Month: July 2023

Why Aren’t Homeless Shelters Accommodating People Who Have Disabilities?

By Corey McDonald: Complete Post through this link…

With homelessness on the rise, the U.S. shelter system is ill-equipped to accommodate disabled occupants.

As the homelessness crisis continues to grow across the United States, the accessibility of emergency shelters has become ever more critical in guiding vulnerable individuals toward appropriate care.Individuals with physical or cognitive disabilities or mental illnesses are disproportionately more likely to experience homelessness. Homelessness additionally contributes to premature aging, and research shows that eviction can negatively impact birth outcomes and the health of young children, says Giselle Routhier, a research assistant professor and co-director of the Health x Housing Lab in the Department of Population Health at New York University.

But the layout of the country’s shelter system, a critical social safety net to help those experiencing homelessness, often leaves much to be desired. Most shelters lack appropriate space or accommodations for people with disabilities—if they have them at all.

Olive Oil Boosts Brain Health – Linked to 28% Lower Risk of Fatal Dementia

By AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION: Complete Post through this link…

Regular olive oil consumption is associated with a 28% lower risk of fatal dementia.A recent study suggests that incorporating olive oil into one’s diet could help reduce the risk of death from dementia. With many countries witnessing rising rates of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, the study provides hope that diet, among other healthy lifestyle factors, can aid in preventing or slowing down the progression of these debilitating conditions.

New Fluoride-Free Toothpaste Is Just As Effective at Cavity Prevention

By FRONTIERS: Complete Post through this link…

Patients using a toothpaste that contains a mineral crucial to bone formation were not more likely to develop cavities than patients using a fluoride toothpaste.Brushing twice a day is a staple piece of advice for good dental hygiene. However, could the toothpaste we use be further optimized to maintain clean teeth and prevent health issues arising from poor dental health?

Conventionally, toothpastes use fluoride, which is an effective agent for oral hygiene. However, fluoride can sometimes lead to health problems, particularly for children who consume excessive amounts by swallowing toothpaste. To circumvent this, children are typically advised to use only a small quantity of toothpaste, but this may compromise toothbrushing effectiveness. In pursuit of alternatives, an international team of scientists and Polish clinicians have identified a hydroxyapatite toothpaste that appears to be as efficacious as fluoride toothpaste in preventing cavities.“Hydroxyapatite is a safe and effective alternative to fluoride in caries prevention for daily use,” said Professor Elzbieta Paszynska of the Poznan University of Medical Sciences, co-principal investigator and corresponding author of the study published on July 18 in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.

Minimally invasive dentistry

Hydroxyapatite, a calcium phosphate mineral found in our skeleton, is proven to be safe for human consumption and has previously demonstrated efficacy in treating oral conditions like periodontitis. It performs a dual function: inhibiting the demineralization of teeth, a precursor to cavities, and promoting remineralization to strengthen damaged tooth surfaces.

Long COVID Persists as a Mass Disabling Event

by Karen Bonuck, PhD: Complete Post through this link…

The latest CDC data on long COVID in U.S. adults and an alarming World Health Organization (WHO) statementopens in a new tab or window about its long-term impact underscore the pandemic’s lingering and debilitating effects. Like the satirical film “Don’t Look Upopens in a new tab or window,” in which scientists couldn’t focus media or politicians on the climate crisis, most Americans are content to avert their eyes from the long COVID crisis. Meanwhile, the millions now missing from public life because of it have no choice but to stare down the gamut of its sweeping sequelae.

Long COVID: Persistent and Prevalent

Earlier this year, an Israeli studyopens in a new tab or window suggested that many long COVID symptoms resolve within a year. But you can’t see what you don’t measure: fatigue wasn’t studied, despite ranking among the top long COVID symptoms globallyopens in a new tab or window, in the U.S.opens in a new tab or window, and even following asymptomatic infectionopens in a new tab or window. CDC data confirms my tracking of the literature and family’s experience — long COVID is prevalent and impactful. In the latest CDC dataopens in a new tab or window, just over 15% of U.S. adults ever had long COVID, and 5.8% (about 15 million) currently have it. For a condition that’s fallen off the radar for those untouched by it, the percentages of U.S. adults reporting any (4.9%) and significant (1.5%) activity limitations is astonishing.

Dessa Cosma recognized as Disability Pride Month Game Changers honoree

From Detroit Disability Power: Complete Post through this link…

July 26, 2023
The Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers and Comerica Bank continue the Disability Pride Month Game Changers series throughout July by celebrating Cosma, the organization’s founder and executive director.

“We are inspired by the work of Dessa Cosma and Detroit Disability Power, elevating conversations around accessibility, equity and inclusion for the disability community across metro Detroit,” said Kevin Brown, director of community impact for Ilitch Sports + Entertainment. “Dessa is making a lasting impact on the lives of countless others – the true merit of a Game Changers honoree.”

DDP works with local organizations, cultural and academic institutions, business leaders, city officials and policymakers to create more accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
Read the full article here

Why Disability Pride Month is a vital celebration of what it means to be disabled

By Rachel Charlton-Dailey: Complete Post through this link…

We’re not ashamed of who we are.

Disability Pride Month is a time for the disabled community to celebrate who we are and for non-disabled people to take notice and stop seeing us as objects of pity. Founded in 1990, the month aims to bust stigmas around disability and, above all else, show that disability is a part of our lives that we don’t want to hide.A question that is still whispered when the subject of Disability Pride Month comes up is, “Why are you proud to be disabled?”

