Embrace Life

“Only by joy and sorrow does a person know anything about themselves and their destiny. They learn what to do and what to avoid.”
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

It isn't that they can't see the solution. It is that they can't see the problem. —GK Chesterton


It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible. —Oscar Wilde



Education is the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another. —GK Chesterton


My only regret in life is that I did not drink more wine. —Ernest Hemingway


Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation. —Oscar Wilde


"He should have been a great philosopher...but he had made an unfortunate marriage." Virginia Woolf



I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. —GK Chesteron



To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe. —Marilyn Vos Savant



Change is something that happens every moment without our input. -David March



When someone once asked Diogenes why he often laughed by himself, he said, "For that very reason."

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy

It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible. —Oscar Wilde

The purpose of all education is to spare people time and error. 

- Alain de Botton

@alaindebotton

The internet to this generation of writers as alcohol was to previous ones: anxiety suppressant, enemy of talent, challenge.  - Alain de Botton 

A Simple Philosophy

“To ensure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.”  
- William Londen

Mind, Body, and Spirit

Health is a large word.  It embraces not the body only, but the mind and spirit as well;…and not today's pain or pleasure alone, but the whole being and outlook of a man. -James H. West

 “Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.”  - B.K.S. Iyengar

The root of all health is in the brain. The trunk of it is in emotion. The branches and leaves are the body. The flower of health blooms when all parts work together. - Kurdish Saying


Healthy Mind, Healthy Body


The mind has great influence over the body, and maladies often have their origin there.
- Jean Baptiste Molière


A healthy outside starts from the inside. ~Robert Urich

It is part of the cure to wish to be cured. ~Seneca



Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. - Buddha

A healthy body is a guest-chamber for the soul; a sick body is a prison. - Francis Bacon


Nor love, nor honour, wealth nor pow'r,

Can give the heart a cheerful hour

When health is lost. Be timely wise;

With health all taste of pleasure flies.

John Gay, Fables (1727), Part I. Fable 31


Importance of a Healthy Lifestyle


The doctor of the future will give no medicines, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the causes and prevention of disease.  - Thomas Edison



“To ensure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.”  ~William Londen


Sickness is the vengeance of nature for the violation of her laws. ~Charles Simmons


The Need for a Healthy Attitude

“Health is a relationship between you and your body”  ~Terri Guillemets

The... patient should be made to understand that he or she must take charge of his own life.  Don't take your body to the doctor as if he were a repair shop.  ~Quentin Regestein

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.”  ~Siddartha Guatama Buddha



Humans Have Self-Healing Capacity

You can learn to follow the inner self, the inner physician that tells you where to go. Healing is simply attempting to do more of those things that bring joy and fewer of those things that bring pain. ~O. Carl Simonton


The human body has been designed to resist an infinite number of changes and attacks brought about by its environment. The secret of good health lies in successful adjustment to changing stresses on the body. ~Harry J. Johnson

The greatest miracle on Earth is the human body. It is stronger and wiser than you may realize, and improving its ability to self heal is within your control." ~Dr Fabrizio Mancini



Health means different things to different people. Take time to define what health means to you and what you are willing to do or willing to give up doing to bring better health into your life. 

Investing in your health now can pay dividends for the rest of your life.

What is one easy thing you can do today to live healthier?  

As the Ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu famously said, 

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."




About The Author

Melanie Greenberg, Ph.D. is a Clinical Health Psychologist, and expert on Mindfulness, Weight & Stress Management, Mind-Body Interventions, Healthy Living,. Dr Greenberg provides workshops and speaking engagements for your organization and coaching and psychotherapy for individuals and couples.

Visit her website:

http://melaniegreenbergphd.com/marin-psychologist/

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-mindful-self-express

 http://marinpsychologist.blogspot.com



Melanie Greenberg, Ph.D., studies the health effects of expressive writing, cognitive adaptation to trauma, the genesis and treatment of chronic pain, among other coping issues.





Source:  The Best Quotes on Healthy Living | Psychology Today


  

Exploring CCSVI and MS

New results from MS Society of Canada funded study exploring CCSVI and MS

MS Update
July 30, 2013
 

Background: Determining the link between CCSVI and MS

Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is described as a condition in which the veins in the head and neck are narrowed or blocked (an effect known as stenosis) and therefore unable to efficiently remove blood from the brain and spinal cord. It is purported that obstruction in the veins can result in increased levels of iron in the brain, triggering autoimmune events leading to MS. CCSVI is a term developed by Dr. Paolo Zamboni, a vascular surgeon from Italy who, in 2009, published an article reporting the presence of CCSVI in a large group of MS patients. This evidence spawned much debate in the MS community, and since then CCSVI has remained an important topic of research around the world.

