are. Here’s an excerpt from her first entry, A Case for Staying In: A couple of weeks ago, I begrudgingly attended a singles event at a local museum. Depression can often keep me safely tucked away in my apartment, but in the spirit of not wanting to further cultivate my reputation of being a stick in the mud, I went. Besides, visions of fancy steak on a stick h’or dourves and a complimentary c... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3403926 Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:44:51 +0100 3403926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378676&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=37107&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aspieweb.net%2Fautism-aspergers-christian-healing%2F Yesterday I had a talk with one of my pastors about Aspergers Syndrome, and he keeps saying he feels God will heal me one day and I will be normal.  To be honest this angers me and I’m not sure why.  I believe Aspergers is a big part of who I am, Aspergers helps define [...] (Source: AspieWeb.net) AspieWeb.net blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378676 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:23:21 +0100 3378676 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3359194&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39025&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Feverythingchangesbook%2F%7E3%2FSLZQnFeyiPw%2Falternative-medicine-practitioners Shortly after my diagnosis, I applied for and received scholarship funds to pay for alternative medicine treatments. Living in the Bay Area, choices were endless: Chinese Medicine, nutritional therapy, energy healing. People wanted to shove coffee up my ass, go on juice fasts, float in water, and select an animal totem. They wanted me to take herbs I couldn’t pronounce, obtained at hole in the wall pharmacies, with surprisingly significant clinical studies backing them up. They used dirty words like sleep and meditation too. Alternative medicine is just as much of an industry as standard cancer care with its own pit falls, winners, and losers. It’s one more arena of cancer care that I’ve had to get savvy about navigating. Walking into an alternative medicine practitioner’s offi... Everything Changes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3359194 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:05:09 +0100 3359194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3267207&cid=t_101606_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2F8lWnTrijfao%2F Which letterbox has a dysfunctional family Growing up in an alcoholic family “Sometimes I feel like I was raised by wolves,” sighed James, a 55-year-old man who grew up in a home with two alcoholic parents. “I’ve gone through so much of my life guessing at what ‘normal’ is. It’s like trying to find your way through a dark woods without a compass.” According to Rosemary Hartman reactions like James’ are typical for people who grew up in dysfunctional families. But acknowledging that there were issues that deeply affected the whole family system is an important first step toward emotional and spiritual healing. Hartman said this acknowledgment frequently happens when adults have their own children. “They want to be good parents, but struggle with how to do it. They have s... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3267207 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:32:33 +0100 3267207 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3244023&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39025&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Feverythingchangesbook%2F%7E3%2FgAIH-IJEKo8%2Fcancer-realistic-thinking One of many things that would kill me faster than my slow growing cancer is adopting the mindset of positive thinking. It is so against my nature. I’m sure this makes me sound like a curmudgeon. But why? The opposite of positive thinking isn’t negative thinking; it’s realistic thinking. I woke up the day after my diagnosis and began thinking hard about these realities: My cancer could spread. I could live, I could die. My doctors might make mistakes. My activities might be limited. My finances might be impacted. And of course, there was the realistic hell of finding out that I had no insurance. I didn’t spend much time wishing away these circumstances.  Instead, fully absorbing the reality of these putrid situations helped me stratagize and meet my needs.  It encouraged me to... Everything Changes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3244023 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:55:05 +0100 3244023 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3149270&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=35301&url=http%3A%2F%2F2hands.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F01%2Fnew-year.html Welcome 2010. This year so far promises to bring new dventures, new hope, new beginnings, and new energy. I am filled with more hope than ever before about the future.My goal is to become physically and mentally stronger which will not only help in my ongoing quest to fight cancer, but it will enhance my overall health and happiness. 2009 was a tough and wacky year that brought me great personal strength and sent me down a new path that involves natural healing. I find myself at the dawn of 2010 feeling inspired to forge ahead on this path.I started on this journey when I was frustrated how I felt physically after chemo and radiation last year. I arm was aching, I lost range of motion in my shoulder, and lymphadema (the swelling in my arm)was rearing its ugly head (or should I say ugly big... Two Hands blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3149270 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:31:00 +0100 3149270 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3135514&cid=t_101606_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D2618 Can’t resist another bit of straight plagiarism. In this week’s Times Higher Education, the inimitable Laurie Taylor wrote this. Rock around the clock Professor Georgina Kunzite, the Head of our Department of Crystal Healing, has reacted strongly to the recent High Court ruling that the University of Central Lancashire must hand over teaching materials from its defunct homeopathy course to a campaigning sceptic. Speaking to our reporter, Keith Ponting (30), she said she had no intention of acceding to any similar request for materials from her own oversubscribed course in crystal therapy. Such a move, she argued, risked undermining the power of the crystals, which were notoriously wary of attempts to question their curative validity. She had initially been disconcerted by... DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3135514 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 22:08:32 +0100 3135514 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3135686&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fopening-hands-to-receive.html Ring out the old, ring in the new,Ring, happy bells, across the snow:The year is going, let him go;Ring out the false, ring in the true.Ring out old shapes of foul disease,Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;Ring out the thousand wars of old,Ring in the thousand years of peace.Ring in the valiant man and free,The larger heart, the kindlier hand;Ring out the darkness of the land,Ring in the Christ that is to be.~ from Ring Out, Wild Bells, by Alfred, Lord TennysonSurgery is canceled. I just got the phone call from the doctor. After several reviews of the ultrasound, the radiologists feel that the area of question on my ovary is resolving. It would be silly to take out a perfectly healthy ovary. So as of right now, I don't even need follow up with the gynecology team. I should be dancing aro... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3135686 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:18:00 +0100 3135686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3111531&cid=t_101606_122_f&fid=35055&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsarasotaneurology.com%2Fmedia%2FSarasota-Neurology-Podcast-PRP-20091221.mp3 In this episode of the Sarasota Neurology Podcast, Dr. Kassicieh discusses Platelet Rich Plasma  and Regenerative Medicine. Regenerative medicine is a new, exciting branch of medicine which deals with healing injured or damaged tissue with the body’s own natural healing mechanism. To do this, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is extracted from the patient’s own blood. Using blood from the patient eliminates the risk of transmission of blood born disease, viruses and other infectious agents. PRP is then injected into the area of the body that needs intensive healing and tissue regeneration. PRP therapy works especially well for injured tendons and ligaments, and is uniquely suited for those difficult knee and shoulder injuries. Even patients who have had knee or shoulder surgery but still ha... Sarasota Neurology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3111531 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:08:49 +0100 3111531 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3037077&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fmost-wonderful-time-of-year.html In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice;in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil.Let all who take refuge in you be glad;let them ever sing with joy.Spread your protection over them,that those who love your name may rejoice in you.For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous;you surround them with your favor as with a shield.O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint;O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony.My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.The song of my heart echoed in pictures & the words of Ps... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3037077 Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:42:13 +0100 3037077 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3012595&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fstepping-in-right-direction.html We have had a wonderful week getting to know our "old" Amelia while she is on steroids. The neurologist calls daily to check on her progress. Keep those prayers coming! (Source: Turquoise Gates) Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3012595 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:34:00 +0100 3012595 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2984998&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39025&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Feverythingchangesbook%2F%7E3%2FEJjOwFsQkrc%2Fcancer-prayer-quotes When  I was 27 years old, I sat on a pleather exam table and had a doctor two years older than me tell me I had cancer.  Everything in my life changed.  But, this is actually not why I called my book Everything Changes. During cancer treatment, many patients rack up hours sitting on their toilets.  