StemCell Therapy

My colleagues and I have long been concerned about the high rates of cardiovascular disease in the US that have spread throughout the world. Despite advances in modern medicine, heart attacks and strokes are the leading cause of death globally. One of the reasons for these high rates is the epidemic of stress in modern society. Early in my career, I studied the connection between psychological stress and high blood pressure and heart disease. This was a negative effect of the mind-body connection. About 30 years ago, I decided to investigate how the mind-body-heart connection could be positively managed with effective stress reduction, particularly the Transcendental Meditation technique.

During that time, we and our colleagues at major academic medical centers in the US, such as Columbia University Medical Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Cedars Sinai Medical Center and Charles Drew University, received funding from the National Institutes of Health and foundations to study effects of mind-body intervention with Transcendental Meditation in high-risk groups, like African Americans with high blood pressure or established heart disease. The results of this series of well-controlled studies, known as randomized controlled trials, showed that practice of Transcendental Meditation lowered high blood pressure, reduced insulin resistance (aka metabolic syndrome), reduced atherosclerosis, and prevented abnormal enlargement of the heart (called left ventricular hypertrophy) in one of most recent studies. Some of our published pilot studies suggested improvements in blood flow to the heart and benefits to patients with heart failure.

A landmark study that brought all these findings together followed 200 patients with known heart disease over an average of five years. Half practiced Transcendental Meditation and half attended a class about cardiovascular factors. All participants continued their usual medicines and medical care. At the end of the study, the results showed that the meditating participants had a 48% lower rate of death, heart attack and stroke compared to controls. We believe that this remarkable result was due to redacted risk factors such as high blood pressure, psychological stress, and possibly cardiac enlargement. The results of reduced mortality in long-term TM practitioners were replicated in a separate study of older participants with high blood pressure. All of these studies have been published in peer-reviewed medical journals, many in top ones like the American Heart Association and American Medical Association.

Based on these findings an American Heart Association scientific statement acknowledged these scientific studies and recommended that Transcendental Meditation be considered in the treatment of all patients with high blood pressure. And thats a lot of people according to the most recent guidelines, nearly half of all adults in the US. The research is continuing, but I would say that if youre at risk for heart disease and thats most men and women consider managing your mind and body with Transcendental Meditation. Its easy to learn and practice, has extensive scientific evidence, and has other positive benefits for mental and physical health. It could save your life. For more information, visit https://www.tm.org.

Link:
Manage Your Mind to Manage Your Heart: Why Transcendental Meditation is Vital for Heart Health - Thrive Global

By Deepak Chopra, MD

The time has come to think about womens power and not just womens rights. When the New York Times editorial board recently split over which Democratic presidential candidate to endorse, the debate was over two women, and eventually both Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar were selected. This is a sign of our collective exhaustion with a president who expresses the most extreme and worst aspects of masculine behavior. The best hope for turning the tide is said to be the suburban womens vote, which already showed its power in the 2018 mid-term elections.

But something much deeper is going on. Masculine behavior has run its course as the model for power. The arms race, world wars, civil conflicts, and an insane buildup of atomic bombs symbolize masculine aggression reaching some kind of apex that is also a dead end. The urge to fight and to turn competitors into enemies, nations into armed fortresses, and everyone into winners and losers wont save a planet that needs emergency medicine.

We find ourselves in a drastic state of imbalance because one entire half of the human psyche, the feminine, has been suppressed, violated, or ignored. The human mind isnt a chaotic morass. For at least 30,000 years, dating back to the rapid evolution of the higher brain, Homo sapiens has lived by themes and motifs that guide our actions. The pioneering psychiatrist Carl Jung called these concentrated themes archetypes, but there is no need for special jargonat this moment every person taps into the same themes tht permeate civilization back to its roots.

As modern people we see ourselves as beyond mythology, and in fact superior to myths, which feel superstitious and irrational. But if you look at the Greek goddessesAphrodite, Hera, Athena, Demeter, and moreeach symbolizes a divine feminine energy that must be included in a complete human being, no matter of what gender, or even without gender if that is a conscious choice.

The most basic listing of the divine feminine indicates instantly what is missing on the world stage right now. The leading qualities of the feminine are

Mothering, the source of tenderness, affection, nonjudgmental acceptance, and nurturing.

Abundance, the freely given gifts of food and water supplied by the earth.

Beauty in every form.

Sexual charm and attraction.

Inspiration, in the form of intuition, insight, and the muses that inspire art and music.

Peace, the impulse to live as a family in harmony.

If the ancient Greeks, Indians, and Chinese could identify and express all of the qualities, not to mention valuing them as divine attributes, how advanced are we who turn our backs on them? There is a concerted call for more women leaders because the rampant behavior of out-of-control masculine energies cannot be tolerated any longer. But the whole point of calling feminine energies divine is that they apply to everyone.

The most reviled leaders in modern history are Hitler and Stalin, neither of whom had the slightest trace of the feminine and whose pure masculinity doomed tens of millions of people to death and suffering. The most revered leaders were Lincoln and Gandhi, both of them repositories of peace and reconciliation. (They both wore shawls,, a gesture toward womens dress, and Gandhi sat beside a loom, which became the central symbol of Indias flag.)

The choice to express masculine and feminine energies has been unbalanced for a long time. As one psychologist wryly noted, from kindergarten onward boys are trained to be winners who wield power while girls gain their worth by attracting men who are winners and wield power. Daring to break out of the mold of the second sex has carried social disapproval and rejection as a constant threat.

All of this is well known, and the modern womens movement has strived to redress the imbalances that society has tolerated and encouraged. But even when more women assume leadership roles, as they are doing and will continue to, if men dont respect the feminine archetype, they will never allow it to be part of themselves. The painful truth is that the same men who were motived to kill 100,000,000 people in the twentieth century are just as wiling to kill the planet.

The so-called goddess movement has been vital for several decades but still exists on the fringes. Its most basic aim is to give a woman a sense of self-esteem and worth in her own right, not as an adjunct to a man. This message has widely taken hold in developed countries and has seeped, with aching slowness, into the less privileged world. The next step should be simultaneously personal, social, and spiritual. It should be a movement toward wholeness for everyone.

You cannot make yourself whole; you can only realize the wholeness that has always been inside you. We all live right now in separation, not primarily because of political divisions but because we are divided in ourselves. The divided self tries to live as if one half of itself, the masculine, stands for the whole. It doesnt and never will.

Everyone needs to take steps to express the suppressed aspects of wholeness. Right now the suppressed aspects are feminine, which has been true for centuries. But wholeness cant be destroyed, only hidden. You are the agent of peace, nurturing, abundance, beauty, and inspiration. You either express these values or you dont. The choice involves a conscious decision, and when enough people make the decision, the world will change. Everyone needs to look to the divine feminine. This is the dominant challenge that faces every society, and the future of humanity depends upon meeting the challenge as consciously and as soon as possible.

DEEPAK CHOPRA MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation, a non-profit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a modern-day health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. He is a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego and serves a senior scientist at Gallup Organization. Chopra is the author of over 89 books translated into over forty-three languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. His 90th book and national bestseller, Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential (Harmony Books), unlocks the secrets to moving beyond our present limitations to access a field of infinite possibilities. TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century.

See the original post:
The Divine Feminine and the Power to Change the World - SFGate

In the past few years, meditation has become a highly recommended and widely practiced solution to all sorts of physical and mental health issues. If you are interested in meditation but have no idea where to begin, you certainly arent alone. Many of people become overwhelmed in choosing the right type of meditation and have trouble deciding which one is best for them.

In this practice, you will be lead through a meditation that aims to encourage feelings of love and kindness towards everything in your life. This includes negative feelings of anxiety, stress or anger. You will begin by trying to open your mind into a receptive state that allows you to receive love and kindness. You will then send messages of love and kindness out into the world to specific people or feelings.

This type of meditation can help those struggling with feelings of frustration, resentment or with a particular noxious relationship.

One of the most popular forms of meditation, mindfulness aims to bring awareness and acceptance to the practitioner. The guide will lead you a series of instructions that encourage you to remain present in the current moment. This type of meditation can also be practiced unguided, and many people choose to practice mindfulness throughout their day as they go about their daily tasks.

This type of meditation can help with anxiety caused by dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. It has also been proven to help improve negativity, focus and memory.

You may find a body scan is included in other forms of meditation, but it is also available on its own. In this meditation, you will focus on your breath before working to release various areas of tension throughout the body. Ideally, the practice leads to a state of both physical and mental relaxation.

This type of meditation can help with stress and insomnia.

Kundalini is both a form of meditation and yoga. It is a moving form of meditation in which you will move through a series of postures while focusing the mind on the breath and on a series of mantras.

This type of meditation can help with bodily pain, depression and anxiety.

Transcendental meditation may be what first comes to mind when you imagine meditation. It involves sitting in a still position while attempting to remove oneself, or transcend, above the immediate circumstances and the immediate state of being. You will focus your mind on a single mantra or a repeated word or phrase. In most cases, the teacher will determine this mantra.

This type of meditation can lead to spiritual experiences and mindfulness.

Hopefully this list has helped you to determine which type of meditation might be best for you. If you are still unsure which form of meditation will help you personally. Its also a good idea to try visiting an integrated healthcare center. Where they can address any physical or mental ailments you may have simultaneously.

Click here for more information about integrative medicine doctors from Phoenix.

Read the original here:
Learning Which Type of Meditation is Best for Your Wellbeing - Chiang Rai Times

Dr. Dori Borjesson

PULLMAN, Wash. Dr. Dori Borjesson, chair of the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, has been selected as the new dean of the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine.

Borjesson was chosen following a nationwide search to replace Dr. Bryan Slinker, who had announced plans to retire before being tapped to serve as interim provost. She will assume her new responsibilities leading WSUs cutting-edge veterinary, biosciences and global health departments on July 20.

The strength of Washington State Universitys research and its potential to impact communities locally and across the globe impressed me during the interview process, as did its dynamic clinical programs and the Washington-Idaho-Montana-Utah Regional Program in Veterinary Medicine, Borjesson said.

Im looking forward to building on Dr. Slinkers tremendous tenure of leadership, she continued. The enthusiasm for WSU among the community is impressive, and I look forward to building on that momentum.

In addition to her role as a department chair and full professor at UC Davis, Borjesson works as a clinical pathologist and is actively engaged in clinical service and laboratory test development. She served as the inaugural director of the Veterinary Institute for Regenerative Cures from 2015 to 2019 and continues to direct the Clinical Regenerative Medicine Laboratory.

Dr. Borjesson brings an important combination of strengths and experience to make her the right leader for the college, Slinker said. Shes a long-serving, highly regarded, and very effective academic leader, and an excellent clinician/scientist, at an aspirational peer institution. This background, combined with her intellectual rigor, openness, and compassion make her a great fit to lead the college in its next phase of growth and development as one of the nations top veterinary colleges.

Borjesson said shes thrilled to meet with WSU students, staff and faculty, as well as meeting with college and university stakeholders in the near future.

Being from the Pacific Northwest, this feels like a homecoming, said Borjesson, who was raised in Portland, Ore. Increasing engagement and outreach across the state is a top priority for me upon taking up this new role. In addition to engagement and strategic planning, Im also eager to face some of the critical issues facing members of the veterinary profession, including student debt and enhancing the well-being of our faculty, students and staff.

