Friday Foolery #63: Ring it

As the bell brought in midwinter
I waited for a sign
A shadow of a wing
This has always been


The children know this,
That she will come to them
To them, to them

Snow angel, snow angel, snow angel
She'll make her way and she'll stay
For a time, for a time

-Snow Angel, Tori Amos (help yourself, it's free from Amazon)

I had not seen nor heard the bells in the top picture for nearly, if not exactly, 20 years until last night. There are now conflicting stories between my mom & her sister (the one who sent them to me) as to their whereabouts during that time I won't get into. 'Tis the season for family drama!

I, my mom & her sisters, and my grandpa all grew up with them being rung for Christmas. The original owner was my great-grandmother, born in Thorold Ontario (Canadian, eh? Surprise!) in the 1870s. The story is she was the only girl in town to have her own horse & sleigh, which probably used up all the 'I want a pony!' karma in the family because none of us have had horses since.

I went poking around and realized these are properly called shaft chimes since they each have 3 clappers and are attached to the poles of the sleigh like this lady had. We all grew up calling them sleigh bells but it's not like we central Californians ever went riding around in a sleigh to know any better. We'll work on a video to share later because they sound absolutely nothing like jingle bells, more like handbells on crack that immediately get your attention.

The International Harvester toy truck our son is playing with in the second picture also belonged to my grandpa as a boy and is another steadfast family Christmas tradition. I have no idea what the light was doing that night because the little antique Stieff teddy bear driver is not holy.

Remembering the US Army: the National Library of Medicine's beginnings

Did you know the National Library of Medicine (NLM) was created by and existed for the United States military for much longer than it currently has served the American people through a Congressional mandate in 1956?

In 1818 the first Surgeon General of the United States Army, Dr. Joseph Lovell, dedicated some shelf space to medical books, journals and pamphlets to serve as reference for surgeons under his command. This small collection was officially named the Library of the Office of the Surgeon General of the Army in 1836, although by the 1860s Joseph Woodward was not impressed and stated, "At the time the late Civil War broke out nothing deserving the name of a medical library existed in Washington."

Despite low beginnings the collection grew and by 1895 under the direction of John Shaw Billings it contained medical literature from nearly every era and nation. After President Lincoln's assassination in 1865, the government purchased Ford's Theater and the collection, medical records and an Army museum were housed there. There were additional moves and a few name changes to Army Medical Library in 1922, then Armed Forces Medical Library in 1952.

For much more detail see Milestones in NLM History, A Brief History of NLM, and FAQ: History of the National Library of Medicine.

On April 15th, I thanked American taxpayers for sustaining NLM. On this Memorial Day, I thank the American military for creating & curating it for so many years in addition to our country's freedom.

Friday Foolery #14: Welcome to wherever you are

Yours truly, Christmas Day 2008, Seattle

Trying to move an ice boulder that was dumped at the end of our driveway by a snowplow isn't exactly what I planned on doing to celebrate Christmas, but so it goes.

Nearly every family tradition we've carefully kept through the years (going to church, visiting the zoo, eating Chinese food on our wedding china, a Christmas roll for breakfast made from a hot roll mix not available at the grocery store we were able to access, taking a ferry & long drive to be with our family on the Olympic Peninsula, etc.) was tossed along with repeated shovelfuls of snow this week. Our inability to travel on increasing amounts of slush & ice, our city's debate over the most environmentally aware way to get rid of them, and repeatedly clearing an unusually long driveway has made this week feel more like a bad rendition of Groundhog Day than a time of peace and joy.

Our house flooded last December due to heavy rainfall on snow, so today's flood watch has us more than a little anxious this morning. Previously we were told this storm wouldn't be too heavy but it sounds like all bets are off now.

Thankfully, our six year old son always made the best of every moment through it all. He is amazing and I'm trying to learn from him.

Friday Foolery #13: Hats vs. pants - Don't let your kids read this

(A 'real' post is coming later today mentioning pants as well!)

We've all grown up with it, and many of us say this to the youngest generation now as most of the United States has been encountering an Arctic blast of cold wintry weather:

Don't go outside without your hat on, you'll lose most of your heat!

