OK. I didn’t mean I wanted mother nature to ADD to the incidence rate. I just wanted to know how common it was.

A West Virginia worker has been killed by a falling icicle.

Today? Today is a day of accomplishing things and of money soon coming in.

First, we got back the results of our health screening from last week. PEIA does a thing where they cut you a check for being healthy. Michael and I both scored 100 out of 100, so we’ll both be getting $50 checks! Woot!

As far as my results, they were overall worse than last year, but the higher blood pressure is directly related to increased stress at work and at home, and I’d bet the slightly increased cholesterol is related to the ever increasing does of antidepressants, as did the slight uptick in my BMI. (OK, the fact I had two brownies and ice cream the night before probably didn’t help.) But despite the upticks, I am still in excellent health–and hope that next year’s numbers go back to the range of last year’s.

The second thing was I filed our federal taxes. Got our W2s online, but I needed Michael to get me his student loan interest and the mortgage interest statements before I could file.

Amusing tidbit here. You need to enter the amount of interest you earn on any interest bearing accounts. However, I only had $0.06 interest on our local savings account, which rounded to zero, which the program didn’t like.

Since I again bought the HR Block software, I again had 5 free e-files, so taxes are gone, and hopefully our return will be winging it’s way back soon. (Why did I spend money on tax software? Because I also have to do Grandmom’s taxes, and I’d really rather not take any chances there.)

Now before someone pitches a snit about my liberal tendencies and taxes and such, Michael and I both overpay throughout the year–we both file as single. I’d much rather overpay through the year and get a big return than have to take a hit in April, so it works out well for us. I’m also sure there are lots and lots of things we could do to increase our return. But I don’t particularly care, so why bother with the headache?

So hooray for getting things done, and an even bigger cheer for the money that’ll be filtering in over the next couple months. Wheee!

So yay for Wednesday–better than Monday and Tuesday!

I’ve joked for years that most guys I know treat me like the little sister they never wanted.

Now I have further proof.

Over a year ago, I came home to discover a surprise package. Why yes, I did in fact receive six bottles of bird vomit. How lucky am I?

So yesterday, I received yet another package in the mail. Now, before I show you what I receive, you should know that two of my friends also received packages.

Anne is very excited about her package of ramen, and MWT was thrilled to have received a box of sachima.

So what did Michelle receive, may you ask?

Was I this excited about my loot?

(more…)

I came across an article discussing at the results of a study of antidepressants.

The study found that the anti-depressant Paxil (and in theory all SSRIs) do more than alleviate the patient’s depression, it found that the anti-depressant actually changed the personality of those taking the drug.

In the study, people who took Paxil (paroxetine), a selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), had a drop in neuroticism, which is a tendency toward emotional instability and negative mood. They also had an increase in extraversion, which is a tendency toward outgoingness, compared to similarly depressed people taking placebo.

As someone who takes anti-depressants, am I unsure how I feel about this.

The drugs I am changing may well be changing my entire personality, and not just alleviating my depression? Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?

Part of me is disturbed by the idea of a personality change, but the greater part of me enjoys being more outgoing, and I definitely prefer being emotionally stable to the alternative. (I’m prone to mood swings anyway, and if they annoy me, I’m sure they’re far worse for those around me.)

So emotional stability is a good thing, and for me, an increase in extroversion is a good thing. But is it possible someone could decide that introversion itself is something that should be treated? Would it be acceptable to treat someone with an SSRI because they are introverted, even if they aren’t depressed? Would an SSRI even affect the introversion of someone who was not depressed?

As usual, I have no answers, only more questions. But for me, I’m pleased with the effect that the anti-depressant I am taking has upon both my mood and personality, so I’ll take that as a good thing.

By the year 2020, you won’t need a keyboard and mouse to control your computer, say Intel Corp. researchers. Instead, users will open documents and surf the Web using nothing more than their brain waves.

Scientists at Intel’s research lab in Pittsburgh are working to find ways to read and harness human brain waves so they can be used to operate computers, television sets and cell phones. The brain waves would be harnessed with Intel-developed sensors implanted in people’s brains.

Interesting you say. Yes, it is. Excellent for those who are paralyzed or have lost a limb–again true.

But I still think this is something that will go horribly, terribly wrong if implemented.

Why? Here’s the second headline of the article: Brain waves will replace keyboard and mouse, dial phones and change TV channels

Change TV channels.

Think about that for a second. You’re sitting down watching TV, when suddenly the TV switches to professional bowling. You switch it back to Baywatch:Hasselhoff and the Girdle of Doom. It switches again back to bowling.

Can you imagine a scenario where this does NOT end up in fisticuffs?

Me either.

