Quality of Blogs

I have actually been amazed at the quality and depth I have seen in some of the blogs.  There is a great variety as well.  It is clear to me who has the gift of writing and who is doing this because it is something we need to do for this class.
This is not different from the blogs we see on the internet.  There are personal opinions written as fact which are then quoted from one blog to another.  Links often take you from an article to a blog which does not have any evidence or footnotes listed.  Some links are almost pop-culture, advertising done as a blog to make you think it is something real and related to your health (I looked up Thyroid function and got to two blogs that ended up selling their own on line books or products.)
Within the class there are also people who clearly are thoughtful scholars with information to share that makes us all see the world differently.
I also appreciate the humor I found in many.
This is more difficult than I thought it would be, but it is also a bit cathartic.
Perhaps I could get in the habit of trying to write a bit every night.  Something I often tell my clients to do.  I explain that just finding one thing that you are grateful for or that went well each night can help you center on the positive which has great potential to improve your overall health.

A great article on Smart phone use and their impact on healthcare

In looking at technology last week, I was very focused on looking at Second Life and the role of the Virtual World of Health Care. In doing so, I was a bit frustrated because I had trouble really getting my Avatar and I to work together.  I have now taken a bit of a break, and am looking again at the vast array of ways patients, families, caregivers and providers can find the answers to their health care questions.
I started researching for a paper I am doing in another class and was  looking at other blogs and the sites on the internet that make accessing information so much easier than just a decade ago. I find that I am often buried in links that go to other links, etc.  I have also noticed that you can find health care information as part of most mainstream monthly magazines (How to prevent Childhood Obesity,  Making healthy meals your children will eat, The family that plays together grows old together, etc).  But, what got me to this blog today is an article I just found on how smartphones are really changing how we look at healthcare from a consumer and a provider point of view.  I am posting it her for your interest and comments as well.

http://www.chcf.org/publications/2010/04/how-smartphones-are-changing-health-care-for-consumers-and-providers
I hope you enjoy it 

Survior of Davis Island??

As a fairly smart woman who was taught  how to use a computer at the age of 30 by my 10 year old son, I have spent the last 20+ years thinking I can do just about anything with a computer if I just sit down and try.  I taught myself excel and powerpoint (I can even insert movies, music and animate a bit). I have explored web sites far and wide and lost myself for hours in cyberspace. But, this past two weeks, I have hit a wall.  I have been going to Second Life to really learn how to explore the world that we can create and try things out in.  A cyber lab if you will.  Well, I viewed You Tube videos, and then practiced.  I spent hours until I finally could change my clothes!
Now I am not in any way bad mouthing this virtual reality world.  Every video I have seen makes me more determined than ever to figure it out.


This is a good thing, I find when I struggle the most, I get an Ah Ha moment and all things fall into place.  I just feel like I am on the reality show Survivor.  Will I find the right people to be friends with so I get the password to let me go where I want to go. 

This is a safe place at least.  I know I will be protected when I get to where I am going, a virtual medical center.  A place where you can see what it feels like to be paranoid schizophrenic, practice disaster drills without real people, hold seminars and countless learning labs, and still be anonymous.  In this way, you can say what you really believe to be true and not be held to retribution.  If you are a patient , there is no way for your data to be stolen, only the MD knows who you are.

There are a lot of opportunities to use this virtual world to try and find ways to do things for the population going forward.  To study what we could do in a disaster like a major earthquake.  Where would you set up your shelters, how to staff them, etc.

There is a site for people with disabilities to go to for learning activities.  I think the applications for this are endless, I just need to find my way. 
I do think it should start by making the process a little easier for those of us who are digital immigrants.!!