Among her more notable research contributions is using large animal models of disease to study cell therapy for inflammatory diseases.

Borjesson holds two patents in the area of mesenchymal stem cells and immunomodulation and has contributed to more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, and in 2014 received the Zoetis Research Excellence Award. Alongside her own work, she has mentored more than three dozen veterinary residents and graduate students.

She and her colleague Dr. Aijun Wangs work with stem cells was highlighted in an extensive piece in the Los Angeles Times in 2018 about UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

Borjesson received her undergraduate education from the Colorado College in 1988, her Master in Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees from UC Davis in 1995. She completed a residency at UC Davis in clinical pathology in 1999, followed by her PhD in comparative pathology at the Center for Comparative Medicine at UC Davis in 2002.

After completing her PhD, Borjesson accepted an assistant professorship at the University of Minnesota, where she worked for four years before returning to UC Davis as an associate professor in 2006. She became a full professor in 2012. She has led the Integrative Pathobiology Graduate Group at UC Davis and is actively engaged in veterinary and graduate student curriculum development, teaching and mentoring.

Established in 1899, the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine is proud of its distinguished past as one of the oldest veterinary colleges in the United States. It is equally proud of its contemporary leadership nationally in offering programs for student wellness, its Teaching Academy, which leads its commitment to advancing the state of the art in both health professions and STEM education, and its research and graduate education programs. The breadth of research to discover foundational knowledge and to conduct research targeted to improve animal and human health both domestically and around the world places it in the top 10% of veterinary colleges in receipt of competitive federal research funding.

Phil Weiler, vicepresident for marketing and communications, 5093351221, phil.weiler@wsu.edu

See the article here:
Dr. Dori Borjesson named dean of the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine - WSU News

Netflix is stirring up controversy by giving Gwyneth Paltrow a platform to share what several critics are calling pseudoscience with her new show, The Goop Lab, which debuted this week.

The show, which Netflix files under provocative and quirky, is described as the following: Leading with curiosity, Gwyneth Paltrow and her goop team look at psychedelics, energy work and other challenging wellness topics.

The topics being tackled in the series range from energy healing, psychic mediums and orgasm workshops to taking psychedelics as a form of therapy and plunging into freezing water to stimulate the immune system.

Along with the Daily Beast calling the show a nightmare, Time writer Judy Berman writes: As with the brand itself, whats disturbing about the show is that when you combine Gwyneths aura of trustworthiness with a mishmash of real science, New Age nonsense, vague female empowerment rhetoric, naked commercialism and some startling knowledge gaps in areas where Goop claims expertise, the result has its unique dangers.

Related Video: Gwyneth Paltrows The Goop Lab: Fact-Checking the Health Claims

But in the shows defense, some of the featured wellness practices are supported by science. In one episode, for example, it appears that Paltrow is getting a PRP, or platelet-rich plasma, facial (what some call a vampire facial, which is a trademarked term) an anti-aging treatment thats popular with celebrities.

With the facial, venous blood is taken from the patient and separated into the cellular component and the plasma component, Nava Greenfield, MD, of Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York City, explains to Yahoo Lifestyle. The plasma is then injected or topically applied back to the patient in specific locations. It can be used for hair loss, or in combination with microneedling for the face. Microneedling is a popular procedure where tiny needles are used to induce a specific kind of injury to the first and second layer of skin, promoting collagen synthesis. When used in combination with PRP, superior results are often obtained.

Although it may sound out there, the facial stimulates the production of collagen to help tighten, smooth, and improve skin tone, according to the Cleveland Clinic. As with any injection, the treatment does carry a small risk of bleeding, pain or infection, but is considered safe.

In another episode, people really, Goops employees who have volunteered to try these experimental wellness treatments take psychedelic drugs, leaving one employee sobbing on the floor and then later saying, I went through years of therapy in about five hours.

David Spiegel, MD, director of the Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine, tells Yahoo Lifestyle that theres actually some interesting research on the psychotherapeutic effects of psychedelics (such as MDMA and magic mushrooms), with one 2018 National Institutes of Health study calling the therapy potentially life-preserving. Some clinical trials are showing it helps with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in people nearing the end of life, he says. It can help people come to terms with impending death.

But Spiegel emphasizes that psychedelic drugs need to be used in a controlled setting and in combination with psychotherapy for these mental health benefits.

Gwyneth Paltrow getting a PRP (or platelet rich plasma) facial on an episode of Netflix's The Goop Lab. (Screenshot: Netflix)

Still, plenty criticize The Goop Lab (or really, anything Goop or Gwyneth Paltrow-related, for that matter), and question the legitimacy and safety of some of the practices in the series, pointing out the lack of objective experts. But while many may view the decision as an oversight, Elise Loehnen, chief content officer at Goop and executive producer of The Goop Lab, suggested to Fast Company that it was deliberate: We felt like we would be manufacturing drama by trying to find a detractor.

Timothy Caulfield, research chair in health law and policy and professor in the Faculty of Law and School of Public Health at the University of Alberta in Canada has been vocal about his criticism of The Goop Lab, writing on Twitter that the series is an infomercial for [Paltrows] pseudoscience business a business worth an estimated $250 million.

The topics covered are classic wellness woo: a mashup of the supernatural, spiritual and science-y, Caulfield tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Some topics, like the cold therapy, use the familiar strategy of a powerful testimonial the 'inventor Wim Hof with an extreme experience cold! and a dash of scientific speculation to make it seem credible.

Spiegel is also wary of the series, telling Yahoo Lifestyle: Goop is her company so its an infomercial, basically. Shes a great actress, but that doesn't make her an expert on these so-called treatments. Its fine to explore things as long as you dont pretend your exploration is more than what it is. I dont like the pretense of it being a scientific examination.

Several other doctors, most notably Jennifer Gunter, MD, have repeatedly called out Paltrow and Goop in the past for what Business Insider calls scientifically indefensible and potentially harmful health information and products, including the now-famous jade and rose quartz vaginal eggs. Goop claimed the stone eggs provided health benefits when inserted vaginally namely, balance their hormones, regulate menstrual cycles, prevent uterine prolapse and increase bladder control, according to the Los Angeles Times. But after a lawsuit was filed by 10 state prosecutors in California over advertisements not backed by competent and reliable scientific evidence, the company ended up paying $145,000 in civil penalties. (Jade eggs, $66, are currently unavailable on the site.)

Goop has some fine advice, for example, [in] an article on sleep on their site, Gunter said in a statement provided to Yahoo Lifestyle. They also distribute some dangerous advice, for example drinking goats milk to treat parasites (the parasites are non-existent). When good information is next to harmful and presented in the same way, how can people distinguish? In addition, they sell useless and potentially harmful products, such as supplements.

Gunter continued: Finally, they have used their international platform to advance harmful ideas, many of which are medical conspiracy theories. For example, bras cause breast cancer (they don't), fears about vaccine safety and concerns about fluoride, adding, The supplements are not supported by science. At all. The idea that a medium can help with health is as anti-science as one can be; it is the definition of snake oil. So you'll have to ask Goop for the science behind their myriad of false claims.

Critics are concerned that those misleading claims will now have an even bigger platform on The Goop Lab, with Netflixs 167 million subscribers worldwide. Ars Technicas Beth Mole writes that, on the show, Paltrows ignorance and lack of critical thinking skills are on full display as a parade of questionable experts with the noted exception of sex educator Betty Dodson, PhD and ridiculous claims about health and science march across the small screen unchallenged.

Caulfield tells Yahoo Lifestyle, The spreading of misinformation can have a real impact. Just being exposed to this nonsense can make it seem more plausible, especially if it is packaged in a memorable manner.

He adds, I also think that a show like this adds more noise to an already confused health information environment. In this age of misinformation, it is disappointing to see an entity like Goop, which has a long history of profiting from misinformation, have the opportunity to push more pseudoscience. We shouldn't forget that Goop and Gwyneth benefit financially from the growth of their brand, which is what this show does. It is an infomercial for Goop, not an independent science-informed documentary.

Critics have also called out Netflix, saying this isnt the first time the streaming service has created controversy with its health documentaries. As HuffPost U.K. (HuffPost U.K. and Yahoo are owned by the same parent company, Verizon Media) put it: The streaming service has a history of producing irresponsible health programs that could potentially affect viewers.

In 2019, RealClearScience.com posted a list of multiple shows that have aired on Netflix, which the publication dubbed anti-science documentaries, while the American Council on Science and Health shared their own list back in 2017. The documentaries called out include What the Health, Cowspiracy and The Magic Pill.

In What the Health, Vox wrote that the film cherry-picks studies about nutrition and often exaggerates their findings or reports them out of context, to drive home his case for veganism and cranks the food fear sirens to irresponsibly high levels, such as claiming that eating processed meats is as bad for you as smoking.

As Vox points out, theres a causal link between eating processed meat and certain types of cancer in humans, chiefly colorectal cancer. But the actual risk is quite modest and far, far smaller than the cancer risks from smoking. According to the World Health Organization, processed meat has been classified in the same category as causes of cancer such as tobacco smoking and asbestos... but this does NOT mean that they are all equally dangerous.

In The Magic Pill, Australian chef Pete Evans claims that the popular keto diet can treat type 2 diabetes, cancer and autism. Michael Gannon, then president of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), called The Magic Pill hurtful, harmful and mean and compared it to the controversial film, Vaxxed, telling the West Australian in 2017 that both films were competing in the awards for the films least likely to contribute to public health.

In 2018, the current AMA president, Tony Bartone, MD, shared his own opinion about The Magic Pill, telling the Sydney Morning Herald: All forms of media have to take a responsible attitude when trying to spread a message of wellness. Netflix should do the responsible thing. They shouldn't screen it. The risk of misinformation... is too great.

While noting that Netflix has some incredible documentaries, HuffPosts Todd Van Luling (HuffPost and Yahoo are owned by the same parent company, Verizon Media) writes that many of the documentaries the streaming service adds each month make dubious claims that wouldnt withstand scrutiny from a fact-checker.

But in at least one case, Netflix appears to have listened to critics by pulling the documentary, Root Cause, in March 2019, which came under fire after several medical organizations, including the American Dental Association, said the film falsely links the root canal procedure to breast cancer and heart disease, employing baseless claims gleaned from discredited 1920s research, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Yahoo Lifestyle reached out to Netflix for comment but has not yet heard back.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.

Continue reading here:
'The Goop Lab' and other controversial documentaries: Why Netflix is facing criticism for promoting 'pseudoscience' - Yahoo Lifestyle

As students take a step into another year and another semester, exams and busy schedules, the Mindfulness Center at Brown continues to connect University researchers from diverse areas of study.

The Mindfulness Centers mission is to develop research and provide evidence-based mindfulness programs that are inspiring and accessible to communities worldwide, said Eric Loucks, director of the Mindfulness Center and associate professor of epidemiology, behavioral and social sciences and medicine. Its principal aims are in research, mindfulness programs, training experts in the field and collaborating with other organizations to produce system-wide impacts, he added.

Mindfulness involves increasing peoples awareness of their emotions and bodily reactions so that they may alter their behavior as needed, said Jud Brewer, the director of research and innovation at the Mindfulness Center and associate professor of behavioral and social sciences at the School of Public Health. Mindfulness training is there to help people live better lives, and that involves changing both physical behavior, (and)also mental behaviors, like judging ourselves or worrying.

