ME/CFS – What Is It?

Recent, leading-edge research has discovered a link between ME/CFS and the XMRV virus.

ME/CFS identifies a disease affecting nearly 20 million people worldwide (17 million total, with 1 million in the US and about 800,000 in Canada).

The “ME” stands for MyalgicEncephalomelitis and the CFS stands for Chronic Fatigue Syndome.

XMRV identifies a virus that has now been linked to the disease. It’s one of a family of MLV-related viruses now linked to the disease in some way … further research required to determine exactly how.

CFS has been around since the 1930s and has mystified doctors for decades.

CFS can strike any adult, but it does tend to affect more women than men.

Some CFS sufferers are Baby Boomers who don’t really believe that their symptoms are a necessary part of growing older, but many are younger: middle-aged, or even Gen Y’ers.

When Baby Boomers retire, they want to enjoy a good quality of life, but ME/CFS robs them of much of the enjoyment of their “golden years”.

ME/CFS significantly impacts an individual’s quality of life. Some have gone so far as to say, “CFS won’t kill you, it’ll just make you wish it did.”

ME/CFS Complicating Factors

There is no specific test you can take to determine if you have CFS (at least not yet … but, hopefully that will change soon as a result of recent research advances).

And the name “Chronic Fatigue” itself has been very problematic – causing people (laymen and professionals alike) to discount the seriousness of the illness and directly – or indirectly – tell people that they are just making it up, or being hypochondriacs. Fortunately, as a byproduct of some of the latest research, people are slowly moving toward a new name, “XAND”.

Patients are frequently given an incorrect diagnosis of depression, and consequently, the real ME/CFS/XAND disease may not get recognized until after seeing many different doctors and being treated for a variety of ailments.

Social Ramifications of ME/CFS

The social ramifications are also severe. Typically, there are few outward signs of the disease … People simply “don’t look sick” …

Try explaining to your boss, your family, or your friends how bad you feel, when you don’t show any of the normal signs of being sick or injured (i.e., no heart attack, no fever, no casts on your arm or leg, no surgical scars to show off, no spots, bruises, etc.). Or, try explaining why everyone else who got the flu only missed a day or two of work, and you missed a week.

Worse yet, try justifying your disability claim to the insurance adjuster, or Social Security officer.

In fact, it seems like the more you try to explain, the worse it gets. Because this ME/CFS is so far outside their ability to understand, people tend to think that you’re lying.

Chronic Fatigue Got Your Doctors Mystified?

Are you among the millions of Americans, and millions more worldwide, who suffer from chronic fatigue that is not relieved by sleep? And, unlike people really suffering from depression, exercise doesn’t relieve symptoms – it only makes them worse.

Have you seen numerous doctors and spent hundreds (if not thousands and thousands) of dollars on a variety of treatments which haven’t helped?

Have you had to take disability leave and quit working?

Has your social life become almost non-existent?

If so, you’ll probably be glad to hear that there have been some promising advances made in the field recently.

Whittemore-Peterson Clinic for CFS & Other Neuro-Immune Diseases

A major, new research and treatment facility called the Whittemore-Peterson Institute in Reno, Nevada has just recently opened its doors. It will specialize in the research and treatment of ME/CFS/XAND patients … and those suffering from other neuro-immune diseases.

This $70 million state-of-the art facility should bring new attention and new hope to millions of ME/CFS/XAND sufferers in the US and worldwide.

Learn more about ME/CFS Mindy Kitei’s post.

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PC User Converts to Apple

I’ve been a long-time PC user, but a couple of years ago, I bought an iPhone, and I really loved it. Very quickly it became indispensable.

Then, a couple of months ago, I had need of something a little bigger and with more computing power. I wanted an Apple iPad/3G, but they weren’t yet available, and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a full blown laptop, so I opted for Windows Netbook.

It served the immediate purpose, but not very well, so when the iPad/3G was available (online, not anywhere to be found in the stores), I ordered one.

When it arrived, I fell in love with it – just as I had with the Apple iPhone years earlier … But this was even better!

So, when my PC finally “died,” I had a choice to make – get another PC/windows machine, or take the plunge and buy an Apple…

What to do?

Friends Raved About the Apples

I’m involved in internet marketing and I belong go a group of like-minded people who support, encourage and motivate each other in our mutual business endeavors.

Several of my peers kept telling me how much easier it was to do all the things we do with a Mac rather than trying to use a PC (e.g., create videos, slideshows, work with graphics, etc.).

So, I took the plunge and bought myself an Apple MacBook Pro.

Switching from a PC to an Apple Is an Adjustment!