Lack of Paid Sick Days May Worsen Flu Pandemic

Public health experts worried about the spread of the H1N1 flu are raising concerns that workers who deal with the public, like waiters and child care employees, are jeopardizing others by reporting to work sick because they do not get paid for days they miss for illness.

You mean there are people who don’t realize those cooking and serving your food always come to work as long as their able to remain upright and stumble forward?

All I can think is, “no shit!” Where the hell have y’all been?

Came across a very disturbing article today. Girls as young as 11 are being diagnosed with breast cancer. How surprising is this? According to the article, “Only about 7 percent of breast cancer cases occur in patients under the age of 40.”

That’s a really small incidence rate for a very large percentage of the population.

The cases mentioned in the article occurred in girls with no family history of breast cancer. Often women with the BRCA1 or 2 genes develop breast cancer earlier than most women, but by earlier, that means their 20s and 30s, not before they have even reached puberty.

The article does not speculate as to the possible cases of these cases of breast cancer in young girls, but one has to wonder whether whether the chemicals in our food and water (hormones used to affect milk in cows jump immediately to mind) are leading to this affect.

Is there any direct evidence linking chemicals and hormones in the diet to reduced age and puberty and increased incidence of breast cancer? No. But we don’t seem to have any direct causal evidence, which would lead me–if I were a mother–to try and avoid these chemicals in my home and in the diet of my children.

But I’m not writing to point fingers. I’m writing because this is something that parents need to be aware of. If you have daughters–or know someone with daughters–please share this information with them.

When I was listening to the news Sunday night, they played an interview with Ron Paul. I know people who think Ron Paul is the best thing since buttered bread, but after this interview I have even less of a clue as to why.

What stopped me in my tracks was Paul’s instance that “health care is not a right.”

Additionally, he said that insurance companies have every right to deny people on the basis of pre-existing conditions.

Over at Eric‘s place, we once jokingly referred to the conservative Republican policy as, “Fuck you, I’ve got mine,” after a conservative made the comment that he was perfectly happy with his health care and didn’t want the government to screw things up for him.

I cannot even wrap my mind around this mindset, because it is wrong on so many levels.

First and foremost, it boggles my mind that conservatives–most of whom claim to be Christians–believe so strongly in karma. According to conservatives, if someone doesn’t have health care (or a job, or whatever) it’s because they are lazy, or they don’t work hard enough, or they did something bad to cause their current state.

Second, that attitude–fuck you, I’ve got mine–pretty much goes against the New Testament. I don’t think the take of the Good Samaritan implied that if someone can’t afford health insurance they don’t deserve medical care. My understanding is that we are expected to help others, regardless of who we are, who they are, and what they have done.

Third, such a policy is narrow-minded in the extreme. No just on a financial level, but on a public health level. The fact this attitude is concurrent with a possible flu pandemic shows just how incapable some of these people are of seeing beyond their own noses.

The fact these individuals can hold such mutually exclusive ideas in mind (Christianity and refusal to accept the need to universal health care) leads me to wonder about the mental strain that is required to keep such mutually exclusive ideas in the same brain.

How do I know my mental health hasn’t been the best recently–because I’m home right now with a cold.

Here’s the thing, physical health and mental health are closely linked, even if people don’t always recognize that fact. I take good physical care of myself–I exercise, I eat well, I try to make sure I get enough sleep–in other words, my immune system should be in good shape, since those are the things you need to do to remain physically healthy.

But since this last bout of depression, I’ve gotten a cold or the flu about twice a year. Why? Because mental health has a huge affect upon physical health.

Stress, anger, frustration, all of these things affect the immune system negatively, and when subjected to high levels of these stressors for a long period of time, the body often reacts by getting sick.

To be honest, I’m surprised I haven’t gotten sick sooner than this–I’ve been under a lot of stress this summer. I’ve tried to deal with it in a healthy manner, but apparently it got the better of me. So now I’m sitting at home feeling awful, which is my body’s way of saying, “slow the hell down!”

OK body. I heard you. I’ve slept about 18 of the last 24 hours. I realize that my manner of dealing with the stress in my life has not been productive. But I’ve changed my anti-depressant and will make sure I exercise every week day.

So can I go back to being healthy now? Because this laid up with a cold thing really sucks.

Today’s recipe comes from the National Museum and Natural History.

OK. Here’s some real food.

No recipe though. Pretty sure you can figure this one out all on your own.

There have been a huge number of lies thrown about recently regarding end-of-life care and the health system in the United States. I’d like to take some time to address this issue.

Most people would like to spend their final days and hours in their homes, perhaps lying in bed, surrounded by their family and friends and the sounds of the voices of their loved ones one.

That, however, is not the reality for many people. What often happens instead is the dying individual is in a hospital, hooked up to machines, and the sounds of beeping and whirring medical machines–or even the sounds of arguing over what the patient truly would have wanted to happen at the end of their live.

