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I’m resolving to give up cussing this year

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Peoria Times Columnist

My 2022 New Year’s resolution made it a startling four days before I lapsed. The occasion was a hooked golf drive that hit a cart path and ricocheted out of bounds. My response was something like, “Are you #@%^&*ing $**^%& kidding me. $#%^$ )*()* #^&*(.”

So much for eliminating profanity in 2022.

The truth is, I’ve always had something of a situational potty mouth. As a former talk radio host, I learned early on that speaking in public requires some degree of subtlety. You can get away with the occasional “damn” — provided the Lord’s name is not in front of that mild cussword — but you can only use the major offenders one time.

After which, the big bosses will summon you and you’ll be unemployed.

For the most part, I only curse around my closest guy friends, while playing golf, or when signing my federal tax returns. Still, as a gentleman of a certain age who appreciates words, I’ve been determined for a long while to clean up my act. Especially after happening across a Wall Street Journal piece headlined, “We’re Cursing More. Blame the #%$ Pandemic.”

As the story put it: “Pandemic stress, the melding of personal and professional spheres, and an exhausted slide toward casualness are making many of us swear more. ‘It is a perfect swearing storm,’” said Michael Adams, a linguist at Indiana University Bloomington.

According to the Journal, CleanSpeak’s profanity-filtering software, used by companies to moderate online communities and discussion forums, has experienced a 300% increase in filtered profanity over the last year and a half.

As someone who does multiple Zoom meetings a week, I can vouch for that.

And it’s somewhat predictable: In an environment where people resemble the cast of the old “Hollywood Squares” sitting in little digital boxes and most of us are wearing sweatpants, Lululemon garb or a dress shirt and manties, it’s only natural for the occasional “f bomb” to make its way into what was once polite conversation.

Or, as one of my friends described it, “Why wouldn’t you say bull***t in the middle of yet another bull***t meeting.”

Growing up on the playgrounds of Queens, New York, swearing was a way of fitting in. Later, on the basketball court and in the gym, it was an expression of machismo — surely frowned upon in today’s woke culture. Fast forward another decade, to professional life, and the occasional curse word was an act of rebellion, a verbal statement that one understood the rules of the workplace but remained unafraid of bending them.

The thing is, I’m not much for going along with the crowd. So if everyone’s cursing, I’d like to stop. But that’s tougher than it sounds.

In 2009, Richard Stephens, a researcher at Keele University in the U.K., tested 67 students by having them stick their arms in freezing water meanwhile swearing like a sailor. The result?

“People withstood a moderately to strongly painful stimulus for significantly longer if they repeated a swear word rather than a non-swear word,” Stephens wrote.

“Swearing also lowered pain perception and was accompanied by increased heart rate. We interpret these data as indicating that swearing … actually produces a hypoalgesic (pain lessening) effect.”

Who knew? And swearing is way cheaper than Tylenol.

Despite the biological and social reasons for cursing, I’m going to stick with this year’s resolution, even if my perfect record isn’t intact. Part of it is wanting to seem more sophisticated as I get older.

The other reason is, for once I’d like to actually succeed at keeping a resolution. Toning down my penchant for profanity feels somewhat doable. Especially compared to my other option for a resolution.

No way am I going on another $%^&# low-carb diet this year. PT

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AROUND THE BLUHMIN’ TOWN There’s no place like home after a hospital stay

BY JUDY BLUHM Peoria Times Columnist

Been to a hospital lately? My husband, Doug, has been there for the past week with

pneumonia.

As a former registered nurse, I notice that some things never change. Hospital gowns remain pretty much the same over the years, perhaps improved by clever snaps on the shoulders for easy access of IV tubes.

They still tie in the back, exposing way too much, and are that cloudy gray/blue color of a depressing sky. But patients proudly walk around their rooms and hallways, unfazed by what they are wearing and more focused on staying upright.

Ice chips are like little cups of diamonds. Oh, yeah, bring me a cup of cool bling. Patients who have gone through a surgery or a procedure will be given these glorious little crystals that come in white Styrofoam cups with plastic spoons. They taste like heaven to a parched mouth, represent healing and mean that greater things (like apple juice) are soon to come.

