StemCell Therapy

Abstract

Longevity as a complex life-history trait shares an ontogenetic relationship with other quantitative traits and varies among individuals, families and populations. Heritability estimates of longevity suggest that about a third of the phenotypic variation associated with the trait is attributable to genetic factors, and the rest is influenced by epigenetic and environmental factors. Individuals react differently to the environments that they are a part of, as well as to the environments they construct for their survival and reproduction; the latter phenomenon is known as niche construction. Lifestyle influences longevity at all the stages of development and levels of human diversity. Hence, lifestyle may be viewed as a component of niche construction. Here, we: a) interpret longevity using a combination of genotype-epigenetic-phenotype (GEP) map approach and niche-construction theory, and b) discuss the plausible influence of genetic and epigenetic factors in the distribution and maintenance of longevity among individuals with normal life span on the one hand, and centenarians on the other. Although similar genetic and environmental factors appear to be common to both of these groups, exceptional longevity may be influenced by polymorphisms in specific genes, coupled with superior genomic stability and homeostatic mechanisms, maintained by negative frequency-dependent selection. We suggest that a comparative analysis of longevity between individuals with normal life span and centenarians, along with insights from population ecology and evolutionary biology, would not only advance our knowledge of biological mechanisms underlying human longevity, but also provide deeper insights into extending healthy life span.

Age, I do abhor thee, youth, I do adore thee Shakespeare (1599).

Man possesses the power of modifying, at least to appearance, the laws of nature affecting him, and perhaps causing a progressive movement, tends to approach a happier physical condition Quetelet (1842).

From them (centenarians) we can learn how to create our own Blue Zones and start on the path to living longer, better lives Buettner (2012).

An incessant desire to attain immortality or at the very least greater longevity, and strategies to achieve it, have been recurring themes among the world's mythologies (Witzel, 2013), and continue into our own times (Stambler, 2014). Fundamental insights into birth, growth and death (demographic) processes in human populations are gleaned from the Gompertz-Makeham (Finch, 2007), and Malthusian population laws (Malthus, 1798). Later, Quetelet (1842) systematically investigated the plausible biological and other causes of demographic processes. He questioned, What are laws of human reproduction, growth and physical force the laws of mortality what influence has nature over man, what is the measure of its influence, and of its disturbing forces; what have been their effects for such a period and concluded that, Of all the causes which modify the mortality of man, none exercises a greater influence than age. Research on the evolutionary genetic bases of biological diversity for over a century has shown that longevity, like any other quantitative traits, varies among individuals, and it is influenced by the interaction of both genetic (nature) and numerous environmental factors (nurture; sensu, Galton, 1890). Availability of food resources, improved living conditions and advances in basic and medical sciences have greatly extended the life span globally (Vaupel, 2010), since Quetelet's fundamental work on factors influencing the life span of an average man. In some countries, the modal age of death or the age at which highest mortality occurs in any given population, has steadily increased even in the last fifty years (Horiuchi et al., 2013). Detectable evolutionary changes in modern humans could occur even in such a short span of time (Byars et al., 2010andMilot and Pelletier, 2013), and these changes could have a direct impact on longevity. Despite advances in demography and genetics (Charlesworth, 1980andWachter et al., 2013), Aging remains one of life's great unsolved riddles (Anton, 2013). In view of burgeoning challenges posed by the ever-increasing elderly population, it is critical to understand the components of nature and nurture and the relative magnitude of their contribution to healthy aging.

Comparative analyses of life span across wide-ranging taxa have suggested that longevity has an evolutionary basis (Carey, 2003andWachter et al., 2013). Individuals not only differ in their sensitivity to environmental variations, but also show differential survival and reproduction, in response to such variations, also called natural selection. Environment affects every aspect of viability of individuals from the time of conception to death they are surrounded by it, respond to it, exploit it and also actively construct it (Lewontin, 2000). The latter process has been termed niche construction, which is broadly defined as the process whereby organisms, through their metabolism, their activities and their choices, modify their own and/or each other's niches (Odling-Smee et al., 2003).

