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Health Challenges & Conditions (Health Care) « Health Care – General

Stethoscope

 

Allergies, Arthritis, Asthma, Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes,
Headaches, HIV/AIDS, Huntington's Disease,
Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, Stroke,
Tourette Syndrome, Misc.

 

Resources re: Health Conditions

Allergies

  • Corn Allergy (American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology)
    Corn allergy is very rare and can be difficult to diagnose using standard skin or blood tests because it is difficult to differentiate from allergies to grass pollens and to other seeds and grain.
  • Food Allergies in the Real World
    A website designed for youg adults who want to take a more active role in managing their food allergies.
  • Gluten Free Mall
    On a mission to make the world a better place for people on gluten-free diets due to celiac disease or food allergies.
  • Managing Life Threatening Food Allergies in Schools (Mass. Dept. of Education)
    The number of students with life-threatening food allergies has increased substantially over the last 5 years. As with all children with special needs, it is important that students are able to access all education and education related benefits.
  • Peanut Allergy.com
    The online peanut allergy resource.

Arthritis

  • 12 Steps to Coping With Arthritis (Spry)
    Often the long-term result of an untreated injury, arthritis affects not only the joints but the tissues that surround them, along with other connective tissue. It’s certainly not uncommon. According to the Arthritis Foundation, it is the leading cause of disability in the United States, striking 50 million Americans, or one in every five adults. And it is not just a disease of old age; two-thirds of the people with arthritis are under age 65

Asthma

  • Asthma Facts and Figures (Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America)
    Asthma causes swelling of the airways. This results in narrowing of the airways that carry air from the nose and mouth to the lungs. Allergens or irritating things entering the lungs trigger asthma symptoms. Symptoms include trouble breathing, wheezing, coughing and tightness in the chest. Asthma can be deadly.
  • Scourge of Asthma is Acute in NE (Boston.com – 4/26/10)
    Not only does New England have the nation’s highest rate of asthma, but the disease remains poorly controlled in most patients – routinely causing trips to the hospital and lost days at school and work, according to a study being released today.

Cancer

  • Advanced Cancer Care Planning (American Society of Clinical Oncology)
    What patients and families need to know about their choices when facing serious illness; lays out the options when cancer is found to be advanced.
  • American Cancer Society
    With chartered divisions throughout the country and over 3,400 local offices, the American Cancer Society (ACS) is committed to fighting cancer through balanced programs of research, education, patient service, advocacy, and rehabilitation.
  • Cancer Patients Turning to Massage Therapy (Melanie Bowen)
    Massage therapies help reduce the pain and discomfort associated with even the most difficult of treatments while also helping with the mental well being of a cancer patient. 
  • Cleaning for a Reason
    Fighting cancer is difficult enough, but living with it is even tougher – and that's where the Cleaning for A Reason Foundation steps in. This  nonprofit offers free professional housecleaning, and maid services to improve the lives of women undergoing treatment for cancer – any type of cancer.
  • Kids Kicking Cancer
    A non-profit organization that provides weekly classes for children, both inpatient and outpatient, in the mind-body techniques found in the martial arts. Our mission is “to ease the pain of very sick children while empowering them to heal physically, spiritually and emotionally."
  • Mesothelioma (Mesothelioma Hub)
    Malignant mesothelioma, often referred to simply as mesothelioma, is a type of cancer that affects the mesothelium — the protective lining of the lungs, abdomen, and heart. It is caused by exposure to asbestos, a carcinogenic mineral that was used for decades in a number of industrial, commercial, and residential applications. Mesothelioma is the most severe of all asbestos-related illnesses. 
  • Mesothelioma
    Features over 3,000 pages of information on asbestos, mesothelioma, and other cancers that are caused by asbestos exposure. Asbestos.com has achieved Health On the Net approval (a not-for-profit foundation that works to preserve the accuracy and trustworthiness of Web-based medical information). Dr. Mauricio Salazar,M.D., who has worked in the field of cancer treatment for years, has personally reviewed, edited, and approved all medical information on our site. 
  • Mesothelioma Caregivers
    Mesothelioma is a rare disease with an unfortunately short prognosis for most patients, making the role of the caregiver priceless. Caring for someone with cancer can take its toll on the caregiver. However, caregivers can prepare themselves for what’s ahead.
  • Patients Under Pressure: Profiles of How Families Affected by Cancer are Faring in the Recession (7/31/09)
    This report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the American Cancer Society profiles six cancer patients and survivors and the challenges they face to help gauge how the recession and rising unemployment is affecting workers who are most in need of ongoing medical care.
  • Peritoneal Mesothelioma (Mesothelioma Fund)
    Peritoneal asbestos cancer is the second most common type of mesothelioma, attacking the thin layer of tissue that surrounds the abdominal organs.

