This is Day Two of the vegetation plan. Keep up with me on either one of my blogs:
dietandhealthinformation.blogspot.com
or
http://cleanfilteredwatersite.blogspot.com
or
http://healthybeautifulskinsite.blogspot.com
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Managing My Diet
After over one year of being on my diet; I am finally incorporating exercise into it.
I would like to try to re-incorporate a little caffiene into my diet along with alot more water. I will try to decrease the amount of seltzer water that I drink.
That will tell me whether or not the caffiene will work against my weight loss on the Atkins Diet.
I will update and let you know.
You can follow my adventures at http://315to170.blogspot.com/
CT
I would like to try to re-incorporate a little caffiene into my diet along with alot more water. I will try to decrease the amount of seltzer water that I drink.
That will tell me whether or not the caffiene will work against my weight loss on the Atkins Diet.
I will update and let you know.
You can follow my adventures at http://315to170.blogspot.com/
CT
Friday, February 1, 2008
Everyone looks good in Red
Fashion experts tell us that when shopping for clothes, choose colors that you will look good in. We've been told that while mauve looks good on some, it is definitely not the color for others. But there is one color that looks good on everyone, particularly on the first Friday of February each year.
The American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign encourages us to wear red to raise awareness to the fact that heart disease is the number one killer of women. Red is an attention getting kind of color. Hopefully, wearing red today will help focus our attention on preventing heart disease and when to seek medical attention if you have symptoms. (Remember my Thanksgiving story on an earlier posting?)
How can heart disease be prevented? By.........
Even though the campaign talks about women, heart healthy practices apply to men too.
For more information, follow the link to the American Heart Association's Wear Red campaign on this page.
I'm wearing my red jacket. When you reach into your closet, remember that everyone looks good in red today. Be sure to tell your family and friends,too.
The American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign encourages us to wear red to raise awareness to the fact that heart disease is the number one killer of women. Red is an attention getting kind of color. Hopefully, wearing red today will help focus our attention on preventing heart disease and when to seek medical attention if you have symptoms. (Remember my Thanksgiving story on an earlier posting?)
How can heart disease be prevented? By.........
- Choosing healthy foods (Lots of fruits and vegetables; less fat and salt)
- Increasing daily physical activity (For example, walking, even chair exercises :) )
- Knowing your important health numbers like blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose
- Knowing the symptoms of heart disease (and not ignoring them if they occur)
- Getting regular medical check-ups
Even though the campaign talks about women, heart healthy practices apply to men too.
For more information, follow the link to the American Heart Association's Wear Red campaign on this page.
I'm wearing my red jacket. When you reach into your closet, remember that everyone looks good in red today. Be sure to tell your family and friends,too.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Meet the Patient
Hello
Many people have suggested that I start a blog and talk about health related topics. So, I finally decided to try it. This web site stuff can be pretty intimidating but thanks to Blogger, my site was up in no time. So, here is my very first posting !
Instead of starting the blog with information from the standpoint of health professionals, I'd like to kick off the blog with a true story about a patient....Me !
On the weekend after Thanksgiving, I started having chest pain. It didn't feel like the pain people describe when they are having a heart attack. In fact, it was more like heartburn and not like the "elephant on the chest" So, of course, I blamed it on too much food from the holidays. I tried to ignore it, but pain being proactive , insisted that I pay attention and pay attention right away. I went back and forth between patient and health professional. "Go to the ER" "You're just over-reacting" "Why take a chance with your health? "It was that last piece of pie" Then, I remembered...
"Women don't have the same symptoms that men have with heart attacks. Their symptoms can be subtle and nondescript " So, to humor the pain (and to be safe and alive), I decided to go to an emergency room. Hence started my journey as a patient.
The professionals in the emergency room took care of me effectively and efficiently. I had oxygen, Nitro Paste , Aspirin and an IV before I knew it. But what I didn't have was much information. I wanted to know what they thought might be causing my symptoms. I wanted them to volunteer the information because it was a little hard to talk through the clenched teeth that I had because of the pain. I was humbled because I wondered, "How often did I go in to talk to someone in my role as a pharmacist and not offer information about obvious things that patients want to know ?"
