Health and Therapy

Health and Therapy

Slow Death Inside Of Nursing Homes

Slow murders and quick murders inside of nursing homes:

Please note there is an extremely important update to this article, at the end of the article. If you are any way involved in living in or visiting a nursing home or rehabilitation and care center, or if you have friends, relatives or co-workers inside of one of these places, it is vitally important that you read this complete article and the ultra-important update at the end of the article.

What is happening inside of our nursing homes and inside of our physical rehabilitation centers today would shock the average person. Right now, today, while you sit in your comfortable home reading this, someone your age, someone of your background is suffering at the hands of unscrupulous staff in nursing homes and in physical rehabilitation and care centers right in your own city.

Just recently a friend of mine from across the country called me to tell me that her mom was put into a hospital due to bedsores. The home-health care agency that was in charge of trying to help her and keeping her safe, neglected to turn her or move her every two hours and as a result of that neglect, this woman was hospitalized when the bedsores got so bad they were life-threatening. Would you think that a sore could be life-threatening.? Yes, and this is especially so to seniors, fragile , ill people and to disabled people. This woman recently died. And she died not from illness, but from needing to be hospitalized due to horrible bedsores.

What permits this to go on? Sometimes it is indifference but most times what permits the abuses to go on is that people are not aware that this is happening. This article brings it to light, brings it to your attention and begs your participation in changing things for better and asks you to take small steps to save a life today.

As you are reading this, pause for just one moment and let me ask you this question: Are you one of those people who do not or will not believe that people are being treated so horribly in America? If you are, give yourself and everyone else the benefit of the doubt and read the article that is listed inside this link near the bottom of the page. Also, if you know any doctors, ask them if they would put ANY family members inside of a nursing home. You will have your answer there.

One of the biggest reasons that residents get more unhealthy and sometimes die in nursing homes is due to bedsores. And usually bedsores are a direct result from lack of care, lack of good nursing home management and supervision and under-staffing of rehabilitation and care centers. In other words, the management in these places is so lacking and so inexperienced at keeping people healthy, that they do not keep proper track of how often patients are moved and changed from side to side. Once residents are allowed to lay still for hours at a time, these patients develop sores, which most times never heal. Most times, these sores can be life-threatening. How? If a resident has diabetes or other serious physical ailments, these sores can cause the patient to be more unhealthy and unhealthy to the point where they can reach near death. And the horrible truth is that ALL of these sores are totally unnecessary and totally avoidable. All the rehab and care centers and nursing homes have to do is to turn patients and move patients every two hours and document such moves. However the bad rehab and care centers and bad nursing homes just let the patients rot immobile until they develop sores.

How do they get away with doing that? Here is what they do. They allow the patient to rot in bed, bringing breakfast and other meals to the room, not encouraging the patient to come out to the dining room. Then once they rot in bed, they begin to be able to not move or turn themselves. This happens over time to patients in these bad centers. Once they cannot move themselves, they are getting worse, more unhealthy and sometimes die due to ulcers and bedsores.

Injury happens; patients may need amputations due to bedsores if they develop into gangrene. And then the cycle goes over and over until the person dies. And the bad rehab and care centers get away with this action. And today, they are getting away with it over and over and over. How? They are getting away with it because many patients have no visitor that can see what the place is doing to the resident. And the really bad places try their best to stop the other patients from having visitors. What can you do about this?

You can help also by reading ALL the articles that talk about negligence and malpractice inside nursing homes. Print these articles here and have them circulated inside of libraries and other stores that give you permission to put these articles out there. If you are store owner, kindly post this article on your bulletin board and pass it around the colleges and other schools. Thank you for saving lives. If you work in a nursing home, I urge you to copy this and bring it inside the nursing home and circulate it amongst family members and visitors. Please spread the word. You can do this anonymously. Leave it in bathrooms in a safe place. Place one in peoples' rooms , of course with their permission. But spread this word about what is happening inside of these bad rehab and care centers and nursing homes. Pass the world, just like they passed the word about concentration camps, spread it person to person, business to business. Thank you, read more here.

Please check the email box at the top and circulate this to all your friends.

The average person would wince if they knew the truth. The truth is that each and every day, there are nursing homes and physical rehabilitation and care centers that make people sick. Instead of helping the patients get better, they allow them to vegetate. When elder care abuse occurs in the nursing home or physical rehabilitation and care centers across the nation, that abuse is more apt to be "covered up" because there are entire teams of people to do the covering up. In other words, something happens inside of a rehabilitation and care center or nursing home; it happens at "one level" -- for example, inside a patient's room or in the bathroom or other solitary places, and only that staff person sees what that staff person is doing or has done.

Once this abuse is "discovered" within the physical rehabilitation center or nursing home -it is the nursing home's "job" to see that this abuse is not 'let out " to the public. After all, the staff, in reality is there to protect the nursing home's image and to protect the nursing home's finances and future FIRST -before they are there to protect the patients. Anyone who has been behind the scenes and inside of nursing homes can see that in most places or in lots of nursing homes --the staff does just that - protects staff and the corporation from social and financial losses.

One of the worst abuses that some rehabilitation and care centers commit are those abuses where they permit patients (who are able) to recline in bed all day just because it is easier for the staff to do that. Patients who come into the center in fair condition begin to lose muscle because they are permitted to recline in bed for many long hours during the day and night. These abuses are intolerable yet they still exist today in some centers and nursing homes.

Wheelchairs as Restraints: Another of the worst abuses in bad nursing homes is when they use wheelchairs as restraints. Wheelchairs are supposed to make residents lives easier and happier. They are not supposed to be used as restraints, but in the bad nursing homes and in the bad rehabilitation and care centers, the wheelchairs are restraints. Most of the residents on their long term care floor are basically prisoners and they wait for hours to go to the bathroom even though they are fully aware they have to go and they tell residents they have to go.

Most times, in these offending rehab centers, the residents are forced to wear diapers even if they do not want to wear a diaper. Would you want to wear a diaper if you did not need to wear one? No. But in the offending rehab centers, the residents are forced to wear them. Their other choice is to sit in their wet, cold clothing for hours and hours (because no staff brings them to the bathroom). The staff keeps the residents in wheelchairs and diapers as a matter of control, and as a matter of less work for them. (If a resident has no clean clothes, the resident (bound to his wheelchair cannot come out of the room and stays isolated in there). Once they are bound to their room, the staff has less work. That is one less resident that they have to care for. So watch out for places that use the wheelchair as restraints, because most likely they will use diapers for their convenience, even though some patients do not need nor do they want to be in diapers.

Discern: What is the difference between a place that is using wheelchairs as restraints and one that uses wheelchairs only when necessary? Look around. Go into many of the homes to visit. If you see tons of people in wheelchairs, just sitting around for hours (not for minutes), then you know that place is using wheelchairs as restraints. They make the people in wheelchairs wait and wait and wait and wait for ordinary living things like having meals or going to the bathroom. The good place that uses wheelchairs only when necessary has residents in wheelchairs too, except the residents do not have to wait for hours and hours to go to the bathroom. The waiting time is cut down, yet in the offending places, the waiting time is prolonged until no human being could wait that long.

