Archive for the ‘ Health ’ Category

Help Victims of Haiti Earthquake

Author: Chris

Jan 13

Hello All,

If you listen to the Life on Fire podcast, you may already know that Tanya and I support various organizations that assist the poor and suffering in Haiti.  Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and is constantly plagued with natural disasters due to its location on the globe.  This held true for a disaster that struck  yesterday evening.

Around 5pm EST a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the capital city of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area.  This was followed by several aftershocks of over 5.0 .  This has resulted in the entire infrastructure of the country collapsing.  Government buildings have crumbled to the ground, hospitals and schools are in rubble and because the phone and electric lines are down, nobody knows exactly how many people are injured or dead.

The Red Cross is putting out a request for assistance as is Food for the Poor and the Haitian Health Foundation.  All of these organizations have a history of providing quality aide to Haiti, not just in disaster situations, but, on a regular basis.  These organizations provide food, medicine and educational resources to Haiti.

As bad as things were in Haiti prior to this quake, things are significantly worse now.  Roads are completely blocked by the rubble from buildings and from landslides, hindering rescue efforts.  At this point, we all need to take an “all hands on deck” mentality.  Sending food, water, clothing, school supplies and medicine is not going to help at this point.  The supplies will take months before they reach Haiti through these charitable organizations.  The best bet at this point is to give money to these organizations.

Tanya and I both agreed that we should take some money out of our savings to do some extra donations to support Haiti in this crisis.  We aren’t bragging about this, just stating that we feel that it is very important to help the people of Haiti during this time of crisis.

God calls us to provide food for the hungry, clothing for the naked, and shelter for the homeless.  In this extreme disaster situation, we need to do whatever we can as God’s people to help restore peace, security and order in Haiti.  We have no idea how many families have been devastated by this disaster and how much even a small amount of money will help.  Don’t forget that organizations such as Food for the Poor and the Haitian Health Foundation have relationships with food and drug groups that provide low-cost solutions to help Haiti.  Even $5 can make a HUGE difference.

So please, I beg of you, give something to help the people of Haiti.  They need monetary support for relief workers, food, shelter and clean water more than ever in this time of crisis.  Keep in mind that when you give to these organizations, it may not seem like much, but it truly changes lives and helps people.

Below are donation links to the three organizations listed above.  Tanya and I donated to Food for the Poor and to the Haitian Health Foundation as these groups provide more aid per dollar than the Red Cross does.  However, the Red Cross does have more resources to get people out to Haiti quickly so, you may want to donate to them as well.  All of these are non-profit organizations and are tax deductible.

Thank you for your kindness and help!

Food for the Poor

Haitian Health Foundation

Red Cross International

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Yogurt Making

Author: Tanya

Jan 9

I am a really big yogurt fan and since my husband got me the La Leche League International Cookbook Set (http://store.llli.org/public/profile/317), I have been intrigued by whole foods .  After reading the directions on how to make your own yogurt in their book, the thought of a way to keep the yogurt warm for a period of time made me think of my crock pot.  I googled homemade yogurt in a crock pot, and sure enough there is a way.  I will keep you updated on my research into this subject.

Some of the sites that have touched on this subject are http://www.nourishingdays.com/?p=912 and http://suzannemcminn.com/blog/2009/10/28/homemade-yogurt-in-a-crock-pot-and-yogurt-cheese/.

-Tanya

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Filed under: Food, Health

H1N1 Swine Flu

Author: Chris

Sep 26

There is a lot of stories in the media about the H1N1 Swine Flu and how it could prove to be a deadly threat to society over this year’s flu season.  The purpose in me writing this is to help clear up some of the myths and reduce the level of hype that the media uses to gain attention and ratings.

First of all, H1N1, or, Swine Flu, has nothing to do with pigs.  It is a normal strain of the flu, just like any other.  As with most viruses, there are multiple mutations or, strains, of the influenza virus.  It is the same with the common cold.  How do you think you can catch a cold so many times?  It is because you are not catching the same cold.  The good news about this is that once you catch a particular strain, your body then produces defense mechanisms called antibodies, which prevent you from getting the disease again, well, at least that strain.

So why the hype?

