I wanted to thank all those that have served this country in our military and all those that have paid the ultimate price to insure our freedoms. This day is to honor the veterans and they deserve this day. My respect and thanks are everlasting.
The answer to yesterday's Who Am I was Burnita Shelton Matthews. This week I am featuring women lawyers that impacted history and most likely most of have never heard of.
Today we are talking health issues. According to the following article most of us do a very poor job of finding out the medical history of our families. This leads to doctors giving us bad advise and not being aware enough of diseases to watch out for.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101109/ap_on_he_me/us_med_healthbeat_family_health
Who among you like chocolate? Did I see everyone's hands rise? There have been many articles about the health benefits of chocolate and now I can share one more with you:
http://www.aolhealth.com/condition-center/heart-disease/women-who-eat-chocolate-have-healthier-hearts?icid=main%7Chp-laptop%7Cdl3%7Csec4_lnk2%7C183158
November is Alzheimer's awareness month. A couple of weeks ago The Oregonian did a special section on Alzheimer's. I am going to share that special section with. I am not suggesting you read any of it. I will leave that completely up to you. This is a disease that is just so damn hard to talk about or read about. However, I am in the school of bring it out of the dark corners of our lives and talk about it. The more aware we are of Alzheimer's and the more we talk about this dreadful disease can only help lead to a cure. If you were to read just one article I would recommend "I'M STILL HERE" by Kate Dyer-Seeley. Seeley is the author of UNDERNEATH THE ASH, a look at her Mom's early onset Alzheimer's during the time that Mount St. Helens erupted. My second choice would be THE SCIENCE OF THE BRAIN, complete with a diagram of the brain. It is on page two and is written by Nicole Fink. You get to it my clicking on "next page" at the bottom of the page that Seeley's article is on.
http://shopping.oregonlive.com/SS/Page.aspx?secid=92047&pagenum=1&sstarg&facing=false
Hope this is a healthy day for you and don't forget to hug a Veteran today. Comments are always appreciated.
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4 comments:
Family health history is very important, and I wish I knew more about mine. I know quite a bit about my mother's side of the family, but almost nothing about my father's, so when I give a family history, half of it is guesswork.
I'd agree with the final statement about chocolate: that research is still in its starting position. But for the chocoholics among us, I'm sure it's reassuring that there might be benefits.
The Alzheimer's articles are very difficult to read. If you zoom it to a readable size, a bunch is cut off, at least on my computer. But I did manage to read some, and it did look like an interesting series.
Offhand, I can't think of a vet to hug today. The only possibility would be happy to be hugged, I'm sure, but he might take it the wrong way. And I'm not even sure he's a vet. So I think I'll go hugless, but will send all vets and current serving troops good wishes, with some being for NO MORE WARS!
Yes, thanks to all the vets who've continued to provide us the freedom and independence we have today. I hugged Himself, but the two guys at the pool didn't show up.
I'm lucky to know a fair amount about the health history of my family on both sides. Family discussions often included information about who died from what, when memories were shared. I doubt I have it all, but enough to put together at least a more than sketchy picture. I agree it's an important part of health care and management. I also agree a comparison of lifestyles and environment play a role in determining how family health history may affect any given individual.
Good news on chocolate. I should eat more
I read most of the articles in the Alzheimer's section. I'm not sure how it worked, but if I placed my cursor in a certain spot, everything appeared in larger, readable print. Nana was diagnosed with hardening of the arteries but, given what we now know, the suspicion leans strongly towards Alzheimer's. To the best of my knowledge, no one else on either side of the family has had it, thank goodness. Grandad was sharp as a tack, when he passed at age 94. Mom and her sister are sharp in their nineties. On Daddy's side, one sister has been diagnosed, at age 92, but there's no sign of it in any of the other siblings, who live/lived to be 80 to 90.
I do have friends dealing with the disease and it's a horrible disease. Yes, it needs to be brought into the light and people need to know how to deal with it, whether in terms of the patient or supporting the caregiver. When I saw the bit about when to take away the keys, I thought of the elderly gentleman I found wandering the Walmart parking lot, insisting his car wasn't his car, and eventually discovering his daughter had no idea he'd even left the house. Here was a case of a person who needed close supervision for wandering, but I suspect the family hadn't the money for a caregiver or a facility and weren't able to provide the supervision on their own. There have to be better answers.
Hi Pat
Sorry for the late response but I didn't get home from Mom's until late last night.
I also wish I knew more about my history. I'm fine with this generation but I know little about the health of the two generations before me.
I am going with the health benefits of chocolate as a reason to eat it a lot!
I printed out the articles on the Alzheimer's section that I wanted to read, when it printed it came out normal size. I didn't try what DR did.
Us guys like to be hugged so he probably wouldn't take it the wrong way. Especially if you told him was a thank you for his service.
I completely agree with you about NO MORE WARS. They solve nothing and cost us are greatest resource, youth.
Bill
Hi DR
My respect to Himself for serving!
You are one of the lucky ones to know a lot about your health history.
When we form our new city in Australia, chocolate will become our signature dish.
Alheimer's worries me to know end and especially since both my siblings seem to have lost their memory. Mine is still pretty good.
Like Nana I am sure a lot of Alzheimer's cases were misdiagnosed in earlier years for two reasons: nobody wanted to admit to it and medical personnel were unaware of it. Being diagnosed with it a 92 to be is almost expected at that age. I also remembered your experience when I read about taking away the keys. I don't think anyone with Alzheimer's should be allowed to drive a car. One reason is if they forget where they are they could be lost for days.
I am an optimist that we will find better ways to treat and to live with Alzheimer's.
Bill
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