Articles

“Be sure to stretch” was one of the few pieces of advice I walked away with when I was told I had AS. The message got lost for a while...

Butterflies and baseball are 2 of my favorite things. Both combine simplicity, flashes of beauty, and long stretches of quiet and apparent inactivity to balance bursts of frenetic activity. I...

Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of creative nonfiction essays during the process of designing an upper-level Creative Nonfiction writing course at the University where I teach and work. The...

What do I want to make sure to get out of 2023? Some common New Year's resolutions have to do with body management, such as exercising and eating a certain...

I'm a born orritor. Worked in radio, was a storyteller, provided voice over for different projects. I can speak in a voice that both comforts and excites. (I also might...

Having an autoimmune disease like AS, my body can be vulnerable to getting infections much easier. I am on biologics (I take Cosentyx) which makes me even more vulnerable to...

I remember reading an article in the NASS magazine about a young woman sharing her story entitled "Farming is my Therapy." I found that inspiring, and amazing to read that...

I threw away my old boots today. These were not just any old boots. These were boots I bought in August 1973. Yes, you got that right, 1973. Wow, I...

A Happy New Year! Wishing everyone a happy New Year ahead for all of us. Wishing you all happiness and nothing but the best for our health. Reflecting on the...

I don’t have to tell you how frustrating and debilitating your symptoms can be. From joint pain to blurred vision, many ways in which ankylosing spondylitis (AS) symptoms can impact...

When I was diagnosed with AS, along with the pain, stiffness, and fatigue, one of the most debilitating symptoms was...fear. If you obtain an injury, for example you sprain your...

It's been exactly three weeks since attending my brother's 30th birthday party. It was something I really wanted to attend, as my brother turns 30 only once. Before the event...

It's so easy to turn a positive mindset into a negative one, right? Your brain is on the go 24/7 and if you're anything like me, who has anxiety, then...

Many of our grandparents and great grandparents dealt with world wars, economic calamities, pandemic influenza, polio, difficult working conditions, insecurity around basic needs, and the indignity of institutionalized hatred. These...

It’s that time of year again when something as minor as a number at the end of the date changing makes us believe we can make drastic changes to our...

A little over a year ago I wanted to surprise my fiancé with something big for our 3 year anniversary--a trip to Las Vegas for an Emo Festival. I snagged...

You all might know that I am a teacher, but I don’t imagine too many of my readers know what kind of teacher I am. My current placement is as...

It’s been just over two years since I started taking Low Dose Naltrexone to help manage my AS. LDN is a somewhat controversial, off-label prescription that is well known in...

Having ankylosing spondylitis, you feel like you are a human barometer sometimes. It is getting colder, I can feel it in my hips, back (insert wherever you feel it or...

On the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday, many of my patients reported severe flares of their arthritis and back pain from ankylosing spondylitis (AS). One woman who was recently diagnosed...