MS Maze

Go ahead. Indulge your inner chocoholic in a guilt-free zone, armed with the knowledge that one small square of chocolate a day could reduce your risk of heart disease.

Researchers at the German Institute of Human Nutrition released the results of a study indicating that people with a daily intake of chocolate averaging 0.3 ounces (7.5 grams) had lower blood pressure and a 39 percent lower risk of heart attack than those who ate less chocolate.

The study looked at the dietary and health habits of 19,357 people…

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A Chocolate a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/729642

Make no mistake about it. John Hicklenton triumphed over multiple sclerosis. I say this in spite of the fact that he ended his own life because of it.

Mr. Hicklenton, a graphic artist known for his illustrations, most notably, Judge Dredd comics, struggled with the ravages of MS for a decade. A resident of Brighton, East Sussex, U.K., he passed away in a Swiss assisted suicide clinic on March 19 at the age of 42.

His 2008 award-winning documentary…

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MS Activist John Hicklenton Ends Life at Euthanasia Clinic

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1265646

“That was my first time at any political rally and I’m never going to another one.”

Catherine Candisky of The Columbus Dispatch reports that Chris Reichert is apologizing for his part in an ugly confrontation at a recent anti-health care reform protest.

As addressed in a previous post, several people verbally abused and tried to intimidate a man with Parkinson’s disease. (You can read the post and watch the video HERE.)

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Health Care Protester Apologizes for Bullying Behavior

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/642229

What a Week for Health Care!

Puffing the Pain Away or Just Puffing… Legally Marijuana, legally sold and taxed, might soon be reality in California — and we’re not talking strictly about medical marijuana. Another can of worms.

What do Meathead and Archie Have to Do with Health Care Reform? They called Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) a “f****t.” They called Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) the infamous “n-word.” The year was 2010. I definitely dredged up some old ghosts in this one.

Health Care Protester Apologizes for Bullying Behavior “That was my first time at any political rally and I’m never going to another one.”

Health Care Reform Begins Now: It took 219 votes to make history. The House passed the Senate health care reform bill, taking the first steps on what is sure to be a long and tumultuous journey toward leveling the playing field and giving all Americans access to health care.

Basic Security to Health Care: It’s the Law: “We have now just enshrined, as soon as I sign this bill, the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care. And it is an extraordinary achievement that has happened because of all of you and all the advocates all across the country.” And with that statement, President Barack Obama signed The Patient Affordable Health Care Act into law.

National MS Education & Awareness Month

Coping with MS: Breaking the Cycle of Defeat: Life isn’t fair. Much like a board game, we pick a card… roll the dice… spin the spinner… and we get what we get. Unlike a simple child’s game, though, there are a myriad of choices to be made that directly affect the outcome of those random events.

Your Choice: Exist with It or Live with It: What wife asks her husband to stop doing the dishes? I can almost hear the collective groan from wives the world over, but there was a method to my madness.

Longing for Liberation: All around the world people with multiple sclerosis have been clamoring for action, ever since cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Paolo Zamboni released his controversial findings, challenging everything we thought we knew about MS.

Diagnosis, Denial, Due Diligence: What do you do when everything you know about yourself changes just as you are hitting midlife? How do you plan for life’s second half with a body you’ve never met before?

MS: Who Gets It and Why: The who, what, where, when, why, and how of multiple sclerosis.

A Diagnosis Odyssey: It began with a seemingly benign but persistent tingly feeling in my upper right arm. It was the kind of thing you tend to dismiss and certainly not the kind of thing that makes you rush out to see a doctor… but there was more to come.

On Writing

An editor from MSFocus Magazine, a publication of The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, contacted me earlier this week to request an article for the spring issue. I had the pleasure of working with MSFocus a couple of years ago and I’m thrilled to repeat the experience. I love writing for digital media, but there’s a certain thrill in seeing your words in a print publication.

Now for book progress. Uh. Oh. Haven’t met my goal this week, but the week isn’t over yet…

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Marijuana, legally sold and taxed, might soon be reality in California — and we’re not talking strictly about medical marijuana.

The L.A. Times reports that an initiative to legalize marijuana will appear on the November ballot. The initiative calls for allowing adults 21 or older to possess up to one ounce for personal use, or to grow up to 25 square feet of marijuana per residence or parcel, and allows cities and counties to raise revenue through taxation of cultivation, transportation, and sale of marijuana. Budgetary concerns in California make this particularly appealing, but it is certainly not without opposition. Between now and November we can expect to hear interesting cases made both pro and con.

