I am in my 20’s and falling apart I have scoliosis (mild, lumbar and thoracic rotation) and arthisits at various points in my spine. I allso have moderate asthma.

What are some options for keeping the low back pain away? My doctor just says arthritis is progressive and come back when its unbearable/otc meds dont work anymore!

Is there anythign I can do now to slow down or prevent further degeneration? There has to be something, anything than just waiting for unbearable pain!

I take calcium dialy I asked my doc about other supplements she was pretty blaise ‘take what you want theres no real proff one way or the other’ so i have an appnt with a holistic med doc next week but looking for ideas, maybe somehting I cna request that my insurance might cover. They dont cover chiropractic that was my 1st idea

Hello I am 33 yrs old. In early 2009 I broke my foot and developed an ulcer. My doctor was concerned that I had diabetes and ran a series of tests. I found out I had diabetes and was also notified that I had Hep C. It was a terrible year. I ended up developing Osteomylitis(an infection in my bone) and went through hypoberic treatments and two surgeries. My last surgery cost me about 2 inches of bone on my right feet. I also found out I had onset arthritis which they didnt really go into too much detail about and I have peripheral neuropathy in my feet and hands.
Anyways, I was on medicaid at the time for anxiety problems and I am grateful that I had it. I lost my medicaid because I left town for nearly a month to find out when I returned that they sent me a letter wanting me to see a doctor and I missed the visit. Well that was nearly a year ago. My diabetes was by most parts neglected because I couldnt afford my medicines and I have been sick and had some infections.
Also my 14 yr old autistic son lives with me now because his mother passed away and my wife is due with our first child in April. My point in saying this is I was wanting to be normal and go get a job to be a good father, but I am always sick or my anxiety issues plague me.
I finally begged and pleaded my endocrinoligist to see me and they agreed and gave me a discounted co-pay. They seemed genuinely concerned because my A1C was 9.3 they gave me a bunch of free insulin and were very helpful. So at least for the time being I can try to treat my diabetes. Oh yeah they also notified me that I may also have some type of neuropathy in my stomach?
So anyhow I don’t know what to do? My hep C is completely untreated and I still havent had a biopsy to figure how bad it is. I can’t afford this! But I don’t want to die. This is all having a hard affect on me and definetly causing me more severe anxiety. Any suggestions?
One final note: My sons mother passed away in her sleep from diabetes. Her blood sugar dropped. So I have a serious understanding of this disease. I dont want my son to lose both parents to this.

I have Lupus, Evans Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Sjogrens. Are there scholarships for ANY of these? I’m asking because, thanks to my various hospital stays, treatments, and medications, my family cannot afford to send me to college. I have a 4.5 GPA and 32 ACT, if that is relevant.
Did you even read my question?
I’ve already been accepted, by the way. I’m not looking for sympathy; I’m looking for financial aid due to medical bills.
I’ll definitely try googling it.
To JD: Thanks for understanding. My family is struggling because of my expenses, but my dad makes way too much money for me to qualify for most grants and loans. Most scholarships don’t take medical bills into account, or at least not the ones I’ve seen so far.
I know that there are scholarships for other disabilities and illnesses that I’ve seen at school, like epilepsy, asthma, deafness, blindness, etc. That’s why I am curious.

Zero deaths caused by vitamins, minerals, amino acids or herbs
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor

(NaturalNews) To hear opponents of natural medicine say it, vitamins and herbs are extremely dangerous for your health. They should be regulated, we’re told, because they’re so dangerous!

Statistics from the U.S. National Poison Data System prove otherwise. According to a 174-page report just published, the number of people killed in 2009 across America by vitamins, minerals, amino acids or herbal supplements is exactly zero.

Compare that to the 100,000 (or so) Americans killed each year by FDA-approved pharmaceuticals — and that’s even according to studies published in JAMA. Also consider the thousands of women harmed or killed by medically-unjustified cancer treatments following false positives from faulty mammograms. And don’t forget about the more than 16,500 Americans killed each year from internal bleeding caused by NSAIDs (over-the-counter painkillers).

As the July 1998 issue of The American Journal of Medicine explains:

“Conservative calculations estimate that approximately 107,000 patients are hospitalized annually for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-related gastrointestinal (GI) complications and at least 16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur each year among arthritis patients alone.” (Singh Gurkirpal, MD, “Recent Considerations in Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Gastropathy”, The American Journal of Medicine, July 27, 1998, p. 31S)

So if NSAIDs alone are killing 16,500 people a year (or likely much more now, as use of these drugs has risen significantly since 1998), and nutritional supplements are killing zero people a year, why do health regulators try to scare everybody about vitamins being so “dangerous?”

Pharmaceuticals, meanwhile, are openly allowed to be prescribed for off-label use, meaning that doctors can prescribe them for diseases and health conditions for which they’ve never even been tested!

