Take the Stress out of Arthritis

To really feel your best, try relieving the stress and anxiety that add to your joint pain.

By RealAge

Page 1 of 1

Did you know that your emotions can affect your joint health? It's true. Negative emotions like chronic stress, worry, and anxiety not only reduce your quality of life but also may make your joint pain feel worse.
And if you've got osteoarthritis, your body already has plenty to deal with without weathering the added burden of a lousy mood. So the next time you struggle to get out of a chair or mount a flight of stairs, think
Here are a few highly effective stress-quelling strategies you may want to try. Talk them over with your doctor.

Yes, I believe it. After all, I remember all to well, my unemployment, the stress of having more bills than money to pay them, which is especially worse during the holidays. After all, the one thing children understand the most is--"I want ____ and ____, but what they don't understand is Mommy cannot afford, at least with my sons that was a long painful lesson, especially for me, because If I could have afforded to pay them everything they wanted, I would have. I remember how it broke my heart to have to say No so often.

Tools to Help You Cope . . . Not Mope

Massage: If you've ever treated yourself to a therapeutic massage, you already know how wonderful it feels. But it's a top-notch stress soother, too. In fact, studies suggest that massage can relieve both musculoskeletal pain and the emotional stress that may come with it. Massage has even been shown to reduce blood pressure in some people. Just get some input from your doctor first to make sure the method you choose won't exacerbate joint pain or inflammation.
Yoga: Devotees regularly report a sublimely delicious state of deep relaxation after practicing yoga. And studies suggest that the stretching and strengthening benefits derived from yoga -- especially lyengar yoga -- may also help with pain and disability from osteoarthritis of the knee.
Tai chi: This ancient Eastern exercise has long been called a "moving meditation," and although more study is needed, research suggests that tai chi may reduce pain and improve physical function in people with knee OA.
about ways to turn around those feelings of frustration, anxiety, or sadness.

Ah, Yes, Tai chi. I remember my late father, Edward J. Chvosta, thoroughly enjoyed it. After he retired, he took it up and swore by it up and till his death at age 81.

Walking: Don't buy into the myth that regular exercise worsens osteoarthritis. Nothing could be further from the truth. But that doesn't mean you should be playing ice hockey or running marathons. Low-impact forms of exercise, like a brisk walk or a bike ride in the park, will nourish the cartilage in the joints as well as your mood. You need just 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise to up the production of feel-good brain chemicals in your brain.

Ah, yes, my favorite exercise, except in the winter. I am what is called--'A Freeze Baby  ;-)' one who does not handle the cold very well to say the least. Well, not without layer upon layer upon layer upon layer of clothes.

Progressive muscle relaxation: This quick and convenient stress-reducer is especially great for tight budgets and schedules. All you need is a few minutes to ease pain and stress with this activity. And it's free. Use this step-by-step guide to treat your anxiety with progressive muscle relaxation.
Meditation: Research suggests that Zen and other forms of mindfulness meditation may help alleviate chronic pain and the emotional uneasiness that comes from dealing with pain. Here's a quick primer on how to meditate on your own.
Guided imagery: Think of your muscles relaxing and unfurling like ribbons. Guided imagery like this can be a powerful tool in quieting negative thoughts and feelings and replacing them with positive ones. A moment or two each day may be all you need. Find your happy place in your mind, and go there often.
Talk therapy: Cognitive behavioral therapy and other forms of one-on-one or group counseling can help alleviate anxiety and depression -- whatever their underlying cause may be. Ask your doctor for a referral.

Take Your Joy Back

Whatever the state of your joint health, your mind is a powerful tool that can help you not only cope but thrive, too. So stay focused on the things that make you feel good, inside and out. If you find yourself struggling emotionally despite your own best efforts, talk to your doctor about your medical treatment options.
Check out this list of 23 daily depression-dashing tools from the YOU Docs.

