“Cardiac arrest may be caused by irregular heart rhythms called arrhythmias. A common arrhythmia associated with cardiac arrest is ventricular fibrillation. In ventricular fibrillation, the heart’s lower chambers suddenly start beating chaotically and don’t pump blood.”
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cardiac-arrest/about-cardiac-arrest
“A Holter monitor is a small, wearable device that records the heart’s rhythm. It’s used to detect or determine the risk of irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias).
A Holter monitor test may be done if a traditional electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) doesn’t provide enough details about the heart’s condition. If the irregular heartbeats are infrequent, a longer term monitor called an event recorder may be needed.
Some personal devices, such as smartwatches, offer electrocardiogram monitoring. Ask your health care provider if this is an option for you.
If you have infrequent arrhythmias, an ECG may not detect them. A Holter monitor may be able to spot irregular heart rhythms that an ECG missed.”
MAYO CLINIC
“More. than 21,000 American women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year, and 14,000 die from it, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). But only about 20 percent of ovarian cancers are found early, a dismaying statistic stemming from several key factors.”
Donna McNamara, M.D., chief of medical gynecologic oncology at Hackensack University Medical Center and is Co director of John Theurer Cancer Center.
Heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes continue to be leading causes of death among older adults, based on the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (saving lives and protecting people…CDC). They also provide the following:Baby Boomers for the next 25 years equating to over 70 million people can live longer lives with them combining to double the population of older Americans in the next quarter of a century. Baby Boomers can take steps to live long and healthy lives as opposed to a lot of their parents who died much younger. Living healthier will play a positive impact on the health care system. Starting a step towards prevention or treatment (Rx) of a present disease that you can improve is a mission we Americans owe to ourselves, our young ones, and to our nation’s future.
Through healthy dieting and behaviors (Ex. activity, nutrition, staying in your therapeutic body mass index, controlling stress both physically and mentally, oral health and dealing with any disability reaching the optimal health level you can reach) you can reach a healthier way to living. If the majority of our nation lives healthier, shows progress in promoting prevention, improving the health and well-being of older adults with reducing behaviors that contribute to premature death and disability will increase a healthier population in the U.S.
Baby boomers should do the following with starting good diet and exercise; start young! Include with doing the following when your general practitioner recommends its time in your life later or even now for:
Getting Screened:
Get screened including flu vaccine, pneumonia vaccine, colorectal cancer screening, and mammography for women.
Mammography is the best available method to detect breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable stage before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms. Women aged 50 and over should get mammograms every two years.
Colorectal cancer screening tests can find precancerous polyps so that they can be removed before they turn into cancer. They can also detect colorectal cancer early, when treatment works best. Older adults should be screened for colorectal cancer by having a fecal occult blood test during the past year or a colonoscopy within 10 years.
Get Vaccinated:
Flu and pneumonia is the seventh leading cause of death among adults 65 years or older, despite the availability of effective vaccines. Older adults should get the flu vaccine every year and get the pneumonia vaccine at least once.
Be Physically Active
Regular physical activity is one of the most important things older adults can do for their health. Physical activity can prevent many of the health problems that may come with age, including the risk of falls.
How Much Activity Do Older Adults Need?
2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., brisk walking) every week and muscle-strengthening activities for 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups.
OR
1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., jogging or running) every week and muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups.
OR
An equivalent mix of moderate and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity and muscle strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups.
Eat Fruits and Vegetables Daily
Diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some cancers and chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Quit Smoking
Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. For help visit www.smokefree.gov.
Take Medication for High Blood Pressure and Diabetes
High blood pressure & Diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, it’s one of the leading causes of illness and death among older adults. More than ½ of Americans don’t have their blood pressure under control. Compliance is so essential in treating HTN, Diabetes or any disease including what your M.D. feels you need as a medication, if needed. The only way to find out is by seeing your health care providers, such as doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, who can track their patient’s blood pressure, prescribe once-a-day medications, and give clear instructions on how to take blood pressure & diabetic medications.