In June 2010, the National MS Society (USA) and the MS Society of Canada committed over $2.4 million to support seven new research projects that would gain further insight into the relationship between CCSVI and MS. These seven studies were designed to observe the structure and function of veins draining the brain and spinal cord in people with MS, and compare them to structure and function of veins in healthy volunteers as well as people with other neurological diseases.

Dr. Jerry Wolinsky and colleagues from the University of Texas Health Center in Houston were first to publish results from their study, which suggested no association between CCSVI and MS as seen on conventional ultrasound.  They took the study one step further and observed venous drainage in the same group of patients using alternative imaging techniques to determine if the results are similar or different to those collected from ultrasound.

The study:

The single-centre study enrolled 206 MS and 70 non-MS volunteers. The first aim of the study was to compare the prevalence of CCSVI as defined by neurosonography (ultrasound of the brain) in people with MS versus non-MS controls.

Of the 206 participants with MS, 98 were then subjected to intravascular contrast-enhanced 3D magnetic resonance venography (MRV). This is a highly sophisticated procedure in which a dye is administered to the patient to enable the scans to provide detailed images of the veins and observe blood flow in the head and neck. 

Of the 98 people with MS who underwent both ultrasound and MRV, 40 were examined using transluminal venography (TLV). This approach involves obtaining internal images by surgically inserting a catheter into the vein. In this study, the azygous and internal jugular veins were examined as narrowing or blockage of these veins is a believed to be a hallmark of CCSVI.  

Data collected from MRV and TLV images were compared to what was observed for the same patients using ultrasound.

Results:

Magnetic resonance venography (MRV)
In 71 out of 98 people with MS, neither ultrasound nor MRV detected the presence of CCSVI. In 26 out of 98 people with MS, ultrasound images that may have shown stenosis did not show stenosis on MRV, and vice versa. The research team reported that MRV may have advantages for imaging certain regions of the venous system that are poorly detected by ultrasound, which may account for the discrepancy.

Transluminal venography (TLV)
Of the 39 azygous veins examined, one showed minimal vein narrowing. About half of the internal jugular veins studied showed highly variable degrees of stenosis; the stenosis varied between 10-90%. Despite this, TLV findings suggest that any stenosis present is not of clinical significance.

Overall, additional findings from the study lend no support for altered venous flow in people with MS, and suggest that CCSVI does not likely contribute to the MS disease.

Comment:

New data from Dr. Wolinksy’s study sheds light on important questions regarding imaging techniques used to detect CCSVI. While most research on CCSVI and MS, including work by Dr. Zamboni, employs ultrasound to view the venous system in detail, there are other imaging methods that have the potential of identifying changes in vein structure with greater accuracy. Results from the other funded studies are expected in the coming months, and will provide further information on CCSVI and its implications for people with MS.

Source: 
Brod SA et al. Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency: makes multimodal imaging assessment. Multiple Sclerosis Journal 2013 4 July [Epub ahead of print]

National Research and Programs

  

---

Disclaimer
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada is an independent, voluntary health agency and does not approve, endorse or recommend any specific product or therapy, but provides information to assist individuals in making their own decisions.

Neuropsychologcal problems caused by regional gray matter atrophy in multiple sclerosis

In multiple sclerosis, gray matter atrophy is extensive, and cognitive deficits and mood disorders are frequently encountered.

It has been conjectured that focal atrophy is associated with emotional decline. However, conventional MRI has revealed that the pathological characteristics cannot fully account for the mood disorders.

Dr. Aiyu Lin and colleagues from the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University used the voxel-based morphometry method to compare the difference in the clinical manifestations and imaging parameters of Chinese patients with multiple sclerosis and healthy controls.

Furthermore, our study is the first to apply the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status scale in Chinese patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis to evaluate cognitive function.

The researchers suggest that gray matter atrophy exists in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, and the cingulate and frontal cortices of the dominant hemisphere are the most severely atrophic regions of the brain. 

