Keep Moving....

Health Update

Yesterday I had the biopsy on my thyroid.   I was scared to death but the meds my doctor prescribed helped a lot!  I had a numbing cream to spread on my neck 30 minutes prior to the procedure and a pill to keep me relaxed.

A needle was inserted to extract the sample about 4 times while the doctor's assistant used the sonogram to direct where to get the sample.  Then I had to wait for a while for them to make sure they had enough samples.  Of course they didn't and I had to have 3 more insertions. 

Afterwards I was groggy and my throat and neck were very sore.   But today I am feeling a lot better with less discomfort.

My brother took me to the doctor and my nephew came over to get my dinner prepared. My sister-in-law messaged and called to see if I needed anything.
I am truly blessed, even with ALL my health issues, because I have sooo many great people who love, support and care for me.

My biopsy result is next week...stay tuned 

USC researchers apply brainpower to understanding neural stem cell differentiation

One of the major processes of brain development is the differentiation of neural stem cells into neurons and glia. It's a tricky process, because the brain also needs to make sure the stem cells don't proliferate out of control. In a new study published in Cell Reports, researchers at the University of Southern California identified a protein called SMEK1 that promotes stem and progenitor cell differentiation. But the scientists found that SMEK1 also works with a second protein known as Protein Phosphatase 4 to suppress neurogenesis. Only when new neurons are no longer being born can neural stem cells differentiate into neurons and glial cells like astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Neural stem cell treatment has been proposed for several neurodegenerative diseases, and understanding stem cell differentiation could help scientists better harness their power.









Read more here:
http://keck.usc.edu/en/About/Administrative_Offices/Office_of_Public_Relations_and_Marketing/News/Detail/2013__eli_and_edythe_broad_stem_cell_center__fall__usc_researchers_apply_brainpower_to_understanding_neural_stem_cell_differentiation

7 Things You Need to Know to Deal With Major Life Changes by Lisabeth Saunders Medlock, Ph.D.Life coach, psychologist, and author

In a split second, in a freak accident, I lost much of my sight. The reaction and adaptation to the trauma and my new disability taught me some key lessons about going through a major life change. A set of life lessons that helped me to survive and thrive. And since most of us go through changes in our lives, some drastic, some minor, these lessons are applicable to you.

Read more here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisabeth-saunders-medlock-phd/seven-things-you-need-to-_b_4129918.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living

Women's Health

Shorter Sleep Duration and Poorer Sleep Quality Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarker

Poor sleep quality may impact Alzheimer’s disease onset and progression. This is according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who examined the association between sleep variables and a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease in older adults. The researchers found that reports of shorter sleep duration and poorer sleep quality were associated with a greater β-Amyloid burden, a hallmark of the disease. The results are featured online in the October issue of JAMA Neurology.

Read more here...
http://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2013/spira-sleep-alzheimer.html

Answering the Question: What Will Stem Cells Become?

Scientists at the University of Toronto say they have developed a technique that can rapidly screen human stem cells and better control what they will turn into. The technology could have potential use in regenerative medicine and drug development, according to the researchers, who published their findings (“High-throughput fingerprinting of human pluripotent stem cell fate responses and lineage bias”) in this week's issue of the journal Nature Methods

Read more here:
http://genengnews.com/gen-news-highlights/answering-the-question-what-will-stem-cells-become/81249012/

FDA awards 15 grants to stimulate drug, device development for rare diseases

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it has awarded 15 grants totaling more than $14 million to boost the development of products for patients with rare diseases.

 

The Orphan Drug Act was passed in 1983 to stimulate the development of products to treat rare diseases and conditions. For drugs, a disease or condition is considered rare if it affects less than 200,000 persons in the United States. For medical devices, a disease or condition is considered rare when it occurs so infrequently in the United States that there is no reasonable expectation that a medical device for such disease or condition will be developed without assistance. There are about 6,800 rare diseases and conditions, according to the National Institutes of Health. In total, nearly 30 million Americans suffer from at least one rare disease.

Read more here...

http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm371503.htm

Health Update

Last weekend I went to visit my nephew in Cleveland.  He has a full scholarship in Engineering and is doing remarkably well there.  So proud of him!

My short trip helped to take my mind off my visit to the Endocrinologist yesterday.  

It turns out that I now have a second nodule on the left side of my thyroid and will have to do a biopsy next week on both sides of my thyroid.

It's soooo frustrating to have to deal with yet another health issue!  Just when I was settling in and coping with ALL my current problems ...bomb! another curve ball... when will it ever end???!!

