EP 200: Understanding Your Body Language With Kelly Love

EP 200: Understanding Your Body Language With Kelly Love

by | Jan 27, 2023 | Podcast

EP 200: Understanding Your Body Language With Kelly Love

Your body language is essential to your well-being, but do you know when your body speaks? Psychosomatic bodywork is an approach that combines different techniques that are rooted in guiding a person to reach their goals through different therapies.

Among these include talk therapy, breathwork, and movement. It also includes somatic-emotional awareness and trauma release to reclaim one’s energy and physical presence.

Psychosomatic bodywork works by tapping into mind and body communication. It focuses on this connection so the therapist can work toward physical and emotional healing.

In a way, it is possible to heal the mind and the body through the mind. But how does this truly work? Is it possible to adapt this in our everyday life?

In this episode, we would like to introduce you to Kelly Love. Kelly is a rewilding coach guiding you back to the truth of what your soul came here to do, be, and express through the body’s wisdom.

Kelly uses transformative psychosomatic bodywork to help achieve physical and emotional healing. 

Questions for Our Guest

The questions below are some we’d like to tackle. We often go off-topic, so we don’t expect to hit them all. If you have any ideas, please let us know.

Looking forward to our conversation!

These are the questions you had in Calendly. We’ll go off your questions and wherever else our conversation goes.

  1. Please give us a little background about yourself. 
  2. What is the language of the body? 
  3. How can we use the body’s language to live aligned with our soul’s purpose?
  4. Can you hear what pain and trauma you store in your body?
  5. How can nurses use body Language to understand their patients?
    • How does this body language allow us to treat the root cause of disease to better care for our patients?  
  6. Tell us how you help patients heal. 
  7. Where can people find you?

Matts’s Experience with Body Language 

The left pectoral muscle is also lower than the right, speaking again into the feminine heart energy being drained out, exhausted, or having challenges encouraging and uplifting your own heart.

This is your solar plexus, and when the elbows are turned out, it signifies a history of giving away your power. Imagine a young boy with his arms out asking, “How much more do I have to give you for you to love me?

LOWER BACK: More hollowing shows a long history of busting your back to please/care for others vs. caring for your own needs and desires.

ENDING QUESTIONS

Before we end the show, we have one last question we like to ask all our guests.

If you had the opportunity to have a Cup of coffee with anybody one last time, who would it be and why? 

Enjoy Kelly’s services and use our code CUPOFNURSES10, which is suitable for any service of $500 or more. To know more about Kelly, send her a DM thru her socials or visit her website at:

www.KellyLoveRewilding.com

Join her Group coaching program Soul Much Love at KellyLoveRewilding.com/SoulMuchLove

Connect with Kelly through her Instagram at @KellyLoveRewilding 

Do you want to learn about your body language? Watch the full episode by clicking here 👇👇👇

 

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction
01:35 About Kelly Love
03:26 How Kelly learned about the relationship between the body and emotions
07:31 How does body language impair our physical state?
11:56 How emotions impact particular body parts
13:41 Body language as a two-way system
15:37 How does the condition of our patients affect us as nurses?
21:31 How to tell if there is a medical or mental problem
25:56 How can a nurse give their patient greater care?
27:49 Common issues that most people have
29:42 How Kelly treats her patients
32:36 How can you heal yourself
33:42 A recurring theme in Kelly’s client
38:13 What should women do during their period?
41:49 Wrapping up the episode

6 Things That Will Happen When We Don’t Have Enough Nurses

6 Things That Will Happen When We Don’t Have Enough Nurses

by | Jan 24, 2023 | Nursing

6 Things That Will Happen When We Don’t Have Enough Nurses

The nursing shortage has been an ongoing issue for many years, but this is all propaganda. We now know that there is no real shortage of nurses.

But then again, what will happen if we are short on nurses? What happens when there are not enough nurses in the healthcare field? Here are six things that will happen.

 

When Nurses Disappear

Nurses are the jack of all trades in the healthcare industry. They do almost everything. From completing their front desk duties to transferring patients, and laboratory work, nurses are there, working all the time.

But what will happen if a majority of the nurses are gone? Will the world remain the same? Six things could happen when nurses are no longer here to do their job.

