When you are seeking help for someone is has an addiction to drugs or alcohol you want to be sure you’re finding the right rehab program. Finding US rehab centers that meet the needs of your loved one is vital to their success in getting off drugs and alcohol. Rebab centers are different and specialize in different types of substance abuse, in treating coexisting medical or mental health problems and in treating cross addictions.

Having a website that lists US rehab centers by state and then provides a detailed explanation of each center helps get you started in your search. As you go through the list, you’ll find where the center is located, what type of treatment they provide, what insurance is accepted, their website address and detailed information that you may not even think to ask about.

I found centers that provide help with child care, housing and guardianship. There’s also small homes that provide assistance with getting sober. Many have programs for families of the person who is addicted, which can make a true difference in a person’s life.  Some centers are located in urban areas, some in rural. Location can be a deciding factor for some people.

People who are addicted can navigate the site on their own as well. It is the start of getting help. They can share what they’ve found with family members and friends. They can also provide the US rehab centers they’ve found to their doctors and counselors who can provide assistance in making a choice on which center to chose.

Brought to you by your friends at Rehab-USA.com

Stand Up To Cancer will be working with the hit show Survivor and issue the “Challenge The Odds” Team Challenge with Stand Up To Cancer Ambassador and winner of Survivor: Africa Ethan Zohn. Zohn is in remission from Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is the spokesperson for the Survivor teams SU2C fundraising efforts.

CBS will engage its viewers on-air and online through Survivor fan sites in the challenge. The SU2C fundraising widget is available to all SU2C Team Community participants to share on blogs and social media platforms (i.e., Facebook and Twitter) in order to rally support and encourage donations. Top fundraisers between Aug. 17 & Sept. 1, 2010 will be announced on the September 10th show. One lucky team member may have the chance to Skype with a celebrity on air!

In addition, a CBS PSA campaign driving viewers to the Survivor SU2C donations page will launch tonight and run throughout the year.   Among the Survivors participating in the spots are fan-favorites such as Rupert Boneham, Amber Brkich-Mariano, James Clement, Colby Donaldson, Cirie Fields, Russell Hantz, Jerri Manthey, Rob Mariano, Jenna Morasca, Parvati Shallow, James ”JT” Thomas Jr., Sandra Diaz-Twine, Benjamin “Coach” Wade, Tom Westman and Ethan Zohn.

Watch the SU2C TV show on September 10, 2010, at 8PM EST & PST / 7PM CT. The one-hour fundraising event will be simulcast live and commercial-free on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Bio, Discovery Health, E!, G4, HBO, HBO Latino, MLB Network, mun2, Showtime, Smithsonian Channel, The Style Network, TV One, and VH1.

To get involved by starting a team, becoming a member of Stand Up To Cancer, keeping informed of their work on Facebook and Twitter or to make a donation, visit the Stand Up To Cancer Survivor site.

Stand Up To Cancer is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. EIF meets all 20 BBB Charity Standards.

The endocrinologist finally found a solution to the low potassium issue I’ve been having, but now I’m constantly fatigued. I can sleep all day and all night. If I try to stay awake, the brain fog is much worse and I can feel myself nodding off.

I’ve been taking Spironolactone along with Potassium supplements. My Potassium level at my last blood test was 3.8. That is the highest it has been in years. I was thrilled! When the doctor saw the improvement I made, he increased the Spironolactone to 100 mgs. twice a day and stopped the Potassium.

I didn’t realize the fatigue I was feeling was related to the increase in my medications until I did a search for side effects on Spironolactone. Now I’ll have to call the doctor on Monday to see if he agrees with me and see what I can do to maintain the normal potassium level that I need. Because of the diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis, I should be at a Potassium level of 4.0 so this is a serious health concern for me. I don’t want to spend my life sleeping though.

Have you had a problem with fatigue and Spironolactone?

For those of us with a chronic illness, health issues or a disability we may not be able to volunteer in real life or at all. This is an easy way to pay it forward with Elmer’s Bag It Forward though. Just copy and paste the following:

This Back to School season, Elmer’s is celebrating it’s every day low pricing on back to school supplies at Walmart by partnering with Adopt-A-Classroom to help make a difference in classrooms across the country.
Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom with your participation. Join now!

The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward is charity blog meme, bloggers are able to raise $10 per blog post for Adopt-A-Classroom by writing a blog post or Facebook note and donating a virtual bag of school supplies . Elmer’s will donate $10 per each post written for Adopt-A-Classroom, up to $10,000.

HOW CAN YOU JOIN? It’s easy.

