Tag: Health & Medicine
Barriers, Enablers Affect Lower-limb Amputees’ Community Walking
Since walking in the community is essential to participate in work, leisure, social activities and family roles, a study explored potential barriers and enablers for people with lower-limb amputations who use a prosthesis to walk in public. The study found many barriers, but enablers were also identified. Three focus groups (n = 14 participants) using purposive sampling...
U.S. Healthcare Spending Highest Among Developed Countries
The United States, on a per capita basis, spends much more on healthcare than other developed countries; the chief reason is not greater healthcare utilization, but higher prices, according to a study from a team led by a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) researcher. The researchers determined that the higher overall healthcare...
Exercise May Help Fight Depression in Seniors
Kinesiologists at McMaster University have found that physical activity may help fight depression in seniors by stimulating muscle-generated mood boosters. The findings, published in the American Journal of Physiology—Cell Physiology, reveal that the underlying mechanisms that make us feel good when we exercise persist into old age and highlight the importance of staying active. “A...
Research Finds Individualized Diets Most Effective for Managing Blood Sugar
An individualized diet based on a person’s genetics, microbiome, and lifestyle is more effective in controlling blood glucose (sugar) levels than one that considers only nutritional composition of food, Mayo Clinic researchers have confirmed. The research published in JAMA Network Open demonstrates that each person’s body responds differently to similar foods, due to the unique composition...
Proteins Regenerate Residual Bone and Joints After Amputation
Researchers at Texas A&M University and Tulane University have found that treating amputation wounds in mice with two proteins encouraged growth of the residual bone and joint. Because the human skeletal structure is similar to a mouse, the researchers are optimistic that one day the discovery will help people with amputations regrow limbs. The research...
Our Bodies May Cure Themselves of Diabetes in the Future
Diabetes is caused by damaged or non-existing insulin cells’ inability to produce insulin, a hormone that is necessary in regulating blood sugar levels. Many diabetes patients take insulin supplements to regulate these levels. In collaboration with other international researchers, researchers at the University of Bergen (UiB) have discovered that glucagon-producing cells in the pancreas can...
Experimental Stem Cell Therapy Speeds Up Wound Healing
The healing of wounded skin in people with diabetes can be sped up by more than 50 percent using injections of stem cells taken from bone marrow, a new study in mice shows. The research, led by scientists at the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, focused on a chain of events in diabetes...
Prices Rising Even for Older Drugs
It’s no secret that drug prices are increasing, but to what extent are rising costs explained by the advent of newer, better drugs? A study from the University of Pittsburgh found that new drugs entering the market do drive up prices, but drug companies are also hiking prices on older drugs. The paper, published in...
Three Tips for Sticking With Your New Year’s Resolutions
By February, nearly 80 percent of Americans will give up on their New Year’s resolutions, but Tomeka Flowers, a Houston Methodist behavioral development coordinator and certified lifestyle coach, says making a few simple changes can help people reach their goals. “The majority of New Year’s resolutions are about getting healthy—eating better, drinking more water, and...
Adjustable Sockets May Help Control Fluid Volume in Residual Limb
Existing prosthetic technologies’ adjustable sockets and locking pin tethers can be used in novel ways to help maintain residual limb fluid volume in active prosthesis users with transtibial amputations. Researchers examined if either of two accommodation strategies executed during resting—socket release with full socket size return and socket release with partial socket size return—enhanced limb...
Depression Often Follows Dysvascular Amputation
Individuals undergoing lower-limb amputations secondary to dysvascular disease were found to have depressive symptoms during the first year after the procedure, according to a study published online December 31, 2018, in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Patients were surveyed four times (perioperative period and six weeks, four months, and 12 months post-amputation) at...
TMR on Transtibial Amputees Reduces Initial Phantom Limb Pain
Physicians at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine are pioneering the use of primary targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) to prevent or reduce debilitating phantom limb and residual limb pain in individuals with transtibial amputations. Primary TMR has shown to reduce phantom limb and residual limb pain, as reported in recent...