All of a sudden, I feel like a newbie computer user again – things I knew how to do on the PC are occasionally a “mystery” to me on the Apple MacBook; however, I opted for Apple’s “One-to-One” (personal coaching program), so now whenever I encounter one of those “mysteries,” I just add it to the agenda for my next coaching session.

The moral of the story is don’t be afraid to try something new -and, never give up learning! Make it your goal to become a lifelong learner!

So, if you decide to want to make the switch from a PC to an Apple, I recommend you take advantage of Apple’s “one-to-one” program, and if you’d like to make the switch (over time) from your nine-to-five job to running your own internet business, I encourage you to join our iNetPro Training (see the Introductory Special, in the sidebar to the right) … And, better yet – do both!

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Facebook Users Beware

Like many new things, new technology services often come with “unintended consequences” and, therefore, it’s up to the user to pay careful attention when adopting new Internet tools, especially social media ones because your privacy is frequently at risk.

Facebook’s New “Places” Tool Is Case in Point

Did you know that it is now possible for one of your Facebook “Friends” to document your presence at some location – a location where you may, or may not actually be – and publish that information to hundreds of people at one time?

You’re supposed to get notified of that action, but if you only login to your Facebook account infrequently, as do I, you may not even know about it until days later – and by then, there could already be considerable damage to your reputation, and your “brand”.

Do you really want your boss to know – or be told, even if it’s not true – that you are on the golf course when you’re supposed to be working?

Or, do you really want your spouse’s divorce attorney to know where you were last Saturday night?

Or, how about your friendly neighborhood burglars – do you really want them to know that you’re on vacation for the next month?

Protect Your Facebook Privacy – Steps to Take

1) Login to Facebook.com
2) Go to Account > Privacy Settings
3) At the bottom of the page, click on Customize Settings
4) Go to Category “Things Others Share”
5) Find “Friends Can Check Me Into Places” and click “Disabled”

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Facebook Doesn’t Have a “Dislike” Button!

According to CNN and Graham Cluley, a technology consultant at a British security firm(Sophos), despite the fact that word of suc a buttons going viral on the Net, it’s all just a scam – and a way to steal the user’s personal info, or hijack his social network to promote the fake button!

Don’t fall form this scam and become another victim!

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The iPad Is an Indispensable Tool for Managing My Internet Business!

I’ve had my iPad for about one month now, and I’m still learning all the nifty little things it can do. The secret to making your iPad really useful is to make sure you download a lot of relevant and interesting apps! I have the iWork business apps, MobileMe to keep my iPad synch’d with my iPhone, ones that help me manage my outsourced Internet business, etc. There are lots of things I love about the iPad, and only a few things that have disappointed me … but those disappointments are really more about the apps than the iPad itself.

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iPad Pros

If you’ve been an iPhone user, you’ll love the iPad – the user interface is very similar and you’ll make the transition very smoothly. It’s very lightweight and portable – I take it with me everywhere (it fits nicely in my handbag) and I use it constantly throughout the day. Here are just a few of the things that I use my iPad for:

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• Email & web browsing, and managing my tunes and photos – the obvious uses
• Calendar & To-Do’s
• Monitoring and managing my investments and online banking
• Listening to internet radio
• Using my GPS to help me find my destination, and a traffic app to help me avoid accidents and traffic jams
• A nifty calculator – with a virtual calculator “tape”
• Tracking my FedEx, UPS, deliveries, etc.
• World clocks so I know what time it is in Belgium, Asia, etc. when trying to schedule global meetings
• App Deals keeps me apprised of the latest bargains on iPad apps
• An RSS Reader to review my Google alerts and blog subscriptions
• A variety of newspapers/magazines (e.g., USA Today, WSJ, TIme, Newsweek)
• Updating my blogs and managing my internet business
• Games & entertainment, including online books and movie theater info/ticketing (one of my favorite games is Tower Madness)
• Social media
• Hobbies, like cooking and genealogy
• Weather info – just downloaded a hurricane tracker so I could follow Hurricane Alex’s path through the Gulf
• Travel apps – a number of them, including AAA info, flights, taxis, exchange rates, etc.

iPad Cons

First, and foremost, is the price – it’s not cheap, especially if you get one of the upgraded models with lots of memory and the 3G data service (which, depending upon availability of local WiFi – you may want … I did).

Another difficulty was actually getting my hands on one – the stores were constantly out of stock, so I ended up ordering online (which worked out very well and you can track the entire delivery process all the way from Hong Kong online).

It does NOT have a camera and it’s NOT a cell phone – so you need to make your buying decision without expecting either one of those features to be present.

One of the big disappointments for me was that I wanted to use my iPad to join webinars via GoToMeeting – and there is a GoToMeeting app, so I thought I was in good shape; however, it doesn’t let you join webinars (just regular meetings?). I’m hoping that a future release of that app will provide a fix.

