Creeping Sharia: Sun TV needs to expand into the US…immediately. Not only do they cover real issues that every other outlet in the world is afraid to cover honestly, they also source material from the blogosphere when the media fails to do its job.
Dr. Elhagaly is no longer employed or caring for patients at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. We are working with his patients to transition their care to another physician. Because this is a personnel issue, we cannot comment further on Dr. Elhagaly’s employment status. Female circumcision in children, referred to as female genital mutilation in U.S. legal statutes, is a felony-level child abuse crime. Mayo Clinic strongly opposes the procedure and it has never been performed at any Mayo Clinic facility.
Acupuncture (as well as other holistic treatments like acupressure, chiropractic care, Chinese herbs, natural stem cell enhancers, message, Reiki, and ACT allergy treatments) for dogs, cats and other pets are gaining popularity around the world as an alternative or complementary non-medicated treatment.
What is Acupuncture?
Picture Source: http://www.lhasaoms.com
Just One More Pet: Acupuncture is a non-drug treatment modality that was developed about 5,000 years ago by the Chinese. By inserting tiny metal needles into specific points (called "acupoints") in the body, these doctors in the early days discovered that they could cause physiological changes, control and suppress pain, and stimulate organs or body parts.
Acupoints are not random but run along "meridians", which connect the entire body and are the pathways through which the "Qi" (pronounced as "chee"), or life force energy, circulates. Although the meridians run deep in the body, they surface at certain points on the skin. These acupoints are where the meridians can be accessed in order to create change in the associated organs or structures. According to Chinese acupuncture literature, there are 12 major meridians and 365 acupoints in the body.
In Eastern medicine, it is theorized that disorders or diseases occur when the "Qi" is out of balance. Acupuncture is one treatment option that can be used to rebalance the body and create harmony of Qi.
Acupuncture forms part of an ancient Chinese method of diagnosis and treatment known as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). (Besides acupuncture, TCM includes the use of herbs, medical massage, food therapy, and other therapies to rebalance the "Qi".)
In acupuncture for dogs, the "acupoints" which veterinary acupuncturists use are sometimes called "transpositional points", the locations of which are transposed to canines from the human acupoints.
What Kind of Illnesses Can Be Treated by Acupuncture for Dogs?
Acupuncture is NOT appropriate for major acute diseases or emergencies (e.g. broken bones, overwhelming viral or bacterial infections).
Image Credit: CLINT EGBERT/XPRESS
However, it is a great alternative or complementary treatment for chronic diseases.
Acupuncture for dogs can be used to treat a variety of dog health conditions, mainly for pain relief (e.g. caused by osteoarthritis or injuries, etc.) and for treating dogs with neurological conditions, such as epilepsy. However, there are other dog health issues that can benefit from acupuncture as well.
You may want to consider canine acupuncture if your dog is suffering from any of the following problems:
Musculoskeletal Problems: osteoarthritis, hip dysplasia, chronic degenerative joint disease, intervertebral disc disease, tendonitis, sprains and muscle spasms.
Neurological Problems: epilepsy, stroke, deafness, coma, paralysis from disc disease.
In addition to the above, more and more veterinarians are now incorporating acupuncture as a part of canine cancer treatment protocol, either to lessen the side effects of chemotherapy, boost the immune system and improve quality of life, or to actually inhibit the growth of the cancerous tumor itself.
Each treatment is individualized to each dog patient. The acupoints selected, the number of needles, and the length of treatment all depend on the type and severity of the dog's condition.
Acupuncture for dogs is usually performed with small, tiny metal needles.
Most dogs do not mind (and do not even feel) the needles being inserted. Most of them seem to feel relaxed and comfortable. Some go right to sleep during treatment!
Generally speaking, one treatment lasts for 10 to 20 minutes. Most cases are seen once or twice a week at first, after which the number of treatments can be reduced depending on progress.
Besides metal needles, there are some variations that are proving quite successful as well, including:
Aquapuncture: This involves injecting the acupoints with a solution of vitamin B12 and saline. The solution puts pressure on and thus stimulates the point for a longer period of time and is a good technique to use if the dog does not want to stay still for 20 minutes.
Electroacupuncture: This involves connecting electrodes from a small battery-operated unit to the needles in different acupoints. A very gentle current is passed through the points and down the meridians. This type of treatment encourages the flow of energy, blood and lymph along the meridians and speeds up healing.
Laser Acupuncture. This involves the use of lasers rather than needles on acupoints and can be beneficial for dogs who absolutely don't want anything to do with needles.
Moxibustion: This is a very old Chinese treatment modality that involves heating the acupuncture needles with a dried herbal incense. It stimulates blood flow and can be an excellent treatment for older arthritic dogs with sore and stiff joints and tight muscles.
Safety and Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Dogs
Acupuncture for dogs is very safe IF the acupuncturist has received formal training, and most importantly, is licensed.
The effectiveness of canine acupuncture depends on a few factors, such as:
The acupuncturist's experience and technique.
The condition of the dog, e.g. how long the dog has been sick, and how serious the health problem being treated is.
Occasionally a positive response may be seen after only one treatment, but more often than not, 4 to 6 treatments are needed. Sometimes it can take up to eight treatments before results can be seen.
According to Dr. Karen Becker (a holistic vet who also uses pet acupuncture in her practice), about 25% of patients have a very positive response to acupuncture, showing major improvement to the point of fully recovering from the condition. Another 50% of patients experience dramatic improvement but with some symptoms remaining; while 25% have no response at all.
If you look at these figures, it seems that acupuncture works quite well on a rather high percentage of patients. It is definitely worth giving this treatment modality a try.
