Archive for August 23rd, 2009

by Karyn Buxman

Cancer. It’s not the type of thing you ask for — usually. Who’d want it? A life-changing, sometimes life-ending disease. Cancer’s so scary that there are people who won’t say the word aloud…but I was saying it regularly, begging God to let me be the one with cancer. My son, a strong, smart, energetic 22-year-old junior at the University of Missouri, woke up one morning with an aching chest. It turned out to be a malignant tumor, and the start of my most fervent prayers. “Please. I’ve had a great life. Let it be me — not him.”

I can’t even describe that time in our lives accurately. It went by in a blur — and not the fast paced blur you enjoy while you rocket along the roller coaster’s tracks, but a confusing, often terrifying inability to really understand and deal with what was going on. There were months of chemo. He had surgery. His hair fell out. The boy who could empty a refrigerator in the blink of an eye now wouldn’t eat — everything tasted metallic, and he had no appetite. And through it all, we wondered: would he ever have a girlfriend, a family, a life…

For two decades, I’d studied, written and spoken about the therapeutic values of humor. It was time to walk the talk. It was tough. I won’t kid you. Being funny can be hard work. At times, we had to make a conscious effort to laugh. And yet sometimes, if we would just let it”it would just happen. Humor was a saving grace for all of us.

There was a time for tears, but there was a time for laughter. Many times, actually.

David’s friends provided great laughs. They dubbed my son “Captain Cancer”. One of my son’s roommates, a red-headed Italian color blind art student, couldn’t resist the potential canvas David’s head provided: she begged him to let her decorate it with colorful markers!

We laughed at home, we laughed at the hospital, and we laughed at work. David was working as a bouncer at a popular local bar. One of his friends worked with him, and together they were known as Tonto and the Lone Ranger. After a round of treatments, though, his nickname changed. According to the bar’s patrons, my son was now Chemo-sabi!

Allen Klein, author of The Healing Power of Humor, surveyed patients who were terminally ill, about the use of humor. About 80% of them wished for more humor”from their caregivers, and the freedom to use humor themselves.

Humor can be used proactively, to help heal both the body and the spirit. To do this, you can:

Play: Make a Play List. This is a list of 10 low or no-cost things that are fun for you. Then, when you’re not feeling well, do something from the list. You dont wait until you feel better to play. You play and then you feel better.

Make sure you have a stock of toys”Magic 8 balls, Koosh toys, whatever makes you smile”available.

Be A Humor Collector: Gather funny books, magazines, movies and cartoons. Have people tell you funny or embarrassing stories. Search for great jokes. Amassing the collection is only part of the fun: spend at least 15 minutes a day enjoying it.

Choose to surround yourself with people who share your appreciation of humor. The world is full of serious, downbeat folks who view the world through mud-colored glasses. Leave them alone, as much as possible: that type of mood is contagious, and you don’t want to catch it! Ask people to make you laugh — and do your best to make them laugh. Surround yourself with joy as often as possible.

By the way, David has been cancer free now for 4 years. Hes engaged to be married next month. His courage, his gentle spirit and his sense of humor”hes my hero.

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23
Aug

Safe and Natural Labor Induction Methods

   Posted by: Myrna Friedman   in Health and Well Being

by Myrna Friedman

“When will I go into labor?” That seems to be the most common question on an expectant mom’s mind. No one can tell you when you will go into labor or what causes labor to begin. Nature seems to have the upper-hand when it comes to labor and childbirth. What we do know and what medical science can prove is that your body has to be “ready” for labor to begin. To get ready, doctors insist that moms be patient and not stress over when labor will begin. However, if your due date is rapidly approaching or has already passed you can help nature along by using at-home methods of labor induction. There are several things moms can do at home to de-stress and help induce labor. Expectant moms are encouraged to pamper themselves daily with warm baths surrounded by candles and soft music, relaxing pre-natal or belly massages, and even meditation. Visualization techniques can also help you relax and get in touch with your unborn baby, as you envision yourself bringing him into the world.

These techniques will help get your body ready, physically and mentally, to try other techniques of inducing labor at home. Your physician will strongly suggest you practice caution with at-home methods of inducing labor and to only attempt these techniques if you have reached at least 37 weeks in your pregnancy.

Physical Stimulation Sex is a very popular and easy method of inducing labor at home. While many women are uncomfortable with the idea of having sex so late in pregnancy, others are willing to try it because of its high likelihood of success.. A man’s semen contains hormones called prostaglandins, which help the cervix thin and soften. The longer the semen is in contact with the cervix the better because it will help the cervix dilate and become ready for active labor. Another advantage to sexual intercourse is the possibility of uterine contractions when the woman experiences an orgasm.

Another physical activity women may not feel comfortable with is nipple stimulation. This method releases the hormone oxytocin which is known to cause contractions. Rubbing the nipples between your fingers for at least 15 minutes several times a day can trigger the release of oxytocin. Use this method with caution however, as it is known to occasionally bring on very strong, painful contractions. Doctors will recommend that you only use nipple stimulation sparingly and if you have already reached or passed your due date.

