Prevalence of MS among aboriginal populations has been rarely studied. The few studies conducted indicate MS prevalence is low, but not rare. In the Northern part of Norway, Troms and Finnmark, the prevalence of MS is relatively low; in fact, in the Sami population, an indigenous population of Norway, no MS is found among those of pure Sami heritage. I haven’t been able to find any info on MS in the Innuit populations of Northern Canada and Alaska.
You might think that these populations would have a higher incidence of MS because of their geography. That appears not to be the case. These populations have limited access to neurologists, so that may account for some going undiagnosed. But there has been an increase in the incidence of MS over the years, possibly due to the fact that there is greater intermingling of the aboriginal population with those of Northern European descent and improved diagnostic tools. Still, over all, there is a lesser prevalence of MS in these populations.
Why?
Because of where they live, these populations have a definite lack of natural sunlight year round, thus less Vitamin D via sunshine. So where do they get Vitamin D (thought to protect people from MS)? It must be in the food. So what do these populations eat?
Seal and whale. They are staples of the Northern Canadian aboriginal diet. And seals and whale eat fish. The northern species of fish are high in omega 3s and vitamin D, passing along those nutrients to the higher organisms when consumed.
Last week, the Governor General of Canada, Michaelle Jean, who is the Queen’s representative in this country, was touring the northern communities of Canada. During one stop, she participated in a ceremony involving cutting open a freshly killed seal, and eating part of its heart. Aside from the queasiness factor, this was a symbolic gesture to show solidarity with the northern communities and their way of life. I thought it was very brave on her part. She's not the first non-native or even the first Governor -General to eat raw seal meat. She's just the first to do so in such a public manner and at a time when the European Union is miffed about the Canadian seal hunt.
But it is more than just a brave gesture. It may be a way of returning to lower incidences of MS in the Canadian population.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
To Dis or Not to Dis
An interesting thing happened to me this week that has really given me a lot to think about. It’s not something I considered before, but am now wondering why it never occurred to me.
If you have a visible disability, ie you use a wheelchair for mobility or have a seeing eye dog, the general population will see you as disabled or differently abled. As MSers we all are aware that some disabilities are invisible. I have no obvious sign of a disability and even a doc would be hard pressed to find me disabled. I work full time, participate in family and community activities, exercise on a regular basis and do this without any assistance mechanical or otherwise. OK, so the Wookie helps me clean up the apartment from time to time, but he’s also at my place so much, it’s only right. But if you didn’t know me and the fact that I have MS, you wouldn’t consider me disabled.
This week, I was meeting with a couple of the gals at the MS office about an upcoming political meeting I will be facilitating about disability issues. I was asked how I wanted my bio to read: member of the disabled community or someone with MS or whatever? I was taken aback because I don’t identify myself as a disabled person. I am a person living with MS, possibly with the threat of disability, but at this point in time, I am not disabled. Yet, these gals consider me a part of that community.
Very interesting, I thought. The gang I work with don’t consider me part of the disabled community (I've asked them), but a couple of the gals at the MS office do. This event, though a small one, has left me wondering about a number of things. Who thinks of me a member of a disabled community? Who doesn't? Because I have MS, does that automatically define me as disabled? When I was using a cane and couldn't drive because of right sided weakness and numbness, I didn't consider myself disabled, though by definition alone, I truly was. It never crossed my mind.
I asked the Wookie for his opinion about my abilities. He said it all depends on the context. He's seen me on those days when I can't go another two feet and have to lie down. He's seen me drop my utensils at dinner and had to rub my feet to ease spasms. Those times he knows I have MS and though not medically disabled, definitely affected by symptoms. Most of the time it's not apparent.
I did a quick search on the net about "self reporting of disability". I came across the WHO website and read a few things about the subject. I now realize that there is much more to disability than physical disability. Socio-economic factors, personality, and education all play a part in how we define ourselves and how others perceive us. And that is an important reason why governments, charitable organizations, and health care workers have to consider treating a person's life and not just their disability. It's fine for a government to provide an accessible bus or taxi, but the cost may be prohibitive for its use. An organization may provide a wheelchair but if the home the person is living in has a bathroom that's too small for a wheelchair, there's not much point.
Disability is so much more than a physical state. It's a state of mind, too.
S.
