Last night, singer, actress, and designer Selena Gomez gave a beautiful and heartfelt performance at the 2014 American Music Awards, with best friend Taylor Swift rooting her on from the audience. Onlookers would not have known anything was wrong with Gomez, other than, perhaps, heartbreak from her on-again, off-again relationship with Justin Bieber. Yet, headlines … Continue reading
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.” It’s one of the most powerful lines from the movie and book, The Wizard of Oz. It’s such a simple quote — so relevant to the scene, that we usually don’t think of the symbolism that lies within it. it got me thinking, though, about “the … Continue reading
I’ve learned something: Illness turns many people away from God. Suffering makes many question their faith. However, these times of chaos and seemingly “ungodly” pain causes others to go the opposite direction, running towards God and embracing their faith with arms wide open. Of course, there are those of you who are agnostics and atheists, … Continue reading
Sometimes, it’s hard to find time for things you want and need to do, while living with chronic illness. I get it. It’s difficult, and it’s even harder to explain to others. It’s been described in terms of spoons, and in many other ways, ranging from the creative to the absurd. That said, time management … Continue reading
In the world of chronic illness, there are many things about which we simply do not have a choice. I didn’t choose rheumatoid arthritis, or osteoarthritis, or celiac disease, lupus, sjogrens syndrome, chiari, and so on. Likewise, I’m sure that you did not choose whichever illnesses or disabilities that you may live with. As I’ve … Continue reading
It’s always amazing to see how far science and medicine have come. I thought it would be interesting for us arthritis patients to learn more about ancient methods of pain relief and old-fashioned arthritis treatments! Here are some interesting “old-school” methods of managing pain: Cupping Therapy: Cupping is an ancient form of Traditional Chinese … Continue reading
To put it simply: being tired is NOT the same thing as having fatigue. The type of fatigue that comes along with chronic illness and autoimmune diseases is unlike any other kind of exhaustion that most healthy people will experience in their lives. As an “e-patient” and an online advocate for people with rheumatic and … Continue reading
Today has brought a lot of news and “tidbits” about arthritis and other forms of rheumatic disease. Some of it is brand-new, other news is older … but still worth sharing. Here are some recent stories to be made aware of, as of today … A CBS article reveals that running doesn’t always lead to, … Continue reading
There are many ways to use the Internet to find information about different types of arthritis. However, another added benefit to surfing the web is that you can find all kinds of helpful support groups and communities of people just like yourself who are dealing with arthritis, chronic pain, and/or rheumatic diseases. Facebook has a … Continue reading
The holiday season is here, and it is the time for giving gifts, and letting loved ones around us know how much they mean to us. So, if someone special in your life is affected by arthritis or chronic pain, what are some good gift ideas to give them? Here are some tips and suggestions: … Continue reading
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