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Articles by Ellen Rand
Visiflora Canada Reviews: Natural Support for Clear Vision and Healthy Eyes Does This Eye Support Formula Really Work!
Introduction In today’s digital age, our eyes are constantly exposed to screens, artificial lighting, and environmental stress. Whether it is working on a computer, scrolling on smartphones, or watching television, prolonged screen exposure can lead to eye strain, dryness, blurred vision, and fatigue. Maintaining healthy vision has become more important than ever. This is where Visiflora comes into the picture.
Hiding in plain sight: the psychosocial burden of vitiligo and importance of clinical research
Imagine waking up one day with a white patch somewhere on your body. It’s not painful or itchy, but over time it grows and changes, with more patches appearing almost daily. In a short space of time, these patches have fundamentally altered the appearance of your skin and your interface with the world. This is the reality for over 1.5 million Americans living with vitiligo.
How the time-honored tradition of a baseball catch became a "test" for a brain injury
I find myself becoming more passionate with age, swept into a sea of emotions during certain movie scenes, and even crying during my favorite rock songs as the lyrics and melody crescendo and become one. The brain’s ability to adapt and change over time, known as neuroplasticity, means that our emotional responses can evolve based on the kinds of experiences and stimuli we are exposed to over the years.
The first time I walked again after a spinal cord injury
Once upon a time, I’d imagined myself the Lone Ranger physician, self-sufficient and incapable of weakness, and when I had my spinal cord injury in 2008, I really felt alone, in the negative spiral of a victim mindset, my own worst enemy and in a dark space where my idea of myself felt entirely lost. Then one day, in December 2009, I heard about a center for Spinal Cord Injury Recovery in San Diego, United States.
Is a full-time job preventing you from fulfilling your potential?
A little over a year ago, unforeseen circumstances led me to walk away from the security of a full-time job and all the benefits that came with it such as employer-based health insurance and retirement contributions. At the time, I had applied for another position without even realizing that I would be leaving my job. The position seemed to be an ideal next step, being a senior leadership position in academic medicine and would not have involved moving to another location.
a doctor's journey through the power of belief
One of my most stressful high school class memories was an AP English class I took during my junior year. Each week, we had timed writings where we were given a specific amount of time to write an essay on a given topic. As soon as the timer went off, we had to put our pencils down and raise our hands, signaling that we were done, regardless of what was on the paper. Early in the semester, I struggled with this task and dreaded it intensely.
It’s time to evolve how we measure the success of EHRs to make us healthier
We’ve known for the last decade that electronic health records (EHRs) have a significant impact on physicians’ ability to deliver high-value care. It not only has a largely negative influence on their quality of life, which bleeds over into the entire health care landscape, but also impacts their ability to successfully adapt practices to evolving payment models intended to improve patient health outcomes — especially important for primary care.
It's time to stop focusing on family weight
My eyes fell upon a horrible newspaper headline from 2008: “Fat kids die earlier.” That is the first article that I remember talking about obesity in childhood, but there were plenty more in the early 2000s. At the time, I clipped it because it reinforced my approach at the time: identify issues, educate, act, and avoid. Over the past two decades, there has been an increase in the prevalence of children being diagnosed as overweight and obese. The jury is out on the specific reasons why.
Time constraints in physical therapy [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “Picture this. A patient in a hospital or rehab facility has just finished exercising with therapy. He is thirsty, and he thinks he might as well ask for a snack now because he will be hungry in 30 minutes. His therapist sets him up in his wheelchair (brakes locked), tray table with all necessities positioned in front of him, with his call bell within reach.
Choosing the Right Questions to Ask Your Doctor When Facing a Serious Diagnosis
Shortly after my then-85-year-old mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor, my brother and I accompanied her to meetings with several specialists. We were trying to determine what, if any, treatment would make the most sense for her. My mother was inclined not to pursue any treatment. The only thing that concerned her was the fact that my niece’s wedding was coming up in three months. She was willing to consider anything that would let her live long enough to be there for it.
Now is the Perfect Time to Tell the Story of Your Life
When I became a hospice volunteer, I imagined – considering my background as a reporter and writer – that I might be able to help people who wanted to write or record their life stories. I thought it would help people make sense of the joys and struggles in their lives. Or it would help them leave their stories as a gift for family and friends – particularly for younger generations – so that they would be known and remembered. I’ve never actually done this, though.
Op-Ed: COVID-19 Makes Clear the Need for Advance Care Planning
Ellen Rand COVID-19 has upended so much of what we’ve thought of as normal life, including how we stay connected to family and friends; how we work; and how we educate our children. It’s also affecting how we might be thinking about our own mortality. While there’s still so much we don’t know about the coronavirus, what’s clear is that it can, with startling rapidity, do fatal damage even to otherwise healthy people.