In hospitals, cold apple juice is the champagne of all drinks. Something you might not crave or even consider at home, suddenly this sweet drink seems like liquid gold. Served in little plastic containers with swivel straws, each sip is more refreshing than the last and you wonder how you ever lived without this fruity wonder.

Hospitals have made great improvements in their food. You can order a meal anytime and have a choice that resembles room service in a fine hotel. However, parking for guests is so dreadful that you might as well get a pair of hiking boots if you are visiting a loved one, because the long walk can be daunting.

Nurses are the real heroes in hospitals. Lots of attention goes to the “first responders” in an emergency. But nurses are the first, second, in-between and last responders. They are there at the beginning until the very end. They help you pick up all the tiny little pieces of yourself that an illness or surgery has shattered. Nurses will get you moving again, breathing right, taking first steps, sitting up and gently nudge you back to health.

Nurses command you to do things you do not want to do! Stand up, walk, cough, walk some more. I heard a patient yell, “You are killing me,” more than once as she walked around the nurses’ station, followed by a very encouraging nurse (sort of like a drill sergeant). One patient yelled, “Leave me alone. I am too sick to walk,” as he dutifully got up and went through the paces.

Hospitals have night sounds that pulse through the halls like a beating heart. The steady beeping of monitors is offset by an alarm from an IV. If hospitals are busy places in the daytime, they become quiet, reflective sanctuaries at night. Patients miss home and only the sick remain, each hoping for a better tomorrow, a chance to leave, less pain, more progress. Night is the lonely time when corridors are darkened, and visitors leave.

Do you know a doctor or a nurse? Thank them. They are worn out. Dear readers, stay well. Hospitals are great, but home is better.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local Realtor. Have a story or a comment? Email Judy at judy@judybluhm.com. PT

West-MEC produces next generation of experts

BY GREG DONOVAN Western Maricopa Education Center Superintendent

Arizona’s current drought is coming up on 15 years and has surpassed the worst drought in more than 110 years of official recordkeeping. Arizona’s water reservoirs are severely depleted, and according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, nearly 99% of Arizona is in some sort of drought.

So, what does this mean for Arizonans and what can be done to prevent this? The U.S. EPA and other federal agencies, state agencies and industry continue to diligently research future resolutions. Still, part of the solution must be providing education focused on environmentalism and conservationism and opening up career opportunities for students who are passionate about improving and protecting Arizona’s water supply.

Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC), a career technical education public school district for high school and adult students, offers a highly sought after, hands-on environmental sustainability program that prepares students with laboratory and technical knowledge for entry-level water services positions with some of the largest companies in the state.

West-MEC students are learning how to solve complex problems pertaining to the water cycle, water and wastewater treatment and could be the key to protecting and preserving Arizona’s future water supply.

Instructor Rickie Timmons, an industry professional with more than 40 years’ experience in the nuclear power space, says students closely study local and statewide environmental issues to understand the core problems that the drought is presenting to the Southwestern United States.

The long-term drought was slightly alleviated thanks to an above-average monsoon season for many portions of the state, but the fact is it took thousands of years to fill the aquifers in the Southwest, and there is simply not enough rain in this region to make up for the rate that locals are using water.

Timmons notes that it will take a diverse pool of innovative people like our emerging West-MEC students to find workable solutions to these types of problems, adding, “Looking at one potential problem, such as climate change, is a very small view of a variety of issues facing the environment — consider plastic trash, overpopulation, loss of good soil to grow an adequate food supply. The world changes, as do the people in it, so our prevention measures and solutions should, too.”

Take last summer when, for the first time in history, a water shortage was declared on the Colorado River, which is a major source of water for Arizona. The New York Times reported that the shortage will reduce Arizona’s supply of water, delivered by a system of canals and pumping stations called the Central Arizona Project, by about 512,000 acrefeet.

Adaptation to future water stresses in Arizona will be difficult and costly and will affect numerous industries, including tourism, high-tech manufacturing, agriculture and ranching. The handson education West-MEC students receive is imperative. It improves decision-making, increases adaptation and mitigation capacities, and empowers them to explore future sustainable practices.

