Home Community Newsletter Vol 3 Issue 76

Arthritis Insight Newsletter * Vol. 3 Issue 76 October 3, 2001

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Welcome to the 76th issue of the Arthritis Insight Newsletter. All back issues will be posted at /community/newsletter Feel free to pass this newsletter around to others who may be interested.

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The information in this newsletter should not take the place of advice and guidance from your own health-care providers. Material in this newsletter is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Be sure to check with your doctor before making any changes in your treatment plan. Information presented here is the opinion of the authors and has not necessarily been approved or endorsed by the medical advisors.

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God Bless America!

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Notes From Tina
(tina@arthritisinsight.com)
Tina Underwood aka KrissyJo

I hope everyone had a good week and that life is getting as close to normal as it can be under the present circumstances.

My life is, well, as normal as it gets I guess. I restarted my DMARDs after a month off due to shingles. Injected my methotrexate last night, UGH! Been battling lots of fatigue and swelling, so I hope it all kicks in quickly.

Speaking of fatigue-Does anyone else have a difficult time explaining that symptom to people without arthritis? The pain is easier to explain. "Why are you limping?" "My knee is very swollen and it hurts." "Ouch! I understand."

But it's not so easy when it comes to fatigue. "Why are you laying on the couch in the middle of the afternoon?" "Because I have RA and I am fatigued." "Oh" (while thinking "What a lazy slob!) So then you begin to lie. "I am sick, must be the flu." "You poor thing, you better get lots of rest. Can I do anything for you?" Sigh.maybe a better answer would be "Because my immune system is raging a battle against an imaginary enemy and my body is the war zone!" Naw, they still wouldn't get it. So.I guess I have the flu! At least I know I am in good company!

Have a great week!

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Ron's Ramblin's
(ron@arthritisinsight.com)
Ron Griffin aka IndyRon

The column this week really has nothing to do with arthritis, but I am going to share it anyway. This past weekend, my oldest son brought one of his friends down to the lake to spend the weekend. The favorite pastime of the weekend seemed to be throwing rocks into the lake. I think they must have added several inches in depth to the lake, if the number of rocks is a measure. They seemed to really have fun, and I had fun watching them and must admit to throwing a few rocks myself.

While this was really fun for all of us, there was one thing that really made the weekend special (besides having the boys with me). We went out for a boat ride on Sunday afternoon. This in and of its self was fun. While we were out riding, I pulled into a cove and noticed a large bird in a dead tree. I cut the engine back to idle and eased closer to the bird. All of a sudden it turned its head and a brilliant flash of white let me know that it was in fact a Bald Eagle. To make a long story short, it obviously has gotten used to boats and people because we cruised up to within 75 to 100 feet from it and it just sat there. It was really a special thing to watch both the bird, but also to watch the boys reaction to it. The only Raptor that they had ever seen was in captivity. Somehow that is just not the same.

Guess both the boys and I made some memories on Sunday that will be with us for a long time to come.

((((((((HUGS TO ALL)))))))

~Indy

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Your Weekly Giggle

As time goes by
When I was in my younger days, I weighed a few pounds less,
I needn't hold my tummy in to wear a belted dress.

But now that I am older, I've set my body free;
There's the comfort of elastic Where my waist used to be.

Inventor of those high-heeled shoes - My feet have not forgiven;
I have to wear a size nine now, when once I wore a seven.

How about those pantyhose? They're sized by weight, you see,
So how come when I put them on, The crotch is at my knee?

I need to wear these glasses as the prints keeps getting smaller;
And not so very long ago, I know that I was taller.

Now my hair has turned to silver; my skin just doesn't fit;
Inside is still the same old me, but the outside's changed a bit.

Check out all the jokes at:
/fun/jokes
Send yours in today!

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Tina's Tips
tina@arthritisinsight.com

Arthritis can affect your ability to do even the simplest of tasks. I've heard some people say, "Accept your limitations." I'm not sure accepting them is the way to go. I prefer to challenge those limitations, work around them, finding alternate ways of achieving the same goal. Every week I'll share some tips I've found to work around those annoying limitations and I hope all of you will send in your tips too. We may not be the next Martha Stewart, but sometimes the simplest things can help so much.

Anyone who sends me five new (never published on AI) tips and includes their mailing address with get an Arthritis Insight easy to hold pen!