 

1. There will be more burnouts

When there are not enough nurses, more nurses are compelled to work more and stay on longer shifts. There’s no more downtime, and spending time with their family and friends is little to none. Tasks will pile up, and the remaining nurses will feel overwhelmed.

This will drain them more to the point that they are no longer happy to do their job. In time, they will also quit, leaving fewer nurses to do the same routine and heading to the same route as their former colleagues.

If no more nurses are left, this cycle will continue until no one is left to care for the sick and dying.

 

2. Low-quality patient care

Burnout causes nurses to lose patience quickly. When you’re always tired, dealing with difficult patients is challenging. And worse, burnout nurses won’t bother getting to know their patients or their cases any longer.

This could affect the kind of care they give to their patients. And as a result, this could lead to poor quality care and many problems for patients and nurses.

 

3. More medical errors

No other healthcare professional stays with the patient longer than nurses. We are the ones who take care of the patient when the doctors are not around, and we make sure that all of them are taken care of. But what happens when a nurse is burned out? Tending to one patient can take around 15-20 minutes tops.

If you have ten patients waiting in line for their medication, you must take time and assess each medication so the right one goes to the correct patient. And when you’re a burned-out nurse, you could miss a small yet important detail about your patient’s medication. It can cost your patient’s life and your job on the line.

 

4. Low patient satisfaction

A burned-out nurse cannot provide quality patient care, leading to low patient satisfaction. The lack of available nurses can also affect this; many patients will feel like they are not given the care they came to the hospital for.

 

5. High mortality rate

Nurses are the ones who care for the sick and dying. When there are not enough nurses on the floor, emergency patients will be forced to wait longer.

Emergency services will be delayed, and medical assistance will also be slow. We know that time is of the essence, especially when it comes to critical patients. When nurses are burned out, the lives of our patients are at stake.

 

6. Animosity among nurses

A short-staffed hospital means more work for the remaining nurses. This puts them under a lot of pressure and stress. And when stress takes over, peer relationships can get strained easily.

Misunderstandings, like a simple bathroom break, coming in a few minutes late for work, or late endorsements, become a big deal to each other.

 

Your Takeaway

There is no nursing shortage if healthcare facilities take care of their nurses. Providing them with the help they need when they’re feeling down, like counseling or some needed time off, will make a difference.

Nurses are not robots; we must take care of them. If we want nurses to be around longer and happier, we must find a way to help them too.

 

Looking for more nursing and travel nursing information? Check out these helpful links!

EP 199: The Renal System and RAAS

EP 199: The Renal System and RAAS

by | Jan 20, 2023 | Podcast

The Renal System

The renal system produces, stores, and eliminates urine. Kidneys make urine by filtering wastes and extra water from the blood. Urine travels from the kidneys through two thin tubes called ureters and fills the bladder.

When the bladder is full of urine, a person urinates through the urethra to eliminate the waste.

Functions of the Kidneys

The kidneys are located on either side of the spine at the lowest level of the rib cage, consisting of the functional unit called a nephron. 

There are about one million nephrons in each kidney; these nephrons consist of tiny blood vessels called glomerulus attached to a tubule. 

When blood enters the glomerulus, it is filtered, and the remaining fluid passes to the tubule. In the tubule, minerals, elements, chemicals, and water are absorbed or filtered according to the body’s needs to create the final product, urine.

Our kidneys maintain a delicate balance of water and electrolytes in the body and remove excessive waste:

  • Remove wastes, urea, and ammonia, from the blood.
  • Maintain fluid status balance in the body by holding or retaining water and releasing and removing water from the bloodstream
  • It maintains the electrolyte balance of the blood.
  • Maintain acid-base/pH balance of the blood
  • Assist with endocrine functions such as the production of erythropoietin and calcitriol.
    • It is needed to produce red blood cells and calcium reabsorption, respectively.
  • Produce the enzyme renin
    • Help regulate blood pressure.
  • Convert vitamin D into its active form

Fun Fact: 

  • Every 24 hours, your kidney filters 200 quarts of fluid. About two quarts are removed from the body, and 198 quarts are returned to the bloodstream. 
  • The right kidney sits lower than the left kidney. 
    • It helps accommodate the large size of the liver, right above the right kidney.
  • We call it REabsorption rather the just absorption because the substances filtered from the glomerulus were already absorbed through the GI tract and taken into the bloodstream.
  • Then the substances travel through the body via the heart and are sent to the kidneys through the renal artery to be filtered out. Therefore, our body reabsorbs these nutrients based on their needs, and the leftovers are excreted in the urine.