Good verses Bad: That is the difference. And you will know as soon as you walk in whether the home really cares for residents or whether the home is just out to make money no matter what the residents feel like or look like. In the offending homes it is all about money. In the good homes, it is all about making residents and families comfortable. No one is making a blanket statement against all nursing home. However, the people who work inside of these nursing homes and care centers are well aware of what is happening. . This article is about the ones that are lacking in care, lacking in respect and about the ones that are daily breaking the law and on a daily basis violating the residents, patients and visitors' rights. There have been cases where staff inside of physical rehabilitation centers and nursing homes have purposely covered-up wrong-doings to protect their own jobs and to continue to collect money from insurance for the benefit of the corporations that owned the rehab centers and nursing homes.

Now, here's the news breakers that you might want to notice:

Inside some Nursing Homes and Physical Rehabilitation and Care Centers:

• There are some residents and patients who have to wait an HOUR or more or sometimes two hours in order to go to the bathroom. Sometimes when residents complain about the treatment or complain about the lack of care, the residents are punished for speaking out. This is why you will not hear the complaints of the residents who are presently inside these nursing homes and physical rehabilitation and care centers.
• There are some residents who are emotionally forced into wearing diapers because the staff lets them wait so long to go to the bathroom and the residents know this and thus they have to wear diapers against their will OR they have to sit in wet clothing for hours because no one can or will take them to the bathroom when they NEED to go to the bathroom
• There are sometimes walls of people in wheelchairs in the corridors. Some residents are put in 'recliner-type' wheelchairs which they cannot move. Some sit for hours and hours in a corridor with no one around. They are left in these chairs unattended, unable to move, unable to get out of the chair; they sit and just hope that someone passes by. Then, when and if they are permitted to have visitors, the place changes "atmosphere" and the staff makes it appear as if these residents are actually getting attention and care.
• There are some residents who are very afraid to speak up or to complain about these places because they have to be there all alone with the staff and SOMETIMES there are some staff who will retaliate against residents who complain about anything that happens behind the closed doors of these facilities. Speaking out is a punishable offense (though it is not legal, it still happens). Patients and residents are being punished for speaking out. Visitors and family members are being punished for speaking out. And this is the very reason why society needs to continue to speak out - for the protection of residents all over the United States of America and all over the world.
• There is a majority of staff --against a small amount of family members, so when it comes to complaining to staff, when family complains "verbally" , those complaints are and will be ignored; and when family complains in writing, those families are retaliated against and the facilities illegally stop visitors on false trumped up charges.

These are just a few of the horrible things that happen inside of some physical rehabilitation and care centers and some nursing homes , today and every day, or every other day. Yet, none of this is put in the newspapers. None of this is made public because families and residents and patients are afraid of further retaliation. So, where does the buck stop? Who can help these residents and families. What can you do about these horrible injustices? How can we help those people inside of nursing homes and inside of physical rehabilitation centers?So, how do you help change lives? How do you change the system that is damaging many seniors and disabled individuals? How can you look inside of a nursing home and or rehabilitation and care center and bring care to those that might not be receiving care? You can help and you can help today. YOU, yes YOU -- can make a big difference in this world today.Read and learn how you can help in this world today, help residents, help patients and help save a life today!

Beginning steps:

• Get together with your local community organizations and or churches or synagogues
• BRING this to their attention, and ask that a committee be formed. Have that committee arrange to go inside of nursing homes and into physical rehabilitation and care centers. Have them write and or call and ask for permission to bring visitors and programs inside of the facilities.
• Organize holiday concerts or programs that you can bring in during regular days, weekdays and weekends into any of these residences.
• Approach your local nursing homes and rehab centers and tell them that you want to help the residents become connected on the internet so they can contact their families which are usually in other states or countries.
• BRING as many visitors as you can bring in to visit these patients and residents, (Ask permission from relatives and then sign in at the security desk of the nursing home. Tell them what you are there for and they should lead you to where you are due).

Why You Would Want to Help:

Here is what we observed while visiting a physical rehabilitation and care center in the United States:

• Have you ever noticed that when the supervisors knew that visitors would be coming into the place, there seemed to be a 'mysterious' burst of extra employees and extra care and extra attention to residents while the visitors where inside the building. On ordinary days, when there usually was a lack of care or negligence due to lack of staff or missing staff or staff that just wasn't there or staff that was overworked -- that was the situation, but somehow , when the visitors were inside the building, there was an abundance (compared to regular days) of staff and everyone "seemed" to be attentive to residents and nicer to residents because they were putting on the "show' for the public.
• Have you ever noticed that once the visitors left the building (most visitors left even though there were many hours of visiting hours left , so one or two visitors remained), that the staff mysteriously got 'busy' somewhere else, and that is the time when residents were forced to wait one or two hours to be brought to the bathroom. If a resident needed a bathroom while a visitor is present, somehow that resident was able to get to the bathroom (while witnesses were there), but once all the visitors left -- the residents went back to having lack of care and to some possible negligence and or malpractice.
• One family member even overheard that one resident simply walked out of the rehabilitation center and the staff was not even aware that she was missing until she had gone miles from the place. No one noticed that this lady was missing! Imagine that? They were so busy doing other things, that they didn't have time to keep an eye out for a patient who obviously needed to be watched and cared for.
• Family members have told me that sometimes the staff made certain residents 'cry', that these residents were not crying when the visitors were there (there are witnesses when visitors come into these places). And no staff wants a resident crying or complaining while the visitors are present.
• Some have noticed that in some places, supervisors and administrators lie right to the faces of family. We noticed that most of the staff diligently covers up what happens as soon as they want to cover it up. We noticed many things that we cannot type here. But trust that it is all true.

If you visit and stay long enough inside some facilities, you will see that some facilities are guilty of lack of care -- at the minimum and guilty of more than that probably to this very day. Inside some nursing homes and inside some physical rehabilitation centers some residents are totally helpless and can not find anyone to complain to. effectively to (Even though the law provides avenues of complaints and even though the law provides departments and organizations that residents "CAN" complain to) Some of the residents are totally helpless and cannot safely and healthily make legitimate complaints about lack of care , so they remain there in their sad situation. The residents know that they have to stay there and that it is not easy or almost impossible to get out of there, so they are stuck with their complaints and stuck with their situations until visitors come to see them.

