Month: August 2022

On Our Last Legs: Rationing of Health Care

By Nolan Trowe: For Complete Post, Click Here…

It costs me around $1,000 a month to urinate. That’s more than $30 a day. My catheters are just one of the essential medical devices that I need to survive. Since having a spinal cord injury in 2016, I have what’s called a neurogenic bladder. I can’t relieve myself without the use of an intermittent catheter, which means I have to make sure I have enough of them to get me through to the next shipment from my medical supply company.

The anxiety of rationing how many times a day you can urinate is exhausting. Imagine you only have enough supplies to go five or six times. Sure, there are the obvious physical dangers of such rationing: higher risk for urinary tract infections, dehydration, autonomic dysreflexia and so on. However, the worst part of all of it is the anguish and despair that one feels when they are running out of something that they quite frankly cannot live without. No exceptions.

In March 2020, as people scrambled about buying up all of the hand sanitizer, wipes, toilet paper, gloves, and God knows what else, I really only had two things on my mind. One, my catheters and two, my nerve medications. The pandemic highlighted for me, as it did for many people with disabilities, just how vulnerable we are when it comes to disaster preparedness. My mind reeled as more and more establishments shuttered their doors. Was the world ending? And if it was, how in the hell was I going to get my catheters? How would I survive?

Do I qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP):

From ACP: For Complete Post, Click Here…

Here are the ways your household can qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP):

  • Based on your household income
  • If you or your child or dependent participate in certain government assistance programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, WIC, or other programs
  • If you or anyone in your household already receives a Lifeline benefit

Note: You may qualify for the ACP through a participating provider’s existing low-income program. Visit our How to Apply page to learn more.

You Should Think Twice About Opioids After Surgery

By Michael Hunter MD: For Complete Post, Click Here…

A NEW META-ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT TAKING OPIOIDS after minor to moderate surgery does not reduce pain (compared with over-the-counter medicines) after the patient leaves the hospital. Moreover, opioid use puts patients at a higher risk for side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and constipation.

We in the United States often prescribe narcotic pain medicines after surgery. In contradistinction, many other countries rarely prescribe opioid medications after surgery. Is it time for Americans to change their approach to postoperative pain management?

The widespread habit of prescribing narcotics at discharge after surgery in North America has contributed to a crisis of overdose, addiction, and crime.

A new analysis of a collection of studies finds no evidence that pain control regimens that include opioid narcotic pain medicines are superior to over-the-counter analgesics.

Opioids: More harms than benefits

Researchers from the McGill University Health Centre (Canada) conducted a study to estimate the impact of post-discharge opioid use on self-reported pain intensity and adverse events compared with opioid-free pain management.

Publishing in The Lancet, the investigators combined the results of 47 randomized clinical trials comparing pain management approaches with or without opioids.

Thirty studies involved relatively minor procedures (mostly dental), while 17 involved procedures of moderate extent (including general and orthopedic surgery).

Here are the striking results:

  • Opioids did not impact patient-reported postoperative pain levels (compared with simple over-the-counter analgesics.
  • Opioids increase the risk of nausea, vomiting, constipation, drowsiness, and dizziness.
  • There appeared to be no differences in other aspects of recovery (patient satisfaction, ability to do daily activities, and emergency department visits).

My take

We can do better. The researchers note that six percent of surgical patients (who are opioid-naïve) become persistent opioid users after receiving a prescription at surgical discharge.

Moreover, there is waste (that can get into our water supply): The study authors explain that patients do not use up to 70 percent of postoperative narcotics. In addition, criminals may gain access to these pills.

Clinicians need to mitigate postoperative overprescribing, even as we aim to ensure that our patients have adequate pain relief.

How Migraine Changed the Way I Use Technology

by Yuri Cárdenas: For Complete Post, Click Here…

If there are two things I know, it’s technology and migraine disease. But my relationship with technology took on a whole new meaning when I became disabled by chronic migraine.

I lived in the San Francisco, California Bay Area through the two tech booms when I built websites in the 90s, programmed interactive educational toys, and went on to produce and design those toys and games. Eventually, I moved on to interactive installations. So, I know ‘tech’.

Using the internet as a tool

I research the migraine-related suggestions I find online and ask my headache specialist about them. Thanks to technology and the internet, I have access to information that leads to access to treatments.

I learn something new every day I go online: medication ideas, nonpharmaceutical treatment ideas, and equally as important, I find connection, emotional support, and validation.

Chronic migraine can be terribly isolating. When sensory input can be uncomfortable to unbearable, many of us have to stay away from most social environments.

Migraine also faces so much global stigma that it is hard for people to understand what you’re going through. Thanks to places like Facebook groups and Instagram, I have access to thousands of people living with the same disease as me, people who understand.

Devices and tech

My physical relationship with technology has changed a lot as well. I grew up with a mother who needed hearing aids, and later needed voice-to-text, so I knew about assistive devices. It took me years before I looked to tech to help my life with migraine disease.

Technology can actually help treat migraine symptoms or even prevent an attack. Neuromodulation devices can be used to stimulate nerves and modulate atypical neural pathway behavior. There are currently five devices on the market that act on different nerves.

I have tried two that don’t work for me, and one that I cannot live without. While most are costly and inaccessible for many, some devices allow returns and are worth looking into. Like all things migraine, you have to try it to know if it will work for you.

11 disability podcasts that give advice, support and humour

From Disability Horizons (UK): For Complete Post, Click Here…

Podcasts are a great media source for information, education, laughter, escapism and relaxation. You can listen to them anywhere – at home, in the office, in the car, on public transport and even on holiday. Plus, you can easily access them on any device at no cost.