(Our dogs have experienced acupuncture, acupressure, chiropractic care as well as having taken Chinese herbs and StemPets stem cell enhancers and Goji Juice. I have a cousin whose dog avoided back surgery because of acupuncture and both my husband and daughter have had successful experiences with acupuncture and other natural treatments.)
Where Can I Find Acupuncture Veterinary Professionals?
Medical Excise Tax on Retail Receipts Show How We're Screwed by Obamacare, page 1
Source – h.t to MJ: The receipt (pictured below) spells out what Obama and the feds want to keep secret - the middle class is being heavily taxed despite all the fatuous rhetoric of Democrats who invariably play the class warfare card to sell their confiscatory taxation policies.
"The 2.3% Medical Excise Tax that began on January 1st is supposed to be 'hidden' from the consumer, but it's been brought to the public's attention by hunting and fishing store Cabela's who have refused to hide it and are showing it as a separate line item tax on their receipts," the email states.
Now please hold on and bear with me before you say "OH, another Alex Jones article!" because I did some research and found directly from the IRS's website information that PROVES this to be true and an accurate portrayal of something hidden in Obamacare that I was not aware of!
Now being skeptical of this I went to the IRS website and found this!
Q1. What is the medical device excise tax? A1. Section 4191 of the Internal Revenue Code imposes an excise tax on the sale of certain medical devices by the manufacturer or importer of the device. Q2. When does the tax go into effect? A2. The tax applies to sales of taxable medical devices after Dec. 31, 2012. Q3. How much is the tax? A3. The tax is 2.3 percent of the sale price of the taxable medical device. See Chapter 5 of IRS Publication 510, Excise Taxes, and Notice 2012-77 for additional information on the determination of sale price.
IRS.gov - So being more curious I clicked on "Chapter 5 of IRS Publication 510" And WALLAH! What do I find under "MEDICAL DEVICES" under "MANUFACTURERS TAXES"?
Manufacturers Taxes
The following discussion of manufacturers taxes applies to the tax on:
Sport fishing equipment; Fishing rods and fishing poles; Electric outboard motors; Fishing tackle boxes; Bows, quivers, broadheads, and points; Arrow shafts; Coal; Taxable tires; Gas guzzler automobiles; and Vaccines.
IRS.gov - I think we have definitely been fooled, if we believe that the Affordable Care Act is all about health care. It truly does appear to be nothing more than a bill laden with a whole lot of taxes that we the people have yet to be aware of!
The Cleveland Clinic has chosen weight loss surgery as a treatment for type 2 diabetes as the number one medical invention for 2013, for the unbelievably ludicrous reason that Medicaid and other health insurance will now pay for it, not because it is effective
Bariatric surgery as a treatment for type 2 diabetes is a prescription for the most invasive and costly (not to mention risky) intervention possible for a problem that is firmly rooted in a faulty diet and lack of exercise. Virtually 100 percent of type 2 diabetes cases can be successfully treated and reversed through appropriate lifestyle changes
Complications occur for both types of weight loss surgery, gastric banding and the more invasive gastric bypass. Research has shown your risk of dying within 30 days of gastric bypass surgery is 1 in 50, and 60 percent of patients who undergo gastric banding need to have additional surgery
Your diet is not only the most effective way to reverse type 2 diabetes, it’s the ONLY way to correct the true underlying cause of diabetes, which is faulty insulin and leptin signaling. To reverse the disease, you need to recover your body's insulin and leptin sensitivities through proper diet and exercise, as detailed in my free nutrition plan
The Cleveland Clinic recently published its "Top 10 Medical Inventions for 2013" list1. Doctors and researchers at the Clinic voted for what they thought were the most significant inventions out of 250 submitted ideas.
Noted medical inventions include an implantable neuromodulation device for the treatment of severe cluster headaches, a handheld melanoma detection device, a novel prostate cancer drug, and breast tomosynthesis (a.k.a 3D mammography).
But shockingly, and really almost unbelievably, topping the list at number one is using bariatric surgery for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
According to the Cleveland Clinic:
"Surgery for obesity, often called bariatric surgery, shrinks the stomach into a small pouch and rearranges the digestive tract so that food enters the small intestine at a later point than usual.
Over the years, many doctors performing weight-loss operations found that the surgical procedure would rid patients of Type 2 diabetes, oftentimes before the patient left the hospital.
To explore this diabetes treatment hypothesis, 150 patients with Type 2 diabetes and obesity were enrolled in a study in 2007. 50 patients had gastric bypass surgery.
This is a procedure that reduces stomach volume from the size of an inflated football to a golf ball size; 50 had a sleeve gastrectomy surgery, which reduces the stomach from the size of a football to that of a banana; and 50 were offered counseling in nutrition and exercise while they continued taking their diabetes medication.
By closing off most of the stomach to food, people who received bariatric surgery ate less and, therefore, lost weight. Patients in the study lost about five times as much weight on average as those only taking bloodsugar-lowering medications.
The study results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2012, astounded the medical world.
Compared with patients taking diabetes medication and receiving lifestyle counseling, those who had bariatric surgery were far more likely to be free of diabetes or to have reduced their dependence on diabetes medications for at least two years. The weight-loss surgery also helped many to lower their blood pressure and cholesterol. Most of the patients went from a dozen or more medications daily to none or just a few."
Dr. Michael Roizen, Cleveland Clinic Chief Wellness Officer, told Reuters2:
"Bariatric surgery has been around for a while. The reason it was chosen as the top innovation is because Medicare has broadened its indication for payment, and Medicaid in many states follows Medicare.