Some great tips from Margie:

Tip #1: I always put my medication for the whole week out at one time. I take medication three times a day so I got three of those weekly pill containers and marked one for MORNING, one for DINNER and the last one for BED TIME. I put the medication in the containers on Friday so if I need any meds. I order them right away. Since I already have a weeks worth of medication in the containers I have until the following Friday to pick them up. The pharmacy also has told me that I was so good to them because they don't have to fill the prescription order right away if they are busy. They have to many customers who order prescriptions and they want them now. (Note from Tina: Pharmacists REALLY do appreciate that. I dropped off two prescriptions last night and told them I would pick them up in a few days. The pharmacist said, "Tina, have we told you lately how much we love you?" LOL)

Tip #2: Often times I am stiff and sore in the mornings so I take my morning medication with me to bed. I set it and a bottle of water on the nightstand. If I wake up about 1/2 hour or an hour before I get up for the day I take my medication. This gives the medication a chance to start working before I start my day. Having a bottle of water within reach I can also take some pain drugs during the night if the pain is bad enough and keeping me awake.

Tip #3: This tip doesn't have anything to do with medication. I am fairly new to the AI group. I consider you all my family and some even closer to me then my own family. I am really so thankful and glad I have all of you. I would like nothing better then to be able to afford to donate to this great site. I am not finically able to at this time but I did find a small way that I think I can help. I print up the weekly newsletter and staple it together. I then take it with me when I see my doctor or when I needed to go to the hospital for tests and I leave it in the waiting room for others to read. The first time I did this I forgot to cut off my e-mail address on the top. Someone e-mailed me and thanked me for leaving it in the hospital waiting room. I was glad I was able to spread the news of this great site to others.

Check out more tips at /living/tips.html and send in yours today to Tina@arthritisinsight.com
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What's New?

Featured Discussion
Coming October 8th:
The Doctor-Patient Relationship
Perhaps the most important part of a successful disease management program is a happy doctor-patient relationship. Beginning October 8th, we'll talk about that all important relationship. Please take the time to answer this quick survey.
/feature/survey.html

Question of the Week:
Where were you and what were you doing when the tragedy happened on September 11th? What were your first reactions? What do you think, we, as a nation, should do first?
/community/question

Advice for Better Living
I have only had RA for a year and so far so good....but I find that I can deal with the pain, thanks to the medications, but I get a sick feeling that comes over me like Im coming down with the flu...my chest feels tight and hurts and its alittle hard to breath and my voice gets deeper, I hurt all over and also my stomache then hurts. I take an antacid and it helps my stomache but the sick feeling is harder to get rid of. Does anybody out there EVER feel this way. too? I take Methotrexate once a week, folic acid daily, and monthly infusions of Remicade. My Dr even seems to be stumped.
For pain I was on Celebrex but he changed it to Vioxx last week. But nothing has helped. I can get up one day and its gone...the very next day it can come back. What a wierd disease...
/living/advice

Member Directory
We've added new members! Go on over and take a look.
/community/directory

Expert Advice
Heat, osteoarthritis and ankle fusion this week
/medical/advice

What do you want to see on Arthritis Insight or in the Newsletter?
Let us know and we'll do our best to accommodate!

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Arthritis Insight Chat /community/chat

October 8th at 10:00pm Eastern(note the time change for this chat only)-Special guest Barbara Korsch M.D., author of The Intelligent Patient's Guide to the Doctor-Patient Relationship : Learning How to Talk So Your Doctor Will Listen, will join us.

For the complete schedule see:
/community/chat/schedule.html

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Cooking with Char
Char LeFleur
Char@arthritisinsight.com

Hello everyone! I know I have lots of readers out there somewhere. But last week I asked you to send me some of your own "comfort food" recipes. But I got one recipe/idea. ONLY ONE! Did you each think that I would be inundated with recipes and you didnt want to add to the load? Did you have none to share? Do you not care whether this column is here or not? What do I need to do, to get some reader participation? To be frank, if I dont get some input, I am considering not doing the column anymore. Not a threat folks. But something I am considering. That said here is the ONE response I got to my request last week.

hi!

someone shared this with me as a comfort food:

tomato soup (i like progresso tom.basil)
cheese (any kind, I use string cheese, in pieces)
slice of toast

pour tom. soup in bowl..add some cheese..put slice of toast on top and microwave 1-2min.

Thanks Maggie for your contribution. I really appreciate it.

