Get your flu shot early this year!

Posted on by September 11, 2017 3

Vaccinate your children against the flu

It’s still winter in the southern hemisphere, and Australia is experiencing one of the worst flu seasons it’s ever had.

Which is an early warning to us in the northern hemisphere: the 2017-18 flu season may be long and rough. Experts are suggesting we get our flu shots early this year, especially children as they head back to school.

One of the reasons Australia is having such a severe outbreak is that only about 10% of children have been vaccinated.

As one doctor puts it, “Children are the great distributors (of) the influenza virus. … Continue reading

Recognize these common heart attack symptoms

Posted on by September 12, 2017  

heart attack symptomsFast treatment can save a life

Last weekend I spent a day in the emergency room, sitting with a friend who suffered a heart attack.

Thankfully, he survived to tell his story. And after talking to him, and listening to what the doctor said about the severity of the heart attack, I know he was a very lucky man.

Lucky because shortly after he started having heart attack symptoms, someone recognized them and immediately called 911. And that saved his life.

Not only did it save his life, but early medical intervention (a balloon angioplasty and stent) lessened the damage … Continue reading

Tips for stockpiling prescription meds in case of an emergency

Posted on by September 5, 2017  

stockpiling prescription medsYou need to plan ahead!

The back-to-back hurricanes Harvey and Irma, as well as the widespread wildfires in my state, have me thinking about emergency preparedness.

There are lots of websites that tell you how to plan and what to pack. Most suggest having enough food, water and equipment for at least 3 days.

They also advise stockpiling prescription meds and keeping a copy of the prescription in your emergency kit.

But none of these sites seems to realize how difficult it is these days to horde even a small number of extra meds.

That’s because the cost of so … Continue reading

Vaccination saves lives!

Posted on by August 30, 2017  

vaccinationNeed more info? Check out these vaccination resources

In 1998, the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine was FALSELY reported to be associated with autism.

The doctor who published that report has since been disgraced and the report itself debunked. In fact, research has shown again and again that there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

However, the fear persists. Worse, the fear extends to ALL vaccines, not just the MMR.

What happens when a significant number of children aren’t vaccinated? We get disease outbreaks, such as the recent outbreaks of whooping cough, measles, and … Continue reading

The iTriage app adds Choosing Wisely

Posted on by August 30, 2017 2

itriage appChoosing Wisely to prevent overtreatment

I’ve been a fan of the healthcare consumer group, Choosing Wisely, for several years.

Collaborating with Consumer Reports, Choosing Wisely brings evidence-based healthcare information to patients. Their goal is to educate patients and physicians, and support informed decision making.

Shared decision making not only prevents patient harm from overtreating, but brings down escalating healthcare costs by eliminating unnecessary diagnostic tests and procedures. (Healthcare waste accounts for billions of dollars every year!)

Now it’s even easier to get access to their information.

The healthcare app, iTriage, has added 160 of Choosing Wisely’s recommendations to … Continue reading

Is bad cholesterol really bad?

Posted on by August 24, 2017 2

Rethinking LDLs (low-density lipoproteins)

I’ve posted a couple of times about my husband’s high LDL level and his attempts to lower it through diet and exercise.

I’ve also said that because he doesn’t have any other risk factors for heart disease, we aren’t too worried about it. But the engineer in him likes the challenge of seeing how low he can get his LDL.

When I saw this recent YouTube video, however, I had to ask him to watch it. What if everything we think we know about LDL levels is wrong? What if so-called bad cholesterol isn’t really … Continue reading

Try these happiness tips

Posted on by August 22, 2017  

Because happiness and health are linked

I read an article over the weekend that resonated with me: 10 secrets of happiness that I’ve learnt from my patients

Most of these tips seem pretty obvious, but it’s always surprising to me how easy it is for people to live for years in various states of misery before trying to fix what’s wrong in their lives.

I remember a primary care doctor telling me that so many of his patients came to his office with nothing physically wrong. They were just lonely, unhappy, bored, or stressed.

All these negative emotions can have … Continue reading

Frugal Nurse celebrates Book Lovers Day!

Posted on by August 21, 2017 4

I’m a day late, but since I don’t post on Wednesdays, I have to celebrate Book Lovers Day today instead 🙂

Not surprisingly, most of the books I read these days are related to healthcare.  But that doesn’t mean they are all written like textbooks. I’m always on the lookout for authors who can transform complex and often boring subjects into entertaining reading material.

Here’s a short list of some of my favorites. Happy Book Lovers Day!

(FYI–These are Amazon links, but I include them for your information only. Although I use Amazon on occasion, I prefer to get my … Continue reading

The health benefits of fermented foods

Posted on by August 9, 2017 1

the health benefits of fermented foodsThe fermented foods bible

Our niece recently gave my husband a fascinating book: The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz.

He’s already an enthusiastic yogurt maker, bread baker, beer brewer and kombucha fermenter (is that a verb?). But this book has increased his knowledge and his projects several-fold, and by extension I’ve learned a lot about the health benefits of fermented foods, too.

Fermented foods include, but are by no means limited to, pickles, sourdough, yogurt, sauerkraut, miso, soy sauce, kimchi, sour cream, cheese, beer, wine, cider, tempeh, kombucha, kefir, and saki.

Most cultures have some kind of fermented … Continue reading

What’s in your tap water?

Posted on by August 4, 2017  

tap waterLearn more about your local water supply

I think the water crisis in Flint, MI, a couple of years ago made everyone question the safety of drinking unfiltered tap water.

A recent report shows that almost 70% Americans believe their community’s water is at risk, especially in more urban areas. No wonder we’re buying more bottled water than ever!

But, despite some significant fails, our tap water is some of the cleanest and safest in the world. And do we really want to spend all that money on bottled water?

Rather than worry needlessly about what’s in your tap … Continue reading