Help Save Lives and Help Change Lives Forever, try these:

• Ask your co-workers to form a team that will visit individual residents in places like these. Contact the caregivers and family members of the residents and tell them that you would like to begin visits to that nursing home and ask their permission to visit their family members who reside in those places.
• Ask your boss to begin a program where you work that will enable your workers to visit people inside of nursing homes.
• If you know Geraldo Rivera or if you know any other journalists or media people personally, ask them to help uncover the injustices that are happening on a daily basis throughout nursing homes in Staten Island, NY, and all along the east and west coast. Ask anyone you know that has finances or community backing to help you begin to organize groups of people that will legally go into nursing homes to visit people. Contact us if you need names of nursing homes that can use your help in saving lives.
• Advertise and seek out voluntary lawyers and legal professionals to help families deal with the red tape that some of the offending nursing homes and physical rehab centers dish out to families and residents who make legitimate complaints.
• IF you know anyone who does radio shows or tv shows, ask them for free time to talk about the abuse that happens inside of nursing homes, and ask them to put a call out to lawyers and to other professionals who will help to work for social change inside of nursing homes.
• ASK everyone you know to go and visit inside of nursing homes whenever and where ever possible. (always check with the families first and always obtain permission.
• Go through your community and ask all families who have people inside of these facilities if you have permission to write to these seniors. Donate stamps and envelopes to seniors and write back and forth to them. Keep them connected. This is extremely important. Ask the families if you can telephone these seniors or disabled individuals and then do that once you gain permission.
• If you are phoning someone at a nursing home and they never answer the pay phone, document that fully. Document how many times the phones ring and document how many hours or days or weeks it takes you to actually reach the resident.
• All of the above information will be quite helpful at Congressional and public hearings when they come up. You can save lives and you can change conditions. Please help in all these community projects.
• Write to us to share your ideas about what you or your organization are doing to help things get better. Share your information . You can help.

BY doing any and all of these things you will help change the conditions inside of nursing homes. Here's another way you can help. Be in contact with residents inside of these places. Reach out to isolated patients via email and via telephone calls. Contact is what changes things inside of nursing homes and inside of physical rehab and care centers. Contact someone today to begin your own project.

Here are people to contact:

1. Contact your Senator or your Congressman to ask for public hearings regarding the conditions inside of nursing homes and rehab centers. (When discussing the problems inside of nursing homes be sure to emphasize that you are speaking about physical rehabilitation and care centers also. These problems are not only restricted to nursing homes). When speaking of the issues, remember to use that wording "rehabilitation and care centers" or rehabilitation centers. This will make your investigations and reports more complete than if you just speak about nursing homes.
2. Contact any of your local community organizations and ask for help in changing conditions "behind the walls" of nursing homes. Go to your local community leaders and ask them where you can go to for help. Reach out to everyone you know in your neighborhood and ask for referrals. You will find the right person to help if you just keep asking as many people as you can ask.
3. Contact other families in your communities. Contact them through PTA meetings and contact them through business improvement meetings and contact them through various meetings that happen in your community. Once you contact them ask EVERYONE to participate in some way to help isolated nursing home residents. Ask some to write letters to Congress or to the Mayor. Ask others to contact patients' families and ask permission to visit. Ask the professionals, doctors, nurses and lawyers to come forth and say the truth about what happens behind the closed doors of those places. You can do it. You can help!
4. If you know a lawyer, or a professional worker, enlist them to help in this campaign against nursing home and physical rehabilitation centers abuses and malpractices.

Some simple ways you can help: First, Believe!

In order to help, you must believe. You will hear some incredible stories and they are true stories. You need to be able to listen to them and then to assure the patients or residents that you do believe what they are saying. This is some of the most valuable help that you can give someone -- first, believe. You can help by believing the resident. Once inside these places, when residents complain to their families about the mistreatment or lack of care, the first thing that some families respond with is 'disbelief" . After all, who would want to believe that PAID staff is not caring for their relatives. Who would want to believe that they put their relatives in a place that is possibly mistreating the relatives.

The best way you can help is believing the words of the residents when they complain that the nursing home staff is giving them lack of care or giving them abuse., believe them. Do not think that they are making up stories. Believe them. They are in no position to make up stories. They do not want to complain. They are afraid to complain about staff . So believe them. They feel safer complaining when you are there visiting them. So that's why they mention it to you. And then once you leave , they are left to stay there. So believe them. Take them at their word. That's how you can help. There are things happening inside of those centers that should not happen, yet they are there to witness it , and when you do not believe their words, when you doubt them, you take their hearts and dispose of them. So believe them. If someone is complaining to you about conditions inside of a facility, go and ask your Pastor, Priest or Rabbi how the community and how the church can help the residents. Please reach out to these people who need help. You can save a life today!

Handling the red tape of refusals:

• Diligently document times, dates, days, places and the people that you speak with. Put all your requests in writing to help document. For example, write a very friendly letter stating that you want to come in and entertain or be with residents as part of your community project or school project. Tell them when you would like to visit (and try to arrange these projects during times when there are no visiting hours). When the facility refuses to let you entertain the residents or visit with residents, later ask to do the same - visiting- during regular visiting hours.
• Document each and every request for each and every visit to each facility. Note the name and time and date of your request - and the name of the person that you speak with. Focus on one facility at a time. You can begin with those in the largest cities and work to those out in the country. We need help sending visitors into East Coast cities - those nursing homes that seem the hardest-hit. If there is any facility who refuses to cooperate , or any that seem to be hiding something, it would appear that those would be the ones needing the most help and the most visitors. (Connect with your lawyers and investigators in your own cities to see what kinds of help you can receive).Obtain permissions from any of the families and from any of the residents and patients that you wish to visit. And do this all year round. Visitors are needed every single day of the year, and especially on weekends.
• If you are in a position of political power, think about your own relatives who someday might wind up in a nursing home or rehab center. If you think you can avoid this malpractice by sending them to a good fancy home, you are mistaken. What affects one person affects all people. Please help spread the world.

For some interesting readings and reviews about nursing homes and about hospitals, check this site Please send visitors into your local rehab care centers and nursing homes today. They need as many visitors as possible. If you are a family member of a resident, ask all of your friends, relatives, co-workers and others to visit the patient. The more visitors, the better; have visitors taking turns, shifts and that will best protect the resident. I know it is hard to do this, but wherever possible, do it, and you will help better the quality of care inside of that particular rehabilitation and care center by sending more visitors inside the walls of that place.Please contact us and keep in touch so we can all benefit from your ideas and suggestions on these matters. Be sure to read part two of this article which is being posted as you read this. I need to hear from you. You can help improve conditions inside of nursing homes even if your nursing home stay was more than a year ago or five years ago. Your comments are so important to everyone. Kindly let me hear from you. Thank you.

Last note: You can see some more news about nursing homes at this video website. I am not affiliated with this website but find that the information is vital to the safety of people all over the world. If you have a family member inside a nursing home or if you are inside one yourself, you need to watch this video link

Updated May 18, 2008

Physical Rehabilitation Centers and Nursing Homes Night Mares

*The reader decides what is good in each individual case. If any suggestion or advice is not helpful in your case, the authors suggest that you do not use it. Each case is individual; each case is different. Be your own judge of what is good in your particular case.