An individual or groups of individuals modify their own environment as well as that of others in infinite ways. Some of these modifications, including the ones related to life style could have either proximate or lasting (ultimateevolutionary) effects on health and longevity of specific individuals, families or larger groups. Many aspects of environmental variation and lifestyle changes (LSC) on longevity are inextricably linked, and often difficult to uncouple. Despite their apparent equivalence, LSC represents a volitional behavior on the part of an individual (Egger and Dixon, 2014) and their conscious efforts and choices: education, housing, physical activities, food, drinking and smoking habits, clothing, medical intervention, cultural and religious beliefs, social networks, and so forth. Hence, it is reasonable to suggest that the individual components of the environment and LSC could have either additive or multiplicative or both effects on health and longevity. In an ecological sense, the terms environment and life-style could be equated to niche (Hutchinson, 1957) and niche construction concepts (Lewontin, 2000andOdling-Smee et al., 2013), respectively. From a genetic perspective, gene specific polymorphisms are known to exert differential influence on longevity and its correlated traits. While ecological/environmental factors might have a common influence on all individuals of a group/community, specific aspects of niche construction activities or LSC could exacerbate individual differences. Together these factors would exert synergistic or antagonistic, as well as temporally and spatially heterogeneous effects on longevity at all levels of biological hierarchy: cell, tissues, and individuals within and across generations. These effects could lead to differential viability and reproduction of individuals, which ultimately affect the evolutionary trajectories of individual populations (Odling-Smee et al., 2013andLaland et al., 2014). Here we briefly review the interrelationships among genetic, epigenetic, environment and life style factors influencing life span normal or exceptional.

We have the following objectives: a) to describe the diversity of longevity phenotype among human populations, b) to identify links among genotypic, epigenetic and phenotypic aspects of longevity from the GP map perspective, and c) to discuss modulation of healthy longevity (health span) through lifestyle changes in the context of niche construction, and reaction norm concepts. We conclude that while there are opportunities for augmenting healthy life span, there are biological constraints as well. We extend the genotypephenotype (GP) map metaphor (Lewontin, 1974andHoule et al., 2010) for this purpose, and briefly describe the role of each of the three (genotype-epigenetic-phenotype; G-E-P) spaces as well as discuss their cumulative influence on longevity. We define life span, life expectancy and longevity as species, population and individual specific processes, respectively. Briefly, life span refers to average life expectancy for an individual between birth and death, and hence has a predictive aspect to it. Longevity, on the other hand, is a more elusive concept and is defined as an individual's ability to reach longer life span under ideal or prevailing conditions (Carey, 2003). We use life span and longevity interchangeably.

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Genetics, lifestyle and longevity: Lessons from centenarians

The two year curriculum includes course work, clinical rotations, and a research-based thesis. Students are afforded a wide range of clinical opportunities in prenatal, pediatric and adult settings as well as specialty clinics through our clinical rotation network. International rotations are encouraged.

In 1991 and 1998, the Program received rare Commendation for Excellence citations from the South Carolina Commission of Higher Education. The Program was awarded American Board of Genetic Counseling accreditation in 2000 and reaccreditation in 2006. Most recently, the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling re-accredited the Program for the maximum eight year period, 2014-2022.

We invite you to explore the University of South Carolina Genetic Counseling Program through this site. Please also visit the National Society of Genetic Counselors, the American Board of Genetic Counseling websites to learn more about the profession. Check out the latest U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition projections for genetic counselors. The future is bright for genetic counselors!

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In biology, adipose tissue i or body fat or just fat is loose connective tissue composed mostly of adipocytes. In addition to adipocytes, adipose tissue contains the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of cells including preadipocytes, fibroblasts, vascular endothelial cells and a variety of immune cells (i.e., adipose tissue macrophages [ATMs]). Adipose tissue is derived from preadipocytes. Its main role is to store energy in the form of lipids, although it also cushions and insulates the body. Far from hormonally inert, adipose tissue has, in recent years, been recognized as a major endocrine organ,[1] as it produces hormones such as leptin, estrogen, resistin, and the cytokine TNF. Moreover, adipose tissue can affect other organ systems of the body and may lead to disease. The two types of adipose tissue are white adipose tissue (WAT), which stores energy, and brown adipose tissue (BAT), which generates body heat. The formation of adipose tissue appears to be controlled in part by the adipose gene. Adipose tissue more specifically brown adipose tissue was first identified by the Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner in 1551.[2]

