Do You Know the Signs of a Brain Aneurysm?

Pierre Van ZylHeal, Health Awareness

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It is of utmost importance that we truly pay attention to the signs and signals of our body. This story of a young mother from South Carolina reminds us that a brain aneurysm can happen to anyone. While Lee Broadway had experienced migraines since her …

Last Week’s Workouts

AngelaMount Washington Road Race training, Running, strength training, Strength training for runners, trail running, Workouts, Yoga

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Last week’s workouts brought me another week closer to Mount Washington Road Race.  The thing about running this race for the second time, I know what to expect.  It’s not going to be easy.  It’s going to suck.  Three years ago when I ran it, I remember hitting a low point when the road turns […]

The post Last Week’s Workouts appeared first on Happy Fit Mama.

Last Week’s Workouts

AngelaMount Washington Road Race training, Running, strength training, Strength training for runners, trail running, Workouts, Yoga

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Last week’s workouts brought me another week closer to Mount Washington Road Race.  The thing about running this race for the second time, I know what to expect.  It’s not going to be easy.  It’s going to suck.  Three years ago when I ran it, I remember hitting a low point when the road turns […]

The post Last Week’s Workouts appeared first on Happy Fit Mama.

Addiction is a family disease

Pierre Van Zylparenting

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Addiction is a family disease. People wonder about addicts. “Why did they start?” “Why can’t they just stop?” “Can’t they see what they are doing to themselves?” The focus is on the disease and the victim, without much thought to those suffering behind…

Mom Fitted with Pacemaker at Age 32 Says She Used to Drink 6 Energy Drinks Per Day

Pierre Van ZylHeal, Health Awareness, Learn, Mental Health, News + Discoveries

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When it’s 2 o’clock in the afternoon and you feel your eyelids getting heavier by the minute, do you wake yourself up with jumping jacks or reach for the closest caffeinated beverage you can find? Take a closer look at how you deal with dipping energy levels. You could be putting yourself at risk of…

The post Mom Fitted with Pacemaker at Age 32 Says She Used to Drink 6 Energy Drinks Per Day appeared first on The Hearty Soul.

How Harmful Is Black Mold? One Woman’s Symptoms Highlight the Potential Dangers

Pierre Van ZylHeal, Health Awareness, Healthy Aging + General Wellness

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Dana Anhalt, an artist from Huntington, New York, had been sick throughout her childhood and it only got worse. At 37, she was so impacted by whatever was ailing her that her ability to walk and use her hands was nearly lost. There were times when her weight dropped to just 70 pounds. Excruciating joint…

The post How Harmful Is Black Mold? One Woman’s Symptoms Highlight the Potential Dangers appeared first on The Hearty Soul.

The kinder choice: Antibiotics editon

Pierre Van Zyl

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Believe me, I know how to put a kid in a headlock. When my oldest was 3, a positive rapid strep test sent me to the pharmacy to pick up amoxicillin. This was going to be easy, I thought. It tastes decent, the volume is small enough, and it’s only twice a day. My daughter was a precocious sort, easily engaged and reasoned with. But twice a day, for ten days, we would have a conversation that went something like this:

Me: It’s time for your medicine. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is you take your medicine and then get a spoonful of ice cream. The hard way is we put you in a headlock and force it down.

Her: Hard way.

Me: Are you sure? You didn’t really like the hard way last time.

Her: I’m sure. Hard way.


So, twice a day for ten days, my husband and/or I would put my daughter in a headlock and force the syringe of pink bubble gum-flavored antibiotic into her mouth. We would hold and she would squirm and cry and scream, and somewhere after 2 cc’s or so she would yell – Stop! I’m ready for the easy way! And then she would calmly drink the rest and have a spoonful of ice cream. We did this 20 times.

Fast-forward 6 years.  My son is 3 and now he has strep. But he’s … different. He doesn’t understand the easy/hard conversation the way his sister did. His tantrums are louder, and longer. He does not recover from them as easily, and they can ruin his entire day. My son is not officially on “the spectrum”; there’s no label to why is he how he is. We are still in the process of figuring out how his (different) (amazing) (beautiful) brain works. The journey is both frustrating and heartwarming, and there is so much unknown. But one thing is clear: the headlock isn’t working.

