This has been an interesting iHCPL journey. I have enjoyed learning about the websites that are out there for the viewing even though it does tend to overwhelm me.
I'm not very familiar with any medications/pills so I didn't look much on the pill identifier site. I looked on the Symptom Checker site and didn't get the results I thought I would at first, but dug a little deeper and found the information I was looking for on a Mayo Clinic site. My dad and I both have been experiencing hip pain and believed the cause to be the sacroiliac joint. Now I know some causes and some treatments and can assist my dad in finding a doctor who can help him have better quality of life. His mom lived to be 95, so he could have another 15 years to look forward to and he shouldn't have to live it in pain.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/symptom-checker/DS00671
I logged into the MedlinePlus site and began looking for the topic of hip pain. I found the site http://www.freemd.com/ and got a virtual doctor. He asked several questions and diagnosed the hip pain as a herniated disc. I don't think that's what it is, but I'm sure the "live" doctor that my dad goes to see will be able to determine what it is by x-ray or MRI. I also researched scoliosis. I found out after the car accident I was in that I have scoliosis. I had no clue.
Anyway, the virtual doctor asked me for my zip code and directed me to several clinics and doctors in my area. I didn't see any orthopedic doctors listed though, just internal and family practice. I had to search deeper for a specialist. There were several in the area.
Using on-line medical sites are not always a good idea if it might create fear in someone. My son-in-law actually thought he had gall bladder problems after looking on line. (it's in his family history) When he went to the doctor he found out it was just pleurisy. What a relief for him.
I looked again at the www.freemd.com site and answered the questions from the doctor a little differently and this time it actually said I can treat myself at home because it was chronic back pain/strain...which is more likely for me, (osteoarthritis) but not sure about my dad. My brother has a problem with his back called Ankylosing Spondylitis, which I learned more about while exploring this site. This leads me into the family history question.
https://familyhistory.hhs.gov/ I created a family health portrait, but it can't be all that accurate because I don't know my family that well. I have no living grandparents, my mom passed away over 10 years ago and my dad is 81. I guess I need to tap into what he knows, and also ask any surviving uncles or aunts what they know. My mom used to say, "leave the skeletons in the closet", but I think these are ones who need to be "autopsied". I know there has been diabetes on my mom's side of the family. As far as I know none of my 5 siblings or I have it. We have actually been pretty healthy, so we have been very fortunate. I will continue to look into this and add more to the family health history as they are discovered.
I think this will be my last iHCPL for awhile. I've completed all my training hours for 2008.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Wellness #41 - Going Green- Part 2
http://www.obviously.com/junkmail/ This is the first task I need to do. All of a sudden I'm getting more junk mail than ever. I try to make sure I "opt out" on all the offers I get in the mail, but maybe I need to call the 800 number again. It needs to be done for each person who lives in the home.
My house was built in 1983, and we are starting to have some weatherstripping problems around the doors and windows again, so that is probably an activity I will try and get done, especially before winter gets here. It's not as obvious during the summer when I "air condition the outdoors", but in the winter it it because cold air seeps into the house and freezes my toesies.
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html I've always thought about making my own cleansers, but never had all the stuff in the recipe, and never remembered to add them to my grocery list. This would take more committment, but I might try some of these recipes. The stores sell the natural, non-toxic stuff now. My daughter uses it because of her little kids.
http://www.obviously.com/recycle/ This list seems irrelevant for me since the company that picks up our recycle stuff gives us a list of what they pickup and what they don't. They don't pick up any glass. Cereal boxes, cardboard boxes, plastic, food cans, soda cans, aluminum, etc. I'm glad they pick up for us so we don't have to transport our stuff. There are several recycle bins in the area, however. One right across the street from where I work. This was a great link http://www.obviously.com/recycle/guides/shortest.html for people who need to know what recycles and what doesn't.
A person could spend all day on this site. http://www.diylife.com/ I like this site. It has a lot of great ideas and do it yourself projects. Great way to save money.