* Participate in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward by giving away a virtual bag of school supplies and creating a blog post or Facebook note with specific rules described below.
* Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom.
* You can give as many virtual bags as you want.
* The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward will officially begin at 12 AM EST on July 22, 2010 and end at 11:59 PM EST on September 10, 2010. Blog posts submitted to us before or after that time period will not be counted.
* The blog post link has to be submitted in the comment section below for your participation to be counted.
* In addition copy and paste the following text into your blog post:

ELMER’S VIRTUAL BAG IT FORWARD RULES

* Copy and paste these rules into your blog post or Facebook note.
* Create a post giving a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or write about your Back to School shopping trip at Walmart.
* Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
* Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
* Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.
* Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by September 10,2010).
* Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation.

Here is the photo you can use for your virtual bag or create your own!

I’m tagging anyone who wants to pay it forward with Elmer’s Bag It Forward.

Amanda Lakso writes a blog, Chronic Pain and Ramblings to educate and support people with chronic illnesses especially Fibromyalgia.  She is 31, married and has an adult step-son.I met Amanda on Facebook, where she is very active. We chatted a few times and I asked if I could feature her as one of my Spotlight Interviews. Thankfully she agreed.

Amanda has Fibromyalgia, Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Depression, Anxiety, Agoraphobia , Tachycardia and is Bipolar.  She’s been living with  pain and mental disorders since her early teens, but her actual diagnoses came later.
Amanda has severe widespread pain. She describes it well:

It feels like my muscles are all cramped up all the time and hurts to the slightest touch. The Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome I can only describe like this: Think of the skin on a chicken breast, it’s slimy and moves around really well. Now think of say your arm for example is made up of layers. First your skin, then the “chicken skin”, muscle then more “chicken skin”, then bone. My “chicken skin” has turned to concrete while most people’s move freely like the skin of a chicken breast.

After giving up a job that she loved 3 years ago, she has been trying to be approved for Social Security Disability unsuccessfully.  She is on prescriptions that cause her to twitch, which she finds embarrassing. Because of that and that the fear of leaving her home (Agoraphobia) as well as a fear of crowds, Amanda is almost always at home.

She has difficulty concentrating and has tried ADD medications without relief.  Because of this, Amanda has given up one of her favorite hobbies, reading, which is difficult for her. She was also a crafter, but now crochets or knits once in a while.  She does try to volunteer at her local fire department where her husband is the assistant chief, with reports. She also tries to volunteer at the library when she’s able. This gives her a feeling of paying it forward and giving back to her community.

Her family supports and understands her medical issues, but her is husband is her main support. “He has been wonderful about doing everything around the house. What a man!” She uses her blog to vent about the things that bother her and that helps her a great deal.

One book Amanda recommend is “Fibromyalgia for Dummies”.  She has a free copy for download,  or you can get it at your local library or an online bookstore.  Shes also like “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fibromyalgia”. There are so many books that she enjoys that she’s considering adding a blog page just for books.

Amanda recommends Fibro360 Forum, My Fibro, The Invisible Disabilities Advocate and The American Academy of Pain Management among others. You can find all of the websites she recommends by visiting the Links on the sidebar of her blog.

Contact Amanda and find out about her other blogs as well as where to follow her on Facebook.

Amanda inspires me as she has a positive attitude, but isn’t afraid to share when she’s feeling down. She reaches out to others who are in pain or have health conditions like hers.

This is an ongoing effort to spotlight people with chronic illness, health issues and disabilities who are making a contribution in some way despite their pain, sickness, etc.

Celebrity health advocates often do a good job of  spreading the news about a specific medical condition. When you see a YouTube video featuring Zak Efron and Vanessa Hudgens for Stand Up To Cancer, the cause gets noticed. Think about Jerry Lewis and what he has done for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the conditions that the MDA covers.

Dick Van Dyke was recently named the spokesperson of the Cell Therapy Foundation which promotes stem cell therapy for diseases such as heart disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) and cancer. Kellie Martin, who you may remember from Life Goes On,  ER or Mystery Woman is a spokesperson for the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA).

Celebrities bring awareness to unknown diseases. They help to raise money for research. They also inform people about symptoms, how to get diagnosed and available treatments. It can be difficult, though, to find a celebrity advocate for a medical condition that they actually have, especially if they are working. Many celebrities want to hide any kind of illness they have. It can hurt their career because they can be seen as someone who may not be able to show up when needed.

As they say, the show must go on. If a celebrity can’t work because of being sick, being hospitalized, or having a flare up, they can shut down taping of a show. There are also insurance issues to be concerned about. If a celebrity is known to have some type of medical problem, the insurance for the project they are working on (TV show, movie, CD, video) can be increased. Let’s not forget the rumor mill and the embarrassing stories that will be reported. For example, there was recently a sighting of celebrity buying incontinence supplies and it was fodder for celebrity gossip.