A Necessary Look at the End of Life in an ICU
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But that phrase was probably invented before the advent of film and video. Recently I watched a remarkable 24-minute short film, “Extremis” (available now on Netflix) and I can tell you unequivocally that it is worth many, many thousands of words. Set in the intensive care unit at Highland Hospital in Oakland, California, it is an unflinching view of dying.
Embracing Elder Care: The Next Generation of Talented, Passionate Women
We rarely take time to dwell on this, but at some future point, many of us will need assistance as physical disabilities, chronic illness, frailty, or dementia take hold. At the same time, the sad reality is that we may not have enough of a broad and well-trained healthcare workforce to take care of us. That includes everyone from direct care workers (such as home healthcare aides) to geriatricians.
Lives Well Lived: A Welcome Look at Purpose and Resilience in Later Life
It often seems as if portrayals of older adults in the media, in films, or on TV – when they’re portrayed at all – follow one of two models: frail, doddering, addled, foolish; or super-strong and courageous in feats like skydiving or marathon running. The truth is, most of us will live our lives in between these polar opposites. Many of us, if we’re fortunate, will live our lives with a sense of well-being, meaning, and purpose undimmed by the passing of years.
Easing a burden, one step at a time
Kevin | Patient | December 13, 2019 The afternoon that I went for a walk with Linda* for the first time was one of the moments I’ve been proudest of as a hospice volunteer, odd though that may seem. I’d first met Linda a few months prior to that, when the late fall and winter light made her and her husband Joseph’s small and cluttered apartment dark in the early afternoons.
TIME GOES BY
There sits on my desk a black, seven- by 10-inch, spiral note book filled with about 100 lined pages that I use to jot down notes about potential stories for this blog. Because old age has robbed me of the ability to remember any “brilliant” thought for longer than few seconds, it is imperative that I immediately scribble down anything useful at the moment it occurs to me, or lose it forever. Sometimes these notes are baffling, like that headline above. What was I thinking when I wrote that?
Caregiving 101: Using the Internet to Learn What We Never Learned in School
I don’t think the phrase “leg bag” was ever part of my husband’s and my vocabulary when we were newly-wed several decades ago. But it was just one more thing we learned over the course of his treatment for a stubborn and troublesome kidney stone. After his recent, relatively uncomplicated same-day surgical procedure, I thought, “Great – all he has to do is recover sufficiently from anesthesia, pee, get dressed, and then we could go home.” But then there was one unwelcome caveat.
How to Live Emotionally Well with Serious Illness After 60
As a hospice volunteer, one of the many things I’ve come to understand is that everyone faces serious illness and the prospect of death differently. There’s simply no “right way” or “wrong way” to approach it. But I’ve also come to understand that it is possible to be at peace with oneself through the end of life, having experienced moments of real joy along the way. I’ve certainly seen ample examples of the alternative, though, and it is heartbreaking.
‘Elderhood’: A Necessary Look at Embracing Aging in All its Stages
I wonder if Madonna, 60, thinks of herself as old. I’m guessing probably not, but maybe she should. Think of how much she might contribute to the discussion about what it means to age, to grow older well, and how we can facilitate that for all of us, not just for a privileged few.
How to Get Involved in the Creative Arts in Your 60s | Sixty and Me
We all know how important it is to incorporate physical exercise in our lives to help us age well. It’s good for our bodies, of course, but also for our spirits. It raises our sense of well-being, perhaps enhancing our connection to nature and improving our social lives. But what about the vast array of creative arts – such as theater, dance, music, visual art, sculpture, poetry, storytelling, photography and other forms of creative expression?
Six Steps to Prepare for End-of-Life Care
As a hospice volunteer, I once asked a woman I’d been visiting for several months what she wanted for her upcoming 75th birthday. She was wheelchair-bound, living in a nursing home, and in the last stages of metastatic breast cancer. Life. Of course. We all want to live as well and as long as we can. Eventually, though, our bodies betray us and we begin to show the telltale signs of aging.
With Aging and Illness, Some LGBT People Opt for the Closet
Lawrence Johnson and Alexandre Rheume were an interracial couple, who had been together 38 years until Rheume -- 22 years older than Johnson -- needed professional care as his health declined. At first Rheume moved to an assisted living development, but they both felt unwanted, uncomfortable and judged, as when Johnson would do such simple things as feeding or holding his partner's hand. Rheume moved to a nursing home that felt more welcoming.
With Aging and Illness, Some LGBT People Opt for the Closet
With Aging and Illness, Some LGBT People Opt for the Closet Lawrence Johnson and Alexandre Rheume are an interracial couple who have been together 38 years when Rheume—22 years older than Johnson—needed professional care as his health declined. At first Rheume moved to an assisted living development, but they both felt unwanted, uncomfortable and judged, as when Johnson would do such simple things as feeding or holding his partner’s hand. Rheume moved to a nursing home that felt more welcoming.
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