RSS

Will a Real Patient-Loving, "I Truely Want To Make People Well" Doctor Please Stand Up!

I read medical information all the time. As I have grown older, my health has become much more important to me. I realize I am mortal. I am also concerned with the quality of life I will have as I age thru the years. I watch news on the latest medical breakthroughs, I receive newsletters from several places, including the Mayo Clinic, and what I want to know is "how do you know who to trust?"

On one side we have the regular doctor who practices medicine based on what he learned in Med school many years ago. In California, the continuing education requirements are 25 hrs. per year, 100 hrs. over a 4 yr. period. (That's very simplified, but that's the gist of it). How much do they actually use new practices in medicine, or stick with the thing "they've always done"? Is your doctor new an innovative, or old and only into old ideas? Is he old, but prides himself on keeping up with the latest research? And the biggest question? Is he prescribing drugs based on what he gets "as gifts" from the drug companies, more than what is good for you?

According to Dr. Angell, in an article in the New York Review of Books:

"Over the past two decades the pharmaceutical industry has moved very far from its original high purpose of discovering and producing useful new drugs. Now primarily a marketing machine to sell drugs of dubious benefit, this industry uses its wealth and power to co-opt every institution that might stand in its way, including the US Congress, the FDA, academic medical centers, and the medical profession itself...."

The Journal Of The American Medical Association authors reported that the rate at which physicians prescribe a particular drug increases substantially after they see sales representatives, attend company-supported symposia, or accept samples of that drug.

What about the most recent flack over Dr. Robert Jarvik, inventor of the artificial heart, hawking Lipitor? Jarvik ended his training after medical school, instead of completing a medical internship. He can't legally prescribe medicine to anyone and he is not licensed to practice medicine. Now their checking records for proof that he even took the stuff!

What about the most recent "News With Katie Couric" expose where Dr. LaCorte found out his prescriptions for Zantac were being turned into Pepcid by the hospital he worked for? The hospital had struck a deal with Merk to get a deep discount if 80% of their patients took Pepcid. For many of Dr LaCorte's patients, Pepcid was too strong, that's why he didn't prescribe it in the first place.

On the other side we have the doctors that fight regular medicine. They have more of a naturopathy way of practicing medicine and feel for the most part, regular doctors have been bought off by "big pharma". Reading the above, it's no wonder regular doctors fight naturopathic doctors. It cuts into their pocketbooks. Now in California, naturopathic doctors also must be licensed and have continuing education requirements, tho this line of licensing is fairly new.

But these doctors, at least the ones we seem to hear the most about, have their own agendas. They are trying to sell me some "Super vitamin" that is better than the one I use because...? Or they want to sell me some treatment that only they perform, that takes several applications over a period of time and cost thousands of dollars. They also have become a huge "marketing machine" whose interest is in the bottom line vs. my actual health.

So who gets caught in the crossfire? You and me. How do you pick your doctor? Do you blindly follow his advice, or do you research what he tells you or prescribes? Do you ask a lot of questions and get complete answers as to why?

There is a website called Healthgrades.com. Supposedly you can go there and look up your doctor, hospital, nursing home and much more. I don't know how much info it has for every state, as I am just newly aware of it, but it seems like a great place to start.

I am no doctor, and obviously not all of the medical community is guilty, but this stuff scares me. Even a lot of the research is paid for by the drug companies, so how can it be unbiased? The immediate labs use some other name, but when they "follow the money", guess where it leads? It's important for all of us to be responsible for our own health care and safety. I'd say the more of this that is uncovered, the more there is that isn't. We have to pay attention, people.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

The Easter Bunny and His (?) Eggs

In honor of the day, I did a little research and found some interesting “facts” (using the term very loosely) concerning the celebration of Easter with a rabbit and colored eggs. Whether you celebrate Easter as a religious holiday, or just with the tradition of the Easter Bunny, have a wonderful day and God Bless.

Where Did The “Easter Bunny” Originate?

