Health Expert Merely Me shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/84292/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/84292/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/84292/index http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/84292/152171/sickness Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:01:00 -0400 Merely Me Hi everybody!   I know what you are going to say.  I have not been present here for a couple of weeks.  This is a new thing for me.  Since I began with Health Central in August of 2008 I have been here.  It is a rare thing for me to be away from this site and you.  I miss you all very much.   Not sure why I chose this title...it just came to me.  In all things whether it is a relationship or a job there... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/84292/152171/sickness http://www.healthcentral.com/autism/c/84292/151612/5-things-autism Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:09:51 -0400 Merely Me As a mother with 16 years of experience parenting a child with autism, I have learned a lot along the way. Prior to becoming a parent I was working in the field as an instructor and behavioral therapist for children and adults with multiple disabilities including autism. But there is a huge difference between my clinical experience and my hard earned wisdom in parenting a son with special needs. Clinicians, teachers, and therapists go home for... http://www.healthcentral.com/autism/c/84292/151612/5-things-autism http://www.healthcentral.com/autism/c/84292/151581/clumsiness-symptom Tue, 27 Mar 2012 22:42:27 -0400 Merely Me When I was a child I was the kid who was picked last for sports during gym class. I lacked coordination and any athletic ability with the exception of dodging the ball during dodge ball. I would be best described as awkward and clumsy. So when my son Max showed a similar lack of coordination early on, I just thought, “Well the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Although Max walked early, at nine months, he developed an... http://www.healthcentral.com/autism/c/84292/151581/clumsiness-symptom http://www.healthcentral.com/autism/c/84292/151548/autism-wandering Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:13:32 -0400 Merely Me My Max has always been a little escape artist. His first word was “go” which came long before “mama,” “daddy,” or even “milk”. We would catch him trying to trying to climb over his crib rails as early as nine months in an attempt to go exploring. And once he could walk it wasn’t long before he was wandering away from us. One of the first times Max wandered away was shortly after his diagnosis... http://www.healthcentral.com/autism/c/84292/151548/autism-wandering http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/84292/151544/5-symptoms Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:46:00 -0400 Merely Me Many women lead very busy and hectic lives. We may be caregivers for children and elderly parents. We may have demanding jobs both at home and in the work force. So when something goes awry with our bodies many of us tend to dismiss our symptoms, especially gynecological ones. Although it is more acceptable now to discuss our sexual health, there is still a great reluctance to talk about what is happening with our bodies “down... http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/84292/151544/5-symptoms http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/84292/151543/5-myths Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:22:55 -0400 Merely Me As March is designated as National Endometriosis month we wanted to give you some facts about this condition which affects up to 5.5 million women and girls in the U.S. alone. I am one of those women affected. I was unaware of my endometriosis until I tried to have a baby and saw a fertility specialist who would later diagnose me with this gynecological disorder. Many women like me, are totally unaware that they have endometriosis until the... http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/84292/151543/5-myths http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/84292/151539/depression Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:41:00 -0400 Merely Me In a previous article I shared some of the books that have been life changing for me. I am presently re-reading one of these books, “The Saints’ Guide to Happiness” written by Robert Ellsberg. I would not identify myself as a person who is religious or of any particular faith or denomination. But I do feel that we can learn a lot from people of all faiths who have written about how to handle life's challenges. Some of my... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/84292/151539/depression http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/84292/151417/grief-words Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:46:00 -0400 Merely Me If you are expecting a bullet point presentation of “Ten Ways to Help Someone Grieve” then this is not your article. As a matter of fact I have already looked for that sort of information. It wasn’t very helpful. It has been my experience that you really don’t know what grief will look like, how to help, what to say, what not to say, until you are in the situation. The grief response is as unique as the person going... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/84292/151417/grief-words http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/84292/151377/depression Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:52:00 -0400 Merely Me Hi everyone   Every once in awhile it is important to evaluate how we are doing and if we are doing enough to serve you, our valuable members.    As the community leader here on our depression site I am curious about your perspective on the importance of community.   My question of the week is:   What brings you here to our depression site or other Health Central sites?   Is it.... • Our slideshows•... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/84292/151377/depression http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/84292/151289/depression Sun, 18 Mar 2012 11:34:00 -0400 Merely Me The days are growing longer, warmer, and more filled with light. Springtime  has finally arrived for many of us. It is a time to reflect on growth and renewal. And what a better way to pause, reflect, and enjoy this seasonal change than by starting a garden. In the cold days of winter I would take delight in looking at seed catalogs and planning for the days when I could get outside and get my hands in the soil. It gave me joy to think... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/84292/151289/depression