Doctor Challenges Cause Of MS And Treatment

Doctor Challenges Cause Of MS And Treatment : NPR: It's been thought that multiple sclerosis is caused by a misguided immune system that attacks the nerves of the brain and spinal cord and can lead to muscle weakness, paralysis and death. However, Italian physician Paolo Zamboni suggests that the disease instead is the result of blocked blood veins — leading to inflammation, which, in turn, causes the immune system to attack nerves in the brain and spinal cord.

Health Update from Joni Eareckson Tada

Health Update | Blog | Joni and Friends: Joni has turned a significant corner in her battle against cancer – join her and her husband Ken as they reflect on how far God has brought them, and what lies ahead.

The Ethics of Assisted Suicide

OrthodoxyToday.org | The Ethics of Assisted Suicide: The present article surveys the teachings of the earliest Christians, Christians removed at most only a few generations from Christ and who preserved His spirit and words and Bible interpretations, to ascertain whether suicide and assisting suicide conform to Jesus’ way of love for all humankind. This article is therefore relevant to all people interested in Christian ethics, and to people who believe that if they kill themselves they will be mercifully welcomed into a better existence in heaven.

No right to assisted suicide in Europe

Court Judgement On Swiss Assisted Suicide Row | HUMANERIGHTSEUROPE: The Court acknowledged that the right of an individual to decide how and when to end his life, provided that said individual was in a position to make up his own mind in that respect and to take the appropriate action, was one aspect of the right to respect for private life. However, the dispute in Mr Haas’ case concerned another matter: whether or not under Article 8 the State had the “positive obligation” to enable him to obtain, without a prescription, a substance enabling him to end his life without pain and without risk of failure.

Dutch activists planning euthanasia clinic

The Dutch voluntary euthanasia society is planning to open an eight-person clinic in 2012 where people can go to end their lives. It estimates that about 1,000 people a year would take advantage of its facilities. It would cater for people whose doctors have refused to euthanize them. Not only people with an incurable illness, but also people with chronic psychiatric conditions and dementia would be welcome.

Reported deaths by euthanasia in the Netherlands rose 13% to 2,636 in 2009, although it is strongly suspected that there are many unreported euthanasia deaths. Euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands under certain conditions. The patient is supposed to be suffering unbearable pain and the doctor must be convinced the patient is making an informed choice. The opinion of a second doctor is also required. It is not altogether clear how the proposed clinic would meet these guidelines. The Dutch medical association does not support the clinic - partly because patients would only stay there for three days before they died. NRC.nl

Latest issue of Caring Right at Home

Growing Older Leads to Greater Emotional Stability

Home Care Supports Heart Health

Friends, Family May Detect Early Alzheimer's Better than Traditional Tests

For Elderly, Even Ground-Level Falls Can Be Dangerous

What About "Anti-Aging" Hormones?

Optimism Can Enhance Your Long-Term Health

Optimism Can Enhance Your Long-Term Health: It's a well-known fact that being optimistic and focusing on emotional wellness seems to reduce stress. But did you know that a glass-half-full kind of attitude can offer even more tangible health benefits? Research has found, for instance, that an upbeat attitude, or happiness, can help lessen the burden of chronic pain, say from arthritis, or even reduce your chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

French Senate defeats euthanasia bill

Euthanasia Prevention Coalition: French Senate defeats euthanasia bill by 170 to 142.: Last night the Senate in France defeated a bill to legalize euthanasia by a vote of 170 to 142. The bill would have allowed euthanasia for people with disabilities, those with chronic conditions and people who are defined as terminal.

Prime Minister François Fillon had spoke out against the bill a few days earlier. He thought such a law would not fit in with the “basic values of our society” and that to legislate giving the right to end someone’s life was a limit “we should not go beyond.”

The Infirmity Of Old Age

Political Mavens » The Infirmity Of Old Age: One of the goals of an enlightened society is to ensure those with dementia, who can no longer pursue their lives’ work and dreams, can be made happy, safe, and secure. To assist with this, patients, family members, and caregivers would be well-advised to be informed if future testing suggests the likelihood of contracting Alzheimer’s disease.

