Fountain of youth science

Removing 'zombie' cells could slow aging
ROCHESTER, Minn. (UPI) -- Purging the body of senescent cells, old"zombie" cells that are no longer functioning properly, may slow downthe human aging process, U.S. researchers say.
Cells in the body don't keep dividing forever but reach a state knownas cellular senescence in which they no longer divide but releasesubstances that damage adjacent cells, scientists at the Mayo Clinicsaid.
The immune system normally disposes of the zombie cells but with aginggradually loses its ability to do so, they said.
"By attacking these cells and what they produce, one day we may beable to break the link between aging mechanisms and predisposition todiseases like heart disease, stroke, cancers and dementia," Dr. JamesKirkland, a co-author of the study, said in a statement.
Researchers say eliminating senescent cells could delay the onset ofcataracts, the gradual loss of muscle tissue and other aging-relatedproblems, CBS News reported Thursday.
"Therapeutic interventions to get rid of senescent cells or blocktheir effects may represent an avenue to make us feel more vital,healthier, and allow us to stay independent for a much longer time,"Dr. Jan van Deursen, a study co-author, said in the statement.
The research suggests it may be possible to develop drugs that wouldkill senescent cells in humans or improve an aging immune system'sability to dispose of them, the researchers

DNR   disturbing trend -keep your eyes open

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Seniors given secret 'do not resuscitate' orders

Old and in the way? Not for long if you're unlucky enough to land in a British hospital, where seniors are routinely left to die under secret "do not resuscitate" orders.

Those orders are among the most difficult, painful, and intimate decisions you and your family could ever make -- but it's being stolen from you by doctors, nurses, and even office clerks who think they can play God.

Now, it doesn't matter what YOU want: If THEY think you're too sick -- or, more likely, too expensive -- to get even the smallest life-saving measures, you're put on the DNR list… and no one will even bother to tell you or your family that your days are numbered.

There's no other way to put it, folks -- that's a secret death order, and they're being issued in hospitals across the U.K.

In one major facility, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, investigators found no evidence that ANY of the DNR orders on file were issued with the knowledge and consent of the patients or their families.

At another hospital, a patient was left to die because a clerk had slipped a BLANK do-not-resuscitate form into his file. It hadn't been signed by anyone -- not the patient, not his family and not his doctors.

As a one-time mistake, that alone ranks as "unforgivable."

But this one is much worse than that -- because it wasn't a one-time mistake. Maybe it wasn't even a mistake at all -- because investigators found that clerks at this hospital routinely put blank DNR orders into patients' files.

Life-or-death decisions, made by filing clerks -- this is straight out of Kafka.

Action on Elder Abuse, a British charity, has taken to calling these secret DNR orders "euthanasia by the backdoor," but it's so systematic that I don't think there's anything "backdoor" about it. It sounds more like "euthanasia by committee" to me -- and you don't get a seat on that committee.

The phrase "death panel" comes to mind as well, except there's not even a "panel" anymore -- just a clerk with a Xerox machine.

And if you think this can only happen in the U.K., think again -- because the authors of ObamaCare believe Britain's fatally flawed model of socialized medicine is something we should aspire to.

---

Walk Your Way out of the Hospital

Being a hospital patient used to mean getting into a bed and basically staying there until the doctor said that you could go home. But in recent years, this approach has been changing dramatically as medical staffers have recognized that patients heal faster when they get out of bed and walk -- and new research is showing that the more you walk, and the sooner you walk, the better. If you have elderly relatives, however, you have probably discovered that the outdated idea of the "benefit of bed rest" has tremendous staying power. Convincing them otherwise can be more than challenging. Now, though, there is a new study that you can use to help them see the light. It clearly demonstrates that, condition permitting, elderly patients who are willing to get up and walk around outside their hospital rooms (especially those who start on day one) shorten the length of time that they must stay in the hospital -- which is another way of saying that active patients get better quicker.

BENEFITS OF GETTING ON YOUR FEET

Researchers from the department of nursing at Haifa University in Israel surveyed 485 patients, age 70 and older, who were hospitalized for at least two days (on average, about six). When I contacted study coauthor Efrat Shadmi, RN, PhD, she told me that these patients were in the hospital for common acute conditions, including pneumonia and exacerbations of chronic illnesses such as heart disease. Dr. Shadmi added that none of the patients’ conditions meant that they couldn’t or shouldn’t be somewhat active. In fact, the study eliminated any patients who had been hospitalized for a debilitating condition, such as stroke, that would significantly affect their ability to move around. The findings were published in the July 25, 2011, Archives of Internal Medicine.

While previous studies have found value when younger hospital patients got out of bed and walked, this one had equally good news for older patients. Study participants who walked around at least once a day outside their hospital rooms shortened their stays by 1.5 days, on average, compared with a group of patients who either refused (or were not encouraged) to walk around outside their hospital rooms. So the most active patients were released from the hospital the earliest.

Another interesting result: Those who started walking sooner also left the hospital faster. Patients who increased their walking by at least 600 steps from the first day to the second day of their stays were able to be discharged 1.7 days earlier than those who didn’t.