Here at Disability Horizons, we recommend 11 of the best disability podcasts you should listen to for advice, support, humour and entertainment.

It’s Good To Walk

Ed Jackson became disabled following a swimming pool accident, which left him with dislocated C6/C7 vertebrae and a ruined rugby career.

Despite this, he has gone on to be an adventurer, charity founder, broadcaster, speaker, author, brand ambassador and mentor.

Ed is best known for presenting Channel 4’s European Champions Cup rugby highlights and doing commentary for the Six Nations. He was also part of Channel 4’s presenting team for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.

and many more…

Psychedelic Drug Therapy May Help Treat Alcohol Addiction

From Neurosciences News: For Complete Post, Click Here…

ngd- Old News. In the ’70s, LSD and other hallucinogens wer studied to see their impact on alcoholism and they found the same thing as this study. Then the US Government buried hallucinogen research for decaders. LSD was a better painkiller than morphine in hospice, and lasted 4 times longer…

Two doses of psilocybin, a compound found in psychedelic mushrooms, reduces heavy drinking by 83% on average among heavy drinkers when combined with psychotherapy, a new study shows.

Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the investigation involved 93 men and women with alcohol dependence.

They were randomly assigned to receive either two doses of psilocybin or an antihistamine placebo. Neither the researchers nor the study participants knew which medication they received.

Within an eight-month period from the start of their treatment, those who were given psilocybin reduced heavy drinking by 83% relative to their drinking before the study began. Meanwhile, those who had received antihistamine reduced their drinking by 51%.

Among the other key findings, the study showed that eight months after their first dose, almost half (48%) of those who received psilocybin stopped drinking altogether compared with 24% of the placebo group.

ABLE ACCOUNT DECISION GUIDE SERIES: Managing Your ABLE Account

From ABLE National Resource Center: For Complete Post, Click Here…

Knowing how to manage money in your ABLE account will help the account to grow tax-free to best support you in achieving your goals and dreams. In order to make the most out of your ABLE account, it will be helpful to apply the basics of money management so that you can choose the types of savings options and investments that best fit your needs and goals.

Managing your money – whether in your ABLE account or another savings or investment account – requires building financial skills, Making Smart Financial Decisions, developing goals for your life and finances, putting a plan to achieve those goals into action and being committed to saving.

Smart money habits include controlling spending, eliminating impulse buys, not living beyond your financial means and reviewing and focusing on your goals over time to see if you need to make any changes. If you decide that you need help to keep on track, the ABLE National Resource Center (ABLE NRC) has tips and choices for you to consider. The more you make good money habits a part of your daily life, the easier it will be to meet or exceed your goals and enhance your financial health, independence and quality of life.

Mistakes Politicians Make With Disabled Voters

By Andrew Pulrang: For Complete Post, Click Here…

Earlier this summer, candidate for Minnesota Secretary of State Kim Crockett, questioned whether people who need help to vote should even be voting at all:

Some habits, practices, and statements from candidates, like this one, reveal a genuinely concerning ableism. Others, though still harmful, can be fairly categorized as “gaffes” — or perhaps more specifically, “rookie ableism.” Some observers might regard Crockett’s remarks as only accidentally “offending” non-English speakers and people with disabilities. But at least from a disability perspective, it seems more like an unintended but accurate peek at a deeper philosophy of voting — one that is instinctively more restrictive and wary of an expanding electorate, and which includes a fundamental questioning of the right to vote for people with certain disabilities.

Crockett’s words certainly seem to reflect a common ableist belief — that disability makes at least some people unqualified for certain basic rights of citizenship and participation in modern life. Other examples of deeper ableist ideologies commonly held and heard can include:

  • The idea that employment opportunities for some disabled people are essentially charity, not a fair exchange of valuable labor deserving equitable payment.
  • The notion that certain kinds of disabled people are better off being “cared for” in congregate facilities like nursing homes, group homes and institutions, and psychiatric hospitals.
  • An instinctive conviction that human society is “healthier” and more “fit” when there are fewer disabled people.

Nimble one-finger cutter

From Disability Horizons: For Complete Post, Click Here…

  • Safe, compact one-finger cutting tool that fits onto the end of your fingertip – similar to a thimble
  • Ideal for people with limited hand function and/or have difficulty using scissors and knives
  • Can cut countless everyday items – paper, packaging, tape, cardboard, polythene, coupons, art supplies and much more

Scroll down for more information and reviews.

Categories: Top buys from the Disability Horizons Shop, Disability aids for the homeTags: kitchen aids for disabled, multi-purpose tool, Trabasack, accessible cutter, easy life gadgets, one handed cutting tool, tools, homeware, accessible homeware, kitchen aidsBrands: Disability Horizons Shop

Fecal Transplant With Anti-Inflammatory Diet Yields Remissions in UC

by Zaina Hamza: For Complete Post, Click Here…

A fourth of patients maintained deep remission at 1 year in small randomized trial in India.

Multidonor fecal microbiota transplantation coupled with an anti-inflammatory diet (FMT-AID) induced remissions in patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis when added to standard medical therapy, a randomized trial in India found.

In a modified intention-to-treat analysis involving 66 patients, 65.7% of those in the FMT-AID group had a clinical response at 8 weeks compared with 35.5% of those assigned to optimized standard medical therapy alone (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.3-9.6, P=0.01), reported Vineet Ahuja, MD, DM, of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, and colleagues.