Anatomy of the Kidney

As a nurse and a nursing student, you’ll need to know these most critical parts of the kidney to understand how the renal system works.

Renal Capsule 

  • The outer layer of the kidney protects the kidney from outside organ infections. 

Renal cortex: 

  • A layer outside contains the renal corpuscles, which house the glomerulus and Bowman’s capsule, whose primary functions are to FILTER the urine and renal tubules. 

Renal medulla: 

  • The inside layer is located within the renal pyramids. It is hypertonic and very salty. Along with the nephron, these conditions help maintain water and salt balance in our body, specifically the Loop of Henle.

Renal artery:  

  • The renal artery takes oxygenated blood from the heart and moves it to the kidney to be filtered. It branches off around the renal columns into the renal cortex, into arterioles, and finally to the peritubular capillaries.

Renal vein:

  • The renal veins take filtered blood to heart for re-oxygenation and are pumped throughout the body. It comes from the efferent arterioles.

Renal pyramids: 

  • Lie Within the renal medulla contains the loop of Henle and parts of the collecting tubule.

Renal papilla, minor and significant calyx:

  • Pointed projections of the renal pyramid play a role in draining urine along with the renal pelvis, ureters, bladder, and urethra.

Nephrons: 

  • The functional part of the kidneys. 
  • Filters the blood via the renal corpuscle
  • Reabsorbs minerals/water and secretes waste via the renal tubule
  • Produces urine which drains down into the ureters, is stored in the bladder, and voided out via the urethra.
  • Each nephron is composed of 
    • Renal corpuscle (glomerulus within Bowman’s capsule)
    • Proximal tubule
    • An intermediate tubule (loop of Henle)
    • A distal convoluted tubule, a connecting tubule, and cortical, outer medullary, and inner medullary collecting ducts.

Glomerulus:

  • Lies within the nephron
  • Circular capillaries that have incredibly high pressure helps perform ULTRAFILTRATION.

Bowman’s capsule

  • Forms a cup-like sack around the glomerulus
  • It helps the glomerulus filter blood 

The Nephron and blood supply

Blood enters the afferent arteriole and sends blood to the first part of the nephron, called the glomerulus.

In the glomerulus, blood will be filtered, and filtrate will be created, a liquid consisting of the collection of fluid and particles from the blood.

The filtrate will “drip” down into a capsule surrounding the glomerulus called Bowman’s capsule.

  • Bowman’s capsule collects the filtrate.
    • Water, NA, CL, CA, K, Mg, Phos, Bicarb, amino acids, glucose, creatinine, and urea.

Then the filtered blood exits via the efferent arterioles to the peritubular capillaries surrounding the nephrons. 

Peritubular capillaries carry the reabsorbed nutrients from the filtrate back into the body’s system to the renal vein. They secrete urea, ions, and drugs in the blood into the tubules.

The created filtrate then flows through the proximal convoluted tubule (PCT); here, the tubule reabsorbs most of the parts of the filtrate that we need to function that just came from the Bowman’s capsule.

Then the filtrate enters the Loop of Henle; we are now in the renal medulla. The loop of Henle has a descending limb and ascending limb. Its goal is to concentrate the urine via the renal medulla.

The renal medulla’s interstitial fluid is hypertonic, helping reabsorb water from the filtrate to maintain the body’s water and salt balance.

  • Descending limb is only permeable to water.
  • Ascending limb is only permeable to ions.

The filtrate then enters the distal convoluted tubule, where more substances are reabsorbed and secreted. 

Then it travels to the collecting tubule, where parts of the filtrate are reabsorbed.

Finally, the filtrate leaves the collecting tubule as urine which flow through the renal papilla, minor/major calyx, renal pelvis, ureters, bladder, and urethra.

Kidney and Blood Pressure Management 

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is the system of hormones, proteins, enzymes, and reactions that regulate your blood pressure and blood volume long-term.

It regulates your blood pressure by increasing sodium (salt) reabsorption, water reabsorption (retention), and vascular tone (the degree to which your blood vessels constrict or narrow). The RAAS consists of three major substances including:

  • Renin (an enzyme).
  • Angiotensin II (a hormone).
  • Aldosterone (a hormone).