Ah,yes, relaxation is important, especially in these trying times, especially while facing the stress of preparing Thanksgiving Dinner, which I hope and pray turns out well or at least well enough not to be a disaster, or at least a disaster that can be laughed at. For any and all my fellow Americans who happen to be reading this blog, May I Wish a Blessed Thanksgiving, and hopefully and prayerfully that all goes well.

When the economy goes down heel heights go up

• By: NewsChannel5 Staff

CLEVELAND - A new study suggests women are choosing lower heeled shoes and those high heels may soon be tossed in the back of the closet.
IBM says they've been monitoring billions of social media posts and heel heights are about to decline. Researchers say usually when the economy is bad, skirts get shorter and heels get higher.
That's because people turn to them as a means of fantasy and escape. In fact, over the last 100 years, high heels soared during the worst recessions.
So if times are tough, why are heel heights getting lower?
IBM says the move to a lower heel may indicate a mood of "long term austerity" that's evolving among consumers.
The study says high heels won't disappear altogether, but even high-end shoe designers like Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin are beginning to offer more kitten heels and flats.

Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/money/high-heels-the-new-economic-indicator#ixzz1eSfdfinb

I have heard of other so called economic indicators, but this one, IMO take the cake. I can not speak for all women or all American women, but I can and will speak for myself. The only time I wear high heels is when I do not expect to do much walking or driving or standing. After all, high heels are worn for fashion,( especially by us shorter women to make ourselves look taller--I know I am 5' 4" a.k.a.162.56 cm ) not comfort, which is why I am usually seen in sneakers or loafers. After all, I am 50 years old, I am too old to worry about what I look like while my feet are aching.

Former FBI director to guide Penn State sex abuse inquiry/ Penn State Scandal: Bullying of Alleged Victim Prompts Paterno to Speak Out

(CNN) -- Former FBI Director Louis Freeh will lead an independent inquiry for Penn State University into the school's response to child sex abuse allegations, trustee Kenneth Frazier said Monday.
"No one -- no one -- is above scrutiny, including every member of the administration of the university, every member of our board of trustees, and every employee of the university," said Frazier, who was appointed to chair the special investigative committee into the university's response to allegations involving former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.
A grand jury reported this month that university officials allegedly knew of allegations of misconduct on Sandusky's part, but failed to fully act on them.
Freeh, who will serve as special investigative counsel, said he extracted pledges of support and non-interference from university officials before taking on the job.
"This assurance is the main condition of my engagement," he said.
He said will appoint a team of former FBI agents and former federal prosecutors from his law firm to assist. Results of the investigation will be released to trustees and the public at about the same time, he said.
It's unclear how effective Freeh will be, said CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
"Louis Freeh is an honorable person, but the question is whether he will have the tools to do a thorough investigation." Toobin said.
With police, the university and even Sandusky's former charity, The Second Mile, conducting their own investigations, it's unclear whether witnesses will want to repeat their stories over and over again, he said.
At the heart of the scandal are accusations that Sandusky, the retired defensive coordinator for the Penn State football team, sexually abused a boy at the university football complex, and that law enforcement officials were not notified.

Yes! Good! Excellent!! Get and keep the FBI on this case! Why, because-->

By JUJU CHANG (@JujuChangABC) and KEVIN DOLAK

Nov. 21, 2011

The boy who first came forward to accuse former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky of sexual assault has been harassed so intensely that he had to leave high school, prompting ousted coach Joe Paterno to speak out against bullying.
The mother of the alleged victim, who set off the investigation that has rocked the world of college sports and led to 40 counts of child sexual assault against Sandusky, told ABC News that students at her son's high school blame him for triggering the sex abuse scandal that led to the firing of Paterno, the beloved head coach who oversaw the university's Nittany Lions football team for 46 years.
Speaking exclusively with "Good Morning America," the attorney representing Paterno said that the former coach denounces bullying, and called for respect in the name of the school.
"Coach Paterno strongly condemns harassment or bullying of any kind, and he asks anyone who truly cares about Penn State to conduct themselves honorably and with respect for others," attorney J. Sedgwick Sollers told ABC News.
Paterno had previously called for a prayer for the victims of abuse in the wake of the scandal breaking. He hasn't spoken publically since his ouster from the school and is reportedly battling lung cancer.

