Free Glide

Maybe it’s the thought of mowing the grass, shoveling the snow, or the kitchen faucet that needs to be repaired. The multitude of responsibilities and maintenance involved in keeping up your current home may make the move to an Independent Living Community look very attractive. But is it affordable?

This is a question we hear a lot. In most communities utilities, maintenance, some laundry, and some meals are included in the fee. Use the monthly fee to compare to costs of staying in your current living situation. Remember to include utilities, taxes, insurance, fees paid for the yard work, and maintenance of your home. There should be a staff member available, at the facility you are considering, who can go over financial information with you.

If you are considering moving into a Continuum of Care Retirement Community as opposed to a stand alone Independent Retirement Community, there may be entrance fees or life care contracts to consider. According to the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission, there are three basic types of contract that a resident enters into with a CCRC: extensive, modified, and fee-for-service. An extensive contract offers unlimited long-term nursing care for little or no substantial increase in your usual monthly payments. Entrance fees and monthly costs under extensive contracts are typically higher than those under modified or fee-for-service contracts. That entrance fee may be refundable over time, partially refundable or nonrefundable. You may acquire ownership of your residence within the community, or you may be provide housing on a rental basis.

A modified continuing care contract includes a specified amount of long-term nursing care beyond which you are responsible for payment. Once such specified amount of care is reached, the resident may continue to receive care, but most pay the facility’s daily or monthly nursing rate.

A fee-for-service continuing care contract covers the cost of your housing, residential services, and amenities. You pay full daily rates for all long-term nursing care required. Entrance and monthly fees are lower under this type of contract because residents are responsible for all long-term nursing and health care costs.

There are many options available under the general term “CCRC”. Your best course of action is to visit several communities and to decide which community offers the best combination of services, amenities and contract options for your or your loved one’s particular needs and desires.

Let’s look at an example to help illustrate how even someone who didn’t THINK they could afford an Independent Retirement Community, really can!

Jane is a healthy 70 year old who wanted to enjoy the rest of her retirement years without the hassle of home maintenance, yard work, and home repairs. Plus, her home was built 40 years ago, and wasn’t particularly “senior” friendly! Doorways were narrow, the laundry room was in the basement, and the stairs to that area were narrow. She didn’t want to risk falling.

Jane didn’t think she could afford to live in an Independent Retirement Community, but after visiting her friend Marge several times, she knew it was a vibrant and active place that really catered to her lifestyle.

Jane also wanted to leave an inheritance to her children, but didn’t have a large 401K or IRA to leave behind, therefore, all she had was the value of her home. She was worried that if she sold her home and moved to an Independent Retirement Community, she would not be able to leave an inheritance. Her children on the other hand, were not worried about receiving an inheritance, they just wanted Jane to live the life that made her happy, safe, and comfortable.

After sitting down with the staff at her local Independent Retirement Community, she understood that not only could she afford to live there, but she would also be able to leave a LARGER inheritance to her children than she ever thought possible.

Here’s how it worked for Jane:

Jane’s Current Assets:

• $100,000 - total in checking/savings, CDs, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, IRA and annuities (rainy day money)

• $150,000 - value of her home

• $1400/ month Social Security Income and Pension

Cost to Live in the Independent Retirement Community:

• $2300/ month, no entrance fee, just monthly rent
• -$1400/month income
• = shortfall of $900/month for Jane

Jane’s Solution:

• Jane sold her home for $150,000 and put the proceeds into a lifetime annuity that generated an income of $1,204 per month. (which covers her shortfall of $900 and leaves $300 for other needs)

• Jane took her remaining assets (rainy day money) of $100,000 and left $25,000 in checking, but purchased a single premium life insurance policy for $75,000.

• That single premium life insurance policy is worth $250,000 TAX FREE to her heirs upon her death.

• Plus if she passed away within 10 years, her heirs could also possibly receive the remaining lifetime annuity payout.

• Remember this is simply an example and not a guarantee of results. Everyone needs to have their own person financial analysis completed.

Jane can now move into her Independent Retirement Community and live a safe, stress free life. Her children will receive the inheritance she always wanted them to have. Can you afford to live in an Independent Retirement Community? Chances are that with the right financial planning, you can live the retirement you always dreamed of. Contact Valerie VanBooven for more information at valerie@nextgenfinser.com

Valerie VanBooven RN, BSN, PGCM is a long-term care expert, author of “Aging Answers”, professional speaker. She is currently the National Director of Marketing and PR for Next Generation Financial Services a division of 1st Mariner Bank.

Valerie can be reached at 877-529-0550 or valerie@nextgenfinser.com

Many eye doctors believed until recently that if a child’s vision was impaired because of a “lazy eye,” the condition could not be corrected past the age of six or seven years. However, a study funded by the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, has found that amblyopia or “lazy eye” treatment can be effective in children age seven through 17. In fact, many of the 517 children studied at 49 eye centers showed improvement in their vision.

“Age alone should not determine whether or not to treat,” said Michael Repka, M.D., a pediatric ophthalmologist at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and a co-author of the study. Even teenagers benefit from treatment, said Repka.