Take good care of your skin from childhood throughout your elder years. Why? Skin is the largest organ of the body and skin cancer is the easiest to treat when detected early and not blown off seeing the doctor. Before that take care of the skin by: Wearing Sun Screen for protection from getting skin cancer! Keep temperatures on average at room temperature and since hot temps dry out the skin. Limit Sugar Intake. Overeating sugar can lead to wrinkles and sagging skin. Ge
Patients should take the initiative or responsibility to monitor their blood pressure and sugar levels (finger sticks) between medical visits and know what abnormal values to report to their MD. Including taking their medications as prescribed, tell their doctor about any side effects, and make lifestyle changes, such as eating a low-sodium/low-calorie diet, exercising, and stopping smoking.
Do you want a better body, or a healthier society making our country America better overall? Well here are a few tips in getting started:
“If you have a genetic predisposition to ovarian cancer, your doctor may recommend regular pelvic imaging and blood tests to screen for the disease.”
Dr. Edward Tanner (an assistant professor of gynecology and obstetrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland).
“The new ingredient, nootkatone, repels and kill ticks, mosquitoes, and a wide variety of other biting pests. Nootkatone is responsible for the characteristic smell and taste of grapefruit and is widely used in the fragrance industry to make perfumes and colognes. It is found in minute quantities in Alaska yellow cedar trees and grapefruit skin.
Nootkatone can now be used to develop new insect repellents and insecticides for protecting people and pets. CDC’s licensed partner, Evolva, is in advanced discussions with leading pest control companies for possible commercial partnerships. Companies interested in developing brand name consumer products will be required to submit a registration package to EPA for review, and products could be commercially available as early as 2022.
“CDC is proud to have led the research and development of nootkatone,” said Jay C. Butler, MD, Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases. “Providing new alternatives to existing bite-prevention methods paves the way to solving one of biggest challenges in preventing vector-borne diseases—preventing bites.”
Center for Disease Control and Prevention CDC
Tick bites into skin and digs into the skin Tic fills up the blood sac for food
The mark the tick leaves behind on the arm it bit.
In 2013, there were more than 25,000 confirmed cases of Lyme disease reported across the country, according to the Center For Disease Control And Prevention.
Lyme disease is of course a potentially debilitating infection spread by ticks. A special conference this weekend, now in it’s fourth year — is hoping to help raise awareness.
On Saturday, September 12, the Mt. Valley Lyme Disease Awareness Coalition will hold it’s 4th Annual Lyme Conference. This year’s day long event will be held at Telstar Regional High School in Bethel and is open to the public. Donations at that door to help in their researching.
We’re constantly hearing about the threat of Lyme disease when it comes to our pets. However, sometimes it takes star power in order to bring a dangerous condition into the “Lyme-light” for humans. This is exactly what Yolanda Foster, from the reality television show, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and wife of composer David Foster, did after suffering unexplainable symptoms—such as emotional outbursts, nervous system abnormalities, skin issues, and loss brain function. Her diagnoses: chronic Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is a bacterial illness that is spread by the borrelia burgdorferi bacteria in tick insect bites. Once infected, the victim (human or animal) will suffer the consequences in multiple stages that stretch from the first bite to the spread of Lyme antibodies within the blood, and the symptoms.
The most common tick-borne illness in North America and Europe, Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of an infected blacklegged tick.
You have flu-like symptoms
One of the common symptoms of Lyme disease is feeling like you have a flu. This means that you’ll begin suffering from a runny nose, fevers, chills, and shaking. All the symptoms you associate with the flu can also indicate that you are in the early stages of Lyme disease and it’s at this point that you should go and see a doctor.
Many people will simply brush off the conditions and take medication bought over the counter, but if you can catch the disease at this stage, it’s far simpler to treat.
You have a stiff neck
If your neck is sore and you have the above-mentioned flu-like symptoms, it’s possible that you have developed Lyme disease. A stiff neck is a really common indicator of having recently contracted the disease. The reason it begins is because of the infection traveling around the body and if you find yourself with this pain, it’s important to get checked right away. Not only that but the pain involved with it can also get worse, making it almost unbearable. At this stage you should definitely see a doctor.