Since the Center opened in the Jewelry District in 2017, it has connected investigators who incorporate mindfulness into their research, The Herald previously reported. These researchers come from various Brown-affiliated institutions, including the School of Public Health, Warren Alpert Medical School and neighboring hospitals.

A study on the effects of mindfulness on blood pressure was published in November. The results from the clinical trial were part of a larger project funded by a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health in 2015, The Herald previously reported. The project team, consisting of researchers from multiple disciplines and universities, conducted systematic reviews on how mindfulness influences self-regulation and self-awareness, Loucks said. He was one of the principal investigators of the study.

If hypertension, or high blood pressure, is not properly controlled as is the case in about half of people with the condition it can cause stroke and heart disease, which are the biggest killers in the world, Loucks said. The study sought to determine whether mindfulness skills like self-awareness, emotional regulation and meditation could reduce hypertension when applied to medical regimens that affect blood pressure, such as exercise and eating, he added.

Participants of the study, who had been unable to regulate their blood pressure through physical activity, diet or medications alone, underwent nine weeks of mindfulness training. Afterwards, they were asked to incorporate the techniques into other daily behaviors of their choosing, Loucks said. Prior research on the reduction of blood pressure through mindfulness without the application to other behaviors yielded inconsistent, and less significant, findings, Loucks said. But this clinical trial resulted in a significant drop in average blood pressure among the participants, and these decreases were noticeable as early as three months following the program.

Whereas the intention of this first trial was geared towards determining the acceptability and efficacy of the mindfulness interventions, the research team is currently finishing a second, randomly controlled clinical trial for which Loucks hopes to have results by this summer. This study includes a control group that did not undergo mindfulness training a component that was absent from the first trial. If this subsequent study confirms the results of the November study, the next steps may include improving the efficacy and efficiency of the studied mindfulness techniques, and offering this kind of program to the public, he added.

Director of Integrative Cardiology and Prevention and Associate Professor Monica Aggarwal at the University of Florida, who was not involved in the study, researches the effects of nutrition and lifestyle on cardiovascular health. Seeing more studies showing an integrative approach to managing cardiovascular risk factors is excellent, Aggarwal wrote in an email to The Herald. I believe we will be seeing more and more studies showing that an integrative approach works in the coming years.

But seeing more metabolic parameters of stress and more clinical parameters would have been great, Aggarwal wrote.

Another principal investigator of this project, Willoughby Britton, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior and of behavioral and social sciences, has also researched meditation. Britton directs the Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory with Visiting Professor of Religious Studies Jared Lindahl.

After Britton came across a counterintuitive and surprising finding in a previous study that meditation reduced sleep she has further investigated potential consequences of mindfulness.

As part of the Varieties of Contemplative Experience project the largest study ever conducted on negative meditation experiences Britton studied meditation teachers and 60 meditators who were experiencing difficulties resulting from meditation, she said. Britton has also been investigating the bodily and mental effects associated with various meditation practices and how outcomes may differ among people with varying personalities or conditions, she added.

From a clinical perspective, Brandon Gaudiano, a psychologist and associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior and of behavioral and social sciences, conducts research at Butler Hospital. His work involves the application of acceptance and commitment therapy an approach that alters peoples behavior using their values in those with psychotic disorders and depression, Gaudiano said.

He has partnered with Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Psychiatry and Human Behavior David Williams on an ongoing investigation using mindfulness to help increase physical activity in those who have depression, Loucks said.

The Center has been innovative in its incorporation of technologies such as digital therapeutics and functional MRI an imaging technique that can be used to show how meditation affects brain activity, Brewer said.

In his own lab, Brewer investigates meditations impact on the brain and mindfulness apps effects on health. For example, the Unwinding Anxiety program used a mindfulness application targeting anxiety, and the results revealed significant reductions in anxiety after a couple of months, he added. The findings illustrate how mindfulness training reduces peoples susceptibility to their emotions, which alleviates anxiety, Brewer said.

Amidst the stresses of college, the free Mindfulness-Based College program at the Mindfulness Center has showed positive results in a clinical trial, Loucks said.

In its research, the Mindfulness Center has also addressed diversity.

After expanding to the west from eastern cultures, wealthy communities have become the primary beneficiary of mindfulness programming, said Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences and of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Jeffrey Proulx.

But Proulx, who joined the Mindfulness Center Sept. 2019, works to bring mindfulness research to underserved populations. Proulx came to the University because the Mindfulness Center here is one of the premier locations of people who guide the policies of mindfulness around the world, he said. Proulx, who is Native American, has focused on bringing mindfulness to Native American communities to alleviate prevailing distress and intergenerational trauma, he added. Stress can elevate heart rate, reduce brain volume and negatively impact the immune system, Proulx said.

Unlike other researchers studying mindfulness in Native American communities, Proulx is creating unique interventions for them, he said. His current projects include studies of mindfulness programs with Native American communities in Oregon and California, the Eastern Band Cherokee in North Carolina, and the Narragansett Tribe in Rhode Island. Proulx receives feedback from communities in attempt to find parallels between Native American traditions like berry picking, dancing and meditation and mindfulness practices, he said.

Proulx focuses his work on bringing mindfulness interventions in really respectful ways to Native American communities His ability to navigate through diversity and inclusion is inspiring, Loucks said.

Im just excited that Im at Brown and at the Mindfulness Center, especially because of their commitment to diversity, Proulx said. The Mindfulness Center is filled with people that have such an open focus on the future and on being inclusive.

Although the researchers affiliated with the Mindfulness Center are based in many different locations, the establishment has enabled collaboration amongst the researchers and between them and mindfulness educators, Loucks said. We have very strong mindfulness research, but then we also have very strong mindfulness teacher training programs so theres a lot of synergies between those two.

Original post:
Research thrives at Mindfulness Center - The Brown Daily Herald

The opening of one of the largest YMCAs in the nation in Pittsford comes as Ys in Clifton Springs and elsewhere undergo major overhauls

From the splashy new $40 million YMCA in Pittsford to a revamp of the oldest YMCA building still used in the nation, in Clifton Springs, YMCAs across the region are undergoing big changes.

The next-generation YMCA is evident at the Schottland Family Branch, which opened last fall at the corner of Clover Street and Jefferson Road in Pittsford. The 140,000-square-foot facility on 20 acres offers everything from a golf and sports simulator to a gigantic aquatic center with a pirate shipwreck-themed splash pad, whirlpool and current channel. In an exercise your mind center, find sound and recording booths for music and video production not to mention a whole host of health and wellness programs and the latest in fitness equipment.

Its not your grandfathers YMCA, but the Schottland Family Branch one of the largest in the country is a prime example of what the organization founded in England in 1844 has been up to in recent years.

It doesnt stop there. YMCAs in rural communities are stepping up, too, to upgrade outdated buildings and revamp how they deliver programs and services.

Modern Y for historic village

The Palace Theatre in Clifton Springs, an early 20th-century building that oncehoused a theater downtown, has been part of the Clifton Springs YMCA for decades. Reconstruction of the facility, which is set to begin April 1, will create a modern wellness center with a fully accessible welcoming lobby and space ideal for personal training, indoor sports and youth fitness programs. Without compromising historic architectural features, the 3,300-square-foot renovation of the Palace will be the first phase of a $1.5 million upgrade that includes the YMCAs original building across Crane Street that dates back to 1879.

A $300,000 state grant recently announced by the Regional Economic Development Council is the icing on the cake, said Todd Freelove, executive director of the Clifton Springs Family YMCA. The grant puts the Y closer to meeting its fundraising goal for the Palace renovation, Freelove said. The Clifton Springs Y is eyeing renovation of its original building to tentatively begin this fall. The 5,500-square-foot upgrade of the original YMCA building will triple the size of the weight room and create a spacious area for child care, among other programs.

Freelove talked about the community support that has made the project possible as he showed off the aging facilities with uneven floors, narrow hallways and fitness machines crammed together.

A native of Phelps, Freelove said the Y has been part of his life for a long time. He has worked at other YMCAs in the area and now calls the Clifton Springs YMCA home.

This is my place to be, he said.

Situated above the desk in his office, a bulletin board is filled with photos of kids, cards and drawings. He said he sees the YMCA fulfilling its mission of serving the community and promoting core values respect, responsibility, honesty and caring and he is excited to be part of that.

Not just a health club

At the Geneva Family YMCA, a $750,000 state grant announced in 2018 is going toward a 9,600-square-foot expansion and renovation of its facility on Williams Street. It will create more space for health and wellness programs that include chronic disease prevention and recovery. The Y will continue to play a role in economic development through expanded on-the-job training and certification programs for youths.

The YMCA is not just a health club, said Charles Evangelista, chairman of the Geneva Ys Capital Campaign Steering Committee. We really listen to what the community needs and weve aligned our programs for those needs.

The fastest growing demographic is senior citizens and so more space and programs need to be devoted to this group, Evangelista said. At the same time, the Y provides programs for all ages and the entire family, he added. A nonprofit organization, the Y provides scholarships and financial help so people who couldnt otherwise afford the Y benefit, he said. Evangelista mentioned that this is especially important in Geneva where the poverty rate is higher than many other communities.

If Ys are not out there doing work for the community and making sure everyone has access, regardless of ability to pay, we might as well be just another gym down the street, he said.

Evangelista said the $4.5 million upgrade of the Geneva Y is a necessity to have a modern facility that meets the needs. He sees the goal within reach and a possible groundbreaking this spring.

Look to the future

Back in the 1990s, Laurie OShaughnessy visited a YMCA in North Carolina that partnered with the medical community. The concept is catching on with YMCAs in New York state, said OShaughnessy, CEO of the Canandaigua Family YMCA. Though New York is late to the game, it has allowed us the opportunity to perfect those relationships, she said.

The YMCA of Greater Rochester, which oversees 11 area Y branches including the new Schottland Family Branch, is behind this concept of marrying Y fitness and wellness offerings with healthcare. A collaborative agreement announced in 2018 gives area residents greater access to UR Medicine wellness programs and clinical services at all YMCA of Greater Rochester sites. The Schottland branch includes a 15,000-square-foot wellness hub with medical services for Y members and the community at large.

The Canandaigua Y, which is an independent YMCA and so not under the Greater Rochester umbrella, is also working to strengthen community health and well-being, OShaughnessy said.

Integrative health is a trend nationally and the YMCA of Greater Rochester and UR Medicine are proud to be part of that trend, she said. In the future, Canandaigua would welcome that opportunity.

The Geneva Y, also one of 48 independent YMCAs in the state, is exploring a partnership with a healthcare system, Evangelista said. As part of its renovation and expansion, the Geneva Y has had discussions with UR Medicine Thompson Health and Finger Lakes Health, to see which partnership would make the best fit, he said. Evangelista said it makes sense to have a one-stop shop where you can visit a healthcare provider and benefit from health and wellness programs.

Recent developments at the Canandaigua Y include a two-year management agreement that was signed this Jan. 1 with the YMCA of Greater Rochester. The YMCA of Greater Rochester will provide the Canandaigua Y with consultation and help in areas including membership, programs, marketing, fundraising, IT, human resources and property management.

