A Christmas Story for People Having a Bad Day

I got this as an email and I just couldn't help but share it! Happy Holidays!!

Why do we put an Angel on the top of our Christmas Tree?

When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure. Then Mrs. Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more. When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, heaven knows where. Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered. Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drank all the cider and hidden the liquor. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom. Just then the doorbell rang, and irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree. The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?' And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.

So what do you think? When I saw this it brought a silly smile to my face! Do you have any funny holiday stories to share?

Sanjay Gupta Book - Cheating Death

image from wireimage.com

This week I attended a book party for Dr Sanjay Gupta, chief medical correspondent for CNN ,for the release of his new book “Cheating Death: The Doctors and Medical Miracles that are Saving Lives Against All Odds.” It is billed as a medical thriller, and for me it definitely hit the mark. It’s a fascinating look at medicine, ethics, religion, law, and the economics of life and death. Drawing on his own practice and interviews with patients, doctors, and researchers, Gupta offers up some fascinating cases that challenge assumptions about where the line is between life and death. The book explores the medical breakthroughs that have brought life back to people who were considered brain dead. It gives us a look at the frontiers of emergency care and death, where medical and scientific advances are causing doctors and researchers to reevaluate how “dead” someone can be and still come back to very normal life.

The party, held at Rouge Tomate in Manhattan, was attended by many familiar on-air docs like Dr. Mehmet Oz, Deepak Chopra, NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman, ABC News' Dr. Richard Besser and Fox News' Dr. Manny Alvarez . There were several other CNN hosts at the party including Larry King and Soledad O’Brian to support Sanjay.

I thought I’d share a book review (below) that I found on “Cheating Death” to further entice you to pick up this medical page turner.

What happens when blood no longer reaches the brain, organs begin to break down, and chemical reactions start destroying cells throughout the body? The answer is no longer as obvious as it once was. In "Cheating Death," Sanjay Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon and popular correspondent, describes some remarkable cases in which physicians managed to revive patients whose condition seemed hopeless. Sixty-three year old Zeyad Barazanji was working out on a treadmill when he was felled by a massive heart attack. "His heart pumped no blood, his brain sent no signals, [and] he thought no thoughts." Nevertheless, he recovered and went on to live a normal life. We know now that "death is not a single event, but a process that may be interrupted, even reversed." Although this notion sounds fanciful, today there are "myriad ways that modern science is changing our understanding of life and death."

Gupta tells us about a man who is diagnosed with a brain tumor that is almost invariably fatal; a fetus with a life-threatening heart defect; a skier who falls through the ice and remains trapped beneath its surface for over forty minutes; and a hiker who stumbles, hits his head, and remains on the ground for twenty-four days before he is rescued. The story of these and other individuals demonstrates "that the human body can survive far longer than we usually bargain for." There are various techniques, such as therapeutic hypothermia, that can buy valuable time for those in extremis by staving off shock, controlling blood flow, and reducing the body's need for oxygen. Are these methods guaranteed to work every time, and are they used in every hospital? Absolutely not. However, researchers are constantly investigating new lifesaving protocols, some of which hold great promise.

The author's writing style, although not jargon-free, is accessible, lively, and engrossing. In addition, Gupta's revealing interviews with the pioneers of resuscitative medicine suggest that certain experimental practices may someday become part of mainstream emergency care. Although the book has extensive endnotes, it lacks an index, which would have been useful. In addition, Gupta does not adequately explain the differences between "brain death" and "persistent vegetative state," terms that are unclear to most laymen. Nevertheless, "Cheating Death" does offer an exciting look at the various ways in which "doctors and medical miracles ...are saving lives against all odds.

Happy December!

I love December, festive lights are being strung around the neighborhood, holiday music is playing at my favorite shops, and the season of giving has definitely begun! While on the internet looking for a few hard-to-find gifts, I came across a website listing some important things to remember this month and I wanted to share them with you.

AIDS Awareness Month – December 1st was World AIDS Day, a day where all around the world people took action to raise awareness of the AIDS pandemic. The first World AIDS Day was held on Dec 1st, 1988 and the day gains more publicity every year. This year companies took action like Nike who started their Red Laces initiative with all proceeds going to AIDS programs; Celebrities put on concerts with proceeds going to their foundations of choice; and even Twitter went red! To find out more, you can visit: http://www.worldaidsday.org/

National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month – Consider this… According to the CDC, “Every day, 36 people in the United States die, and approximately 700 more are injured, in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver… about three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point in their lives, and Alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost about $51 billion a year. If these statistics don’t strike you, I don’t know what will! I used to be a spokesperson for MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) so this one caught my eye. This month, people are urged to consider what can be done in our communities to prevent these injuries and losses. For more information, you can visit: http://www.cdc.gov/MotorVehicleSafety/Impaired_Driving/3d.html

National Tolerance Week – I liked this one as a conversation topic at my dinner table. It’s important to me to teach my young children to have an open mind to all types of people and their beliefs. I always try to teach them that not everyone is alike, even we sometimes will disagree! And our differences are no reason to fight.

And here are a couple others that I found and liked!:

Write To A Friend Month – I always tell my older girls that there’s nothing like a handwritten letter these days. In this generation of emails and texting, there’s something really special about picking out a cute card, or taking out a piece of stationary, and spending the time to tell a friend you miss them, you love them, or simple, “hello!” It’s a small gesture that can have a big impact on someone. I love going to the greeting card section and picking out a whole bunch of cards for the year! I then keep them in a file, by category, and I’ve never shown up to a birthday or anniversary empty-handed!

Read A New Book Month – I’m an information junkie so I can get lost in the non-fiction section of any book store! But whether you like non-fiction or a good novel, take a moment to escape your day and enjoy a new book. It feels like a gift to yourself!

Learn A Foreign Language Month – Why? Why not?! It happens to be a great way to keep our brains in shape!

National Hand Washing Awareness Month – Isn’t this one appropriate with the swine flu going around! I’ll celebrate this one all holiday season!

Safe Toys and Gifts Month – With young children I am constantly thinking about safety. I even went so far as to invent my very own safety product, Kinderkord! I also serve as the face of child safety for my show Health Corner, so this one hits home with me. Be sure to take a close look at small parts included with toys when purchasing gifts, get all the necessary equipment before sending your child out on a bike or those new rollerblades, and stay safely connected while traveling and shopping this busy holiday season (with Kinderkord!)

National Sign Up For Camp Month – I kid you not, this was on the list! And I just couldn’t resist including it since my husband owns summer camps for children and I host my very own summer camp for women, Camp Reveille. I think that this winter when we’re getting the cold weather blues, adults should have something to look forward to when the ice melts…camp is not just for kids! So do what the holiday tells you, sign up for Camp this month!! http://www.campreveille.com/

Did I miss any good ones? Let me know!