While it remains a federal crime to possess or sell marijuana…

Read this post in its entirety, and check out the poll and the petition:

Puffing the Pain Away or Just Puffing… Legally

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1206038

National MS Education & Awareness Month

Coping with MS: Breaking the Cycle of Defeat Life isn’t fair. Much like a board game, we pick a card… roll the dice… spin the spinner… and we get what we get. Unlike a simple child’s game, though, there are a myriad of choices to be made that directly affect the outcome of those random events.

Your Choice: Exist with It or Live with It What wife asks her husband to stop doing the dishes? I can almost hear the collective groan from wives the world over, but there was a method to my madness.

Longing for Liberation All around the world people with multiple sclerosis have been clamoring for action, ever since cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Paolo Zamboni released his controversial findings, challenging everything we thought we knew about MS.

Diagnosis, Denial, Due Diligence What do you do when everything you know about yourself changes just as you are hitting midlife? How do you plan for life’s second half with a body you’ve never met before?

MS: Who Gets It and Why The who, what, where, when, why, and how of multiple sclerosis.

A Diagnosis Odyssey It began with a seemingly benign but persistent tingly feeling in my upper right arm. It was the kind of thing you tend to dismiss and certainly not the kind of thing that makes you rush out to see a doctor… but there was more to come.

“We have now just enshrined, as soon as I sign this bill, the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care. And it is an extraordinary achievement that has happened because of all of you and all the advocates all across the country.”

And with that statement, President Barack Obama signed The Patient Affordable Health Care Act into law.

Read this post in its entirety and watch the video of the President’s remarks, followed by the signing:

Basic Security to Health Care: It’s the Law

Photo: WhiteHouse.gov

Shock and awe. That about describes the feeling when multiple sclerosis entered my life.

In the years following the diagnosis, changes came in small doses for me, some changes more obvious than others. No matter how I look at it, everything is different than it was before, though not in an entirely negative way. Perhaps some of the changes that I casually attribute to MS would have come regardless.

Unlike the neat chapters in a book or the tidy absolutes of episodic television, life’s ups and downs tumble around in no particular order or regard for what else is going on. New episodes begin even while old ones are in mid-stream and unresolved.

Most of us understand and accept that life isn’t fair. Much like…

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Coping with MS: Breaking the Cycle of Defeat

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They called Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) a “f****t.” They called Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) the infamous “n-word.” The year was 2010.

“Communist… you have to work for everything you get!” They bullied a peaceful health care reform advocate with Parkinson’s disease, assuming for reasons known only to them, that he is too lazy to work and only seeks a handout.

Presumably “they” are anti-health care protesters, because they were also yelling “kill the bill!” and holding anti-reform signs. But is health care really the issue here… or is this about something else entirely?

I grew up during the era of Meathead versus Archie Bunker. Being a teenager at the time, I easily related to the Meathead and agreed with his pleas for tolerance and justice.

As a mature adult, I came to understand…

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What do Meathead and Archie Have to Do with Health Care Reform?

It was the 219 votes that would go down in history. With the sound of a gavel on Sunday, the House passed the Senate health care reform bill, taking the first concrete steps on what will continue to be a long and tumultuous journey toward leveling the playing field and giving all Americans access to health care.

A minimum of 216 votes was needed to pass, with the final vote coming in at 219 to 212. As expected, not a single Republican voted in favor of the legislation that will become law upon the President’s signature.

The controversial Senate bill…

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History Made as House Passes Senate Bill: Health Care Reform Begins Now

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1158221

On what basis can you justify mocking the ill or disabled? Someone please tell me because I really want to know.

Earlier this week, The Columbus Dispatch captured anti-reform protesters — bullies, really — on film mocking a health care reform advocate with Parkinson’s disease.

The man sat on the ground alone, peacefully holding a sign, and was surrounded by men leaning in toward him and throwing money at him. “Communist!” they called him. “You have to work for everything you get!”

If he was intimidated, he didn’t let it show.

Read this post in its entirety and watch the shocking video:

Anti-Reform Protesters Bully Peaceful Demonstrator with Parkinson’s

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/14188

On Writing

“Bloody write it.” That’s what my writer friend across the pond said to himself when he was falling short of his weekly writing goal. He quickly redeemed himself, as he put it, and got the job done.

Now I have a myriad of acceptable excuses I could use this week for not accomplishing my goal, but I’m not going to use them. “Bloody write it.” I just might tattoo that on the back of my hand, because it works. It is my new mantra.

On National MS Education & Awareness Month

What wife asks her husband to stop doing the dishes? I can almost hear the collective groan from wives the world over, but there was a method to my madness. Your Choice: Exist with It or Live with It

All around the world people with multiple sclerosis have been clamoring for action, ever since cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Paolo Zamboni released his controversial findings, challenging everything we thought we knew about MS. Longing for Liberation

What do you do when everything you know about yourself changes just as you are hitting midlife? How do you plan for life’s second half with a body you’ve never met before? Diagnosis, Denial, Due Diligence

The who, what, where, when, why, and how of multiple sclerosis. Who Gets It and Why

It began with a seemingly benign but persistent tingly feeling in my upper right arm. It was the kind of thing you tend to dismiss and certainly not the kind of thing that makes you rush out to see a doctor… but there was more to come. A Diagnosis Odyssey

Elsewhere on the Web

Do you have young children? Do they like the computer, but find some programs intimidating or just not kid-friendly? OpenOffice for Kids!

