I put these symptoms into the symptom checker: stiff neck, tingling arms and feet. It listed several possible causes for the stiff neck and indicated that I should see a doctor if it included tingling, numbness, or pain in the arms, hands, or feet. Here are some of the suggested conditions: cervical spondylosis, herniated disk, spinal stenosis, or osteoarthritis.
I tried the pill identifier. The medication I chose is a generic and although there were generics for this one shown, I thought I couldn't find a match, but once I went home and looked again I realized that I had seen a match. The website was easy to use.
I used Medline Plus Go Local to look for resources for Heart Disease in the local area.
List of resources within 10 miles of 77388 for Heart Disease:
http://tinyurl.com/6ea6vb
I made a family medical history tree. This could be useful for our family since 6 of 7 children in my family (my siblings and I) were born with the same heart defect: atrial septal defect (a hole in the wall between the upper chambers of the heart). One sibling died at 16 days old and three of us had surgery to close the hole when we were children. One sister had a procedure done last year in her fifties when the condition was also discovered in her. It wasn't found when she was a child and she had no symptoms until menopause started. My younger brother's hole was so small that it closed on its own and he didn't need surgery. We made the Minneapolis papers back in the 60's when my parents were going through all of this.
I can see where a record of genetic and other conditions could be a useful thing for families, although there was no family history of this condition that we were aware of and my obstetrician said that my chances of having a baby with this heart condition were no greater than anyone else's in the general population. It was just the combination of my parent's genes.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
iHCPL #41 part 2 - going green
I have already started doing many of the things listed in the City of Houston website. We now use many fluorescent lights, we set out thermostat higher or lower for savings, and we had our A/C checked. We still need to get in the attic and check the ducts for leaks.
We do as much recycling as we can without having curbside recycling. We have voted for it twice in our subdivision, but it has not passed yet! What are these people thinking? My husband and I also pickup trash on the sidewalks and boulevards when we take our daily walks. Many cans and plastic bottles get recycled this way. I was a natural resources conservation major in college eons ago and so things like this are important to me.
It is hard not to drive with a cold engine because I only drive 3.5 miles to work and so the car hardly gets warm before I get here and it is wasteful to let it run to warm up, the suggestions say to not idle the car.
We usually drive 65 or less, use the cruise control, have no pod on the car, don't use premium gas and we keep the tires properly inflated.
We do as much recycling as we can without having curbside recycling. We have voted for it twice in our subdivision, but it has not passed yet! What are these people thinking? My husband and I also pickup trash on the sidewalks and boulevards when we take our daily walks. Many cans and plastic bottles get recycled this way. I was a natural resources conservation major in college eons ago and so things like this are important to me.
It is hard not to drive with a cold engine because I only drive 3.5 miles to work and so the car hardly gets warm before I get here and it is wasteful to let it run to warm up, the suggestions say to not idle the car.
We usually drive 65 or less, use the cruise control, have no pod on the car, don't use premium gas and we keep the tires properly inflated.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
iHCPL Wellness #41 - part one
Activity 1
I used the carbon footprint calculator to discover what our family carbon footprint is. I used two different ones, and with the second it was easier to account for the recycling we do. There is no curbside recycling, but we take our newspapers, cans, and plastic to recycle centers. We set our thermostat at 76 in the summer and 68 in the winter, and leave it alone. I only commute 3.5 miles to work and my husband is unemployed, so we are not putting a lot of miles on our cars. I drive a Ford Explorer and my husband drives a Honda Accord. We try and group our errands.
Eating Green:
When looking at the impact of your diet, you should consider the pesticides, acres, and fertilizer needed to raise feed for animals, as well as the manure created by said animals. See this eating green calculator GreenCalculator. There is an entry for Six Arguements for a Greener Diet (book), taking action, and antibiotic resistance caused by giving too many of them to animals.
Learn how to shop smart and shop green at Foodnews.org.
Activity #2
I have visited two local farmer's markets. There is a small one in Spring on Stuebner-Airline where I have often bought tomatoes in the summer. Earlier this summer I visited a large farmer's market on Airline in Houston. There were many vendors there with a great variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Nothing tastes like a garden tomato. I hate to buy the ones in the supermarkets, they are hard and have no flavor.
It would be interesting to visit the Midtown Farmer's Market. "The Midtown Farmers Market takes place every Saturday morning (rain or shine) from 8am - 12 noon at Monica Pope's acclaimed restaurant, t'afia - right in the heart of Houston. As a state-certified Farmer's Market, the MFM features locally-grown produce, small-batch & handcrafted prepared foods, artisan breads, locally-roasted coffee, breakfast and a real sense of community. Vendors are both outside and inside the restaurant. "
or
Bayou City Farmer's Market at Richmond and Eastside.
The Bayou City Farmers Market includes local small-scale produce growers as well as family farms producing grass-fed meats, local honey, cage-free eggs and much more. A complete listing of our vendors is available for you to view. Products are seasonal, and the best way to find out what's available this week is to become a subscriber to the market e-newsletter. Regular weekly events include live music and cooking demonstrations using seasonal produce. We also host special events such as our annual Tomato Festival in the summer and Citrus Festival in the winter.
