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 'helplessness'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:13:04 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029039&cid=t_176250_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fweekend-lost-in-woods-heart-lost-in.html Perpetual gray rises out of the steely waves into the landscape of shoreline and finally up into the darker gray of a stormy twilight sky. We slam through waves in the little boat. I look down at the hull, that 1950's blue-green that is a smidge too green for robin's egg, a smidge too blue for jade. Up in the gray sky, one pink finger points out of a palm of sunset orange.We roll slowly into the dock, and an otter flips in front of our boat. We sneak closer, and she comes up hissing and blinking, sending us on our way back to the sandbank. The boat slides up with a sloosh. The children run around me as I sit staring blankly at the boat while Aaron fetches the van. We drive back to our campsite slow, windows open, cooling the sweaty curls under my hat brim, the sunburnt kids silent in the b... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029039 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 03:58:00 +0100 5029039 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775351&cid=t_176250_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fperils-of-physicians-practicing-as.html A seriously chilling cautionary tale corroborated some of my previously expressed fears about the perils of physicians practicing as corporate employees.  It unlikely venue was the April 25, 2011 issue of Medical Economics.  The article, not yet on the web, was "Selling to a Corporation Poses Challenges," by Todd R C Neely.Here is how the case started:A start-up company with a new medical treatment became a publicly traded corporation. The company's top managers were not physicians; they were finance and business experts familiar with the ways of Wall Street.To meet the corporation's goals and Wall Street expectations, the company used stock sale proceeds to aggressively market itself to doctors and buy established physician practices around the country. It quickly captured ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775351 Mon, 02 May 2011 19:54:00 +0100 4775351 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4664229&cid=t_176250_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2F31%2Fhistory-of-a-suicide-an-interview-with-jill-bialosky%2F Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Jill Bialosky, author of the new book History of a Suicide: My Sister’s Unfinished Life, in which she brilliantly weaves together her sister’s inner life and brings an awkward but essential topic of discussion out of the shadows. 1. If you could have readers leave with one piece of truth about suicide, what would it be? Jill: Suicide is a multi-faceted, complex event and though there may be a present catalyst that triggers it, ultimately it is a psychological drama that happens within the mind of a suicidal individual resulting from intense inner pain. This is a theory developed by Dr. Edwin Shneidman, one of the leading figures in the study of suidiology and it is the one theory that makes sense to me. We must recognize the inner pain ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4664229 Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:24:08 +0100 4664229 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4382928&cid=t_176250_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fwhat-am-i-going-to-call-this-disaster.html I am drinking out of my husband's cup this morning because I miss him. Al's Breakfast. I miss that, too.If I'd never known the joy of him, I wouldn't miss him. If it weren't for the clouds, would I ever notice the sun?I nearly dropped my book last night when I read these words, the words that echo straight from my soul and describe my paralysis as God's saint and matron of my household:I think I can brave this Beauty? Not an empty, tinny beauty but a Fierce Beauty, Flaming Fire who burns through the thick masks and leaves the soul disrobed. I am naked and ashamed. I know how monstrously inhumane I can be. Raging at children for minor wrongdoings while I'm the one defiling the moment with sinful anger. Hoarding possessions while others die of starvation. Entertaining the mind with trivial p... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4382928 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:12:00 +0100 4382928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4175925&cid=t_176250_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fcoming-undone-mayo-day-6.html Step 1. Remove dressing & netting around head.Step 2. Soothe child with favorite thing (in this case: bottle).Step 3. Remove tape, gauze, and electrodes from head using acetone (sting!).Step 4. Understand why child has been screaming & itching head for last 48 hours.Step 5. Finally: the awaited-for-a-whole-week bath.Step 6. Try another bottle.Step 6. How about some Benadryl for that itching?Step 7. Go HOME! (Source: Turquoise Gates) Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4175925 Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:38:00 +0100 4175925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4168155&cid=t_176250_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Ffelt-prayers-mayo-day-5.html Suffice it to say she hasn't itched since the prayer comments started pouring in. Well, that's not entirely true: she has stated, a few times, in a very calm voice, "Mama, I am itchy. Can I have some medicine please?" TADA! Prayer at work, people!! Thank you to each and every one who dropped everything to pray for something as small as the comfort of one little kid today. She's more subdued than usual, pale and under the weather as her cough worsens every day. But she has not been screaming in pain! These pictures are from our evening play session a few minutes ago.Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or imagine, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. (Ephesia... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4168155 Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:26:00 +0100 4168155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4168156&cid=t_176250_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fwhen-you-are-helpless.html The results from this hospital stay are so depressing on so many levels. Last night Amelia started reacting horribly to the glue used to attach the electrodes all over her scalp (about 30 of them). She screamed, thrashed, and begged me to remove them, all while shaking her hands in the air because she was obeying and not scratching at them. When I finally got her to sleep at 4 a.m., I vowed not to let them touch those electrodes again...just take whatever information they can get, without the usual morning process of gluing loose electrodes and filling them all with conducting gel again. At 11:30 a.m., I praised God because they hadn't come to do so yet, although they are usually here by 9 a.m....I assumed this meant the electrodes had by some mercy survived the night intact. So I allowed ... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4168156 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 18:41:00 +0100 4168156 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3802556&cid=t_176250_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fheld.html A newborn baby is a good example to me, a struggling adult.  My little nephew Robbie loves to be held.  He sleeps right through the sometimes rather jostling transitions from one set of arms to the next, puts up with the childlike mistakes as his little cousins pinch his cheeks, pull on his arms and legs, and kiss him roughly.He's okay with the fact that he has needs.  He doesn't even think about the possibility that someday he'll move beyond those needs...the needs he has for this family he's been planted in.  He just soaks it up.Maybe it's a little easier for him than me.  After all, he probably lacks any vision of independence, and certainly he doesn't have to wonder whether or not he should ask for help.  The cries come, instinctively, when he is hungry, c... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3802556 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:50:00 +0100 3802556 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3635994&cid=t_176250_137_f&fid=39091&url=http%3A%2F%2Falzheimmers.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fhelplessness-of-alzheimers.html The process of living through Alzheimer's disease in a loved one is essentially an emotional prison. You are stuck behind the walls of helplessness. You can't stop the disease from progressing, you can't reverse it, you can't cure it. you have no control of the situation. You are involved  very passively and helplessly in a process. Sort of like being caught in a tornado, and waiting for the storm to end, wondering how much destruction will be there, and if you will even make it, and of course in the middle of the storm you are not sure it will ever end.Prison, you freedom, your control is taken away. It leads to anger and frustration, we often end up lashing out at those whom are closest to us, the guilt leads to more anger. You remember the loved one in better times and you wan... Caregiver Survival: I Hate Alzheimers blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3635994 Sun, 06 Jun 2010 21:17:00 +0100 3635994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3568097&cid=t_176250_180_f&fid=38612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fpickthebrain%2FLYVv%2F%7E3%2FNY6jZ13xTTQ%2F “The Power Of One” courtesy of Shaun King Everyone and their brother has the “secret” to being rich. Countless books, articles, and late-night infomercials have revealed how we can all live in palm tree lined mansions and drive bright red Ferraris. So why are so many of us struggling? Because we have learned to be poor. It’s time we changed this… Many poor people — and by “poor” I mean financially but also living below your true potential — may have developed the belief that no matter how hard they work and how much education they get they will never get out of the financial and personal straight-jacket they are in. They may look at investing the other 8 hours and think it can work for others but that it will never work for them.... PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3568097 Sat, 15 May 2010 22:58:03 +0100 3568097 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3443782&cid=t_176250_111_f&fid=39123&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fnursingcomments%2Ftdtc%2F%7E3%2FLds048tgvPc%2F             Depression affects approximately 19 million Americans, or 9.5% of the population in any given one-year period.  At some point in their lives, 10%-25% of women and 5%-12% of men will likely become clinically depressed.  In fact, it affects so many people that it is often referred to as the “common cold” of mental illness.  Depression not only causes suffering to those who are depressed, but it also causes great difficulty for their family and friends who often do not know how to help.  