A lot of the other (private) insurance companies started covering it, so it's much more accessible. The criteria that insurers use to cover the surgery has been broadened because of its effectiveness in controlling Type 2 diabetes."
While this will probably sound wonderful to some, there's no doubt in my mind that this is absolutely the wrong treatment and not at all an appropriate solution for the vast majority of people, and that's what this list is all about — one of the primary criteria for making it onto the list was the number of people the product or procedure can potentially help.
Bariatric surgery as a treatment for type 2 diabetes is a prescription for the most invasive and costly (not to mention risky) intervention possible for a problem that is firmly rooted in a faulty diet and lack of exercise... What makes this recommendations particularly troublesome is that virtually 100 percent of type 2 diabetes cases can be successfully treated and reversed through appropriate lifestyle changes!
It's also blatantly clear (they even state it outright) that it topped the list because Medicare (i.e. your tax dollars) will now pay for it, NOT because it's been proven safe and effective.
On the contrary, they appear to base their opinion on the results from a singular study. This is probably ill advised.
Dr. John Ioannidis of the Stanford School of Medicine in California warns against placing too much faith in singular medical studies showing large effects of medical treatment (benefits or harms). His massive analysis, recently published in JAMA,3 tracked the fate of thousands of studies, from the effects demonstrated in the initial study, compared to the effects elucidated in subsequent trials.
Interestingly, in 90 percent of cases where "very large" effects were initially reported, such effects shrank or vanished altogether as subsequent studies were done to confirm the results. Dr. Ioannidis told Reuters4:
"Our analysis suggests it is better to wait to see if these very large effects get replicated or not... Keep some healthy skepticism about claims for silver bullets, perfect cures, and huge effects."
In the case of weight loss surgery, there are already a number of studies showing both bariatric surgery and gastric banding are very risky procedures that produce poor long-term outcomes! But of course, that only means the revenue stream from those suffering with type 2 diabetes will continue to flow, and apparently that's what really matters and drives medical recommendations in the US...
Nearly Half of Weight Loss Surgeries Result in Major Complications
All surgeries have inherent risks, but bariatric surgeries seem to have a much higher ratio of complications. Complications occur for both types of weight loss surgery, gastric banding and the more invasive gastric bypass.
For example, a study from 20045 reported that the risk of dying within 30 days of gastric bypass surgery was 1 in 50. And, within the surgeon's first 19 procedures, the odds of death within 30 days were 4.7 times higher, due to inexperience.
Gastric banding consists of surgically inserting a band around the top section of your stomach, and cinching it into a small pouch. This is often touted as a simpler, less invasive procedure to gastric bypass, and whereas gastric banding is at least reversible, while gastric bypass is not, the complications are often so debilitating that patients opt to have the bands removed completely. According to research6 published last year, nearly 40 percent of patients who undergo gastric banding experience major complications, including:
Band erosion Malnutrition Infection
Kidney stones Bowel and gallbladder problems Liver failure
Black-outs Increased risk of death Abnormal band expansion
Furthermore, the study found that:
Nearly 50 percent of patients required removal of their bands
Nearly 1 out of 3 patients experienced band erosion
60 percent needed to undergo additional surgery
The researchers concluded that:
"LAGB [laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding] appears to result in relatively poor long-term outcomes."
Even according to LapBand.com, one American clinical study that included a 3-year follow-up reported a staggering 88 percent of gastric banding patients experienced one or more adverse events, ranging from mild to severe. Common complications, from gastric banding included the following -- and keep in mind that excess weight increases your risks even further, which means everyone who undergoes weight loss surgery is at even greater risk:
Gastroesophageal reflux Band slippage and/or pouch dilation Stomach obstruction
Esophageal dilation Reduced esophageal function Difficulty swallowing
Leaking or twisted access port into the stomach Band eroding into the stomach
Gastric Bypass Will Wreak Havoc on Your Digestive Processes and Ability to Absorb Nutrients
Gastric bypass involves stapling your stomach into a pouch that's only a half-ounce in size, so it literally cannot hold much. The idea is that you'll feel full faster, since your stomach will be unnaturally tiny, but this also means you'll often be eating meals that are sorely lacking in nutritional requirements.
A small opening is also created to allow food to empty slowly from the pouch. Because the opening is so small (made this way deliberately to keep the small amount of food you've eaten in your stomach longer, making you feel "full"), food must be chewed very thoroughly or it won't be able to fit through the opening, leading to vomiting.
You'll also be instructed to eat the protein portion of your meal first, because you very well may get too full to fit in a vegetable or anything else. Even liquids must be restricted for up to 45 minutes before and after a meal, lest they take up what little space you have to consume actual food. As you might suspect, because bariatric surgery patients can consume very little roughage, constipation is often a problem. It is even described as "normal" to have a bowel movement only once every two or three days!
Snacking is also expressly forbidden after gastric bypass, as you're only allowed three small meals a day, and you may have to write off certain foods entirely because your body just can't digest them anymore. This includes red meats, skins of fruits and vegetables (where the bulk of the antioxidants are) and fibrous vegetables. This is simply NOT a healthy way of eating, and the long-term implications are just as severe as the short-term risks. Hair loss and muscle loss are common after the surgery -- both signs that your body is not receiving proper nutrition.
Proper Diet — The Most Important Strategy to Reverse Type 2 Diabetes
What makes this so frustratingly ironic, if not downright tragic, is that your diet is not only the most effective way to reversetype 2 diabetes, it's the ONLY way! Yet the medical community keeps coming up with one bad diabetes treatment after the other, and I think they've really hit it out of the park with this one — all because Medicare and insurance companies will pay for it...
