Happy Thanksgiving

A day of giving thanks for many things:

our country will have a new president come January 20th!

my son is happy

I have good friends offline and online

I am healthy

I live in Portland

I see ducks like this



Ah and that soon it’s time to go and eat with many of those friends mentioned above....yummmm

Thanksgiving and food and photos?

In my local paper today there were two articles in two different sections that ought to have been on one page and loudly linked to each other.

One stated that the day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest in emergency rooms...

One explanation is that because most physicians are closed - people go to the emergency room. but why do they go? They feel awful, drink too much, eat too much and the body yells back! It's not used to this amount of food and alcohol and fat-laden drinks. It's also a day that visiting relatives can get on your nerves and you are stressed, and lots of people, when stressed - eat more!

The other article was about the new federal exercise guidelines....2.5 hours a week of moderate is good but 5 hours a week is better defense against many diseases...

The one last note I saw online was to take a good look at a photo of yourself when you were about 18...it suggested that the weight you were then - give or take a little - is a good one to be at now!

So - Happy Thanksgiving...cut back on the food, look at old photos of you and your family, and resolve to eat better and exercise more. Let's all look like we did at 18!

About Wellsphere and Mavens

I am a health blogger and health maven on Wellsphere [see logos to the right]

Below is a press release about the mavens from the chief medical officer at Wellsphere.

Recession Special: Free answers from doctors and expert patients who truly care

Wellsphere’s Health Mavens provide free answers to millions of health seekers

In these difficult economic times, it’s comforting to know there are medical and patient experts out there who care enough to answer health questions online for free. Dr. Geoff Rutledge , MD PhD, Wellsphere’s Chief Medical Information Officer, told reporters today about the new Health Maven Program, which connects volunteer doctors, psychologists, nurses, personal trainers, expert-patients and other experts with health seekers who are looking for answers. Anyone with access to the Internet can get their health questions and concerns answered quickly and at no cost at www.wellsphere.com/healthMaven.s.

Health mavens are carefully selected, knowledgeable, health experts who are committed to helping others live healthier, happier lives. Hundreds of Health Mavens have volunteered to join the program and answer questions, with new Mavens signing up every day. “We’re witnessing an incredible growth in the number of people using the Internet to find health information” said Wellsphere’s CEO Ron Gutman . According to an iCrossing research repot, for the first time in history people with health questions are more likely to turn to the Web for answers than to their doctor. “Recognizing this trend among our users, we assembled the world’s leading network of over 1,800 medical and patient experts to share their experiences and expertise with Wellsphere.com’s almost 3 million monthly visitors. We are humbled by the experience, expertise and genuine care these wonderful individuals share every day with people who come to Wellsphere looking for answers” said Gutman.

In addition to providing a wonderful service to people seeking answers to their health questions, the Health Maven program allows participating medical professionals and patient experts to broaden their impact by sharing their experiences and expertise with a much wider audience, and to get the recognition they deserve. Here are a few of their comments:

"Being a Health Maven gives me the opportunity to interact directly with the Wellsphere community. It's been a lot of fun and professionally it's incredibly rewarding." - Melissa McCreery , PhD

"Wellsphere has taken caring to a new level and I'm glad to be a part of it," - Kathleen Blanchard , RN

"I enjoy being a maven - it seems that doling out advice and answering questions seems to be my calling in life." - Lynn Dorman , PhD

To find out more about the Health Maven program, please visit http://www.Wellsphere.com/HealthMaven.s
--
Geoffrey Rutledge, MD PhD
Chief Medical Information Officer
Wellsphere
Dr.Rutledge@wellsphere.com

Medicare

One of today's headlines:

Private Medicare Plans Have Added Costs, for Little Gain
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/24/business/24medicare.html?ref=health

Why is this? Because all those companies now trying to get you to switch to them get a subsidy from the government and here is no incentive to cut costs...

...two analysts from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission...said that growth in private plans had driven up costs because the government pays them 13 percent more on average than what it would spend for the same beneficiaries in traditional Medicare.

