Happy Mom’s Day!
Posted by Michelle Moquin on May 13th, 2012
Good morning!
If you’ve been reading here, everyone knows how I feel about women…my love for and support of women…how women continue to inspire me over and over in so many wonderful ways. And of course, being women, mothers are no different. And since I truly believe women will change the world (and are changing the world!), Mothers, of course, are changing the world too.
Mothers Who Will Change the World
Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate our mothers. It’s for brunches, flowers, and time spent with your beloved mom. But for millions of mothers around the world, it’s a day they’ll lose to one of the world’s most preventable causes of death — waterborne disease.
Mother’s Day is another day where in many countries women will be responsible for finding and fetching water for their families. All the water they need for drinking, washing, cooking, cleaning. They’ll walk miles, carry heavy burdens, wait for hours and pay exorbitant prices. The work will be back-breaking and all-consuming. Often the water will be contaminated, even deadly. In these instances, they’ll face an impossible choice — certain death without water or possible death from illness.
Once they are old enough, their daughters will join this effort. They’ll spend countless hours trying to provide this basic life necessity. This includes women’s struggle to access basic sanitation. The global clean water challenge can be summed up in one word: ‘dignity.’
This Mother’s Day, transform the life of another Mother when you honor your mom. Visit Water.org and honor your mom or another beloved woman who has touched your life. This small action will provide health, hope, and opportunity for millions.
“Your love, support, and commitment to making the world a better place has shaped the person I am and the women my girls will become.” Join Matt Damon and honor your mother in the Water.org Mother’s Day Campaign.
*S*U*P*P*O*R*T*M*O*T*H*E*R*S*
Readers: I am off to celebrate with my mother and give her extra support and love, as her mother – my grandmother, at 94 years old, just passed away two weeks ago. We are blessed that she has finally moved on, but we miss her dearly.
I HOPE every mother reading here and out there have an amazing Mother’s Day. And if there is any mother who is alone with no one to share in the celebration, know that me and my readers are thinking of you and sending gratitude and love to all of the mothers out there.
Happy Mother’s Day!
I love you mom!
Peace & Love: “Live it good, Give it good!”
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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May 13th, 2012 at 10:17 am
Did You Have a Heart Attack—And Not Know It?
When you have a heart attack, you know it because the main symptom—crushing chest pain—is overwhelmingly obvious. That’s what most of us believe about heart attacks. But it’s not always true.
What few people realize: Studies show that 20% to 60% of all heart attacks in people over age 45 are unrecognized or “silent.” And the older you are, the more likely it is that you’ve already had a silent heart attack.
In a study of 110 people with a mean age of 82, an astounding 68% had suffered a silent heart attack.
What happens during a silent heart attack? You may have no symptoms at all. Or you may have symptoms that are so mild—for example, a bout of breathlessness, digestive upset or neurological symptoms such as fainting—that neither you nor your doctor connects them with a heart attack.
Scientists don’t know why some people have unrecognized heart attacks. But they do know that a silent heart attack is a real heart attack and can cause as much damage to heart muscle as a nonsilent heart attack.
And just like a person with a known heart attack, anyone who has had a silent heart attack is at higher risk for another heart attack, heart failure, stroke…or sudden death from an irregular heartbeat.
Recent scientific evidence: In a six-year study by cardiologists from the University of California in San Diego and San Francisco—published in Clinical Research in Cardiology in April 2011—people who were diagnosed with a silent heart attack at the beginning of the study were 80% more likely to have another “cardiovascular event,” such as a heart attack or stroke, by the end of the study period.
In a five-year study by cardiologists at the Mayo Clinic, people with an unrecognized heart attack were seven times more likely to die of heart disease than people who didn’t have an unrecognized heart attack.
If you have risk factors for heart disease, it is vitally important to your health that you find out if you have had a silent heart attack. Here’s how…
THE KEY TO DETECTION
If you’re at high risk for heart disease, your primary care physician should perform an electrocardiogram (EKG)—a test that checks for problems with the electrical activity of your heart—every year during your regular checkup.
