May is Arthritis Awareness Month – also known as Arthritis Action Month! Hopefully, you’ve been doing your part to spread awareness all month long. As a reminder, here are the ABCs & 123s of Arthritis, to show how you can take action now against arthritis during the month of May….and always! May 1: ADVOCATE! Let your elected … Continue reading »
Tagged with advocacy …
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 »
Self-Defense with Arthritis or Disability – by Ashley Boynes-Shuck
Everyone is vulnerable to unexpected attacks or assault. Random acts of violence are committed all the time in our world, unfortunately, and so are home invasions and physical altercations. If we’re lucky, we’ll avoid these kinds of situations. However, it helps to be prepared in case of emergency. Are you a woman? Are you … Continue reading »
Advocate for Arthritis! Learn About the 2012 Advocacy Summit & E-Advocate Opportunities – by Ashley Boynes-Shuck
Ignoring arthritis is unacceptable. Right? Right! So, it’s time to let Congress know where you stand on arthritis and arthritis-related health issues. So take a stand, raise your voice, make a difference, and let the United States know that arthritis is unacceptable! The annual Advocacy Summit brings together advocates, young and old, from across the … Continue reading »
25 Ways to Stay Active Indoors – Even if you Have Arthritis! – by Ashley Boynes-Shuck
It is often hard for people with arthritis to exercise as frequently as we want to — and it is even more difficult when we are confined indoors during these winter months, which, for many, are colder and with worse weather. But, have no worries, have no fear — here is a list of 25 … Continue reading »
An “Ashley’s Health Diary” Update – Entry #30 – Wrapping Up 2011 and Looking Ahead to 2012 – by Ashley Boynes-Shuck
January 3rd, 2012 – I have not done one of my more personal Ashley’s Health Diary posts in a while, because I realized that it was more important for me to educate about rheumatic conditions than to talk about my own story. However, I do realize that as a patient advocate, that sharing my story … Continue reading »
The Best Arthritis News of 2011 – by Ashley Boynes-Shuck
Barbara Walters named her Top 10 Most Fascinating People, TIME Magazine named its Person of the Year, and People Magazine recently put out their Best of 2011 issue. So, as 2011 wraps up, I want to touch upon some of the best and/or most important arthritis and health moments/breakthroughs of 2011! New NSAID: Vimovo, a … Continue reading »
The Difficulty of Explaining RA Pain: Can it Be Done? ~ by Ashley Boynes-Shuck
Lately, I’ve been coming across some blog posts that try to describe a rheumatoid arthritis flare. It is a great notion – but is it even possible to do? I’ve tried taking photos of bad flares, and, in that case, pictures are NOT worth a thousand words, because there’s just no way to “show” that … Continue reading »