My house was built in 1983, and we are starting to have some weatherstripping problems around the doors and windows again, so that is probably an activity I will try and get done, especially before winter gets here. It's not as obvious during the summer when I "air condition the outdoors", but in the winter it it because cold air seeps into the house and freezes my toesies.
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html I've always thought about making my own cleansers, but never had all the stuff in the recipe, and never remembered to add them to my grocery list. This would take more committment, but I might try some of these recipes. The stores sell the natural, non-toxic stuff now. My daughter uses it because of her little kids.
http://www.obviously.com/recycle/ This list seems irrelevant for me since the company that picks up our recycle stuff gives us a list of what they pickup and what they don't. They don't pick up any glass. Cereal boxes, cardboard boxes, plastic, food cans, soda cans, aluminum, etc. I'm glad they pick up for us so we don't have to transport our stuff. There are several recycle bins in the area, however. One right across the street from where I work. This was a great link http://www.obviously.com/recycle/guides/shortest.html for people who need to know what recycles and what doesn't.
A person could spend all day on this site. http://www.diylife.com/ I like this site. It has a lot of great ideas and do it yourself projects. Great way to save money.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Wellness #41: Part 1 Going Green
I looked at all three energy calculator sites, and found the Yahoo! Green to be the quickest and least daunting. http://green.yahoo.com/calculator The National Wildlife Federation wanted me to take a "Good Neighbor Pledge" and send them money. Sorry, not gonna happen. I can still be a good neighbor. The Green Team site had lots of questions, and really more information than I was interested in. I recycle at home our paper, plastic, cans and aluminum. Our homeowners association pays to have them come and pick it up. If not for that it would be harder for me to recycle. I'm not even sure where I would take the stuff. ?? On the Yahoo! Green site my score was 8.2 CO2/yr. Home: 4.9 / Road: 2.7 / and Air: 0.6. On the years I fly to Guam, however, my score for air goes up to 8.4. How else am I suppose to get to Guam? Take a slow boat?? That still uses fuel.
I noticed in the USA Today dated Friday, Oct. 3 that car rental places are offering possible carbon offset credits of $2 - $6 per rental. (Avis, Budget, and Thrifty, to name a few)
http://www.vroomvroomvroom.com/ For those looking for a grand adventure this other site was named in the newspaper article. http://www.wholetravel.com/beta
Very interesting about the pesticides on fruits and vegetables. I try and buy organic when I can, especially apples. I didn't realize that peaches and nectarines were the worse! And who would've thought about celery being contaminated? http://www.foodnews.org/methodology.php
There used to be a farmer's market close by, but now it's moved, and I haven't been to it.
http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/M19290 It sounds great, even though it got mixed reviews. Maybe I'll check it out. The grocery stores in the area carry a lot of organic foods now. It makes it easier then going to the farmer's market, however I think we should try and support local growers. My husband had a garden a few years back that was great. We didn't use any pesticides and had a bumper crop of green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, and corn. It was a lot of work for him, and perhaps when we retire we will give it another go. We do still grow herbs.
I noticed in the USA Today dated Friday, Oct. 3 that car rental places are offering possible carbon offset credits of $2 - $6 per rental. (Avis, Budget, and Thrifty, to name a few)
http://www.vroomvroomvroom.com/ For those looking for a grand adventure this other site was named in the newspaper article. http://www.wholetravel.com/beta
Very interesting about the pesticides on fruits and vegetables. I try and buy organic when I can, especially apples. I didn't realize that peaches and nectarines were the worse! And who would've thought about celery being contaminated? http://www.foodnews.org/methodology.php
There used to be a farmer's market close by, but now it's moved, and I haven't been to it.
http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/M19290 It sounds great, even though it got mixed reviews. Maybe I'll check it out. The grocery stores in the area carry a lot of organic foods now. It makes it easier then going to the farmer's market, however I think we should try and support local growers. My husband had a garden a few years back that was great. We didn't use any pesticides and had a bumper crop of green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, and corn. It was a lot of work for him, and perhaps when we retire we will give it another go. We do still grow herbs.
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