tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56330855589659836862024-02-21T10:26:08.112-05:00Windy City Diva on Health TopicsHealth topics with true research, references and product options.Windy City Divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09301482477829725753noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633085558965983686.post-26023053829274179412012-11-08T22:52:00.001-05:002012-11-08T22:52:41.124-05:00Winter Skin Dryness<br />
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As winter gives us a preview throughout the Midwest, Eastern
seaboard and even the South, I think about the increased dryness of my skin. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Are you prepared to winterize your skin? Do you know the signs of dry skin? Have you been noticing marked dryness in your skin even after applying moisturizer? Is your
skin a bit itchy, or <i>a lot</i>? Are your lips dry, cracking or peeling? Is your throat a
little dryer? You need to winterize.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Some options for the winter are:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Make sure you are drinking water regularly; (The summer heat makes
you drink instinctively, but the winter tends to make people want warm
beverages, not water, so consciously drink water to stay hydrated from the
inside out.)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Moisturize your skin with a heavier moisturizer for your skin type
during the winter, or add a serum to your skin system to protect your skin from
the harsh winter air which will dry it.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sunscreen is still needed. If you have the moisturizer with
sunscreen in it then you are all set.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Last, but not least, use a sunscreen based lip balm. This will
give you the protection from the sun and keep your lips moisturized under or
over any lipstick.</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Men, you need to moisturize as well. Don’t be fooled into thinking
that moisturizing is only for women. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I personally use my very own Mary Kay products for winterizing. If you need any ideas, contact me.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAhRF5jTsQm9l5Ycu4iLjwO_uCPEi8y4WuYdfKw3io_JC8pjPMH2MKtc0uo7pkm2s0MUQ4XOw33Z7u_iRY98vQzCTd5s_6xKPMFYUuu5zQFBaMkzFn0-gc2kRwhqEISAbmgCeUjR2uqE/s1600/CHI+WINTER+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAhRF5jTsQm9l5Ycu4iLjwO_uCPEi8y4WuYdfKw3io_JC8pjPMH2MKtc0uo7pkm2s0MUQ4XOw33Z7u_iRY98vQzCTd5s_6xKPMFYUuu5zQFBaMkzFn0-gc2kRwhqEISAbmgCeUjR2uqE/s200/CHI+WINTER+2011.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Happy Health to all!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Windy City Diva</b></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Windy City Divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09301482477829725753noreply@blogger.com02510-2528 E Main St, Snellville, GA 30078, USA33.857328 -84.019910833.804584000000006 -84.0988748 33.910072 -83.9409468tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633085558965983686.post-25502752285051008372012-10-16T21:42:00.002-04:002012-10-16T21:44:18.751-04:00Breast Cancer Touches All<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><b>Another lost to Breast Cancer… </b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRvR7aIsFGKDv9XZJzu_9D8HIjJ-7klndA__U8_8IbuhVlDW60S4FjaZiNnaNRgvvP3GNoolodzSGOsF-kChQb692hMBcvT7Ly0tTPSS4IYpIgOfiW3HYPgDcwCUqbT_5GaNI0z3G2ZA/s1600/Pink+Ribbon.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRvR7aIsFGKDv9XZJzu_9D8HIjJ-7klndA__U8_8IbuhVlDW60S4FjaZiNnaNRgvvP3GNoolodzSGOsF-kChQb692hMBcvT7Ly0tTPSS4IYpIgOfiW3HYPgDcwCUqbT_5GaNI0z3G2ZA/s1600/Pink+Ribbon.gif" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An update to this post from earlier... today, 10/16/12 my little dog lost her fight with breast cancer.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are some things we get to choose in life and so many others that we don’t. It is our responsibility to ourselves, our spirit and our development to make wise decisions with every second. Time is not to be wasted. Breast Cancer took another beautiful light from our world yesterday. She was a Mom and a friend. Seconds count. Those seconds lead to minutes, to hours, to days, to months and yes to years. Live your life with authenticity and be true to yourself, your values and what is right every second of every day. </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Who are you? Who do you want to be? </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Where are you in life? Where do you want to be?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i>I say to you again... <b>if the answers to those two lines of questions do not sync, then begin today to change that. </b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It has been said so many times but bears repeating, “tomorrow is not promised, so live today to the fullest”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Calibri;"><i>Windy City Diva</i></span></div>
Windy City Divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09301482477829725753noreply@blogger.com0Atlanta, GA, USA33.7489954 -84.387982433.538103899999996 -84.703839399999993 33.9598869 -84.0721254tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633085558965983686.post-29993302806501416362012-09-23T22:32:00.002-04:002012-10-14T16:23:56.676-04:00370 Nature Inspired Recipes for Your Health<strong style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline: none 0px;">Paleo Recipe Books</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;">for healthy living! </span><br />