Walking has long been recommended by physicians as a method of naturally and safely incuding your labor at home. Walking puts pressure on the cervix, rocks the pelvis and helps the baby “drop.”

Diet Changes, Herbs, and Oils Eating spicy food can also help to naturally induce labor. The strong herbs and spices in most spicy food help stimulate the bowels which can in turn stimulate the uterus to contract. It is also rumored that certain tropical fruits, such as pineapple, contain enzymes that are believed to trigger mild uterine contractions.

Evening primrose oil and castor oil are natural oils that can also be used to naturally and safely induce labor. Medical studies have yet to prove the actual effectiveness of these oils but many women can attest to their results. Mixing a dose of castor oil with another liquid or food makes it easier to drink and digest. This oil is said to help stimulate the bowels and uterus. Primrose oil is found in gel caps that can be taken orally or inserted vaginally for greater effect on cervix softening and thinning.

An herbalist can provide you with plant roots called cohash. Blue and black cohash have been said to aid in inducing labor but, like primrose and castor oils, there are few studies or facts to actually prove they are effective.

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23
Aug

Tips on How to Find the Best Utah Web Design

   Posted by: Jake Peters   in Internet

by Jake Peters

Looking for a good and competent Utah web design firm can be hard yet fulfilling. The first thing that can become a challenge to you is to where to find one. Yes, the Internet is a very vast source of information, but you can’t really be sure if you can find good web design firms on your first attempt.

Before you search for a Utah web design firm, you need to have a clear vision of your website. You will use this as a basis for getting the company that fits the glove.

One of the things you will need to talk about with Utah web design firms is the price. Each firm charges differently so you may want to be prepared. Make sure that you have more than the estimated budget set aside because there could be some additional costs. You’ll never know but it is better to come prepared.

One of the best ways to find the best Utah web design firm for your project is to talk to a friend or colleague who has already worked with one. They can recommend you to a good firm with a reasonable price. You can ask them if the firm was able to deliver quality work.

But if you don’t know someone who can refer a good firm, you will have to do the searching on your own. Go to the Internet and start searching for Utah web design firms. There are a lot of them in the Net.

Once you have found a potential candidate, study their site. See if it has the qualities you are looking for in a firm. One good way of doing this is to look at their portfolio. Look at their previous works. Look for works similar to your project and see if they did a great job.

Make sure that the firm you are getting has the proper knowledge on how to create a website that sells. Always remember that your main goal is to increase your sales, and your website is one of the tools that will help you achieve this.

You need time and effort if you want to find the best Utah web design for your company. It would help if you can call the firms themselves to ask for things you did not find by looking at their site. This will be very beneficial in making the decision to hire them.

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by Lisa Watson

Most of us are more indulged in keeping our body figure and because of this, we become more and more interested in going through various diet plans, which can be very either challenging or difficult to deal with. There are different side effects that you may encounter because of these diets such as weakness, stomach cramps and dizziness. How about bad breath diets, are you familiar with it? Actually diets can actually lead to bad breath, and there are reasons why it does.

This unpleasant side effect of diet is normal when it comes to high protein diets which lack a certain needed amount of carbohydrates. And since our body needs such for energy conversion, what happens is that it uses other components in that body to make it work.

The other components used for energy conversion consist of protein and fats which when merely broken down into pieces, would be producing chemicals called as ketones. These ketones are the responsible for the reaction of the body to produce a foul smell which can be mostly noticed as you breathe out air form your mouth.

Let’s say for instance that you are on a low carb diet, and you are also engaged in firming up those muscles so you could also shed off those pounds, this may be a common problem for you. The low card diet complements your workout activities and it is essential for you to follow it religiously.

While on the other hand, they are also required to perform regular exercises to cut down the fats and firm the muscles, so they would have to replenish the lost proteins through taking in food with high protein content. In this continuous scenario, the ketones would then be produced. Then after, it will be released to the body, which would eventually result to a release of that unusual smell we call bad breath.

Yes of course, you will definitely look slimmer by indulging yourself with these low carb diet plans, but the thing here is, would you be able to keep up with that unpleasant smell all the time? You may have temporary relief for this bad breath diet issue by continuously taking care of your oral hygiene, however this may not be a permanent resolution to your problem.

This is something that you cannot keep yourself away from if you continuously engage yourself with an unbalanced diet. Come to think of it, you should know by now that food is one of the major contributors why a person acquires bad breath. If you don’t stop yourself from keeping up with the same kind of diet, the greater chances of you having the same embarrassing problem all the time.

You have to consider as a possibility that this may not be that beneficial on your end, and not that much worth all your hard work. Would you rather choose indulging in the same diet, and at the same time you lose your friends because they can’t stand your breath? I suppose not. In this case you may have to look for an alternative diet that would not have the same bad breath diet effect, that can bother you for a very long period of time.

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