I text my pediatrician and ask if she will administer intramuscular bicillin. She agrees, but doesn’t have it in the office. I call around and find a compounding pharmacy 45 minutes away that has it in stock. She calls in the prescription, my husband drives out with all the kids to pick it up (I am in the hospital on service of course), and then drives back to the pediatrician, who gives my son the shot. He cries a little, and we’re done.

As a pediatric hospitalist, I spend a lot of time teaching residents about prescribing antibiotics. We talk about cultures and sensitivities, about side effect profiles. We talk about mg/kg, a lot. The residents all know that liquid clindamycin tastes gross and that augmentin ES causes less diarrhea than the original. But one thing many of them still don’t understand is why any parent in their right mind would subject their poor innocent child to an injection (a shot!) when the same medication can be given orally. What I try to teach them, to illustrate to them, is that sometimes it’s actually the kinder choice.

It’s not the right call for every kid every time. For my son, I am confident that we made the right choice, the kinder choice. But every child is different. I encourage my residents to think creatively about their patients, to use the biopsychosocial model to help guide their management decisions, to be flexible in their thought processes and to always, always show compassion.

The great thing about kids, though, is that they grow. My daughter who had strep when she was 3? Well, she’s 9 now, and she just had strep again along with her little brother. And she squirted her own amoxicillin into her mouth every time, no ice cream required.

The kinder choice: Antibiotics editon

Pierre Van Zyl

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Believe me, I know how to put a kid in a headlock. When my oldest was 3, a positive rapid strep test sent me to the pharmacy to pick up amoxicillin. This was going to be easy, I thought. It tastes decent, the volume is small enough, and it’s only twice…

The kinder choice: Antibiotics editon

Pierre Van Zyl

Share www.GetCollagen.co.za

Believe me, I know how to put a kid in a headlock. When my oldest was 3, a positive rapid strep test sent me to the pharmacy to pick up amoxicillin. This was going to be easy, I thought. It tastes decent, the volume is small enough, and it’s only twice…

Let’s Smash It: Berries!

Pierre Van Zyl

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We smash open these juicy fruits, showing you just why they’re so great for smoothies.
The post Let’s Smash It: Berries! appeared first on Under Armour.

Everything You Need To Know about CBD

Pierre Van Zylanxiety, cannabis, CBD, Health + Nutrition, Live Well

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Arguably the must-have wellness ingredient of 2019, the talk around CBD is only going to gain momentum. If trends in Canada and America are anything to go by, it will soon be in your beauty products, your coffee and even in your lube. I interview Georgia Branch, co-founder of CBD and hemp brand Hemple, to…

Everything You Wanted to Know About the Keto Diet

Pierre Van Zylfat, Health + Nutrition, Live Well

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Do you want a diet that promises energy, clarity, mental focus? Welcome to the Ketogenic diet (Keto, if you’re Gen Y).  The Keto approach has been gaining great momentum over the last 6 months, with people reporting reduced cravings, less snacking, and weight loss. What started out as a diet to help control seizures in…

‘The worst they have ever seen’: Family shares shocking photo of father’s hospital bedsore

Pierre Van ZylHeal, Health Awareness, Learn, News + Discoveries

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When you have a spouse, parent or grandparent in hospital, one of the greatest concerns is for their comfort. Are they in pain? Are they comfortable? Are the medical staff doing their best? We’re sure these are some of the questions that Linda Moss and her two sisters Sharon and Patty had when their 77-year-old…

The post ‘The worst they have ever seen’: Family shares shocking photo of father’s hospital bedsore appeared first on The Hearty Soul.

Dangers of Farming Octopus

Pierre Van ZylLearn, News + Discoveries

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There are a lot of risks to recognize when anything is being mass produced for the global market, especially when it comes to the livestock industry. Our demand for food is stripping the planet of resources, we’re manipulating nature, and creating irre…

Should Dads Be Allowed to Stay Overnight in Maternity Wards?

Pierre Van Zylparenting

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Many dads are very involved throughout their partner’s pregnancy, in weekly childbirth classes couples can go over the stages of labour, birthing positions and breathing techniques. While the mom-to-be is rolling around on the yoga ball, her part…

We Need More Mean Moms

Pierre Van Zylparenting

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Do you think mom’s today are too nice? While we don’t need malicious parenting, are some parents forgetting the importance of teaching tough love? Many new age parents are taking on opposite parenting traits that they were raised with. It’s likely that if you grew up with strict parents who were unreasonable, made you complete…

The post We Need More Mean Moms appeared first on The Hearty Soul.