<div class="post_title" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.3; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; outline: none 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">A true “How-to” with recipes, full-color photos to inspire you.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: none 0px;">
Stay healthy, or get healthier by eating a diet inspired by nature! <strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline: none 0px;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/9pkcbpv%C2%A0" style="color: #444444; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline: none 0px;">http://tinyurl.com/9pkcbpv </a></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: none 0px;">
Bonus items and best recipes! Check it out here! </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: none 0px;">
<strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline: none 0px;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/9pkcbpv%C2%A0" style="color: #444444; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline: none 0px;">http://tinyurl.com/9pkcbpv </a></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: 10px; outline: none 0px;">
<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline: none 0px;">Windy City Diva</em></div>
Windy City Divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09301482477829725753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633085558965983686.post-6254610614859231092011-11-19T21:00:00.001-05:002012-10-11T12:21:30.947-04:00Healthy Eating Requires Healthy Thinking... <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When foods are described as "low fat" or "no fat" please think about how do they take the fat out of there, or worse how do they make ice cream sugar free? Have you taken a few minutes to look up sucralose, aspartame and the other non-sugar sweeteners? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Would you sweeten your coffee or tea with pool water because one of these listed above has chlorine in it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How about formaldehyde? Would you bake a pie with it? Or sprinkle it over your healthy yogurt?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How about the difference of using organic foods? Do you know there are degrees of organic? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will stay on this topic for some time, so check back, but while you're away, do some homework and chat with me. Which sweetener has chlorine in it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Windy City Diva</span></i>Windy City Divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09301482477829725753noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633085558965983686.post-82967390344718475332011-10-15T17:03:00.000-04:002012-10-16T21:41:46.993-04:00Time Waits for No One - Breast Cancer<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><b>Another lost to Breast Cancer… </b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRvR7aIsFGKDv9XZJzu_9D8HIjJ-7klndA__U8_8IbuhVlDW60S4FjaZiNnaNRgvvP3GNoolodzSGOsF-kChQb692hMBcvT7Ly0tTPSS4IYpIgOfiW3HYPgDcwCUqbT_5GaNI0z3G2ZA/s1600/Pink+Ribbon.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRvR7aIsFGKDv9XZJzu_9D8HIjJ-7klndA__U8_8IbuhVlDW60S4FjaZiNnaNRgvvP3GNoolodzSGOsF-kChQb692hMBcvT7Ly0tTPSS4IYpIgOfiW3HYPgDcwCUqbT_5GaNI0z3G2ZA/s1600/Pink+Ribbon.gif" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An update to this post from earlier... today, 10/16/12 my little dog lost her fight with breast cancer.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are some things we get to choose in life and so many others that we don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is our responsibility to ourselves, our spirit and our development to make wise decisions with every second.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time is not to be wasted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Breast Cancer took another beautiful light from our world yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was a Mom and a friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seconds count.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those seconds lead to minutes, to hours, to days, to months and yes to years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Live your life with authenticity and be true to yourself, your values and what is right every second of every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Who are you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who do you want to be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Where are you in life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where do you want to be?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i>I say to you again... <b>if the answers to those two lines of questions do not sync, then begin today to change that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It has been said so many times but bears repeating, “tomorrow is not promised, so live today to the fullest”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Calibri;"><i>Windy City Diva</i></span></div>
Windy City Divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09301482477829725753noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633085558965983686.post-77314556556024303982011-09-28T12:31:00.000-04:002012-10-14T13:10:47.614-04:00Biofeedback – A New Experience<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 10pt;">I attended a BioFeedback session today.