Additionally, this atrophy is correlated with cognitive decline and emotional abnormalities. These findings are published in Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 21, 2013).

Article: " Regional gray matter atrophy and neu-ropsychologcal problems in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis," by Lin AY, Chen FY, Liu F, Li ZW, Liu Y, Lin SF, Wang XY, Zhu JT. .

References:

Neural Regen Res. 2013;8(21):1958-1965. doi:10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.21.004

Neural Regeneration Research

Citations:
Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

Neural Regeneration Research. "Neuropsychologcal problems caused by regional gray matter atrophy in multiple sclerosis." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 13 Aug. 2013. Web.
18 Aug. 2013.

APA

Neural Regeneration Research. (2013, August 13). "Neuropsychologcal problems caused by regional gray matter atrophy in multiple sclerosis." Medical News Today. Retrieved from
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/264674.php.

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.



Weekly newsletter e-mails available at: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/newsletters.php


 Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/printerfriendlynews.php?newsid=264674

Motivation

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.
- Aristotle

 Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.

- Henry Ford

 What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.

- Goethe

Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.
- Napoleon Hill

Vision without action is daydream. Action without vision is nightmare.

- Japanese Proverb

If you keep saying things are going to be bad, you have a chance of being a prophet.

- Isaac B. Singer

Keep on going and the chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down.

- Charles F. Kettering, Engineer and Inventor

 

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

- Mark Twain

A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.

- Hugh Downs

Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.

- Roy Goodman

If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today.

- E. Joseph Cossman

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.- Mark Twain

Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.

- Stephen R. Covey

Being defeated is only a temporary condition; giving up is what makes it permanent.

- Marilyn vos Savant, Author and Advice Columnist

Fall down seven times, get up eight.

- Japanese Proverb

 There are two primary choices in life: 

i. - to accept conditions as they exist, or 

ii. - accept the responsibility for changing them.

- Dr. Denis Waitley

Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes but don’t quit.

- Conrad Hilton

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

- John Wooden

 Attitudes are contagious. Make yours worth catching.

- Unknown

There are only two rules for being successful. 

One, figure out exactly what you want to do, and 

two, do it.

- Mario Cuomo

Life is “trying things to see if they work”

Ray Bradbury

Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.

- D. March

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.

- Goethe

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

Mahatma Gandhi

“Success is not to be measured by the position someone has reached in life, but the obstacles he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

Booker T. Washington

 There is no education like adversity.

- Disraeli

He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.

- Friedrich Nietzsche

How To Stop Worrying

The Mindfulness Approach to Worry

Consider this mindfulness approach next time you get bogged down in a sea of worry that looses you sleep and causes you mental suffering. Simply say the following to yourself to balance your worry with clearer seeing:

• No one ever worried their way to prosperity, in any aspect of life.
• I am preventing myself from seeing clearly and taking appropriate action.
• Worry will only lead me to irrational decisions based on non-realities (things that haven’t happened and probably won’t)
• My worry is infectious. It makes others worry too, causing unnecessary tension and stress.
• Worrying like this will make me stressed and possibly make me ill.
• No amount of worrying will make my situation better; only taking appropriate action can improve my situation.

It’s easy to worry, and sometimes impossible to avoid. But for the most part, unnecessary worry can be tempered by simply affirming the above and presenting logical balance to your state of mind.

How To Stop Worrying

Link:  http://www.pocketmindfulness.com/how-to-stop-worrying-the-mindfulness-approach/

Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism – Signs and Symptoms of a thyroid disorder

Note: sometimes thyroid problems occur along with m.s. (co-morbid).

Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism – Signs and Symptoms of a thyroid disorder

Link: http://patienttalk.org/?p=654

Cannabis-based medications tested for symptom relief in MS

Two recent trials in the UK have looked at the use of pharmaceutical drugs based on cannabis for the treatment of the symptoms of MS. Sativex is an oral spray that contains two ingredients derived from cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). It has previously shown promise in the treatment of muscle spasticity in the short term. A recent trial in the UK followed people taking Sativex over the longer term. This study was primarily looking to see if taking Sativex was safe over the longer time period and whether increased doses were needed to maintain effectiveness.

Read more at the link below
http://www.msra.org.au/cannabis-based-medications-tested-symptom-relief-ms

Link: http://www.ozms.org/content/cannabis-based-medications-tested-symptom-relief-ms?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter


OzMS (OzMS) on Twitter