Preventing Chronic Disease in Women
38% of American women live with chronic disease. That’s more than the 30% of men and is rising. On top of that, six out of the top 10 causes of death in women are chronic diseases — often preventable. My two-part series on chronic disease in women and how to prevent them, even when you…
Get Savvy — a New Movement for Patient Insights
Chronic illness advocacy is pretty much a patchwork and not always as pretty as a quilt. Each condition has its own way of being engaged in feedback to organizations and actually connecting is very much a matter of luck. Savvy Cooperative is changing that. What Is Savvy? “Savvy is an online platform that acts like…
Build a Good Relationship with Your Doctor
When you have a chronic illness, your doctor is one of the most important people in your life.When you find a good one, they’ll be with you for years, even decades, sometimes more than other relationships. My new post for Mango Health shares tips on how to build a good relationship with you doctor: “If…
How I Cope with Taking Medication for My Chronic Conditions
Let’s get this out of the way first: no one likes taking medication. If my fairy godmother showed up in a sparkling red off the shoulder number (because my fairy godmother rocks) and offered to waive her magic wand over anything in my life, of course my first choice would be to magick away my…
Top Chronic Illness Books You Should Read
I’ve always looked to books for inspiration, information and community. This can be especially helpful when you have a chronic illness — adapting is hard and reading how others have found a way through can make a tremendous difference. In my new slideshow for HealthCentral, I have put together a collection of the best chronic…
Loopy Case Review and Chronic Christmas Giveaway #3
I love my Loopy Case. It has solves a many of the problems I have in using smart phones, problems related to my rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and disability. Because of lifelong RA, I can’t hold a smart phone — it’s just too wide for my grip. Not to mention that I don’t actually have much…
Courage, They Cried: Life with Chronic Illness
It takes a lot of guts to have a chronic illness. This thought came into my mind as I was preparing for a drug challenge appointment that had the very real possibility of me going into anaphylactic shock.* It’s a fun thing to do on a Wednesday. Granted, this one is a somewhat extreme example…
Chronic Christmas Contest #1: Books and Books
I’ve loved Advent calendar since I was a little girl. Opening a small gift every day for the month of December is such a wonderful way to build anticipation while temporarily calming down the excitement so you don’t explode by the time Christmas arrives. It’s one of the reasons I wrote Chronic Christmas: Surviving the…
5 Tips for Surviving the Holidays with a Chronic Illness
How to do less, so you can enjoy the holidays more.
Facebook Live This Wednesday!
According to every merchant out there, Christmas started about a week and a half ago. There are decorations, Christmas trees, even a countdown to Christmas. Which really just ramps up the stress. And you don’t need that. Because stress makes chronic illnesses flare. Join me this Wednesday on my Facebook Page at 2:30 PM ET…
Book Review: Turtles All the Way Down
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety, read Turtles All the Way Down. There are also a lot of other reason is to read the book. It’s an amazing story of friendship, of growing up, of love in many different forms, of obsessions, compulsions, and finding a…