WOW! So you have a complaint! So, you have a serious complaint! What do you do? How do you pile through all the red tape of dealing with nursing homes and physical rehabilitation centers? Have you been given the run-around by a physical rehabilitation center or nursing home. Do they ignore your questions or requests? Does it seem like you are invisible to them? Have you made legitimate requests and been ignored at every turn? Does it "seem" like the corporate persons or people in charge or the licensed social workers are taking advantage of the situation?

Is the center or nursing home ignoring bedsores that were acquired right there in the center or nursing home. Those are questions to ask yourself when you feel like you are getting the run-around when dealing with health or financial issues in relation to physical rehabilitation centers and nursing homes in this world.And there are more questions; you probably can think of hundreds of questions yourself. How about these questions? Do they wait days or even weeks before the patient or resident is given proper care? Does it "appear" that the physical rehabilitation center or nursing home is doing "more bad than good"? And are they covering this up with avoidance or fabrication? Do these sound like the same complaints that you have about a particular rehabilitation center or nursing home? If they do sound similar or the same, your first steps in protecting the patient, resident and family can be found here in this self-help article.

Have you caught the place in outright lies? What has been your experience in dealing with physical rehabilitation center s and nursing homes? Everyone has a different experience. And while some might have a good experience, there e are possibly dozens or hundreds of others who are having bad experiences or terrible experiences inside physical rehabilitation centers and nursing homes.So, what is your experience? And If you have a bad experience, how do you handle it; How d o you react and how do you act in order to benefit the patient or resident inside the home?

First, build a solid base of honesty, and if there is no honesty inside the nursing home or rehabilitation center, if there is no honesty coming from the staff or supervisors, then build a case for proving their dishonesty. Once you have seen that staff or supervisors or administrators have lied about circumstances, and then you need to protect yourself from happening that happen again.For example, if the rehabilitation staff is claiming that something happened or is happening and you know for a fact that this is not true, then any future contact that you have with them might end up the same way. So how do you protect yourself under these circumstances?

Put It In Writing!

WRITING! Yes, a simple thing like writing changes all perspectives of a particular situation. Writing can bring a situation around to having more honesty, to having the staff and social workers and administrators "become" more honest. Once they see that something is in "writing" --in "print", they might think twice about compromising their honesty and integrity. So, if anyone at any of those places has lied or fabricated, made up a story or ignored any of your verbal requests, it would be just common sense to have future dealings with them in "writing".

Once a physical rehabilitation center has lied or misconstrued something or ignored your serious verbal complaints, it might be time to hit the typewriters and computers and compose a letter -IN WRITING-- to the administrators or supervisors that are responsible in the corporate setting. If you have serious complaints and your complaints are being ignored, it might be the time that you put your serious complaints in writing and it might be the time to send such complaints by certified mail or by express mail or by priority mail.What? What if you cannot afford these types of mail services? Have no fear! You can properly complain in writing and still have proof that you sent your letter -by asking the post office for a "certificate of mail". This is a small white receipt that is postmarked by the Postal worker, and then your letter is "on record" for being mailed at the US Post Office. This service is under two dollars per letter. (It might be under one dollar and fifty cents; check with your local post office). ALWAYS put your complaints in writing once your verbal complaints have been ignored or once stories have been fabricated by any staff or personnel at any physical rehabilitation centers or nursing homes.

Staff who are honest and personnel who are honest will not resent or be bothered by any complaints that are put in writing. It is only dishonest staff and dishonest personnel and dishonest licensed workers at physical rehabilitation centers and nursing homes that would be upset about any complaint put in writing. If staff is honest, they will respond professionally; if they are dishonest, they will dig their own hole deeper. Be forewarned that the battle gets tougher and the steps get deeper once you decide to register your formal complaints, so it might help you to have a few others on your side.

Helpful Hints:

Keep a Journal.

Begin a journal book and record EVERYTHING that happens -time, date, place, day, occurrence and the person's involved. KNOW that this corporate place is doing that so, you get on board and keep your own records, your own journal book/diary, regarding all issues and applicable communications, calls, visits. This is vitally important for your own protection from unscrupulous rehabilitation centers and nursing home

Keep records and copies.

Make a record of every phone call and every conversation, topic, date, time, day, and topic of conversation with details -every time you speak with someone regarding the rehabilitation center or nursing home. Some individuals make tape recordings of their phone calls. As long as "you" speak during that conversation, and you are "present" in that conversation, then this is not "eavesdropping" but simply a recorded conversation

Document everything.

Document everything that is done, everything that is said, everything that is not done and not said, to have accurate records of what is happening. Your documentation can mean the difference between success and failure, so document NOW- even before you have need to document things.

Have Everyone Join In and Check licenses:

Bring your entire family into the picture. Instead of one person doing all the work and making the complaints, ask all the family members who are available to help out and file their own complaints, either with the corporate place or with outside complaint agencies. The more participants the better. Consider, that's consider, reporting any unscrupulous "licensed" individuals to the appropriate "licensing" bureaus. In some states the places that give licenses is the Department of Education, in other states, it is another department.

Research online and be persistent:

Go online and do a search of any and all organizations that are there to help you with complaints against physical rehabilitation centers and nursing homes. Do a thorough search and you will come up with, maybe, more help than you need.Be persistent in your complaint. KNOW that so many others have been successful in battling bad nursing homes. Check out the article about a Southern California lawyer who successfully is getting settlements of more than a few million dollars from unscrupulous nursing homes who "lied about the quality of care inside the nursing home. Now, nursing homes are going to be more careful about what they "advertise" because if they do not produce what they advertise, they just might end up in some million dollar lawsuits -against them. One nursing home that has recently settled because it decided that it was better to settle than to go through a lawsuit for false advertising. It's tempting to give up when a large corporation is battling against you, especially when they are battling with illegal or unscrupulous tactics, but always have hope. Always know that all throughout history, eventually good conquered evil. Even when things looked worse in history and in life, good always survives and the truth always comes out. So have hope knowing that you are in good company and you will prevail with your honest reports to the appropriate places.

Stay connected to win!

You cannot underestimate the power of being connected. Talk with everyone you know, everyone you trust about the situation but without mentioning names. Ask for any and all help that you can get in fighting the red tape, the fabrication, the lies, and the unscrupulous dealings of any happenings inside of bad nursing homes and bad physical rehabilitation centers. If you are staying in a nursing home for rehabilitation, ask everyone you know if they know about your particular residence. Always listen to your gut instinct, no matter what anyone says. You can do whatever you set out to do, just make sure that you always listen to yourself.

Now, gather your evidence.