On what basis can you justify mocking the ill or disabled? Someone please tell me because I really want to know. Earlier this week, The Columbus Dispatch captured anti-reform protesters — bullies, really — on film mocking a health care reform advocate with Parkinson’s disease. The man sat on the ground alone, peacefully holding a sign, and was surrounded by men leaning in toward him and throwing money at him. “Communist!” they called him. “You have to work for everything you get!” Anti-Reform Protesters Bully Peaceful Demonstrator with Parkinson’s

How many more gut wrenching stories of the sick and dying do we have to hear before it sinks in? Are these unfortunate souls less deserving than everyone else, somehow less worthy? Health Care: How is it not a moral issue?

Clearing the decks for a likely Sunday vote, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says that the health care reform compromise bill will cut the deficit by $138 billion over the next 10 years and by another $1.2 trillion over the following 10 years. Health Care Bill Will CUT Deficit says Non Partisan CBO

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Clearing the decks for a likely Sunday vote, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says that the health care reform compromise bill will cut the deficit by $138 billion over the next 10 years and by another $1.2 trillion over the following 10 years; will give 32 million more Americans access to coverage, close the Medicare donut hole, and extend Medicare’s solvency by at least nine years.

The CBO estimates should serve to assure Blue Dog Democrats concerned about increasing budget deficits, although no Republicans are expected to support the legislation.

The White House announced that President Obama is delaying his scheduled trip to Indonesia and Australia to remain in Washington for the expected Sunday vote in the House and possible amendment votes in the Senate during the coming week.

Earlier this week, Dennis Kucinich…

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Health Care Bill Will CUT Deficit says Non Partisan CBO

Photo: National Institutes of Health

Health care reform is an economic issue; it is a political issue; it is a medical issue; and it is most definitely a moral issue.

The wealthy don’t worry about access to health care. Members of Congress certainly don’t. The very poor qualify for Medicaid, a government-run insurance program. The elderly qualify for Medicare, another government-run insurance program.

The middle class is being squeezed out of health care. Sometimes it is because they can’t afford it and must choose between keeping a roof over their heads and buying health insurance. Sometimes it is because insurers are legally allowed to — and do — deny or drop coverage. Let’s face it — denial of health insurance is denial of access to preventive care, and continuity of care that an emergency room can not and will not provide.

How many more gut wrenching stories of the sick and dying do we have to hear before it sinks in? Are these unfortunate souls less deserving than everyone else, somehow less worthy?

Read this post in its entirety:

Health Care: How is it not a moral issue?

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/875413

“I know this is going to sound like an insanely ridiculous thing for a wife to say, but I would appreciate it if you would stop doing the dinner dishes.”

Well that actually does sound like an insanely ridiculous thing for a wife to say to her husband, but I said it nonetheless. It was another baby step in my overall plan to take back the life that MS would destroy if I allowed it.

After the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, physicians, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and MS patient-advocacy groups unleashed a mountain of printed material and videos upon us, and we set about the task of learning all we could. Even prior to diagnosis, our suspicions of MS lead us to online research. We began with well-known and well-respected medical sites, then gravitated toward something less formal but slightly more tangible — other people with MS.

Read this post in its entirety:

Your Choice: Exist with It or Live with It

Multiple Sclerosis Education & Awareness Month

A Diagnosis Odyssey: Learn why a diagnosis of MS may take years.

Who Gets It and Why: Get the who, what, where, when, why, and how of it.

Diagnosis, Denial, Due Diligence: After the diagnosis there may be a period of denial. Then the real work begins.

Longing for Liberation: Controversial new Liberation Treatment turns conventional MS wisdom on its head.

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Children have been warned to “just say no to drugs” and told the dangers of illegal substance abuse, but more kids are getting high by huffing legal substances than by marijuana, cocaine, and hallucinogens combined. And they are often doing right in their own homes.

The aerosol cleaner used to clean your computer, hairspray, paint solvents, gasoline, and that old standby, glue, can all be inhaled (huffed) to get a high. Kids have been taking advantage of this method of getting high for generations because it’s accessible, the price is right, and it is fairly easy to avoid arousing suspicion. Yet, many are still unaware of the serious health risks.

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Huffing: The Fatal Consequences of Ignorance

Photo: drugabuse.gov