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Tips for families with Alzheimer’s Disease

No one should face Alzheimer’s or dementia alone. And if you’re caring for a loved one with the disease, you don’t have to. There is a portable support group within the 101 stories of “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living with Alzheimer’s & Other Dementias.” This collection— a collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association®— offers helpful advice, expert tips, and emotional support for families and caregivers of those living with Alzheimer’s. Here are five tips from other caregivers who have been there, done that.

1. Join them in their world.
When Doris Leddy’s mother said she was an Air Force fighter pilot and was going to receive the Medal of Honor, Doris went along with it. Doris had learned from a few Alzheimer’s caregiver seminars not to question her mother’s imagination, which made it easier for her “to just listen and accept it,” she said. Instead of arguing, Doris and her family took her mom out for a special dinner and presented her with a Medal of Honor and certificate.

“Mom was so surprised and so happy that she got up and kissed every single person in that restaurant,” Doris wrote. Now that her mom’s Alzheimer’s has progressed, Doris is grateful for that happy memory.

2. Join a support group.
Without the friends Samantha Ducloux Waltz made through support groups, she’s sure her journey with her husband and his Alzheimer’s would be much more difficult.

“As my husband Ray’s confusion and anxiety increased, the road sometimes got so bumpy I felt I couldn’t navigate it without these people,” she wrote.

Each of her fellow caregiving friends inspired her through their insightful questions, patience and kindness. Samantha got an intellectual boost because of Erika, started meditating because of Marilyn, practiced gratitude more because of Milt.

“I could make this Alzheimer’s journey,” Samantha wrote, “because I had the example and support of these wonderful friends.”

3. Be creative (with your coping strategies).
As his wife’s dementia worsened, Fred Kinsinger created workarounds. When she lost the ability to read, he’d read the menu to her and show her the pictures that he carried with him of some food items. When numbers lost their meaning and clocks became confusing, Fred created a special clock—he removed the second and minute hands from a battery-operated wall clock, leaving just the hour hand. “Now I can put a piece of tape at the location the hand will be when it is dinnertime or bedtime, and she can check it occasionally to see that the hour hand is approaching the designated time,” he writes. “Who would have thought that building a one-handed clock could be yet another way to tell my wife ‘I love you.’”

4. Don’t be afraid to take the next step.
When Linda O’Connell had to repeatedly explain her mother’s recent death to her stepfather, she knew his dementia was worsening. And when she saw his dinner of peanut butter on crackers and a handful of M&Ms, she knew Pops could no longer take care of himself. Linda and her stepbrother agreed Pops needed more attention and care than they could provide. So they made the difficult decision to move Pops into a nearby care facility, knowing it was in his best interest. Once there, he flourished!

“With better nutrition, hydration, and mental stimulation Pops stays awake longer. He becomes more sociable,” Linda wrote. “The best any of us can do with loved ones who have dementia is to comfort and nurture them through all the stages… And we must take each day one moment at a time.”

5. Use humor.
Linda Rose Etter’s mother was suffering from dementia and wasting away, but she refused to eat. Even when Linda prepared the one food her mom still wanted—a baked potato with butter and cheese—she refused it. So Linda took a different route: humor. She made the potato “talk,” and used a different voice for Mr. Potato, who encouraged her mom to eat him. That got her mom’s attention. But she still refused until the potato “said” it would cry if Linda’s mom didn’t eat it. At this, her mom cracked a smile, looked at her daughter and said, ‘“Tell him I’ll eat him!’ And she did!” Linda writes. “Even with dementia she knew there was something funny about a talking potato.”

Based on “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living with Alzheimer’s & Other Dementias” by Amy Newmark and Angela Timashenka Geiger.