Hollywood Sign Run

Pierre Van Zyl

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This route takes you through the breathtaking Hollywood hills and spits you out at the top of the Hollywood sign, treating you to unmatched views.
The post Hollywood Sign Run appeared first on Under Armour.

Portland Waterfront Loop

Pierre Van Zyl

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Portland is known for beautiful scenery and refreshing, rainy days. This popular route around downtown Portland is likely to treat you to both of these things.
The post Portland Waterfront Loop appeared first on Under Armour.

Rise and Run – How to Wake Up Early to Run

Angelaearly morning running, rise and run, run, Running

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Rise and run is how my body naturally functions. I’m one of those super annoying people that can jump out of bed and be ready for a run no matter how early it is and what season. I think it’s in my genetic make up. Growing up, my dad would say the day was half […]

The post Rise and Run – How to Wake Up Early to Run appeared first on Happy Fit Mama.

Avocado Brownie

Pierre Van Zyl

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Yes, an avocado brownie.
The post Avocado Brownie appeared first on Under Armour.

Vegan Golden Milk Cake with Coconut Frosting

Pierre Van Zylbaking, cake, Cakes, golden milk, Recipes, Soy-free, Superfoods, Tree Nut Free, turmeric, Vegan

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Sooner or later I should post a dessert recipe that isn’t cake, right? I guess I just can’t help myself. Placed in a room full of every vegan dessert imaginable, cake would be my first choice every time. But give me time: once the internship eases up I’ll be baking more treats, and they can’t…

The post Vegan Golden Milk Cake with Coconut Frosting appeared first on The Full Helping.

Vegan Golden Milk Cake with Coconut Frosting

Pierre Van Zylbaking, cake, Cakes, golden milk, Recipes, Soy-free, Superfoods, Tree Nut Free, turmeric, Vegan

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Sooner or later I should post a dessert recipe that isn’t cake, right? I guess I just can’t help myself. Placed in a room full of every vegan dessert imaginable, cake would be my first choice every time. But give me time: once the internship eases up I’ll be baking more treats, and they can’t…

The post Vegan Golden Milk Cake with Coconut Frosting appeared first on The Full Helping.

Last Week’s Workouts

AngelaCross Training, mountain training, Running, Strength training for runners, Yoga

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Last week’s workouts saw the most climbing I’ve done this whole training block. And with that climbing, I got a boost of confidence that my fitness is going in the right direction – UP. The elevation runs were hard work but I felt strong.  Three weeks till Mount Washington Road Race! Monday 40 minutes Stepmill […]

The post Last Week’s Workouts appeared first on Happy Fit Mama.

Weekend Reading, 5.19.19

Pierre Van ZylNutrition and Wellness, weekend reading

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Happy Sunday, friends. It’s been…a week. Nothing insurmountable, just a pile-up of a lot of things at once. They all had one thing in common, which is that they were largely outside of my control. It started last weekend. A relationship that I’d actually been hopeful about (the first in a long time), came apart. Its…

The post Weekend Reading, 5.19.19 appeared first on The Full Helping.

What Juuling Does to Your Body (It’s Not Pretty)

Pierre Van ZylHealth Awareness

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In 2003, the first commercially successful electronic cigarette debuted in China. Today, millions of consumers regularly use “electronic nicotine delivery systems” (ENDS), especially electronic cigarettes (also called e-cigarettes). Juul e-cigarettes, apparently created to help adult smokers quit smoking more easily, are now the most popular “vaping device” among teens and young adults. While the vast majority of adults can’t…

The post What Juuling Does to Your Body (It’s Not Pretty) appeared first on The Hearty Soul.

After Eating Raw Rodent’s Kidney for ‘Good Health,’ Couple Die of Bubonic Plague, Spark Quarantine

Pierre Van ZylHeal, Health Awareness

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An unsuspecting Mongolian couple contracted the plague after eating raw rodent meat. The region the couple was visiting in the Bayan- Ölgii province (which borders China and Russia) went under quarantine for almost a week, trapping tourists there during the interim. The 118 people who had come into contact with the couple were isolated and…

The post After Eating Raw Rodent’s Kidney for ‘Good Health,’ Couple Die of Bubonic Plague, Spark Quarantine appeared first on The Hearty Soul.