Friday, July 4, 2008

I've been away from the blog a few days

To my regular readers, my apologies for my absence. I've been busy and not feeling 100%. I had a few major projects, all with deadlines the end of this week and I've been so overwhelming fatigued, I can barely stay awake. That has just got to stop!

I've also been having some computer issues so I'm seriously considering buying a Mac Notebook. My daughter has one and loves it. I've only had PCs since I started using computers in the very early 90s, although I have used Macs on occasion.

If I do buy a Mac Notebook, I guess I'll have some learning to do so I need to wake up! I'm falling asleep as I write this.

Ok, I promise, next week, back to my usual health news posting. In the mean time, if you are one of the millions who lives with pain, I'm having a book contest over at Help My Hurt: Pain Relief book give away.
The contest ends July 14.

For those of you in the United States, have a great long weekend. For the rest of us, have a great shorter weekend. :-)

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Happy Canada Day - 2008


Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians. For those who don't know about Canada's history, 141 years ago, in 1867, Canada became its own country. I love that flag. When I leave Canada or when I'm watching a television program in a setting outside of Canada and I see our flag, I'm very proud.

Yes, we have our problems and some of them are serious. We have a lot of issues that need to be addressed to fix some of the sins of our past and to protect our future. But, for the most part, Canada is a wonderful place to be and to be Canadian is a privilege that many others try very hard to get.

Happy Canada Day. Celebrate safely.


Today at Help My Hurt:

At-home cognitive behavior program may help IBS symptoms

Lawn mowers terrify me

Video: Lawn mower safety

Pain Relief book give away

Marijuana may be effective for neuropathic pain

The ABCs of pain

Press Release: Medication for postherpetic neuralgia pain

Limit sucrose as painkiller for newborns

Today at Womb Within:


No higher risk for stillbirth in pregnancies following Caesarians

Low-tech advice could save many mothers’ lives

First Pregnancy Blog Carnival

3 books to give away. Few things better than reading to your little ones

Video: Chorionic villus sampling

News for Today:


Pay more attention to STDs among older people: epidemiologists

Low HDL Linked to Memory Loss

How To Save A Life With A Defibrillator


Monday, June 30, 2008

Any plans for summer vacation?

A few weeks ago, I was reading some articles that said Canadians were choosing to take several long weekends rather than a tradition week or two vacation during the summer. The choices were made for a variety of reasons. The most common reason these days is the price of gas, but the scariest reason (in my opinion) is that people felt that they couldn't afford to miss a full week or two at work. They felt they were either too indispensable or just too busy to leave.

I can identify with that. When I was employed at my last job, I was still able to work from home so the stress of telecommuting and office politics didn't exist as much. However, vacation is still very important - but I was really reluctant to take it. Why? I was afraid I would be found out as being too dispensable. How sad is that? That's how insecure I was. And it really didn't make sense because I was there for seven years.

Now, as a freelancer, I find myself worried about taking too much time off because I don't want to lose opportunities. Again, that's sad because the whole idea of being self-employed and freelancing is so I have the freedom to take vacations when I want to.

Psychologists have weighed in on this trend to not take vacations and many are worried about it. They say that we need these vacations to recharge and refresh ourselves. Not taking vacations can lead to burn out and physical illness. While I do agree that people need good breaks from work - but isn't it possible that some people do relax better if they have several long weekends in a row. There's a lot to be said about having a whole slew of four-day work weeks in a row, looking forward to those three-day weekends.

What do you think?


Today (and the weekend) at Help My Hurt:

And her gallbladder decides it’s time to make its presence known

Lifting The Burden: Migraine education

Multiple sclerosis and restless leg syndrome?

European agency recommends approval for Abstral (fentanyl) for cancer pain

Combination Therapy for Migraine Shows Promise

Yikes - Pfizer’s ad for fibro awareness

7 tips for living with fibromyalgia

Check out Disaboom: Fibro and sex

Girl Recovering After Tug-of-War Accident

Video: Fibromyalgia explained

Keeping track of medications

Another shocking study


And today (and on the weekend) at Womb Within:


Will your pregnancy affect your pet?

Heavy birthweight baby girls twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis

Depression during pregnancy following successful IVF

High heels for infants

Colic - what is it and what can you do?

Uterus conditions reason why first borns may have higher asthma rate

Anxiety disorders during pregnancy

Sterile water better than acupuncture during labor?

Surrogate mothers - womb for rent?

How sex changes during pregnancy

News for Today:

Implantable device shows promise in treating obesity less invasively: study

Most food safety assumptions are half-baked

Diabetes linked to cognitive decline in seniors

Low birth weight, prematurity may raise autism risk

For older adults, motivation to stay active comes in many forms

Doubling of sexually transmitted infections among over-45s in under a decade