I used the carbon footprint calculator to discover what our family carbon footprint is. I used two different ones, and with the second it was easier to account for the recycling we do. There is no curbside recycling, but we take our newspapers, cans, and plastic to recycle centers. We set our thermostat at 76 in the summer and 68 in the winter, and leave it alone. I only commute 3.5 miles to work and my husband is unemployed, so we are not putting a lot of miles on our cars. I drive a Ford Explorer and my husband drives a Honda Accord. We try and group our errands.
Eating Green:
When looking at the impact of your diet, you should consider the pesticides, acres, and fertilizer needed to raise feed for animals, as well as the manure created by said animals. See this eating green calculator GreenCalculator. There is an entry for Six Arguements for a Greener Diet (book), taking action, and antibiotic resistance caused by giving too many of them to animals.
Learn how to shop smart and shop green at Foodnews.org.
Activity #2
I have visited two local farmer's markets. There is a small one in Spring on Stuebner-Airline where I have often bought tomatoes in the summer. Earlier this summer I visited a large farmer's market on Airline in Houston. There were many vendors there with a great variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Nothing tastes like a garden tomato. I hate to buy the ones in the supermarkets, they are hard and have no flavor.
It would be interesting to visit the Midtown Farmer's Market. "The Midtown Farmers Market takes place every Saturday morning (rain or shine) from 8am - 12 noon at Monica Pope's acclaimed restaurant, t'afia - right in the heart of Houston. As a state-certified Farmer's Market, the MFM features locally-grown produce, small-batch & handcrafted prepared foods, artisan breads, locally-roasted coffee, breakfast and a real sense of community. Vendors are both outside and inside the restaurant. "
or
Bayou City Farmer's Market at Richmond and Eastside.
The Bayou City Farmers Market includes local small-scale produce growers as well as family farms producing grass-fed meats, local honey, cage-free eggs and much more. A complete listing of our vendors is available for you to view. Products are seasonal, and the best way to find out what's available this week is to become a subscriber to the market e-newsletter. Regular weekly events include live music and cooking demonstrations using seasonal produce. We also host special events such as our annual Tomato Festival in the summer and Citrus Festival in the winter.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Wellness #40
I clicked on all of the links in this exercise about exercise. I was not surprized by my results because I have been paying attention to information about health, fitness, and exercise for several years. My BMI was a little higher than I would like, but the loss of 10 pounds would bring it into the right range.
I don't think I would have much success with an online fitness or diet program because I don't like to spend a lot of time on the computer when I am not at work. Having a walking partner would be the best. Right now my partner is my dog, Henry, and he is 12 years old and doesn't want to walk as far as we used to. I may have to start taking a second walk without him to get in the amount of walking I need.
The exercise-at-your-desk is not really practical when you have nine people sharing a small workspace, but I do use the stairs rather than the elevator every day. In the fall and winter when it isn't raining I can walk during my lunch hour, it is too hot in the summer.
I am doing pretty with healthy eating, but like most people my age, I could use more exercise. I have maintained my weight at its current level for over a year. Of course my goal is to lose those 10 extra pounds, isn't that everyone's??!!
I don't think I would have much success with an online fitness or diet program because I don't like to spend a lot of time on the computer when I am not at work. Having a walking partner would be the best. Right now my partner is my dog, Henry, and he is 12 years old and doesn't want to walk as far as we used to. I may have to start taking a second walk without him to get in the amount of walking I need.
The exercise-at-your-desk is not really practical when you have nine people sharing a small workspace, but I do use the stairs rather than the elevator every day. In the fall and winter when it isn't raining I can walk during my lunch hour, it is too hot in the summer.
I am doing pretty with healthy eating, but like most people my age, I could use more exercise. I have maintained my weight at its current level for over a year. Of course my goal is to lose those 10 extra pounds, isn't that everyone's??!!
Monday, August 11, 2008
iHcpl #39 Nutrition Data
Wow, I found the site (Nutrition Data) a little overwhelming. There was too much information there in too many formats. I had trouble navigating the site and finding anything useful or new. I was able to figure out my BMI which is something I really didn't want to know.
I used apple cobbler as a recipe to figure out nutritional information. It had 430 Calories, 20 grams of fat, and 6gm of saturated fat. It was low in cholesterol and had a glycerol load pf 31 which was 1/3 of the daily recommended amount (100).
I liked the Recipes.sparkpeople.com site better. I used one of the potato salad recipes from GMA as my favorite recipe. When I ran it through the nutrition calculator with a recipe that serves 12, it came back very high in all of the calories and fat!
I then ran it through with no-fat or low-fat ingredients (cream cheese, sour cream and Mayo) and turkey bacon in place of regular bacon the numbers were much better, but I'd have to taste test it before I made it for a group.