Gather the rest of your evidence. Who would think that nursing home advertisements would be helpful in bringing down a nursing home which is giving inadequate care or bad care? Well, think again. Read the news articles, and go at once to gather any and all of the advertising that any offending nursing home or any offending rehabilitation care center is giving out. Do you have a brochure? Look in your newspapers, where local places advertise. Tear out and save any and all advertisements that those places offer. Buy the newspaper or get the newspaper at your library and read about all the things that these care centers "offer" to their patients and residents. SAVE EVERYTHING! If a nursing home or care center is offering a certain kind of care, certain kinds of rooms or certain kinds of services ONLY in advertising but not in reality, then perhaps that particular corporation can be brought to law to be accountable for all of its false advertising. Be persistent. Study , research, and keep your research and keep your evidence. Then and if you decide to sue, you will have enough physical evidence to present to your lawyer. You just might win your case.

Value trust and guard it.

Forget trust? Wow. How can we say such a thing and be serious? Here's how. If you are dealing with a rehabilitation center or nursing home and some or any of the staff has already fabricated stories, withheld or lied or ignored your legitimate requests perhaps this is time that you should remember that these people should not and cannot be trusted. Why? Well, if they lied to you once, what stops them from fibbing to you or withholding vital information from you twice or three times or even all the time? If they have already thrown your trust in the garbage, how do you get that trust back and protect yourself? Usually, once staff lies to you, you can ALMOST be sure that they will lie again. After all, how do they cover up their first lie? They can only do that by either apologizing for their first lie - which won't happen- or by continuing to lie to you again and again. So, if this applies to you, the "forget trust". We are not claiming that everyone inside a nursing home lies; what we are stating is that sometimes "SOME" staff at some nursing homes cover up the truth simply because they are afraid of losing their jobs. After all, if a nursing home lets someone wait for hours and hours to go to the bathroom and if a staff member complains about this -what happens to that staff person? So when bad things happen inside of good or inside of bad nursing homes, the staff is pressured to cover up the lacks and to cover up the bad things that are happening --under the pressure of losing their jobs if they speak out.

Remember the eight nurses who walked out.

Look at what happened to those eight nurses who walked off the job due to bad conditions. That was in the news. EIght - not one, but eight nurses walked off in unity, yet even they had the tables turned on them. So, good employees are pressured to be silent and this makes the nursing homes and rehab centers worse than they should be.

If you are a nurse or social worker or supervisor in a rehab or nursing home, you need to SPEAK OUT against the bad practices that are happening inside these places. With your help, society will be successful in changing things for the better. (If you are afraid to speak out because you might lose your job, speak out to us. We will keep your confidentiality, and through a unity, YOU can help save lives. You can help give better care.

Complain to Agencies.

About complaining: Do your complaining (to other agencies and departments regarding these issues) in writing. It's tempting to get on the telephone and complain verbally because that is easy, however, only the true complaint prevails if you put things in writing. You put things in your own words-not in the words of the person taking the complaint.

Be Knowledgeable and consider suing.

Realize! Yes, realize what really happens once you initiate a complaint. First know whom you are speaking to if you complain by phone Know that most or some agencies are staffed by volunteers and even some are sympathetic to the corporations that you might be complaining about. (So consider suing if you have a good case). Complain to the agencies that issue licenses -whether the person you are complaining about is a doctor, nurse, home health aide, or social worker, complain to the proper parties. Ombudsman complaints are, well, okay, maybe, but sometimes even these ombudsmen are volunteers and sometimes you might get one who is not "impartial". However, when you complain to a licensing agency, they must check into every allegation, so much more than an ombudsman can and or will. Thinking about suing? Well, half of the work is done for you if you have followed the proper steps and taken the proper records. Your journal can probably be used in court to help your case. (Only your lawyer would know this). Persist! Don't let anything negative that the "red-tape builders" say to you; discourage you from being persistent in your honest reporting to the proper agencies and possibly lawyers also.

YES, build yourself up; strengthen your position and protect your family members and patients and residents by using the best resources that are available to you both in print and online. We make some recommendations about helpful books and helpful resources tools that you might be able to locate online or in your home town. Why not check out Mark Green's publications, such as THE CONSUMER BIBLE, or other consumer books by Mark Green.

Never "threaten" to sue, just do it

Locate a lawyer.

Finally? Finally, if nothing else helps the case and you are still getting nowhere and the corporate and staff are still fibbing, fabricating, or withholding vital information, seriously considering suing the place. Yes, a lawsuit might be quite appropriate in some cases. In no matter what state you live in, there are usually competent lawyers who will take your case without taking any upfront money from you. (Check with friends and relatives who may have used lawyers or check the yellow pages).

Search the net.

Know the net. Be aware of how the net works and be aware of how advertisements pop up on the net and what they mean and what they stand for. For example, you are now reading an article about rehabilitation centers and nursing homes. So, the way the net works is this - you might look to the side there and see many advertisements for nursing homes or rehabilitation centers. KNOW that this does not mean that this article is about those and this does not mean that we recommend any of those places. The way the advertisements get there is purely random. Somewhere in the net, the words "rehabilitation center" and "lawyer" and "nursing home" are picked up by the net and the advertisements are almost automatically generated. So know that we have no affiliation or recommendation of any persons or companies that are mentioned on this web page or in this website. In fact, we have no way of knowing which or if any of these corporations will appear on the same web page that our article is on. So beware and do your own "checking" when it comes to businesses.

Believe in yourself.

Believe in yourself and in your own inner instinct. Know that most staff or personnel that are connected with the physical rehabilitation centers and nursing homes probably would advise you not to put anything in writing. Why? Once you put your complaint in writing, they actually have to DO something about it, instead of being able to ignore your complaint the way they might be able to ignore a verbal complaint. So by putting your complaint in writing you make them accountable; you make "more work" for them, and you protect yourself and your family member. So, if you want to protect yourself and your family members, it would seem that it makes sense to put things in writing. (After all, what's more valuable, a verbal contract or a written contract? Correct!)

Always stay connected.

Connect! Yes, yes, yes, connect! Connection is a tool that has helped people throughout centuries throughout the world. You have seen evidence of this yourself. Don't "unions" get more benefits for employees? Aren't union members usually more protected than those that are non-union? Well, that's the connection theory at work. The more people you have on your side, the better protection that you have. So, if you can be connected with others that have the same problem as you have, that is protection for you and protection for them. SO, connect! I f you are seeking connection with others who are complaining about rehabilitation centers and nursing homes write to us and we will do our best to put you in touch with others having the same problems. ALL through history the ones who are and were the most successful are those who enlist the help of others and the ones who have a group behind them. That is why or how many unscrupulous rehabilitation centers and nursing homes get the upper hand, because there is more "staff" than "you". Once you join with others that are when you might begin to be successful in your journey towards truth, honesty, and integrity in rehabilitation centers and in nursing homes. Connect with us and join our worldwide project that will put the spotlight on nursing homes and physical rehabilitation and care centers across the world, and more specifically ones right in your own neighborhood. You can make this happen. Join us by emailing us with your facts, research, photos and your true story. Include a confidentiality statement with your work and you can be in consideration for joining our worldwide project.

