| Greetings!
 Thank you for subscribing to the weekly Scleroderma Foundation eLetter. We appreciate your interest in and support of the Foundation.
Valentine's Day is in a few days and what better way to say "I Love You" than with a membership to the Scleroderma Foundation. Give the Gift of Membership! |
| Survey for the Scleroderma Foundation Community |
 We are excited about inviting you to participate in a new online survey for Scleroderma Foundation members, others battling scleroderma, and their families.
Created in collaboration with Traitwise, an online health survey company, the survey asks questions about symptoms, treatments, quality of life, and more. Any answers you give will be completely anonymous, and not sold or traded to any outside entity. Once cleared of any personally identifying information, the data will be made available to scleroderma researchers across the country. By completing the survey, you'll be pushing forward research aimed at improving and understanding treatments for you and other patients like you. Read more and take the survey. |
| Health Effects of Breathing Woodsmoke |
 Summary: Numerous scientific studies report potentially serious adverse health effects from breathing smoke emitted by residential wood combustion. Smoke contains fine particles, which can affect both the lungs and the heart. Residential wood smoke may be a significant source of exposure to fine particle pollution. Read more. |
| Eye Inflammation: When Is It Serious? |
 Red eyes, blurry vision, light sensitivity, floaters and eye pain are common, and minor, vision problems. However, sometimes they can be symptoms of uveitis, serious inflammation of the interior of the eye. The underlying cause of uveitis can be a general infection or a systemic inflammatory disease. The appropriate treatment is very different for these two possibilities. Read more. |
| Understanding Your GI Tract |
Digestive Health and Disease: A Glossary
Used by permission of the National Digestive Disease Information Clearinghouse. A copy of this glossary can be ordered from [NDDIC] by calling (301) 654-3810. Read more. |
Benefits Counselors:
Who Are They and Do I Need One? |
 There are so many benefits, both financial and assistance-oriented to which individuals are entitled. These include community-based programs, state or federal assistance programs (such as Social Security, Medicare, and food stamps), as well as retirement and insurance programs to name a few. One of the issues with having so many benefits available to elderly and disabled individuals is that it is difficult to track them and find out which ones are appropriate for the situation. This is where a benefits counselor can help. Read more. |
| Systemic Sclerosis |
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A four-gene biomarker predicts skin disease in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis
 Objective
Improved outcome measures in systemic sclerosis (SSc) are critical to finding active therapeutics for this disease. The modified Rodnan skin thickness score (MRSS) is the current standard for evaluating skin disease in SSc, but it is not commonly used in the clinical setting, in part because it requires specialized training to perform accurately and consistently. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether skin gene expression might serve as a more objective surrogate outcome measure to supplement skin score evaluations. Read more. |
| Air Pollution Linked to Autoimmune Diseases |
Many people with environmental illnesses have an assortment of autoimmune diseases which scientists are linking to air pollution.
Though genetic factors have been found for autoimmune diseases, this knowledge has not helped to prevent them. In fact, according to researcher Stacy Ritz of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, autoimmune diseases are rising at a dramatic rate. Read more. |
| Support the Scleroderma Research and Awareness Act |
 On May 14, 2009, Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) and Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI) introduced a landmark bill in the United States House of Representatives aimed at expanding federal research and awareness programs on scleroderma. H.R. 2408, the "Scleroderma Research and Awareness Act," is the first bill ever introduced in the United States Congress focused exclusively on scleroderma.
On July 30, 2009,  introduced a companion bill in the United States Senate, S. 1545, the Scleroderma Research and Awareness Act". The language in this bill is exactly the same as it is in H.R. 2408.
You can help get these two important pieces of legislation passed by contacting your lawmakers in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives and asking them to co-sponsor these bills. Learn how you can help. |
| National Patient Education Conference |
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| "Why I Am Attending the Conference" |
 "I am so excited to go to my first Scleroderma Foundation National Conference! I am looking forward to meeting others that have this disease and I know the knowledge I will gain from the sessions will be invaluable! My sister will be attending with me, and we can't wait for July 2010!"
- Judy Nichols, of Michigan | |
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2010 National
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