If you have a visible disability, ie you use a wheelchair for mobility or have a seeing eye dog, the general population will see you as disabled or differently abled. As MSers we all are aware that some disabilities are invisible. I have no obvious sign of a disability and even a doc would be hard pressed to find me disabled. I work full time, participate in family and community activities, exercise on a regular basis and do this without any assistance mechanical or otherwise. OK, so the Wookie helps me clean up the apartment from time to time, but he’s also at my place so much, it’s only right. But if you didn’t know me and the fact that I have MS, you wouldn’t consider me disabled.
This week, I was meeting with a couple of the gals at the MS office about an upcoming political meeting I will be facilitating about disability issues. I was asked how I wanted my bio to read: member of the disabled community or someone with MS or whatever? I was taken aback because I don’t identify myself as a disabled person. I am a person living with MS, possibly with the threat of disability, but at this point in time, I am not disabled. Yet, these gals consider me a part of that community.
Very interesting, I thought. The gang I work with don’t consider me part of the disabled community (I've asked them), but a couple of the gals at the MS office do. This event, though a small one, has left me wondering about a number of things. Who thinks of me a member of a disabled community? Who doesn't? Because I have MS, does that automatically define me as disabled? When I was using a cane and couldn't drive because of right sided weakness and numbness, I didn't consider myself disabled, though by definition alone, I truly was. It never crossed my mind.
I asked the Wookie for his opinion about my abilities. He said it all depends on the context. He's seen me on those days when I can't go another two feet and have to lie down. He's seen me drop my utensils at dinner and had to rub my feet to ease spasms. Those times he knows I have MS and though not medically disabled, definitely affected by symptoms. Most of the time it's not apparent.
I did a quick search on the net about "self reporting of disability". I came across the WHO website and read a few things about the subject. I now realize that there is much more to disability than physical disability. Socio-economic factors, personality, and education all play a part in how we define ourselves and how others perceive us. And that is an important reason why governments, charitable organizations, and health care workers have to consider treating a person's life and not just their disability. It's fine for a government to provide an accessible bus or taxi, but the cost may be prohibitive for its use. An organization may provide a wheelchair but if the home the person is living in has a bathroom that's too small for a wheelchair, there's not much point.
Disability is so much more than a physical state. It's a state of mind, too.
S.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Too Busy
I have been busier than a one armed paper hanger as they say. Hiking, biking, and work, has taken up my time for the past week and a half, not to mention a river clean up and the Halifax MS Walk to MC. I did manage to drop in to Joan's MS chat Friday night before I completely melted into a messy puddle from the heat. My apologies for being gone so long. But I did take pictures:
The first one is the gate at the top of the fish ladder. It was full of gaspereaux and suckers resting after making their way up the ladder. They will go through the gate and continue upstream. We scooped out several of them and gave them a bit of a start on the other side of the gate:
Farther up stream, a rough crossing that had been put in place 40 years ago for construction access and then used by off road vehicles, was rebuilt to keep the vehicles off the river and return it to what it was naturally: a channel for fish to get from the river to one of the lakes, and then continue up stream:
On the other side of the channel is a series of logging trails that are completely accessible for hiking and biking. The Wookie and I will be riding on some of those trails this summer. If he ever gets back from his business trips....
S.
The first one is the gate at the top of the fish ladder. It was full of gaspereaux and suckers resting after making their way up the ladder. They will go through the gate and continue upstream. We scooped out several of them and gave them a bit of a start on the other side of the gate:
Farther up stream, a rough crossing that had been put in place 40 years ago for construction access and then used by off road vehicles, was rebuilt to keep the vehicles off the river and return it to what it was naturally: a channel for fish to get from the river to one of the lakes, and then continue up stream:
On the other side of the channel is a series of logging trails that are completely accessible for hiking and biking. The Wookie and I will be riding on some of those trails this summer. If he ever gets back from his business trips....