WELL WORTH THE EFFORT

Doctors stress that walking is important for hospital patients because it helps them maintain normal breathing function and promotes the flow of oxygen throughout the body. It also helps support normal gastrointestinal, bowel and urinary function. Dr. Shadmi adds that geriatric patients, in particular, have yet another reason to get moving -- muscle reserves decrease rapidly. If an older patient lingers in bed for even a few days without walking around, he/she can lose muscle mass so fast that his everyday functioning can become impaired.

It was encouraging to learn from Dr. Shadmi that when hospital staffers and family members explained to patients participating in the study how important walking was -- both for faster healing and maintaining strength -- the majority of patients were willing to give it a try, even if the extra effort made them extra tired. So if someone you love is in the hospital, go ahead and nudge him to walk around a little. Sure, he might groan at first, but he’ll thank you later -- when he’s at home.

Source(s):

Efrat Shadmi, RN, PhD, The Cheryl Spencer Department of Nursing, faculty of social welfare and health sciences, Haifa University, Israel.

explotation of the weak -not acceptable

 

 

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Daily Dose - Squeezing cash out of dementia patients

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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WC Douglass, M.D. TheDouglassReport@newmarkethealth.com to holcrest

 

show details 8:10 AM (50 minutes ago)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Daily Dose with William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

 

OTC Cancer Cure Cover-up?!

 

You have received this e-mail because our records indicate that you signed up for a free subscription to the Daily Dose eLetter.

 

 
How to help RECHARGE your brain -- in 3 seconds a day.

When that name is on the tip of your tongue. When you spend fifteen minutes looking for misplaced glasses. When you're worried your memory is slipping away -- there's something easy you can do!

It's proven, no matter what your age is, a healthy brain can recall numbers and hunt down those lost items in a snap. But you'll be shocked to discover how easy it is to support your brain power.

Give this secret just 3 seconds a day and discover how a healthy brain will transform your day.

Keep reading...

 http://clicks.douglassreport.com//t/AQ/AAelkA/AAe0dg/AAT71Q/AQ/AmRRXw/UnHa

 

How nursing homes exploit their sickest residents

Dementia patients are being used as pawns in a highly profitable game of musical beds -- helping nursing homes to triple their revenues in a scam that you're just not going to believe.

Here's how it works: A dementia patient on his own, laying in a bed in a nursing home, will bring in $175 a day in Medicare payments.

That may sound like plenty -- $1225 for a single week -- but it's not the kind of money that earns big bonuses for nursing home executives at the end of the year, even in a joint with hundreds of these patients.

So they devise a reason to send the patient off to the hospital -- because when he gets back to the nursing home after that little trip, his value skyrockets.

Now, at least on paper, he needs "skilled care" in that nursing home -- so Medicare will pay TRIPLE the fees... even if it turns out that "skilled care" is exactly what the patient would have received if he had never left the nursing home in the first place. 

It sounds like something the Enron boys would have schemed up, and the similarities don't end there. It's Medicare, after all, and that means you're the one ultimately footing the bill.

You'll find all the details of this massive hoodwink in the latest New England Journal of Medicine, which finds that 19 percent of advanced dementia patients in nursing homes are sent off for dubious hospitalizations near the end of their lives -- with some being moved back and forth multiple times in the space of just a few months.

These patients are sent to the hospital for conditions that are routinely and easily treated by nursing homes all the time: pneumonia, infections, swallowing problems, and dehydration, just to name a few.

They should be getting that care from the relative comfort of a familiar face in a familiar place.

Instead, they're being exploited in the name of cold, hard cash.   

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc  -"Turnaround Consultants"  .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford  backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

Do not get vacinated - assess the risk

The growing army of the unvaccinated

It's become a legal and politically correct form of discrimination: Unvaccinated kids are being booted from schools, summer camps, and even doctor's offices.

They're trying to make you feel like some kind of fringe weirdo for refusing to pump your kid full of live viruses, mercury, formaldehyde, chicken eggs, DNA from aborted fetuses, and all the other junk used in those shots.

But you're not a weirdo -- and you're not even fringe: New numbers show that a full 10 percent of American families now refuse or delay common childhood vaccinations.

And that's just the beginning -- because the survey in Pediatrics finds that even parents who toe the party line are having big-time doubts over this whole vaccination thing.

Twenty-five percent of those who get every vaccination say they believe it would be safer to delay some of them -- and nearly 30 percent say they don't think there's any harm in skipping the least necessary shots.

I agree -- as long as by "least necessary" you mean ALL of them!

Here are the facts: Vaccinations haven't protected or "saved" children. They've actually compromised the powerful natural immunity of the human body, making people weaker and sicker in the long run.

The perfect example is chickenpox. Kids used to get it all the time in early childhood, when all it meant was a few days of itching and scratching -- and then they were done with it.

You probably remember that yourself.

Today, the chickenpox vaccine has practically eliminated it in those early years -- but vaccinated kids and adults alike are now getting it later in life instead, when it can be dangerous and even deadly.

