RN Alison Whitaker on Vital Signs, RN Jean Ross on Robin Hood and Dr. Jamie Koufman on Dropping Acid

Alison Whitaker in Vital Signs

Casey and Shayne check in with RN and playwright RN Alison Whitaker. Some of you may remember Alison was on the show last year introducing her one-woman play called, Vital Signs. It’s a great show at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco. If you missed Alison Whitaker’s Vital Signs in June…it’s been extended! Don’t miss it again get your tickets at the Marsh Theater.

And we talk with one of our favorite guests RN and Co-President of National Nurses United, Jean Ross. Jean will tell us about the Nurses Assembly in Chicago where over 1200 nurses talked about everything from healthcare to Medicare and promote a Wall Street Transaction Tax.

And then..for you 60’s hippies…let’s talk about Dropping Acid! That’s right…but of course, not the kind you think. Dr. Jamie Koufman will be with us to talk about acid reflux and what you can do to control or cure it by simply changing your diet. Dr. Koufman has written a book called Dropping Acid, The Reflux Diet Cookbook and Cure. According to the book, acid reflux affects 30-50% of the population. You won’t want to miss this.

RN Alison Whitaker on Vital Signs, RN Jean Ross on Robin Hood and Dr. Jamie Koufman on Dropping Acid

Alison Whitaker in Vital Signs

Casey and Shayne check in with RN and playwright RN Alison Whitaker. Some of you may remember Alison was on the show last year introducing her one-woman play called, Vital Signs. It’s a great show at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco. If you missed Alison Whitaker’s Vital Signs in June…it’s been extended! Don’t miss it again get your tickets at the Marsh Theater.

And we talk with one of our favorite guests RN and Co-President of National Nurses United, Jean Ross. Jean will tell us about the Nurses Assembly in Chicago where over 1200 nurses talked about everything from healthcare to Medicare and promoted a Wall Street Transaction Tax, aka the Robin Hood Tax.

Check out this Bill Moyers (PBS) interview with National Nurses United Executive Director Rose Ann Demoro as she talks about the “Robin Hood” tax. Peeps—no matter what your political persuasion—it makes sense!

And then…for you 60’s hippies…let’s talk about Dropping Acid! That’s right…but of course, not the kind you think. Dr. Jamie Koufman will be with us to talk about acid reflux and what you can do to control or cure it by simply changing your diet. Dr. Koufman has written a book called Dropping Acid, The Reflux Diet Cookbook and Cure. According to the book, acid reflux affects 30-50% of the population. You won’t want to miss this.

Dr. Francine Shapiro

And coming up in the next few weeks. Another visit with Dr. Francine Shapiro. Dr. Shapiro is the founder of EMDR Therapy. EMDR therapy is the groundbreaking treatment EMDR is now being used successfully on Veterans with PTSD.

And for all you 70′s hippies like me—ever try TM or Transcendental Meditation? Remember—back in the day—the Beatles and everybody else who was anybody else was doing TM. I tried but just didn’t get it. Well, I tried again and this time—I got it and it is now a daily practice. We’ll have TM instructor Marjie Biller with us to talk about the amazing health benefits available to anyone.

And what is your Core Wisdom and how do you find it? Does everyone have access to this wisdom? Hey, this might sound a little removed from the traditional remedies we are all accustomed to—but—ride along with us as we explore alternative ways to enhance your health and well being.

Health trivia question this week? What is the biggest organ of your body? First one to respond and bing…It’s a coffee card from Starbucks. Email us at contest@nursetalksite.com or call 1-800-977-1863 and you could be winner.

Remember, laughter is the best medicine. You can listen and laugh every week on Saturdays at 11 am in the Boston area on station WWZN 1510AM or live stream at www.revolutionboston.com and in the San Francisco Bay area on KNEW 960AM or live stream at www.960knew.com.

And a big thanks to our new mobile app affiliates Tune In and Progressive Voices. Check them out. You can also download and listen to any show anytime here at NurseTalkSite.com or on iTunes. Like us on Facebook, and you can listen there too.

NNU's Donna Smith

Donna Smith, our National Nurses United D.C. correspondent brings us up to speed on all things Washington. Donna also shares a bit of personal news about her own health. Donna Smith is best known as one of the documentary subjects of Michael Moore’s 2007 movie, “SiCKO.” Her journalism career includes 15 regional awards from the AP Managing Editors. Donna now works as a national single-payer healthcare advocate and community organizer for National Nurses United, and co-chairs the Progressive Democrats of America’s national “Healthcare Not Warfare” campaign. She also blogs at MichaelMoore.com.