Another minor disappointment is that the iPad case I got from Apple gets dirty looking very quickly, but aside from that, the case is very useful and functional. (I find the flip lid to be particularly helpful when I’m trying to work outside and needing to block out the sun’s glare).

Conclusion

All in all, if you want a lot of functionality (and you’re a “user” not a full-fledged “computer geek”), then I highly recommend the iPad. You can use it anywhere (at home, at work, at the beach…) and you can do a lot with it and get a lot of enjoyment from it.

I do also recommend that you invest in some of the accessories – including the case and the camera upload. And, if you’re a heavy data user, or in an area where there aren’t a lot of readily accessible WiFi locations, the 3G service (that’s an extra monthly fee).

You also might want to download the iPad Tips application – even if you’ve been an iPhone user for awhile – it taught me some tips that I hadn’t thought of before even though I’ve been using the iPhone for quite a long time.

Whether you want to manage your social networking, stay abreast of current events, read the latest novel online, stream videos or Netflix, manage your internet business, do some sort of freelancing, or maybe you’re a Boomer who just wants to have a custom storybook to read to your grandchildren, check out the iPad – maybe it will meet your needs as well as it has met mine.

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An article submitter seems to be a great tool when you are struggling with a huge amount of work and you have so many articles to submit that you lack the time to handle all the operations manually. This is the time when an article submitter appears as a time-saving solution. And this is partly true. Yet, there are both advantages and disadvantages when it comes to using an article submitter.

With an automatic tool, you can achieve submission in hundreds of directories in just a couple of hours. This leaves more time for article writing, website optimization and other business-related tasks.

The article submitter identifies new article directories that appear on the Internet. It thus performs automatic updates regularly.

The problem is that some tools cannot work with hyper-links included in the article content. There are article directories that allow the presence of hyper-links, and it would be a pity to miss the opportunity.

The selection of the right category could be another challenge for the use of an article submitter due to the fact that the categories vary from directory to directory. If you get your articles submitted in the wrong category, there are chances for it to be deleted, which means you’ve achieved nothing.

Then, the article submitter can only be used for those article directories where you have active accounts. The tool can login automatically only if it has previously recorded your user name and password for a certain account. This is in fact that basics of the entire automatic operation.

These being said, we have to stress out once more that you should not make a rush decision and buy an article submitter unless you are making an informed decision. The idea here is to weigh the pros and cons and based on objective information you can determine whether the article submitter is a good investment or not. You should check system compatibility, the technical features of the product and its complexity in terms of usage.

You can make an idea about one type of tool or another by reading some reviews, testing the program in demo versions and talking to other people who have used the software before. Moreover, you can get recommendations for the best program to be used for your business situation, if the context is a bit more specific. If used correctly, the article submitter could be a great help, even if you run partly manual, partly automatic submission.

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Digital video quality depends on so many factors. Digital technology is indeed superior to tape-based equipment, but there are challenges related to its usage that cannot be overlooked. First of all, even professionals cannot produced a 100% flawless material; the final, ‘nearly-perfect’ look is in fact the result of intense video editing. However, there are a few conditions to be met in order for a video material to be as closest to expert quality standards as possible.

First of all, you ought to be familiar with all the features of the camcorder in order to create the best settings possible. Read the technical manual, analyze all the features and know the internal menu well. Digital video quality depends on whether certain features are activated or deactivated. Thus, you may want to disable the time/date feature, use an external microphone and make sure you don’t add special effects directly from the camera. Moreover, the camcorder should be used in standard play mode for optimal results.

Illumination and light exposure on the subjects matters a great deal for digital video quality. It is impossible to achieve a good video when the light exposure is too high and the subjects are just silhouettes. Keep in mind that the camcorder automatically adjusts to the strongest power source unless you use additional illumination or you save a certain exposure setting that you stick to for video shooting. Once again, your knowledge of the camera could save you.

Digital video quality also depends on the way you move the camera. Since you are recording a video, there will be lots of motion, but in ‘action’ videography requires precision. The best way to keep a camcorder steady is by using a tripod with a fluid-head. If a tripod is too difficult to carry around, you may consider a monopod, which is a one-legged device that makes you hold the shots and improve the digital video quality right away. You see how different your footage gets afterward!

It is a lot easier to achieve great digital video quality once you know the secrets. You should do a bit of reading online once you are familiar with the camcorder in terms of technical features. You will have to ’study’ a little bit, but there’s no wasted time in such activities particularly when you take pleasure in what you’re doing. This leaves us to say that it takes a bit of personal effort to come up even with acceptable digital video quality.

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Back Pain Is a “Real Pain!”