That's just one shot -- the rest are no better, and many are far worse.

The Institute of Medicine recently admitted that common vaccines can cause seizures, brain inflammation, infection, body encephalitis, pneumonia, meningitis, hepatitis and more -- and this was in a statement in DEFENSE of vaccinations!

If anyone treats you like a fringe weirdo for opposing vaccinations, just show them that. That should shut 'em up.

Proudly on the fringe,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.   

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc  -"Turnaround Consultants"  .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford  backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

Help wanted interpretations -smile and true

Translations of Help Wanted Ads

      Energetic self-starter: You'll be working on commission.

Entry level position: We will pay you the lowest wages allowed by law.

Experience required: We do not know the first thing about any of this.

Fast learner: You will get no training from us.

Flexible work hours: You will frequently work long overtime hours.

Good organizational skills: You'll be handling the filing.

Make an investment in you future: This is a franchise or a pyramidscheme.

Management training position: You'll be a salesperson with a wideterritory.

Much client contact: You handle the phone or make "cold calls" onclients.

Must have reliable transportation: You will be required to break speedlimits.

Must be able to lift 50 pounds: We offer no health insurance orchiropractors.

Opportunity of a lifetime: You will not find a lower salary for somuch work.

Planning and coordination: You book the bosses travel arrangements.

Quick problem solver: You will work on projects months behind schedulealready.

Strong communication skills: You will write tons of documentation andletters.     

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc  -"Turnaround Consultants"  .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford  backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

As predicted -the next round of what is good for you individual sin tax - welcome to the special police state

Freedom's just another word for nothing left to eat

One of the last freedoms you have left is the freedom to choose what's on your dinner plate tonight -- but get ready to stick a fork in that one.

The Food Police have taken over in Denmark -- and we could be next.

This week, Denmark is taking the Nanny State to the next level with an onerous new tax on the fresh and natural foods your body needs. Under this so-called "fat tax," anyone who wants foods with saturated fats will have to pay through the teeth for the privilege.

Farm-fresh butter? TAXED!

Cheese? TAXED!

Meat? TAXED!

Pretty soon, shoppers will be forced to load up on lower-priced substitutes made of factory-processed soy byproducts and a lab full of dangerous chemicals--all in the name of good health, of course.

This sin tax is meant to help slash the risk of an early death. Puh-lease. Studies have shown time and again that people who eat healthful natural animal fats and skip the sugars and other refined carbohydrates have a much LOWER risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and even early death.

If that's what passes for sin, then being bad never felt so good.

Denmark isn't the only one leveling the sin tax. Hungary has imposed a tax on foods with high levels of sugar, salt, carbs, and caffeine. Denmark, Switzerland, and Austria have banned trans fats. And Finland, Romania, and Britain are all considering fat taxes as well.

But I think everyone is missing the point here. Forget for a minute that the government has picked the wrong bad guy (sugar and carbs would have been a much more appropriate target), the bottom line is that no government has any right to legislate your food choices. Period.

Hold on to your rights, America, or you'll be next. If Uncle Sam is going to be footing the bill for your healthcare, He certainly thinks he has the right to determine how you eat (and sleep and drink and exercise and you-name-it).

Consider this your wake-up call. And go eat some butter--before it's too late.    

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc  -"Turnaround Consultants"  .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford  backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

telephone imagery

http://earthsky.org/human-world/iphone-morphs-into-medical-imaging-device    interesting

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Hollecrest & Associates Inc  -"Turnaround Consultants"  .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford  backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

medical jumps

Cellphone becomes medical image device

DAVIS, Calif. (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've transformed aniPhone into a high-quality medical imaging device that could transformmedicine in developing countries.

Using only inexpensive materials, researchers at the University ofCalifornia, Davis, have modified smartphones to perform detailedmicroscopy, a release from the Optical Society of America said Monday.

Kaiqin Chu, a postdoctoral researcher in optics, inserted a $40 balllens -- a finely ground glass sphere that acts as a low-poweredmagnifying glass -- into a hole in a rubber sheet, and then simplytaped the sheet over the smartphone's camera.

Paired with the phone's camera, the ball lens can resolve features onthe order of 1.5 microns, small enough to identify different types ofblood cells, researchers said.

The enhanced phones could help doctors and nurses diagnose blooddiseases in developing nations where many hospitals and rural clinicshave limited or no access to laboratory equipment -- and can send thereal-time data to colleagues around the globe for further analysis anddiagnosis -- the researchers said.

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc  -"Turnaround Consultants"  .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford  backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

diabetes food for thought

The four great diabetes myths

The headline in Time magazine certainly caught my eye: "5 Ways to Avoid Diabetes -- Without Medications."

Some 80 million Americans are teetering on the brink of diabetes, ready to join the 20 million who already have the disease -- so if someone has a drug-free plan to help avoid this train wreck, I'm all ears.

Turns out I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up -- because the headline refers to a new study filled with the same tired advice that helped CAUSE the diabetes epidemic in the first place.

