MOEBIUS SYNDROME IN THE NEWS
We have another Moebius hero--9 year old Harvey Hole, from the UK:
"Schoolboy Harvey Hole has his fellow pupils in stitches with his ability to tell jokes while keeping a completely straight face.
But his quick wit and deadpan delivery hide a tragic secret - he is unable to smile because of a rare medical condition that only affects 200 people in the UK.
The happy and cheerful nine-year-old has battled a rare form of facial paralysis since birth, called Moebius Syndrome, which means he cannot blink, smile or frown.
But despite the congenital handicap - Moebius Syndrome - the youngster from Bolton-upon-Dearne, near Doncaster, is a source of inspiration to everyone he meets.
His mother Kelly, 34, said: 'He's quite a funny and cheeky lad and he loves telling jokes. He and his younger brother Maxwell, aged six, make a great double act.
'Despite serious problems Harvey has blossomed into that lovely intelligent nine year old lad.
'He is so happy with life and that is what really matters. He has a wicked sense of humour and he is a right one for the ladies.
'He has a good group of friends and gets on well with everybody. A lot of people , when they first meet him, can't quite catch what he says. But his mates have known him since childhood so that is never a problem with them.'
She added: 'Harvey has taught me so much about life - and the need to look beyond the face value of everything.'"
I especially like that last line. Moebius, if nothing else, teaches us that "face value" of something means a little something different than what one might think...
"Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience
with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own
imperfections but instantly set about remedying them-every
day begin the task anew." -Saint Francis de Sales
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
ROYAL WEDDING UPDATE!
Well, not really, but--did you know all the fixation concerning Will and Kate does lead to some interesting speculations concerning the brain and psychology? Read on, and also find out some other brain news:
"
But don't go overboard with your interest in the festivities. Experts told CNN the greatest security threat to the wedding comes from "fixated individuals," meaning people who have "obsessive preoccupation with a person that they pursue to an irrational degree, spending much of their waking lives thinking about that person." Most of those with fixations are loners who are mentally ill, says Dr. David James of the Fixated Threat Assessment Center.
And now, to get your mind off the wedding, here's some other exciting research in brain and psychological science:
–If you've ever taken an IQ test, you might not want to put too much stock in one result. Psychologists found that money's a motivator: People score considerably better when there's a cash reward than if there's not, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. This suggests that there are plenty of other factors involved in an IQ score besides intelligence.
–How do you know when you have a concussion? Researchers at Georgia Tech Research Institute have developed a radar system that can help decide whether an athlete is ready to get back in the game after being hit in the head, Wired reports. The radar basically assesses how the person walks - how fast, and the way his or her arms swing and head bobs. This information is compared against data from normal walking motions."
BABY LOVE
Meanwhile...awww: how do you know your baby loves you? This article is interesting--and note that, while some of the cues a baby gives you would normally be through some kind of facial expression, not all of them need be that way...and of course that won't surprise those of you who are moms and dads with babies with Moebius Syndrome. Read on:
"He'll latch on to a lovey
Babies often pick a favorite object, like a stuffed animal or a blankie, at around a year old. Gopnik explains that these transitional objects symbolize you and your affection, which explains the histrionics if you—heaven forbid!—put it in the wash for an hour. “It represents your love, but in a way your child can control,” she says.
Let your child keep his lovey close by in situations where he might feel insecure, if that's possible. Don't worry that there's some set time to get rid of it, as with a bottle. Chances are he won't be clutching it as he walks down the aisle on his wedding day (though, let's be honest, many of us still have Mr. Fuzzybear tucked away somewhere).
She stares at you, so intently it's practically rude
Right from birth, a baby can recognize his mother's face, voice, and smell, says Laible. The next step is linking those sounds and smells he trusts with something he can see. That's why he'll start studying your face as if he's trying to memorize it. In a way, he is. He's making sure he knows what comfort -- and love -- looks like. So next time you catch your baby's eyes locked on you, give him time to drink you in."
"Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places
where other people see nothing." -Camille Pissarro
Well, not really, but--did you know all the fixation concerning Will and Kate does lead to some interesting speculations concerning the brain and psychology? Read on, and also find out some other brain news:
"
With all the buzz over a particular British matrimony, I thought I'd say a little something about how that little event might relate to psychology.
Even if you're not among those eagerly counting down to Friday's royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, you might be interested to think about how their courtship and the spectacle of their wedding makes perfect sense in terms of Darwinian evolution, as described by psychologist Geoffrey Miller in New Scientist. For instance, among spectators, "Male brains will be sparked by Will's military titles (flight lieutenant, captain in the Blues and Royals, commodore-in-chief of Scotland) and Kate's signals of fertility and fitness (cheekbones, legs, style, humour) to conjure a primal mating scenario – King Kong and Ann Darrow, Genghis Khan and his many conquests, that sort of thing," he writes. (Free registration required to read).But don't go overboard with your interest in the festivities. Experts told CNN the greatest security threat to the wedding comes from "fixated individuals," meaning people who have "obsessive preoccupation with a person that they pursue to an irrational degree, spending much of their waking lives thinking about that person." Most of those with fixations are loners who are mentally ill, says Dr. David James of the Fixated Threat Assessment Center.
And now, to get your mind off the wedding, here's some other exciting research in brain and psychological science:
–If you've ever taken an IQ test, you might not want to put too much stock in one result. Psychologists found that money's a motivator: People score considerably better when there's a cash reward than if there's not, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. This suggests that there are plenty of other factors involved in an IQ score besides intelligence.
–How do you know when you have a concussion? Researchers at Georgia Tech Research Institute have developed a radar system that can help decide whether an athlete is ready to get back in the game after being hit in the head, Wired reports. The radar basically assesses how the person walks - how fast, and the way his or her arms swing and head bobs. This information is compared against data from normal walking motions."
BABY LOVE
Meanwhile...awww: how do you know your baby loves you? This article is interesting--and note that, while some of the cues a baby gives you would normally be through some kind of facial expression, not all of them need be that way...and of course that won't surprise those of you who are moms and dads with babies with Moebius Syndrome. Read on:
"He'll latch on to a lovey
Babies often pick a favorite object, like a stuffed animal or a blankie, at around a year old. Gopnik explains that these transitional objects symbolize you and your affection, which explains the histrionics if you—heaven forbid!—put it in the wash for an hour. “It represents your love, but in a way your child can control,” she says.
Let your child keep his lovey close by in situations where he might feel insecure, if that's possible. Don't worry that there's some set time to get rid of it, as with a bottle. Chances are he won't be clutching it as he walks down the aisle on his wedding day (though, let's be honest, many of us still have Mr. Fuzzybear tucked away somewhere).
She stares at you, so intently it's practically rude
Right from birth, a baby can recognize his mother's face, voice, and smell, says Laible. The next step is linking those sounds and smells he trusts with something he can see. That's why he'll start studying your face as if he's trying to memorize it. In a way, he is. He's making sure he knows what comfort -- and love -- looks like. So next time you catch your baby's eyes locked on you, give him time to drink you in."
"Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places
where other people see nothing." -Camille Pissarro
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
HOW TO FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT YOUR BODY
Now here's something that, perhaps, many of us can use. This article appears to me, actually, to have originally been written for moms and younger women, urging them not to beat themselves up for supposedly being fat, etc. But I think the ideas in it can help us in the Moebius Syndrome/facial difference community, too, to help us avoid beating ourselves up over OUR bodies--especially over physical differences that we cannot change and that we need not change. Check out a couple of the things the article suggests:
"Step 1: Think Twice
Pick a day and write down all the negative things you say to yourself about your body. For example, "I'm so fat, I'm disgusting," or "Why can't I look like I did ten years ago?" Then challenge each thought with three questions:
Does the thought contribute to your stress?
(Surely the ones above do.)
Where does it come from?
When you were young, did your father say, "Aren't you getting a little pudgy?" Was your mother obese, and did that embarrass you? Was she hyper about her weight and self-critical when it crept up? Are you bombarded with images of women on TV and in movies who never seem to age?
Is your thought a logical one?
Okay, it may be accurate to say that you weigh more than is healthy for you, or more than you'd like. But how about the emotional tags—disgusting, unlovable, old? "Some people concentrate on hating their bodies because they can't bear to deal with the real issues that are troubling them," says Marianne Legato, MD, a professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the author of Eve's Rib. Whether or not that's the case for you, Domar points out that there's a huge leap of logic between overweight and disgusting. If you saw a woman your size, would you feel ill or think she should look the way she did ten years ago? "We don't use the same kind of language about ourselves that we do about others," she says. "We're much kinder to others."
Has insecurity held you back from enjoying sex? Stopped you from attending a beach party or wearing shorts? "If you let your looks inhibit you, your body can't do as much," says Pepper Schwartz, PhD, professor of sociology at the University of Washington in Seattle and the author of The Lifetime Love & Sex Quiz Book. "And so you—not nature or happenstance—are costing yourself a great deal." Write a list of what you're missing out on.
Step 2: Make New Rules
Try writing out this list and taping it somewhere you'll see it all the time—your full-length mirror, perhaps, or your refrigerator or desk.
Several of the LLuminari experts agree that to cultivate self-respect, it's helpful to define some guidelines. You may want to declare in writing what you won't say and won't hear about the female body, yours included:
1. I will refrain from speaking disparagingly about my own body and weight, even during female-bonding moments. ("I can't believe I ate all that," "I look like a pig.")
2. I will avoid making negative remarks about the appearance of others. ("She shouldn't be wearing those pants," "She's porked out lately.")
3. I will consider ending a relationship with any man or woman who causes me to feel terrible about my body or tries to control me with comments about my looks.
Other tactics to try:
Arm yourself with comebacks to negative remarks about your weight, Domar suggests, like: "Why do you feel it's necessary to say that? Is it your business?" Or "How would you feel if somebody said that to you?" Or "I'm very aware of that fact. I'm trying to do something about it—and your comment isn't helping."
For one week, try not to mention appearance at all when you greet or refer to other women. Identify them by something they do.
Watch the adjectives you use when describing women you admire, especially in front of girls. "Dainty. Elegant. Petite. Delicate. Those were the deadly words for me," says nutrition and metabolism expert Pamela Peeke, MD. "When I was young, my mother would point to Audrey Hepburn and say how delicate and gorgeous she was. I was tall and athletic—throw me a ball and I'd shoot hoops. But all I could think was, 'Why couldn't I have been born delicate?' Audrey Hepburn? She was my birthweight."
Focus on developing and celebrating your own unique style. In a study by the Melpomene Institute, which does research on women and physical activity, 52 percent of girls with a poor body image almost always compared their appearance to others; only 4 percent of girls with a healthy body image did."
Some good stuff there; read the whole piece. And remember that ideas such as those described above can help with all kinds of body issues--not just those of weight.
"One day in retrospect the years of struggle will strike you
as the most beautiful." -Sigmund Freud
Now here's something that, perhaps, many of us can use. This article appears to me, actually, to have originally been written for moms and younger women, urging them not to beat themselves up for supposedly being fat, etc. But I think the ideas in it can help us in the Moebius Syndrome/facial difference community, too, to help us avoid beating ourselves up over OUR bodies--especially over physical differences that we cannot change and that we need not change. Check out a couple of the things the article suggests:
"Step 1: Think Twice
Pick a day and write down all the negative things you say to yourself about your body. For example, "I'm so fat, I'm disgusting," or "Why can't I look like I did ten years ago?" Then challenge each thought with three questions:
Does the thought contribute to your stress?