Rich Buch, who has been the Canandaigua YMCAs director of business and finance for seven years, is now employed by the YMCA of Greater Rochester as the Canandaigua branch director. OShaughnessy and Buch are working closely leading up to OShaughnessys retirement March 31.

Discussions are also underway regarding use of a recent $20,000 state grant through the Regional Economic Development Council to upgrade Canandaigua Y facilities. OShaughnessy said she is excited for the future of the YMCA, where she has worked for three decades.

We are constantly looking at all options to better the Y, serve the community and ensure long-term sustainability, OShaughnessy said.

Go here to read the rest:
Rebuilding the YMCA - MPNnow.com

The smell of burning mugwort fills the air. Tiny bundles of the spongy, earthy herb, used for thousands of years to facilitate healing in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), have been attached to the acupuncture needles protruding from my stomach. Subtle pinpricks of heat weave their way under my skin as I breathe in the pungent scent. The distant patter of rain forms an impromptu soundtrack as a tropical shower sweeps through the jungle canopy directly outside my treatment room.

This is my first experience of moxibustion an ancient acupuncture technique used to warm the meridians, with the aim of smoothing the flow of both blood and chi. I am four days in to a Wellness Immersion programme at Amanpuri, and much is being done to address sluggishness and imbalance in my body.

Aman Resorts flagship property opened in Phuket, Thailand, in 1988, setting the bar for its signature brand of intimate luxury, now found in 21 destinations around the world. Last year, Amanpuri also became the first of Amans properties to launch integrative medical services, supplementing its already expansive wellness offering with a dedicated medical centre. Its exactly the kind of multilayered, 360-degree approach that todays affluent, holistic, health-conscious travellers have come to expect.

Amanpuri, which is Sanskrit for place of peace, is located on a private headland on the west coast of Phuket, with sweeping vistas of the Andaman Sea and Bangtao Beach. The resort was recently extended and enhanced, and is home to 40 Thai-style pavilions and 40 private villas. I am staying in one of the latter a villa that artfully combines traditional Thai design features with a contemporary minimalist aesthetic, set across three floors and engulfed in dense tropical vegetation, with dedicated staff and a dark-tiled infinity pool offering views across an expansive white-sanded bay.

I am greeted on my first day at the propertys new Holistic Wellness Centre by the beaming, baby-faced Ms Pimchanok, who, I learn, has a masters in movement and exercise science, and a gentle way of breaking less than savoury news. Our first stop is the 3D scanning machine, which serves up photorealistic images highlighting the consequences of my largely sedentary, office-bound, exercise-poor lifestyle. It is a searing dissection of every contour of my anatomy hip, waist, thigh, bust and bicep measurements; waist-to-hip and trunk-to-leg volume ratios; a body shape rating that measures the relationship between my shape and cardiovascular-related risk factors; and a detailed assessment of my posture that determines everything from the tilt of my head to how my weight is distributed when I stand. It is a sobering read, softened slightly by Pimchanoks cheery delivery.

Next up is a consultation with a doctor, who recommends a bout of physiotherapy when I mention a recurring issue with lower back pain, and then a lengthy discussion with the centres TCM specialists, Kimberly Rose, Amanapuris immersion manager, and Shinichi Kiyose, the resorts spa and wellness director. There is a confessional air to the experience, as I answer intimate questions about my sleeping habits, stress levels and attitudes towards food. Both Rose and Kiyose examine my tongue and perform a pulse diagnosis an age-old technique that involves taking the pulse at three points on the wrist. The quality of the pulse at specific points offers up information about the status of particular organs in the body, and Rose and Kiyose ascertain that there is an imbalance in my spleen and stomach, as well as blockages in my liver and gallbladder. I head off to lunch as all of this information is pored over and used to create an entirely personalised schedule of treatments for me.

A daily wellness menu forms part of the experience, serving up a choice of healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner options. Nutritious morning dishes include white quinoa porridge with almond milk, cinnamon and walnuts; a mango-colada smoothie bowl; or acai, beet and nut power smoothie bowl to be eaten in the privacy of your villa or overlooking the resorts 27-metre infinity pool. Lunch and dinner consist of soups, salads and mains highlights include a zingy Tom yam soup with tofu and vegetables, a seaweed and kale salad with an orange miso dressing, and courgette fettuccine al a fungi. Its all tasty, fresh and filling, although, given the constant temptation of the propertys Japanese, Italian and Thai restaurants, the choices on the wellness menu can sometimes feel limited. Luckily, healthy snacks are placed in my room every evening, including a moreish salted dark chocolate concoction, to keep late-night cravings at bay.

Amanpuris Wellness Immersions offer four pathways: weight management, detox and cleansing, mindfulness and stress management, and life reset. Medical services range from chemical peels to physiotherapy, while TCM therapies include cupping, four-handed Abhyanga oil massages and Acu-Laser therapy. The immersions can vary in duration and generally include a combination of spa treatments, medical sessions and private or group movement classes, including yoga and Muay Thai.

My treatment plan starts with a Grounding Massage a signature treatment designed to address fatigue and jet lag. Earthy essential oils lull me into a meditative state, counterbalancing the deep pressure of the massage, which is meant to provide relief from physical pain. Also on my schedule is Chi Ne Tsang, a deep abdominal massage that is meant to rebalance and enhance digestion and energy levels, and clear out blockages. My therapist, Khun Maam, kneads away, eliminating toxins, before sending me off with a series of dietary suggestions, recommending that I consume more ginger, pepper, milk thistle, dandelion tea and turmeric.

Treatments are interspersed by visits to the resorts hydrotherapy facilities trying to withstand 30-second stints in the sub-Arctic cold plunge pool and then defrosting my extremities in the hot pool, steam rooms and infrared sauna. The days are marked by intermittent tropical showers, best enjoyed in the spas open-sided relaxation areas, where I lie on a lounger reading my book as the rain falls in dramatic sheets all around me. Place of peace is right.

Programme lengths and packages vary; an Intensive Wellness Immersion starts from $1,840 (Dh6,757) per night, based on single occupancy

Updated: January 26, 2020 05:18 PM

Visit link:
Moxibustion and Muay Thai: we try Amanpuri Phuket's holistic wellness retreats - The National

Your peripheral nervous system connects the nerves from your brain and spinal cord, or central nervous system, to the rest of your body. This includes your:

The job of these nerves is to deliver signals about physical sensations back to your brain.

Peripheral neuropathy is a disorder that occurs when these nerves malfunction because theyre damaged or destroyed. This disrupts the nerves normal functioning. They might send signals of pain when theres nothing causing pain, or they might not send a pain signal even if something is harming you. This can be due to:

The disorder is uncomfortable, but treatments can be very helpful. The most important thing to determine is whether peripheral neuropathy is the result of a serious underlying condition.

More than 100 different types of peripheral neuropathy exist. Each type has unique symptoms and specific treatment options. Peripheral neuropathies are further classified by the type of nerve damage involved. Mononeuropathy occurs when only one nerve is damaged. Polyneuropathies, which are more common, occur when multiple nerves are damaged.

The three types of peripheral nerves are:

Peripheral neuropathy can affect one nerve group or all three.

The symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include:

These symptoms can also indicate other conditions. Make sure you tell your doctor about all of your symptoms.

People who have a family history of peripheral neuropathy are more likely to develop the disorder. However, a variety of factors and underlying conditions may also cause this condition.

Nerve damage caused by diabetes is one of the most common forms of neuropathy. This leads to numbness, pain, and a loss of sensation in the extremities. The risk of neuropathy increases for people who:

According to the University of Chicagos Center for Peripheral Neuropathy (UCCPN), nearly 60 percent of people with diabetes have some sort of nerve damage. This damage is often due to high blood sugar levels.

Other chronic diseases that may cause nerve damage include:

Physical trauma is the most common cause of injury to the nerves. This can include car accidents, falls, or fractures. Inactivity, or holding still too long in one position, can also cause neuropathy. Increased pressure on the median nerve, a nerve in the wrist that supplies feeling and movement to the hand, causes carpal tunnel syndrome. This is a common type of peripheral neuropathy.

Alcohol can have a toxic effect on nerve tissue, putting people with severe alcoholism at a higher risk of peripheral neuropathy.

Exposure to toxic chemicals like glue, solvents, or insecticides, either through chemical abuse or in the workplace, can also cause nerve damage. Additionally, exposure to heavy metals such as lead and mercury can also cause this condition.

Certain viruses and bacteria directly attack nerve tissue.

Viruses such as herpes simplex, varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox and shingles, and Epstein-Barr virus damage sensory nerves and cause intense episodes of shooting pain.

Bacterial infections such as Lyme disease can also cause nerve damage and pain if they arent treated. People with HIV or AIDS can also develop peripheral neuropathy.

Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus affect the peripheral nervous system in various ways. Chronic inflammation and damage to tissues throughout the body, as well as pressure caused by inflammation, can all lead to severe nerve pain in the extremities.

Certain medications may also cause nerve damage. These include:

Recent research in The Journal of Family Practice also suggests that statins, a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease, may also cause nerve damage and increase the risk for neuropathy.

First, your doctor will perform a physical exam and ask about your medical history. If they still cant tell whether your symptoms are due to peripheral neuropathy, other tests to perform include:

Electromyography can show problems with how your bodys nerve signals move to your muscles. For this test, your doctor will place a small needle into your muscle. Your doctor will then ask you to move your muscle gently. Probes in the needle will measure the amount of electricity moving through your muscle. This test may feel like youre receiving a shot. Sometimes the area becomes sore for a few days afterward.

In a nerve conduction study, your doctor places electrodes on your skin. They then pulse tiny amounts of electricity through your nerves to see if the nerves are transmitting signals properly. This procedure is slightly uncomfortable while its happening, but it shouldnt hurt afterward.

The treatment is based on treating the underlying disorder. If diabetes is the cause, making certain that the blood glucose is controlled is important. If a vitamin deficiency is causing the problem, then correcting the deficiency is the treatment. Many treatments can bring relief and help you return to your regular activities. Sometimes a combination of treatments works best.

Over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, can be very helpful in controlling moderate pain. If you take them in excess, these drugs can affect your liver or stomach function. Its important to avoid using them for an extended period, especially if you drink alcohol regularly.

Many prescription pain medications can also help to control the pain of this condition. These include narcotics, some antiepileptic medicines, and some antidepressants. Other helpful prescription medicines include:

Prescription drugs for sexual dysfunction in men include:

Your doctor can use several medical treatments to control the symptoms of this condition. Plasmapheresis is a blood transfusion that removes potentially irritating antibodies from your bloodstream. If you get a nerve block, your doctor will inject an anesthetic directly into your nerves.

Transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation (TENS) doesnt work for everyone, but many people like it because its a drug-free therapy. During TENS, electrodes placed on the skin send small amounts of electricity into the skin. The goal of this treatment is to disrupt nerves from transmitting pain signals to the brain.

Ergonomic casts or splints can help you if your neuropathy affects your:

These casts provide support for the part of your body thats uncomfortable. This can relieve pain. For example, a cast or splint that holds your wrists in a proper position while you sleep can relieve the discomfort of carpal tunnel syndrome.

In addition to OTC pain relievers, many people have found relief for peripheral neuropathy through:

Moderate, regular exercise can also help lessen discomfort.