And we wonder why we are among the least healthy societies on earth while our medical costs are among the highest - if not the highest.....

In short GREED is the name of our economic game and look where it got us...expensive everything, low wages, declining retirement funds, job loss and...and...and - the list goes on..

I'm glad I am older and am not starting out in college, starting a family or looking for a job...

Holidays

I love Thanksgiving now that I am an adult. As a child, I did not like it as we spent the day with relatives and I was usually bored - [it was the pre-TV days].

Most of those relatives were not child oriented and had nothing around for me to do. As I got older and said no to those family outings, my parents invited them to our house - and at least then I could disappear into my room and had "stuff" to amuse me - or I could skip out and go to some friend's house or they to mine.

After I moved to Boston, I started doing Thanksgiving with friends and those friends became family. My mother came up sometimes but then she moved to Florida and the visits were less frequent for Thanksgiving...

Now Thanksgiving is a neighborhood pot luck. It started several years ago - before my arrival - and is a fun filled afternoon - good food, good wine and beer and super company...Almost no one plans on going anywhere for Thanksgiving - we stay put and have a day of food and friends and these are things for which we are all thankful.

What are you thankful for this year? Health? wellness? friends? pets? There is a lot to be thankful for and Thursday is the main day for giving thanks -

but giving thanks is something we can do everyday - all year long!

Just one of "those" days

A typical Pacific Northwest day - except that we got spoiled since we have not had too many of them this year.

It's a wet 54 degrees and every so often the sun shines brightly and the rain diminishes. Have not seen a rainbow yet but they are typical on days like this - we even get double rainbows.

But while we enjoyed our warm, and mostly dry, October and November - some parts of the USA needed rain desperately and I hope they are getting enough now.

What concerns me even more - nice as October was - it was the second warmest October in record keeping history. Oceans are warmer, land masses are warmer, air is dirtier and less able to do what cleaner air can do...etc. We need to act to save our planet.

I'd rather have the usual October and November rain knowing that future generations will have a planet to call home.

It's that time of the year - it's "open season"

Sometimes I think the postal service would be in more serious trouble if it were not for the election cycles and Medicare "open season."

During the primary I got lots of "vote for me" mail, then even more during the general election season and now that has been followed by the companies who want me to look at their medigap plans and switch.

Some have local meetings to answer questions, others have web sites to check them out and some ask me to call them to learn more. And most are from companies with names I never heard of :-0.

I'm happy with the plan I have - which is going down in cost come January! The facility I go to when necessary is also pretty close...so I have no incentive to change.

But if you are thinking of switching plans or if you are new to Medicare - be careful...over the last few years some companies have used pressure tactics to get people to sign up... Why? The person you talk to is on commission! And now some physicians are no longer accepting Medicare patients. So be sure you find out all you can before switching or joining.

And rule of thumb when speaking to any company is to say..."thank you - let me think about it" and compare all aspects of plans in which you have interest.

Belly Fat

From the news:

A European study suggests that people with belly fat -- even if they're at a healthy weight -- have a higher risk of dying during a 10-year period than their same-weight peers without a spare tire.

Full article:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/11/12/healthmag.waist.death.risk/

Yes a high BMI index is bad - that's oldish news...but this study looked at waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio and found that these were associated with a higher mortality risk as well.

A 2-inch increase in waist circumference raised the mortality risk by 17% in men and 13% in women, regardless of BMI. The link was strongest in those who were at a healthy weight, compared to their heavier peers.

That is scary. I knew belly fat was bad which is why I started taking the product I talk about. I know for me it was hard to lose belly inches by exercising alone. I needed something to target that fat in ways that my exercises did not. I found it! I'm down 3 belly and 3 hip inches and now that I see how bad this fat is, I am aiming to get back to the waist I had when I was in my 20's! I'll let you know when that happens.