What’s wrong with this picture? It’s clearly a war against nutrition — a war against natural medicine — being waged by the health regulators of the world who are conspiring with Big Pharma to keep the people trapped in a state of malnutrition (all while profiting from their disease by selling them more patented pharmaceuticals).

The Orthomolecular Medicine News Service published a full article on this issue. Here’s what they had to say about the safety of nutritional supplements and the misguided attempts by world governments to limit or outlaw many supplements.

No Deaths from Vitamins, Minerals, Amino Acids or Herbs
Poison Control Statistics Prove Supplements’ Safety

There was not even one death caused by a dietary supplement in 2008, according to the most recent information collected by the U.S. National Poison Data System. The new 174-page annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers, published in the journal Clinical Toxicology, shows zero deaths from multiple vitamins; zero deaths from any of the B vitamins; zero deaths from vitamins A, C, D, or E; and zero deaths from any other vitamin.

Additionally, there were no deaths whatsoever from any amino acid or herbal product. This means no deaths at all from blue cohosh, echinacea, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, kava kava, St. John’s wort, valerian, yohimbe, Asian medicines, ayurvedic medicines, or any other botanical. There were zero deaths from creatine, blue-green algae, glucosamine, chondroitin, melatonin, or any homeopathic remedies.

Furthermore, there were zero deaths in 2008 from any dietary mineral supplement. This means there were no fatalities from calcium, magnesium, chromium, zinc, colloidal silver, selenium, iron, or multimineral supplements. Two children died as a result of medical use of the antacid sodium bicarbonate. The other “Electrolyte and Mineral” category death was due to a man accidentally drinking sodium hydroxide, a highly toxic degreaser and drain-opener.

No man, woman or child died from nutritional supplements. Period.

61 poison centers provide coast-to-coast data for the U.S. National Poison Data System, which is then reviewed by 29 medical and clinical toxicologists. NPDS, the authors write, is “one of the few real-time national surveillance systems in existence, providing a model public health surveillance system for all types of exposures, public health event identification, resilience response and situational awareness tracking.”

Over half of the U.S. population takes daily nutritional supplements. Even if each of those people took only one single tablet daily, that makes 154,000,000 individual doses per day, for a total of over 56 billion doses annually. Since many persons take more than just one vitamin or mineral tablet, actual consumption is considerably higher, and the safety of nutritional supplements is all the more remarkable.

If nutritional supplements are allegedly so “dangerous,” as the FDA and news medi

When I was 12 I was hit by a car. Though I suffered a mild concussion, I did not break any bones or even have a scratch on me. A year later I went in for the physical that was required for high school, and I was diagnosed with Arthritis. It was isolated to just my right hip, and they said it was most likely due to the car accident…
After a few months it got progressively worse, to the point where I could no longer walk without crutches.
After lots of treatments, and much debate, I had a total hip replacement when I was 16. I did all the necessary PT, and made a total recovery. I feel like a million bucks.
After college and working a bunch of corporate jobs, I decided I wanted something more fulfilling so I quit and now work for myself.
I’m 26, 5′10″ 135 lbs. No blood pressure issues, diabetes or absolutely anything. I consider myself to be in excellent health, yet I am denied health insurance across the board for a condition I don’t even have.
I cant get insurance that even excludes my hip. I am uninsurable.
It seems the only way I could get health insurance at this point would be to jump back into corporate america, or to marry someone and get on their plan (providing they have coverage).
This is disgustingly unreasonable.
What can I do?

I may or may not have lupus (tests are inconclusive right now). But I’m 19 and I do have pretty bad arthritis. My hands, my hips and my back hurt so much I can hardly walk at times, which make me sad since I used to athletic and now I’m barely toned.

Anyway, my doctor doesn’t give me many options. I can’t have a regular prescription for pain medication. NSAIDs do nothing. I take ibuprofen every four hours, but I wish there was a way to just get rid of the joint pain.

Does anyone know of alternative treatments? I don’t know what else is out there.

OK. So I guess this isn’t REALLY a question. It’s more of an informatory type few paragraphs.
You see now-a-days every body wants the cheapest thing you can stuff your so called “friend” into. well. It’s better to make them a home not a jail cell! Please be educated before you want to buy or even consider buying a bird.. SO many careless owners think that a bird is just oh, you get em a cage- put food and water in the bowl. and I’m done! NO that’s no where near done! the cage HAS to be big enough for the bird(s) to fly around the cage and not hit one thing. not 1! and budgies in the wild fly MILES every day. and our buds in captivity need at LEAST one hour a DAY to have exercises. AT LEAST 1 hour.