If the EKG reveals significant “Q-waves”—markers of damaged heart tissue—you have had a silent heart attack.
“High risk” means that you have two or more risk factors for heart disease. These risk factors include a family history of heart disease (in a first-degree relative such as a sibling or parent)…high blood pressure… smoking…inactivity…obesity…high LDL “bad” cholesterol…low HDL “good” cholesterol…high triglycerides…and type 2 diabetes.
The groups at highest risk for having an unrecognized heart attack are adults over age 65…women…and people of any age with type 2 diabetes.
THE TREATMENT YOU NEED
If your EKG reveals a previously unrecognized heart attack, it’s wise to see a cardiologist and receive the exact same treatment that you would get if you had a recognized heart attack.
Elements of that treatment should include…
Treadmill stress test. The cardiologist will check for and interpret many variables, such as your symptoms (if any), the electrical patterns of your heart rhythms and your blood pressure while you are on a treadmill.
Important: Be sure to get your cardiologist’s advice on special steps to take to ensure accurate results. For example, you should have no caffeine within 24 hours of the test.
If the results of the stress test indicate “severe myocardial ischemia”—poor blood flow to the heart muscle—it may be necessary to have a coronary angiogram (X-rays of the heart’s arteries) to accurately diagnose the degree of blockage and decide whether you should pursue such options as angioplasty (in which a balloon is inserted into the coronary artery and inflated to restore normal blood flow) or coronary bypass surgery (in which a blood vessel is grafted from another part of the body to give blood a new pathway to the heart).
However, in most cases, heart disease that is associated with a silent heart attack can be managed with lifestyle changes, such as not smoking…losing weight if you’re overweight…and getting regular exercise.
In addition, medications may include…
Aspirin. A daily dose of 81 mg of aspirin is the best choice for an antiplatelet drug to reduce the risk for blood clots. Very important: A higher dose does not increase the cardiovascular benefit—but does increase the risk for gastrointestinal bleeding.
Beta-blocker. This class of drugs slows the heart rate, relaxing the heart and helping to manage high blood pressure.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. These drugs expand blood vessels, improving blood flow and lowering blood pressure—thus allowing the heart to work less.
Statin. If you have heart disease, this cholesterol-lowering medication reduces your risk for another heart attack or dying from heart disease—regardless of whether your levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol are high or low.
In addition, statin use should be accompanied by a diet that is low in cholesterol (less than 200 mg per day) and low in saturated fat (less than 7% of total calories).
Also important: It’s crucial that people with diabetes maintain tight control of their HbA1C levels. This measure of long-term blood sugar control should be less than 7%.
However, HbA1C levels should not be aggressively lowered below 6.5% in diabetes patients with cardiovascular disease, according to the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes study—that increases the risk for death because it would indicate that blood glucose is at times too low.
In general, the best way for people with diabetes to protect against heart attacks and strokes is to give up cigarettes if they smoke…lose weight if necessary…reduce blood pressure to 130–139/80–89 mmHg…and reduce LDL cholesterol to less than 70 mg/dL.
If these lifestyle measures do not also sufficiently lower the person’s HbA1C level, standard antidiabetes medication can be used.
Source: Wilbert Aronow, MD, professor of medicine in the divisions of cardiology, geriatrics and pulmonary/critical medicine, and chief of the cardiology clinic at Westchester Medical Center/New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York.
Dr. Aronow has edited eight books and is the author or coauthor of more than 2,250 scientific papers, abstracts and commentaries that have appeared in The Lancet, The New England Journal of Medicine, Circulation and other medical journals.
May 13th, 2012 at 10:21 am
Social Butterfly, if there was anything “creepy,” it would be you thinking someone is “stalking” you would merely mentioned that they did not see you in a place they usually see you.
The other more normal thought would be that the person is someone who is part of the social circle you are and who merely made a statement that you were missed.
Now that you have creeped me out, I won’t bother to introduce myself.
