The Australian fires

Like millions of others, I've been watching and reading in horror of the horrible fires raging over in Australia. What makes this horror even worse is that - as it always seems with forest fires - some of them were deliberately set.

I remember a few years ago, the province of Ontario, our neighbouring province, had massive forest fires. And here in Quebec, we could smell it and feel the grit in our eyes. We knew the fires were hundreds of miles away, but we could still feel and smell them. That's the power of such a huge fire.

Three years ago, I was in Palm Desert, CA. We saw some fires burning and after we got home, there was news of some larger forest fires. Having finally seen how dry it is there, I could only then imagine the devastation that such fires can bring upon us.

And now, the Australians, no stranger to forest fires, are coming upon the second largest city, Melbourne. They're moving too fast for some people to escape and, so far, the death toll is well over 100.

What do you say about someone who deliberately sets a fire like this? We can hope that the criminals didn't mean to take lives, they just wanted to experience the fire, but the fact is they did take lives. And they changed the lives of thousands of people - and may have set a course of mental health in thousands. How many of them are going to be petrified of fire? How many are going to have post traumatic stress disorder? How many of those children are going to fear for their lives or the lives of their parents over and over again? How many are going to need help but will deny it or slip through the cracks, only to become sicker later on?

Is there something you can say to someone who sets fires like this? Are they mentally ill or just plain evil? I just read the book, The Shack, by William Young, and I know that whoever set this fire is someone's son or daughter. Could be someone's friend, cousin, neighbour. What happened?

In the meantime, I offer my own prayers and healing thoughts to those in Australia who have suffered and are suffering. I wish I could say something that would help.

Should fertility doctors limit embryo implantations?

Since the birth of the California octuplets last month, the Internet has been buzzing with people who agree with/disagree with/are horrified with/don't care much about what happened and how it happened.

But, regardless of how you feel about the woman's choices, what do you think of the doctor's choices? It's been said that the doctor implanted all eight embryos into the California mom's uterus and all eight took. Other people are saying (theorizing) that fewer embryos were implanted but they divided. While that last thought is true, the idea that only four were implanted and *all* four divided is just on the side of ludicrous. From what I've been reading, the division itself is rare - but for this woman to have four divide, those are odds worth buying a lottery ticket for.

How do I feel? I think any doctor that puts a woman's life at risk by implanting any more than four embryos should lose his or her license. Not only is the doctor putting the woman's life at risk, the babies may grow up with severe handicaps if they live. They may not and many perfectly "normal" babies do end up disabled later in life. But why introduce this very strong possibility when it can be avoided?

Time has an interesting article on IVF and embryo implantation. It's worth popping over there to read.

What do you think?

Don't drive if you have the flu

According to the findings of a study in the United Kingdom, people who have a bad cold or the flu (the real flu, influenza, not a gastro bug) are just as dangerous on the roads as drunk drivers. An Australian study equated driving with the flu as the same as driving having just had two glasses of whisky.

In other words, any condition that slows  your reflexes or dulls your senses causes a dangerous driving environment. People are only now starting to realize the danger in driving while tired, perhaps we need to be more aware of our mental faculties in all cases.

News for Today:

Family murder-suicides, or, what drives a man to kill his own wife and children?

Phytoestrogens and Menopause

Today at Womb Within:

Ultrasound may be able to predict who can have VBAC and who shouldn’t

Mom of octuplets has 6 kids already: Your input wanted

Today at Help My Hurt:

FDA panel recommends ban on pain reliever Darvon

Virtual reality may help relieve pain during burn treatment

Today at Seniors Support:

Elderly at higher risk of hypothermia

Forced retirement risk factor for physical and mental health problems

I'll be back soon!

A shout-out to my regular readers and my new visitors. I know I've been absent, but I have a good reason: very, very busy.

Besides my regular freelance writing work, which is a full-time job in itself, I'm working a few days a week as an RN, doing some filling in while this place needs me. I feel guilty having the skills and knowledge and not using them "in the field" when we have such a bad nursing shortage.

And, if that's not enough, we're getting our house ready to put it up for sale and that's been way more work than I planned on. Cleaning, painting, decluttering, you name it, we're doing it. I was also working on a new project called Montreal on the Cheap. Fun, but time consuming.

Unfortunately, with all that, I've had to let a couple of things go for a bit, but I promise it won't be for much longer. Things are supposed to slow down once the house has it's for sale sign up, which we're hoping will be by next week.

In the meantime, if you'd like to check out my other health blogs, here's what I've been posting:

• What? Frequent sex and masturbation in 20s and 30s ups risk of prostate cancer?


• Early endometrial cancer in young women may not mean ovaries need to be removed


• Surprised octuplet mum plans on breastfeeding all of them


• Have I got a blog recommendation for you


• Watch a broadcast of a Cesarean section


• Teen boys injure shoulders in sports more than girls


• Watch a live webcast of spinal surgery


• Another great Boomers & Seniors blog carnival posted