Want to make homemade dounuts and haven't the foggiest idea how to do it? Then this is for you.

Buy some of those inexpensive canned biscuits.
Heat oil or shortening in a skillet to about 375 degrees F. (I use my electric skillet)
Using your fingers push a hole in the middle of each biscuit and stretch the biscuit into roughly a round shape.
Drop into the hot fat.
Turn when the bottom side is golden brown.
Allow donuts to drain. Then coat with sugar and cinnamon or glaze using powdered sugar, vanilla and enough water to make it runny. Or just dust with powdered sugar.

It is also easy to make jelly donuts.
Drop whole biscuits into the hot fat. Turning when one side is golden brown.
Drain. And when they have cooled enough to handle, take a small knife and push it into the end of the donut, making a slit into the center of the donut. Then using a cake decorator pushed into that slit you made, deposit some of your favorite jelly.
This is easy enough to get your kids to help. And besides helping to make an easy snack. It is a way to make memories with your kids.

Have a good week everyone. See you next time.

If you have comments or questions regarding this column, please send them to Char@arthritisinsight.com.

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September Arthritis Warrior:

Carol DelCorso aka Del
Carol, your nominators had this to say:

Ever since I have been posting Carol has always been there, not just for me, but for others too, to offer support, help and suggestions. I've never met her, or even chatted in the chatroom, but I feel she is a real friend.
and:
Carol has really helped Arthritis Insight to become a family. She is always there for anyone who needs her. Never hesitating to give out her email address to someone who needs to 'talk'. Her posts on the message boards and her comments in the chatroom are full of compassion and support, despite her own medical problems. Thanks Carol! You ARE a warrior!

Carol,
Your kindness and compassion are to be admired. despite your own difficulties are are always available to comfort another. You are able to make the most frightened newbie feel at home. We are proud to name you September Arthritis Warrior!

Carol will receive (another) 'Gimpfest 2001' T-shirt and a special gift from Debi and the wonderful staff at Needabasket.com.

And the Junior Arthritis Warrior is:

Josue Maldonado

Josue, your nominator had this to say:
Josue is my 7 year old son. He has had JRA since he was 2 1/2 years old. He has been a true warrior all these years. Despite all the pain and all the medications and shots that he has endured he still is grateful for all God has given him. He just went through a very tough year with his illness and fell behind in school drastically... but when he was able to go back, not only did he catch up, but came home with an honors card. Even though he goes through a lot of pain, he would never wish this on no one. He says that when he grows up he would like to be a doctor and help people that can not walk, to someday be able to walk. Also, maybe one day find a cure for arthritis, so that no one has to suffer with pain. For a child that has gone through so much in his little life time, I commend him for being so strong and so thoughtful to others. I am honored to have such a beautiful son.

Josue, we think you are a very courageous young man. You'll make a fine, compassionate doctor when you grow up!

Josue will be receiving a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate and 50 assorted sports cards. Keep on battlin' Josue.

Please don't forget to nominate the warriors in your life!

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Notes and Insights:

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to: Tammybird and JBug! Check out all the birthdays at /community/birthday and make sure to send them an arthritis-friendly e-card:
/cgi-bin/postcards/postcard.pl

>From HealthTalk Interactive:
Announcing "Living Well with RA: The Basics & Beyond," October 10th, 2001, a comprehensive meeting featuring top rheumatologists and people like you! Register now to attend in-person, on the phone or via the Internet.
See http://healthtalk.com/rain/101001/index.html for more info.

Wanna help?
Having surgery? Starting a new drug or treatment? Filing for disability? Keep an Arthritis Insight journal so all of our members can share and learn from your experience. If you want to keep a journal just let us know. Write an article! We always need articles on all subjects relating to arthritis.
C'mon folks, we can't do this without you.