In humans, adipose tissue is located beneath the skin (subcutaneous fat), around internal organs (visceral fat), in bone marrow (yellow bone marrow), intermuscular (Muscular system) and in the breast tissue. Adipose tissue is found in specific locations, which are referred to as adipose depots. Apart from adipocytes, which comprise the highest percentage of cells within adipose tissue, other cell types are present, collectively termed stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of cells. SVF includes preadipocytes, fibroblasts, adipose tissue macrophages, and endothelial cells. Adipose tissue contains many small blood vessels. In the integumentary system, which includes the skin, it accumulates in the deepest level, the subcutaneous layer, providing insulation from heat and cold. Around organs, it provides protective padding. However, its main function is to be a reserve of lipids, which can be burned to meet the energy needs of the body and to protect it from excess glucose by storing triglycerides produced by the liver from sugars, although some evidence suggests that most lipid synthesis from carbohydrates occurs in the adipose tissue itself.[3] Adipose depots in different parts of the body have different biochemical profiles. Under normal conditions, it provides feedback for hunger and diet to the brain.

Mice have eight major adipose depots, four of which are within the abdominal cavity. The paired gonadal depots are attached to the uterus and ovaries in females and the epididymis and testes in males; the paired retroperitoneal depots are found along the dorsal wall of the abdomen, surrounding the kidney, and, when massive, extend into the pelvis. The mesenteric depot forms a glue-like web that supports the intestines and the omental depot (which originates near the stomach and spleen) and- when massive- extends into the ventral abdomen. Both the mesenteric and omental depots incorporate much lymphoid tissue as lymph nodes and milky spots, respectively. The two superficial depots are the paired inguinal depots, which are found anterior to the upper segment of the hind limbs (underneath the skin) and the subscapular depots, paired medial mixtures of brown adipose tissue adjacent to regions of white adipose tissue, which are found under the skin between the dorsal crests of the scapulae. The layer of brown adipose tissue in this depot is often covered by a "frosting" of white adipose tissue; sometimes these two types of fat (brown and white) are hard to distinguish. The inguinal depots enclose the inguinal group of lymph nodes. Minor depots include the pericardial, which surrounds the heart, and the paired popliteal depots, between the major muscles behind the knees, each containing one large lymph node.[4] Of all the depots in the mouse, the gonadal depots are the largest and the most easily dissected,[5] comprising about 30% of dissectible fat.[6]

In an obese person, excess adipose tissue hanging downward from the abdomen is referred to as a panniculus (or pannus). A panniculus complicates surgery of the morbidly obese individual. It may remain as a literal "apron of skin" if a severely obese person quickly loses large amounts of fat (a common result of gastric bypass surgery). This condition cannot be effectively corrected through diet and exercise alone, as the panniculus consists of adipocytes and other supporting cell types shrunken to their minimum volume and diameter.[citation needed] Reconstructive surgery is one method of treatment.

Visceral fat or abdominal fat[7] (also known as organ fat or intra-abdominal fat) is located inside the abdominal cavity, packed between the organs (stomach, liver, intestines, kidneys, etc.). Visceral fat is different from subcutaneous fat underneath the skin, and intramuscular fat interspersed in skeletal muscles. Fat in the lower body, as in thighs and buttocks, is subcutaneous and is not consistently spaced tissue, whereas fat in the abdomen is mostly visceral and semi-fluid.[8] Visceral fat is composed of several adipose depots, including mesenteric, epididymal white adipose tissue (EWAT), and perirenal depots. Visceral fat is considered adipose tissue whereas subcutaneous fat is not considered as such.[citation needed]

An excess of visceral fat is known as central obesity, or "belly fat", in which the abdomen protrudes excessively and new developments such as the Body Volume Index (BVI) are specifically designed to measure abdominal volume and abdominal fat. Excess visceral fat is also linked to type 2 diabetes,[9]insulin resistance,[10]inflammatory diseases,[11] and other obesity-related diseases.[12]

