Good News About Health: Jan-Mar 2009 Archive
Stroke patients regain sight after intensive brain training
(Ian Sample, Science Correspondent, The Guardian) Thousands of people left partially blind by strokes could regain some of their sight by doing exercises to retrain their brains, according to a study. Patients who completed an intensive course designed by neuroscientists showed a marked improvement in their vision, with some being able to see well enough to drive a car once again.
The Kenny Rogers Effect: Music Helps Stroke Victims
(Brandon Keim, Wired) Music was the best medicine for four stroke victims whose cognitive impairments lessened while listening to songs they loved. The music stimulated neurological pleasure centers adjacent to damaged brain regions, apparently producing a therapeutic crossover effect. "There seems to be a strong coupling in the brain between emotional and attentional areas," said study co-author David Soto, an Imperial College London neuroscientist. "When emotional areas light up and are activated, the attentional system seems to be more effective as well."
How one nurse helped stop killer bedsores
(Jane Elliott, Health reporter, BBC News ) Moving a patient relieves bedsores. It sounds obvious today, but it took the work of an innovative nurse in the 1950s working with a group of elderly patients to realize it. Bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers, are lesions caused by a number of factors including unrelieved pressure. The elderly and infirm are particularly vulnerable, with bony areas of the body particularly prone. Before Doreen Norton carried out her research, nurses had over a hundred remedies on offer - but none worked.
Treatment for peanut allergies shows promise
(Tara Parker-Pope, New York Times) A medically supervised daily dose of peanuts may help children with peanut allergies greatly increase their tolerance to the food, according to two new studies that raise the possibility of a cure for this potentially life-threatening condition.
Asthma "coaches" keep kids out of the hospital
(Martha Kerr, Reuters Health) Community health workers acting as asthma coaches are able to reduce the need for rehospitalization for asthma episodes among children in low-income families, researchers report in the March issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
How to breathe your way to happiness
(Steve Halsall, Mirror) The eternal quest for happiness has thwarted even the greatest minds of scholars over the last couple of thousand years. Happiness is something that ebbs and flows daily, hour by hour and minute by minute.
Teach A Healthy Body, Get A Healthy Mind
(CBS) Over the last year, El Paso eighth grader Valerie Gomez has grown five inches and dropped 25 pounds - quite a change from when CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers first met her 18 months ago.
Local doc offering prepaid visits for patients without insurance
(Angelique Soenarie, Arizona Republic) With rising health care costs and unemployment, prepaid visits to the doctor are one way for the uninsured to afford medical care. A new company started by a physician, the No Insurance Club, is leading the trend by enrolling doctors and nearly 700 uninsured individuals who are willing to pay an annual fee that allows them to see a doctor and obtain low-cost prescriptions when needed.
The life of a bone marrow courier
(Jane Elliott, Health reporter, BBC News ) Beryl Sarsfield is a very special courier. Over the last three years she has made more than 80 trips - many of these over long distances to collect or deliver bone marrow needed for leukemia patients.
Laughter works wonders for health, happiness
(News-Press.com) A study has been released from Loma Linda University discussing the reasons why you feel so good after you just plain have a good "laugh." There is an organization called the American Association for Therapeutic Humor and Dr. Lee Berk, M.D. and Dr. Stanley Tan, M.D. continue to try to get the message out about the value of humor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Bionic eye gives blind man sight
(BBC) A man who lost his sight 30 years ago says he can now see flashes of light after being fitted with a bionic eye. Ron, 73, had the experimental surgery seven months ago at London's Moorfield's eye hospital. He says he can now follow white lines on the road, and even sort socks, using the bionic eye, known as Argus II.
Regular eggs 'no harm to health'
(BBC News) A University of Surrey team said their work suggested most people could eat as many eggs as they wanted without damaging their health. The researchers, who analyzed several studies of egg nutrition, said the idea that eating more than three eggs a week was bad for you was still widespread.
Thanks To The Kindness Of Strangers
(CBS) Each year more than 10,000 people need bone marrow transplants to save their lives, and if a member of their family is not a match, then those patients' futures literally depend on the kindness of strangers. Selfless people willing to donate marrow to anyone who needs it. That is exactly what happened in the inspirational story of little Matthew Welling.