Stepping out of time, healing prayers by Ellis Nelson

STEPPING OUT OF TIME

clock

We’re taught to think in terms of linear time. Our whole lives are guided by the concept that one event precedes another and that consequences come from causes. We tell our life stories from the beginning and only in middle age do we look back connecting events in new ways to retell our story. Even this perspective, binds us to linear time. And yet, we all have experienced time’s peculiarities which open us to wonder. Why is it I can lose time in a favorite activity and that last hour at work seems like a month?    Dispenza

Einstein said, “…the separation between past, present, and future is only an illusion, although a convincing one.” Here we see Einstein speaking like a mystic and why should that surprise us? I’m reading Dr. Joe Dispenza’s book, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself (How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One). Dispenza takes on the notion of linear time by examining an experiment done in 2000 by an Israeli doctor. Watch for the zinger!

praying

Leonard Leibovici, MD conducted a double-blind, randomized trial of 3393 hospitalized patients all suffering with a sepsis infection. Leibovici was interested in whether prayer could affect patient outcome. The patients were divided with half being prayed for and half not being prayed for. Dr. Leibovici collected data on the length of fever, length of stay in the hospital, and death as a result of infection. Turns out the prayed for patients had an earlier reduction in fever and shorter hospital stays. The death rates for both groups were not statistically different. The results may shock some, but science has been doing prayer studies for quite a while ( Healing Words-The Power of Prayer & The Practice of Medicine by Larry Dossey, MD). The truly mind- numbing thing about the study is that those praying in 2000 were praying for patients who were hospitalized in the period 1990 to 1996. The conclusion drawn here was that patients who were prayed for in 2000, actually got better in the 1990s.

So what is going on and how should it change our ideas about time? What if Einstein is right and time is just a persistent illusion, an artifice created by the brain? We’re used to thinking that prayer or focused attention might be able to affect our future. But what if I can do something today to affect my past? Can I pray for a better childhood? Can I heal a fractured relationship from decades ago? Can I send myself strength to get through a rough career change I’m making now? Can I? Can you?

———Now hiring financial consultants—————–

Retire yourself from corporate job, retire your wife or mom, retire yourself from your boss, make a change to change what you are not happy about today. Call connie 408-854-1883 in USA motherhealth@gmail.com

America’s Top Cities for Access to Health Care

To create the list of America’s Top Cities for Access to Health Care, Vitals analyzed the number of hospitals and primary care physicians available in each city on a per-capita basis. Patient-reported metrics such as doctor quality, ease of getting an appointment and wait times at appointments were also calculated into the final rankings.

The top ten cities in order:

1        Cleveland

2        Minneapolis

3        Milwaukee

4        Kansas City

5        Boston

6        Omaha

7        Denver

7        Miami (tie)

9        Atlanta

10      Nashville

11      Seattle,WA

12      Dallas,TX

13      Austin,TX

13      Baltimore,MD

15      Portland,OR

16      Charlotte,NC

16      (tie)Indianapolis,IN

16      (tie)Raleigh,NC

19      Sacramento,CA

20      Houston,TX

21      Columbus,OH

22      Jacksonville,FL

23      Philadelphia,PA

24      Long Beach,CA

25      San Diego,CA

26      Oakland,CA

27      Fort Worth,TX

28      Albuquerque,NM

29      Louisville,KY

29      Washington,DC

31      Detroit,MI

31      (tie)Tulsa,OK

33      Memphis,TN

34      San Francisco,CA

35      Wichita,KS

36      Chicago,IL

37      San Antonio,TX

38      New York,NY

38      (tie)Phoenix,AZ

40      Oklahoma City,OK

41      Tucson,AZ

42      Colorado Springs,CO

43      Mesa,AZ

44      Virginia Beach,VA

45      Las Vegas,NV

46      Los Angeles,CA

47      Arlington,TX

48      San Jose,CA

49      Fresno,CA

50      El Paso,TX

http://www.vitals.com/about/posts/press-center/press-releases/vitals-ranks-americas-top-cities-access-health-care#ixzz33mfjrArp

Comments:  How we help our communities thrive is very important. From housing, schools to jobs, all these factors affect health. I talked to a family of 5, with four working adults with minimum wage in San Jose who is renting a two-bedroom apartment for $1800 per month. Giving away half of their income to housing is very sad. The parents have high blood pressure and high stress level.  But they have to bear this housing crisis and expense in order to help support their children who are going to college as working students.

