Home Community Newsletter Vol 4 Issue 147

Arthritis Insight Newsletter * Vol. 4 Issue 147 April 9, 2003

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Welcome to the 147th 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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Notes From Tina
(Tina@arthritisinsight.com)
Tina Underwood aka KrissyJo

Greetings Everyone!

Money, money, money, money...

I know you're tired of hearing it, but yes, the Fundraiser is still plugging along. Thanks to all of you that have donated we've raised just over $1,000.00. Only a little over a month to go with lots of great prizes up for grabs! For more information go to:

help/fundraiser2003

We've had a request from a 9th grade student in Michigan taking a technology class. Any of you bionic type gimps that would be willing to answer a few artificial joint questions for her, drop me a line and I'll hook ya up.

Also, Laura Rayfield's getting her tushie kicked donation wise for the Arthritis Foundation walk she'll be participating in next month in Nashville. If you think you can help her out, scoot over to the "Get Involved" section for details:

community/involved

Last call for our February Arthritis Warrior. We need to move on! ;o) Nancy Phillips - if you're out there - please, please drop us a line!

That's it from me - here's Ron...

~Kimmy

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

I do want to thank all of you who have contributed toward keeping AI up and running.. Without you we could not make it. There is an old saying that every little bit helps. In our case, that is definitely true. Every little bit helps us stay "up and running" that much longer. If you can help out and have not done so, please click on the fundraiser link and do what you can. You can use paypal, or snail mail. AI is all about all of us.. Where would we be without it.

Why is it that you can never schedule things to happen on the same day? This week, I have three things that I have to do in Indianapolis, all of which could be done in a few hours. Instead of that happening, I have to drive to Indy and back on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Sheesh...

Speaking of schedules, why is it that the weather around here, for the most part, has been OK lately, but on the day I want to have the boat put in the water there are whitecaps and 20 mph winds... <sigh> oh well, it will be there when the weather breaks I guess.

((((HUGS to all))))

~Ron

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Your Weekly Giggle
Nothing at all...

Kathryn's 5-year-old developed a strong interest in spelling once she learned to spell STOP. After that, she tried to figure out her own words. From the back seat of the car she'd ask, "Mom, what does FGRPL spell?"

"Nothing," Kathryn said.

Sitting at breakfast she'd suddenly ask, "Mom, what does DOEB spell?"

"Nothing," Kathryn answered.

This went on for several weeks. Then one afternoon as they sat coloring in her room she asked, "Mom, what does LMDZ spell?"

Kathryn smiled at her and said, "Nothing, sweetheart."

The 5-year-old carefully set down her crayon, sighed and said, "Boy, there sure are a lot of ways to spell Nothing!"

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.

Many, many thanks to Mary for this week's tip (that had to be stolen from the Message Boards because there are no more tips in the mailbox - hint! hint!):

I made rice socks early on in this disease and being the herbaly type thought, why not add herbs to it??? So, here is what I did. You can add or subtract as you wish. Since it is spring the flowers/herbs will be in bloom shortly.

Go to your cheapo discount store i.e. Sams, Wal-Mart and buy a huge bag of cheapo rice (you can give the excess as gifts or make lots of stir-fry!) Get a large plastic bowl that will fit in the microwave. Then, scour your yard, pick some up from the nursery, the neighborhood - for roses (petals), lavender (leaves and flowers), rosemary (leaves), lemons (fruit), honeysuckle (flowers - careful of the pollen) whatever sends you into a good mood state. Take the fresh plant material and strip the leaves from the herbs, include the long stems intact (easier to remove later). Mix all this together with the rice and nuke on 1/3 to 1/4 power for 5 minutes at a time. Stir after each nuking. Do this until the plant matter is quite dry. As the week(s) progress keep adding more plant material until the bloom time is over. Continue the nuking process with each addition. Take the rice and pull out the long stems or woody pieces. Buy some cheapo tennis socks - long ones. Stuff the rice into them and tie them off with a sturdy rubber band so you have a very fat looking sausage. Slip another sock over that (sock case) and you have it.

Now, when you are in agony and life really appears to be going downhill nuke the sock and enjoy the aroma of the heavenly herbs and flowers. My favorites have been equal parts of rose, lavender and about 1/4 the amount (ratio) of rosemary.

