Scrapbooking my life...one page at a time

Relax ...

Message to self - on my scraproom window

I was up early this am - just after 5 and I beat the sun up by a few seconds and was able to get this picture out of scraproom window.   I think it will be my theme for the day because  ... it's going to be tooooo hot , HOT, HOT,  HOT to do anything but take it easy & relax.  MS & the heat are not the best of friends and so I plan to keep them as far away from each other as possible.  Good excuse to read in my cold room (aka. the only room in the house with A/C) although I plan on dragging my sewing machine down to the dinning room table so I can start working on some projects I have been gathering supplies for.

Katy checking email in her old bedroom

It was so nice to have Kate home for a night and 2 days - she was got here about 1:30 Tuesday afternoon and left last night about 6:30pm to go back down to Portland.  She has a job interview today this afternoon - so Good Luck Katy.   We had a nice visit and spent part of yesterday in a nail shop getting a pedicure and having lunch together.  Nice visit!

It's gonna be a hot one here in Seattle & around the PNW so ...
Stay Cool & Hydrate
- N -

This is me ... "Contemplating Vitamin D & UV Rays"

I went to sleep last night at about 5:30 last night and pretty much slept all the way through until 4:30 this morning.  What's up with that!  I just absolutely could not keep my eyes open - it was unreal.  Mike tried to wake me up when he got home but I think I just grunted at him and went back to sleep. 

It's been a while since I was up early enough to see the sunrise!  Felt good.  Speaking of Sunshine, yesterday I bought a "Full Spectrum Light & Dawn Simulator".  I have been reading about the "Dawn Simulators" for awhile now because they say, "Dawn simulation products help to maintain proper circadian rhythms and adjust sleep phase disorders.  In studies involving light therapy dawn simulation alone has been successful in about 40% of the cases."  I am hoping that it will help with my sleep ailments - probably not a whole lot but I am willing to give it a try.

I was also reading up on "MS & Vitamin D".  Here is an excerpt from an article published this morning in the Netherlands by, "Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands" and it was confirming many other articles I have been reading lately that suggests that Vitamin D3 (the lack thereof or the Seasonal Variation of) coupled with a vitamin D metabolic or genetic disorder can be either the cause or cure (or both) of Multiple Sclerosis. 

As early as 1974 several Doctors had begun exploring the link between vitamin D and MS while others focused the geographical distribution of MS cases and trying to locate or determine the environmental cause or "trigger" of the disease.

Today, their work appears to be overlapping and many researchers now believe that vitamin D3 (which is photochemically produced in the skin when exposed to UV rays ) - plays a very important role in the prevention, cause & perhaps even a cure of the disease.

Areas with a temperate climate equate to low levels of sunshine hence lower levels of vitamin D3 and UV rays (acknowledging that excess unprotected exposure is harmful).  But it is not as simple as just the amount of sunlight received daily because, for example, while Spokane, WA has much greater amounts of sunlight than Seattle - Spokane has the highest rate of MS in the entire United States.   In a nutshell  - it is thought that the amount of SUNLIGHT received in the winter (this is especially important in children between the ages of 6 - 15 as you will read later) matters more than the amount of sunlight received in the summer.  So, because  it is much colder in Spokane than Seattle people tend to stay inside more during the winter.

Alternately, in lieu of enough sun exposure, vitamin D3 can be ingested through fish, mainly salmon, mackerel, sardines tuna etc (Omega-3 fats), therefore, and to a much lesser extent, dietary traits are also linked to the environmental & geographical aspects of the disease.  Again, Spokane with it's sub-zero winters - coupled with the fact that it is inland  (no fish) helps begin to explain why the distribution of MS appears so geographically erratic at first glance.   In Canada, for example, one of the highest rates of MS is found in Pincher Creek,  Alberta with the prairies as a whole having much higher rates than either the west or eastern provinces of the country. This is of course a very simplistic version of a very complicated disease. 

Sooooo.... anyway - that is why I am buying a "Full Spectrum Light" (FS light) for my office.  Do I think that this FS light will be my saving Grace ~ well, at this point, only God knows but I figure it is a cheap insurance policy. 

