Acupuncture Blog

Rest Ministries, founded in 1997, is the largest Christian organization that serves the chronically ill. They recently did a survey and asked people to “List some of the programs or resources a church could offer to make it more inviting comfortable.” Below is a sampling of some of the 800+ responses, all of which could be done in 20 minutes or less.

1. Send encouragement emails. Something even short can let the person know you’re thinking of her.

2. Make sure the handicapped stalls in the restroom are functioning and clean. Add a little decoration to make it cheerful.

3. Add padded chairs or cushions to make church easier to sit through. Room for wheelchairs is always a need and don’t forget to include extra places for family members.

4. Have an open mind about a support group for the chronically ill like HopeKeepers. ‘It would make me feel very special that there was an understanding of people’s needs that are not always visible’ says one woman.

5. More disabled parking, even if they are temporary spots.

6. Inform the ushers that people arriving late may have difficulty walking or getting out of cars and may need some assistance.

7. Ask volunteers to call people with chronic illness just to check on them when they don’t make it to services.

8. One person shares, ‘When suppers are given, I may need help getting my meal, or at least understanding I cannot wait in a long line.

9. Be cautious when hugging. It may topple over or hurt a person.

10. Have a video tape of the service, not just a live web cast. Not all member’s computers work that well.

11. Check out the church doors. Can someone with an illness open them with ease? If not, install a mechanical button to push them open.

12. Many responders said some form of the following: ‘Stop telling me that if I truly believed and had faith I’d be healed by now. Please don’t go on and on about how good I look even though I know for a fact that I look terrible and miserable that day.’

13. Offer ways to serve within the church that can be performed regularly, but not on a set schedule so that I can still contribute, but there’s enough flexibility that I can do the job when I feel well enough to do so.

14. Provide sermon notes in case I can’t make it to the worship service and want to listen/take notes later.

15. Acknowledge National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week. Having some of those books in our church bookstore as a display would be a great outreach.

16. Just mention about chronic illness! Talk about it in sermons as one of the challenges many people face just like divorce or unemployment.

17. Have Christian volunteers from church that will clean house for small fee. Some have offered to clean my house, but I cannot accept charity yet, but neither can I afford to pay a regular house cleaning service.

18. Have the church help with some of the small costs of providing encouraging books and resources for the church library. The chronically ill often cannot afford all that they’d like to read and will check them out.

19. Remember how many caregivers are in the church, not just care-giving for their parents, but also for their spouses or ill children.

20. Have copies for free of the sermon on CD.

With minor adjustments and additions your church can be a warm and inviting place for the chronically ill, where they will feel their limitations or special needs have been taken into account. You may also discover some new volunteers who would love to offer their services to help with an area, such as making CDs.

Wait! Before you start baking another lasagna get Beyond Casseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend, Lisa Copen’s book with over 500 imaginative ways to encourage an ill friend. Makes a great gift for pastors, chaplains, deacons and anyone who wants to help someone who is hurting.

The same kind of ear mite that affects dogs is the one that also affects cats. The treatment for ear mites cats get is similar to that for dogs as well. If you notice that cat is scratching around his ears a good bit more than usual, then it may be time for ear mite treatment.

Ear mites can cause a lot of damage just by causing an animal to scratch relentlessly near and in the ear area. The itching associated with ear mites can be maddening because your pet can not reach the actual spot that is causing the problem.

You can get a specially designed collar for your pet to subdue the damage sustained from scratching during the treatment of ear mites. It is called an Elizabethan collar and is available from your vet. While your pet may look silly and uncomfortable, it still beats the outcome of not wearing one during this time.

There are many over the counter remedies for the treatment of the ear mites cats get. The best place to visit is a quality pet shop or the local fee and seed store. You will need to look for ingredients like pyrethrin or ivermectin for the best and most effective treatments. You can also check for natural treatments for those pets that are sensitive to chemicals.

How well the cats ear is cleaned before applying treatment for ear mites is going to mean a lot in how effective the medication is going to be. You should let your vet do this to make sure that you getting the best pathway made for the medication for ear mites to go through. Without the right kind of cleaning, the time and effort for treatment may be a loss.

