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Arthritis Insight Newsletter *
Vol. 2 Issue 38 December 20, 2000
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--------------------------------- What a week! I know I am not the only one feeling exhausted right now. But in just a few days it will all be worth it. I hate the weeks before Christmas but I love Christmas Day. Although I grumble about it, I love being woken up by the kids at 5am. "MOM! DAD! C'mon! Get up! It's Christmas! Hurry!" And we all know that HURRY is not in an arthritics vocabulary at 5am! But I'll move just as fast as I can so the day can begin!
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--------------------------------- Holiday Diet Tips
Check out all the jokes at /fun/jokes/index.html. Send yours in today!
--------------------------------- Check out more tips at /living/tips.html
and send in yours today to Tina@arthritisinsight.com
--------------------------------- What's New?
--------------------------------- The complete chat schedule:
--------------------------------- Well, it is snowing in Iowa again. We have 2 ft. + on the ground now. But that is OK. It was a dry summer, and we need the moisture.
--------------------------------- Happy Birthday!
--------------------------------- QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How do I get into the Arthritis Insight Chatroom?
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Vol 2 Issue 38
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.
Notes From Tina
(tina@arthritisinsight.com)
Tina Underwood aka KrissyJo
I wish each and every one of you a joyous, painfree Holiday.
Ron's Ramblin's
(ron@arthritisinsight.com)
Hi gang, well, here we go.
'Tis the week before Christmas and all through the mall,
Rons Ramblin around with no presents at all.
Santa is there with kids on his knee,
With each of them screaming with joy and with glee.
Rons rushin round with gifts to get galore,
And none that he'd have in any of the stores.
Well, we blew it again on that vow that we made,
There will be no presents on sale now tis sad to say.
We were gonna have it done by thanksgiving we did vow,
But now we must face them with our offerings somehow.
Quick down to Walmart in my truck did I run,
Only to find the gimp spots over run.
I parked in the firelane and put up my blue sticker.
And ran in the door as I heard the clerks snicker.
They knew a man who waited til the last,
To try and find gifts whos time had not passed.
I ran through the aisles, pushing my cart.
Looking for stuff that looked sorta like art.
I knew at that moment that I had met my doom,
As I picked for them each a brand new broom.
I promise myself every year,
That I won't be caught as Christmas grows near,
Searching for something for each of my friends,
But every year it seems I must make amends.
This years the last that I will be caught not standing tall.
Cause now I wish you for this and next year,
Happy Holidays to all and to all a pain free New Year
(((((((((HUGS TO ALL)))))))))))))
~Indy
Your Weekly Giggle
1 - If no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.
2 - If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, they cancel each other out.
3 - When eating with someone else, calories don't count if you both eat
the same amount.
4 - Foods used for medicinal purposes have no calories. This includes
any chocolate used for energy, brandy, Sara Lee Cheesecake (eaten
whole), and Haagen-Daz Ice Cream.
5 - Movie-related foods are much lower in calories simply because they
are a part of the entertainment experience and not part of one's
personal fuel. This includes Milk Duds, popcorn with butter,
Junior Mints, Snickers, and Gummi Bears.
6 - Cookie pieces contain no calories because the process of breakage
causes calorie leakage.
7 - If you eat the food off someone else's plate, it doesn't count.
8 - If you eat standing up the calories all go to your feet and get
walked off.
9 - Food eaten at Christmas parties has no calories, courtesy of Santa.
10 - STRESSED is just DESSERTS spelled backward.
Tina's Tips
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.
Make sure there is no ice build up on your steps or decks, that holiday guests will be using to enter your home. Be sure all your handrails are also secure. I myself have slipped many a time on my pressure treated deck and leave this suggestion to avoid such a mishap. It really hurts.-Case
What's New?
Featured Discussion
This is no current Featured Discussion. The next one will begin January 8th
/feature/
There will be no regular updates over the Holidays. We'll get back on schedule after the first of the year.
Question of the Week
What are the Holiday traditions that make it extra-special and memorable for you and your family?
/community/question/
Photo Album
Check out the pictures from the Nothern Virginia Get Together:
/community/photo/
Member Directory
14 pages of members to talk to!
/community/directory/
Season's Greetings!
Send in your message for the community
/greetings.html
Holiday Cards!
Free arthritis friendly Holiday e-cards for you to send to all your friends!
/cgi-bin/postcards/postcard.pl?Holidays
To see all of our latest additions see: /updates.html Check it every morning and you won't miss a thing.
What's Coming?
We're going to take a Holiday Break. From December 17 until January 2 there will be no regular updates to Arthritis Insight. There will, however, be some odds and ends done so you'll still want to check the Updates page regularly. And of course the Newsletter will still go out as usual!
What do you want to see on Arthritis Insight or in the Newsletter? Let us know and we'll do our best to accommodate!
