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Exceptional Families Network C/o The Wyatt Holliday Foundation 11416 Canyon Rd E, #155 Puyallup, WA 98373 Tel: 1-888-860-1508 Email: Angela [at] wyattshouse.org
Wouldn’t it be great to start 2009 with the goal of ending discrimination against families with autism?That is one of my goals, and I would encourage you to join me in the fight.I am working in legislative District 25 (Puyallup and surrounding areas) to try to garner support for the proposed autism insurance parity legislation in Washington State.One in every 94 boys is now estimated to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (as of 2005).Affected families are filing for divorce at unprecedented rates (more than 80%!).The top reason for divorce is financial strain, and anyone who has dealt with autism is keenly aware of the intense financial burden a child on the spectrum presents, particularly when insurance doesn’t cover the autism diagnosis code.Many families can spend upwards of $50,000 PER CHILD with autism, PER YEAR! Read More »
Well, the allergy-free pies are baked and the kitchen looks like a tornado came through it.Now the house is quiet and my mind is actively figuring out all of the details for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving soiree.Amidst this flurry of thought, I find myself reflecting on Thanksgiving.No, I’m not talking Pilgrims and Indians, or even a chaotic turkey dinner with family.I’m talking about Thanksgiving in terms of personal meaning.Giving thanks.Thankfulness.Reasons to be thankful.Read More »
A smoking ban in a Colorado city led to a dramatic drop in heart attack hospitalizations within three years. A study on the subject, the longest-running of its kind, showed the rate of hospitalized cases dropped 41 percent in the three years after the ban of workplace smoking in Pueblo, Colorado.There was no such drop in two neighboring areas, and researchers believe it's a clear sign the ban was responsible. This suggests that secondhand smoke may be an under-recognized cause of heart attack deaths in the U.S.At least eight earlier studies have linked smoking bans to decreased heart attacks.
An epidemic of type 2 diabetes continues to sweep across the United States. It has left an estimated 24 million Americans struggling with the disease, an increase of more than 3 million people since 2005. With the epidemic comes the wave of illnesses and disabilities brought on the disease, such as heart disease and stroke, blindness, amputations, kidney disease and nervous system damage. Some doctors are trying to reverse the tide by pressing the public to adopt healthy lifestyle changes, but much of America continues to be slow to change their ways, despite mounting evidence that such changes are very effective. Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which either the body doesn't produce enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells "ignore" the insulin, which is needed for the body to use blood sugar for energy. Lack of exercise and being overweight are key contributors to type 2 diabetes.
