RichC | November 10, 2012
I had an eye appointment this week and decided to mention that reading, particularly in the evening, was becoming more of a challenge. I’ve been trying to fool myself into thinking that it was the lousy CFLs next to my chair or the added eyestrain of using computers, tablets and cellphones during the day, but […]
RichC | August 15, 2012
It has been a tough week so far running back and forth to Columbus and OSU Medical Center to check on my mom and doesn’t look as if the next week will be much better. She is back in the hospital after never really recovering from her back surgery in May. Rehab in a nursing […]
RichC | July 26, 2012
I’ve been slow adjust to monitor the plastic containers, cookware and dishware and in particular the polycarbonate #7 plastics, but am a bit more conscious to put my water in a stainless steel thermos … but I do pour from a “plastic” Brita pitcher. Hmm? On that note, it is tough to know when to […]
RichC | July 24, 2012
If laughing helps a person live a long and healthy life, my friend Jeff will easily make it to a healthy 100 years! Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after. Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress […]
RichC | July 17, 2012
Hmm … I kind of like this new Rolly product. I wonder if it will take off? Designed for those times when you’ve just had a meal but can’t sneak away to brush your teeth, the Rolly is a small rubber disc covered in 276 spiky bristles that promises to be as effective at cleaning […]
RichC | June 21, 2012
I appreciate high profile Meniere’s Disease sufferers commenting on how debilitating it is to deal with abrupt attacks and ongoing balance/sickness issues, especially when they are as tough as UFC’s Dana White. He commented that he is “not a normal patient” while in an interview about his struggle – although I don’t think he exhibits […]
RichC | June 13, 2012
Although I’ve been pretty successful in dealing with Meniere’s since my surgery in 2001 (same surgery as Astronaut Alan Shepard), I regularly check back in with a few forum, blogs and websites where sufferers post their thoughts, concerns and suggestions. Last year I had to deal with the symptoms once again, hopefully just due to […]
RichC | June 6, 2012
Many families face the inevitable fact that our parents will not be around forever. Unfortunately knowing the end is closer doesn’t make managing a parent’s declining health any easier. I now understand why my daughter’s medical training and rotations in “end of life care” were not attractive to her – pediatrics does sound as if […]
RichC | May 27, 2012
My mom would not like this personal post talking about her, but since I’m archiving partially for my own journaling I wanted to write down what was buzzing around in my head this past year. Between my dad, who is with mom almost all the time, my brother Ron (thankfully able get to Sidney regularly—he […]
RichC | May 22, 2012
Everyone wants to head home after a hospital stay … and that includes my mom, but if rehab is called for and skilled nursing care required, I can’t think of a better place than the Dorothy Love community. It is just a few miles from my mom and dad’s house in Sidney Ohio and an […]
RichC | May 12, 2012
My mom’s surgery went semi-okay today. The surgeon indicated that he was able to relieve pressure on the spinal cord and nerves, but unfortunately with the infected tissue (and possibly bone) they were unable to “cement” the vertebrae fractures. Long term this will be a problem but can’t be repaired until infection is gone. She […]
RichC | May 12, 2012
I’ll start off with the stressful update that my mom will be going in for spinal decompression surgery at OSU Wexler Medical Center on Saturday … and that I won’t be there. Her doctors are cautious, but confident that they will be able to relieve pain by eliminating pressure the nerve bundles and spinal cord […]
RichC | May 10, 2012
Posting a personal update today as we are dealing with doctoring issues for my mom. She has been suffering with a lot of pain and various testing for several … way too many … months. On Monday, the OSU neurosurgeons reviewed my mom’s case, consulted each other over last weeks CT scans of her spine […]
RichC | May 4, 2012
I received a needed lesson in blessings and being thankful today. My sailing friends Mark and Judy Handley have been sharing their daily lives online for many years while cruising around the world. Their circumnavigation ended over a year ago, but Judy continues to document their return to a “somewhat” more normal life. Unfortunately this […]
RichC | March 17, 2012
Friday was one of those days I would rather forget … and I know Taylor would say the same. For me, it was a day of running around to hospitals, dentists and doctors with my son … for Taylor it was a obviously more painful. He was Uptown in Oxford (Miami University-Ohio) on a Thursday […]
RichC | December 10, 2011
What treatments do doctors seek when they get sick? That’s the basis of an article my daughter read to me this week while we were heading out to dinner … it is sobering. Ken Murray’s article in Zócalo Public Square is something I found thought provoking when considering just how far “we” want doctors and […]