Men are more likely to have fat stored in the belly due to sex hormone differences. Female sex hormone causes fat to be stored in the buttocks, thighs, and hips in women.[13][14] When women reach menopause and the estrogen produced by the ovaries declines, fat migrates from the buttocks, hips and thighs to the waist;[15] later fat is stored in the abdomen.[16]

High-intensity exercise is one way to effectively reduce total abdominal fat.[17][18] One study suggests at least 10 MET-hours per week of aerobic exercise is required for visceral fat reduction.[19]

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is a particular form of visceral fat deposited around the heart and found to be a metabolically active organ that generates various bioactive molecules, which might significantly affect cardiac function.[20] Marked component differences have been observed in comparing EAT with subcutaneous fat, suggesting a depot specific impact of stored fatty acids on adipocyte function and metabolism.[21]

Most of the remaining nonvisceral fat is found just below the skin in a region called the hypodermis.[22] This subcutaneous fat is not related to many of the classic obesity-related pathologies, such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke, and some evidence even suggests it might be protective.[23] The typically female (or gynecoid) pattern of body fat distribution around the hips, thighs, and buttocks is subcutaneous fat, and therefore poses less of a health risk compared to visceral fat.[24]

Like all other fat organs, subcutaneous fat is an active part of the endocrine system, secreting the hormones leptin and resistin.[22]

The relationship between the subcutaneous adipose layer and total body fat in a person is often modelled by using regression equations. The most popular of these equations was formed by Durnin and Wormersley, who rigorously tested many types of skinfold, and, as a result, created two formulae to calculate the body density of both men and women. These equations present an inverse correlation between skinfolds and body densityas the sum of skinfolds increases, the body density decreases.[25]

Factors such as sex, age, population size or other variables may make the equations invalid and unusable, and, as of 2012[update], Durnin and Wormersley's equations remain only estimates of a person's true level of fatness. New formulae are still being created.[25]

Ectopic fat is the storage of triglycerides in tissues other than adipose tissue, that are supposed to contain only small amounts of fat, such as the liver, skeletal muscle, heart, and pancreas. This can interfere with cellular functions and hence organ function and is associated with insulin resistance in type-2 diabetes.[26] It is stored in relatively high amounts around the organs of the abdominal cavity, but is not to be confused as visceral fat.

The specific cause for the accumulation of ectopic fat is unknown. The cause is likely a combination of genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors that are involved in excess energy intake and decreased physical activity. Substantial weight loss can reduce ectopic fat stores in all organs and this is associated with an improvement of the function of that organ.[26]

Free fatty acids are liberated from lipoproteins by lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and enter the adipocyte, where they are reassembled into triglycerides by esterifying it onto glycerol. Human fat tissue contains about 87% lipids.

There is a constant flux of FFA (Free Fatty Acids) entering and leaving adipose tissue. The net direction of this flux is controlled by insulin and leptinif insulin is elevated there is a net inward flux of FFA, and only when insulin is low can FFA leave adipose tissue. Insulin secretion is stimulated by high blood sugar, which results from consuming carbohydrates.

In humans, lipolysis (hydrolysis of triglycerides into free fatty acids) is controlled through the balanced control of lipolytic B-adrenergic receptors and a2A-adrenergic receptor-mediated antilipolysis.

Fat cells have an important physiological role in maintaining triglyceride and free fatty acid levels, as well as determining insulin resistance. Abdominal fat has a different metabolic profilebeing more prone to induce insulin resistance. This explains to a large degree why central obesity is a marker of impaired glucose tolerance and is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (even in the absence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension).[27] Studies of female monkeys at Wake Forest University (2009) discovered that individuals suffering from higher stress have higher levels of visceral fat in their bodies. This suggests a possible cause-and-effect link between the two, wherein stress promotes the accumulation of visceral fat, which in turn causes hormonal and metabolic changes that contribute to heart disease and other health problems.[28]

