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The importance of human touch for cancer patients Dec 1st 2012, 15:06 Living with cancer blog Dec. 1, 2012 By Sheryl M. Ness, R.N. Living With Cancer Subscribe to our Living With Cancer e-newsletter to stay up to date on cancer topics. Sign up now Close your eyes and remember the last time someone held your hand for a while. Remember the warmth of their skin and how it instantly made you relax? Human touch is powerful and can be an excellent way to bring your stress level down a notch or two. Touch can relieve pain, reduce blood pressure and stress hormones, and improve the immune system. At Mayo Clinic, we've begun a program that provides a short hand massage for cancer patients to help them relax while they're receiving chemotherapy. The program has been a huge success. It's the perfect example showing that simple human touch can make such a big difference for people. It seems that as we experience touch, we focus on the feeling, warmth and relaxation it provides instead of focusing on any worries, anxieties or pain. Any time we can refocus our mind to a relaxing place it has a positive effect on the body. Explore adding more touch to your day. You can do this by reaching out to friends and family members as you talk or greet each other. If you feel comfortable, add a little touch to the arm or a short hug as you first see them. Hold your grandchildren in your lap or snuggle close while you read together. Hold hands or walk arm in arm with the one you love — it all makes such a difference. Consider other ways to get a dose of human touch such as a relaxing massage from a trained professional. As always, check with your oncologist or doctor first if you need to take any special precautions when receiving a massage. Share your thoughts on how touch makes a difference to you. Follow me on Twitter at @SherylNess1. Join the discussion at #livingwithcancer. blog index Diabetes: Coping with nail fungus Nov 30th 2012, 21:44 With Mayo Clinic diabetes educators Nancy Klobassa Davidson, R.N., and Peggy Moreland, R.N. read biography Latest entries The embarrassment of nail fungus Nov. 30, 2012 Diabetes: Disaster preparedness Nov. 14, 2012 Flu shots and diabetes Nov. 6, 2012 Halloween and diabetes Oct. 26, 2012 Artificial pancreas research Sept. 21, 2012 Connect with others who've been there. Share stories. Learn. Join Mayo Clinic's online community. Free E-newsletter Subscribe to Housecall Our weekly general interest e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics. Sign up now View the Mayo Diabetes Diet Book Living with diabetes blog Nov. 30, 2012 Diabetes: Coping with nail fungus By Nancy Klobassa Davidson, R.N., and Peggy Moreland, R.N. Controlling Your Diabetes Subscribe to our Controlling Your Diabetes e-newsletter to stay up to date on diabetes topics. Sign up now I have a friend who's so embarrassed about her nail fungus that no one is allowed to see her feet. Her feet are always covered with socks, slippers, shoes or water shoes (if she's at the beach or pool). Nail fungal infections affect about 12 percent of people living in the United States, and toenail fungus is common in people who have diabetes. Toenail fungus has an inherited tendency and commonly runs in families. Besides being cosmetically unattractive, nail fungal infections can cause nail deformity, pain or discomfort while wearing shoes and odor. And it can lead to more serious foot complications if a secondary infection develops. If treatment is prescribed, it's important to know that due to the thickness of toenail beds topical medications aren't absorbed easily. You must be persistent with topical medications, applying them daily for up to one year, and even this may not be effective in clearing up the infection. Oral antifungal drugs can be effective, but they may cause side effects ranging from skin rashes to liver failure. And they aren't recommended for those with liver disease, heart failure or who are taking certain medications. Recurrent infections are possible if feet are exposed to warm and moist conditions. Remember, keep nails trimmed, free of snags, clean and dry. How do others deal with toenail fungus? Have a great week. Nancy blog index

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