Sore muscles herbal remedy

Grandma Claudia would mix gas, ginger, salt, garlic and other herbs to massage her aching body. My mom would use apricot oil, coconut oil and add other herbs like ginger, mint to the mix.

Here is another way of preparing an herbal remedy for sore muscles.

When fighting against winter’s workload try these homemade herbal remedies for sore muscles.

There’s not much anyone can do to lessen the workload that comes with these busy, chilly months . . . but I can tell you about a few treatments that’ll help you relax your fatigued body and perhaps make tomorrow’s chores seem just a bit easier.

When muscles tighten (as they do when they’re overworked), they hamper the circulatory system, thereby preventing nutrients from reaching the muscle cells in adequate quantities. Moreover, lactic acid builds up in the stressed tissue, causing soreness. It makes sense, then, that the first step toward bringing some vitality back into your aching frame is to get the blood pumping to those undernourished cells again by using these homemade herbal remedies for sore muscles.

 

As most folks know, heat causes blood vessels to enlarge, thus encouraging circulation. However, as anyone who had, labored on a hot afternoon will likely attest, excessive heat can cause a feeling of sluggishness . . . so be careful not to overdo this type of “cure”. In coping with minor muscle pain, for example, two or three applications of heat a day should be more than adequate. (If swelling accompanies the soreness, though, your muscle may be torn or sprained . . . and in such a case the area should be elevated to encourage draining, and cold compresses should be used to reduce the inflammation. Keep in mind that the following remedies are for sore—not swollen—muscles.)

 

You’ll find that heating pads—the usual means of applying soothing warmth to aching limbs—come in various styles. I prefer strip (as opposed to the more traditional rectangular) warmers, because the scarf-like shape is ideal for wrapping around a sore area. Some brands even come equipped with an insert that can be moistened and safely attached to the heating unit, and this feature provides penetrating wet heat.

Balms and ointments are also popular means of applying heat to sore muscles. And, since the main ingredient in the various commercial products (Ben-Gay, Absorbine, Tiger Balm) is wintergreen oil, homemade balms are easy to prepare herbal remedies for sore muscles . . . and will save you a bit of money, too.

To make your own rub, simply put one tablespoon each of several herbs—lavender, rosemary, calendula, chamomile, camphor, ginger, eucalyptus, and wintergreen are all good choices—in the top of a nonmetal double boiler. (Note: Never use iron, brass, copper, zinc, or aluminum containers for preparing herbal remedies, as the plant ingredients may chemically react with the metal . . . corroding the vessel and contaminating the solution.)

Each of the herbs mentioned here falls into one of three medicinal categories: external tonics, anti-inflammatory agents, and counter-irritants. Lavender and rosemary, for example, which both have camphor in their leaves that helps draw blood to the skin surface (as does the oil of camphor available at drugstores), are considered external tonics . . . ginger, calendula, and chamomile are anti-inflammatory agents . . . and eucalyptus and wintergreen are penetrating oils, which irritate and stimulate the muscle, causing lactic acid to be flushed out. Therefore, to prepare an effective balm, herbs from all three categories should be included.

Once you’ve measured out the herbs you’ve chosen, cover the mixture with two to four cups of oil—corn, safflower, sesame, sunflower, peanut, olive, or almond oil will work—and gently simmer the concoction for about an hour. Then strain the blend through a fine-meshed cloth—pressing the herbs as you do so—and store the oil in a sterilized jar. (You can add two to three tablespoons of beeswax or paraffin if you’d prefer an ointment.)

Because rubs offer only surface relief, they’re unable to tackle deep muscular pain. You can, however, obtain greater heat penetration—with these same salves—using a homemade hot pack. To do so, put the oil or ointment on your tender spot and cover that area with gauze or a piece of lightweight cotton cloth. Next, cover the bandage with a sheet of plastic wrap, thereby creating a vapor trap, and secure the clear film with skin-sensitive tape (it’s available at most drugstores). Finally, enclose the whole shebang in an Ace bandage. (You’ll find this pack particularly useful when circumstances force you to go on working after doctoring your ills.)