Well, it is because this particular strain is the one that is currently spreading more quickly and appears to be becoming the “dominant strain” of flu.  You may have noticed the push for flu vaccinations in recent years.  These vaccines are usually a combination of what scientists at the time feel are the most likely strains of the flu for a particular flu season.  Sometimes they are right, sometimes they are wrong.  The H1N1 is a strain that they may not have expected to proliferate as quickly as it did, and we did not have a vaccine ready to prepare people for the virus.  There should be one available in October.

The truth is, the H1N1 virus was first detected in the US population at the beginning of 2009, according to the CDC website.  However, it may have been present in other countries long before us.    It is just becoming the dominant strain of the flu, which wasn’t expected.

The Killer Flu?

There is a lot of talk about H1N1 becoming the “killer” flu.  A killer flu is a strain of the influenza virus that spreads rapidly among the population and is stronger than a common strain.

The fact is that almost every strain of the flu has the potential to be a killer.  The elderly, young children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable due to the fact that their immune systems do not function as well.  Most flu related deaths fall into those age groups.

A flu that spreads quickly gives little chance for preparations and precautions to be taken to help prevent  the spread of the disease, and the groups mentioned above tend to suffer more and be affected more by the virus.

What can I do?

First, if you are elderly, pregnant, or the parent of young children, consider getting vaccinated for H1N1 when the vaccine becomes available.  While all vaccines pose a small risk of causing a full-blown infection, it is not likely and may be worth looking into.  Please also keep in mind that some vaccines use embryonic stem cell lines in them so, be aware from a moral perspective as well.

If you are a normal, healthy adult, you will be fine.  You can get the vaccine as well, but, chances are, if you catch the flu, it will be a rough few days but, you’ll get through it just fine.  Just take the regular precautions you would take for any cold/flu season.

  • Wash your hands regularly
  • If you feel like you are getting sick, don’t go to church or crowded places
  • Avoid physical contact with others, wave during the sign of peace
  • Drink plenty of fluids and take extra vitamin C
  • If you have any question or feel really ill, see your health care practitioner

Finally, I do not claim to be a health expert or a doctor.  If you have real concerns or questions about the flu, you should call your doctor for additional information.  Also, refer to the Centers for Disease Control website at http://www.cdc.gov for additional information and facts about the H1N1 and other flu strains.

Have a safe and healthy flu season everyone, and don’t buy into the hype.  Maybe next year we’ll have White-Striped Duckbill Platypus Flu…who knows…

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CLoC #4: The Calm and the Storm

Author: Allie

May 12

Hey everyone!

Allie here with your Catholic Life on Campus. For those of you who read my segment last week, I survived Spring Fling Weekend! At first, I thought I was going to lose it. First, I was stranded at the cathedral in Hartford where we had our concert because my ride left without me. Luckily, a friend saw me and gave me a lift back to school. I finally get back to my apartment and my suitemates & their friends are already wasted, and it’s hard to keep them quiet once that happens. I was trying to figure out what to do & where to go, but my friends that party were off partying & my friends that don’t were smart enough to get off campus for the weekend. However, I found refuge with my friend Matt at his apartment that night and from there on the weekend was more bearable. We had soda & nachos while watching Dr. Strangelove, which is a hilarious politics/war movie for those who haven’t seen it. After that, we were just sitting on his bed and talking about anything & everything until 3:30 in the morning. For a while there, we were having an in depth discussion about our faiths – he is Jewish, but is also adopting the Buddhist lifestyle and sort of blending the two. It was neat to see what common factors we agreed on & what completely contrasted. Saturday night some buds & I hung out for a bit, then Matt & I set off again looking for chai since we both hate coffee. It was after 2am so I suggested the diner which is open 24 hours. But it was absolutely packed so we set off looking for somewhere else open that late, but to no avail. It was good to get off campus for a bit though. When we got back after 3am, all that remained of Spring Fling were tons of cups & beer cans strewn across the campus lawn. It was a truly creepy sight. I’m just glad I didn’t let myself do anything stupid like a lot of students did. Next year, I may go home that weekend. Yes, I will be of legal drinking age next Spring Fling, but if I’m going to drink, it’s only a little bit and with friends I trust, not at crazy raging parties where you don’t know 95% of the people there. Having alcohol for the soul purpose of getting drunk is ridiculous.