Donate!
Arthritis Insight will always be free for anyone to use, we will never charge any fees. We try very hard to keep our operating costs as low as possible, but running a website as large as Arthritis Insight can be expensive. To date we've relied on our few sponsors for support and have paid for many of the expenses out of our own pockets. No one on our staff currently receives a paycheck for their hard work and dedication. Although you are not obligated in any way, if you are financially able to help support Arthritis Insight, it would be greatly appreciated. In exchange for your donation you'll receive some thank you gifts, a tax deduction and the satisfaction of knowing you are partly responsible for the entire Arthritis Insight Community.
/about/donate.html

Ken Akers Cheer Fund
Donations to the Ken Akers Cheer Fund will be used to send flowers and gifts to those community members who are hospitalized, flaring or just in need of some good cheer. The Ken Akers Cheer Fund sent out four gift baskets last week!
/community/kenscheerfund

Arthritis Insight Wish List
We realize that many of you are unable to contribute financially to Arthritis Insight. But we need more than money. Please check out our wish list and see if you can help.
/wishlist.html

Thank You!
A great big thank you to our "Diamond Level" Corporate Benefactor, allaboutarthritis.com. Please stop by their site and say hello!
http://allaboutarthritis.com

And another big thank you to NeedaBasket.com (http://needabasket.com). NeedaBasket is now Arthritis Insight's official gift basket company. They are giving us a great discount and donating baskets for our Arthritis Warriors. Stop by and tell them thanks for the support!

And a huge thank you to Katie for her kind donation and to a nameless friend. THANK YOU!

Glucosamine Clinical Trial:
Boston University Medical Center is currently testing Glucosamine for knee osteoarthritis in an internet-based clinical research trial. Normally, joining a clinical trial would mean going to a study center for repeated appointments, but this trial is carried out entirely over the internet. If you qualify, you will participate for three months by simply filling out online forms on your experiences and taking a daily nutritional supplement (either Glucosamine or a placebo), which will be mailed to you by the center. If you are interested, please visit the website:
http://etrials.bumc.bu.edu to see if you qualify.

Special Offers for Arthritis Insight Members
Whenever possible we will try get to our sponsors to agree to discounts and the like for our members. Here are our current special offers:

Sore No More gel (http://www.sorenomore.com) will send a free sample of the pain relieving gel to any Arthritis Insight Community Member who emails them at dma@glogerm.com

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The AI Help Desk
Linda Peck
Linda@arthritisinsight.com

=== Computers 101 ===

Q: What are internet "cookies"?

A: I seem to get questions on cookies all the time. I hate talking about the little buggers to tell you the truth. I've never seen a subject cause more arguments than whether or not to allow / accept cookies while browsing. Well, here I go, throwing caution to the wind...

When you hear the term cookies applied to the internet, it's generally not in reference to the gooey chocolate chip variety. A cookie used on the internet is basically a small text file that is placed on your hard drive by a web server. They are used to keep track of various aspects of your travels through the site in question. They can be used to keep track of passwords, shopping patterns, what type of pages you like, your preferences for that particular site, and more.

For example, if you've ever "joined" any kind of site that requires a login and password, you've probably noticed a "click here to remember your login information" checkbox (not all sites have it, but most do). The site remembers this info by using cookies.

Another example would be a site that you can customize to your liking. If you have a site that "remembers" what type of news, sports ,weather or other preferences you like, they are probably using cookies to do this. The disadvantage of course is that these sites get a little bit of information about you, especially how you are moving through the site. A cookie by itself can't read (or damage) your hard drive. They only way a site gets personal information about you is if YOU provide it.

OK, I may take a little heat for this (what else is new), but my personal recommendation is not to worry too much about cookies. In general they are more helpful than harmful. If you're worried about your privacy, don't give out any personal information. If you would like to delete the cookies on your hard drive, you certainly can do so. Keep in mind they really don't take up that much room. For example, I have around 1100 cookies on my hard drive and they take up less than 5 meg of disk space. I know, that's a bunch of those little cookies, but I still think they do more good than harm. In addition, if you delete out all of your cookies (toss your cookies?) you may find that sites you use all the time no longer recognize you or remember your password. So, you may want to follow the steps below, but only delete the cookies that are not important (you can see where the cookie came from if you have the Internet Address column stretched wide enough). Here's how to delete ALL the cookies from your hard drive:

To get rid of them, do the following: 1. Open Windows Explorer by right-clicking the Start button, Explore.
2. Next, open your Temporary Internet Files folder. It should be just a few folders down.
3. Now, look at the top of the right pane where all your temporary internet files are. At the top there should be a column labeled Type (along with Name, Internet Address, etc). Click the word "Type". This sorts your files so that all your cookies are lumped together.
4. Almost there. Now, scroll down until you come to your cookie files. They're easy to spot since they have the word "cookie" in their titles. They should have a little text icon next to them as well.
5. Finally, click the top cookie file so it's highlighted (or just move your mouse over it if you have your computer set for single-clicking). Now, scroll down to the last cookie. Hold down your SHIFT key and click it (or just hover over it if you're set for single clicking). That should highlight all of them.