If you drink alcohol or smoke, consider cutting back or stopping. Both alcohol and tobacco aggravate nerve pain and can cause nerve damage when used for long periods.

If you have peripheral neuropathy, youre potentially at greater risk for accidents in the home. You can do the following to improve your safety:

If your neuropathy is due to an underlying, treatable condition, you may be able to stop your peripheral neuropathy by treating the larger problem. However, if this isnt the case for you, you can successfully manage the symptoms of your peripheral neuropathy. Speak with your doctor to determine the best medical treatment for you, and explore alternative and self-care options that can supplement your medical care.

Even if you have a family history of this disorder, you can help prevent its onset by doing the following:

You can lower your risk of peripheral neuropathy by:

If you have diabetes, take special care of your feet. Wash and inspect your feet daily, and keep the skin moist with lotion.

Read the original here:
Peripheral Neuropathy: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

What is peripheral neuropathy?

Peripheral neuropathy refers to the many conditions that involve damage to the peripheral nervous system, the vast communication network that sends signals between the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) and all other parts of the body. Peripheral nerves send many types of sensory information to the central nervous system (CNS), such as a message that the feet are cold. They also carry signals from the CNS to the rest of the body. Best known are the signals to the muscles that tell them to contract, which is how we move, but there are different types of signals that help control everything from our heart and blood vessels, digestion, urination, sexual function, to our bones and immune system. The peripheral nerves are like the cables that connect the different parts of a computer or connect the Internet. When they malfunction, complex functions can grind to a halt.

Nerve signaling in neuropathy is disrupted in three ways:

Symptoms can range from mild to disabling and are rarely life-threatening. The symptoms depend on the type of nerve fibers affected and the type and severity of damage. Symptoms may develop over days, weeks, or years. In some cases, the symptoms improve on their own and may not require advanced care. Unlike nerve cells in the central nervous system, peripheral nerve cells continue to grow throughout life.

Some forms of neuropathy involve damage to only one nerve (called mononeuropathy). Neuropathy affecting two or more nerves in different areas is called multiple mononeuropathy or mononeuropathy multiplex. More often, many or most of the nerves are affected (called polyneuropathy).

More than 20 million people in the United States have been estimated to have some form of peripheral neuropathy, but this figure may be significantly highernot all people with symptoms of neuropathy are tested for the disease and tests currently dont look for all forms of neuropathy. Neuropathy is often misdiagnosed due to its complex array of symptoms.

top

More than 100 types of peripheral neuropathy have been identified, each with its own symptoms and prognosis. Symptoms vary depending on the type of nervesmotor, sensory, or autonomicthat are damaged.

Most neuropathies affect all three types of nerve fibers to varying degrees; others primarily affect one or two types. Doctors use terms such as predominantly motor neuropathy, predominantly sensory neuropathy, sensory-motor neuropathy, or autonomic neuropathy to describe different conditions.

About three-fourths of polyneuropathies are length-dependent, meaning the farthest nerve endings in the feet are where symptoms develop first or are worse. In severe cases, such neuropathies can spread upwards toward the central parts of the body. In non-length dependent polyneuropathies, the symptoms can start more toward the torso, or are patchy.

top

Symptoms are related to the type of nerves affected.

Motor nerve damage is most commonly associated with muscle weakness. Other symptoms include painful cramps, fasciculations (uncontrolled muscle twitching visible under the skin) and muscle shrinking.

Sensory nerve damage causes various symptoms because sensory nerves have a broad range of functions.

Autonomic nerve damage affects the axons in small-fiber neuropathies. Common symptoms include excess sweating, heat intolerance, inability to expand and contract the small blood vessels that regulate blood pressure, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Although rare, some people develop problems eating or swallowing if the nerves that control the esophagus are affected.

There are several types of peripheral neuropathies, the most common of which is linked to diabetes. Another serious polyneuropathy is Guillain-Barre syndrome, which occurs when the bodys immune system mistakenly attacks the nerves in the body. Common types of focal (located to just one part of the body) mononeuropathy include carpal tunnel syndrome, which affects the hand and the wrist, and meralgia paresthetica, which causes numbness and tingling on one thigh. Complex regional pain syndrome is a class of lingering neuropathies where small-fibers are mostly damaged.

top

Most instances of neuropathy are either acquired, meaning the neuropathy or the inevitability of getting it isnt present from the beginning of life, or genetic. Acquired neuropathies are either symptomatic (the result of another disorder or condition; see below) or idiopathic (meaning it has no known cause).

Causes of symptomatic acquired peripheral neuropathy include:

Genetically-caused polyneuropathies are rare. Genetic mutations can either be inherited or arise de novo, meaning they are completely new mutations to an individual and are not present in either parent. Some genetic mutations lead to mild neuropathies with symptoms that begin in early adulthood and result in little, if any, significant impairment. More severe hereditary neuropathies often appear in infancy or childhood. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, also known as hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy, is one of the most common inherited neurological disorders.

The small-fiber neuropathies that present with pain, itch, and autonomic symptoms also can be genetic. As our understanding of genetic disorders increases, many new genes are being associated with peripheral neuropathy.

top

The bewildering array and variability of symptoms that neuropathies can cause often makes diagnosis difficult. A diagnosis of neuropathy typically includes:

Additional tests may be ordered to help determine the nature and extent of the neuropathy.

Physiologic tests of nerve function

Neuropathology tests of nerve appearance

Autonomic testing

Radiology imaging tests

Muscle and nerve ultrasound is a noninvasive experimental technique for imaging nerves and muscles for injury such as a severed nerve or a compressed nerve. Ultrasound imaging of the muscles can detect abnormalities that may be related to a muscle or nerve disorder. Certain inherited muscle disorders have characteristic patterns on muscle ultrasound.

top

Treatments depend entirely on the type of nerve damage, symptoms, and location. Your doctor will explain how nerve damage is causing specific symptoms and how to minimize and manage them. With proper education, some people may be able to reduce their medication dose or manage their neuropathy without medications. Definitive treatment can permit functional recovery over time, as long as the nerve cell itself has not died.

Addressing neuropathys causes. Correcting underlying causes can result in the neuropathy resolving on its own as the nerves recover or regenerate. Nerve health and resistance can be improved by healthy lifestyle habits such as maintaining optimal weight, avoiding toxic exposures, eating a balanced diet, and correcting vitamin deficiencies. Smoking cessation is particularly important because smoking constricts the blood vessels that supply nutrients to the peripheral nerves and can worsen neuropathic symptoms. Exercise can deliver more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to far-off nerve endings, improve muscle strength, and limit muscle atrophy. Self-care skills in people with diabetes and others who have an impaired ability to feel pain can alleviate symptoms and often create conditions that encourage nerve regeneration. Strict control of blood glucose levels has been shown to reduce neuropathic symptoms and help people with diabetic neuropathy avoid further nerve damage.

Inflammatory and autoimmune conditions leading to neuropathy can be controlled using immunosuppressive drugs such as prednisone, cyclosporine, or azathioprine. Plasmapheresisa procedure in which blood is removed, cleansed of immune system cells and antibodies, and then returned to the bodycan help reduce inflammation or suppress immune system activity. Agents such as rituximab that target specific inflammatory cells, large intravenously administered doses of immunoglobulins, and antibodies that alter the immune system, also can suppress abnormal immune system activity.

Specific symptoms can usually be improved

Medications recommended for chronic neuropathic pain are also used for other medical conditions. Among the most effective are a class of drugs first marketed to treat depression. Nortriptyline and newer serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors such as duloxetine hydrochloride modulate pain by increasing the brains ability to inhibit incoming pain signals. Another class of medications that quiets nerve cell electrical signaling is also used for epilepsy. Common drugs include gabapentin, pregabalin, and less often topiramate and lamotrigine. Carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine are particularly effective for trigeminal neuralgia, a focal neuropathy of the face.

Local anesthetics and related drugs that block nerve conduction may help when other medications are ineffective or poorly tolerated. Medications put on the skin (topically administered) are generally appealing because they stay near the skin and have fewer unwanted side effects.

Lidocaine patches or creams applied to the skin can be helpful for small painful areas, such as localized chronic pain from mononeuropathies such as shingles. Another topical cream is capsaicin, a substance found in hot peppers that can desensitize peripheral pain nerve endings. Doctor-applied patches that contain higher concentrations of capsaicin offer longer term relief from neuropathic pain and itching, but they worsen small-fiber nerve damage. Weak over-the-counter formulations also are available. Lidocaine or longer acting bupivicaine are sometimes given using implanted pumps that deliver tiny quantities to the fluid that bathes the spinal cord, where they can quiet excess firing of pain cells without affecting the rest of the body. Other drugs treat chronic painful neuropathies by calming excess signaling.

Narcotics (opioids) can be used for pain that doesnt respond to other pain-control medications and if disease-improving treatments arent fully effective. Because pain relievers that contain opioids can lead to dependence and addiction, their use must be closely monitored by a physician. One of the newest drugs approved for treating diabetic neuropathy is tapentadol, which has both opioid activity and norepinephrine-reuptake inhibition activity of an antidepressant.

Surgery is the recommended treatment for some types of neuropathies. Protruding disks (pinched nerve) in the back or neck that compress nerve roots are commonly treated surgically to free the affected nerve root and allow it to heal. Trigeminal neuralgia on the face is also often treated with neurosurgical decompression. Injuries to a single nerve (mononeuropathy) caused by compression, entrapment, or rarely tumors or infections may require surgery to release the nerve compression. Polyneuropathies that involve more diffuse nerve damage, such as diabetic neuropathy, are not helped by surgical intervention. Surgeries or interventional procedures that attempt to reduce pain by cutting or injuring nerves are not often effective as they worsen nerve damage and the parts of the peripheral and central nervous system above the cut often continue to generate pain signals (phantom pain). More sophisticated and less damaging procedures such as electrically stimulating remaining peripheral nerve fibers or pain-processing areas of the spinal cord or brain have largely replaced these surgeries.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a noninvasive intervention used for pain relief in a range of conditions. TENS involves attaching electrodes to the skin at the site of pain or near associated nerves and then administering a gentle electrical current. Although data from controlled clinical trials are not available to broadly establish its efficacy for peripheral neuropathies, in some studies TENS has been shown to improve neuropathic symptoms associated with diabetes.

top

The best treatment is prevention, and strategies for reducing injuries are highly effective and well tested. Since medical procedures ranging from casting fractures to injuries from needles and surgery are another cause, unnecessary procedures should be avoided. The new adjuvanted vaccine against shingles prevents more than 95 percent of cases and is widely recommended for people over 50, including those who have had previous shingles or vaccination with the older, less effective vaccine. Diabetes and some other diseases are common preventable causes of neuropathy. People with neuropathy should ask their doctors to minimize use of medications that are known to cause or worsen neuropathy where alternatives exist. Some families with very severe genetic neuropathies use in vitro fertilization to prevent transmission to future generations.

top

The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is to seek knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. NINDS is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the leading supporter of biomedical research in the world.

