Most of you know that I am a big fan of integrative medicine: a mix of natural or alternative methodologies and traditional pharmaceutical treatments. In fact, one of the first “real” published articles I wrote was in a local magazine (called South Fayette & Neighbors, now known as IN South Fayette,) in 2006, and it … Continue reading
Tag Archives: healthcare
Healthcare Should Be A Basic Human Right
Today I was told that health insurance is unnecessary, that the doctor should just charge us for what we use. It should only be for catastrophes, not ongoing or recurring treatments. If someone is too sick to work, or elderly, or born into a poor family, “oh well,” they said — we are all born … Continue reading
#Longread: The Emotions of Thinking and Talking About Illness
I’ve written and posted before about hiding our pain to spare the feelings of others, and many similar topics of conversation. I have also written about the emotions of guilt, resentment, and burden that can accompany a lifelong illness or disability. I decided to revisit the topic and reframe it in a couple of new ways. The first … Continue reading
Walking in My Shoes: Keeping Perspective With a Chronic Health Issue
Today I decided to post a photo to my blog that I had posted on Facebook and Instagram back in November, 2016. Since I finally have my custom medial-unloader knee brace and my custom permanent Arizona cast for my foot, I decided that this particular post would be worthy of a re-share, and you will see … Continue reading
Thoughts & Updates from Arthritis Ashley
I haven’t updated this Arthritis Ashley blog in a while (I barely find time to post to my main website abshuck.com and haven’t posted to my entertainment blog Glitzburgh in about a year. Eek!) However, I do want to share some thoughts and updates with all of you, my loyal readers! I’m glad that many … Continue reading
SharecareNow Names Top Arthritis Influencers – by Ashley Boynes-Shuck
SharecareNow, a website that is affiliated with Dr. Mehmet Oz, has used a complex algorithm to figure out the Top 10 Rheumatoid Arthritis Online Influencers, and “Arthritis Ashley” — the author of this blog — was one of them! Check out the rest: More info can be found, here. Congratulations to all of these wonderful … Continue reading
The Inconvenient Truths About Life with Arthritis and Chronic Illness – by Ashley Boynes-Shuck
I’ll admit it. I, like many of you, have, at times, grown weary of hearing, “You need to exercise. You need to eat well. You need to think positive thoughts. Sleep is important. You can’t give up,” and so on. But, I recently had a lot of health crises that led me to have a … Continue reading
Social Media for Support: E-Patients Using the Internet to Cope with Arthritis & Chronic Illness – by Ashley Boynes-Shuck
Support groups are a great way to cope with illness or disability. In today’s world, online support groups and social networks are a great way to belong to a health community where you can interact with others who “get” what you are going through. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and even Pinterest offer patients the chance to … Continue reading
The Juvenile Arthritis / Cancer Link – by Ashley Boynes-Shuck
Most of us are aware that there is a heightened risk for cancer if diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis or other autoimmune diseases, because many of them “act” similarly at the cellular level. Additionally, certain medications may put RA patients at higher risk — but these same medications can ironically be used to treat cancer. “RA … Continue reading
The Time to Advocate is Now! Arthritis Advocacy and Our Health – by Ashley Boynes-Shuck
I’ve shared ways to advocate in the past, but there’s no time like the present to get involved if you haven’t already. You may or not be aware of this but Congress has appointed a “Super Committee” to find ways to reduce government spending. This is an important task, yet we as patients and advocates … Continue reading