My favorite folks ! :)

20 August 2009

I've got a twisted mind

As i've mentioned before, i read a lot of different blogs. I do follow several blogs on mamas, tho sometimes i can't tell you why . . . ? I don't mean that in a bad way, i love hearing about other folks' lives, but sometimes it does seem to be a form of self torture to read about how motherhood is the best job, etc.

Anyway, one of the blogs i follow, because she writes so well of healthy, simple living, also has a very new baby in the house. And she was posting about how she doesn't need a lot of equipment or things for the baby (she listed 7 she finds indispensable). She always tries to engage the reader as well,
usually by a question at the end of the post.

So the question on this last post was: What do
you find indispensable after the birth of a baby? And i almost, almost wrote, "A baby."

But i stopped myself, 'cause that is cruel & a cheap shot. But i have to admit my mind is twisted & i'm a rather bitter person at moments. Reading of the joys of motherhood sometimes elicits an internal, sarcastic response of "How very nice for you."


But i keep that internal, because i don't want to be bitter, nor do i want to sound bitter. Such a response raises fences & walls & inhibit interaction.
And, others could say the same to me on issues of a truly happy marriage, Duane's job doing well, home ownership, & living in one of the most beautiful places on the earth (but i'm a bit biased there!).

A few days ago i mentioned i intended to write on tolerance/intolerance.
I didn't mean in general.

I follow a lot of blogs. Many are on healthy living, or living
simply, several are on gluten-free living, one is on money issues, a couple are on Christain issues, a couple are devotional, a couple on decorating or design. But the large majority are just folks. They write about their lives. I began following them because something in the blog hit me when i visited. It could be beautiful pics, or artwork, it could be excellent & humorous writing, it could be because the things of which they wrote resonated with me. And these folks come from all walks of life: Outspoken Christians, Christians, folks i don't know their belief, folks who are New Age or otherwise, Agnostic, & Athiest, folks who have families, folks who want families, folks who are living without children, grandparents, folks with weight loss issues, health issues, infertility/miscarriage issues, special needs children, serious blogs, light-hearted blogs, & some folks who simply make me laugh. Some blogs are on specific topics, others just about their lives as it happens. I read folks who post daily, some who post a few times a week, others monthly, a few just now & then. (Like Duane's blog, Croggled. Total of 4 posts, one of which i wrote.)

BTW, i don't list the ones i follow here on the blog. The list would be too long. Check out my profile, link of which is at the bottom.

But with such a list of folks i read, you would think i'm fairly tolerant. ??? And, in some ways i am. But there are things with which i'm finding i don't have a lot of patience.

Everyone makes spelling & grammar mistakes on occasion. I probably make them more often than i am aware. But i tend to have a negative attitude when folks have poor writing on a consistent basis. I find that it colors the way in which i see them. I'm not very tolerant of poor writing skills.

I'm not very tolerant of health decisions folks make.

When i hear women saying, "Oh i have to have a mammogram tomorrow," i want to shriek, "Don't do it!" Benefits of breast cancer screenings report here. Oh, & in case you think it is worth having 2,970 women screened to save one life, the 2,969 women not benefited by this screening are exposed, over & over, to radiation - to one of the body areas most sensitive to radiation. What is more, a number of women go thru a great amount of stress with false positives & disfiguring surgeries. You see, most cysts, tumors, etc., found are NOT cancer, or if they are cancer they often are a non-invasive, slow-growing cancer that are not life-threatening. AND if you question the doctor, you might get them to admit that mammograms do not differentiate between types of cancer, nor can the docs tell you which ones are dangerous & rapid growing as opposed to slow-growth, non-threatening.

But the public has been duped to believing that after the age of 40, going off & having this barbaric procedure done yearly is the BEST form of prevention.

The flu shot is a similar scenario. The CDC claims, on its website, that the flu vaccine is the best form of prevention. What they do not tell you is that the flu vaccines impair your body's immune system. It does not make you stronger or better able to fight infection. Just the opposite, in fact. There are a number of things in a flu vaccine that you do not want in your body. Introducing them via injection by passes your body's own defense system.

Very few people are aware of the concept of "Number Need to Treat." Information needed on that here, & here, & here.

. . . The numbers of children who needed to be vaccinated to prevent 1 hospitalization in a year with 50% vaccine efficacy ranged from 1031 to 3050 for children 6 to 23 months of age and from 4255 to 6897 for children 24 to 59 months of age. For every 12 to 42 children 6 to 59 months of age vaccinated in a year with 50% vaccine efficacy, we estimated that 1 influenza-attributable outpatient visit would be prevented. CONCLUSIONS: With 1 outpatient visit being prevented through vaccination of (less than) 50 children, influenza vaccination can reduce influenza-attributable medical visits in children significantly, even in years with modest vaccine efficacy.

This particular report is from PubMed. They may consider it reasonable to vacicinate 1,031 to 3,050 to prevent one hospitalization, but given the chance of adverse reactions in those children, i do not, especially given the young age of these chilren. I'm not impressed with their NNT for outpatient prevention, either.

I'm going to stop now, for i could go on & on & on.