Rule of thumb when buying a cage for any bird. is. BUy the biggest you can afford! the bigger, the better! ANd please don’t be a careless owner who takes the pet store’s advice when you ask ” where are your flight cages for parakeets?” and they show you these extremely tiny cages. DON”T GET THEM! that would be to us, stuffing you into a closet to live in. HOw would you enjoy that!?
here are minimum cage requirements for parakeets
Minimum size for 1 parakeet——-18×18x18″
Volume = 5,832″ cubic inches

Minimum size for 2 parakeets—–30×18x18″
Volume = 9,720″ cubic inches

Minimum size for 3 parakeets—–32×18x20″
Volume = 11,520″ cubic inches

Minimum size for 4 parakeets—–34×18x25″
Volume = 15,300″ cubic inches

Minimum size for 5 parakeets—–35×18x30″
Volume = 18,900″ cubic inches

Minimum size for 6 parakeets—–40×18x32″
Volume = 23,040″ cubic inches

you will also need to care for the budgie( parakeet)
toys. ( they are very smart creatures, and their minds need to be stimulated! mirrors, bells are both very good and popular. shredding toys_ as they like to chew_ ect.)

you need to provide a variety of perches. and perch sizes. as they are always on their feet. if the only perch you provide for them is the perch that came with the cage. they could get numerous diseases from that including arthritis for example. OR bumble foot. ( like calluses for us but for them it is much more longer and painful then to us.) the most preferred are NATURAL WOOD PERCHES!!!!!! and buy as many sized, and different texture, diameter perches as you can.

also. if you ever want to add to your flock. ( another bird) and you get another bird after you have a or multiple bird. you must quarantine the bird for 35 -45 days! 45 days is more advised. this helps prevent the spread of disease that could kill your in tire flock! when you quarantine you keep the bird/newbie on the opposite end of your home from where you keep you bird(s) that you already have. and it is important that they make NO contact. I mean not inebriate the same air! NO contact. until condensation is done and over with. and you must not break quarantined nay reason. other wise you could risk harming or bringing illness your flock. ( which could be allot of money at the vet’s office i’m talking could be hundreds or even thousands of dollars for treatments!)

Please. I hope any one who took the time to read this will try to do the best for Thibaud. ( if you have or get(ing) one) and take into cconsiderationeverything you’ve read. if you didn’t know anything that I’ve posted here. I’m glad I was able to inform you.

If you EVER have any ?’s or concerns, or need advise, or need help, or anything to do with parakeets.
visit this wonderful online community. It is not like most bird forums. where they ddiscriminateeeach other and are rude and so on. they are VERY helpful people who are glad to help you with ANYTHING you need help with.

the website is

talkbudgies.com

on this forum. It has helped me in so many ways. I cannot put it all into words. I am so grateful I have this forum. they are like another family That I have. I go to for advice, if I ever need to vent, for help, concerns I have, tips, or just to cheer me up when I’m down. they help me through allot of stuff.

If you ever need any help. with your budgie. any advise, tips. anything. PLEASE I iin courageyou to visit this forum.( it is 100% free to sign up for. so do not worry about having to pay a fee for making a profile.)

I hoped that I have helped educate at least 1 person who read this. thank you for your time. I appreciate you for taking the time out of your day to read my informative letter. TTHANK YOU ttthank you thankyou!

monet.

Since I was a child I started to have widespread musculoskeletal pain. It started in my knees and in my wrists. Now I am 27 and the have consistent but intermittent pain all over my body. This includes sharp pains in my knee caps-especially when I drive, fiery feeling in my wrists-especially when I use my hands, and in the last year soreness in my spinal area from my neck all the way down to my butt. The soreness often goes up my arms and down my legs. The soreness is more intense in my butt/lower back though and the worst of my pain is in my knees/wrists. Like I said, the pains are not knew and they are progressing. I do have IBS, but no tender/trigger points and I am not depressed. I tried physical therapy but it only intensified the pain. I tried occupational therapy and no improvement. I also do not suffer migraines as most fibro patients do. My docs ruled out any type of arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel, and tendinitis. I’ve never had any MRI/CT scans done, and the docs think I’m making this up. Even though I keep trying to tell them the pain has been around for several years, they ignore it and say that it is all in my head and that I need counseling. This is so frustrating and agonizing, because they are supposed to be helping but are completely ignoring my condition. I never ask for pain medication because it never works anyway, so I’m not sure what reasons would influence me to make up the pain for over 10 years. One last thing, lately I notice that sometimes I will be in a store or standing somewhere and briefly blank out, not knowing where I am. But I will quickly regain my composure and everything will be fine. My sister-in-law is an RN and says I seriously need to see a neurologist and she doesn’t understand why they aren’t doing any tests. She’s known me since I was 14 and knows I am not making the pain up, so it is frustrating her also. What could be wrong with me and what should I do? No only will help ??? I’m at a dead end. They keep sending my in circles doing the same treatments that never even helped before, but they continue to ignore it. I even took lyrica and prozac against my better judgment and it didn’t help after month, but they are annoyed that I am looking for more answers beyond a pill or qick fix. Please help me or send me in a direction where I can find help. I have a 1 year-old to take care of and this pain is ruining my life. I asked the doc to renew my disabled placard and he refused, but it ended up resulting in me falling down a steep flight of stairs due to the intense pain. He could care less and told me to deal with it. Is this how docs usually tread chronic pain sufferers?
I should also mention that I do have problems concentrating/comprehending/confusing things, but am also told often that I am quite articulate. Sometimes I have dyslexia type symptoms.
Umm . . . I’m sorry lady. What are you talking about? I’m using my health to escape my situation as a single mother and from taking care of my son alone??? WTF are you talking about? I never said I’m alone and I never said I’m a single mother. See everyone, this is how unfair and inaccurate diagnosis’ are made. She is the perfect example. She made a rash judgment about me being a damsel in distress single mom and I never said that even in the least bit. I appreciate your advice lady, but please don’t judge me without having the facts. I’m not avoiding my son in any way, I absolutely love being about him and the rest of my family who are always there for me. They are just as frustrated as I am!

