MS Strength

I’m sipping my coffee and staying warm in my house today. I’ve got several Christmas events coming up, but I want to take the time to post about Joan’s chat room tonight, which always brightens my mood:

Delaware Area MS Online Chat
Friday 11 December, 7:00 – 9:00 pm (eastern time)
Chat Topic: CCSVI

Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is a condition where blood from the central nervous system has trouble getting back to the heart. Dr. Zamboni, a researcher from Italy, suggests that multiple sclerosis is a vascular disease that can be treated with a simple procedure to open blocked veins. He tested his theory on 65 MS patients, 90% of whom had CCSVI. The small study showed good results, and caused immediate excitement throughout the globe, with patients in many countries calling for broader research. It’s the latest hot topic, and something we need to be aware of. To quote Julie Stachowiak, Ph.D, from About.com, “Let us be hopeful, but let us be rational as we continue to monitor these developments.”

Want to learn more about CCSVI? I suggest you start with these sites:

http://csvi-ms.net/en

http://ms.about.com/b/2009/12/01/ccsvi-and-multiple-sclerosis.htm

~Let’s chat about this and anything else that comes up.

• If you want to connect online with others with multiple sclerosis in Delaware and surrounding areas, please join us THIS FRIDAY any time between 7:00 – 9:00 pm.
• If you are uncomfortable typing, you are still welcome to come and watch the conversation.
• If you have trouble seeing, you can increase the font size in the chat room by going to the top menu and selecting Options/Increase Font. Each time you select that option, it increases the font by one point.

***To attend, go to the right margin of A Short in the Cord and click on the coffee cup or “Enter My Chat Room.” Then follow the directions. (You must have Java enabled.)

Also in the news: I recently received my first Google Ads revenue payment (they are disbursed in $100 amounts) and I’ve found the area of the MS Society where I would like all MS Strength revenue to go: The National MS Society Scholarship Program. I’m a HUGE advocate for education and I like the idea that the donated funds will go directly to a program (I feared sending money in and having it used for office supplies or— worse— someone’s salary.)

***Again: thank you, readers, for your support with this fundraising project.