"Don't Let Mitt Turn Back Time On Women"

Holiday Protection for the Fur Babies

With the holiday season right around the corner, it never hurts
to make known just how many everyday items can be less than
festive to our fur babies. If you have pets and want to look out
for them, and especially if you plan on taking them visiting into
unfamiliar territory, be sure and read up on these typical and
often unknown hazards.

ASPCA list of House Plants Toxic to Dogs & Cats, etc.

Likewise, with all the additional food that tends to be available
in a household over the Winter season, there are precautions
to be reminded of regarding foods that not unhealthy and toxic
for cats and dogs.

Dog Whisperer List of Dangerous/Deadly Foods

Make sure you look out for your little (and not-so-little) guys
since they love to put anything and everything in their mouth
without a lick of forethought or discrimination!

Keep a fresh bottle of hydrogen peroxide available since giving
some to a pet can make them vomit up any plant or food they may
have ingested.

And keep your personal vet's--and all local vets'--emergency
phone numbers posted where you can find them in a hurry.

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The Bottled Water Debate

What's your eco-footprint?

You hear a lot about the Plastic Bottle Monster, and how the
discarded plastic bottles for drinking water make up an insane
amount of landfill and other waste every year.

But I continue to use the convenient bottles, buying a case a month
for only $3, for health reasons. I dislike re-using an existing plastic
bottle because plastic holds germs and is difficult to clean (I don't
own a dishwasher.) Plastic bottles reused, even when washed well
by hand, can be a germ factory.

Like many, I live in an area where good clean water is not readily
available when you go out. And taking water with me means I have
it whenever I need it, which is always! (I'm constantly thirsty because
I am diabetic, I sweat profusely all the time, and I have meds which
cause severe dry mouth.)

Rather than leave it to chance or put up with bad water, I like to
take it with me. You also avoid touching water fountain handles,
other people's glassware (and I have seen some nasty, unclean junk in
my day--ugh!,) and it's always self-contained. (Again, the problem with
a reusable bottle of your own is needing to constantly clean it, and do
so thoroughly.)

So, to be responsible and conscientious, I simply recycle. I don't see a
problem with that. It's easy to do. There is no recycling in my area, so
I have a large, clean cardboard box under my sink, and I rinse out all my
plastics and drain them, then store them til I go to 'the Big City,' and cart
them with me to the recycling center.

A reusable container is great if you have a dish-washing machine.
A filter is great if you're going to be stationary throughout the course of
the day. But if you travel a lot and are concerned with the germs, I say
just use the bottled water, and make sure you maintain responsibility
for not adding to waste.

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Mental Illness: What's worse--the Cure or the Disease?

For those whom medication is a necessity in order to be able
to combat debilitating mental illness, it can take forever to find
correct types and levels of medications. During this ongoing
experimentation with mind and body, a person can be sorely
tested of patience and faith.

And, after finding a medication that works, life events can change
up the score, or metabolism changes and throws everything out
the window. People lose connection to a good doctor. Drugs
become too costly or unavailable. Patients develop a resistance
to even the highest levels of the drug.

Or, as often is the case, the horrible side-effects of the drugs seem
less palatable that the illness symptoms themselves. The choice
of taking medication to combat illness issues versus staying off to
avoid sluggishness, weight gain, and a host of other problems that
equally make life less joyful, becomes a real hardship. Choosing
becomes an untenable task.

This is all a moot point for millions who live in an area where there
is no access to any--or decent quality--doctors and psychiatrists
to begin with. Along with schools and assistance for the poor, funds
for mental health services are among the first cut, and their budget
was negligible to start with.

The stigma associated with mental illness prevents many from
self-identifying, seeking help, or taking medications to begin with.
Many try and amble through their days, attempting to convince
those around them there are no symptoms or issues. Hardly anyone
wants to stand apart from others, or be looked on as different.