The herbal bath is yet another common means of treating aches and pains. I’ve found that a mixed infusion of stinging nettle, yarrow ) is extremely effective for relaxing sore muscles. You’ll probably want to experiment with other herbal recipes, too. For example, try substituting mint, chamomile, calendula, comfrey, mullein or marigold flowers, hops, mugwort, or wild marjoram for the herbs listed above. Chamomile and mint are valuable for their antiseptic properties . . . mugwort, wild marjoram, mullein, hops, and chamomile are “nervines”, or substances that have a calming effect . . . and the remaining herbs mentioned here are known for their effectiveness as anti-inflammatory agents.

To brew up your herbal soak, fill an enamel, earthenware, or glass pot with two quarts of water and add a handful each of  yarrow and stinging nettle (if the latter is fresh, you’ll want to wear gloves when handling it). Use plants that are no more than a year old (if possible, harvest your own fresh herbs), as their potency does generally diminish with age. Bring the concoction to a boil and let it simmer for three minutes, then turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit—covered—for another 20 minutes. After it’s had time to steep, strain out the plants and add the infusion to your bath.

The temperature of the water in the tub should be comfortably warm, rather than piping hot, to prevent a shock to your system and to be sure you’re left feeling refreshed rather than fatigued. To obtain the best possible results, soak in the herbal brew for a good 20 minutes . . . and, while doing so, gently massage your body until you feel a comforting warm glow all over.

 

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/herbal-remedies-for-sore-muscles-zmaz82ndzgoe.aspx#ixzz33mHUCrmd

Graduates to follow their passion and make a difference in their lives and others

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Lincoln High School Graduates 2014 San Jose California

In many poor families in other parts of the world, you can see college diplomas of their children hanging on their walls. Parents labored and worked hard to send their children to college. Education indeed is a great equalizer.  And now  the poor can reach their dreams with education. It is not how much you have but how you have used education to find riches.

Happy Father’s day next Sunday. They worked hard to be breadwinners at home.

 

Graduates to follow their passion and make a difference in their lives and others

Diet tips for adrenal functions and anti-stress hormonal balance

Adrenal Fatigue Diet Tips

  • Start the day with a lemon and apple cider alkalising, detoxifying drink –recipe over here. Add a little celtic salt to the recipe to help sooth the adrenals.
  • Eat breakfast within 1 hour of waking – don’t leave it too long to get your cortisol levels into gear.
  • Don’t skip meals especially breakfast – you need to get your blood sugars up at the beginning of the day so skipping a meal is not a good idea.
  • Don’t wait too long to eat meals so that you are really hungry – with adrenal fatigue, the body has a difficult time storing energy, so often it’s best to eat smaller meals at more regular intervals.
  • Have a carb, a protein and a fat at every meal – this is a good balanced approach and will give you more sustained energy. If you do eat wholegrains, beans and legumes, limit those to 1 cup per day and make sure you still include loads of vegetables in the carb mix.
  • Don’t overeat – this places additional load on every digestive process and your adrenals too.
  • Don’t get overly hungry – Eat an early lunch because the body utilises the morning energy quickly, or at least have a good mid morning snack that will get you through. It’s important not to let yourself get too hungry because the body starts freaking out and having those extra snacks or meals helps to level out cortisol levels. 
  • Use healthy fats on every meal – drizzle your veggies, salad or dish with olive oil, walnut oil, flax, butter or coconut oil.
  • Have a snack 1 hour before bed – snack on a piece of fruit and some nut butter or yoghurt, chicken strips with avocado dip, cheese or sweet potato, or anything of your choosing – as long as it’s healthy of course

Muscle pain, stiffness and then disease

My dad who died of lung cancer complained of back muscle pain for a long time. An MRI/CAT scan discovered his lung cancer in last stage by chance. Pain in our body is a sign that we have a growing disease. Numbness, aches and pain in our skin, muscles and ligaments are strong indications that our body is trying to tell us that it cannot get rid of the toxins any longer.

