MSI Press Blog

My tenant has sciatica at 38. Early, but not unusual anymore. I suggested that she try glute bridges. She did not know what they were. So, I showed her — casually dropped to the kitchen floor and demonstrated: 10 standard 10 single‑leg lift right 10 single‑leg lift left Easy. Routine. Something I don’t think twice about. She seemed nonplussed, stunned, and turned to my son's caregiver who was in the room with us. "How does she do that?" she asked. The caregiver shrugged, “I don’t know. I cannot.” And that’s when it hit me: They were telling the truth. I did a little research and learned that most adults today cannot do a single‑leg lift glute bridge. What?? They’ve lost the functional strength to move their own bodies! I had assumed these two ladies were unusually out of shape. But no. They are normal. It’s the baseline that has shifted, ostensibly because young folks lead more sedentary lives than did my generation. But not able to slip to the floor and do a single-leg-l...

  The story of Agent Orange is not only about toxic exposure. It is also about the long, uneven path to recognition. For many veterans, the medical consequences were only the first battle. The second was with the very system meant to support them. 1. Early Denial: A System Unprepared for a Slow Disaster When veterans first began reporting unusual clusters of cancers, neuropathies, and reproductive problems in the late 1970s, the VA was not equipped — scientifically or administratively — to respond. Several factors shaped the early resistance: Limited scientific tools : Dioxin’s long latency period made causal links difficult to prove with the methods available at the time. Institutional caution : The VA historically required strong, direct evidence before granting service connection. Political pressure : Acknowledging harm carried financial and moral implications the government was slow to accept. The result was a decade of skepticism. Veterans were told their illnesses were unrela...