In my personal opinion, the saying that “Old habits are hard to break” is probably one of the most accurate statements ever made regarding human behavior.
Before my retirement, I spent almost 30 years as a medical para-professional as first a Physician’s Assistant and then as an ultrasonographer with special qualifications in adult and pediatric cardiology [...]
Archive for August, 2007
Movies’ Failure to Accurately Portray Coma May Influence Decisions Related to Medical Care
Posted in Disability, Medicine, Personal on August 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Donepezil Effective in Later Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease
Posted in Disability, Medicine on August 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
A clinical study published in the medical journal Neurology1 has demonstrated that donepezil (Aricept®, Eisai) preserves or improves the brain’s ability to perform cognitive functions such as basic mathematics and facial recognition as well as more global functions such as motor skills and self-awareness in patients diagnosed with severe Alzheimer’s disease
The report, authored by an [...]
Most Autism “Treatments” are Nothing More than “Hope, Hypertext, and Hype”
Posted in Disability, Medical Research, Medicine on August 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
According to participants in a symposium convened as part of this year’s meeting of the American Psychological Association (APA), literally hundreds of “therapies” purporting to “treat;” “cure;” or “reverse” Autism Spectrum Disorder are flooding the Internet.
According to symposium moderator James Mulick, professor of psychology and pediatrics at Ohio State University, many of these treatment [...]
Early Results “Promising” for New Multiple Sclerosis Therapy
Posted in Disability, Medical Research, Medicine on August 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
According to a study to be published in an upcoming issue of the Annals of Neurology, a clinical trial has demonstrated that a new DNA-specific vaccine blocks the body’s immune system’s response to a specific protein is both safe and effective in reducing the size and number of brain lesions associated with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
The [...]
Research Demonstrates Link Between Migraine Headaches, Stroke in Women
Posted in Medical Research, Medicine on August 18, 2007 | 1 Comment »
Two new studies have shown that women who have a history of migraine headaches that are preceded by visual disturbances can be at a 10 time higher risk for stroke when compared to women without migraine.
In a paper that appears in the August 9 online, early access edition of the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke [...]
What are “Disorders of Consciousness?”
Posted in Medical Research, Medicine on August 18, 2007 | 1 Comment »
When the general public is asked to describe the consequences of brain injury, the most frequent responses will involve some concept of the victim’s loss of consciousness. This is unfortunate since, as those of us that deal with the long-term consequences are all too aware, the real “battle” doesn’t begin until after consciousness returns. [...]
The Public Misunderstanding of Brain Injury
Posted in Disability, Medicine, Personal on August 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Of all the acquired (“acquired,” in medicine, simply means something that wasn’t present when you were born) conditions treated by modern medicine, the consequences of brain injury are among the most misunderstood by the public at large. Personally, I believe that there are three somewhat interrelated factors behind these misunderstandings.
The first is perhaps the simplest [...]
This Week in Neurological Research
Posted in Medical Research, Medicine on August 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Two independently-conducted studies based at Emory University in Atlanta, GA have given physiologists new insights into the cellular basis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.
The first study, headed by David Lynn of Emory’s Department of Chemistry, examined the role of metallic ions in the formation and symptom-producing activity of amyloid plaques in [...]
Praying for a “miracle”? Don’t expect one!
Posted in Medicine, Personal on August 13, 2007 | 1 Comment »
As a writer, I spend about 1 hour per day wading through e-mails, press releases, online journals and other such creations of the electronic media in order to learn if something within these communications is actually worth passing on to the reader. And while the following essay may not be considered as news to the [...]
Simvastatin appears to be effective in the treatment of Alheimer’s, Parkinson’s diseases
Posted in Medicine on August 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Two recently published medical studies may prove to be of significance regarding the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD).
In the first report, an international consortium of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) researchers headed by Bruno DuBois of the Pierre and Marie Curie University (Paris, FR) issued a position paper1 calling for a [...]