Headaches
On top of the above two symptoms, headaches will usually begin when you are in the early stages of developing the condition. A checkup is essential at this stage, your doctor will be able to provide you with treatment that is more effective the sooner after you contract the disease.
Muscle numbness
Muscle numbness occurs even during the early stages of Lyme disease making it difficult to move and creating either a numbness or a tingling feeling in muscles all over the body. Another common complaint is that the individual has shooting pains that go from the top of the leg to the bottom.
These symptoms are worrisome whether you have Lyme disease or not, so be sure to speak to your doctor as soon as you start experiencing these kinds of serious symptoms.
Fatigue
One of the signature symptoms of Lyme disease that most people have heard about is fatigue. This symptom occurs later on in the disease and is actually known as ‘post-Lyme syndrome’. It is far more than just feeling tired – it makes the muscles completely incapable of moving.
Along with the fatigue, the individual will suffer great pain in their muscles, bones, and joints.
Swelling
This symptom is more common during the early stages of the disease and it includes the swelling of the muscles, joints, and anywhere else in the body. The effect occurs as the body tries to protect itself from the bacteria that has invaded. Swelling is a natural response to many conditions and, as time goes by, the individual will find that the swelling can get worse and worse.
Heart problems
If you have heart problems and your family doesn’t have a history of it, this could be an indicator that you have Lyme disease and simply haven’t realized it yet. This is far less common than other symptoms, but in some cases an irregular heartbeat can actually suggest that you have Lyme disease and left it untreated for a long period of time.
If you have an irregular heartbeat, there’s no need to assume that you have Lyme disease – but you should of course go ahead with all the tests that your doctors want you to go ahead with.
Muscle numbness
Muscle numbness occurs even during the early stages of Lyme disease making it difficult to move and creating either a numbness or a tingling feeling in muscles all over the body. Another common complaint is that the individual has shooting pains that go from the top of the leg to the bottom.
These symptoms are worrisome whether you have Lyme disease or not, so be sure to speak to your doctor as soon as you start experiencing these kinds of serious symptoms.
Bull’s eye rash
The bull’s eye rash is the first sign of Lyme disease, and it occurs around the region that the tick originally embedded itself into the skin. There are lots of ways that this rash might appear, with the first being the obvious bull’s eye shape, with a blistering lesion in the middle and surrounding circles of redness. Some lesions may have a uniform red color, others may be disseminated and others may appear blue-red. The thing to look out for is a large circular rash that appears dark red.
Facial drooping
This is one of the most serious symptoms of Lyme disease and is pretty uncommon, but it’s important to know about nonetheless. This symptom includes the dropping of the face, where muscles stop working and you find it difficult to speak. Some individuals have experienced this symptom, known as facial palsy, to the extent that it resembles a stroke. This is of course something very serious and something you should go straight to hospital about should you begin experiencing it.
Facts to know about lyme disease:
-Lyme disease is caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi that is only transmitted to humans when they are bitten by an infected tick.
-To infect its host, a tick typically must be attached to the skin for at least 36 hours.
-Most cases of Lyme disease occur in late spring and early summer.
– The most common symptoms of Lyme disease include a red, circular “bulls-eye” rash often accompanied by muscle and joint aches. About 70 to 80 percent of people infected develop the rash, which shows up several days to weeks after the tick bite.
-Lyme disease is diagnosed by medical history, physical exam, and sometimes a blood test. It may take four to six weeks for the human immune system to make antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi and therefore show up in a positive blood test. That is why patients with the Lyme rash usually have a negative blood test and diagnosis is based on the characteristic appearance of the rash. Patients with other clinical manifestations such as Lyme arthritis will usually have a blood test. Anyone who has symptoms for longer than six weeks and who has never been treated with antibiotics is unlikely to have Lyme disease if the blood test is negative.
-Most cases of Lyme disease are successfully treated with a few weeks of antibiotics. Using antibiotics for a very long time (months or years) does not offer superior results and in fact can be dangerous, because it can cause potentially fatal complications.
-Approximately 95 percent of all cases of Lyme disease occur in the Northeast and the Upper Midwest.
