Now, I won’t be the first to say that my grandmother is very wise - in fact, you could ask pretty much anyone that she knows and they would say the same thing. You see, she has spent a large part of her life studying natural health and alternative medicine, so she has some interesting perspectives on keeping healthy.
The fact that she is 92, also makes me believe that she knows her stuff. So, when she tells me I should quit taking wheat grass in favor of barley grass, I listen.
Lately, she has been telling me to take chlorella and spirulina as they are both extremely effective as sources of vitamins and minerals. I listen to what she tells me as I know that she has done the research to make sure that they are the best choices in terms of what is on the market.
Who knew that I would take health tips from my grandma…
Posted August 23rd, 2008
by Marc
When my fifteen year old daughter asked for LASIK surgery for her Christmas present, I nearly fell off my chair. Who ever heard of someone wanting an operation for a gift? When I saw that she was serious about it, I decided to at least sit and hear her out.
She made some very valid points and I decided it would not hurt to take her in and talk to a professional about it. I had my doubts that they would do it on someone so young. Much to my surprise, kids her age make up almost a quarter of the patients. The surgeon suggested that we go with LASIK Wavefront.
When I found out the LASIK surgery cost, I knew it was more than we would spend on her for the next five Christmas presents. I did, however agree to pay for half of it and said if she came up with the other half, we would do it. She has worked very hard for her new eyes, but she is thrilled not to wear glasses anymore.
Posted July 17th, 2008
by Twyla Norris
My dad is a health food nut. He is always getting me to try new things, stating that I will surely die if I don’t. One day he is making me drink liquid Zeolite and the next he is preaching at me about how I do not take my cranberry pills often enough. I am sure that he thinks I should be dead already because I have not discovered the heath benefits of eating soy nuts.
His latest kick is natural cellular defense and he is driving me absolutely crazy. He goes on and on about the toxins in the air we breathe, as if I could do anything about it. The other day I finally told him that I would just quit breathing if that would make him happier. He told me that I would have no choice if I didn’t buck up and take care of myself.
It is to the point where I just set the phone down and I watch TV or do a crossword puzzle while he rants away. I can’t wait until he moves on to a new topic. It would be nice if it was one that I could actually do something about. The next time he tells me to quit drinking milk because it will give me cancer, I think I will tell him not to worry because I have already switched to tequila.
Posted May 26th, 2008
by Twyla Norris
A friend and I were catching up via chat the other day. Her mother-in-law had a stroke recently and they’ve been searching for reputable long-term treatment centers for stroke and geriatric rehabilitation in Orange County where they live.
My mother was in a similar situation a couple of years back. We thought we’d found the best place to place her, but it began to bother me when I entered the facility and found no one at the nurse’s station and bells ringing from three or four rooms.
Mother confessed she had to wait up to 30 minutes for help getting to the bathroom. When I checked with her doctor, he just shook his head. He was actually on the board of the facility, so he was in a position to know. He said it was a trickle down effect. "When they keep changing the head administrator, everything else suffers, too." So my advice to my friend was, ask the doctor about staff turnover and caregiver-to-patient ratio.
Posted May 16th, 2008
by Deb Gallardo
I spend a lot of time working at the computer every day at work. While this wasn’t a problem in the past, as I have gotten older, I am starting to suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome.
While the first symptoms were not that bad, they did affect my ability to work. Try typing with numb hands and see how effective you are - it doesn’t work so well.
After visiting the doctor, I knew that it would be a long time before I would have the opportunity to get in for surgery. But in the meantime, I needed to find some way to relieve my problems and still be able to maintain my productivity at work.
It wasn’t until I went for a hand massage that I started to feel relief from my condition. Not only could I work longer, but my carpal tunnel has become less and less of a problem. Sure, I will still have to go for surgery, but at least I will have some relief in the meantime.
Posted April 28th, 2008
by Marc