http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl? http://www.eblah.com en http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1283364983/ http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1283364983/#num1

I woke up with a little rash around my left eye.  I thought perhaps it was a line of bug bites.  I figured I would just ask my eye doctor (optometrist) about it since I was going there this morning for my annual eye exam.  She thought it could be poison ivy or shingles and suggested I have my md look at it.  So I called him and I got in to see him right away and he confirmed that it is shingles.

I'm taking Valtrex for it.  It doesn't hurt ~ it tingles and that side of my face feel numb (like when you get numb at the dentist office).  I have always heard how painful shingles is, so I am surprised.  I don't even feel sick.

The only thing that concerns me a little is that it is so close to my left eye ~ my good eye.  I don't have functional vision in my right eye.  My left eye has to do all the work and I have to protect it.  The string of "blisters" is almost in the corner of my eye.

Oh, and I'll probably not be able to work (dental assistant).  I'm waiting to hear from my boss about that.   ]]> Wed, 1 Sep 2010 14:16:23 Cyndy http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1283303427/ http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1283303427/#num1 http://www.economist.com/node/16881791?story_id=16881791

I thought it was interesting that the water drinkers not kept the weight off, and even lost more afterward.]]> Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:10:27 Pollux http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1283288697/ http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1283288697/#num1 He didn't even look at my foot!  

He basically said, "You can do that yourself," and walked out.  It was very clear that he was only interested in getting my asthma meds refilled, charging me a fortune, and getting out of there ASAP.  (From what I researched online, it said a professional should do it.)

I had already been thinking of trying to find a doctor connected to my hosp. instead of the competition across the city from us.  This may be what moves me in that direction.  The one thing that's held me back is not having insurance, and many doctors won't take you w/o it.

Lucy, this is Dr. W, whose office sits on B***ley St., just down from the other hospital.]]> Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:04:57 Stacy http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1283211765/ http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1283211765/#num1 http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/0.....bGsDaGVhdnlkcmlua2Vy


Heavy Drinkers Outlive Nondrinkers, Study Finds


By JOHN CLOUD John Cloud – Mon Aug 30, 6:55 am ET

One of the most contentious issues in the vast literature about alcohol consumption has been the consistent finding that those who don't drink actually tend to die sooner than those who do. The standard Alcoholics Anonymous explanation for this finding is that many of those who show up as abstainers in such research are actually former hard-core drunks who had already incurred health problems associated with drinking.

But a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that - for reasons that aren't entirely clear - abstaining from alcohol does actually tend to increase one's risk of dying even when you exclude former drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers' mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers.

Moderate drinking, which is defined as one to three drinks per day, is associated with the lowest mortality rates in alcohol studies. Moderate alcohol use (especially when the beverage of choice is red wine) is thought to improve heart health, circulation and sociability, which can be important because people who are isolated don't have as many family members and friends who can notice and help treat health problems.

But why would abstaining from alcohol lead to a shorter life? It's true that those who abstain from alcohol tend to be from lower socioeconomic classes, since drinking can be expensive. And people of lower socioeconomic status have more life stressors - job and child-care worries that might not only keep them from the bottle but also cause stress-related illnesses over long periods. (They also don't get the stress-reducing benefits of a drink or two after work.)

But even after controlling for nearly all imaginable variables - socioeconomic status, level of physical activity, number of close friends, quality of social support and so on - the researchers (a six-member team led by psychologist Charles Holahan of the University of Texas at Austin) found that over a 20-year period, mortality rates were highest for those who had never been drinkers, second-highest for heavy drinkers and lowest for moderate drinkers. (Watch TIME's Video "Taste Test: Beer With Extra Buzz.")

The sample of those who were studied included individuals between ages 55 and 65 who had had any kind of outpatient care in the previous three years. The 1,824 participants were followed for 20 years. One drawback of the sample: a disproportionate number, 63%, were men. Just over 69% of the never-drinkers died during the 20 years, 60% of the heavy drinkers died and only 41% of moderate drinkers died.

These are remarkable statistics. Even though heavy drinking is associated with higher risk for cirrhosis and several types of cancer (particularly cancers in the mouth and esophagus), heavy drinkers are less likely to die than people who have never drunk. One important reason is that alcohol lubricates so many social interactions, and social interactions are vital for maintaining mental and physical health. As I pointed out last year, nondrinkers show greater signs of depression than those who allow themselves to join the party.

The authors of the new paper are careful to note that even if drinking is associated with longer life, it can be dangerous: it can impair your memory severely and it can lead to nonlethal falls and other mishaps (like, say, cheating on your spouse in a drunken haze) that can ***** up your life. There's also the dependency issue: if you become addicted to alcohol, you may spend a long time trying to get off the bottle.

That said, the new study provides the strongest evidence yet that moderate drinking is not only fun but good for you. So make mine a double.]]> Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:42:45 KateTheRiot http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1283189214/ http://www.theswap.com/forum/Blah.pl?m-1283189214/#num1
Regardless of what time she goes to bed, she can never fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning, even when she get up just a few hours later.

I have insomnia to me in spurts.

Is there anything safe and inexpensive we could try?]]> Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:26:54 MaryEllen