So I’m not really feeling the love from my blog community, and I need your help! What are some topics you would like for me to talk about? Do you have any suggestions for ways I can make my site and blog better?
I started this blog with the intention of using my knowledge and expertise from my career as an RN to help people navigate the confusing world of healthcare. I would love to be able to start my own advocacy business someday, as I believe there truly is a need for this type of service. Do you have any experience with RN navigators, or advocates? If so, how was it?
I would truly love more feedback, ideas, and suggestions!
Today is the first day of one of my favorite seasons (fall is my other favorite)! I love the new life in nature. Flowers and trees start budding, temperatures are getting warmer, birds are chirping, not to mention the longer daylight hours. I can actually see the sun when I get off work in the evenings!
Most people associate sunlight with skin cancer, but there are many benefits to getting a little bit of sun! Some of these include:
Improve brain function and mental health
Lower blood pressure
Improve inflammation
Build strong bones
Treating skin conditions
Cancer prevention
Mental Health
Sunlight exposure increases the release of serotonin from the brain. It is a natural mood stabilizer and helps with sleeping, eating, and digesting. When serotonin levels are low, we can suffer from depression or seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Skin Conditions and Cancer
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), skin conditions like acne, jaundice, eczema, and psoriasis can benefit from UV radiation exposure. Although excess sunlight can lead to cancer, research shows that people who live in areas with little sunlight are at greater risk for certain types of cancer such as colon cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
Building Strong Bones
Exposure to UVB from the sun causes our skin to produce Vitamin D, a big part of bone health. Low levels of Vitamin D can cause rickets in children, and bone wasting diseases like osteoporosis and osteomalacia. The WHO recommends 5-15 minutes of direct sunlight two to three times per week is sufficient to get the levels of Vitamin D needed.
All things in moderation……
The UV radiation from the sun can damage cell DNA, which leads to skin cancer. Although there is no exact measurement as to how much sunlight to get to reap the benefits, it’s important to know your skin type and the direct rays of the sun affect this. The sun is more powerful between 10am and 4pm so this is when the potential for sunburn is greatest. Also, people with fairer skin will burn more quickly.
I plan to soak up the sun as much as possible this spring! We’ve had such a grey and wet winter, I’m hoping things dry out and I can enjoy a favorite season. 😊
I couldn’t think of a better topic to start things off with than this, since February is American Heart Month and yours truly is a cardiac nurse! I’ve always said, there’s no point in fixing anything else in your body if your ticker isn’t tuned up and working optimally.
Heart Disease
Cardiovascular disease (heart disease) gets a lot of attention, as it should! It encompasses several “ailments” of the heart, and can affect any body regardless of age and sex. In fact, I keep seeing younger and younger patients that are having heart disease requiring a trip to the cath lab or even my OR. Even scarier to me, is that women often have vague symptoms not typical or textbook.
Having a heart attack is probably one of the scariest situations for people, and their loved ones. Once you say the words “chest pain”, things start happening very quickly in the medical field. Meds are given to ease the pain and to help lower the workload of the heart, EKGs are done, blood drawn. You may even be whisked down the hall, straight to the cardiac cath lab. Hopefully if you ever find yourself in this situation you will have someone, family or friend, that can be with you during this stressful time to be your advocate and support.
Become Educated
There is so much information out there regarding heart health, and my favorite resource is the American Heart Association. Their website is a wealth of helpful tools and tips for all things heart related. I truly wish that everyone was educated on heart health from a reputable source, and that people knew their options when it comes to treatment.
Over the years I’ve had so many patients that get shuffled along the “pipeline” and end up having unnecessary procedures and endure unneeded stress all because they don’t know any better. They are not given all their options and they don’t know to ask!
What are your experiences navigating heart care? Do you have a “scary story”? Is there something you wish you knew more about? Let me know….I’d love to hear!
Healthcare is confusing. More and more people are getting “stuck in the system” and frustrated. I hear about it and see it all the time, and I totally get it! I want to help!
Our healthcare system is becoming more and more complex. Technology has driven us into more specialized areas, meaning there’s always a “specialist” for that. Instead of only seeing a Primary Care Provider for most of our healthcare needs, we are being referred out to whatever “specialist” might fit our current ailment. This leads us into the spiral of scheduling more appointments, ridiculous waits to get in to said specialists, and then more “follow up” appointments! 😫
Hospitals can be even worse! You go to a hospital because your sick, so you’re already not at your best, but you need to be on top of your game and knowledgable about what’s going on. Timing and schedules in a hospital are like no other and can be even more frustrating to say the least. I say to my patients all the time that you can’t come to a hospital and expect to keep your clothing, get rest, and eat.
The other side to all of this, is of course, the healthcare providers themselves and the constraints they are dealing with. Insurance and Medicare/Medicaid are dictating more and more the quality of care that can be given, not to mention the time allowed for each patient. Hospitals are being run like businesses and seem more concerned about patient satisfaction surveys than the actual quality of care and treatments.
I want to bridge the gap and help people navigate their healthcare. I want to share my experiences of 18+ years of being an RN to create a community where we can learn and grow.