Some hints. Hops will make you sleepy (also smell like a brewery).
Lavender is calming. Rosemary is cleansing and slightly uplifting. Lemon/orange are invigorating. Rose is calming.

For special times like when you have a chest/head cold.... make one with thyme, horehound, catnip and sage. It won't smell wonderfully soothing unless you like Thanksgiving dinners for your cat, but will help your congestion. Check aroma therapy sites and see what fits best for you.

Word of warning. Do not ever use essential oils undiluted on the skin. Some oils are toxic in small amounts. If you choose to try the oils to scent your socks go to the supplier/store and 'nose test' them first. There is a HUGE difference in quality between brands and personal preference. If you find some that you like buy them and bring them home. Also purchase a small spray bottle. Mix the essential oil as directed or at least a 10:1 ratio. Use a stable oil to mix with or even better some water. The problem with oils as we all know is that they can become rancid quickly. Use a light hand on spraying the rice and repeat often. Don't try to refresh the oil by spraying directly on the sock. Take the rice out of the sock and re-do the spray, nuke routine (that bakes it into the rice).

In case you're wondering, my yard is filled with herbs and fragrant old roses. In a past life I farmed and sold organics herbs and vegtables....sorry to say I've been relegated to armchair gardening since RA. But, hey, they still make me smile; and I can still get my hands in the dirt....just not acres of it!!

Take care everyone and YIPPEEEE!!!!! IT'S SPRING

Check out more tips at living/tips.html and send in yours today to Tina@arthritisinsight.com Keep those tips coming!

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Whats New
Check out all the latest updates at updates.html

Fundraiser 2003
We'd like to thank Valerie Marsden, Joy Ackerman, Alice Hudson, Eugena Hall, Nann Bell, Sylvia Smith, Karen Krasean, Joanne Paradise, Diane Keeney and Betty Horne for their generous donations!
help/fundraiser2003

Newsletter
The very latest edition is up and ready for you.
community/newsletter

News
KaeKae's been working hard. All the latest arthritis and general health news gathered from all over the internet - just for you.
news

Get Involved
Laura Rayfield's getting her tushie kicked donation wise for the Arthritis Foundation walk she'll be participating in next month in Nashville. Maybe we can help her out.
community/involved

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Arthritis Insight Chat
community/chat

The Arthritis Insight Chatroom is a great place to spend a cold, snowy evening. Stop in a warm up with your friends next to the fireplace. We always have hot cocoa and coffee ready!

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Cooking with Char
Char LeFleur
Char@arthritisinsight.com

Last month, Char included a recipe for an "Impossible Pie" in her column. We make these pies alot at our house, and the kids love 'em. They're fast, easy and very tasty; and paired with a tossed salad, applesauce or a cole slaw...you've got a great meal for a busy night.

Char's not feeling up par this week, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to share some of my family's favorite "Impossible Pies" with you.

Don't forget about Gimpfest 2003: Iowa. Always an incredibly good time! Meet your online friends from Arthritis Insight and ASA (alt.support.arthritis). You can find all the details at: http://fadedjeans.com/iowa

Now let's eat!!

Impossibly Easy Bacon Pie

12 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded natural Swiss cheese (4 ounces)
1/3 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs

1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion in pie plate.
2. Stir remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate.
3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes.

Impossibly Easy Taco Pie

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 envelope (1.25 ounces) Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix
1 can (4.5 ounces) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles, drained
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese (3 ounces)
Old El Paso® salsa (any variety)
Sour cream, if desired

1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Cook ground beef and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in seasoning mix (dry). Spoon into pie plate; top with chilies.
2. Stir milk, eggs and Bisquick mix until blended. Pour into pie plate.
3. Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 8 to 10 minutes longer. Cool 5 minutes. Serve with salsa and sour cream.


Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Cook beef and onion until beef is brown; drain. Spread in pie plate; sprinkle with salt and cheese.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate.
3. Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes.

If you have recipes to share or questions for Char, you can e-mail her at Char@arthritisinsight.com.