Recent advances in biotechnology have allowed for the harvesting of adult stem cells from adipose tissue, allowing stimulation of tissue regrowth using a patient's own cells. In addition, adipose-derived stem cells from both human and animals reportedly can be efficiently reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells without the need for feeder cells.[29] The use of a patient's own cells reduces the chance of tissue rejection and avoids ethical issues associated with the use of human embryonic stem cells.[30] A growing body of evidence also suggests that different fat depots (i.e abdominal, omental, pericardial) yield adipose-derived stem cells with different characteristics.[30][31] These depot-dependent features include proliferation rate, immunophenotype, differentiation potential, gene expression, as well as sensitivity to hypoxic culture conditions.[32]

Adipose tissue is the greatest peripheral source of aromatase in both males and females,[citation needed] contributing to the production of estradiol.

Adipose derived hormones include:

Adipose tissues also secrete a type of cytokines (cell-to-cell signalling proteins) called adipokines (adipocytokines), which play a role in obesity-associated complications. Perivascular adipose tissue releases adipokines such as adiponectin that affect the contractile function of the vessels that they surround.[33]

A specialized form of adipose tissue in humans, most rodents and small mammals, and some hibernating animals, is brown fat or brown adipose tissue. It is located mainly around the neck and large blood vessels of the thorax. This specialized tissue can generate heat by "uncoupling" the respiratory chain of oxidative phosphorylation within mitochondria. The process of uncoupling means that when protons transit down the electrochemical gradient across the inner mitochondrial membrane, the energy from this process is released as heat rather than being used to generate ATP. This thermogenic process may be vital in neonates exposed to cold, which then require this thermogenesis to keep warm, as they are unable to shiver, or take other actions to keep themselves warm.[34]

Attempts to simulate this process pharmacologically have so far been unsuccessful. Techniques to manipulate the differentiation of "brown fat" could become a mechanism for weight loss therapy in the future, encouraging the growth of tissue with this specialized metabolism without inducing it in other organs.

Until recently, brown adipose tissue was thought to be primarily limited to infants in humans, but new evidence has now overturned that belief. Metabolically active tissue with temperature responses similar to brown adipose was first reported in the neck and trunk of some human adults in 2007,[35] and the presence of brown adipose in human adults was later verified histologically in the same anatomical regions.[36][37][38]

The thrifty gene hypothesis (also called the famine hypothesis) states that in some populations the body would be more efficient at retaining fat in times of plenty, thereby endowing greater resistance to starvation in times of food scarcity. This hypothesis, originally advanced in the context of glucose metabolism and insulin resistance, has been discredited by physical anthropologists, physiologists, and the original proponent of the idea himself with respect to that context, although according to its developer it remains "as viable as when [it was] first advanced" in other contexts.[39][40]

In 1995, Jeffrey Friedman, in his residency at the Rockefeller University, together with Rudolph Leibel, Douglas Coleman et al. discovered the protein leptin that the genetically obese mouse lacked.[41][42][43] Leptin is produced in the white adipose tissue and signals to the hypothalamus. When leptin levels drop, the body interprets this as a loss of energy, and hunger increases. Mice lacking this protein eat until they are four times their normal size.

Leptin, however, plays a different role in diet-induced obesity in rodents and humans. Because adipocytes produce leptin, leptin levels are elevated in the obese. However, hunger remains, and- when leptin levels drop due to weight loss- hunger increases. The drop of leptin is better viewed as a starvation signal than the rise of leptin as a satiety signal.[44] However, elevated leptin in obesity is known as leptin resistance. The changes that occur in the hypothalamus to result in leptin resistance in obesity are currently the focus of obesity research.[45]

Gene defects in the leptin gene (ob) are rare in human obesity.[46] As of July, 2010, only 14 individuals from five families have been identified worldwide who carry a mutated ob gene (one of which was the first ever identified cause of genetic obesity in humans)two families of Pakistani origin living in the UK, one family living in Turkey, one in Egypt, and one in Austria[47][48][49][50][51]and two other families have been found that carry a mutated ob receptor.[52][53] Others have been identified as genetically partially deficient in leptin, and, in these individuals, leptin levels on the low end of the normal range can predict obesity.[54]

Several mutations of genes involving the melanocortins (used in brain signaling associated with appetite) and their receptors have also been identified as causing obesity in a larger portion of the population than leptin mutations.[55]

In 2007, researchers isolated the adipose gene, which those researchers hypothesize serves to keep animals lean during times of plenty. In that study, increased adipose gene activity was associated with slimmer animals.[56] Although its discoverers dubbed this gene the adipose gene, it is not a gene responsible for creating adipose tissue.