Unfortunately, I understand why non-disabled people think this, the view of disability that they see in the media isn’t a happy one. Still, overwhelmingly, when disabled people are in TV shows, books, films or the press, it’s a very sad affair. We’re either there as objects of pity or to make non-disabled people feel better about themselves, and most of the time, this is because the writers and actors aren’t disabled and can’t know our experiences.‌

But I’m incredibly proud to be disabled, don’t get me wrong, living in pain isn’t easy. And ableism from the government, society and media makes it much harder to love my life – but I do.

Experts Demand Overhaul of Organ Transplant System During Senate Hearing

by Shannon Firth: Complete Post through this link…

Patient representative has “zero confidence” in change if UNOS remains involved.

Patients, advocates, and one rogue organ procurement organization (OPO) executive, among others, pledged support for legislation that aims to disrupt a decades-long monopoly over the U.S. transplant system during a hearingopens in a new tab or window of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care on Thursday.”Every day 17 people die while on organ transplant waiting lists and another 13 are removed from the waiting list because they’ve become too sick to receive a transplant,” said Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.)

LaQuayia Goldring is one of the more than 100,000 people on that list. At age 3, Wilms tumor, a rare kidney cancer, took over Goldring’s left kidney. She went into kidney failure and received her first transplant when she was 17. By the time she was 25, she was back in kidney failure.

She has waited “9 agonizing years” for a transplant and is now dependent on dialysis 5 days a week.Just a few weeks ago, a donor family reached out to Goldring having chosen her for a kidney transplant, but because of a glitch in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) system, her status was listed as “inactive,” she said. She contacted them and was told this was due to a “clerical error.”

This was not a one-time error, Goldring noted.”UNOS technology is unsecure and unreliable and it crashes hourly and, during that time, transplant candidates are not getting phone calls,” she said. “Every time this happens, patients like me continue to die.”

Gulf War Syndrome Breakthrough? Scientists Say Mysterious Illness Caused by Impaired Mitochondria

By UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA: Complete Post through this link…

UC San Diego scientists contest longstanding hypothesis about mysterious illness affecting Gulf War veterans, providing first direct evidence that symptoms are driven by impaired mitochondria.

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic multisymptom health condition affecting one-third of all veterans who served in the 1991 Gulf War, most of whom remain afflicted more than 30 years later. Common symptoms include fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, joint pain, diarrhea, insomnia, and cognitive impairment.

The condition is believed to have been triggered by veterans’ exposure to environmental toxins. However, its exact mechanism in the body continues to be debated, making it difficult to diagnose and treat. The prevailing notion is that inflammation is the driving force of the symptoms, as inflammatory markers are modestly higher in affected veterans than in healthy controls. However, a rival hypothesis suggests mitochondria — the energy-producing organelle found in most cells — may be the true source of the symptoms.

In a new study, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine put both ideas head-to-head, directly assessing mitochondrial impairment and inflammation in 36 individuals, 19 of whom were veterans with GWI. The findings, published on July 12, 2023, in Scientific Reports, suggest that impaired mitochondrial function, and not inflammation, is the main driver of GWI symptoms and should be the primary target of future clinical interventions.“

This is a radical rethinking of the pathology of GWI,” said corresponding author Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “For veterans who have long struggled to get effective care, this discovery could be a real game changer.”

Scientists Develop a New Promising Treatment for Tinnitus

By MICHIGAN MEDICINE – UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: Complete Post through this link…

Tinnitus, the ringing, buzzing, or hissing sound of silence, ranges in severity from being a minor irritant for some to severely impairing for others. In the United States, as many as 15% of adults experience tinnitus, with close to 40% of those individuals grappling with the condition on a chronic basis and actively pursuing treatments for relief.

A promising new study conducted by scientists at the Kresge Hearing Research Institute of the University of Michigan suggests that such relief might be attainable.

Susan Shore, Ph.D., Professor Emerita in Michigan Medicine’s Department of Otolaryngology and U-M’s Departments of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, led research on how the brain processes bi-sensory information, and how these processes can be harnessed for personalized stimulation to treat tinnitus.Her team’s findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

The team found that when participants received the bi-sensory treatment, they consistently reported improved quality of life, lower handicap scores, and significant reductions in tinnitus loudness. However, these effects were not seen when receiving sound-only stimulation.Further, more than 60% of participants reported significantly reduced tinnitus symptoms after the six weeks of active treatment, but not control treatment. This is consistent with an earlier study by Shore’s team, which showed that the longer participants received active treatment, the greater the reduction in their tinnitus symptoms.

Burden of serious harms from diagnostic error in the USA

By David E Newman-Toker, et al.: Complete Post through this link…

Background Diagnostic errors cause substantial preventable harms worldwide, but rigorous estimates for total burden are lacking. We previously estimated diagnostic error and serious harm rates for key dangerous diseases in major disease categories and validated plausible ranges using clinical experts.

Objective We sought to estimate the annual US burden of serious misdiagnosis-related harms (permanent morbidity, mortality) by combining prior results with rigorous estimates of disease incidence.

Conclusion An estimated 795 000 Americans become permanently disabled or die annually across care settings because dangerous diseases are misdiagnosed. Just 15 diseases account for about half of all serious harms, so the problem may be more tractable than previously imagined.