This is what one pound of body fat looks like - imagine it multiplied by 10 or 15 or 20 or more IN your belly!

you can read about beING healthy

or you can order the product here: lynn's "store" [look for OsoLean]

503.208.5009

The Economy and Us - No Fear Necessary

The world economic picture is sort of grim right now.  Job losses are increasing.  Banks are closing.  Retirement accounts are getting slimmer and the Social Security increase is going to be approximately a whopping $46 per month per recipient!

Although newly elected President Obama wants to work on a new stimulus plan when Congress reconvenes...it's not a sure thing since this is a lame duck Congress and some politicians are, unfortunately, wedded to an obstructionist philosophy.  But it can a time for great opportunity and not a time to fear.  Many businesses do well in this downturn.

If I might make a suggestion - if you are interested in increasing your monthly income working from home - please look at network marketing companies. Many are great companies.  You must be careful when selecting the one you want to work with - and you must love the products - but if you do that - network marketing works well in a bad economy.

For example - my own business is taking off right now.  Why?  A fat loss product that is safe and the ability to make money by letting others know about it.  Most of us know people who want to lose weight and so friends and friends of friends are now part of my business.  To be honest I never really tried hard to do this as a serious business.  I've been with this company for over 10 years as a customer who loves the products and one who would tell others only when they asked.

That has now changed.  Maybe it's the economy and maybe it's my high energy even after the long campaign season - which I attribute to the new fat loss product.  I now feel comfortable telling others to try it - in a much more direct tone of voice :-)

And duh! I get new customers and business partners!

So look into network marketing for a possible way to not be affected by the economic downturn...You might be pleasantly surprised.

I am working on a website to talk more about the company with which I am associated.  But if you want info more quickly than I get that up and running...I am reachable by clicking on my complete profile and emailing me from that page.

Wow

Last night was an emotional high. I'm active in my local county/state democratic organization and last night thousands of us filled part of the Oregon Convention Center and cried, cheered and hugged each other - friends and strangers alike...it did not matter if it was a person you just met or bumped into :-) you just hugged...

I still have a sore throat - but 3 1/2 hours of happy yelling will do that to you.

Many of us "older" citizens were there til way too late :-) along with month old infants and all ages in between..it was too historic a moment to worry about the lateness of the evening.

Today, no matter who you voted for here, we are all one world - and we need to get along with each other across countries, ages and political leanings....

Life is too important for grudges ... so let's all grow older better and be wiser....

Vote

If you live in the USA - Tuesday November 4th is election day.  Unless one has been under the proverbial rock - it's hard to not know this :-0 - it's been a long grueling primary and general election season - literally years in the making this time.

I have been more active this year than in any election [except for when I was in my 20's.]  The volunteers and staff I meet range from their teens to their 80's and it's been marvelous getting to know them.

We are all planning on being at "the" big party tomorrow night because we want to be among those whom we now call friend...

Politics IS a great big tent - sometimes a big 3-ring-circus tent...and like the circus - it can be great fun!

So - wherever you are - if you have not yet voted - GO OUT AND VOTE

Halloween and make believe for adults

Ah - the day you can actually BE something or someone else....

Did you put on a costume and go to a party this weekend? Or did you do phone banking or canvassing for a candidate?

Here one could do both - there were groups of adults going around in costumers collecting ballots [we vote by mail in Oregon]

They then turn the ballots in to an official - and yes that's all legal here....but just make sure you get a receipt for your ballot

But back to the costume..I did not see adults in costume last night as I was busy at a campaign office...but I wondered it we post-boomer aged people do some anti-aging with a costume?

Do we see ourselves on this one day as that younger, more agile person? Next year I'll go to a few parties and check this out. I do recall from last year's party that some female friends came as: raggedy Ann, the good witch, the geisha, and the pirate's lady!
The guys were pirates [that's a big theme here all year], raggedy Andy, and sailors [ not much of a costume needed.]

Kids like to play make believe and they often make believe they are older - so it makes sense that we as adults can make believe too - and make believe we are younger!

But the day after Halloween - we are all the age we are :-0