RAAS System

  • Increases blood pressure when it drops too low by activating Angiotensin II
    • Angiotensin II increases vasoconstriction, causing an increase in blood pressure. Conserves sodium and water to increase volume. Aldosterone and ADH are released. 
  • RAAS steps
  1. Blood pressure drops too low. 
  2. The sympathetic nervous system sends nerve impulses to Juxtaglomerular Cells in the kidneys to release RENIN.
  3. RENIN present in the blood will activate ANGIOTENSINOGEN in the liver.
  4. ANGIOTENSINOGEN then turns into ANGIOTENSIN I causing a release of ACE
  5. ACE is Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme. ACE converts Angiotensin I into ANGIOTENSIN II
  6. ANGIOTENSIN II activation will cause
  7. Vasoconstriction
    • Increases systemic vascular resistance (SVR) and blood pressure.
  1. Increase Blood Volume
      • Kidneys will keep water and sodium.
      • The adrenal cortex gland will be triggered by angiotensin II to release aldosterone. Aldosterone will also cause the kidneys to keep sodium and water and excrete potassium.
    • Angiotensin II triggers the pituitary gland to release ADH. It causes the kidneys to keep water.

2. Increased blood pressure

To learn more about the renal system, click here for the full episode 👇👇👇

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction
02:10 The functional parts of the kidney
03:18 What does a kidney do
04:40 Kidney fun facts
05:40 Anatomy of the kidney
10:00 The nephron and blood supply
15:48 Kidney and blood pressure management
17:39 How the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) works
21:50 Further views on the episode
24:02 Wrapping up the show

 

 

Standing Up for Your Health

Standing Up for Your Health

by | Jan 16, 2023 | Mindfulness

Standing Up for Your Health

Being an advocate for your own health is essential, especially as you age. If you feel you’re not receiving the right type of treatment, you may need to address previously overlooked health concerns or simply take a more active role in physical and financial matters involving your health. Advocating for your health and taking full responsibility for your own care can be both empowering and rewarding. So here are some tips from The Cup of Nurses to help you get started!

Maintain Healthier Habits

One crucial way you can advocate for your health is by actively maintaining it. Exercising and eating healthy on a consistent basis will help you to feel better and avoid illnesses and injuries more consistently. Having more physical strength also enables you to continue living independently. Working out often enough can be challenging if you have a busy work schedule but small movements throughout the day. Yoga can be a fun and challenging way to keep fit, as well!

Be Prepared

If you’re unsure what you might be dealing with, pull up some symptoms and express your concerns. To make things a little easier, you can always organize medical records and other important documents on a PDF. This free tool will enable you to edit a PDF online, which you can then save to your iPhone for easy access once you reach the doctor’s office.

Prepare for Insurance Needs

If you’re unsure about a diagnosis, get a second opinion! Whether or not you have Medicare, you need to know how your insurance policy in Virginia works, what it covers, and how often you can use it.

Stand Up for Your Care Needs

If you’re unsure about a diagnosis and want a second opinion, you shouldn’t feel bad about getting one. You’re the last defense against poor medical care and should be adamant about getting opinions you trust and being sure about them. If you don’t feel like the medical professional in Alexandria, you’re currently seeing is providing adequate care, don’t hesitate to explore other options.

Look After Yourself

Taking an active role in maintaining your health is essential. Not only does improving your health have a tremendous impact on your body, but it can also benefit your mind as well. When your body is healthy, you’ll feel less depressed. What’s more, your stress levels may decrease, too.

Be Brave

Dealing with health concerns or chronic conditions is never easy, so you’ll want to get familiar with your insurance plan and financial arrangements, hold your doctor accountable and ask questions. Don’t be afraid to involve a loved one if you need help or emotional support.

The Cup of Nurses is your source for current health news and hot nursing topics. If you have any questions, please contact us at marketing@cupofnurses.com.

Post solely for the use of cupofnurses.com By Roxanne Brent
Follow her at: https://singleparent.info/

10 Skills Nursing Students Must Have to Succeed as a Nurse

10 Skills Nursing Students Must Have to Succeed as a Nurse

by | Jan 16, 2023 | Nursing Student

10 Skills Nursing Students Must Have to Succeed as a Nurse

So, you chose to be a nurse? Excellent choice! But do you have the skills to succeed in nursing school? To be successful, you must have innate qualities and skills to help you through studying and succeed as a nurse in the future.