Of those "Five Ways," only one is on target: avoid obesity. But if you follow the other Four Ways, you're practically guaranteed to find yourself fat and facing disease -- not to mention a lifetime supply of medication.

So instead of the rest of the "Five Ways," I bring you the Four Great Myths perpetuated by the new study in The Annals of Internal Medicine:

Myth # 1: Eat a low-fat, high fiber diet. Millions of Americans already try to follow a low-fat, high-fiber diet. You know what we call them? Diabetics.

Myth # 2: Exercise. I'm all for healthy movements throughout the day -- but the research here is crystal clear. A furious exercise session at the end of the day won't lower your risk of chronic illness or an early death -- and it won't even help you to lose weight. Period.

Myth # 3: Quit smoking. A study last year, also in The Annals of Internal Medicine, found that smokers who quit have a 73 percent HIGHER risk of coming down with diabetes. Enough said.

Myth #4: Drink little to no booze. Teetotalers have a higher risk of diabetes than moderate boozers, and studies have reached that same conclusion over and over again. So drink up -- to your health!

Let me cut to the chase now, because you don't need five steps to avoid diabetes without medications -- these two will do just fine:

1) Skip sugar and most of the other carbs.
2) Eat plenty of fresh animal protein and fats.

That's it. And yes, it really is that easy. Doubt me? Try it! I dare you to prove me wrong.   

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc  -"Turnaround Consultants"  .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford  backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

why does it cost so much?

Your 10 minute office visit needs 8 people and 45 minutes of work

by Mary Pat Whaley | in Physician | 101 responses

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I sat at the checkout desk in my practice last week for the first time and as always, it was a revelation. If you haven't worked your check-in and check-out desks recently, I highly recommend it.

An insured patient that I checked out was shocked when I said the charge for her visit was $100. She said, "But he was only in the room for ten minutes!" I was briefly at a loss for words. I recovered, we agreed on a payment plan, I made a note on her encounter form for the billing office and she left.

I've been thinking about our conversation, and thinking about what that $100 is supposed to cover…

1. First, we scheduled the appointment, which was a work-in, so it took several people to take the message, pull the medical record (paper charts), call the patient to assess the problem, determine the need for the appointment and schedule it.
2. When the patient arrived, we checked to make sure her address and phone were the same, quickly checked her eligibility to make sure the insurance on file was still in force, and asked for a photo ID for red flags. An encounter form was generated at the nurse's station to notify her of the patient's arrival.
3. The nurse called her from the reception area, weighed her, and took her into an exam room to take her vitals, take a brief chief complaint, review the medications she is taking and check to see if she needed any chronic medication refills while she was there.
4. The physician came in to see her, asked about any changes since she'd last been seen, reviewed her history of present illness and examined her. He talked to her about her illness and described a treatment plan for her upper respiratory infection given her chronic health problems.
5. He prescribed a medication for her problem, updated her medication list and made a copy for her to take with her.
6. He marked the encounter form with the level of service and her diagnoses and gave her the form to take to the check-out desk.
7. He refiled the medication reconciliation in the chart, finished documenting the visit, and placed the chart in the bin to be refiled. The chart was filed, and the encounter form was sent to the billing office.
8. At the billing office the charges and any payment was posted and the claim was filed. If there was no problem with the claim, it electronically passed through two scrubs and a final one at the payer.
9. If payment was not denied for any of a dozen reasons, the payment would arrive at the billing office and would be posted.
10. Since the patient did not pay at the check-out desk, the patient-responsible balance is billed to the patient. If the patient pays on the first statement, it has taken 45 to 60 days to receive complete payment. Since the patient has BCBS, there is a negotiated rate, so the payment will not even total $100.

I know that patients often say "But he only spent 10 minutes with me." Checking back with the provider, I find it was typically longer. Patients tend to underestimate the time as it goes very fast.

The total visit encompassed the work of the phone operator, the medical records clerk, the triage nurse, the check-in person, the nurse, the doctor, the check-out person and the biller. It took 8 people, and at least 45 minutes of work to make that appointment happen. Plus, that visit had to help pay the expenses for the rent, the utilities, malpractice insurance, medical supplies, computers, phones and janitorial services.

The practice, the patients and the overseers of healthcare want each visit to be non-rationed, safe, high-quality, error-free, holistic, pleasant, clean, accurate, efficient and reimbursable. It's what we all want. And it ain't cheap.

Mary Pat Whaley is board certified in healthcare management and a fellow in the American College of Medical Practice Executives. She blogs at Manage My Practice.

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc  -"Turnaround Consultants"  .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford  backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

Why and how therapy works (Sunridge)

Who benefits most from psychological therapy?

by Christina Girgis, MD | in Patient | 4 responses

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There is a saying in psychiatry, "even bad therapy is good therapy."

I always thought this was a terrible thing to say, but really, there's some truth to it. The basic tenet of therapy is that a person is able to vent their feelings with an objective third party. Depending on how good the therapist is, he or she will be able to help that person process their feelings in a productive manner. Bad therapists talk about themselves too much, give too much advice, and don't acknowledge their own biases.

