2016 Best of Kingman - Healthcare Award

I'm pleased to announce that COSMIC HEALTH BLOG has received the 2016 Best of Kingman - Healthcare Award. This is the second year in a row. We're so happy!

Thank you!

Dawn Pisturino, RN

Copyright 2016 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

Buddhist Metta Prayer

 

 

 

 

May all beings be peaceful.

 

May all beings be happy.

 

May all beings be safe.

 

May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature.

 

May all beings be free.

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week 2016

 

 

January 26 -31, 2016 is National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week.  This event, which is co-sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), teaches teens the effects of drug use on the brain and body through local events and online chats. The information provided has been thoroughly researched by National Institute of Health (NIH) scientists.

Chat Day is January 26th.  On this day, high school students and scientists from the National Institute on Drug Abuse hook up online to discuss the dangers of drug use. Students can get answers to all of their questions from actual scientific researchers.

This is an important event because researchers have found that teens who use drugs on a regular basis are at high risk for developing cognitive disorders and learning disabilities since the teenage brain is still maturing. And some drugs are so dangerous, they can cause permanent psychiatric disorders.

For more information, check out these websites:

http://teens.drugabuse.gov    (NIDA for Teens)

http://www.niaaa.nih.gov      (NIAAA)

http://www.drugabuse.gov   (National Institute on Drug Abuse)


Thanks!

Dawn Pisturino, RN

Copyright 2016 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

Live for Today

 

 

 

 

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. And, no matter what happened yesterday, the past is over. No matter what will happen in the future, that day has not yet arrived.

 

LIVE FOR TODAY.

 

Moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, month by month, season by season, year by year, decade by decade . . .

 

Life is happening right now -- this second -- and there it goes, it's gone! So precious, so fleeting, so finite.

 

I am writing this essay right now, word by word. Once I sign my name at the end, this small block of time is forever gone. But, look what I accomplished in that small block!

 

Make every second, minute, day, month, year count to its fullest. Start right now.

 

Dawn Pisturino, RN

 

Copyright 2016 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

 



Christmas Folklore

 

Holly and Ivy

When the house is decorated with holly and ivy on Christmas Eve, good luck will bless the family in the New Year.

Mince Pies

Also called "wayfarers' pies," these tasty treats were passed out to visitors during the Christmas season. To earn good luck in the twelve months of the upcoming year, visitors tried to eat twelve pies at twelve different houses during the twelve days of Christmas.

Mistletoe

In ancient times, mistletoe represented peace and friendship. When friends stood beneath a tree adorned with mistletoe, their friendship would be blessed with good luck. Enemies who did likewise would call a truce for the day. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe grew from these older legends.

Candy Canes

These sugary treats represent the shepherd's crook at the nativity.

Wassailing

Since the 13th century, it has been the custom to offer a toast to each other for good health and cheer during the Christmas season. The original wassail bowl contained roasted apples, ale, sugar, spices, and cream or eggs. Eventually, egg nog developed as the traditional Christmas drink.

Yule Log

Yule logs were lit during the winter solstice to ward off demons and light up the darkest day of the year.

Christmas Trees

Fir trees traditionally represent life's victory over death, or eternal life. It was common during Saturnalia for Romans to decorate their homes with evergreen boughs.

Christmas Full Moon

Christmas 2015 will be graced with the first full moon since 1977. Another one will not appear until 2034. The full moon in December is often called the Full Cold Moon, Full Long Nights Moon, or the Moon before Yule. An old tradition relates that when a full moon rises on Christmas Eve, the animals will be blessed with the gift of speech.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ONE AND ALL, AND A BLESSED NEW YEAR!

Dawn Pisturino, RN

Copyright 2015 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

2015 Best of Kingman Award

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cosmic Health Blog Receives 2015 Best of Kingman Award

Kingman Award Program Honors the Achievement

KINGMAN October 1, 2015 -- Cosmic Health Blog has been selected for the 2015 Best of Kingman Award in the Healthcare category by the Kingman Award Program.

Each year, the Kingman Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Kingman area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2015 Kingman Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Kingman Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Kingman Award Program

The Kingman Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Kingman area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Kingman Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy.

SOURCE: Kingman Award Program

I was very happy to receive this notice.

Thank you!

Dawn Pisturino, RN
Cosmic Health

 

New Medicines from Deadly Poisons

 

 

Gila monsters are listed as a protected species in the state of Arizona, and thanks to new research, there is even more reason to be grateful for their protection.

 

For the last thirty years, researchers have been studying enzymes found in the lizard's poisonous saliva.

 

It was noted that people who were bitten by Gila monsters developed inflammation of the pancreas. Researchers began to study the venomous saliva and discovered that it contains hormones which stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin, thereby lowering blood sugar.

 

In April 2005, the FDA approved a new drug called Byetta*, a synthetic form of the hormones, to treat people with Type II diabetes who have not found adequate control with other oral diabetic medications.

 

The drug is given as an injection twice a day at least one hour before breakfast and dinner. The dosage is tightly controlled because even a small overdose can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and low blood sugar. Patients who receive an overdose must contact a physician or the Poison Control Center immediately.

 

The drug should not be taken after meals, and patients using other diabetic drugs may need dosage adjustment to avoid low blood sugar.

 

Byetta* also contributes to weight loss by producing a feeling of fullness and delaying emptying of the stomach.

 

The drug is being used experimentally on people with Type I diabetes to see if they can eventually use less insulin.

 

Byetta* (also called exenatide) is part of a new class of drugs derived from venom. Ziconotide, derived from deadly cone snail venom, was approved by the FDA for use in severe chronic pain. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine are experimenting with toxins used by the Caribbean sea anemone to stun its prey to develop a new treatment for multiple sclerosis. Others currently being investigated for use in humans include venoms derived from spiders, snakes, and scorpions.

Dawn Pisturino, RN
March 24, 2007
Published in The Kingman Daily Miner on May 29, 2007.
Copyright 2007-2015 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

*Byetta is a registered trademark.