May 13th, 2012 at 10:28 am
Health Info?
Beta blockers and statins? You really want a person to die don’t you!
May 13th, 2012 at 10:59 am
I just got back from Guam. I had to visit it because of all the stuff that is printed about it on this blog. I was not disappointed. It is a beautiful island. The water is so clear and oh so warm. It was like sitting in my bath tub.
The down side is the island is full of snakes. The snakes make up only one kind, the Brown Tree Snake. But they are everywhere. On an Island that is only 30 miles long and maybe 11 miles wide at its greatest span, you have probably 2 million brown tree snakes. That’s a lot of snakes folks.
But, otherwise, it is a fantastic experience. The weather will most definitely cooperate, I mean if you like it hot and no rain(the rainy season-almost every day- is between December and February).
When I say hot I mean the humidity makes it hot because the temperature is usually between the high 70′s and the low 80′s. Just great if you love Sun. I do!
The different foods will keep your palate delighted indeed. It is an ideal location for a Hub because Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines are at most a few hours away by plane.
I originally went and planned to visit Austria and the Philippines, but I was having such a wonderful time I stayed on Guam for the full 5 weeks. I mean I was only going to be on Guam 2 weeks at most when I started my vacation.
You will love the place. It has it all, from water falls, caves, beaches, to great shopping opportunities. And it is like you hit the mother lode of foreigners. From Russians, to Middle Easterners to Asians, they all seem to flock to this incredible Island.
I can now understand why an Alien Princess would want to make this place her home. It is incredible! I did take a 3 day excursion to the other Mariana islands on my way to visiting the Mariana Trench. One word, Marvelous!
I used to visit Hawaii regularly, at least once a year for 2 to 3 weeks, but I will certainly make Guam my first choice now.
Hafa Adai Guam
Kathy
May 13th, 2012 at 11:47 am
I think you are full of it Leslie. Michelle knows who I am and one or two other ladies that I know for sure do that read this blog.
I am pretty protective of my identity, and have never given myself away here. So I find it very interesting that you purport to know who I am and are a member of my social circle. I don’t believe it for a minute. How would you even know what I look like? I only talk about this blog here so you didn’t hear about me or it in “any social circle” of mine.
/SB
May 13th, 2012 at 12:13 pm
Michelle,
I’m very sorry to hear about your grandmother’s passing. You have my sincere condolences. I know it’s never easy to say goodbye to loved ones. I’m sure she was a great woman. No doubt, you come from a lineage of wonderful women.
Peace and love to you and yours,
/SB
May 13th, 2012 at 12:17 pm
Are you asking me to tell you what you look like here on the blog? Or should I just tell you how tall you are or something like greater than 5’6″ that would be in the ball park without saying too much.
Color of hair or what ??????????????
Leslie
May 13th, 2012 at 12:19 pm
Thanks Katy for the plug. I too feel we have a special place here. You left too soon. Now, you’ve missed the Agriculture Festival. Oh well maybe next time.
Hafa Adai
======================
Guam Department of Agriculture holds Harvest Festival
MONDAY, MAY 14 2012 00:00 BY LOUELLA LOSINIO – VARIETY NEWS STAFF
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HAGÅTÑA — Local farmers, backyard gardeners and anyone who enjoys good food headed to the Guam Department of Agriculture in Mangilao on Thursday for the 6th May Harvest Festival.
Several tents were set up inside the facility, where guests can avail of free plant, tree and vegetable seedlings.
In another tent, an array of animals was put on exhibit, including several varieties of chickens, rabbits, and even a peacock.
Agriculturist Pete Terlaje said the Harvest Festival encourages the community to get into gardening or farming by showing them what they can do on their field or backyard.
The festival, according to Terlaje, also encourages the community to buy from local producers and, in the process, help local farmers and contribute to the sustainability of the island.
“Buy local. Help your local farmer and your local producers because we want to be self-sustainable in the long run. Instead of importing our food, we know how to grow it ourselves,” Terlaje said.