The response of recent researchers claiming this is a myth?

Humans would be just as cold if they went without trousers as if they went without a hat.

Oh dear. I have visions of defiant mini streakers in the snow with hats on...

Additional features of the Six Homespun Medical Myths Debunked include

• Holiday sweets don't make the kids more hyperactive.
• Suicides don't go up over the holidays.
• Poinsettias aren't poisonous.
• Avoiding eating at night won't keep the pounds off.
• The only way to cure a hangover is not to get one in the first place.

(via KevinMD)

Foreshadowing: Women *are* cutting back on healthcare due to cost

In the pre-Thanksgiving blog post where I encouraged you to talk about health with your family (you did, right?) I theorized

I suspect with our current economic climate even more moms will choose health care for their children first and postpone their own due to the expense.

Little did I know that there was a survey in progress by the National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC, at healthywomen.org) about this very topic that was released yesterday with some sobering news about women and healthcare.

• 45% of the women have failed to seek medical care in the past year (including doctor's visits, recommended medical procedures & medications) because the cost was too high, with Hispanic women more likely (58%) than white (43%) or African-American (42%) women.
  
  
• More than 40% reported their health had declined over the past 5 years, mostly due to stress and weight gain.
  
  
• Only 42% mentioned feeling prepared to grow older in terms of financial security, with financial (51%), retirement (46%), medical (42%) and health insurance options (41%) given as information needs.

On the positive side, women feel more positive about aging and named Tina Turner as the celebrity over age 50 that they admired most. Rock on!

NWHRC has created an online wellness information resource for women in response to the findings of the survey. At a quick glance I'm finding a few broken links in this consumer health resource, but I definitely encourage checking out De-stress the Holidays. It's a bit too late for all the long range planning tips (10 weeks) but there are gems in there that could still be done such as "If certain rituals trigger sadness, change them or create new traditions to replace them."

In sickness & in health: Engage With Grace

On Monday I shared my family's story about the importance of discussing health information over the Thanksgiving holiday. Unbeknownst to me until today, there is also a healthcare blog effort encouraging discussion of end-of-life decisions with family as well that I wholeheartedly support.

My thirtysomething husband & I are extremely unusual for our age in that we've had health care power of attorney and advance health care directives written for many years, have cards on us & authorized paperwork with the People's Memorial Association, and even chosen and stood upon our own grave overlooking the Cascade Mountains.

Morbid? Perhaps. Leaving a crystal clear path so that our family doesn't have to guess what to do with us in the middle of their own deep shock & grief? Absolutely. If you don't already know how intensely painful it is to guess at these types of decisions for someone you love who is terminally ill or just died, please take my word for it: talk about these issues now. I can think of no greater blessing than doing what you can to establish peace of mind.

Thank you for your time and be safe over the holidays.

The following post was written by Alexandra Drane and the Engage With Grace team.

We make choices throughout our lives - where we want to live, what types of activities will fill our days, with whom we spend our time. These choices are often a balance between our desires and our means, but at the end of the day, they are decisions made with intent. But when it comes to how we want to be treated at the end our lives, often we don’t express our intent or tell our loved ones about it. This has real consequences. 73% of Americans would prefer to die at home, but up to 50% die in hospital. More than 80% of Californians say their loved ones “know exactly” or have a “good idea” of what their wishes would be if they were in a persistent coma, but only 50% say they’ve talked to them about their preferences.

But our end of life experiences are about a lot more than statistics. They’re about all of us. So the first thing we need to do is start talking. http://www.engagewithgrace.org was designed with one simple goal: to help get the conversation about end of life experience started. The idea is simple: Create a tool to help get people talking. One Slide, with just five questions on it. Five questions designed to help get us talking with each other, with our loved ones, about our preferences. And we’re asking people to share this One Slide - wherever and whenever they can - as a presentation, at dinner, at their book club. Just One Slide, just five questions. Let’s start a global discussion that, until now, most of us haven’t had.

Here is what we are asking you to do: go to http://www.engagewithgrace.org/- download The One Slide - and share it at any opportunity - with colleagues, family, friends. Think of the slide as currency and donate just two minutes whenever you can. Commit to being able to answer these five questions about end of life experience for yourself, and for your loved ones. Then commit to helping others do the same. Get this conversation started.

