TAKING CARE
By Leslie Girmscheid
November 2009
A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold.
-- Ogden Nash
MASSAGE THERAPY:INFLUENZA
What most people think of as “the flu” is a wastebasket name for any viral syndrome that is easily contagious, such as the common cold or the “stomach flu” (gastroenteritis). True influenza is a viral illness which is diagnosed if the following symptoms are found (often with rapid onset over a few hours): 2 or 3 days of high fever of greater than 101, severe headache,significant muscle aches, sore throat, cough, and extreme fatigue. Should you develop these symptoms, you should stay home from work or school. Treatment is usually symptomatic: drinking fluids (chicken soup!), taking acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol) or ibuprofen (e.g., Advil) for fever and aches, and staying home for at least 5 days (7 days for H1N1) to prevent contagion.
You should consult your physician if your fever does not improve after 3 to 5 days, you cannot drink enough fluids (the urine becomes less in amount and dark yellow), or your cough persists and becomes productive of yellow phlegm. Should you become short of breath or have chest pain, you should go to the Emergency Room. If your symptoms seem to be improving and you relapse, you should also call your doctor. Prescription antiviral medication may be indicated if you have other significant medical disorders and the flu symptoms are still in the very early stage.
Influenza is worse than a bad cold and is worth avoiding by vaccination. If you are greater than 49 years old, have a chronic medical condition, care for someone who is immunocompromised or very frail, are a health care worker or provide essential community services, travel, or are a student in a dormitory, you should get a flu shot. Children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years are also recommended for vaccination, especially if they go to daycare. There are newer recommendations for the swine flu shot and you should check with your physician to see if you or your children are in a high risk group that should get that vaccination when it comes available. Flu shots are available at your doctor’s office, the local health department, at drugstore “clinics”, and at some large workplaces. Call for hours, availability, and cost.
I have gotten my flu shot and I also using simple preventative measures to avoid catching other wintertime illnesses. Frequent hand washing, especially on return from shopping, and cleaning things that are touched often, like doorknobs, phones, keyboards, and fridge handles will help. I also take my daily vitamins including Vitamin C. Avoid crowds and don’t come in close contact with persons who are obviously sick. At office parties, wash your hands before you eat to drown those germs acquired from shaking hands.
Stay well!
OFFICE NOTES:
*****Receive $10 off your next massage for every new patient that joins my practice because of a referral from you.Make sure they mention your name when they make the appointment so that I put a credit in your chart.
*****GIFT CERTIFICATES are available. They are perfect for holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and as a thank-you for a job well done.
*****If you wake up sick, please call (after 7:30 a.m.) or email me at anytime in the morning. I do not charge the cancellation fee if you are ill.
****VACATION I will be out of the office on November 11th, 26th and 27th.
LAUGH OF THE MONTH:
Martha Stewart Thanksgiving (NOT!)
Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving.I'm telling you in advance, so don't act surprised.Since Ms. Stewart won't be coming, I've made a few small changes:
1. Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.
2. Once inside, our guests will note that the entry hall is not decorated with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make. Instead, I've gotten the kids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea.
3. The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas.
4. Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist assures me it is a turkey.
5. We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while you wait. I'm sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims and the turkey hotline. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m. upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds. As accompaniment to the children's recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don't own a recording of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.
6. We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast.In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method.We've also decided against a formal seating arrangement.When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like.In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at a separate table ... in a separate room ...next door.
7. Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private" meaning: Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat.
8. I would like to take this opportunity to remind my young diners that "passing the rolls" is not a football play. Nor is it a request to bean your sister in the head with warm tasty bread.
9. Oh, and one reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and especially while in the presence of you diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance. Cheese Sauce stains.
10. Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice among 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice; take it or leave it.
Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. She probably won't come next year either. I am thankful.
CONTEMPLATION (borrowed):
Armistice Day/Veteran’s Day
In the United States, Veteran's Day is November 11th (this is also Remembrance Day in Canada). In the early 1970's, Veteran's Day became a "movable" holiday -- the fourth Monday of October. In 1978, at the urging of veteran's groups who realized the sanctity of the date, Congress returned Veteran's Day to November 11th. Please remember that this day is not to honor war, but rather to honor the sacrifice made by others for our freedom.
What we call Veteran's Day is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice in the Forest of Campiegne by the Allies and the Germans in 1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). This signified the end of World War I and was originally known as Armistice Day. President Woodrow Wilson signed the Congressional Resolution on Nov. 11, 1919, the first Armistice Day.
However, after World War II, the day began to lose meaning and since there were many other veterans to consider, the decision was made to change November 11th to honor all those who fought in American wars. The United States Congress passed an act to change the name to Veteran's Day and in 1954 President Dwight Eisenhower signed the act.
With that in mind, I would like to say "thank you" to all the men and women with whom I served, and to especially remember those who aren't with us anymore. As a former Hospital Corpsman, I wish a heartfelt "Semper Fi" to all my Marine friends.
- Tom Ellsworth (HM2 USN 1965-69)
Happy Thanksgiving and
Thank you to all my veterans!
Leslie
Leslie Girmscheid, MD, NCTMB
Licensed Muscular Therapist
3 Apple Tree Lane
Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
207-272-6027
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