6. "My cousin's friend's sister has that and it's not so bad." The weird thing about bodies is that they're all different. Your immune system is different than my immune system and my problems are different than your cousin's friend's sister's problems.

See the rest of the list at Cosmopolitan.

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/news/a42927/things-not-to-say-to-someone-who-has-a-chronic-illness/

Exercise

Exercise is not necessarily easy for anyone, but can be especially tough if you're living with a disability. Many kinds of disabilities can limit workout potential due to reduced range of motion, pain, disfigurement, confinement to a wheelchair, atrophied muscles, broken bones or other factors. This even goes beyond outward physical limitations and into metabolic and psychological disabilities. Some people struggle with chronic fatigue, muscle pains and mood disorders that can make working out seem like an insurmountable chore.

However, regardless of your situation, getting some exercise is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Short of being completely paralyzed, most disabilities still allow at least some level of fitness activity. It might not be the 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise that experts recommend for the average person, but whatever you can do will improve your physical capacity and overall health. Furthermore, it could end up still having a dramatic benefit. If you spend a great deal of your time being immobile or you can't use a significant part of your body, your metabolic requirements aren't as high, so you get more from less activity.

If you feel too fatigued to work out, it's understandable if you don't want to expend the energy you have left for something more important. However, you should be aware that forcing yourself to do even a light workout can help. Research has found that exercise actually improves energy levels in those suffering from chronic fatigue. The first step is always the hardest, but persistence wins in the end.

Of course, the nature of your disability will determine what kinds of exercise you're able to do. You'll need to take this into consideration when choosing a gym or purchasing fitness equipment. If you still have decent control of your upper body, lifting free weights is a highly recommended activity. Begin with a low weight and gradually work your way up. The more you do this, the more you tone and condition your muscles. This can dramatically improve your strength and range of motion, allowing you to be more independent in your daily life.

Lifting Weights

Lifting weights also has other benefits. It helps prevent and reverse muscular atrophying, which is associated with chronic inactivity. Furthermore, it can increase bone density. If your disability resulted from broken bones, weight training can ensure that they heal properly and help reduce the risk of additional fractures later on.

Swimming

Swimming is another form of exercise that can greatly improve your independence. Since it's a low-impact activity that also allows you to float, it's ideal for people who are unable to stand. In addition, the water's temperature can reduce inflammation, resulting in lessened dependence on pain and anti-inflammatory drugs. Many people living with a disability also find physical therapy helpful, especially during the early stages. A qualified and well-trained professional will work with you to create a fitness regimen that fits your particular needs.

Accommodations

When considering exercise options, make sure that the you have have the right car accommodations. In order to get to the gym or the swimming pool, you may need a wheelchair van or a wheelchair ramp. These accommodations will make it easier to get to and from your work-out destinations. Also, be sure to check that the work out facilities have disability restrooms and elevators.

Gaining independence with a disability is possible. Working out a great way to help you feel better through moving your muscles and getting endorphins, no matter what kind of disability you have. Even if it’s just a light workout, the benefits will surely show you to adjust and live a healthier and more fit life.

Read more at Sporkability.org 
Follow Paisley on twitter @PaisleyHansen
Read more of Paisley Hansen work at the Mobility Resource 

2014-02-18 13:03

7th January 2014

By Michael Forrester

Guest Writer for Wake Up World

The fascinating and recent discovery of a new, second DNA code further lends credence to what metaphysical scientists have been saying for millennia — the body speaks two different languages.

Since the genetic code was deciphered in the 1960s, researchers have assumed that it was used exclusively to write information about proteins. But biologists have suspected for years that some kind of epigenetic inheritance also occurs at the cellular level. The different kinds of cells in our bodies provide an ideal example of this; skin cells and brain cells have different forms and functions, despite having exactly the same DNA.

Read the full article at Wake Up - World 

(http://wakeup-world.com/2014/01/07/scientists-confirm-there-is-a-second-secret-dna-code-that-controls-genes/)

A new procedure designed to deliver stem cells to the heart to repair damaged muscle and arteries in the most minimally invasive way possible has been performed for the first time by Amit Patel, M.D., director of Clinical Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering and an associate professor in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine.

Patel started investigating cell and gene-based therapies for the treatment of heart disease 12 years ago, but only recently received FDA approval to try the therapy on Lively, who was the first of several patients anxious to receive the treatment.