Amblyopia is a common cause of vision loss in as many as 3% of children in the US. During infancy or childhood, the vision loss occurs when the brain favors one eye over the other. The other healthy eye does not receive brain input, limiting visual development. The most common causes of ‘lazy eye” are nearsightedness, farsightedness, or a crossed or wandering eye (strabismus).

The reason vision in the amblyopic eye improves is due to the brain’s plasticity, says Susan Cotter, O.D., a pediatric optometrist at the Southern California College of Optometry and co-author of the treatment study. Neuroplasticity means the brain can change with learning. By forcing the unused eye to work, the brain will process the sensory information and adapt. As a result, vision improves.

Children in the study were divided into two groups, randomly selected. One group wore only prescription classes. The other group either wore glasses and an eye patch or glasses, an eye patch and eye drops. The latter group was also instructed to read, draw, or do other close-up activities as well since “near-vision activities are visually stimulating,” says Cotter.

The patch, eye drops and close-up work forced the test subjects to use their amblyopic eyes. Children wore the patch for two to six hours per day. Children 12 years and less also used eye drops.

However, “eye drops blur the eye all day which is why the teenagers wore only patches, which could be removed while driving,” says Cotter.

If children in the study could read two more lines on the eye chart with the amblyopic eye, the treatment was considered successful.

According to the National Eye Institute, 53% of children in the study ages 7 through 12 who wore glasses and a patch for 2-6 hours per day, and did near-vision activities could read two or more lines on the eye chart after 24 weeks. But only 25% in this age group could do the same. Twenty-five per cent of children ages 13 through 17 who wore eye glasses and a patch had improved vision whereas 23% who wore only glasses improved. Of those children in this age group who had been previously treated for amblyopia, 47% who wore glasses and a patch and did close-up work had improved vision. On the other hand, only 20 % improved who were treated with only glasses.

“This study shows how important it is to screen children of all ages for amblyopia,” said study co-chairman Richard W. Hertle, M.D., Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

If children also have strabismus and will undergo surgery to correct the eye muscle imbalance, they should be treated first for amblyopia, says Cotter. “Surgery doesn’t help amblyopia. If the child has surgery and amblyopia still exists, one eye with 20/100 vision, for instance, will be blurry; consequently it will be difficult or impossible for the brain to fuse the two images together into one,” says Cotter.

Atropine eye drops may serve to improve compliance because the child doesn’t require monitoring. Adhesive patches are also used to increase compliance in young children as it is difficult for them to peek. “Children can’t be monitored all day,” says Cotter.

Although the adhesive patch is hypoallergenic, some children with sensitive skin experience irritation when the patch is removed. So some doctors allow their patients to switch to cloth patches. Cloth patches with side shields still block vision in the affected eye.

The number of hours that the children wore their patch was through self report. “This is a real world, treatment effectiveness study,” says Cotter. “I do the same clinically.”

A new study is planned to learn about the effects of near-vision activities on amblyopia.

Sources:

Article reviewed by
Susan Cotter, O.D.
Pediatric Optometrist
Southern California College of Optometry

Diana Clarke is a teacher and health educator. Her articles have appeared in newspapers and magazines, such as the San Jose Mercury News and the World of English.

Coaching is a type of therapy that has become incredibly used over the last six years. The term personal coaching first became accepted in the USA where, together with NLP aka Neuro Linguistic Programming, it became part of a new terrific wave of awfully proactive therapy techniques. Change your life today with Life Coaching.

In many ways both Personal Coaching and NLP are an answer against certain aspects of the person-centred therapy movement, in particular Humanistic and Person Centred Counselling. A problem of the humanistic therapy approach is that it is hugely reactive and not profoundly proactive. Although all that works marvellous with some clients, with other folk long periods of impasse or low return for time and effort occur. Performance coaching and Neuro Linguistic Programming are both humanistic therapy in stance, spending effort on improving a customers well-being rather than delving into the depths of childhood, as in traditional therapy. Success coachings emphasis is, however, deliberately proactive and used to make you happy.

Lifestyle coaching is not about telling the customer what to do. This is a common misconception. Some therapists are comparably successful in their business careers and then make the change to lifestyle coaching, thinking that they will at most be required to divulge their pearls of wonderful wisdom with the customer. This is more like mentoring a person in a specific environment. Coaching is instead about life as a whole.

Arthritis is the name given to a group of related diseases, which include osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis), rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, lupus and fibromyalgia. In its various forms, arthritis affects the young and old, both sexes and all races. Although there are over 100 kinds of arthritis, they share one thing: they all rob otherwise healthy people of their quality of life by making even the simplest of movements painful. This pain is caused by inflammation of the lining of the body’s joints.

How do we treat the illness that affects so many people? On answer is with drugs, such as the “NSAIDs.”

Pronounced “ensayds,” these drugs help reduce pain and swelling in the joints while decreasing stiffness. When taking a low dose, NSAIDs control pain, but higher doses are required to reduce inflammation. The problem with NSAIDs is their side effects. Taking more than one NSAID at a time increases the possibility of heartburn and severe side effects such as ulcers and bleeding. NSAIDs inhibit the blood’s ability to clot properly and may therefore interact with blood-thinning medications such as coumadin. In addition, kidney disease is considered as a side effect. While the over the counter alternatives are safer, they often need to have other remedies used as well to achieve arthritis pain relief.

