Category: Resources (Page 22 of 32)

Hospitals and Alternative Health Care Options

November 29, 2011 / Staff

Hospitals are beginning to offer alternative health care.

You may not be able to choose untested herbal treatments but alternative therapies with a history of positive results are beginning to show up in hospital services.

What hospitals choose to offer runs the gamut, from well-known therapies such as acupuncture to less familiar treatments like reiki, in which practitioners channel a patient’s energy by placing their hands on or just above specific locations on the body.
Patient demand is the top reason hospitals offer complementary and alternative therapies, cited by 85 percent. Clinical effectiveness? That comes in second, at 70 percent.

Hospitals, Research, Resources, Wellness

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Autism May Start in the Womb

November 29, 2011 / Staff

Autism may begin in the womb.

This theory may offer some relief to parents who believe vaccines are the cause of autism.

The new science suggests that an overgrowth of brain cells in early embryonic development is responsible for the symptoms of autism.

“In autism something is going terribly wrong with mechanisms that control the number of neurons beginning in prenatal life and may extend to perinatal and early post-natal life,” says lead author Eric Courchesne, Ph.D. When there are too many brain cells, the brain can’t wire itself up correctly. If there’s too much wiring in the prefrontal cortex, it could help explain why children with autism have poor social skills, difficulty communicating and why some may never learn to speak at all.

Research, Resources

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America’s Growing Waistline and Health Care Woes

November 21, 2011 / Staff

Americans are getting fatter.

At the rate we’re going 83 percent of American men will be overweight or obese by 2020 followed by women at 72 percent projected to be overweight or obese by then, as well.

The implications go far beyond tight pants and groaning sofas. Obesity is a big risk factor for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Imagining an America of overweight, unhealthy people gives public health officials the willies. And it should be frightening to us civilians, too.

Health Care Policy, Health Insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, Nutrition, Quality Control, Research, Resources, Wellness

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Tough Diseases Diagnosed at NIH Special Clinic

November 19, 2011 / Staff

Clinic of Last Resort diagnosis the tough diseases.

When resources are scarce and doctors have no other solutions, the rare and elusive cases end up at the Undiagnosed Diseases Program begun in 2008 by the National Institutes of Health.

By early this year, the medical detectives had fielded 4,700 inquiries, reviewed 1,700 medical records, rejected 100 cases and accepted 400, with the rest under review, according to a summary by Dr. William A. Gahl, who heads the program, based in Bethesda, Md.
“The discovery of a new disease. That’s something that will stand forever in the scientific realm,” Gahl told TODAY.com.
Louise Benge walks on a treadmill at NIH, part of the exams that helped diagnose the disease that allows calcium to build up in the blood vessels of her hands and lower limbs.
The program also dramatically expanded knowledge and descriptions of several other disorders in patients who came to what’s now regarded as the clinic of last resort.

Doctors, Research, Resources

disease National Institute of Health NIH rare medical cases Undiagnosed diseases

Food Prices Making Even the Basics a Luxury

November 19, 2011 / Staff

Grocery prices are on the rise and as odd as it may seem this could be the perfect opportunity for Americans to reassess their diets and come up with healthier alternatives to animal products laden with saturated fats and processed foods full of sugar, sodium and preservatives.

Foods like beans, legumes, whole grain rice, pasta and seasonal fruits and vegetables can be cheaper and stretched further than pre-packaged convenience foods.

The price of food at home is projected to rise by 4 to 5 percent this year, and another 2 to 3 percent next year, according to the Agriculture Department. That’s adding another financial worry for many people already living with tight budgets thanks to the weak economy and high jobless rate.
The percentage of people who say they had enough money to buy food in the last 12 months fell to its lowest level in three years, according to a Gallup poll released this month.

Nutrition, Quality Control, Resources, Wellness

food insecurity food prices groceries healthy diet Poverty