700 anti-euthanasia protestors ‘die’ in front of French Senate

700 anti-euthanasia protestors ‘die’ in front of French Senate | LifeSiteNews.com: While the French Senate was debating the legalization of euthanasia in Paris today, the “Alliance pour les droits de la vie” (alliance for the rights of life) organized a theatrical demonstration to attract media attention to the realities of so-called “mercy-killing.”

The choreographed protest involved 700 demonstrators who were “killed” and placed in white body bags on the ground by one by several dozen “doctors” wearing green surgeon’s coats, masks and boots, and latex gloves. After this “Death” moved through the silent rows of perfectly immobile victims, making sure they had been properly “killed.”

Mixed Messages on Suicide Prevention in Vermont

Mixed Messages on Suicide Prevention in Vermont » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: Vermont school administrators, guidance counselors and teachers routinely receive training on how to prevent teen suicides. That’s good. But whatever would get teens to think suicide could be acceptable answer to ending human suffering? Oh, yes: The new governor of Vermont ran on a plank of legalizing assisted suicide and a big push is to be made in the legislature to pass just such a law.

Belgian Doctors Harvesting Organs From Disabled Euthanasia Donors

Belgian Doctors Harvesting Organs From Disabled Euthanasia Donors » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: A letter in a transplant medicine journal in which doctors admitted harvesting organs from the euthanasia of a catastrophically disabled woman. They had done it, the letter stated, ergo it was ethical.

India doctors to examine 'euthanasia' woman

BBC News - India doctors to examine 'euthanasia' woman: India's Supreme Court has directed three doctors to examine the medical condition of a woman who has been in a vegetative state since 1973. The court is hearing a plea to end the life of Aruna Shanbaug, a nurse in Mumbai who has been paralysed and considered 'brain-dead' since she was attacked by a rapist in November 1973. The court will examine if the plea is 'akin to euthanasia'. Hospital authorities say she accepts food, responds by facial expressions, and also by making sounds.

Book: A Gift in Time

When prenatal testing reveals that an unborn child is expected to die before or shortly after birth, some parents will choose to proceed with the pregnancy and to welcome their child into the world. With compassion and support, A Gift of Time walks them step-by-step through this challenging and emotional experience -- from the infant's life-limiting prenatal diagnosis and the decision to have the baby to coping with the pregnancy and making plans for the baby's birth and death.

A Gift of Time also offers inspiration and reassurance through the memories of numerous parents who have loved a child who did not survive, including Kristin Koning whose story is also featured in A Unique Journey on BFL's website.

Full of practical suggestions for parents and for caregivers, A Gift of Time also features the innovative concept of perinatal hospice and palliative care. Caring and thoughtful, the book helps parents embrace the extraordinary time they will have with their child.

Words Matter: How End-of-Life Rhetoric Undermines Good Palliative Care

Bioethics Forum blog - Words Matter: How “EOL” Rhetoric Undermines Good Palliative Care: What are some likely consequences of jettisoning the rhetoric of “ethics at [the end of life]” and adopting instead “good doctoring” and “good nursing” for patients near the end of life?

The man who risked everything to oppose the culture of death

The man who risked everything to oppose the culture of death | LifeSiteNews.com: The only judge to stand up to the Nazis outlived the “1000-year Reich” by forty-one years. Twenty years after his death, Germany held a memorial honoring Lothar Kreyssig's bravery and compassion.

In a culture where “go along to get along” was literally a survival strategy, Kreyssig refused to be silent. When the majority of German Potestants adapted the faith to the demands of the Reich, he refused to go along and made it clear that there was a higher law. Thankfully, defending the sanctity of life nowadays doesn’t require anything like Kreyssig’s courage.