Less Exercise May Still Yield Benefits
A Beaumont Health study featured in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, found that middle-aged and older women who exercise moderately to vigorously, three times a week for at least 30 minutes, were able to significantly reduce cardiac risk factors in just six months....
NAAOP Webcast: Fellowship Program Extended to 2019
The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) has released its latest webcast in which General Counsel Peter Thomas, JD, comments on the success and extension of its fellowship program as well as the upcoming pre-midterm elections, which could include a number of bills that will impact the healthcare area. The NAAOP...
NIH, DOD to Develop Limb Loss and Preservation Registry
A new database supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DOD) aims to establish the number of people in the United States living with limb loss and to provide insight on their challenges and needs. The Limb Loss and Preservation Registry, expected to be operational in 2020, will be...
Cancer, Flu, Pneumonia, and You
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expects flu season to begin ramping up in the next few months. According to the CDC, the flu season often begins increasing around October with peak flu season occurring between December and February. If you have or have had cancer, keep in mind the following points to help you...
Fall Risk Greater for Amputees With Vascular Comorbidities
A study published September 4 in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation determined that while people with vascular-related amputations were less likely to fall than those with nonvascular-related amputations, people with concurrent vascular comorbidities were more likely to fall than those without. As part of the study, researchers investigated the impact of balance...
Late-life Healthcare Spending Not Wasteful
End-of-life healthcare spending in the United States is not wasteful, a new study says; many recipients of such expenditures aren’t certain to die, as the thinking goes. Rather, they represent a pool of sicker individuals whose odds are harder to predict. The findings contradict a common view that in America, large amounts of healthcare...
Study Determines Effects On Chronic Pain Of Discontinuing Opioid Treatment
Stopping long-term opioid treatment does not make chronic, non-cancer-related pain worse and, in some cases, makes it better, Washington State University (WSU) researchers have found. “On average, pain did not become worse among patients in our study a year after discontinuing long-term opioid therapy,” said Sterling McPherson, PhD, associate professor and director for biostatistics and...
Senators Push Bill to Expand Access to Therapeutic Shoes for People With Diabetes
Senators Susan Collins,(R-ME) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) have introduced the “Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act,” legislation that would give people with diabetes better access to therapeutic shoes. The senators say the legislation would allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants (PAs) to certify patients’ need for the shoes. While nurse practitioners and PAs often act...
New Prosthetic Ankle Adapts to Rough Terrain and Stairs
Sasser tests the prosthetic ankle. Photograph courtesy of Vanderbilt University. The Vanderbilt University lab of Michael Goldfarb, PhD, has completed testing of a smart prosthetic ankle that can respond to varying terrain and stairs. The ankle’s motor, actuator, sensors, and chip work together to either conform to the surface the foot is contacting or remain...
AARP and AARP Foundation File Amicus in Support of ACA
AARP and AARP Foundation have asked the U.S. District Court to accept an amicus brief supporting the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The brief explains many ways in which the ACA has benefited older adults and emphasizes the importance of protections for people with preexisting conditions and the limits on...
Scheduled or Spontaneous Exercise? Which Motivates You More?
A study has found that older adults seem to be more motivated by scheduled workouts, including the role of a fitness coach or a significant person involved in their exercise goals, compared to those getting exercise only through spontaneous physical activity. Researchers tested a mathematical and psychological model on two different groups of older adults:...
Online Physician Reviews May Be Misleading
Physician satisfaction scores on online third-party review sites tend to be skewed and can easily mislead patients, according to a new study by Cedars-Sinai investigators. Since research shows that patients largely trust these ratings as their sole source of information when choosing a physician, this distortion may have significant consequences. “Patients put so...
First U.S. Clinical Trial of 3D-printed Prostheses for Children Is Launched
The trial will test functionality, gauge the effect on the children’s quality of life, and determine how they use the arm for specialized tasks. Photograph courtesy of OHSU/Kristyna Wentz-Graff. A partnership between Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Limbitless Solutions, a nonprofit organization based at the University of Central Florida (UCF), has led to...