Cystic Fibrosis

  • Bonnell Foundation – Roadmap to CF
    Mission is to build relationships between parents of children with cystic fibrosis, especially with parents who have children newly diagnosed. To help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis so that one day no CF parent will experience the pain and loss of losing a child to this disease.
    Patti's Comment: I am on the Board of this fine, non-profit foundation.
  • Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
    A nonprofit donor-supported organization dedicated to attacking cystic fibrosis from every angle. The focus is to support the development of new drugs to fight the disease, improve the quality of life for those with CF, and ultimately to find a cure.
  • Cystic Fibrosis Services Pharmacy
    CF Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and was established in 1988 as a specialty pharmacy specializing in CF medications, patient advocacy and reimbursement support.

Diabetes

  • ADA 2015 Video: A History of Diabetes Research
    Exclusive AACE Video Conference Reporter coverage at ADA 2015, with A History of Diabetes Research from Daniel J. Porte Jr., MD; plus Hallway Takes on Sitagliptin and the TECOS and ELIXA trials with Robert Eckel, MD, Matthew Riddle, MD, Allison Goldfine, MD and more.

  • American Diabetes Association 
    Mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

  • ​​Diabetes Basics (American Diabetes Assn.)
    Diabetes mellitus, or simply, diabetes, is a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in the body's ability to produce and/or use insulin. Not sure what that means? This is the place to find out. We've covered all the basics here—and you'll find plenty of links to more in-depth information on a variety of topics and issues.

Fibromyalgia

Headaches

  • Migraine Headaches
    Acupuncture works against tension and migraine headaches. Typically, the patient undergoes sessions weekly or twice weekly for 10 weeks, followed by monthly “maintenance” sessions. For the name of an acupuncturist in your area, check out the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. Massage has also been found to reduce the pain cause by tension and migraine headaches – but not cluster headaches. For a referral to a massage therapist in your area, contact the American Massage Therapy Association.

HIV/AIDS

  • H.I.V. Rises Among Young Gay Men (New York Times – Jan. 14, 2008)
    AIDS appears to be making an alarming comeback. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that the incidence of H.I.V. infection among gay men is shooting up, following an encouraging period of decline.
  • Justice Department Releases New Document on ADA & Rights of Persons with HIV/AIDS (6/28/12)
    The U.S. Department of Justice has released a new fact sheet called Questions and Answers: The Americans with Disabilities Act and Persons with HIV/AIDS. This document explains the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It also describes the ADA's requirements for state and local governments, employers, and businesses and non-profit agencies that serve the public.
  • State Health Facts.org
    New data on federal funding streams for HIV/AIDS. Collected in partnership with the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), these data for Federal Fiscal Year 2008 are available by state and for the nation, and represent the latest available state-level data on all major federal funding streams for HIV/AIDS in the U.S.

Huntington's Disease

  • Huntington's Disease (MedlLine Plus) 
    Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited disease that causes certain nerve cells in the brain to waste away. People are born with the defective gene, but symptoms usually don't appear until middle age. 
  • Huntington's Disease Deciphered
    Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have discovered how the mutated huntingtin gene acts on the nervous system to create the devastation of Huntington's disease.

