Can We Die Healthy?

Now that seems strange because if you listen to the television commercials on some of the medicines available to us for pains and ailments the side effects do not sound inviting. We have worked so hard to find cures in the laboratory we forget that humankind has been dealing with ailments for thousands of years by natural means and no side effects. How exactly did they live so long and what medicines did they take?

So how do we stay well? My cousin was visiting last week and when her father, my uncle, was in the hospital last year one of the Physicians Assistants told her that as you get older quit going to the doctor. That was extreme but I think I understand what she was saying. Should we go to the doctor, who will put us in the hospital, try new medicines and keep us immobile? Or do we live each day to the fullest and just die in our beds.

This seems like a morbid subject but if you think about it most of today's population is looking to natural foods, organic foods and natural medicines instead of the chemicals available in the pharmacy. We are by our own direction turning away from medical science cures and looking to the natural cures we have been using for centuries.

I have arthritis in both knees and bursitis in my shoulders. I take a natural mixture of herbs and spices and I am fine. The chemicals they advertise have so many side effects you really do not know if the pain is that great anymore.

Well I want to die healthy. That is why I watch what I eat, exercise and try to think positive every day. Depression is a bad thing and it follows us, as we grow older. We change our lifestyles because we cannot do what we used to and if we do not keep reinventing ourselves with new activities, we will become depressed and have problems.

Talk to a trainer about what type of exercise you should do. The gyms are not so bad these days and they want business so their prices are affordable. Eating right is easy. Several websites promote eating healthy and have some good recipes. There are more vegetarians today than ever before. Do you know that man started as a vegetarian? I do not know what happen to change that since I was not there but it was probably interesting.

Search the web for some good ideas on eating right, do not over do the vitamins and minerals, look to the websites that will provide the right information and learn how your body works. Learn what vitamins and minerals you need, learn what are the best foods for you. Did you know there is a blood type diet? I will talk about that later.

Eat well, exercise, think healthy.

The Hidden Treasure of Pediatric Nursing

As any parent knows, having children is a life-changing experience for which there is no adequate preparation. We all have ideas about how to raise children but most of the time we simply learn as we go. A young pediatric nurse can get a good head start on parenting through the day-to-day experience of pouring her heart and soul into caring for her young patients. It's not exactly the same as real-life experience, but it might be the next best thing.

The Quandary of Pediatrics

When the new graduate takes a job as a pediatric nurse, she is immediately faced with the challenge of doing what's best for a child and making sure that child is as comfortable as possible. Yet the two are not always compatible. Sometimes doing what's best for a sick patient is going to cause that person to be extremely uncomfortable. For example, you may have to draw blood from a young patient. As a nurse you don't want to make that child cry and scream, but it's for his own good. Those are the same decisions parents make every day.

Individuals who choose pediatric travel nursing jobs get to take those challenges one step further. Not only do they have the same quandary in caring for their patients, they are also sacrificing the benefits of their own stability to go where the work is. Travel nurses always have to get used to new coworkers, learn their way around new cities and generally adapt to all the pressures that come with travel. But when they walk into work every day, all those things must be put behind them so they can concentrate on their young patients.

Look for the Hidden Treasures

With any job it's easy to complain about all of the negatives; anyone can do that. But it takes a special kind of worker to look beyond those things and instead find the hidden treasures. If you're pediatric nurse, look for those treasures in the smiles and tears of your young charges. You'll find that the skills you learn as a pediatric nurse will make you a better parent.

If you're currently employed in pediatric travel nursing, relish those opportunities while you have them. Most travel nurses don't spend their entire careers on the road for obvious reasons. You probably won't either if you intend to eventually have children. So use your opportunities wisely, learn as much as you can and look for your own hidden treasures as you go.

Search for great traveling nursing jobs, pediatric travel nursing and RN nursing positions at RN Network! The RN Network offers amazing traveling nurse jobs with great pay and benefits. Updated daily with 100s of new traveling nurse Jobs.

