The history of institutionalization, marginalization, and oppression of individuals with mental and physical disabilities are as old as recorded history.  The fear, shame, and lack of understanding that have accompanied many disabilities has led to t...

Myositis is a type of inflammatory myopathies that are most commonly thought to impact the muscles (which they do) but they can also affect the heart, lungs, GI tract, and be associated with the development of cancer.  Myositis is considered autoimmu...

President Kennedy was said to have been quoting a Chinese curse when he said, “may you live in interesting times.”  Well, these times are nothing if not interesting.  A global pandemic during a time of unprecedented global travel, communications, and...

Twenty twenty has started out pretty rough, after tearing tendons and ligaments in a spectacular ankle turn, my mother in law was hospitalized for eleven days of January (9 of that in the ICU), shortly after, my wife totaled our vehicle.  We are so t...

I have had the opportunity to see the Dali Lama speak.  One of the things he talked about was the value of all faith traditions.  He wasn’t interested in converting the Wisconsin Episcopal to Tibetan Buddhism.  In his words, “there are many paths up ...

It is estimated that chronic lung disease impacts more than 13% of the adult population in the United States.  That’s a serious chunk of us.  There are two broad types of lung disease, obstructive and restrictive.  Their names give away a lot about t...