The Cold That Just Won’t Leave
Did you ever have a party and have at least one guest that you just can’t get rid of?
I’ve got a cold like that, although it could be allergies too I suppose. Sometimes I feel OK and other times I get that stuffy feeling and stuffy nose with a long string of sneezes that just won’t quit. Like a huge histamine attack. Your eyes tear to the point of blindness and you can’t breath out of your nose.
Other times you feel perfectly fine maybe just a little run down.
OK, I’m just going to a little pity party for myself and hoping someone will join me. You can’t blame a girl for trying!
H1N1 Becomes Common Flu
When the first news of the Swine flu hit we were all told to be alarmed and ready for millions to die from it. We were given the impression of this great pandemic which most of us took to mean that we were all in deep danger from it. There was talk about quarantine and the government sending soldiers in to enforce it. We were given the impression if we caught it we’d probably die from it. So what happened?
As far as the experts can tell, H1N1 surprised us by replacing the regular seasonal flu. That doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous for some people, it just means that it hasn’t been as prevalent or deadly any more than the regular flu has been. To add to that the regular flu seems to be down some so that we aren’t noticing any more illness any worse than a regular flu season.
Doctors are still telling us to get the vaccination and it’s probably still a good idea to do so, however you can relax a little and continue on as you usually do during flu season.
January Was Thyroid Awareness Month
Sorry I missed this earlier in the month, but the important thing is to talk about it and now is better than never.
I have hypothyroidism. It’s not fun. My thyroid produced less and less hormones over the years, it’s a very slow process.
I can only speak from what I’ve experienced and the most painful part of this disease is that people including my family don’t understand it and have been very cruel, blaming me for my symptoms.
I have gained a lot of weight not taking my medication. I willingly admit that I do overeat. I know the calories come from somewhere. However I cannot loose weight till I get my pills. So my family mocks me and calls them magic pills.
The first thing was my voice started to go very hoarse so now I am barely understood. The next was hair stopped growing, I haven’t shaved my legs for over a year. My skin dried out and is as rough as sandpaper, mainly on the backs of my hands. I’m cold almost all the time now and I can’t get enough sleep. I’m tired all the time and have no energy or ambition for anything.
The good news is that once I’m back on the generic synthroid and I’m on it till my tsh number is where it should be ( in about 4-6 months ). I’ll be better and hopefully back to normal.
What makes it bad for those that really do have this condition is that almost every fat person who doesn’t want to take responsibility for their weight will tell you it’s their thyroid, when it’s really not.
I’ve heard this called the couch potato disease and now I know why.
Smokers and Their Own Second Hand Smoke
Someone finally realized that actual smokers also take regular breaths and end up breathing in their own second hand smoke, and that the second hand smoke they are generating is not good for them either.
Of course they had to study and research this in order to prove it, but this is another one of those duh moments.
I doubt that this will have any affect on smokers wanting to quit. Either you do or you don’t.
A wise person once told me that if you really wanted something deep down that you would find a way to do it or to have it, whatever the case may be. You can talk about addiction all you want but if you really wanted to quit you would stop making excuses and just do it.
Give Kids a Smile Day in Shasta County
Dentists and dental school patients will have a day called Give Kids a Smile Day, where they will provide free dental care including exams, cleanings, fillings and other one day procedures for those 18 and under. They will also give the children instructions on how to clean and care for their own teeth by themselves.
That’s wonderful for kids that aren’t covered by insurance and have not had dental care or seen a dentist before.
Let me warn you unsuspecting parents however that most dentists treat baby teeth as they would permanent teeth. That’s fine if you can afford it, but many of us can’t and get guilted into paying hundred of dollars out of their own pockets to fix baby teeth the kids will be losing anyway.
When my daughter was 4 or 5 her dentist insisted that she have a spacer put in where she lost a tooth so that there would be room for the adult tooth when it came in. It cost me almost $400.00 and fell out a couple months later. We found it luckily and had him put it back in. It fell out a second time was lost and we said forget it, especially after he told us all the other work he wanted to do on the baby teeth. If you can afford it, fine, but we couldn’t. Her baby teeth eventually all fell out and her adult teeth came in just fine and straight.