However, when the NSAIDs do not work, there are other things, less orthodox, to try. Here are a few tips, for arthritis relief.

1. Exercise is a great option at your disposal when looking for natural alternatives for your arthritis pain relief. Walking is especially good; it is easy to do and does not put too much unneeded pressure on the joints. Other forms of exercises that are especially good for arthritis sufferers are balancing types of movements, such as Tia Chi and water walking. While these activities can help build muscle strength, they may cause some discomfort in the joints. If this happens, stop the exercise, if the pain persists more than a couple of days speak with your physician.

2. Rest. As important as exercise is, rest is at least as critical when it comes to arthritis pain control. It is particularly important that you pay attention to your symptoms. If your joints are inflamed and sore, take it easy. Your doctor might advise you to continue range-of-motion exercises, but do not tire yourself.

3. Losing weight is another great way to find some relief from your arthritis pain. That happens because ten extra pounds adds thirty pounds of stress to the knees. Therefore, losing extra weight will be very effective for arthritis pain relief.

4. Heat / cold. Using ice packs can reduce acute pain while heat loosens joints and increases blood flow. Try sitting in a whirlpool before exercising and icing an irritated spot after exercising to provide soothing relief.

5. Researching and using any product that will make your daily life easier, will also indirectly help ease the pain associated with arthritis, reduce discomfort and disability, and, at the same time, reduce your dependence upon others. For example, using a shower seat will allow you to shower without much of the pain that can result from extended period of time standing, or the Foot Funnel, a modern day type of shoehorn, is an assistive device that is been recommended if you have difficulty putting on your shoes. Other helpful examples include cervical pillows, custom-made foot orthotics and canes.

Put these tips into action and you should get at least some relief from the pain of arthritis.

Nick Carter is editor of www.arthritispainfree.net, a website dedicated to providing arthritis pain relief tips

Going bald in lads affects almost 10 million in the United Kingdom, the most common type of baldness is male pattern baldness. The loss of hair may begin as very young as twenty and cause emotional distress.

Male pattern baldness is traditionally hereditary and will probably develop in boys as well as females. The loss of hair appears due to the hair follicles on the scalp getting smaller and the hair dropping out and not returning. Going bald ordinarily follows a balding pattern around the hair line and additionally at the crown of your scalp.

Going bald is not a disease and does not affect your actual health, although your emotional health will often become affected through lack of self esteem. Read the Advanced Hair Story from Carl Howell at Advanced Hair Studio.

There are three awesome primary treatments for baldness, Minoxidil, Finasteride and Strand by Strand from Advanced Hair Studio, also known as AHS. The very first heavy weight treatment is a topical cream that is applied on the scalp and is available from pharmacies. Minoxidil works by reducing and slowing down the rate of hair loss, simply great. Finasteride works by blocking the chain reaction of the baldness hormone. The wonderful Strand by Strand hair regrowth technique from Advanced Hair Studio, also known as AHS, uses the most current baldness technology and involves new hair strands growing on the scalp strand by strand over time. With both the Minoxidil and Finasteride treatment methods they need to be constantly applied and taken for the effects to continue working.

Best Pill for E.D

Cialis is an oral medication prescribed to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). It does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. The blue diamond shaped prescription tablet, helps improve erections.

Preserving an erection is just as important as getting one. Cialis is known to help with both, thus leading to a more satisfying sexual experience with your partner.

It is best to understand that with the use of Viagra, you do not get an instant erection. In order to get an erection and for the Cialis to work, you must be aroused. After taking Viagra, the results can be seen in about 30 minutes to 1 hour as it works differently in individuals. For some men, it works in as little as 14 minutes. Normally the lasting period for Cialis is 4 hours.

After sexual intercourse, your erection will go away. In the case that your erection lasts for 4 hours or longer, you must consult a doctor immediately as this may harm your penis. In order to get quick results, it is advisable to take Cialis on an empty stomach or after eating a low-fat meal. If taken with a high-fat meal, there may be a delay in absorption of Tadalafil and the peak effect might be reduced slightly as the plasma concentration will be lowered.

Like with all medication, Cialis works the first or second time for most men. But for some men this might not be the case. So if Cialis does not work for you, don’t give up on it. Try taking it again. Keep in mind that Cialis can be taken as often as once a day, every day. If you still do not get results, talk to your doctor. Often a dose adjustment can make all the difference.

The majority of people caring for an Alzheimer affected parent are Baby Boomers. When thrust into the roll of care giver there are things that you can do to better cope with responsibilities.

The following is an excerpt from the book Into the Mist, When Someone You Love Has Alzheimer’s Disease by Deborah Uetz

Expectations: Coping and Solutions:

Personal Expectations and Acknowledging Successes

Learn to acknowledge your successes, even if is only a silently celebrated sense of accomplishment. It is imperative to remember that you are, indeed, human and when faced with caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease, it is a process through which you will have both successes and failures. You will make mistakes. Your mistakes will rarely, if ever, be of any significant proportion. You will have successes. Just as important as it is to learn from our mistakes, it is important to learn from the successes. Do not be afraid to be human throughout the process.