-Researchers didn’t identify the cause of Lyme disease and connect it with ticks until 1981. The bacterium that causes the disease is named in honor of Willy Burgdorfer, the scientist who made the connection.
-There were nearly 30,000 confirmed cases of Lyme disease in 2009 and more than 8,500 probable cases. The number has risen steadily since 1995, when there were only 11,700 confirmed cases.
– The best treatment for Lyme disease is prevention: Be cautious when walking in the woods, avoiding bushy and grassy areas. Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts and wear insect repellent containing DEET on exposed skin. After walking in wooded areas, thoroughly check the skin for ticks! Today in 2022 CDC states “A new active ingredient, discovered and developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in insecticides and insect repellents.
The new ingredient, nootkatone, repels and kill ticks, mosquitoes, and a wide variety of other biting pests. Nootkatone is responsible for the characteristic smell and taste of grapefruit and is widely used in the fragrance industry to make perfumes and colognes. It is found in minute quantities in Alaska yellow cedar trees and grapefruit skin.
Nootkatone can now be used to develop new insect repellents and insecticides for protecting people and pets. CDC’s licensed partner, Evolva, is in advanced discussions with leading pest control companies for possible commercial partnerships. Companies interested in developing brand name consumer products will be required to submit a registration package to EPA for review, and products could be commercially available as early as 2022.
“CDC is proud to have led the research and development of nootkatone,” said Jay C. Butler, MD, Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases. “Providing new alternatives to existing bite-prevention methods paves the way to solving one of biggest challenges in preventing vector-borne diseases—preventing bites.”
The E.P.A. has approved nootkatone, which is found in cedars and grapefruit. It repels ticks, mosquitoes and other dangerous bugs for hours, but is safe enough to eat.
“In 2019, the top 10 causes of death accounted for 55% of the 55.4 million deaths worldwide.
The top global causes of death, in order of total number of lives lost, are associated with three broad topics: cardiovascular (ischaemic heart disease, stroke), respiratory (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections) and neonatal conditions – which include birth asphyxia and birth trauma, neonatal sepsis and infections, and preterm birth complications. At a global level, 7 of the 10 leading causes of deaths in 2019 were noncommunicable diseases.
he world’s biggest killer is ischaemic heart disease, responsible for 16% of the world’s total deaths. Since 2000, the largest increase in deaths has been for this disease, rising by more than 2 million to 8.9 million deaths in 2019. Stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are the 2nd and 3rd leading causes of death, responsible for approximately 11% and 6% of total deaths respectively.”
World Health Organization WHO
Dedicated to my Beloved Uncle Owen Lynch who died this past week and will be greatly missed by many!!
Losing someone or something you love or care deeply about is very painful. You may experience all kinds of difficult emotions and it may feel like the pain and sadness you’re experiencing will never let up. These are normal reactions to a significant loss. But while there is no right or wrong way to grieve, there are healthy ways to cope with the pain that, in time, can renew you and permit you to move on.
For me personally I lost quite a few in my life this past year and most recently is to my dear Uncle Owen! Anyone out their who has had a loss recently I can relate to the feelings you might be experiencing and my deepest condolences to you but know you can cope with this in time. All who pass on are in a better world and both are so much happier out of misery especially if it was fight in staying alive but maybe harder for those who could not prepare for it over some time. Know it is us on earth in misery but it will heal in time like a wound. The other thing to know is that individual or individuals have never left us. They are both with old and new loved ones that they saw all the time and some rarely when they were living on earth but left years or months ago before the significant one you just lost. They will never leave us and help us get through this rough time just like my father did in the late 1990’s when he died of cancer but never left me. I know my deceased family and friends are so much happier, no longer ill and they are with family now and friends they missed terribly with others that they have not seen for a long time. Know this, those who where terribly ill are no longer fighting to stay alive or to breath to their last breath. Instead now they are keeping a close eye on you and all loved ones they had in their life. As long as that person in my life who left me from earth is better off I know that is for the best which overrides my misery. My faith and being a RN over over 37 years seeing so many types of patients and some who may have passed on all types of units including oncology, burn units, all types of med surg, telemetry (cardiac), stroke, hospice and more might make it easier for me in dealing with death than some but trust me I still have feelings like everyone else in this world. God has his reasons for taking those significant in our life to leave this world and we may not understand why but we will in time whether it be in this world or the next. I am very thankful I had the time to see my loved ones significant in my life during my lifetime on earth and I put myself in that person’s shoes who struggled to stay alive and now is gone. I ask myself would you want the people down here on earth hurting and in misery for a long time, if you died and I say no to myself and you probably would say the same. So if you do agree with this apply this positive attitude for when you loose someone significant in your life it may just help you get through the struggle your going through.
