I was listening to an interesting interview today on the radio. The author being interviewed wrote the story of President Garfield being shot and how he ultimately died from infection as a result of the barbaric medical practices of the day. She said that the doctors of the time wore dirty aprons and that the more blood and gore on them, the more established they became. Their dirty aprons were a badge of honor.

That got me thinking of the history of medical scrubs. At the time of President Garfield, doctors just wore their street clothes and didn’t sterilize themselves or their work environment. Gross, huh?

With the public disgrace of the medical field at the time of President Garfield’s death, that began to change. Cleanliness and surgery room dedication became normal and expected. Over time, a uniform emerged. Now, we recognize that most people working in the medical field wear what we commonly refer to as “scrubs”. There’s even a TV show called Scrubs.

While the uniform has changed over the years, it is now fairly standard no matter what aspect of medicine you are in. Everyone from receptionists at the doctor’s office, to my child’s dentist, wear scrubs.

They are made to be durable, comfortable and non-binding.

You can check out the simplicity of scrubs for the whole family here http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/

Have you seen the light therapy treatments for whitening teeth? Here’s another light source, but it’s for your skin. 

The acne light treatment from Tanda is intriguing to me, because I don’t like the idea of using a lot of chemicals on my skin to get rid of an imbalance that might be causing acne.

Acording to their website, Tanda offers the ONLY at-home device with interchangeable treatment heads. Once you have purchased any solution-based device kit from them, you can purchase any of their treatment heads to expand your system!  Tanda’s acne light therapy has clinically proven results too, without the side effects common with chemical treatments.

Here’s what I appreciate though, this system also provides age fighting benefits in addition to their acne removal system. With the change of an attachment head, the light begins boosting your skin’s collagen and elastin.

And um……. it offers pain fighting benfits? Holy moley! Check out their pain page where they say that using this kind of warmlight treatment for body pain actually results in;

• 72% decrease in pain
• 36% decrease in swelling
• 60% overall improvement

Plus,. they offer a 30 day money back guarantee!

Have you used light therapy for skin repair?

I used to wear high heels like I was born wearing them. Lately, I look all too much like a soccer mom who lives in sweats. Not that I actually wear sweats! Part of the problem was that my feet got tired or started hurting part way through the day.

I tried normal padded insoles, and I even tried the gel insoles, but in heels, they bunched up under my toes by the end of the day and that was uncomfortable too.

So, what’s a girl to do? Well, the bzz agents over at  www.bzzagent.com sent me some of the new Dr. Scholl’s® For Her High Heel Insoles and I was curious. Would they bunch up? Would they lay there like a dead sock?

According to their site:

• Get discount coupons for your next purchase!

A word-of-mouth must

Word of mouth needs to be honest, open and sincere — it just doesn’t work otherwise. So every time you share about a product, online or off, you must:

• I am a  BzzAgent and received samples or coupons for this product
• Give them your honest, hype-free opinion
• Include the hash tag #imabzzagent (if spreading Bzz on Twitter)

Can wearing scrubs for kids with autism really be a good choice?

My 9 year old has autism. She can’t fasten buttons and can do zippers only on loose clothing, or something with a good structure like her coat. So, jeans are out of the question most of the time. However, wearing sweats for the rest of her life isn’t going to be the best option either.

So it occurred to me today that wearing scrubs, yeah medical scrubs, might work. They make them in a couple different styles at least, and they come in a rainbow of colors. But as she grows older, she’ll need and likely want, something less childish. She will have to blend in at least a little more in high school. Dressing is just one way that kids are singled out, but it’s true for adults also.

I never thought about buying scrubs for my autistic daughter, but it makes sense.

This particular company http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/ offers good quality and a plain, simple style which is all my kiddo needs. Extras with possible scratchy spots are no good, trust me. I never thought about buying scrubs for her, but it makes sense. No buttons, no hooks or tabs. Just elastic or a tie (which she isn’t good with either).

So, the one drawback I see to buying scrubs for kids, is cost.

However, when she’s grown a little more and has hit her peak, cost won’t be quite so important. It makes sense to pay for something solid and well made, rather than something cheap that she might tear up with normal use. If medical uniform scrubs bring to mind the cartoon characters and flowery prints you’ve seen before, it’s worth a look at the simple and stylish solid colors this company offers.

I’ll be shopping for scrubs, I think. Do you have any suggestions or alternatives to wearing pants with buttons and zippers?

Imagine taking old clothing and turning it into something new and useful?

Donnielle does this with tshirts.

recycled tshirt scarf

“I use tshirt yarn which I hadnt seen a lot of when I first made a scarf with it 2 years ago. Now it is more and more popular  – but still gets lots of comments and interest when I wear a piece out or am working on one in public.

I wash and hand cut the fabric I’m using wind it into a ball, and then knit it. I have an entire section in my store of upcycled / recycled items – mostly old tshirts mixed with some sheets and even a dupioni duvet cover!”

Donnielle                                           Recycled Knits by Design Knit Fun

You could turn old dresses, bed covers and coats into vests, hats, hanging organizers, or rag rugs. The only limit to using these items in other ways is you individual creativity and daringness to try.School children and their teachers have, for years, known the value of discards. I remember many an art project that started with some food container or other household item I had been instructed to bring to class that day. Why is it only children are “allowed” to be so creative and thought so cute for doing so? Why should we teach our children such creativity and ingenuity, only to stifle those same qualities in adulthood? It just isn’t fair.

Even our grandmothers learned how to recycle old clothing into new clothes for the kids, or into the warm quilt you lovingly have across your bed. One of the favorite all time blankets I’ve seen is the one my step son’s gramma made out of old jeans. It’s heavy, but really durable and really fun.

All you have to do is look around you with a creative and non-judgmental eye.