When I shared a brief version of the result to a great friend who is
knowledgeable in physiology she responded as if was a "good" thing
that I was in parasympathetic mode. That was not the way it was described
to me by the doctor who had performed the BioFeedback analysis. While I
was already planning to research it, this confused me.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This started because last
year I experienced an infection of some sort in my colon/stomach area. It
remains undiagnosed beyond a belief that I picked up a parasite during my time
in Mexico and it resides in my ileo-cecal valve. I call it my stomach
critter. I have been managing it with natural supplements. I
thought I was better so I laid off the supplements. It seemed to be
alright for weeks, but it is currently irritated again. I decided to
try this biofeedback analysis since I saw a location where the analysis was
free.<br />
<br />
It was an interesting experience. She put a band on my head to measure
brain waves and a fiber optic electrode which I was to hold in my thumb &
forefinger tips. The point was to measure blood flow starting at the base of
the brain moving through the various sections of the brain. Next would be
organs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Symbol;">* </span>My
blood flow was so low throughout my brain that it did not measure, or meet the
threshold. She could see it, but it was not strong enough to ring the
bell, shall we say. (Needless to say, it is good she was not measuring my blood
pressure because it must have skyrocketed.) The doctor said this
indicated to her that my body was in repair mode as if I were sleeping, or
parasympathetic mode. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Symbol;">* </span>The
same was the case when it measured blood flow near my major organs. She could
see the blood flow but it did not reach the threshold. She said it was
suppressed by inflammation that was creating friction which will not allow
blood to flow normally. This lowers oxygen to the body, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Symbol;">* </span>We
covered my lack of sleeping recently, waking still feeling tired, low energy,
more than 10 pound weight loss since July 26th or so and the various pains that
pop up out of nowhere. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">* </span></span><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With
that in mind, she believes the ileo-cecal valve in my colon has a fungus rather
than a parasite, virus or bacteria. She believes when I stop with the
supplements which keep a flora balance in my colon and keeps down inflammation
naturally, that the fungus grows and creates the inflammation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 21pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: xx-small;">* </span><span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This led
her to ask about acidic levels and cancer in my family, which I have quite a
bit of. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For now, she gave me some acid strip tests to see what the levels are, suggested getting some Kosher baking soda
to try to calm the acid in my gut (which I do not feel), and said my
supplements seem to assist me, but the goal is to find the fungus and kill it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #3c3c3c; font-size: 10pt;">The parasympathetic nervous system seems to be the healing one,
rather than flight or fight (sympathetic), so I am not finding the correlation
to what she described in my research. It makes sense in theory, but I am still
looking for the scientific links, which I may have just come across, but I need
to qualify it. This parasympathetic part of the nervous system and biofeedback
seem to be psychological in nature that manifests physically but I could not
manifest fungus in my gut from my brain. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<br /><span style="color: #3c3c3c;">
Still looking...</span><br /><i><span style="color: purple;">
WCD</span></i></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Windy City Divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09301482477829725753noreply@blogger.com0Lawrenceville, GA, USA33.9562149 -83.987962533.903495899999996 -84.0669265 34.0089339 -83.9089985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633085558965983686.post-53362701218426375272010-08-31T12:19:00.000-04:002012-10-14T13:12:26.732-04:00Allergies in Children - From a Parent<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I want to share with my readers an experience about
allergies in children and maybe it not only applies to your children, but maybe
to you. My son has a history of spring allergies since he was 2
or so and Zyrtec-D was used to manage them for 5 or so years and then they
seemed to just go away. Well, they are back but they are no longer spring
allergies. Saturday he was suddenly sniffly and whiny as only a teenage
boy accustomed to feeling healthy can. I gave him an Allegra which has
been our daytime "allergy cure all" as needed. He complained
bitterly hours later that nothing worked and was sneezing out a fur ball
again. The Allegra is a 12 hour dose so I made him wait the
appropriate time and promptly forgot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>A side note about
the offending allergen. He had spent the night at a friend's
house who has a cat, so I suspected his mild allergy had been violently shoved
into a true allergy. But that being the allergen could mean the reaction
would subside now that he was away from the cat, ergo the forgetting. </em><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday morning was harsh. He hadn't slept and
was CRANKY. I gave him liquid Benadryl thinking this would allow him to
clear up and function. The liquid one is supposed to be the non-drowsy
formula. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Note:</em><span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><strong><i>IT'S NOT!</i></strong> He did
not wake up until almost 2:30 in the afternoon. I administered another
Allegra thinking this could easily be just left over from the interaction with
the cat. Monday, I treated it with Allegra as needed.