Muscle pain is most frequently related to tension, overuse, or muscle injury from exercise or physically-demanding work. In these situations, the pain tends to involve specific muscles and starts during or just after the activity. It is usually obvious which activity is causing the pain.

A teacher who disregard her skin aches and irritation died of breast cancer. And many more stories about how our body is telling us that unhealthy cells are growing causing pain. Inflammatory substances attacking our cells. And so many diseases started this way including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Muscle pain also can be a sign of conditions affecting your whole body, like some infections (including the flu) and disorders that affect connective tissues throughout the body (such as lupus).

One common cause of muscle aches and pain is fibromyalgia, a condition that includes tenderness in your muscles and surrounding soft tissue, sleep difficulties, fatigue, and headaches.

Causes

The most common causes are:

  • Injury or trauma including sprains and strains
  • Overuse: using a muscle too much, too soon, too often
  • Tension or stress

Muscle pain may also be due to:

Home Care

For muscle pain from overuse or injury, rest that body part and take acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Apply ice for the first 24 – 72 hours of an injury to reduce pain and inflammation. After that, heat often feels more soothing.

Muscle aches from overuse and fibromyalgia often respond well to massage. Gentle stretching exercises after a long rest period are also helpful.

Regular exercise can help restore proper muscle tone. Walking, cycling, and swimming are good aerobic activities to try. A physical therapist can teach you stretching, toning, and aerobic exercises to feel better and stay pain-free. Begin slowly and increase workouts gradually. Avoid high-impact aerobic activities and weight lifting when injured or while in pain.

Be sure to get plenty of sleep and try to reduce stress. Yoga and meditation are excellent ways to help you sleep and relax.

If home measures aren’t working, your health care provider may prescribe medication or physical therapy, or refer you to a specialized pain clinic.

If your muscle aches are due to a specific disease, follow the instructions of your health care provider to treat the primary illness.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Call your health care provider if:

  • Your muscle pain persists beyond 3 days
  • You have severe, unexplained pain
  • You have any sign of infection, like swelling or redness around the tender muscle
  • You have poor circulation in the area where you have muscles aches (for example, in your legs)
  • You have a tick bite or a rash
  • Your muscle pain has been associated with starting or changing doses of a medicine, such as a statin

Call 911 if:

  • You have sudden weight gain, water retention, or you are urinating less than usual
  • You are short of breath or have difficulty swallowing
  • You have muscle weakness or cannot move any part of your body
  • You have vomiting, a very stiff neck, or high fever

What to Expect at Your Office Visit

Your health care provider will perform a physical examination and ask questions about your muscle pain, such as:

  • When did it start? How long did it last?
  • Where is it exactly? Is it all over or only in a specific area?
  • Is it always in the same location?
  • What makes it better or worse?
  • Do other symptoms occur at the same time, like joint pain, fever, vomiting, weakness, malaise, or difficulty using the affected muscle?
  • Is there a pattern to the muscle aches?
  • Have you taken any new medications lately?

Tests that may be done include:

  • Complete blood count (CBC)
  • Other blood tests to look at muscle enzymes (creatine kinase) and possibly a test for Lyme disease or a connective tissue disorder

Physical therapy may be helpful.

Prevention

  • Warm up before exercising and cool down afterward.
  • Stretch before and after exercising.
  • Drink lots of fluids before, during, and after exercise.
  • If you work in the same position most of the day (like sitting at a computer), stretch at least every hour.

Alternative Names

Muscle pain; Myalgia; Pain – muscles

References

Bennett RM. Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman’s Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 282.

Brinker MR, O’Connor DP, Almekinders LC, et al. Physiology of Injury to Musculoskeletal Structures: 1. Muscle and Tendon Injury. In: DeLee JC, Drez D Jr, Miller MD, eds. DeLee and Drez’s Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2009:chap 1, section A.

Update Date: 4/14/2013

Updated by: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director and Director of Didactic Curriculum, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington. Also reviewed by A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc., Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Bethanne Black, Stephanie Slon, and Nissi Wang..

