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Online support and resources

Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:01 pm
by Sparrow
Do you know of some helpful internet sites for medical information or support? Post them here. Please limit the general chat on this thread, so people can easily find helpful info without having to wade through a whole bunch of posts. :)


Rest Ministries is a Christian site that supports those with chronic illness. They have encouraging articles, helpful info, books and products, and a quarterly magazine (I had an article published in it last issue).

But You Don't Look Sick is a website with a wealth of info. They have a lot of articles, products, and support info, and they have a message board I frequent. The boards are a great place to get advice and support from people who know exactly what you are going through.

The founer of BYDLS, Carolyn, also volunteers her time to help people apply for disability, and those she helps have something like an 89% acceptance rate within four months of the first application (as opposed to the national rate that's more like 60% acceptance within a year or two). There's a whole section on the boards dedicated to SSI/SSDI.

On my own website Sparrow's Flight: Fibro I have a page that lists the symptoms of Fibromyalgia and specifically how they affect everyday life. At the bottom of the page I also have a list of suggestions on how people can reach out and help and encourage anyone in their life who is chronically sick or disabled.

Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 1:57 am
by Sparrow
Joni Earikson Tada just published a book called A Place of Healing about why God doesn't always heal. Here's a link to an interview Time.com did with her.

Feel free to add links to other articles or good books.

Re: Vitamin D

Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 6:25 pm
by jaybird
Being deficient in vitamin D can harm your health - Doctors said low vitamin D levels are also linked to chronic pain, fatigue, depression, and osteoporosis (even heart problems).
http://www.clickondetroit.com/health/23 ... etail.html
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vi ... eficiency/
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplemen ... ITAMIN%20D

Re: Online support and resources

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:24 pm
by Star0077
Here are a couple:

Foodmatters.com

http://watercure.com/

Re: Online support and resources

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 6:45 pm
by lakeener57
I'm glad to see these Christian resources available. My husband is disabled and has several illnesses that we have faced and continue to face daily. Thank you!
:thankssign

Re: Online support and resources

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 11:32 am
by dub
Diabetic Living - Weekly Newsletter

http://www.diabeticlivingonline.com

Re: Online support and resources

Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 1:17 pm
by dub
For those of us dealing with this malady - The Melanoma Foundation
http://www.melanomafoundation.org/AMF/patient.htm

Re: Online support and resources

Posted: Thu Nov 21, 2013 11:57 pm
by MaryAtkinsBrown
When I saw this website I got revelation comes from God.
Matthew 6:6
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Re: Online support and resources

Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 2:38 am
by Regits
I am a life-long suffer of major clinical depression. I also have PTSD and borderline personality disorder (of sorts) and anxiety/mood problems.

I subscribe to the following weekly newsletters that keep me informed and up-to-date on a couple of my mental health issues without being overwhelming or triggering. There are forums as well but I don't handle those very well.
[url]http://depression.about.com/[/url]
[url]http://psychology.about.com/od/ptsd/[/url]

I recently had an genetic-enzyme test to evaluate the way my liver processes certain medications, including antidepressants. One result was that I have the genetic allele that means I susceptible to depression and will often not respond well to medications, requiring many changes without dramatic change. Wow--actually a relief to have my experience confirmed by my genes. People can ask their psychiatrists or doctors.

I gained some advantage from TMS treatment (non-drug, worth the expense)--again ask your psychiatrist. [url]http://neurostar.com/[/url]

Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT) helped tremendously (and is not just for borderline personality disorder). [url]http://behavioraltech.org/resources/whatisdbt.cfm [/url]

If you have had DBT or CBT (cognitive behavior therapy), these self-help links are quite useful.
[url]http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/[/url]
[url]http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/[/url]

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) helped me make significant jumps forward in my progress over years of CBT. [url]http://www.emdr.com/general-information ... -emdr.html[/url]; [url]http://www.emdr.com/general-information ... -emdr.html[/url]

Yoga Therapy begun after all the above enabled me to embody all I was learning and experiencing in a way that literally (neurologically) rewired my brain so after on-and-off-and-on therapy, I actually experienced in June 2013 several days of a calm, presence-oriented, near-euphoria (so above the level of dysthymia that was my closest experience to "normal" living). It was like all the skills and knowledge I'd been trying to hard to implement but never seemed to happen naturally had been slowly finally connected and something in my body flipped a switch. I experienced it as a conversion experience--certainly the Holy Spirit had been working behind the scenes as well.

Do realize there is no one thing that brings relief--everything works together and it takes time (speaking years of daily hard work that continues). I'd done only CBT and medication since I was 31 years old (and should have started much sooner than that). After my husband died in May 2010 and that December 2010 after I turned 50, I continued meds and CBT, added TMS; switched from CBT to EMDR July 2011 and separate CBT group classes while continuing TMS boosters; began separate yoga therapy November 2012; to EMDR with CBT and yoga therapy February 2013. Yoga therapy has helped me with some painful physical disorders as well. I no longer need TMS and am working with my psychiatrist to reduce some of my medications. I will always need to continue developing my love relationship with the Triune God.

NOTE: "Yoga" classes are not generally yoga therapy which can be either physical or emotional/mental or both. Check out any potential provider's educational background and number of training hours to ensure you choose someone who knows what he or she is doing. You may also wish to explore International Association of Yoga Therapists: [url]]http://www.iayt.org/[/url. In just the last few years, mental health yoga therapy has grown exponentially though it's still a relatively new field but there had been some significant research to support sustained benefits.

Re: Online support and resources

Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2014 7:04 pm
by JoyandPeace
I'm sorry to see that there are not more posts here. I am a volunteer with Joni and Friends and have a heart for people affected by disability--both the person and their family. Every year I volunteer at 3-4 camps held by Joni and Friends, as an STM (short term missionary) and love every minute of it. I would love to communicate with anyone affected by disability to encourage and support them. You are special to God! :thumbs