Need solutions for the medication, medical appliances and/or medical travel that you can't afford? READ EMPOWER Yourself.
A Health Information Management professional, I survived a life-threatening emergency with information that only a person of my professional experience would know. And I’m sharing it!
B'SD 8 Av, 5777 Tonight begins the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, Tisha B'Av, the 9th of Av. It is a sad commentary on how people can rob themselves of a better future. Somewhat related to the spiritual significance of that reality is that humanity is too often willing to trust individuals who do not deserve the public trust placed in them. That's why I focus on empowering people with fact-based information and lots of coaxing to think carefully. I'd like to empower my US-based readers with an FYI (For Your Information) about the water they use for drinking, bathing and cooking. Please click on the news item below:
Drinking Water Database: Put in Your ZIP Code and Find Out What's in Your Water
Read more health-improving tips in the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.
Fill your efforts with can-do, health enhancing efforts.
B'SD 7 Av, 5777 The's an entire passage in the EMPOWER Yourselfbook entitled YOU are Your Own Best Advocate (page 31). If those words and the explanation which follows them don't impress you enough, try reading this article about surgeons who operate on more than one patient in the same session:
Rickert and others advise patients who want to avoid overlap to ask detailed questions well in advance and to put their request in writing and on the consent form.
“If you say, ‘I want only you to do the surgery,’ doctors will typically do it,’” Rickert said. “They want the business.”
He also recommends asking, “Are you going to be in the room the entire time during my surgery?” and then repeating that statement in front of the OR nurses the day of surgery. “If the doctor’s not willing to say yes, vote with your feet.”
If a surgeon says he or she will be “present” or “immediately available,” a patient should ask what that means. It may mean that the surgeon is somewhere on a sprawling hospital campus but not in — or even near — your operating room.
There's enough information in that article to make your blood pressure rise startlingly high. Click the link above, and read every word.
And when you're ready to advocate for yourself even more than indicated in the advice above, read what's written in
There are valid reasons that medical and mental health professionals recommend the book.
Read it. Benefit from it. EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.
Fill your efforts with good sense and self advocacy.
B'SD 4 Av, 5777 Several mental health practitioners or practices are mentioned in the Global Resources section of the EMPOWER Yourself book. I urge you to make use of them, or the ones you prefer, especially if you or a loved one are dealing with any sort of addiction. Unlike medical problems which can traced back to a definite cause or two, treated with medication, diet, lifestyle changes and/or surgery, the cause of an addiction is hard to identify. It is as much a physical problem as it is a mental health matter. That makes the situation even more complicated to understand and to treat. The overall problem is quite hard for lay people to understand.
The situation is all the harder for the addict to overcome.
They suffer from the addiction, and from the lack of
awareness as to what is amiss in their minds.
Read on to learn of a subtle but powerful factor driving addiction. Educate yourself a bit, and do what you can to learn more in your quest to help an addict to move beyond it into a more productive, satisfying life. The article below is a simple starter kit, hardly the last word on how to overcome addictions. Keep in mind that every journey begins with the first step.
A years-ago television drama called ER showed its audience some of the ramifications of drug addiction, and confronting it. A hard-working, conscientious d
E-COUNSELING.COM
Read that Global Resources section and find out where to get help. Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge directly from the publisher for fast delivery.. Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.
Fill your heart and mind with facts, compassion and good sense.
From time to time, I am asked questions along the lines of "Has anyone ever said something rude or unsympathetic to you about having a brain tumor? Like you deserve it or make sarcastic, even insulting comments about your intelligence or personality due to having the brain tumor? Or even told you that you have no right to cry or be scared because GOD only gives us what we can handle?"
My answer?
"Yes, and I responded with what became the title of a book, It's MY Crisis, and I'll Cry if I Need to!" Here's an excerpt about the insulting comment: Human beings mint coins and they're all alike. But when the Creator mints people, each of us is unique even though we come from the same mold. Our different personalities, skills and longings necessitate different paths to achieving a state of calm after we've been startled or terrified. There are no "One size fits all" methods of calming down or gaining perspective. Yet we need to reach the state of composed thought and behavior in order to live as productively and as happily as possible under challenging circumstances. Sound reasoning enables us to choose the coping mechanisms that work for us. Challenging? Oh yes. But the alternative to coping is worse. Life's not democratic or fair. It's a workout. Make your choice: Coping aka self-restraint or the continuing, possibly worsening problem before you. After I revealed my diagnosis to friends and family, we cried together. Then we progressed to choosing coping skills and keeping me strong so I could have a chance to continue living. My choice to focus on sound psychological principles complemented my Orthodox Jewish religious convictions. Many of those sound psychological principles, as well as classical Jewish philosophy and laws are presented in this text. A blend of both appears in the next paragraph. One of the worst reactions people had to my news was saying with a sense of fatalism and religious superiority over me, "You shouldn't cry. GOD only gives people the challenges they can face." I disagree. Many a good person has experienced a psychological or medical problem, and suffered terribly or not survived it. Some medical and emotional challenges destroy no matter how valiantly we fight to survive them. Other crises can be survived. It isn't fair to lump them all in one "You can do it!" category. It blames the patient, who is suffering already. No one on this planet is authorized to pass judgment on another person's trials and tribulations. That's GOD's job. Are you afraid that religious people or even not so religious people will blame you for your very legitimate tears and fears, because GOD knows what He's doing? Are they doing it already? These types of pithy remarks get high scores for being truthful and meaningful. But they get big fat ZEROES for actually helping someone to conquer their misery. It's as useless as telling someone dripping blood or holding onto broken limbs in an emergency room that "I FEEL YOUR PAIN." It's no help at all. A medical diagnosis that presents a crisis is something to legitimately cry about. It is a lack of stability and a lack of reliable givens that we need so much. One of the Gates of Prayer that remains open despite the lack of a Beit HaMikdash (ancient Jewish Temple) is the Gate of Tears. Crying is a form of prayer. It says, "I'm scared, I'm sad, I'm angry, I don't know what to do about my problem. I need your help HaShem (GOD)," and more. We learn from the Talmud in Bava Metzia 59a "Even though the Gates of Prayer are closed (after the destruction of the grand Jewish Temple called Bait HaMikdash), the Gates of Tears are never closed."