If what was being proposed by our gov't was true healthcare reform, i'd be all for it. But they are just trying to find a way to undergird the current broken system. You have to follow the money, & a lot of people have a great deal to lose if true health care reform took place. But the rest of us have so much to gain. Healthier lives, less obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease. The list goes on & on. It is hard for me to listen to folks blindly following the status quo that brought us to this sick place. It can be better, but the current system will never do it.

But please note, i still love the folks who are making these decisions. I simply have to bite my tongue & sit on my hands NOT to comment on their choices. I think 95% of the time i manage well. :)

More pics from 2007 Faire.


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7 comments:

donna said...

Thanks for your comment on my blog...I was not necessarily agreeing to taking meds...three of my siblings do take meds...but they all had high cholesterol levels...I am trying to combat my recent health issues with a better diet....and I have placed myself on a very strick diet of veggies and high protein...very low fat, low carb...I am feeling better...I would however, like your input on iodine supplements...because it appears now I may be dealing with hypothyrodism...and I have read some articles about iodine ..
sorry I took so much space...
thanks for visiting me....it is always good to hear from you..

hugs
donna

Celeste said...

I am not very pro medication either, but I will blog about this instead of a comment! :)

Bobkat said...

I had to smile when I read you were intolerant of badly written English because that makes at least two of us! I can't bring myself to complete quizzes on Facebook because of this. I know the quizzes are just for fun adn the answers are not scientifically valid anyway, but the poor language puts me right off. Even worse, I hate the use of text abbreviations being used (except when texting).

The health issue is an interesting one. I think people go for these screenings (and others) for two main reasons: 1) Because they are told it will benefit them by people who are supposed to be experts (e.g. doctors). 2) Because many people do not question things that are deemed acceptable for the majority in society (majority rules).

Loved the pics BTW :)

Rosemary said...

I have a tough time dealing with poor grammar as well and I am uneasy that there is a generation of texters who have become quite comfortable and rather indignant if you try to correct them.

Personally, I don't read any blogs that I even suspect might strike a nerve with me. It's just my little bugaboo I guess but my life is stressful enough that I just can't open up some closed doors - and you know what I mean, jellybean. :-D

My word verification for this comment is worsly - which is how I feel when I read something that bothers me!

Land of shimp said...

Well, as you know, I'm an avid supporter of the concept of reform. I think we do need to start somewhere, and even if we only take steps in the right direction, it is necessary to start somewhere. I think the process will take a long time. My focus for right now is my belief that there must be a public health care option.

Too many people wait to seek treatment because of financial reasons. Too many people live in pain because treatment would cost too much.

That said, I don't get mammograms for a variety of reasons. I think I probably drive my doctor berserk with how much of his advice I'm not willing to take. I've got the earlier stages of arthritis due, caused by pulverizing some bones in a car accident in my late twenties -- one of the after effects of bones being crushed is that it may cause arthritis.

I won't take arthritis meds, the pain level is tolerable for me, I tend to manage my health with diet and exercise. I don't take any medications on a regular basis. Someday I may have to reassess my stance on medical intervention for arthritis, but for right now, I get sore and stiff at times but nothing I can't handle. It also doesn't impact my activity level.

The bottom line for me is that whereas I believe it is of prime importance to have the people of our country have equal access to medical care. But I also believe that the best way to maintain health is through diet and exercise, not medical intervention. However, if that fails? Modern medicine is a boon to existence.

Unknown said...

Dearest Kathryn,
Well, coming from somebody who just complained about her kitchen! Here I go...

First of all, my heart goes out to you - not being able to have children. I can only imagine that longing in your heart. Having had 9 children, I wouldn't be able to KNOW, but I can say that I do feel for you and I do wish that longing in your heart could be satisfied. My sister and her husband found out almost 19 years ago that they'd never have children. It broke my heart for them. I'm certain it was hard for her to see me pregnant, and so many times, but then God began to take my children and even though I'm with 6, I'm without 3 of my precious children. God makes these decisions for us and we have to choose to heal and trust and go to him when we feel bitter and don't understand.

I remember after losing 2 children (and having 2), I would get so jealous of ladies who just popped them out like it was nothing. Then I would be so angry when I'd hear them complain about having too many. BUT, over time I've learned to praise God for where he has me. When somebody else loses a child, I find myself so grateful that I can minister to them and care for their broken heart in ways others may not be able to.

I assume you are in the same boat - that you have your moments when you wish and wonder... and then moments when you are perfectly content and grateful. I think we'll struggle while we walk on this earth with things that we wish were different.

Us momma's would be foolish and sinful not to praise God for our children, but it's not the only occupation and certainly not the only thing to be grateful for. God has us all in different places for different purposes.

Oh friend I could go on and on... I don't really know what I'm trying to say other than...

I do have compassion on your situation and I pray that God's peace will just overwhelm you. You shine for him here on your blog and the fact that you sleep under the stars and have a beautiful marriage... those things speak of your heart - a free spirit longing to serve your Savior.

Love you.
Lynnette
PS If any of this came out in a way that offends you, please forgive me. I hope that my written expression was accurate to my heart's emotion when I read this.

Oh and along the lines of the health care, immunizations, etc. I have to say - I'M WITH YOU!!!

Unknown said...

And you DO live in beautiful country! What a blessing!