Is A Chronic Condition Getting The Best of Your Life?
Ongoing health conditions affect how you live your life, how you experience your relationships and how you deal with your emotions.
This workshop will provide you with the tools that will help you to design your own strategy for managing chronic conditions such as arthritis, heart and lung conditions, anxiety, diabetes, or high blood pressure.
You will learn:
ØHow to manage stress
ØHow to improve your communication skills
ØHow to cope with depression
ØHow to increase your energy levels
ØHow to eat healthy
ØHow to get more out of life!
The course meets 2 ½ hours once a week, for six weeks.It is highly interactive and informal.
When life changes, you need new skills and tools to deal with the impact of these challenges.
Make better choices today for a healthier tomorrow.
Left untreated, glaucoma can cause irreversible vision loss. Routine eye exams can protect vision.
Common Corneal Condition Associated With Increased Eye Pressure
November 15, 2010
Adapted from JAMA and Archives Journals
Corneal arcus, a condition in which a ring of lipids* builds up around the cornea, appears common among middle-age and older adults and may be associated with elevated eye pressure, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Intraocular pressure (the pressure inside the eye) is the only treatable risk factor for glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, according to background information in the article. "The accuracy of intraocular pressure measurement is crucial in the diagnosis and management of glaucoma," the authors write. Some characteristics of the cornea (the clear front portion of the eye), including its thickness at the center and the radius of its curve, are known to affect the accuracy of this measurement.
The effect of corneal arcus—an area of lipid deposition that creates a ring around the cornea and may be associated with cardiovascular disease—on the structure and function of the cornea and on intraocular pressure is not well understood. Renyi Wu, M.D., Ph.D., of the Singapore Eye Research Institute, and colleagues examined the prevalence and consequences of corneal arcus among 3,015 individuals age 40 to 80. Participants underwent an interview and eye examinations, including corneal measurements, assessment of intraocular pressure and identification of corneal arcus using a slitlamp.
Corneal arcus was present in the right eyes of 1,747 participants (57.9 percent). After adjustments for age, sex and other factors, eyes with corneal arcus tended to have higher intraocular pressure, thicker corneas and altered corneal curvatures. The prevalence of high eye pressure but not of glaucoma was higher among participants with corneal arcus than those without (3.2 percent vs. 1.8 percent).
"There is no known explanation for the association of corneal arcus with higher intraocular pressure," the authors write. "There may be changes in biomechanical properties of the cornea in eyes with corneal arcus, as such mechanisms are emerging as important clinical variables that may affect intraocular pressure measurements."
"Further research is required to investigate the clinical implications of these findings for intraocular pressure assessment in eyes with corneal arcus," the authors conclude. *Lipids are abroad group of naturally occurring molecules that include fats.
In terms of health care expenses and lost wages of both patients and their caregivers, the cost of Alzheimer's disease nationwide is estimated at over $100 billion per year.
Stimulating The Brain's Immune Response May Provide Treatment For Alzheimer's Disease
January 27, 2011
Adapted from the University of South Florida
A new target for the prevention of adverse immune responses identified as factors in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been discovered by researchers at the University of South Florida's Department of Psychiatry and the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair.
Their findings are published online in the Journal of Neuroscience.
The CD45 molecule is a receptor on the surface of the brain's microglia cells, cells that support the brain's neurons and also participate in brain immune responses.
Previous studies by the USF researchers showed that triggering CD45 was beneficial because it blocked a very early step in the development of Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, the researchers demonstrated in Alzheimer's mouse models that a loss of CD45 led to dramatically increased microglial inflammation.
Although the brain's immune response is involved in Alzheimer's disease pathology, "this finding suggests that CD45 on brain immune cells appears critically involved in dampening harmful inflammation," said study senior author Jun Tan, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry and Robert A. Silver chair at the Rashid Laboratory for Developmental Neurobiology, USF Silver Child Development Center and research biologist for Research and Development Service at the James A. Haley Veteran's Hospital.
The investigators also found an increase in harmful neurotoxins, such as A beta peptides, as well as neuron loss in the brains of the test mice.
"In short, CD45 deficiency leads to increased accumulation of neurotoxic A beta in the brains of old Alzheimer's mice, demonstrating the involvement of CD45 in clearing those toxins and protecting neurons," Dr. Tan said. "These findings are quite significant, because many in the field have long considered CD45 to be an indicator of harmful inflammation. So, researchers assumed that CD45 was part of the problem, not a potential protective factor."
