My daughter Nicole, who is a big Miley Cyrus fan, heard about a project Miley was supporting called Get UR Good On. As soon as she heard about it, she wanted to get involved. The idea was to do something good in your community, video it, and then upload it onto the Get UR Good On website to encourage others to do the same.
Nicole loves to cook Thanksgiving dinner, so she decided she wanted to cook a holiday dinner for women and children in need, so that’s what we did.
We contacted the Daytona women’s shelter and they were very excited about Nicole’s idea for a holiday dinner and toy give-away for the children. Then the work began.
Publix donated $50.00 and helped us get good deals on the food. Even so, that didn’t nearly cover the cost of the food, but a few friends and family pitched in to help with the rest. Then Nicole decided to use her own money (that she received for getting straight A’s in school) to buy the children toys. She bought — dolls, puppets, stuffed bears, coloring books, crayons, toy trucks and cars, pom-poms, magic tricks, books, play-dough, and more.
The CDC estimates that there are 76 million cases of food-borne illnesses each year, and of that number more than 300,000 will be hospitalized and 5,000 will die. Those are high numbers, especially considering these types of illnesses are very preventable.
On Thursday we will all be sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner, and some of us will even contract one of these food-borne illnesses. But there are things we can do to reduce our risk of of food-borne illness.
To start, here is a great video on Holiday Food Safety from the FDA website…
Are women just too emotional for mammograms before 50?
Unless you’ve been under a rock all week, you have probably heard about the government task force that has recommended new guidelines for breast cancer prevention. It goes something like this…
If you’re younger than 50 or older than 75, you no longer have to worry your pretty little head about breast cancer, or getting those pesky boob squishing mammograms.
Hallelujah! I wonder how long it will be before we go back to giving women Valium for chest pain? Who needs preventative care when it’s not 100% effective anyway? Hell, just go ahead and give us anti-anxiety meds for all of our ills…I’ll betcha we save a bundle on healthcare costs.Women already outlive men by a bunch of years, maybe this will even things out a bit…Isn’t equality what we’ve been cryin about all these years?
OK, I know, I went a little too far with my analogy. But seriously, this is what’s going on…
On Monday, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended that routine mammograms start at age 50 instead of 40, that women receive the test every two years as opposed to annually, and that physicians no longer train women to perform breast self-examination.
Imaging centers saw cancellations for mammograms more than double since the news of these “recommendations” were announced. I wonder how many of those women may actually have breast cancer right now and will miss the opportunity for early detection and treatment?
I have to admit, I’ve been having a lot of cynical thoughts running through my head since I heard this disturbing news. Like…
I can’t help but think that if the pharmaceutical companies were profiting from mammograms these recommendations would be suggesting that they begin ten years earlier rather than later.
And then there’s this one…
If a healthcare reform bill is going to benefit the insurance industry (and it must – considering all their lobbying dollars), then insurance companies need guidelines that will allow them to reduce the amount of money they shell out for quality health care.
I know these are just thoughts, but when government panels are established to become corporate bean counters of women’s health policy, it makes me a little angry.
The thing is, when it comes to healthcare for women – I want to see more choices for women, not less.
Check out this video, it really does a nice job of addressing the problems associated with these new guidelines…
Was I the only one who was completely shocked to find out that this so called panel of experts had three representatives from insurance companies, but no experts in oncology or breast cancer?
Today the blogging community is praying for Anissa Mayhew, a loving mother of three, who blogs at Free Anissa and Hope 4 Peyton. Anissa suffered a stroke yesterday afternoon, and we are all hoping and praying that she will make a full recovery.
The Great American Smokeout happens every year on the third Thursday in November, and it has been going on each year since 1977. This is a day that smokers all across the country are encouraged to not smoke, or at least cut back on their smoking for one day. Each year millions of smokers participate in the smokeout in the hope that this one step will be the catalyst to their quitting permanently.
It’s so important to eat health even when you’re on a budget. And in today’s economy many of us will find ourselves looking for ways to make our holiday meals without breaking the bank. Thankfully, there are many women blogging about just that. Here is a quick blog round-up that can help you have a wonderfully frugal holiday.
In honor of Word Diabetes Day I’ve decided to do a blog roundup of women blogging diabetes. Most are blogs by women who are living with diabetes, and others are women blogging about parenting a child with diabetes. I’ve also included several informative links and resources at the end of this post.
If you blog about living with diabetes or World Diabetes Day, please leave your link in comments.
Do you know someone who suffers with Alzheimer’s disease? Or someone who is a caregiver to a loved one with this devastating disease? If so, you understand the heartache associated with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Who are we without our memories of past experiences? For most of us, the though of losing our memories to Alzheimer’s disease is horrifying. But there is much more to Alzheimer’s than memory loss.
Did you know that one in four Americans living with HIV are women? It’s true. HIV/AIDS is affecting more and more women, specifically African American women. It’s actually become the leading cause of death in African American women between the ages of 25-34.
