Cases of H1N1 Have Dwindled, Seasonal Flu Has Been a No-Show

The Flu Season That Fizzled - WSJ.com
http://tinyurl.com/yhkeuwb

The Flu Season That Fizzled
Cases of H1N1 Have Dwindled, Seasonal Flu Has Been a No-Show and Doctors Wonder Why

By BETSY MCKAY
[flu]

This has been a flu season like few others.

Normally at this time of year, influenza is rampant in the U.S., prompting hundreds of thousands of people to stay home in the dead of winter with fever, aches and pains.

Now, after raging through college campuses and communities last summer and fall, cases of the new H1N1 swine flu virus have dwindled to a trickle, and run-of-the-mill seasonal flu has barely made an appearance. Not one state reported widespread flu illness to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the week ended Feb. 20, the latest data available. The percentage of all doctors' visits by patients with influenza-like symptoms has dropped from a high of 7.8% in late October—the largest peak since the agency began surveillance in 1997—to 1.8% in late February, well below the norm for flu season."

To read more, read the full article at the Wall Street Journal website.

The Flu Season That Fizzled - WSJ.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703429304575095743102260012.html?mod=rss_Today%27s_Most_Popular#printMode

NMVasculitis February Chapter Meeting Tonight

There is a meeting schedule for tonight at 6PM, at McAllisters Deli.

However, due to another commitment, neither Meaghan or I will be able to attend.

Consider this meeting cancelled if you like, or go anyway and look around to meet new people on your own.

Worst case, you can have some dessert and enjoy yourself. You deserve a treat, don't you think so?

Since I accidentally held an extra meeting in January, I suppose I am still up to date.

More later. Gotta run.

Joseph Carpenter
Parent, daughter with CSS (DX March '08)

Central NM Vasculitis Foundation Chapter
See us on the web: http://www.nmvasculitis.org - http://www.vasculitisfoundation.org
Or, call Joseph Carpenter at (505) 255-1366 for more information.

Mark Your Calendars for Vasculitis Awareness Week - April 25 thru May 1, 2010 when we all come together for a single purpose -- to raise awareness.
https://www.vasculitisfoundation.org/teamvasculitis

NMVasculitis Chapter January Meeting , for real this time

Here is the deal.

Last week, we went to McAllisters Deli in Uptown, and held a meeting. I have been swamped lately with work, and coaching, and so I guess I got ahead of myself, so count that an extra meeting.

Tonight is actually the third Thursday, and tonight January 21st is the date marked on the calendar. So, I will go again tonight. However, I will likely only stay about a half hour, drink some sweet tea, maybe have some pie. Then if you show up, we can have a meeting. If not, then I will go on home after 6:30PM. Be there or be square.

Fair enough?

I really do hope to see you there, so come if you can.

Need directions? Check this out...

Meetings (NMVasculitis.org)
http://www.nmvasculitis.org/Home/support/meetings

Joseph Carpenter
Parent, daughter with CSS (DX March '08)

Email, Fax, Phone and Postal mail: http://www.nmvasculitis.org/Home/about-cnmvf/contact
Central NM Vasculitis Foundation Chapter - http://www.nmvasculitis.org
Vasculitis Foundation - http://www.vasculitisfoundation.org

Mark Your Calendars for Vasculitis Awareness Week - April 25 thru May 1, 2010
when we all come together for a single purpose -- to raise awareness.

Chapter Meeting tonight at McAllisters. See you at 6PM!

Just a quick reminder that we have a chapter meeting tonight at 6PM. Location is McAllisters.

Hope to see you there!

Joseph Carpenter
joseph@nmvasculitis.org
Parent, daughter with CSS (DX March '08)

Central NM Vasculitis Foundation Chapter
See us on the web: http://www.nmvasculitis.org - http://www.vasculitisfoundation.org
Or, call Joseph Carpenter at (505) 255-1366 for more information.

Mark Your Calendars for Vasculitis Awareness Week - April 25 thru May 1, 2010 when we all come together for a single purpose -- to raise awareness.
https://www.vasculitisfoundation.org/teamvasculitis

Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium Update

Hey everybody,

The VCRC is one of the main sources of hope for vasculitis patients. These are your white knights, out there in the laboratories, searching for ways to improve your condition, and ultimately a cure for vasculitis.


If you will take a few minutes to explore the opportunities, then if possible participate in one or more of the studies. Many are just questionaires you can fill in to give them more information. More data for a researcher gets them just that much closer to the cure. Read on... -- Joseph



Visit us at: www.RareDiseasesNetwork.org/vasculitis

Dear Joseph Carpenter,

Update from the VCRC
The Vasculitis Clini! cal Research Consortium (VCRC) is extremely pleased to report that our grant application for renewal of support for the Consortium was successfully refunded another five year period by the National Institutes of Health, specifically the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and the Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR).
This is obviously a major milestone for our group and the result of incredibly hard and high-quality work by all of us. Combined with funding for other studies, we will continue to have the resources to advance and successfully complete our ambitious and exciting research agenda.

VCRC contact registry study, coming soon!
We are making plans to expand the use of the contact registry to allow registered patients to directly take part in research in vasculitis via the internet. We are excited to announce our first planned research project will be the VCRC Study of Reproductive Health in Vasculitis. This study, which will include both women and men, is expected to start next spring. We are also developing a VCRC Pregnancy Registry that should be ready later in 2010.

