PULSE HE SINGS, SPEAKS IN FIGHT AGAINST MS.

At 26 years old, country music singer Clay Walker was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that afflicts the central nervous system.

``They diagnosed it within one day, through an MRI, and found lesions on my brain,'' Walker says. ``I was terrified because I didn't know what the disease was. From that day to this day, I've come a long way.''

Since that day, Walker, now 34, has become an advocate for MS research. Last November, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society named him the National Ambassador of the Year for the time, effort and money he has donated to the cause. The society has bestowed the honor only three times before, the last in 2000, when it recognized actor David Lander, who portrayed Squiggy on TV's ``Laverne & Shirley.''

National MS Society's Southern California chapter president, Leon LeBuffe, says Walker has donated proceeds from the sale of T-shirts and souvenirs at his concerts to support the society's work.

``I think it's great that a huge country music star like Clay Walker will give us his time and his fame - lend us his fame and his great goodwill as well as his money to fight MS,'' LeBuffe says. ``He's really been very generous with his time and his fortune.''

The immediate goal, Walker says, is to raise awareness about treatment options and to encourage those with MS to take charge of their condition. Part of that effort is Band Against MS, a foundation started by Walker last year.

An estimated 400,000 Americans suffer from MS, which typically strikes between the ages of 20 and 40 and affects more women than men. Genetics, gender, age, birthplace and other environmental factors are all thought to play a role in the development of MS.

Walker, who believes that there will be a cure in his lifetime, speaks to people who have MS and works to raise money for research and finding that cure. But he says for now, there are great treatment options.

``It's proven how much these therapies work,'' Walker says. ``To ignore those facts, I can't see why people would ignore them.

Another key element in fighting the disease, Walker says, is a person's mental attitude.

``I think that people's attitudes is the one thing that we are for sure in control of,'' he says. ``I think that attitude has control of the way that anything is going. No matter what you do in life, your attitude is the catalyst for success.''

Learn more about Walker's foundation at www.bandagainstms.org and about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society at www.nmss.org.

- Nicole Sunkes

YOGA FOR EVERYONE: Yoga is recommended for all ages. But not all home yoga videos take into account that a senior's needs are different from a 25-year-old's. Naturaljourneys' ``Lilias! AM & PM Workouts for Seniors'' (DVD; $24.95) is a gentle Hatha yoga routine that modifies the traditional poses with the help of a chair. Lilias leads seniors through sun salutations and spinal twists while seated. She uses the back of the chair for additional stability for the triangle pose and the stork balance posture. The morning workout is designed to energize. The evening workout stresses relaxation, teaching self-massage techniques to relieve tension in the back, shoulders and neck.

- Mariko Thompson

BACK TO BASICS: One of the blurbs for ``Do You Really Need Back Surgery?'' (Oxford University Press; $28) calls it a guide for the intelligent layperson. There is a certain college-anatomy-course sensibility at work here. The awe stirred by the human body's breathtaking complexity is dampened by the sheer weight of information to be studied and digested. Dr. Aaron G. Filler, the director of the Center for Advanced Spinal Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, delivers on the book's promise to review everything ``from Pilates to pedicle screws.''

The first half of the book provides an overview of keeping the spine healthy and what's happening when you experience pain. The second half of the book covers treatment and surgeries.

Filler knows how to explain the intricacies of the spine to a general audience and the guide presents an incredible amount of information. That said, this is no book ``For Dummies.''

- M.T.

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(1) WALKER

(2) no caption (``Lilias! AM & PM Workouts for Seniors'')

(3) no caption (book: ``Do You Really Need Back Surgery?'')