Know your limitations. Knowing your weaknesses and limits is a tremendous strength. But knowing your limitations if you are unwilling to ask for help is an exercise in futility. If you know your limitations but constantly disavow their impact on caregiving or your won well-being as a caregiver, you are likely to compromise both your own well-being and that of the person with Alzheimer’s disease. Challenge yourself to tackle things you think you cannot do, but learn to know when you are pushing too far and you and your caregiving will suffer as a result.

At the same time, know your strengths. If you are prone to expecting failure before you begin, you will experience failure. It is just as important to acknowledge your strengths as it is your weaknesses, and to capitalize on your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses.

One of the toughest challenges you will face is assessing your situation realistically and adjusting your expectations accordingly. The expectation that you will be able to care for the person with Alzheimer’s disease by yourself throughout the course of his or her illness may or may not be realistic for you. It is unrealistic for most people. This does not mean that nursing facilities are the only options. You do have options, but you must be willing to avail yourself of them. If you doggedly adhere to your elevated expectations despite evidence that they are unrealistic and not working, you are damaging both yourself and your loved one who has Alzheimer’s.

Try to understand where your unrealistic expectations spring from. Perhaps you know someone who was able to independently care for a person with Alzheimer’s disease and you believe you should be able to do the same. This is a mistake. No two individuals are the same, nor are their situations. And you did not live in the house with that person - there may well have been problems with caregiving that you are not aware of and the person is not telling you about.

You may expect that it is your duty as a spouse or responsible family member to shoulder the responsibility on your own. Again, this is a mistake. Part of being a responsible and loving family member is to do what is best for everyone involved, and that includes both you and the person with Alzheimer’s. Often, caring for this person on your own will not be the best for either of you. Caregiver burnout is common and it will affect your well-being, as well as that of your loved one. It is much easier to avoid burnout when you have assessed your situation realistically, thrown the phrases “I should be…..” or “I should do…….” out the window, and set a realistic standard for yourself and the people around you.

If you find yourself caught up in a cycle wherein you feel as if you have nothing but failures, you need to find ways to break out of that cycle. Talk to friends and family members who may be able to help you engage in a reality check, including helping you to see your successes and adjust your expectations. People who have dealt with Alzheimer’s in their own family may be particularly helpful. Support groups may also be an invaluable resource at these times - either online support groups or one available in your community. People who have filled shoes similar to yours have often felt the same emotions and can be adept at helping you to achieve a greater balance in how you view your situation.

If you have faced reality and really are in a situation where failures are destined based on the circumstances, reevaluate the whole environment and the circumstances that are continually causing problems. Take a realistic look at things that you can change and what needs to be done to affect changes. This may require making difficult decisions and enlisting the help of others to help you make changes, but it may be necessary. If you are, indeed, evaluating accumulating problems realistically, the aggregation of difficulties may be an indication that significant changes are in order.

Expectations of the Person with Alzheimer’s Disease

Educate yourself about Alzheimer’s disease. Read the chapters in this book that provide information about Alzheimer’s behaviors, problems that often arise during the course of the disease, and what happens to the brain afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. Read, also, about solutions to frequently encountered problems.

Encourage the individual with Alzheimer’s to independently undertake tasks they are able to, help with those that require assistance, and learn to recognize when you must step in and do things for the person with Alzheimer’s. This may take time and some trial and error and it will change over time. If, however, your expectations do not change, you will find the individual increasingly unable to meet those demands. Make flexibility your rule.

No one wants to appear incompetent and, particularly early in the course of the disease, people cover up their deficits. While it preserves dignity, it also leads people to expect more of the person with Alzheimer’s than he or she may be able to handle. Abilities also fluctuate, sometimes from minute to minute. This may be due to a number of factors, including brain damage that is only partial and allows sporadic transmission of information. In addition, skills in various areas of functioning will be impaired or preserved to different degrees - an ability to tackle one task successfully does not mean that a task that requires slightly different skills can be accomplished. You will need to learn through some trial and error, through careful observation, and via learning about Alzheimer’s disease in general what your affected family member can safely accomplish independently and when you will need to step in and help.

Overwhelmingly the behavior problems that arise during the course of Alzheimer’s disease are due to the effects of the disease and the brain damage it causes. This is not to say, though, that a person’s characteristics are erased when they have Alzheimer’s. For example, stubbornness in an individual who is characteristically stubborn may persist. Early in the course of the disease, some behavior problems may be due to her preexisting stubbornness, to psychological factors, or may be compounded by new disease variables. Even early in the course of the disease, she will be far less able to guide and choose her behaviors than she was prior to the onset of Alzheimer’s, so you must always take the disease variable into account even very early in the disease. You will need to learn how to tell the difference between willfulness and behaviors that are more rooted in the disease. Although it is next to impossible to be right all of the time when forced to make these distinctions, it will help both you and the person with Alzheimer’s if you are as sensitive as possible to the differences between disease-based problems and the individual’s own characteristics.

In the early stages of the disease, the problems that arise may be due to more of a mixture of the person’s preexisting personality and the disease process. As the disease progresses, it is increasingly the disease that is causing problems, and during the middle and later stages, it is essentially entirely Alzheimer’s that causes the behaviors and psychopathologies that are so problematic.