And, it’s always a treat to have our friend RN Marsha Podd with us in the studio. A.K.A. the “Baby Whisperer.” When Marsha comes to the studio we all go to sleep. We mean that in a good way, as Marsha has one of the most soothing voices you’ll ever hear. Marsha, is the author of Secrets of a Baby Nurse. The book is getting rave reviews and if you know of anyone that is expecting a child, has babies or toddlers already, has looked at a child or even thought of a child–you need this book! To read more about Marsha and her advice for babies and parents visit her website at gotosleepbaby.com.

Being a nurse is hard work! There are the perennial issues of not enough…staffing, time, appreciation. But on the blog this week, Love Your Nursing Life RN author Bobbi McCarthy writes about one of the ways nursing renews the spirit in The Gift in Room 3.

Alison Whitaker in Vital Signs

Attention anyone reading this! If you are in or around the San Francisco Bay Area, pick up your phone or send us a quick email to win 2 free tickets to RN Alison Whitaker‘s great play, Vital Signs. Opening at the Marsh Theater June 8 thru July 21. For more info on Alison’s play visit nursealison.com. SO…win those tickets, there are only 4 sets of two so rock on cause the first to call or email gets them. Call 1-800-977-1863 or email pattie@nursestalksite.com.

And a huge thank you to our sponsors and supporters at National Nurses United, Mass Nurses Association and California Nurses Association. AND to our listeners in Boston and San Francisco and all places in between.

You can listen and laugh every week on Saturdays at 11 am in the Boston area on station WWZN 1510AM or live stream at www.revolutionboston.com and in the San Francisco Bay area on KNEW 960AM or live stream at www.960knew.com. Check out the iHeartRadio app for free and live custom radio. You can also download and listen to any show anytime here at NurseTalkSite.com or on iTunes. Like us on Facebook, and you can listen there too.

AND REMEMBER…laughter is the best medicine.

And we talk with one of our favorite guests RN and Co-President of National Nurses United, Jean Ross. Jean will tell us about the upcoming Nurses Assembly in Chicago next week where over 1200 nurses will gather to talk about everything from healthcare to Medicare and beyond. The nurses will also hit the streets of Chicago in a peaceful demonstration to promote a Wall Street Transaction Tax. Check out this Bill Moyers (PBS) interview with National Nurses United Executive Director Rose Ann Demoro as she talks about the “Robin Hood” tax. Peeps—no matter what your political persuasion—it makes sense!

And then..for you 60’s hippies…lets talk about Dropping Acid! That’s right…but of course, not the kind you think. Dr. Jamie Koufman will be with us to talk about Acid Reflux and what you can do to control or cure it by simply changing your diet. Dr. Koufman has written a book called Dropping Acid, The Reflux Diet Cookbook and Cure. According to the book, acid reflux affects 30-50% of the population. You won’t want to miss this.

And of course, the Golden Bed Pan Award, In My Day with Lynn Ruth Miller, Phobia of the Week and more…not sure how much more…but more!

Alison Whitaker in Vital Signs

Casey and Shayne check in with RN and playwright RN Alison Whitaker. Some of you may remember Alison was on the show last year introducing her one-woman play called, Vital Signs. It’s a great show and she opens in June at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco. And if you are paying attention you can win two VIP tickets to Vital Signs simply by emailing us at pattie@nursetalksite.com or calling 800-977-1863.

And we talk with one of our favorite guests RN and Co-President of National Nurses United, Jean Ross. Jean will tell us about the upcoming Nurses Assembly in Chicago next week where over 1200 nurses will gather to talk about everything from healthcare to Medicare and beyond. The nurses will also hit the streets of Chicago in a peaceful demonstration to promote a Wall Street Transaction Tax. Check out this Bill Moyers (PBS) interview with National Nurses United Executive Director Rose Ann Demoro as she talks about the “Robin Hood” tax. Peeps—no matter what your political persuasion—it makes sense!

And then..for you 60’s hippies…let’s talk about Dropping Acid! That’s right…but of course, not the kind you think. Dr. Jamie Koufman will be with us to talk about acid reflux and what you can do to control or cure it by simply changing your diet. Dr. Koufman has written a book called Dropping Acid, The Reflux Diet Cookbook and Cure. According to the book, acid reflux affects 30-50% of the population. You won’t want to miss this.

And of course, the Golden Bed Pan Award, In My Day with Lynn Ruth Miller, Phobia of the Week and more…not sure how much more…but more!

