Lake Erie News

The Multiple Sclerosis benefit Walleye Fishing Tournament will be held on June 5. It is an opportunity to help people with multiple sclerosis and enjoy a day of walleye fishing . Sign up by getting a group of six friends, customers or co-workers to fill a boat. The fully-stocked boat will set sail from the Midway Marina in Port Clinton.

More than 150 anglers are expected to participate in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s 24th Annual Walleye Fishing Tournament. The anglers are treated to a continental breakfast starting at 6:30 a.m. before they head out to fish aboard a charter boat with a licensed charter boat captain at the helm. Each boat is stocked with food, beverages, bait and ice.  

When the participants return in the afternoon they take part in a light dinner and win prizes while their catch is being cleaned and bagged for them to take home.  Prizes are awarded for first, second and third place, for largest fish and stringer.

The cost for a boat with six people is $1,200.  Individual tickets are also available for $250. After May 30, the price for a boat will increase to $1,300 and individual tickets will no longer be sold.

The money raised through the MS Walleye Tournament helps more than 20,000 Ohio residents living with multiple sclerosis. Funds are directed toward services like transportation, durable medical equipment loan, friendly-visitation programs for those who are homebound or hospitalized and self-help groups.  Funds also support research efforts at Ohio institutions like the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Case Western Reserve University and The Ohio State University Medical Center where MS researchers are working to find the cause and a cure for the disease.

Join presenting sponsor Shamrock Companies Inc. and other participants as they fish for walleye and for a cure.  Call Tony Bernard at 614-515-4608 for more information or visit  www.MSohiobuckeye.org.

About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and the body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease.  MS affects more than 2.1 million people worldwide.

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
The National MS Society addresses the challenges of each person affected by MS by funding cutting-edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education, collaborating with MS organizations around the world, and providing programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. Join the movement at www.MSohiobuckeye.org.

On Thursday, May 23, at 6 p.m. at Ida Rupp Public Library in Port Clinton, David Prudhomme and Ruth Scheider, local authors of “From Stressed to Best” will be offering a free talk.

From their article on stress:

“Stress is often misunderstood. Some people think of stress as “Good” - spurring them to action or “Bad” - paralyzing them and keeping them from action. Studies are now showing that stress causes or exacerbates 85% of all illness, and that it is the root cause of many problems from relationship issues, to smoking, weight gain, pain, sleeplessness, physical illness, addictions, anxiety and depression.

So, where does stress come from? All stress starts with a thought; it is usually pining about the past or worrying about the future. The truth is you cannot change the past nor can you control the future. You live in the present moment. Every thought you have, every emotion you experience, and every behavior you choose all happen in the present moment. You cannot control the weather, the economy, your friends, your co-workers, your spouse, or any member of your family. What you can control is you.

All stress, regardless of the source, causes an immediate “fight or flight response in the body and the mind. A cascade of physical and mental changes take place. Your adrenaline levels go up, causing your mind to start the gerbil wheel of racing thoughts.

Your cortisol levels go up and cortisol is a stress hormone that causes your body to stop burning fat. Your blood pressure goes up, your blood sugar goes up, and your immune system is negatively affected. Your hormones become unbalanced.  When your body is producing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, it cannot produce adequate amounts of “good” hormones such as oxytocin and serotonin (for the female) and testosterone and dopamine (for the male). Your metabolism is negatively impacted.

Your risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes and cancer all go up. You are more likely to experience frequent headaches; or be diagnosed with fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome.

Medical conditions are magnified by stress. Stressed people report having more pain, and those with chronic illnesses report having more flare-ups or symptoms when they are stressed. All of these physical and mental responses are hard-wired into the body and mind; they happen automatically.

In fact, even if you imagine something negative is happening in the future, your mind and body react as if it is really happening. Most of us are taught, at an early age, to worry about the worst possible thing that could happen, so that if it does happen we are ready for it. The fact is that does not work at all. The problem is we are actually causing ourselves stress rather than preparing ourselves to handle the worst case scenario. The fact is that most of the things you worry about never actually happen, but your body and mind already think they did.

Many people have been operating under stress for so long they don’t even realize it.  The human body and mind are not designed to be stressed all day long. Yet with the current fast-paced culture and lifestyles of most people, that is exactly what is happening.

Chronic stress is now being recognized by the scientific and medical communities as one of the main causes of illness. Some medical professionals are now thinking that reducing stress may be even more important than stopping smoking to ensure their clients’ health and well-being.

In the “From Stressed to Best™” perspective, stress is an in-born response to something that is different from one of an individual’s hard-wired preferences. We can easily measure those preferences. Each preference has the potential for causing an automatic stress response. Once you understand what causes the stress, you can easily stop it and choose a different response – one that works for you.”

Port Clinton High School recently announced the Student of the Month for March is Sam Miller.

Sam Miller has been involved in many activities and organizations at Port Clinton High School. He is the Treasurer of the Senior Class, member of Leadership Council, National Honor Society, Band, Academic Challenge, Freshman Mentor and past treasurer of Drama Club.  In addition, he is one of the top ten students in the Class of 2013. Sam is a member of the Bowling Team and throws shot and discus in track and field.  For the past three year, Sam has traveled with The Chapel Youth Group on various Mission Trips during the summer. Next year, Sam plans to attend Case Western Reserve University and major in Physics. He is the son of Amy Miller Winters and Kevin Winters.