Good therapists are the opposite of this. And of course, there are many types of therapy, including supportive, cognitive behavioral, and psychodynamic. Without getting too technical, supportive is the most basic type, and is exactly what it sounds like. Cognitive behavioral helps a person change how they think, which in turn helps moderate feelings and behaviors better. Psychodynamic is the most intensive type of therapy, and focuses on relationships. This is the type of therapy where you end up talking about your childhood and your mother a lot.

The best candidates for therapy are people with stable lives (i.e. supportive and intact family and livelihood), a sense of introspection and curiosity about themselves, and the time and money to attend regularly. In essence, this is what is termed the "worried well." An example is a PhD candidate who has writer's block for their thesis. Or a couple struggling with communication issues. Of course, sadly, people with much greater difficulties and problems probably could use therapy even more, but access, finances, and life stress get in the way. Therapists also veer away from therapy with people who have more problems, because even the best therapy doesn't help when someone needs to figure out how to put food on the table and get the rent paid.

If you feel therapy might be of benefit to you, and you have the resources to go to therapy, then go. Even if you don't have a specific psychiatric diagnosis, learning about yourself in a structured manner only makes you a better and stronger person. Of course, it's certainly not for everyone — therapy is one of those things that only works for you if you approach it with an open mind.

Christina Girgis is a psychiatrist who blogs at getaheadwithdrg.

Submit a guest post and be heard on social media's leading physician voice.

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Hollecrest & Associates Inc  -"Turnaround Consultants"  .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford  backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

Smile

Classic Quotes by H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) US writer

      A bore is simply a nonentity who resents his humble lot in life, andseeks satisfaction for his wounded ego by forcing himself on hisbetters.

------------------------

A church is a place in which gentlemen who have never been to heavenbrag about it to persons who will never get there.

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Hollecrest & Associates Inc  -"Turnaround Consultants"  .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford  backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

More seniors bs

Shrinks try to nix booze for seniors

I'm sick and tired of the mainstream treating seniors like children.

The latest example: A patronizing new report that claims you shouldn't have more than a sip or two of booze per night once you reach a certain age.

Ridiculous!

Researchers from Britain's Royal College of Psychiatrists are urging their government to tell seniors they shouldn't have more than 1.5 units of alcohol a day. That's only half a bottle of beer!

What are you supposed to do with the other half? Dump it, I suppose. But I say keep the beer... and dump this daffy report instead!

The logic here, if you can call it that, is astonishing: The researchers claim that some seniors might turn into heavy boozers, while others might use or abuse meds that don't mix well with alcohol.

So because some unknown (and no doubt relatively small) number of seniors might abuse drugs and alcohol, ALL seniors should be limited to sippy cups for the rest of their lives.

The only thing more nonsensical than this report is the idea that shrinks should be issuing drinking guidelines.

Who asked them anyway?

The Royal College of Quacks also moaned that some seniors might turn to booze after a spouse dies -- but that's not a problem in my book. As long as they keep it moderate, they're not hurting anyone.

And they're certainly not hurting themselves.

In addition to the proven health benefits of moderate drinking -- from protecting the heart to slashing dementia risk -- heading out to the local pub and hoisting a couple with friends is a great way for a senior who has no one at home to get out, stay active, and socialize.

That could SAVE his life, not end it -- and anyone who wants to take that away is the one with the real drinking problem.

Knocking one back,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.   

--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc  -"Turnaround Consultants"  .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford  backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

ten useful rules of hospital visite

Whether you are going to the hospital for an outpatient procedure or whether you will be admitted to the hospital for medical illness or surgical procedure, there are certain things you must know and certain things you must do in order to ensure that your reasonable expectations will be met.

