MS Maze

The MEDCottage, or so called “Granny Pod,” is being marketed as “family managed health care as an alternative to long-term care facilities.”

The 12 foot by 24 foot portable, modular “medical home,” unveiled this past July, can be purchased or leased and placed on the caregiving family’s property. The homes are equipped with health monitoring equipment and lifts to assist people who have problems with mobility.

Read this post and see the poll results:

The ‘Granny Pod’ Alternative

Image used under Creative Commons License via Flickr with thanks to eflon

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan, announced that the world is no longer in phase six of influenza pandemic alert — we are now moving into the post-pandemic period and the new H1N1 virus has largely run its course. Dr. Chan went on to say:

“As we enter the post-pandemic period, this does not mean that the H1N1 virus has gone away. Based on experience with past pandemics, we expect the H1N1 virus to take on the behavoir of a seasonal influenza virus and continue to circulate for some years to come.

Read the article:

H1N1 Pandemic Over: Post-Pandemic Flu Season Looms

Photo Credit: Greg Knobloch, via U.S. Centers for disease Control and Prevention

Having an affectionate sister is good for you.

Young teens who have a sister feel less lonely, unloved, guilty, self-conscious, and fearful. A recent story in USA TODAY reported on a study of siblings by researchers from Brigham Young University. The study found that regardless of age, gender, or age differences, affectionate siblings have positive influences on each other, but that having a sister prevents depression more than having a brother.

Siblings also have twice as much influence than parents when it comes to performing good deeds for others, and it comes as no surprise that hostility between siblings has a negative effect.

That got me to thinking about my own big sister and her influence on me as a young girl…

Read the story:

The Sister Effect

Some have tons of trash in their home. Some have no bed on which to sleep or no kitchen in which to prepare decent meals. They are extreme hoarders.

Imagine a home so loaded with possessions and trash that rescue workers can’t make their way in without drilling a hole in the roof. Or having to crawl through self-made tunnels to move around your own house.

That is the grim reality for hoarders — people who accumulate possessions and/or trash and cannot bring themselves to part with anything. Exact numbers are unknown, but it is estimated that up to 1.2 million people in the U.S suffer from compulsive hoarding.

Hoarding takes many forms, from the collection of newspapers and magazines to what most of us would consider to be garbage, with piles of boxes, bags, collectibles, trash, and stuff… accumulating and spreading throughout the home and property.

Animal hoarders… Reality TV hoarders… It’s the opposite of healthy and green living. Read the article:

Extreme Hoarders: The Peril of Possessions

Image Credit: fairfaxcounty.gov

Oh, go ahead. Have a good cry. You’ll feel better.

It has been said that laughter is the best medicine, but crying can also be very cathartic.

Judith Orloff, M.D., author of Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life, writes, “For over 20 years as physician, I’ve witnessed time and again the healing power of tears. Tears are your body’s release valve for stress, sadness, grief, anxiety and frustration.” In a Huffington Post article, Dr. Orloff says she actually encourages her patients to cry.

Read this post in its entirety:

The Healing Power of Tears

Restrictive policies regarding vaginal delivery after a cesarean (VBAC) should not be used to force women to undergo a repeat cesarean delivery against their will.

The new guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) say that VBAC is a safe choice for most women with a low-transverse incision.

But will the guidelines result in increased access to VBAC?

Read this post and check out the poll:

New VBAC Guidelines: Information and Choice for Women

Photo courtesy photoXpress.com

The miracle of birth can also save a life. Did you know that moms and newborns can help critically ill people by donating cord blood?

Read this post in its entirety (includes poll and “Babies are Amazing” video):

So Who Wants Your Cord Blood?

Photo courtesy of photoxpress.com

FarmVille players, hang on to your green hats because FarmVille is about to go organic.

