Yesterday's post raised a few eyebrows. Ed is thinking about this? Whoa! There isn't much we can do about it now, most of it is out of our control and we have laid the path to where we are today personally and as a nation.
Many people are in a doldrum.
dol·drums
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(dldrmz, dôl-, dl-)
pl.n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb)
1. a. A period of stagnation or slump.
b. A period of depression or unhappy listlessness.
2. a. A region of the ocean near the equator, characterized by calms, light winds, or squalls.
b. The weather conditions characteristic of these regions of the ocean.
The weather doldrums aren't helping. The early planted crop can't grow properly and lots of acres are left to plant with some replanting needed many places.
The market doldrums aren't helping either. They have been down the last week and the first good news today was my DTN email saying markets are trending higher today. There is lots of ground to recover since early January and it probably won't reach those highs for some time.
What's a fella to do? In a doldrum we keep putting off the big decisions and try to function within the little daily decisions. It's much easier with a daily job where you show up at a certain time and go home the same. There is so little time left in the day you don't have time to concern yourself with the doldrums.
Throw in some aches and pains. My arthitis has really kicked in this spring.
Symptoms
If you have arthritis, you may experience:
Joint pain
Joint swelling
Reduced ability to move the joint
Redness of the skin around a joint
Stiffness, especially in the morning
Warmth around a joint
Treatment
Treatment of arthritis depends on the particular cause, which joints are affected, severity, and how the condition affects your daily activities. Your age and occupation will also be taken into consideration when your doctor works with you to create a treatment plan.
If possible, treatment will focus on eliminating the underlying cause of the arthritis. However, the cause is NOT necessarily curable, as with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Treatment, therefore, aims at reducing your pain and discomfort and preventing further disability.
It is possible to greatly improve your symptoms from osteoarthritis and other long-term types of arthritis without medications. In fact, making lifestyle changes without medications is preferable for osteoarthritis and other forms of joint inflammation. If needed, medications should be used in addition to lifestyle changes.
Exercise for arthritis is necessary to maintain healthy joints, relieve stiffness, reduce pain and fatigue, and improve muscle and bone strength. Your exercise program should be tailored to you as an individual. Work with a physical therapist to design an individualized program, which should include:
Low-impact aerobic activity (also called endurance exercise)
Range of motion exercises for flexibility
Strength training for muscle tone
A physical therapist can apply heat and cold treatments as needed and fit you for splints or orthotic (straightening) devices to support and align joints. This may be particularly necessary for rheumatoid arthritis. Your physical therapist may also consider water therapy, ice massage, or transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS).
Rest is just as important as exercise. Sleeping 8 to 10 hours per night and taking naps during the day can help you recover from a flare-up more quickly and may even help prevent exacerbations. You should also:
Avoid holding one position for too long.
Avoid positions or movements that place extra stress on your affected joints.
Modify your home to make activities easier. For example, have grab bars in the shower, the tub, and near the toilet.
Reduce stress, which can aggravate your symptoms. Try meditation or guided imagery. And talk to your physical therapist about yoga or tai chi.
If you have arthritis, you may experience:
Joint pain
Joint swelling
Reduced ability to move the joint
Redness of the skin around a joint
Stiffness, especially in the morning
Warmth around a joint
Treatment
Treatment of arthritis depends on the particular cause, which joints are affected, severity, and how the condition affects your daily activities. Your age and occupation will also be taken into consideration when your doctor works with you to create a treatment plan.
If possible, treatment will focus on eliminating the underlying cause of the arthritis. However, the cause is NOT necessarily curable, as with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Treatment, therefore, aims at reducing your pain and discomfort and preventing further disability.
It is possible to greatly improve your symptoms from osteoarthritis and other long-term types of arthritis without medications. In fact, making lifestyle changes without medications is preferable for osteoarthritis and other forms of joint inflammation. If needed, medications should be used in addition to lifestyle changes.
Exercise for arthritis is necessary to maintain healthy joints, relieve stiffness, reduce pain and fatigue, and improve muscle and bone strength. Your exercise program should be tailored to you as an individual. Work with a physical therapist to design an individualized program, which should include:
Low-impact aerobic activity (also called endurance exercise)
Range of motion exercises for flexibility
Strength training for muscle tone
A physical therapist can apply heat and cold treatments as needed and fit you for splints or orthotic (straightening) devices to support and align joints. This may be particularly necessary for rheumatoid arthritis. Your physical therapist may also consider water therapy, ice massage, or transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS).
Rest is just as important as exercise. Sleeping 8 to 10 hours per night and taking naps during the day can help you recover from a flare-up more quickly and may even help prevent exacerbations. You should also:
Avoid holding one position for too long.
Avoid positions or movements that place extra stress on your affected joints.
Modify your home to make activities easier. For example, have grab bars in the shower, the tub, and near the toilet.
Reduce stress, which can aggravate your symptoms. Try meditation or guided imagery. And talk to your physical therapist about yoga or tai chi.
Now that list is enough to cause a doldrum. My family suffers from osteo arthritis and I am at the ripe old age to really feel its pain.
I just had a physical recently. My doctor said, you are in pretty good shape for your age but you have obviously worked hard all your life and it has taken its toll. The Meloxicam he perscribed for my arthritis hasn't helped much but the swelling in my right hand has went down some. It still hurts.
Today I need some sunshine and heat like my corn does but it's not in the forecast. I had a wood fire last night on the 17th of May! Whoa!
Are you in a doldrum? Maybe we can help one another out of it.
Ed
The tennis elbow is really stiff this morning! Has been a lot lately.
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