 

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Avoid the stress working in corporate job. Avoid market risks in your investments or retirement savings, call Connie for tax free savings, up to 13% return with health benefits (similar to long term care insurance).

Work for your own business as financial service consultant, call Connie 408-854-1883 motherhealth@gmail.com (in 50 US states).

Roth IRA and Index Universal Life Policy, both tax free retirement plans

Roth IRA, municipal bonds and Index Universal Life Policies (IUL) are all tax free retirement plans. I choose  Index Universal Life Policy with living benefits because of the many limitations of Roth IRA. With my age and income fluctuations, I can save more in sickness or health, create a bigger estate when I die and not have many limitations. The only one limitation of an IUL is that you must be healthy or have a manageable health condition.

But it is good to diversify.

Here are the most common and sometimes costly mistakes you must avoid with your Roth IRA:

1) Not Being Eligible. You or your spouse must have earned income to contribute to a Roth IRA, but not everyone qualifies, specifically if you’re a higher income earner. The IRS adjusts income thresholds every year to determine if you qualify for a Roth contribution. It’s important to note that you file Married Filing Separate you generally lose the ability to contribute to a Roth IRA.

2) DIY Roth Conversion. While it’s technically possible to draw out your IRA funds (take possession) and then transfer to a Roth IRA it’s not worth the risk of missing the 60-day deadline which could cause you big taxes and the loss of the Roth. It’s easier and more preferred to convert an IRA/401(k) to a Roth via a custodian to custodian transfer.

3) Excess Contributions. It’s no secret that just contributing the max to your Roth won’t provide you enough money throughout your retirement, but be mindful of the annual contribution limits of $5,500 (ages under 50) and $6,500 (ages 50 & over). If you over contribute you may be assessed an IRS excise penalty.

4) Missing Out. One of the biggest mistakes is not having a Roth at all! Even if you contribute to your company 401(k) you still may qualify to contribute to your Roth IRA. Even if your spouse isn’t working you may be able to contribute to his/her Roth as well, in addition to yours, what’s called a “Spousal Roth IRA Contribution.”

5) Not Maximizing Your Tax Bracket. Are you in a low tax bracket? If so, have you maximized your bracket? Say you make $50,000…you’re in the 15% bracket, meaning that you make less than $73,000, why not convert $23,000 of your IRA/401(k) to a tax-free Roth…all at a 15% tax rate? The same logic may hold true for the 25% bracket, those making less than $148,000, married filing joint.

6) Beneficiary Boo Boo. One of the benefits of a Roth is that you are not required to take a yearly RMTD (Required Minimum Taxable Distribution) at age 70 1/2 and older. This is welcome news for Roth IRA owners and their spouses, but when the Roth is passed to non-spouse beneficiaries they are required to take yearly RMDs (of course tax-free), which is often missed and penalties ensue. I suppose this requirement is to limit the amount of wealth that can be passed for generations, but the Roth is still a good deal because, if structured and invested properly, it may pass through 3 generations…all tax-free!

7) Missed RMD Before Conversion. If you’re 70 1/2 or older and subject to the dreaded required taxable distribution from your Traditional IRA be careful when converting to a Roth IRA. Contrary to common sense, before a Roth conversion takes place you must first satisfy your yearly IRA required distribution, then you may convert the remaining balance in your IRA to Roth.

8) Missing Beneficiaries. I know it sounds elementary, but I estimate about 2 out of every 3 prospective clients I meet with have incomplete beneficiary designations. It’s typically due to one of two mistakes. First, there are no beneficiaries listed beyond the primary beneficiary…with everything in life you must have a contingency plan, so make certain you have a contingent beneficiary listed on your Roth. Second, if there are beneficiaries listed they are vague…there’s a big difference between “named beneficiaries” and “designated beneficiaries”, be specific. List their name, DOB, social security number, and address to avoid confusion and problems upon inheriting the Roth.

5 Myths About Revocable Living Trusts

The main reason to create a revocable living trust is to pass your assets easily to your loved ones including your spouse and your beneficiaries.  A properly drafted and properly funded living trust will help you avoid probate.

