Multiple Sclerosis Predominantly Affecting Females

Multiple Sclerosis is quickly becoming a disease that is found mostly among females. Currently, the ratio of females to males with the illness is 3.2 to 1. Since genetic factors can be ruled out, scientific attention is being focused on environmental factors that could be behind the increased risk in women.

The factors are likely to include things such as smoking, infections, Vitamin D deficiency, hygiene changes, and dietary factors. This past week a convention of nearly four hundred scientists and clinicians worldwide met for a conference on "Multiple Sclerosis and Gender" to discuss their opinions and backgrounds on this shift in gender ratio.

The main question raised in response to the shift is whether or not females with Multiple Sclerosis should be treated differently than men. Additionally of interest is the effect of pregnancy on the progression of MS. The disease almost disappears during the last trimester of pregnancy, and scientists are looking into natural female sex hormones that may help them develop new ways of treating women with MS.

Phase III clinical trials have already been initialized that will hopefully bring answers to this question by the end of 2009. To view the full article from Medical News Today, please click here

President-Elect Plans to Empower Those with Disabilities

President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-Elect Joe Biden have a four part plan to provide Americans with disabilities access to the same possibilities as those without disabilites.

Obama plans to make the United States a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a human rights treaty for respecting the rights of people with disabilities worldwide. First, he plans to provide disabled Americans with educational opportunities by funding and enforcing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Obama and Biden also plan to invest $10 billion yearly for early intervention education and development programs for children up to the age of five. They also plan to assist high-school graduates with disabilities by improving their opportunity for attending college. Secondly, Obama and Biden also plan to promote equality of opportunity by restoring the American Disability Act and increasing funding for enforcement, among other things.

Third, the pair would like to increase the employment rate of American workers with disabilities. To do this, they plan to increase executive branch hiring of people with disabilites and provide private-sector employers with resources to accomodate disabled employees.

Finally, they hope to improve independent, community based living for disabled Americans. They plan to do this by amending the Medicare "Homebound" Rule and supporting VA specialty care and supporting Americans living with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

For more information and to view the whole plan, click here

Social Security and SSI Benefits to Increase in 2009

The Social Security Administration has announced that in the coming year monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits will increase by 5.8 percent. These benefits automatically increase each year based on cost of living increases. In the SSI program, the maximum federal payment for an individual will be $674 per month and for couples it will be $1,011 per month. SSI resource limits will remain the same, at $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for couples. Additionally, the substantial gainful activity level (used to determine if an individual is disabled) and the amount of earnings required to earn quarters of coverage (work credits) will also increase beginning in January. For more information, please visit the Social Security Administration website here