November 2009

  • December is World AIDS Month

    By sarajean on 11/30/09 4:01pm
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    If you’ve seen the South Park episode about Cartman getting AIDS, you might think that cancer is “all the rage” and that AIDS just isn’t a big deal anymore. It’s true that AIDS doesn’t seem to be getting the attention it used to, largely because it’s sometimes treatable these days; but the fact remains that it’s still an enormous threat to our society that needs to be talked about, understood, prevented, and most of all, cured.

    33.4 million people are living with HIV today, 2.1 million of which are kids. In 2008 alone, 2.7 million more were infected—and 2 million died from the disease. AIDS is definitely a youth killer; about half of people who contract the disease do so before they turn 25, and die before turning 35. That said, it affects all ages—as well as all races, genders, and people all over the world.

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  • Stay Home Because You're Well Day

    By sarajean on 11/30/09 2:20pm
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    Though today is Stay Home Because You’re Well Day, any day would be a good pick to just stay home and relax for your own mental well-being. It can be hard to do this with an economy where jobs are sparse and workers are in abundance, but if you do have a job in which doing so would be safe—by all means, do it.

    Here are some ideas for your Home Because You’re Well Day retreat.

    Do Something You Never Do

    Visit a vineyard. Attend a cooking school at your local grocery store. See a craft demo and think about doing it on your own at home. Go ride some bumper cars, a go-kart, or play at an arcade.

    Have a Date with Your Child

    Take him or her out for a special treat—maybe a trip to the museum or out for an ice cream cone. Make it a special day just for the two of you.

    Do Something You Miss Doing

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  • Meth Awareness Day

    By sarajean on 11/30/09 10:15am
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    Where I come from, there’s a joke about our area being the “meth capital” of the country. Really, it’s not that funny, considering that over 6% of high school students have reported using meth, almost twelve million Americans have used it, and it causes severe health problems and death.

    Stimulants like meth cause 15,000 deaths every year in the United States. More than 150,000 people were seeking treatment in emergency departments from meth in 2004, making meth the cause behind 8% of drug-related hospital admissions.

    Methamphetamine is also known as chalk, speed, crystal, ice, and glass. It can be in the form of crystals, powder, tablets, and rocks. A highly addictive stimulant, its effects last longer than amphetamine and it produces even more toxic effects on a person’s nervous system.

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  • 10 Ways to Help a Grieving Friend

    By sarajean on 11/29/09 11:52pm
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    After three weeks, my father’s stay in the hospital has sort of become routine for us. Everything has pretty much been put on hold so we can visit as often as possible—it’s a forty minute drive—and now that he’s doing so much better—being transferred, actually—we’re all breathing a relieved sigh.

    Over the past month, time has been spent answering the question, “What can we do for you?” I’ve never really known a good answer; I always just shrug and mutter, “Nothing, we’re okay.” The thing is, I’ve been asking my mother the same thing over and over again as well, and have come to the conclusion that there are plenty of things you can do for a grieving relative or friend.

    10. Comfort and Presence

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  • Epilepsy Awareness Month

    By sarajean on 11/27/09 2:07pm
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    I remember back when we first brought our baby home and she started moving her head rapidly from side to side. I was terrified that she might have epilepsy and called the children’s hospital hotline immediately. They scheduled some testing for her—which terrified me even further—only to produce negative results. Thankfully, it turned out to be yet another sensory symptom of my daughter’s prematurity.

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  • The Role of Prayer in Healing

    By ecoscott on 11/24/09 11:44am
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    Should the Government Pay for Prayer Healing in the Health Care Reform Bill?Should the Government Pay for Prayer Healing in the Health Care Reform Bill?What is health care, anyway? I stumbled on an article today that blurs the lines between what most people consider health care (i.e. going to the hospital or taking some medicine) and what some consider just as effective- prayer.

    The article is about The Church of Christ, Scientist religion and how they use prayer as a medical treatment- but before you start shaking your head back and forth and cursing the Christian Right over some outlandish classification and demand, think about it- it’s not that crazy and they do have a point. The article begins with a profile of a prayer-healer within the church who takes phone calls from people.

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  • Allergy Haiku

    By msarko on 11/23/09 3:29am
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    eyes itching badly

    nose runs like a waterfall

    my body rebels