(Surely the ones above do.)
Where does it come from?
When you were young, did your father say, "Aren't you getting a little pudgy?" Was your mother obese, and did that embarrass you? Was she hyper about her weight and self-critical when it crept up? Are you bombarded with images of women on TV and in movies who never seem to age?
Is your thought a logical one?
Okay, it may be accurate to say that you weigh more than is healthy for you, or more than you'd like. But how about the emotional tags—disgusting, unlovable, old? "Some people concentrate on hating their bodies because they can't bear to deal with the real issues that are troubling them," says Marianne Legato, MD, a professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the author of Eve's Rib. Whether or not that's the case for you, Domar points out that there's a huge leap of logic between overweight and disgusting. If you saw a woman your size, would you feel ill or think she should look the way she did ten years ago? "We don't use the same kind of language about ourselves that we do about others," she says. "We're much kinder to others."
Has insecurity held you back from enjoying sex? Stopped you from attending a beach party or wearing shorts? "If you let your looks inhibit you, your body can't do as much," says Pepper Schwartz, PhD, professor of sociology at the University of Washington in Seattle and the author of The Lifetime Love & Sex Quiz Book. "And so you—not nature or happenstance—are costing yourself a great deal." Write a list of what you're missing out on.
Step 2: Make New Rules
Try writing out this list and taping it somewhere you'll see it all the time—your full-length mirror, perhaps, or your refrigerator or desk.
Several of the LLuminari experts agree that to cultivate self-respect, it's helpful to define some guidelines. You may want to declare in writing what you won't say and won't hear about the female body, yours included:
1. I will refrain from speaking disparagingly about my own body and weight, even during female-bonding moments. ("I can't believe I ate all that," "I look like a pig.")
2. I will avoid making negative remarks about the appearance of others. ("She shouldn't be wearing those pants," "She's porked out lately.")
3. I will consider ending a relationship with any man or woman who causes me to feel terrible about my body or tries to control me with comments about my looks.
Other tactics to try:
Arm yourself with comebacks to negative remarks about your weight, Domar suggests, like: "Why do you feel it's necessary to say that? Is it your business?" Or "How would you feel if somebody said that to you?" Or "I'm very aware of that fact. I'm trying to do something about it—and your comment isn't helping."
For one week, try not to mention appearance at all when you greet or refer to other women. Identify them by something they do.
Watch the adjectives you use when describing women you admire, especially in front of girls. "Dainty. Elegant. Petite. Delicate. Those were the deadly words for me," says nutrition and metabolism expert Pamela Peeke, MD. "When I was young, my mother would point to Audrey Hepburn and say how delicate and gorgeous she was. I was tall and athletic—throw me a ball and I'd shoot hoops. But all I could think was, 'Why couldn't I have been born delicate?' Audrey Hepburn? She was my birthweight."
Focus on developing and celebrating your own unique style. In a study by the Melpomene Institute, which does research on women and physical activity, 52 percent of girls with a poor body image almost always compared their appearance to others; only 4 percent of girls with a healthy body image did."
Some good stuff there; read the whole piece. And remember that ideas such as those described above can help with all kinds of body issues--not just those of weight.
"One day in retrospect the years of struggle will strike you
as the most beautiful." -Sigmund Freud
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
HOME REMEDIES
Some "natural" cures touted on the 'net work--but some don't. For example:
"The online claim: Steam clears up sinus headaches
Is it true? Yes
This old-school treatment -- touted in more than 400,000 Google results! -- really works. "Inhaling steam flushes out your nasal passages, relieving sinus pressure," explains Neil Kao, M.D., head of research at the Allergic Disease and Asthma Center in Greenville, South Carolina.
Add a few drops of peppermint or eucalyptus oil to make it more potent. "The minty smell causes a tingling sensation in the nasal membrane, and this has a decongestant effect," says Kao, who also suggests dabbing Vicks VapoRub at the lower rim of your nostrils.
Another natural alternative: Using a neti pot to irrigate the nostrils with saline solution, which can also ease sinus symptoms, according to one study.
The online claim: Black tea bags help cold sores disappear
Is it true? No
If left alone, cold sores usually clear up in a few weeks -- but who wants to wait?
Online remedies for the blisters range from the absurd (like earwax) to the less silly, like placing a damp black tea bag on the sore. "Black tea leaves have tannins, compounds that may inhibit the growth of viruses and bacteria, but no studies have verified this," Hagen says.
Tea bags may also have an anti-inflammatory effect, he says. But your best bet to shorten healing time is an OTC treatment like Abreva or a prescription med like Valtrex. To prevent sores from popping up, stay out of the sun, and use a high-SPF sunscreen around your lips: "Sun-light can trigger cold sores if you're prone to them," Hagen says."
Beware of old assumptions and online remedies. I remember when I was young, I used to have a lot of colds. I don't think it was a Moebius thing. I guess it's just what happens to many kids. Thank goodness I don't get as many as an adult.
Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can
immediately command when we focus all of our resources on
mastering a single area of our lives." -Anthony Robbins
Some "natural" cures touted on the 'net work--but some don't. For example:
"The online claim: Steam clears up sinus headaches
Is it true? Yes
This old-school treatment -- touted in more than 400,000 Google results! -- really works. "Inhaling steam flushes out your nasal passages, relieving sinus pressure," explains Neil Kao, M.D., head of research at the Allergic Disease and Asthma Center in Greenville, South Carolina.
Add a few drops of peppermint or eucalyptus oil to make it more potent. "The minty smell causes a tingling sensation in the nasal membrane, and this has a decongestant effect," says Kao, who also suggests dabbing Vicks VapoRub at the lower rim of your nostrils.
Another natural alternative: Using a neti pot to irrigate the nostrils with saline solution, which can also ease sinus symptoms, according to one study.
The online claim: Black tea bags help cold sores disappear
Is it true? No
If left alone, cold sores usually clear up in a few weeks -- but who wants to wait?
Online remedies for the blisters range from the absurd (like earwax) to the less silly, like placing a damp black tea bag on the sore. "Black tea leaves have tannins, compounds that may inhibit the growth of viruses and bacteria, but no studies have verified this," Hagen says.
Tea bags may also have an anti-inflammatory effect, he says. But your best bet to shorten healing time is an OTC treatment like Abreva or a prescription med like Valtrex. To prevent sores from popping up, stay out of the sun, and use a high-SPF sunscreen around your lips: "Sun-light can trigger cold sores if you're prone to them," Hagen says."
Beware of old assumptions and online remedies. I remember when I was young, I used to have a lot of colds. I don't think it was a Moebius thing. I guess it's just what happens to many kids. Thank goodness I don't get as many as an adult.
Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can
immediately command when we focus all of our resources on
mastering a single area of our lives." -Anthony Robbins
Monday, April 25, 2011
ALLERGY ALERT
Are any of you suffering from springtime allergies? Here's some good and simple ways to fight them:
Sneaky strategies
Tune in. Steal a method that stores and movie producers employ all the time -- using music to influence people's moods. Calming tunes subliminally puts Kellie Pease's three children into bedtime mode without her ever saying a word.
Each child has a favorite disc that the Derby, CT, mom pops into a CD player during bath- and storytime to help them wind down. This works especially well with strong-willed kids, who may have a hard time relaxing enough on their own to be ready to go to sleep.
Play the "yes" game. Try this clever strategy from Stiffelman: Ask your child questions that will prompt her to answer "yes" at least three times in a row, such as "Wow, you're having a great time playing with those bath toys, aren't you?" (Yep!) "What about bringing your swimming goggles into the bath with you next time? Would that be fun?" (Hey, yeah, that's a good idea!)
"Does that dinosaur float? Can you show me?" (Sure I can! Just watch this!) The "three yeses" help break down your child's resistance, and she also feels like she's been heard and understood.
Offer options. Gently guide her toward the next step with two choices, such as "Do you want to dry yourself off with the towel or should I help you?" Don't announce that bathtime is over; simply start the process.
Move seamlessly through the getting-ready-for-bed routine, offering two options at a time along the way, such as "Which book should we read before bed -- X or Y?" If your child balks at the choices -- "Neither! I'm not going to bed!" -- respond calmly, "That wasn't one of the choices. Did you want this book or that one?" Repeat calmly as needed.
Stiffelman says stubborn kids hate hearing parents sound like broken records, and they usually give in. If they don't, simply say "Okay, I guess you've chosen not to have a book tonight. Good night, sweetie! We'll try again tomorrow night!" Lights-out. And don't give in, even if your kid puts up a fuss. Sticking to your word practically guarantees you won't have a repeat episode tomorrow night."
There's a lot of other good stuff there--read the whole thing.
"Goals provide the energy source that powers our lives. One
of the best ways we can get the most from the energy we have
is to focus it. That is what goals can do for us; concentrate
our energy." -Denis Waitley
Are any of you suffering from springtime allergies? Here's some good and simple ways to fight them:
"• Stress less. Try yoga, meditation and daily exercise to get the endorphins (chemicals produced and responsible for an exercise induced feeling of wellbeing) going to promote a healthier lifestyle, and perhaps increase your chance of a better allergy control, when combined with appropriate OTC and prescription allergy care.
• Plan ahead, and follow the weather and pollen forecasts when you expect to spend time outdoors, particularly on sunny, warm and windy days, when pollen levels are highest. Go to www.aaaai.org/nab to find the daily pollen count in your area. Pollen counts are often lower by the beach or a body of water, such as a lake, river, etc.
• Wash wisely! That’s right use gentle eyelid irrigation and nasal saline sprays to wash and/or dilute pollens that have accumulated and cause itchy, red and watery eyes during the season. If you were outside during a high pollen day, consider shampooing your hair “nightly” and change our clothing before entering the bedroom to prevent “pollens” from being deposited onto your bedding. Hair gel and products can act like a “pollen magnet”, too."
FOR THE MOMS AND DADS, MOEBIUS OR NOT, OUT THERE
Do you sometimes have those power struggles with your toddler--say, at bedtime? (Sometimes Lisa and I do with our son Ethan) Here are some good strategies to address them:
"The power struggle: Your child knows that getting out of the bathtub means bedtime is close, so no way is she leaving the water willingly! As for bedtime, she fights it every pajama-clad step of the way. It's becoming a nightly sparring period for your family.Sneaky strategies
Tune in. Steal a method that stores and movie producers employ all the time -- using music to influence people's moods. Calming tunes subliminally puts Kellie Pease's three children into bedtime mode without her ever saying a word.
Each child has a favorite disc that the Derby, CT, mom pops into a CD player during bath- and storytime to help them wind down. This works especially well with strong-willed kids, who may have a hard time relaxing enough on their own to be ready to go to sleep.
Play the "yes" game. Try this clever strategy from Stiffelman: Ask your child questions that will prompt her to answer "yes" at least three times in a row, such as "Wow, you're having a great time playing with those bath toys, aren't you?" (Yep!) "What about bringing your swimming goggles into the bath with you next time? Would that be fun?" (Hey, yeah, that's a good idea!)
"Does that dinosaur float? Can you show me?" (Sure I can! Just watch this!) The "three yeses" help break down your child's resistance, and she also feels like she's been heard and understood.
Offer options. Gently guide her toward the next step with two choices, such as "Do you want to dry yourself off with the towel or should I help you?" Don't announce that bathtime is over; simply start the process.
