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Pharmaceutical Research
Misc.
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD: Better Living
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT: Prescriptions
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: March 2007
Kudos to Action
Kudos to Volunteers
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: MS Awareness
NEWSROOM: March 2007
Employment Discrimination: The ADA Needs You!
President’s 2008 Budget Hurts Domestic Programs
VETSFIRST: March 2007
New Fiscal Year VA Budget: Same Old Problems
RESEARCH FRONT: March 2007
Uric Acid and Spinal Cord Injury Treatment
Persistent Pain and Uncomfortable Sensations in Persons With MS
Experts Warn Spina Bifida May Be on the Rise
New Evidence that Spinal Cord Functions Similar to the Brain
Features
Compassionate Use and SCDs
Now that [...]
There is no doubt that most of the advancements in health care, and in spinal cord medicine, have been made possible by the ability to manage and control pain. We are forever indebted to our researchers and pharmacists in both the VA and civilian sector for making our lives more livable.
Of course, being able to afford the medications that many of us depend upon for our day-to-day functioning is another matter, and one that we as an organization need to monitor and address through the various agencies and the legislature. However, as you are all aware, the issue of health care, [...]
In this issue of Action, we focus on the advances in pharmaceutical research that improve our quality of life. One undeniable obstacle faced by many of our members is affordable access to these life-altering medications.
For instance, a prominent physician from a world-class rehabilitation center recently contacted me to express his concern that Ditropan (Oxybutynin), a commonly prescribed medication for spasticity of the bladder and the urinary tract, was being limited for his patients under Medicare Part D policies to 5 milligrams, three times per day-the common dose for the average user. For many of us with neurogenic bladder problems, however, effective [...]
Kudos to Action
Just want to congratulate you on what you’ve done with Action. I get several disability-related publications and this one always provides interesting and useful info in a short, snapshot format-I have recommended it to several people. I like your editorial plan.
As about half of our members have multiple sclerosis (MS), we strive to ensure that this demographic is represented and addressed in every issue of Action. But as we also strive to bring relevant information to people with all sorts of spinal cord injuries and disorders, by necessity, our monthly dosage of MS news is limited.
According to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (www.msfocus.org/), March is National MS Education and Awareness Month. The National MS Society (nmss.org) also reserves the first week of this month for its MS Awareness Week. So permit me to use the occasion of this special month to raise awareness [...]
Employment Discrimination: The ADA Needs You!
Many people with disabilities want to work and are able to work, but they find that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not protect them in the workplace. While the ADA was intended to protect people from employment discrimination, the courts have eroded its employment protections. At press time, it was expected that legislation would soon be introduced to restore the intended meaning of the ADA on employment issues.
Your story is important! Members of Congress respond when they hear how real people have been affected by government policy. The more examples we can [...]
Now that research has shown its positive effect on neuropathic pain and even spasticity, some people with spinal cord disorders are joining the fight to legalize medical cannabis.
Julie Falco (Photo by Paul Meredith)
By Lori A. Wood
Proponents of medicinal marijuana have credited it with the alleviation of everything from chemotherapy- induced nausea to glaucoma. Could the muscle spasticity and neuropathic pain common to certain spinal cord disorders (SCDs) someday be added to that list? According to researchers, it’s possible.
At the University of California in San Diego, the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (www.cmcr.ucsd.edu) is funding studies to [...]
A California biotech company hopes to boost the immune system without side-effects.
by Rob Ingraham
Descriptions of the body’s built-in defenses against disease—our immune system—abound in military terms. For example, a recent article in Scientific American entitled “Peacekeepers of the Immune System” described multiple sclerosis (MS), insulin- dependent diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis as the work of “renegade” white blood cells known as T- cells. “Normal versions of these cells serve as officers in the immune system’s armed forces, responsible for unleashing the system’s combat troops against disease-causing microorganisms.” (Fehervari & Sakaguchi, October 2006).
Targeting these renegade T-cells in the war against relapsing-remitting [...]
Research progresses, slowly, into the causes of and treatments for neuropathic post-SCI pain.
By Alan Krawitz
In life, there are various types of pain that run the gamut from minor inconvenience to disabling. And then, almost in a class by itself, is neuropathic pain, a severe, crippling type of pain that many people with spinal cord injuries often experience. Unfortunately, all pain is not created equal. In fact, the latest research says that more than half of all people with nerve and spinal cord damage experience damage to nerve fibers, which results in neuropathic pain.