Puerto Rican Doctors Laughing in Photos With Haitian Victims
It seems that 60 or so PR doctors thought it would be a good idea to pose with Haitian Earthquake victims holding soldiers guns and having a great time doing it.
Some were holding beers, condoms, and saws next to people who were bloody, hurt, and half dressed.
Puerto Rico is investigating the doctors for ethics vialations. They say they have already punished the soldiers who offered up their guns to the docs to pose for these photos.
Some of the Haitian earthquake victims were transported to the Dominican Republic and about 60 doctors from PR went there to aid these people.
Maybe someone should explain to the “doctors” what aid really means.
To me and I’m sure many others around the world this is beyond ethics violations. It’s heartless, inhumane, and unforgivable. I certainly would not see a doctor who thought this kind of human suffering was funny or see it as a photogenic moment.
You might say this is a mere handful of doctors out of thousands, but who knows how many more that are this way and just haven’t gotten caught yet?
Haiti Relief Concert
I, like many others all over the world feel compassion for the people of Haiti. When I tuned in the other day on the concert, of course my heart just broke and I watched for awhile in tears.
I was put off a little however by this one story they showed between the acts. They showed a house that had fallen down and said the rescuers found a 15 year old girl trapped beneath the rubble since the quake occurred. All you could see was her one leg beneath this huge concrete wall. It showed other Haitian youths trying to dig her out. It said they had to use sticks that they didn’t even have shovels. I thought, my god, she must be in bad shape under there.
All of a sudden they pulled her out quite easily and stood her up and she didn’t have even a scratch on her and said she was unhurt. I find this hard to believe. Don’t they have enough misery over there without having to fake one?
I could be way off base and if I am I’m very sorry, but I felt at that moment that I was being manipulated by those teens. Did anyone else catch that part?
Herpes Commercial
Have you seen the new commercial on tv where a blonde woman tells up that there is a cure now for herpes, shingles and cold sores. ( I believe these are all from the same virus )?
Anyway she continues to say that the “cure” has just come into the United States and to call this number. No I didn’t take down the number. I don’t have the condition but it bothered me that she and who she represents just so blatantly announced this cure. I don’t believe it for a second.
Since I don’t have the virus, I don’t know how desperate people are for a cure but if I did I would approach this very cautiously. I would guess that it’s some kind of herbal cure that the FDA lets slide, otherwise wouldn’t they be doing a lot of testing on it?
The Salt Problem
The problem they say is salt. We all use far too much. In fact the governments recommendation is down from the previous 2300mg daily to about 1500mg a day. The experts tell us about how many lives could be saved and how many millions of dollars could be saved if only we cut down on the amount of sodium we consume.
However, they also recognize that fast, processed, and fried foods contain a great deal of sodium and unless manufacturers lower the salt our not using table salt may not make that much of a difference. They propose a 25% drop in the amount of sodium used over a 5 year period.
This may work, dropping the amount slowly, because I know that when I tried no sodium soup I nearly gagged on the tasteless slop I had just tried to swallow. I also know from experience that once I dropped adding all table salt while cooking and eating and a few days later when I resumed using it everything tasted too salty. Meaning I had easily gotten used to it in a few short days.
As always, you should consult your doctor before making a drastic change in your diet.
Life’s Simple Seven for Health and Longevity
The American Heart Association now has come up with a checklist of seven factors that will further health and lifespan another 20% or more.
Experts say that people who have been doing more preventitive measures have helped to lower heart and stroke risks by 35% in recent years. Doctors feel that by following these seven simple lifestyle changes they can further live longer and avoid some major health problems.
As this list is important I am going to quote them directly with a link to the article I’m quoting from.
- “Never smoked or quit more than a year ago.
- Body mass index, a measure based on weight and height, less than 25.
- Physical exercise — at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity each week.
- At least four key components of a healthy diet, such as fewer calories, more fruits and vegetables, and oily fish, such as salmon, four times a week.
- Total cholesterol lower than 200.
- Blood pressure below 120/80.
- Fasting blood sugar below 100.”
You can also find more information and explanation if you go to the American Heart Association
but many people think about investing in life insurance as well