SKEPTICS? :

Ahh, there are skeptics reading. Yes, we hear you. You are reading thinking that there are great nursing homes out there and there are wonderful people working there too. There are many giving wonderful and great service. YES! That statement is true, but in reality, the better truth is that there are probably MORE unscrupulous, offending, and damaging rehabilitation centers and nursing homes out there, throughout the country and throughout the world than there are good ones. If you doubt this statement, just do this, use the "Google" tool and set up Google alerts on your email account.

Put the words nursing homes or nursing home in there. You will probably get HUNDREDS of emails -Google alerts - in your box daily, about the negligent and malpractice nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. You will get emails about staff committing crimes, staff being negligent and emails about people dying all over the country of unnecessary deaths. Just check out a few of those Google alerts and see what happens. Yes, Virginia, there are good nursing homes in the world, but this article is about the bad ones. That's the difference. Our purpose in writing this article is to bring world attention to the deficiencies and the malpractices and the negligence's and the crimes being committed inside of unscrupulous rehabilitation centers and nursing homes.

REHABILITATION CENTERS

Why rehabilitation centers? You've asked why we use this term, and we have the answer for you here. For many, many years, there have been so many deficiencies in some nursing homes that the term "nursing home" leaves a bad taste in the world's mouth. Lately, we have come to connect the word nursing home with something bad -due to all the bad publicity that has been in the news and on television. So, what's the solution when a nursing home wants to advertise yet doesn't want that bad connotation to its name? Well, name it something else. Most all nursing homes have always had a floor or two for "rehabilitation" for many years. But now, some have changed their names so as to exclude themselves from the 'bad news' that might generate from searches about "nursing homes'. So, throughout our country, and throughout the world, "rehabilitation centers" are popping up all over, trying to not be classified as "nursing homes' in an effort to divorce them from any and all bad publicity. There actually are legal definitions of nursing homes and physical rehabilitation centers for the purpose of Medicaid and other agencies. The definitions have to do with how long people stay in a facility.

For example, if a place names themselves a "rehabilitation center" instead of a nursing home, then when people Google "nursing homes" their place might not come up in the search -even if there is bad news about the place. So, don't be fooled by name changes of places. (There is an actual legal clarification and definition between "nursing homes" and "rehabilitation centers" and you can find that online in one of the government sites). Google both names and read them all. These are terms you can Google to get news: "nursing homes, nursing home, rehabilitation center, rehabilitation and care centers, care centers, long-term care centers, aging, and things like that. But to begin with Google nursing homes and rehabilitation centers -two separate terms.

THE GOOD ONES: Yes, we acknowledge there are many helpful, good and law-abiding nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. This article is about the opposite. This article is written about the bad ones, the unscrupulous ones and the ones that violate personal and civil rights of human beings.

I f you are in a good one, we are happy for you. If you have a family member in a good one, we are happy for you, and we still ask you to JOIN US, yes join us, in stopping the corruption or the lack of care and non-care in the bad facilities. Join us and together , nursing home service will improve.

WRITE TO US:

(If you have a good comment about nursing homes and you do not understand this article, you are welcome to write to us also). We write, these articles regarding nursing homes and physical rehabilitation centers in an effort to band together with others who have been bound by red-tape, the run-around, and by unscrupulous nursing homes and physical rehabilitation care centers. We hope that you spread the word, and ask others to join us as soon as possible. TOGETHER, we can make progress; together we can be successful in making all nursing homes and all physical rehabilitation centers --better, and healthy for all of our people.

Footnotes below this line

By "dig their own hole deeper", we mean that if staff has already been dishonest, once approached in writing, they probably will continue to lie or fabricate or ignore your requests. Either way, you go on record with all your communications. That is your protection against future fabrications by staff.

This article, for the most part, is concerning dishonest staff at rehabilitation centers and nursing homes. When we advise "steps ", suggestions or advice, it is for the offending places and personnel. We do realize and recognize that there are "some" nursing homes that offer good service.

When recording on answering machines, sometimes a "timed beep" is necessary; check with your local statutes or check with your lawyer for details. Do an online search for help in that area.

If a licensed social worker or a licensed doctor has been unscrupulous or if they have been allegedly guilty of malpractice or negligence, you might want to consider seriously complaining to the licensing agencies about this. Pull up a good search engine on your computer and put in a search for "department of education licensing division" or "licensing agencies" . Keep searching until you find what you you are looking for.

While there are some centers that do "just' rehabilitation and or therapy, the places that we are speaking of are the centers that used to be nursing homes and those that have just changed their names to cover themselves up. The places we speak of are those that have nursing home ability or capacity -have people "living" there as permanent and temporary residentsWe strongly suggest putting your complaints into a type-written or computer-composed letter instead of verbally complaining to agencies.

If you think you have good cases, go right to a lawyer and ask for the free consultation. MOST lawyers have free consultations. You can even have a free consultation on the phone sometimes. Check the net and yellow pages.

Our Recommendations: If you would like our own recommendations (not a scientific study but our own personal recommendations). We can offer a list of homes and rehab centers that we approve of and offer a list of nursing homes and centers that we would never recommend. This list is only our opinion. But you are entitled to our opinion, so feel free to write to us. Contact us through the email section of this articles website. We do not work or volunteer in any nursing homes or rehab centers, but we have visited at great length in some and have shorter visits in others. A visitor's opinions are valuable when choosing nursing homes and rehabilitation centers, so feel free to write to us.

CLUE: People are under the mistaken impression that if a center is not on the LIST of worst nursing homes, then the center is good. WRONG! We have discovered that one of the worst nursing homes around is not on the LIST of the worst homes. They use illegal tactics, hide things and cover up their errors to stay off the "worst " list. So far they have been able to do that. But now, consumers, residents and families are making their own LIST of worst nursing homes and rehabilitation and care centers. Wouldn't you lik e to see the list that residents and families made?

I know for a fact that there is at least ONE rehabilitation and care center that is one of the worst going, yet this place is not on the government' s WORST list. So be careful when viewing the homes. Ask to see the ENTIRE home, all floors of the nursing home , before making a decision.

Updated May 2008

A Brief Guide To Child Psychology

The area of child psychology is in actual fact one of the most significant and well studied of all the branches that comprise the discipline of psychology. It aims to help with achieving a greater understanding of the behavior of children specifically through an understanding of their minds. It deals with children who range from the prenatal stage right up to the stage of adolescence. Particularly relevant aspects include both a child's emotional development as well as their social development.

The psychologist Jean Piaget has been credited with making a major breakthrough in this area when he posited his idea that children were not actually less intelligent than adults, rather they just thought in a different way. Previously the development of children right from birth through to adulthood was an area that was almost completely neglected. In fact very little work was done in this area regarding cognitive abilities or language usage. However interest in this field has now developed to the point of being one of the most debated of all the areas of psychology.