Luckily I don't gripe all the time....I have such a great support system with my family and that is truly a blessing.   I have help to and from medical appointments, cooking, and just about everything.  

Next week I go for the biopsy, stay tuned...

Study Seeking Participants on the Clinical, Anatomic and Genetic features of Pediatric Hydrocephalus

Drs. William Dobyns and Hannah Tully at Seattle Children’s Hospital are studying the clinical, anatomic and genetic features of children withdevelopmental hydrocephalus (otherwise known as primary, congenital, or non-acquired hydrocephalus).  Their team is seeking to enroll additional patients in their research studies.

Get more information here...
http://www.hydroassoc.org/ha-updates/study-seeking-participants-on-the-clinical-anatomic-and-genetic-features-of-pediatric-hydrocephalus/

NIH Approves High Priority Research Within BRAIN Initiative

I am supremely excited that this Initiative is moving forward...

In April 2013, President Obama announced a new grand challenge in the Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies(BRAIN) initiative, which aims to accelerate the development and application of technologies to increase our knowledge of brain circuits and systems.  President Obama called for a total of $110 million in the 2014 fiscal year budget to support the effort, of which $40 million is expected to be allocated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Continue reading here:
http://www.hydroassoc.org/ha-updates/nih-approves-high-priority-research-within-brain-initiative/

Affective Touch Boosts Sense Of Self, Study Suggests

A loving caress from mother to child or a soft touch between partners may be more than an indicator of love and affection -- a new study in the journal Frontiers of Psychology suggests that receiving this kind of touch could help increase sense of self.
Continue reading here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/13/affective-touch-sense-of-self-body-soft-slow-_n_4072662.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living

5 Steps Toward Resilience

The opposite of depression is not happiness, according to Peter Kramer, author of "Against Depression" and "Listening to Prozac," it is resilience: the ability to cope with life’s frustrations without falling apart. Proper treatment doesn’t suppress emotions or dull a person’s ability to feel things deeply. It builds a protective layer -- an emotional resilience -- to safeguard a depressive from becoming overwhelmed and disabled by the difficulties of daily life. Here, then, are five steps toward resilience.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/11/how-to-be-resilient_n_4065246.html?ir=GPS+for+the+Soul&ref=topbar

Manage Your Expectations, Lower Your Stress

Your outlook is a product of your own relationship with expectation. What will or won't happen, no one knows. And how we deal with the stress of not knowing, whether to hope for the best or expect the worst, the idea that our expectations always directly affect an outcome is little more than magical thinking.

Read more here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mequilibrium/managing-expectations_b_4086393.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living

My Medical Journey continues

Last March I had a Myelogram test to try to determine where some of my pain originated.  The test was very scary to me...

Myelography is a type of radiographic examination that uses a contrast medium to detect pathology of the spinal cord, including the location of a spinal cord injury, cysts, and tumors. The procedure often involves injection of contrast medium into the cervical or lumbar spine, followed by several X-ray projections. A myelogram may help to find the cause of pain not found by an MRI or CT.

The process involves lying face down on a table, with the lower extremities secured tightly with straps to the table. After the skin area has been numbed, the dye is injected into the spinal sac, then the table is slowly rotated in a circular motion, first down at the head end for approximately 4–6 minutes, then rotated up at the head end for the same duration. Several more minutes lying flat and the process is complete. This movement insures the contrast has sufficiently worked its way through the spinal cord, followed by x-rays, CT, or MRI scans.

It was from this procedure that a nodule was found on my thyroid.  I had a Sonogram last May and my then doctor told me the result was negative... whew! relief!

I had not done an annual physical in over 5 years because I was busy with the brain surgeries and recoveries.  This past Monday I had one and my new doctor asked me about the results for the biopsy. I asked her what biopsy she was referring to?   Apparently it was recommended that I go for a biopsy and my former doctor did not relay that to me.

On Tuesday I went for a sonogram of my thyroid and this morning my doctor called and told me that there were changes from the last one and that I should go see an Endocrinologist she is recommending.
I am trying to absorb this latest news without worrying.   I wont call today for an appointment until Monday.

Stay tuned....

