Health and Disability

http://goo.gl/2tbHm6

The venom from marine cone snails, used to immobilize prey, contains numerous peptides called conotoxins, some of which can act as painkillers in mammals. A recent study in The Journal of General Physiology provides new insight into the mechanisms by which one conotoxin, Vc1.1, inhibits pain. The findings help explain the analgesic powers of this naturally occurring toxin and could eventually lead to the development of synthetic forms of Vc1.1 to treat certain types of neuropathic pain in humans.

Neuropathic pain, a form of chronic pain that occurs in conjunction with injury to - or dysfunction of - the nervous system, can be debilitating and difficult to treat, and the medical community is eager to find better methods to minimize what can be a serious condition. Neuropathic pain is associated with changes in the transmission of signals between neurons, a process that depends on several types of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs). However, given the importance of these VGCCs in mediating normal neurotransmission, using them as a pharmacological target against neuropathic pain could potentially lead to undesirable side effects.

pdf file.....

http://goo.gl/t1o3U3

The prevailing style of management in healthcare is the same as the style described of Western management by Dr.  Deming. (1,2)  It is based on a short-term view, where management sees their job as achieving results by any means necessary. Committees and management batch problems for solving long after the problems have occurred, and the causes are commonly traced back to people. Management spends most of their time in boardrooms or conference rooms without any real understanding of the day-to-day operations, far removed from where the value is added (by the caregivers). Healthcare managers have been led to believe that if they manage the parts of their organization well, then the parts will add up to a well-run organization. This reductionist view may work well for simple systems, but it produces poor quality, high costs, and a lack of cooperation when applied to complex systems like healthcare delivery. 

A video (4 minutes)....

http://goo.gl/94snQs

At Community Care Alliance of Illinois, we are bringing a new level of healthcare to people with disabilities and seniors in Chicago. Our ground breaking model of care for medical recipients is built around a system of anchor health homes. Anchor health homes offer a one stop comprehensive solution for enrollees healthcare needs.

That time of year, and apparently worse than normal......

http://goo.gl/E9eNz7

Nationwide Allergy Map

See how widespread allergy symptoms are where you live.

What Is an Allergy?

Allergies are an abnormal response of the immune system. People who have allergies have an immune system that reacts to a usually harmless substance in the environment. This substance (pollen, mold, and animal dander, for example) is called an allergen.

Allergies are a very common problem, affecting at least two out of every 10 Americans.

http://goo.gl/GJdw3C

But 8 million new enrollees do not tell the complete success story of the ACA. According to a recently released RAND study, 9.3 million Americans were newly insured between September 2013 and mid-March 2014. In addition, Gallup recently reported that 4 percent of the American population became newly insured in 2014, and about half of these individuals obtained coverage through the marketplaces. Overall, these figures represent a drop in the uninsured population from 20.5 percent to 15.8 percent.

What do these enrollment numbers mean, exactly? For one, they signify that a great portion of the American public desired access to health insurance and got what they wanted. In March and April alone, three times as many consumers signed up for coverage as the White House had expected. Overwhelmingly, uninsured and underinsured consumers want access to quality, affordable coverage. Although comparing and choosing health plans is not an easy process, and was only made more difficult by technical glitches with marketplace websites, consumers persevered. Their perseverance shows that the Affordable Care Act is delivering something many American consumers want.

http://goo.gl/bWVd2A

The hospital can be a dangerous place. You go to get healed, but there is a significant risk you can get sick from a germ you pick up there.

http://goo.gl/xAEjQc

Chemical injury can happen to anyone. I know. I was healthy. I breathed the air when chemicalswere sprayed during a remodeling project. My life changed overnight. I am now chemically sensitive.

Awareness can protect us. Awareness can help others who have been injured. Knowledge is power.

Others are helping create awareness of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Learn from them as well.

May is MCS/Toxic Injury Awareness Month 

http://goo.gl/GWHpGV

People who received the world's first stem cell treatment for strokes have shown measurable reductions in disability and handicap a year after the injection into their damaged brains.

http://goo.gl/Zn3LlS

This doesn’t have to be our reality. In clinics where Health Leads operates, physicians and other providers can “prescribe” food, heat, and other basic resources their patients need to be healthy, alongside medical care. Patients then take those “prescriptions” to our clinic waiting room, where our volunteers (Advocates) work side-by-side with them to access community resources and public benefits. This year, Health Leads’ corps of nearly 1,000 college student volunteers will work to connect 14,000 patients and their families with critical resources in 20 clinics across 6 cities.

In looking at other organizations that successfully had changed health care practices, we learned that peer-to-peer championship across health systems was far more effective and efficient than just increasing in size. This insight allowed us to take a minimalist approach to replication. Our intent is to partner with a small number of health systems across important market segments (such as academic medical centers, faith-based health systems, and for-profit hospital networks) and create models—“lighthouse” accounts—that can help us collect data and serve as reference points for other health care institutions.

http://goo.gl/n2QZyv

People younger than 55 would become eligible for a program to prevent unnecessary nursing home admissions if lawmakers pass a bill introduced Thursday in the U.S. House of Representatives.

These younger people currently are not allowed to participate in the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), noted bill sponsor Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). The program, which now is running in 31 states, has been a “huge success,” Blumenauer said. The bill that he introduced with Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) would bring younger people “into the fold” in a budget-neutral manner, he said.

PACE is designed for individuals who need a nursing home level of care. But instead of institutional care, it puts in place a healthcare team to enable participants to live in home- or community-based settings whenever possible. PACE is run through private health plans that receive capitated payments from the government. They are charged with providing coordinated care for people who otherwise would be billing Medicare and/or Medicaid for less integrated services.