Move seamlessly through the getting-ready-for-bed routine, offering two options at a time along the way, such as "Which book should we read before bed -- X or Y?" If your child balks at the choices -- "Neither! I'm not going to bed!" -- respond calmly, "That wasn't one of the choices. Did you want this book or that one?" Repeat calmly as needed.
Stiffelman says stubborn kids hate hearing parents sound like broken records, and they usually give in. If they don't, simply say "Okay, I guess you've chosen not to have a book tonight. Good night, sweetie! We'll try again tomorrow night!" Lights-out. And don't give in, even if your kid puts up a fuss. Sticking to your word practically guarantees you won't have a repeat episode tomorrow night."
There's a lot of other good stuff there--read the whole thing.
"Goals provide the energy source that powers our lives. One
of the best ways we can get the most from the energy we have
is to focus it. That is what goals can do for us; concentrate
our energy." -Denis Waitley
Friday, April 22, 2011
LOSING WEIGHT
This is an interesting story--a woman who once weighed over 300 pounds lost a bunch of it, simply by following simple steps...and without a personal trainer:
"
Tomorrow finally came on August 17, 2009. After snapping that photo, Mills went into her purse and pulled out the tips the doctor had given her:
1. Eat 8 ounces of food every 3 hours
2. No sugary drinks
3. Do not skip meals
4. Do not tell anyone what you're doing
So that's what she did -- or didn't do, really. Almost two years later, Mills has dropped 232 pounds from her body and has trimmed her waist down to 26 inches (a size 6).
And she did it all without a trainer.
"I've always walked, no matter how hard it was," says Mills. "Then, I used Richard Simmons' "Sweating to the Oldies" because it's low-impact. Now I Zumba, which is like Richard Simmons on speed."
She doesn't go crazy with her workouts. She walks about five times a week, sweats to Simmons twice a week and fits Zumba in when she can.
Since following the tips, Mills can't even eat a full 8 ounces of food anymore -- her stomach has gotten so small -- and she needs to be very picky about what she eats. Her body craves the "good food," so she listens to it. Her latest cravings have been fresh pineapples and mandarin oranges.
Don't think that she's a saint either. She still enjoys temptations ... within reason.
"I still go out to eat and I still eat junk," says Mills. "My guilty pleasure for the last 8 months is Breyer's fat free ice cream -- ½ cup a night."
When she goes out to eat, she orders a meal -- anything she wants -- and asks for a to-go box. It helps with eating healthy food portions, even if she's noshing on her favorite meal: fried chicken fingers and deep fried potato chips.
"Out of sight, out of mind," says Mills. "I don't get sick any more from eating too much. You just need to know portion control. I'm accountable for what I put in my body."
The hardest thing for Mills was pushing through her plateaus.
"I would lose (weight) for about seven days and then nothing for about 10 to 15 days, which was the hardest," she says."
Read the whole thing...
"A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person
lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror."
-Ken Keyes, Jr.
This is an interesting story--a woman who once weighed over 300 pounds lost a bunch of it, simply by following simple steps...and without a personal trainer:
"
Tomorrow finally came on August 17, 2009. After snapping that photo, Mills went into her purse and pulled out the tips the doctor had given her:
1. Eat 8 ounces of food every 3 hours
2. No sugary drinks
3. Do not skip meals
4. Do not tell anyone what you're doing
So that's what she did -- or didn't do, really. Almost two years later, Mills has dropped 232 pounds from her body and has trimmed her waist down to 26 inches (a size 6).
And she did it all without a trainer.
"I've always walked, no matter how hard it was," says Mills. "Then, I used Richard Simmons' "Sweating to the Oldies" because it's low-impact. Now I Zumba, which is like Richard Simmons on speed."
She doesn't go crazy with her workouts. She walks about five times a week, sweats to Simmons twice a week and fits Zumba in when she can.
Since following the tips, Mills can't even eat a full 8 ounces of food anymore -- her stomach has gotten so small -- and she needs to be very picky about what she eats. Her body craves the "good food," so she listens to it. Her latest cravings have been fresh pineapples and mandarin oranges.
Don't think that she's a saint either. She still enjoys temptations ... within reason.
"I still go out to eat and I still eat junk," says Mills. "My guilty pleasure for the last 8 months is Breyer's fat free ice cream -- ½ cup a night."
When she goes out to eat, she orders a meal -- anything she wants -- and asks for a to-go box. It helps with eating healthy food portions, even if she's noshing on her favorite meal: fried chicken fingers and deep fried potato chips.
"Out of sight, out of mind," says Mills. "I don't get sick any more from eating too much. You just need to know portion control. I'm accountable for what I put in my body."
The hardest thing for Mills was pushing through her plateaus.
"I would lose (weight) for about seven days and then nothing for about 10 to 15 days, which was the hardest," she says."
Read the whole thing...
"A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person
lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror."
-Ken Keyes, Jr.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
GETTING BETTER SLEEP
I know some of us out there at times don't get the kind of night's sleep that we really need. I don't know that this is something at all related to Moebius Syndrome. Instead, it's common among a lot of people today. But there are ways to deal with it, and so here is an article that tells the story of one insomniac woman...and how she beat insomnia. Maybe what she did can help you, too:
"A typical night for Christine Riley involves a lot of tossing and turning, a lot of staring at nothing and, much to her chagrin, very little sleeping. "It feels like hours. ... I lay there and I lay there," the 44-year-old school teacher from Mansfield, Mass., told "Good Morning America."
Like 30 million other Americans, Riley suffers from insomnia. It's a problem that goes well beyond the bedroom.
"I'm in a meeting and I can't finish the thought because my brain is shut down," Riley said.
Riley said she has tried taking vitamins, going to bed earlier, exercising and even taking sleeping pills but nothing has worked. Getting the proper amount of sleep can affect the rest of your life because sleep could be connected to other activities neurologically, Toth said.
"It's likely that there's some areas of the brain that are more activated and these areas might correlate to those complaints that someone with insomnia might have," said sleep expert Claudia Toth of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine department at Sleep Health Centers in Weymouth, Mass.
Medicine, it turns out, isn't necessarily the answer for insomnia, the most common sleeping disorder, Toth said. "You don't need to take medicine to deal with insomnia," she said. "In the long run, cognitive behavioral therapy tends to be a more effective approach."
Cognitive behavioral therapy retrains your brain in order to change your behavior.
It's a therapy that Leah Schloss said worked wonders for her.
Schloss said she had been suffering with sleep problems off an on for over two years before she started cognitive behavioral therapy with Toth about three months ago.
"It was pretty clear from the outset that I was going to bed way too early," the 40-year-old from Newton, Mass., said. "I was spending all this time in bed where I wasn't sleeping."
Using sleep restriction and stimulus control, Schloss said her sleep has now become "stable."
"You know, I still have the occasional not-so-great night, but I sleep pretty much-- I have a very regular sleep pattern now," she said. "One of the best things about it is I just don't worry about sleep as much... I really just have less anxiety and I think it frees my mind to do other things."
According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several parts to cognitive behavioral sleep therapy.
This technique involves getting rid of negative thoughts about sleeping or any worries that keep you awake at night, the Mayo Clinic said.
Sleep Restriction
"The sleep-restriction technique basically involves someone limiting time in bed closer to the amount of time that they estimate they're actually sleeping," Toth said. "After getting into bed, we'll have you get up and out of bed in about 15 minutes if you feel like you're not sleepy. Move into another room, do puzzles, listen to music. I want you to wait until you get drowsy, no matter how long it takes. We want to help you build your hunger for sleep. ... Avoid all activities other than sleep in bed."
According to ABC News senior health and medical editor Dr. Richard Besser, the most important part of this part of the therapy is making sure you wake up at the same time every day.
"Initially you may get less sleep, but setting your alarm for the same time every day will help ensure you are tired at night," Besser said.
Remain Passively Awake
It may sound counter-intuitive, but the Mayo Clinic suggests you can alleviate anxiety about not sleeping by simply not making any effort to fall asleep.
Stimulus Control
The stimulus control method helps you control what your bed means to you and can help you get rid of any negative associations you may have with it. Use the bed only for sleeping and intimacy and ditch the television and other distractions.
Sleep Hygiene
This part of the therapy involves tempering or eliminating lifestyle habits that could interfere with sleep like smoking or drinking too much coffee or alcohol. It also involves a winding down period for an hour or two before bed.
More Tips for a Restful Night's Sleep
Americans spend an estimated $2 billion every year on sleeping pills. But there are cheaper, more effective ways to combat the problem, Besser said.
Check out Besser's tips below.
Get a bedtime routine. They're not just for kids. Parents too can benefit from the routine, essentially warning your body its almost time for sleep.
Make sure the room is quiet and dark. Use eye shades if your room gets a lot of light.
Think positively. Saying things like, "I'm never going to fall asleep" can actually affect your ability to do just that. Don't think self-defeating thoughts when you hit the sack. Keep it positive.
Cover your clock. Most people when they wake at night immediately look at the clock. Bad idea. Cover the clock or get it out of the bedroom.
Don't hang out in bed. If you're not sleeping or being intimate, don't just lie around in bed.
Wake up the same time every day, even on the weekends. It may feel good to sleep in on the weekends after a week of hard work, but sleeping in on Saturday or Sunday morning is setting yourself up for trouble on Sunday night."
Some good advice!
"In achieving success, backbone is more important than
wishbone." -Frank Tyger
I know some of us out there at times don't get the kind of night's sleep that we really need. I don't know that this is something at all related to Moebius Syndrome. Instead, it's common among a lot of people today. But there are ways to deal with it, and so here is an article that tells the story of one insomniac woman...and how she beat insomnia. Maybe what she did can help you, too:
"A typical night for Christine Riley involves a lot of tossing and turning, a lot of staring at nothing and, much to her chagrin, very little sleeping. "It feels like hours. ... I lay there and I lay there," the 44-year-old school teacher from Mansfield, Mass., told "Good Morning America."
Like 30 million other Americans, Riley suffers from insomnia. It's a problem that goes well beyond the bedroom.
"I'm in a meeting and I can't finish the thought because my brain is shut down," Riley said.
Riley said she has tried taking vitamins, going to bed earlier, exercising and even taking sleeping pills but nothing has worked. Getting the proper amount of sleep can affect the rest of your life because sleep could be connected to other activities neurologically, Toth said.
"It's likely that there's some areas of the brain that are more activated and these areas might correlate to those complaints that someone with insomnia might have," said sleep expert Claudia Toth of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine department at Sleep Health Centers in Weymouth, Mass.
Medicine, it turns out, isn't necessarily the answer for insomnia, the most common sleeping disorder, Toth said. "You don't need to take medicine to deal with insomnia," she said. "In the long run, cognitive behavioral therapy tends to be a more effective approach."
Cognitive behavioral therapy retrains your brain in order to change your behavior.
It's a therapy that Leah Schloss said worked wonders for her.
Schloss said she had been suffering with sleep problems off an on for over two years before she started cognitive behavioral therapy with Toth about three months ago.
"It was pretty clear from the outset that I was going to bed way too early," the 40-year-old from Newton, Mass., said. "I was spending all this time in bed where I wasn't sleeping."
Using sleep restriction and stimulus control, Schloss said her sleep has now become "stable."
"You know, I still have the occasional not-so-great night, but I sleep pretty much-- I have a very regular sleep pattern now," she said. "One of the best things about it is I just don't worry about sleep as much... I really just have less anxiety and I think it frees my mind to do other things."