“Many have described neuropathic pain as being, [...]
By Tom Scott
Skin damage is a common secondary condition that many individuals with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D) encounter. This damage is usually caused by pressure sores, also referred to as pressure ulcers, ischemic ulcers, decubitis ulcers, or bed sores. Pressure sores occur when an excessive amount of pressure is placed on an area of skin for long periods of time (i.e, sitting or lying down) resulting in the loss of blood flow and the eventual death of the skin and underlying tissue. They can also occur from friction or shearing, meaning your skin moves one way and the bone [...]
Taking Care of the People Who Take Care
Cathy R. Parsa, MA, RN, is in the first year of her term as president of the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Nurses (AASCIN). She is the education coordinator for the SCI/D Health Care Group an Educator for the SCI Series at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Long Beach Health Care System in Long Beach, California. Recently, she graciously consented to an interview with Action.
How long have you been a member of AASCIN?
I’m reasonably sure this is my twentieth anniversary with AASCIN. Like many members I was initially drawn to [...]
By Tamar Asedo Sherman
Myth 1: A common misconception is that people with disabilities get preferential treatment in applying for jobs, thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This erroneous thought could lead others to resent people with disabilities, thinking that we are not qualified for our jobs and were hired only because we have a disability.
It’s not that simple. We must meet all the same basic requirements for a job, have the requisite skills, experience, education, and be able to perform all the essential functions, with or without reasonable accommodations. The truth is that an employer is free to [...]
Participate in the RediAuto Track Challenge Autocross races on April 12, 2007 at Irwindale Speedway, Los Angeles. Both disabled and nondisabled competitors will need to supply their own cars for the race, and all level of drivers are invited. Race participants will have the opportunity to win a NASCAR test drive, a RediAuto Sport Soft Touch System, Long Beach Grand Prix packages and other sponsor prizes. Additional event highlights include music, entertainment, and fun for the whole family.
For more information on RediAuto Track Challenge or to find out how you can be selected to drive a RediAuto Sport pace car at [...]
By John M. Williams
How would you like to have a single device that turned on your lights, changed the channel, regulated your home temperature, opened automatic doors, answered your phone, checked your e-mail, and helped you balance your checkbook? How would you like it if the device could be operated by voice, eye movement, or a simple touch of a screen?
Anyone with access to such centralized environmental control would find it intriguing, but people with limited mobility or dexterity would probably find it especially useful. And that is why makers of environmental control systems market their products to people [...]
By Ed Lash
As was mentioned in last month’s conclusion to Relaxation and MS, it would be a serious error to suppose that relaxation techniques are the only antidote to stress and illness. But, together with good medical care, eating properly, exercising, good sleep habits, as well as living a moderate and varied life-style, learning to relax can be an important way to cope with and help manage MS and its symptoms, whether you are on MS medication or not.
By Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD
Building a new home is a daunting task. The investment is large and no one wants to make a mistake that you end up living with day after day for many years to come. There will be things that you notice after you move in that you wish you had done differently. But as we do our best to plan our dream homes, we try to avoid these mistakes by learning from others.
In my last two columns, I wrote about a visit my husband Mark and I made late last year to the home of Mark [...]
by Kathleen M. Muldoon
Happy March! I love March, don’t you? There’s so much to celebrate this month. For one, my favorite season, spring, starts in March. I love it when everything starts to bloom, the grass turns green, and birds start to build their nests-all the creatures in the world seem to be in love. Then there’s spring break, when students and teachers get a much needed rest and maybe even sneak in a little fun.
My absolute favorite thing about March, though, is that I get to celebrate my ethnic heritage. March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, a day [...]
By Tom Scott
United Spinal Participates in SCCA National Convention
United Spinal Association Motorsports representatives Bill Hannigan and Jeff Bressler were given a warm welcome at the Sports Car Club of America’s 2007 National Convention, which took place at the Crown Plaza Riverwalk in San Antonio Texas, from February 1-3. Hannigan, director of Sports Marketing at United Spinal, and Bressler, news director and anchor for Motor Trend Magazine’s Motor Trend Radio, spoke to over 400 attendees on the positive benefits that participation in motorsports competition can have on the quality of life of people with disabilities and how United Spinal’s unique [...]
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