Living with vasculitis, Lindsay's story
"Exhaustion, pain, and overall sense of illness...these are all words that come to mind as a patient with Takayasu's Arteritis. I have always been an athlete, playing both field hockey and softball in college. With each year of college, I progressively became more fatigued and found it more difficult to keep up with my teammates at practice. Shortly after graduating, I was diagnosed with Takayasu's Arteritis in 2003. Only months later my doctors would discover that my left subclavian artery was completely blocked and I would need bypass surgery. Being 22 at the time, I didn't know what to expect, TA is a rare auto-immune disease that has very little history of studies or explanations to why. Dr. Merkel and the VCRC have given me a positive outlook on living with a chronic, rare disease. Their personal approach and tremendous support has been a driving force for my mother's annual 'Walk This Way' Takayasu's Arteritis Fundraiser. Having Boston Medical Center's CEO, Elaine Ullian, personally thank my family for our efforts has proven their dedication to their patients. The VCRC has opened new doors to their TA patients, proving through their new and advanced studies that their end goal is ultimately the patient."

Learn more about the VCRC: www.RareDiseasesNetwork.org/vcrc

Learn more about our current trials: www.RareDiseasesNetwork.org/vcrc/takeaction/findatrial.htm

We wish you all a healthy and happy New Year!

Official Announcement: 2010 International All Star Vasculitis Symposium

Register Now to Attend the 2010 International

All Star Vasculitis Symposium

On behalf of the Vasculitis Foundation, we invite you to attend the 2010 International All Star Symposium to be held at the Westin Long Beach Hotel, Long Beach, California, on July 30 through August 1, 2010.    

Don't miss this opportunity to invest in your future health and

well-being by expanding your knowledge and understanding

of vasculitis needed to address your health concerns.

The Symposium will bring together the "stars" of vasculitis -- our patients, family members, caregivers, and medical experts.  All the vasculitides will be covered and we will concentrate on advances in medical treatments, research, quality of life issues, and integrative medicine.

"This Symposium will help us move forward by reviewing the latest findings in the field and examining future directions.   It holds great promise to improve the lives of those living with vasculitis." - Joyce Kullman, Executive Director, Vasculitis Foundation.

Visit the VF website at http://www.vasculitisfoundation.org/2010vasculitis-symposium for a complete, detailed packet of information including: Schedule; Speakers' List; Long Beach Attractions; Hotel Information; Airports/Airlines and Ground Transportation; Childcare; Registration Form and Pre-Attendee Survey Form; Pick-A-Basket Drawing, etc.  

Register today online or by downloading and printing the Registration Form or by calling the VF office at 800-277-9474. 

We look forward to seeing you in Long Beach. 

Joyce A. Kullman, Executive Director

Vasculitis Foundation

Neti Pot Instructions and Where to get a good one

A "neti pot" is a tool for nasal sinus irrigation. This technique is well documented as a method for cleaning and moisturizing the the sinus passages to help alleviate sinus symptoms related to allergies, sinusitus, and other conditions that are affected by the buildup of mucus and irritants in the nose.

There are various methods of nasal irrigation, but Jalaneti is mild and peaceful. I always think it is better to let gravity do the work if possible. WIthout naming names, certain methods use a squeeze bottle that involved shooting salt water up the nose. Not only is this less comfortable, but also forcing liquid through the sinuses can actually push contaminants further up into the body instead of encouraging them to get out. That is my opinion anyway.

If you Google "Neti Pot" you will find an increasing number of designs available commercially. Some are better than others. One of the best, is also one of the oldest.

The Jalaneti neti pot has been available for many years from HealthandYoga.com, a company in India, where the practice of Jalaneti was developed. Their newest design is the very best I have ever seen.

What makes the HealthandYoga.com Jalaneti pot so superior to all others are several unique design features they have developed after much research. First, I will mention the stainless steel construction, which is not only tough, but also easy to keep clean.

I used to have a ceramic neti pot and guess what happened when I dropped it in the shower? That is right, it broke. I once tried a plastic neti pot and never felt that it was truly clean, so I stopped using it. Plus the reservoirs on these other designs was always too small to do any real good.

Another advantage of this Jala Neti design is the larger reservoir, so you can neti both sides of your nose with one pot. This is handy for me, since I like to Neti at the end of my shower and getting out to get more salt would be inconveneient.

Finally, and perhaps most important, is the design of the tip that fits in the nose. I have found many neti pots are designed with tips that are too large for some, too small for others. This Jala Neti design is a tapered cone that truly makes it a one size fits all solution.

Keep in mind that a neti pot is like a toothbrush, they should be one per customer.

Here is where you can get details, and order online:

Stainless Steel Neti Pot

"The Neti Pot is a tool to practise Neti (Jalaneti- Saline Nasal Irrigation).It is perfect tool to manage sinus related problems, common cold etc. This pot is scientifically designed after much research by jala neti experts and teachers across the world. Every pot is hand crafted and tested to create that exclusivity and user-friendly features, which no other neti pot in the market can offer.

The H&Y Neti Pot is made of pure stainless steel and it is lead-free and unbreakable. It is sufficiently large to hold enough water for your entire practice. It is light weight. It has an optimum size tapered conical tip at the spout end, which facilitates support on the nostril walls of varying sizes."
http://www.healthandyoga.com/marketplace/hnydescmp/2/detail.aspx

I will also include a link to a training video on YouTube, so you can see what it looks like. Trust me, once you get the hang of it, it goes quickly. After you see the benefits of daily nasal rinsing you will feel better, and never look back wishing you still had a dirty nose.