Psychologist Mike Gillum has been counseling the unnamed young man, who is referred to as Victim 1 in the Sandusky case grand jury report, for the past three years while the case was being investigated. He said that scorn and bullying can be a major concern for victims of abuse.
"It's very scary," Gillum told "GMA" this morning when discussing the state of mind of someone who's come forward after being victimized for years.
"You wonder what kind of push-back or what kind of reaction and how far that reaction might go in terms of people in the community. Will people threaten you? How hostile will things become?" he said.
Victim 1, who according to his testimony was 11 or 12 years old when he was first sexually abused by the 67-year-old former defensive coach, has been accused of changing his story as the case evolved. Sandusky's defense attorney has already publically said he's going to go after the credibility of the boy's story based on the fact that his statements escalated.
But Gillum says that victims of abuse often take time to reveal the full details of what happened.
"The level of humiliation, the level of insight into how deviant what's occurred is, means that they're not going to reveal that until they really feel comfortable," he said. "And that may take months, that might take a year or two."

Unfortunately, this only shows what kind of 'Big Business' College Football has become. It has all too often come down to 'The Sacred Win-- and Especially WINS' and those dreaded  loses over and above mere right and mere wrong. Let every one see and hear the character of  people  who live in Pennsylvania!!!  Please, people, please remember that football is only a game.

Lobbying firm's memo spells out plan to undermine Occupy Wall Street

By Jonathan Larsen and Ken Olshansky, MSNBC TV
A well-known Washington lobbying firm with links to the financial industry has proposed an $850,000 plan to take on Occupy Wall Street and politicians who might express sympathy for the protests, according to a memo obtained by the MSNBC program “Up w/ Chris Hayes.”
The proposal was written on the letterhead of the lobbying firm Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford and addressed to one of CLGC’s clients, the American Bankers Association.
CLGC’s memo proposes that the ABA pay CLGC $850,000 to conduct “opposition research” on Occupy Wall Street in order to construct “negative narratives” about the protests and allied politicians. The memo also asserts that Democratic victories in 2012 would be detrimental for Wall Street and targets specific races in which it says Wall Street would benefit by electing Republicans instead.
 According to the memo, if Democrats embrace OWS, “This would mean more than just short-term political discomfort for Wall Street. … It has the potential to have very long-lasting political, policy and financial impacts on the companies in the center of the bullseye.”
The memo also suggests that Democratic victories in 2012 should not be the ABA’s biggest concern. “… (T)he bigger concern,” the memo says, “should be that Republicans will no longer defend Wall Street companies.”
Two of the memo’s authors, partners Sam Geduldig and Jay Cranford, previously worked for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. Geduldig joined CLGC before Boehner became speaker;  Cranford joined CLGC this year after serving as the speaker’s assistant for policy. A third partner, Steve Clark, is reportedly “tight” with Boehner, according to a story by Roll Call that CLGC features on its website.
Jeff Sigmund, an ABA spokesperson, confirmed that the association got the memo. “Our Government Relations staff did receive the proposal – it was unsolicited and we chose not to act on it in any way,” he said in a statement to "Up."
CLGC did not return calls seeking comment.
Boehner spokesman Michael Steel declined to comment on the memo. But he responded to its characterization of Republicans as defenders of Wall Street by saying, “My understanding is that President Obama is the single largest recipient of donations from Wall Street.”On “Up” Saturday, Obama campaign adviser Anita Dunn responded by saying that the majority of the president’s re-election campaign is fueled by small donors. She rejected the suggestion that the president himself is too close to Wall Street, saying “If that’s the case, why were tough financial reforms passed over party line Republican oppositiThe CLGC memo raises another issue that it says should be of concern to the financial industry -- that OWS might find common cause with the Tea Party. “Well-known Wall Street companies stand at the nexus of where OWS protestors and the Tea Party overlap on angered populism,” the memo says. “…This combination has the potential to be explosive later in the year when media reports cover the next round of bonuses and contrast it with stories of millions of Americans making do with less this holiday season.”on?”
The memo outlines a 60-day plan to conduct surveys and research on OWS and its supporters so that Wall Street companies will be prepared to conduct a media campaign in response to OWS. Wall Street companies “likely will not be the best spokespeople for their own cause,” according to the memo.  “A big challenge is to demonstrate that these companies still have political strength and that making them a political target will carry a severe political cost.”
Part of the plan CLGC proposes is to do “statewide surveys in at least eight states that are shaping up to be the most important of the 2012 cycle.”
Specific races listed in the memo are U.S. Senate races in Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Mexico and Nevada as well as the gubernatorial race in North Carolina.
The memo indicates that CLGC would research who has contributed financial backing to OWS, noting that, “Media reports have speculated about associations with George Soros and others.”
"It will be vital,” the memo says, “to understand who is funding it and what their backgrounds and motives are. If we can show that they have the same cynical motivation as a political opponent it will undermine their credibility in a profound way.”