The black and hard bits that are coming from your cats ears during an infestation of ear mites is the waste left behind by the mites. While this may sound really bad, it is the reason for a good cleaning before mite treatment begins. This is also the reason for a lot of the scratching that your pet is doing as well.

Your best bet for the complete protection your cat needs against parasites is to treat also for fleas and ticks when treating for ear mites. Many mites larvae spread to other parts of your pets body. You can get rid of these easily enough with the same product you use for ticks and fleas.

Don’t let your pet suffer from ear mites. You have ear mites cats and ear mites in dogs treatment that has been shown by the professionals to work. Don’t you want to help your dog and cats health?

Before scientists and doctors discovered how extremely dangerous it is, asbestos was commonly used as a building material. Fatal and severe illnesses cropped up in almost all the people that were exposed to it at some point in their lives. Though it was thought to be a superb for buildings, the negative health consequences counteracted any of its positive values.

Both cancerous and non-cancerous lung diseases have been linked to all commercially available forms of this substance. Tragically, it also usually takes about 20 years for most people to develop one of the associated illnesses. The most commonly developed are the ones involving the lungs. Careful safety precautions must be followed when removing asbestos from structures.

Asbestos fibers irritate the lungs and commonly cause the formation of scar tissue. Shortness of breath is a frequent symptom of asbestos related illnesses. Sufferers can find themselves unable to go up even one flight of stairs, without panting.

Since the fibers have amassed in the lungs, coughing is usually another related symptom. Coughing is a natural reflex action, our bodies use it to try to expel irritants of any type from the lungs. You should definitely see a physician if you have been exposed to asbestos and find yourself with a persistent cough. It is highly possible you have some fibers embedded in your lungs.

Another symptom you need to watch out for is unexplained weight loss. It can be very dramatic in relation to asbestos related illnesses. There are many cases where it has meant these diseases have already spread to other parts of the persons body. If you have been exposed and are having a dramatic weight loss, it is imperative that you consult a doctor, immediately.

In most cases that rare form of cancer called Mesothelioma has been found to be caused by asbestos exposure. A sufferer can experience all of the symptoms that have been described and several more. These can include pleural effusion and chest pains. A biopsy is usually needed to confirm the presence of this disease.

Despite treatment, the prognosis is usually not good for those who develop mesothelioma. Some people have developed it as late as 50 years after exposure. There is also no early screening test, yet, for those that have inhaled asbestos fibers.

The good news is, that thanks to the increased awareness of its dangers, deaths related to asbestos exposure seem to have hit a plateau. There have been many new safety protocols developed to help remove it from buildings and help prevent exposure. Following them minimizes the dangers and can prevent release of the fibers. Some buildings that contain large amounts of it are even condemned, unless they can be safely cleaned of this substance.

Asbestiosis is another illness that can result from exposure to the fibers. It occurs due to the scarring of the lung tissue that can be caused by inhalation of the fibers. Breathlessness is a very common symptom of it and generally worsens as time passes. People that have had a very high rate of exposure have been known to get this disease a lot faster and in a more severe form. For a better long-term prognosis, they must see a doctor as soon as possible

Learn more about asbestos injury lawyers. Visit www.AsbestosInjuryLawyers.com where you can find out all about how to make asbestosis claims and get the compensation you deserve.

Do you know what asbestos is? Where can you find it? What can you do to protect yourself? This is much cause for concern. Here are some answers to consider.

Asbestos minerals are found naturally in the environment. It is made of many very tiny fibers. The fibrous structure gives it strength and special abilities. It is fire resistant. It will not dissolve in water. It is chemical resistant also. You will see it in all kinds of fireproofing material. Things like fireproof suits and protective equipment are some uses. It can also be found in boilers and furnaces. It has been used as insulation and in roofing materials. Brake linings are another source. Many asbestos sources are being phased out due to possibilities of illness. The risk is still great, as it may take many years for illness to appear. The two major types of asbestos are chrysotile and amphibole. Chrysotile is used most, in materials. Amphibole is considerably less common.

Old houses and anywhere asbestos has been used will present an exposure risk. Old waste sites and dumps are another good source. In the past, it was a big concern for workers. Anyone that made materials like brake linings and fireproof materials would be at risk. Construction workers could also be at risk. There are two major types of asbestos related illnesses. There are cancerous and non-cancerous conditions.