But who knew what they really wanted? If the subject was never brought up, this burden is placed upon loved ones who must guess what it is their mother or grandfather or sister of lover wanted. Did they want to be allowed to drift off quietly? Or did they wish instead to “not go gentle into that good night,” utilizing all that medical science has available?

If a discussion is not had, then loved ones must make the agonizing decisions regarding what they hope and believe the dying would have wanted.

And it can be worse than that. One sibling may believe a parent would want to be allowed to die peacefully, while another may just as strongly believe that all measures should be taken to keep the parent alive.

These are discussions that can tear a family asunder and create irreconcilable rifts and animosity.

When your doctor wants to discuss end-of-life care with you, it is these issues she wants to discuss. She does not want to force you to end your life against your will, she instead wants you to make your wishes known to her and to your family, so that these decisions can be made in accordance with your will, instead of in a panic of grief.

Take a moment and think. How do you envision the end of your life? What do you want? What do you want to have happen to your body? Would you like your organs to be donated? Would you prefer to be cremated or buried? Do your loved ones have any idea what your wishes would be at the end of your life? Ask them. You may be surprised at their answers–as well as at their own wishes.

When your doctor asks about end-of-life planning, it is to facilitate such discussions. It is to keep your loved ones from having to make such decisions for you, through their grief, with only vague ideas from long ago discussions to guide them.

It is to be compensated for such discussions that end-of-life discussions were entered into the Health Reform Bill. Currently, many insurers do not pay doctors for such discussions. Add to that the fact that many doctors never learned how to discuss such matters with their patients, and you have a situation where doctors do not initiate these discussions with their patients, and where decisions are left unmade until it is too late for the patient to have any input.

Please discuss your wishes with your family and physician, and please, when you hear someone ignorantly spout nonsense about death panels, gently educate them as to what end-of-life care truly is, and how much of a difference it can make in the lives of the dying and their families.

Our deaths are inevitable. How our last days and hours are spent is not.

The West Virginia Center for End-of-Life Care

Several friends have recently started diet and exercise programs, and that got me thinking.

I have a somewhat ambivalent attitude towards “diet” as watching what you eat, but am a huge proponent of exercise.

First, I most likely have a mild case of body dysmorphic disorder. Because of my tendencies to obsess, I do not own a scale or a full length mirror, and I don’t see that as a bad thing. If I don’t see the numbers I can’t obsess over them. If I can’t see myself, I can’t look for flaws.

I do, however, focus (obsess even?) on the health aspect of exercise and diet (not in the sense of eat this and get thin, but in the sense of this is what you need to eat to be healthy.) Why? Because I was 28 when I had my first friend die of an undiagnosed heart condition. Since then I have had a multiple friends lose family members due to undiagnosed and untreated health conditions–people who on the surface were completely healthy.

So health is important to me, but I don’t buy the idea that weight is the most important indicator of health status. What I do believe is important is a healthy diet and keeping active.

I haven’t eaten mammals for coming up on twenty years–that’s more than half my life. The reason I stopped eating mammals was for ethical issues–I believe that we are required to treat animals ethically, and as I’ve noted many times before, the food industry does not, in fact, behave ethically when it comes to the animals or even humans.

Aside from that, I eat what I like and what I think tastes good. But that last bit is the kicker: I bake and decided long ago junk food was a poor substitute for what I can make at home. Why eat products that are artificial when I can make things that taste so much better? Can everyone do that? Perhaps not. But I can guarantee that goodies from a local bakery are going to taste better than the products with a shelf life of years.

Is this more expensive or time consuming Yes. But as I said, I want to eat things that taste good, not just because they are there.

And then there’s exercise.

As I’ve noted before, exercise is one of the ways I treat my depression, and that has kept me exercising when I’d just as soon give it up. It forces me to go to the gym when I’d rather go home and collapse on the sofa.

My exercise plan started out modestly: some friends and I would walk at lunch time. Did it more days than not, but rarely five days a week. Then I switched jobs, and that 30 minutes a day walking morphed into a way to keep in touch with my friend at my old job. I left that job nine years ago, yet excluding her pregnancy, my friend Kim and I have continued to walk for half an hour at lunch.

This walking isn’t just exercise, it’s our chance to keep up, and our break from the day. It’s when I try and reframe the crappy events of the day into amusing stories. And yes sometimes we bitch and complain, but for my, this time is a haven in the middle of the day. And eventually, even when she can’t walk with me, I walk for 30 minutes by myself with my mp3 player. Why? Because that break in the middle of the day is far more important than I first thought. If I’m in the office, I can be asked questions. I’m looking at my computer. I can hear the phone ring. I can see e-mails coming in. When I’m walking that is 30 minutes I am away from my desk. Yes, I do get stopped in the halls, but I’ve discovered that most people are loathe to interrupt my time and conversations with Kim, so questions tend to take a few seconds–something very different from when I’m walking the halls normally.

