MS Maze

Sometimes the positive attitude patrol functions as a guilt trip in disguise. Are they really promoting a positive attitude in the best interest of someone else… or is it a lopsided attempt to protect themselves from having to deal with someone else’s disease or disability?

Keep up the positive attitude because I can’t deal with your problems.

Do people with health concerns have a responsibility to people around them… to protect them from dealing with the uncomfortable?

Read this post in its entirety and vote in our poll:

When Positive Attitude Goes Negative

Photo Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1108245

In the ongoing debate about health care reform, we often speak about access to health care, but there is another element to the debate that is equally important — what kind of care are you getting?

Health care is built upon the doctor/patient relationship, but that crucial relationship has changed drastically over the last decade. Without that fundamental building block, the practice of medicine suffers greatly.

Read this post in its entirety:

What happened to patient-centered, compassionate medicine?

Photo: U.S. National Institutes of Health

Language is dynamic, a living entity. It evolves from year to year and decade to decade. What was once acceptable is no longer so, but it may change yet again. New terms come into vogue that challenge our previous notions. It takes a long time for new ideas to take hold and become habit. Inclusive language can be a virtual minefield for writers, where any misstep can result in offending the reader. This is my take on The Art of Inclusive Language for Chronic Illness and Disability, a post that generated some very insightful comments.

Several years ago, somewhat self-conscious about the prospect of using a cane, I set out on a search for something inconspicuous. That’s when my husband stepped in. “You’re looking at this thing all wrong. Don’t be embarrassed by it… make a statement with it. Own it.” Wise man, my husband. Here’s the rest of the story: “If you’re going to use a cane, use a CANE!”

Thanksgiving in America is a day of celebrating nature’s bounty and giving thanks for our many blessings. Food in abundance has become the central theme of the day, but too many among us go hungry on a daily basis – Food Insecurity: Gentle Words, Harsh Reality

Why are women so angry and upset about the new guidelines? Here’s one theory Behind the Angst over Mammogram Guidelines.

In the ongoing debate about health care reform, we often speak about access to health care, but there is another element to the debate that is equally important — what kind of care are you getting?  What happened to patient-centered, compassionate medicine?

Read more:
Care2 Healthy & Green Living with MS
Care2 Reform Health Policy

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Thanksgiving in America is a day of celebrating nature’s bounty and giving thanks for our many blessings. Food in abundance has become the central theme of the day, but too many among us go hungry on a daily basis.

While acknowledging and giving thanks for our own good fortune, we must not forget about those who are struggling to put food on the table.

It’s being called “food insecurity,” a gentle phrase that sounds much less harsh than hunger, but hunger is what it is, and about 49 million Americans are living it.

Read this post in its entirety:

Food Insecurity: Gentle Words, Harsh Reality

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1059133

“If you’re going to use a cane, use a CANE!” I heeded that advice and never regretted it.

I was in my early 40s and my multiple sclerosis was as yet undiagnosed, but walking was becoming a problem, especially in public settings. My awkward gait and lack of confidence made me feel rather conspicuous, but I was not thrilled about the prospect of using a cane at my age.

We’d picked up a cheap metal cane at a drugstore for a trial run, soon realizing that I would actually look and feel more confident and natural with a cane than without. But that cheap metal cane was not exactly the image I wanted to project.

So the online search for a more presentable cane began. Still somewhat self-conscious about the prospect, I sought out canes that would blend into the scenery. I thought that my cane should be useful, but not particularly noticeable. I wanted a boring, fade-into-the-background look.

That’s when my husband stepped in. “You’re looking at this thing all wrong. If you’re going to use a cane, use a CANE! Don’t be embarrassed by it… make a statement with it. Own it.” Wise man, my husband.

That’s how I ended up at a website called Fashionable Walking Canes. The assortment of walking canes and walking sticks for men and women evoke the style of a bygone era, the cane not only a mobility aid, but a fashion statement.

My search for the perfect ladies’ cane ended when I spotted a red paisley adjustable folding cane. That’s right — red paisley. I knew I could forget about fading into the background with that one, but like the man said, “get a CANE!”

That cane is still my favorite, although I’ve since added others to my collection. And I do get noticed — not because poor pitiful me has to use a cane, but because people stop to compliment me and want to know where they can get one.

Visit the Fashionable Walking Canes website: www.fashionablecanes.com or on Facebook.

Disclosure: This is a compensated post — but a 100 percent true story.