Here’s what you need to have.

 

1. You must have confidence. 

Being a nurse requires you to meet and communicate with people from all walks of life. If you are not confident with yourself or have the confidence to talk to patients, how can you provide quality care? Not only that, but you will make decisions for your patient’s care and needs.. 

Confidence is not only about being able to carry yourself but also about being optimistic, assertive, and independent. It is about your enthusiasm for your work and emotional maturity to help you do your job at a higher level.

 

2. You must have communication skills.

Communication is the number one skill you must have as a nurse. You will always be talking to people in the hospital. Proper communication also helps in giving quality care to patients.

Remember that you will also be talking to doctors and other medical professionals. Good communication skills also foster meaningful workplace relationships with your peers. It will also aid you and your group in studying for nursing school. 

 

3. You must have leadership skills.

As a future nurse, one of your roles is to handle patients and families looking to you for guidance and updates. You will also work with your fellow nurses that may require your leadership.

You must know how to manage your time, especially when you have projects, emergencies, and conflicts in school or your future job. You have to be able to advocate for others as well as advocating for yourself. 

 

4. You must have critical thinking skills.

As a student nurse, you will constantly face situations that require you to observe, think critically, and make the right decisions. You must also remember that nursing students are often exposed to high-stressed situations like demonstrating procedures at school. 

You may have the skills to do the procedure, but the ability to think and make a decision in high-stressed situations quickly will bring you great success. Thus having critical thinking skills are vital.

 

5. You have a passion for nursing.

Besides your critical thinking and leadership skills, you must also have a passion for nursing. There has to be a passion for helping others. Otherwise, you won’t be happy with your career. 

As a student nurse, you’ll be constantly challenged to learn new skills. You will also study for exams. And if you are truly ready to become a nurse, your hard work and passion for this profession will be worth it. 

 

6. You have the drive to learn.

The learning is still ongoing once you have earned your degree. As you prepare for your job and even as a nurse, your learning does not end. You will constantly explore, develop your critical thinking skills, and question things you encounter at work. 

The healthcare field is always changing, just like a nurse’s role evolves. You must be ready, and having the desire to learn and adapt is essential. Whether a student nurse or a professional nurse, you’ll always have something to discover and learn about. 

 

7. You must have teamwork skills.

As a student nurse, you’ll meet different people from different places and with whom you’ll study. There will be situations where you will work together in class or hospital exposures. Without cooperation, you will fail nursing school. Understand that nursing and nursing school are collaborative fields. 

Working together as a team to accomplish goals is essential. You will also need this skill to succeed as a nurse and as you work with doctors, health aids, lab techs, and other healthcare team members. 

 

8. You know how to handle high-stress situations.

Nursing school can become stressful, especially in the months leading to your graduation. You will be dealing with a lot of exams, papers, projects, and a whole lot of requirements to pass and graduate. 

Not only that but as you become a professional nurse, you will also be constantly on the go and face stressful situations. You will deal with patients, their families, as well as other members of the healthcare team. 

When your patient is in critical condition, that stressful time is when you are needed the most. Being able to manage these situations and keep a clear head will help you become a great student nurse and future nurse. 

 

9. You must have the skills to ask for constructive criticism and feedback.

As a student nurse, you are there to learn everything in your school’s textbooks. You’ll probably feel clueless when you start, so be ready to seek guidance. Ask questions and accept constructive criticism from your mentors or instructors.

Remember, everyone, has been in your shoes, but it’s time you filled theirs. Seeking humility and accepting advice will help you become the best nurse you can be. 

 

10. You must be an advocate for patients.

As a nurse, you will be your patient’s advocate. Learning this skill will help you better assist a patient and become the person to debrief team members or interpret tests.

You’ll also explain procedures and instructions for patients and families. All of these are vital as you become a patient advocate. 

 

Your Takeaway

Nursing is a wonderful profession, and if you want to succeed as a nurse, you must train yourself to be the best while still in nursing school. And the more you adapt to that mindset, the easier it will be for you to handle any difficulties you’ll encounter in this job.

Start now; you’ll be glad that you did! 

Looking for more student resources? Check out these helpful links!