As for rabbits laying eggs, several explanations have been proposed.
In English, the etymology of the word "Easter" comes from an ancient pagan goddess of the spring named Eostre, related to German Ostara. This is probably one of the most beautiful explanations I’ve read on how a rabbit lays eggs. According to popular folklore, Eostre once saved a bird whose wings had frozen during the winter by turning it into a rabbit. Because the rabbit had once been a bird, it could still lay eggs, and that rabbit became the modern Easter Bunny.(1)
Now obviously, we all know neither hares nor rabbits lay eggs, but hares bring up their young in 'forms'. These forms are hollows in the ground, usually located in fields and meadows. Plovers, a type of bird, have been known to take over a form as a nest in which to lay their eggs. One legend relates that a woman saw a hare leaving a form and upon investigation, she found a 'nest of eggs', which she consequently believed to have been 'laid' by the hare.

David Beaulieu, who wrote an article for About.com regarding “Easter Origins: Easter Rabbit, Easter Egg says:
“Thus in our modern Easter lore, although the Easter Rabbit is sometimes thought of as laying the Easter eggs so eagerly sought by children, the Easter Rabbit is nonetheless often regarded as male. Since rabbits don't lay eggs anyhow, I suppose quibbling over gender wouldn't make much sense”.

The first edible Easter bunnies were made in Germany during the early 1800s. And were made of pastry and sugar. The newest tradition on the scene is the Easter Bilby in Australia. Instead of Chocolate Easter Bunnies, many Aussies are buying chocolate “Easter Bilbies” to raise money to save the Bilby from extinction.

Why Colored Eggs?

The precise origin of the ancient custom of coloring eggs is not known. Dyed eggs were already being used as part of pagan rituals at the dawn of history in the Near Eastern civilizations. These were the first "Easter eggs."
The idea of an egg-laying bunny came to the United States in the 18th century. German immigrants in the Pennsylvania Dutch area told their children about the "Osterhas," sometimes spelled "Oschter Haws." "Hase" means "hare," not rabbit, and in Northwest European folklore the "Easter Bunny" indeed is a hare, not a rabbit. According to the legend, only good children received gifts of colored eggs in the nests that they made in their caps and bonnets before Easter.
German Protestants wanted to retain the Catholic custom of eating colored eggs for Easter, but did not want to introduce their children to the Catholic rite of fasting. Eggs were forbidden to Catholics during the fast of Lent, which was the reason for the abundance of eggs at Easter time.

Why Does Easter Fall On A Different Date Every Year?

According to bbc.co.uk.com, the reason the date changes is because originally
in some ancient cultures, the hare was a symbol for the moon. Hares feed by night and have been observed staring at the moon when it is full. Their gestation period was also believed to be 28 days — the same as a lunar cycle. The lunar cycle, which represented the victory of life over death or spring over winter, was celebrated around the vernal equinox. That is why the date for Easter changes each year: it is based on the lunar cycle. The Council of Nicea convened by emperor Constantine in 325AD, decided Easter would fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox on 21 March. As such Easter always falls somewhere between March 22 and April 25th. According to “Easter On The Net”, the Saxons devoted the month of April to celebrating their goddess of spring and fertility, who was, not coincidentally, named Eastre.
1. Per article in Wikipedia

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Stuff I Learn From Junk Mail- Fun Facts

Part 1 was pretty serious, so I decided to just post some usefull fun stuff this time. Hope you find something you didn't know and you can use.

Stuff gleaned from an ad for the Reader's Digest book "Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things". I don't know how it is I don't have this book. I see the mailer card is gone, but I must not have mailed it.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for anything that may happen as a result of repeating info here. Some of these things I have tried and actually find them to work, and have had no ill effects. You are responsible for what you decide to do.

1) A quick spritz of WD-40 on arthritic joints can provide relief and make movement easier, much as it does for quieting squeaky hinges.

2) Relieve back pain with meat tenderizer. The same enzymes that tenderize meat can help with a bad back. Just mix a little with water to make a paste, and rub it where it hurts. Supposedly amazing relief. (I guess "don't knock it 'till you try it").

3) Vinegar's wrinkle-busting power in clothing. After your clothes come out of the dryer, mist wrinkled clothes with a solution of 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water. Hang to air-dry. Not only will the wrinkles disappear, plus it makes foul smells go away.

