KJ WILL BLOG

Global health, Public health, Nutrition, Psychology, Sociology, and more..

[vaccineswork]

What’s that you say? You’d like to see some more reasons for supporting global immunisation? You’re in luck. 

Here are our final three representations of the compelling reasons to keep making vaccines work over the next 5 years, before we begin the process of making it happen tomorrow. 

Find out more about what we’ll be up to!

[pubhealth]

Prevent Cervical Cancer with the Right Test at the Right Time

(From CDC)

[kjwillblog-blog]

Sixty-Five

The year is 2055 and the world is remarkably different than what we thought it would be when we reflected on the future forty years ago. 2015 itself marked a year in which the change in how we lived our lives would truly take shape as the home of the future was slowly taking a new form, and, as issues such as climate change were finally beginning to be recognized as what they really were: Real. Forty years ago, at the age of twenty-five, my whole life was still ahead of me and my ambition to make a difference in the world was fresh, though my place in it still quite unfounded. School was my life back then. It was the spring semester of 2015 and I was a few months and a year out from graduation. This semester, in particular, was already shaping up to be a difficult and busy one as to graduate on time I had decided to take on eighteen credit hours’ worth of coursework. With six classes, a lab, service learning, and working part-time, I was sure that I wouldn’t make it to May; which brings me to why I am telling you this story in the first place.

            As part of this Health Issues in Aging class that I was enrolled in, we were asked to write a brief paper about ourselves or how we expected ourselves to be once we had turned sixty-five. There were four questions that were expected to be answered about our anticipations for our future: What we were looking forward to as an older adult? What were we not looking forward to as an older adult? How did we expect to be as a 65+ individual? And how did we achieve this? Of course, as a twenty-something-year-old, this seemed to be a daunting task because the only time I had ever contemplated old age was when I was dreading its arrival as each post-teenage birthday ticked by. Nevertheless, on a cold Sunday evening I met one of my friends for coffee and wrote out my response while reflecting on my future.

            I looked forward to having met my purpose in life, but also still having the drive to continue whatever work I had been doing. This became true as I have not yet retired from the public health field, nor have I ceased writing about current health issues. Health, as I intended, is still a big part of my life and my post-college years were spent educating others on how to be healthy themselves. I’m sixty-five, though because of taking care of my health and because of how advanced healthcare has become I look like I am in my late 40’s or early 50’s. I feel younger than that though and I give the younger individuals a run for their money and resources. I still find myself stressed because of the world issues that we face, though I am living comfortable and have most of the life I always wanted. I live in an urban, downtown high rise, I’m happily married to another successful gentleman, I’m in good physical condition, and I’m mentally secure, content, and positive.

One negative would be the climate and how most of our ‘outdoor’ recess is spent inside man-made greenhouse parks. We also grow our food in tower-farms; skyscrapers for agriculture. A few things that I was not looking forward to did end up becoming realities. Though being in good shape I still suffer from arthritis, my blood pressure is slightly higher than it should be, and the mirror isn’t as kind as it once was. My hair has grayed and is thinning, something that affected me for a while and was a fear as early as my twenties. I sometimes have low days which can turn into steep slopes of depression and anxiety because of the unpredictable future, even though these days’ time is, most likely, still on my side. This can be a good thing, but also a bad thing because more time can mean a longer period of falling to pieces, mentally and physically. Decay is absolutely the one thing I did not look forward to. But it’s a part of life, and it is what it is. Most days I’m fine with my age and I’m definitely thankful for the time I’ve had so far. My ambition now is to make it to 100.

As for how I became who I am today and how I accomplished things that I had hoped I would be successful at, I worked for it. Good health doesn’t come naturally to anyone, but it’s something that we have to work at. Being a health major and eventual professional, I knew that health is a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being, while also being free of illness or infirmity. So that’s what I ran with. I disciplined myself to eat well and pushed myself to be active, physically and mentally. I made fitness a priority after years of making it a hobby, and I challenged my mind through the act of being a life-long learner as I still am to this day. When it comes to the negative side-affects, this is life. We are not meant, nor should we expect to live forever, though we can ease some of the burden by taking care of ourselves. This is my life, in brief, at sixty-five. 

[kjwillblog-blog]

I could listen to this all day. So many memories. :P 

[kjwillblog-blog]

Just read an article suggesting that it could one day be possible to colonize the clouds of Venus. How cool?

