“What does the latest research show is the real cause of osteoarthritis?”

Like most physicians I was taught that osteoarthritis, along with gray hair and wrinkles,  was due to ageing. But the fact that it primarily occurs when we’re older doesn’t necessarily mean it’s due to age. There’s a difference between a correlation and a cause. Arthritis, like heart disease, takes a long time to develop, but age is not the primary cause!

My work over 40 years in this area has shown that contrary to what is currently believed, that abnormal structure wears out our joints in the same way that poorly aligned tires wear out sooner. Now more and more credible data is substantiating my premise.

A recently published arthritis textbook of the latest research was reviewed by Dr. Hunter, a preeminent rheumatologist. He states that arthritis should now be viewed as being “primarily due to mechanical factors” and that by physicians “focusing more on this, we have the opportunity to help millions of patients with arthritis.”
Dr. Jason Theodosakis is considered one of the foremost authorities in the world on osteoarthritis. In his book, "The Arthritis Cure,” he continually emphasizes the important role that abnormal function plays in osteoarthritis. He states that, “it is critically important to control how we walk and function if we really want to treat arthritis.”
In 2001, the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association reported that “abnormal alignment of only five degrees (as measured from the ankle to the hip) increased the progression of osteoarthritis four to five times!”

A lot of death around my house last few weeks. A tomato plant, my dream of playing banjo before Grand Ole Opry (if I played banjo) and then...my laptop. Curses!!!

My computer medic was fly-fishing in Montana, a state very far away and layered in monstrous flying insects and buffalo. My waders were at the dry cleaners and big furry creatures with hulking shoulders terrify me. What was a girl on the brink of breakdown to do? I dropped computer off with BobDickson.com's wife and fled to the beach.

In the face of tragedy, I still had my iPhone. I could check e-mails, Twitter, text, make calls within seconds of arising and moments before bed.

Then last Thursday at approximately 2:38 p.m. my iPhone died. CODE BLUE.

The next 90 minutes were frantic attempts to resuscitate my lifeline to the world. For anyone beside me in that mammoth primary school carpool line my lips passionately pressed on phone screen was not usual afternoon chat with hubby. It was my futile attempt at iPhone CPR. Alas, the patient never showed the least flicker of lighted apple. DOA. Grim reality settled upon me.

No calls, voice messages, texts, e-mails, Tweetdeck,Twitter, Facebook status reports. My calendar, appointments, pictures, iTunes music library. Gone. POOF! When my blood pressure slowed to 180/120, a thought popped into my brain. Had so meone forwarded my e-mails, Twitter and the like to the White House?
Last spring while I was at the hospital in throes of appendix vacation, my daughter asked Daddy to fix her breakfast just as if dear Mommy were there. She told him to place a bowl of Cocoa Puffs before her and then, “Go go lean against the sink and text.”

Ouch. That couldn't be true. Or at least I didn't think it was true. Then some weird all-knowing force in the universe wiped-out all my digital communication. Was someone sending me a message?

By: Chantel O'Neil

As my summer internship with the Morgan County Citizen draws to a close, I wanted to take a moment to thank the newspaper that taught me so much.

To the editorial staff, thank you for giving me a chance. Experience was the reason I came to the Morgan County Citizen, and I got more than enough of it. My clips are as varied as the characters I interacted with. And in just 12 short weeks, I was able to grow as a writer and a reporter, thanks to each and every one of you.
In the small office building on South Main Street, I was working with some of the most creative and dynamic people I’ve ever met. That was what I learned from and, in a way, fed off of.
With collaborative ideas and unspeakable support, you are a team, and that is what makes the Morgan County Citizen so special.

You are all amazing at what you do. And together you are unstoppable.
I really don’t have to say anything. The pages of the Morgan County Citizen speak for themselves, particularly the first one (more specifically, the top right corner of the first one, where it reads “Best Weekly”).
Thank you for everything, for teaching me and correcting me. And thank you for showing me what a lot of hard work and an immeasurable amount of passion can do.

I will miss all of you!

To the people of Morgan County, I don’t know how many of you recognize what talent you have here. For such a small, albeit close-knit, community, Main Street Communications is brimming with ideas.

Whether you realize it or not, they are working in the interest of the people. It is the community that they love and are such an integral part of that is at the heart of all they do.

By: Celia Murray; Columnist

On the far right, there exists a very focal nutty fringe of advocates and theorists devoted to proving that Barack Obama isn’t eligible to be President because he wasn’t born in the United States – the Constitution provides that no person except a natural born citizen will serve as President.

Before we go further, a quick reality check: The challenges to Obama’s eligibility have no grounding in evidence. Courts across the country have summarily rejected the birther movement’s theory. Candidate Obama released a copy of his Hawaiian birth certificate during the presidential campaign. Hawaii’s governor, Linda Lingle, a Republican, attested to the authenticity of the birth certificate. Birth announcements appeared in two Honolulu newspapers contemporaneously with the future President’s birth. The evidence clearly affirms that Obama was in fact born in Honolulu on August 4, 1961.

Yet, the “birthers” continue to view the President as illegitimate. Former Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes called the citizenship issue “the greatest crisis this nation has ever seen” and warned of “chaos, confusion and civil war.” Why? It appears that the birther movement is more about emotion than about facts. Those who are opposed to Mr. Obama’s presidency want an “acceptable” reason to cite in their efforts to convince others who might be on the fence to join in their way of thinking. After all, the notion of defending the Constitution has a fundamentally patriotic appeal.

By: Dick Hodgett's : Columnist

Sam and Joanne Ring count themselves among the biggest losers out in Buckhead. Sam has lost 50 pounds and Joanne is down 52 pounds as of this week. Like a lot of us they had a wake-up call after years of slipping on a pound or two each holiday season, and every vacation trip out of town. Sam works for Fulton County and his job requires him to sit all day, Joanne works for the Allstate agent in Greensboro and she too has limited movement in her work. So what woke them up?

Sam had a heart attack, three strokes, and eight stints installed, and was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Joanne was diabetic. So after 35 years of marriage, with two adult children they receive an unexpected gift. Daughter Amber gives them a monthly membership to Weight Watchers as a Christmas gift. Amber had lost 40 pounds via this lifestyle change and did not want to lose her parents. She has kept her weight off two years which designates her as a Lifetime Member. With the weight loss transformation Sam and Joanne have both dropped medicines for high blood pressure; and given away their fat clothes to their fat friends. Each has a goal to lose another 20 pounds and believes they will achieve their objective this calendar year. Buckhead is going to be a better place with these two delightful residents adding to the community for another couple of decades. Not something we could have said with much confidence six months ago. Excess weight is a very slippery slope in terms of how it impacts your health. And, both Sam and Joanne will advise you not to wait until the ravages of extra weight hit you with chronic health issues.