After several hours in the emergency room, I was surprised to be admitted to a cardiac unit. This got my attention! I have the highest respect for the health professionals in hospitals. There is a lot going on and a lot to do. But the thing I found most disconcerting was that there was a steady stream of people coming into my room and sometimes they did not tell me their names or whether they were a doctor, nurse, medical assistant or X-ray technician. I made a mental note so that when I went back to being a pharmacist, I would always introduce myself to patients, telling them my title and the purpose of my visit.
Finally, I decided that I needed to know more about what was going on. Although it felt uncomfortable, I started asking questions. Lots of them. I found it interesting that even with my background as a pharmacist, when I was in my new role as a patient, it was intimidating for me to ask questions. But I learned how important it is. Initially the medical team seemed surprised but they did answer my questions and I felt better to have more information. As they told me more, I could tell them more about symptoms or other things in my medical history that I had forgotten. So the moral of this story is that both patients and health professionals must talk and listen.
The good news, is that after two days of every known (and probably unknown) medical test, I did not have a heart attack, nor did I have heart disease. It seems as though I probably had a severe attack of Gastroesphogeal Reflux Disease or GERD. I'm taking one of those medicines they advertise on TV (although I didn't specifically ask for it) and I haven't had any of that type of pain since. (Although I still won't eat pie !)
I also have a new appreciation for why it is important to ask questions about your health and your medications. If you're not sure what to ask, check out the link on "Guidelines for Asking Doctors, Nurses and Pharmacist Questions". Let me know what you think of it.
But it's not enough for patients to ask questions. It is important for us as health professionals to take the time to listen.
Many people have suggested that I start a blog and talk about health related topics. So, I finally decided to try it. This web site stuff can be pretty intimidating but thanks to Blogger, my site was up in no time. So, here is my very first posting !
Instead of starting the blog with information from the standpoint of health professionals, I'd like to kick off the blog with a true story about a patient....Me !
On the weekend after Thanksgiving, I started having chest pain. It didn't feel like the pain people describe when they are having a heart attack. In fact, it was more like heartburn and not like the "elephant on the chest" So, of course, I blamed it on too much food from the holidays. I tried to ignore it, but pain being proactive , insisted that I pay attention and pay attention right away. I went back and forth between patient and health professional. "Go to the ER" "You're just over-reacting" "Why take a chance with your health? "It was that last piece of pie" Then, I remembered...
"Women don't have the same symptoms that men have with heart attacks. Their symptoms can be subtle and nondescript " So, to humor the pain (and to be safe and alive), I decided to go to an emergency room. Hence started my journey as a patient.
The professionals in the emergency room took care of me effectively and efficiently. I had oxygen, Nitro Paste , Aspirin and an IV before I knew it. But what I didn't have was much information. I wanted to know what they thought might be causing my symptoms. I wanted them to volunteer the information because it was a little hard to talk through the clenched teeth that I had because of the pain. I was humbled because I wondered, "How often did I go in to talk to someone in my role as a pharmacist and not offer information about obvious things that patients want to know ?"
After several hours in the emergency room, I was surprised to be admitted to a cardiac unit. This got my attention! I have the highest respect for the health professionals in hospitals. There is a lot going on and a lot to do. But the thing I found most disconcerting was that there was a steady stream of people coming into my room and sometimes they did not tell me their names or whether they were a doctor, nurse, medical assistant or X-ray technician. I made a mental note so that when I went back to being a pharmacist, I would always introduce myself to patients, telling them my title and the purpose of my visit.
Finally, I decided that I needed to know more about what was going on. Although it felt uncomfortable, I started asking questions. Lots of them. I found it interesting that even with my background as a pharmacist, when I was in my new role as a patient, it was intimidating for me to ask questions. But I learned how important it is. Initially the medical team seemed surprised but they did answer my questions and I felt better to have more information. As they told me more, I could tell them more about symptoms or other things in my medical history that I had forgotten. So the moral of this story is that both patients and health professionals must talk and listen.
The good news, is that after two days of every known (and probably unknown) medical test, I did not have a heart attack, nor did I have heart disease. It seems as though I probably had a severe attack of Gastroesphogeal Reflux Disease or GERD. I'm taking one of those medicines they advertise on TV (although I didn't specifically ask for it) and I haven't had any of that type of pain since. (Although I still won't eat pie !)
I also have a new appreciation for why it is important to ask questions about your health and your medications. If you're not sure what to ask, check out the link on "Guidelines for Asking Doctors, Nurses and Pharmacist Questions". Let me know what you think of it.
But it's not enough for patients to ask questions. It is important for us as health professionals to take the time to listen.
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