Nowadays, in fact, psychologists have finally agreed that a child's psychology is both unique and highly complex. However, the debates continue on many different points of this discipline and there are many existing perspectives. Experts especially tend to differ on issues such as whether early experiences count more than later experiences or whether nature or nurture is a more significant factor in certain areas of development.

Despite popular belief that factors such as genetics or personal characteristics are the only determining factors that influence a youth's behavior, this is not in fact the case. In reality, development actually encompasses many more factors than those contained within an individual. Factors such as environment, which can include social relationships and the surrounding culture, also play vital roles.

Specifically relationships with both peers and adults will no doubt effect how children ultimately think and learn, and therefore develop. These relationships can encompass those that are found not only within families but also in schools and peer groups.

Culturally speaking, this factor will contribute greatly to how a child develops their personality regarding the values they end up holding (perhaps for a lifetime) as well as how they ultimately view such things as traditions and customs. Culture will also be a factor in how children ultimately relate to their parents and perhaps even the type of education they eventually receive.

Another important factor in this area is the socioeconomic factor. There is no question that social class can be a fundamental factor in how a particular young person continues their development. In a similar vein, status, which is based upon several points including the level of education, how much money is earned and the jobs held as well as where they live, will ultimately have some impact.

It is moreover important to note that all the above factors are continually interacting. For example, although a particular child may have fewer opportunities because of the socioeconomic factor; this can be balanced out by concentrating on strengthening social relationships and even cultural ties.

So as we can see child psychology is undoubtedly a highly complex area that consists of a widely diverse range of topics. Areas that have to be understood in order that the whole field of child development can be grasped in its entirety can include areas such as genetics, language and sexual development. Conduct with psychologist Etobicoke today.

Child Psychology Is Worth Learning About

In the broad sense, child psychology focuses on the behavior and development of children. This starts as early as prenatal and continues through young adult. It looks in to emotional, mental, physical and social issues.

It was fairly recently that it was determined children are not just short adults. While this may be fairly true physically, mentally that is not the case. It has been shown there are significant differences between the way their minds work from and adult's

In learning about how children are so different from each other it can be honestly stated that child psychology today is a very complex subject. While some children have similar problems they cannot all be treated the same way. This adds the complexity, and creates an ever changing study.

Because it is ever changing, research continues. Because young minds are not completely understood, and generally cannot be specifically categorized there are many debates over procedures and even testing. One of the big debates is if earlier brain development at the infant stage has more impact than continued development that is seen in adolescent years.

Another area for debate is if nature plays as much or more of a role then nurture. Both have a direct influence on the development of the brain and characteristics. The debatable fact is just how much of an influence they each hold. While it is clear both play a part, the opinions of each doctor is as wide ranged as the patience they see.

Because this is still a fairly new area of study early development is often viewed as being primarily influenced by genetic traits. While this is part of the influence it is being discovered that there are many factors that mold young minds. The more that we research this the more we find that everything in is a mind builder.

Generally when a patient is being reviewed for treatment there are universal focal points. From the initial review it can be determined what areas need to be explored more in that particular patient. As the psychologist reviews the problem areas more it is likely the problem itself can be found and corrected.

One of the factors that must be considered in any patient review is the culture that is lived in. There are influential factors in every culture that must be considered. Because customs are passed down through the generations there may be rituals that are helping mold the brain that are different from the taught rituals.

Remembering that we must consider all of the intertwining works in each child's life we may be able to reach the core of the concern. It will help us to understand that patient and the relationships they share with peers, adults and family members. If the core concern is outside of relationships we can use this new knowledge to continue to investigate the concerns.

We must also look at the socioeconomic aspect of each patient. We need to determine diet, healthcare, financial standing of the family. We also need to review education levels of the family and the patient. These reviews will help us understand more.

Understanding child psychology at the most basic level has many benefits. When parents and school employees understand it they can change parenting and teaching habits to best teach and develop. Using what we learn will help make all children productive members of society.

Marriage Counselling - The Common Comfort Zones Many Individuals Find Themselves Stuck In

Unless you're a unique being reading this, you realize that there are a number of corrections to be made throughout the course of a dating or marriage relationship. Many of these alterations are not particularly pleasant to make, but they are very important none the less.

One of the big, personally enforced barricades, to producing marriage relationship changes is the "comfort zone." If the truth be told, it's not a very exact term, as it is also a place where scores of people experience a lot of discomfort as well. The truth is: the comfort zone can work for or against an individual, it just hinges on the type of choices they make.

The times when the comfort zone is working well for us, we find ourselves in a rhythmic pattern or "flow" that empowers us to do things effectively and without expending extra effort. In those times when the comfort zone is operating against us, we find ourselves stuck in a rut; one where the fear of change and fear of failure limit our overall effectiveness in life.

When either one of the companions in a dating or marriage relationship gets trapped in their comfort zone, sluggishness and expanded tension are certain to be present. For marriage relationships to be successful, small adjustments are necessary to be made on a consistent basis. This is the same for all people, because the lot of us are changing, whether we like it or not.

Do you see yourself becoming stuck in your "comfort zone" over issues in your marriage relationship that aren't worth holding your ground over? Don't misread what I'm saying, there are an ample number of issues worth standing your ground over, but a person shouldn't get caught up in the low priority ones.

Tons of the comfort zone trials individuals struggle with were set in position a lengthy amount of time before the couple got together. Family of origin habits about something as straightforward as a yearly holiday, can be a point of controversy for many people. Having a sense of when to be accommodating and when not to, can make a big difference in fashioning an increasingly harmonious marital relationship.

For a dating or marriage relationship to be successful, new comfort zones, beneficial ones, should to be developed by both spouses. Both people in the marital relationship wish to have a degree of positive impact on the other; to engage in a deep amount of sharing and closeness. This cannot come to pass when one or both of the individuals in the relationship time and again dig in their heels and refuse to allow the other person to enjoy much meaningful sway. When this kind of rigidity exists in a couple's relationship, the comfort zone is definitely operating against their shared desires. An openness to small, steady adjustments, is central for the health of any marriage relationship that is going to survive and flourish.

Diet's Don't Work - 12 Facts Why They Never Do Or Will!

You heard me right! They Never Have! They Never Do! They Never Will!

The Diet Industry is a 40 Billion Dollar Industry filled with misinformation.

96% of people who go on diets can't stay on them to reach their desired goal.

98% of people who go on diets gain the weight they lose back + 5 extra pounds. (National Institute of Health)

50% of Americans are on a diet at any given time yet 70% of Americans are overweight and 30% are obese.

