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Casey and Joanie visit with RN and CNA President’s Council member, Zenei Cortez about the CNA Nursing Angels Family Fund established by the California Nurses Association for the victims of the horrible limousine fire that occurred on the San Mateo Bridge here in Northern California. The news of the death of two RNs and three other caregivers in the tragic limousine fire brought deep sadness to everyone. Zenei will talk about the fund and how people can donate. * For more information about this topic visit calnurses.org. Read more…

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A little bit of our interview with Ken Zinn, the D.C. based Political Director for National Nurses United, talks with us about the announcement from the European Nations that 11 countries have signed on to a “financial transaction” tax, aka the Robin Hood Tax. The Robin Hood tax will raise billions of dollars by taxing financial transactions by incurring a less than half a percent tax on Wall Street transactions. Nurses in the U.S. have been on the leading edge of this concept and are making some headway here at home. Keep an open mind. If you listen to the simple details you might agree – this is a very fair and doable measure. Visit robinhoodtax.org.

Also, check out the “hairy” trivia questions at the end of the talk! Read more…

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Ken Zinn, the D.C. based Political Director for National Nurses United, talks with us about the announcement from the European Nations that 11 countries have signed on to a “financial transaction” tax, aka the Robin Hood Tax. The Robin Hood tax will raise billions of dollars by taxing financial transactions by incurring a less than half a percent tax on Wall Street transactions. Nurses in the U.S. have been on the leading edge of this concept and are making some headway here at home. Keep an open mind. If you listen to the simple details you might agree – this is a very fair and doable measure. Visit robinhoodtax.org. Read more…

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This week we share with you a very show from the Nurse Talk library, and “re-present” two very honorable guests, Ken Zinn, the D.C. based Political Director for National Nurses United and retired army nurse captain, Vietnam War veteran, and founder of the Women’s Vietnam Memorial, Diane Carlson Evans.

Ken talks with us about the announcement from the European Nations that 11 countries have signed on to a “financial transaction” tax, aka the Robin Hood Tax. The Robin Hood tax will raise billions of dollars by taxing financial transactions by incurring a less than half a percent tax on Wall Street transactions. Nurses in the U.S. have been on the leading edge of this concept and are making some headway here at home. Keep an open mind. If you listen to the simple details you might agree – this is a very fair and doable measure. Visit robinhoodtax.org.

Diane Carlson Evans who served as an army nurse in Vietnam talks about the announcement by the pentagon that women can now serve in combat roles in the military. Diane shares her story and tells us that women have been serving in combat since World War 2, mostly as nurses. Read more…

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Fitness Flops Part One

Fitness was once considered a fad. While fitness is no longer considered a fad, there have been many fitness products that have been sold to consumers wishing to get into shape quickly.

It can be hard to tell the difference between fitness products that work and fitness products that flop.

Today, I’m going to talk about fitness products that did not live up to their promises.

Fitness Flop 1: Electronic Muscle Stimulators/The Electronic Ab Toner.  Cost $50-$250.00

This is a machine that sends electric currents to your abs, making them contract and release. This peroduct is supposed to cause you to burn off body fat.  Losing body fat requires a combination of cardio exercise and a reduced calorie diet. You can’t lose weight or fat by spot reducing or without moving your muscles. The only way to lose fat is to do the work yourself.

Fitness Flop 2: Ab Lounge/Ab Rocker.  Cost-$129-$179.00

The Ab Rocker and Ab Lounge are both a portable piece of exercise equipment that resemble a lounge chair. They claim to work the upper, lower abs and obliques, all while you rock back and forth in front of your television. When a product’s claims sound too good to be true they usually are. Read more…

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A fierce leader, and one of our favorite guests, Healthcare and Human Rights Advocate Donna Smith, will join us. As some of you know, Donna has been leading the charge for the past 8 years for a universal healthcare system in our country. Donna was featured in Michael Moore’s film “Sicko.” For the past 5 years she worked as the Legislative Coordinator for National Nurses United. She is now the Executive Director of Healthcare for All Colorado. We’ll talk with Donna about all things healthcare, a little politics, the effects of the sequester – particularly the ones you don’t hear about — and more. For more information about Healthcare for All Colorado, visit healthcareforallcolorado.org. Read more…

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Listen to our guest this week RN Jeff Breslin of the Michigan Nurses Association on The Safe Patient Care Act “Every Michigan resident deserves to receive safe care at every hospital, every time. Michigan’s nurses are simply asking for our leaders’ support to make that happen.” Jeff will talk with us about this important initiative that is sweeping the country. Read more…

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Listen to our guest this week RN Jeff Breslin of the Michigan Nurses Association on The Safe Patient Care Act “Every Michigan resident deserves to receive safe care at every hospital, every time. Michigan’s nurses are simply asking for our leaders’ support to make that happen.” Jeff will talk with us about this important initiative that is sweeping the country.

And later, a fierce leader, and one of our favorite guests, Healthcare and Human Rights Advocate Donna Smith, will join us. As some of you know, Donna has been leading the charge for the past 8 years for a universal healthcare system in our country. Donna was featured in Michael Moore’s film “Sicko.” For the past 5 years she worked as the Legislative Coordinator for National Nurses United. She is now the Executive Director of Healthcare for All Colorado. We’ll talk with Donna about all things healthcare, a little politics, the effects of the sequester – particularly the ones you don’t hear about — and more. For more information about Healthcare for All Colorado, visit healthcareforallcolorado.org.

And don’t forget, our resident health and fitness expert Joanie Greggains with another edition of “Fit Happens.” We’ll also tend to email questions and a few “off-the-grid” jokes that only nurses can tell and insist they aren’t going to be bleeped! Read more…

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THE TOP 10 FITNESS MYTHS

OK, I don’t care if you’ve been hitting the gym and working out for years, chances are you’ve fallen for a few fitness myths. While some myths may contain half truths, many of these exercise induced myths have largely been debunked by current research, but surprisingly the following 10 are still in circulation.

MYTH ONE: YOU CAN SPOT REDUCE.
No matter how many crunches you do, it’s not possible to melt fat off just your midsection. You have to work the whole body–weights for muscle strength and endurance, cardio to utilize fat as fuel combined with healthy diet is the only way.

MYTH TWO: AEROBIC WORKOUTS BOOST YOUR METABOLISM FOR HOURS AFTER YOU STOP.
The myth that working out in the morning will keep your body burning calories at a higher rate all day is only partially true. You do end up burning more calories after you get off the treadmill, but only about 20 over the course of the day, not the several hundred extra many people seem to expect.

MYTH THREE: TREADMILLS ARE BETTER FOR YOUR KNEES.
People with knee problems may have been told that running on a treadmill gives you more cushion than running on pavement. Read more…

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Betty is a nurse at Newton Wellesley Hospital and is trained to provide care and treatment in the wake of all types of disasters.

Betty, who was on the ground to help victims after Hurricane Katrina and in Haiti after the devastating earthquake, was working at the medical tent at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. She was there to respond and care for the victims when the bombs exploded. She is trained to do this and she has seen horrific scenes before, but this time it was different; she knew her son was at the finish line with a camera getting ready to photograph her daughter-in-law as she finished the race. Betty is with us to share what it was like to be at the horrific scene. Read more…