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U.S. Food and Drug Administration
FDA Consumer magazine
March-April 2003
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2003/203_dtc.html

Prescription Drug Abuse: FDA and SAMHSA Join Forces
By Michelle Meadows

Kyle Moores, 19, of Manassas, Va., says he knew he needed help when his abuse of the pain reliever OxyContin (oxycodone) left him drowning in debt and unable to hold a job. "It put me basically in a zombie mode for a year and a half," says Moores, who crushed and snorted the drug. "I finally realized I was losing my life."

Moores was successfully treated at an addiction facility in Richmond, Va. He spoke about his journey to recovery in January at a media event to kick off a joint public education program on the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

The program, sponsored by the Food and Drug Administration and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) includes posters, public service announcements, and brochures featuring the slogans "The Buzz Takes Your Breath Away ... Permanently" and "It's To Die For." The messages target people ages 14 to 25, but they are relevant to anyone who abuses prescription drugs.

John Jenkins, M.D., director of the FDA's Office of New Drugs, says the FDA is especially concerned about the misuse of single ingredient, controlled-release formulations of opiates, such as OxyContin. "Abuse and misuse of these products is particularly dangerous because they contain higher doses of the drug and are designed to release the drug slowly over a 12- or 24-hour, or longer, period of time for sustained relief of pain," Jenkins says. "Damaging the controlled-release mechanism for these products, such as crushing an OxyContin tablet, can result in immediate release of the high dose of drug, which can be fatal."

In 2001, almost 3 million youths ages 12 to 17 and almost 7 million young adults between 18 and 25 reported using prescription medications non-medically at least once in their lifetimes, according to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse conducted by SAMHSA.

Data provided by SAMHSA's Drug Abuse Warning Network indicates that visits to hospital emergency departments related to narcotic prescription pain relievers increased significantly from 1994 to 2001. The highest increases were seen with oxycodone, methadone, morphine, and hydrocodone. Narcotic pain relievers, also known as opiates, are the most commonly abused prescription drugs.

The FDA is working with manufacturers of controlled-release opiates to implement risk-management plans aimed at minimizing abuse while still keeping the products available for people with a legitimate medical need. "In many cases, prescription opiate pain relievers are the most effective treatments available to help patients control their pain and lead productive lives," Jenkins says. But they also have potentially serious side effects, the most serious of which is the risk of respiratory failure.

"While addiction occurs after repeated use, death can occur after a single dose," Jenkins says. "So the first time that someone decides to abuse or misuse a prescription opiate pain reliever may be their last decision."

H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., director of SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, wants people who are abusing prescription drugs to know that effective addiction treatment is available. Clark says that primary care physicians play a critical role in screening, assessing, and referring people with potential substance abuse problems.

According to Clark, "The recent approval by the FDA of buprenorphine to treat prescription drug abuse, and the office-based use of other addiction medications likely to be approved in the years ahead, makes the role of primary care physicians more vital than ever." In October 2002, the FDA approved Subutex (buprenorphine) and Suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone)--the first narcotic drugs available to treat opiate dependence that can be prescribed in an office setting.

To contact SAMHSA's substance abuse treatment 24-hour helpline, call 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357) or visit the Web site at:

http://www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov

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Member Stories
Marsha's Story

I am another Marsha, Marsha Too, on the site.

My RA came on overnight. I started getting stiff in early evenings. Once I stopped I could hardly move. The mornings were horrible!! I was teaching, had two young daughters and just kept pushing myself day by day not knowing what in the world had come over me!

I kept thinking it would go away as quickly as it came on. Had a very hard time dressing in mornings. I fell into to bath tub trying to sit for a soak. This was just a scary time in my life. I knew no one with this disease, no one to share with.

I was Dx with RA in 1980 and was put on 10-12 Ascriptions a day. They were Maalox-coated aspirins; that and gold shots was pretty much what they used then.

I started getting those 'looks' from family and friends when I didn't get better in 'their' time frame. Losing support on the home front made it so much tougher than it already was!

After about a year of that I returned to almost normal. I would have pain when I would do anything physical. Every time I would walk, do aerobics, try tennis, water ski or softball, I would hurt something - hips, knees, elbows, back.

About 2 yrs ago, the severe stiffness and pain upon awakening returned. It was all too familiar.

I told different RD about it and tested high ANA and neg RF. I had been treated by this RD for several yrs for OA in knees and cervical spine. She almost laughed when I told her my history and RA DX in the past. Now she knows different. Again, I knew my body regardless of what the doc said.