Then today, Tuesday he was a gut-wrenching, fur ball hacking, stopped up,
runny nose, sneezy mess. In passing, my cousin told me it's ragweed
season and it is high right now. I spoke with my mother within five
minutes of that conversation and she is or was also allergic to ragweed.
Fortunately, my younger cousin is also allergic to many things and takes
Zyrtec. That reminded me that my son took Zyrtec when he was little
and it worked wonderfully. I practically ran to
Walgreens for Zyrtec-D.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am delighted to report that within an hour of
him taking the one 12 hour tablet (with Gatorade, yogurt and chicken
broth/noodle soup - homemade, no preservatives), he was wandering the
halls again! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My message... know what's in your family, know
what works for your kids and be prepared for "childhood"
illnesses to rear their ugly heads at random, unspecified times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>~ Windy City Diva</i></span></div>
Windy City Divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09301482477829725753noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798241.6889521 -87.94565519999999 42.067275099999996 -87.3139412tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633085558965983686.post-45656335874449661842010-07-17T14:01:00.000-04:002012-10-14T14:28:03.935-04:00Carb-Free Eating...<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Hello Readers!</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I was recently told to have a no carb diet for at
least 30 days to clear my system and then slowly add it back. Now in case
that just sounds like "modern health mumbo-jumbo" it is what I
thought as well, but it is worth giving it a shot to not land back in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>l'hotel
hospitale for another week</em>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The big issue with this new plan is, I live on<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><em><b><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">pasta</span></b></em><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">! Live on it
from lunch to dinner, and I am sure some of you know that all of the good
breakfast foods have carbs. I was told I could keep my oatmeal for
breakfast since it is a whole grain, but the rest...waffles, pancakes, french
toast, scones, even some yogurt, all of it, gone. I know it is only for
30 days, but it is a challenge. I am quickly</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">empathizing with people who
diet regularly and do not succeed for one reason or another. I could
always appreciate that it was difficult, but this feels like
modern torture. I end up with something in my hand, mouth
watering ready to eat it, and then I remember, "does it have
carbs"; or my son will say, "Mom, you can't have that.".