The catharsis of getting my story on paper was a soothing experience. I wrote the book to shut up my misinformed critics as much as I wrote it to empower other people facing medical and/or mental health issues. You can buy the book directly from the publisher for fast delivery. Click hereto do so.
Be sure to read the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. It clues you in on how to respond to rude relatives, medical personnel and anyone else who decides to mind your business without just cause. Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.
Fill your mouth with polite, self-supporting comments.
B'SD 27 Tamuz, 5777 Some days you just wonder how you'll live past the next few minutes. A cancer diagnosis pretty much sucks the breath out of people. Teens too. Now there's an interesting resource for teens with cancer. Check out
B'SD 26 Tamuz, 5777 My friend Miriam Green startles me every time she blogs about dealing with her Alzheimer's bewildered mother. The depth of character conveyed in each blogpost teaches the wider world that we must adjust our attitudes and behaviors with compassion when dealing with someone compromised by their medical and/or mental health reality. The name of Miriam's blog is The Lost Kitchen, an apt portrayal of her mom's state of mind, the importance of nourishing someone with kindness, and the human capacity to be increasingly good. I believe that I grow more insightful with every reading of Miriam's writings. Care to look over my shoulder at the latest update?
I think we should amend the idiom based on Psalm 8 to read, “Out of the mouth of babes—and Alzheimer’s sufferers—comes wisdom.” With Mom perhaps it’s not…
THELOSTKICHEN.ORG
Learn more about making your way through mind-muddling medical situations when you read the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.
Fill your heart with soul.
B'SD 25 Tamuz, 5777 I'm devoting this week's posts to inspirational ideas and people. They can motivate us to achieve more. Please share your thoughts about
People with disabilities tend to receive worse medical care. Doctors who share their challenges could help change that.
MOBILE.NYTIMES.COM
Like the idea of doctors who empower their patients? Read more about that, and how to minimize medical neglect, in the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.
Fill your time and efforts with a focus on empowerment!
B'SD 24 Tamuz, 5777 I've been trying not to melt during Israel's intense heat wave the past week and a half or so. It's been quite challenging. The good news is that I'm keeping up with my professional commitments as I coach ill clients into identifying their goals and planning to meet them, plus I'm pleasing my editors by meeting various journalism deadlines. I decide how to prioritize specific demands and personal needs by making the most of the lessons I've learned from insightful experts. Here's a presentation that I'd like to share with you. Dan Ariely usually leaves his audiences laughing. Laughter is the best tool for helping a person to clear out the inner cobwebs mucking up our minds. When you're facing a medical or mental health challenge, having another tool to deal with it can only help!
Learn more about decision-making and coping skills when you read the E-book or print edition of doctor-recommended EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.
Fill your efforts with humor and good sense.
B'SD 18 Tamuz, 5777 I've been slowed down by prolonged heat and humidity and by the need to meet several journalism deadlines. You can keep up with some of my writing efforts at www.e-counseling.com. I'm sharing something with you today, out of complete necessity. You can forward this blogpost to people who can benefit from the information below. Ready to rock your relocation to Israel, despite your medical concerns? Read Staying Healthy in Israel.
Buy the E-book or print edition of
EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity.
Face Your Future with Optimism.
Fill your efforts with acts of kindness. They make you feel better than you did before!
B'SD 16 Tamuz, 5777 I'm finding increased cases of fibromyalgia in online forums. I'm curious to know if there is a rise in incidence or if there are simply improved diagnostic efforts going on. At any rate, people recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia need help to manage their situations. WebMD has a good overview of the priorities to be addressed. Here's an excerpt from the doctor-recommended EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge print and E- book that fibro sufferers might find helpful:
Join an E-mail group serving the needs of fibromyalgia sufferers based in Israel by writing to: - . The moderator is - . Here’s another support group with over 1500 members (as of this writing) using a specific treatment, with very good results, at http://www.psha-inc.com/guai-support/sf/site_search.asp. www.guailife.com explains over-the-counter Guainefesin treatment more in-depth and addresses other health problems.
Facebookers with fibromyalgia can help each other at https://www.facebook.com/ggInternationalGuaiSupportGroup www.fibrokur.com is the site of Dr. Norbert Kurland in Kfar Saba, Israel who treats fibromyalgia using Guainefesin. The site is translated into several languages. Send your questions to - .
(I removed the contact info for people who might not appreciate being publicized on this blogpost. It is available in the EMPOWER Yourselfbook)
Buy the E-book or print edition of EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge. Face Your Medical Problems with Dignity. Face Your Future with Optimism. Fill your reading time with fun plus with information you NEED.
