Marijke: nurse turned writer

I've been asked a few times, "Have I read anything you've written?" My first smart-ass instinct is to reply, "I don't know, what do you read?" But I don't. Because for some people, meeting a writ...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2019/06/have-i-read-anything-youve-written.html

Following every natural disaster, we see television news and online videos of destruction. Images of destroyed homes, cars and trucks flipped over, and boats well inland instead of in the water, ...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2019/06/infection-following-natural-disasters.html

Say the word "dementia," and most people think about Alzheimer's disease. We can't blame them; Alzheimer's disease affects almost 6 million Americans  and many millions more across the world. ...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2019/05/dementia-its-more-than-alzheimers.html

It's all over the news - a new royal has been born . Prince Harry's glowing announcement of his son's birth was delightful. He was awed and in love. But how much does he owe the public about the ...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2019/05/do-celebrities-owe-us-health.html

This was an essay I wrote many years ago, about a patient who stayed with me throughout my career.   I remember Martin. I was 20 years old, barely a nurse. He was 53 and about to die. Wh...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2018/03/i-remember-martin.html

Wow. Just wow. I was poking around in my blog stats this evening. I began writing this blog almost 11 years ago now, so there are lots of posts. Some years, I'm great about posting often. Other...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2018/02/over-90000-page-views-for-post-i-wrote.html

If you have been following the TV show This Is Us , you've known from the start that a popular character, Jack Pearson, had died. But what the audience didn't know until this past weekend was how...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2018/02/this-is-us-took-beloved-character-but.html

The seasonal flu, influenza, is front page news across North America. Every day we are reading or hearing of someone who has died - and often it is someone young and healthy, the last person you ...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2018/02/is-flu-as-scary-as-media-stories-make.html

I'm sending out this blog post from lovely Charleston, S.C. I was invited here on a press trip sponsored by the American Cancer Society and Extended Stay America hotels, to highlight Hotel Keys o...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2017/06/cue-music-its-small-world-and-you-meet.html

Last year during the Olympics, the practice of cupping was brought to the forefront. Many athletes were spotted sporting large round welts on their their back, shoulders, and upper chest that we...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2017/06/do-nurses-have-role-in-complementary.html

I work with a US-based group, Sepsis Alliance (SA). It’s a patient advocacy group with a mission to raise sepsis awareness and save lives. While it’s an American organization, the situation...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2017/06/sepsis-so-deadly-so-under-recognized.html

I have two questions for you: If you see something wrong and this something is hurting or having a negative impact on people, is it not your duty to speak out about it? Does it matter what yo...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2017/04/whistle-blower-nurse-fined-by-her-own.html

 When we think of mandatory – or forced – overtime, our minds might go back to the day before labor unions, when people in factories were steadily working hour after hour, day after day, in...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2017/02/your-failure-to-plan-doesnt-constitute.html

I came across an interesting, but not unsurprising press release this morning. It seems that a study done in Spain found that over 15% of patients who received a new prescription did not get it f...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2017/02/do-you-take-your-new-prescriptions.html

Should nurses be using social media? Of course, there’s nothing to stop nurses from having social media accounts. These accounts allow them to chat with friends and family members, share photos...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2017/02/facebook-instagram-and-twitter-nurses.html

We hear it all the time when it comes to getting exercise: "Just get moving," or "take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator," but do those short bursts of energy really make a differen...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2017/02/no-time-to-exercise-short-bursts-of.html

As much as people like to trash Facebook, I have to say it is a great way to learn about ideas and issues around the world - unique things that you may never have heard about otherwise. Take this...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2017/02/what-do-crocheted-octopuses-and.html

Every winter we hear stories about people who have heart attacks after a heavy snowfall. It's not hard to imagine. People who are usually sedentary or moderately active take to shovelling out the...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2017/01/snow-related-heart-attacks-may-show-up.html

I've been writing and editing health and medical information since the late 90s, going full-time in 2009. I love my work, even if that means having to do something I'm not thrilled about: marketi...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2017/01/my-professional-website-update.html

The symptoms of menopause can be distressing for many women. From the hot flashes to insomnia, the severity of the symptoms can affect their quality of life. If we already know that anxiety can m...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2017/01/are-menopause-symptoms-made-worse-by.html

I've written many articles and blog posts about home safety for seniors - how to reduce the risk of falls by changing the environment and by managing health and medical issues. Falls at any age c...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2016/08/reducing-falls-in-seniors-using.html

Gardasil, a vaccine that helps prevent four human papilloma viruses (HPV) known to cause cervical cancer and cervical warts, was approved in the United States and Canada in 2006. Since then, mill...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2016/07/hpv-vaccine-study-shows-reduction-in.html

In this time when bad news is hitting us from all sides, I want to take a moment to wish my fellow Canadians a happy Canada Day. I hope that you are able to spend the day as you wish, whether it ...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2016/07/happy-canada-day-lets-give-everyone.html

I'm on the duh-study trail again. My latest find is "Adolescent sleep duration is associated with daytime mood." Well then. What a shocking finding from a National Institutes of Health supported ...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2016/06/lack-of-sleep-makes-for-cranky-teens.html

We all have our forgetful moments, a word we can't bring to mind, a name we've forgotten, or an appointment that slipped past us. We can't remember everything. Those who can, like actor Marilu He...

http://medhealthwriter.blogspot.com/2016/06/senior-moment-memory-clutter.html