How Much Are You Worth?

How Much Are You Worth?
A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill.
In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"
Hands started going up.
He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.
He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still, the hands were up in the air.
"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?"? And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe, crumpled and dirty.
"Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.
"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.
Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in the eyes of those who love you.
You are special - Don't ever forget it!

Good Karma

Do A Good Turn Daily

The man slowly looked up. He sees a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before.
"Leave me alone," he growled.
To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she asked.
"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away." The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.
"What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone."
Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked.
"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"
The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"
"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."
"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up.
"Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything."
"This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow it."
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived. The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by the table.
"What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this. Is this man in trouble?"
"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.
"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business."
Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"
"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."
"And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"
"What business is that of yours?"
"I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."
"Oh."
The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"
"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."
"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"
"Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice."
The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."
The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said.
"That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."
She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently. "Jack, do you remember me?"
Old Jack searched her face with his old , rheumy eyes "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar."
"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."
"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.
"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."
Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."
"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over, I saw you put the price of my food in the cash register I knew then that everything would be all right."
"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.
"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business, that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the personnel director of my company. I' ll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet. If you ever need anything, my door is always open to you."
There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you? " he said.
"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus. He led me to you."
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways. "Thank you for all your help, officer," she said.
"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And...And, thank you for the coffee ."

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease was first described by James Parkinson in his essay on the shaking palsy. The age of onset is around the age of 50, with incidence peaking during the mid-seventies. The prevalence is 190 by 100,000 population with the sex ratio of three is to two (male to female) with a five per cent familial incidence.

The cause of Parkinson's disease is unknown. Discordance in identical twins suggests that genetic factors are not important. Environmental mechanisms appear to play a role.

Increased interest in the role of exogenous toxins has arisen through the recent observation that in drug users Parkinsonism is reduced by selectively destroying nigral cells and their striatal projections. Virus infection seems an unlikely explanation in view of the worldwide distribution, lack of viral antibodies in the brain and inability to transmit the disease to primates.

In view of the unclear etiology of Parkinson's disease it is referred to as Idiopathic Parkinson's diseases as opposed to Secondary Parkinsonism where the possible causes are available (drugs like reserpine and haloperidol and the repetitive trauma to the head like in boxing).

There are visible changes in the brain of persons with Idiopathic Parkinson's disease. The substantia nigra contains the pigmented cells (neuromelanin) which give it a characteristic black appearance. These cells are lost in Parkinson's disease and the substantia nigra becomes pale. The remaining cells contain atypical eosinophilic inclusions in the cytoplasm called Lewy bodies. The presence of cortical inclusions is linked with dementia. There are also minor changes seen in other basal nuclei.

The initial symptoms of Parkinson's disease are vague, with the patient oftentimes complaining of aches and pains. The posture of the patient is bent. The face is expressionless with drooling (mask like facie). There are fine tremors in the hands described as pill rolling tremor. The legs are stiff and the gait is shuffling.

Early in the disease, a coarse tremor at a rate of four per second usually develops. The tremor begins unilaterally in the upper limbs and eventually spreads to all four limbs. The pill rolling tremor can be observed on the hands with the thumb moving rhythmically backwards and forwards on the palm of the hand. This tremor occurs at rest, improves with movement and disappears during sleep.

The rigidity of the body can be detected by examination. The body is in a typical flexed posture. The flexor muscles of the neck, trunk and limbs are in the semi-contracted position. The person is in the posture like that of a boxer.

When the facial muscles of expression are affected the face becomes expressionless. Also affected were the muscles of mastication, speech, voluntary swallowing and muscles of the trunk and limbs. The gait becomes robot like. Every step seems very heavy with little associated movements like arm swinging.

Signs and symptoms will worsen affecting every aspect of the patient's life. The handwriting will become smaller. The gait becomes shuffling with smaller rapid steps giving the impression that the patient is trying to keep up with the centre of gravity. The posture will become more bent. Initiating movements from a stationary position will become harder. Even rising from a chair becomes laborious. The movements of the eyeballs may also be affected. In some cases, although rare, there may be acute ocular deviation. There may also be excessive sweating and greasy skin. Patients may also have depression, postural hypotension and encephalitis.

Diagnosis of Parkinson's depends on high degree of suspicion based on complete history, physical examination and exclusion of other disease entities that mimic or can produce tremors and bradykinesia. Senile tremor, essential tremor and metabolic tremor are not visible during rest and will appear only and become more pronounced on voluntary movement. Distinguish also rigidity from spasticity. In spasticity, the resistance is felt towards the end of motion. In rigidity, resistance is present through the full range of movement.

Management is aimed to restore the balance between dopamine and acetycholine. Treatment is symptomatic and will not stop the pathologic process. The goal is to reduce acetycholine and its effects and increase dopamine. Anticholinergic drugs will reduce tremors but have minimal effect on the rigidity and bradykinesia. Dopamine and dopamine agonists will improve bradykinesia and rigidity with some degree of control of tremor. Good nursing care and the regular consultation to prevent complications are essential.