Magazine Article Review: Doctor's Orders: For a Long Healthy Life

 Doctor's Orders: Do as the Say!  Experts in all sorts of specialties give their absolute best advice for a long, healthy life by Caitlin Carlson, photographs by Ted Cavanaugh, Real Simple Magazime, RealSimple.com, February March 2026, pp 54-58,

Here are expert ideas for healthier and longer life

Strength train at least two days a week.  Muscles act as a metabolic organ.  More muscle improves insulin control, burning fat, releasing hormones that reduce inflammation and boost brain function.  Strength training preserves bone density, enhances hormones and proteins and can even improve cognitive function.

Slather on the SPF.  Even indoors, suns rays can get to you so you should use SPF product daily as a skin cream.

Reach out to Loved Ones.  Connection is important.  Make effort to maintain strong positive social connections.  Face to face is best but ZOOM or Facetime also works.

Floss! Floss! Floss!  Cleaning between your teeth can help prevent periodontal disease which causes gum issues.  Reportedly the daily floser lives six and a half years longer than the non-flosser.

Wear comfortable shoes.  Wear shoes approved by the American Podiatric Association.  These are usually sneakers.  I wear New Balance which are approved.  Have a firm base can prevent many health ussues.

Jump around.  New bone tissue replaces old under stress.  Jumping does this better than walking or running.

Keep a consistent bedtime and wake time.  Inconsistent sleep schedules can lead to many problems.  A random schedule messes with you circadian schedule and hormones.  Sleep irregularity is a risk for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular issues.  

Eat More Fiber.  This is important for stomach health.  25 to 34 grams per day.

Pick up a new hobby.  Working through unfamiliar tasks helps build up new neural connections and strengthens old ones.  

Get your eyes checked.  Recommended at age 40 an every two to four years after.  Having diabetes I do yearly exams.

Try to eat less meat.  A small change can make a big difference.  The Mediterranean diet can be a guide.  Olive oil, fruits, nuts, vegetables and whole grains.

Magazine Article Review: What it Feels Like to Have OCD

 What it Feels Like to Have OCD as told by Alyssa Shelasky, illustrations by SHOUT, Real Simple: Life Made Easier magazine, February/March 2026, pp 47-50.

A first person history with OCD helped me understand better how the compulsion heled to calme the thoughts.  The individual who provides the story always had thoughts that someone might die if they did not do things, such as tap and count.  She also had issues with closed doors and avoids elevators.  She offers a good description, "It's almost like living with addiction: You spend a lot of time figuring out how to isolate and hide your habits without anyone knowing."  She also offers a good piece of advice, "So much of Mental health is about finding the doctors and medications that are right for you."  This individual was able to go ten years without medications, but then the thoughts started catching up with her again.  Then she had to start treatment again.  She says sometimes you have to avoid the thoughts by focusing on something else.

Cancer Road to Recovery

 This information is at the Cancer Survivors Park in Omaha

                                                           Words of Encouragement

Cancer Free After Skin Doctor Visit

 I am cancer free.  I had a cancerous carcinoma removed through a MOHS procedure in October.  It was on my left cheek.  I still have a scar but the bump there the doctor said is scar tissue and not cancer.  I saw Dr. Cornell at Nebraska Dermatology.  She did not find any other sores to worry about.  She said she will see me again in a year for another exam.  

Book Review: Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message

 Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Chief Jake Swamp, illustrated by Erwin Printup, Jr., Lee and Low Books Inc., 1995.

This book is based on the Thanksgiving Address, an ancient message of peace and appreciation.  The message comes from the Haudenosaunee people, also known as the Iroquois who were six nations, Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora.  These are people of upper New York and Canada.  The address is still spoken at ceremonies today.  

The prayer of thanksgiving includes Mother Earth, water, green grasses, food, animals, forests, birds and their songs, four winds that clean the air, thunder beings that bring rain, sun, moon and stars, Spirit Protectors from our past and the Great Spirit.

This is very well done and can be used for qa good example of for what we should be thankful.  

Book Review: The Very Best Baseball Game

 The Very Best Baseball Game by Katie M. Blackburn, illustrated by Anastasiya Kanavaliuk, BH Kids, Brentwood, Tennessee, 2025.

This is a good story about being comfortable with people with disabilities.  It is Carson 's day to volunteer at the baseball game.  This is a special game.  Carson was assigned to a boy named Bryce who was very good at hitting, but needed help with running the bases.  Each of the players had someone assigned.  The volunteers were called buddies.  The kids all had their challenges.  Some were in wheel chairs or had a walker.  Some played in the dirt, or talked too much.  Others had issues with concentration.  As the game began Carson was hesitant, but when Bryce hit the ball he became so excited he didn't run, so Carson helped by leading the way.  The kids all had fun with their buddies.  When Carson's mother picked him up Carson shared that he realized he had a lot in common with the other kids.  They both like baseball.  They like to high five and have fun.  He said, "It's the very best game I ever played."

Hearing Aids Three Years Later

 I have been wearing hearing aids for nearly three years now.  And I still am not use to them.  They tickle my ears.  The problem is ear wax.  I create too much.  consequently I wear the hearing aids less and less frequently.  However I do wear them when I really want to hear.  It is higher frequencies I have a problem with.