Sweet Cherry Wine...Sounds like Kool-Aid

Earlier this year it was announced in a press release the Alcohol and Education Research Council reviewed several studies of the effects of media advertising on a number of levels, using over 13,000 participants and have deduced it is contributing to underage drinking. Really? (You can read the full article here on Medical News Today). Is this telling us anything we don’t already know? Who did we think they were marketing to?

Let’s keep this really simple. If you have 10 people:

2 Don’t drink. Period. For whatever reason, whether it be religious or just never liked it or are members of AA. They just don’t drink.

2 Are alcoholics. No need for marketing here.

3 Are social drinkers. Already drinking. No real need to market here either.

And the other 3 are children. Future drinkers. Bingo!

Have you seen these ads? Wow, beautiful young people having a ball with all those cocktails, in every color of the rainbow. They look like candy. Yummy!

We were all young once and pushed the limits of the law to experience the universal rite of passage into adulthood. You were mature and sophisticated and you "arrived” when you were able to consume alcohol.

They can remove all the ads and make it even more of a secret taboo, but until the myths and mystique of alcohol is debunked, this addictive drug will continue to whittle away at their childhood and destroy their futures.

Government and well meaning citizens touched by the tragedy that alcohol creates, pass stiffer traffic laws, seemingly to quell DUI death statistics. But as long as it is legal to market and sell "the poison", and educating our children is not a priority, the liquor will flow. Children wishing to be like the beautiful people, and grown up like Mom & Dad, will swallow the lies, along with a big swig of Death.

Sure the brewer's have taken to adding "Please drink responsibly" to their ads, but for an alcoholic, there is no such thing. How do you know if you're an alcoholic? That's the tricky part. You actually have to drink. There is no pre-test or screening we can give our kids to know if they will be able to drink like "normal" people. So, I guess the next step is to develop a "Responsibility" test they have to pass before they can purchase alcohol and drink.

The only problem with this idea, is if you make a kid take a test they don't want to study for, they'll cheat!

Caring for the Caregiver

Whether a professional caregiver, providing medical and non-medical assistance or giving care to a disabled family member or your role as a homemaker, spouse, Mom or Dad. What you do on a daily basis can and is considered care giving. Some of you work in the medical field and care for family as well. For others, their only job is to give full time care to a family member suffering from a chronic, disabling condition and are unable to care for themselves.

When the day is done, you still have to take care of you. Unfortunately, when the day is done… it can be really, really late. Somehow, it’s easier to tell ourselves “No” at the end of an exhausting day. There are a couple of reasons tending to an ailing family member, can be even more taxing on you than if you were employed as a caregiver on a business level.

• As an employee, laws govern your working conditions, pay and time off, At the end of the day you simply, go home.
• Caring for a loved one, carries the additional stress of emotion and mental strain.
• Guilt is an unavoidable hazard in this tenuous role. Regardless of how well, loving and efficient your service is, you constantly second guess yourself that you can do more. As well, you can’t help feel occasional resentment for the sacrifices you make…which creates guilt!

To be successful as a caregiver, you must take care of you first. Even airline attendants learn to always secure their own oxygen mask first, then they can help another next to you. You can’t help another if you are dying yourself. This may seem extreme or selfish thinking. Looking at it in the above light, you will understand it is quite a compassionate perspective. Taking care of you, the caregiver first, you are healthier and better able to ensure you will be there to care for your patient or your loved one!

A few resources to help you to help those you care for are as close as your local Senior Center or Community Church. Many have volunteer companions to step in and give you a break for a few hours. Quality time to rest and refresh and attend to your needs, doesn’t have to cause guilt or require a great amount of time away. Treat yourself, doesn’t have to mean indulge. It can mean, “give treatment” to the caregiver.

Your mental and emotional health is equally important as your physical well being. Stress from your job can even cause physical ailments. Headaches, aches, pains and insomnia to name a few. Striking a balance in the care you take of yourself and the care you give can make all the difference to both of you.

Bail Out for Our Health Care System?

The explosion in the health care and related industries was literally created by a big BOOM. I’m speaking of course, of our rapidly aging Baby Boomer generation. As they age and approach retirement, Boomers require increased access to more health products, doctors, prescriptions, therapists, surgeries and skilled nursing. These are basic services expanding. There are many more health related services and products springing up.

While providing growth, employment and business entrepreneurs exponential opportunities, they spring to life amid a dark cloud of flaws. New companies and expanding existing health providers are certainly in demand. There are no shortage of customers these days.

The problem is in the ability of Medicare, private insurances and government sponsored health plans to pay for it all. A small percentage of health consumers are well able to afford the services and care they require. Insurance benefits are covering less and less. Premiums for member coverage seems to have gone as high as they can. Instead, they have begun systematically denying coverage for services. More and more individuals are dropping coverage for lack of affordability in the face of our economic down turn. Federal, state and local health programs are running and ducking from the axe, in the name of balancing government budgets.

Who will pay for all the new and improved health products and services? Some companies and individuals are turning to HSA’s (Health Savings Accounts). This may be an alternative, but no clear ‘bail out’ is apparent here. Not yet.

The “boom” in the health care industry just might blow up in our face if we’re not careful.

Your Health-Not Business As Usual

All the important decisions of our lives, with the exception of our love lives, are made based in a businesslike fashion. Using solid information gathered from the best experts we can find, we implore logic and a sensible, cool head. When it comes to our health, however, all of that goes out the window in one fell swoop!

The possibilities and fears of the unknown, absolutely send us reeling. Not to mention, sends our blood pressure through the roof and gets our heart racing. Yet we are the only ones approaching our medical concerns in this emotional fashion. The insurance companies don’t gasp when you tell them about your MRI or all the Lab work they’re doing on you. The receptionist in your doctor’s office is moving her paperwork along very orderly. Everyone is acting as if this is just business as usual!

Well, maybe we could take a lesson and deal with our health matters in more of a routine, professional manner. We might feel a bit more informed, prepared and at ease. This is calling on us to be our own patient advocate. Be our own Health Managers, so to speak. These first steps will help:

• Collect all your medical records & histories-only the past 7-10 years
• Collect all radiology studies-xrays, MRI’s, CT scans-films or disks & reports
• Have all your insurance cards, doctor’s information & copies accessible
• Plan ahead-allow 6-8 weeks to get an appointment with a specialist
• Know what time you are expected to arrive, what you should bring and where they are located.
• Take your list of questions-you have been jotting down in that time
• Ask for a 2nd opinion & literature to take with you when you leave (you won’t remember)

When you ask questions and are prepared, you feel more calm and confident. If you are hurried and unorganized, you can easily forget important questions. Remember, your consultation with the doctor is his interview! Your peace of mind is an important resource when making a delicate medical decision. You have the right to make an informed judgment about your health care provider and how he plans to care for your for your body. Now, go take care of business!