Category: Weekly Wrap-Up

In case you missed it (ICYMI), here’s a list of the links that appeared on One Sick Vet’s Facebook page this week:

Monday: My Pillow

Have you seen the commercials on late night TV and wondered about the My Pillow? “Late-night infomercials and other ads claimed that the company’s pillows could cure not only insomnia but also such ailments as sleep apnea, fibromyalgia, and even multiple sclerosis.

Earlier this year, the consumer watchdog Truth in Advertising (TINA.org) warned My Pillow that it would file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission if the unsubstantiated claims continued. My Pillow scrubbed its website of any health claims, but others continued cropping up on its social media sites, TINA.org reports.”

http://www.consumerreports.org/my-pillow/my-pillow-health-claims-lawsuit-settlement/

Tuesday: Dry Winter Skin

Helpful information, except that if you have mold allergies, humidity should be *below* 30% in your home.

http://www.consumerreports.org/conditions-treatments/dry-winter-skin-eczema-psoriasis-rosacea/

Wednesday: End-of-Life Planning

“93-year old psychotherapist Margie Jenkins wants you to plan a great party for the people you love, do what you’ve been putting off, and live “bodaciously.” The only catch? You have to think a lot about death first.”

This Therapist Wants to Make End-of-Life Planning Fun

Thursday: How to Make Sure You Are a Designated Representative In Case Your Loved One is Incapacitated

Heads Up! A power of attorney and a medical power of attorney are no longer sufficient. Read this article for other necessary paperwork to allow you to speak on behalf of a loved one (or vice versa):

https://www.agingcare.com/Articles/Make-Sure-You-Are-an-Authorized-Representative-for-Your-Loved-One-202376.htm?utm_source=InsightsNewsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=InsightsNewsletterNov

Friday: Substance Abuse

“An estimated 20.8 million people in our country are living with a substance use disorder. This is similar to the number of people who have diabetes, and 1.5 times the number of people who have all cancers combined.”

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/11/17/502402409/surgeon-general-murthy-wants-america-to-face-up-to-addiction

Saturday: Saturday Humor

https://www.facebook.com/HeyHoldMyBeerAndWatchThis/photos/a.123836527758776.24621.123829561092806/852210164921405/?type=3&theater

In case you missed it (ICYMI), here are the links that were featured on One Sick Vet’s Facebook page this week:

Monday: Don’t fall for the hype – some foods may not be as healthy as you think

“So how do you sort through the nutrition hype of all these packaged eats and treats to find the healthy gems? When checking out nutrition labels, follow these three important rules: 1. Read carefully. 2. Read carefully. 3. Read carefully.

Before loading up your grocery cart, read up on why six of the foods that you think are healthy are far from it, then swap them out with the suggested alternatives.”

http://www.nextavenue.org/fiftysomething-diet-healthy-food-swaps-0/

Tuesday: Delirium: A surprising side effect of hospital stays

“A recent meta-analysis led by Harvard researchers found that a variety of non-drug interventions — which included making sure patients’ sleep-wake cycles were preserved, that they had their eyeglasses and hearing aids and that were not dehydrated — reduced delirium by 53 percent. These simple fixes had an added benefit: They cut the rate of falls among hospitalized patients by 62 percent.”

http://www.nextavenue.org/delirium-a-surprising-side-effect-of-hospital-stays/

Wednesday: 2016 GAO report on health effects of burn pits

“It had been six years since the Government Accountability Office (GAO) last reported on the number of active burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq and their potential harmful health effects on military personnel.

In September, another GAO report found DoD and the VA still have made inadequate efforts to collect data needed to understand burn pit health risks to troops and their families.”

http://www.moaa.org/Content/Take-Action/Top-Issues/Currently-Serving/Burn-Pit-Report-Reignites-Troop-Exposure-Concerns.aspx

Thursday: 5 simple ways to slash your salt intake

“Adults in the United States consume an average of 3,400 mg of sodium a day, more than double the 1,500 that the American Heart Association recommends. All that excess sodium contributes to high blood pressure, heart attacks and an increased risk of stroke, osteoporosis, stomach cancer and kidney disease.”

http://www.nextavenue.org/fiftysomething-diet-5-simple-ways-slash-your-salt-intake/

Friday: Something to consider as you make end-of-life plans:

“For veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, even a Medal of Honor may not guarantee a spot in Arlington National Cemetery.