According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several parts to cognitive behavioral sleep therapy.
This technique involves getting rid of negative thoughts about sleeping or any worries that keep you awake at night, the Mayo Clinic said.
Sleep Restriction
"The sleep-restriction technique basically involves someone limiting time in bed closer to the amount of time that they estimate they're actually sleeping," Toth said. "After getting into bed, we'll have you get up and out of bed in about 15 minutes if you feel like you're not sleepy. Move into another room, do puzzles, listen to music. I want you to wait until you get drowsy, no matter how long it takes. We want to help you build your hunger for sleep. ... Avoid all activities other than sleep in bed."
According to ABC News senior health and medical editor Dr. Richard Besser, the most important part of this part of the therapy is making sure you wake up at the same time every day.
"Initially you may get less sleep, but setting your alarm for the same time every day will help ensure you are tired at night," Besser said.
Remain Passively Awake
It may sound counter-intuitive, but the Mayo Clinic suggests you can alleviate anxiety about not sleeping by simply not making any effort to fall asleep.
Stimulus Control
The stimulus control method helps you control what your bed means to you and can help you get rid of any negative associations you may have with it. Use the bed only for sleeping and intimacy and ditch the television and other distractions.
Sleep Hygiene
This part of the therapy involves tempering or eliminating lifestyle habits that could interfere with sleep like smoking or drinking too much coffee or alcohol. It also involves a winding down period for an hour or two before bed.
More Tips for a Restful Night's Sleep
Americans spend an estimated $2 billion every year on sleeping pills. But there are cheaper, more effective ways to combat the problem, Besser said.
Check out Besser's tips below.
Get a bedtime routine. They're not just for kids. Parents too can benefit from the routine, essentially warning your body its almost time for sleep.
Make sure the room is quiet and dark. Use eye shades if your room gets a lot of light.
Think positively. Saying things like, "I'm never going to fall asleep" can actually affect your ability to do just that. Don't think self-defeating thoughts when you hit the sack. Keep it positive.
Cover your clock. Most people when they wake at night immediately look at the clock. Bad idea. Cover the clock or get it out of the bedroom.
Don't hang out in bed. If you're not sleeping or being intimate, don't just lie around in bed.
Wake up the same time every day, even on the weekends. It may feel good to sleep in on the weekends after a week of hard work, but sleeping in on Saturday or Sunday morning is setting yourself up for trouble on Sunday night."
Some good advice!
"In achieving success, backbone is more important than
wishbone." -Frank Tyger
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
GOT PAIN? HERE'S A HOME-MADE PAIN RELIEVER
I know many of us with Moebius Syndrome and facial differences face pain daily. How to deal with it? No aspirin available? Well, there's always this:
I know many of us with Moebius Syndrome and facial differences face pain daily. How to deal with it? No aspirin available? Well, there's always this:
"If you’re in pain and you don’t have any aspirin or ibuprofen close by – don’t worry. According to researchers in England, just throw out a couple of swear words, and your pain could subside in no time, the Telegraph reported.
A study by researchers at Keele University found that letting a few expletives fly out of your mouth can be a powerful painkiller, especially for people who never swear.
For the study, student volunteers placed their hands in buckets of ice cold water, and were asked to swear repeatedly. The students were then instructed to put their hands back in the frigid water, but this time, they were told to repeat a harmless phrase.
In the end, the researchers found that the students who repeatedly swore were able to keep their hands submerged in the ice water for a longer period of time.
The research team believes the “pain-lessening effect” occurs because swearing triggers the ''fight or flight'' response."
Kind of amusing, too...
"The clearest sign of wisdom is continued cheerfulness."
-Montaigne
-Montaigne
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
HOW TO LIVE LONGER
Lots of good tips here---and some of them will surprise you:
"For decades we’ve been told that stress can kill you, that happy people live longer and that hours in the gym will keep you healthy. Now researchers have turned this kind of long-cherished conventional wisdom on its head. The new mantra: Stress can be good for you. Serious people may live longer than those with sunny dispositions. The treadmill may not hold the key to longevity.
These conclusions come from a unique study, which followed 1,500 Californians across eight decades. The study is described in a new book, “The Longevity Project.” Study co-author Leslie Martin says that some of the new results surprised both her and her co-author, Howard Friedman.
So, if what we’ve been told isn’t true, what can we do to live a long life? Below are eight suggestions gleaned from the longevity study.
Not all stress is the same. If you hate your job, ditch it before the stress kills you. But, if you love your job, don’t sweat the stress.
As it turns out, there’s good stress and bad stress. If you’ve got a job where your boss is out to get you or you’re experiencing sexual harassment, that’s bad stress. But if your stress arises out of a job that you love, then the stress won’t hurt you, Martin says. In fact, some of the people who lived the longest were those who were completely absorbed by their careers, working long hours. The key to good job stress is to find work that engages you and makes you feel productive.
Reach out and touch someone — on a regular basis. People who connect with friends and family tend to live longer. So, Martin says, one of the best things you can do is strengthen social ties. “And you get an extra benefit if you have social connections that involve helping others,” she adds.
If you’re disconnected, Martin recommends joining social groups or volunteering.
Don’t make your dog your best friend. Pets are all well and good, but they are no substitute for human contact. People with pets didn’t live any longer than others in the study. And if they substituted pets for human connections, they lived shorter lives.
Don’t worry about worrying. If you’re a worrier, that may be a good thing. If you’re not, maybe you need to be. “There is a beneficial type of worrying,” Martin says. “When you worry about things, you play out scenarios, you plan for possibilities. That kind of worrying is good. If you’re worrying over something you have no control over – that’s bad.”
Be careful about who you choose to marry. A good marriage may lead to longevity, but a bad marriage – and divorce – can shave years off your life. “Divorce is harmful,” Martin says. “A man can mitigate the damage from divorce by being remarried. Women are almost as well off staying single after a divorce. And contrary to what’s been found in other studies, being steadily single is virtually as good as being in a long term marriage.”
If you’re an exceedingly sunny person, tone it down a bit. “People tend to think of cheerfulness as good, but we found exactly the opposite,” Martin says. “Cheerful kids lived shorter lives. That was a big shocker.”
Overly optimistic people tend not to be as careful as those who have a more serious take on life. “If you’re one of those people who expects things will always turn out great, you may benefit from listening to the perspectives of others,” Martin says. “Awareness is a key component. And being a little more prepared and a little more risk-averse.”
If you hate the gym, don’t go. While it’s good to be fit, you’ll never stick with an exercise regimen that you hate or that bores you. Back when this study started – in the 20s – people didn’t jog. But some of them still lived long lives. The key, Martin says, is to stay active doing something you enjoy, whether that’s gardening, woodworking – whatever is your passion.
Don’t retire early. A lot of people think that early retirement will help them live longer, but the study shows that the opposite might be true. Looking at study volunteers who were still working in their 70s, Martin and her co-author concluded, “the continually productive men and women lived much longer than their laid-back comrades.”
"The path to cheerfulness is to sit cheerfully and to act
and speak as if cheerfulness were already there." -William
James
Lots of good tips here---and some of them will surprise you:
"For decades we’ve been told that stress can kill you, that happy people live longer and that hours in the gym will keep you healthy. Now researchers have turned this kind of long-cherished conventional wisdom on its head. The new mantra: Stress can be good for you. Serious people may live longer than those with sunny dispositions. The treadmill may not hold the key to longevity.
These conclusions come from a unique study, which followed 1,500 Californians across eight decades. The study is described in a new book, “The Longevity Project.” Study co-author Leslie Martin says that some of the new results surprised both her and her co-author, Howard Friedman.
So, if what we’ve been told isn’t true, what can we do to live a long life? Below are eight suggestions gleaned from the longevity study.
Not all stress is the same. If you hate your job, ditch it before the stress kills you. But, if you love your job, don’t sweat the stress.
As it turns out, there’s good stress and bad stress. If you’ve got a job where your boss is out to get you or you’re experiencing sexual harassment, that’s bad stress. But if your stress arises out of a job that you love, then the stress won’t hurt you, Martin says. In fact, some of the people who lived the longest were those who were completely absorbed by their careers, working long hours. The key to good job stress is to find work that engages you and makes you feel productive.
Reach out and touch someone — on a regular basis. People who connect with friends and family tend to live longer. So, Martin says, one of the best things you can do is strengthen social ties. “And you get an extra benefit if you have social connections that involve helping others,” she adds.
If you’re disconnected, Martin recommends joining social groups or volunteering.
Don’t make your dog your best friend. Pets are all well and good, but they are no substitute for human contact. People with pets didn’t live any longer than others in the study. And if they substituted pets for human connections, they lived shorter lives.
Don’t worry about worrying. If you’re a worrier, that may be a good thing. If you’re not, maybe you need to be. “There is a beneficial type of worrying,” Martin says. “When you worry about things, you play out scenarios, you plan for possibilities. That kind of worrying is good. If you’re worrying over something you have no control over – that’s bad.”
Be careful about who you choose to marry. A good marriage may lead to longevity, but a bad marriage – and divorce – can shave years off your life. “Divorce is harmful,” Martin says. “A man can mitigate the damage from divorce by being remarried. Women are almost as well off staying single after a divorce. And contrary to what’s been found in other studies, being steadily single is virtually as good as being in a long term marriage.”
If you’re an exceedingly sunny person, tone it down a bit. “People tend to think of cheerfulness as good, but we found exactly the opposite,” Martin says. “Cheerful kids lived shorter lives. That was a big shocker.”
Overly optimistic people tend not to be as careful as those who have a more serious take on life. “If you’re one of those people who expects things will always turn out great, you may benefit from listening to the perspectives of others,” Martin says. “Awareness is a key component. And being a little more prepared and a little more risk-averse.”
If you hate the gym, don’t go. While it’s good to be fit, you’ll never stick with an exercise regimen that you hate or that bores you. Back when this study started – in the 20s – people didn’t jog. But some of them still lived long lives. The key, Martin says, is to stay active doing something you enjoy, whether that’s gardening, woodworking – whatever is your passion.
Don’t retire early. A lot of people think that early retirement will help them live longer, but the study shows that the opposite might be true. Looking at study volunteers who were still working in their 70s, Martin and her co-author concluded, “the continually productive men and women lived much longer than their laid-back comrades.”
"The path to cheerfulness is to sit cheerfully and to act
and speak as if cheerfulness were already there." -William
James
Monday, April 18, 2011
BEWARE OF ODD WORK SCHEDULES
Of, that is, working third shifts, working late into the night, working too many hours. This not only affects air traffic controllers; this affects many in our society. And it can hurt your health:
"Czeisler said the potential danger isn't limited to air traffic controllers, but can apply to truck and bus drivers, airline pilots and those in the maritime industry. Who else? Factory workers, police, firefighters, emergency workers, nurses and doctors, cooks, hotel employees, people in the media and others on night or changing shifts.
"We live in a very sleep-deprived society where many people are burning the candle at both ends," Czeisler said. He said that a half-century ago, just 2 percent of people slept six hours or less per night; today it's 28 percent.
Dr. William Fishbein, a neuroscientist at the City University of New York, said that when people work odd shifts "it mucks up their biological rhythms."
Hormones are synchronized with the wake-sleep cycle. When people change shifts, the brain never knows when it's supposed to be asleep, so this affects how people function.
