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With the holiday season in full swing, it’s the perfect opportunity to take a look back at 2017. It’s been a year full of ups and downs, and while there were definitely quite a few low moments, there were certainly quite a few highs. To celebrate the year that was,…

A single gene therapy that silences the mutation responsible for oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) and replaces the mutated gene with a normal one may advance into human studies in the second half of 2018. Benitec Biopharma started its OPMD program in 2014 and now announced their clinical candidate BB-301…

While living with a chronic illness can be challenging, there are ways that you can make life easier and live a happy and fulfilling life. Establishing good habits and routines takes time, but as Gunnar Esiason points out in his blog Own It, there are some “common sense approaches” to…

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) or speech-language therapists (SLTs) do much more than help people with speech problems such as stuttering or mispronouncing words. For children and adults with neuromuscular disorders like spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), muscular dystrophy (MD) and amyotrophic lateral…

Using cannabis or marijuana for medicinal purposes is a hot topic right now among patients and health practitioners. It’s regularly touted as a pain reliever for many chronic illnesses. According to the National Cancer Institute, here are some of the facts about medical marijuana and its suggested uses: It’s…

Service dogs are typically thought of as necessary companions for the visually impaired, but service and therapy dogs can be incredibly helpful for those with neuromuscular disorders. As well as being a trusted friend, service dogs can expand owners’ motor abilities, granting them new independence and allowing them to get more out of…

Researchers have found that Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients can safely continue oral feeding by using manual assistance for coughing or mechanical insufflation-exsufflation. The study, “Rate of oral intake and effects of mechanical insufflation-exsufflation on pulmonary complications in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy,” was published in the Journal of…

If you suffer from a chronic illness, then it’s highly likely that you’ll experience fatigue from time to time. Fatigue is different than just feeling tired, and generally it’s not something that can be fixed with an early night or by resting for a little while. With tips from the pros at …

What’s your nighttime routine like? In this humorous video from Gifted Lift, Lauren gives us a sneak peek into her nighttime routine as a person with a chronic illness. Here are some exercises and stretches adapted for muscular dystrophy patients. Having a healthy snack, enjoying life to the fullest, checking in with friends,…

It can sometimes be a challenge to look on the bright side when you have a chronic illness, but spending time doing things that make you happy will help keep depression at bay, help you come to terms with your illness better and begin enjoying life again. To help you feel happier,…