More than 6 million people are currently living with heart failure. As the condition progresses, patients’ options are usually limited to a heart transplant or assist devices, such as an artificial heart. Patel wanted to find a way to intervene in the progression of heart failure before a patient advanced to the point of needing a heart transplant or device.

Read the full article at Kurzweilai

(http://www.kurzweilai.net/first-use-of-retrograde-gene-therapy-on-a-human-heart)

by Melanie Haiken, Caring.com, November 14, 2013

We’ve all read the signs of a heart attack listed on posters in the hospital waiting room. But what if there were other, earlier signs that could alert you ahead of time that your heart was in trouble?

It turns out there are. Researchers have done a lot of work in recent years looking at the signs and symptoms patients experienced in the months or even years leading up to a heart attack. “The heart, together with the arteries that feed it, is one big muscle, and when it starts to fail the symptoms can show up in many parts of the body,” says cardiologist Jonathan Goldstein of Saint Michael’s Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey. Here are seven surprising clues that your heart needs a check. Any of these signs — and particularly two or more together — should send you to the doctor for tests.

Something cardiologists know but the average guy doesn’t: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the best early tip-offs to progressive heart disease. “Today, any patient who comes in with ED should be considered a cardiovascular patient until proven otherwise,” says Goldstein. In women, reduced blood flow to the genital area can impede arousal, make it harder to reach orgasm, or make orgasms less satisfying.

Scary stat: Researchers at the Mayo clinic followed men ages 40-49 with erectile dysfunction and found they were twice as likely to develop heart disease as those with no sexual health problems. Another study looked backward and found that two out of three men being treated for cardiovascular disease had suffered from erectile dysfunction, often for years, before they were diagnosed with heart trouble.

Why it happens: Narrowing and hardening of the arteries restricts blood flow to the penis, which can give men trouble when it comes to getting or keeping an erection. And because those arteries are smaller than the ones leading to the heart, erectile dysfunction can occur before any other sign of artery stiffness. Lack of oxygen can also lead to ongoing fatigue and weakness, which can sabotage libido, so lack of desire may accompany lack of success.

What to do: If you or your partner has difficulty getting or maintaining an erection or has problems with sexual satisfaction, that’s reason enough to visit your doctor to investigate cardiovascular disease as an underlying cause. Get a full workup to assess possible causes of erectile dysfunction or difficulty with orgasm. (Guys, see your GP, not just a urologist; gals, don’t just see an ob/gyn.) If your doctor doesn’t mention heart tests, request them.

Read the full article at Banoosh

(http://banoosh.com/blog/2013/11/14/6-surprising-signs-of-an-unhealthy-heart/)

There’s a serious lack of information around how cannabis can help female-specific health issues. It’s interesting to see how much research is out around issues like PTSD and other forms of anxiety, yet the health issues that disproportionately affect women are rarely talked about. This isn’t to say that women don’t also suffer from these issues, but things like premenstrual syndrome (PMS or PMDD) or menopause are hardly mentioned in relation to cannabis. Why is this? Possibly because the cannabis industry is almost always synonymous with bro-culture, pandering to twenty-something male stoners. I don’t think this trend was necessarily intentional, but gender-based bias within the cannabis industry has been largely overlooked, like most other male-dominated industries.

Due to unexamined sexism within the cannabis industry, research around female- specific health issues like PMS is still widely unknown. It’s much more common to figure out what a patient needs off the basis of the male body, leaving “lady” aliments in isolation. This whole problem pissed me off, so I decided to compile a small list of strains that have been known to help PMS from Brightside Community Foundation-the non-profit medical marijuana dispensary I work at. Many women are unaware of the benefits that cannabis can provide their health issues. As a woman pioneering her way through the cannabis industry, I want to begin to start providing that information in order to address the needs of women that are all too often left out of the conversation.

Read the full article at the Weed Blog 

(http://www.theweedblog.com/top-five-marijuana-strains-for-pms/)

Johns Hopkins researchers say "slapdash" reporting means complications from robot-assisted surgery are underreported to the FDA. 

By KRISTEN BUTLER, UPI.com

Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine have published a study in the Journal of Healthcare Quality suggesting complications arising from robot-assisted surgeries are underreported to the Food and Drug Administration.

Between 2007 and 2011, the number of robot-assisted procedures performed increased by more than 400 percent in the U.S. By 2011, there were 1,400 surgical robots installed in U.S. hospitals, up from 800 in 2007.

The Johns Hopkins team found that of the more than one million robotic surgeries performed since 2000, just 245 complications -- including 71 deaths -- were reported to the FDA.

