GROWING OLD

By Diane Forrest

You're only as old as you feel, and 50 is the new 30. We have all heard these sayings, but I must say I agree. I recently celebrated a milestone birthday, and I still feel (and sometimes act) like a kid. I have been blessed with great genes from my family, and with beauty salons and skin care items, gray hair and wrinkles are not a problem yet! I believe that staying active is key for remaining young. When my father retired from his job he began planning a year before. He built an office at his home, and continues his routine of getting up every morning at 5:30 heading to his office, reading the paper and having his coffee. He believes that keeping his body in the motions that it's accustomed to will keep him in shape. His sister on the other hand stays up late, sleeps late and lounges around all day. I guess that works for her.

How are you handling the advancing years?

What works for you?

Let us know in the comment section below.

Understanding Self-Harm/Injury Awareness Month

By Nurse Diane

What do Singer, Fiona Apple; Comedian, Russell Brand; Actress, Drew Barrymore; Actor, Johnny Depp; Actor, Colin Farrell; Actress, Megan Fox; Actress, Angelina Jolie; Singer, Demi Lovato and Princess Diana have in common? 

Before finding emotional health, they struggled with self-injury.

Self injury can take many forms from cutting, picking, burning, bruising, puncturing, embedding, scratching or hitting one's self, just to name a few and does not involve a conscious intent to commit suicide.   Generally, it is a deliberate, private act that is habitual in occurrence, not attention-seeking behavior, nor meant to be manipulative. Self-injurers are often secretive about their behaviors, rarely letting others know, and often cover up their wounds with clothing, bandages, or jewelry.

A psychologist and practicing psychoanalyst, Dr. Deborah Serani specializes in treating trauma and depression. In her website: she offers this information: http://drdeborahserani.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-1st-is-international-self-injury.html

Those Who Self-Injure Are Often Trying To:

* Distract themselves from emotional pain

* End feelings of numbness

* Offset feelings of low self-esteem

* Control helplessness or powerlessness

* Calm overwhelming or unmanageable feelings

* Maintaining control in chaotic situations

* Self-punish, self-shame or self-hate

* Express negative thoughts or feelings that cannot be put into words

* Self-nurture or self-care

According to recoverymonth.gov, Most children and teens who deliberately injure themselves are discharged from emergency rooms without an evaluation of their mental health, a new study shows. The findings are worrisome since risk for suicide is greatest right after an episode of deliberate self-harm, according to researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The researchers also found the majority of these kids do not receive any follow-up care with a mental health professional up to one month after their ER visit.

If you notice any changes in someone's behavior or dress, or see any signs of scarring, click on this site for ways to offer help and support.  http://sioutreach.org/

Liver Awareness Month

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By Nurse Diane

When my brother first got his driver's license, he started working for my aunt delivering flowers.  While out on deliveries, he discovered a small roadside restaurant that fried the best chicken livers, and he would occasionally stop and bring some home for the rest of us.  That was the only liver I would eat.  This month is liver awareness month, but not to be aware of the liver we eat, but the one that is inside you.

The liver is a large, meaty organ that sits on the right side of the belly. Weighing about 3 pounds, the liver is reddish-brown in color and feels rubbery to the touch. Normally you can't feel the liver, because it's protected by the rib cage.  The liver has two large sections, called the right and the left lobes. The gallbladder sits under the liver, along with parts of the pancreas and intestines. The liver and these organs work together to digest, absorb, and process food.

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The liver's main job is to filter the blood coming from the digestive tract, before passing it to the rest of the body. The liver also detoxifies chemicals and metabolizes drugs. As it does so, the liver secretes bile that ends up back in the intestines. The liver also makes proteins important for blood clotting and other functions.

There are several conditions that can affect the function of the liver.  These include:

• Cancer
• Cirrhosis
• Hepatitis
• Ascites
• Liver Failure
• Gallstones

Some ways to take care of your liver include:

• Avoid taking unnecessary medications (too many chemicals harm your liver);
• Don’t mix medicines without the advice of a doctor (you could create something poisonous that could damage your liver badly);
• Street drugs cause serious damage and scar your liver permanently;
• Don’t drown your liver in beer, liquor or wine (if you drink alcohol, have two or fewer drinks per day); and
• Never mix alcohol with other drugs & medicines.

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Be careful when using aerosol cleaners. Your liver has to detoxify what you breathe in, so when you go on a cleaning binge, make sure the room is well ventilated or wear a mask.

Bug sprays, paint sprays and all those other chemical sprays you use can harm your liver too. Be careful what you breathe.

Watch what gets on your skin (those insecticides you put on trees and shrubs to kill bugs can get to your liver right through your skin and destroy some cells)! Remember, they’re serious chemicals.

I would always check my husband’s medications to see how they affected his liver, and he also had periodic blood tests, especially if I noticed his eyes turning yellowish.

To determine if you are having any trouble with your liver, check for these Trouble Signs:

• Yellow discoloration of the skin or eyes;
• Abdominal swelling or severe abdominal pain;
• Prolonged itching of the skin;
• Very dark urine or pale stools, or the passage of bloody or tar-like stools; and
• Chronic fatigue, nausea or loss of appetite.

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If you have any of these problems, make an appointment with your doctor, and monitor your food intake, the alcohol intake, and be careful of any aerosol or other fumes that you may be around.  You liver is a very vital organ to the function of your body, so please take care of it, and it will take care of you