It has settled in my feet and knees and I can hardly go any distance. Right now it is Plantar Facitis, Achilles tendonitis,and tarsi tunnel syndrome. I have had test for nerve entrapment in left foot and so far it is neg. I think most of knee problems are OA, but need to find good orthopedist to get some help. I know replacement is in my future. Many aunts and uncles on both sides have had this. Not sure how much RA is in knees.

I have taken anti-imflammatories for 20+ yrs. This past Feb. my feet swelled a lot - this was a first for me. My blood pressure shot up also. The doc took me off my Daypro. Swelling eventually went down with help of water pill. I am afraid to take any type of aspirin products because of kidneys.

I will be seeing another Internist this week and get some advice on that. My mother's (84) feet swell when she takes one Advil at night on a regular basis--just one Advil! The doc just warned my dad about taking aspirin products because of his kidney function. So that is the reason I am afraid to take on daily basis. I need some good advice, cause I surely could use something.

I surely wish I could take my Daypro. I missed that help. I am not sure how much the Plaquenil is helping. I take Darvoset as needed. I have also been sent to Pain Mgnt doc who has me on 1200 mg Neurontin a day and 2 10 mg of oxycontin a day. This mainly help daily pain and discomfort from OA middle and upper back. I think it is helping more than I realized, especially after stopping Daypro.

I guess since the words RA were used with me in 1980 I was not surprised when they mentioned Lupus and RA. Just happy to have a Dx. I had already read every thing I could get me hands on. In my heart I knew what I had.

I plan to fight having to take anything stronger because of this organ concerns.

My immune system has fought this pretty until a couple of yrs ago and hopefully will it continue to fight.

RD said Methotrexate was a strong possibility. I guess I am being stubborn at this point and worry organ damage possibilities since I've had meds for yrs.

I have a male cousin with Lupus. His face is pretty scarred up, and he is such a nice looking man. He has had it for yrs and has decided to not take strong meds. I have an uncle with RA and several joints damaged. Not sure what he is taking at this time.

I really wish I could lose weight. It is tough to get sympatric looks as you limp around the stores! "If she would lose some of that weight she would not have those bad knees and ankles". (Can't you just hear those looks?

Wow it took me a lot of words to get that out.

I think the family is beginning to believe me since they see me avoid doing the things I love. I just wish they realized that I have had this for many yrs. No one in my family will ever ever understand what I went through when the stuff attacked me in '80. I did a lot of crying during those months! That was a very lonesome time in my life.....hearing hurtful comments from close family....and suffering the way I was.......but not my Mother, Daddy, and brother......thank heavens. They always believed me.

Well, that is it way it was and is.....what is the future.........one day at a time. I am just glad I like to get up and push push push myself trying to do each and every day.

I am retired from teaching and that makes it good, although there are things I would like to do to make some money....I am no longer dependable....I don't know what each day holds. I get my rest with meds and give each day my all!

I had an active energetic ambitious life for the first 30 yrs. Little did I know my enthusiasm and love of life would be hindered this way. It is a good thing we don't know the future!

I am so glad the younger folks on this board have this site to visit and share. It is scary to be so young when this disease attacks you; this site is soooo much support! There are others who understand and feel as you do. WOW

Marsha

To see the rest of stories go on over to:
community/stories

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Notes and Insights:

Birthday Board!
Happy Birthday Eyelene, Rod Pullin, Monica, LeftieOH, Yvonne and Lynae aka littlered110!!!
Check out all the birthdays at
community/birthday
and make sure to send them an arthritis-friendly e-card:
cgi-bin/postcards/postcard.pl

Fundraiser 2003
We don't like to beg, but we're having a hard time staying online. The cost of keeping Arthritis Insight running is large (to us anyway), and while there are still no salaries being paid, there are monthly bills that need to be covered if we want to stay online.
Our solution? We're having a Fundraiser.
It's been two years since we've had one - and we know we're not the only ones out there asking you to part with your money, but if you can help, please check out the Fundraiser information at:
help/fundraiser2003

Gimpfest 2003 -- Iowa, Here We Come!
Come be part of the fun when dozens of gimps head to Stuart, Iowa on July 24-27.
Get all the details here:
http://www.fadedjeans.com/iowa/