Circle of Care seminar in Grand Rapids, MI

Advance directives can ease the stress of life-or-death medical decisions

Advance directives can ease the stress of life-or-death medical decisions: The critical role of the surrogate decision-maker deserves more attention and support, say experts. It's incredibly stressful - on a par psychologically with having your house burn down. Too often, hospital staff and clinicians want to move into the decision-making phase without taking into account the family members' need to come to terms with the situation.

House GOP begins long drive to dismantle Obamacare

Byron York: Everyone knows House Republicans (along with three Democrats) voted Wednesday to repeal Obamacare. But fewer people know what those same House Republicans -- this time, with 14 Democrats -- did Thursday. By a vote of 253 to 175, the GOP directed key House committees to report on ways to lower health care premiums, allow patients to keep their current health plans, increase access to coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, and decrease the price of medical liability lawsuits. In other words, the committees are beginning work on replacing the House-repealed Obamacare with Republican health policies.

What is LIFT?

View more presentations from Baptists for Life, Inc..

The Disturbing Rehabilitation of Dr. Kevorkian

The Disturbing Rehabilitation of Dr. Kevorkian - By Wesley J. Smith - The Corner - National Review Online: Jack Kevorkian announced his actual purpose unequivocally in his 1991 book, Prescription: Medicide. It was definitely not the relief of suffering. “What I find most satisfying is the prospect of making possible the performance of invaluable experiments or other beneficial medical acts under conditions that this first unpleasant step can help establish, in a word, obitiatry.” In other words, Kevorkian wanted to engage in human vivisection. This clearly disturbed man was just called “extraordinary” at the Golden Globes.

Media suggesting double murder is ‘mercy killing’

Media criticized for suggesting double murder is possible ‘mercy killing’ | LifeSiteNews.com: On Saturday, January 15, 2011, Sylvain Guidi allegedly shot his elderly father and mother in the family home in St-Jean-de-Matha, Quebec.

Some media outlets picked up on a comment by Guidi’s defence lawyer Michel Leclerc, who, admitting that he only met with his client “for a few minutes” at the Joliette, Quebec courthouse on Monday, told reporters the circumstances of the double deaths “appear to have involved elements of compassion. His father and mother were sick.”

Coroner expresses disbelief that pool was not searched for missing toddler

Coroner expresses disbelief that pool was not search for missing toddler | The Australian Is the tragic drowning of a disabled toddler in Sydney an indirect consequence of publicity given to the merits of legalised euthanasia?

More Down syndrome babies will die with new 98% accurate test: disability rights campaigners

More Down syndrome babies will die with new 98% accurate test: disability rights campaigners | LifeSiteNews.com: British disability rights campaigners have warned that the test will simply result in more Down syndrome babies being killed by abortion before they can take their first breath. In some parts of the Western world the abortion rate for babies diagnosed with Down syndrome is already as high as 90%.

Kevorkian Demonstrates That Killing Can be a Path to Fame and Fortune

Kevorkian Demonstrates That Killing Can be a Path to Fame and Fortune » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: Wesley Smith writes: "Jack Kevorkian is an icon of all that I see going wrong with our culture. The man was not–and is not–about compassionate help for people who are suffering. His assisted suicide campaign was always about him. Why do I bring this up again? He is speaking at UCLA," and being described as "one of America's most prominent physicians" and "a world renowned pathologist." He is none of those things.

The First Christian Voices Against Euthanasia

OrthodoxyToday.org | The First Christian Voices Against Euthanasia: According to its advocates, euthanasia is morally neutral or even a positive good within the framework of ethics, including Christian ethics. But is euthanasia really moral? It certainly is not when inflicted by Christians.

6 Ways to Let Those with Chronic Illness in Your Church Know You Care

6 Ways to Let Those with Chronic Illness in Your Church Know You Care - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com:

• 60% of those who live with daily illness or pain are between the ages of 18 and 64.
• The divorce rate among the chronically ill is over 75 percent.
• Depression is 15-20% higher for the chronically ill than for the average person.
• Physical illness or uncontrollable physical pain are major factors in up to 70% of suicides.

