Barb's Daily Dose

Why I Became a Nurse

I'm reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.  It's a brilliant book with shiny pearls of life's wisdom tucked within innocuous paragraphs and chapters like gems waiting to be discovered  There was one passage that made me gasp.  I thought that Dr. Verghese had been reading my mind when I read his description of why someone would want to care for others.

Knee Replacements

Steve could barely get up the 3 stairs that lead from his driveway to his house. The arthritis in his knee was killing him. He knew that weight loss would help, but he couldn't help but wonder if playing high school and college football hadn't done irreparable damage to his knees. They creaked and groaned like the old man he was becoming.  He knew when the weather was about to change and he tried ice and over the counter Advil to help the swelling. He knew that he needed a knee replacement, but couldn't imagine how he'd manage the recovery.

Probiotics Combat Diarrhea That Results From Antibiotics

Before you read further, let me warn you in advance that some of what I'm discussing here has to do with bodily fluids and diarrhea. If you're a caregiver and have dealt with this, I hope this helps. 

Recently, I was working with a family who's elderly mother had intermittent diarrhea as a result of gall bladder issues and some antibiotics she was taking for an infection.  She wouldn't leave the house for fear of an accident.  Embarrassing, depressing and isolating.

Testosterone Gel for Men

There's another new testosterone gel that's been approved for men in the US.  We have AndroGel and now recently, the FDA approved Bio-T-Gel.  These help treat low testosterone in men, which affects an estimated 5 million men.

Talking to the Elderly

As I have lived with the elderly, I've become much more interested in how they think. I came across this article from Reuters on how older adults and the elderly are different when it comes  talk therapy or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy when treating anxiety and depression.

Teens Who Harm Themselves

One of the most common reasons that teens come to an Emergency room is because they've harmed themselves. Sad, but tragically true. Unfortunately, this scenario becomes even more tragic, as the majority are not receiving the emergency mental health assessments that they need.

9 Spices with Super Healing Powers

Today's Featured Guest Writer is Megan Kempston of Caring.com

Have you checked your spice rack lately? Spices and herbs can do a lot more than add pizzazz to your cooking -- they can also promote heart health, fight cancer, reduce inflammation, and more. Here are nine super spices and herbs that are good for you and taste good, too.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a nutritional powerhouse, with antioxidant properties that keep cells safe from oxidative stress and dangerous free radicals. Antioxidants help fight such diseases as cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and Parkinson's.

Continue here to read more of this informative article.

Contaminated Water and Mental Illness

Is it possible that early exposure to water contaminated with PCE's (tetrachloroethylene) can cause mental illness? 

A recent study of over 1500 people from Cape Cod, Massachusetts found that people who had long term exposure to contaminated water were much more likely to be bi-polar and have depression. That's scary and would keep me up at night, especially since I used to spend my summers on Cape Cod as a child.

Outshine: An Ovarian Cancer Memoir

I've had the pleasure to read and review the book "Outshine: An Ovarian Cancerr Memoir" by Karen Ingalls.  I am very impressed with Karen's personal story, attention to detail and inspiration for others battling cancer.  Karen expresses "this book is the result of my increased awareness that there is a great need for more information about ovarian cancer. Our mortality rate is 70%, compared to 15 % for breast cancer.  A woman needs to know about the whispering symptoms of ovarian cancer and be encouraged to be her own advocate."

Weight Loss Surgery for Teens

Imagine being in high school and weighing more than 3 of your classmates combined?  The teen years are a minefield of emotional challenges, with body image being one that 99.9% of teens focus on at some point. If you're slightly overweight, sweatshirts can loose clothes can conceal embarrassment, but if you weigh over 300 pounds, then hiding is no longer an option.