Author: Aletha Cress Oglesby, M.D.

As a family physician, I explore the HEART of HEALTH in my work, recreation, community, and through writing. My blog, Watercress Words, informs and inspires us to live in health. I believe we can turn our health challenges into healthy opportunities. When we do, we can share the HEART of health with our families, communities, and the world. Come explore and share with me.

Water- life’s greatest need

How important is water? It’s what we all need every day #Jesus#wells#safewater#CHaRA

John, chapter 4, MEV, Modern English Version 

  Now it was necessary that He (Jesus)  go through Samaria. 
 Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, therefore, being exhausted from His journey, sat down by the well. 
A woman of Samaria came there to draw water.
a community well built and donated by a relief agency and donated
Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 
 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?”
For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
“Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water that I shall give him will become in him a well of water springing up into eternal life.”
The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
Scripture taken from the Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

About the pictures

 I photographed these Zanzibar women drawing water from a well when I travelled there with a medical team to assist CHaRA Mission. CHaRA is
“a USA faith based 501(c)(3) organization focused on the needs of people, especially children, mothers, babies and midwives in rural villages, where resources are limited and hope is deferred.”
CHaRA’s projects include construction, health, and relief.
It’s mission is  to improve the lives of the people of East Africa through
  • good health,
  • safe water,
  • education,
  • care of orphans, and
  • the love of God.”
I felt honored and privileged to use my medical knowledge and skill to assist the founders of CHaRA and the beautiful people they are helping.
group of people sitting under a tree
villagers waiting for the relief outreach  activities  by CHaRA
group of people, some in African garb
our team from Oklahoma with the Tanzanians we worked with

 

 Please share with someone you know who might be interested in volunteering to help CHaRA. Maybe it’s you!

man and woman next to a wooden boat on a beach
My husband and I enjoying the beach on our last day in Zanzibar

Follow this blog for more Weekend Words of

faith, hope, and love. 

Dr. Aletha 

FAITH LOVE HOPE
These three remain, faith, hope and love, and greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13( Lightstock.com image)

 

 

 

 

 

for our “Safety and Happiness”-USA healthcare

The  United States may not have “socialized medicine”, but several federal agencies and many laws regulate health care for us. Let’s look at some of them. 

“to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. ” the Declaration of Independence

The  United States may not have “socialized medicine”, but several federal agencies and many laws regulate health care for us. Let’s look at some of them.

 

The National Institutes of Health posted this infographic about the challenges of communicating health risk .

Making sense of your health risks-health.nih.gov
Making sense of your health risks HEALTH.NIH.GOV

 

Health risks are often misunderstood, underestimated, or overestimated. This chart explains how to know what to ignore and what to explore.

Remember that risk does not equal disease-there are few health risks that inevitably lead to illness, disability, or death.

 

 

The Smithsonian offers us this article about

8 diseases to watch out for at the beach

young women walking on a beach

 

“Despite its idyllic facade, the beach can be a dangerous place—and swimmer’s ear, sunburn and jellyfish stings may be the least of your worries. Beaches can get pretty dirty, and this pollution can come with some nasty pathogens.”

 

 

Public Health Service 

“Michelle Holshue is a nurse, an NIH researcher, and a global public health responder. She is one of more than 79,000 people who make HHS run every day.”

The Food and Drug Administration reminds us how to avoid getting allergic reactions from these plants -poison ivy, poison sumac,  and poison oak.

 

4 Tips to Outsmarting Poisonous Plants

 

 

Meet Dr. Nadja West- United States Army

 

She’s a wife, mother, physician; oh, and by the way, a 3-star general in the U.S. Army, highest ranking woman ever to graduate from West Point.

 

 

 

 

Here’s another post about the United States healthcare system.

Let’s celebrate Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Health Care

 

ribbon with words "made in the USA"
graphic from photo website Lightstock.com (affiliate link)

How has USA government healthcare impacted your life? Please share your experience or insights.

And please share this post. Thank you.

Dr. Aletha