Sakes alive my entire kitchen has to be replaced.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">This is going to take some work, some help and a whole
lot of focus. I am accustomed to eating anything I want, when I want and
as often as I want. I just found chicken pot pies on sale! They are
not good for you, but they aren't that bad either. I will miss them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">There is one other component to this diet that
may take even more thought, like not drinking water with food and waiting 2
hours after you eat to drink it. Okay, so when I am well and back out
eating and drinking, what does one do to cut the alcohol intake and stave off a
hangover, even a mild one? Hmm??? Cosmopolitan PLUS Dinner
(that does <i><b>not</b></i> include Pasta) PLUS Water PLUS Cosmopolitan
MINUS Water EQUALS mild Hangover. I will have to figure this
out... any methods known that work??<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">If you have any great no carb, no seafood or pork
recipes, send them my way please. I have very few foods that I just don't
or won't eat but those are the three big categories. Encouraging
words are always welcomed! I will try to blog my progress and digression
with it. As I learn more about my health challenge, I will share on the
chance that it may help someone else with a health issue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Thanks,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<em><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Windy City Diva</span></em><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Windy City Divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09301482477829725753noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798241.6889521 -87.94565519999999 42.067275099999996 -87.3139412tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633085558965983686.post-11341920462857439122010-06-08T14:39:00.000-04:002012-10-14T14:49:59.293-04:00Patient Advocacy<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Health is not something we should ever take for granted. I have
seen very ill people in my family and in my general surroundings. One thing I
truly value is my health, although sometimes it seems very fragile. One lesson
I have learned through all of my experiences with health and hospitals is,
understand your diagnosis. Understand, not know what the doctor said, but
actually understand it. Ask questions until you do, no matter how long it
takes, or how many different ways you have to ask the question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">From many medical, social studies it is determined that certain
age groups, races and genders are the ones least likely to not only seek health
care, but to ask questions and even to seek out a second opinion. Older
generations tend to see physicians they have a standing relationship with as
the one and only answer. This can be a death sentence. Additionally,
women tend to be more likely to take care of their families rather than
themselves. And finally, minorities are
the highest group that will postpone seeing a doctor. By postponing a visit
when they initially feel something is not right, they miss receiving a
potentially life-saving early diagnosis.
There are of course cultural dynamics that I am not bringing up here
just yet because this is more or less a summary of my years of not only
personal experience while working at a hospital with patients, but research related
to my hobby, patient advocacy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I implore you as you read this… take your own symptoms seriously
and encourage your family members to do the same. Once you get yourself to go
to the doctor, ask questions until you understand. If you think you may not be
following, ask to reschedule a consultation and take someone with you. I attend
my mother’s appointments periodically just to make sure there is a “second ear”
in the room. It is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of strength. Your
physician should NOT mind. I will recommend this (with a heavy
breath), please be sensitive to your appointment time, and if you have many
questions that are not immediate to your care, it might be better to schedule a
consultation time. That is not to say walk out of the office not
knowing how to take a prescription later that night or what follow-up
tests to schedule. But, if there are dietary changes, or habits then it
is probably best to schedule another appointment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Happy health to all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="color: purple;">Windy City Diva</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Windy City Divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09301482477829725753noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798241.6889521 -87.94565519999999 42.067275099999996 -87.3139412tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633085558965983686.post-70947613164626514872010-06-08T12:13:00.000-04:002012-10-14T13:12:43.821-04:00Allergies as a Gateway<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You
may have noticed that I am hyper focused on health the last several days. It
could be because of my migraine or my overall “icky” health this past month.</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A
month or so ago my allergies went beyond the reach of my Allegra and
turned into something ugly. I had to really crank the allergy medicines, water and all of
the other recommended treatments to survive the symptoms. According to multiple
reports nationally, this season of spring allergies has been one of the worst
with the early rains.1<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Somehow
knowing that does not make it any easier, or does it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It
seems that allergies can weaken your immune system which
can allow a virus to attack, or you come in contact with a virus and
simply treat it as if it were allergies. I apparently just experienced such a
perfect storm; which then set off torrent of headaches, lung pain (from
the coughing and post nasal drip) irritating my asthma, migraines, etc.
You see where I am going with this. Allergies can be a gateway irritant to weaken
your system and allow other ailments to pile on or rear their ugly heads.
