Hospitals can treat pain without opioids
A car crash shattered Stuart Anders’ thigh, leaving pieces of bone sticking through his skin. Yet Anders begged emergency room doctors not to give him powerful opioid painkillers.He’d been addicted once before and panicked at the thought of relapsing. “I can’t lose what I worked for,” he said.The nation’s opioid crisis is forcing hospitals to begin... READ MORE
Speech may be first clue to mental decline
Your speech may, um, help reveal if you’re, uh...developing thinking problems. More pauses, filler words and other verbal changes might be an early sign of mental decline, which can lead to Alzheimer’s disease, a study suggests.Researchers had people describe a picture they were shown in taped sessions two years apart. Those with early-stage mild cognitive impairment slid much... READ MORE
Avoid spinning out of control with vertigo
Vertigo isn’t just a catchy song by the band U2, or a famous movie by Alfred Hitchcock. It’s also a common symptom that has multiple potential causes.Although most people think that vertigo has to involve a spinning sensation, vertigo is actually the sensation that one is moving or that one’s surroundings are moving in the absence of any actual movement.A balancing actTo... READ MORE
Interages brings the generations together
In the 1980s, Austin Heyman knew that something had to be done to improve the sometimes rocky relationship between the older and younger generations.“Somebody brought to my attention an article about intergenerational connections,” Heyman recalled. “Since I’d worked a lot with schools and kids’ issues, I thought that it would be beneficial to have those... READ MORE
Passion for people, public policy
“My main goal is to help the citizens of Howard County — the older adult community, the very young — live the best life possible,” said Jackie Scott, the new director of the county’s Department of Community Resources and Services (DCRS). It’s a tall order, but the position puts Scott, who has lived in Columbia for over two decades, in a strong position to work towards it. The ... READ MORE
No heart attack or your money back?
Warranties and money-back guarantees, long used to entice buyers of products like hand tools and kitchen gadgets, are now being used to sell something more crucial: pricey new-generation drugs for diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.Deals being negotiated between drugmakers and the insurers who buy medicines now sometimes include extra rebates — or even full refunds —... READ MORE
Climbers reach for new heights
Whether it’s flying, scuba diving or hiking, Carol Christian likes to be on the move. So when she first moved to Baltimore and friends invited her to join them in rock climbing, she didn’t hesitate. Now, more than 15 years later, she’s still a regular at the Earth Treks indoor climbing gym in Timonium.Christian, who lives in Baltimore City and is an astronomer with the... READ MORE
Reporting complications boosts survival
If you’re being treated for cancer, speak up about any side effects. A study that had patients use home computers to report symptoms like nausea and fatigue surprisingly improved survival — by almost half a year, which is longer than many new cancer drugs do.The online tool was intended as a quick and easy way for people to regularly report complications rather than trying to... READ MORE
Volunteers get trained for dementia visits
During his eight years working in three nursing homes, John Wortman had a first-hand view of the needs of residents.He was struck by the fact that many of those with dementia were rarely, if ever, visited by family and friends. While the staff attended to their physical and medical needs, their intellectual, emotional and spiritual needs were not well addressed, fueling feelings of... READ MORE
Climbers reach for new heights
On Leslie Hulse’s 61st birthday, a couple of years ago, her niece took her rock climbing. As she scrabbled over the neon-colored toe and finger holds toward the top of the wall, Hulse had one thought: “‘Oh my gosh, I’m having so much fun!”Today, the Capitol Hill resident regularly scales the walls at Earth Treks indoor climbing gym in Crystal City, Va.“I... READ MORE