Hit your Delete key, say yes to the confirmation, and your cookies are gone.

Q: What is a Zip file?

A: A zip file is a type of compressed file. You'll find that lots of stuff on the web (especially software) comes in the form of a ZIP file. In order to "unzip" and use the file, you'll need a program like WinZip that unzips (uncompresses) it. You can download WinZip at:
http://www.winzip.com

Q: What are "Themes?"

A: Themes are sets of mouse cursors, wallpaper, and sounds that can give your computer a custom look and feel. They are part of Win 98 and Win ME. Today's tip will show you have to preview and install them.

=== Tip of the Day ===

Windows Themes
(Win 98 / ME - maybe some win 95 machines, depending on the version)

Setting up a theme is easy, however, you'll need to have them installed in order to set one up. Most computers already have themes installed, but in case yours doesn't click the Start button, Settings, Control Panel, and open the Add/ Remove programs icon. Click the Windows Setup tab and check the Desktop Themes list item. Then hit the OK button. Now, to actually set up your themes, click the Start button, Settings, Control Panel. Open the Desktop Themes icon.

Next, select the theme you would like to preview from the "Theme" drop down box at the top. If you want to see what screen saver, mouse pointer, etc are going to be used, press the buttons in the "Previews" section on the right.

Notice you can also choose only to have selected items "themed". Just uncheck any item you want left alone under the Settings section.

EZ huh?

Source: Computer Tips & Techniques
http://www.worldstart.com
Copyright 2001, Worldstart - Reprinted with permission.

=== Member Websites ===

http://www.hieran/com/knee - Information and pictures from Robin's two total knee replacements, and updates on her progress.

http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/13/matt_connelley_and_westwind.html - Wow! Another star! Meet Matt Connelly and his band Westwind. Westwind has opened for such national acts as Reba McIntyre, Willie Nelson,Tiny Tim, Jeannie C. Riley, and Tanya Tucker. Visit their site and listen to some great tunes!

=== This Week's Links ===

Don't spend money at the supermarket on magazines.....you can view them online. Here are a few links to get you started:

http://www.lhj.com - Ladies Home Journal

http://www.womansday.com/xp6/WomansDay/home.xml - Woman's Day

http://www.familycircle.com/home/homepage.jsp - Family circle

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain

linda@arthritisinsight.com
Help Desk Archives: /living/help/index.html

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Weekly News Summary
Karen Sears
kaekae@arthritisinsight.com

DOCS ADVISED TO ATTEND TO PATIENTS' SPIRITUALITY
Religion appears to promote health and therefore physicians should consider attending to their patients' spiritual beliefs, findings of a literature review suggest.
Yahoo Reuters, Oct 2
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011002/hl/docs_1.html

SELF-HYPNOSIS MAY CUT STRESS, BOOST IMMUNE SYSTEM
A number of studies have suggested stress can hinder the body's immune system defenses. Now researchers say people may be able to fight back with the stress-relieving techniques of self-hypnosis.
Yahoo Reuters, Oct 2
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011002/hl/hypnosis_1.html

DEVICE IMPLANTATION INCREASES RISK OF CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASE IN WOMEN
Women with implanted medical devices are more likely to develop undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UTCD) than women without these devices, according to a report published in the American Journal of Epidemiology for October 1.
Medscape, Oct 1 (free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/10/10.02/20011001epid003.html

ARTHROSCOPIC SYNOVECTOMY REDUCES INFLAMMATION, DELAYS DEFINITIVE REPLACEMENT SURGERY
Arthroscopic synovectomy is an effective, simple treatment for chronic knee synovitis.
Doctor's Guide, Oct 1 (free registration required)
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256AD5006D6C C3?OpenDocument&id=961CDD58B2967A7C852569E40007966F&c=Rheumatoid%20Arthritis &count=10

YOGURT, FERMENTED DRINKS GOOD FOR BOWEL DISEASE
Yogurts and fermented drinks containing ``good'' bacteria have been embraced by the health-seeking public, and may not be merely a fad, Australian researchers report.
Yahoo Reuters, Sep 28
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010928/hl/yogurt_1.html

