Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2016

Self Care Readies You to Care for Loved Ones

There is a lot of advice these days about making time for self care. You can’t take care of others, if you don’t take care of yourself. This is especially true if your family is dealing with a difficult diagnosis.

If a loved one has a medical issue, we tend to drop everything, including self care, to focus on them. An ailing family member may require more attention, so it’s okay to shift priorities. It’s still important, however, to make time for self care, because we need to be at our best energy level to be helpful to others.

When I was in the hospital all day every day with my daughter, the doctor reminded me that grandmas can step in. With a gentle nudge I let my parents take over for a bit so I could go home and shower.

Self care doesn’t require large blocks of time. Although you may find taking a day to yourself blissful, it can be as simple as a 15-minute phone call with a good friend, a walk around the neighborhood, reading a chapter in a book, or having time to shower and brush your hair. The point is to find something that makes you feel human again, that restores your energy so you are once again ready to care for your loved one.

Don’t stop caring for yourself just because you are caring for your family.

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What can you do in the name of self care today?

You can learn more about self care during a difficult diagnosis in my newest offering When Life Happens: What to do about unexpected health concerns. This workbook filled with information, tips, and tricks for getting through accidents, difficult diagnoses, rehabilitation, and what to do with the kids through it all. But it also has activities to guide you through your situation. You can find it here.

Posted on Monday, March 14, 2016

How to Change Your Diet After a Diagnosis

You’ve been given a diagnosis and the advice to change your diet. Now what?

First, continue the conversation with your doctor. If he or she is the person who recommended dietary changes, they should have given you some guidelines. If you didn’t receive any instructions, call the doctor’s office to ask for more information.

You’ll want to know what your diagnosis is, and how diet affects you because of it. Ask which foods are recommended and which foods are restricted. Ask if they have any recommendations of where you can go for more information or recipe ideas.

As you review the list of approved foods, consider which of your usual meals will still work. Also think about which meals will work if you substitute a restricted ingredient with an approved ingredient. Working with your familiar meals where possible will lessen the feeling that something is being taken away from you.

Once you have your “yes” and “no” foods, and know which of your recipes you can work with, do some research to add to your meals and snacks plan. The Internet can be a great resource. Search using your diagnosis as one of your keywords. For example, “recipes for cardiac patients.”

You might also try the cookbook section of your local bookstore. There are cookbooks out there for all sorts of diets, including for certain medical conditions, like diabetes, for example.

Diagnoses can come with a lot of anxiety, and receiving food restrictions can feel like even more is being lost. With good planning and a little creativity, your new diet can satisfy you nutritionally and bring comfort.

Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2016

Helpful Healthcare Links for March 10, 2016

Getting your weekly healthcare news is important. We want to ensure that you are up-to-date in health news so that you are able to make the best health care choices for you and your family. Here are a few trending topics this week:

If you can’t kick the morning coffee habit, there’s great news for you! According to the updated Dietary Guidelines for 2015, coffee is actually part of a healthy diet. As long as you’re only consuming 3-5 cups per day, there are limiting effects of caffeine on your health.

Your Black Brew is A-Ok With Nutritionists.

A new study finds that people may have more control over their risk of Alzheimer’s disease as they age. After researchers looked at 30 years of records from over 5,000 people, they found that incidents of dementia declined around 20 percent each decade, starting from 1970.

Can Dementia Be Prevented? Education May Bolster Brain Against Risk.

Doctors are finding a new approach to treat depression, hoping they can better assist their patients. A study suggests that many doctors often fail in treating and assisting patients with depression because of insurance, time constraints and other elements.

Doctors Often Fail To Treat Depression Like A Chronic Illness.

The United States Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) reports that Medicaid coverage will be offered to include Flint families affected by Flint’s lead contaminated water. The Obama administration reports that it will cover 65 percent of those costs for pregnant women and 99 percent for children and the state will cover the rest.

Check out our helpful healthcare links. Healthcare news that works for you!

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Be sure to check out my newest offering When Life Happens: What to do about unexpected health concerns. This is a bit different than my other books. When Life Happens is a workbook filled with information, tips, and tricks for getting through accidents, difficult diagnoses, rehabilitation, and what to do with the kids through it all. But it also has activities to guide you through your situation. You can find it here.