People who change shifts every few days are going to have all kinds of problems related to memory and learning, Fishbein said. This kind of schedule especially affects what he called relational memories, which involve the ability to understand how one thing is related to another.
In addition to drowsiness and inability to concentrate, people working night shifts are more subject to chronic intestinal and heart diseases and have been shown to have a higher incidence of some forms of cancer. The World Health Organization has classified shift work as a probable carcinogen."
"Better the cottage where one is merry than the palace
where one weeps." -Chinese Proverb
Of, that is, working third shifts, working late into the night, working too many hours. This not only affects air traffic controllers; this affects many in our society. And it can hurt your health:
"Czeisler said the potential danger isn't limited to air traffic controllers, but can apply to truck and bus drivers, airline pilots and those in the maritime industry. Who else? Factory workers, police, firefighters, emergency workers, nurses and doctors, cooks, hotel employees, people in the media and others on night or changing shifts.
"We live in a very sleep-deprived society where many people are burning the candle at both ends," Czeisler said. He said that a half-century ago, just 2 percent of people slept six hours or less per night; today it's 28 percent.
Dr. William Fishbein, a neuroscientist at the City University of New York, said that when people work odd shifts "it mucks up their biological rhythms."
Hormones are synchronized with the wake-sleep cycle. When people change shifts, the brain never knows when it's supposed to be asleep, so this affects how people function.
People who change shifts every few days are going to have all kinds of problems related to memory and learning, Fishbein said. This kind of schedule especially affects what he called relational memories, which involve the ability to understand how one thing is related to another.
In addition to drowsiness and inability to concentrate, people working night shifts are more subject to chronic intestinal and heart diseases and have been shown to have a higher incidence of some forms of cancer. The World Health Organization has classified shift work as a probable carcinogen."
"Better the cottage where one is merry than the palace
where one weeps." -Chinese Proverb
Friday, April 15, 2011
ER--YOUR TODDLER MIGHT BE ABOUT TO LEARN A NEW WORD
I thought this was interesting--and now I know what a speech 'disfluency" is:
I thought this was interesting--and now I know what a speech 'disfluency" is:
"Stuck with a word on the tip of your tongue when talking to a toddler? Don't worry — a new study finds that hesitant speech may help the kid learn new vocabulary.
Language disfluencies, or the "ums" and "uhs" that pepper everyday speech, give young children a clue that the next word coming will be a new one, according to the study, which was published online Thursday (April 14) in the journal Developmental Science.
These clues may help children link new words with new objects in their environment.
"Very young children who don't have many words in their vocabulary have learned that disfluencies contain information that is useful in telling them what a speaker is going to refer to next," study researcher Celeste Kidd, a graduate student in brain and cognitive science at the University of Rochester, told LiveScience."
And I'm sure it works the same way for children who have Moebius Syndrome. I believe that what slows down the speech development of children with Moebius is simple---they have to learn not just what to say...but then how to use the mouth they've been given to say it.
But they do learn that.
"No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking."
-Francois-Marie Arouet de Voltaire
-Francois-Marie Arouet de Voltaire
Thursday, April 14, 2011
HEY, MOMS AND DADS: MAKE SURE YOUR KIDS GET TO SLEEP
It helps their brain development, for one thing:
"Across the country each morning, groggy teens are dragging themselves out of bed and trudging sleepily off to school. These bleary-eyed young people are often too tired to take in much of what’s being taught in their early morning classes.
But that’s not the only downside to a nation of chronically tired teens — researchers now worry there may be other, more serious consequences. As part of the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams series "The Teen Brain: A Work in Progress," Dr. Nancy Snyderman examines the toll sleep deprivation can have on our kids.
Young people are sleeping just seven-and-a-half hours on weeknights, a full two hours less than experts recommend for adolescents, a new poll by the National Sleep Foundation has found. Such sleep deficits may interfere with brain development and increase the chance that a teen will develop attention deficit disorder and other cognitive problems, along with heightened risks for obesity, immune problems and depression, scientists now believe.
“Our 18-year-olds need at least as much sleep as our 10-year-olds,” says Dr. Mary Carskadon, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University and director of Chronobiology and Sleep Research at Bradley Hospital. That’s because this is an age when major construction is going on in the brain, Carskadon explains.
New research, including Carskadon’s, has shown that the body uses sleeping hours to hook up critical new circuitry in the developing brain."
And those of us with Moebius know--we want to develop our brains as much as we can...
"Problems do not go away. They must be worked through or
else they remain, forever a barrier to the growth and
development of the spirit." -M. Scott Peck
It helps their brain development, for one thing:
"Across the country each morning, groggy teens are dragging themselves out of bed and trudging sleepily off to school. These bleary-eyed young people are often too tired to take in much of what’s being taught in their early morning classes.
But that’s not the only downside to a nation of chronically tired teens — researchers now worry there may be other, more serious consequences. As part of the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams series "The Teen Brain: A Work in Progress," Dr. Nancy Snyderman examines the toll sleep deprivation can have on our kids.
Young people are sleeping just seven-and-a-half hours on weeknights, a full two hours less than experts recommend for adolescents, a new poll by the National Sleep Foundation has found. Such sleep deficits may interfere with brain development and increase the chance that a teen will develop attention deficit disorder and other cognitive problems, along with heightened risks for obesity, immune problems and depression, scientists now believe.
“Our 18-year-olds need at least as much sleep as our 10-year-olds,” says Dr. Mary Carskadon, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University and director of Chronobiology and Sleep Research at Bradley Hospital. That’s because this is an age when major construction is going on in the brain, Carskadon explains.
New research, including Carskadon’s, has shown that the body uses sleeping hours to hook up critical new circuitry in the developing brain."
And those of us with Moebius know--we want to develop our brains as much as we can...
"Problems do not go away. They must be worked through or
else they remain, forever a barrier to the growth and
development of the spirit." -M. Scott Peck
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
HONEY AIN'T JUST FOR BISCUITS ANYMORE
It can aid your health:
It can aid your health:
"New research has found that honey can be effective in helping to reverse antibiotic resistance, in addition to clearing infected wounds.
According to a study from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff, manuka honey interferes with the growth of three types of bacteria commonly found in wounds—Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Group A Streptococci and Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
ON THE JOB FRONT
Here's some good advice when it comes to dressing for success:
"...while our culture continues trending towards the informal, I believe there's still a case to be made for dressing up. I'm not talking about showing up to the office every day in a three-piece suit if HR asks only for business casual. I just think that adopting a "better than the next guy" attitude toward your wardrobe can only help you at work. Every office has a dress code — whether expressly imposed or just socially enforced. While you could get dressed in the morning thinking about what you can get away with, clothing-wise, it's a low bar to aim for. After all, that's not how you approach the rest of your workday, is it? If you're invested in your career, you're probably already doing the superficial things that telegraph the message, "I'm good at my job." Things like showing up fifteen minutes earlier than your co-workers in the morning. Or keeping talk of any inebriated weekend exploits to a minimum (at least around your superiors). Dressing well is just one more simple action you can take that reinforces your competence. If you're truly dedicated to excelling in your chosen career, cutting corners — whether it's in your actions, attitude or attire — won't get you very far.
Why bother, you may ask? Dressing up doesn't make me any better at my job. True, but it is a chance to make a positive impression on those who have no idea how good you are at your job. Let's say your boss' boss sees you once a week, on the elevator, maybe, or at the far end of a conference table during a staff meeting. You've never talked to him or her, and they've never really seen you in action. How you look, then, is one way you can make an impression without saying a word. Don't you want that impression to be a good one?"
MORE GOOD ADVICE: STOP PROCRASTINATING--IMMEDIATELY!
And here's a couple of good ways to do it:
"Do the worst thing first
Maybe this is the last suggestion you want to hear. But there's a good reason to start with the tough stuff.
"We have a limited, depletable supply of willpower and resources," says Piers Steel, Ph.D., a professor of human resources and organizational dynamics at the University of Calgary and the author of "The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Things Done."
Attack the hardest task when your energy is fresh and you give yourself the strongest chance of success. Doing otherwise can have a damaging domino effect.
"Putting off the dreaded item on your list saps your strength," says Eva Wisnik, who conducts time-management training for lawyers and corporations in New York City. Ultimately all your other tasks suffer -- stressing over that worst thing "makes you not completely present with anything else," says Wisnik.
So identify and get started on the most heinous project, which is not necessarily the biggest job but the baddest. "Checking it off will make you feel super-productive," says Wisnik, thus infusing with you with gung-ho, it's-all-downhill-from-here enthusiasm.
Start your day over at 2 p.m.
What's more irritating than witnessing your morning fly by without having dealt with your to-do list? Watching your afternoon roll right along with it.
Combat this by implementing a reboot: "At 2 p.m. every day, assess how much you've accomplished, remind yourself of what's critical, and alter your plan so you can tackle the most important thing," says Wisnik.
In other words, grant yourself a second morning in the middle of the day (complete with your caffeinated beverage of choice). And if there's a new project that has become high priority, you still have the time and the energy to start it at 2 p.m.
"If you wait until 5 p.m. to evaluate your day," says Wisnik, "you're out of time -- and in crisis mode, putting out fires."
I especially agree with doing the most difficult task first. That strategy has really helped me...
"Live in terms of your strong points. Magnify them. Let your
weaknesses shrivel up and die from lack of nourishment."
-William Young Elliott
Here's some good advice when it comes to dressing for success:
"...while our culture continues trending towards the informal, I believe there's still a case to be made for dressing up. I'm not talking about showing up to the office every day in a three-piece suit if HR asks only for business casual. I just think that adopting a "better than the next guy" attitude toward your wardrobe can only help you at work. Every office has a dress code — whether expressly imposed or just socially enforced. While you could get dressed in the morning thinking about what you can get away with, clothing-wise, it's a low bar to aim for. After all, that's not how you approach the rest of your workday, is it? If you're invested in your career, you're probably already doing the superficial things that telegraph the message, "I'm good at my job." Things like showing up fifteen minutes earlier than your co-workers in the morning. Or keeping talk of any inebriated weekend exploits to a minimum (at least around your superiors). Dressing well is just one more simple action you can take that reinforces your competence. If you're truly dedicated to excelling in your chosen career, cutting corners — whether it's in your actions, attitude or attire — won't get you very far.
Why bother, you may ask? Dressing up doesn't make me any better at my job. True, but it is a chance to make a positive impression on those who have no idea how good you are at your job. Let's say your boss' boss sees you once a week, on the elevator, maybe, or at the far end of a conference table during a staff meeting. You've never talked to him or her, and they've never really seen you in action. How you look, then, is one way you can make an impression without saying a word. Don't you want that impression to be a good one?"
MORE GOOD ADVICE: STOP PROCRASTINATING--IMMEDIATELY!
And here's a couple of good ways to do it:
"Do the worst thing first
Maybe this is the last suggestion you want to hear. But there's a good reason to start with the tough stuff.
"We have a limited, depletable supply of willpower and resources," says Piers Steel, Ph.D., a professor of human resources and organizational dynamics at the University of Calgary and the author of "The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Things Done."
Attack the hardest task when your energy is fresh and you give yourself the strongest chance of success. Doing otherwise can have a damaging domino effect.
"Putting off the dreaded item on your list saps your strength," says Eva Wisnik, who conducts time-management training for lawyers and corporations in New York City. Ultimately all your other tasks suffer -- stressing over that worst thing "makes you not completely present with anything else," says Wisnik.
