Restless Leg Syndrome

I have a mild case of Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). Normally I wouldn't even mention it, but a recent visit to my neurologist concerning this begs for a blog entry. I have had this for some time and have tried to ignore it. The doctor said I could take either one of two medicines that have been shown to treat RLS.

The first medicine I have been taking for something else for quite some time and it was possible that all I needed to do was up the dose. On the other hand the second choice was a widely used alternative but the side effects were a little odd. It lessens your inhibitions so that people who do experience side effects have been known to gamble uncontrollably, or one person who was fiscally responsible all his life starting writing bad checks (as soon as he went off the medicine he stopped the bad check writing).

So I guess if your too inhibited to go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City and blow a bunch of money, just take this medicine!

First, do no harm

I’ve worked in Healthcare for over 16 years, so it seems appropriate to link what is considered one of the fundamental principles of emergency medical care to social media.

We have all heard (at least a thousand times) that the first rule of social media is to listen. Listen, so that once you leap into the fray you will have a better feeling for what is going on, for the netiquette, so you “do no harm”.

About 20-25 years ago (yes I’m that old), I was a member of a local chapter of a trainers association. During one of the meetings there was a seminar on listening. The presenter detailed what he called the H.E.A.R. method of listening. It is very applicable to all social media and it goes as follows:

1. Hear

a. Listen to the person who is speaking.

b. Listen carefully

2. Empathize

a. Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes.

b. Keep in mind the saying, “Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes”

3. Analyze

a. Think about what the speaker has said.

b. Take into account “where they’re coming from”

c. Determine what the speaker’s goals might be and any underlying meanings, if applicable

4. Respond

a. Reply to the speaker taking everything you synthesized so far into account.

b. Make sure your response is Constructive, Meaningful, and Thought out

Series of 5: Parts 2, 3, 4, 5