Over the past week I have been watching a documentary series, The Truth About Vaccines. Because one of my children had varying vaccine reactions—first to the MMR and then to the hep B—I continue to follow this issue. I am concerned about the health of the next generation. One of…
It’s Friday and I am joining the community hosted by Kate Motaung. For five minutes we write fast and free. The prompt is: EMBRACE Five minutes ends at this mark: // Last week I was at the zoo with my daughter and granddaughter. At the gorilla house we saw two…
At the beginning of the 19th century, in the city of Chicago, the health of young children was in perilous condition. The health of both women and children needed focused attention. In 1916, for example, Chicago’s death rate for children under 2 years of age was 141.4 per 1,000 live…
Someone was ringing the doorbell persistently. My husband went to the door and I looked on, curious. A deliveryman handed a wrapped florist parcel to him. Who is sending flowers? I wondered. The enclosed card was inscribed, Happy Anniversary. It was from our sister-in-law. And then I remembered.…
The CDC is asking for comments on Vaccine Information for the MMR and MMRV. I responded with my observations. This vaccine impacted the health of my twins when they were toddlers. It is my hope that our health system will listen to the concerns that parents and teachers have raised…
If you watch very much TV you will notice that a great proportion of advertisements are for medications. A medical problem is presented with the solution—a pill. Then a long list of side effects and risks are recited. Every medication and medical intervention has side effects and risks.…
The destruction of data by the CDC is a huge news story but the major networks on TV are not covering it. I learned about the documentary, VAXXED on social media. I read that the Huffington Post censored an article about the movie. I wanted to see it myself.…
The school board in my town met, and the community was invited. The federal government—specifically the Office of Civil Rights— has demanded that a transgender student be given full access to female locker rooms and restrooms. The meeting place, a high school cafeteria, was packed. Seats extended to…
The letter R in MMR stands for rubella. When I was a kid we called it the German measles. (Not to be confused with regular measles–or rubeola–which was in the news this year.) My siblings and I all had rubella when we were growing up; we got a fever and…
As a mom I breastfed my babies–learning more with each child. As nurse and grandma I have had experience in helping new moms to establish breastfeeding. Breastfeeding has many health benefits, but sometimes there are hurdles to get over. I have collected some articles that address problems and best practices.…