 "Specific races listed in the memo are U.S. Senate races in Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Ohio . . . ." OHIO! Oh, No!!! Say it isn't so!!! That means we are doomed to be a battle ground state. Doomed by one negative political ad after another and another and another, over and over and over again and again. Especially after the Supreme Court basically did away with donation limits, Oh Dear Lord, Have Mercy, the political mud is really going to be flying this presidential election, more than ever before.  But in the meantime, Wall Street can and will be held accountable for their actions, one way or another.

Council Approves Nursing Home Plans, emergency access driveway

By Mike Lesko, Stow Sentry
     Stow--After listening to the worries of Rockport Colony residents about the location of an emergency access driveway at a proposed nursing home, City Council resonded to their concerns.
     While approving plans November 17 for an 80-bed nursing home and rehabilitation facility west of Sowul Boulevard, Council also OK'd the site that residents had requested for an emergency drive.
     Altercare Nursing Home will be located just east of the Norton Road Giant Eagle i the Towne Center Plaza shopping center south of the Hudson border.
     The emergency drive, which will be toward the west off Sowul, will be south of Sandy Hook and closer to the Summit County Metro Parks Bike and Hike Trail. It ill be the southern-most of the three routessuggested rather than the northern-most, which previously had been recommended by city officials.
     Council Vice-President and Mayor-Elect Sara Drew, chairperson of Council's planning committee, recommended that the city pick the emergency route that residents wanted, which is the plan Council approved.
     "We had an overwhelming response from Rockport Colony residents," Drew said after the meeting. "They had concerns about traffic and headlights. Their input allowed us to make some changes."
     "We want to make sure the project fits into the neighborhood and that the residents are pleased," Drew said, "Altercare will be a good neighbor, and the nursing home will be a great addition to the neighborhood."
At the Council's November 14 planning committee meeting, residents from Rockport Colony said they were not pleased with the location that city officials recommended for a 24-foot-wide emergency access drive that would be constructed off Sowul.
     Stow Fire officials said the drive is mandatory in order to accommodate a 48-foot ladder truck,which might tip over while traveling over a curb if the emergency drive was not created. The entrance would be used only for emergency purposes. . . .

The good news is that it will be built, which will bring health care, where health care is needed. After all,the 'Baby Boom Generation' are now everywhere from their 50's to their mid-late 60's.
In addition to this, there is the job factor. Jobs, many of them, good paying jobs between the construction jobs of building it to the nursing jobs that maintain it, which will all lead to other jobs and growth.

Some Jokes for the Day

Get Better Soon

A retired man who volunteers to entertain patients in nursing homes and hospitals went to one local hospital in Brooklyn and took his portable keyboard along. He told some jokes and sang some funny songs at patients' bedsides.

When he finished he said, in farewell, "I hope you get better."

One elderly gentleman replied, "I hope you get better, too." 

Questions of Logic

Do Roman paramedics refer to IV's as "4's"?

If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

When someone asks you, "A penny for your thoughts," and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?

