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Hearing Loss
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Preventing Falls - [10/22/08]
Summary: Falls are a serious health concern for millions of Americans. Some risk factors for falls include mobility difficulties, depression, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, and hearing loss. Tips for avoiding falls include getting annual physical exams, consuming diets with adequate amounts of calcium and Vitamin D, not smoking, avoiding excessive alcohol consumption, exercise, keeping homes safe from hazards, and wearing shoes with no-skid soles.
Comment: Every year more than 11 million Americans fall and injure themselves, resulting in 368,000 hip fractures last year. Seniors and those at risk for falls should follow the tips and guidelines issued to prevent falls. Making small changes in lifestyle can protect those with hearing loss from falls and injuries.
Read article - HealthNewsDigest.com October 22, 2008
Sign Language Over Cell Phones - [08/22/08]
Summary: New technology has been developed to allow deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans to use sign language as a form of communication over their cell phones, obtaining a grant for further study new year. This is the first time two-way, real-time video communication has been shown to be possible in the United States.
Comment: The levels of excitement about this development are extremely high. While the deaf and hard-of-hearing are currently able to communicate via text message over their cell phones, it is important to them to be able to also communicate in their native language, American Sign Language.
Read article - Medical News Today. August 22, 2008.
Hearing Loss Affects Children's Health in School - [08/05/08]
Summary: Hearing loss affects many children, and is increasingly common because of the use of loud music players. Hearing loss affects the student's ability to succeed at school and impairs their social skills. Hearing loss is also most commmonly checked for when children are young, but can be neglected as children grow older.
Comment: There are many preparations made to help children get ready for school, but often parents do not know the importance of checking for health problems such as hearing loss before their children start school in the fall.
Read article - HealthNewsDigest.com August 5, 2008
Ten Health Tips for a Healthier You - [07/13/08]
Summary: A healthy lifestyle is the key to treating, preventing, or lessening the effects of almost every disease and condition. These ten tips are designed to help build a healthier body and lifestyle.
Comment: Tips include: walking 20 to 30 minutes a day, for weight loss, eating "black" foods, such as black mushrooms or licorice, to prevent cancer, heart disease, and slow aging, and preventing dimensia by treating hypertension.
Read article - Health News Digest. July 13, 2008.
Leisure Activities Can Boost Health and Well-Being - [05/10/08]
Summary: The American Heart Association and American College of Sports Medicine have established guidelines recommending 30 minutes of moderate daily activity for adults. Among older adults, experts have found that leisure activities that keep people engaged and physically active help to promote a healthier life and help prevent many diseases linked to aging. Ballroom dancing, for example, develops movement and balance, keeps the mind active, and requires participants to be emotionally engaged. Other suggested forms of movement are gardening, yoga, water aerobics, and tai chi.
Comment: The most beneficial leisure activities are those are intellectual, physical, spiritual, social, and purposeful. In fact, any purposeful movement, even as simple as playing the Nintendo Wii, provide significant benefits to elderly people over more sedentary activities.
Read article - Health News Digest. May 10, 2008.
Optimists Enjoy Better Health - [05/09/08]
Summary: According to a series of studies, optimists enjoy better health than pessimists. But people who are healthy are likely to have a brighter outlook than people who are ill. So scientists adjusted their analyses to account for pre-existing medical conditions and found that existing illnesses do not tarnish the benefits of optimism.
Comment: One explanation may be that optimists lead healthier lifestyles. Or it could be that optimism has biological benefits.
Read article - Harvard Health Publication. May 9. 2008.
Four Tips for Understanding Medical News - [03/29/08]
Summary: The April 2008 issue of Harvard Men's Health Watch explains how to understand medical advice that seems to change from day to day: 1) Know the differences between types of research. 2) Focus on results published in respected medical journals. 3) Don't get frustrated by contradicting research. 4) Fit each piece of information into the larger puzzle.
Comment: Given the variety of sources for medical information and the amount of research data released every data, it can be overwhelming to try to understand what the latest news really means. The practical philosophy suggested by Harvard medical staffers may be conservative, but it is also the safest and most reliable approach to adopting new medical ideas.
Read article - Medical News Today. March 29, 2008.
Read article - Harvard Health Publications. April 1, 2008.
Health Information Exchange Weights Efficiency Against Patient Privacy - [03/22/08]
Summary: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has just awarded $38.1 million to develop systems to exchange patient data between healthcare providers and payers, including the government. A recent statement from the Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC) condemned this as a violation of a patient's Fourth Amendment privacy rights, accusing the government of "surreptitiously conducting research and 'sentinel surveillance'" amounting to what CCHC president Twila Brase calls "unreasonable search and seizure."
Comment: Ms. Brase's concerns about patient privacy are reasonable, but her accusations inflate and skew the real value and intent of exchanging patient records. Regional health information exchanges have been proposed in many states for the purpose of improving the quality and efficiency of health care, making it possible for healthcare providers to make more accurate treatment decisions and deliver more affordable services. The benefits to patients include better-coordinated treatments among diverse healthcare providers, including less wait time. The second and third links below describe such an initiative underway in Maine.
Read article - Medical News Today. March 22, 2008.
Read article - Boston.com. January 16, 2008.
Read article - 3M News. March 27, 2007.
Blogs Spark Concerns About Patient Privacy - [03/13/08]
Summary: A recent story on National Public Radio notes the attraction of blogs written by healthcare workers, including physicians. These blogs allow readers to find out about the latest medical gadgets, read physicians' views on health care issues, and view insider photos of surgery and scans. These blogs have also raised concerns about patient trust, confidentiality, and legal consequences, since there is some possibility that personal medical information could be traced to or discovered by a patient.
Comment: Blogs can give patients useful insight into health conditions and treatments. And, they can provide a supportive forum as a patient endures on-going treatment. However, no patient should have to worry about coming across their own personal information in someone else's blog. To find out about how to discuss privacy concerns with your doctor and safeguard your patient privacy, see the Patient Privacy Toolkit at PatientPrivacyRights.org. (You do not have to become a member to access the links listed in the toolkit.)
Read article - National Public Radio. March 13, 2008.
Read article - PatientPrivacyRights.org.
Bill of Rights Outlines Patient Expectations - [02/01/08]
Summary: Many agencies and companies involved in health care have versions of a patient's "bill of rights" that articulate what type of care patients should expect and receive. In "The Patient Care Partnership," the American Hospital Association explains what patients should expect during a hospital stay, in particular their right to health care and responsibilities as a consumer.
Comment: In this election year, health care is a distinguishing issue among presidential candidates. This brochure provides an industry perspective on the current state of health care as it directly affects patients, taxpayers, and consumers. It does not necessarily represent how hospital care should operate ideally, but how the current system operates most efficiently. As such it serves as a fair comparison to the alternative solutions proposed by many political candidates.
Read article - American Hospital Association.