Ultimately, decisions about health care — which procedures are warranted and which are not — should be left to doctors and their patients, based on physical exams, family history, and risk factors. When reading about the USPSTF, beyond broad guidelines, that actually does seem to be their intent. In a perfect world, the new general guidelines should be no cause for concern.

So why are women so angry and upset about the new mammogram guidelines? Because it’s not a perfect world and we know from experience that many health care decisions are not made between us and our doctors, but by for-profit insurers. We fear that if they latch on to a new reason to deny coverage of certain procedures, particularly procedures that have to do with that pre-existing condition of being female, it will happen.

Read this post in its entirety:

Behind the Angst over Mammogram Guidelines

Photo: U.s. Centers for Disease Control

Is it “disabled” or “person with disability?” Inclusive language experts say it’s the latter. Ah, but take a look around the web at the blogs of persons with disabilities, and you’ll come across badges and banners that read, “Disabled and Proud,” as well as many variations on such terminology, depending upon the context.

In researching acceptable terms, I came across the advice to refer to “people without disabilities” rather than “able-bodied” people. Well, I’m certainly guilty of incorrectness on that one. “People without disabilities” strikes me as awkward.

“Partially sighted” rather than “partially blind” does accentuate the positive, and “Handicapped Parking” is making the transition to “Disabled Parking.” Lots of food for thought here, but there are many shades of gray.

If you are a person living with chronic illness or disability, please read this post in its entirety — your opinions on this would be greatly appreciated:

The Art of Inclusive Language for Chronic Illness and Disability

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/624069

You write something in your own voice, but readers will read it in their own. You’ve got to be careful, or a misfire can change the meaning entirely, as I wrote in Will They Read It the Way I Wrote It?, posted on Women on the Verge just last week. Women on the Verge is a wonderfully supportive site for women who are… well… on the verge. It’s free to join, so you might want to take a minute to pop over and take a look.

Talk about controversial… the new mammogram guidelines have got women, especially those in their 40s, caught up in a bit of shock and awe… New Mammogram Guidelines: How many deaths are enough?

This week The American Cancer Society recognized the Great American Smokeout for the 34th time. If you love someone who smokes, wouldn’t this be a great opportunity to ask them to Make the Pledge, Live Longer, Live Better?

If you have a chronic illness or disability, does it invade your dreams? Years ago, during an interview with Larry King, the late Christopher Reeve said, “you know, as a matter of fact, in my dreams — I have never been disabled in my dreams — so my subconscious insists that I am whole, and I follow my subconscious.” I pondered my own dreams a bit this week. Mutinous Body, Thriving Soul.

The Senate health care bill (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) was unveiled this week and, according to Senator Harry Reid (D – Nev), it “makes health care more affordable while reducing the federal deficit.” He went on to say, “We can’t afford to overlook what this is really all about… we can’t afford to overlook who this is all about.” Who and What it’s all About.

WebCampOne is now on Facebook, where we’ll be posting updates about our latest projects in web design and development and writing services. We hope you’ll stop by and say hello or, better yet, become a fan.

Read more:
Care2 Healthy & Green Living with MS
Care2 Reform Health Policy

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WebCamp One, LLC: Full-service website design, management, and development company with clients throughout the USA and Canada. Expert in standards compliant website design. From website management to freelance writing, we’ve got the web covered. WebCamp One on Facebook.

Visit: AnnPietrangelo.com Contact: writer@webcampone.com

The Senate health care bill (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) was unveiled this week and, according to Senator Harry Reid (D – Nev), it “makes health care more affordable while reducing the federal deficit.” He went on to say, “We can’t afford to overlook what this is really all about… we can’t afford to overlook who this is all about.”

Read this post in its entirety:

Senate Health Care Bill: Who and What it’s all About

Who and What it’s all About:

Closed Minds Shout Down Disabled Woman in Wheelchair

Young Man Dies for Lack of Public Option

6 Shockers about Women’s Health Care

Toddler Too Small for Health Insurance

Rape Victim Deemed Uninsurable for Seeking Treatment for Rape

Greedy Insurers Dumping the “Dogs”

Man Joins Army to Save Wife’s Life

Photo: Reid.Senate.Gov

Seventeen percent of deaths from breast cancer occur in women who are diagnosed in their 40s. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2009 there will be 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer in the United States, causing 40,170 deaths. That’s a lot of deaths, and no one is disputing that early detection is our best weapon.

Yet, flying in the face of everything we’ve heard for the last several decades, the word from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force report released earlier this week is that here is no benefit to performing breast self-exams. Unless you are in a high risk group, you can wait until you are 50-years old before getting your baseline mammogram, and then repeat only every other year.