AJAO Regional Conference
"Taming Juvenile Arthritis"
June 2003 - Phoenix, Arizona
The Arthritis Foundation is proud to host the 2003 American Juvenile Arthritis Organization (AJAO) Regional Conference, "Taming Juvenile Arthritis." The American Juvenile Arthritis Organization leads the effort to improve the quality of life for those affected by childhood arthritis and related diseases. This 3-day conference is geared towards children, teens, young adults and family members who are affected by juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and other childhood rheumatic diseases
http://jraworld.arthritisinsight.com/community/involved.html

JRA JAMFEST: General Information:
Dates: Saturday May 17, 2003 - Sunday May 18, 2003
Target Audience: Kid Friendly,General Audience
Time: 11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
Phone: 502-589-6620, ext 106
Location:
Derby Flea Market & Traders Circle:
2900 South 7th Street Road,
Louisville, KY 40216
Ticket Information: free admission, fee for games, raffles, etc..
Event Details/Other Comments:
JRA JamFEST is a two day event to benefit FACES. FACES is Facing Arthritis with Compassion, Encouragement and Support, a group for children, teens and young adults living with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). All proceeds will go directly to FACES and will help us sponsor children and their families to JRA conferences, JRA camps, and other juvenile arthritis related events! Join us for a day of live music on May 17th featuring Doubleback and headlining, Wayne Young and the Youngsters!!! May 18th enter our Karaoke Contest! Come out for the fun, entertainment, games, prizes, food, drink, information and lots more!!!!

Join the Arthritis Dieters!
This is a group of people with arthritis who want to lose weight with others who know of the challenges of living with is arthritis. All those medications that make living with arthritis tolerable, but pile on the pounds. This group has been set up to give us a protected group where we can talk to others who know what it is like.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arthritis-dieters/

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.

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.
community/kenscheerfund

Thank You!
A great 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 are donating baskets for our Arthritis Warriors.

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 (http://sorenomore.com) gel 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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AI Help Desk
Linda Peck

Q. Anti-virus VS Firewall - Do you need both?

A. Here's what both do:

Anti-virus - This protects your computer from viruses. Most AV software runs in the background and looks for virus activity (it also normally scans e-mail, downloads, etc). It's purpose is to keep malicious programs (viruses) from infecting or doing harm to your computer.

Firewall - This software protects your computer from hackers. If a hacker gets access to your machine, your anti-virus software is NOT going to help.

I recently read an article about a lady who had just disconnected from the internet only to find a strange text file on her desktop. She opened the text file and there was a message from a hacker that told her he had been in her computer. It basically told her that this time he didn't do anything, but that she had better get protected or next time he was going to do some real damage. And they can.

A hacker, once he / she has access to your computer, can destroy files, render windows inoperable, steal any personal information, and basically make getting infected by a virus look like a picnic.

So, in my opinion, you really need both.

Tip of the Week: Using Newsgroups

In my opinion, the best program to use for using newsgroups is Outlook Express. Below I'll show you how to set up newsgroups in Outlook Express.

1) Open Outlook Express. On the "Tools" Menu, select "Accounts." Click the "Add" button to your right and choose the "/news" option.

2) The connection wizard that you're presented with is simple and to the point. When you get to the Internet News Server Name screen, you'll need to enter your ISP's news server address.

Most ISPs (not all, but most) give you access to newsgroups. If you're not sure what your ISP's newsgroup server address is, contact them and ask. If your ISP doesn't offer newsgroup access, you may be stuck using web based services. Yeah.. It's not the best, but it works.

BIG TIP TIME! Say your ISP is "Bobs ISP" and the companies' website address is bobsisp.com. The chance of this company using news.bobsisp.com for their newsgroup server is extremely high. So, before calling them, you might want to give that a shot. If it doesn't work, then you'll be forced to contact them (and likely spend half your afternoon on hold...).

3) So you've followed the steps above and your newsgroup account is set up. Congrats! Now it's time to let Outlook Express download the most current listing of newsgroups. This may take a while depending on your connection speed due to the massive amount of newsgroup topics.

Once the list of newsgroups is done you can now search for your favorite topics. If you're interested in rodeo, just pull up a search for rodeo. From there Outlook will show you the results of your search. If you find a specific topic you'd like to subscribe to, select the newsgroup name and hit the "Subscribe" button. Don't worry - Newsgroups are free so you won't find a mysterious bill in the mail after doing this.