Seven years ago, Dr. Ron Rosedale wrote the article Doctors Cause Diabetics to D.I.E., and if you have type 2 diabetes, or know someone who does, you'd be well advised to read what he has to say on this matter.
"I have been incensed about the traditional medical treatment of diabetes for decades," Dr. Rosedale writes. "Diabetics have been told that they can eat meals multiple times daily that turn into sugar and even sugar itself, as long as they take enough insulin to lower their blood sugar.
The importance of limiting the intake of sugar and foods that turn into sugar has been almost totally ignored. There has been virtually no recognition that high levels of insulin are at least as much of an insult to a person's health as high levels of sugar (see Insulin and its Metabolic Effects).
With blinders on, drugs have been and are still being given to lower blood sugar, even though they essentially whip the islet cells of the pancreas to produce more insulin. These unfortunate, overstressed islet cells have been producing excess insulin for years and often decades to try to compensate for the insensitivity, the resistance of the body's cells to insulin's signal.
This is much like whipping a horse to run faster at the end of a race; it runs faster for a little while, but if you keep doing it, it collapses and dies.
So too do the islet cells that manufacture insulin in the pancreas die when drugs, nay doctors, whip them to keep producing more insulin when they are tired and sick. At this point, a diabetic, who originally had plenty of insulin being produced, and whose problem was merely one of insulin resistance that is easily remedied via proper treatment and diet, now starts losing the ability to produce insulin and becomes, in addition to insulin resistant, insulin deficient; a much more serious and problematic disorder caused by Doctor Induced Exacerbation (DIE)."
Reversing Type 2 Diabetes Sans Surgery or Drugs
Amazingly, one in four Americans has some form of diabetes or pre-diabetes. If this is not a clear sign that conventional health recommendations are flawed, I don't know what is.
I too have personal experience with this disease. I developed it myself at one time, and most of my paternal relatives (my dad included), have, or have died from, diabetes. My personal experience with diabetes and subsequent review of the literature made it VERY clear to me that virtually every case of type 2 diabetes is reversible... And the cure for type 2 diabetes has NOTHING to do with giving insulin or taking drugs to control your blood sugar. In fact, giving insulin to someone with type 2 diabetes is one of the worst things that can be done. Any physician still doing this suffers from profound ignorance of insulin physiology.
It's important to understand that many of the conventional recommendations for treating diabetes are not only flawed but dead wrong. If you need a refresher, please review my previous article, Deaths Halt Diabetes Study. Once you understand that type 2 diabetes is a fully preventable condition that arises from faulty leptin signaling and insulin resistance, the remedy will become clear.
To reverse the disease, you need to recover your body's insulin and leptin sensitivities!
How do you do that? As mentioned earlier, the ONLY way to accomplish this is through proper diet and exercise, as detailed in my free Nutrition Plan. Surgery will not do the trick, and there is NO drug that can correct leptin signaling and insulin resistance... Adhering to the following guidelines can help you do at least three things that are essential for successfully treating diabetes: recover your insulin/leptin sensitivity; normalize your weight; and normalize your blood pressure:
Severely limit or eliminate sugar and grains in your diet, especially fructose which is far more detrimental than any other type of sugar. Following my Nutrition Plan will help you do this without too much fuss.
Exercise regularly. Exercise is an absolutely essential factor, and without it, you're unlikely to get this devastating disease under control. It is one of the fastest and most powerful ways to lower your insulin and leptin resistance. If you're unsure of how to get started, I recommend reviewing my Peak Fitness program for tips and guidelines.
Avoid trans fats.
Get plenty of omega-3 fats from a high quality, animal-based source, such as krill oil.
Optimize your vitamin D levels. Recent studies have revealed that getting enough vitamin D can have a powerful effect on normalizing your blood pressure and that low vitamin D levels may increase your risk of heart disease.
Optimize your gut flora. Your gut is a living ecosystem, full of both good bacteria and bad. Multiple studies have shown that obese people have different intestinal bacteria than lean people. The more good bacteria you have, the stronger your immune system will be and the better your body will function overall. Fortunately, optimizing your gut flora is relatively easy. You can reseed your body with good bacteria by eating fermented foods (such as fermented vegetables, natto, raw organic cheese, or raw milk kefir) or by taking a high quality probiotic supplement.
Address any underlying emotional issues and/or stress. Non-invasive tools like the Emotional Freedom Technique can be helpful and effective.
Monitor your fasting insulin level. This is every bit as important as your fasting blood sugar. You'll want your fasting insulin level to be between 2 and 4. The higher your level, the worse your insulin sensitivity is.
HotAir/Cross-posted at AskMarion: Are you as shocked as Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY)? Somehow, I rather doubt it, and I don’t think Jason Mattera is as surprised as the front-page pic suggests, either. Confronted with the new CBO analysis that shows more than seven million Americans will lose their present health-insurance coverage from ObamaCare despite his repeated assertions that no one would lose their coverage, Rep. Engel tells Jason in this Andrea Tantaros Show video debuting exclusively at Hot Air that Congress can always go back and fix what’s not working.
Funny — Jason doesn’t recall that being mentioned as an option, and neither do I:
Of course, Nancy Pelosi did tell us that we needed to pass the bill to see what was in it. How’s that working out for us? Not so hot, as it turns out, and it’s about to get worse for seniors in Medicare Advantage plans. Avik Roy reminds us that CMS helpfully postponed the deep cuts to the program until after the election so as to remove all of that messy accountability that politicians despise, and “the boom” is coming:
Though Democrats denied it during the 2012 campaign, Obamacare cut Medicare by $716 billion in order to partially fund $1.9 trillion in new entitlement spending over the next ten years. A big chunk of those Medicare cuts came from the market-oriented Medicare Advantage program. Cleverly, the Obama administration postponed the Medicare Advantage cuts until after the election, so as to persuade seniors that everything would be just fine. But the election is over. On Friday, the administration announced that it would be significantly reducing funding for the popular program. Obama’s proposal, according to one analyst, “would turn almost every plan in the industry unprofitable.”