Keep treating the person with Alzheimer’s in a respectful and loving way. This may seem axiomatic, but it is all too easy to talk down to a person with Alzheimer’s disease. Being treated with respect and dignity is as important to someone with Alzheimer’s as it is to anyone else, perhaps more as the disease begins to rob them of abilities. Too often people with Alzheimer’s are treated in infantile ways and it is demoralizing. Your expectations must constantly be adjusted and at times the person’s behavior will be reduced to childlike levels, particularly as the disease progresses. You will need to find a balance between empowering the person with Alzheimer’s, treating him or her with respect and dignity, and still guiding and caring for that person in ways that are similar to how you might care for a young child. Throughout, think about how you would like to be treated were you in the same position: the golden rule is a good rule of thumb.

Expectations of Others

You may believe that your friends and family will be involved in your loved one’s care and in many cases they will be. Here, too, you will fare best if you throw your “should” thoughts out the window - people often do not behave as we think they “should,” and expecting people to participate in care in ways we think they “should” often leads to disappointment and anger.

As early as can be managed in your loved one’s illness, it is important to put plans in place that detail what role others will play in your loved one’s care. If possible, hold a family meeting to outline how each family member will contribute, the limitations to the contributions individual family members can or will make, and how to capitalize on individual strengths most effectively. Be flexible as needs may change over time. It is imperative that you tell people specific things they can do to help you when help is offered. The offer may not be repeated as time goes on.
If you are the spouse of an Alzheimer’s patient, you will find the jobs that were filled by your spouse now fall on your shoulders. Regardless of how busy you become your grass will grow, gutters will clog, dust will fall, and finances will need to be handled. Seemingly unimportant little things can become major stressors if you have no one to help you.

If you are the adult child of a person with Alzheimer’s, your roles will also shift. You may be asked to undertake personal and practical care tasks that are uncomfortable, and you will often find yourself in a parental role as the person’s ability to do things independently diminishes. This all occurs in the context of adult children leading their own complicated and busy lives, sometimes leaving these offspring feeling overwhelmed.

Plan ahead for the time you will need to take care of the jobs that have been shifted from your spouse’s or parent’s shoulders to yours, and for the tasks that you generally undertake yourself but which are now coupled with caregiving. Take time early in the course of the disease to investigate services available to the person with Alzheimer’s and the family. Talking to other families that have experienced Alzheimer’s in the family, or finding information through libraries and the Internet, may help you to anticipate problems you had not considered. The more you know about available services and financial assistance, the less you will be thrown for a loop by the unanticipated.

The hardest task may be to redefine how you view family members. Families tend to work as systems, and the roles that many families use to conceptualize each person’s place in the family help to organize the system in peoples’ minds. Note that these roles are often tacit; many of you may be saying to yourself, “Our family doesn’t do that. We view each person as an individual.” That may or may not be true of your family. Take the time to look as objectively as possible at your family to analyze if people have been pigeonholed in certain roles.

The family will operate most effectively if each person is allowed to contribute based on his or her strengths, and is allowed to contribute in ways that you may not expect. Try to see your family members as you may never have seen them before - see the possibilities and the strengths in the person, regardless of how you may have thought about that individual in the past. Not all family members will be able to contribute significant help during this process, but do not make the mistake of counting people out prematurely.

Being flexible throughout the process will help you deal more effectively with the variety of issues that will arise. Changes that occur throughout the course of the disease will require continual decision-making and changes in family structure. Offspring will have to make decisions for a parent, thus altering the traditional parent-offspring roles. Some siblings may be called on or may assume more active roles in caregiving and decision-making than others.

If your family is excessively rigid when it comes to shifting roles and responsibilities, it may help to seek brief professional assistance at various points along the way. Even one family meeting with a mental health professional or a combination of involved professionals may help to sort through and solve temporary practical and emotional roadblocks.

Deborah Uetz
Author of Into the Mist, B.S. Education, E-zine Expert, online support monitor
website http://www.intothemist.us

Copyright 2006 Mary Desaulniers

Fifteen years ago, I fractured my ankle. It required surgery, the insertion of one metal plate and four pins. My leg was placed in a cast and I was told to keep the leg suspended for at least 2 months. Despite the hospital noise and light, I was able to sleep. But what I can never forget is that my dreams were filled with running episodes and disordered leg movements me running up and down hills, even falling on the uneven grassy surface. I could feel my foot jamming into a hole and the movement of the fall would wake me up. Then I would lie in bed feeling silly because the cast was so stiff that I could not even wriggle my toes.

I have since discovered that leg movements in sleep are common experiences. They are normal spasms that occur just before we fall asleep. However, there are other disruptive leg movements that are symptoms of sleep disorder syndromes. People with Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, for example, are wakened by involuntary rhythmic movements of the limbs during sleep. Sometimes these take the form of twitching in toes and ankles; other times, they involve more flailing and exaggerated movements of the arms and legs. But the movements come in clusters, some lasting a few minutes, others more than an hour. In effect, the movements are jerky and persistent enough to disrupt sleep and cause sleep deprivation.