S.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Little Bits of My Week
I've been hiking and biking all week when I haven't been at work. And when I haven't been doing those things I've been arranging stuff for a big fundraiser our bike team, the Cycledelics, is hosting at the end of June. So it's been a rather busy week. The cocoon I took home on Easter weekend produced a gorgeous cecropia moth, as I suspected. It's out a month earlier than its compatriots, only because I left it in my warm apartment rather than the fridge:
Earlier this week on a hike I came across this little fella in the grass along the trail, far from a tree and leaves. So I took him home and put him under the microscope:
His fuzzy armor up close:
The wild strawberries are in full bloom so I will have snacks on my treks next month, albeit, little snacks:
And the final pic for today is a piece of wood. Actually, it's an exposed tree or bush root, about 2 inches in diameter, but the texture and look of it is much like that of a person who spent too much time in the Florida sun:
Some of this long weekend (Victoria Day weekend in Commonwealth countries) will be spent on spring cleaning and hopefully a couple of hikes and a 15 k ride. I wasn't sure how the legs would hold up on the bike this week after having not ridden since late last year, but I was in pretty good form. All that hiking and trekking through the woods paid off. Oh, yeah, speaking of trekking, Star Trek is also on the agenda. Live long and prosper!
S.
Earlier this week on a hike I came across this little fella in the grass along the trail, far from a tree and leaves. So I took him home and put him under the microscope:
His fuzzy armor up close:
The wild strawberries are in full bloom so I will have snacks on my treks next month, albeit, little snacks:
And the final pic for today is a piece of wood. Actually, it's an exposed tree or bush root, about 2 inches in diameter, but the texture and look of it is much like that of a person who spent too much time in the Florida sun:
Some of this long weekend (Victoria Day weekend in Commonwealth countries) will be spent on spring cleaning and hopefully a couple of hikes and a 15 k ride. I wasn't sure how the legs would hold up on the bike this week after having not ridden since late last year, but I was in pretty good form. All that hiking and trekking through the woods paid off. Oh, yeah, speaking of trekking, Star Trek is also on the agenda. Live long and prosper!
S.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Waterfall Wonderland
We got out to the waterfall yesterday. Absolutely spectacular. We found the right road into the woods, parked the car in the parking lot, and as soon as we stepped out of the car could hear the water. As we walked down to the falls, you could feel the temperature drop by a few degrees. The water, the rocks, and the shade of the old growth pine and fir trees contributed to the chill, but when I saw the falls, I had goosebumps. The Wookie took this picture:
The falls are about 30-40 feet high. And there is another waterfall close to it:
I started out at the top of the main waterfall and took pics, working my way down. Actually, I didn't get too far as the terrain isn't great unless you've got ropes:
My pics really don't do the site justice. Almost everything in the woods was covered with moss and sitting on it was like sitting on a shag carpet. We hiked downriver along the ridge above the flow but failed to find a way down. that will be for the next trip out there. But I did find what, at first, made me think was a gigantic pile of bear poop:
It's actually a chunk of fungus that was knocked off a tree. Thank God, as the size of it would have indicated a grizzly in the vicinity. And we don't have grizzlies in this part of the country. But I had to take a pic of it for Linda at Braincheese.
I love this picture the Wookie took. Kind of a Where's Waldo, but with me instead:
And so concludes our trek to the waterfall. We'll be going back as there is another path that can get you to the bottom of the falls for another perspective. The Wookie wants to go back some morning before sunrise to get the light streaming in as the sun comes up. Um...ok....I'll bring coffee.
S.
The falls are about 30-40 feet high. And there is another waterfall close to it:
I started out at the top of the main waterfall and took pics, working my way down. Actually, I didn't get too far as the terrain isn't great unless you've got ropes:
My pics really don't do the site justice. Almost everything in the woods was covered with moss and sitting on it was like sitting on a shag carpet. We hiked downriver along the ridge above the flow but failed to find a way down. that will be for the next trip out there. But I did find what, at first, made me think was a gigantic pile of bear poop:
It's actually a chunk of fungus that was knocked off a tree. Thank God, as the size of it would have indicated a grizzly in the vicinity. And we don't have grizzlies in this part of the country. But I had to take a pic of it for Linda at Braincheese.
I love this picture the Wookie took. Kind of a Where's Waldo, but with me instead:
And so concludes our trek to the waterfall. We'll be going back as there is another path that can get you to the bottom of the falls for another perspective. The Wookie wants to go back some morning before sunrise to get the light streaming in as the sun comes up. Um...ok....I'll bring coffee.
S.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
A River Runs Through It
Last Sunday was the first time the Wookie and I went for a walk since I banged up my butt. We had received information about a waterfall and so wanted to hike to it. Sadly, we didn't find it, though we had a great 2 and a half hour hike, some of it through untrailed woods along a river. A little bushwhacking was in order. We started close to the mouth of a small river that had a few
really gnarly trees that were like something out of a horror story:
There's a closer look at this tree at the end of this post.