Democrats have long been hostile to the Medicare Advantage program, which allows seniors to get their Medicare coverage through plans administered by private insurers. Today, more than a quarter of retirees get their coverage through Medicare Advantage, and the program has experienced rapid growth over the past decade. Richard Foster, the recently-retired chief actuary of the Medicare program, has projected that Obamacare’s cuts to Medicare Advantage would force half of its current enrollees to switch back to the old, 1965-vintage Medicare program. Robert Book and James Capretta estimate that this will cost enrollees an average of $3,714 in 2017 alone.
The new rates proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a.k.a. CMS, will have the net effect of reducing payments to Medicare Advantage plans by 7 to 8 percent in 2014, according to Citi managed care analyst Carl McDonald. “This includes the 2.3% reduction in per capita growth rate announced by CMS on Friday, and estimated 2-3% drop as rates move to parity with fee for service…a 1.5% reduction associated with the change in coding intensity adjustment” and the 2% health insurance premium tax. “These negatives are partially offset by an estimated 1% benefit from improved Star quality ratings, re-basing, better risk scores, and fee for service normalization, resulting in an overall decline of 7-8%,” wrote McDonald yesterday in a note to clients.
Because the typical for-profit managed care plan targets profit margins of only 5 percent, and non-profits even less, the net consequence would “turn almost every plan in the industry unprofitable,” according to McDonald, unless CMS changes its proposal. “If implemented, these rates and the program changes CMS is suggesting would be enormously disruptive to Medicare Advantage, likely forcing a number of smaller plans out of the business and creating disarray for many seniors.”
B-b-b-b-but if you like your plan, you can keep your plan! That’s what Obama and Democrats like Engel told Americans for months, and even years … until Obama was safely re-elected. Eliot Engel has this message for his constituents (NSFW):
An estimated 5.1 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease. Approximately 10 million Americans are unpaid caregivers for a person with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia. The health and emotional stability of people who care for Alzheimer's patients directly affects the patients themselves, and thus should be an important part of the patients care plans. Caregivers often need some help and just a little break now and then to re-charge their batteries.
In addition, the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and the AARP estimate that in 2005, the economic value of the care provided by the 10 million family members and friends of Alzheimer's patients was almost $83 billion (based on their hours of care, which, for 1 in 4 of the caregivers surveyed, was 40 or more hours per week).
Veteran caregivers are usually stressed on some level but also satisfied that they are providing care for a loved one… or for just another human being needing assistance.
What Caregivers Can Expect in Alzheimer’s Patients as the Disease Progresses:
A decline in logical thinking and judgment
Inappropriate social behaviors
Confusion and disorientation
Wandering
Rummaging and hiding objects
Aggressiveness, anger, and frustration
Hallucinations
Paranoia
Night wakefulness
Refusal to eat
Tips to Lessen the Stresses of Caring for a Loved One With Alzheimer’s Disease:
Alzheimer’s Patient Who Tends to Wander
Recognize common precursors to wandering, such as restlessness and disorientation.
Reassure and reorient the person.
Reduce noise levels and distractions.
Involve the person in productive daily activities and exercise.
Have a written plan for yourself if the person does wander.
Keep a recent photograph of the person to give to police if the person does wander.
Inform the police and your neighbors of the persons tendency to wander.
Have the person wear bright, distinctive clothing.
Label their clothes with a name and phone number.
Alzheimer’s Patient Who Rummages and Hides Things
Lock cabinets and specific rooms.
Store valuables, unsafe substances, car keys, etc. out of reach of the person.
Learn where the person tends to hide objects.
Alzheimer’s Patient Who Becomes Angry or Aggressive
Don’t take the persons belligerence personally.
Don’t confront the person about their behavior, it may be beyond their control.
Give the person (safe) space to let their anger play out.
Look for patterns in potential anger triggers.
Try to change the subject or just ignore comments that could become problematic.
Alzheimer’s Patient Who Hallucinates or Is Paranoid
Don’t argue with the person about whether or not what they are talking about is real.
Increase lighting so there are less shadows.
Remove mirrors.
Alzheimer’s Patient Who Cannot Sleep at Night
Limit intake of caffeine.
Increase physical activity during the day.
Either limit naps, or encourage naps (depending on the persons normal daily routine).
Establish a nighttime routine, including calming elements such as a bath, soft music, and a warm drink (such as milk).
Keep a nightlight on all night.
Alzheimer’s Patient Who Refuses to Eat
Provide the person with a number of small meals throughout the day rather than a few large meals.
Make the person’s favorite food.
Provide finger food.
As the disease progresses, provide soft foods that don’t require chewing.
Remove distractions during mealtimes.
Have a different caregiver help the person with eating, if at all possible.
Caregiver Burden
The daily routine of caring for a chronically ill person can put tremendous physical and emotional strain on caregivers, particularly for families who have assumed care responsibilities more recently. A number of studies have been conducted regarding interventions targeting Alzheimer's caregivers, as research has shown that caretaker burden is a primary reason for placing Alzheimer's patients in nursing homes.
If this (above) is you… time to ask for some assistance and to take a break; at least a short one.