RichC | August 28, 2011
I’ve been thinking about the big entitlement (negatively charged word?) issue when it comes to how the U.S. structured our senior citizen’s healthcare and retirement living expenses. Having never really fully understood the cost … and inching closer towards that eventual day … I do recognize while looking at my own health and insurance costs […]
RichC | July 9, 2011
My neighbor send me a link and an email (below) since we spend a few minutes each week cleaning up the ditch and roadside. The first 25 feet along the back of our property is usually scattered with cans, bottles, litter, etc and needs to be picked up before mowing. Kids are putting Drain-o, tin […]
RichC | June 5, 2011
Postive advancements for those of us baby-boomers who may spend too much time in the sun. For patients with advanced melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, a vaccine combined with an immune-boosting drug is showing promise in a large clinical trial. Therapeutic cancer vaccines, unlike typical vaccines that prevent infections, are meant to […]
RichC | May 31, 2011
The World Health Organization is now classifying cellphones in category 2B – possibly carcinogenic to humans. An international panel of experts evaluated hundreds of scientific articles focusing on electromagnetic radiation, which emanates from radar, microwaves and cellphones (mobile phones). Category 2B includes gasoline engine exhaust, glass wool, styrene, lead and DDT. In a communiqué, WHO […]
RichC | May 22, 2011
The day arrived and disappeared in an instant … with a wonderful ceremony, I might add! On Saturday, May 21st my daughter Katelyn officially became Dr. Katelyn Corbett, M.D. She was presented the degree of Doctor of Medicine at the commencement ceremony from NEOUCOM (now NEOMED – Northeast Ohio Medical University). We had a perfect […]
RichC | April 5, 2011
It looks to me as if grappling with how to pay for health care is going to be the biggest hurdle when dealing with our deficit spending in the future (as if it isn’t bad enough now). It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about current private insurance plans, Obama’s national health care law, Medicaid for […]
RichC | December 28, 2010
Over the years, I’ve encouraged several friends to consider supporting the MercyShips.org medical charity, partially because I like it’s efficient and effective self-contained hospital ships. Besides that, it is also is a well managed and long running humanitarian charity (1978) which has a solid structure and experience board. As 2010 draws to a close, I […]
RichC | November 16, 2010
A friend of mine posted about the Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. on Facebook and it was a reminder to me how devastating Ménière’s disease was. Back in the 1990’s I (and my family) struggled in dealing with the frustrating ringing, sudden attacks of vertigo and associated debilitating sickness (sea-sickness as I described it). Although […]
RichC | July 25, 2010
Although I’m not a germ-a-phobe or a neat-nik by any stretch of the imagination, I’m often repulsed by the cleanliness of some local area restaurants. Being the one who is responsible for the health certificate for my EAA chapters annual Fly-in and Pancake Breakfast, I know how challenging it is to pass health inspections (Warren […]
RichC | July 22, 2010
I liked this blackboard image from Glenn Beck, a controversial radio and television host who has spent the last year right-teaching American history to the millions that tune in or DVR his 5PM FoxNews program. Although I don’t watch all that many of his broadcasts, I have enjoyed his Founders Fridays broadcasts which focuses […]
RichC | July 7, 2010
July 7, 2010 An autopsy has shown that Chris Henry, the young Cincinnati Bengal who died a few months ago, suffered what is called CTE –– chronic traumatic encephalopathy –– which means, more simply, that his brain had been traumatized. CTE can be diagnosed only in the brain tissue of cadavers, and 22 deceased former […]
RichC | June 1, 2010
The needle pricks involved in acupuncture may help relieve pain by triggering a natural painkilling chemical called adenosine, a new study has found. The researchers also believe they can enhance acupuncture’s effectiveness by coupling the process with a well-known cancer drug — deoxycoformycin — that maintains adenosine levels longer than usual. See article in USNews.com
RichC | March 31, 2010
The federal government after the Civil War expanded in both its size and influence over states and individuals. The United States did this to regulate industry as businesses grew to encompass several states. The concern over securing civil rights for all citizens as well as providing some social services continued by Washington D.C. as the […]
RichC | March 25, 2010
I’ve been spending a bit of time on the road this week (who parks like this? – image right) which finds me listening to the non-stop news and talk radio programs discussing health care reform; the Senate bill was passed by the House and signed by President Obama earlier this week. Even after a year […]