Check out our new strategic partner, iTriage

We recently found the coolest app we’ve ever seen or heard about! We all know what triage means, Nurse Talk brings you iTriage. iTriage was founded in 2008 by two emergency medicine physicians to empower people to make better healthcare decisions, and improve healthcare delivery. You can now use the online tool all over the world on the web at nursetalksite.com/itriage or on your smart phone to enter symptoms or diseases and get recommendations for treatment and locate the nearest treatment center. You can even find out what the wait times are in emergency situations. It is so user-friendly—even I can use it!

“iTriage is simply the best, most comprehensive medical mobile app around. It is so user-friendly and thorough we are recommending it to all of our Nurse Talk listeners and callers. iTriage truly opens a window to wellness for millions and the best part…it goes where you go! Paris, London, New York, Pocatello and beyond.”

–Casey Hobbs and Shayne Mason
RN Co-Hosts for Nurse Talk Radio

CHECK OUT THE NURSE TALK BLOG! We have some amazing bloggers and topics and it changes everyday.

Now go out there and make someone laugh!

Remember, you can listen and laugh every week on Saturdays at 11 am in the Boston area on station WWZN 1510AM or live stream at www.revolutionboston.com and in the San Francisco Bay area on KNEW 960AM or live stream at www.960knew.com. Check out the iHeartRadio app for free and live custom radio. You can also download and listen to any show anytime here at NurseTalkSite.com or on iTunes. Like us on Facebook, and you can listen there too.

When the ordinary person lands in a hospital bed, he is aware of the staff bustling about giving shots and medications. Most of us take it for granted that someone will appear in the middle of the night when we ring the buzzer by our bed. In the morning, we expect a different nurse to wake us from our drugged slumber, take our vital sings and give us a wash. For the most part these men and women are cheerful, professional and caring. They are anxious to hear our complaints about a restless night, a muscle ache or a twinge in the wrong place and they always do something to help.

But there is a lot more to the nurse’s job, than the care they give us. There is the clean-up, the paper work, the emotional strain, the never-ending pressure of life and death decisions not to mention the lack of any time to ponder on what is happening and what it all means. That is why Alison Whittaker, a nurse who works in the neurology unit at one of San Francisco’s better hospitals decided it was time to let people know just what a day in her life was really like.

Four years ago, she began work on a one woman show that dramatized the unbelievable pressures and unending demands that propel the medical staff in a hospital through each shift. She named her show Vital Signs and when she performed it as part of the Marsh Rising Series at San Francisco’s Marsh Theater June 7th, every nurse in that audience gave her a standing ovation. Her day was theirs and it needed to be pictured without sugar coating.

“This show is important to me because it is my personal story of being a nurse,” she said. “Writing it has been a good creative and emotional outlet for my job. Before I took on this project, I was not a writer, editor, performer, or actress, so I had to learn all these skills as I worked on this piece. I think I was especially lucky to work with director David Ford at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco because he helped me overcome many of my doubts about ever being able to do this. It has been quite a process for me both intellectually and psychologically.”

Her 60 minute narrative is peppered with vignettes of Whittaker’s fellow nurses and her patients, the people she encourages, supports and medicates every day. “The drama of life in the hospital — among, coworkers, patients and family members — spans the full spectrum of emotions from sadness, joy, fear, and anger,” she said. “There is a huge amount of suffering in the hospital. There are patients receiving devastating diagnoses, having surgery, recovering from surgery, enduring painful, uncomfortable treatments, living in an environment where they are not in control. It can be very scary. The stories that the patients tell me about their lives can be devastating.”

But Whittaker transforms the pressures, the disappointments, the tension and the rewards of her every day into a revealing drama portraying all the lives that intertwine in the space of an eight hour shift. “I don’t feel that the story of the nurse has been fully and accurately told by the media,” she said. “I wanted to give my audience an experience of what it is like to be a nurse, with all the socio-economic groups and diversity that we have to deal with in patients as well as staff. Especially in San Francisco, there are so many nationalities and ethnicities that I work with, Filipinos, Chinese, Latina, African Americans, Africans, Arabs, Caucasians, and many more. Truly, the hospital is a microcosm of the world.”

Whittaker sweeps her audience into the roller coaster of emotions she rides each day but she doesn’t paint a stark, thankless picture of overworked human beings never able to finish any task before they must rush to tackle another. Instead, she shows us the rewards these dedicated men and women experience from helping others hold on to the all too often tenuous thread of their lives. She shows her audience that as a human being, she learns something new from every encounter and every procedure she has done. “I think at the end of my show I do come to terms with how I can help patients in the hospital,” she said. “Maybe the most important aspect for me, I discovered, is simply being human, accepting my patients for who they are and helping them through a difficult time.”