About 80% of people with periodic leg movement sleep disorder also experience the Restless Leg Syndrome, a condition that affects about 10% of the adult population in North America and Europe. Unlike the periodic limb movement disorder, restless legs are most often experienced as “insects crawling inside the legs,” a sensation which leads to an urge to stand up and move around. You can be in bed, trying to sleep, but your limbs become prickly or tingly and this sensation can only be relieved by physically getting up and moving around. Needless to say, sleeping when you have this syndrome is next to impossible.

Because our knowledge of these disorders is limited (the exact causes of these conditions are still unknown), treatment is often limited as well. Research, however is ongoing and much progress has been made in the last 5 years to define the nature and manifestations of these disorders. Here, for example, are some new expressions of these disorders uncovered by research.

1.Both restless leg syndrome and periodic leg movements are common in children with hyperactivity attention deficit disorder.

2.Both conditions seem to be more prevalent in the older adult female population.

3.Neurophysiological studies also indicate that restless leg syndrome is linked to irregularities in the spinal cord and brain.

4.Other studies have shown a correlation between the disorders and reduced iron concentrations in some brain regions.

5.Periodic Leg Movement Sleep Disorder seems to be linked to predisposing factors such as diabetes, use of anti-depressants, kidney disease, metabolic disorders, rheumatoid arthritis and circulatory problems.

6.A great deal of attention is also focused on the genetic component of both disorders. According to the National Sleep Foundation, restless leg syndrome occurs 3 to 5 times more frequently in first degree relatives of people with the same syndrome than in people without the syndrome. This finding definitely suggests a strong hereditary component to the sleep disorder.

If you do experience these leg movement symptoms that chronically deprive you of sleep, what can you do?

1.Some people experience mild cases of these disorders and seem to be able to function quite well without medical supervision. Consult your physician about your situation if it regularly deprives you of sleep and is causing inattentive or careless daytime responses that require medical attention. Your physician may be able to prescribe medication that can help you with the problems. A study sponsored by Eli Lilly suggests that a drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease, may be effective in the treatment of restless leg syndrome and periodic leg movement disorder.

2. Use of electric nerve stimulation therapy applied to an area in the feet or legs seems to be helpful as well. This therapy is usually done 15-30 minutes before bedtime.

3.Make use of home treatments for relaxationsuch as meditation, yoga or massage.

4.Avoid using alcohol, caffeine or anti-depressants as these may trigger episodes of leg movements.

5. Seek information and resources at your local Sleep Center here: http://www.sleepcenters.org/

A runner for 27 years, retired schoolteacher and writer, Mary is helping people reclaim their bodies. Nutrition, exercise, positive vision and purposeful engagement are the tools used to turn their bodies into creative selves. You can visit her at www.GreatBodyat50.com or learn how she lost her weight at www.greatbodyproteinpower.com

An inherited disease, cystic fibrosis is thought to affect about 30,000 Americans and is the most common, life-shortening genetic disease known. Much of the population has heard the term cystic fibrosis, but few understand its meaning or consequences.

Usually the earliest signs of cystic fibrosis include extremely salty-tasty skin, and extremely thick, sticky and copious mucus. The mucus causes blockages in the pancreatic duct and prohibits digestive enzymes from reaching the intestinal tract where they are normally used for digestion of fats. Without the enzymes fats cannot be digested and are excreted in bulky, greasy stools, another hallmark sign of cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis patients also suffer with chronic respiratory tract infections that include unrelenting coughing from the excess mucus in the lungs.

As cystic fibrosis is inherited, there is little that can be done to reverse or cure this disease. Instead, current treatment is focused on alleviating and decreasing as many of the symptoms as possible. Mucus clearing is of the utmost important so as to keep the airways clear. Antibiotics for lung infections, mucus thinning drugs and pancreatic enzyme supplements are among the most common cystic fibrosis treatments.

A new hope for cystic fibrosis patients is slowly emerging, however. Scientists are finding and reporting that many of the mutations which may partially contribute to cystic fibrosis symptoms can be traced back to deformed or missing glycoconjugates^1,2. For example, a mutation in the CFTR gene will produce an incorrect glycoprotein product. The mutated glycoprotein in turn results in the cellular chloride channel defects seen in cystic fibrosis² - thus generating salty skin.

Researchers believe that many of the symptoms of cystic fibrosis follow the same pattern: mutated gene produces a mutated glycoconjugate resulting in a defective cellular component.

Recently researchers in lab experiments have confirmed that with the addition of glyconutrients, correct function was restored to defective CFTR in animal models with cystic fibrosis². This is an extremely positive and encouraging step toward using glyconutrients for cystic fibrosis patients. Other studies have focused on glyconutrients as well as antioxidants for cystic fibrosis². The current trend is to conduct more research into the role glyconutrients play in cystic fibrosis patients. In the meantime, however, many patients are choosing to supplement their regimen with these plant based glyconutrients.

1. What Is Cystic Fibrosis

2. Glyconutritionals: Implications in Cystic Fibrosis
By Robert K. Murray, MD, PhD and Jane Ramberg, MS

Scott Saunders is a full time wellness consultant who can be reached at Whole Earth Health.

Why is Salmonella important to public health safety?