If seventeen percent of deaths from breast cancer occur in women who are diagnosed in their 40s, I can’t help but wonder… how many deaths is enough to make screening worthwhile?

Please read this post in its entirety and don’t be shy about leaving a comment on this important topic in women’s health:

New Mammogram Guidelines: How many deaths are enough?

Photo: U.S. Centers for Disease Control

Quit smoking and you’ll not only live longer, but you’ll live better.

November 19 is the American Cancer Society’s 34th Great American Smokeout. Smokers are encouraged to use this day to quit smoking altogether, or to finally put that action plan into place.

Smokers who quit at age 35 gain an average of eight years of of life expectancy; those who quit at age 55 gain approximately five years, and even quitting at 65 will gain about three years.

Even if you don’t care about celebrating additional birthdays, the benefits to quitting can result a healthier, more vibrant life.

Read this post in its entirety:

Great American Smokeout: Make the Pledge, Live Longer, Live Better

Photo: American Cancer Society

If you have multiple sclerosis, does it invade your dreams?

Years ago, during an interview with Larry King, the late Christopher Reeve said, “you know, as a matter of fact, in my dreams — I have never been disabled in my dreams — so my subconscious insists that I am whole, and I follow my subconscious.”

Without a doubt, our minds and our bodies are strongly connected, but not inextricably so. There are moments when we can divorce ourselves from the physical to sail blissfully free from restriction into new worlds.

Read this post in its entirety:

Mutinous Body, Thriving Soul

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1152277

Posting around the web this week…

Almost every family has been touched by diabetes, as mine has. If you or someone you love is living with diabetes, knowing the ABCs of diabetes could mean the difference between life and death. Find out about the ABCs and the new online tools designed to help people with diabetes take control. World Diabetes Day – Think you know your ABCs?

Societies around the globe fail to meet the health care needs of women at key moments of their lives, particularly in their adolescent years and in older age, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Find out how: Societies Failing Health Care Needs of Women Worldwide. Some of the comments took me by surprise.

It’s shocking, but undernutrition is a contributing factor in more than one third of all deaths in children under age five, and approximately 200 million children in this age group in the developing world suffer from stunted growth as a result of chronic maternal and childhood undernutrition, according to WHO. Read the rest of the story: Global Health: 200 Million Starving Children.

Thanksgiving celebrations are supposed to be a time of sharing bounty with family and friends. For people who live with chronic illness like multiple sclerosis, anticipation of Thanksgiving dinner can also be a time of increased emotional stress, exhaustion, and physical strain. We may want to celebrate, but chronic illness never takes a holiday. Surviving Thanksgiving with Multiple Sclerosis.

I picked up a copy of Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol this week and I’m looking forward to finding a nice chunk of time to indulge, perhaps with a glass of wine or a bowl of popcorn. Guilty pleasures.

Read more:
Care2 – Healthy & Green Living with MS
Care2 Reform Health Policy

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WebCamp One, LLC: Full-service website design, management, and development company with clients throughout the USA and Canada. Expert in standards compliant website design. From website management to freelance writing, we’ve got the web covered. WebCamp One on Facebook.

Visit: AnnPietrangelo.com Contact: writer@webcampone.com

Do you know the ABCs of diabetes? If you or someone you love lives with diabetes, knowing your ABCs could mean the difference between life and death.

November 14 is World Diabetes Day, and there’s no better time to take control over this life-changing and sometimes life-threatening disease. New online tools are making that task easier than ever.

So what are the ABC’s that every person with diabetes should know?

Read this post in its entirety:

World Diabetes Day – Think you know your ABCs?

Photo: Diabetes Act Now

Undernutrition is a contributing factor in more than one third of all deaths in children under age five, and approximately 200 million children in this age group in the developing world suffer from stunted growth as a result of chronic maternal and childhood undernutrition, according to a UNICEF report released earlier this week.

Nutritional deficiencies during the 1,000 days from conception to the child’s second birthday are critical for development. Undernourished children can also suffer cognitive disability and a limited capacity to learn, generally suffering poor health and poverty throughout their lives.

Chronic undernutrition is often unnoticed until it is severe and these children are at risk of serious damage to their health, affecting their growth, strength, and ability to fight off illness — drastically increasing rates of heart disease and diabetes, and death rates from pneumonia or diarrhea that might otherwise been avoided.

Read this post in its entirety:

Global Health: 200 Million Starving Children

Photo: USAID.gov