Tips
It is important for caregivers to realize that retraining their patients is, in almost all cases, a wasted effort. A good tip is to put up reminder notes like:
Do not answer the phone
Sit down on the toilet
Do not open this door
Do not turn on the oven (or burners)
Put pads (diapers) here
Be firm when it comes to important issues like rebuking inappropriate sexual advances and stopping your patient’s participation in activities they no longer have the ability to do or activities or actions that could harm them or others like:
Using power tools
Getting up on ladders
Driving
Aggressive physical behavior toward you, others or pets
And learn not to sweat the small stuff!
There also comes a time, different for everyone, if you are the spouse, primary and/or responsible caregiver or financial manager to stop discussing important decisions (or any decisions) with the patient (ill person), take them off as a sole signer on accounts and take away credit cards and access to checks. Patients suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia are prime targets for salespeople, scammers, and down-right thieves. Sometimes even family members will take advantage of AD and dementia patients.
Sometimes family members have a hard time making this transition, but when you think about it logically, why discuss, argue or create problems by discussing matters with someone who will not remember the discussion 5 minutes, an hour or a day later. It often creates unnecessary strife. And far too many people have given away, lost or were swindled out of valuables, needed funds or even fortunes because their caregivers were afraid to step in before it was too late.
Activities
Everyone is different and watching television is a great baby-sitter and activity for patients as the disease progresses, but taking them out on errands, a short walk or to the mall daily or as often as possible helps their attitude and overall well-being.
Reading, if they can, flipping through magazines and doing puzzles or working on the computer are all great alternatives to a full day of nothing but watching TV. Sitting outside in the sun on a nice day is also great for patient’s (everyone’s) overall well-being. See Activities for Alzheimer’s Patients for more ideas.
God bless all the caregivers out there as well as those they watch over!
Council and Heal: Birthday girl Clara Cowell has proved that it's never too late to change bad habits. At 102 years old, she finally quit smoking after picking up the habit in 1931. She did not even quit smoking because of her health - she finally stopped the habit because her family was worried that falling ash would set her house on fire.
According to the Daily Mail, Ms. Cowell has smoked two to three cigarettes a day since picking up the habit - amounting to about 60,000 cigarettes in her lifetime. But the centenarian finally quit at the urges of her family, who worried about the safety of her habit.
Ms. Cowell lives independently. Her daughters say that the secret to her success may be rooted in hard work and poverty, but also something more surprising: her cigarettes and her daily habit of a cup of tea with whiskey.
Indeed, Ms. Cowell's life has been rather tough. When her husband, a coal worker, was called in to fight during World War II, Ms. Cowell tasked herself with raising their four children by herself and working in an ammunition factory. A tailoress by trade, Ms. Cowell sewed parachutes. She says that, like many of the other girls, she took some silk for herself to sew some underwear. She says that the war was hard, that there was never enough to eat or time to sleep, but they did not suffer from the experience.
Ms. Cowell suffered from tuberculosis as a child, but does not believe in medication. At her age, she is now so sprightly that she wowed crowds at her 101st birthday as she performed a waltz. She says that she used to love to dance when she was young, particularly the waltz and the foxtrot.
Ms. Cowell appears to still have quite a bit of life left. Her daughters reported that they spent her birthday at a pub.
In addition to her four children, Ms. Cowell has nine grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
*We are certainly not encouraging people to smoke or to continue their negative habits until late in life. Some of us are blessed with great genes and they can do everything wrong… and still live into their 100’s with overall good health. But most of us aren’t that lucky. And with the cuts before us, especially for seniors, the better you live throughout your life, the better chance you have for living longer in the future.
Binge drinkers may not drink every day. They may drink weekly or less often, although studies show most drink about twice a week. They may or may not be addicted to alcohol.
Binge drinking statistics tell us that binge drinking peaks between the ages of 18 and 22. Many of these drinkers are college students. However, high school students binge drink as well. Statistics indicate that binge drinking often begins as young as 13 years of age. The Dangers of Binge Drinking
There are a large number of dangers of binge drinking. Health-related binge drinking statistics can be alarming. The following health problems have been found to be associated with binge drinking:
Alcohol poisoning.
Liver disease.
High blood pressure, stroke, and other forms of cardiovascular disease.
Neurological damage.
Sexually transmitted diseases.
Unintentional pregnancy.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (if pregnant women binge drink).
Unintentional injuries (such as car accidents, falls, etc.).
Intentional injuries (such as injuries from firearms, domestic violence, etc.).
In addition, it should be noted that the younger one begins drinking, the more likely they are to develop alcohol dependence. For instance, nearly 25% of those who begin drinking alcohol before the age of 17 become alcoholics, compared to 10% of those who begin drinking alcohol after 21 years of age.
Alcohol Poisoning
Alcohol poisoning is one of the greatest dangers of binge drinking. It is a serious condition that can occur when the blood alcohol concentration rises too high. Symptoms include severe vomiting, depressed respirations, and seizures. It can result in coma and even death. Alcohol poisoning requires medical attention and often requires hospitalization in order to stabilize and monitor the patient. Binge drinking is not the only cause of alcohol poisoning, but it is a common cause.
Prevalence of Binge Drinking
The binge drinking statistics tell us that binge drinking as a whole is on the decline, yet it is still very common. Consider the following statistics:
Binge drinking is most common between ages 18 and 22.
42% of college students report binge drinking.
One in five college students is a frequent (weekly) binge drinker.
Half of all students who binge drink do so more than once a week.
Two-thirds of alcohol consumed by college students is consumed by binge drinkers.