The leaders of tomorrow are WestMEC’s Environmental Sustainability Program students of today. As they continue their education, we can all do our part by encouraging our youth to use natural resources like water more wisely, volunteer for environmentally focused community events and think about what future generations may experience because of continued climate changes. PT

Neuropathy Is Often Misdiagnosed

BY REISHA ZANG PHOENIX –Neuropathy is a condition that involves damage to the nerves in your hands and feet. “Muscle cramping, difficulty walking, burning, tingling, numbness, and pain in the legs or feet are symptoms people living with neuropathy experience on a daily basis,” explains Dr. Kerry Zang, podiatric medical director of CIC Foot & Ankle. “The thing is these symptoms are very similar to those of PAD. They are so similar that in many cases, people are given a diagnosis of neuropathy when in reality it isn’t.”

With a diagnosis of neuropathy often comes a prescription for neurotropic medication. “Medicine isn’t a cure, it’s a way to suppress the symptoms,” says Zang. “The concern with that is if it’s not neuropathy causing the symptoms, the medication may be masking developing, progressive vascular insufficiency allowing PAD, if that’s the root of the problem, to get worse.” It’s important to determine the cause of these neuropathy symptoms, oftentimes it’s PAD (peripheral artery disease). PAD is caused by the buildup of fatty material inside the arteries which hardens into plaque. When this occurs, it limits the amount of blood that passes through the arteries.

“Blood brings oxygen and nutrients to your feet which they need to stay healthy,” explains Zang, “When your feet aren’t getting an adequate supply, they start sending signals.” Those signals include pain, burning, tingling, numbness, or cramping.

The good news is that PAD is treatable. Specialists are able to perform an angiogram which lets them see if disease is present. This minimally invasive procedure is done through a tiny nick in the skin in an office setting. “So, what we do,” explains Dr. Joel Rainwater, MD endovascular specialist, “is go into the bloodstream to find the blockage with imaging guidance. Then with small tools that can go into the smallest arteries, remove the blockage, and restore that blood flow without surgery, without scalpels, without stitches.”

Getting the proper diagnosis is the first step to getting better. “It’s all about finding out what’s causing the problem,” says Zang. “When your feet burn, tingle, or feel numb, it’s your body telling you it needs help, and you should listen. In fact, if you are experiencing any type of discomfort or things just don’t seem right, tell your doctor. The only way we can help is if you let us know you need it.”

If your neuropathy medication is not working, your symptoms may be an indication of another condition.

Quit playing the neuropathy pain game.

NO PAIN DISCOMFORTING PAIN EXCRUCIATING PAIN

MILD PAIN DISTRESSING PAIN

INTENSE PAIN

YES / NO

Do you have difficulty walking without taking a break? Do you have pain, numbness, or cramping in legs or feet? Is your neuropathy treatment not working?

Neuropathy symptoms are very similar to those of PAD. It’s a circulation disorder which can be easily treated in our office without the need for general anesthesia. If you’ve answered “yes” to any of the questions above, call our office today to see how our doctors can help.

(602) 954-0777 cicmedical.com

Heel Pain Is On The Rise

The weather has a big impact on heel pain. As the days cool down, our activity levels heat up. Going for a walk, playing a round of golf, and hiking are all possible again with the temperature below 100 degrees. But you need to pay attention to your feet. “Getting back to a normal lifestyle can be a shock to your feet, especially to your heels,” says Dr. Shah Askari of CIC Foot & Ankle.

More than two million Americans suffer from plantar fasciitis, a sharp, stabbing, sometimes burning pain in the heel or arch of the foot. It’s anticipated this number will rise as people start taking advantage of better weather.

It typically hurts when first getting up, may lessen after a few steps but always returns. In the past, a cortisone injection was the treatment of choice. “Cortisone manages the pain, but it doesn’t address what’s causing the pain,” explains Askari. Now, treatment focuses on the condition, not just the symptom.

“Regenerative medicine is one of the most promising ways to deal with pain, because it triggers the body to heal,” he explains. “Prolotherapy is an option that uses a natural irritant which starts the healing process.” Growth factor therapy also jump starts and maintains regeneration of new tissues.

In addition, the FDA recently approved cold laser therapy for plantar fasciitis. “Laser treatment is another way to treat heel pain, because it increases circulation, which promotes healing,” says Askari. “It’s all about healing.”