Not only will tulips and cherry blossoms be in bloom in May, throughout the country Women’s Health programs will be in full force. The week of May 10 – 16 2009, is National Women’s Health Week. Check this site to see what is going on in your state. Many programs are free or low cost. Click here.
The site also allows you to post a link to your event supporting Women’s Health Week.
Posted in family, Health, health care, women, women's health
Tagged female health, health events for women 2009, health fairs for women, national women's week
The article below outlines some of the challenges that are thrust on a child when a parent is sad or depressed. Homeopathic care (with a qualified homeopath) can offer solutions to those seeking an alternative to allopathic care. Homeopathy is of help for the entire family and as the article below suggests, health services must help the whole family. Visit our site, continuumwellness.org and contact us for more information.
Life is hard for the children of a parent suffering from depression. Children take on an enormous amount of responsibility for the ill parent and for other family members. It is therefore important for the health services to be aware of this and have support functions in place for the whole family, and not just for the person who is ill. This is the conclusion of a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Registered Nurse Britt Hedman Ahlström has examined the way in which family life is affected when a parent is suffering from depression. Nine families, including ten children and young adults between the ages of 5 and 26, and eleven parents were included in the study.
The results show how the family’s daily life changes and becomes more complicated when a parent is suffering from depression. Uncertainty about what is happening has an effect on the daily life of the entire family. Depression also means that the parent becomes tired and exhausted, which then affects and weighs heavily on the children’s daily life. Depression changes the relationship between a parent and his/her children, since they no longer communicate with each other as they used to. Family interplay and reciprocity decrease. The depressed parent withdraws from the family, and the children feel that they have been left to themselves.
Daily family life becomes unfamiliar to the children
The family members try their utmost, both as individuals and together, to cope with the situation, so that daily life can be restored to a more manageable level. The children take responsibility for both the depressed parent, siblings and themselves, when they notice that the parent cannot cope.
“The toughest burden of responsibility that children take on is ensuring that the depressed parent doesn’t commit suicide. So children take on an extremely heavy responsibility by monitoring and keeping an eye on the depressed parent,” says Britt Hedman Ahlström.
For children, the parent’s depression means both a sense of responsibility and a feeling of loneliness The feelings of responsibility and loneliness include a striving and yearning for reciprocity with the parent, and for things to return to a state of normality.
“Even if the depression goes away for a time, the family is never entirely free from anxiety over it coming back. This means that there is a prolonged period of suffering associated with depression,” says Britt Hedman Ahlström.
Health services must help the whole family
Involving the entire family when a parent becomes ill is important, both for the children and the parents. It is essential to have a well-defined level of guaranteed care on how, when and from whom the families will get support. Psychiatric healthcare personnel meet people suffering from depression at an early stage, and therefore have the opportunity to focus the care on the family, in order to together identify ways of helping the family get through the depression.
“We need a new approach within the health services, in which the focus is on the family’s own perspective when a parent is suffering from depression. It’s vital to be aware of the whole family’s needs in terms of help and support, and not just those of the person who is ill. It’s particularly important to be aware of the children’s situation. Research can therefore focus on how to develop various ways of providing families with care and support, and introduce them into the existing organisation, as well as evaluating the consequences for the whole family, the parents and the children,” says Britt Hedman Ahlström.
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Posted in adolescents, children, depression, family, healing, Health, healthy mind, men, mind and body, women, women's health
Tagged healing depression, how sadness effects children, sadness
If for some reason you need to take pharmaceutical drugs, protect yourself and loved ones by reading the package inserts. According to this research adverse drug events happen to the the tune of $3.5 billion dollars, and those are the reported incidents.
The new Food and Drug Administration drug package insert: implications for patient safety and clinical care.
Watson KT, Barash PG.
Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8051, USA.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the scientific, regulatory, and public health agency that regulates many products, including food products, drugs, medical devices, radiation emitting devices, and cosmetics for the federal government of the United States. The FDA’s mission is to assure that consumer products made and sold in the United States are safe, effective, and pure. The purpose of the package insert (also known as prescription drug product insert or professional labeling) is to provide detailed drug information compiled and distributed by the drug manufacturer, after FDA review and approval.