1. You must become informed about the terms and limits of your health insurance policy. See if the fees you are being charged can be negotiated ahead of time. If you do not know the terms and limits of your policy, you will not know the financial field upon which you are playing, and the end result may be significantly displeasing to you.
2. Do not be afraid to ask questions of your doctor. By accepting you as a patient he or she has made a contract with you to provide you with the best possible care. This means that the doctor must make time to answer your questions. On the other hand, you must realize that doctors do not have much time in today's medical environment owing to the system under which they currently work. Therefore, prepare a list of questions for the doctor each day, and set a time during the course of the day that you and the doctor can meet so that these questions can be answered. If possible, e-mail the questions to your doctor before hand.
3. As communication with the doctor is critical, it is important to understand that his office staff is the gateway to the physician. Take time to get to know the office staff before the hospital admission. It wouldn't hurt to send the office staff some flowers or a note on the day your loved one is admitted to hospital thanking them for their efforts on your behalf in the preadmission process. As my grandmother said, if you want a kiss, you have to give the kiss.
4. While your physician is your best advocate during the hospital admission, in reality you are your own best advocate. If there are issues regarding the room or the floor on which you are staying, difficulty with the nursing or with the timing of medication, or with any concerns that you may have, your first step is to discuss these concerns with the attending nurse. Be firm, but polite. If your needs are not met, then your next step is to discuss the situation with the Charge Nurse. If your needs are still not attended to, you must communicate your concerns to the doctor. If the issues are still unresolved, then you should seek the offices of the hospital administrator or the hospital ombudsman, state the issues and demand to be seen. It is highly unlikely that you will have to get beyond the second step in this process. Most professionals want to meet your needs.
5. Do not feel that any of the staff or your physician will treat you in any less a manner if you raise the aforementioned issues. It is the job of the nursing staff and your physician to attend to the patient, and any lack of attention to you in the context of proper medical treatment for you or your loved one is a serious breach of professional protocol of which no physician or nurse wishes to be accused.
6. Make sure that you see the hospital social services worker or hospital Discharge Planner assigned to your case at least 48 hours before your discharge so that arrangements can be made for any equipment or durable medical goods that your loved one may require while at home.
7. It is also necessary to understand the medications that you or your loved one will be taking upon discharge from hospital, and how they are to be taken, with what frequency and what dosage. If possible, arrange to have the prescriptions written by the doctor or the P.A. a day before the discharge, so that you may arrange to have your pharmacy fill them and they can be picked up before returning home.
8. Make sure that you speak with your doctor prior to the discharge and that you go through the discharge instructions with the physician or his representative so that you understand each of them. If there are dressings to be changed, make sure that if you are the one to change those dressings, you completely understand the process to follow and have the necessary goods to perform the task (gloves, dressings, ointments, disinfectants, etc.)
9. At the time of your discharge, you should request your hospital records for the visit. You are entitled to these records and it is important that you have at least a summary of the visit, an operative note if applicable, any imaging reports, laboratory studies and a discharge summary. These records should be kept in a place that is accessible should it be necessary to refer to them in the future. Having the records may very well save redundant and unnecessary treatment going forward.
10. Make sure you understand the final hospital bill in the context of the limits of your insurance policy. If you have any doubt about the amount that you owe then you should make an appointment with a hospital representative and have them go through your bill item by item so that you understand everything. If you have any question as to whether a charge or drug or item was actually utilized or supplied, you can refer to the hospital records that you have received at the time of discharge.

Mitchell Brooks, MD is an orthopedic surgeon and the host of Health of the Nation on Talk Radio 570 KLIF in Dallas, Texas. He blogs at Health of the Nation.

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Warning given on overuse of antibiotics

Warning given on overuse of antibiotics

NEW YORK (UPI) -- Overuse of antibiotics to eradicate dangerousbacteria presents the possibility of permanently killing offbeneficial bacteria as well, a U.S. researcher says.

Martin Blaser, chair of the department of medicine at New YorkUniversity's Langone Medical Center, warns the widespread use ofantibiotics may be having unintended consequences, causing permanentchanges to the body's protective, "friendly" bacteria and harm to thebody's natural defense system.

A child in the United States or other developed countries has had anaverage of 10 to 20 doses of antibiotics by age 18, an NYU releasesaid Wednesday.

Antibiotics have helped improve health and increase life expectancy,but are non-discriminatory and destroy even friendly bacteria,scientists say.

Some of the beneficial bacteria may never recover and such extinctionscould lead to increased susceptibility to infections and diseases suchas obesity, allergies and asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and type1 diabetes, they warn.

In a commentary published in the journal Nature, Blaser argues thatwidespread use of antibiotics should be replaced with narrow spectrum,more-targeted drugs.

"I believe that doctors of the future will be replacing "lost" membersof our normal flora in young children to diminish the risk ofdevelopment of these important and chronic diseases," Blaser said.

 

Copyright 2011 by United Press International

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breakthrough medicine

Paralyzed man regains movement

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (UPI) -- An experimental treatment has allowed anOregon man, paralyzed from the waist down, to regain movement and eventake a few steps, doctors said.

Rob Summers of Portland was struck by a hit-and-run driver in 2006 andfaced a life in a wheelchair when three years of intensive therapybrought no signs of improvement in his condition, The Washington Postreported Thursday.

Doctors say Summers, 25, is the first patient who has regained theability to consciously move parts of the body as a result of directelectrical stimulation of the spinal cord, which apparentlyreactivates the nerve circuits that remain intact.

In the procedure, a small strip of electrodes is implanted along thelower spinal cord that sends signals meant to mimic those that thebrain sends to stimulate movement.

After the surgery, Summers and the researchers spent two years ofintensive training to identify exactly what combination of stimulationto the spinal cord and body position would enable Summers to move atoe or an ankle, rise to a standing position or take a step inresponse to his brain thinking about making those movements.

"It was absolutely incredible," Summers said of the feeling when hestood again for the first time. "There are not enough words todescribe what I felt. It was an amazing feeling."

Doctors cautioned that much more research will be required before manyother paralyzed patients could attempt the treatment or before theycould predict how much movement might be restored.

