Researchers: Strawberries Could Ease Inflammation

Scleroderma Foundation eLetter

eLetter #457

Greetings!

23-year-old Alabama Woman Wins Trip to National Conference

Molly Gaines, a 23-year-old living with scleroderma,

Molly Gaines Sclerodoodle Grand Prize Winner

won the Scleroderma Foundation's first-ever "Sclerodoodle" artwork contest, as part of the organization's Scleroderma Awareness Month activities.

With more than 350,000 total online votes cast, her pencil sketch titled "She Flies With Her Own Wings" received the most votes as decided by site visitors.

As the grand prize winner, Molly receives a trip to the National Patient Education Conference in Dallas next month. Her artwork also is featured on a commemorative T-shirt for sale online.

Proceeds from the Scleroderma Awareness Month merchandise benefit the programs and services of the Foundation.

To view Molly's artwork, along with the other 13 finalists, click here.

Become a Scleroderma Foundation Champion

We also urge you to share your story on the website and become a "Scleroderma Foundation Champion." As a champion, we may use your story in our publications, marketing and outreach efforts, or contact you to tell your story as part of our advocacy program in Washington, D.C.

Learn more at www.sclerodermaawareness.org!

Strawberries Could Ease Inflammation

Not only are strawberries tasty and good for you, research also indicates that they may lower blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a signal of inflammation in a person's body.

Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health looked at a group of women who ate more than 16 strawberries per week. They found this group to be 14 percent less likely than non-strawberry eaters to have elevated levels of the protein.

Read more about this interesting (and tasty) research from "Arthritis Today."

New Campaign: Time To Talk About Complementary Medicine

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health launched a new series of monthly health tips to provide consumers with easy-to-understand information about complementary and alternative health practices.

"An increasing number of consumers and patients use the Internet to answer health questions, yet the information they find can be overwhelming and is not always relevant or credible," said Josephine P. Briggs, M.D., director of NCCAM, in a press release.

Learn more about this initiative at http://nccam.nih.gov/timetotalk.

Join Us Next Week In Orlando

We're attending the Pulmonary Hypertension Association's 10th annual International Conference in Orlando next week. More than 1,400 people are expected at this event focused on bringing more information about pulmonary hypertension to patients and their family members.

Stop by and see us in the exhibit hall. We're Booth No. 414. The event runs June 22-24 at the Renaissance Orlando Sea World.

Learn more about this event.

More Workshops Announced

National Patient Education Conference

We have added more workshop descriptions for you.
Take a look at some of this year's conference offerings:

The Role of Vitamin D in Autoimmune and Fibrotic Diseases: Vitamin D is now realized to affect many different cells of the body that contribute to development of scleroderma, including immune cells, blood vessel cells and fibroblasts involved in the production of collagen and other molecules that make up the connective tissue. This workshop will review the importance of vitamin D in general good health and why it may be important in scleroderma and other autoimmune diseases due to its ability to decrease autoimmunity and inhibit development of fibrosis. Presented by: Arnold Postlethwaite, M.D.

New in 2012! Fatigue and Scleroderma: Fatigue (feeling tired) is a common problem in scleroderma. For many people living with scleroderma, this significantly impacts their quality of life. In this session, you will learn to identify potential factors contributing to fatigue and tips to manage. Presented by: Astrud Lorraine Leyva, M.D.

Register for this year's conference in Dallas July 27-29. You also can view other workshop descriptions, learn about the hotel and more on our website.

Remember, the early bird registration deadline is Friday, June 29!

	Disclaimer: The Scleroderma Foundation in no way endorses any drugs or treatments reported in the eLetter. Information is provided to keep readers informed. Because the manifestations and severity of scleroderma vary among individuals, personal medical management is essential. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that all drugs and treatments be discussed with the reader's physician(s) for proper evaluation and treatment.

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