Miscellaneous Health Issues & Conditions

  • Chronic Disease and the Internet (Pew Internet)
    Recent survey data from the Pew Internet Project and the California HealthCare Foundation show that adults living with chronic disease are significantly less likely than healthy adults to have access to the internet.  
  • How To Travel With A Chronic Illness (LIFE – 6/16/16)
    Like many things in life, it's all about adjusting to your circumstances.
  • Models with Psoriasis Strut to Raise Awareness (NPR)
    The contest, called "Addressing Psoriasis," is the cornerstone of an awareness campaign aimed at helping people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis get more information about managing their disease and feel more confident in their everyday life.
  • Pompe Disease – An Interview with John Crowley, the Father Who Inspired "Extraordinary Measures"
    John Crowley’s life was bright: a recent MBA from Harvard Business School, a young family, and a blossoming career…the world was his oyster. And then John and Aileen received the shocking news that their toddler and newborn were both afflicted with Pompe Disease, a fatal neuromuscular disease. John’s fearless actions as he fights to save his children’s lives are portrayed on the big screen in the new film by Tom Vaughan, Extraordinary Measures.
  • Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation
    Mission is to find a cure for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) by funding research, advocating for pulmonary fibrosis issues, promoting disease awareness, and providing a compassionate environment for supporting patients and their loved ones.
  • Related info on Psoriasis:
       The Mystery and Power of the Itch
       Worlds of Bacteria, Alive on Your Skin
       Treating Stress and Skin Disease in Tandem   
  • Silent Minds (The New Yorker – Oct. 2007)
    What scanning techniques are revealing about vegetative patients. There may be quite a bit going on in there.
  • Social Networks a Lifeline for the Chronically Ill (New York Times – 3/24/10)
    For many people, social networks are a place for idle chatter about what they made for dinner or sharing cute pictures of their pets. But for people living with chronic diseases or disabilities, they play a more vital role.
  • Sjögren's Syndrome
    Sjögren's syndrome is a chronic autoimmune disease in which a person’s white blood cells attack their moisture-producing glands. Today, as many as 4 million Americans are living with this disease.
  • Sleep Deprivation
    A research study conducted at Washington State University (WSU) into the effects of sleep deprivation on executive functioning—the ability to initiate, monitor, and stop actions to achieve objectives—has yielded surprising results and caused a shift in the current thinking on this topic.
  • Stories of Hope About the Prevention and Maintenance of Kidney Disease
    The Kidney TRUST, a non-profit organization dedicated to chronic kidney disease (CKD) prevention, as well as providing financial assistance to people already on dialysis, is observing National Kidney Month by reaching out to people affected by kidney disease to ask for their personal stories relating to this problem that affects 31 million Americans.

Multiple Sclerosis

  • Advances Cited in Research on Multiple Sclerosis (New York Times – July 2007)
    Researchers have made a significant advance in understanding this common neurological disease that causes symptoms ranging from muscle weakness to paralysis.
  • Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (MSF) – Homecare Grant Foundation
    The MSF understands the daily needs and challenges that must be met by individuals with MS and their caregivers. In order to meet these needs in the most timely and efficient manner, the MSF Home Care Assistance Grant Program serves as a liaison between the patient and the local resources that are available to meet his or her specific needs.
  • Multiple Sclerosis – Symptoms and Causes (Mayo Clinic)
    Signs and symptoms of MS vary widely and depend on the amount of nerve damage and which nerves are affected. Some people with severe MS may lose the ability to walk independently or at all, while others may experience long periods of remission without any new symptoms.

Parkinson's

  • 10 Early Signs of Parkinson's Disease (Parkinson's Foundation)
    It can be hard to tell if you or a loved one has Parkinson's disease (PD). Here are 10 signs that you might have the disease. No single one of these signs means that you should worry, but if you have more than one sign you should consider making an appointment to talk to your doctor.
  • Brain Pacemaker Helps Parkinson's, But With Risks (Oakland Press – 1/6/09)
    Parkinson’s sufferers who had electrodes implanted in their brains improved substantially more than those who took only medicine, according to the biggest test yet of deep brain stimulation.
  • Google Co-Founder Backs Vast Parkinson's Study (New York Times – 3/11/08)
    Sergey Brin, the billionaire co-founder of Google, says he plans to contribute money and his DNA to a large study intended to reveal the genetic underpinnings of Parkinson’s disease.
  • National Parkinson Foundation
    Since its inception more than 50 years ago, the National Parkinson Foundation has worked to address the unmet needs in Parkinson's care and treatment.

Stroke

TMJ

  • What is TMJ?
    The temporomandibular joints connect your jaw to your skull.

Tourette Syndrome

  • Tourette Syndrome Assn.
    A national voluntary non-profit membership organization with a mission to identify the cause of, find the cure for, and control the effects of Tourette Syndrome.
  • What is Tourette Syndrome?
    Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder characterized by tics — involuntary, rapid, sudden movements or vocalizations that occur repeatedly in the same way.