AARP Response to President Trump?s Speech on Prescription Drug Prices
AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer Nancy LeaMond released the following statement in response to President Trump’s address [May 11] on prescription drug prices: “AARP is encouraged that the president is focusing attention on lowering prescription drug prices. Poll after poll shows the vast majority of Americans, across the political spectrum,...
Losing Your Nest Egg Can Kill You
A sudden loss of net worth in middle or older age is associated with a significantly higher risk of death, according to a Northwestern Medicine and University of Michigan study. Image vulp/shutterstock.com. When people lose 75 percent or more of their total wealth during a two-year period, they are 50 percent more likely to die...
Get Up and Get Moving for National Get Fit Don?t Sit Day
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is encouraging people across the country to get moving in honor of its fourth annual National Get Fit Don’t Sit Day on May 2. This event is celebrated each year on the first Wednesday in May and aims to increase awareness of the dangers of prolonged sitting and the importance...
NAAOP Webcast: Veterans Bill of Rights Gets Committee Hearing
The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) has released it latest webcast in which General Counsel Peter Thomas, JD, comments on a hearing held April 17 where the House Veterans Affairs Health Subcommittee discussed Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) legislation, including H.R. 2322, the Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights....
Medical Marijuana Gets Wary Welcome From Older Adults
According to a National Poll on Healthy Aging, few older adults use medical marijuana, but the majority support its use if a doctor recommends it and might talk to their own doctor about it if they developed a serious health condition. Four out of five poll respondents between the ages of 50 and 80 said...
Study Suggests Cancer Survivors Are More Easily Fatigued
Adults who have undergone successful cancer treatment years or decades ago become fatigued more quickly than their peers who don’t have cancer histories, according to a new study in the journal Cancer from scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH). The scientists examined data from a long-running study of normal aging, which included periodic...
Researchers Test Augmented Reality for Treatment of Phantom Pain
Max Ortiz Catalan, PhD, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden, who conducts research using augmented reality to reduce phantom limb pain in people with amputations, is coordinating further research at eight locations around the world. Catalan, founder of the Biomechatronics and Neurorehabilitation Laboratory at Chalmers, oversaw an initial study in 2016 that uses the same...
Weight Training May Beat Cardio for Many Older Adults
Weight training or cardio? For older adults trying to slim down, pumping iron might be the way to go. Photograph courtesy of WFU/Ken Bennett. A study by researchers at Wake Forest University (WFU) suggests combining weight training with a low-calorie diet preserves much needed lean muscle mass that can be lost through aerobic workouts. The...
Medical Note System May Boost Patient Engagement
Adding notes to their personal medical charts—a task typically handled only by medical professionals—may help patients feel more involved with their care and improve relationships with their doctors, a study has found. In research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, doctors at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Health and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical...
Affordable Care Act Lowered Uninsured Rate for Cancer Survivors
The percentage of cancer survivors without health insurance decreased substantially after implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), reports a study in the March issue of Medical Care, published by Wolters Kluwer. Cancer survivors eligible for Medicaid expansion under the ACA had the greatest decrease in uninsured rate, according to research by Amy J. Davidoff,...
Study: Therapeutic Riding Programs Help Veterans Cope With PTSD
While military veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have often been prescribed therapeutic horseback riding (THR) as a complementary therapy, little was known about its effectiveness for this disorder. Now, a University of Missouri (MU) study has determined that veterans may have a significant decrease in PTSD scores just weeks after participating in THR....
American Diabetes Association Disappointed by Decision to Allow States to Impose Medicaid Work Requirements
Following is a statement from the organization: The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is deeply disappointed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) decision to allow states to impose work requirements as a condition of Medicaid eligibility. Access to affordable, adequate health coverage is critically important for the more than 114 million Americans living...
Walking in Groups May Help Keep Exercise Goals on Track
People may be more likely to stick to exercise if they walk in groups, according to a paper published in the International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care. The research, led by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), also found that group walking plays a part in improved physical activity and better quality of life. The review...