Sacramento Life Force Home Health Care

Home Health Care Sacramento, Roseville, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, CA (Metro Sacramento, CA California)

Sacramento Life Force Home Health Care
2929 Fulton Avenue, Suite 2967
Sacramento, CA 95821

Phone: (916) 481-6825

Sacramento Life Force Home Health Care Web Site:http://www.SacLifeForce.com

City of Sacramento Business License # 129233
County of Sacramento Business License # 312924
State of California Small Business Certified # 37544
Member of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce

THE GUTHRIE CENTER http://guthriecenter.org/

The Guthrie Center’s mission is to bring individuals together for cultural, educational, and spiritual exchange. The Center is dedicated to meeting the ongoing needs of the community by working together with other non-profit agencies to serve those in need. In doing so we hope to create an environment where individuals can come together to cultivate a deeper awareness of culture, humanity and the environment of which we are all a part.

http://guthriecenter.org/

THE GUTHRIE CENTER http://guthriecenter.org/

Alice’s Restaurant isn’t around anymore. But, as the song says, “Alice didn’t live in a restaurant. She lived in the church nearby the restaurant…” And the old Trinity Episcopal Church, where Alice once lived and where the saga began has become home to The Guthrie Center and The Guthrie Foundation.

Arlo Guthrie providing a place to bring together individuals for spiritual service, as well as cultural and educational exchange founded the Guthrie Center, an Interfaith Church, in 1991. The Trinity Church where the song “The Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” began and where the movie “Alice’s Restaurant” was filmed, continues to service the local and international community.

Originally built as the St. James Episcopal Chapel in 1829, the structure was enlarged in 1866 and renamed Trinity Episcopal Church. Ray and Alice Brock purchased the property in 1964 and made it their home. The building has had several owners since the early 1970s.

The Brocks had been on the staff of a small private boarding school in the area – The Stockbridge School. Ray Brock, trained as an architect, taught a shop class and Alice worked as the school librarian. They were wonderfully creative people and attracted a number of students with whom they shared their idealism and their creativity. Arlo Guthrie was one of them.

After four years of high school in Stockbridge, Arlo graduated in the spring of 1965 entering Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana the following fall. His college career was short lived, however, and he returned to the Berkshires in November of 1965. He stayed with his friends, Ray and Alice, at the church during the Thanksgiving holidays. The rest, as they say, is history.

The new organizations are dedicated to all those around the world who believe that there is one truth and infinite ways to approach it. As the world becomes smaller we must find ways to embrace the spiritual journeys of those whose traditions are different, without abandoning our own. The skills needed for healthy future are different from the ones needed to preserve the past, and both are required to live in the moment.

http://guthriecenter.org/

Be Aware of Ramsay Hunt Syndrome —- Hunt syndrome; Herpes oticus

Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a painful rash around the ear that occurs when the varicella zoster virus infects a nerve in the head.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

The varicella zoster virus that causes Ramsay Hunt syndrome is the same virus that causes chickenpox (varicella) and shingles.

In people with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, the virus is believed to infect the facial nerve near the inner ear. This leads to irritation and swelling of the nerve.

Symptoms

Painful rash on the eardrum, ear canal, earlobe, tongue, roof of the mouth (palate) on the same side as weakness of the face
Hearing loss on one side
Sensation of things spinning (vertigo)
Weakness on one side of the face
- Difficulty closing one eye
- Difficulty eating (food falls out of the weak corner of the mouth)
- Difficulty making expressions, grimacing
- Difficulty with fine movements of the face
- Facial droop
- Paralysis of one side of the face

Signs and tests

The doctor will usually make the diagnosis by looking for signs of weakness in the face and a blister-like (vesicular) rash.

Tests may include:

Blood tests for varicella zoster virus
Electromyography (EMG)
Lumbar puncture
MRI of the head
Nerve conduction (to determine the extent of damage to the facial nerve)
Skin tests for varicella zoster virus

Treatment

Strong anti-inflammatory drugs called steroids (such as prednisone) are usually prescribed for 5 – 7 days. Antiviral medications, such as acyclovir or valacyclovir, can be given for 7 – 10 days, although the benefit of antiviral medications is uncertain.

Sometimes strong painkillers are also needed if the pain continues even with steroids. While you have weakness of the face, wear an eye patch to prevent injury to the cornea (corneal abrasion) and damage to the eye if it does not close completely.

If you have dizziness (vertigo), your health care provider can recommend other medications.

Expectations (prognosis)

The more severe the damage, the longer it will take to recover, and the lower the chance that you will completely regain normal function. If there is not much damage to the nerve, then you should get better completely within a few weeks. If damage is more severe, you may not fully recover– even after several months.

Overall, chances of recovery are better if the treatment is started within 3 days of when the symptoms begin. If treatment is started at this time, 70% of patients make a full recovery.

However, when the treatment is delayed more than 3 days, the chances of complete recovery drop to about 50%. Children are more likely to have a complete recovery than adults.