May 13th, 2012 at 7:20 pm
Why don’t you just tell me/us how you know who I am?
/SB
May 13th, 2012 at 9:03 pm
Hi Mischa, I guess I commented yesterday for today by accident, though forgive me bc I forgot to send my condolences on the passing of your grandmother. As /SB said, I’m sure she’s one in a long line of wonderful women. – ZL
May 14th, 2012 at 8:12 am
Paul Hawey used to say “people who can’t or won’t control themselves have to be controlled.”
Now, which part of this simple statement is hard to understand? It has been necessary to protect the society from the criminal element by coming up with variety of laws and a system of punishment.
When someone causes a loss to another person, in the court of law he/she is held responsible and punished in some way. Why is this ok for everyone but not the big business when they knowingly cause a huge loss to many people in ways that involve both the fraud and utter carelessness?
Why should they not be punished and regulated because they were unable to do self regulation?…..
The GOP is big on talk when it comes to less regulation but unable to show what they base this opinion on….Public needs to tell the politicians and their masters, “fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
And right now The GOP is trying to fool us for the umpteenth time….No, I am not trying to single out the GOP here. There are plenty of blame to go around in the DP also.
May 14th, 2012 at 8:14 am
Typical republican responses…’please bail me out, again and again and again.’
‘Let me gamble with other peoples’ money and get bailed out, again and again. Please let me privatize my profits and socialize my losses, please, please?’
Typical Republican Welfare Queens…’Please don’t make me take responsibility for all my mistakes…please have the gov’t come bail me out….wah, wah…’
There’s a Sucker Born Every Minute…and they grow up and vote Republican.
May 14th, 2012 at 8:15 am
One thing that galls me is when right wing nuts keep harping on GM. All the experts, with the exception of Romnie, agreed this was the right thing to do.
They also seem to forget that the bailout of the auto industy was started by a Republican president. The important thing to remember is that the jobs were preserved in the United States, not China or India.
Do you ever think about the consequences of letting this industry fail – I didn’t think so. I also notice their is never a mention of how many banks were bailed out.
Remember “Reading is to the mind as food is to the body”. Not everything you hear on Fox news is gospel!
May 14th, 2012 at 8:30 am
WHAT MOSQUITOES HATE MOST
It’s not your imagination — mosquitoes really do find some people tastier than others. I’ve always suspected this, and now new UK research confirms that some lucky individuals produce certain skin oils that seem to repel mosquitoes…
but, while fascinating, these findings aren’t at a point where we can put them to practical use. Since it’s summer, I thought it would be good to check on the latest expert advice about what’s effective and not effective… safe and not so safe… for keeping mosquitoes away.
This is important because not only are mosquito bites uncomfortable, they also can give you diseases such as West Nile Virus and encephalitis — even here in modern-day America.
Mosquito maven Susan M. Paskewitz, PhD, professor in the department of entomology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, was happy to offer some helpful advice.
WHAT’S IN BUG SPRAY?
Dr. Paskewitz was reassuring about the safety of insect repellents, saying that there’s not much evidence that they are harmful.
She told me that just about all the products sold today are formulated using one or more of the following substances…
DEET.
This chemical (on labels it may be called N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) was developed by the US Department of Defense after WWII for military personnel stationed in tropical climates.
Dr. Paskewitz told me it has supposedly been applied to humans more than eight billion times since becoming commercially available in 1957.
Between then and 2002, which is when a report on DEET safety was published in The New England Journal of Medicine, there were fewer than 50 known cases of serious adverse effects from DEET — most caused by incorrect use and most resolving with no long-term consequences.
But DEET-containing products do have the potential to irritate the skin of people who are sensitive and DEET should always be kept away from the eyes.
Noting that DEET doesn’t accumulate in the body, Dr. Paskewitz said that there’s no evidence that using DEET causes cancer or any other long-term health concerns.
Picaridin.
This compound (its scientific name is KBR 3023) is odorless, less oily and even less irritating to the skin and eyes than DEET, Dr. Paskewitz told me.