When I first saw this, I honestly thought it was a joke.
(CBS) Kellogg, the nation’s largest cereal maker, is making new, controversial claims that its Krispies cereals can help boost kids’ immune systems.
Does fortifying junk food with a couple of vitamins make it healthy? No, of course not. Processed foods and foods high in sugar are not healthy. Period.
So why would Kellogg’s think that by adding a few vitamins to its kid cereals, that they could then call them healthy? Let me take a guess – $$$$$$$$$$. Isn’t it interesting how they are making these claims about “boosting your families immunity” at a time when most mothers are fearful of the H1N1 virus? Coincidence? Or just super good marketing strategy?
The truth is…Sugar (and many of the other ingredients in these cereals) actually weaken the immune system, so claims of boosting immunity are totally bogus. Shame on you Kellogg’s – You are clearly taking advantage of this swine flu crisis to increase your bottom line.
What do you think about this? Let me know in comments.
This is a re-write from something I wrote back in January 2007…
Finding Empowerment Through Adversity
When we are suffering it is very difficult, if not impossible, to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But it is there. We will get through it. And in time, our wounds really will be healed.
Can something good come out of adversity? Often in the face of adversity, we are unable to see anything through our pain. The only thing we can think about are questions. Why is this happening to me? How will I go on? How will I survive?
Although we may want to, we should not turn away from our pain. It is very important that we feel all of our feelings during these times of adversity and heartache. Denying our pain, or denying our feelings, will not benefit us in any way. In fact, it will likely prolong our troubles. But if we look at our situation, and face our problems head-on…we will triumph.
We may sometimes feel like we are losing the battle; but when we push through the battle, we come out on the other side the winner of the war. That’s because we are empowered when we conquer life’s toughest battles. Only at these times of empowerment do we grow into the people we are meant to be. Think about that for a minute. Who would you be right now, if it wasn’t for the adversity you have been through in your life?
For me personally, I wish I had never had to go through many of the painful events of my life – loss, divorce, illness, betrayal, just to name a few. But I also know that I would not be the woman I am today, had I not. My past heartache and my past pain, are what make me the compassionate person that I am today. And in retrospect, I don’t think I would want to be the kind of person who knows no hardships. It is because of these hardships that I appreciate every thing I have, even the little things, the things that many people often take for granted.
I can now see that my past adversity, has truly been a blessing in my life. And although I don’t look forward to future adversity, I do know it will come. And when it does come, I will have the knowledge of my past strengths to help me overcome, and once again triumph.
My hope for everyone, is that they are able to one day look past their pain, to find their empowerment.
November is Epilepsy Awareness Month. I hope this post will provide information and facts about epilepsy, while also showcasing women blogging about life with seizures.
Epilepsy affects over 3 million Americans of all ages – more than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson’s disease combined. Almost 500 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed every day in the United States. Epilepsy affects 50,000,000 people worldwide.
In two-thirds of patients diagnosed with epilepsy, the cause is unknown.
Epilepsy can develop at any age and can be a result of genetics, stroke, head injury, and many other factors.
In over thirty percent of patients, seizures cannot be controlled with treatment. Uncontrolled seizures may lead to brain damage and death. Many more have only partial control of their seizures.
The severe epilepsy syndromes of childhood can cause developmental delay and brain damage, leading to a lifetime of dependency and continually accruing costs—both medical and societal.
It is estimated that up to 50,000 deaths occur annually in the U.S. from status epilepticus (prolonged seizures), Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), and other seizure-related causes such as drowning and other accidents.
The mortality rate among people with epilepsy is two to three times higher than the general population and the risk of sudden death is twenty-four times greater.
Recurring seizures are also a burden for those living with brain tumors and other disorders such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, tuberous sclerosis, and a variety of genetic syndromes.
I found this video on a blog called My 3 Peanuts – It is a very informative video that explains exactly what happens during a seizure.
This is my response to seeing so many bloggers and commenters turning the “choice” to vaccinate for H1N1, into a free for all hate fest against moms who are “choosing” not to vaccinate.
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is the question many moms are facing when it comes to Swine Flu and the H1N1 vaccine (including me). As far as I’m concerned, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to the H1N1 vaccine. There is plenty of information available for parents to educate themselves on both the H1N1 virus as well as the vaccine, and I believe every mother has the right to make the decision she believes is best for her children. But not everyone thinks so, there are many moms on the internet freely venting their disdain for anyone who doesn’t vaccinate their child for H1N1.
My name is Catherine Morgan...I'm a writer, nurse, and mother. I'm also a contributing editor for BlogHer Health & Wellness.
Welcome to my blog...I write a little bit of everything with an emphasis on healthy living, inspiration, nutrition, and health news. I hope you'll find topics that interest you here, and I would love to know what you think in comments. Thanks for stopping by.