If someone is dealing with the aftermath of a life of untreated illness
(joblessness, loss of family and friends, suicidal tendencies, lack
of awareness about their issues, misdiagnosis, imprisonment, drug
and alcohol addiction, ruined reputation, etc.,) they may feel as if
even seeking help for 'whatever' their problem is would be a hopeless
endeavor.

These are just a few of the hurdles to overcome to seek help for
a problem that is shadowy, difficult to properly diagnose, and hard
to treat. But that isn't to say "Don't try."

Check out the following links for different methods of online assistance
and referral!

Information on Mental Health Counselors

Mental Health America: Finding Treatment

Mayo Clinic; Treatment & Drugs for Mental Illness

Healthy Place: Online Support & Information

You don't have to go through it alone!

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Tali Sharot: The Optimism Bias

Mental Illness: Don't Believe the Hype

For those of us who struggle with mental illness of one sort or another,
the first step to surviving is to stop competing with the rest of the world
on the same terms, and stop assuming the dread and the lies that are
spread about the illness as part of its stigma.


We must become a fighter, and resist the urge to fall in with labeling
ourselves as weak, lazy, separate, or not good enough. It's tough enough
to handle all the complexities of life when you're handed an even playing
field, and yes, this makes it a bit tougher. But not impossible.


There is a tendency for many of us to allow ourselves to be ghettoized
from 'regular' society once we have been rejected and dejected often
enough, the rest of the world determining for us that our contributions,
our personalities, our outlooks, are not as valid as others'. Bullshit.


We must learn to do what we can, and be content with that. This
means pushing ourselves to find out what our limits and abilities are,
and no longer accepting other people's stilted view of such. And certainly
not beating ourselves up when we fall short of others expectations, or
our own.
 Get started, stay active, get out of your mind as often as possible.
You have to be a very strong person to handle the isolation that can come
from being 'different.' So step up, develop that strength, make peace with
it, and invest yourself in people who understand and respect you.


Make peace with the differences, and yet don't use them as excuses
for not trying or not doing.


If you choose to be alone after weighing the possibilities, don't be
despondent! Embrace your choice and find ways of making the most
of your time. You are the architect of your own life, and responsible for
finding the things that make you whole. Decide for yourself what that is.


Realize that at the end of the day, all people are dissatisfied and tortured
and struggling; this is not unique to us. We simply discuss it and display it
more openly than others, so it seems that way. Our coping mechanisms
are disregarded when they are unconventional, but we aren't required to
mirror others...we simply have to be true to ourselves.

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Dealing With Dementia part 2

(Things are changing quickly now...)

When encountering a loved one with dementia, learn to
just say "Okay."


Lose your need to be right.
Let go of the need to argue a point.
This is not a contest or a normal relationship.


The fight is not worth it.


What's difficult here is when the patient is a loved
one and there's an emotional component involved!
When a parent calls you a 'liar' or tells you you did
something which you didn't do, it can trigger old
hurts or push buttons.


It doesn't matter who's right. Remember what the
specifics of the situation are without saying anything
to the patient about it.


Pick your battles.


"Sure."
"You're right."
"Whatever you say."
"I'll get right on that."


Say you'll do something, even when you won't or it's
already been done. Trying to assert reality or get them
to recognize their forgetfulness are wastes of time and
energy.


Handle stuff on your own, however it needs to be handled.
No need to argue with a mentally ill person about the realities
or intricacies; they won't remember anyway.


Just appease them and then do what needs doing.
It's better to ask forgiveness than permission!
(As applies to situations where consent and involvement is
not necessary, naturally)


Help give information without being condescending.
For example, if I say "Well, good Thursday morning to you,
Mother! Do you have time to eat before your doctor's
appointment?" I have given four pieces of information to
help a waking patient establish their reality:
-Day of the week
-My relationship to them
-What's on the agenda
-That it's morning and time to eat


It may seem stilted, but this is superior to answering countless
questions, which also makes them feel self-conscious and
foolish. Every bit of empowerment you can give is helpful.


Overlook argumentativeness; it takes two to tango. It's
all about their anger at the situation...it isn't personal.

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