MS Maze

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and may you truly appreciate your blessings.

How do honesty and humility impact job performance? A new study takes a closer look at those personality traits and how employers rate employees.

Read the article: Honesty and Humility Predict Higher Job Performance

Many Americans age 50 and over are not discussing the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with their physicians, according to a recent survey from AARP and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).

Read it: Older Americans Not Discussing CAM with Docs

Having a poor-quality job may be even more psychologically damaging than having no job at all.

A poor-quality job – that is one that involves low pay, little or no control, is short-term, or creates a great amount of stress – has a powerful effect on overall mental health and well-being. (…MORE)

I am reluctant to talk about poop. I confess that find it an embarrassing and very personal subject, not one I generally broach publicly. But let’s face it — we all poop and there are important things we should know about poop if we want to understand our own health.

Fortunately, there is someone who is decidedly not embarrassed to talk about it. She even manages to do so with humor. “Poop is my passion,” says General Nutritionist Consultant and Digestive Care Expert, Brenda Watson.

Author of eight health books, Brenda (…MORE)

Health care reform is more than a political issue for me. It’s personal.

I write about health care reform and it is a frequent topic of conversation in my life. To those who stand against reform, nothing I say will sway them. They see even minor reform through the lens of socialism, or argue that the constitution does not grant us a right to health care, or speak of the tremendous cost.

This would be a great place to insert the usual point/counter-point arguments, but that’s not where I want to lead the discussion today. This isn’t about politics; it’s personal.

Read this post in its entirety:

Why I take health care reform personally — and you should too

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1039786

Multiple sclerosis is the ultimate player. First you see it, then you don’t. If you are confused about MS, you are far from alone.

First, what it is not: multiple sclerosis is not the same as muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy. All people with MS are not in wheelchairs. It’s not a psychological problem.

So what is it?

MS is a neurological disease in which lesions form in the central nervous system, interrupting the transmission of signals to the rest of the body…

Read this post in its entirety:

11 Basics to Understanding Multiple Sclerosis

Sometimes, every second counts.

Do you know what F.A.S.T. stands for?

Find out HERE

Jake offers advice for the MS Caregiver:

Here’s the truth as I see it. Once you become a caregiver to someone with MS, life will never again be as it was before the diagnosis. The faster you accept that as fact, the better off you’ll be and the quicker you’ll be able to move forward with our new goal of pretend normalcy. Whenever Mandy and I start down the road of wondering aloud about what our lives might have been like without MS, one of us will eventually look at the other and utter an oft-heard phrase: “It is what it is.”

Life doesn’t come with guarantees. No guarantee of happiness, no guarantee of financial security, no guarantee that you’ll have a big happy family, no guarantee of anything — except for one thing. That your life will be full of unexpected and unexplained events. You can tell yourself that there’s some grand plan, that things happen for a reason, but I’ve dismissed that line of thinking. We’ve given up all pretense of believing that some master plan simply called for Mandy to contract MS. To me, life is like running across an active battlefield with your eyes open, senses on fire, every ounce of your life’s training and experience being pulled into use. With all that going for you, sometimes you’re just going to get hit.

Read this post in its entirety:

New to the Game?

The financial impact of multiple sclerosis cannot be overstated, whether you have medical insurance coverage or not, it becomes a large part of your struggle with the disease. Like it or not, MS and money are go hand in hand.

So what if you find yourself among our country’s nearly 50 million uninsured? Continue to research and pursue all insurance options. In the meantime, there are other resources available to the uninsured, but it’s going to take some time and a great deal of persistence.

Having MS and no insurance — or inadequate insurance — is a bitter pill to swallow. I cannot in good conscience say that you will be able to access all the services you need. We just have do the best we can with the resources at our disposal. And by all means, contact your representatives in congress. Put a human face on the state of health care!

Read this article in its entirety:

Guide for Uninsured Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Knowledge is the single most important weapon you will ever have in your MS-fighting arsenal. It is the one thing you can and should pursue immediately, whether the diagnosis is official or just suspected.

MS is as individual as each patient, with a seemingly endless list of symptoms. Nothing about it is cut and dry, so each patient must actively pursue a course of education and research. Each patient must make a series of decisions about treatment options, medical insurance, and lifestyle. It is never too soon to begin that process.

There are other things you can do if you’re still waiting for diagnosis…

Read this post in its entirety:

Early Intervention in Multiple Sclerosis: Knowledge is Power

We’re walking for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society on April 18. Find out Why We Walk

Visit Ann’s Personal MS Walk Page

Visit Jim’s

By all accounts, the number of people with MS who smoke is fairly high. Speaking for myself, always a non-smoker, I find life with MS to be quite a challenge in its own right. I’m also aware that having MS does not protect me from other diseases. It is my responsibility to protect my own health from preventable illness. Smoking is like issuing an open invitation to trouble.

We’ve known for decades that smoking is harmful to health, but young people continue to be lured in by peer pressure and advertising. Health is much more fragile than we like to admit. Taking it for granted is a serious mistake.

Read this post in its entirety:

MS and Smoking: Not a Good Match

MS Maze is pleased to announce that our feed has been added to Alltop — the famous online magazine rack of popular topics. You’ll find us under “All the top Multiple Sclerosis news” section.

You’ll find a few other familiar MS bloggers there, including our good friend Lisa Emrich, of Brass and Ivory.

Alltop.com provides links to news and information on pretty much every topic from A to Z, with story updates every hour. We’re thrilled to be included.

If you’re not familiar with Alltop, now’s the time to click on over…  Alltop.com

Happy New Year

from

MS Maze