Happiness, Wellness and Healing

Growth

So far, I am unsure if anyone has read any of my postings.  Given the enormity of the World Wide Web, and the number of blogs that are on it, not to mention the other types of web pages, to be unread is little surprise.  Actually, I am aware of one person who has read my past postings, and for her I am grateful.  I changed the title today.  The decision in life that set the path toward this blog was the decision to take control of my future and look for other ways to develop income besides my medical practice.  The general public in the United States is unaware that physician and hospital payments are being set by the federal government.  This occurs with the Medicare reimbursement schedule.  Next the private carriers declare their payments as a percent of Medicare.  If a physician practice is in a specialy or sub-specialty that requires cooperation with hospitals and other physicians, then it is almost impossible to not cooperate with the system.  Like any other citizen, physicians can look elsewhere for income.  That lead me to look for a reputable nutritional supplement to offer to my patients, friends and anyone else who is interested.

As I was looking, I was also reading various books about business in our current age.  One book that is a real eye opener is Revolutionary Wealth by the Tofflers.  They have looked in greath depth to the future and point out the effect that globalization is having.  Maufacturing will move out of the country (USA), and leave us with what they call third wave industry.  The core of third wave, if I understand correctly, is the creative application of knowledge and developing new ideas to further improve life on the planet.  Of course, the general worker in the cities and towns will need to do something, and what is left are service industries or global influences using the internet.  The other person that I love to read is Seth Godin.  He makes an excellent case for blogging as one of the newest and most effective ways to promote a business or idea.  Hence this blog. 

Next you ask, "How does Agel fit in?"  Agel is the nutritional company that I chose.  The products are organic and all natural.  They are delivered in form of a gel, rather than as pills or liquids that can spill.  The company is relatively new and is already world wide.  Now I even have a web site to explain everything at www.drjshotwell.com.  The really good news is that I have been using the products myself.  My favorite is OHM.  It is the one for severe energy.  My office staff tell me that it is working.  Indeed, I feel better and get a lot more done.

Sleep and Energy

My topic for today is Obstructive Sleep Apnea.  About six weeks ago, I decided to have a sleep study myself to see what one felt like.  Also, I had been so tired and could not seem to get enough rest, no matter what I did.  To my surprise and, as it turns out, to my delight, I had severe sleep apnea.  For several years, I have observed as my patients tell me how much better they feel when their CPAP works.  Now, I can add myself to the list of those successfully treated. 

When I reflect on my life, I have always been sleepy and tired.  Never was a morning person, I thought that was just a variation in how we all respond to life.  Now, I know that the problem was sleep apnea.  I wake up awake and ready to do whatever needs to be done.  Even when I was very thin, the problems waking up were still with me.  That personal experience has left me with a theory.  Perhaps some obese people had sleep apnea problems first and that caused the weight, not the other way around.

When our bodies cannot obtain enough of the restorative sleep, it affects our energy, our immune systems, our appetites and the way we think, among other things.  Anatomic variations lead to narrowing of the airway.  Our brains can tell that we are not breathing enough and have to wake us up so that we will breath adequately.  Some of us are aware of waking up, that is called insomnia.  Others are not aware of waking up and say that they sleep just fine.  The key symptoms appear to be problems waking up in the morning and excessive tiredness or sleepiness.  Some people have snoring, but that is not a universal symptom.  The other problem that does not seem to be well known is chronic shortness of breath.  If you have any of these problems, I encourage you to see someone about having a sleep study done.  You, too, might find new energy and a new outlook like I have.

Angels at home

One of the joys of my life (I have many.), is my relationship with my pets.  I have three.   The eldest is a spoiled Yorkshire terrier named Columbo.  He is harassed daily by two not so elderly cats.  The older cat was about three years old when I adopted him at a Petsmart from KittyCo.  His name is Chili because he was rescued at a trash dump behind a Chili's.  According to his foster mom, no one wanted him after he had been to three adoption sessions because he was not as cute as the little kittens.  Well, tell me someone is unwanted, and I immediately want to help.  So, I held him and we seemed to do OK together and I sat down to do the paperwork.  About that same time, a taxi driver came in with a tiny, squealing kitten who was about three to four weeks old.  His story was that he got the kitten from a man at a gasoline station who had a box of them, kittens, I mean.  When he got home, his wife told him, "No Way!"  The ladies there were trying to comfort the poor thing, but to no avail.  Since I was sitting, I offered to hold her.  Can you guess the next line?  Little Felice, my name for her, started to purr, snuggle and eat.  Needless to say, she went home with me and Chili that day also.

Now the dilemma at home was how to keep her secure and have Columbo accept her.  To our amazement, Columbo adopted her as his own little child.  Now Felice is not sure whether she is a cat or a dog.  She goes between playing with Columbo and next playing with Chili.  It has taken two years for Chili to get over running away from Columbo.  Finally they can be in the same room and not bark and hiss. 

To me, these guys are truly angels from heaven.  They love without condition.  They are always forgiving.  Not once have they pouted when I get home, no they are always there to receive and give love and attention.  At least one of them comes to the door everytime.  Over the years Columbo has heard all of my secrets and he has yet to tell one of them in public.  When I went through a period of depression, he stayed with me, but also made me get up and walk with him and play.  By those demands, he helped me recover.  I consider it an honor from heaven, to be blessed to entertain these truly remarkable creatures for their stay on earth.  I know that each one is sent just for me.  Felice's reaction when we met proves that.