So identify and get started on the most heinous project, which is not necessarily the biggest job but the baddest. "Checking it off will make you feel super-productive," says Wisnik, thus infusing with you with gung-ho, it's-all-downhill-from-here enthusiasm.
Start your day over at 2 p.m.
What's more irritating than witnessing your morning fly by without having dealt with your to-do list? Watching your afternoon roll right along with it.
Combat this by implementing a reboot: "At 2 p.m. every day, assess how much you've accomplished, remind yourself of what's critical, and alter your plan so you can tackle the most important thing," says Wisnik.
In other words, grant yourself a second morning in the middle of the day (complete with your caffeinated beverage of choice). And if there's a new project that has become high priority, you still have the time and the energy to start it at 2 p.m.
"If you wait until 5 p.m. to evaluate your day," says Wisnik, "you're out of time -- and in crisis mode, putting out fires."
I especially agree with doing the most difficult task first. That strategy has really helped me...
"Live in terms of your strong points. Magnify them. Let your
weaknesses shrivel up and die from lack of nourishment."
-William Young Elliott
Monday, April 11, 2011
MOEBIUS SYNDROME IN THE NEWS
Today, it's our new hero, Abbi Forester, from Scotland:
"Abbi Forrester's parents know without doubt when she is happy - despite never having seen her smile. The four-year-old suffers from a rare illness that means she is unable to form any facial expressions, so strangers often think she is unhappy. But her mother Linda knows differently by her daughter's laughter and giggles when she is playing.
The 37-year-old from Kirkcaldy said: "I found it hard when Abbi was younger. When you smile at a baby and they don't smile back it is harder to feel a bond. "It's still difficult when we are in the supermarket and people come up and say, 'give me a smile', 'where is my smile?'
"But I know when she wants to smile, you can hear it in her voice, you can see that sparkle in her eye. And when she gives me a cuddle, you hear her giggle or she says I love you Mummy, it doesn't matter that she's not smiling at all."
Abbi is one of just 14 people in Scotland thought to be living with Moebius Syndrome, which paralyses all the nerves in her face. Her mother was told by doctors there was a problem with Abbi at her 20-week pregnancy scan. Abbi had club feet, which pointed her legs inward, a known sign of Moebius Syndrome. When she was born at Forth Park Hospital, she was limp because of the damaged nerves in her face and upper body.
Doctors gave her anti-fitting medication, believing she was having seizures because her eyes rolled around in her head. In fact, the paralysed nerves in her eyelids meant she couldn't move them. Her rolling eyes were her way of blinking, and she slept with her eyes wide open. At 12 days old Abbi was transferred to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, where she was diagnosed.
Her mother, who was taken to a side room with husband Greg to be told the news, said: "I was concerned that Abbi was going to be severely disabled or brain damaged. When I found out what it was, I was almost relieved. It could have been a lot worse."
The paralysis in Abbi's throat meant she had to be tube-fed for the first two years of her life. Moebius sometimes affects the skeleton and so she has one hand smaller than the other. She has low-set ears, an arched palate and a deformed tongue. But the most obvious symptom is her inability to frown or smile. She cannot close her mouth because her jaws aren't strong enough to pull together. Her mother, a production operator for drinks firm Diageo, said: "As her mum I just know when she's smiling. It may not be on her face but she is smiling inside." The Forresters have been helped to cope with Abbi's condition by the Moebius Research Trust, a charity that provides advice and information on the rare symptoms. The family say the trust has helped them to feel less isolated."
WORRIED ABOUT OVERSCHEDULING YOUR CHILD?
Well, for you moms and dads out there, just maybe...don't be. Research suggests very, very few children out there are truly frazzled and tense from being too busy. Rather, too many might not have enough to do:
Today, it's our new hero, Abbi Forester, from Scotland:
"Abbi Forrester's parents know without doubt when she is happy - despite never having seen her smile. The four-year-old suffers from a rare illness that means she is unable to form any facial expressions, so strangers often think she is unhappy. But her mother Linda knows differently by her daughter's laughter and giggles when she is playing.
The 37-year-old from Kirkcaldy said: "I found it hard when Abbi was younger. When you smile at a baby and they don't smile back it is harder to feel a bond. "It's still difficult when we are in the supermarket and people come up and say, 'give me a smile', 'where is my smile?'
"But I know when she wants to smile, you can hear it in her voice, you can see that sparkle in her eye. And when she gives me a cuddle, you hear her giggle or she says I love you Mummy, it doesn't matter that she's not smiling at all."
Abbi is one of just 14 people in Scotland thought to be living with Moebius Syndrome, which paralyses all the nerves in her face. Her mother was told by doctors there was a problem with Abbi at her 20-week pregnancy scan. Abbi had club feet, which pointed her legs inward, a known sign of Moebius Syndrome. When she was born at Forth Park Hospital, she was limp because of the damaged nerves in her face and upper body.
Doctors gave her anti-fitting medication, believing she was having seizures because her eyes rolled around in her head. In fact, the paralysed nerves in her eyelids meant she couldn't move them. Her rolling eyes were her way of blinking, and she slept with her eyes wide open. At 12 days old Abbi was transferred to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, where she was diagnosed.
Her mother, who was taken to a side room with husband Greg to be told the news, said: "I was concerned that Abbi was going to be severely disabled or brain damaged. When I found out what it was, I was almost relieved. It could have been a lot worse."
The paralysis in Abbi's throat meant she had to be tube-fed for the first two years of her life. Moebius sometimes affects the skeleton and so she has one hand smaller than the other. She has low-set ears, an arched palate and a deformed tongue. But the most obvious symptom is her inability to frown or smile. She cannot close her mouth because her jaws aren't strong enough to pull together. Her mother, a production operator for drinks firm Diageo, said: "As her mum I just know when she's smiling. It may not be on her face but she is smiling inside." The Forresters have been helped to cope with Abbi's condition by the Moebius Research Trust, a charity that provides advice and information on the rare symptoms. The family say the trust has helped them to feel less isolated."
WORRIED ABOUT OVERSCHEDULING YOUR CHILD?
Well, for you moms and dads out there, just maybe...don't be. Research suggests very, very few children out there are truly frazzled and tense from being too busy. Rather, too many might not have enough to do:
"Nick Nunley spent his childhood years on the go. It started with hockey in first grade, and later expanded to other sports, including baseball, cross country, basketball and golf. Now a senior in high school in Illinois, Nunley focuses on hockey and golf, sometimes playing on two or three hockey teams in one season. He also heads the school's law club. Most weeks, Nunley said, he spends 15 or 20 hours participating in extracurricular activities.
In some circles, a schedule like Nunley's is a cause for concern: Could he be doing too much, overscheduling himself to the point of stress? Authors of books, such as "The Over-Scheduled Child: Avoiding the Hyper-Parenting Trap" (St. Martin's Griffin, 2001), have worried that parents and kids are becoming frazzled and anxious in the face of constant activities. The image of the overstructured child with no time to play is a common media refrain.
But Nunley and his mother Vanessa, who blogs at moreismoremom.wordpress.com, say they're happy with the schedule they set. Trips to practices and games were "some of the best moments of our family life," Vanessa Nunley told LiveScience. And for Nick, who is headed to DePauw University in Indiana next fall, it's the downtime that's no fun.
"My hockey career just ended and it's not quite golf season yet, so I'm a little bored not having things to do all the time," Nick Nunley told LiveScience. [Sidebar: Parent and Expert Tips for Juggling Busy Kids]
Despite fears of overscheduling, new research suggests that busy kids like Nick may not have much to worry about. While it's true that the benefits of involvement in activities decrease when kids are extremely busy, only a small number of children and teens take part in that many extracurricular activities. Far more kids take part in no structured activities outside of school at all, said Jennifer Fredricks, who presented research on overscheduling March 31 at a meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) in Montreal.
"I'm definitely more worried about that group," Fredricks said.
Nationwide, being busy is not an epidemic. In 2006, SRCD published a report finding that kids spent on average just five hours in structured activities (besides school) each week. Just 3 percent to 6 percent spend more than 20 hours a week in extracurricular activities.
"It's a community that has a voice," Amy Bohnert, a psychologist at Loyola University in Chicago, said of the small percentage of kids who do struggle with taking on too much. "[Overscheduling] is real for certain people, but it's not the reality of most people in this country."
Nationwide, being busy is not an epidemic. In 2006, SRCD published a report finding that kids spent on average just five hours in structured activities (besides school) each week. Just 3 percent to 6 percent spend more than 20 hours a week in extracurricular activities.
"It's a community that has a voice," Amy Bohnert, a psychologist at Loyola University in Chicago, said of the small percentage of kids who do struggle with taking on too much. "[Overscheduling] is real for certain people, but it's not the reality of most people in this country."
"When you innovate, you've got to be prepared for everyone
telling you you're nuts." -Larry Ellison
telling you you're nuts." -Larry Ellison
Friday, April 8, 2011
Here's some interesting health tips for today...
EMOTIONAL EATING: IT CAN BE OKAY
Many assume that stress-eating, or I've-had-a-bad-day-and-therefore-I-want-chocolate eating, is horrible and makes you gain weight. But not necessarily:
"Your idea of a good time after a bad day is a scoop of dulce de leche ice cream piled high atop a fudge brownie.
You aren't eating it because you're hungry, and you certainly aren't trying to get your recommended daily allowance of calcium. Nope, you're digging in because each creamy mouthful makes you feel inexplicably happy. Is that really so bad?
Surprisingly, emotional eating doesn't have to be a problem, says Michelle May, M.D., author of "Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat."
"Trying to talk yourself out of getting a mood boost from food only sets you up for a bigger overeating problem -- like bingeing," she says. You can comfort yourself with food and stay thin with these simple ground rules...
Tip 1: Emo-eat only what you love
Before you crack open the Ben & Jerry's, though, do what May calls the "Four-Really Test": Ask yourself if you really, really, really, really want it. "That will help keep you from grabbing whatever is in front of you," she says. "Reach for something you don't really want, and you're likely to eat more of it because it isn't satisfying."
That's the danger of answering a craving with a lighter version of what you want or with something else altogether. Not only does it defeat the purpose of giving yourself a gooey treat -- with the bonus of taking you back to a happy time in a way that only food can -- but it sets you up for a pig-out.
"If I'm not hungry, but I need a little pleasure in my life, isn't it ridiculous to eat a rice cake?" May asks. "Not only do I not need that fuel, but it's not even going to give me the pleasure." At all.
Tip 2: Make it blow your mind
Step away from that laptop, TV, or iPad, so you can focus fully on the treat you want to eat. Here's why: If you don't take a moment to enjoy everything about it, "then the real reason you're eating it won't be served," May explains, and you'll be more likely to give in to other high-calorie foods -- not to mention more of them.
Tip 3: Don't eat it on an empty stomach
Even if what you're dying for is a slice of carrot cake, play the part of your mother and tell yourself, Not till you've finished your dinner.
"If you've had a good meal with protein, vegetables, and a healthy fat, your dessert has a better chance of being emotionally satisfying," says Julia Ross, director of the Recovery System Clinic in Mill Valley, California, and author of "The Diet Cure." "But a lot of women skip meals to save calories and go straight to dessert, so their blood sugar spikes, then crashes, and they end up going back for seconds and thirds. Over time they aren't saving calories."
Going back for another and another also puts you scary-close to emotional eating's danger zone: overeating. "There's no harm in meeting any need with food -- unless it becomes chronic or extreme," Ross says.