"The number reported is very low for any complex technology used over a million times," said Martin Makary, an associate professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Imagine you’re one of those people who suffer from both alcoholism and diabetes.

You manage to quit drinking. But your blood sugar still periodically runs out of control. You suffer the very unpleasant (and sometimes dangerous) effects of that.

Conclusion: Quitting drinking helped a lot. But until you get your blood sugar managed, you’re going to feel like crap. Or worse.

Same thing applies if the second disorder is depression instead of diabetes. Some people quit drinking and find that in some respects, they’re actually more depressed. That’s a sign there may be a depressive disorder involved. One that requires treatment, too.

It took a while to figure out the best way to address this dilemma. Physicians tried treating the alcoholism first and then sending the patient on to psychiatry. But many were so depressed they couldn’t manage to stay sober in the first place.

Read more at Treatment and Recovery Systems 

(http://treatmentandrecoverysystems.com/library/dual-dilemma-the-problem-of-co-occurring-disorders/)

 By Kavitha A. Davidson |  Posted: 08/29/13 EDT 

As supporters and opponents of the Affordable Care Act debate the best way to overhaul a clearly broken health care system, it's perhaps helpful to put American medicine in a global perspective.

The infographic below is based on a recent Bloomberg ranking of the most efficient countries for health care, and highlights enormous gap between the soaring cost of treatment in the U.S. and its quality and effectiveness. To paraphrase Ricky Ricardo, the American health care system has a lot of 'splainin' to do.

It's remarkable how low America places in health care efficiency: among the 48 countries included in the Bloomberg study, the U.S. ranks 46th, outpacing just Serbia and Brazil. Once that sinks in, try this one on for size: the U.S. ranks worse than China, Algeria, and Iran.

But the sheer numbers are really what's humbling about this list: the U.S. ranks second in health care cost per capita ($8,608), only to be outspent by Switzerland ($9,121) -- which, for the record, boasts a top-10 health care system in terms of efficiency. Furthermore, the U.S. is tops in terms of health care cost relative to GDP, with 17.2 percent of the country's wealth spent on medical care for every American.

In other words, the world's richest country spends more of its money on health care while getting less than almost every other nation in return.

It's important to note that this data doesn't necessarily reflect the best health care in the world; it is simply a measure of overall quality as a function of cost. Bloomberg explains its methodology as such:

So what can the U.S. learn from the many countries that get more bang for their health care buck? Unsurprisingly, there is no one formula for success when it comes to efficient medical care. The systems that rank highly on Bloomberg's list are as diverse as the nations to which they belong. The unifying factor seems to be tight government control over a universal system, which may take many shapes and forms -- a fact evident in the top-three most efficient health care systems in the world: Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan.

Read the full article at Huffington Post 

(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/29/most-efficient-healthcare_n_3825477.html?utm_hp_ref=tw)

For the study, 102 U-2 United States Air Force pilots and 91 non-pilots between the ages of 26 and 50 underwent MRI brain scans. The scans measured the amount ofwhite matter hyperintensities, or tiny brain lesions associated with memory decline in other neurological diseases. The groups were matched for age, education andhealth factors.

"Pilots who fly at altitudes above 18,000 feet are at risk for decompression sickness, a condition where gas or atmospheric pressure reaches lower levels than those within body tissues and forms bubbles," said study author Stephen McGuire, MD, with the University of Texas in San Antonio, the US Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. "The risk for decompression sickness among Air Force pilots has tripled from 2006, probably due to more frequent and longer periods of exposure for pilots. To date however, we have been unable to demonstrate any permanent clinical neurocognitive or memory decline."

Read more at Medical Xpress

Encountering stereotypes when you have a disability is more commonplace than rain in Seattle. How people with disabilities respond to these stereotypes can be all over the board.

Some of us get angry, some of us are highly forgiving and then a few of us use each negative interaction as a way to change people’s minds; and we use humorous and clever ways to do it. Hey, someone has to do the dirty work.

If you’re sick of hearing the same stereotypes, then it may be time for you to start employing clever ways to deface disability stereotypes too.  They won’t just change on their own. All of us need to lend our help to this cause.  If you have no idea where to begin on your quest to change stereotypes, then this list is for you. Read on for 5 brilliant ways to deface disability stereotypes.

Read the full article at Mobility Resource 

(http://www.themobilityresource.com/5-clever-comebacks-to-deface-disability-stereotypes/)