Wellness Wave Wisdom

  Are you stressing out? Confused? Feel like finding an easy way to escape from reality? Having a hard time focusing and concentrating?   Have you heard from others who say smoking Marijuana helps reduce stress? Is that true? You can find more about whether it’s true or not briefly here!   There are lots of chemicals in Marijuana. Marijuana is also called Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), or sometimes we hear people say “weed” or “cannabidiol”. This medication is used to treat seizures (APA, 2023).  Dopamine THC binds to the receptors that are responsible for controlling your emotions and increases dopamine production (California Department of Public Health, https://www.mindovermarijuana.com/ ).   Dopamine plays an important role in controlling your movement, motivation, cognition, mood, learning ability, sleep, and more. Marijuana affects areas of your brain responsible for memorization, attention, and concentration.   According to the Substance Abuse and ...

By Kim Marquardt, RN MSN This blog post is from the Nurse Kim archives of myth busting. I want to share some "alternative" or maybe just lesser known health and wellness viewpoints for you to chew on. *These posts are not intended as official medical advice. They ARE meant to be fun, informative, and thought provoking, hopefully sparking an interest for you to do your own research (you can start with the links I provide!) and discover the marvels of the human body, and how it can function at its optimal performance level if we understand how it works and interacts with our environment and our diet. I have a passion for health and wellness through lifestyle and nutrition and have done thousands of hours of research in addition to being a registered nurse for 23 years. I have done A LOT of self-experimentation in and around diet, lifestyle, body care, and supplementation and have spent a lot of time looking into the science behind it all (or lack thereof!). Check back weekly fo...

Are you thinking about a career in public health, nursing or mental health? Students, come work with us! Health Services is looking to hire motivated, energetic and responsible students to represent us on campus. Hours: 10 hours/week (commitment of a MINIMUM of 5 hours/week each week) Pay: $15.50 - Federal Work Study eligible but not needed (DACA-recipients welcome) Schedule: Weekly staff meetings/trainings are on the Oceanside campus. The remainder of hours will be scheduled based on your availability, Monday-Friday. Location: Oceanside, San Elijo, and occasional remote projects Job Summary: Under the supervision of a Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Peer Educators act as the bridge between Health Services and MiraCosta students. Ideal Students: Interested in exploring a career in mental health, social work, nursing, public health, and related professions. Interested in supporting the MiraCosta College student body. Passionate about reducing stigma ar...

Health Services is excited to be welcoming back Angelica Porras ASW, a MiraCosta alum and former mental health counseling intern, as the Health Services Clinical Case Manager. In her new role, Angelica not only applies her mental health counseling and crisis intervention skills, but additionally supports students in a more holistic way by coordinating and connecting them to community resources and services for a more comprehensive wellness experience. Students entering college do so with the hopes of furthering their education and often dream of how their education will contribute to a better, more fulfilled life. Yet, most college students are not always prepared for the emotional toll and life stressors that college life can bring. These include the pressures of challenging classes, long study sessions, and having to meet tight assignment deadlines. All these factors make college students particularly vulnerable to substance use as a coping mechanism. Statistics collected by the Na...

  By Kim Marquardt, RN MSN This blog post is from the Nurse Kim archives of myth busting. I want to share some "alternative" or maybe just lesser known health and wellness viewpoints for you to chew on. *These posts are not intended as official medical advice. They ARE meant to be fun, informative, and thought provoking, hopefully sparking an interest for you to do your own research (you can start with the links I provide!) and discover the marvels of the human body, and how it can function at its optimal performance level if we understand how it works and interacts with our environment and our diet. I have a passion for health and wellness through lifestyle and nutrition and have done thousands of hours of research in addition to being a registered nurse for 23 years. I have done A LOT of self-experimentation in and around diet, lifestyle, body care, and supplementation and have spent a lot of time looking into the science behind it all (or lack thereof!). Check back weekly ...

  By Kim Marquardt, RN MSN This blog post is from the Nurse Kim archives of myth busting. I want to share some "alternative" or maybe just lesser known health and wellness viewpoints for you to chew on. *These posts are not intended as official medical advice. They ARE meant to be fun, informative, and thought provoking, hopefully sparking an interest for you to do your own research (you can start with the links I provide!) and discover the marvels of the human body, and how it can function at its optimal performance level if we understand how it works and interacts with our environment and our diet. I have a passion for health and wellness through lifestyle and nutrition and have done thousands of hours of research in addition to being a registered nurse for 23 years. I have done A LOT of self-experimentation in and around diet, lifestyle, body care, and supplementation and have spent a lot of time looking into the science behind it all (or lack thereof!). Check back weekly ...

I am Adela Sanchez, BSN, RN, PHN. I am a registered nurse in practice for the last 13 years. I spent most of my career in Labor & Delivery hospital units. I also have home health experience, a bit of PACU, and now a bit of school nursing. I was born and raised in Oceanside. I have a love for community and family.  I share in hopes to promote education and encourage each person’s own growth. Fentanyl As a former labor and delivery nurse, I’ve administered fentanyl many times. It works effectively for immediate pain relief and has a short half-life (its effects leave the body quickly). Fentanyl is used all over hospitals in surgeries, for pain relief, and for cancer patients.   We cannot ignore the benefits of fentanyl when prescribed correctly. The National Institutes of Health states when prescribed by a doctor, fentanyl can be given as a shot, a patch that is put on a person’s skin, or as lozenges that are sucked like cough drops . These medications can be very benef...