The next step is to apply these findings to develop new Alzheimer's disease treatments, said Paula Bickford, Ph.D., a professor in the USF Department of Neurosurgery and senior career research scientist at the James A. Haley Veteran's Hospital.
"We are already working with Natura Therapeutics, Inc. to screen for natural compounds that will target CD45 activation in the brain's immune cells," Dr. Bickford said.
We have some very interesting Alzheimer's disease research news to share with you:
Non-Invasive Brain Scan And Blood Test Are Future Candidates To Assess Risk And Monitor Progression Of Alzheimer's Disease American Health Assistance Foundation
It is complicated to predict the risk for healthy individuals to develop dementia. If an individual does experience a problem with memory and brain function, it is difficult to determine whether it is Alzheimer's disease. Two studies published in the January 19, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association describe methods developed to detect a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease—beta-amyloid protein—in the brain and blood. Both tests are not commercially available, but are important breakthroughs in the push for early detection and monitoring of this debilitating disease. [
The information provided in this e-alert is a public service of the American Health Assistance Foundation, and should not in any way substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional and is not intended to constitute medical advice. (more...)
A link to NonProfitShoppingMall.com does not constitute an endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation by AHAF—nor a responsibility for—the linked website or any content, products or services of such sites. (more...)
The Brick Township Department of Parks & Recreation is proud to announce that they will offer Early Childhood Programs on Saturdays this year. Register Now for the following programs:
Mommy and Me
(Ages 1 ½ - 2 ½- walking)
Mom/Dad and child will create a variety of crafts and creatively express themselves through songs, in a one hour class.
WHERE: Civic Plaza
WHEN: Saturday’s 9:00am – 10:00am
February 19th, 26th, March 5th, 12th, 19, 26th
COST: $ 40.00
FIRST TIME ON MY OWN
(Ages 2 ½ - 3 ½)
Children will create a variety of crafts and express themselves through songs, and activities, in a one hour class.
WHERE: Civic Plaza
WHEN: Saturday’s 10:00am – 11:00am
February 19th, 26th, March 5th, 12th, 19, 26th
COST: $ 40.00
Registration is at the Recreation Office, 270 Chambers Bridge Rd, Civic Plaza
PROGRAMS RANGING from meals-on-wheels to caregivers services will continue to be provided by the Ocean County Department of Senior Services in 2011.
"Our seniors deserve these comprehensive and diverse services to ensure that they can enjoy the best possible quality of life," said Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari.
Services including outreach to the homebound elderly, volunteer friendly visitors, telephone reassurances, health screening and education are all included in the contracts scheduled to be approved by the Board during its January 19 meeting.
The 36 competitive contracts total more than $2.3 million. The Meals-on-Wheels and Congregate meal programs are expected to deliver more than 317,600 meals to senior citizens in the New Year, Vicari said.
The nutrition program awards to Community Services, Inc. were approved earlier and the Kosher Home Delivered Meals are among the contracts up for approval on January 19.
"These meals are often a lifeline for the frail and disabled, bringing not only nutritional value but also social contact," Vicari said. "About 60% of home delivered meals clients are at high nutritional risk."
Other contracts include transportation, legal services, caregiver services, care management, benefits screening, chore services and a host of others.
"More than a quarter of Ocean County's population is over the age of 60, including more than 75,000 people aged 75 and older," Vicari said. "Providing beneficial programs and services for the older adult population continues to be a priority for the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders."
The Office of Senior Services serves as a clearinghouse, teaming up seniors with programs that can help make a difference in their daily lives, Vicari said.
The office will oversee a total of 52 contracts with 22 governmental and non-profit agencies in 2011 totaling over $5.3 million.
This year, 536,411 units of service will be provided to 35,379 persons.
Access to information and assistance is a major focus for the Office of Senior Services, said D. Jane Maloney, director of the Ocean County Office of Senior Services.
"Our seniors need to know they can come to us and we can match them up with the appropriate services," Maloney said. "Over 12,000 individuals called or visited us in 2010 and our Outreach sites plan to provide this assistance to over 18,000 individuals in 2011."
For further information regarding services call Office of Senior Services at 732-929-2091 or 1-800-668-4899.
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