Let’s start a viral movement driven by the change we as individuals can effect…and the incredibly positive impact we could have collectively. Help ensure that all of us - and the people we care for - can end our lives in the same purposeful way we live them.

Just One Slide, just one goal. Think of the enormous difference we can make together. To learn more please go to www.engagewithgrace.org. Thanks.

In remembrance: Talk about health over the holidays

Dorothy Irene 4/26/24 - 11/24/98

(yours truly as the culturally misappropriated one)

It has been ten years since I disembarked from a plane in my homeland with my "new boyfriend who sounds so nice" (now incredible husband & father of our son) to learn that, instead of having a joyous Thanksgiving with my grandma, we would be making arrangements for her at the funeral home and beginning the awful process of settling her estate. Thanksgiving has never been truly happy for me since. Spending time with her was every Thanksgiving my entire life up until that year.

I could drive myself crazy with the 'what ifs.' Both she and her neighbors did not know that the symptoms of a heart attack for women do not always include pain. She spent the morning resting as the neighbors changed the oil in her car before an afternoon doctor's appointment to check what she thought was pneumonia... just mild chest tightness, feeling winded and fatigue after a cold. No emergency at all, of course. By the time she was seen then immediately sent by ambulance to the emergency room it was too late. She died at the same time I left work for the airport. My grandma didn't call to tell me she was feeling ill in the first place since she didn't want me to worry about her.

In 2004, the American Heart Association launched the Go Red for Women campaign to increase awareness of the fact that heart disease is the #1 killer of women & promote preventative measures for cardiovascular health.

My grandma's hypertension was under control with medication, she ate well, and she either swam laps (she & her high school team often won competitive Pacific Ocean & other swim meets and I have all the pictures & articles about them in the papers) or walked for an hour daily depending on the weather though. It concerns me that Go Red doesn't include well-marked links to information about the actual symptoms of heart disease in women, so here's one from the Mayo Clinic

Women are more likely than men to have signs and symptoms unrelated to chest pain, such as:

• Neck, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea or vomiting
• Sweating
• Lightheadedness or dizziness
• Unusual fatigue

As a mom, I understand not wanting to worry other members of the family... plus there's always so much to do. We work hard, both in and out of the home. We juggle countless after-school clubs, activities and events in our kids', family's and maybe even our own personal time schedules. We try to pull off picture-perfect Rockwellian holidays for everyone to enjoy, without the deranged look of the 1950s cigarette ad. I admit I forget about my own health sometimes in the rush to keep up with life. I suspect with our current economic climate even more moms will choose health care for their children first and postpone their own due to the expense.

As you're getting together with your family this week for the holidays, take the time to talk with those you love to make sure they're getting the health care they need. I'm taking my own advice too: Take care of yourself first.

I only wish I had a chance to have that talk with my grandma a decade ago. In retrospect, this is probably part of why I'm so passionate about consumer health education now.

Friday Foolery #9: How to Survive Thanksgiving

(Lucky Strike Cigarettes Thanksgiving Ad, 1950 by roadsidepictures)

Just in case you and your loved ones aren't under the influence of something stronger than tobacco 'happy-go-lucky' conversationalists this upcoming holiday season, here is my favorite among the Topics to Avoid at Thanksgiving Dinner

Passive-Aggressive Suggestions
Your cousin and his wife know they’re a bit overweight. There’s no need for someone to casually drop hints about how Jessica Alba lost all that baby weight so quickly when they go in for that second helping of pumpkin pie. And, please, steer clear of your balding Uncle Bob who worked so hard to buy that Corvette -- he doesn’t want to be asked if he’s “compensating for something.”

They suggest discussing happy neutral topics such as 'funny characters at work' and 'recent vacations', then 'And when all else fails: puppies!'

I don't think saving the puppies for last is a good strategy. Assuming Grandma or Mom has internet access, why not share the adorable cuteness of the Shiba Inu puppies you've been watching all month instead of doing your work? Just make sure your overweight cousin grabs you some extra pie for running interference on the passive-aggressive comments!


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