Whether you see it or not, your church body has many ailing bodies, and they are often accompanied by broken spirits. So, if people aren't talking about their pain, how do you know how to reach out to them?

Suspected victims of Nazi euthanasia found in Austria

Suspected victims of Nazi euthanasia found in Austria - Europe, World - The Independent: Austria announced plans to exhume graves containing the remains of 220 suspected victims of Nazi Germany's infamous euthanasia programme yesterday after building workers unearthed a mass of human bones in the grounds of a psychiatric hospital. The discovery of what are thought to be some of the last hidden graves containing the remains of the tens of thousands of mentally and physically disabled people murdered by the Nazis, was made by workers digging up a yard in the grounds of a hospital in Hall, in the Austrian Tyrol. Officials were shocked by the discovery.

Readings on disability

I've been making revisions to the LIFT manual and came across this interesting series of articles:

• The eugenics movement Britain wants to forget
• When America believed in eugenics
• When the disabled were segregated

France prepares to debate legalization of assisted suicide

France prepares to debate legalization of assisted suicide | LifeSiteNews.com: The French Senate is preparing to debate the legalization of assisted suicide for patients suffering from an “advanced” stage of a serious illness. The language of the two bills under consideration would legalize euthanasia under vague terms that would permit patients to be euthanized because of “psychological” suffering, or even because they are indignant over their circumstances.

Assisted suicide has led to higher suicide rate in Oregon

Assisted suicide has led to higher suicide rate in Oregon: A doctor from Oregon writes: "In September 2010, the Oregon Health Authority released statistics that show our suicide rate is 35 percent higher than the national average. This rate has been “increasing significantly since 2000.” Second, the number of persons dying under our assisted suicide law has been steadily increasing. Third, and yet another distinction for Oregon, we now rank dead last in paid ombudsmen who advocate for the elderly."

Eminent surgeon joins right-to-die campaign

Eminent surgeon joins right-to-die campaign - Home News, UK - The Independent: The heart transplant pioneer Sir Terence English has joined the right-to-die campaign. As one of Britain's most eminent surgeons, and a former president of the Royal College of Surgeons, Sir Terence's involvement will give added impetus to demands for doctors to be allowed to assist terminally ill patients to take their own lives.

Failings in care of dementia sufferers exposed

Failings in care of dementia sufferers exposed - Telegraph: Elderly people suffering from conditions such as Alzheimer's disease are being denied food and drink, while just one in five UK hospitals makes sure that nurses are told if their patients have such a diagnosis. The audit, involving almost 8,000 patients with dementia, found that less than half were given basic tests to assess their brain function – and diagnose their condition, or its deterioration – when they were admitted.

Mass grave of Nazi euthanasia victims uncovered

Mass grave of Nazi euthanasia victims uncovered | LifeSiteNews.com: A mass grave believed to contain the remains of 220 Nazi euthanasia victims has been uncovered in Austria. The grave, which is located on the grounds of the Hall hospital in the state of Tyrol, was discovered by construction workers who were building a new facility on the property. Although tests must still be done to verify the cause of death, the corpses are believed to be those of mentally and physically disabled individuals whom the Nazis deemed “unworthy of life,” and who were often killed with injections of potassium chloride.

Fraction of elder abuse cases reported

Fraction of elder abuse cases reported, study finds - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee: New research from Cornell University's medical college suggests that the incidence of elder abuse and exploitation is far greater than experts had expected. For every elder abuse case reported to a mandated enforcement agency, the survey found, 23.5 unreported cases occurred. What's more, for each case of financial abuse of elders reported to authorities, 43.9 actually occurred - and 57.2 cases of neglect occurred.

5 physicians honored for exemplary care near the end of life

The Hastings Center - Bioethics and Public Policy: A pioneer in establishing palliative care as a medical specialty is one of the five American physicians being honored today for improving the care of patients near the end of life such that maximum comfort and function are both maintained. Others include geriatricians and pediatricians. They were named recipients of the second annual Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Awards.