Pre-adipocytes are undifferentiated fibroblasts that can be stimulated to form adipocytes. Recent studies shed light into potential molecular mechanisms in the fate determination of pre-asipocytes although the exact lineage of adipocyte is still unclear.[57][58]

Adipose tissue has a density of ~0.9g/ml.[59] Thus, a person with more adipose tissue will float more easily than a person of the same weight with more muscular tissue, since muscular tissue has a density of 1.06g/ml.[60]

A body fat meter is a widely available tool used to measure the percentage of fat in the human body. Different meters use various methods to determine the body fat to weight ratio. They tend to under-read body fat percentage.[61]

In contrast with clinical tools, one relatively inexpensive type of body fat meter uses the principle of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) in order to determine an individual's body fat percentage. To achieve this, the meter passes a small, harmless, electric current through the body and measures the resistance, then uses information on the person's weight, height, age, and sex to calculate an approximate value for the person's body fat percentage. The calculation measures the total volume of water in the body (lean tissue and muscle contain a higher percentage of water than fat), and estimates the percentage of fat based on this information. The result can fluctuate several percentage points depending on what has been eaten and how much water has been drunk before the analysis.

Diagrammatic sectional view of the skin (magnified).

White adipose tissue in paraffin section

Electronic instrument of body fat meter

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Adipose tissue - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The science behind stem cells sounds like a plot from a Jules Vern novel, but luckily for us the use of stem cells, and their effectiveness, is all very real.

When people get to talking about stem cells it can lead some to jump to the defense of using them. The stem cells that we are going to be talking about in this article are ones that are harvested from our own bodies - not embryos. That's exactly what makes this new stem cell research so exciting - it's not only ethically and morally viable, it's actually safer and more effective to use the body'sown stem cells.

The type of stem cells that are used to treat hair loss are harvested from your own fat and are called Autologous Adipose Adult stem cells, or A.A.A.

stem cells. This two-step hair regeneration process begins with the stem cells being collected with a minimally invasive liposuction procedure which is accompanied by a local anesthetic.

Once the A.A.A stem cells have been collected, they are separated from the fatty tissue. They will then undergo an in vitro culturing process to multiply the cells and guarantee that there are enough to use for the hair regeneration treatment. The stem cells are then applied to the treatment area via injections using a microscopic needle. This is an outpatient treatment and most patients report only mild discomfort during the procedure.

You should start to see some hair regeneration results in as little as 2-4 weeks, and like other hair loss treatments, this one seems to be most effective on areas where hair loss has happened recently.

So how does the use of stem cells cause hair to grow on our heads? All of us have stem cells in our hair's follicle, but when these follicles get old or damaged they can no longer jump-start the hair regeneration process.

This can be due to genetic factors, stress, or even trauma to the hair follicle.

By injecting stem cells into the pores of the scalp, scientists have found that they can get the skin's fat layer to send molecular signals to the cells in the follicle, which then results in new hair growth.

The use of stem cells as a hair loss treatment holds many benefits. The first one being that it is an outpatient treatment, and unlike other hair loss treatments, you only have to do it once. Topical hair loss treatments need to be used daily, and hair transplants can be a costly and painful procedure. By using Autologous stem cells, you are using a 100% natural product that has been found to be completely safe and effective.

Results do vary with stem cell treatments for hair loss, but clinical studies have shown that the results are permanent once the hair has grown back.