Conditions that are non-cancerous: High exposure levels for many years are usually a contributing factor for asbestosis. It damages and scars the lungs. Smokers are at a higher risk than non-smokers are. Affected people may develop a severe cough. They could even cough up blood. Symptoms related to decreased lung function will usually present. Shortness of breath and pains in the chest are possibilities

Exposure can also cause pleural plaques. The pleura is the lung lining. As it becomes thick and hardened, lung function will decrease. As it worsens, symptoms like shortness of breath may increase.

Conditions involving cancer: Lung cancer is a common condition related to long term exposure. If you smoke, your chances of getting it are much greater. These two types of cancer are very similar. It may be hard to tell the difference between them. Mesothelioma is a very rare form of lung cancer. It is associated with long term exposure. It can involve the abdomen but most likely, it is the lungs. Usually the lining of the lungs are affected first. It may have similar symptoms to normal lung cancer. The prognosis for Mesothelioma is not very good. There is hope, if you catch it in the early stages.

Treatment options: Doctor suggest that people have regular doctor visits. Keep immunizations current. Get flu and pneumonia shots. Quit smoking. Cancer treatments are the same as for any type of lung cancer. They are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. These conditions will not improve. But in some non-cancerous cases, they may remain stable.

In closing: The more you know, the better off you will be with this concern. The effects of asbestos can be devastating. To help avoid future health problems, practice good health habits. See a doctor on a regular basis. The sooner you get treatment, the better your chance for survival.

Looking to make mesothelioma claims after asbestos exposure in a workplace? Then visit www.AsbestosInjuryLawyers.com to start your asbestosis claims today.

Bed bugs thrive in places where large numbers of warm blooded animals sleep. For this reason the parasites, which live on a diet of blood from animals and birds exclusively, are more common in hotels, motels and apartment buildings than they are in private homes and more likely to be found in urban areas that in the countryside.

It was only recently that bed bugs became uncommon among a large segment of humanity. Even today there are large areas of the world where bed bugs have never stopped being common. It was only with the development of insecticides in the 1930s that the bug was driven from our beds. The use of DDT and similar products made the bed bug essentially extinct in the USA by the 1940s. But the pest lived on in the wild and elsewhere.

Resurgence in the bed bug populations of the United States and Canada started in the 1990s. The growing epidemic is showing no signs of slacking. Some reports place the rate of increase at 500 per cent over the past decade.

There are a number of contributing factors to this insect onslaught. Starting in the early Nineties the use of pesticide sprays to halt cockroach infestations was largely ended. New bait poisons that used biological agents to quickly wipe out colonies were found. The bait techniques were not as intrusive to the homeowners and tenants, it was cheaper to deploy and worked faster and more effectively. As a result, the use of sprays was curtailed to almost nothing. Problems arose when it was later found the sprays were also controlling bed bugs. The bait method had no attraction for blood suckers.

The discovery that outbreaks were popping up in geographically disparate locations led to the discovery of problems in the poultry industry. Epicenters in Delaware, Texas and Arkansas were found to center around poultry farming operations. Infected poultry were transferring insects and eggs onto the workers.

New York City and Toronto, Canada, have seen an increase in bedbug infestations cases since the early 2000s. Three hundred and seventy-seven cases were reported in one year, with the most worrisome incidents being those in hotels, schools and high density housing clusters. Worst fears were realized when that years total was surpassed by 20 per cent in a five month period of the next year.

Bedbugs have developed massive immunities to two of the most used chemical families of pesticides: pyrethroids and deltamethrin. A study of bed bugs from randomly selected areas around the continent was conducted by the University of Kentucky. It found that the insects were more resistant to pyrethroids by a factor of thousand compare to bed bug kill data in tests from the 1970s.

Bed bugs get around in the clothing and on the person and lodge in beds and furniture. Pets and children can become carriers if they get into the nest or boroughs of warm-blooded animals, where bed bugs are present. Travel in areas where bed bugs are prevalent frequently results in the bug returning home with traveler.

A summit is or just has been held on bed bugs and their resurgence by the Environmental Protection Agency in the USA.

Find important information on the best ways to achieve bed bug control easy and fast! When you have all the tools you need to effectively achieve bed bug control, you will be able to start enjoying your sleep without itching.