Edgewalker - http://bearmedicineherbals.com/edgwalker. I am a wanna-be herbalist. I spend as much time as possible buried in books about plants and their medicinal and culinary and other uses. (Euell Gibbons is my hero in life, as described in Episode 38.) In this piece, Kiva Rose Hardin ponders what it means to be an herbalist, a person on the borders in many ways, written by a woman who practices the craft. I love the quotation that starts it from Kurt Vonnegut: "I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center." The ideas in this quotation remind me of my friend Barb Hurd's award-winning book Stirring the Mud: On Swamps, Bogs, and Human Imagination. She, too, explores borders, edges, and places--both physical and mental--that are not quite this or that. Other pages on the Edgewalker site also offer great information on herbalism and plants.
My Aldosteronism Blog - http://mspaldingpa.wordpress.com/. This was my first blog, and it has only one entry about my primary hyperaldosteronism. I'm pulling it into The Mary Dell Show as it contains good information (in my humble opinion) about aldosteronism and the problems of those so blessed to have this chronic disorder that affects one's endocrine equilibrium in the most basic ways, particularly one's sodium and potassium regulation. When the basics go wacky, the rest of the body follows!
This IS a treatable condition, but physicians who have practiced for many years may not be aware that it is considered much more common now than it used to be, thanks to updated testing. In fact, the literature estimates that as much as 10 to 25 percent of all persons told they have "essential" hypertension may, in fact, have aldosteronism. And it CAN be treated! Yet most doctors and even some websites still insist that it is a rare condition--wrong! So get the word out to all you know who have received the vague diagnosis of "essential hypertension."
Living with Idiopathic Hypersomnolence - http://www.livingwithhypersomnia.com/. Learn more about this strange and debilitating disease, and read the stories of other persons trying to make a life when all their body wants to do is sleep.
Cancer Bitch - http://cancerbitch.blogspot.com/ - I love this woman. I found her site when I was researching "polycythemia vera"--she has that in addition to her cancer. I love her New York Jewish intellectual worldview and sense of humor. I would love to go out for tea with her just once, but she's probably sick of telling her story by now. She inspired me to start my blog.
Getting a Correct Diagnosis in Neuromuscular Disease - http://quest.mda.org/article/getting-correct-diagnosis-neuromuscular-disease - An excellent Web site for anyone suspecting he or she may have a neurodegenerative or neuromuscular disease.
"Is a Hormone (Aldosterone) Responsible for Anxiety?" - As my readers should know, I partake of both anxiety and primary hyperaldosteronism on my personal smorgasbord of chronic disease. This article describes a small study that connects the two. More research should be done here. I'm convinced the two are linked. This article is from Medical News Today and is dated September 2, 2006.
MPN Forum - http://mpnforum.com/ - Several forums/discussion lists on myeloproliferative neoplasms, aka myeloproliferative disorders, exist. This is by far my favorite. The folks who put it together are knowledgeable, humorous, activist-y, and compassionate about these conditions. I thought I had polycythemia vera, as my early posts attest, and this site really helped me keep my head together during the toughest times. In fact, my polycythemia is secondary in nature, but the exact cause is still unknown. I contest that I am hypoxic frequently enough that it affects my red blood cells. Anyway--about MPN Forum: I especially like Zehn's zen-like approach. You must register (free) to join.
MoonDragon's Health & Wellness - Wegener's Granulomatosis - Very good resource on Wegener's.
Pituitary Gland and Hypothalamus - Upright-health.com. Great description of the function of these interacting little bits of vital brain tissue. As I've discussed many times, I believe many of my symptoms are due to hypothalamic dysfunction, and I do have one medically verified problem with my hypothalamus. Fascinating reading!
"Weed or Wonder?" My columns on wild plants in Appalachia can be found at the Appalachian Independent, an online newspaper, at http://www.appindie.org/index.php/appalachian-culture?start=243
Wheelchair Kamikaze - Excellent writing by another mystery-disease-attributed-to-MS sufferer. This links to his entry on losing one's abilities one by one--something I am also experiencing, though thankfully not to the point of having to use a wheelchair. Of course, that day may come; at any rate, this blog puts as positive a spin on things as possible, which is a good thing when looking at health blogs. Chronic disease is a bummer, and it's easy to wallow. We're all guilty of it. But in the end I hope I keep my blog somewhat positive because no one needs or wants to read of nothing but darkness.
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