The Wrong Message Still

The Wrong Message Still: The author writes about why he dislikes "disability simulations," in which the non-disabled attempt to see what it's like to be disabled: "I am baffled as to why non-disabled people see a need to simulate a disability in order to understand our situation. We, the people who live with disabilities . . . must reclaim our dignity and say 'No!' to simulations. I long for the day when disability simulations are dumped into the trash cans of oblivion.

"What can be done to help the nondisabled masses understand the disability experience? Talk to us and ask us questions!"

Infanticide: We Have a Protocol!

Dutch Pat Themselves on the Back For Infanticide: We Have a Protocol! » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: This is the Dutch in a nutshell: If it is “transparent,” then it is okay. That opens the door to a lot of wickedness. Take infanticide. Dutch doctors kill babies born with terminal and disabling conditions. But rather than being ashamed, some are apparently proud because it is done according to procedure.

Understanding wounded brains helps soldiers

Understanding wounded brains helps soldiers: Top Army official | Raw Story: The brains of US soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury remain a mystery to the US armed forces, according to a top US Army official. 'The issue is, we just don't know that much about the brain,' Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army's vice-chief of staff, said in an interview on ABC's 'This Week' Sunday.

Stories of Hope

Research Offers New Hope to Those with Brain Injuries

Music Therapy to Help Brain Injury Patients?

Boy in Serious ATV Crash Will Be Home by Christmas

Adult Stem Cell Research Brings Encouragement to Disabled

Compound Shows Promise Against Brain Injuries

"We Now Know That The Brain Can Make New Connections"

Take advantage of these helpful tools

Ministry Tools | Joni and Friends

Get to Know: Where Is God Ministries

Where Is God Ministries - Finding God's Strength Amidst Chronic Illness and Pain.: Are you searching for God's strength amidst chronic illness and pain? Do you find yourself asking why God allows suffering in this world? Do loved ones claim you must not have enough faith or there must be sin in your life?

Where Is God Ministries strives to help friends, family and churches better understand how to minister to those living with limitations due to chronic illness, pain, injury and disabilities. We offer informative articles, pamphlets, an online support group, resources, stores and a booklet, Not By Sight to help loved ones discover how to be a source of encouragement.

Get to Know: Global Transformation Network

The Global Transformation Network, Inc. is a US, 501c (3) Christian organization, working on behalf of Africa’s persons with disabilities (PWD). Our mission is to be a catalyst within organizations working among the marginalized populations of the world by integrating disability awareness and advocacy strategies into their existing programs. The goal is to relieve the suffering and hopelessness of PWD by giving them access to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Study Linking Vaccine to Autism Was Fraud

Study Linking Vaccine to Autism Was Fraud, Journal Reports - NYTimes.com: The conclusions of the 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues was renounced by 10 of its 13 authors and later retracted by the medical journal Lancet, where it was published. Still, the suggestion the MMR shot was connected to autism spooked parents worldwide and immunization rates for measles, mumps and rubella have never fully recovered. A new examination found, by comparing the reported diagnoses in the paper to hospital records, that Wakefield and colleagues altered facts about patients in their study.

A Reversal on End-of-Life Planning Under Medicare

A Reversal on End-of-Life Planning Under Medicare - NYTimes.com: The Obama administration, reversing course, will revise a Medicare regulation to delete references to end-of-life planning as part of the annual physical examinations covered under the new health care law, administration officials said Tuesday. The move is an abrupt shift, coming just days after the new policy took effect on Jan. 1.

NRLC resources on rationing

This past November, Obama Administration official Donald M. Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, quietly issued a regulation that would have been used to nudge elderly patients to reject lifesaving treatments. NRLC has strongly opposed this controversial provision, known as Section 1223, and the provision did not end up in the final version of Obamacare. When the Obama Administration was unsuccessful in enacting this dangerous provision Donald Berwick, whom NRLC has called a "one-man death panel," used a regulation to do what Congress would not.