NINDS-funded research ranges from clinical studies of the genetics and the natural history of hereditary neuropathies to discoveries of new cause and treatments for neuropathy, to basic science investigations of the biological mechanisms responsible for chronic neuropathic pain. Together, these diverse research areas will advance the development of new therapeutic and preventive strategies for peripheral neuropathies. Understanding the causes of neuropathy provides the foundation for finding effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Genetic mutations have been identified in more than 80 distinct hereditary neuropathies. NINDS supports studies to understand the disease mechanisms of these conditions and to identify other genetic defects that may play roles in causing or modifying the course of disease. The Inherited Neuropathies Consortium (INC)a group of academic medical centers, patient support organizations, and clinical research resources dedicated to conducting clinical research in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and improving the care of people with the diseaseseeks to better characterize the natural history of several different forms of neuropathy and to identify genes that modify clinical features in these disorders. Knowing which genes are mutated, and what their normal function is, permits precise diagnosis and leads to new therapies that prevent or reduce nerve damage. INC is also developing and testing biomarkers (signs that can indicate the diagnosis or progression of a disease) and clinical outcome measures that will be needed in future clinical trials to determine whether individuals respond to candidate treatments.

Rapid communication between the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system often depends on myelination, a process through which special cells called Schwann cells create an insulating coating around axons. Several NINDS-funded studies focus on understanding how myelin protein and membrane production and maintenance in Schwann cells is regulated and how mutations in genes involved in these processes cause peripheral neuropathies. Schwann cells play a critical role in the regeneration of nerve cell axons in the peripheral nervous system. By better understanding myelination and Schwann cell function, researchers hope to find targets for new therapies to treat or prevent nerve damage associated with neuropathy.

Other efforts focus on immune system peripheral nerve damage. In inflammatory peripheral neuropathies such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), the bodys immune system mistakenly attacks peripheral nerves, damaging myelin and weakening signaling along affected nerves. NINDS-supported researchers hope to better understand how antibodies to cell membrane components cause peripheral nerve damage and how the effects of these antibodies can be blocked. Researchers are also studying how mutations in the Autoimmune Regulator (AIRE) gene in a mouse model of CIDP cause the immune system to attack peripheral nerves. NINDS research has helped discover that some types of small-fiber polyneuropathy appear to be immune-caused, particularly in women and children.

NINDS-supported researchers are also exploring the use of tissue engineered from the cells of humans with peripheral neuropathy as models to identify specific defects in the transport of cellular components along axons and the interactions of nerves with muscles. Such tissue engineering approaches may eventually lead to new therapeutics for peripheral neuropathies.

In addition to efforts to treat or prevent underlying nerve damage, other NINDS-supported studies are informing new strategies for relieving neuropathic pain, fatigue, and other neuropathy symptoms. Researchers are investigating the pathways that carry pain signals to the brain and are working to identify substances that will block this signaling.

top

For more information on neurological disorders or research programs funded by NINDS, contact the Institute's Brain Resources and Information Network (BRAIN) at:

BRAINP.O. Box 5801Bethesda, MD 20824800-352-9424http://www.ninds.nih.gov

Information also is available from the following organizations:

Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy485 Half Day RoadSuite 200Buffalo Grove, IL 60089877-883-9942www.foundationforpn.org

Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA)P.O. Box 105Glenolden, PA 19036610-499-9264800-606-2682www.cmtausa.org/

Muscular Dystrophy Association2200S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1500Chicago, IL 60606520-529-2000800-572-1717www.mda.org

American Diabetes Association2451 Crystal Drive, Suite 900Arlington, VA 22202703-549-1500800-342-2383www.diabetes.org

National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC)National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DiseasesNational Institutes of Health1 Information WayBethesda, MD 20892-3560800-860-8747www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes

NeuropathyCommons.org(information for patients, professionals, and researchers hosted by Harvard University)https://neuropathycommons.org

"Peripheral Neuropathy Fact Sheet", NINDS, Publication date: August 2018.

NIH Publication No.18-NS-4853

Back toPeripheral Neuropathy Information Page

See a list of all NINDS disorders

Publicaciones en Espaol

Neuropata Perifrica

Prepared by:Office of Communications and Public LiaisonNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and StrokeNational Institutes of HealthBethesda, MD 20892

NINDS health-related material is provided for information purposes only and does not necessarily represent endorsement by or an official position of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke or any other Federal agency. Advice on the treatment or care of an individual patient should be obtained through consultation with a physician who has examined that patient or is familiar with that patient's medical history.

All NINDS-prepared information is in the public domain and may be freely copied. Credit to the NINDS or the NIH is appreciated.

Go here to read the rest:
Peripheral Neuropathy Fact Sheet | National Institute of ...

If you think youre having these symptoms, consult a physician. A variety of tests can be done to diagnose neuropathy. There are certain patterns of complaints that suggest neuropathy, says Dr. Williams, so taking down a patient history that includes a description of the complaints is an important first step.

After that, your doctor can do a physical examination, checking motor and sensory function, checking deep tendon reflexes, as well as looking for symptoms such as allodynia and hyperalgesia, Williams says. Then we can also perform electrodiagnostic testing; the most common being electromyography and nerve conduction testing, where we can stimulate nerves and record responses, calculate the speed at which signals are being transmitted and see if there are any areas where nerves are not transmitting signals normally, Williams continues.

With needle examinations, Williams says, We can put small needles into individual muscles, and, based on what we see and hear with the needle in the muscle, get information about how the nerves supplying that muscle are functioning. So there are a number of different tests that could be helpful to identifying neuropathy, as well as localizing where the abnormality is most likely to be coming from.

Frequently, blood tests can check for elevated blood sugar (to see if your symptoms may be related to type 2 diabetes), vitamin deficiencies, toxic elements, hereditary disorders, and evidence of an abnormal immune response. (11)

Your doctor may also do a nerve biopsy, which usually entails removing a small portion of a sensory nerve to look for abnormalities, or a skin biopsy to see if there is a reduction in nerve endings. (12)

To give yourself the best chance of an accurate diagnosis and relief of your symptoms be prepared to describe your symptoms in detail, when you experience them, how long an episode lasts, and the amount of discomfort, pain or loss of sensation or movement you experience. The more specific you can be about the symptoms you are experiencing, the easier it will be for your doctor to understand what is going on.

See original here:
Neuropathy Signs, Symptoms, and Diagnosis | Everyday Health

What is peripheral neuropathy?

Peripheral neuropathy is a disorder of nerve(s) apart from the brain and spinal cord. Patients with peripheral neuropathy may have tingling, numbness, unusual sensations, weakness, or burning pain in the affected area. Oftentimes, the symptoms are symmetrical and involve both hands and feet. Because the symptoms are often present in the areas covered by gloves or stockings, peripheral neuropathy is often described as having a "glove and stocking" distribution of symptoms.

Peripheral neuropathy can involve different nerve types, including motor, sensory, and autonomic nerves. Peripheral neuropathy can also be categorized by the size of the nerve fibers involved, large, or small.

Neuropathy can present with many differing symptoms, including numbness, pain of different types, weakness, or loss of balance, depending on the type of nerve involved. Because the autonomic nerves control bodily functions that we do not consciously think of, such as heart rate, digestion, and emptying of the bowel and bladder, autonomic neuropathy manifests with symptoms affecting the loss of control of these functions. Symptoms may include problems with blood pressure, voiding, passage of stools (diarrhea, or constipation), heart rate, or sweating.

Cranial neuropathy is similar to peripheral neuropathy, except that the cranial nerves are involved. Any of the cranial nerves can be involved. One of the more common causes of cranial neuropathy is loss of blood flow from the optic artery to the optic nerve, causing ischemic optic neuropathy. Amyloidosis is one of the more common causes of this rare disorder.

Specific nerves can be involved in neuropathy. When a specific nerve is involved, the symptoms are limited to the distribution of that nerve. The most commonly involved peripheral nerve is the median nerve at the wrist in carpal tunnel syndrome. Essentially any peripheral nerve can become entrapped and cause the signs and symptoms of neuropathy. The ulnar nerve is commonly entrapped at the elbow. The peroneal nerve is exposed at the outer part of the knee. The pudendal nerve can cause pain in the perineum and is relieved by sitting on a toilet seat or an inflatable donut. Entrapment of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve at the waist, called meralgia paresthetica, causes numbness at the outer part of the thigh.

Read more here:
Peripheral Neuropathy Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & Prognosis

Editor's Note:The Case Challenge series includes difficult-to-diagnose conditions, some of which are not frequently encountered by most clinicians but are nonetheless important to accurately recognize. Test your diagnostic and treatment skills using the following patient scenario and corresponding questions. If you have a case that you would like to suggest for a future Case Challenge, please contact us.

A 40-year-old man is referred for neurologic evaluation after presenting with peripheral neuropathy. Three years ago, he noted numbness, burning pain, and reduced temperature sensation in his feet. For the past 2 years, he has had dry eyes and dry mouth; urinary retention that requires self-catheterization; gastrointestinal symptoms, including alternating diarrhea and constipation; and nausea. His weight has decreased by 40 lb (18.1 kg) over 12 months. He has noticed decreased sweating.

For several months, he has had frequent syncopal episodes triggered by positional change. In hindsight, he reports intermittent dizziness associated with a "daydreaming" feeling that began 8 years ago; however, these spells were not associated with loss of consciousness. He was also recently diagnosed with Sjgren syndrome.

He reports no chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, or edema. A review of systems is otherwise unremarkable. His past medical history is notable for hypothyroidism. His family history is notable for a grandfather who had gastrointestinal problems and a sister who has palpitations. His parents are alive and have no neurologic symptoms. He takes no medications or supplements.

Medscape2020WebMD, LLC

Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.

Cite this: Amanda Kennedy,Jeffrey Kaplan,Dianna Quan.A 40-Year-Old Man With Dizziness, Confusion, and Neuropathy-Medscape-Jan21,2020.

See original here:
A 40-Year-Old Man With Dizziness, Confusion, and Neuropathy - Medscape

By Zach Cavanagh

It started about a year ago.

San Juan Hills boys basketball coach Jason Efstathioustarted to notice some things in his body last January. By March of last year,he found himself barely able to walk, and then by the summer, he was in bed fornearly 12 hours a day.

I was like a burn victim on the inside, Efstathiou said.

From May until late December and his full return asStallions head coach on Jan. 3, Efstathiou was out battling an extremely rareform of neuropathy. Efstathiou, who is a type-one diabetic, said the diseaseattacks your nerves and affects 1% of diabetics.

Most neuropathies see the victim lose sensation in theirnerves, but Efstathious neuropathy was the opposite with a hypersensitivityand burning sensation.

For three months, they didnt know what I had, Efstathiousaid. I was going to MRIs and CT scans and all that kind of stuff.

Over those months, Efstathiou had been getting daily treatmentswith doctors and nerve therapists. Treatments consisted of machines that sentsignals to his nerves.

Efstathiou said he had lost 35 pounds at one point, and withbeing out of work officially since May, the San Juan Hills parents andcommunity held a fundraiser in September to support their sidelined coach.

It sounds dramatic, Efstathiou said, but I was really bad, like almost died, thats how bad I was. They all knew about it. People were being very supportive. Im very grateful to the coaches. The coaches and parents in the program had my back big time.

Over time, Efstathious condition improved, and he returnedto practices in September in a limited capacity. Efstathiou spends most ofpractice sitting on a stool near midcourt and relays instructions through hisassistant coaches.