I kept a big stack of reading material next to mine.  I would open to random pages in the Tao de Ching, a Chinese philosophy book written in the 6th century BC.  One day in the midst of wishing my life were different, that my body aches would subside, that I would not be single on a Saturday night sitting on the toilet with cancer – I opened to a random page in the Tao de Ching and pointed to the words ‘Everything Changes’.  And it is true.  I’m now married. I still have cancer b... Everything Changes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2984998 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:08:17 +0100 2984998 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2963301&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Flight-beckons.html The end of the tunnel glimmers ahead of us, sparkling with the light of a little girl riding a trike around 2 hospital units. I didn't realize that riding and walking utilize two distinct areas of the brain. The freedom she feels when she's pedaling is intoxicating. She gets tired quickly, but she is tallying up some serious miles despite the fatigue, giddy with the delight of autonomy and exploration after 9 days cooped up in the same 10x13 hospital room.Amy's hand-eye coordination is improving as the eye-jerking (nystagmus) disappears. Yesterday and today, there were just a few brief periods when very mild nystagmus was noticeable - the rest of the time, it is gone altogether. The part of her brain that is inflamed, the cerebellum, controls the movements we don't think about, like depth ... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2963301 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:21:00 +0100 2963301 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2959051&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Ftest-results.html Amelia's MRI/MRA was unremarkable! That means no visible cancer, no visible demyelinating disorder like leukodystrophy, no visible stroke or blood flow abnormality. The MRI rules out many long-term conditions that were being considered. We finally have an "official" diagnosis: post-viral meningoencephalomyelitis brain damage. That means the effects we see now are probably short-term signs of damage to the brain due to an infection of the brain, it's protective covering, and the spinal cord and it's protective covering. In human terms, it means both good and bad: yes, our daughter nearly died of a rare complication of a virus, probably H1N1; and yes, she will probably recover, hopefully fully.Now we are entering a different stage - at least if Amy's recovery progresses as expected. I expect... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2959051 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:50:00 +0100 2959051 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2950963&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=38061&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBreastCancerReconstructionBlog%2F%7E3%2Fo7xWhsI2u9M%2Fscar-healing-tips-for-almost-invisible.html Scar healing is the result of biologic wound repair and is a complex process. With the exception of minor lesions, every skin wound causes some degree of permanent scarring. My breast reconstruction patients often ask for advice on how to improve their scars. While expecting 100% invisible scars may not be realistic, it is possible to influence the body's scar healing mechanism to improve scar appearance and texture significantly. The word "scar" comes from the Greek word "eschara", meaning "place of fire." Scar tissue is different from normal skin. It is inferior both in appearance and function. For example, scars are much less resistant to the sun's ultraviolet rays and more prone to sunburn. Scars also lack a blood supply or sweat glands, and they never grow hair. Complete scar hea... Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2950963 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:54:23 +0100 2950963 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2939526&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39025&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Feverythingchangesbook%2F%7E3%2FXkQ-pYv4ZqU%2Fcancer-religion-god God talk is embedded in a lot of cancer conversations: “It is all a part of God’s plan.” “The universe is trying to tell me something.”  “God doesn’t give you something you cannot handle.” (Major puke on that one.) “I’ll say a prayer for you.”  These exchanges are so common we rarely think twice about them.  Unless you are someone like me who doesn’t believe in God or the Universe. Many people say a benefit of cancer is connecting with amazing people you might not otherwise meet.  I agree.  And part of that is meeting people with different religious faiths and beliefs, including non-belief.  In Everything Changes, I met and wrote about an Evangelical Christian, conservative Jew, Buddhist, Muslim, Catholic, atheist, and a follower of Amma.  I had with each of ... Everything Changes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2939526 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:46:53 +0100 2939526 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2927454&cid=t_101606_122_f&fid=35055&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsarasotaneurology.com%2F2009%2F10%2F25%2Fregenerative-medicine-platelet-rich-plasma-provides-joint-pain-relief%2F As a neurologist who sees many patients with neck, back and various joint pains, I practice an area of medicine known as neuro-orthopedics. As such, I treat patients for their pain without surgical intervention. Many patients with neck, back and joint pain (knee pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, etc.) can be successfully treated without invasive surgery and the many risk that go along with this. With surgery there is also a prolonged recovery time and need for extensive rehabilitation. The area of medicine that applies to successfully treating patients without surgery or use of narcotic medications is known as regenerative medicine. In this field, platelet rich plasma is injected into the affected joint, tendon, ligament or soft tissue area that has pain and is failing to heal completely. T... Sarasota Neurology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2927454 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:00:24 +0100 2927454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2872101&cid=t_101606_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FHb_cpr88RO8%2F Every moment of every day is a new beginning for your life through the words you choose to use. Words make up your thoughts and ideas. They shape the images in your mind, coloring what you perceive and believe. In the world around you, words make up text messages, tweets, and on your Facebook page they explain your pictures, your past and your plans. They make up the laws that rule much of your experience. Yet all this being true, we seldom stop to think about the ongoing power of the words we use and string together, the empowerment of words at our disposal when used effectively, or the power unleashed against us at our peril when words are used without awareness. Our mind is the light we shine second by second on the words we choose from the infinite lexicon before us. It is critically i... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2872101 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:44:05 +0100 2872101 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2871981&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=38061&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBreastCancerReconstructionBlog%2F%7E3%2Fo7xWhsI2u9M%2Fscar-healing-tips-for-almost-invisible.html Scar healing is the result of biologic wound repair and is a complex process. With the exception of minor lesions, every skin wound causes some degree of permanent scarring. My breast reconstruction patients often ask for advice on how to improve their scars. While expecting 100% invisible scars may not be realistic, it is possible to influence the body's scar healing mechanism to improve scar appearance.The word "scar" comes from the Greek word "eschara", meaning "place of fire." Scar tissue is different from normal skin. It is inferior both in appearance and function. For example, scars are much less resistant to the sun's ultraviolet rays and more prone to sunburn. Scars also lack a blood supply or sweat glands, and they never grow hair. Complete scar healing can take up to 2 years. Sca... Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2871981 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:26:41 +0100 2871981 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2814485&cid=t_101606_109_f&fid=34795&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoloshrink.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fglobal-sound-healing-event-is-today.html Talking about: Today's Global Sound Healing Event as originally posted by Annie B. Bond on the Care2 community website. "This Is A Four Directions Call Date: Sept. 21. The International Day of Peace ; and the Fall Equinox. Where: Online at the Temple of Sacred Sound, designed by world sound healer Jonathan Goldman, or wherever you are. When: Noon New York City time (12 PM EDT). Who: Any and all. How: One minute of silence at noon to honor the International Day of Peace’s moment of silence. At 12:01 p.m. we will start the toning, until 12:05 or longer if you want. What: We’ll sound the “AH”–the universal sound of love and appreciation–or “MA,” the sound of Mother Earth–in order to assist the creation of peace and healing to the planet. Our intentions–our feelings, visual... Solo Shrink blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2814485 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:53:00 +0100 2814485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2800496&cid=t_101606_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2Fr17uRm_cBJ4%2F Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental illness that can cause severe anxiety or depression – or both – to those who experience it. It can be the result of having something violent or unexpected happen to you (car accident, mugging, military service for example) or something that you feared may happen to you. It may also be the result of you seeing something happening to another person. In other words, it’s caused by a psychologically traumatic event. To understand a bit more about PTSD, Karen J. Erickson, an alternative health practitioner, answers some questions for us. Karen is founder of the Enlightened Healing Center and is a certified hynotherapist, Reiki master teacher, Quantum Touch practitioner, Shaman, Kahuna ARCH (Ancient Rainbow Conscious Healing) pr... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2800496 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 01:01:42 +0100 2800496 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2858876&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Ffrom-bounty-of-nature.html Sweet onions and fresh garlic sautéed in olive oil. Cooked pasta tossed in to warm. At the last minute, sea salt, blue cheese crumbles, a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt, and garden fresh tomatoes sprinkled over all that succulence. The natural way to a healthier digestive tract: penicillin grown in a monastery in England; antiviral activity in fresh garlic and olive oil; antifungal dose in the culture of the Greek yogurt; and antioxidants to support and sustain a weak immune system, transformed from dirt and sunlight into the beautiful rose of a September tomato in Wisconsin.All this au naturale talk reminds me of several requests for my homemade Scrubbing Bubbles recipe. After admiring the hygienic household of a dear friend, I became interested in the variety of ways one can clean with... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2858876 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:11:00 +0100 2858876 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2660716&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=36069&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffrankiespeakingfrankly.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fswine-flu-anxiety_20.html Honestly today I am soooo much better. I can now say for sure that I am disease free - still weak, but today I can actually say the coughing has stopped and each day I am feeling stronger. But last week I had one of the worst nights of my life. No joke, I really thought I was dying!As with most days over the past few weeks I woke feeling a little better, but in the afternoon my cough got worse and became very tiresome come the evening and into the night. This particular evening, feeling truly exhausted and in need of a good night's sleep, but unable to stop the coughing whenever I lay down, my husband gave me a sore throat sweet that included in it an anaesthetic to help relax my throat which he said had helped him.Indeed my throat muscles did relax, but then I started to feel really anxio... Frankie Speaking Frankly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2660716 Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:18:00 +0100 2660716 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570471&cid=t_101606_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D1864 Hilarious. (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570471 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:28:20 +0100 2570471 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2517280&cid=t_101606_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FvWYrm_uv3v0%2F So many of us don’t get enough sleep. And we need it. Research shows that sleep helps boost immunity, maintain weight, and even contributes to heart health. Just an additional hour tremendously. But how much do you need? It varies as we age. MSN Health offers from recomendations: • Toddlers 12-14 hrs • Preschoolers 11-13 hrs • School-age children 10-11 hrs • Adolescents 9-10 hrs • Adults 7-9 hrs With busy lives, it seems that the first thing that falls by the wayside is sleep. We cut into our nightly zzz’s just to get more done. Where do you rate on this scale? Image: sxc.hu. Share and Enjoy: Post from: Blisstree How Many Hours of Sleep Do You Need? (Source: A Hearty Life) A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2517280 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:15:52 +0100 2517280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441100&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2F0BIBf_Abhfs%2F Medical ethicists have made amazing contributions to health care. They’re heroic in their fearless pursuit of better care for beings – especially the human ones. They seem never to forget that is what they do. They work on the edges of what we know and are usually ahead of what we believe. They poke and prod us to do better. God bless ‘em. Bob Veatch – one of my very favorites – has written a brilliant new book1 on the subject and I recommend it highly. It is a product of decades of deep thinking; he’s produced yet another gem. Unfortunately, the title does not reflect the depth of his thinking; it’s far shallower than that. The text pushes the edges of what we know and is ahead of what we can produce in health care today, but the title pushes it over the edge. I suspect some... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441100 Fri, 29 May 2009 18:55:56 +0100 2441100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2258292&cid=t_101606_113_f&fid=36670&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmsdn%2Fhealthblog%2F%7E3%2FGputrl47qMg%2Fthe-green-patient-lab-provides-a-glimpse-of-future-healing-environments.aspx Today I’m in Phoenix, Arizona, to keynote at what is for me a different kind of industry conference.  Each year, I provide dozens of keynotes at industry conferences for healthcare providers and information technologists all over the world.  But this one is special; special because this conference is about something every bit as important as information technology in health.  This one is about patient well being and how to make our healthcare facilities more attuned to meeting the needs of patients and the clinicians who care for them. More than 3000 hospital executives, facility planners, architects and engineers  have gathered at the Phoenix Convention Center for the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) 2009 International Conference and Exhibition on H... HealthBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2258292 Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:58:16 +0100 2258292 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2156424&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2009%2F02%2F04%2Fhealthbolt-op-ed-is-a-glass-of-urine-your-cup-of-tea%2F Sometimes I think that there is too much of what I think here at Healthbolt and so, occasionally, I’m more than happy to open up the floor to someone else’s opinion. Hence the Healthbolt Op-Ed - a place where readers can express their thoughts and opinions on interesting and entertaining health related topics. Today, we’ve got Holly McCarthy ruminating on an interesting and, to most westerners, a somewhat bizarre form of treatment - urine therapy. Since early times, healers have believed that urine has many curative and preventative properties. The Romans thought it helped whiten teeth, the Chinese thought that wiping babies faces with it helped protect the skin, and the French believed it help add in curing Strep throat. And of course, let’s not forget the bene... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2156424 Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:51:48 +0100 2156424 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2207675&cid=t_101606_107_f&fid=38269&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrdonnadouglas.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F01%2F25%2Fsaying-goodbye-to-surgery-scars%2F If you’re planning to have cancer surgery in the near future or recently had surgery, your thoughts undoubtedly move to how you can minimize the trauma and scarring associated with treatment and speed the healing process. Healing wounds whether from accidental injury or surgical intervention requires a delicate interplay of multiple cell types, nutritional factors, immune processes and growth factors. Proper planning and prompt attention can promote normalization in appearance. Healing -From the Inside Out Wound healing is a stepwise process involving hemostasis, inflammation, and remodeling. During hemostasis, blood platelets release clotting factors and growth factors to help the body create a protective wound scab. This barrier provides a surface beneath which cell movement can occur.... Dr. Donna, MedicineWoman blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2207675 Sun, 25 Jan 2009 23:19:04 +0100 2207675 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2053365&cid=t_101606_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fthe-christmas-clock%2F It has hung on that wall for over 100 years. Each new owner of the old, dignified and somewhat decrepit house has agreed to leave it where it is; hanging in the entry hall. Day in and day out it chimes the hour, tick tocks the moments and gathers dust. Some of the dust, deep in its walnut crevices is as old as the clock. The wood has been both buffed and nourished with bee’s wax, lemon oil and in more recent years, spray bottles of Pledge. The keys have been turned by hands young and old; clean and soiled; caring and dutiful. The etched glass of its cover was finely detailed with tiny holly leaves and berries with bits of Christmas ivy intertwined. The humans who live with the clock have long sense taken it for granted. It is there. It ticks. It chimes. It marks the days, hours and m... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2053365 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:30:24 +0100 2053365 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1996397&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F_DHjvzBCogs%2F Earlier this year, reports that the US Federal Court of Claims had conceded that vaccines had contributed to the onset of autistic symptoms in the case of Hannah Poling led to much speculation and debate about (1) if mitochondrial disorders could be linked to autism and (2) how common mitochondrial disorders might be among autistic children. A number of experts on mitonchondrial disorders met in June to discuss the “controversial case” of Hannah Poling. An article in the November 26th PLoS One entitled Mitochondrial Disease in Autism Spectrum Disorder Patients: A Cohort Analysis investigates the medical records of 25 patients with a primary diagnosis of ASD by DSM-IV-TR criteria. These children were later determined to have “enzyme- or mutation-defined mitochondrial electron tran... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1996397 Sat, 29 Nov 2008 07:32:19 +0100 1996397 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1996400&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FdKUtaOBqYn8%2F 1049 cases of measles have been reported in England and Wales so far this year, the highest number in 13 years and exceeding the number on 2007, when there were 990 case. Today’s Guardian reports that health officials are seriously concerned about a possible epidemic of measles of between 30,000 - 100,000 cases. Measles has been spreading more easily because of the “relatively low uptake” of the MMR vaccine in the past decade: The fall in uptake of MMR was triggered by now-discredited research claiming there was a link between the jab and autism. Health officials in the UK are planning a mass vaccination program in some areas. The Daily Mail quotes Guy Hayhurst, consultant in public health at a local Primary Care Trust, as saying that they have identified 10,534 children ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1996400 Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:31:22 +0100 1996400 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1984958&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FPUQEWVOuJHI%2F Is the “warrior mother” not—as proclaimed in the Warrior Mothers book put together by Jenny McCarthy—the opposite of the “refrigerator mother” of the previous generation, but rather her “distorted mirror image”? So argues Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick, author of another new book, Defeating Autism: A Damaging Delusion, argues in yesterday’s Spiked. As Fitzpatrick writes in his essay, The ghost of the ‘refrigerator mother’, The ‘warrior mom’ is yet another reflection of the culture of mother-blaming and a manifestation of the burden of guilt carried by parents as a result of the influence of pseudoscientific speculations about the causes of autism…… ……. A number of common themes link McCarthy’s ‘warri... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1984958 Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:38:57 +0100 1984958 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1984893&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D5406 Things you won’t learn from text books: * Do the little things. * Take time and listen. * Be open. * Find something to like, to love. * Remove barriers. * Let the patient explain. * Share authority. * Be committed and trustworthy. via The Efficient MD, originally from The Annals of Internal Med a Healing Skills for Medical Practice (Source: Malaysian Medical Resources) Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1984893 Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1984893 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1975389&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=36168&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmargaret.healthblogs.org%2F2008%2F11%2F20%2Fpurring-against-myeloma%2F As many of you already know, I adore cats, the most wonderful creatures in the world. I have four cats now, two years apart in age…even though years ago I found out that I am allergic to them (just my luck!!!), which forces me to use a cortisone inhaler once a day. I don’t mind, [...] (Source: Margaret's Corner) Margaret's Corner blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1975389 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:35:16 +0100 1975389 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1975921&cid=t_101606_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fand-the-beat-goes-on-in-a-life-with-chronic-pain%2F It’s late, I’m tired, I’m grouchy, and, yet, the beat goes on. I know I’m in charge, well, sort of. There are those things I can control and those I can’t. It’s a constant battle to decide which is which. That’s why I am prattling on about what is what in this sometimes miserable existence otherwise known as my life. After three months of recuperating from surgery, complications from surgery, a GI bleed and another bout of H. Pylori infection I am seeking normal. I know I’ll never find it but that doesn’t keep me from looking. I’m just the old “never say die” type of gal and that’s all there is to it. This past week, while my husband was visiting his elderly, injured mom, I was determined to get back on my stretc... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1975921 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:18:14 +0100 1975921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1939859&cid=t_101606_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fa-friendly-chat-about-life-with-chronic-pain%2F Today I would like to just chat, as friends do, about what’s going on in my life. Last weekend was quite wonderful, having our son and grandson visit from Texas. I’m still recovering from all the sitting in restaurants and riding in the car but time will take care of it, I’m certain. Was it worth it? It certainly was. As far as I’m concerned, joy out trumps pain every time. I did have one episode which was a bit strange. The room started spinning and I had to sit on the floor until it passed. I assumed it was just fatigue and ignored it. After the guys left I was just very tired and sore everywhere. Then, on Monday morning I had another incident of vertigo. After I got out of the shower the room started spinning so I lay down, waiting for it to pass. It didn’t... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1939859 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:37:54 +0100 1939859 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1933470&cid=t_101606_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Femotional-ups-and-downs-in-a-life-with-chronic-pain%2F Long before my time, probably not as far back as the stone age but definitely during the days of the Hollywood musicals, there was a song titled “Zing Went the Strings of My Heart.” There are some days I feel like my heart is “zinging” for certain. The smallest happenings in life get to me far more than they should. On those days, I cry at commercials, blubber like crazy when somebody dies, whether I know them or not and really have to turn the channel if an animal is being reported as mistreated on the news. Sometimes my coping skills just fly away and leave me totally stranded. Since I’ve lived with this up and down emotional roller coaster for such a long time I’ve given it a lot of thought. I find that during the course of a day I can slide in all di... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933470 Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:14:50 +0100 1933470 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1921028&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FvOyqCjUlVa0%2F Regarding yesterday’s Today show piece on vaccines, autism, and Dr. Paul Offit: Kudos to Dr. Nancy Synderman, especially at the end of the piece when she made it very clear to Matt Lauer, there’s no controversy about vaccines and autism. Vaccines don’t cause autism. [ABC News has a story on Dr. Offit that emphasizes how “ugly” the discussion about vaccines and autism has become: It’s entitled “Death Threats, Hate Mail: Autism Debate Turns Ugly: Vaccine Researchers, Autism Community React to Account of Death Threats and it seems to me that we really ought rather to keep discussion focused on autistic persons.] When a cameraman filmed Charlie a couple of weeks ago for the Today show, Charlie rode his bike in circles back and fort, back and forth. Jim... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1921028 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:01:47 +0100 1921028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1918056&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F9rAl2BkbBJE%2F The Today Show website has posted an excerpt from the beginning of Dr. Paul Offit’s Autism False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure. At the Parengs Bloggers Network, some parents describe a “feeling of betrayal” in regard to the “overwhelming fears and sadness surrounding autism and the still hotly-debated autism-vaccine link” discussed in Dr. Offit’s book. Excerpts from some parents’ reviews of the book are here And if you’re watching the Today Show in the 8:00 half-hour tomorrow (Thursday, October 30th) morning, there’s a segment on vaccines and autism. I was interviewed for it, and I think there should be some footage of a certain boy riding his bike. Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, bikes, Book... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1918056 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:19:21 +0100 1918056 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1914717&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FGFwipG2UYFU%2F So thimerosal’s not the “‘smoking gun‘” linking vaccines to autism, according to David Kirby, whose 2005 book, Evidence of Harm: Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy argued that thimerosal—-a mercury-based preservative—-was the culprit behind what he calls the “autism epidemic.” From an article in today’s Star-Ledger (New Jersey) about an October 23rd forum on infant and child vaccines at the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology at Hackensack University Medical Center: [Kirby]…..said he believed that thimerosal, which still exists in trace amounts in some childhood vaccines, was no longer the “smoking gun.” Several national studies have found no connection, and a ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1914717 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:06:18 +0100 1914717 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1914719&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FEJPiVH7UjvA%2F For the past two weeks something’s been up with Charlie’s teeth, or so we think. He’s been chewing the string on his sweatshirt and his shirt and poking a finger into his mouth (on the upper right side, I think) and just dabbing at some parts of his teeth with his toothbrush (still brushing the fronts). This has certainly been the Year of Losing Teeth; there’ve been more than a few times when, after a fretful, unsettled day, Charlie has been found with a bloody tooth in his fingers. After a check-up in August, Charlie’s dentist noted that he was right on schedule to be losing so many teeth. This latest instance of possible-pain-in-the-mouth has been going on for awhile so Monday afternoon I found myself calling the dentist’s office and felt most fortunat... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1914719 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:00:19 +0100 1914719 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1907709&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%3A80%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FYRx4Q-gsMs4%2F On Newsweek: Three videos with interviews with Dr. Paul Offit, chief of the division of infectious diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania medical school; Robert Krakow, a New York attorney who’s the father of an autistic son and who is representing more than 75 families who believe a vaccine caused autism in their child; and myself. The videos are below or go here to Newsweek.—— And here’s a profile of Dr. Offit by Claudia Kalb in Newsweek. Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, Books, disabilities blog, disability, healing, Health, immunization, measles, mercury, mmr, Myth, newsweek, Parenting, paul offit, pdd-nos, robert krakow, Science, shots, vaccine court, Vacci... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1907709 Sat, 25 Oct 2008 21:38:08 +0100 1907709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1905987&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FoIyTir6r5Rw%2F There’s plenty to debate about regarding autism and the speech about special needs children that Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin is to give today in Pittsburgh —-her first about public policy—-should set off more. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, she’s to deliver the speech this morning at the morning at the Airport Marriott in Pittsburgh before an invited crowd of 350. Update 13:00 EST: Here’s the text of Palin’s speech.Palin talks about “these beautiful children” and these are her three policy proposals: more choices for parents, fully funding IDEA, and efforts to reform and refocus. I just heard about some budget issues in my own school district that have reminded me of the need to fully fund IDEA and Palin’s noting... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1905987 Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:18:06 +0100 1905987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1906252&cid=t_101606_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fchronic-pain-poem-my-life-as-a-tree%2F Evergreen: My Life As a Tree The passage of time with its friend’s rain and sun Pounded and tore at her heart. She stood against the glacial winds Bending with each gust Braved each zephyr’s current, As storm and ceaseless tempests came upon her. When she was young bending was effortless, With the passage of time stiffness set in And in her heart fear took root and grew. What will become of me when I am old? Is there more to life than this? After years of worry Fear filled her to the core, Therefore she germinated a plot That would ensure she would survive. She drew strength from deep within, Far beneath her bark. Life forces of spring she sought And the custom of time was fulfilled. Small shoots began to sprout All around her trunk they grew As the soft moist humus erupted with life F... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1906252 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:10:54 +0100 1906252 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1895057&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Fewfi1V_3iZk%2F As you’ve probably heard by now, Every Child By Two has been sending an email out requesting people  ask Oprah to “dedicate a show to the science behind the question of whether vaccines cause autism.” Some (”an excellent idea”—Kev at Left Brain/Right Brain) are in favor of calling for such. Others are not (”It’s highly unlikely that, even if Oprah did give a platform to ECBT, it would end up promoting vaccination in the way that ECBT desires”—-Orac at Respectful Insolence). I kind of suspect that a TV show like Oprah might try to frame the purported (not-supported-by-the-science) vaccine-autism link as a “debate”—-between, for instance, scientists vs. parents—-when there is no debate about the science. The... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1895057 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:37:31 +0100 1895057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1895709&cid=t_101606_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Floss-and-discovery-in-a-life-of-chronic-pain%2F Your life changes when your health flies out the window. Most of us find it a challenge to keep the rest of life from following after. Loss is definitely the name of the game as we lose our health, sometimes our jobs, on occasion, our spouses or significant others and often, our “fair weather” friends. They are usually the ones who don’t want to think about the unpleasant and distasteful parts of life such as loss and illness. True friends stick by us in good times and bad, and we’re lucky to have them. Sometimes I feel like a tree with its leaves falling all over the ground. Each day another leaf flutters to the ground. Most trees lose their leaves one leaf at a time. I know of a couple of varieties that drop overnight, like the Gingko, but that’s not the norm, is it? Does the t... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1895709 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:46:53 +0100 1895709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1888282&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FIGeyGtJ7jfk%2F Stop Jenny! Jenny McCarthy and her campaign (if you can call her new McCarthyism that) of vaccine and public health misinformation. More details here—–Jenny, we hardly knew ye, indeed. Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, Books, disabilities blog, disability, healing, Health, immunization, jenny mccarthy, measles, mercury, mmr, Myth, Parenting, pdd-nos, Science, shots, Vaccines, warrior motherShare This (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1888282 Sun, 19 Oct 2008 08:01:21 +0100 1888282 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1879950&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FRbXr5m2pLdA%2F “For families struggling with autism finding the latest treatments is a top priority,” begins an October 14th WCBStv story about “a controversial approach” that “is making headlines” (which, of course, has nothing to do with the actual efficacy of said approach). The approach is hyperbaric oxygen therapy and the doctor is Dr. James Neubrander, whose website refers to autism as the “treatable untreatable disorder!.” A hyperbaric chamber will set you back $21,000, WCBStv notes. Dr. Neubrander says that HBOT treats “decreases inflammation” and somehow altars the brain chemistry of autistic children and, while there’s no studies to back it up, he says: “No, the studies are not there, but it doesn’t invalidate what we... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1879950 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:00:45 +0100 1879950 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1876566&cid=t_101606_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fthe-ludicrous-side-of-a-life-with-chronic-pain%2F There are times when this whole way of life, this life with chronic pain and illness, strikes me as ludicrous. Yesterday morning I had to take a stool specimen into the hospital laboratory to check up on the status of the H. Pylori bacteria I’ve been fighting in my stomach. The written instructions had informed me not to contaminate the stool with urine. I’m a woman. How is that possible? Those instructions had to have been written by a man. It was probably the same man who invented the mammogram machine which all women know squeezes your boobies to within an inch, literally, of your life. Where is the male equivalent of that machine? Anyway, I digress, back to yesterday. I had to get the specimen into the lab within one hour so I donned my clothes, shoved a hat over my askew hair, did... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1876566 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:34:35 +0100 1876566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1870902&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FMpaBxAGe_fM%2F No, we don’t “got milk” here; my small family all got sick this week; we’ve always got hope. Got Autism? (asks PETA) PETA puts up a billboard in Newark NJ and takes it down. Is That a Tattoo With……Your Mom’s Cell Number? Of Safety Tats and other ways to keep a child safe. McCarthy’s, Er, “Autism” Pole Jenny McCarthy puts a stripper pole in her son’s room. What! No Hoodies?!!!!?!!!?! Imagine life without a hoodie for warmth and to block out noise—no thanks. Beware Jenny McCarthy and Her Angry Mob She’s got a mob (of “mother warriors,” presumably”—quite an image. Autism Genes, Math, and Music The genes that are thought to cause autism may also give mathematical, musical and other skills to those without Me... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1870902 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:41:31 +0100 1870902 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1865774&cid=t_101606_158_f&fid=36018&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcaregiversbeacon.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F10%2Fcaregiving-and-ministry-of-presence.html The "Ministry of Presence" is the way a spiritual teacher I know recently described our visit to a friend from church who is staying in a nursing home. The physical presence of a caring friend, a hug, a hand squeeze, some listening, some eye contact and a bit of conversation, can have a healing and comforting effect. Whether you are just sitting nearby, keeping a quiet vigil, or are sharing conversation, simply providing your presence is a way of ministering to others who are ill or injured. Our presence speaks for us, saying, "I care. You're not alone. I'm here for you. You're important to me."Often people excuse themselves from visiting those who are ill by saying "I wouldn't know what to do or say." But, that's not important. The warmth of a genuinely caring person who simply arrives t... The Caregiver's Beacon - Resources, Links, Ideas, News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1865774 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:39:00 +0100 1865774 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1865775&cid=t_101606_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fsteroids-friend-or-foe%2F Once again, I find myself on the old “downalator.” Reducing my dose of prednisone is not my favorite thing to do. I’ve done it many times in the last 20 years, and it never gets any easier. It’s really a good thing. It just doesn’t feel like it. As usual I will share with you what I and my family have experienced because that’s the view from here. It helps a little that I’m a nurse, gave birth to a nurse and married to a nurse. All of that helps with the jargon and offers a basic understanding of this whole business. Living with autoimmune disease is a very complicated business. As many of you have found, you need all the help you can get. My oldest sister suffered terribly from psoriatic arthritis. Many years ago, when she was first diagnosed, she... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1865775 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:13:59 +0100 1865775 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1862834&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FRjhqW8uCQTU%2F Three more days to go of the Science Blogs Book Club. Much talk of framing vaccines, framing autism, and more responses from Dr. Offit about his book. And today, I talk about myth, religion, and Jenny McCarthy as a, and perhaps the, false prophet of autism. Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, Books, disabilities blog, disability, healing, Health, immunization, jenny mccarthy, measles, mercury, mmr, Myth, Parenting, paul offit, pdd-nos, Science, shots, Vaccines, warrior motherShare This (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1862834 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:03:10 +0100 1862834 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1859606&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FDWxgovRR8-o%2F That’s the request that showed up Tuesday night in my email inbox from Stan Kurtz, president of Generation Rescue. Photos of “kids who have improved from biomedical interventions (they do not have to be recovered, just improved)” are sought—–so “recovery” is not the thing, but rather “improvement”? If that’s the case, then it shouldn’t be too hard to find “a child that would look good on the cover of Jenny McCarthy’s to-appear-in-April-aka-Autism-Awareness-Month autism book.” It’s been awhile, but in the days when we did a lot of biomedical treatments—supplements, anti-fungal therapy (with nystatin), complete gluten-free casein-free diet, more supplements, I was looking very hard for results and... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1859606 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 05:12:33 +0100 1859606 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1851056&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FrDAgYQYOjQM%2F The quote of the day on Time.com by Jenny “Mother Warrior” McCarthy is here and refers to actress Amanda Peet being on one “side” of views about vaccination, and to a certain part of the male anatomy. On the “side” of McCarthy is (per her quote) “an angry mob” of anti-vaccinationists who say that vaccines or something in vaccines cause autism. An angry mob? Yikes! Seeing as I (a confessed former warrior mom) don’t think vaccines or something in vaccines can be linked to autism, I ought to be typing this with fingers a-trembling. But why? Because study after study shows that there is no link between vaccines or something in vaccines and autism? Well yes. But actually because there’s too many friends (including my two best guys and ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1851056 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:24:12 +0100 1851056 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1851058&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FtilxUiiWrWI%2F It’s Day 3 of the Science Blogs Book Club on Dr. Paul Offit’s Autism’s False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure. Dr. Offit has been posting and responding to questions (yesterday he noted that “anti-vaccine forces have taken the autism story hostage,” and I agree). Kev of Left Brain/Right Brain writes about how autism has become a secondary concern, Orac posts about framing vaccines, and I have a post up about mercury rising and falling and Lyn Redwood. You can also read other reviews of Dr. Offit’s book in the Kansas City Star and on the LA Times Booster Shots blog. The Rocky Mountain News gives the book an A- and notes that “Offit’s sarcasm and brow-beating of those he disagrees with is grating - this book will... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1851058 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:26:56 +0100 1851058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1848180&cid=t_101606_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fback-in-the-saddle-are-those-stirrups-really-necessary%2F Is there any procedure more humiliating and more uncomfortable than climbing onto an exam table, partially unclothed while clutching a sheet like a toga and having to put one’s feet up in stirrups? Eggs are apparently not the only thing that can be served sunny side up. I always thought it was just a torment for women until I recently had to do it twice in one day at two different offices and realized, at the Uro/surgeon’s office that many of the patients who are required to do something similar, are men. Do they have to do the stirrup bit? I did notice that the Uro/Gyno surgeon had the consideration to put sheepskin booties on her stirrups; obviously the generous act of a sister female. I’m certain every woman in the western world has heard the phrase, “Okay, come on, closer to th... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1848180 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:46:59 +0100 1848180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1844805&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FUz9b9PsIcUY%2F I really don’t know where to start with the various contradictions and more in this October 1st post about how Jenny McCarthy has interior-decorated her son Evan’s room, according to Contact Music: Thrifty actress JENNY MCCARTHY installed a stripper pole in her Los Angeles home at the height of her son EVAN’s autism battle - because a real fireman’s pole was so expensive. The actress/model opened the doors to her germ-free retreat, where her son is home schooled by teachers who understand his condition, to U.S. TV show Access Hollywood recently - and admitted there’s a naughty secret in his playroom. As well as a climbing rope attached to the ceiling, there’s also a metal pole that MCCarthy revealed is not exactly what it seems. She explains, “The ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1844805 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:38:39 +0100 1844805 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1837289&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FNOT-s9BZL8E%2F Read Gina Tembenis about her son Elias, who is no longer with us, here via ABC News. Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, Books, disabilities blog, disability, healing, Health, immunization, jenny mccarthy, measles, mercury, mmr, Myth, Parenting, paul offit, pdd-nos, Science, shots, Vaccines, warrior motherShare This (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1837289 Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:54:52 +0100 1837289 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1834749&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FDK-ZKpnQHXE%2F Over at Salon on his blog sWell blog, physician Rahul K. Parikh deconstructs David Kirby’s September 24th presentation to Congressional staffers. The presentation’s title was “The Vaccine-Autism Debate: New Developments from Science and Policy” and the PowerPoint slides and a write-up are posted on the Age of Autism weblog. Sullivan has been posting about the hearing as Vaccines on the Hill III, Vaccines on the Hill II, and Vaccines on the Hill. Liz at I Speak of Dream noted that this latest attempt to “indoctrinate congressional staffers” by the usual suspects in the anti-vaccine/pro-vaccine safety annals—-Davis Kirby, Mark Blaxill (VP of Safe Minds)—-gets a fail. Dr. Parikh explains why after assessing the claims of each of Kirby’s sl... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1834749 Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:00:53 +0100 1834749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1834750&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Fet1M5kZ6e2o%2F No, not referring to what gets written about at the likes of this blog or this one, but to the popstars and celebrities who’ve (per the September 28th Times) helped “scandal-hit medic” Andrew Wakefield relaunch himself in the US and specifically in Austin, Texas. Juicy, or maybe just more commentary on America as the home of the self-(re)-made man? Tags: andrew wakefield, asd, asperger, austin, autism, autism blog, celebrities, celebrities blog, disabilities blog, disability, healing, Health, immunization, jenny mccarthy, measles, mercury, mmr, Myth, Parenting, pdd-nos, scandal, Science, self-made man, VaccinesShare This (Source: Autism Vox) Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1834750 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 19:44:04 +0100 1834750 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1833269&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FaNPs5AQs-7I%2F A September 25th press release announces that parents make donations for cutting-edge research. Specifically, some parents have made contributions totaling $30,000 to the National Autism Association (NAA), whose website proclaims “think autism think cure. Some of the research to be funded will be conducted by gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield, the British doctor whose article in the journal Lancet set off a scare about an autism-MMR link, and who currently faces misconduct charges in the UK and may not be allowed to practice medicine there again. Parents funding research, however “cutting edge,” is less than new news. While not many parents can give $10,000, many of us have at one time or another written a cheque to an autism organization whose agenda includes funding &... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1833269 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:35:34 +0100 1833269 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1829211&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FGQ93m7dSHEo%2F My office in Jersey City is in an old house, on the left-hand side of a one-way street going down a steep hill. Several of the buildings and some of the other houses belong to my college, but many (including a very large apartment building across the street with aging cement steps) do not. Parking is at a premium; there’s no garages to speak of for the residents of the apartments so the street is constantly lined with rows of cars, a beat-up yellow school bus with the windows painted white, delivery trucks. Students try to park on the street and the whole situation is compounded because our parking garage has been closed for repairs. I’m extremely fortunate to be able to park in the front of the house housing (yes, that was intentionally written) my office. Sometimes someone un... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1829211 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:22:32 +0100 1829211 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1829214&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Ff0YWZJT9Vk8%2F Vaccination rates for children in the UK are still not at a high enough rate to offer maximum protection against infectious diseases such as the measles and mumps, today’s Telegraph reports. According to the NHS, 85% of children have received the MMR shot this year, the same rate as last year: experts warn that to achieve so-called “herd immunity”, where so many children are immunised that it is extremely difficult for an outbreak of measles to take hold, 95 per cent need to be vaccinated. Professor David Salisbury, the Government’s director of immunisation, warned “MMR uptake is still not sufficient to remove the serious threat of measles outbreaks. “Parents who have not had their children vaccinated with the MMR vaccine should do so now.” He adde... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1829214 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:52:53 +0100 1829214 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1825832&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FO1rMdZv02hg%2F Yes, these words were said by Mother Warrior Jenny McCarthy on Oprah. McCarthy appeared today with a mother named Monica, who after delivering a daughter via C-section, was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating bacteria. Doctors told Monica that both of her arms and legs had to be amputated. Says McCarthy of her story: “I had a big aha! moment after spending six hours with her. … Monica accepted what is. She looked down and said ‘Okay, this is the situation. I can’t change this, so I might as well surrender to it……When she does that, she is able to move forward in peace.” …… At Monica’s house, she and Jenny had a mom-to-mom chat about the issues that mother warriors face. “Within the autism community, ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1825832 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:29:25 +0100 1825832 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1825835&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FbCgs4hoYjTY%2F So with Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds, Jenny McCarthy’s new autism book out, I decided I need to fess up. I am a retired Warrior Mom. “Warrior Mom” is the term that Jim used to use when I got into a certain “those administrators haven’t heard the last of us” “did that doctor listen to one word we were saying” “if we don’t do it this way he’ll never get it” “I know best because I’m the mom” state of mind—-that kind of defiant, mother-bear-out-to-protect her cubs mode. I was determined, I’d read everything book and article and stared at websites on my computer screen for so many hours and I was the person who spent the most time with Charlie—&#821... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1825835 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:27:14 +0100 1825835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1825836&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FIBhIQKxDr1s%2F ‘Tis September and, it seems, the season for autism books: Started off the month with Dr. Paul Offit’s Autism’s False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine and the Search for a Cure and now here comes Jenny McCarthy’s autism book #2, Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds , and accompanying appearances on Oprah, video clips, and the like. So there you have it. The Vaccine Doctor and the Autism Mom Heroine. In this script, Jenny and her following of David(a)s are poised, too-good non-toxicness products in their hands, to take on the evil Goliath of the Medical Establishment, Big Pharma, the dreaded CDC. I guess we should look out for flying stilettos (or maybe Crocs; warrior moms have to take their kids to the pool for sensory relief) wh... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1825836 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:01:43 +0100 1825836 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1826317&cid=t_101606_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fgood-medical-care-is-about-the-little-things%2F It’s interesting how many little things, both positive and negative, can contribute to the medical care you receive. I believe this true in the hospital or in the doctor’s office. Small irritations aligned with rudeness can drive you over the edge and erode your confidence in the care you are receiving. Seemingly minuscule acts, requests or manners can instill confidence. It’s truly amazing the power of a hug, a warm pat on the hand and an understanding face. They are no substitute for knowledge and experience, but it can’t “hoirt,” can it? Certainly there are big actions which can cause you grief and fear but the little things you live with on each visit or hospitalization can irritate or soothe. One example that comes to mind for me, after two recent hospitalizations, is the ... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1826317 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:25:31 +0100 1826317 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1815382&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FRL0jZPmRoK0%2F Another review of Dr. Paul Offit’s Autism False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure, in the September 23rd Wall Street Journal, by Linda Seebach, a Minnesota writer whose 30-something-ish son only sought a formal evaluation for Asperger’s Syndrome a year ago. (Yes, I know what you see to the left is not the cover for Dr. Offit’s book—–keep reading.) I wanted to highlight this point made by Seebach, whose Wall Street Journal review is entitled Charlatans to the Rescue: Just as autism is being found more often, so, it seems, are dubious explanations for the source of an illness that so far has defied medicine’s attempts to find its origins. The parade of “false prophets” began lining up soon after the disorder was d... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1815382 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:37:43 +0100 1815382 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1815957&cid=t_101606_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fmemories-of-an-aging-nursepatient%2F My two recent hospitalizations have stirred up many old memories for me. My first inspiration to enter nursing was provoked by a hospital visit, many years ago. I had a tubal pregnancy that ruptured, making quite a mess of my body and my personal life. Since the event also “ruptured” my marriage of ten years, I found myself a divorced mother of two small ones. There I was with a college education in liberal arts, which you really can’t take to the bank. I was desperately in need and hit the job trail. I got two jobs in one day, and like many of the vagaries of life, that decision proved to be pivotal. I chose the job as a medical assistant in an ENT office over the teller job at a bank. When I was a small girl, my dream was always to become a nurse. I’m not sure what happened to th... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1815957 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:42:48 +0100 1815957 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1811574&cid=t_101606_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fis-medical-specialization-a-good-thing%2F Haven’t you asked yourself that question, at least, every once in awhile? Don’t you sometimes long for the days of one doctor with all the answers you need in one place? Those were, indeed, the days. I don’t remember the horse and buggy…no, I’m not that old but I do remember as a child with many health problems always seeing the same dear man. I also remember house calls. Oh my. Today that appears to be very passé as we are challenged by more complicated bodies with complicated needs. There has also been some amazing progress in the entire field of medicine; far more than one person can know and practice. Every so often, I get tired of having to drive the 75 miles one way into Portland to get treated by a specialist. The trip is a difficult one for me persona... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1811574 Sat, 20 Sep 2008 05:04:22 +0100 1811574 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1812884&cid=t_101606_160_f&fid=36190&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skincareblog.org%2Fentry%2Fpseudo-ceramides-new-skin-healing-synthetic-lipids-developed%2F Though, most common in babies and children, skin diseases like Atopic dermatitis can happen to anyone. Though the cause of such disease is not yet known, researchers have importantly come up with remedies. There are other skin diseases in which skin cells grow abnormally, but are not taken seriously by many and go untreated. But, now researchers have come up with a new remedy for such skin diseases - ’synthetic lipids.’ The new synthetic lipids are called ‘pseudo-ceramides’ after the natural lipids - ceramides — found in the outermost skin layer made of dead cells and mainly serves as a physical barrier. The lipids’ mainly control the growth and differentiation of skin cells. These laboratory-created pseudo-ceramides are thus, responsible for skin c... Skin Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1812884 Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:43:09 +0100 1812884 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1779893&cid=t_101606_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fsue-takes-on-the-job-of-healing%2F I hardly know where to begin. I have so many new ideas for blogs thanks to my recent life experiences. Each day, there was a time when my mind would hum with ideas and I would reach for a pad and pen, sometimes in the middle of the night, just to jot down an idea. My get well motto became, “OKAY, LIFE, BRING IT ON AND I’LL JUST WRITE A BLOG ABOUT IT!” I would have to say my mind just insists on “first things first.” What else do you do when you are confronted by so many problems all at once and you feel too rotten to cope? I was in the hospital for the second time in a week, I had five operative procedures performed on my gut with mesh holding it all in; I had a urinary tract infection, which is a concern when you have an unexpected stint in your ureter because the doctor “nick... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1779893 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:58:48 +0100 1779893 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1775775&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=36032&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fbreast-cancer%2Flife-with-breast-cancer%2Fhealing-words-writing-about-your-breast-cancer%2F If you have never tuned into a Webcast on HealthTalk, you are missing out! I was invited to participate in a Health Now Webcast last week and had such a great time with Judy Forman, the host of Health Now. The topic was on journaling and how it can help people deal with disease, pain and other conditions. Judy is really terrific; I have enjoyed her webcasts in the past, but having the opportunity to talk to her directly was really special. Her guest was Dr. Pennybaker, who has done extensive research into the effects of writing down your thoughts and feelings to deal with medical conditions. Dr. Pennybaker’s wife is a breast cancer survivor so he could really relate to my story; thankfully she is doing well and has also written extensively about her battle and the disease. Judy was a... Life with Breast Cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1775775 Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:51:14 +0100 1775775 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1720389&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F6ZgSqfkHFAc%2F Last year Charlie had his first surfing lesson. He swam out into the ocean with a 9-foot-surfboard attached to his ankle and was able, after coaxing, to get into a kneeling position, hands grasping the sides of the board. What I remember most from that first lesson was not the long, lazy rides he had after the surfing teacher gave him a good push and Charlie rode the board in like a boat. It was the way Charlie and the surfing teacher, automatically ducked under each wave almost at the same moment, and how Charlie was completely nonchalant about swimming with the surfboard attached to him. Jim scheduled another lesson for Charlie on Wednesday afternoon at 4pm, with the same teacher. I watched Jim and the teacher out in the waves with Charlie, pulling him up on the yellow surfboard, and too... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1720389 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:26:39 +0100 1720389 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1717608&cid=t_101606_151_f&fid=35793&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thejunkyswife.com%2F2008%2F08%2Ftouch.html Touching people can be so healing. I want a massage. I want to become a massage therapist. I'm thoroughly into touching and being touched.Actually, I'm interested in being touched by my husband, and touching him. I'm also interested in being touched by my yoga teachers, but not so much in touching them. I keep finding myself enjoying hands on my body, not sexually, but also sexually. And I like how my hands on my husband's body seems to help him rest, to calm down, to pull himself together. It's one way that I can help him. So much of what I've let get out of control in my life has been in looking for ways to help him, and it occurs to me today that just putting my hands on him, holding him, and being sympathetic helps him. It's as much as I have to give anymore...it's me, at my most basic... Heroin Addiction Codependence blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1717608 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:12:00 +0100 1717608 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1671896&cid=t_101606_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Flessons-from-fdr-for-a-life-of-chronic-pain%2F I’ve been recovering from various medical testing and been a bit lazier than usual. Today I spent the afternoon resting my body and watching a PBS production called “FDR: A Presidency Revealed.” I taped it some time ago but forgot about it. Sometimes, I truly believe books, people, movies and TV come into our lives when we need them. Today, FDR helped me out. Not bad for a dead President. I did appreciate it. In the current political climate, we hear that word “change” almost everyday. Everyone thinks it’s the answer for the future. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Just go out and change, just like that. Change the world, change the war, change our enemies and then insert miraculous new leadership. How naïve we can be, at times. Those of us whose ... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1671896 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:04:41 +0100 1671896 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1640328&cid=t_101606_99_f&fid=35344&url=http%3A%2F%2Fzackarysholemberger.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F07%2Fsystematic-review-of-effectiveness-of.html CONCLUSIONS: It is not sensible to interpret any of the interesting results with great confidence. However, for women hoping for successful IVF treatment there are some data suggesting a favourable outcome of prayer but these data are derived from only one of the smaller trials. On the other hand, one of the larger studies suggests that those undergoing operations may not wish to know of the prayer that is being offered on their behalf. Most data are equivocal. The evidence presented so far is interesting enough to justify further study into the human aspects of the effects of prayer. However it is impossible to prove or disprove in trials any supposed benefit that derives from God's response to prayer. (Source: Zackary Sholem Berger) Zackary Sholem Berger blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1640328 Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:18:00 +0100 1640328 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1635270&cid=t_101606_129_f&fid=36035&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fchronic-pain%2Flife-with-chronic-pain%2Fa-poem-about-chronic-pain-searching-for-healing%2F Searching for Healing? I don’t know what works for you Sunshine on a cloudy day? Is it the warmth-like passion, Of a luminous solar ray? Maybe it’s the odor Of freshly baking bread, That crawls up your nose And bursts in your head? I don’t know what works for you I rarely know what helps me, But certain elements bring strength In a life desperate for glee. A funny slapstick movie, A Donald Duck cartoon, A childhood “funny bone” memory A cow jumping over the moon? I don’t know what works for you But I know laughter explodes like a bomb Just don’t take pain too seriously As it may rob you of all your aplomb. There are some wonders of nature Which behave like a miracle drug. They occur when you least expect it Like an impetuous warm hug. I don’t know what works for you But the... Life with Chronic Pain blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1635270 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:51:31 +0100 1635270 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1622096&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F07%2F14%2Forganic-jeans-that-heal%2F Check this out. You can now buy jeans that are not only custom made to your body but can also, according to the company, heal the body. Made by the Make Your Own Jeans company, these jeans are able to treat a variety of medical conditions including skin ailments, diabetes, arthritis, digestive problems, high blood pressure and more. Here’s how it works… The Ayurveda Organic Jeans are created Here’s how it works… The Ayurveda Organic Jeans are created using the ancient Indian technique of dyeing textiles in medicinal herbs. Each dye can contain up to 50 different herbs that are used to practice Ayurvedic medicine. This herbs are then absorbed into your body through the skin each time you wear the jeans. Fascinating… (source and images) Tags: ayurveda medicine,... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1622096 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:18:18 +0100 1622096 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1394104&cid=t_101606_90_f&fid=36413&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdcscience.net%2F%3Fp%3D227 Times Higher Education has published a league table showing that the University of Westminster is head of the league table for the number of courses in quackery. With fine timing, I just acquired the slides for their lecture on "vibrational medicine". See a selection of them. It seems that Amethyst; the 'Transmutator' . . .emits high Yin energy so transmuting lower energies and clearing and aligning energy disturbances . . .". This is part of a vocational "Bachelor of Science" degree. It is beyond parody. You couldn't make it up. (Source: DC's goodscience) DC's goodscience blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1394104 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:16:15 +0100 1394104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1382282&cid=t_101606_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F04%2Fadult-stem-cells-treating-wounded.html Showing how far adult stem cells have come in a very short time, our wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan are being treated with their own stem cells to help treat wounds involving bones. From the story: With the dexterity of a carpenter, the finesse of a master chef and the tools of a painter, Dr. Thomas Einhorn uses stem cells to do something on the cutting edge of science: grow brand new bone. Today, orthopaedic stem cell surgery earned significant backing from the federal government, which announced plans to dedicate $85 million for the creation of the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM) to fund this procedure for veterans injured in Iraq and Afghanistan... Einhorn, the chairman of orthopaedic surgery at the Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medi... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1382282 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:54:00 +0100 1382282 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1199976&cid=t_101606_145_f&fid=35710&url=http%3A%2F%2Fksdescartin.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F02%2F04%2Fwwwstoryofhealingcom%2F   In a few days, this blog will transition from its current address: www.ksdescartin.wordpress.com to www.storyofhealing.com. Thank you. (Source: the story of healing) the story of healing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1199976 Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:24:34 +0100 1199976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1146555&cid=t_101606_140_f&fid=35438&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrithesafely.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F01%2F12%2Fintersections-what-intersections%2F At Psych Central Dr. Grohol makes a much needed point about the very fucking idea of relationship. He begins with the recent Lancet Journal study that shows the use of anti-psychotics as a useless option for subduing aggressive behaviors: Medicating People Because It’s Easier Than Talking To Them. Of course, this works too: Officer Claudia [...] (Source: Writhe Safely) Writhe Safely blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1146555 Sat, 12 Jan 2008 23:00:15 +0100 1146555 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1142493&cid=t_101606_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2F214443714%2F Copyright © 2008 Patti. Visit the original article at http://www.white-pebble.net/?p=4007.“In luck” makes it sound as if luck is a place. Well, if luck is a place, I suppose I am there. Reading Leroy Sievers’ blog, though, gets me to wondering about the boundaries of this place, the boundaries of luck. Currently, Leroy’s outlook isn’t looking as rosy as I had hoped it would, though he is living “in luck” because he has lasted longer than his doctors had originally predicted. So what is this luck thing anyway? A country, I guess, but one that borders on more countries than I had originally believed. ShareThis (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1142493 Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:56:16 +0100 1142493 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1117743&cid=t_101606_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F206736416%2F Just when you think you’ve heard about most every type of “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM) that might be used to “treat” autistic persons, you read about another one: Spirit release therapy. In the December 28th National Catholic Reporter, Stafford Betty, professor of Religious Studies at California State University-Bakersfield, writes about spirit release therapy, in which “troublesome or malevolent spirits who have attached themselves to their victims” are released. Those who practice this therapy are not religious healers, Prof. Betty emphasizes, but secular healers, some of them licensed psychiatrists or psychologists, who have discovered, often by accident, that this new therapy works better than what they learned in medical o... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1117743 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 23:32:53 +0100 1117743