Photo: SXC

I start by taking everything out of the cabinet and wiping down all of the shelves. I also give the mirror some extra attention to be sure it is really shiny.

Next, I go through all of the medications and check for expiration dates. I also discard unexpired prescription medications that are no longer in use. I’m emphasizing this because, while your child may not dream of taking unauthorized prescription meds, his or her friends may not feel the same. Removing temptation is the best way to avoid prescription drug abuse.

Then, I put everything neatly back in the cabinet and dispose of the expired medications properly. (Don’t flush them or pour them down the sink. They will get into the water supply and add to a growing problem with antibiotics and other drugs in our drinking water. Your county waste department will be able to discuss proper disposal methods with you.)

Post from: Blisstree

Tidy Tuesday – the Medicine Cabinet

Nutrition, drug abuse, pregnant teens, and new blogs – it’s all part of this week’s Saturday Sanity!

• Did you know March is National Nutrition Month? In honor of that, we here at the b5media Science & Health Channel chose nutrition as the topic for our monthly theme day. See what I had to say about brain-boosting foods, then check out the wisdom the rest of the gang passed on. And don’t forget to thank Ruth at Eating Fabulous for hosting this month!
• A Mental Health Notes reader wrote to me this week to let me know about the many mental health-related articles New York Times writer Benedict Carey has written for the publication. Upon searching the publication’s archives, I found that Carey has indeed written a plethora of articles about topics ranging from brain enhancement to gunmen and antidepressants to autism to perfectionism. Check them out.
• Another Mental Health Notes reader has decided to put her years of teaching experience to another kind of use – blogging. Reflections of a Teacher is about a plethora of student- and mental health-related issues such as violence, bullying, and parent involvement. The blog is in its infant stage and could use some participation from readers like you!
• Go with your gut – intuition is more than just a hunch, says Leeds research. According to Professor Gerard Hodgkinson (Centre for Organisational Strategy, Learning and Change at Leeds University Business School) and his team of researchers, intuition and “gut feelings” aren’t just reasons to open our own psychic hotlines. They’re actually “the result of the way our brains store, process and retrieve information on a subconscious level and so is a real psychological phenomenon which needs further study to help us harness its potential.”
• Reuters has been on top of the mental health scene in the past couple of weeks reporting drug use and mental health issues by state (I was surprised to see my home state falls smack in the middle), a higher number of black teen mothers become depressed and pregnant again than white teen mothers (this is actually something I think I saw when I was in high school), psychological distress, rather than depression, is linked with strokes, college students are abusing prescription medication (gee, you don’t say), and mental health issues are associated with physical health issues and bad habits (gee, you don’t say, again).

Remember, if you have any Saturday Sanity-worthy news, feel free to send it my way!

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Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: New Blogs, Articles, Resources, And Reports