Odds and Ends

YAY! I have a couple this week. O&Es that is.

Dogs: Well - I had to think about how to include this observation - anecdotal story- in my health promotion blog. I try to make sure everything meets my criteria of somehow relating to wellness. let me say - dogs are great. I do not have a dog now, but I have had dogs in my life in the past and loved quite a few. Thing is - they always die and that hurts. Still - they bring joy to many people - note I did not say ALL people. That is another story - oh I should just tell you as it's funny and relevant in regard to dogs and dog parks etc. Dog parks are new to me. I don't think they had them in the 70s or 80s - you know - back when we didn't follow our dogs around in order to pick up their poop ( a good thing, but odd none the less). One of my professors noted that she takes her dog for walks (leashed) and often runs across people who have their dog unleashed in places that it is "not allowed." Dogs run up to her dog and the owners say, "Oh - he's friendly." My professor, rightly aggravated, honestly says, "Mine's Not." Yesterday I went for a run near my home and in two different places - places two miles apart from each other - I came across unleashed dogs. One place was my college campus - it was Saturday. Near the fitness track and the playing fields, a group of people had let four or five dogs (who were likely they same weight as me) loose. ON THE CAMPUS - not a dog park. Back at the Greensboro Arboretum - with signage about poop and leashes, another large dog was loose. I thought - okay - this is it. This is the next mishap that will befall me on this adventure in NC - a dog attack. They did not attack and I didn't get to use my line either. - which is going to go like this. When I am out and some one's little dog runs up to me and the owner says, "Oh don't worry he is friendly." I am going to say, "I am not."
And this is related to health because if I get mauled by a dog it will be bad for my health.

Meridia- I have bemoaned this and all weight loss drugs for some time and am very pleased that the company which makes it, Abbott, has decided to stop selling it in the US and Canada after other countries made the decision FOR them. It is not safe and it hasn't been safe and now it is done. I can tell you what is safe. Eat less and move more :)

Price Alert: Thinking of starting a new section here. I have noted that sugar free/low calorie snacks or foods cost WAY more than full fat and sugared ones. Wheat bread costs more than white and now I see that a similar sized bag of fresh spinach is one dollar more than the less nutritious bag of lettuce.

Sleep My Little One: Moms and Dads help their children sleep. They rock, they sing, they wear them out, they use routines. What happens when the parent can't sleep? Take a pill. No do NOT take a pill. Sleep hygiene has been mentioned here before and you can read about it again. But sleeping pills have so many negatives and drugs in general have many side effects. It becomes a viscous cycle of treating side effects with other drugs that cause more side effects including a huge dent in one's wallet and sometimes addiction. So YAY Mom. She had a regular doctor visit and he asked about her sleep. She noted that she has leg cramps that keep her up sometimes. This has been so for years and years. He tried to prescribe a sleep and/or stress medication and she said, "No thank you very much." I am so proud of her.

UK Kids: Heard just briefly on Radio Scotland news - a review of meals served to children at a hospital had far more fat and salt than is recommended. NICE.