[caretothepeople-blog]

[kjwillblog-blog]

Some mental health tips. :)

[onlinecounsellingcollege]

1. Know the friends or people who tend to wear you out, and deliberately limit the time you spend with them. 2. Be aware of how your thought patterns change throughout the day, and challenge these thought patterns when they’re harsh or negative. 3. Recognise that it is normal to struggle with...

[kjwillblog-blog]

My attempt at organizing my stressors for the semester! 

[kjwillblog-blog]

A remix (not mine) of my favorite video game song ever! So many memories with this game! :) 

[pubhealth]

Take Two and Call Me in the Morning: 7 simple ways to prevent seasonal flu in the workplace

By Mandy Edens

…..

The following are seven simple tips to keep in mind for preventing seasonal flu at work:

Get vaccinated. Vaccination is the most important way to prevent the spread of the flu. Take the vaccination pledge.

Stay at home if you are sick. The HHS/CDC recommends that workers who have a fever and respiratory symptoms stay at home until 24 hours after their fever ends without the use of medication.

Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds; use an alcohol-based hand rub if soap and water are not available.

Avoid touching your nose, mouth, and eyes.

Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, or cough and sneeze into your upper sleeve(s).

Keep frequently touched common surfaces (e.g., telephones, computer equipment, etc.) clean.

Try not to use a coworker’s phone, desk, office, computer, or other work tools and equipment. If you must use a coworker’s equipment, consider cleaning it first with a disinfectant.

For more information, visit OSHA’s seasonal flu webpage, which provides additional guidance and resources for protecting workers during flu season, or check out the CDC’s Flu IQ website to test your knowledge about the flu and see how you can help to keep your workplace safe, healthy and flu-free.

(from the US Department of Labor Blog)

[pubhealth]

Impact of Vaccines

Learn about the impact of vaccines in the Americas, accomplishments in eliminating diseases, and the introduction of new vaccines

(From PAHO)

[kjwillblog-blog]

Album Listening Challenge #4

Artist: Ramones

Album: Ramones

Release Date: 2/4/76

This post catches me up and is definitely different from anything I would typically choose to listen to myself, which is why it makes more sense to admit that a friend chose it for me. :P I actually enjoyed most of the album, though for me a lot of the songs sounded so much a like that I don't think I could pick some of them out from another. That being said, this is why I'm not a music expert. My favorite song was 'Loudmouth'. A couple others I liked are 'Judy Is A Punk' and 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.' 

[kjwillblog-blog]

Album Listening Challenge #3

Artist: Fitz and the Tantrums

Album: Pickin' Up the Pieces

Release Date: 8/24/10

Playing catch up, this is my 1/3/14 album listen of a band I have been meaning to check out, but just haven't. Their sound is different than what I would typically listen to, which isn't much (lol), but I enjoyed this album a lot. Stand out songs for me were 'Breakin' The Chains of Love', 'MoneyGrabber' (my favorite), and 'L.O.V.' 

[kjwillblog-blog]

Album Listening Challenge #2

Artist: Fun

Album: Some Nights

Release Date: 2/21/12

I enjoyed this album for the most part, though, by the end I had become a bit bored. This may be because of my lack of focus, at times, or possibly the last several songs just didn't grasp anything in me. My favorite song ended up being 'Carry On', which didn't surprise me, followed by 'Some Nights', 'We are Young', and 'Why Am I the One.' I wouldn't buy the full album, but would include some songs on a playlist. 

[kjwillblog-blog]

Album Listening Challenge #1

Artist: Chvrches

Album: The Bones of What You Believe

Release Date: 9/20/13

This is the first album I listened to as part of my music listening challenge for 2015. I don't listen to a huge variety of music, and therefore, I am not a proper critic. With that being said, this is merely my own simple, personal perspective on the album. The style was different than what I am used to, but I overall enjoyed it. This is an album which I would gladly purchase to play in the car for a road trip or regular use. My favorite song was 'Recover', followed by 'Gun', 'Lies', 'Night Sky', and 'Science/Visions'. 

[kjwillblog-blog]

Being Healthy

I thought I'd go ahead and post this again considering it's the start of a new year, and all. 

Being healthy is not just an absence of illness or injury, but is the state of being physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually, environmentally, intellectually, occupationally, and financially well. 

How are you doing today?

[kjwillblog-blog]

I looked outside the glass at golden shores, at golden ships and masts with golden shores. As my reflection passed, I hated what I saw. My golden eyes were dead, and a though passed through my head. A heart that's made of gold can't really beat at all.