But late last night, an abrupt reversal by the Obama administration came when they decided to drop this dangerous "end-of-life care" provision which would have been used to nudge or pressure older people to agree to less and less expensive treatments. The sudden change shows that pro-life opposition can and will make a difference! Stay informed!

How to find the best adult daycare center for your elderly loved one

Adult Day Care, How to find the best adult daycare center for your elderly loved one: Adult day care is a welcome break and a win/win situation for both the elderly family member and the primary caregiver. It provides your family with a safe, caring and friendly environment to get the needed medical and social attention. In addition, it provides caregivers with a breathing space to do other things and reduces the likelihood of burnout from the 24/7 care, while at the same time knowing that their loved ones are getting good care.

Give Parents Perinatal Hospice Option Instead of Abortion

Give Parents Perinatal Hospice Option Instead of Abortion | LifeNews.com: With perinatal hospice, families are given the gift of time to truly cherish the life of the child and allow him or her to be a part of their family, even if it is for a short time. Unfortunately, most couples are not presented the option of perinatal hospice and opt instead to terminate the pregnancy; only 20 percent of these couples opt to bring the pregnancy to term.

Assisted suicide will be high on Swiss political agenda in 2011

Assisted suicide will be high on Swiss political agenda in 2011. - swissinfo: The acquittal of a doctor accused of euthanasia has rekindled the debate on assisted suicide in Switzerland, ahead of votes at the cantonal level on the issue. A regional criminal court ruled in December that the doctor had no choice when she took the final step to end the life of a terminally ill patient. Direct active euthanasia is illegal in Switzerland but assisted suicide and passive euthanasia (mercy killing) are not.

They’re back! - The return of death panels

They’re back! - The return of death panels | LifeSiteNews.com: The object here isn’t to “reduce stress” or promote “patient and family satisfaction”— it’s to convince people to forego treatment when it’s expensive. This is especially true as governments become the health insurer of last and, increasingly, first resort. The government would rather have people pass up expensive treatments voluntarily. But don’t doubt the bureaucracy’s willingness to do it with or without your cooperation.

Editor: Death panels wouldn't be an issue if individuals were paying their own health care costs. But the fact is few, if any, do. If there is a limited supply of money, I can't expect others to pay for any and all services that I might want.

Remodeling Tips For Elder Home Care

Remodeling Tips For Elder Home Care: If you are planning to build an addition, you may want to consider finishing out your existing garage and building a new garage. The cost of building a new garage is far less (in some cases 1/2 as much) than adding additional new living space.

The return of the death panels

Paul Greenberg: As every polemicist knows, the way a question is asked can determine the answer. To quote one of those experts -- a thanatopsist? -- at the University of Michigan, someone with heart disease might be asked: 'If you have another heart attack and your heart stops beating, would you want us to try to restart it?' Or someone with emphysema could be asked, 'Do you want to go on a breathing machine for the rest of your life?' Or the cancer patient would be asked, 'When the time comes, do you want us to use technology to try and delay your death?' As if anyone could know when the time will come, and how the patient will feel about it then. And please note the phraseology: It's not save your life, but delay your death. Never underestimate the power of negative thinking.

Schiavo judge retires with dozens of awards for ordering Terri’s death

Schiavo judge retires with dozens of awards for ordering Terri’s death | LifeSiteNews.com: Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge George Greer is laying aside the judge’s robe after an 18-year career, marked by one case that provoked horror from pro-life advocates nationwide and led to a slew of awards, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Elder Life Planning Seminar with a COMPLIMENTARY Italian Dinner

WHERE: Pietro’s Italian Restaurant - 2780 Birchcrest Dr SE Grand Rapids (off 28^th St)

DATE: Wednesday, January 26, 2011

TIME: 5:30 – 7:00 pm

The evening’s topics include:

· Elder Law Solutions

§ Estate Planning Documents

§ Medicaid/Medicare Planning

§ Social Security - Disability and Retirement

§ Tapping into Government Benefits

§ Caregiver Contracts & Long Term Care Solutions

· Why Updated Powers of Attorney are More Important than Ever

· Tax Strategies for Today’s Seniors

These topics are a growing concern for many people. Please join us for a delicious dinner and important life planning information. ALL AT NO COST, BUT YOU MUST RSVP--ATTENDEE SPACE IS LIMITED!