RichC | March 23, 2010
Interesting … Narcissism Epidemic Spreads Among College Students A generation of Americans could enter the workforce with an unfounded sense of entitlement. Are you spending too much time in front of the mirror? According to a new study, American students are growing more narcissistic (link to video). THE GIST: Data shows a significant increase in […]
RichC | March 22, 2010
Great to know there is hope for me in getting up on the board yet! Thanks for the inspiration John Zapotocky (at 91, he’s probably the oldest SUP surfer in the world) Personal note: Due to my dealing with Menieres disease in the late 1990s necessitating endolympatic sac decompression surgery, my stability and balance has […]
RichC | March 21, 2010
As I check on the partisan vote to pass a bill that will bureaucratic Health Care in America this Sunday evening, the Democrats have both passed the rules (at 2PM) and recently the “resolution.” Every Republican voted against and 224 Democrats were for the “resolution.” Personally I believe that the 224 number is the 216 […]
RichC | March 19, 2010
Personal Opinion post: I’m attempting to be understanding of those with different political philosophies than myself as they relate to reforming health care. That said, I can’t imagine those who support progressive social and economic re-engineering of our nation even stomaching the shenanigans currently going on in Washington DC? At times like these, it may […]
RichC | February 26, 2010
I tuned the XMRadio into bits and pieces of President Obama’s 7 hour Health Care Summit with congressional leaders at the Blair House yesterday and came away tired of hearing the same thing I’ve heard all year. It was carried live on CSPAN and picked up in whole or part by many of the cable […]
RichC | February 23, 2010
After American citizens were heard ‘loud and clear’ during the Obama administration’s attempt last year to ram though health care reform, the President and a ‘agenda-driven’ liberal congress are planning to give it another go. In a feeble attempt to cloak the “retooled $950 billion health care plan” and continual expansion of government as “bi-partisan,” […]
RichC | February 23, 2010
I don’t pretend to understand how a man concludes that crashing an airplane into an IRS building is justified, but I know that stress can push reasonably sane people into saying and doing some pretty radical things. I get pretty worked up over government waste and irresponsible spending, but can’t imagine striking back at innocent […]
RichC | February 12, 2010
Gadgets, particularly those with microchips are getting more and more ‘micro’ all the time. For the most part, this leads to improvements in electronic gizmos that serve us daily for convenience and even health. I read an article in TechNewsDaily about a solar-powered sensor that is small enough to supply endless power, yet powerful enough […]
RichC | January 8, 2010
President Obama, for all the “hope and change” that was promised, seems to have no problem with the lack of openness and transparency being demostrated under his tenure. Obama’s promises of “openness” are empty … or perhaps only apply when concerning Republican leaders? For many, President Obama is a bigger disappointment than his predecessors because […]
RichC | January 6, 2010
Are antidepressants being over prescribed for patients with less severe depression AND are they ineffective? See JAMA Vol. 303 No. 1, January 6, 2010. EDIT: Adding PDF of article (removed 1/16/2010) from Load2All.com. JAMA Analysis of Antidepressants Suggests Effectiveness Varies Widely Patients with severe depression benefit most from antidepressant medications while those with less-severe symptoms […]
RichC | December 22, 2009
It’s not all bad news as we wrap up 2009. Americans have been criticized for their unhealthy eating habits and rightly so, but there are a few abused items that are getting a green light. The silver lining for those who drink, is that studies are suggesting that certain favorite drinks are medically helpful, some […]
RichC | December 6, 2009
We’re not all going to agree on how much involvement we want from our federal government, but I’m sensing that most Americans are concerned that their voices over an invasive government are being ignored. This concern isn’t just about the current administration, but includes the excessive spending and Wall Street rescue started by the previous […]
RichC | August 13, 2009
As U.S. Congressional representatives sweat over whether to have townhall meetings in their states to talk healthcare during the August recess, I sweat over how to plan financial security for my family‘s future, of which health insurance is a part. Years ago it seemed logical to just keep plunking away a few dollars into a […]
RichC | April 27, 2009
View H1N1 Swine Flu in a larger map H1N1 Swine flu in 2009 Pink markers are suspect Purple markers are confirmed Deaths lack a dot in marker Yellow markers are negative The Swine Flu pandemic, believed to have started in Mexico, is showing up around the world as the WHO and U.S. CDC is doing […]