Neurological Disorders
Spinal Cord Disorders
Lifestyle Latest News
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.
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Workout Equipment for People in Wheelchairs - [07/08/08]
Summary: A workout set has been designed for people in wheelchairs. This kit allows people in wheelchairs to complete a total body workout without the help of caregivers, nurses, or therapists. The person working out can stay seated in their wheelchair during the entire workout. The exerciser can secure to any wheelchair under 26 inches wide. The wheelchair kit allows the person working out to use a band to do 20 different exercises. It targets the neck, back, shoulders, arms, chest, abs, obliques, hamstrings, and calves.
Comment: Being able to remain seated during the workout allows a person in a wheelchair to gain some independence about their physical activity. Being able to workout while in a wheelchair can help people remain healthier and maintain muscle strength. The kit is also completely portable and easy to set up for complete convenience.
Read article - HealthNewsDigest.com July 8, 2008
Tongue-Driven Device Allows More Mobility - [07/03/08]
Summary: A tongue driven system has been developed that allows people with severe disabilities to be able to better operate powered wheelchairs. The tongue driven system works by having a small magnet, about the size of a grain of rice, implanted to the patients tongue. The movement of the magnet could be tracked by outside devices, and then interpreted to move their powered wheelchairs.
Comment: This technology could allow many more people to be free in their movements. Many people, especially those with severe spinal cord injuries, have trouble moving even enough to control a wheelchair with their hand, and this device would allow them to move much more easily. Tongue movements are quick, accurate, and easy to use. The device can learn to recognize many commands, so a person could operate a wheelchair just by moving their tongue to touch one of their teeth.
Read article - healthfinder.gov July 3, 2008
Save Money on Prescriptions - [06/21/08]
Summary: When the economy goes into a recession money for prescription drugs can be cut. This is dangerous for your health, so tips are provided to spend less on your prescriptions. The tips include choosing generics, checking online, using a discount program, mail-order medications, and shopping around.
Comment: Spinal cord disorder medications can be expensive, yet they are very important to your health. Using half of the prescribed amount, or skipping doses, can be very dangerous and even ineffective towards treating the condition. Taking dangerous steps to save money, such as sharing a prescription, can be avoided if the patients follow the tips and are smart about their prescriptions.
Read article - HealthNewsDigest.com June 21, 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.
Would Health Information Exchange Violate 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.
Tax Tips for People with Disabilities - [03/21/08]
Summary: A new column posted on the website of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) discusses how the tax rebate applies to people with disabilities. This first installment in a series of articles, links to "Justics for All Blog," published by the American Association of People with Disabilities.
Comment: With the April 15th filing date close at hand, this column promises an extra help for individuals and households affected by a work disability as a result of a spinal cord injury or disorder. Follow the first link to browse the NSCIA website, or take the second link to click through to the full blog.
Read article - National Spinal Cord Injury Association. March 21, 2008.
Read article - Justice For All. March 20, 2008.
MD's 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.