This event will be held in Pietro’s exquisite private Garden Room and includes a complimentary Italian dinner (salad, breadsticks, pasta, beverage) and a drawing for a FREE Simple Estate Plan which includes a Will, Power of Attorney and Designation of Patient Advocate – a $695 value!!

For Reservations Contact: Jeremy Johnson Phone: 616-458-3994 jjohnson@pmalawpc.com

Woman challenges assisted suicide law

Courthouse News Service: A woman with Huntington's disease and two members of the Final Exit Network challenged the constitutionality of Georgia's in 'Offering to Assist in Suicide Statute' in Federal Court. Pointing out that neither suicide nor attempted suicide are illegal in Georgia, they call the law an overbroad and vague 'viewpoint-based restriction on speech' that is not narrowly tailored to achieve government interest.

Pentagon won't cover brain damage therapy

During the past few decades, scientists have become increasingly persuaded that people who suffer brain injuries benefit from what is called cognitive rehabilitation therapy — a lengthy, painstaking process in which patients relearn basic life tasks such as counting, cooking or remembering directions to get home.

Many neurologists, several major insurance companies and even some medical facilities run by the Pentagon agree that the therapy can help people whose functioning has been diminished by blows to the head. But despite pressure from Congress and the recommendations of military and civilian experts, the Pentagon’s health plan for troops and many veterans refuses to cover the treatment. NPR

Belgian proposal to expand euthanasia

Three members of the Belgian House of Representatives have tabled draft legislation for euthanizing people suffering from dementia. They want to allow people to make a pro-euthanasia advance directive before the onset of dementia.

The same authors have also filed a bill on euthanasia of minors. They propose that a minor with the faculty of discernment (12 years) should be able to request euthanasia under the same conditions as an adult. The decision would be made in consultation with parents and a medical team comprising at least the attending physician, nurse practitioner, a child psychologist or psychiatrist and a social worker. If the minor has no power of discernment, parents could make the request for euthanasia themselves.

Concerns about 'death panels' overhyped

Not everyone in the pro-life movement is on board with the concerns about the “death panels” the Obama administration recently instituted, as one professor says they are overhyped.

Warren Throckmorton is an associate professor of psychology at Grove City College in Pennsylvania and fellow for psychology and public policy with the Center for Vision & Values. He believes the idea has some merit as it, for example, could have helped prevent the painful euthanasia death of Terri Schiavo at her former husband’s hands. But pro-life groups say they worry doctors would be incentivized to pressure patients into making treatment decisions that would ultimately ration their health care.

Throckmorton says the regulations don’t constitute a “death panel” because the meetings with physicians are voluntary, the patient makes his or her own treatment decisions, and helping patients with advanced directives — which could ultimately ensure they do receive lifesaving medical treatment and are not denied care — is generally a good thing. “No death panel there, just the patient, perhaps family, and the physician,” he says. “Since the conversation is voluntary, a patient can avoid the whole thing.” LifeNews

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Just diagnosed and a bit overwhelmed

just diagnosed and a bit overwhelmed - Cancer – CarePages Discussion Forums: "I was just diagnosed with cancer. I have always been the strong one who takes care of others. I am a bit overwhelmed by all this. I don’t know how to let go and just focus on me. And, I am scared. But, I am afraid to let friends and family see that. I need to be strong for them. Any tips?"

5 Tips to Stay Sane While Fighting Cancer

5 Tips to Stay Sane While Fighting Cancer - CarePages.com: It’s often said that staying positive when you’re grappling with a serious disease like cancer is important. But experts say that’s not necessarily the best approach for surviving cancer in good emotional health.

“Getting a diagnosis of cancer is devastating,” says Timothy C. Birdsall, ND, a doctor of naturopathic medicine. “A normal human response is to be devastated and sad, and to grieve.” So how do you survive cancer in good emotional health?