My First Speech About My Daughter Dying of AIDS

I remember the first speech that I gave. It was 1996 and I was at the BC Children's Hospital Grand Rounds in Vancouver. Not only was I a new speaker, with all the fear involved in giving my very first speech - but I was talking on a topic that I had kept secret from many people for the last two years. After my nine-month old daughter, Katie, became sick with pneumonia, I was told she had AIDS and that I had HIV.

I could vaguely hear the infectious disease specialist on stage speaking about the basic science of children with HIV. It was like a dream, everything seemed to be in slow motion, and then he turned to introduce me, the mother and patient. I remember singing to myself before I walked onto the platform - it was a song by Queen "We Are The Champions" and it gave me strength to walk up the steps, covered in black, rubber matting. I shook the doctor's hand and stood before my audience.

It was precisely at that moment, as I stared into the crowd seated before me, that I saw someone hurriedly enter the auditorium... it was my daughter's pediatrician and immediately I froze. I hadn't seen Jane since Katie's death two years earlier - I heard myself breath in sharply and a pain stabbed at my heart. She sat half way down the aisle and, looking back at me, she gently smiled. I knew I had a great, trusted friend in the audience and suddenly a warm blanket enveloped me... I could do this!

As I started to tell the story of how I had discovered my daughter had AIDS and that I had HIV, I struggled to remain composed. I was tired from two years of telling lies about her death and finally I was going to be able to let people know what it was like living under the veil of stigma, where healthcare staff, doctors and hospice workers were my only confidantes. I felt it was so important for the people listening to me realized that they are the lifeline to people hiding with any stigma. Jane knew.. she had been a friend at the end of the phone line, the arm around my shoulders, the doctor not afraid to speak out on my behalf.

As I read the words on the sheet, I was painfully aware that I was not yet a confident speaker and I knew that if I decided to go completely public then I would have to look directly into people's eyes, without fear of judgement.

It was on that day that I realized that this would be the way I could remember Katie's life and that people could learn more about families living with AIDS. I knew on that day that my career path would take me down a road where I had so long feared to travel and that I would receive immeasurable support along the way.

That is the day that I decided to become a speaker about children and families living with HIV and AIDS and I have never regretted it.

Your Skin's Diet

There are many reasons we make the effort to watch our diets: weight management (taking the weight off or keeping it off), lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, or just simply to live healthy.

But we seldom hear people say they are trying to eat right to promote healthy skin.

We used to think that eating chocolate would cause skin break outs, but in recent years we have learned that eating dark chocolate is actually good for your skin. (Thank goodness) Dark chocolate contains anti-oxidants which help increase the natural UV protection that our skin creates.

Our Skin is Fine Clothing

Mark Twain once shared this bit of wisdom: "The finest clothing made is a person's skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this."

Most of us make the effort to take good care of our clothing so it will look nice when we wear it, and because it is an investment, we want it to last longer.

Shouldn't we think of our skin in the same way? We want it to look nice when we wear it (which is always) and we want it to last longer.

How our skin looks is important, but how healthy it is, is even more important. As our body's largest organ; its job is to protect our vital organs and help filter out the toxins that build up inside.

What to feed our skin

We can use all the great skin care products created, but if we fail to feed our skin properly, everything else is wasted.

· One of the most essential things we can do for our skin is keep it hydrated, which means drinking plenty of water, which helps it do its job of eliminating those things that could make us unhealthy. Coffee, tea or soda are sources of water, but aren't a substitute for the real thing.

· Eat whole grains, they are not only good sources of fiber, which help prevent acne causing inflammation, but also contain a large amount of anti-oxidants.

· Another great source of anti-oxidants is berries, especially blueberries, blackberries and strawberries which help our skin to look younger.

· Our skin needs good sources of Omega 3 fatty acids (good fat), which you can get from eating fish, especially the oily fish such as salmon, anchovies, mackerel or sardines. These fatty acids help keep the skin free of blemishes.

Walnuts, flax seed or canola oil are also good sources

· To aid your skin in its natural renewal process you need Vitamin A, which you can find in carrots.

· A good source of Vitamin E, to help keep your skin moisturized is almonds.

· If you need to sooth red, blotchy skin, avocados act as an anti-inflammatory.

Taking good care of your skin isn't just about beauty and vanity, it's about good health.