IMMUNOLOGICAL CHANGES IN EARLY KNEE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Synovial tissue from patients with early knee rheumatoid arthritis shows macrophage accumulation as well as expression of proinflammatory chemokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs).
Doctor's Guide, Sep 28 (free registration required)
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256AD2006DA1 9D?OpenDocument&id=961CDD58B2967A7C852569E40007966F&c=Rheumatoid%20Arthritis &count=10

EDUCATIONAL-BEHAVIORAL JOINT PROTECTION PROGRAMME SLOWS PROGRESSION OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Significant improvements in adherence, pain, disease status and functional ability occurred among rheumatoid arthritis patients attending an educational-behavioural joint protection program. Doctor's Guide, Sep 28 (free registration required)
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256AD2006E40 4A?OpenDocument&id=961CDD58B2967A7C852569E40007966F&c=Rheumatoid%20Arthritis &count=10

RELIEF OF FIBROMYALGIA SYMPTOMS
Fibromyalgia patients have experienced pain relief by eliminating certain items from their diet, according to a new study. Patients eliminated excitotoxins, such as MSG and aspartame, from their diets and found beneficial effects.
Ivanhoe Newswire, Sep 28
http://www.ivanhoe.com/docs/newsflash/reliefoffibromyalgiasymptoms.html

LOW BACK PAIN LINKED TO STRESS IN YOUNG ADULTHOOD
Stress in your 20s may lead to low back pain in your 30s, according to the results of a UK study.
Yahoo Reuters, Sep 27
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010927/hl/backpain_1.html

UK ALERTS HOSPITALS TO DEPUY ARTIFICIAL HIPS
The UK Medical Devices Agency (MDA) is alerting British hospitals that hundreds of hip or shoulder joint replacements made by DePuy International Ltd. could fail earlier than expected.
Yahoo Reuters, Sep 27
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010927/hl/hips_1.html

DRUG SLOWS BONE LOSS FROM PROSTATE THERAPY: STUDY
The potentially crippling bone loss that results from the most common treatment for prostate cancer can be combated effectively with a drug that helps regulate the process of bone renewal, according to a report published in the September 27th issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (news - web sites).
Yahoo Reuters, Sep 27
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010927/hl/prostate_1.html

COMMON ASTHMA THERAPY UPS RISK OF OSTEOPOROSIS
Young women who use inhaled steroids to control their asthma may be putting themselves at risk of developing osteoporosis and hip fracture over the long term, new study findings suggest.
Yahoo Reuters, Sep 26
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010926/hl/asthma_1.html

INTERFERON-INDUCIBLE Lfi202 IMPLICATED AS CANDIDATE GENE FOR LUPUS
A gene whose expression is induced by interferon in mouse spleen is implicated as a susceptibility gene for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), investigators report.
Medscape, Sep 26 (free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/09/09.27/20010926scie004.html

LEG-PROPELLED WHEELCHAIR DEEMED EASY TO HANDLE
A new style of wheelchair that users propel with their legs rather than their arms was easier for many patients to use and may provide added health benefits, a team of Canadian researchers reports.
Yahoo Reuters, Sep 25
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010925/hl/wheelchair_1.html

RESPONSE TO TRAGEDY HIGHLIGHTS HUMAN ALTRUISM
The tales of self-sacrifice that keep surfacing since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (news - web sites) beg the question of how such behavior can co-exist with the basic instinct to survive. Researchers say that one explanation rests in the subconscious kinship people have for one another and the satisfaction that altruism brings both the giver and receiver.
Yahoo Reuters, Sep 25
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010925/hl/tragedy_1.html

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Contribute
Have you written something you think our subscribers would like to read? Send it to Tina@arthritisinsight.com and maybe we'll use it in our newsletter.

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A Closing Thought

JUST FOR TODAY...
.. smile at a stranger
.. listen to someone's heart
.. drop a coin where a child can find it
.. learn something new, then teach it to someone
.. tell someone you're thinking of them
.. hug a loved one
.. don't hold a grudge
.. don't be afraid to say "I'm sorry"
.. look a child in the eye and tell them how great they are
.. don't kill that spider in your house, he's just lost so show him the way out
.. look beyond the face of a person into their heart
.. make a promise, and keep it
.. call someone, for no other reason than to just say "Hi"
.. show kindness to an animal
.. stand up for what you believe in .. smell the rain, feel the breeze, listen to the wind
.. use all your senses to their fullest
.. cherish all your TODAYS
--Author Unknown

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Arthritis Insight Newsletter Copyright 2001