My Story

When I was in my late teens I took up bodybuilding and after a couple of years I began competing. A typical year consisted of me gaining fifty or more pounds in the off season by eating lots of food and then dieting and losing fifty or so pounds over the next few months as I prepared for the competition. After doing this for six years I stopped competing in bodybuilding. Over the following years I continued to gain fifty or so pounds a year and then go on a diet and lose all or most of it over the following months. I became an expert and gaining weight and losing weight. I became an expert dieter. I could lose weight on the Atkins, Stillman, Scarsdale or any other diet. I was master of the low calorie, low fat and low carbohydrate diets. The only problem that once I lost the weight I couldn't keep it off and eventually would gain it all back plus some. I eventually ended up gaining and losing almost a thousand pounds. After giving up on dieting I began researching why people gain weight and why diets don't work. After spending over five years researching why diets don't work and discovering what does work when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off. I began applying the principles I discovered and today I am celebrating over ten years at a body weight that hasn't fluctuated more then five pounds up or down.

Why Diets Don't Work

Fact #1: Diets are downers. People hate to diet. Have you ever met anyone on a diet that liked it? Does anyone like doing anything with the word DIE in it? When I went on diets I hated it. It made me unhappy and depressed.

Fact #2: Dieting slows your metabolism. The longer you diet the slower your metabolism gets causing you to eat less and less until your weight loss stops entirely. Then when you resume normal eating the weight quickly returns + extra pounds due to it taking months for the metabolism to return to normal. Then guess what? You need to go onto another diet.

Dieting simply is a way to create an artificial famine. Your body doesn't know that it's a diet. All it knows is that its in a famine. So it slows the metabolism as much as 40%. If you naturally need 2000 calories a day to sustain your current body weight and go on a diet where you are consuming 1000 calories a day your metabolism will get lower and lower to say 40% or 1200 calories below its natural level of 2000 calories. At that point weight lose is minimal and extremely difficult. Then when you return to eating 2000 calories a day which is what the majority of people do you begin adding 800 extra calories daily. That's 800 calories about 1.75 pounds of fat per week.

When I was on the dieting roller coaster I'd lose 50 pounds in six months and go off it and gain all the weight back over the next six months. One thing I noticed was that as soon as I'd go off the diet the weight would quickly come back due to my metabolism having slowed due to the dieting.

Fact 3: Diets offer a poor temporary fix What's really needed is a lifestyle change. The only people who lose weight and keep it off are the people who change their lifestyle once and for all. Changing your lifestyle is easier then dieting and far more rewarding.

I used to go on diets knowing that they were only a quick fix. After losing hundreds of pounds and gaining it back convinced me that dieting could never able me to sustain the weight lose. Dieting was just a superficial way of treating symptoms instead of the cause of my weight gain.

Fact 4: Since 96% of people who go on diets gain the weight they've lost back plus some the next time they diet it gets a little harder to lose weight. With each never dieting round the body becomes more resilient to giving up the weight and dieting gets tougher and tougher. With each new diet I went on it became more and more difficult to get the weight off. Finally after years of yo-yo dieting It became almost impossible to get the weight off dieting.

Fact 5: Diets fail to deal with the things that cause people to overeat. People overeat due to a number of psychological reasons. Some overeat because they fail to eat consciously. After years of eating on the run, in the front of the television or while stuffing a hot dog into their mouth while driving down the highway; they eat like dogs never stopping to taste, savor and enjoy the food their eating.

Another thing that causes people to overeat is previous conditioning that can go back to their childhood. As a child I was told to clean my plate because children were starving in Africa. I was also told that if I didn't clean my plate I couldn't have desert. The experts in my life conditioned me to eat every scrape on my plate even if I was stuffed. They conditioned me to overeat. Something that took me years to understand and change.

Fact 6: Dieting Causes Eating Disorders. People who get onto the dieting roller coaster can develop eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Dieting serves as a precursor to these illnesses.

During my weight gain and dieting cycles I frequently would binge and after the binge think nothing of purging while standing over the toilet. I eventually got pretty good at it and could down five burgers and a dozen Dunken Donuts and drop them in the toilet only to be back eating fifteen minutes later.

Fact 7: Dieting Causes Obesity. Dieting slows down the metabolism making it harder and harder to lose weight. Eventually the metabolism slows to a crawl and even a well balanced healthy diet causes the person to gain weight. Have you ever seen an obese person who says, "I don't eat a lot and continue to gain weight." They may be telling the truth. After years of dieting their metabolism is running slow and low making it really easy to keep on adding the pounds.

You would think that in America with all the diets, diet pills, and diet centers that we would be the thinnest country on the globe. But instead we are the fattest and getting fatter every year. With all the dieting I was doing and all the expertise on dieting I was gaining I still just kept getting fatter.

Fact 8: Diets cause starvation or semi starvation. Starvation occurs at 900 calories or less that's when you start to die. Most diets are in that range. Starvation plays havoc with the systems of the body and brain and if continued will cause permanent damage. When faced with starvation your body will do everything it can to survive. Things like slowing your metabolism to conserve energy and creating intense hunger to drive you to find food. When I was dieting I has hungry all the time. I didn't know it at the time but I was starving. I was putting my body through what people in famines go through.

Fact 9: Diets damage your body and cause disease. Studies show that ongoing dieting causes heart disease, osteoporosis, gall stones, high blood pressure, anemia, constipation, kidney stones, dry skin, hair lose, depression, anxiety.

When I was on the dieting roller coaster I would frequently get sick. I would get frequent colds, the flu, tonsillitis, sinusitis, and constipation was a daily experience. Over the past ten years I've had two colds.

Fact 10: Dieting Causes Malnutrition. Dieting restricts people from getting the necessary macro and micro nutrients. Not getting these nutrients causes damage to our bodies and results in sickness. I didn't know It back when I was dieting that the main reason why I was getting sick so frequently was that I was suffering from malnutrition. I simply wasn't getting the nutrients that me body needed.

Fact 11: We don't fail at dieting, diets fail us. Diets simply don't work. Every person who ever quit dieting or gained the weight they lost back did so due to the fact that diets are built upon false premises. If you build a house upon a foundation of straw it will crumble. Diets are built upon a foundation of straw.

While on the dieing roller coaster I continuously felt like a failure. I struggled to stick to the diets I would go on and always gained the weight back. I felt like a frustrated failure. I didn't know at the time that I wasn't the failure but that the entire diet industry and everyone of their diets was a failure.

Fact 12: Diets Cause Death. The name Diet fits well. Dieting shortens your life span. Diets cause a number of problems that lead to sickness, disease and eventually death.

Had I not discovered the truth I likely would have dieted myself to death. I am eternally grateful for discovering the truth. For the truth truly set me free.

Why Diets Don't Work

1. Diets treat superficial symptoms instead of causes.

2. Diets cause major deprivation. You deprive yourself of food. Not only food, but food that you like. This drives people crazy. When I used to diet all I did day and night was think about food. When I wasn't dieting I thought about other stuff like the geo-political situations in the world and sex. But while on the diet I just thought about Italian bread, pasta, and cannoli's.

To Your Health!

Frank Bolella