Recovery may be complicated if the nerve grows back to the wrong areas (synkinesis), which may cause inappropriate responses, such as tears when laughing or chewing (crocodile tears). Some other people may experience blinking of the eye when they talk or chew food.

Complications

Changes to the appearance of the face (disfigurement) from loss of movement
Changes to taste
Damage to the eye (corneal ulcers and infections)
Nerves that grow back to the wrong structures (aberrant regeneration) — for example, smiling causes the eye to close
Persistent pain (postherpetic neuralgia)
Spasm of the face muscles or eyelids

Occasionally, the virus may spread to other nerves, or even to the brain and spinal cord, causing:

Confusion
Drowsiness (lethargy)
Headaches
Limb weakness
Nerve pain

This may require a hospital stay. A spinal tap may help determine whether other areas of the nervous system have been infected.

Calling your health care provider

Call your health care provider if you lose movement in your face, or you have a rash on your face that occurs with facial weakness.

Prevention

There is no known way to prevent Ramsay Hunt syndrome, but taking medication early in the course of the symptoms can improve recovery.

Home Health Care Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, CA (Metro Sacramento, CA California)

Sacramento Life Force Home Health Care
2929 Fulton Avenue, Suite 2967
Sacramento, CA 95821

Phone: (916) 481-6825

Sacramento Life Force Home Health Care Web Site: http://www.SacLifeForce.com

City of Sacramento Business License # 129233
County of Sacramento Business License # 312924
State of California Small Business Certified # 37544
Member of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce

Be Aware of Atrial Fibrillation (AF or AFib)

Many of you, I’m sure have been hearing a lot about Atrial fibrillation (AF or AFib) on TV ads lately. This is something as we age we should all be aware of, since AFib can cause a heart attack or a stroke (or both).

Atrial fibrillation is an abnormal heart rhythm. The four chambers of the heart usually beat in a steady, rhythmic pattern. Atrial fibrillation means that the atria (upper chambers of the heart) are fibrillating or twitching quickly and creating an irregular rhythm.

In at least 10 percent of the cases, no underlying heart disease is found. In these cases, AF may be related to alcohol or excessive caffeine use, stress, certain drugs, electrolyte or metabolic imbalances, severe infections, or genetic factors. In some cases, no cause can be found. Those with a known heart problem or heart disease have an increased risk of Atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation can also lead to more serious health problems if it isn’t treated. Because of this, people with atrial fibrillation are twice as likely to die prematurely as people with a normal heart rhythm. Since all of your cells depend on your heart for blood and nourishment, atrial fibrillation can affect your entire body.

When the atria quiver (the heart’s upper chambers) instead of contracting normally, more blood often gets left behind instead of being pumped into the ventricles. When blood pools like this inside the atria, it can trigger the formation of unwanted clots. These clots can break off, travel throughout your blood vessels, and then become stuck — decreasing the amount of blood that flows through the vessel.

Any tissue that has its blood flow reduced or completely blocked off can be damaged. This can happen, for example, in an arm, a leg, or an internal organ.

The risk of AF increases with age, particularly after age 60. If one has poor blood circulation in their legs, head and/or heart this can also be a sign of AFib.

The some of the most common symptoms of AF include:

Feeling over-tired or a lack of energy (most common)
Pulse that is faster than normal or changing between fast and slow
Shortness of breath
Heart palpitations (feeling like your heart is racing, pounding or fluttering)
Trouble with everyday exercises or activities
Pain, pressure, tightness or discomfort in your chest
Dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting
Increased urination (using the bathroom more often)

There are There are several tests that can be done to check for a fast or irregular heartbeat. Your doctor may order these tests if you are having signs or symptoms of a heart problem.

The goals of treatment for atrial fibrillation include regaining a normal heart rhythm (sinus rhythm), controlling the heart rate, preventing blood clots and reducing the risk of stroke or heart attack.

Many options are available to treat atrial fibrillation, including lifestyle changes, medications, catheter-based procedures and surgery (including adding a pacemaker). The type of treatment that is recommended for you is based on your heart rhythm and symptoms.

Information on our blog should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.

For more info:

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/af/af_what.html

The Episcopal Church, USA

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/

The Episcopal Church, USA

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/

The Episcopal Church, USA

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/

Well everyone…..it is with tears and a wicked heavy heart I have to report that Meshu The Cat died in my arms on November 1st 2011 at 12:15pm. I can not even put in words how she has touched my life. Meshu was my best friend and my little soul mate. Please pray for Meshu as she heads into her new life as Meshu The Kitty Angel. Take her into your loving arms God and love her as I loved her…..please.

Hey gang….here is a pic of my cat Meshu crashed out on the kitchen table…Meshu really needs your needs prayers for healing and health…..she is very sick….I love her so much…

Sacramento Life Force Home Health Care Web Site

Sacramento Life Force Home Health Care Web Site: http://www.SacLifeForce.com