60% of all problems with the police on college campuses (such as injuries, vandalism, etc.) involve binge drinkers.
College students often over-estimate the number of their peers who drink, however, and the amount of alcohol consumed by their peers, creating a false sense of pressure to drink.
Preventing Binge Drinking
Binge drinking statistics tell us that the following interventions help to reduce the incidence of binge drinking:
Reduce access to alcohol on college campus by having fewer stores selling alcohol nearby.
Education by high schools and colleges about the dangers of binge drinking.
Physician screening, counseling, and referral for treatment of alcohol problems.
Some also suggest raising the cost of alcoholic beverages and taxes on alcohol to prevent binge drinking. As you may imagine, this strategy is at best controversial. However, it would likely cut down on alcohol abuse altogether, not just binge drinking. It would particularly cut down on alcohol use and abuse among young people, who have less discretionary income, and might have a fairly significant impact on underage drinking.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects millions of people. The destruction of brain cells affects memory and behavior, and it is ultimately fatal.
Although there is no cure, there are treatments that can help the brain function better, strengthen the patient's memory, and slow the progression of the disease.
Physical Activities
There are many activities people with Alzheimer's can do. Physical activity is a very important part of anyone's life; it is especially important if you suffer with degeneration problems of the mind. Physical activities help with blood pressure, proper blood flow, blood sugar, weight gain, and keeping the mind active and sharp. Physical activity for Alzheimer's patients doesn't have to be strenuous. You can help your loved one get involved with swimming, shuffle board or yoga. There are exercise classes at places like the YMCA or senior centers and senior facilities, or you can simply take daily walks around the neighborhood.
Hobbies
Hobbies have long been enjoyed by many people. They can be relaxing, as well as an active part of your life. If you suffer from Alzheimer's, you can try to stay active with your favorite hobby or get started with a new one. Gardening is a great hobby that helps you to use your mind as well as your physical body, which is good for exercise. Try to stay interested in reading if you like to read. You can do this by going to the library regularly to pick out new books, or go to a local bookstore. If you like to draw or paint, get the supplies you need and set up a space at home to do it.
In the early stages, if you like to fix things or work on cars, create an area where you can continue to work on your hobby. Whatever the hobby is, continue working with it so you can stay active. However, there comes a time when using tools, especially electric tools, standing on ladders can create unsafe situations.
Mental Activities
Keeping active will not only help keep your mind strong, but it can help ward off problems such as depression. Mental activities can include getting involved in doing such things as number puzzles, or word puzzles in the newspaper. Stay involved in many different mental tasks and encourage yourself to accomplish these tasks on your own. Household tasks that you should encourage yourself to do include paying your own bills. Figure out the payments then mail them out. Keep trying to buy your own groceries so you can figure out money issues and how to make general payments. You can also take time to work on simple math problems, as well as buy games involving numbers. Crossword puzzles, Sudoku, actual puzzles and working on the computer (should be monitored in some cases), doing activities that stretch the mind, all help keep your mind sharper longer. Or you can help your grandchildren with their math homework. And to keep yourself feeling worthy and needed, let your family know that you are still there for them, even if you just offer a shoulder to lean on.
*Some people keep a puzzle in progress out that they and their spouse, caretaker or even just visitors can help the AD patient work on.
Reading
Reading to Alzheimer's patients is extremely important because it sparks conversation and keeps them engaged. The same is true of flipping through books, magazines and photo albums. Labeling photos that are hanging or standing on display around the house often helps patients with their, at least temporary, memory.
Laughter
Engaging in activities that spark laughter---watching a comedy shows and movies or listening to the radio---is key to the happiness an Alzheimer's patient. During the course of daily activities, try being silly or teasing the person a bit.
Hands On
Although Alzheimer's patients may not be able to engage in all of the things they once did, and the activities and scope will diminish as time goes on, there are a lot of ways they can (and should) keep active. Working in the garden and yard is very therapeutic. Consider weeding, planting and transplanting and raking as possible ways to keep Alzheimer's active. Simple household chores are an option, too, such as washing windows, folding laundry and sorting items like nails, cans or buttons. Once they have moved into the moderate stage… no hammers, saws, scissors or power tools
Cooking
Cooking ‘with’ Alzheimer's patients poses an excellent and enjoyable challenge. Seek out recipes for soups, cookies and cakes as well as salads and instant puddings. Tailor the recipes to the patient's tolerance level to make it an enjoyable activity. Again, cooking becomes more difficult as their condition worsens and they should not be using the stove, oven or sharp knives without supervision.
Social Activities
Being social actually helps prevent AD and also helps slow the progress of the disease. Enrolling Alzheimer's patients in activities, clubs and events for and with other AD patients or with friends and family with similar interests and hobbies, especially if they shared those activities before the onset of the disease, is one of the best things for the AD sufferer as well as their caretakers and family. It gives everyone a break and some fun time away from each other. Senior Daycare, as it has been dubbed, has become as prevalent, popular and often necessary as child and doggie daycare.
Driving
Patients with AD may pose increasing risks when driving, not only to themselves, but also to others, as their illness progresses. Yet the ability to drive may help preserve the quality of their lives in the early stages.
If AD patients can accept the loss of driving privileges voluntarily, as their condition worsens, it is better for everyone involved, patient, caregiver, family and doctors.
Pets and Therapy Pets
A family pet or therapy trained pet can be a great companion and of great comfort to those suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia as long as they are one the those that take their frustration out on the animals. Most AD patients love the companionship and love give my a pet or therapy animal, but seem tend to yell at them, pat them much too hard, try to keep them from leaving their side even for a moment or feed them foods, especially snakes, that make the dogs sick. If you have a family pet or access of a therapy pet or are thinking about getting one, make sure to monitor the behavior of the AD patient and be firm, like with those that exhibit inappropriate sexual behavior, when responding to their actions.