This was new information to me, so I thought I would share it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I
thought I was taking care of my allergies but apparently when the allergy
season hits, whatever yours is, it would behoove you to tightly manage and be
proactive with your allergy symptoms. I recently found an interesting
Website that provides updates by location. <a href="http://www.pollenlibrary.com/">www.pollenlibrary.com</a> I hope this
helps someone, anyone. This probably falls in my patient awareness
category.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i style="line-height: 17.33333396911621px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">~Windy City Diva</span></i></div>
Windy City Divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09301482477829725753noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798241.6889521 -87.94565519999999 42.067275099999996 -87.3139412tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633085558965983686.post-67321203499379266472010-06-04T13:20:00.000-04:002012-10-14T14:30:21.964-04:00Migraines... An Experience...<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Migraines - What do I do with
them?</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have
a migraine today. When the pain started, it was sudden and out of the blue. I
had a mild one last night, but I seemed to have slept it off when I finally got
up this morning. It had been a rocky night but it all worked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So
earlier today... I was going about my day normally, working on my computer. I
was placing a Mary Kay order on line and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>BAM</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>there it was! Blinding pain across my
face like someone hit me in it with a blunt object. Oh and there is the other
component… the sharp, tightening pain shooting up into my skull along the back
of the neck. Oh yes, this is a migraine. The computer screen is bright, too
bright, that confirms that it is a migraine. I think holding my face will work.
I think my brain is trying to escape. I don’t know where it’s trying to go, but
it certainly is making a break for it and taking my eyeballs with it. Meds, I
need meds and wait, I have to finish what I’m doing. Oh no! Bright computer
screen, bad bright computer screen! I wish I could see it well enough to turn
it down. That is not going to happen. Meds, hot tea, darkness, quiet, power
nap… that is the prescription. If it wasn’t 4:30 in the afternoon I would just
go to bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So where do migraines come from? Some people say it’s
hereditary, if it is in your family you are doomed. Okay, but then what makes
them strike? There timing seems to be random. I have had migraines since I was
a teenager. They seem to have interesting triggers like flashing lights from a
camera, or a light reflecting off of a mirror, or oh better! Those new halogen
lights on cars really hurt especially at night with foggy conditions. The other
trigger, the main trigger is stress. So, now that I am awake and it feels a
little better, not completely relieved, but certainly better, writing will have
to help relieve some stress. If I could walk without wondering why the world is
shaking, I might exercise a bit. But alas, sitting in my bed writing, er typing
will have to suffice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Windy City Diva</span></i>Windy City Divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09301482477829725753noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798241.6889521 -87.94565519999999 42.067275099999996 -87.3139412tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633085558965983686.post-12594899632581495252010-03-04T13:38:00.000-05:002012-10-14T13:51:45.319-04:00Obesity in Children, Let's Talk...<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many years ago I wrote an Op Ed
piece about an article, “Happy Birthday! Have Some Carrots”. It is another
manifestation of the obsession our society has with weight, without being
willing to look at the root cause of the problem. Maybe we should consider
finding the root causes of obesity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let’s take a look at funding in
schools for physical education, which has progressively decreased since the
late-1980’s. What about funding for park districts that formerly provided
after-school programs with physical activity and academics? The schools and
park districts in Chicago have experienced more than 85% in budget cuts within
the last 10 years. I attended public high school in Chicago. We had junk food,
pizza parties and cake for birthdays; but we also had gym 5 days a week instead
of 2 like my son does now. We had a Health class that educated us about food
groups, the effects of certain foods on our systems and discussed the benefits
of running and playing. We played running games outside with our friends after
school, instead of lying on the floor playing video games for hours. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the parent of a teenager, I
believe it is my job to ensure that my son eats a balanced diet, plays outside
on a regular basis, participates in sports, understands the importance of
balanced meals, knows how to select proper foods and portion control. America
is fat beginning with our children, because of our over-indulgence, our “right
now satisfaction” mentality and funding being cut at every level for physical
education. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Can we stop blaming the end
results and start truly breaking down and attacking the root causes of the
obesity levels in the United States? I agree that Type 2 Diabetes in children
is deplorable, particularly at the current levels. However, I believe some
alternate solutions to serving carrots at birthday parties and putting only
healthy snacks in vending machines would include: putting the funding back in
public school physical education and extra-curricular school sponsored/organized
sports activities, after-school fitness activities at park districts and
continue the health education in the school and with parents. Certain types of
education begin at home and healthy eating habits are some of them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Windy City Diva</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Windy City Divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09301482477829725753noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798241.6889521 -87.94565519999999 42.067275099999996 -87.3139412