 The average probate cost is about 8% of your estate. So if your home is worth $1,000,000 at the time of your death, your loved ones will pay about $80,000 in court costs.

 There are no real tax benefits for you while you are alive by creating a revocable living trust.

 Joint Tenancy may not be a very good alternative as the second Joint Tenant who dies will not be allowed to pass on the stepped up basis for Inheritance Tax.

 A Living trust does not need to be drafted by a lawyer.

 You do not have to pay thousands of dollars for a living trust.

 Together with law professors and other pros, I have collaborated with not to give legal advice but prepare a proper revocable living trust, pour over will durable power of attorney for health care and finances and make sure your trust is properly funded, all for less.

Contact Connie Dello Buono 408-854-1883 motherhealth@gmail.com Marketing Service for Law Professors for Revocable Living Trusts in 50 US states.

My grandma says so

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I grew up in the beautiful island of Marinduque , central part of the Philippine Islands. My grandma Claudia walked with me to the clear water in the white sand beach to clean my body as the sea water is healing. It took many hours of long bus ride.
She would massage my forehead if I am feeling nauseous.
And so, she reminded me of the many things about my body, my health and other cultural practices listed below. They all reminded me of her, from her healing hands and admonitions.
From yodisphere.com:
My grandmother has this funny and bizarre collection of health ideas that I do not know whether some of it is true – but I’m sure most of it are just local absurdities. Maybe it is because of information deficiency and the belief in albularyo or local quack doctor.

 

These health beliefs always remind me what it was like to grow up in the province, fascinated and horrified by the adult world. Right now, it is really reassuring that the things I used to believe weren’t so strange after all because I discovered that, somehow, most provinces across the Philippines, and even other countries, also have their own or same health legends. And the most common – sleeping with wet hair can cause blindness.

Then again, even communities in Metro Manila and other cities, especially urban poor communities, still believe on these health legends. Although city people have access to electricity and the mass media, much of their health information can be misleading inaccurate or distorted.These beliefs are really amusing so I take time on finding little facts about it by doing a little research to satisfy my itchy curiosity. I’m not an expert in medicine and my notes are still subject to medical scrutiny.Here are some of the popular health-beliefs in our town in Mindoroand my personal notes:  
1. Sleeping with wet hair can cause blindness – In our province, it is said that if you sleep with wet hair, first you will be cross-eyed, then you will go blind. Meaning, if you happen to wake up in the middle of your sleep with your wet hair, you will only be crossed eyed – and you know what, you are considered lucky — because if you sleep longer you will be blind.

  • My Notes: According to John C Hagan III, MD, an Ophthalmologist affiliated with the American Academy of Ophthalmology, that belief is totally untrue. There is no connection what-so-ever between wet hair and eye problems. Why would you want to sleep with wet hair anyway? 

2. Urine of frogs causes warts or kulugo – Kokak Kokak! No way. I love playing with frogs when I was a kid, what I got are bruises from chasing them – not warts.

  • My Notes: The cause of the typical wart is not a frog. It happens because the wart virus finds a body with a weak immune system.

3. Eating too much magoes can cause bungang-araw or prickly heat rashes – I’m not really sure about this one. What I personally experience is that I got itchy lips and throat when I accidentally ate a portion of thatpico mango fruit rind. Despite the fact that mango can be allergic to a few people, it is still a healthy fruit and I cannot help myself eating this fruit – especially those overripe big kinalabaw mangoes, hmm yummy.

  • My Notes: Well, the problem is that mango tree sap, and the rind of the fruit, contains urushiol, the same chemical the poison ivy plant produces. Some people experience skin rashes especially in the lips upon contact with the sap or the skins of the fruit. Well, you can’t be that hungry that you want to eat even the mango skin – that’s reserved for the backyard pigs you know.    

4. Eating grilled lizard can cure asthma – The usual practice is to grill a lizard until it turned to charcoal black, grind it then mix it to some juice or coffee so you can’t taste what a lizard really taste like. Others just add a whole lizard when cooking rice. Yaikks! 