Salmonella and the medical condition that it causes, Salmonellosis is one of the most commonly and widely distributed foodborne diseases. This disease in the past has caused tremendous cost to society in many countries worldwide. Millions (2-4) of cases have been reported annually and yet a significant number of cases has been unreported worldwide. In the United States it is estimated that the total cost of human salmonellosis is estimated at US$ 3 billion. In Denmark, the total cost of human salmonellosis is estimated at US$15.5 million. In general the costs of foodborne diseases are difficult to acquire and generally not available from developing countries.

One of the highlights that made Salmonella significant is that the European Commission has reported a 20-fold increase in Salmonellosis from 1980s to 1990s in a number of countries. This has resulted in an increased spread of two strains, namely Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium, causing much public health concern. Since as early as 1990s strains of Salmonella showed increased resistance to a range of antibiotics creating serious problems of treatment and recovery. This has led to tremendous human suffering, morbidity and mortality.

What is Salmonella?

Salmonella belongs to the genus of gram negative infective bacteria. The organism is transmitted through poultry, eggs, meat and other sources. Three species are recognized; salmonella typhi, salmonella choleraesius and salmonella enteriditis. It is estimated that over 2,500 serotypes exist. Salmonella typhi causes typhoid fever while salmonella typhimurium causes gastroenteritis or inflammation of the stomach and small intestines.

What is the incubation period for Salmonellosis?

The incubation period for Salmonellosis is between eight to forty-eight hours. The disease or infection lasts three to seven days if detected and treated promptly. The infection may be prolonged if diagnosis and treatment are delayed or if the bacteria become multi-resistant to antibiotics.

What are the symptoms of Salmonellosis? Symptoms of Salmonellosis include:  Fever.  Abdominal cramps.  Diarrhea.  Headache.  Chills.  Prostration.  Nausea.  Pain.

How is Salmonellosis diagnosed?

Salmonellosis is diagnosed by clinical observations and also by pathological confirmation of the pathogenic bacteria Salmonella in the blood and the feces. Blood and feces analysis are often considered essential tests in the positive identification of Salmonellosis.

How can Salmonella enter the food chain?

Salmonella can enter the food chain in three main ways: (i) Animals harbor Salmonella on their bodies and in their intestines. Animals that are reared under unsanitary conditions coupled with poor hygiene of food handlers provide an easy route for the transfer of Salmonella along the fecal-oral path. Allowing pets and other animals into food preparation areas may lead to cross-contamination of food being prepared. Petting or touching animals and pets without washing hands can lead to the transfer of Salmonella from animals to the food being prepared.

(ii) Manure, feces and litter are rich sources of Salmonella. Animals that are infected with Salmonella often pass out large amounts of Salmonella in their feces which can directly or indirect contaminate food.

(iii) Cross-contamination may occur through poor personal hygiene, poor sanitation, poor food handling and cooking practices. Of these practices hand washing is often the main culprit. Hands that are not washed before every new task, during the task, and after performing the task and when changing to another task, pose a serious risk of contamination. Cutting boards which are not frequently cleaned and sanitized between tasks and when changing use from meat to vegetables or from raw to processed or to cooked foods lead to the spread of Salmonella and cross-contamination of foods.

How is Salmonellosis treated?

Treatment usually takes the form of anti-diarrheal drugs and/or antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones, chloramphenicol, ampicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. How can Salmonella acquire antimicrobial resistance? Research suggests that Salmonella may acquire antimicrobial resistance through the following:  Uptake of new genetic material.  Mutation in the bacterial chromosome. How can the different types of antimicrobial resistance be detected? Different types of antimicrobial resistance have been detected using known “marker antibiotics”. For example:  Uptake of new genetic material is displayed by Salmonella bacteria showing resistance to ampicillin, trimethoprin-sulfamethozazole and chloramphenicol.  Mutations in bacterial genome are displayed by Salmonella bacteria showing resistance to fluroquinolones. What are some of the common foods associated with Salmonellosis? Any food can become contaminated with Salmonella if prepared using poor hygienic practices, under unsanitary conditions and if not cooked thoroughly at the proper internal temperature for a specified time. Some common foods associated with Salmonellosis include but are not limited to:  Raw meats.  Poultry.  Eggs.  Milk and dairy products.  Fish.  Shrimp.  Yeast.  Coconut.  Sauces.  Salad dressing.

How eggs become contaminated with Salmonella?

Eggs may become contaminated with Salmonella enteritidis in two main ways: (i) Salmonella enteritidis may silently infect the ovaries of healthy appearing hens and contaminates the eggs before the shells are formed.

(ii) Salmonella enteritidis is normally present in the feces that can contaminate the outer egg shells and may penetrate cracks in the shell.

Who is at increased risk?

Healthy adults and children are at risk for egg-associated Salmonellosis, but the elderly, infants and persons with impaired immune systems are at increased risk for serious illness. In these persons, a relatively small number of Salmonella bacteria can cause severe illness. Most of the deaths caused by Salmonella enteritidis have occurred among the elderly in nursing homes. Egg-containing dishes prepared for any of these high-risk persons in hospitals, in nursing homes, in restaurants, or at home should be thoroughly cooked and served promptly.

What you can do to reduce risk?