Whether it is chronic or acute, a back pain can be a real pest as it will hinder your day to day work greatly. The effects of suffering from back pain is not just physical; if you are someone who used to be quite out going and adventurous, then having a back pain can cause you serious emotional distress as well, as it would prevent you from being yourself and could reduce your self-esteem immensely.

If you are someone who is suffering from this discomfort then this article would be of use to you, because in this article I intend to discuss about back pain relief methods; hopefully you will be able to reduce your pain with the application of the techniques from this article.

A Firm Bed Can Help Back Pain

One of the best methods to gain back pain relief is the use of a firm bed. Most of us are lured into using beds with soft and comfy mattresses; and although they can initially give us a heavenly sensation when we jump into them at night after a hard day of work, the effect these types of beds and mattresses have on our backs is very harmful. Therefore if you are someone who badly needs back pain relief then replace your bed with a firm one, where the mattress is supported by wood panels and the mattress is thick and firm.

Good Posture Can Also Help Back Pain

Maintaining proper postures is another effective way of attaining back pain relief. What most of us often forget when we are too consumed by our work is the way our bodies are positioned; without our knowledge we tend to lean or hunch while doing our work. So if you are someone who is feeling discomforts in your back, gaining back pain relief can be as simple as keeping in mind to sit straight. This is the same principle that is behind using firm beds to gain back pain relief as well, as they will help you lie down properly when you are asleep without putting stress on your back.
Exercise Can Also Help Strengthen Your Back
Back pain relief can also be gained through physical exercises; the most popular of these exercises are walking and doing yoga. Both of these will help one to strengthen his or her back muscles while maintaining proper body posture. When engaging in these exercises one might feel slight discomforts, but they will pass away as you move on; and make sure to keep in mind not to strain yourself too much and move at your own pace.

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What Is Article Marketing?

Many companies use article marketing extensively to increase their business exposure and sales. Article marketing consists of writing short, informative materials related to your product or service and then distributing them via the Internet, or in printed press.

Every article includes a reference author box or byline containing a link to the author’s website and information about the business.

Criteria for Good Article Marketing

Several conditions have to be met in order for article marketing to be efficient.

1) The articles have to be well-written, informative and useful for the reader.

2) They should be distributed for free in article directories, as part of newsletters, on blogs and forums.

3) Each article should be created around a particular keyword. It is the keyword that gives the topic of the article.

4) Use catchy titles!

5) Work with top ten article directories!

Objectives of Article Marketing

The main objective of article marketing is to increase relevant web traffic, improve the conversion rate, enhance business credibility and increase customer loyalty.

Several tools can be used to maximize your article marketing efforts. You can use special software programs to search for the most competitive keywords, or for unique keywords. Other tools help you study the activity of your competitors. There are even programs that can submit the articles automatically, reducing the distribution work amount.

Obstacles to Good Article Marketing

The main problem with article marketing is that the quality of the published materials has dropped alarmingly. Many web developers are only interested in increasing traffic or achieving business exposure. However, low quality writing has little efficiency on the long run.

Proper Internet marketing promotion requires time and effort invested in producing relevant materials that web surfers find useful and enticing.

Another problem with free article marketing is the appearance of a lot of duplicate content across the Internet. Article quality should not be compromised for the sake of creating backlinks, because there is little efficiency in that. A temporary boom in traffic might result but duplicate content can cause you more trouble than benefits with search engines.

Good Article Marketing “Plays by the Rules”

The best thing under the circumstances is to use article marketing in its purest form and comply with all the quality rules that make content valuable and worth reading. There are plenty of materials that can help you with a step-by-step introduction to the secrets of article marketing, and what’s even better is that they are totally free. Don’t hesitate to find out more!

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Facebook As Favorite Social Network

Facebook has made it very easy to socialize and has rapidly become a favorite social network for Baby Boomers, but don’t let the ease of connection lull you into a false sense of personal privacy.

Facebook has taken a number of hits recently regarding their privacy policies, and this is just one more way that what you say can be used against you.

Facebook Info Often Used in Divorce Cases

Social media, in general, but Facebook especially – have become one of divorce attorneys favorite sources of “dirt” to use against the other party.

In a recent survey, 81% of divorce attorneys noted an increase in the use of Facebook in their divorce cases, and many attorneys go to social media sites first when looking for evidence.

It seems to be very common for a withdrawing spouse to seek to reconnect with former friends and lovers on Facebook and then share details about their lives – or begin a new affair – things that will damage their case when it comes to determining alimony, child custody, etc.

Be Careful What You Say on Facebook

There’s an old saying that you should never put something in an email that you wouldn’t want to see on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.

I’d say the same advice goes double for what you say on Facebook.

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