Posts from ‘Health Tips’
Have you heard of CureTogether? We recently stumbled across this website and after trying it out, decided that it most definitely rates a closer look.
CureTogether describes itself as a place to help people “anonymously track and compare health data, to better understand their bodies, make more informed treatment decisions and contribute data to research”.
While the site is still new, it’s gaining momentum with more than 3,000 members. The website is “currently funded by its founders, and does not host or receive funding from advertising”.
They have a simple profile where you can start by adding data you want to track such as weight, caloric intake, sleep, and excercise. A nice feature is that you can add anything else you would like to keep track of such as mood or water intake – anything you think is important for your particular situation.
Something we really like is that you can view and edit this data on your Google search page (to learn how to use iGoogle, click here).
On your bio page, you can tell your story and add details such as location, avatar (picture) and date of birth. This is, by default, kept completely private though you have the option to share your details anonymously.
So far there are 289 conditions on the site and CureTogether highlights the “most active”. Back pain, anxiety, and depression are among the top five. Click on back pain and you will get a list of user generated symptoms. You can check off whether or not you’ve experienced it as well as the severity level. If you don’t see something that you are experiencing, it’s easy to add it.
Next are treatments. What have you tried so far? For back pain ice packs, stretching, and vicodin are some of the options. Again, it’s easy to add to the list. Now you can document what you think (or know) causes it. Does your back hurt after sex, after sitting for long periods of time, or from an injury?
The related conditions portion list the most commonly reported ones first. The fact that anxiety is number one and depression number two for back pain gives us some food for thought! This ability to compare user data is where CureTogether really shows its potential usefulness.
A this point, you can view resources, document how you are feeling (much like Facebook updates, this allows you to share status updates with your friends), invite friends, or revisit any of your health pages.
For those living with chronic pain, or even those who just want to keep track of their day to day health, CureTogether offers some unique tools.
Check out their site here and let us know if it works for you!
“Yen optimism plummets as Japanese economy sinks…â€
“The global economy is likely to shrink for the first time since World War II, and trade will decline by the most in 80 years.â€
“US unemployment rate to reach 9.4%.â€
“Russia’s official unemployment hits 2.34 million.â€
With headlines like these everywhere you look, it’s hard to, as aptly put in “Meet the Robinsons”, keep moving forward. As the world economy continues its nose dive, more and more people are forced to file for unemployment, state medical assistance, and food benefits. In tandem with the fall, the percentage of people having trouble paying for health care is rising fast – 21% of the American population at the last report.
When it comes to spinal cord rehabilitation, each and every professional a brain or spinal cord injury survivor works with has an important—yet specialized—job to perform. Generally speaking, the survivor will work with three teams. These are the medical team, the therapist team, and the support team…
Why are respiratory infections so common in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients? We’ve mentioned the prevalence before, but want to share some data we recently found…
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has been around for some time now, but we are only recently (in the last 10 years or so) seeing it branch out to document illnesses such as anxiety that are common after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or spinal cord injury (SCI). This therapy involves the use of a trained animal to assist and comfort the patient. The most common animals used are dogs, but there have been cases of monkeys, cats, horses, fish, birds, dolphins and even cows…
Erectile problems after a spinal cord injury (SCI) has been an issue for countless patients. To better understand this problem, there have been numerous studies addressing the problem from a variety of angles such as specific dysfunctions and the neurophysiology of erections.
If erectile dysfunction is a problem that you or someone you know is experiencing, then we hope the following clinical research will be of help.
The Wikipedia defines a penile erection as an “increased penile blood flow resulting from the relaxation of penile arteries and the smooth muscle of the corpus cavernosum. This response is mediated by the release of nitric oxide (NO) from nerve terminals and endothelial cells, which stimulates the synthesis of cGMP in smooth muscle cells. Cyclic GMP relaxes smooth muscle and increases blood flow to the corpus cavernosum.” The simplified version is that blood flows to the penis causing a rigid state also known as an “erection”.
The Journal of the American Paraplegia Society states that “the majority of spinal cord injured (SCI) men with upper motor neuron lesions have reflex erections. However, these erections are often not adequately sustained making it difficult if not impossible to have intercourse.” They go on to say that the majority of those with lower neuron lesions are unable to have erections at all.