 

Copyright 2011 by United Press International

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Fwd: Smell -makes a difference

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sieg Holle <siegholle@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, May 20, 2011 at 7:59 AM
Subject: Smell -makes a difference
To:

Aromatherapy's Amazing Effects on Your Mind and Mood

Alan Hirsch, MD

 

Scents have subtle yet powerful effects on emotions -- boosting confidence, easing stress, triggering fond memories and more. Here's how to use your sense of smell to manage your moods... and other people's, too!
Increase mental sharpness with fresh flowers. When you need to focus -- for instance, to memorize a speech or balance a checkbook -- keep a vase of mixed fragrant flowers nearby. Take periodic breaks to consciously "stop and smell the roses." For kids: This helps when doing homework or studying for a test.

Promote positive family interaction with Garlic. Serve garlic bread at dinner. In studies, this scent reduced negative dinnertime remarks by 22.7% and increased pleasantries by 7.4%. You don't even have to eat the bread to reap the benefits.

Feel younger with pink grapefruit. To make others perceive you as youthful (so you feel that way, too), apply a grapefruit-scented or other citrusy body lotion or spray right after your shower. Avoid: Lavender, which makes you seem granny-ish.

Feel more secure with baby powder. Keep a small bottle or resealable plastic bag of baby powder in your purse or briefcase. Before heading into a challenging situation (a meeting with your ex, a job interview), open the container slightly and take a small whiff. Don't inhale too deeply -- you may sneeze or get powder all over your face.

Curb food cravings with banana or peppermint. You needn't eat a banana -- just smell it (peeled or unpeeled). Or, place two drops of peppermint essential oil on a cotton ball, stick it in a plastic bag and take a whiff -- or try sugar-free peppermint gum or hard candy.

Combat claustrophobia with evergreens. Keep a small vial of evergreen essential oil in your pocket or purse. When in a cramped space (an elevator, a crowd), hold the vial near your nose and inhale two or three times. Repeat every 10 minutes as needed.

Assuage anger with cucumber. Hold a sliced cucumber one-half inch from your face and level with your lips -- inhale deeply, continuing for several minutes. To reduce road rage, use a cucumber-melon air freshener in the car. Avoid: Barbecuing or roasting meat when you're angry -- the scent stirs up fiery feelings that heighten aggression.

Relax and wind down with lavender. Lie down and place a lavender-scented eye pillow over your eyes -- breathe slowly and deeply for several minutes. Avoid: Jasmine, which promotes alertness.

Rev up a man's libido with pumpkin pie or black licorice. Bake a pumpkin pie for maximum effect -- or use a reed diffuser (a stick that wicks the aroma from a bottle of scented oil). On a date: Nibble on black licorice. Noteworthy: Perfume is only 3% effective at arousing a man's romantic feelings -- versus 40% for pumpkin pie and 13% for licorice.

Bottom Line/Women's Health interviewed Alan Hirsch, MD, founder and neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation and an assistant professor in the departments of neurology and psychiatry at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, both in Chicago. He has conducted more than 200 studies on smell and taste disorders and is the author of eight books, including Life's a Smelling Success (Authors of Unity) and Sensa Weight-Loss Program (Hilton). His Web site is www.smellandtaste.org.

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"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
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promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

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Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
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"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

Beware of new treatments

Germany shuts down stem cell clinic

BERLIN (UPI) -- German authorities say they've closed down acontroversial clinic offering unproven stem cell treatments for avariety of physical conditions.

The XCell clinic had been treating disorders including cerebral palsy,Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury, ScienceMag.org reportedTuesday.

The clinic had been operating under a loophole in European regulationsthat allowed some treatments already in use when new regulationsregarding stem cell procedures took effect to continue for 18 monthswithout formal approval.

The grace period ended in January and German health authorities shutdown the clinic in late April. The clinic charged more than 3,000patients as much as $37,000 each for its treatments.

Authorities are considering criminal charges against the clinicresulting from two cases in which treatments went wrong.

An 18-month-old boy died in October after stem cells were injectedinto his brain. A few months before, a 10-year-old boy almost diedfollowing a similar procedure and is now severely disabled,authorities said.

XCell had clinic branches in Dusseldorf and Cologne.

 

Copyright 2011 by United Press International

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Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
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"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
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promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

good news on smoking

 

Quitting Smoking May Get Easier

My boyfriend in college was a heavy smoker.  When he finally decided to quit, I was relieved for both of us.  To make the ordeal of withdrawal easier, he began chewing nicotine replacement gum.  He kept the little silver packets in his jacket pockets, the glove compartment, in upstairs and downstairs cabinets -- everywhere he could think of so that he wouldn't be left without a piece of gum in any conceivable circumstance. The pharmacy would sell only limited supplies -- and running out of that gum could be just as hair-raising as running out of cigarettes. It left you nervous and shaky -- and worse, if you ran out of the gum, you might go right back to the cigarettes.

Now the Food And Drug Administration has agreed to reconsider the 12-week suggested limit on the gum and on other over-the counter nicotine replacement products (NRTs) -- which include patches and lozenges as well as chewing gum. The FDA also agreed to make them more easily available.  And that is big news for anyone trying to quit.  I can certainly bear witness to that.