4) These days we all need to save money where we can. If you put just a pinch of salt to a carton of milk or cream will keep it fresh longer.

5) Epsom salts, over and above all it's other uses, has 2 minerals that make plants grow like crazy. Add 2 tablespoons per gallon of water and spread over your grass so it soaks it. It turns your lawn into a "super-green" and it's cheaper than fertilizer.

There were so many tips in this little mailer, that I just can't put them all here. The following are some tips I got out of another Reader's Digest mailer for their book "2001 Amazing Cleaning Secrets".

As old as I am and as big a jewelry nut as I am, something no one ever told me was how bad chlorine was for gold.

1) Never allow chlorine to get on your gold. It will cause the gold to deteriorate. Be sure to remove your jewelry before getting into chlorinated pools and hot tubs.

2) Save your money from jewelry cleaners and soak for 30 minutes in equal parts ammonia and cold water instead.

3) Get rust stains out of clothes with a paste of cream of tartar and lemon juice. (Rust stains have always been just about impossible to remove!).

4) This is definitely not the way my mama taught me. When washing walls, start from the bottom up. The reason for this is because dirty water running down a dirty wall leaves worse streaks than dirty water running down a clean wall. (I wish I would have known this one years ago!).

5) If your kitchen fills with smoke, over and above opening windows, etc., if you boil 1 quart of water and 1/4 cup of vinegar on the stove it will clear out the smell quickly. The vinegar is oder neutralizing.

There you go. 10 new tips to use as you will. I get so much junk mail, I'm sure I will have some more tips you can use in the future. I know I'm missing one mailer that was just super and it was all about gardening tips. Till then...

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Things I've Learned From Junk Mail- Part 1

I am constantly bombarded with all kinds of junk mail, as I'm sure you are. When it comes to those little magazine-like solicitations, most the time I can't help but look.
Most of these are either to sell you books or newsletters regarding health, taking care of your garden, or fixing and cleaning your house. Because they're soliciting you, they can't help but give you a few examples of what's inside the book or newsletter they want you to buy. This is the info I find fascinating. Some of this stuff is not "main stream" knowledge, or at least I've never heard of it before, so that's what I would like to share with you.

To Your Health
We hear all the time about how we need calcium, especially women, for weightloss and to combat osteoporosis, but what we don't hear a lot about is how we need both vitamin D and magnesium to absorb it. Even if you have heard bits and pieces regarding the above, what you probably haven't heard is how important magnesium is for us all on it's own.
Magnesium deficiency can cause:

  • Cold hands
  • Soft or brittle nails
  • High blood pressure (lack of magnesium and CoQ10)
  • Muscle Cramps (as I was growing up I always heard this was from a lack of calcium. When I got older, different ones said it was a lack of potassium. According to Dr. Susan Lark of "Women's Health" it's a sign of a magnesium deficiency).
  • Shaking hands (magnesium and vitamin B1)

These are some of the most common ways to spot a deficiency. Left unchecked it can lead to more serious problems such as arthritis, osteoporosis, tooth decay, chronic fatigue, even heart attack and stroke!

Some best sources for magnesium:

  • 100% Bran Cereal (1/2 cup) 128.7 mg
  • Oat Bran (1/2 cup) 96.4 mg
  • Brown Rice (1 cup cooked) 83.8 mg
  • Almonds (1 oz. or 22 almonds) 81.1 mg
  • Spinach, chopped (1/2 cup) 78.3 mg
  • Swiss chard, chopped (1/2 cup) 75.2 mg
  • Lima Beans (1/2 cup cooked) 62.9 mg

Obviously getting your magnesium through a healthy diet is the best. Supplements usually carry just a very small amount of magnesium in them usually found with calcium, but the ratio between the calcium and magnesium is usually seriously out of whack. The usual recommended dosage for adults over 18 is 300 to 400 mg. per day.

For the best in vitamins and supplements from the #1 manufacturer in the world, visit http://www.lbeamish.qhealthbeauty.com/

(Disclaimer: I am in no way a medical doctor and get my information from others. Before doing anything, you may want to speak to your physician about any possible deficiencies or drug interactions.)


  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS