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Wednesday, May 26, 2004 ( 6:11 PM ) Pem chronic diseaseI was looking for the source of the phrase “The way to live the longest is to acquire a chronic disease and take good care of it." I found that attributed to Sir William Osler in 1901. I also found it quoted as: "The way to longevity is to develop a chronic disease early in life and learn to live with it" and as “If you develop a chronic illness and take the best possible care of it, you will live a longer and healthier life than those who do not have that advantage.” In that search I came across a fascinating speech by Mark Vonnegut (son of Kurt) reflecting on mental illness. After several serious psychotic episodes he became a pediatrician. PermaLink Sunday, May 23, 2004 ( 5:07 PM ) Pem home, tired Seabrook Island An intense and wonderful retreat with the Sursum Corda Spiritual Directors Formation Program. PermaLink Saturday, May 15, 2004 ( 9:05 PM ) Pem heading out Today at DuPont State Forest Tomorrow I leave for the second residency of my spiritual directors formation program, so I won't be posting for a week. PermaLink Friday, May 14, 2004 ( 2:29 PM ) Pem busyI thought I had finished a paper, then was told I had sent in 22,000 words when they had asked for 8,000 words (I remembered that I had checked the word count when I was writing and it looked like it would come out fine, not how many it was supposed to be). Today I sent them a version under 8,000 words (by telling only a small piece of the story). I've been working on organizing funding for a project on Science, Technology, and Society, and that seems to be moving forward. Tomorrow I am accompanying my daughter on an all-day class in nature photography. Sunday I leave for the second one week residency of the Sursum Corda Spiritual Directors Formation Program. I just got seven proposals to review. One of my goals for this blog was to put the different parts of my life in one place. But sometimes they look a bit ridiculous together. PermaLink Wednesday, May 12, 2004 ( 10:27 AM ) Pem beliefI was moved today reading Real Live Preacher on The Truth about Snow. I've never been convinced by the idea that we can act our way into believing, but I certainly don't make an intellectual decision to believe. As in so many deep things, I make a leap of trust and see how it works. PermaLink Tuesday, May 11, 2004 ( 4:48 PM ) Pem cost-effective medicineI'm disturbed by stories saying diabetes screening is only cost-effective for people who have risk factors. I had the risk factor of having had a large baby, but my blood pressure and lipids are good and I am under 55 and have no family history so I wouldn't have come up otherwise. I'm so glad I insisted that my blood sugar be tested, which my doctor didn't think necessary, rather than not getting diagnosed until I had complications like many people. Basically, screening isn't cost effective because people who are diagnosed early don't benefit very much. But that is clearly the fault of the medical establishment--people who are diagnosed early can do a lot to prevent complications and slow the progression of the disease, if they get helpful information from their doctors and use it. They don't. They get the American Diabetes Association recommendations, which recommend a fairly high carbohydrate, low fat diet. That maybe helps prevent heart disease, but it certainly doesn't slow the progression of diabetes. And they don't get an explanation of the costs and benefits of different approaches so they can find one that is comfortable for them. PermaLink Monday, May 10, 2004 ( 4:33 PM ) Pem mother-daughter retreat The mother-daughter retreat at the Convent of St. Helena was a big success. The fish in the pond liked to nibble fingers. PermaLink |
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