But this much I do know, while the exact role vitamin D plays in either the cause or cure of MS remains as of yet unknown Dr. William B. Grant, et al. have theorized, that " The mechanisms whereby vitamin D reduces the risk of MS are now fairly well understood." so - while it may not cure me - making sure that your young kids are getting enough sunshine (2 -3 hours) during the WINTER months is a known aid in the prevention of Multiple Sclerosis. 

I say ....  Why take a chance - fresh air & sunshines is never a bad thing. Right!  So put on your coats and get outside ... everyday.  I guess Aidan's daycare is spot-on in making the kids play outside everyday ... rain or shine.

If you are interested - much of the information given above can be found by digging around these sites:

The Multiple Sclerosis Resource Center of UK at http://www.msrc.co.uk/

National Center for Biotechnology Information at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

International Journal of Health Geographics at: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=149400

and several other sources I'm too lazy to type them all out right now.  Off to a crop ... bye bye

Have a good night!  Oh Ya, Kate is home tomorrow night and Saturday we are heading up North on a Poker & Potato Chip run!!!   See you soon..

-N-

 

 

This is me ... Living with MS

As most people reading this know, My sister & I are both living with MS.  If you look at the World Distribution Map of MS (click on it to enlarge it) you can see that, for whatever reason, we live in the highest risk area of the globe for developing MS so I guess it's not surprising that you all know at least 2 people living/struggling with MS everyday.

Many doctors / researchers are investigating why the occurrence of MS is highest around the 49th parallel in North America -  the most common theory is that it is environmental - a virus, contracted during youth (sometime before the age of 15), which remains dormant until triggered by some, as of yet unknown, environmental factor. 

Researchers have found that people living in a *High Risk* area until the age of 15 and then moving into a *Low Risk* area may still develop MS later in life BUT people living in a *Low Risk* area until the age of 15 and then moving into the *High Risk* area will not likely develop the disease.  And people living in the high risk area with an Eastern European background have the highest rates of MS in the world...Hummm..... I think that is very interesting!

As of yet - they have no idea why it is basically a European disease, for example, it is rarely found in Native Americans even though they have always lived in North America around the 49th.  Whatever it is ... it appears that we brought it with us and although the medical experts will not, as of yet, link it to genetics ... the map argues otherwise - it seems to indicate that there is a genetic component to the disease which is trigger by an environmental factor early in life.

Looking back over all the years my sister has struggled with MS - I knew very little about the disease partly because of my own ignorance and partly because very little was known about MS in the medical community itself but today that has all changed.  Doctors/researchers learned a great deal about MS over the past 20 years and I would like to share some of this information with all of you so when you meet someone living with MS - you can better understand some of our struggles.

MS Lesson #1  Mental Fatigue - it's not all in your mind!

Living with MS is a daily struggle, in large part, due to fatigue - both physical and mental.  MS Lesson #1 is about Mental Fatigue.  This lesson is courtesy of  Shared Solutions.

Fatigue is now recognized as one of the most common symptoms of MS and affects about 80% of individuals.  However, when most people think of fatigue, they tend to associate it with physical symptoms like weakness.  Mental fatigue is an important issue to address as well.

MS Fatigue is different:
Mental fatigue can include inability to concentrate, a decline in cognitive performance, memory impairment, and boredom or lack of motivation.  People who are experiencing mental fatigue can feel irritable and more emotional as well.  "MS fatigue" is different from fatigue experienced by individuals without MS in that it's generally more severe.  It's been said that for someone with MS, "balancing a checkbook may result in fatigue more appropriate to that of a day's worth of accounting."  MS fatigue also differs because it generally occurs on a daily basis, follows a daily pattern, and may occur even after a restful night's sleep.

Helpful Strategies:
Getting more sleep: frequent, short naps can be helpful.  Experts believe that sleep gives the brain a chance to shut down and repair itself.

Relaxing: reading, watching movies or TV, or taking a quiet lunch alone
Psychological Intervention: stress management, relaxation training or support groups

Eat Right: Maintaining good nutrition can help everyone feel better - including those with MS.

The most important lesson that I have learned is that while a "broken brain" is not an excuse - it does have it's limitations that make life more difficult.  I struggle everyday to overcome, outsmart and work around these limitations in the best way I can!

Have a great day
- N -