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Using Own Fat Stem Cells for Curing Hair Loss

One of the most dramatic experiments to perform is the demonstration of the blind spot. The blind spot is the area on the retina without receptors that respond to light. Therefore an image that falls on this region will NOT be seen. It is in this region that the optic nerve exits the eye on its way to the brain. To find your blind spot, look at the image below or draw it on a piece of paper: To draw the blind spot tester on a piece of paper, make a small dot on the left side separated by about 6-8 inches from a small + on the right side. Close your right eye. Hold the image (or place your head from the computer monitor) about 20 inches away. With your left eye, look at the +. Slowly bring the image (or move your head) closer while looking at the +. At a certain distance, the dot will disappear from sight...this is when the dot falls on the blind spot of your retina. Reverse the process. Close your left eye and look at the dot with your right eye. Move the image slowly closer to you and the + should disappear. Here are some more images that will help you find your blind spot. For this image, close your right eye. With your left eye, look at the red circle. Slowly move your head closer to the image. At a certain distance, the blue line will not look broken!! This is because your brain is "filling in" the missing information.

This next image allows you to see another way your brain fills in the blind spot. Again, close your right eye. With your left eye, look at the +. Slowly move your head closer to the image. The space in the middle of the vertical lines will disappear.

In the next two images, again close your right eye. With your left eye, look at the numbers on the right side, starting with the number "1." You should be able to see the "sad face" (top image) or the gap in the blue line (bottom image) in your peripheral vision. Keep your head still, and with your left eye, look at the other numbers. The sad face should disappear when you get to "4" and reappear at about "7." Similarly the blue line will appear complete between "4" and "7."

Here is another image to show your blind spot. Close your right eye. With your left eye, look at the +. You should see the red dot in your peripheral vision. Keep looking at the + with your left eye. The red dot will move from the left to the right and disappear and reappear as the dot moves into and out of your blind spot.

Materials:

More (lots more) about Blind Spots

Read about the eye.

Two eyes are better than one, especially when it comes to depth perception. Depth perception is the ability to judge objects that are nearer or farther than others. To demonstrate the difference of using one vs. two eye to judge depth hold the ends a pencil, one in each hand. Hold them either vertically or horizontally facing each other at arms-length from your body. With one eye closed, try to touch the end of the pencils together. Now try with two eyes: it should be much easier. This is because each eye looks at the image from a different angle. This experiment can also be done with your fingers, but pencils make the effect a bit more dramatic.

Materials:

Here's another demonstration of the importance of two eyes in judging depth. Collect a set of pennies (or buttons or paper clips). Sit at a table with your subject. Put a cup in front of your subject. The cup should be about two feet away from the subject. Have your subject CLOSE one eye. Hold a penny in the air about 1.5 ft. above the table. Move the penny around slowly. Ask your subject to say "Drop it!" when he or she thinks the penny will drop into the cup if you released it. When the subject says "Drop it," drop the penny and see if it makes it into the cup. Try it again when the subject uses both eyes. Try it again with the cup farther away from the subject. Try it again with the cup closer to the subject. Compare the results of "10 drops" at each distance.

Questions:

Materials:

Materials:

Here's another way to demonstrate how different images are projected on to each eye. Look at an object in the distance (20-30 feet away), such as a clock on the wall. Close one eye, hold up your arm and line up your finger with the object. Now without moving your finger or your head, close the opened eye and open the closed eye. The object in the distance will appear to jump to the side...your finger will no longer be lined up. This shows that different images fall on each eye.

Materials:

There are two types of photoreceptors in the eye: rods and cones. The rods are responsible for vision in dim light conditions, the cones are for color vision. To demonstrate how the photoreceptors "adapt" to low light conditions, get a collection of objects that look slightly different: for example get 10 coke bottle caps, 10 soda bottle caps, and 10 water bottle caps. They should feel the same, but not look the same. In a bright room, ask students to separate the caps into piles of similar caps. Then turn off the lights so the room is very, very dim. Ask them to separate the caps again. Turn off the lights and look at the results...there should be many mistakes. Count the number of errors. Then dim the lights again and talk/discuss about dark adaptation or about the animals that can see in the dark. The technical explanation for dark adaptation is not necessary for small children. Plan to talk and discuss for about 7-10 minutes...this will be enough time for a least partial adaptation of the photoreceptors. After the discussion (7-10 minutes), ask the students to separate the caps again in the same very, very dim conditions as before. Count the number of errors. There should be fewer errors this time because the photoreceptors have adapted to the low light conditions.