  • My Notes: Some experts say that asthma can not be cured. Of course eating lizard is not based on a prescription or medical advice, but at least they believe in alternative medicine. We just really don’t know its medicinal effects though. In the meantime, I suggest we should require all lizards to have them labeled with “No approved therapeutic claims.” – until such time that a proper study was conducted. Any objections, Godzilla? 

5. Washing hands after ironing clothes can cause pasma – Pasmarefers to a folk illness unique to the Filipino culture with symptoms of hand tremors, sweaty palms, numbness and pains attributed to an interaction of “init” (heat) and “lamig” (cold).

A rather amusing variation on this belief is the idea that condoms cause “pasma” allegedly because the rubber aggravates the body’s heat. Ha ha ha, Maybe an impotent Catholic priest, who is fighting against contraceptives and the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill, started this rumor.LOL  
  • My Notes: Pasma is not described in medical textbooks, discussed in medical schools, or generally recognized by contemporary medical science.

6. A lady eating twin bananas will give birth to twins – Eating twin fruits like double almonds and bananas were thought to increase the likelihood of twins.

  • My Notes: None – I don’t bother googling this one, because obviously, this is ridiculous. Just consult your local manghihilot to explain this to you in detail or perhaps try visiting the psychic readers in Quiapo if you want more information.

7. Brushing hair 100 times before bedtime can make it softer and shiny – This is the old tale, which claims that brushing your hair a lot, 100 to 200 strokes a day, is good for the hair.

  • My Notes: According to the basic hair care article posted in Mercury Drug Website, we have about 100,000 strands of hairs on our head. Each grows for two to six years. It’s normal to shed some 50 to 100 hair strands a day. When hair falls out, a new strand eventually replaces it.
  • Their Advise: Don’t put strain on your hair strands by brushing too much or too vigorously. The story about brushing your hair 100 times a night is not true. Overbrushing the hair simply makes it brittle and may cause the scalp to produce excess oil.

8. Eating ants can improve singing – So finally, Celine Dion and Charice Pempemco’s secret is finally out. Sautéed ants are behind their angelic singing voice? Well, if it’s true, Willie Revillame and Paris Hilton should’ve done that two decades ago so that they wouldn’t have to be a trying hard singer.

  • My Notes: Maybe an old lunatic singer, during one of her epileptic seizures, started sharing her secret about eating ants to improve her voice, her die-hard fans heard her – and from there, the legend goes. Z and Princess Bala will not love this.

9. Drinking seawater can cure cough/colds – In our province inMindoro, whenever we got cough, my mother will let us have our sea swimming early in the morning and would encourage us to take a gulp of seawater to cure our cough. Of course seawater in our small town is really clear and clean unlike the yukkiiee toxic Manila Bay.

But wait, based on my fact finding spree, this one, which I thought was also an absurd belief is amazingly has some truth in it. Well at least I found out that not all beliefs in my list are just absurdities.

  • My Notes: According to a Czech research [Efficacy of Isotonic Nasal Wash (Seawater) in the Treatment and Prevention of Rhinitis in Children], seawater spray cures kids colds. It may be that the salt water has a simple mechanical effect of clearing mucus, or it could be that trace elements in the water play some more significant role, though the exact reason why such a solution works is not known, said Dr. Ivo Slapak and colleagues at the Teaching Hospital of Brno in the Czech Republic.

I’m sure you also know of some health myths – like jumping on New Year’s eve to make you taller?

Hmmm, what else…
Please share what you have in mind in the comments section below.  




_____________________________

Sources: Retrieved 16 April 2010 by YODZ INSIGNE

» Hagan, John C. III, MD, “Eye Care” 
»Tichenal Allan, Dobbs Joannie “How to Avoid Mangoes Itch”
»Suvamita Ghosh “Mango Allergy”
»Tan, Michael. Philippine Daily Inquirer “Pasma”
»Conlon, Michael Seawater spray cures kids colds-Czech researchers Jan 21 (Reuters)
»Ivo Slapak et. al., Efficacy of Isotonic Nasal Wash (Seawater) in the Treatment and Prevention of Rhinitis in Children

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