Here is the recipe: Potato Salad
8-10 large baking potatoes
3 eggs
8-10 slices of bacon
8 oz cream cheese
6 oz sour cream
1 c mayonnaise
1/4 c yellow mustard
1 large vidalia onion
1 small jar sweet Gherkin pickles, chopped
2/3 tbsp sweet Gherkin pickle juice
1 small jar pimentos, drained and chopped
1 16 oz block sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
Nutritional Information: Normal recipe
Nutrition Facts
12 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 1,022.7
Total Fat 70.6 g
Saturated Fat 27.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 10.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 28.7 g
Cholesterol 382.0 mg
Sodium 1,845.7 mg
Potassium 1,642.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate 51.6 g
Dietary Fiber 4.8 g
Sugars 2.4 g
Protein 45.4 g
Vitamin A 20.8 %
Vitamin B-12 40.1 %
Vitamin B-6 49.0 %
Vitamin C 33.7 %
Vitamin D 8.5 %
Vitamin E 12.0 %
Calcium 24.7 %
Copper 20.9 %
Folate 25.0 %
Iron 27.4 %
Magnesium 23.5 %
Manganese 26.1 %
Niacin 45.7 %
Pantothenic Acid 26.7 %
Phosphorus 67.4 %
Riboflavin 46.1 %
Selenium 65.8 %
Thiamin 51.7 % Zinc 33.1 %
Nurtitonal Information: Low-fat recipe
Nutrition Facts
“Doctored” recipe
12 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 401.4
Total Fat 15.6 g
Saturated Fat 7.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 5.0 g
Cholesterol 287.7 mg
Sodium 370.7 mg
Potassium 1,228.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 46.8 g
Dietary Fiber 4.8 g
Sugars 2.6 g
Protein 19.6 g
Vitamin A 15.7 %
Vitamin B-12 14.5 %
Vitamin B-6 37.2 %
Vitamin C 33.8 %
Vitamin D 8.5 %
Vitamin E 5.1 %
Calcium 23.9 %
Copper 13.8 %
Folate 24.0 %
Iron 18.5 %
Magnesium 18.5 %
Manganese 24.5 %
Niacin 14.7 %
Pantothenic Acid 17.1 %
Phosphorus 41.1 %
Riboflavin 30.8 %
Selenium 35.6 %
Thiamin 12.6 %
Zinc 14.9 %
I used apple cobbler as a recipe to figure out nutritional information. It had 430 Calories, 20 grams of fat, and 6gm of saturated fat. It was low in cholesterol and had a glycerol load pf 31 which was 1/3 of the daily recommended amount (100).
I liked the Recipes.sparkpeople.com site better. I used one of the potato salad recipes from GMA as my favorite recipe. When I ran it through the nutrition calculator with a recipe that serves 12, it came back very high in all of the calories and fat!
I then ran it through with no-fat or low-fat ingredients (cream cheese, sour cream and Mayo) and turkey bacon in place of regular bacon the numbers were much better, but I'd have to taste test it before I made it for a group.
Here is the recipe: Potato Salad
8-10 large baking potatoes
3 eggs
8-10 slices of bacon
8 oz cream cheese
6 oz sour cream
1 c mayonnaise
1/4 c yellow mustard
1 large vidalia onion
1 small jar sweet Gherkin pickles, chopped
2/3 tbsp sweet Gherkin pickle juice
1 small jar pimentos, drained and chopped
1 16 oz block sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
Nutritional Information: Normal recipe
Nutrition Facts
12 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 1,022.7
Total Fat 70.6 g
Saturated Fat 27.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 10.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 28.7 g
Cholesterol 382.0 mg
Sodium 1,845.7 mg
Potassium 1,642.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate 51.6 g
Dietary Fiber 4.8 g
Sugars 2.4 g
Protein 45.4 g
Vitamin A 20.8 %
Vitamin B-12 40.1 %
Vitamin B-6 49.0 %
Vitamin C 33.7 %
Vitamin D 8.5 %
Vitamin E 12.0 %
Calcium 24.7 %
Copper 20.9 %
Folate 25.0 %
Iron 27.4 %
Magnesium 23.5 %
Manganese 26.1 %
Niacin 45.7 %
Pantothenic Acid 26.7 %
Phosphorus 67.4 %
Riboflavin 46.1 %
Selenium 65.8 %
Thiamin 51.7 % Zinc 33.1 %
Nurtitonal Information: Low-fat recipe
Nutrition Facts
“Doctored” recipe
12 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 401.4
Total Fat 15.6 g
Saturated Fat 7.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 5.0 g
Cholesterol 287.7 mg
Sodium 370.7 mg
Potassium 1,228.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 46.8 g
Dietary Fiber 4.8 g
Sugars 2.6 g
Protein 19.6 g
Vitamin A 15.7 %
Vitamin B-12 14.5 %
Vitamin B-6 37.2 %
Vitamin C 33.8 %
Vitamin D 8.5 %
Vitamin E 5.1 %
Calcium 23.9 %
Copper 13.8 %
Folate 24.0 %
Iron 18.5 %
Magnesium 18.5 %
Manganese 24.5 %
Niacin 14.7 %
Pantothenic Acid 17.1 %
Phosphorus 41.1 %
Riboflavin 30.8 %
Selenium 35.6 %
Thiamin 12.6 %
Zinc 14.9 %
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