Wednesday, September 25, 2013

My VEDA Experience #SSSVEDA

Last month I participated in VEDA or Vlog Everyday In August. A vlog is a portmanteau of the words "video" and "blog". I flirted with the idea of vlogging or making videos on Youtube since 2007 (before I was diagnosed with Stargardt's). I've always enjoyed the creative content the site has to offer. Yes, its more than cat videos! Its also been amazing to see so many of the creators develop their brands and others sharing their lives over the years.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

September Is...National Guide Dog Month


A blog post that isn't a TED Talk? *sarcasm* Well the answer is yes and its a "This Month Is..." post. This lovely month of September happens to be

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

TED Talk Tuesday: Ron McCallum - How To Read When You Are Blind?

Its Tuesday, so that means another TED Talk and this week the featured speaker is visually impaired. I know I should of featured more videos like this sooner.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

TED Talk Tuesday: Lissa Rankin, MD - Can We Heal Ourselves?

I'm starting to think do I work for the TED organization and don't know it yet? Hmmm... I wonder myself at times. *smiles* Its Tuesday so that means another Ted Talk. This week's presentation is from the TEDx American Riviera event and features physician Lissa Rankin.


Dr. Rankin takes a holistic approach to what makes people ill and what makes us well. In her TED Talk below she discusses how we may have the ability to heal ourselves with our minds. She cites the phenomenons of the placebo effect and the nocebo effect. She also looks at how our mentality towards life and our lifestyles can affect our health. I wonder though if the placebo and nocebo effects take place in all health cases. For instance if a patient has strong positive belief and doesn't get better or vice versa, just a thought.

She doesn't say that physicians and healthcare workers are no longer needed but may need to reevaluate how they treat patients. Patients should also remember that their healthcare is a collaborative effort between themselves and their care providers.

 

Check out Dr. Rankin's latest book:


Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal

If you liked this, you may like the following: 


TED Talk Tuesday: Chen Lizra - Seduction In Our Everyday lives



TED Talk Tuesday: Brene Brown - The Power of Vulnerability



Turning Your Can'ts into Cans: Being a Visually Impaired Parent



Monday, August 5, 2013

Kim Nguyen: Varying Degrees of Visual Impairment

Since I've been a part of the visually impaired community for less than 16 months I'm still learning a lot. Its sort of like a baby learning how to walk, still a little awkward in their gait. At times its difficult to explain what's going on because I just don't have the experiences or the confidence to explain what I see. Sometimes navigating through the feelings involved when dealing with vision loss is more difficult than actually confronting the impairment. Imagine my excitement when I came across the youtube channel of 19 year-old Kim Nguyen. 

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

July Update

Sorry no TED Talk today sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. I've been using the TED Talk posts as fillers on this blog. Its been long overdue that I start writing more substantive posts; especially more about my journey with Stargardt's.

I feel like I have a better understanding about living with Stargardt's and have clarity to move forward. So there's lots of great things coming soon.


Like this post, you might like:

TED Talk Tuesday: Dr Robert Lanza - Cloning, Stem Cells & Regenerating Life

TED Talk Tuesday: Chen Lizra - Seduction In Our Everyday lives

Turning Your Can'ts into Cans: Being a Visually Impaired Parent

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

TED Talk Tuesday: Brene Brown - The Power of Vulnerability

It's Tuesday.. so its time for another TED Talk. Have you ever come across something in your life either it be a book, a song, a person or set of circumstances that just resonate with you? Well the below TED Talk which features social researcher Brene Brown Ph.D definitely resonates with me.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

TED Talk Tuesday: Dr Robert Lanza - Cloning, Stem Cells & Regenerating Life

This week's TED Talk is from the TEDXDeExtinction conference held back in March and features Dr. Robert Lanza. I first heard about Dr. Lanza when I was diagnosed with Stargardt's Disease last April. Dr. Lanza is the Chief Scientific Officer for Ocata Therapeutics which is a U.S. Biotech company that is currently conducting a clinical trial involving Age Related Macular Degeneration and Stargardt's.
The trial is testing for the safe use of human embryonic stem cells in the regeneration of damaged cells in the eye. The company has been in the news lately for some encouraging developments in the trial. I wrote more about it in further detail here:

Clinical Trials: Ocata Therapeutics (ACT) - Stem Cell Therapy



You may be curious about the correlation between regenerative medicine and extinct animals. The same technology that is being developed to possibly restore the vision of others and myself, may also bring back animals who have been long gone. Well not too long gone, you won't be able to have a pet T-Rex or read headlines like "A Pterodactyl Stole My Baby!!!" In my personal opinion that would be cool but I guess I have to stick with going to Universal Studios in Orlando to go to Jurassic Park which isn't all that bad.

Getting back to Dr. Lanza  his life story is particularly interesting. To be perfectly honest last year when I was diagnosed I was just happy to know that there were people out in the world working on a treatment or cure. It wasn't until a few months ago connecting with more people with Stargardt's is where I started to hear his name and genius in the same sentence. Genius is a hefty word but how many people in their teens are genetically altering chickens to turn them from white to black?  The closest thing to genetic engineering I got to in my teens was playing The Sims, playing a more obscure PC game called Creatures and having a Gigapet. (Yes I'm a child of the 90s aka a Millennial)  Also, how many people can say they were mentored by Jonas Salk (discovered the polio vaccine), famed psychologist B.F. Skinner and Christiaan Barnard who performed the first successful heart transplant surgery. I'll stop listing his achievements before this post turns into a novel.
If you would like to learn more about Dr. Lanza check out his website here. I'm done for now so watch the video below and share your thoughts.