In 2006, the standard format for the package insert was changed in an attempt to make it more user-friendly and a more efficient resource tool for practitioners.
According to the Institute of Medicine, in-hospital adverse drug reactions occur at a rate of 400,000 per year and incur $3.5 billion of extra hospital expense. It is expected that the new package insert format will enhance rapid access to important pharmacologic information and improve patient safety by decreasing medication errors.
Posted in children, drugs, family, FDA, girls, Health, health care, medications, medicine, prescription drugs, women, women's health
Tagged drug dangers, drug safety, drug side effects, patient safety
We’re having a holistic health fair. The why is simple, there is a need. From time to time I do informal research into if an individual is aware of natural therapies or alternative forms of healing or how to care for themselves beyond the “give me a pill approach”. Perhaps, it doesn’t come as a surprise that a lot of people may not have access to other approaches to healing. But it was a surprise to me!
Chronic disease rates continue to climb and the latest twist shows more individuals with more than one chronic condition. Disease is managed. It offers a measure of relief, at least for some, yet there is a need for more choice. It helps simply to know that there are options. How deeply one chooses to explore is, and should be a personal matter. In the spirit of empowerment…bring on the healing at the:
Living Well Holistic Health Fair, 28 February 2009. This event will provide an opportunity to hear lectures through out the day, chat with the practitioners and shop with our conscious vendors.
I thought I’d share just how wonderful my feet feel! Yes, I give reflexology sessions, and I appreciate that people enjoy our sessions together and experience relief and healing. Well, I love when I can get a session in too. Many of the areas of the foot you can reach on your own foot, but it is not the same as you relaxing…and receiving. Also doing your own foot still leaves much to be desired regarding technique.
Benefits of Reflexology
Have you tried reflexology? I’m fortunate to trade sessions with another reflexologist, yea! But who is rubbing your feet? Foot reflexology offers an easy way to treat the whole body/mind. It is relaxing, boosts your circulation, immunity, helps you to detox and get in touch with your own body.
It is amazing how easy it is to ignore one’s own body. The standard protocol of if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it, doesn’t tell the whole story when applied to the body. For example many deep seated illnesses have very few symptoms, there are symptoms, but they are subtle. If we ignore our internal energy systems, we increase the chance for a more serious breakdown to occur. To make a difference take a break, listen to your body. Learn the art of wise self-care. Prevention is worth a pound of cure…and then some.
Join me this evening on the radio (1/19). I’m a guest on Magical Mother tonight at 7pm for their weekly broadcast of Mastering A Joyful Life on www.harambeeradio.com.
Special guest: Continum Wellness proprietor and Homeopath Catherine (Senbita) Carter.
call in at 1-866-851-5279 with your questions and comments on health, wellness, rejuvenation etc…
I look forward to hearing from you!
Peace and love
Sour Economy Sweetens Americans on Herbal Meds
The choice between $75 prescription sleeping pills or a $5 herbal alternative is a no-brainer for Cathy and Bernard Birleffi, whose insurance costs have skyrocketed along with the nation’s financial woes.
The Calistoga, Calif., couple seem to reflect a trend. With many Americans putting off routine doctor visits and self-medicating to save money, use of alternative treatments is on the rise — even though evidence is often lacking on their safety and effectiveness.
Climbing sales of herbal medicines have paralleled the tanking economy, according to an Associated Press review of recent data from market-watchers and retailers.
One prominent example: Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market Inc. says its stores nationwide have seen an increase in sales of nutritional supplements and herbal products in the past several weeks. That’s “noteworthy” given the retail industry’s financial slump, said Whole Foods spokesman Jeremiah C. McElwee.
While winter is usually a busy time for herbal medicine sales because it’s the season for colds and flu, “more people are value shopping” now because of the economy, McElwee said.
Cathy Birleffi says she’s among them.
“The doctors are so much higher (in cost), the insurance isn’t paying as much,” said the 61-year-old self-employed bookkeeper and notary. Her husband, a retired dispatcher, has high blood pressure and seizures. Recent changes in their health insurance coverage resulted in $1,300 in monthly premiums, double what they used to be.