That’s according to a report by Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) staff.”

http://www.moaa.org/Content/Take-Action/Top-Issues/Retirees/Arlington-–-Maybe-Not-Your-Final-Resting-Place-.aspx

Saturday Humor:

https://www.facebook.com/Fun.Pics.Stuff/photos/a.547783901915385.146738.342745062419271/1551728084854290/?type=3&theater

In case you missed it (ICYMI), here’s a list of the links that appeared on One Sick Vet’s Facebook page this week:

Tuesday: New data may lead to better understanding of Crohn’s disease.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160920151435.htm

Wednesday: When asked about incorrect data on VA hospital leadership replacement, VA Undersecretary for Health David Shulkin responded: “We tend to use lots of numbers and that can be confusing, and what I’m trying to do is simplify the message, so here’s my message: I need help,” Shulkin said. “I need the right leaders to come in and to take these positions of responsibility on behalf of the country, and I don’t care if it’s 90%, 80%, or 60%. I know I have openings and I don’t have the applicants.”

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/10/18/veterans-affairs-managers-transfer-new-leadership-medical-centers/91965888/

Thursday: Article on living with depression. “For years I believed that I had to surmount my depression, to overcome it, to wrestle it into submission so that I could be normal. The diagnosis has allowed me to accept that “normal” may just mean being able to engage with my loved ones and my work. “Normal” means knowing I have a chronic illness and treating it so that I can do the things that make me content.”

http://www.elle.com/life-love/a39440/double-depression/?src=socialflowTW

Friday: Heads Up! Tricare approved pharmacies changing 1 Dec.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/09/30/tricare-pharmacy-network-adds-walgreens-removes-cvs.html?ESRC=todayinmil.sm

In case you missed it (ICYMI), here’s a list of the links that appeared on One Sick Vet’s Facebook page this week:

Monday: Dealing with Depression

“I’m writing this now to remind myself how wonderful it is to breathe and live and feel human, both because I need a reminder for next time depression lies to me and tells me it will never go away, and also because maybe you’re in the hole right now and need a reminder that it will get better.

It will.

And then maybe it will get bad again. The ups and downs are always there for those of us with forever broken brains. But that’s okay because you come back out. The good is worth battling through the bad. It’s so worth the meds and the therapy and the time and effort and the waiting.”

http://thebloggess.com/2016/10/10/up-and-down-and-up-again/

Tuesday: Traveling with Allergies or Asthma

http://www.michiganallergy.com/travelallergies.shtml

Wednesday: Onset Of Allergies Over Age 40
(Not as uncommon as you think)

http://www.michiganallergy.com/allergyonset40.shtml

Thursday: Relaxation Techniques

http://www.michiganallergy.com/relaxation.shtml

Friday: Article about Paralympian Sgt. Elizabeth Marks (USA)

“When I step onto the blocks, I never think, ‘I want to win,'” she says. “I think, ‘I want to pour all of myself into this race because there are people who can’t physically, mentally or emotionally, do that.’ So it’s my way of performing for them.”

http://www.espn.com/espnw/culture/feature/article/15702441/the-things-carries-story-paraswimmer-us-army-sergeant-elizabeth-marks

In case you missed it (ICYMI), here’s a list of the links that appeared on One Sick Vet’s Facebook page this week:

Monday:  New Post

Medical Procedures: What It’s Like to Have an MRI (with contrast)

Tuesday: One survivor’s perspective on Breast Cancer Awareness Month

http://gettingthewordswrong.com/2015/10/why-october-is-hard/

Wednesday: A former NFL player created a specialty gym to train and rehabilitate disabled veterans.

Thursday: How the sugar industry manipulated scientific dietary research

” All in all, the corrupted researchers and skewed scientific literature successfully helped draw attention away from the health risks of sweets and shift the blame solely to fats—for nearly five decades. The low-fat, high-sugar diets that health experts subsequently encouraged are now seen as a main driver of the current obesity epidemic.”

http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/sugar-industry-bought-off-scientists-skewed-dietary-guidelines-for-decades/

Friday: Airplane Travel Tips for Allergy Patients

http://www.michiganallergy.com/airplane.shtml

Saturday: Humor