Saturday, May 19, 2007

Is anyone out there?

Hi folks. I’m wondering if anyone is reading my blog. I’m having fun with it and I like looking through the health news to see if there’s something interesting – but I’m just wondering if there’s anyone who is actually reading this stuff.

Usually when I write an article or essay, I have a specific audience in mind and it’s geared towards that audience. An editor goes over my work and decides if I met the guidelines and am talking to the target audience. With a blog, I have no idea who is reading it, if I’m writing something interesting or if I’m missing the boat completely.

Don’t feel shy about leaving comments. If there’s a specific topic that people would like to see addressed, or a direction they’d like to see me take, I will definitely keep that in mind when coming up with ideas for the latest and greatest blog additions.

Right now, I have some work to catch up on. I put my nurse’s hat on yesterday and staffed a Wellness/Health Clinic in town at one of our major corporation’s headquarters. It was fun. I got to speak with healthy people who wanted to know if they were as healthy as they felt. We checked blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, waist measurement and body fat. All in all, most of them were great and didn’t have to worry about risk factors. A couple of them were borderline. Of course, those who have non-modifiable risk factors, such as a parent or sibling who has/had cardiac disease or a stroke, or those who are over a age, they automatically have a higher risk than someone who isn’t in these categories. But we encouraged them to keep up exercising, continue eating well and to be sure that their doctor knows about their family history. All in all, it was a fun day away from my desk and out in the community. But this weekend, I have to make up that lost time. Fair trade off I think.

For the Canadians reading this, I hope you have a nice long weekend.

News for today:

Fifty new mumps cases reported in Nova Scotia
Teen pregnancy rate at all-time low, study finds
Cancer fears may hinder prevention
Hospital visits decreased when drug info simplified
Tomatoes fail as prostate cancer preventive
FDA Advisory Committee Recommends Expanded Use of FluMist(R)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Marijke, this is dianah from allnurses. Enjoyed reading through your well-written blogs/articles. IMO, combining the research and medical writing with your nursing experience makes for a more well-rounded and better-informed writer. I think the hands-on nursing experience adds the human factor. Anyway, I wish you success in your endeavors! Oh, and ppl may not comment on blogs because 1) Google requires them to sign up for Googlemail or somesuch, before they can post a comment (not many ppl will take the time or go through the effort), and 2) most ppl just read, they don't wish to comment (we're all mainly voyeurs, lol!). At least, that's my take on it! Take care! --- D