Arthritis Insight Chat
/community/chat/
Mondays
Start the week off right. Enjoy lunch every Monday at noon with InsightHostKen in the Arthritis Insight Chatroom.
Monday evenings at 9pm BRISBANE time, it's an Aussie chat with InsightHostPanda.
Monday evenings at 9:30pm Eastern time InsightHostKJ will host a Featured Chat. With occasional guest speakers, we'll cover a wide variety of issues facing those of us with arthritis.
This week we'll have a Christmas Day Party! Take a break from the family and join us!
Tuesdays
Tuesday evenings at 9pm Eastern time, join InsightHostMel for Arthritis Support Chat.
JRA World Chat- JRAWHostAaron will host Young Adults with Arthritis support chat every Tuesday at 10pm Eastern time in the JRAWorld Chatroom.
Wednesdays
Parent's Support Chat, for parents of kids with JA, every Wednesday at 10pm Eastern with JRAWHostDonna.
Thursdays
InsightHostTRANSAM will be here every Thursday at 9pm Eastern time for Arthritis Support Chat.
JRA World Chat- Growing Up With Arthritis, for kids, teens, and adults who are growing up or have grown up with arthritis hosted by JRAWHostAaron at 10pm Eastern time in the JRAWorld Chatroom
Fridays
InsightHostTRANSAM is back Friday's at 2pm Eastern for a Friday Afternoon Support Chat.
InsightHostPic and InsightHostKatie will take turns tending bar every Friday night at 10pm Eastern time. Remember, you can drink cyber-alcohol with methotrexate! Bring plenty of quarters for the jukebox.
Saturdays
Live from Arthritis Insight it's Saturday Night Live! InsightHostTEXAS will be here, so come on in! Every Saturday night at 10:30 pm Eastern time.
Sundays
Arthritis Support chat with InsightHostKen at 9:30pm Eastern time. Please join us!
Interested in hosting a chat? Have a chat suggestion? Well email us, we can't read your mind!
Cooking With Char!
char@arthritisinsight.com
Christmas is nearly here, but what is Christmas without cookies? I used to make sugar cookie cutouts and decorate with icing, but because of the arthritis in my hands, this can be very difficult. But I find that using colored sugar, and colored sprinkles, and assorted "decorations," it is easier and STILL fun!
Now here is a cookie recipe, you are going to want to use all year! From an avid reader, Dale.
Choose a Cookie Dough
* Please pick a flavor before you start baking because some ingredients will vary depending on which of the seven versions you choose. *
Basic Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Variations:
Fruit Oatmeal Rounds: Prepare dough as directed below, but substitute 1 cup of rolled oats for 1 cup of flour. Stir 1 tsp. of ground cinnamon into the flour mixture. Also, stir a 6 oz. package of mixed dried fruit bits or raisins into the dough. Bake as directed.
Peanut Butter Buddies: Prepare dough as directed below, but add 1/2 cup peanut butter along with the eggs and vanilla. Also, stir a 12 oz. package of peanut butter chips into the dough. Bake as directed.
Malted Milk Treats: Prepare dough as directed below, but substitute 1/4 cup instant malted milk powder for 1/4 cup of the flour. Also, stir in 1 1/2 cups chopped-up malted milk balls into the dough. Bake as directed.
Macadamia Mania: Prepare dough as directed below, but stir 2 cups of coarsely chopped white chocolate baking bar and 3 1/2 oz. of macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped, into dough. Bake as directed.
Double Chocolate Delights: Prepare dough as directed below, but substitute 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder for 1/2 cup of the flour. Also stir a 12 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chip pieces into the dough. Bake as directed.
Chocolate Candy Cookies: Prepare dough as directed below, but stir 2 cups of candy-coated milk chocolate pieces into the dough. Bake as directed.
Super-Chunk Chippers: Prepare dough as directed below, but stir 1 cup of coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate, 1 cup coarsely chopped milk chocolate and 1 cup chopped pecans into the dough. Drop dough from a 1/4 cup measuring cup about 4" apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Flatten the cookies slightly with a spoon. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Makes 18 cookies.
To make any variation in advance: Wrap the dough in freezer wrap and freeze for up to 6 months. Before baking, thaw dough overnight in the refrigerator. Bake as directed.
Basic Directions:
1) In a large mixing bowl beat the shortening and butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar and baking soda. Beat until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined. Beat or stir in flour. Use the dough immediately or cover and chill for up to 24 hours.
2) Drop slightly rounded tablespoons of cookie dough 2" apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
3) Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove the cookies and cool on a wire rack. Makes about 48 cookies.
And last but not least, from our friend Donna, without whom, I would have had to really struggle with my holiday columns. Thank you, dear friend.
Sugar Cookies
1 cup Imperial margarine
2/3 cup sugar
cream thoroughly
1 beaten egg
2 1/4 cup flour (or a little less) LOL Mom's words
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
add these 5 ingredients to the creamed mixture
Chill and roll out thinly (the thickness is important)
Bake at 375
Now here comes the best part and it makes the cookie. I can't really give you measurements, so here goes.