IR3535.
Derived from natural compounds, this is the proprietary ingredient that supposedly makes Avon’s Skin So Soft Bug Guard products and BullFrog Mosquito Coast sunblock work so well.
It can be irritating if it gets in your eyes but is otherwise safe, Dr. Paskewitz told me.
Lemon Eucalyptus Oil.
An extract from the lemon eucalyptus plant, the active ingredient is para-menthane-3,8-diol, and there is a synthetic version (known as PMD) as well.
The only potential issue uncovered by EPA safety tests is that it, too, can irritate the eyes.
How well do they work?
Dr. Paskewitz said that all these products are equally effective when tested at 20% concentration — but noted that concentrations vary in commercial products, so check labels to compare strength.
How to use safely:
Though none of these products is linked to long-term health concerns, virtually all of them can be irritating to the skin for some people and for the eyes (for practically everyone).
Minimize the likelihood that this will happen by using the sprays, creams and wipes only where you need to — on exposed skin, not under clothing.
When using a spray product, Dr. Paskewitz advises averting your face and avoiding your eyes (donning glasses can be helpful) and holding your breath while spraying.
Wash hands after applying to prevent getting the products in your eyes if you touch your face. Avoid cuts, scratches and irritated skin…
don’t get any on or near your mouth… and, after you come indoors, she advises washing all treated skin with soap and water.
If you’re prone to irritation, Dr. Paskewitz suggested trying a repellent formulated to be sprayed onto clothing, such as permethrin (Bug Off and Insect Shield are two such products).
AROMATHERAPY — NATURAL SCENTS THAT REPEL MOSQUITOS
If you prefer to take a natural approach, there are numerous plant-based oils that can be effective at keeping mosquitos away —
peppermint, cinnamon, citronella, cedar, clove, lemongrass, rosemary, thyme, lavender, catnip, patchouli, tea tree oil, eucalyptus and sage, to name a few.
But be careful — you’ve heard it before from me, but it bears repeating: Natural substances also have the potential for harm if used incorrectly.
Essential oils, in particular, are potent and may cause liver problems in susceptible individuals.
How well do they work? These oils haven’t been tested by the EPA for this purpose, but a few smaller independent studies have found undiluted oils of citronella, patchouli, clove, catnip and Zanthoxylum limonella (lemon oil) quite helpful, sometimes offering more than two hours of potent repellent power.
How to apply:
Here’s the rub: Undiluted oils provide the best protection when applied directly to exposed skin. But they can also cause irritation and rashes and haven’t been tested for safety.
A good solution is to look for these oils in natural skin creams, lotions or oils that use them as ingredients, formulated to be less irritating.
WHAT ELSE WORKS?
Preventive advice includes doing all that you can to reduce the number of mosquitoes in your environment, suggests Dr. Paskewitz. This includes taking the following measures:
Eliminate standing water. Mosquitoes breed like crazy in ponds and other natural pools of water.
To avoid bites, avoid these locations, particularly on days that are hot and still.
Keep control over the mosquito population around your home by draining water anywhere that it might puddle — even in small containers such as empty flower pots, spare tires, kiddie pools, etc.
Stay indoors at dawn and dusk. Mosquitoes are most prolific in the early morning and at twilight, so if there are lots in your area, try to stay indoors at these times.
Watch what you wear. Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors, particularly red and violet, so wear lighter and brighter colors — also wear long sleeves and pants.
Don’t drink alcohol. Drinking alcohol may boost the sugar content in your sweat, making you more attractive to mosquitoes.
If you’re itching to learn more about mosquito behavior and how to stay safe from these pesky critters, visit the Integrated Mosquito Management Web site that Dr. Paskewitz and her team at the University of Wisconsin have developed:
http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/mosquitosite/. It’s an interesting read — and they put lots of home remedies to the test.
Source(s):
Susan M. Paskewitz, PhD, professor, department of entomology, University of Wisconsin, Madison.