Online Health Networks getting Bigger!

Take a look at everydayHealth, a network dedicated to good health. Called the preeminent online health destination, everydayHealth was enhanced in October 2008 by a merger of Revolution Health and Waterfront Media.

This site focuses on maintaining good health, but there are articles and groups that support specific conditions and diseases as well. Check out the Revolution Health Multiple Sclerosis Support.

everydayHealth provides health information from A to Z, including active discussions, expert advice, and even recipes. There is so much to take in, but take your time. There is more.

Wellsphere is "combining forces" with Health Central., a leading publisher of online health

In a joint message from Christopher M. Schroeder, CEO of HealthCentral and Ron Gutman, Founder and CEO of Wellsphere, they said, "Our communities offer unparalleled insight, practical advice, and inspiration for people who want to live better and fuller lives."

Look at the tips on fashion recently posted by MerelyMe in the Health Center's Multiple Sclerosis Central. Browse through this section and you will find columns written by other favorites such as Lisa Emrich and Mandy Crest.

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January Health Observances

The month of January has important health observances and I want to talk abut two of them.
January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month, sponsored by Prevent Blindness America.

Glaucoma? Many of us know people who have had glaucoma without having a disability. It cannot be cured, but it is often manageable. There are several treatments including eye drops, oral medication, and surgery. My uncle had surgery and has enjoyed good sight for years now. So if there are treatments, why is an awareness month needed?

(read more about glaucoma awareness
and preventing birth defects)

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MS and Depression?

If you have MS, or even another chronic disease, chances are you are familiar with depression. Merely Me interviewed a psychologist about the relationship between biology and psychology when a chronic illness is involved.

Read her interview. As usual, she did a good job.

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It's All in the Attitude

"Ability is what you're capable of doing.

Motivation determines what you do.

Attitude determines how well you do it."

~ Lou Holtz (January6, 1937 - )

My particular disability is Multiple Sclerosis, however, MS did not take away all of my abilities. I cannot walk, but I can guide my chair. I can no longer work full time, but I can earn a little and manage my finances. MS has not yet tampered with my memory or cognitive abilities, so I can still think and write and enjoy. I am a person with a disability, but I am also a person with abilities. I should take advantage of them.

(read more)

technorati tags: downthemspath, positiveattitude, ability, motivation, louholtz, disability, ms, multiplesclerosis

My Wheelchair Needs Brakes!

Let's look at the wheelchair wildly careening down the hill because the caregiver's hand accidently slipped. There is a solution, and it's surprising no one thought of it before.

It's as simple as customizing a wheelchair with bicycle brakes so the pusher has control. Veech Breakwell received an inventor's award, and he expects to have brake kits available for sale before too long.

But not so fast! Read the comments where a former caregiver and potential wheeler voices his objections to that method of managing an occupied wheelchair on an incline. At any rate, be careful wheelers, when traveling in hilly terrain!

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Learning from the Innocent

I can no longer walk. My grandchildren have known me only in my Amigo scooter. When the grandkids were very young, each one of them, in their own time and in their own way, asked me why I couldn't walk. I did my best to explain to them about how MS results in less function. Not easy to explain to children. Not easy for children to understand.

Taylor, barely more than a toddler herself, was the first to offer to teach me to walk. She was so sure she could teach me, because it really isn't too difficult. She learned to walk, so surely I could learn, too, if only I would try. She wasn't one to give up, and we went through that scenario several times.

(read more)

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MS Without Borders

Life is not easy with MS. It is even more difficult to have MS in the wrong country. MS is such a personal disease, MSers may be unlikely to stop and look at the bigger picture. How is the world coping with MS? How are various countries researching, treating and providing diagnoses?

Multiple Sclerosis does not discriminate based on geographic boundaries, but treatment, management, and even awareness relies strongly on national ties. In one country, an MSer has access to state-of-the-art diagnostics, doctors and disease-modifying treatments. In another neighboring country, an MSer does not even know what is happening and has no idea where to go or what to ask. Some doctors do not have diagnostic tools or training, and there are few treatments available anyway. The difference is circumstance of birth country. MS is everywhere, but managing MS differs drastically in different countries.

(read more)

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