Tip 4: Bag the guilt
It'll strip the pleasure right out of your splurge. "Nobody should feel guilty if they use food to celebrate or feel comfort," Ross says.
EMOTIONAL EATING: IT CAN BE OKAY
Many assume that stress-eating, or I've-had-a-bad-day-and-therefore-I-want-chocolate eating, is horrible and makes you gain weight. But not necessarily:
"Your idea of a good time after a bad day is a scoop of dulce de leche ice cream piled high atop a fudge brownie.
You aren't eating it because you're hungry, and you certainly aren't trying to get your recommended daily allowance of calcium. Nope, you're digging in because each creamy mouthful makes you feel inexplicably happy. Is that really so bad?
Surprisingly, emotional eating doesn't have to be a problem, says Michelle May, M.D., author of "Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat."
"Trying to talk yourself out of getting a mood boost from food only sets you up for a bigger overeating problem -- like bingeing," she says. You can comfort yourself with food and stay thin with these simple ground rules...
Tip 1: Emo-eat only what you love
Before you crack open the Ben & Jerry's, though, do what May calls the "Four-Really Test": Ask yourself if you really, really, really, really want it. "That will help keep you from grabbing whatever is in front of you," she says. "Reach for something you don't really want, and you're likely to eat more of it because it isn't satisfying."
That's the danger of answering a craving with a lighter version of what you want or with something else altogether. Not only does it defeat the purpose of giving yourself a gooey treat -- with the bonus of taking you back to a happy time in a way that only food can -- but it sets you up for a pig-out.
"If I'm not hungry, but I need a little pleasure in my life, isn't it ridiculous to eat a rice cake?" May asks. "Not only do I not need that fuel, but it's not even going to give me the pleasure." At all.
Tip 2: Make it blow your mind
Step away from that laptop, TV, or iPad, so you can focus fully on the treat you want to eat. Here's why: If you don't take a moment to enjoy everything about it, "then the real reason you're eating it won't be served," May explains, and you'll be more likely to give in to other high-calorie foods -- not to mention more of them.
Tip 3: Don't eat it on an empty stomach
Even if what you're dying for is a slice of carrot cake, play the part of your mother and tell yourself, Not till you've finished your dinner.
"If you've had a good meal with protein, vegetables, and a healthy fat, your dessert has a better chance of being emotionally satisfying," says Julia Ross, director of the Recovery System Clinic in Mill Valley, California, and author of "The Diet Cure." "But a lot of women skip meals to save calories and go straight to dessert, so their blood sugar spikes, then crashes, and they end up going back for seconds and thirds. Over time they aren't saving calories."
Going back for another and another also puts you scary-close to emotional eating's danger zone: overeating. "There's no harm in meeting any need with food -- unless it becomes chronic or extreme," Ross says.
Tip 4: Bag the guilt
It'll strip the pleasure right out of your splurge. "Nobody should feel guilty if they use food to celebrate or feel comfort," Ross says.
Besides, hating yourself for loving that chocolate shake will only make you need another (high-calorie) mood boost. It comes down to this: When you eat to feel good, let yourself feel good. Then move on."
Thursday, April 7, 2011
THE DIVERSITY OF MOEBIUS SYNDROME
I was reading the other day about some of the questions those in the Moebius community have considering this condition. Someone asked, for example, if others have problems sleeping, as did her son. I know that problems with sleeping certainly do come up within our community. Some, when they are young, have "night terrors." Occasionally this goes on into adulthood. I think I had some of that when I was young. Fortunately, it died away as I got older. (Although, as my wife will tell you, I do occasionally have strange dreams...though I think many people experience those!)
So some in the Moebius community have experiences with sleep problems. Others don't. Certainly those who do have these issues are the ones to ask about them. But what this makes me think of is this: it's a remarkable thing just how much diversity there is in the Moebius community. We all share some facets of the syndrome. But we don't share all of them. Different people with Moebius can have very different things. Not all of us have club feet. Not all of our eyes are affected in exactly the same way. Which just goes to show you: you want diversity??? We got diversity for you, right here.
The most important thing we have in common is that we all do look and sound different, and we all know what it means to confront society with that. Our diversity means we can all help each other...yet in different ways. Kind of a nice thing...
I was reading the other day about some of the questions those in the Moebius community have considering this condition. Someone asked, for example, if others have problems sleeping, as did her son. I know that problems with sleeping certainly do come up within our community. Some, when they are young, have "night terrors." Occasionally this goes on into adulthood. I think I had some of that when I was young. Fortunately, it died away as I got older. (Although, as my wife will tell you, I do occasionally have strange dreams...though I think many people experience those!)
So some in the Moebius community have experiences with sleep problems. Others don't. Certainly those who do have these issues are the ones to ask about them. But what this makes me think of is this: it's a remarkable thing just how much diversity there is in the Moebius community. We all share some facets of the syndrome. But we don't share all of them. Different people with Moebius can have very different things. Not all of us have club feet. Not all of our eyes are affected in exactly the same way. Which just goes to show you: you want diversity??? We got diversity for you, right here.
The most important thing we have in common is that we all do look and sound different, and we all know what it means to confront society with that. Our diversity means we can all help each other...yet in different ways. Kind of a nice thing...
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
YET ANOTHER INSPIRING STORY
So check out the guy who's getting his own TV show on Oprah Winfrey's new network:
"Meet Zach Anner, a 26-year-old filmmaker from Austin, Tex., who just won his own television show on Oprah Winfrey’s new network. He’s handsome, smart and funny — oh, and he gets around in a wheelchair. Mr. Anner has cerebral palsy, “the sexiest of the palsies,” as he puts it in his audition video.
That line, along with a spoof of a failed TV show about yoga, has won him legions of online fans. (“This isn’t yoga,” he tells the camera as he writhes on the floor. “I’m just putting on pants.”)
In an online contest for a spot on “Your Own Show” on OWN, the video received more than nine million votes — and not because of Mr. Anner’s disability, according to Lee Metzger, the show’s executive producer.
“You do see the chair, and he has some erratic movements, ” Mr. Metzger said. “But once you start to talk to him, you see that his chair and his body are not what he’s all about. He’s a bright guy with a lot of great ideas, and he’s funny.”
Cerebral palsy is caused by abnormalities in parts of the brain that control muscle movements. In mild cases, patients may have slurred speech and motor impairments; in severe ones, the symptoms include irregular posture, spasticity and inability to walk.
Other performers have had cerebral palsy, among them RJ Mitte, who plays a teenager on the AMC series “Breaking Bad”; Josh Blue, who won the NBC reality show “Last Comic Standing” in 2006 with routines that mocked his own lack of motor control; and Geri Jewell, who had a recurring role on “The Facts of Life” in the 1980s.
But their disabilities appear less severe compared with those of Mr. Anner, who has spasticity in all four limbs.
A native of Buffalo, Mr. Anner said his parents insisted he attend regular schools and be treated just like other children. “My family is weird in a very good way because I was always exposed to the arts,” he said. (His mother teaches acting and playwriting at the University at Buffalo; his father is a bartender and videographer, with a passion for travel.) “Everything was always about finding creative energy and finding different ways to do things.”
By his own account, he does not lack self-confidence. At a book signing for Bill Clinton’s “My Life,” Mr. Anner ignored the publicist who declined his request for an interview with the former president — “Being 20 at the time, I wasn’t going to listen to that,” he said — and shouted his question: “Being an environmentalist, how do you intend to save the trees with a book that’s this long?”
Mr. Anner says Mr. Clinton was gracious in his reply, joking that perhaps the 1,008-page book should have been printed on recycled plastic."
Read the whole thing. I think there's several things we with Moebius and/or facial differences can learn here. Note that it IS possible to see past differences; when it came to Zach Anner, people realized--he's a funny, intelligent guy. Notice also that Anner and his family were not afraid of getting out there, doing things, saying yes to life. That's why he attended regular schools and was not afraid to submit a video for Oprah Winfrey's contest. It's inspiring. Zach Anner did it. He achieved. We can too.
DON'T BE AFRAID TO HIT THE POOL
Want good exercise? Is running tough on your legs, knees, and joints? Consider swimming.
South Carolina researchers who followed thousands of people found that those who regularly swam lived longer.
OR MEDITATE
It can be good for reducing your sensitivity to pain:
"You don't have to be a Buddhist monk to experience the health benefits of meditation. According to a new study, even a brief crash course in meditative techniques can sharply reduce a person's sensitivity to pain.
In the study, researchers mildly burned 15 men and women in a lab on two separate occasions, before and after the volunteers attended four 20-minute meditation training sessions over the course of four days. During the second go-round, when the participants were instructed to meditate, they rated the exact same pain stimulus -- a 120-degree heat on their calves -- as being 57 percent less unpleasant and 40 percent less intense, on average.
"That's pretty dramatic," says Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The reduction in pain ratings was substantially greater than those seen in similar studies involving placebo pills, hypnosis, and even morphine and other painkilling drugs, he adds."
"Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best
to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other
innovations." -Steve Jobs
So check out the guy who's getting his own TV show on Oprah Winfrey's new network:
"Meet Zach Anner, a 26-year-old filmmaker from Austin, Tex., who just won his own television show on Oprah Winfrey’s new network. He’s handsome, smart and funny — oh, and he gets around in a wheelchair. Mr. Anner has cerebral palsy, “the sexiest of the palsies,” as he puts it in his audition video.
That line, along with a spoof of a failed TV show about yoga, has won him legions of online fans. (“This isn’t yoga,” he tells the camera as he writhes on the floor. “I’m just putting on pants.”)
In an online contest for a spot on “Your Own Show” on OWN, the video received more than nine million votes — and not because of Mr. Anner’s disability, according to Lee Metzger, the show’s executive producer.
“You do see the chair, and he has some erratic movements, ” Mr. Metzger said. “But once you start to talk to him, you see that his chair and his body are not what he’s all about. He’s a bright guy with a lot of great ideas, and he’s funny.”
Cerebral palsy is caused by abnormalities in parts of the brain that control muscle movements. In mild cases, patients may have slurred speech and motor impairments; in severe ones, the symptoms include irregular posture, spasticity and inability to walk.
Other performers have had cerebral palsy, among them RJ Mitte, who plays a teenager on the AMC series “Breaking Bad”; Josh Blue, who won the NBC reality show “Last Comic Standing” in 2006 with routines that mocked his own lack of motor control; and Geri Jewell, who had a recurring role on “The Facts of Life” in the 1980s.
But their disabilities appear less severe compared with those of Mr. Anner, who has spasticity in all four limbs.
A native of Buffalo, Mr. Anner said his parents insisted he attend regular schools and be treated just like other children. “My family is weird in a very good way because I was always exposed to the arts,” he said. (His mother teaches acting and playwriting at the University at Buffalo; his father is a bartender and videographer, with a passion for travel.) “Everything was always about finding creative energy and finding different ways to do things.”
By his own account, he does not lack self-confidence. At a book signing for Bill Clinton’s “My Life,” Mr. Anner ignored the publicist who declined his request for an interview with the former president — “Being 20 at the time, I wasn’t going to listen to that,” he said — and shouted his question: “Being an environmentalist, how do you intend to save the trees with a book that’s this long?”
Mr. Anner says Mr. Clinton was gracious in his reply, joking that perhaps the 1,008-page book should have been printed on recycled plastic."