Clinical depression affects all aspects of a person’s life.  It impairs our ability to sleep, eat, work, and get along with others.  It damages our self-esteem, self-confidence, and our ability to accomplish everyday tasks. People who are depressed find daily task... Nursing Comments blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3443782 Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:41:19 +0100 3443782 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3408438&cid=t_176250_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F26%2Fpsychotherapy-the-active-treatment%2F My friend Anne and I were talking the other day when the conversation turned to a recent airplane flight she was on. She recounted how it was on one of those smaller, turboprop planes with just 3 seats per row: “We hit some turbulence and then it was like we were free-falling. It was only a few seconds, but it was the scariest moment in my life. I felt so helpless and out of control. I know it was irrational to think anything bad would happen, but still …” When a person isn’t in control of his or her own destiny, most people feel powerless. Powerlessness can lead to feelings of helplessness as well. Most people prefer to be able to exert some influence on their destiny, on their future. We’d like to think that we actually have something to do with the way our ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3408438 Fri, 26 Mar 2010 10:06:18 +0100 3408438 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3363821&cid=t_176250_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2F_gS7hjkATkc%2F Therapy steps Twelve Steps can help manage various types of chronic illness For more than 75 years, the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous have worked for many people with alcohol and other drug problems. Today, the therapeutic value of the steps extends far beyond the field of addiction. Physicians, therapists and other health care professionals are finding that the steps can help people with other chronic illnesses (eg, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and mental illness) find hope and healing. There is increased recognition that a spiritual component, such as the Twelve Steps, is important in addressing mental and physical illness. One of the first things people realize when they have a chronic illness is, “Oh my God. I’m going to die and I don’t have the ability to ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3363821 Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:14:00 +0100 3363821 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3363800&cid=t_176250_136_f&fid=39016&url=http%3A%2F%2Fturquoisegates.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fto-sleep-perchance-to-dream.html Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them? ...to say we end the heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd. ~ Hamlet, Act III, Scene IA few weeks ago, tears sprang to my eyes as I realized that only cat tracks walked up to Echo Woods. Each chapter of suffering is eventually closed, and a new chapter opened. The winter months have brought the realities of suffering with my ill child, first the fury of adaptation to acute illness and now the slow lingering embers that occasionally spark to life and spur us to new realization of what chronic illness means in our home. I had meant to go sit by Teddy's little cairn this... Turquoise Gates blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3363800 Sat, 13 Mar 2010 18:29:00 +0100 3363800 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2347945&cid=t_176250_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fmasochism-medicine-and-clinical-it-how.html Conclusions and recommendations of The National Programme for IT in the NHS: Progress since 2006 :The termination of Fujitsu's contract has caused uncertainty among Trusts in the South and new deployments have stopped. One option being considered for new deployments is for Trusts to have a choice of either Lorenzo provided through CSC or the [Cerner] Millennium system provided through BT. There are, however, considerable problems with existing deployments of [Cerner] Millennium and serious concerns about the prospects for future deployments of Lorenzo. Before the new arrangements for the South are finalised, the Department should assess whether it would be wise for Trusts in the South to adopt these systems. Should either of the Local Service Providers take on additional commitments relati... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2347945 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:02:00 +0100 2347945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2206713&cid=t_176250_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fare-health-it-designers-testers-and.html At the provocatively titled piece "Are Health IT Designers, Testers and Purchasers Idiots Who Are Trying to Kill People? Part 1", I wrote that I would be presenting mockups showing the EHR deficiencies I am hearing about. These deficiencies in basic human computer interaction, biomedical information science, and presentation of information create a terrible user experience for clinicians.These "user experiences from hell" are overloading them cognitively, distracting and tiring them, and due to violations of fundamental good practices in information display, actually promoting error.These violations are primarily due to lack of clinician input at design, sluggish vendor correction of reported critical deficits, programmer convenience, contractual gagging of a healthcare organization's abil... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2206713 Mon, 23 Feb 2009 04:30:00 +0100 2206713 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2182482&cid=t_176250_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fphysicians-unexpected-un-helplessness.html At "Physicians' Expected Helplessness" I wrote that:I am going to coin a new term to describe what I have observed as a corollary to physicians' learned helplessness: "Physicians' Expected Helplessness."I observed that "Physician's learned helplessness", an adverse effect of dysfunctional medical training and culture described here, had perhaps led to societal expectations of physicians being weak in defense of their profession and its patient-protective values, and "having a target pasted to their backs."In a case of human bites dog - or perhaps, more to the point, doctors bite dogs - a physician revolt has led to the ouster of unpopular and apparently ineffectual executives including the CEO, COO and Chief of HR at a large healthcare system based in Nashville.Two more executives leave Sa... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2182482 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 01:16:00 +0100 2182482 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2167529&cid=t_176250_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fphysician-expected-helplessness.html At "Physicians' Learned Helplessness", HC Renewal Blog described a term coined by a lawyer and presented in an article in Medscape General Medicine.The lawyer suggested that physicians have developed a "learned helplessness" [Bond C. The training of the "helpless" physician. Medscape General Medicine 2007; 9(3):47].This learned helplessness obstructs physicians from standing up for their profession, its faithful execution (faithful to science and to the Hippocratic oath, the ability to be faithful being interfered with by an increasing number of opportunistic non medical interlopers), and to their own livelihoods.Two major points the lawyer described accounting for physicians' learned helplessness are:Beyond the basics of medical economics, young physicians are generally not introduced to ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2167529 Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:23:00 +0100 2167529 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1404040&cid=t_176250_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fpharma-union-cowed-into-submission.html In various posts including this one, I've commented on the environment of cutbacks, quality issues, and fear that seems to permeate pharma.Now a labor union leader at Merck has responded to the Philadelphia Inquirer article "FDA report shows problems at Merck vaccine plant." He writes in a letter to the editor:Concerns at MerckThe article "FDA: Problems at Merck's vaccine plant" (Inquirer, April 24) indicated the concerns raised after an inspection at our facility, Merck's West Point site. We, the United Steelworkers Union members, are dedicated to the creation of quality products through all phases of the manufacturing process. We are committed to following FDA guidelines, industry standards, and the FDA's Good Manufacturing Practices, all of which are the foundation for a successful phar... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1404040 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:29:00 +0100 1404040 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1340889&cid=t_176250_109_f&fid=35677&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FBrainBasedBusiness%2F%7E3%2F262003718%2Fboredoms_your_choice_research.html Research points to surprising facts about boredom you can use to burst its bubble… regardless of your situation. Have you seen it happen? When boredom pops up through lectures, brain dead meetings, workplace routines, negative effects of venting, or feelings of helplessness … one need not get trapped by its snares. How so? Boredom … it turns out is more of a personal choice … and less related to external forces … than once thought.While it’s true that an increasing number of workers hate their jobs … can you imagine Einstein bored, for instance? If your response is … “Yes but …” you have likely chosen to embrace boredom. Your brain is wired to stay stuck in its rut. Highly successful business leader Michael Neuvirth ... BrainBasedBusiness blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1340889 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:30:30 +0100 1340889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1027082&cid=t_176250_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F11%2Fphysicians-and-contracts-cautionary.html A conversation yesterday with one of my colleagues reminded me of this issue. So forgive me if I reference some articles that are a few weeks old.The relevant news article by Lisa Girion was in the Los Angeles Times the beginning of November. The issue was that a major California insurer, Blue Cross of California, a subsidiary of Wellpoint Inc, was accused of putting a confidentiality provision into its contracts with physicians and hospitals that prevented them from consulting lawyers for their help in contract negotiation:The state stepped into a bitter battle Thursday between Blue Cross of California and the doctors, hospitals and medical labs that serve about 700,000 people covered by the state's largest health plan.At issue is the contentious financial relationship between medical pro... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1027082 Wed, 14 Nov 2007 15:56:00 +0100 1027082