I still limp around, Efstathiou said. I cant demonstatestuff. When I coach or teach I have to sit down. Ive given my bench guysassignments. I dont have a loud voice again yet. I use a whistle now. Idnever used a whistle before.

Efstathiou said hes still healing, and his doctors andnerve therapist feel that Efstathiou will keep getting better. The amount ofimprovement hes seen makes Efstathiou feel that it will go away, even if ittakes another year or two.

On coaching, Efstathiou said the experience has changed himand has given him a new perspective.

Im more focused on the big picture than living and dyingwith each game, Efstathiou said. I dont get as gnarly. (With the players,)Im trying to be more like understand the situation, understand when somethinggets taken away. I feel fortunate to be here and coaching you guys. You guysshould be grateful to be on a high school basketball team. Theres so many kidsthat never make it to their high school varsity team.

Efstathiou also said the ordeal has bettered his sidelinedemeanor.

Its keeping me calmer, Efstathiou said. The more intenseI get then I start to get more burning. In my mind, I just have to staycalmer.

With Efstathiou returning just before the start of Sea ViewLeague play, keeping calm is a taller task some nights more than others, but sofar, the Stallions have been good with those things for their coach.

San Juan Hills (9-14, 3-1) won its first three league gamesin strong fashion with victories over Laguna Hills by 29 points, Dana Hills byeight points and El Toro by five points.

I told them the way weve been starting games playing withintensity, Efstathiou said, were going to be tough. A lot of teams wesurprise them a little bit. I think if you come out and play intense, and Ithink our guys are a little inspired right now, as long as we execute, I thinktheres a good opportunity.

Efstathiou got more fired up in San Juan Hills Wednesdaymatch-up as the Stallions battled league-favorite Tesoro for the league lead.The Stallions gave the Titans all they could handle and held a five-point leadin the fourth quarter. However, San Juan Hills couldnt execute down thestretch, and Tesoro took advantage of a foul-filled physical game by making itsfinal 14 points on free throws in a 65-57 win.

San Juan Hills still sits in second place in the Sea ViewLeague, and the Stallions will get another shot at Tesoro.

In the broad perspective, Efstathiou and San Juan Hills are right where they want to be.

Zach Cavanagh

Zach Cavanagh is the sports editor for Picket Fence Media. Zach is aCalifornia Journalism Award winner and has covered sports in Orange County since 2013. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @ZachCav and follow our sports coverage on Twitter @SouthOCSports. Email Zach at zcavanagh@picketfencemedia.com.

Read the original:
Fighting the Fire: Battling Rare Neuropathy, San Juan Hills' Efstathiou Coaches with New Perspective - Capistrano Dispatch

WOBURN, Mass., Jan. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeuroMetrix, Inc., (Nasdaq: NURO) today reported financial and business highlights for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2019.

The Company develops and commercializes diagnostic and therapeutic neurostimulation-based medical devices. The Company has three commercial products. DPNCheck is a point-of-care diagnostic test for peripheral neuropathies including diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). ADVANCE is a point-of-care diagnostic test primarily used for carpal tunnel syndrome. Quell is a wearable neurostimulation device that is available over-the-counter for symptomatic relief of chronic pain.

Q4 2019 Highlights:

"Although we were disappointed by the overall drop in revenue from the year-ago period, we expected this outcome given our large reduction in operating expenses, attention to improved gross margins and overall focus on long term growth and profitability. We believe we made important progress against these objectives. We experienced strong demand for DPNCheck during the fourth quarter which is typically our slowest period. This momentum should carry into 2020 as new Medicare Advantage accounts come on board and we expect a rebound in international sales. Our enthusiasm for the DPNCheck business is reflected in our investment in the next generation device to be launched in late 2020, said Shai N. Gozani, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of NeuroMetrix. Our Quell business is focused on cost-efficient advertising combined with an exclusively direct-to-consumer model via our QuellRelief.com website and exploration of new markets. We believe this technology is unique and represents an attractive long term opportunity for the Company. Finally, we are actively engaged with the Federal Trade Commission(FTC) to resolve the previously disclosed matter which is centered on earlier Quell advertising.

Financials:Regarding the fourth quarter 2019, total revenues were $1.7 million, down 54% from $3.7 million in the prior year period. Gross margin was $1.1 million versus $1.7 million in Q4 2018. The gross margin rate of 62.2% improved from 46.9% in Q4 2018. Operating expenses were $2.7 million, a reduction of $1.9 million from $4.6 million in Q4 2018. Collaboration income of $0.6 million was recognized in Q4 2019. Net loss was $1.1 million compared to $2.8 million in Q4 2018. Net cash usage from operations was $.7 million, a reduction from $2.7 million in Q4 2018. The Company ended the quarter with cash of $3.1 million.

Regarding the full year 2019, total revenues were $9.3 million, down from $16.1 million in 2018. Gross margin was $2.2 million after inventory-related write-downs of $2.6 million. 2018 gross margin was $7.4 million. Operating expenses were $13.8 million versus $19.7 million in 2018. Income from the GSK collaboration was $7.7 million in comparison with $12.3 million in 2018. Net loss was $3.8 million versus net income of $24 thousand in 2018.

Company to Host Live Conference Call and WebcastNeuroMetrix will host a conference call at 8:00 a.m. Eastern today, January 27, 2020. The call may be accessed in the United States at 844-787-0799, international at 661-378-9630 using confirmation code 6728609. A replay will be available starting two hours after the call at 855-859-2056 United States and 404-537-3406 international using confirmation code 6728609. It will remain available for one week. The call will also be webcast and accessible at http://www.NeuroMetrix.com under "Investor Relations".

About NeuroMetrixNeuroMetrix is a leading developer of diagnostic and therapeutic neurostimulation-based medical devices. DPNCheck is a point-of-care diagnostic test for diabetic neuropathy, which is the most common long-term complication of Type 2 diabetes. ADVANCE is a point-of-care nerve conduction study that evaluates multiple nerves including the median nerve, which is affected in carpal tunnel syndrome. Quell is a wearable neurostimulation device for symptomatic relief of chronic pain that is available over-the-counter. For more information, please visit NeuroMetrix.com.

Safe Harbor StatementThe statements contained in this press release include forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including, without limitation, statements regarding the companys or managements expectations regarding the business, as well as events that could have a meaningful impact on the companys revenues and cash resources. While the company believes the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are accurate, there are a number of factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, estimates of future performance, the ability to successfully develop, receive regulatory clearance, commercialize and achieve market acceptance for any products, and the final outcome of the ongoing Federal Trade Commission civil investigative demand enforcement action involving Quell. There can be no assurance that future developments will be those that the company has anticipated. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors including those risks, uncertainties and factors referred to in the companys most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as well as other documents that may be filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission or otherwise made public. The company is providing the information in this press release only as of the date hereof, and expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update the information included in this press release or revise any forward-looking statements.

Source: NeuroMetrix, Inc.

Thomas T. HigginsSVP and Chief Financial Officer781-314-2761neurometrix.ir@neurometrix.com

NeuroMetrix, Inc.Statements of Operations(Unaudited)

Condensed Balance Sheets(Unaudited)

See the article here:
NeuroMetrix Reports Q4 and Full Year 2019 Financial Results - BioSpace

(KPRC)Many people drink lemon water because they think it tastes good, or they think it has some health benefits.

Heres a look at what makes it so great.

The majority of women are walking around dehydrated. Adding lemon to your water might be the motivation you need to drink more.

In doing so, you can reduce sugar cravings and get good antioxidants. And that citrus fruit is packing the potential to decrease your risk of kidney stones or reduce diabetic neuropathy.

Dietitian Erin Gussler with the Whole Health Center in Houston, Texas, says she knows this because of studies done in mice.

And in humans, she says it can relieve morning sickness.

"There was a study that showed that drinking lemon water during pregnancy actually can decrease nausea and vomiting so the study showed that consuming lemon water for 4 days actually decrease nausea and vomiting by 33%, Gussler says.

But there's a catch. To get these benefits you might need lots and we mean lots of lemon. Think one-half to two whole lemons a day!

"Some of the studies were like an obscene amount of lemon. Like, like cups of lemon, Gussler says.

While the amount matters more than anything, the temperature only slightly matters. Warm lemon water can help with constipation more than cold water but be careful not to get essential oils too hot.

"There are some studies that show heating those oils to high can break down so thinking about getting a mix of hot and cold and playing with that just to get maximum benefit of both, Gussler says.

Dentists warn patients not to drink too much lemon since the acidity can damage enamel.

They say to lessen that potential damage, you can try drinking through a straw.

Read the original here:
The health benefits of lemon water | News - WPSD Local 6

Some experts have been saying that the Istanbul Canal will open the Montreux Convention up to debate, despite the governments assurance that the Istanbul Canal and the 1936 agreement regarding Turkeys ownership of the Turkish Straits are independent of each other. Retired Admiral Mustafa Ozbey has evaluated the Istanbul Canals correlation to the Montreux convention, and offered his opinions about how the Canal might affect it.

Ozbey believes that the Montreux agreement has already been opened up to debate by President Erdogan himself, adding that while Turkeys west, south and east are already in conflict and at risk, it is an act of strategic blindness to open the Black Sea to debate over the Istanbul Canal.

The Istanbul Canal has already debated in the context of its damage to the environment, the ecological differences between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, the route which the Canal will be built, security concerns and more. The biggest controversy around the Canal, however, is its correlation with the Montreux Straits Convention.

Ozbey suggests that there is a lot of disinformation spreading about the relationship between the Istanbul Canal and the Montreux Convention, and even worse, that this disinformation has been crafted intentionally by those who oppose the Canal. If you notice, the supporters of the Canal are avoiding the Montreux debate as much as possible, whereas we are highlighting it specifically as the main issue. However, we are debating it in the wrong way, making it difficult to understand, Ozbey said.

Ozbey stressed the importance of making the Canal-Montreux Convention correlation simple, understandable and clear, and has evaluated the relationship with anecdotes:

1. The Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits, is one of the most important international conventions of the 20th century.

2. The Convention ensured that all the powers of the Straits Commission (established alongside the Treaty of Lausanne to regulate the transit of ships and our sovereign rights for the Turkish Straits Region) be given to Turkey.

3. The Conventions verdicts include sovereign rights for Turkey far beyond the powers of the previous commission. The Convention also granted Turkey management of one of the most critical passageways in the world.

PxFuel

4. Turkey has fulfilled its authority and responsibility with such success during the Second World War and the Cold War eras, that an unwritten immunity has been established for the convention.

5. In light of the Conventions fair and successful implementation, the signatories did not even request any repeal/amendment, despite that the terms of the Convention expired 20 years ago.

6. With the statutes that were established in 1994 regulating the transit of merchant ships, Turkey clarified the principle of freedom of passage. Turkey has used the arrangement to pressure the IMO to adopt new safety precautions through the Turkish Straits. With the other improvements it has implemented over time, Turkey has used its authority to improve both the navigation of transitions and the overall safety of the Turkish Straits.

7. Turkey should use its right and authority to make crossing through the straits safer without having to open a canal that will be extremely expensive and potentially cause an environmental disaster.