If you are not familiar with the game, FarmVille is a real-time farm simulation game in which players plant, grow, and harvest crops on expanding farms while interacting with other players they “friend” as neighbors. Millions of players are enjoying the experience of virtual farm life, tending their farms and learning as they go.

Cascadian Farm, a leading brand of organic foods, is partnering with FarmVille to increase awareness and support for organic farming and organic lifestyle, breathing virtual life into organic farming within the online agricultural space.

Read this post and get FarmVille player tips:

FarmVille Goes Organic

The summer of 2010 began with a sweltering heat wave in much of the U.S., with temperatures hitting triple digits, coupled with high humidity.

Young children, the elderly, and people with serious health conditions are at particular risk of heat stroke. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), heat-related illness occurs when your body cannot properly cool itself by sweating. Very high body temperatures can damage the brain and other vital organs. Risk factors include age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use.

At least one person on the east coast has died due to excessive heat exposure this month.

How to avoid heat-related illness…

Read this post in its entirety:

We’re Havin’ a Heat Wave… 7 Tips to Avoid Heat Stroke

Related Reading: Surviving Summer with Multiple Sclerosis

Photo: CDC

“Patience is not passive; on the contrary, it is active; it is concentrated strength.” – Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

As a child walking to school, I irritated my fellow walkers with my quick pace and stubborn refusal to walk at a normal speed. As a young adult I could barely contain my displeasure with slow walkers, slow talkers, slow-moving cashiers, hesitant drivers, etc. Wherever I went, I was surround by the slow-moving masses who were impeding my progress.

Read this post in its entirety:

The Concentrated Strength of Patience

Image from PhotoXpress.com

Do you recognize disability when you see it?

Last week’s post about an able-bodied woman using a handicapped parking space, then suing over the ticket she received, resulted in spirited conversation in the comments section.

It’s an emotional topic for a lot of people, not the least of whom are those who have the legal right to use the specially marked spaces, but who have an invisible disability. Judgements are often made based on nothing more than appearance.

Read this post in its entirety:

Savoring the Privilege of Walking

Image credit: PhotoXpress.com

Remember the joy of being a child and the simple pleasure of rolling around in the grass, discovering flowers, and climbing trees?

A child growing up in the big city might not, but you can help a city child experience the power and the beauty of nature this summer… and it will only take a moment of your time…

Read this post in its entirety:

Help a City Child Experience Nature

Photo: photoxpress.com

Forty-two percent of teenagers say they have engaged in sexual intercourse — and a lot of them say they are using the rhythm method of birth control.

A survey released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention says that a growing number of teenagers are using the rhythm method of birth control — that is avoiding sexual intercourse during fertile days.

Read this article in its entirety:

Rhythm Method Popular Among Sexually Active Teens

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/544232

It turns out that parents and rules really do matter.

Alcohol researcher Caitlin Abar from Pennsylvania State University says that how parents deal with teenagers when it comes to alcohol makes a difference.

Her study, as reported by NPR, included 300 teenagers and their parents and found that parents who disapproved of teen alcohol use completely tended to have students who drank less once in college. Teens who have more permissive parents when it comes to teenage drinking had a higher risk factor for later binge drinking.

read article: How to Control Teen Drinking: Parents Matter

Photo used under the Creative Commons Attribution License, with thanks to bradleypjohnson

When life drops a mountain in front of you, you can give up or you can forge a path around it. Edward Janus chooses the path every time.

“In my own little way, I am trying to help the disabled and others with my online activism.”

Don’t let him kid you — Edward Janus does nothing in a “little way.” You see, when it comes to matters of disability, Edward knows of what he speaks. He has cerebral palsy, is almost completely deaf, and has endured multiple surgeries on his cervical spinal column (neck). Infections lead to having both legs amputated in 1997.

Find out more about this truly amazing online activist… what drives him… his successes and his hopes for the future…

Read: Edward Janus, Passionate Online Activism at its Finest

Photo courtesy of Edward Janus and WebCamp One LLC