Until they tried herbal alternatives, including valerian for insomnia, “every time I turned around, it was $50 here, $75 there” for prescriptions, Cathy Birleffi said.
Among data reflecting the trend:
For the three months that ended Dec. 28, nationwide retail sales of vitamins and supplements totaled nearly $639 million, up almost 10 percent from the same period in 2007. That includes a nearly 6 percent increase in sales of herbal supplements alone, according to Information Resources Inc., a Chicago-based market research firm. Its numbers do not include Wal-Mart or club stores.
Nationwide herbal and botanical supplement sales totaled $4.8 billion in 2007, when the recession began, up 4.3 percent over 2006. That was a marginally higher increase compared with the previous year, according to Jason Phillips of the Nutrition Business Journal, an industry-tracking publication. Sales of animal oil supplements — mostly fish oils — were up 29 percent from 2006. While that was a decline from the previous year, both categories continued to show strong growth in a faltering economy.
A government survey released in December said concerns about the cost of conventional medicine influenced Americans’ decisions to try alternative remedies. “Nonvitamin, nonmineral natural products,” including fish oil and herbal medicines, were the most commonly used alternatives, taken by almost 18 percent of Americans in 2007, the report said. Among those users, roughly a quarter said they delayed or didn’t get conventional medical care because of the cost.
Report co-author Richard Nahin of the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine offered cautionary advice on the topic.
People taking herbal and other supplements should let their doctor know what they’re using, said Nahin, acting director of the center’s branch that oversees outside research the agency funds.
Copyright AP
Blood Clots/Stroke – They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue
STROKE:Remember the 1st Three Letters….S.T.R..
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall – she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics); she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.
They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening
Ingrid’s husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital – (at 6:00pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don’t die; they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this…
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke…totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Remember the ’3′ steps, STR
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S *Ask the individual to SMILE.
T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e. It is sunny out today)
R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
New Sign of a Stroke ——– Stick out Your Tongue
NOTE: Another ‘sign’ of a stroke is this: Ask the person to ‘stick’ out his tongue… If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.
Posted in Health, men, seniors, stroke, symptoms, women, women's health
Tagged how to identify a stroke, how to recognize a stroke, medical emergency, signs of a stroke
Flowers dazzle us with their sublime beauty. A lover gifting his beloved with a flower bouquet is sure to warm the heart of the beloved. Yet, the gift of flowers extends even further. Flowers not only dazzle, they can also assist us in maintaining wholeness.
The use of flowers for healing was known in times past, but had fallen out of favor until the pioneering work of Dr. Edward Bach. His work to reduce the suffering of his fellow man lead him to the flowers and the development of the Bach Flower remedies. The Bach remedies recognize 38 conditions that are aligned to states of dis-ease within the psyche. In addition is a special formula known as ‘rescue remedy’.
Rescue Remedy is a combination blend consisting of: Rock Rosefor terror, Star of Bethlehem for shock, Cherry Plum for loss of control, Clematis for unconsciousness and Impatiens for stress. This blend is useful for easing stress as well as helping to restore calm in emergencies.
The flower essences are non-toxic and easy to take. A drop or two taken under the tongue or in a small amount of water and sipped. Very easy. For more information check here.
I posted a government survey here on this blog which concluded that 38 percent of American adults and 12 percent of American children use complementary and alternative medicine (here). The Washington Post did an article on this topic too (here)
Critics of these health care approaches are up in arms, claiming that acupuncture is a placebo and homeopathy is fake. What they fail to realize it that these approaches are valid and have helped since their inceptions millions of people. The power of these approaches is that they offer prevention and healing. These alternative approaches tend to follow a non-invasive model and offer empowerment.
Many people are opting out of lifelong medication. That approach seems to miss the mark on quality care. The Western medical model is helpful, however it is not the only approach that has validity and that can help people. The science as God approach used to validate modern medical is also not fool proof. To wit the large number of adverse events and drug side effects. But, the purpose of the article is not to rant.
Health is freedom. Let the healing continue.
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