Is it normal for my grandfather, who has Alzheimer's and dementia, to be acting inappropriately towards other people?
Q: My grandfather has mild to moderate Alzheimer's and dementia. Is it normal for him to be acting inappropriately around other people and making sexual advances towards his caregiver? What can we do to make this stop? Any suggestions?
A: One of the things that happens sometimes in people with dementia is that they lose some of their social inhibitions, due to some of the changes in their brains.
Sometimes a person who is making sexual advances is simply lonely or in need of affection. Also, he may think his caregiver is someone else, such as a spouse or someone from his past. And if the person who is making the sexual advances had boundary issues throughout his life the behavior often becomes worse with the onset of the disease.
It's usually not possible to reteach appropriate behaviors, but there are some other things that you might try:
Make sure that your grandfather’s caregiver does nothing to tempt him, that she dresses and behaves modestly. Sometimes the person with Alzheimer’s is misinterpreting cues.
Help her come up with some firm responses to your grandfather, such as, 'Mr. Smith, do not say that to me please” or “Mr. Jones, that is inappropriate, please do not say that to me! Teach her to walk away from him when he behaves this way”. It's important not to reinforce the behavior with attention.
Is there a particular time or place it is happening? During dressing or bathing, for example? If so, help the caregiver think about how to do these tasks in a very matter of fact way.
Switching to a male caregiver may make this problem disappear.
If all else fails, ask his doctor about medications that may dampen his sexual ardor. This should be a last resort, however. It does not always work, can have unwanted side effects, and physicians are often reluctant to try this.
Comments:
I would suggest a behavioral neurologist evaluation, as they will know the best medications to use. I have used Tegretol with some success. Others have used Depakote and other medications. I recall someone reported on a novel medication to suppress sexual desire in demented patients. I think it was Cimetadine, but You should do a search and talk to a behavioral neurologist.
It can be very embarrassing for a spouse or family member but it is very common. My husband has been in a nursing home and now in an Alzheimer's unit for the last two and a half years. I like the Alzheimer's unit better because they know how to deal with behaviors better than a regular nursing home. They aren't shocked by their behavior and that helps me! It takes a special kind of nurse to work with dementia patients. I think they deserve more than they get for doing what they do. Good Luck
My father was prone to making sexually suggestive comments to caregivers at an Assisted Living facility after his Alzheimer’s had progressed - and that was definitely not his normal behavior. Generally I just told him that it was inappropriate to behave that way. One time I told him that his behavior embarrassed me - he apologized the following day. But an apology is as temporary as the moments they recognize people or have moments of clarity. Hopefully the staff is familiar with Alzheimer’s patients such that they have ways to address with such behaviors.
If the person make the sexual advances is doing so at home to caregivers that are family or friends, it is time to consider an assisted living facility. It is also important that everyone around him, at home, is firm that this behavior is inappropriate, even if you have to repeat it often. If you cannot move the patient to an assisted facility or hire a professional male caregiver, ask his doctor about medications that may dampen his sexual ardor.
The families of Alzheimer’s sufferers must come to grips that as the disease progresses their loved ones come to a point that they are no longer the person they knew or were in love with.
Presentation of sexually inappropriate behavior
Table 1
Patient characteristics with sexually inappropriate behavior in demented elderly patients
Figure 1
Twenty six (63.4%) had behavioral treatment, 18 (43.8%) were taking antipsychotics, three (7.3%) were receiving hormonal therapy, and six (14.6%) were taking cholinesterase inhibitors. Behavioral treatment was more commonly seen in the community sample (81%) than in NH sample (45%) (p = 0.01) (fig 2).
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, about 50 percent+ of men with Alzheimer’s experience erectile dysfunction.
Most people with Alzheimer's disease lose sexual drive as well as their ability to function, but many, especially male patients exhibit behaviors including: inappropriate sexual advances, lewd remarks, telling sexually related stories, touching, or public masturbation. Sometimes inappropriate sexual behavior combines with aggression and this is obviously a much more serious problem that can be very difficult to manage, especially when the caregiver is an older spouse.
Tips for Coping with Sexually Inappropriate Behavior
Coping is often a matter of trial and error. First, it may be best to monitor the behavior and keep a diary. Record what is happening, at what time, where the behavior is occurring, and the antecedents (anything that occurs before the behavior). Take notes about who is present, what are they saying or doing, in fact anything that helps put together a profile. If you can manage do this for a few days with minimal intervention it may help when you analyze the information. The information may also help a doctor or psychologist should the behavior be serious enough to seek their help.
Sometimes this information can help you rearrange a persons' day, or avoid contact with a person that may be the target of the behavior. Maybe change the time of day a visit takes place, getting someone else to take over an activity, and so on.
Here are a few more general caregiving tips you can try:
* Use a kind instruction to stop the behavior. Humorous sentences can be good. Try not to sound demanding or angry as this generally has the opposite effect to the one you want. Some people do however require firmer instructions than others.
* Try redirecting the person to another activity.
* Try different approaches, and just because an approach did not work once, does not mean it will not work again.
* Try using different instructions, saying it in a different way, if they do not respond to being asked to stop. Use simple, short sentences as complexity generally adds to confusion.
* Stop any access of patient to pornography on the Internet, magazines, videos, etc.
What Does an Acupuncture Treatment Involve?
Cat Getting Acupuncture - Image Credit: CLINT EGBERT/XPRESS