Read the whole thing. I think there's several things we with Moebius and/or facial differences can learn here. Note that it IS possible to see past differences; when it came to Zach Anner, people realized--he's a funny, intelligent guy. Notice also that Anner and his family were not afraid of getting out there, doing things, saying yes to life. That's why he attended regular schools and was not afraid to submit a video for Oprah Winfrey's contest. It's inspiring. Zach Anner did it. He achieved. We can too.
DON'T BE AFRAID TO HIT THE POOL
Want good exercise? Is running tough on your legs, knees, and joints? Consider swimming.
South Carolina researchers who followed thousands of people found that those who regularly swam lived longer.
OR MEDITATE
It can be good for reducing your sensitivity to pain:
"You don't have to be a Buddhist monk to experience the health benefits of meditation. According to a new study, even a brief crash course in meditative techniques can sharply reduce a person's sensitivity to pain.
In the study, researchers mildly burned 15 men and women in a lab on two separate occasions, before and after the volunteers attended four 20-minute meditation training sessions over the course of four days. During the second go-round, when the participants were instructed to meditate, they rated the exact same pain stimulus -- a 120-degree heat on their calves -- as being 57 percent less unpleasant and 40 percent less intense, on average.
"That's pretty dramatic," says Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The reduction in pain ratings was substantially greater than those seen in similar studies involving placebo pills, hypnosis, and even morphine and other painkilling drugs, he adds."
"Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best
to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other
innovations." -Steve Jobs
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
HOME IS WHERE THE HEALTH IS
Meaning: don't work too many long hours--it might not be good for you:
"While you may consider yourself lucky to be working long hours -- or working at all -- in the current economy, your diligence may be undermining your health in the long run.
People who work an average of 11 or more hours per day have a 67 percent higher risk of suffering a heart attack or dying from heart disease than people who work a standard seven- to eight-hour day, according to a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Those who work between 10 and 11 hours per day have a 45 percent higher risk.
Work schedules may be an overlooked and underutilized early warning sign for heart disease, the researchers say.
Health.com: Surprising heart attack risks
If doctors simply asked their patients "How many hours do you work?" during office visits, an additional 5 percent of the people who have heart attacks each year might be identified beforehand as being at risk, says the lead researcher, Mika Kivimäki, Ph.D., a professor of epidemiology and public health at University College London.
Routinely burning the candle at both ends may not increase heart risk by itself, but it may be an indicator of an unhealthy lifestyle in general, according to experts who weren't involved in the research. The study didn't show a cause-and-effect relationship between long hours and heart attacks, they point out, and the apparent link could be due to a number of complicated health factors, including stress, lack of exercise, and eating high-calorie takeout rather than healthy home-cooked meals."
AN INSPIRING STORY
Meanwhile, in the UK, a boy has half a heart--and lives:
"A U.K. boy born with half a heart has defied the odds by living seven years longer than doctors thought he would, The Daily Mail reported.
Sammy Hori was expected to die within a few days of his birth, but now he enjoys playing football, despite only having one heart ventricle.
His parents, Eileen and Ken, who live in Cambridge, England, knew of Sammy’s condition even before he was born. Sammy has had three open heart surgeries.
“It is incredible watching him playing football with his friends as we never expected him to live for more than a week,” said Eileen, 41.
When Sammy was born in 2004, he weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and he was diagnosed with a double outlet right ventricle heart, meaning he had one pump instead of two.
Eileen said Sammy will always live with half a heart, but he can still have a normal life. If his ventricles in the right half should ever fail, then a heart transplant would be his next option, she added."
"When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand.
It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get
to work on it." -W. Clement Stone
Meaning: don't work too many long hours--it might not be good for you:
"While you may consider yourself lucky to be working long hours -- or working at all -- in the current economy, your diligence may be undermining your health in the long run.
People who work an average of 11 or more hours per day have a 67 percent higher risk of suffering a heart attack or dying from heart disease than people who work a standard seven- to eight-hour day, according to a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Those who work between 10 and 11 hours per day have a 45 percent higher risk.
Work schedules may be an overlooked and underutilized early warning sign for heart disease, the researchers say.
Health.com: Surprising heart attack risks
If doctors simply asked their patients "How many hours do you work?" during office visits, an additional 5 percent of the people who have heart attacks each year might be identified beforehand as being at risk, says the lead researcher, Mika Kivimäki, Ph.D., a professor of epidemiology and public health at University College London.
Routinely burning the candle at both ends may not increase heart risk by itself, but it may be an indicator of an unhealthy lifestyle in general, according to experts who weren't involved in the research. The study didn't show a cause-and-effect relationship between long hours and heart attacks, they point out, and the apparent link could be due to a number of complicated health factors, including stress, lack of exercise, and eating high-calorie takeout rather than healthy home-cooked meals."
AN INSPIRING STORY
Meanwhile, in the UK, a boy has half a heart--and lives:
"A U.K. boy born with half a heart has defied the odds by living seven years longer than doctors thought he would, The Daily Mail reported.
Sammy Hori was expected to die within a few days of his birth, but now he enjoys playing football, despite only having one heart ventricle.
His parents, Eileen and Ken, who live in Cambridge, England, knew of Sammy’s condition even before he was born. Sammy has had three open heart surgeries.
“It is incredible watching him playing football with his friends as we never expected him to live for more than a week,” said Eileen, 41.
When Sammy was born in 2004, he weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and he was diagnosed with a double outlet right ventricle heart, meaning he had one pump instead of two.
Eileen said Sammy will always live with half a heart, but he can still have a normal life. If his ventricles in the right half should ever fail, then a heart transplant would be his next option, she added."
"When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand.
It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get
to work on it." -W. Clement Stone
Monday, April 4, 2011
HAPPY MOMS/HAPPY KIDS?
I thought this was interesting, though I bet many of you won't be surprised by it:
I thought this was interesting, though I bet many of you won't be surprised by it:
"Kids these days are happier when Mom's content in her relationship with her partner, but their bliss is less dependent on Dad's relationship satisfaction, a new study based in the United Kingdom suggests.
The findings, announced Saturday (April 2), are based on a sample of 6,441 women, 5,384 men and 1,268 children ages 10 to 15.
Overall, 60 percent of young people reported being "completely satisfied" with their family situation, while that number dropped to 55 percent in families with a mother who was unhappy in her relationship. And for kids of moms who were happy in their relationships, the "completely satisfied" group rose to 73 percent.
The ingredients for the most chipper children included: living with two parents (either biological or stepparents); having no younger siblings; not quarrelling with their parents regularly; eating at least three evening meals per week with their family; and having a mother who is happy in her relationship with her husband or cohabiting partner."
Be happy, Moebius moms and dads...
"The soul which has no fixed purpose in life is lost; to be
everywhere, is to be nowhere." -Michel Eyquem De Montaigne
everywhere, is to be nowhere." -Michel Eyquem De Montaigne
Friday, April 1, 2011
MOEBIUS SYNDROME IN THE NEWS
Today our story comes from New Zealand, where we get to read about the young man with Moebius David Hartley and his mother. David's about to get a very nice surprise--a new puppy:
"Hamilton solo mum Leigha Hartley does not sleep – she dozes.
"I have to be able to hear the sounds David makes so I know when to clear his airway," Ms Hartley said.
David is Ms Hartley's five-year-old son and one of just six New Zealanders known to have moebius syndrome, a rare neurological disorder affecting cranial nerves that control muscles in the face and neck.
In David's case he cannot smile, frown or speak. He has difficulty eating and is visually impaired, though his mother is thankful he can move around on his own, including walking with the help of a walker.
"I do find myself being thankful that he is mobile and can do some things for himself, but he has to be watched by adults all the time so he has very little independence," she said.
Adult supervision is required to keep David's airway cleared using a special suction machine. Ms Hartley has no option but to sleep near her son to keep watch. "I have to clear his airway 20 times a day minimum – and even more often when he is sick."
The active youngster has endured close to 30 surgeries but, according to his mum, takes everything in his stride.
"He might not be able to show it but he is a really happy boy and incredibly loving and helpful," Ms Hartley said.
The pair are now preparing their Rototuna home for a new arrival, a whoodledor puppy which will be trained by Assistance Dogs New Zealand to recognise when David has difficulty and needs assistance.
"More importantly, it will give David a best friend with the added bonus of keeping him safe as well," Ms Hartley said.
Families are asked to meet the dog training costs of $10,000, so Ms Hartley has opened an online fundraising account to help raise money.
"I'm trying to raise $15,000 with any money raised over $10,000 going straight to Assistance Dogs New Zealand to help with ongoing work – they do such an amazing job and make a massive difference in so many families lives."
Mother and son have created their own form of communication. Although David is able to understand everything his mum says, he replies with hand gestures and movements that the pair have developed over time.
"The only thing missing is having a companion that David can call his own so he doesn't have an adult watching over him all the time – I'm hoping the puppy will give him that new lease on life," Ms Hartley said.
Anyone wishing to contribute to the Hartleys' dog training fund can go online to fundraiseonline.co.nz/leighaanddavidhartley"
What an amazing story. Here's to our new friends Leigha and David...
"Singleness of purpose is one of the chief essentials for success
in life, no matter what may be one's aim." -John D. Rockefeller
Today our story comes from New Zealand, where we get to read about the young man with Moebius David Hartley and his mother. David's about to get a very nice surprise--a new puppy:
"Hamilton solo mum Leigha Hartley does not sleep – she dozes.
"I have to be able to hear the sounds David makes so I know when to clear his airway," Ms Hartley said.
David is Ms Hartley's five-year-old son and one of just six New Zealanders known to have moebius syndrome, a rare neurological disorder affecting cranial nerves that control muscles in the face and neck.
In David's case he cannot smile, frown or speak. He has difficulty eating and is visually impaired, though his mother is thankful he can move around on his own, including walking with the help of a walker.
"I do find myself being thankful that he is mobile and can do some things for himself, but he has to be watched by adults all the time so he has very little independence," she said.
Adult supervision is required to keep David's airway cleared using a special suction machine. Ms Hartley has no option but to sleep near her son to keep watch. "I have to clear his airway 20 times a day minimum – and even more often when he is sick."
The active youngster has endured close to 30 surgeries but, according to his mum, takes everything in his stride.
"He might not be able to show it but he is a really happy boy and incredibly loving and helpful," Ms Hartley said.
The pair are now preparing their Rototuna home for a new arrival, a whoodledor puppy which will be trained by Assistance Dogs New Zealand to recognise when David has difficulty and needs assistance.
"More importantly, it will give David a best friend with the added bonus of keeping him safe as well," Ms Hartley said.
Families are asked to meet the dog training costs of $10,000, so Ms Hartley has opened an online fundraising account to help raise money.
"I'm trying to raise $15,000 with any money raised over $10,000 going straight to Assistance Dogs New Zealand to help with ongoing work – they do such an amazing job and make a massive difference in so many families lives."
Mother and son have created their own form of communication. Although David is able to understand everything his mum says, he replies with hand gestures and movements that the pair have developed over time.
"The only thing missing is having a companion that David can call his own so he doesn't have an adult watching over him all the time – I'm hoping the puppy will give him that new lease on life," Ms Hartley said.
Anyone wishing to contribute to the Hartleys' dog training fund can go online to fundraiseonline.co.nz/leighaanddavidhartley"
What an amazing story. Here's to our new friends Leigha and David...
"Singleness of purpose is one of the chief essentials for success
in life, no matter what may be one's aim." -John D. Rockefeller
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)