COMPARING SIDE EFFECTS

To find out more, I contacted K. Michael Cummings, PhD, chair of the department of health behavior at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo and one of the country's top experts in smoking cessation. He said that many people don't try NRTs, because they're fearful of getting addicted to the nicotine replacement, so they don't use it long enough to help get over the hump of their smoking addiction. But, he told me, it is now clear that the side effects of the smoking-cessation products aren't nearly as serious as the consequences of smoking, which include lung cancer, strokes and heart attacks, to name just some of the most serious.

Dr. Cummings emphasized that while NRTs won't automatically turn off the urge to smoke, they will help a smoker get relief from nicotine withdrawal by supplying nicotine minus the carcinogens and other harmful elements in tobacco products.  He strongly believes that there is no reason for smokers using NRTs to discontinue using them after 12 weeks if they think it helps them stay off cigarettes. The American Cancer Society and others have been lobbying for just such a change as well.

CHANGES AHEAD

Most experts believe this labeling change will happen later this year.  And this, Dr. Cummings said, will hopefully trigger other changes.  Some of the most important: NRT products would be permitted for sale in all outlets now licensed to sell tobacco products - not just in pharmacies. In addition, NRT packaging should allow for the sale of products in daily supplies so that smokers can more directly substitute clean and safe NRTs for deadly and addictive tobacco products. (In other words, no more rooting around in the glove compartment for that spare piece of gum!)  If these changes are made, NRTs are likely to cost less and become more easily available.

"It would be nice to see NRT products in gas stations and convenience stores, not just in pharmacies as is the case now," said Dr. Cummings.  With wider distribution of NRTs will come more competition, driving down the purchase price.  It now costs about $50 for a two-week supply of nonprescription lozenges or gum and a little less for 14 patches -- maybe not as much as cigarettes, but still expensive.

NICOTINE-FREE?

Nicotine consumed in a large enough quantity can be a deadly poison.  And while the amount of nicotine in NRTs is too low to be acutely dangerous, there are certain safety concerns.  The Journal of the American College of Cardiology reports that nicotine harms the linings of the arteries, thereby increasing the risk for heart attack and stroke. So think through your "quitting strategy." There's no question that giving up cigarettes is a tough but important thing to do.  If you can use the patch or gum or whatever NRT works for you to accomplish this, it's going to improve your chances for a healthy life substantially.  Then, you can step down from the NRTs as well -- and give yourself a chance to live completely nicotine-free.

Source(s):

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Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
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"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

Beware of new treatments

Germany shuts down stem cell clinic

BERLIN (UPI) -- German authorities say they've closed down acontroversial clinic offering unproven stem cell treatments for avariety of physical conditions.

The XCell clinic had been treating disorders including cerebral palsy,Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury, ScienceMag.org reportedTuesday.

The clinic had been operating under a loophole in European regulationsthat allowed some treatments already in use when new regulationsregarding stem cell procedures took effect to continue for 18 monthswithout formal approval.

The grace period ended in January and German health authorities shutdown the clinic in late April. The clinic charged more than 3,000patients as much as $37,000 each for its treatments.

Authorities are considering criminal charges against the clinicresulting from two cases in which treatments went wrong.

An 18-month-old boy died in October after stem cells were injectedinto his brain. A few months before, a 10-year-old boy almost diedfollowing a similar procedure and is now severely disabled,authorities said.

XCell had clinic branches in Dusseldorf and Cologne.

 

Copyright 2011 by United Press International

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Hollecrest & Associates Inc  -"Turnaround Consultants"  .

Sunridge Lodge   "Back to Eden"  Quality 24/7 care
261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford  backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -
 
Brant Positive Action Group  "a positive community affirmative action group"

promoting goodwill and timely cost effective creative solutions to enhance the competitive well being of Brant, Brantford and Six Nations 

War on cancer solution

Possible cancer 'suppressor' protein seen


MONTREAL (UPI) -- Canadian researchers say they've discovered a key reason why cancer cells proliferate and spread to other parts of the body.

Scientists at the Universite de Montreal say the finding could lead to better diagnostic tests for cancer and even possible therapies that could stop tumor cells from growing and spreading, The Montreal Gazette reported Friday.

The researchers examined tissue samples from 65 patients at Montreal's Notre-Dame Hospital with confirmed prostate cancer and compared them with an analysis of 13 patients suffering from benign prostatic hyperplasia, a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate.

In the patients with the benign growth the prostate cells contained high levels of a molecule called PML that has been shown to limit the number of times a pre-cancerous cell can divide.

In the 65 patients with prostate cancer, there was no PML protein detected in the cells, allowing the malignant prostate cells to continue to divide and to grow unchecked, the researchers say.

One of the co-authors of the study called PML a "tumor suppressor protein."

"Our findings unravel the unexpected ability of PML to organize a network of tumor suppression proteins to repress ... cell proliferation," Veronique Bourdeau said.

The research could be a starting point for a drug therapy to stimulate the expression of PML in cancer cells, forcing the cells to stop dividing and thereby halting the spread of the disease, Bourdeau said.



Copyright 2011 by United Press International