8. Experts believe that the canal could actually make crossings more dangerous.

9. The free of crossings hypothesis, one of the justifications for the Canal, is also based on a misleading argument. Strait crossings are conducted in accordance with the verdicts of the convention. Increasing the income from crossings is also possible by staying within the Montreux Convention. The Convention is backed by the Gold Standard as a result of using the French Franc as its payment currency. In 1981, Turkey experienced a huge loss of revenue as a result of using the US Dollar as a currency instead of the Franc. By correcting this mistake, Turkey will be able to increase its income significantly.

10. Charging a fee for Canal crossings is unlikely. This is essentially an imaginary justification for the construction of the Canal. Even if the Montreux Convention is repealed, it will not be possible for merchant ships to be diverted to another route.

11. As discussed earlier, the security and income of transit will not actually increase with the opening of the Canal.

By Randam Own work. Adjusted from Kanal stanbul.svg, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84903496

12. In regard to warships using the Strait: although there have been some attempts to violate the agreement, countries have been found to be complying to the verdicts of the Convention. However, it is well known that the United States is not happy with the restrictions on the Black Sea and is striving to change things.

In this context, if the Canal is opened, technical debates such as those around the Dardanelles Canal, as well as debates over whether warships should be allowed to pass through the Canal or not, could prove dangerous.

13. Erdogan has made his first major mistake around the issue by inviting NATO to the Black Sea after the downing of the Russian jet in 2016. NATO exercises grew more frequent as a result.

14. Even if Turkey gives up on the idea of the Canal, the Convention has already been opened to debate by Erdogan. Although the United States is not even a party to this Convention, we can expect that it is preparing amendments for the passage of warships and its presence in the Black Sea, via Romania and/or Bulgaria.

15. While Turkeys west, south and east are already in conflict and at risk, it is an act of strategic blindness to open the Black Sea to debate over the Istanbul Canal.

16. Russia is observing these debates very quietly and with diplomatic courtesy for the time being. However, Russia has stated that it considers the Montreux Convention, sacred. Thus, it will not actively involve itself in the debate until the last moment. Moscow will, however, monitor the formation of any new fault lines between the US and Turkey. It should also be kept in mind that if Russia sees concrete cooperation between the United States and Turkey, such as that which would inevitably result from violating the Montreux Convention, it will use all the cards it has to counter it.

Turkey should immediately end the fabricated Canal Istanbul disgrace, and return to its former path.

-

Mustafa Ozbey started his career in 1965 as a naval officer Following his graduation from Turkish Naval Academy

Ozbey actively participated in the Cyprus Peace Operation in 1974 and Kardak Crisis.

In 1996, Ozbey served in various different warships as a department head, executive and commanding officer

He has also served as a destroyer division commodore and flag officer for various combatant squadrons .

Most recently, he was a chief of staff at Turkish Fleet HQ as rear admiral.

Ozbey has participated in advanced training programs both domestically and abroad, and worked in NATO Headquarters in Brussels between 1984 and 1987.

He retired in 2001 with the rank of Rear Admiral at his own request.

Excerpt from:
Opening the Montreux Convention to debate is an act of strategic blindness - United World International

"You must sing like an angel," a woman once said to Leona Godin when she was about to go onstage with her white cane.

The woman clearly had not seen me perform, Godin thought.

The Avant-Accordion Brain-Smash performance she prepared for the show was anything but angelic. It was loud and brash. Dark and complex.

From an early age, Godin embraced punk rock because it reveled in the messiness and complications of life.

"Fighting against the idea of the monolith of blindness [with punk rock] is kind of my raison d'tre these days," she told Tapestry host Mary Hynes in an interview.

Like the woman Godin encountered backstage, many people jump to the assumption that a blind singer must sound angelic. They think of artists like Andrea Bocelli, whom Celine Dion praised as having the voice of God and Canadian record producer David Foster has described as having the most beautiful voice in the world.

But Godin, who was diagnosed with degenerative retinal disease as a child, wants us to ditch that stereotype.

Leona Godin singing and playing drums in her band Gutter & Spine's "Sludge" video (2007)

"There are just as many ways of being blind as there are of being sighted," she pointed out. "There's all kinds of permutations for what it is to be a sighted person, and I want that for blind people too."

Godin, who's also a writer, describes her own music as being focused on ideas. It's not beautiful by any means "there's a lot of chanting, bellowing and screaming," and it takes inspiration from dark themes she encountered in literature.

Godin's passion for punk rock began at around the same time when she started losing her eyesight as a child. In the early '80s, less was known about degenerative retinal disease than today. So when her mother took her to see eye doctors, none of them could figure out what was going on, and instead blamed her for her condition.

The head of ophthalmology at the Letterman Army Hospital in the now-decommissioned Presidio of San Francisco scolded her mother: "maybe she can't see because you've been taking her to so many eye doctors." Other doctors told Godin that her eyes are growing too fast for her body, she recalled.

"It was things like that that primed me for a mistrust of authority, which I think is a very good place to be when you start to hear punk rock because it's all about that," said Godin.

As Godin's vision continued to deteriorate, she struggled to make out words and faces. By the time she was 15 years old, she could no longer read books. Godin began experimenting with LSD and delved deeper into the world of punk rock to help her cope.

The drugs, the punk music and the lashing out were Godin's way of venting her frustration at going blind and not being able to do anything about it, she shared.

Getting into trouble and defying authority helped Godin shatter the pity that people felt for her, which she despised.

Punk rock in the '80s was new and edgy, anti-establishment and raw. It also came with a kind of cheap, do-it-yourself, anti-commercial aesthetic that some may find brutal, but Godin found beautiful.

"I remember wearing these fish bobbins as jewelry. That was very attractive to me."

There was a boy in her high school who had bright green hair, which was unusual at the time, and Godin was enamoured with him.

"He was so attractive and I think maybe part of the attraction was simply he was so noticeable," Godin recalled. "There's some part of me that wonders how much was it just a natural tendency to want to be a rebel as a kid, and how much of it was the eye disease and me just liking things that were extremely visually striking because I couldn't really notice subtlety."

Godin said her life-long obsession with things that are ugly and that push the limits of what's acceptable likely originated from her inability to fit in.

"A lot of people with disabilities want very badly to fit in, to try and be normal," said Godin. "But I realized at a certain point that I was never going to be normal. So you can either bang your head against the wall, or embrace the abnormality of seeing things differently or not seeing what other people see."

Godin eventually took her love of punk rock music to the stage as a performer. But these days, she's working on a book focused on what she calls a "cacophony of blind voices."

"What I mean by that is there are as many ways of being blind as there are of being sighted, and I want all those possibilities to exist and clash, because that's what being punk rock is about," she explained.

For Godin, punk is about more than loud music or a brutalist aesthetic; punk is an ethos. She said embracing the spirit of punk rock means reaching beyond stereotypes when we encounter someone who's different from us.

"It's realizing that what we don't understand is not necessarily simple or easy to put into a box, and it's okay to not understand it, but we shouldn't dismiss it," said Godin.

"The most punk rock spirit is really just tearing it up and making the whole story look a lot messier, a lot more raggedy. So open your ears to the cacophony of blind voices instead of the stereotypes we're used to, and let's hear it for the messiness."

See the original post here:
How punk rock helped one woman find power in her blindness - CBC.ca

The Blind Foundation for India in a Jan. 12 news release announced it has raised $5 million.

The foundation was established in 1989 with a mission to prevent and cure blindness, and educate and rehabilitate permanently blind people in India.

There are over 15 million blind people in India which translates to one out of every three blinds in the world, the release from BFIs Indian American president Dr. Manu Vora said.

There is a power of prevention, such as $1 of Vitamin A drops administered from age 4-6, which prevents the child from going blind. That child getting education has a potential to earn $100,000 during his or her lifetime $1 investment leading to $100,000 benefit of exponential power, it said.

Additionally, in India it only costs $20 for a cataract operation as compared to $4,000 in the U.S.

The funds raised will be used to examine the eyesight of over 1 million adults. So far, BFI has conducted over 200,000 free cataract operations, donated 131 medical mobile vans to transport doctors and patients, and distributed over 10,000 Braille kits to blind children for their education. The major BFI focus is on prevention of Blindness through Child Sight Projects. Over 1 million school childrens eyesight has been examined and given free glasses, eye drops, Vitamin A, and in some cases, cataract operations, it said.

With Rotary International Matching Grants, BFI has completed 14 projects worth $500,000. About 75 percent of BFI funding is provided to various Ramakrishna Mission Centers throughout India for blind welfare work.

In 2012 with major BFI funding, OPD Hall and Consulting Rooms was established at the Vivekananda Eye Care Center at Shri Ramakrishna Ashrama in Rajkot, Gujarat.

Currently, they treat daily 500 OPD eyecare patients with 25-30 cataract operations per day performed all year round, the release said. In 2019, a new Cornea Transplant Center was added at SRA. In 2014, two Medical Mobile Vans were donated to the Ramakrishna Mission Home of Service, Varanasi, for regular outreach to rural communities surrounding Varanasi area, the release added.

In June 2004, BFI received a Daily Point of Light Award by the Points of Light Foundation. The foundation has also received Letter of Commendations from presidents Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. In meetings with the vice president of India, BFI updates were shared in 2001 and in 2004. In 2011, 30 BFI volunteers received a Volunteer Service Award from Obama.

More information about the foundation can be found by visiting http://www.blindfoundation.org.

Follow this link:
Blind Foundation for India Announces $5 Million in Funds Raised to Treat Blindness - India West

"Sugar is cheap and ubiquitous, so it's readily accessible to everyone. You walk into a service station and there's a counter of lollies as you walk in," he said.

Dr Muecke, 56, was named Australian of the Year 2020 at a glittering awards ceremony in Canberra on Saturday night, in recognition of his work preventing blindness in Australia and the developing world.

The Sight For All co-founder had been nominated for the honour alongside orthopaedic surgeon Munjed Al Muderis, the NSW Australian of the year who is lobbying for action on climate change, singer-songwriter Archie Roach (Victoria), Jess Melbourne-Thomas (Tasmania), Rachel Downie (Queensland), Annie Fogarty (WA), Katrina Fanning (ACT) and Geoffrey Thompson (NT).

"Blindness is just one of many complications of diabetes and, as an eye surgeon, I see the end stages of the disease," Dr Muecke said.

"I think we need to take sweet products away from checkout counters, particularly when they're discounted," he said.

"We've got to make them less accessible to the public."

National Australia Day Council chair Danielle Roche said Dr Mueckes "passionate and selfless commitment to preventing blindness" was "changing lives".

Dr Muecke said he also wanted to encourage people with diabetes to get their eyes checked.

"The problem is, more than half the people with this disease are not having their regular sight-saving eye checks," he said.

"They're coming in too late, sometimes too late for treatment, too late to reverse the vision loss."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison paid tribute to the volunteer firefighters battling bushfires in his opening remarks at the Australian of the Year awards, saying the thousands of men and women were "reminding us about what it means to be a citizen of this great nation".

"They - like the nominees here tonight - are demonstrating to us that our national story is one of great achievement - but also of pain, of effort, sweat," Mr Morrison said.

"Through this long summer, we have seen the unquenchable spirit of Australians. Australians rallying to each other, be they family, friends, or indeed strangers."

Dana is health and industrial relations reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Here is the original post:
Australian of the Year calls for sugar tax to fight diabetes-caused blindness - The Age