My name is Terisa and I am in desperate need of help! I am 19 years old and have been very ill for almost a year now. I have seen several doctors (including specialists), had hundreds of tests, and even more medications and treatments to no avail. I am getting pretty desperate because the nature of my illness is one that restricts me to home, limits me to few activities, and most importantly, keeps me in constant pain. I am hoping that somewhere out there is my House. I am looking for a doctor looking for a challenge or someone that has struggled with illness that may have answers! I am willing to take any suggestions so if anyone has any idea of what I could have, please feel free to put in your two cents! And please don’t hold back because of how serious a diagnoses you have. I’ve been told I have all sorts of terrible diseases so I’m not shy about that. The following are my symptoms.

*Wide spread, chronic, severe pain that is worst in the knees, hips, and back. The pain is made worse by movement, sitting, standing, exercise, walking, bending over, crouching down, and on bad days, laying down. The pain is helped by narcotic pain killers and heat but never goes away completely. A normal day my pain is between a 5 and 7 on the pain scale. With drugs, a 3 to 6 (The pain started March 2nd, 2009. At the time I was diagnosed with a bulging disc but I have since been undiagnosed. However the pain mimics that of a bulging disc if that helps.)

*Chronic, debilitating fatigue. This is more recent than the pain.

*Insomnia (I have always slept well before this.)

*Hair loss

*Cold Intolerance

*Clotting disorder (This one is bizarre. I have never had a problem until recently when I started bleeding into a bruise (blood started to pool under the skin at bruise site) and had a nose bleed for 2 hours. Tests show that I have a problem with my clotting time and my Factor 7 is high.)

*Severe abdominal pain (Severe abdominal spasms that bring me to my knees. I have been diagnosed with IBS but I include this as a symptom just in case.)

*Joint stiffness and weakness.

*Numbness, tingling, and weakness in left leg and lower back (this is why they thought I had a bulging disc.)

*Occasional twitching and shaking

*Extreme changes in appetite (sometimes I can’t eat and sometimes I can’t stop.)

*Nausea

*Headaches

*Stomach Ulcer (this might be stress related or some bizarre manifestation or what I have, I don;t know yet.)

*Changes in menstrual cycle even though I am on birth control and have been for 2 years.

*Irritability, anxiety, and depression.

Now here is the really bizarre part. I have been tested for and do not have: Hypothyroidism, Leukemia, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, A factor 7 disease, pregnancy, or anemia. This is where I stump everyone. I test negative for everything! So this is where I need help. If anyone has an idea of 1) What else I could possible have or 2) how it is possible that I could have the above mentioned things and test negative.

Well thanks for your time and help. I really appreciate anything anyone can offer me!

Thanks again.

Surgeon suspected torn cartilage so I had an arthroscope in Feb 08. Pre-op X-rays showed beginning of arthritis. After surgery doc advised that there was no tear but there were finger-like growths throughout the joint that he trimmed away. He also said back of patella very pitted so he scrapped this back. After 2 weeks, one of the wounds had still not healed and I ended up with excessive leakage, swelling and a raging fever. Had another arthroscope to clear infection and 4 days in hospital on drip. My knee has never been the same. I have had many physio treatments, different exercise/strengthening programs and even got orthopedics to try and alleviate the knee and leg pain. It is so bad that i have trouble walking, can no longer exercise and can’t sit on the floor with my children. The physio and surgeon keep telling me it will take time. Should I seek a second opinion or do I have to live with this pain?