Eggs, like meat, poultry, milk and other foods, are safe when handled properly. Shell eggs are safest when stored in the refrigerator, individually and thoroughly cooked, and promptly consumed. The larger the number of Salmonella present in the egg, the more likely it is to cause illness. Keeping eggs adequately refrigerated prevents any Salmonella present in the eggs from growing to higher numbers, so eggs should be held refrigerated until they are needed. Cooking reduces the number of bacteria present in an egg; however, an egg with a runny yolk still poses a greater risk than a completely cooked egg. Undercooked egg whites and yolks have been associated with outbreaks of Salmonella enteritidis infections. Both should be consumed promptly and not be held in the temperature range of 40 to 140 F for more than 2 hours.

What proactive measures can be taken to reduce Salmonellosis? (i) Vaccination of laying chickens. (ii) Avoid indiscriminate use of antibiotics as growth promoters that will minimize the appearance of new Salmonella resistant serotypes. (iii) Use probiotics to competitively exclude Salmonella form the small intestines. Feed should be supplemented with yeast or chickens should be sprayed with mucosal starter culture and/or feed the culture through water. This procedure will serve to competitively exclude Salmonella from the crop and ceca of the small intestines. (iv) Adopt and use HACCP food safety management system. (v) Use irradiation to kill Salmonella. (vi) Use heat processing to kill Salmonella. (vii) Reduce water activity to inactivate and kill Salmonella. (viii) Use low pH or acidification to inactivate and kill Salmonella. (ix) Use salt and sugar in processing to reduce water activity thereby reducing the activity of Salmonella. (x) Freezing may inactivate and destroy Salmonella. (xi) Adopt chemical disinfecting of seeds such as alfalfa sprouts to eliminate Salmonella and/or reduce to acceptable levels. (xii) Use recommended sanitizers such as chlorine used at a concentration of 20, 000 p.p.m. to sanitize floors, walls, ceiling, equipment and table tops to ensure Salmonella free environment. (xiii) Thoroughly cook foods at the proper internal temperatures. Use a food thermometer to verify that the correct internal temperature has been reached. (xiv) Keep eggs refrigerated at a temperature between 0 to 5 C. (xv) Discard cracked or dirty eggs as they may be a source of contamination. (xvi) Wash hands thoroughly with soap and then with sanitizer before, between tasks and after completing tasks. (xvii) Eat eggs promptly after cooking. Do not keep eggs standing for more than 2 hours after cooking. (xviii) Do not eat raw eggs because of the possibility of becoming infected with Salmonella.

What else is being done to curb the incidence and future outbreaks of Salmonellosis?

 U.S. Government Food Protection Agencies and other agencies worldwide have taken steps to reduce Salmonella enteritidis outbreaks. These steps include the challenging task of identifying and removing infected flocks from the egg supply and increasing quality assurance and sanitation measures.

 The Centers for Disease Control in U.S. and Ministries of Health in various countries have advised health departments, hospitals and nursing homes of specific measures to reduce Salmonella enteritidis infection. Some states in U.S. and other countries worldwide now require refrigeration of eggs from the producer to the consumer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has implemented regular testing of breeder flocks that produce egg-laying chickens to ensure that they are free of Salmonella enteritidis. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued guidelines for safe handling of eggs in retail food establishments.

 Research by these agencies and the egg industry is addressing the many unanswered questions about Salmonella enteritidis, the infections in hens and contaminated eggs. Informed consumers, food-service establishments and public and private organizations are working together to reduce and eventually eliminate, disease caused by this infectious organism.

 Increased training and awareness through the implementation of educational programs on television, radio, printed media and electronic media at all education levels (primary, secondary and tertiary, post-graduate) would all serve to reduce, eliminate and prevent Salmonellosis.

Summary

Salmonellosis is now being described by scientists as an emerging public health problem. Poor hygienic practices, poor sanitation, poor food handling practices and poor cooking practices have all contributed to Salmonella becoming uncontrollable in both developing and developed countries, leading to preventable morbidity and mortality. Increased resistance of Salmonella to known antibiotics have made treatments even more challenging. The best control of Salmonella is to adopt effective proactive measures that would eliminate, reduce or control Salmonella from farm to consumer in the food chain cycle. Such proactive measures would entail developing effective training programs that would educate the consumer, the public and householder about safe food preparation techniques such as the importance of and proper personal hygiene, good sanitation and good cooking practices. For the farmers good agricultural practices should be adopted and implemented together with vaccination, active surveillance and monitoring. Future research should focus on new, simple, realistic and practical methods of controlling multi-resistant strains of Salmonella. Heating processing and simply cooking eggs, poultry and meats at a safe internal temperature of 75 C still remain the only acceptable safe method of destroying Salmonella.

References

 Christian, J. & Greger, J. (1994). Nutrition for Living. Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Fourth Edition.  Global Salm-Surv (GSS). Website:http://www.who.int/salmsurv/en/  Jay, J.M. (2000). Modern Food Microbiology. Aspen Publication: Maryland.  Scientific Status Summary. Bacteria Associated with Foodborne Diseases. (2004). Institute of Food Technologists: Chicago.  The Medical Impact of Antimicrobial Use in Food Animals: Report of a WHO Meeting, Berlin, Germany. (1997). WHO/EMC/ZOO97.4.  U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook, The Bad Bug.