5 Houseplants That Clean The Air

I’ve always loved displaying plants around my home for the fresh, natural feeling they bring inside. But there’s another reason to love houseplants: for their air-purifying benefits. There are various toxins that exist in our air without us even knowing it. Three to be especially careful of are benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde, due to their connections to allergies, asthma, and even cancer. Today I’m sharing 5 common plants you may already have in your home, and how they benefit the air inside.
Continue reading here:
Source: 5 Houseplants That Clean The Air | Free People Blog http://blog.freepeople.com/2013/10/5-houseplants-clean-air/#ixzz2hMGPDCoR

Research Update: Use of Limited Sequence CT Scans in Pediatric Hydrocephalus

Radiation Exposure from CT/CAT scans has always been a concern especially in the pediatric population, learn how a team of neurosurgeons at Johns Hopkins Medicine devised a way to reduce exposure!
http://www.hydroassoc.org/ha-updates/use-of-limited-sequence-ct-scans-in-pediatric-hydrocephalus/

It's Simple, Easy And Free -- And It Will Improve Your Health

The human body is made to move, but in today's world, we don't do nearly enough of it: As many as 50 million Americans, according to one count, are living sedentary lives.

But the simple act of walking is great for your health; research has linked it to a host of benefits, from a healthier weight to reduced fatigue to relief from stress and mild depression symptoms.

At the same time, the link between inactivity and chronic health problems has been firmly established. A sedentary lifestyle has been associated with lower life expectancy, slower metabolism, and increased risk of heart attack.

Walking is simple, easy -- and free. And there are a few simple, er, steps that can supercharge your typical stroll. We combed the research and talked to Sue Parks, CEO of WalkStyles, Inc., and co-author of iCount: 10 Simple Steps To A Healthy Life, for some tips.

Follow the story here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/08/the-art-of-the-perfect-wa_n_4017552.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living

Sniffing out Alzheimer’s A peanut-butter smell test could help diagnose the neurodegenerative disease in its early stages.

In a small pilot study of patients displaying signs of cognitive decline, researchers at the McKnight Brain Institute Center for Smell and Taste and the University of Florida (UF) found that peanut butter can help identify those with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder often accompanied by a loss of smell.

Continue the story here:
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/37842/title/Sniffing-out-Alzheimer-s/

Walk Through Green Space Could Help Put Brain In State Of Meditation, Study Finds

Entering a more 'zen' mindset could be as easy as taking a walk in the park, according to a small new study.

New research from scientists at Heriot-Watt University in the U.K. conducted mobile brain electrical activity testing on volunteers to find that the brain enters a meditative state whengoing through green spaces.

The findings have "implications for promoting urban green space as a mood-enhancing environment for walking or for other forms of physical or reflective activity," they wrote in the study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Story continues here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/29/green-space-meditation-brain-walk-park_n_2964199.html?utm_hp_ref=gps-mindfulness-research

5 Things a Caregiver Should Know

There is a lot of information out there about how to be a cancer patient. Drink this. Inject that. Have this surgery. Stay away from these.

There's no guidebook giving instructions on how to be a caregiver. There are no physician consultations to tell you what the next step is in how to provide moral, physical, and emotional support to the person you love that has just been diagnosed with a possibly fatal disease. There are no rules about caring for yourself.

Story continues here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-sewell/caregiver-tips_b_3991691.html?utm_hp_ref=gps-for-the-soul&ir=GPS%20for%20the%20Soul

Organizing your medical info can save your life — literally!

If you have chronic illness(es) or are a caregiver, we believe this post is worth the read.  This is a true story, and while we hope no one ever experiences the same thing, we wish to help others prepare for any difficult situation that might arise.

http://organizemeny.com/organized-medical-information-can-lifesaver-literally/

Obamacare Is Now Live

Researchmatch ......A secure place for volunteers and researchers to get connected.

ResearchMatch has a simple goal – to bring together two groups of people who are looking for one another: (1) people who are trying to find research studies, and (2) researchers who are looking for people to participate in their studies. It is a free and secure registry that has been developed by major academic institutions across the country who want to involve you in the mission of helping today’s studies make a real difference for everyone’s health in the future.
https://www.researchmatch.org/

Obamacare Launches Today -- What Happens Now?

Obamacare is here.

Nearly 1,300 days after President Barack Obama signed his signature health care reform program into law, its most important feature finally takes effect. Americans are about to get their first hint of whether Obamacare will work for the 48 million people who lack health insurance and the millions more who buy coverage on their own.

Beginning on Tuesday and through March 31, consumers will be able to use a new system to buy health coverage: online insurance exchanges in each state, accessible via HealthCare.gov, that let people compare plans and learn whether they qualify for financial help.

Obamacare guarantees everyone access to coverage, whether they're sick, healthy, young or old. It establishes a baseline set of benefits and stronger consumer protections. And it offers low- and middle-income people help paying for coverage.

Continue reading here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/01/obamacare-launch_n_4013753.html