Grief is a natural response to loss. It’s the emotional suffering you feel when something or someone you love is taken away. The more significant the loss, the more intense the grief will be. You may associate grief with the death of a loved one—which is often the cause of the most intense type of grief—but any loss can cause grief, including: divorce, loss of health, loss of a job, loss of financial stability, retirement, loss of a friendship, loss of a cherished dream (ex. spouses in their own business, planning to get married that never happens, loss of a mortgage on a new home, a loss of a baby, etc…).
The more significant the loss, the more intense the grief. However, even subtle losses can lead to grief. For example, you might experience grief after moving away from home, graduating from college, changing jobs, selling your family home, or retiring from a career you loved.
Grieving is a personal and highly individual experience. How you grieve depends on many factors, including your personality and coping style, your life experience, your faith, and the nature of the loss. The grieving process takes time. Healing happens gradually; it can’t be forced or hurried—and there is no “normal” timetable for grieving. Some people start to feel better in weeks or months. For others, the grieving process is measured in years. Whatever your grief experience, it’s important to be patient with yourself and allow the process to naturally unfold.
Dr Elisabeth Kübler-Ross pioneered methods in the support and counselling of personal trauma, grief and grieving, associated with death and dying. She also dramatically improved the understanding and practices in relation to bereavement and hospice care. This is quite aside from the validity of her theoretical work itself, on which point see the note, right.
Her ideas, notably the five stages of grief model, the model was first introduced by American Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying, and was inspired by her work with terminally ill patients but simply a significant loss can experience these steps as well. They are: 1.) Denial 2.) Anger 3.) Bargaining 4.) Depression 5.) Acceptance . You go through all these steps in a loss and repeat them and not in order for all. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to go through each stage in order to heal. In fact, some people resolve their grief without going through any of these stages. And if you do go through these stages of grief, you probably won’t experience them in a neat, sequential order, so don’t worry about what you “should” be feeling or which stage you’re supposed to be in.Kübler-Ross herself never intended for these stages to be a rigid framework that applies to everyone who mourns. In her last book before her death in 2004, she said of the five stages of grief: “They were never meant to help tuck messy emotions into neat packages. They are responses to loss that many people have, but there is not a typical response to loss, as there is no typical loss. Our grieving is as individual as our lives.”
While loss affects people in different ways, many experience the following symptoms when they’re grieving. Just remember that almost anything that you experience in the early stages of grief is normal—including feeling like you’re going crazy, feeling like you’re in a bad dream, or questioning your religious beliefs.
Symptoms of Grief: Shock and disbelief – Right after a loss, it can be hard to accept what happened. Sadness – Profound sadness is probably the most universally experienced. Guilt – You may regret or feel guilty about things you did or didn’t say or do. Anger – Even if the loss was nobody’s fault, you may feel angry and resentful. If you lost a loved one, you may be angry with yourself, God, the doctors, or even the person who died for abandoning you. You may feel injustice has been done to you. Fear – A significant loss can trigger a host of worries and fears. You may feel anxious, helpless, or insecure. You may even have panic attacks. You may feel fears of how do I live without this person. Physical Symptoms – We often think of grief as a strictly emotional process, but grief often involves physical problems, including fatigue, nausea, lowered immunity, weight loss or weight gain, aches and pains, and insomnia.
Coping with grief and loss is one get support.
The single most important factor in healing from loss is having the support of other people. do not grieve alone. Connecting to others will help you heal.
7. MAYO CLINIC 2012
