Archive for March, 2011

COPING WITH EPILEPSY: WHEN COUNSELING DIDN’T HELP

March 17th, 2011, Posted in Epilepsy
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“You’ve only told us about your successes. Tell us about your failures. Everybody with epilepsy doesn’t end up happy, having outgrown epilepsy and off in college, do they?”
“No. One of the distressing facts you have to face as a counselor is that you can’t save the world. There are some pathetic people out there. Yes, there are some sad kids, and some miserable parents, as well. There are some who enjoy being unhappy. There are some who derive their pleasures from saying ‘poor me.’ There are those who just don’t have any motivation, and some who don’t have enough motivation to change at the time you see them. You have to try to keep communications open, so if their motivation develops later, they can come back and get help.
“The successes I’ve been talking about are primarily among the 80 percent of children whose seizures can be brought under control and who don’t have other handicaps. In this group it is easier to give them hope. You can easily and honestly say to them, ‘Look, most people like you will have their seizures completely controlled. You will probably outgrow your epilepsy’ I can give them some positives to look forward to.
*231\208\8*

COPING WITH EPILEPSY: WHEN COUNSELING DIDN’T HELP”You’ve only told us about your successes. Tell us about your failures. Everybody with epilepsy doesn’t end up happy, having outgrown epilepsy and off in college, do they?”"No. One of the distressing facts you have to face as a counselor is that you can’t save the world. There are some pathetic people out there. Yes, there are some sad kids, and some miserable parents, as well. There are some who enjoy being unhappy. There are some who derive their pleasures from saying ‘poor me.’ There are those who just don’t have any motivation, and some who don’t have enough motivation to change at the time you see them. You have to try to keep communications open, so if their motivation develops later, they can come back and get help.”The successes I’ve been talking about are primarily among the 80 percent of children whose seizures can be brought under control and who don’t have other handicaps. In this group it is easier to give them hope. You can easily and honestly say to them, ‘Look, most people like you will have their seizures completely controlled. You will probably outgrow your epilepsy’ I can give them some positives to look forward to.*231\208\8*

ROUTINE MATTERS: CLEANLINESS COUNTS

March 7th, 2011, Posted in Skin Care
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The bare essentials of at-home skin care.
CLEANLINESS COUNTS
Today’s cleansers are a sophisticated bunch, as they not only remove the day’s grime but can also provide tangible and long-lasting benefits. Someone with acne-prone skin, for example, might do well with an exfoliating cleanser containing glycolic or salicylic acid. Even though a cleanser remains in contact with the skin for barely a minute, in that short time it will have prepped the skin to receive an exfoliating cream. Better penetration of the cream will be achieved simply because of the cleanser. Similarly, botanicals such as green tea are extremely soothing, and a cleanser that is chock-full of such ingredients is beneficial for those with sensitive skin types.
As a general rule, those with dry skin should opt for a creamy cleanser that has very little foaming action; oily skin does well with gel cleansers, and those lucky enough to have normal skin can use pretty much anything. Cleansing twice a day is ideal but if you must absolutely whittle it down to just once daily, I recommend that it be done at night. It’s been said a million times, but going to sleep with a face full of make-up is an open invitation to spots and dull skin.
*31\82\8*

ROUTINE MATTERS: CLEANLINESS COUNTSThe bare essentials of at-home skin care.CLEANLINESS COUNTSToday’s cleansers are a sophisticated bunch, as they not only remove the day’s grime but can also provide tangible and long-lasting benefits. Someone with acne-prone skin, for example, might do well with an exfoliating cleanser containing glycolic or salicylic acid. Even though a cleanser remains in contact with the skin for barely a minute, in that short time it will have prepped the skin to receive an exfoliating cream. Better penetration of the cream will be achieved simply because of the cleanser. Similarly, botanicals such as green tea are extremely soothing, and a cleanser that is chock-full of such ingredients is beneficial for those with sensitive skin types.As a general rule, those with dry skin should opt for a creamy cleanser that has very little foaming action; oily skin does well with gel cleansers, and those lucky enough to have normal skin can use pretty much anything. Cleansing twice a day is ideal but if you must absolutely whittle it down to just once daily, I recommend that it be done at night. It’s been said a million times, but going to sleep with a face full of make-up is an open invitation to spots and dull skin.*31\82\8*

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND PRACTICAL MATTERS

March 1st, 2011, Posted in Arthritis
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There’s no getting around the fact that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can interfere with a person’s ability to work. Stiffness, pain, decreased mobility, and fatigue present problems for someone whose employment involves an eight-hour workday. We have already mentioned that people with RA often find it helpful to talk with their employers about arranging for increased flexibility in work hours and creating an arthritis-friendly workplace. These modifications can help a person with RA avoid having minor flare-ups interfere with work. Another possibility is a job-sharing program, in which two people each work halftime to fulfill the duties of one full-time job.
We stress the fact that persons with RA are differently abled and that with creative planning, flexibility, and understanding a person with RA often can continue in his or her job. This is what many people would prefer to do; but sometimes, despite a person’s best creative efforts, it is not possible to continue being employed as before. This is particularly true for people with a physically demanding job that requires repeated use of inflamed joints.
A person with RA who is having problems at work would be well advised to discuss the situation with his or her doctor and social service worker. If the best decision seems to be to make a change, the person might consider pursuing another form of employment, making arrangements with his or her employer to change jobs within the same company (or to change the description and duties of the present job), or applying for disability benefits. This decision, of course, is highly personal. The choice you make depends on your work experience, education, age, financial responsibilities, degree of arthritis involvement, and the advice of your health care team.
*116/209/5*

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND PRACTICAL MATTERS  There’s no getting around the fact that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can interfere with a person’s ability to work. Stiffness, pain, decreased mobility, and fatigue present problems for someone whose employment involves an eight-hour workday. We have already mentioned that people with RA often find it helpful to talk with their employers about arranging for increased flexibility in work hours and creating an arthritis-friendly workplace. These modifications can help a person with RA avoid having minor flare-ups interfere with work. Another possibility is a job-sharing program, in which two people each work halftime to fulfill the duties of one full-time job.We stress the fact that persons with RA are differently abled and that with creative planning, flexibility, and understanding a person with RA often can continue in his or her job. This is what many people would prefer to do; but sometimes, despite a person’s best creative efforts, it is not possible to continue being employed as before. This is particularly true for people with a physically demanding job that requires repeated use of inflamed joints.A person with RA who is having problems at work would be well advised to discuss the situation with his or her doctor and social service worker. If the best decision seems to be to make a change, the person might consider pursuing another form of employment, making arrangements with his or her employer to change jobs within the same company (or to change the description and duties of the present job), or applying for disability benefits. This decision, of course, is highly personal. The choice you make depends on your work experience, education, age, financial responsibilities, degree of arthritis involvement, and the advice of your health care team.*116/209/5*