Why do croutons come in airtight packages? It's just stale bread to begin with.

Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a race car not called a racist?

If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

I don't know about anyone else. I am not psychic enough to read anyone else's mind. Sometimes, I have problems reading my own mind.  ;-)
I for one get soo caught up in the seriousness of life and the seriousness of the problems that the world is facing, from the economy to Global Climate Change, that I often forget to take time out for a good joke and a good laugh every once in a while, especially here in the U.S. where just about all the families are getting ready for the Holidays --Thanksgiving and Christmas/ Chanukah /Kwanza and New Year's Day--to take time to just laugh. After all, tomorrow I have got to get my Thanksgiving shopping done and still find time to practice the clarinet, which I volunteered to play for church and still pick up the appetizer/dessert that I volunteered to bring to the Newcomers get together, before my schedule started filling up, back when I thought I had free time to start doing something with.

Ozone in NE Ohio air ‘typical’; E-Check expected to stay

CLEVELAND: The federal Environmental Protection Agency is expected to improve its designation for the Akron-Cleveland region’s effort in controlling the pollutant ozone, but emissions testing for area vehicles is expected to continue.
Northeast Ohio had a typical year in 2011 for ozone, according to a report the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency released Wednesday.
There were 14 bad-air days in Summit, Portage, Medina, Cuyahoga, Lorain, Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties from April 1 through Oct. 31, data show.
The eight-county region typically experiences 15.5 bad-air days, the planning agency said. There were 10 such days in 2010.
The agency’s report said a total of 40 air-monitor readings in the eight counties violated federal limits for the pollutant ozone in 2011.
Ozone is formed when hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides from vehicles, power plants and industry mix in direct sunlight on hot, sticky, windless days. It can cause breathing problems, especially for the elderly, children and asthmatics.
The EPA is expected to designate the Akron-Cleveland region as a “marginal nonattainment” area for ozone by next spring. The region previously had been in the more serious “moderate nonattainment” category.
The Columbus and Cincinnati areas also are expected to get similar “marginal” designations, and the regions would have three years to comply with federal ozone limits.
E-Check, the vehicle-testing system in all counties of the Akron-Cleveland area except Ashtabula, would remain in effect under the provisions of the federal Clean Air Act.
The region’s marginal status could affect industries that want to move in or expand. They would be forced to arrange offsets or reductions from other companies before they could open or grow.
The eight counties in Northeast Ohio are considered a single clean-air region. A bad-air reading in one county affects all eight.
Summit County failed to comply on six dates: June 6, June 8, June 30, July 1, July 6 and Sept. 2.
Portage County had one violation, July 1, and Medina County two violations, June 8 and July 1.
Data show the air is getting cleaner in Northeast Ohio, but two counties fail to comply with federal limits for ozone.
With the addition of 2011 data, Ashtabula and Lake remain out of compliance. Ashtabula has a three-year ozone average of 78 parts per billion; Lake has a 77.
The federal limit is 75 parts per billion.
The other 2009-2011 totals are Summit, 74; Portage, 67; Medina, 68; Cuyahoga, 75; Geauga, 73; and Lorain, 69.
The 74 reading is the lowest level ever for Summit County.
In 2006-2008, Summit had an ozone level of 82 parts per billion. Portage had a 74, Medina, 72; Cuyahoga, 79; Geauga, 73; Lorain, 74; Ashtabula, 84; and Lake, 78.
The EPA throws out the top three ozone readings. The fourth-highest reading each year becomes the key number. The EPA then maintains a rolling average over three years, and that becomes the official ozone level.
The federal government had been looking at lowering the ozone level to perhaps 70 parts per billion, but the Obama administration has delayed that proposal.

Well, it looks like we Ohioan have to not only keep working at, but maybe work a bit harder at lowering 'our carbon foot print' in reguards to the ozone. I know I for one am as guilty as the rest, but soon I start a new job that is within walking distance and hopefully not only lowers my 'carbon foot print', but also burns off some of these excess calories.