And eventually I discovered that I felt a lot better on days when I walked at lunch. So then I started adding in a trip to the gym. First just to walk, but after awhile I started adding in the machines for weight training as a break from walking. But I kept it up because it made me feel better.

And that, truly, is what I believe you have to do if you want to be healthy. You have to find an exercise that you like, and then do it every work day, five days a week (or seven days a week, but I think seven days a week is unreasonable.) Why every day? Because it’s too easy to slip into the pattern of, “Oh, I’m really (whatever) today, I’ll do it tomorrow.” And then you’re maybe doing it one day a week, and then you don’t bother at all. Because every day the (whatever) may change, but it’s always something. There is always something “better” to do than go to the gym, so (excluding illness and injury) there are no free days.

Because when you come right down to it, there is nothing better I can do than take care of myself.

Since I know not everyone reads my book blog, I thought I’d mention that I recently finished the Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan and enjoyed it.

It’s a very good book that you really should read. Though I think Fast Food Nation was better. (I really enjoyed Eric Schlosser’s talk when he came here several years ago.)

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been fascinated by the flu since about 1997, when they first discovered the Asian bird flu. The more I learned about the flu, the more fascinated I became. The Great Influenza of 1918 killed more people than died in battle WWI, WWII, the Korean War, or the Vietnam war: 20 to 100 million people world wide (exact numbers are not known due to the nature of the world in 1918, and the number of populations that were decimated by the flu.

So to start off, what is the flu?

The flu is a virus. There is some debate as to whether viruses are living creatures or not, but the important thing to remember about viruses is that they cannot be killed by antibiotics, and the best way to stop the spread of a virus is through inoculation through a vaccine. (Why hasn’t the government put out a flu vaccine? Because it takes about six months to create the flu vaccines that are given to the general population every fall.)

The debate about viruses stems from the fact that they cannot replicate on their own. If you want more viruses, the virus has to invade another cell, take over that cell, and force that cell to do nothing but make more RNA that makes more viruses. Then like the bad guy in a really bad action movie, the virus “blows up” the cell, releasing more viruses, which then continue the cycle.

A flu virus has two important proteins: hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). The hemagglutinin protein allows the virus to invade cells. The neuraminidase protein causes the cell to burst after it’s done the virus’ dirty work of creating more viruses.

But that’s not what makes these two proteins so important–what makes them important is that they stick out from the surface of the virus–this means the white blood cells (the body’s defense system) have a chance of recognizing the virus and destroying it before it can kill the host.

Flu strains are named by those proteins. So when scientists talk about the flu, they’ll talk about the H3N2 strain, the H5N1 strain (the Asian bird flu), or in the case of the current virus, the H1N1 strain.

For the curious, H1N1 is the same strain of flu that went through the world in 1918.

So what does all this mean?

As I said previously, the body (and scientists) recognize flu strains by their H and N proteins. When a stain of flu infects your body, if you are healthy, and if your white blood cells recognize that strain of flu (either as a previous invader or because you were immunized) then your body can resist the infection. If you are unhealthy, or if the strain is one that your body cannot recognize, then you get sick. And you remain sick until your body can recognize the invader and fight it off.

Now if we’ve only discovered a handful of flu strains, then why does the flu come around every year, and why do you get sick more than once with the flu?

This is because there are two types of changes the flu virus makes: drift and shift. Just like everything else in the world, viruses are constantly mutating. A small mutation is called a drift. In drift, there is a small change in either the H or the N proteins. This drift means that you can get the flu every year if you’re unlucky. However, your body is able to fight of the infection relatively quickly, because the mutation is small, and thus similar to earlier versions of the flu.

Shift is a big mutation in the virus. It changes the proteins significantly so that they cannot be recognized by the body. When this happens, the virus becomes deadly, because the body essentially cannot recognize the virus as a familiar invader.

The thing to remember is not to panic and freak out. First and foremost, wash your hands. Thirty seconds with regular soap is what you need to clean your hands. No anti-bacterial soaps, no hand sanitizer. If you’re around someone coughing and sneezing back away quickly and wash your hands. And if YOU feel unwell, do NOT go to work. Do NOT go to school. Do NOT go shopping. Rest and fluids and get to the doctor as soon as you can.

If you have any questions, please ask. I’ll do my best to translate science into plain English.

Recommended reading:
Flu, by Gina Kolata
The Coming Plague by Laurie Garrett
The Great Influenza by John Barry
The CDC’s flu website

(Of the three books, Gina Kolata’s book is probably the most accessible. It’s my personal favorite anyway.)