1 stick of Butter
Powdered Sugar
Vanilla
Use softened butter, add powdered sugar and vanilla, mixing throughly until you have a spreading consistency. Do not make it thin. Spread generously on the cut out cookies and enjoy!
If you have comments or suggestions about this column, or recipes you would like to share, address them to
Char@arthritisinsight.com
Notes and Insights:
Happy Birthday Pam!
Check out all the birthdays at /community/birthday/ and make sure to send them an arthritis-friendly e-card: /cgi-bin/postcards/postcard.pl
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.
Gimpfest 2001-Chicago here we come!
Gimps from all over will invade Chicago next May! There will be fun, food and a whole lot of laughing going on! It's a chance to meet your online support pals in person, a chance to get some real hugs from your chat room pals. A good time will be had by all! For all the details see http://fadedjeans.com/chicago
Enbrel Enrollment
Remember if you are on Enbrel you MUST register by the end of the year to make sure you will continue to get the drug. Visit http://enbrelenrollment.com for more information.
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.
The AI Help Desk
Linda Peck and Raven Tompkins
Linda@arthritisinsight.com
From the main page (Home) of AI, scroll down the left side. Click on "Chatroom," - the second option under Community Center. The nextwindow provides a drop-down menu with 4 options:
1. Enter Chatroom (Takes you to the chatroom.)
2. Chat Schedule (Provides a complete chat schedule, including topics.)
3. Chat Lingo & Emoticons (Provides abbreviations for words and phrases
and also interaction in the chatroom, such as ;o) = wink
4. Chat Transcripts (Provides the complete narrative of a scheduled chat
- meaning one with a guest or a special topic.)
(You must click "GO" after selecting any one of the above options.)
Upon clicking "Enter chatroom," a new window will open and a "Java Client will Run which will enable you to participate. The topic chats and regularly scheduled chats have hosts who will help if you have questions. Chatting members will also help you. Once in the chatroom, you will find related options and it won't take long before you're a pro. To exit the chatroom, you can click the "x" in the upper right corner of the browser box or click "Goodbye" from the options menu.
FEATURED WEBSITE: http://www.thehungersite.com At this special time of year when many are enjoying a bounty of good food, celebration and friends, there are those who do not have a very basic essential to life - something to eat. Go to this site and click on the button, "Donate Food," and a cup of food will be donated by the site's sponsors. The sponsors change frequently and invite you to visit them in return for their donation of food to a hungry person. A very easy way to help someone else in the season of giving.
TIP OF THE WEEK: (For Internet Explorer users) Did you know that on the menu at the top, if you click on "Full Screen," the menu bar will be reduced in size? Click on it again and your full menu will be back.
Just a little trick for gaining valuable viewing area.
We would like to extend our wishes to all for a blessed, safe and memorable holiday season!
Tina Underwood
Steroid Use Linked to Osteoporosis in Women With Rheumatoid Arthritis
Corticosteroid use is independently associated with osteoporosis in women with rheumatoid arthritis, according to Italian researchers. They recommend that these patients should receive the lowest possible steroid dose.
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2000/12/12.12/
20001211clin002.html
(Free registration needed)
New federal rules restrict doctors, insurers in sharing private information about patients
President Clinton will issue sweeping federal regulations Wednesday aimed at protecting the confidentiality of patients' medical records, according to sources close to the president.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/12/20/clinton.health.privacy/index.html
Canada Approves Enbrel (Etanercept) For Rheumatoid Arthritis
TORONTO, ON -- December 8, 2000 -- Health Canada has approved Enbrel? (etanercept) as the country's first biologic therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. Enbrel is approved in adults for reduction in signs and symptoms of moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis in patients who have had an inadequate response to one or more disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/1ed13a.htm
The Healing Power of Prayer
Doctors increasingly recognize the mind/body connection
The integration of mind/body medicine and prayer into mainstream medicine is becoming increasingly popular among medical professionals, according to an article from ABC News. Even agnostics can benefit, since the mere repetition of the same phrase, whether a prayer or not, can have a calming and healing effect.
http://www.healthscout.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Af?ap=24&id=106581
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.
A Closing Thought
Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus
Editorial Page, New York Sun, 1897
Editor: Francis P. Church
We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:
Dear Editor---
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O'Hanlon
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the scepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to have men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest men, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernatural beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
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advertising@arthritisinsight.com.
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Arthritis Insight Newsletter Copyright 2000
Page last updated on December 20, 2000
The information provided by
Arthritis Insight.com should not take the place of advice
and guidance from your own health-care providers. Material in this site 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 on ArthritisInsight.com is the opinion of the authors and
has not necessarily been approved or endorsed by the medical advisors. The
information contained on this web site may not be published, broadcast or
otherwise distributed without prior written authorization.