Temple Grandin to speak in Grand Rapids

Temple Grandin, subject of Emmy-winning HBO biopic, coming to Grand Rapids next year | MLive.com: Time magazine recently named Temple Grandin one of 25 'Heroes' in the magazine's '2010 Time 100,' its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. She is the most accomplished and well-known adult with autism in the world. Her books about her interior life as an autistic person have increased the world's understanding of the condition with personal immediacy.

Ms. Grandin will be the featured speaker Monday, January 10, for Calvin College's January Series. Covenant Fine Arts Center on campus, at 12:30 pm. Also available in remote webcast locations.

Change brain-death diagnosis to save organs

Change brain-death diagnosis to save organs - health - 15 December 2010 - New Scientist: One clinical examination should be enough to establish whether a person has no brain activity. A second test is not only unnecessary, but also makes organ donation less likely. So says Eelco Wijdicks of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, whose study is challenging guidelines for diagnosing brain death in certain US states. New York, for example, recommends using two clinical exams 6 hours apart.

Giving Alzheimer’s Patients Their Way, Even Chocolate

Alzheimer’s Therapy Focuses on Care - NYTimes.com: Research suggests that creating positive emotional experiences for Alzheimer’s patients diminishes distress and behavior problems. Disregarding typical nursing-home rules, Beatitudes allows Alzheimer’s patients to sleep, be bathed and dine whenever they want, even at 2 a.m. They eat anything they want too, no matter how unhealthy, including unlimited chocolate. One woman was given a baby doll, a move that seemed so jarring that a supervisor initially objected until she saw how calm Ms. Nance became when she rocked, caressed and fed her “baby,” often agreeing to eat herself after the doll “ate” several spoonfuls. Patients at Beatitudes are allowed practically anything that brings comfort.

Some efforts involve stopping anti-anxiety or antipsychotic drugs, used to quell hallucinations or aggression, but potentially harmful to dementia patients, who can be especially sensitive to side effects. Instead, some experts recommend primarily giving drugs for pain or depression, addressing what might be making patients unhappy.

Others recommend making cosmetic changes to rooms and buildings to affect behavior or mood. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that brightening lights in dementia facilities decreased depression, cognitive deterioration and loss of functional abilities. Increased light bolsters circadian rhythms and helps patients see better so they can be more active.

Insights Give Hope for New Attack on Alzheimer’s

Insights Give Hope for New Attack on Alzheimer’s - NYTimes.com: Most people with Alzheimer’s seem to make normal amounts of amyloid. They just can’t get rid of it. That discovery is part of a wave of unexpected findings that are enriching scientists’ views of the genesis of Alzheimer’s disease. In some cases, like the story of amyloid disposal, the work points to new ways to understand and attack the disease. If researchers could find a way to speed up disposal, perhaps they could slow down or halt the disease.

Early Alzheimer’s Detection, but When to Tell the Patient?

Early Alzheimer’s Detection, but When to Tell the Patient? - NYTimes.com: The new diagnostic tests are leading to a moral dilemma. Since there is no treatment for Alzheimer’s, is it a good thing to tell people, years earlier, that they have this progressive degenerative brain disease or have a good chance of getting it?

Korean elderly eager to sign no-life-support pledge

Elderly eager to sign no-life-support pledge - INSIDE JoongAng Daily: A seminar on a patient’s right to refuse life support in hospitals was held in Seoul last month, and after a JoongAng Ilbo report the following day, more than a hundred people, mostly elderly, called the host of the seminar saying they wanted a “living will.” The Bioethics Policy Research Center said it has received about 40 calls a day asking for information on what it calls a no-life-support “pledge” since the article was published.

In New Year's trying times, choose life

In New Year's trying times, choose life - USATODAY.com: It's the time of year for New Year's resolutions: quit smoking; lose weight. You know the drill. Most resolutions address life around the edges. Might I suggest something that gets to the root of the matter? Choose life.