There are a few different approaches to this problem. Penile implants are one possibility, and for some, work very well. The drawback to the implant is that it increases the risk for infection and there is the chance that it will erode through the skin. You can choose between two types – inflatable and semirigid and the procedure is done in just a couple of hours under either general or spinal anesthetic. Inflatable implants operated with a pump have the benefit of allowing the penis to fully relax while the semirigid, as its name implies, keeps the penis continuously in a partially “aroused” state and is the lesser used version. Implants are a good option if medication fails to work, as is often the case with those who have a SCI.
Vacuum devices create an erection by drawing blood into the penis. This cylindrical device is placed over the penis to pull blood into the tissue and a ring is put around the base to hold the blood in place. Also called a penis pump, this tool has been used successfully for many.
Intracavernous injections of papaverine and phentolamine are other options that can lead to prolonged erections. Papaverine is an opiate and has some side effects such as constipation, somnolence and vertigo. Phentolamine causes blood vessels to expand which increases blood flow to the needed area and has few side effects. Both of these drugs are administered through injection and the patient can be taught how to do it himself assuming he is physically able.
Medications such as sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra) and Tadalafil (Cialis) are orally administered drugs that have shown positive results in a variety of studies. The recommended dosage is once a day, though Cialis is known for having a longer lasting effect – up to 36 hours. All of these pills have the potential for some uncomfortable side effects. Back pain, muscle aches, headache, indigestion and a runny nose are the primary ones, though some patients have reported experiencing hearing loss.
If your main concern is being able to father a child, Mitch Tepper at Sexualhealth.com lists two methods for obtaining sperm if manual ejaculation fails – electroejaculation stimulation (EES) and penile vibratory stimulation (PVS). EES requires anesthesia as an electric probe is inserted into the rectum. This procedure stimulates the nerves that control ejaculation. PVS is a less invasive process where you apply a vibrator to the penis and it has the added benefits of being a home procedure and pleasurable. It is common to first try PVS and if that fails to produce results, then try EES.
This topic is seldom an easy one to discuss and many are hesitant to do so. Keep in mind that this problem is not only widespread among those with SCIs, but among the general male population. You are not alone and with so many options to try, there is a good chance of finding one that works well for you!
A.J. Gross, D.H. Sauerwein, J. Kutzenberger, R.-H. Ringert. Penile prostheses in paraplegic men. British Journal of Urology
Male Urology and Sexuality After Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Through a Narrative Book. Lombardi G.M.D., Macchiarella A. M.D, Celso M. M.D, Del Popolo G. M.D. Department of Neuro-urology Spinal Unit of Florence, Italy
Q: What factors need to be considered with an acute spinal cord injury (SCI)?
A: For acute spinal cord trauma, stabilization is the first priority. After an injury, according to Jack de la Torre MD PhD, there are biochemical, metabolic and physiological issues that arise such as reduced blood flow to the spinal column, the formation of free radicals, sodium channel activation, inflammation and energy substrate depletion…
Anyone who experiences a traumatic brain or spinal cord injury is aware of how significantly his or her life can change within a matter of seconds. The two populations most at risk to sustain brain or spinal cord injuries are drivers and athletes. By being aware of certain information, both these groups can minimize their risk for brain and spinal cord injuries…
Living with pain after a spinal cord injury (SCI) is something that many are familiar with, if not resigned to. There are a variety of ways in which to reduce or eliminate the pain, but what works for one person’s situation often fails to produce results for someone else.
An option we recently read about is the use of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) treatment – a therapy that is said to relieve neuropathic pain after a failed back surgery…
One of the most common complications post SCI:
Kidney failure, according to SpinalInjury.net, used to be the leading cause of death for individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Today with the improved bladder management methods, there are fewer and less severe kidney complications to be dealt with. More common these days are difficulties arising from urinary tract related issues.
The loss of normal bladder function after a SCI places a patient at an increased risk for contracting a urinary tract infection (UTI), regardless of the type of bladder management used. A UTI can occur in the bladder, the kidney, or other parts of the urinary tract. Urinary tract infection remains the most common secondary medical complication following a SCI and it is also one of the costliest.
# Fever
# Chills
# Leakage
# Increased spasms of legs, abdomen, or bladder
# Feeling the need to catheterize more often (frequency) ( Intermittent)
# Feeling the need to catheterize immediately (urgency) ( Intermittent)
# Burning of the urethra, penis, or pubic area
# Nausea
# Headache
# Mild low back pain or other aches
# Feeling “lousy” or tired
If you experience any of these, please be sure to talk with your doctor to avoid further complications.