The river runs through a small gully. We saw lots of deer sign and the Wookie claimed he could make out a bear track. It was rather old and faded though, so I'm not sure. Either way we continued on. We found a sac of frogs' eggs. I'm used to the jelly like substance that encases the frogs' eggs in the Wookie's pond, so this one was new to me. It had the appearance and feel - or at least what I imagine the feel to be - of a silicone breast implant. Very cool.
More fiddleheads(can't wait to get a pound at the grocery store or farmer's market):
One of the "relaxing" spots along the river:
As we hiked, the terrain started to get a little rougher, the rocks bigger and more jagged, and we were closing in on the waterfall. According to Google Earth, we were about a half inch from it....lol. We had to turn back in order to get to our Bike Team meeting on time. But after rechecking Google Earth, we now know where exactly to enter the woods to find the waterfall. That's where we're going this morning.
My favourite picture from the day is this one: a cross between Salvidor Dali and Edvard Munsch.
You could almost hear the tree moaning...
Anyway, we're heading out to the waterfall this morning and should have some spectaulr pics later.
really gnarly trees that were like something out of a horror story:
There's a closer look at this tree at the end of this post.
The river runs through a small gully. We saw lots of deer sign and the Wookie claimed he could make out a bear track. It was rather old and faded though, so I'm not sure. Either way we continued on. We found a sac of frogs' eggs. I'm used to the jelly like substance that encases the frogs' eggs in the Wookie's pond, so this one was new to me. It had the appearance and feel - or at least what I imagine the feel to be - of a silicone breast implant. Very cool.
More fiddleheads(can't wait to get a pound at the grocery store or farmer's market):
One of the "relaxing" spots along the river:
As we hiked, the terrain started to get a little rougher, the rocks bigger and more jagged, and we were closing in on the waterfall. According to Google Earth, we were about a half inch from it....lol. We had to turn back in order to get to our Bike Team meeting on time. But after rechecking Google Earth, we now know where exactly to enter the woods to find the waterfall. That's where we're going this morning.
My favourite picture from the day is this one: a cross between Salvidor Dali and Edvard Munsch.
You could almost hear the tree moaning...
Anyway, we're heading out to the waterfall this morning and should have some spectaulr pics later.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Fish Ladder Clean Out
Last saturday morning I went to help out with the fish ladder clean-out. It involves blocking the river in front of the top of the ladder so the water drains and we can shovel out the detritus that has built up over the winter. First they put a piece of plywood in front of the top of the ladder and putting plastic over that:
A couple of the guys had come up a couple of days earlier to cut up the tree that had been swept downstream and onto the ladder so it could be moved:
Here the water has gone down enough for the guys to start shovelling the rocks, leaves, and other stuff that got stuck in the ladder. Notice I am absent from these pictures. My back is still healing and while I can walk almost normally now, I couldn't quite do the bending required for the heavier work:
While the guys were doing the heavy stuff I went for coffee and then spent some time sitting in the river, downriver, looking for various aquatic bugs. And checking out the fairy ring of ferns growing on a small island:
In the middle of the clean out we were joined by a feathered friend. Definitely click on the pic for a better look at this eagle. It sat there quite patiently watching us for about 5 minutes before leaving:
I had a most excellent nap after wards. Getting coffee and looking for bugs is hard work you know.
S.
A couple of the guys had come up a couple of days earlier to cut up the tree that had been swept downstream and onto the ladder so it could be moved:
Here the water has gone down enough for the guys to start shovelling the rocks, leaves, and other stuff that got stuck in the ladder. Notice I am absent from these pictures. My back is still healing and while I can walk almost normally now, I couldn't quite do the bending required for the heavier work:
While the guys were doing the heavy stuff I went for coffee and then spent some time sitting in the river, downriver, looking for various aquatic bugs. And checking out the fairy ring of ferns growing on a small island:
In the middle of the clean out we were joined by a feathered friend. Definitely click on the pic for a better look at this eagle. It sat there quite patiently watching us for about 5 minutes before leaving:
I had a most excellent nap after wards. Getting coffee and looking for bugs is hard work you know.
S.
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