I have been an R.N. for almost 30 years in a variety of settings: Med-Surg, ER, Home Care and Clinic nursing. I have a special interest in Women's healthcare issues and feel I can contribute to women making informed quality choices through my writing.
Other writings of mine can be found at:
http://www.helium.com/users/487540/show_articles
Dealing with the loss of one’s hair can be one of the most difficult struggles to overcome during cancer treatment. According to Marisa Weiss M.D., a breast radiation oncologist in Philadelphia, ...
February 7, 2012 - 7:39pm
Beautiful Lengths is a partnership program between Pantene and the American Cancer Society with a mission to donate real hair wigs to those who cannot afford them. To date, Pantene has donated ...
February 6, 2012 - 5:11am
Picato gel (ingenol mebutate) is now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of actinic keratosis (AK). AK is a precancerous skin condition caused by excess sun ...
February 1, 2012 - 4:58am
How would you like to “see” your dermatologist via your computer instead of going to a traditional office visit? As health care has become more expensive, managing certain conditions through ...
January 25, 2012 - 6:13am
Hair removal can seem like a struggle. We want smooth legs, underarms and bikini areas, but that undesired hair always grows back so quickly. Waxing and epilators are two methods that can give ...
January 22, 2012 - 3:38pm
Dry skin occurs for a variety of reasons. Many times the causes are external such as too much exposure to chlorine in swimming pools, or weather that is too dry, hot or cold. Other causes such as ...
January 19, 2012 - 6:46am
Coloring grey hair is a familiar ritual for those of us with silver-toned locks. In recent news, L’Oreal made it known that they were working on a pill that would take care of those troublesome ...
January 16, 2012 - 7:35am
The U.S. Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit against the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) brought about by the Holistic Candlers and Consumers Association. The Association represented ...
January 11, 2012 - 5:26am
Women use hair extensions for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they want a new longer look, or to add fullness to their hair, or they just want to try something that seems fun.
However, the ...
January 8, 2012 - 3:50pm
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a special light treatment that affects cells that are directly exposed. Photodynamic therapy has been approved by the FDA to treat certain dermatology and oncology ...
January 3, 2012 - 6:22pm
Do you remember watching the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing where volleyball player Kerri Walsh wore some unusual black tape on her shoulder? The tape is called kinesio tape and it has ...
January 1, 2012 - 6:38pm
Sometimes people turn to alternative treatments for acne treatment in order to avoid some of the side effects of traditional therapies. These side effects may include excess redness or drying or ...
December 28, 2011 - 6:50am
Acne treatments often use topical creams that are both prescription, over-the-counter and/or oral medications. These therapies are intended to focus on the main contributors of acne which are ...
December 26, 2011 - 9:59am
Acne is thought to be contributed to by a combination factors: overproduction of oil, irregular shedding of dead skin cells, bacteria and hormones. Usually acne is treated using topical and oral ...
December 20, 2011 - 7:29pm
Acne treatment usually benefits from a multiple step approach. Topical treatments may be started first that either are over-the-counter or prescription. All medication used for acne attempts to ...
December 19, 2011 - 6:46am
Acne treatment requires a balance between the right type of medications, consistent use, a gentle touch and patience. The actual cause of acne is not known but it is thought that numerous factors ...
December 13, 2011 - 6:49pm
Acne can appear when hair follicles become clogged with oil and dead skin cells. The bacteria, P. acnes contributes to acne eruptions and frequently reappears on the skin even after treatment. ...
December 11, 2011 - 2:41pm
Many of us have been going to the same hairstylist for years. We see them as friends, confidants and counselors. We rely on our hairstylists to make us look and feel good and make decisions ...
December 7, 2011 - 5:06am
Botox has been used for the treatment of wrinkles, excessive sweating problems and other medical applications where a muscle’s action needed to be blocked. A few years ago, it was discovered that ...
December 4, 2011 - 5:40pm
Triclosan is a common antibacterial added to numerous consumer products from soaps, toothpaste and deodorants to kitchenware, children’s toys and paint. The concern about triclosan is related to ...
November 27, 2011 - 4:53pm
Skin allergies can occur when our skin comes in contact with an irritating substance (an allergen) from products such as make-up, creams, shampoos, clothing or jewelry. Approximately 48 hours ...
