Promising Hope for Parkinson Sufferers?

According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association this month, people with advanced Parkinson’s disease who received deep brain stimulation showed greater improvement in movement and quality of life after six months than those treated with medication.

Parkinson’s disease affects close to 2 million Americans with over 50,000 new cases yearly. The average age of onset is 65 (though it can occur younger, i.e. Michael J. Fox). This study was the first study to actually include older people who are in the majority among sufferers. Read the full story

The loss of a child, or any family member, is a tragedy to the involved family. In 1996, the Federal Government passed a law, HIPAA, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 to protect the privacy of health information and keep it from being disseminated publicly. It was designed to protect your civil rights as it relates to your personal health. Yet, the death of Jett Travolta has evoked media coverage that belies this privacy right of Jett and his family. Read the full story

It’s the start of a new year. At this time of year, most people make resolutions, particularly about their health. In the January issue of the Erickson Tribune, one of our writers listed a toolkit to help you stay on top of your health. It requires no hard work. It does require taking charge of your life. Here is the list to help you get a head start on 2009.

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There are lots of outside negative influences on our lives today. Effects of negative presidential campaign advertising have been studied but most refer to the impact of this type of campaigning on the voter turnout but not on emotions. To see more about negative campaign ads in this 2008 presidential campaign and the emotional responses they reap, read my blogs here and here.

But today, we deal not only with fear inducing negative campaigning but also extensive media coverage of a rapidly declining economy that has reached world wide proportions. This can lead to anxiety and even depression. Today, I thought I would reprint an article that appeared in the Erickson Read the full story

I’ve just returned from the kick-off for this year’s AARP convention, and since I’m not yet old enough to have my own membership card, its made me truly anticipate the day that I do.

There are people here from all walks of life, all ethnicities… people from all 50 states and over 13 countries. Some are dressed in Sunday best, others in comfortable, casual clothing and ready for a long day of learning, walking, and exploring both the convention and the nation’s capital.

There is excitement and anticipation in the air, not to mention a sense of purpose–the people attending seem to be creating an energy all their own.  With 40 million members, it’s no surprise that even a fraction of those members attending can cause an electric force all their own. Read the full story