So I’m definitely sick of final exams. I’ve already had 5 this week (2 of which were this morning), I have one more that I’m running to after finishing this blurb, & my last one 8am Tuesday morning. Not to mention, I have two papers to finish for my education class & a composition to write for music theory. Then there’s all the rehearsals for Europe. The rain today isn’t making things easier, especially since the small river that cuts through campus is flooding again. I’m just glad the madness is ALMOST over. It’s kind of hard to believe that my career as a college undergrad is already halfway through. What’s even more unbelievable is the fact that next Monday I’m setting off for 12 days overseas! WOW.

Anyways, I guess that’s it for this week cuz I’m brain-fried from all this work. Today was a hectic day…and it’s not over yet. If you wanna see how hectic, check out my 12 of 12…yes, I’m doing it too! I’ll have Chris put a link of my pictures up on the LOF site or somehting once I collaborate my photos, which won’t be until late tonight or tomorrow. Then you can see why I’m so grumpy that my feet won’t stay dry. Hopefully, I will be able to broadcast live with Chris & Tanya next week before heading off to Europe if they don’t mind recording a late evening show. We’ll see what happens. God Bless!

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Filed under: Faith, Health

CLoC #3: Surviving Malware & Spring Fling

Author: Allie

May 5

Hi Chris, Tanya & LOF Listeners!

This is Allie with your weekly update of my “Catholic Life on Campus.” Good news this week is that my computer is now all better…YAY! Apparently, some “adware” snuck onto my system and was causing a lot of problems. So here’s some quick advice: EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE THE FOLLOWING THREE PROGRAMS TO PROTECT THEIR COMPUTER!

1) A good anti-virus program, such as AVG
2) Spybot – Search & Destroy, which eliminates any “bot” programs
3) Ad-Aware, which gets rid of any “adware.”

I had the first two already, but once I installed Ad-Aware, I was able to isolate the problem and now my compy is happily working again. You can find all three of these programs for free on the Web.

Anyways, onto the big topic this week. This weekend will be my first encounter with “Spring Fling,” the last chance to “party hearty” before finals. The festivities started last night since some of the students don’t have Friday classes. I, unfortunately, had THREE classes this morning, which is actually a light day for me. This was further irritated when a complete stranger “drunk dialed” me at 5:30 this morning. Anyways, some good friends and I made nachos & ice cream sundaes last night so we were just talking, laughing and having a good time. It’s nice that we don’t need booze or drugs to have fun – we’re goofy enough with chocolate in our systems! But when I went back to my apartment, I found my suitemate and a group of strangers passing a bong around my living room. So I retreated into my bedroom and locked the door for the rest of the night. I’m starting to think that I’ve been too tolerant of their smoking and drug use this year. I’ve actually gotten used to the smell of pot and that disappoints me now. I wasn’t sticking up for myself just to avoid confrontation with these people I had to live with for the rest of the school year. Thank God I’m only here for one more week! Right now though, I’m just trying to figure out now how I’m supposed to survive Spring Fling. Some of my friends are smart and are going home for the weekend. If things get too crazy around here, I may do the same, as embarassing as that may sound to others. If I do stay on campus, hopefully I will find some friends level-headed enough so we can just relax and not be completely stupid. I really don’t want to spend the whole weekend holding someone’s hair back as they puke their guts out. I’ve mentioned before how being on this campus with peers who like to party can be a great challenge to my faith & the decisions I make in general. Spring Fling Weekend, however, is going to push those limits even futher. Luckily, my fellow music students and I have a major concert tonight and Sunday afternoon, which minimalizes most of their drinking to just tonight after the performance. Hopefully, no one is stupid about it because performing hung over or with a foggy head usually doesn’t go very well. Whatever happens this weekend is sure to be interesting. So please pray for me and the other students, that they will use good judgement the next few days in terms of partying, substance abuse and overall reckless behavior.

So I hope this was much easier for Chris & Tanya to read. I even enlarged the font to reduce your agonizing eyestrain! God Bless everyone and Be safe!!

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Filed under: Faith, Health, Technology
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