Since Thanksgiving eve, I've been fighting acute viral nasopharyngitis, more commonly known as the common cold. My symptoms include coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nasal congestion, pink eye, headaches, fatigue, and malaise. I don't have a fever (more associated with influenza) and my appetite is fine-- good news for this Thanksgiving holiday. Now into my fifth day, the only remaining symptoms is a sore throat, some coughing, and a croak. I treat these symptoms with rest, lozenges, and Robitussin.
A lack of sleep and vitamin D definciency is also causally related to colds. The best way to avoid a cold is thorough and regular washing of the hands.
At our Thanksgiving eve service, a large man was positioned near the door to the church to shake the hands of everyone who comes in. It is hard to resist such a friendly greeting. However, there is no doubt that such person to person contact is a vector for the common cold. I would like to see etiquette develop so that we can express welcoming warmth to others without touching them.
It seems new to us. Well, in actuality it's got the same risk factors as every other innoculation, and it's been well tested. Most of the stuff against it turns out to be unfounded or by an agendicized, quack source.
I thought alot about it, and someone pointed out "risk vs Benefit". That's what I'm going to consider: Risk vs Benefit. Right now, it's better to get the shot than to leave yourself open for the flu.
"The problem is that some medical personnel wear the same unlaundered uniforms to work day after day. They start their shift already carrying germs such as C.diff, drug-resistant enterococcus or staphylococcus. Doctors' lab coats are probably the dirtiest. At the University of Maryland, 65% of medical personnel confess they change their lab coat less than once a week, though they know it's contaminated. Fifteen percent admit they change it less than once a month. Superbugs such as staph can live on these polyester coats for up to 56 days."
My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree.
If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously.
Please read:
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 6:00 pm 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. Read and Learn! 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 999/911 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.
A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.
One of the purposes of this site to to identify professionals or companies that either impress us or disappoint us as consumers.
One professional that impresses us and that we recommend is Ray Van Der Werf Endodontics in Mesa, Arizona.
My wife has endured more than a month of severe headaches stemming from her tooth, after receiving a crown. But, today, she is a new person. Dr. Ray Van Der Werf was gentle and professional, and his staff was knowledgable and friendly.
We could not be more satisfied. We recommend Van Der Werf Endodontics if you should ever need root canal work.
"It appears that more people in the U.S. now die from the mostly hospital-acquired staph infection MRSA than from AIDS, according to a new report from the CDC. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was responsible for an estimated 94,000 life-threatening infections and 18,650 deaths in 2005, CDC researchers report in the Oct. 17 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
"Among the highlights from the newly published study:
"While most invasive MRSA infections could be traced to a hospital stay or some other health care exposure, about 15% of invasive infections occurred in people with no known health care risk. "Two-thirds of the 85% of MRSA infections that could be traced to hospital stays or other health care exposures occurred among people who were no longer hospitalized. "People over age 65 were four times more likely than the general population to get an MRSA infection. "