November 22, 2011 - 6:20pm
Facial cosmetics have been known to cause contact dermatitis, but one doesn’t typically think about being allergic to nail polish. What is interesting is that often the first sign of being ...
November 20, 2011 - 6:51pm
Medical bills can empty your savings account faster than water running down a drain. You always hope no one in your family gets sick but even with great preventive health practices, unavoidable ...
November 14, 2011 - 6:51am
Getting a second opinion is a good idea if one has any doubt or concern about the best path to follow when diagnosed with a new or serious medical problem. It isn’t an indicator that you don’t ...
November 10, 2011 - 6:50pm
The message that tanning beds contribute to the risk of skin cancer, particularly melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer, appears in print constantly. So, why do people continue to use ...
November 9, 2011 - 8:39am
Every year between September and November flu shot season is in full swing as people try to ward off the risk of contracting the year’s flu. Previous studies have shown that obesity can affect ...
November 6, 2011 - 3:04pm
Basal cell cancer is the most common type of skin cancer and accounts for 90 percent of all the skin cancers diagnosed in the United States according to medicine.net. This form of skin cancer ...
November 2, 2011 - 4:27am
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that begins in the melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin and give our skin its color. Typically, melanoma cancer cells are brown or black but sometimes they ...
October 30, 2011 - 11:40am
Hair transplantation in men has been successfully performed for many years. However we don’t hear much about it being used in women. Women are equally as concerned with their diminishing manes ...
October 26, 2011 - 4:40am
We love to go the hair salon for some pampering, a fresh look and even maybe some gossip but luckily we may be getting more -- some cancer screening. A recent study published in the October 11 ...
October 24, 2011 - 1:04pm
Washing your hands after going to the bathroom is so basic that we learn to do this at a very young age. However, if the soap being used has bacteria in it then, according to a recent study, you ...
October 19, 2011 - 9:08am
Our nails can be important indicators of our general health. Certain nail changes have been related to respiratory problems, vitamin deficiencies and heart disease. An October 2011 study in ...
October 17, 2011 - 4:36am
In 1994, 9-year-old Sandeep Kaur’s hair became entangled in a threshing machine pulling off her entire face, scalp and hair. Doctors successfully reattached her face and while she never regained ...
October 12, 2011 - 9:12am
Many of us have varicose veins. In fact 50 percent of people have them and they occur more often in women than men. Varicose veins are gnarled, dilated, twisted veins that can appear blue, red or ...
October 10, 2011 - 9:17am
In May, 2011 the United States’ third full-face transplant took place. Charla Nash underwent this extensive surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital after having her nose, mouth and hands ripped ...
October 5, 2011 - 9:24am
Café au lait spots are light brown to dark brown flattened marks of varying sizes that can appear on the skin during infancy. They may be irregular in shape and become enlarged as a child grows ...
October 3, 2011 - 1:27pm
Moms who are looking for a moment of down time at a fast food stop by letting their kids go play in the tunnels should probably think again. According to Dr. Erin M. Carr-Jordan, “It’s bad” ...
September 28, 2011 - 7:22am
As a little girl, I was always intrigued by a lump on my grandfather’s forearm. I couldn’t help but notice it each time he reached for a card as we played Gin Rummy.
It was firm but ...
September 26, 2011 - 10:34am
There are three main types of burns: first, second and third degree. Treatment of each type of burn initially starts the same but other treatments may be required to heal more extensive burns. ...
September 21, 2011 - 12:28pm
Burns can occur when the skin is exposed to a variety of conditions. Heat or thermal burns are the most common in both adults and children. These burns can occur from fire, steam or hot objects. ...
September 19, 2011 - 9:26am
The sensation of feeling itchy is complex. Scientists have been researching just how complicated a simple itch is.
The sensation is partly an evolved behavior, partly genetic and is also ...
September 14, 2011 - 11:04am
Parents are naturally reluctant to use a medication that might cause their child harm. However, in treating children with eczema, topical corticosteroids are a mainstay of therapy despite these ...
Michele Blacksberg RN commented on Michele Blacksberg RN's post Topical Corticosteroid Cream not Harmful for Use in Children with Eczema, Study Finds