4) Once you're subscribed, you'll see to your left a special section for newsgroups along with a listing of newsgroups that you're subscribed to. To view a certain newsgroup, just click on the newsgroup name and Outlook Express will download those messages. From there it's very similar to writing, sending, and using email. If you run into any problems while setting up newsgroups, refer to the following link to Microsoft's Website that can give you more detailed information:

http://support.microsoft.com/search/preview.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q171164

If you'd like more information on newsgroups, here's an excellent resource for you: http://www.geocities.com/ski_usenet


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


This Week's Clicks:

Wave a flag
"Pray for our Troops" bumper sticker and prayer card reminder.
Reasonably priced posters, including patriotic
Operation Military Pride
Patriotic Magnets
Fly it Proudly
Free Printable coloring sheets for Kids to send to Military Loved Ones

Until Next Week,

It is the love of country that has lighted and that keeps glowing the holy fire of patriotism.
~ J. Horace McFarland

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Weekly News Summary
Karen Sears
kaekae@arthritisinsight.com

More health news can be found on our site:
news/

BODY COULD PRODUCE ITS OWN PAIN RELIEF
Scientists working on gene therapy for pain relief say they could be just a couple years away from human trials aimed at stimulating chronically inflamed tissue to produce its own pain relief.
Yahoo News, Apr 8


TOPICAL GLUCOSAMINE/CHONDROITIN CREAM RELIEVES OSTEOARTHRITIS KNEE PAIN
A topical glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate cream containing camphor and peppermint oil provides fast and effective relief of pain from osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, results of a controlled trial indicate.
Medscape, Apr 8 (free registration required)


INFLIXIMAB FOR SPONDYLITIS REDUCES T CELL SECRETION OF INTERFERON AS WELL AS
TNF-ALPHA
In patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS), infliximab preferentially down-regulates both tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) secretion by T lymphocytes, but does not alter cytokine production by monocytes.
Medscape, Apr 7 (free registration required)


PUBLIC CITIZEN WARNS AGAINST TERIPARATIDE FOR OSTEOPOROSIS
First, Public Citizen warned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) not to approve teriparatide (Forteo), a new kind of drug for osteoporosis. Now the consumer group is warning patients not to take it.
Medscape, Apr 4 (free registration required)


INFLIXIMAB INCREASES BONE MINERAL DENSITY IN SPONDYLOARTHROPATHY
In patients with spondyloarthropathy, treatment with the anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha monoclonal antibody infliximab results in increased bone mineral density (BMD), according to a report in the April issue of the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
Medscape, Apr 4 (free registration required)


AGGRESSIVE MANAGEMENT CAN HELP LONG TERM FUNCTION IN ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS
Aggressive management of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) improve long-term functioning ability, say researchers.
Doctors Guide, Apr 4 (free registration required)


JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS CURBS LONG-TERM PHYSICAL HEALTH
Patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) continue to have impaired physical health after more than a decade of the disease.
Doctors Guide, Apr 3 (free registration required)


COSTIMULATOR ON ACTIVATED T CELLS PATHOGENIC IN RA MODEL
Scientists have discovered that an inducible costimulator (ICOS) on activated T cells plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of collagen-induced arthritis, a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Medscape, Apr 2 (free registration required)


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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
Dusting
Sent in by Susan B.


"A house becomes a home when you can write "I love you" on the furniture."

I can't tell you how many countless hours that I have spent CLEANING!

I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect "in case someone came over". Then I realized one day that no one came over; they were all out living life and having fun!

Now, when people visit, I find no need to explain the "condition" of my
home. They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing while I was away living life and having fun. If you haven't figured this out yet, please heed this advice. Life is short. Enjoy it!

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better, to paint a picture or write a
letter, bake a cake or plant a seed, ponder the difference between want and need? Dust if you must, but there's not much time, with rivers to swim and mountains to climb, music to hear and books to read, friends to cherish and life to lead. Dust if you must, but the world's out there with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow, a shower of rain. This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind, old age will come and it's not kind. And when you go - and go you must - you, yourself, will make more dust!

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AI Staff
Page last updated on April 9, 2003