Category: Funny / Fun / Parody
One more-
Well, for now, anyway.
From MPS:
Ephemera
Fully recovered from the effects of my multi-vacs, I took Corky out on a nice, long walk while it was cool in the morning on Thursday. Of course there were numerous species of pollen blowing around, but I was bulletproof because I use Allegra . Anyway, my sinuses have been protesting since then, but that’s a thing I’ve always had, anyway, so it is what it is. Corky was quite happy, and is looking forward to doing it again tomorrow. Yes, she told me so. (She didn’t. I just know. She’ll go on a walk any time, anywhere, no matter what else she may be doing.)
I went to the store to stock back up today, and I found a thing. It was an irresistible thing, and I love it, so I bought it. She’s a she, and her name is Millie. That’s her up above. Closer to the season, I’ll put her in the front window, but right now, we’re enjoying her in our front room. She seems to enjoy being photographed.
It’s been one heck of a week. A debate that was almost fun, some stochastic terrorism agged on and on and yet further on by Maga, and good news, too, some of which got posted. I had a few other things up to post, but the puter thought it was too hot, shut down, and lost my tabs (at least one of which must have been too busy. Time for maintenance on the puter, probably.) Anyway, I’ve got a few posts up anyway, and whatever I didn’t will either come around again, or be way outdated when I recall what they were. My apologies, but get a look at Millie, why don’t ya? 😀🦴💀
Nice troll that couldn’t happen to a “nicer” place, even-
C’est la Vie by Jennifer Babcock for September 11, 2024
What’s this dog?
(Tuesday, I got the flu and the Covid vacs in my left arm. I got a bunch of stuff done-except posts-in case I get some side effects; for me, usually chills, aches, and fatigue from the Covid; I’ve never taken both together, but flu tires me out a bit, too. So far, at 8PM Tues, my left arm is quite painful but Bio Freeze really helps, and I’m tired. My hope is that tomorrow, or today when this posts, it’ll be over, and I can get more work done. Meanwhile, enjoy the video! This guy makes great videos.)
OT: Cover Snark
Enjoy at your leisure!
The clown doctor will see you now – and you’ll get better, quicker
September 9, 2024 Ellen Phiddian
(Back in the 80s I heard a story of Norman Cousins putting his apple juice in a specimen cup, then later taking a sip while listening to a visitor. I think of Norman Cousins when I see headlines like this one. I don’t believe he was a clown, but others’s mileage may vary, as to humor in the hospital, also Norman Cousins, not to mention clowns.)
Medical clowns are known to have a positive therapeutic impact on kids in hospitals for a range of health issues, and now it’s been shown they can reduce the length of stay and antibiotic use for children with pneumonia.
A study, done on 51 children, found that those visited by medical clowns on average left hospital more than a day earlier than those who weren’t.
“Medical clowns undergo specific training to work in hospitals,” says Dr Karin Yaacoby-Bianu, a researcher at the Carmel Medical Centre and Israel Institute of Technology, Israel.
“They have been shown to reduce pain and alleviate stress and anxiety in children and their families during medical treatment, and have been gradually integrated into many aspects of hospital care.
“But their impact on children being treated for pneumonia has not been investigated.”
Yaacoby-Bianu presented her team’s research at the 2024 European Respiratory Society Congress.
“Community acquired pneumonia is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation in children, globally,” she says.
The team split 51 children, aged between 2 and 18, who had been hospitalised with pneumonia, into 2 groups.
They all received standard care, but one group also had four 15-minute visits from a medical clown from the Dream Doctors Project during their stays.
The clowns did a variety of activities including music, singing, and guided imagination.
The group visited by clowns stayed in hospital for 43.5 hours on average, while the control group stayed in hospital for 70 hours on average.
Children visited by clowns needed an average of 2 days of IV antibiotic treatment, while the control group required 3. Other medical markers, like heart rate and inflammation, were lower in the clown group.
“While the practice of medical clowning is not a standardised interaction, we believe that it helps to alleviate stress and anxiety, improves psychological adjustment to the hospital environment and allows patients to better participate in treatment plans like adherence to oral antibiotics and fluids,” explains Yaacoby-Bianu.
“Laughter and humour may also have direct physiological benefits by lowering respiratory and heart rates, reducing air trapping, modulating hormones, and enhancing the immune function.”
Dr Stefan Unger, a paediatrician at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People Edinburgh, UK, who wasn’t involved in the research, says the study shows the positive effect humour can have in healthcare. (snip-MORE)
https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/body-and-mind/medical-clowns-pneumonia/
Enjoy a couple from Randy Rainbow
(One is definitely from a while back, but is somehow still pertinent…)
Scottie's Playtime 