Materials:

How does the surrounding picture influence what we see? Find out with this interactive picture. You must have a browser that supports "JAVA scripts".

How does the surrounding color influence what we see? Find out with this interactive picture. You must have a browser that supports "JAVA scripts".

How does your brain prepare you to see something? Find out with this interactive picture. You must have a browser that supports "JAVA scripts".

The Exploratorium in San Francisco has a worthwhile virtual Cow Eye Dissection to check out.

Do you have "X-Ray Vision?" You may be able to see through your own hand with this simple illusion. Roll up a piece of notebook paper into a tube. The diameter of the tube should be about 0.5 inch. Hold up your left hand in front of you. Hold the tube right next to the bottom of your left "pointer" finger in between you thumb (see figure below).

Look through the tube with your RIGHT eye AND keep your left eye open too. What you should see is a hole in your left hand!! Why? Because your brain is getting two different images...one of the hole in the paper and one of your left hand.

Materials:

Have you ever noticed that it is easy to see a star in the sky by NOT looking directly at it? It is actually easier to see a dim star at night by looking a bit off to the side of it. Try it! This is because the two types of photoreceptors (rods and cones) in the retina perform different functions and are located in the retina in different locations. The cones, which are best for detail and color vision, are in highest concentration in the center of the retina. The rods, which work better in dim light, are in highest concentration in the sides of the retina. So if you look "off-center" at the star, its image will fall on an area of the retina that has more rods!

Materials:

None

Here is a fun way to introduce and explore the sense of vision. Get a variety of sample "color cards" from your local paint store. These cards are about the size of index cards and show the variety of paint that is available. Bring them back to class and have students match up similar colors. You can also use samples of gift wrap or wall paper to make color or pattern cards. Just glue the wrap or wall paper to a piece of card board to get yourself a "Color Card."

Materials:

Color Spy is a variation of the "I Spy" game. Divide players into teams. Write the words "blue", "red", "yellow", "orange" and "green" on separate pieces of paper. Have one member of each team pick a paper. The color picked will be the name of the team.

When someone says "Go," the teams will have 10 minutes to look around the room for objects that have their team's color. Teams must make a list of all the objects they find. After the 10 minute search period, the teams come back together and the lists of objects are read. Each team gets one point for each object found. After the lists are read, each team will get five minutes to search the room for colored objects that the other teams did NOT find. For example, if the red team did not find a red apple, another team that DID find the red apple will get one point. The team with the most total points after both searches is the winner.

Materials:

Of course you cannot see if it is completely dark, but you can see a bit in dim light. In dim light, the receptors in your eyes called rods are doing most of the work. However, the rods do not provide any information about color. The other photoreceptors in your eye, called cones, are the ones that are used for seeing color. The cones do not work in dim light. That's why you cannot see colors in dim light. Check it out for yourself:

Get five pieces of paper of different colors (such as different colored typing paper or construction paper). Dim the lights until you can just barely see. Wait about 10 minutes (maybe listen to some music while you wait). Then write on each piece of paper the color you think that paper is. Turn on the lights and see if your guesses were correct. Did everyone in your class mix up the same color or did everyone get the colors correct?

Materials:

When light enters the eye, it is first bent (refracted) by the cornea. Light is bent further by the lens of the eye in a process called accomodation. To bring an image into sharp focus on the retina, the lens of the eye changes shape by bulging out or flattening. A flatter lens refracts less light. Here's how to demonstrate accomodation:

Close one eye and stare at a point about 20 feet away. It should be in focus. Keep focusing on the point and raise one of your fingers into your line of sight just below the point. Your finger should be a bit blurred. Now, change focus: look at the tip of your finger instead of the point 20 feet away. Your finger will come in focus, but the distant point will be blurred.

Materials:

None

More vision related resources from "Neuroscience for Kids":

The Eye The Retina The Visual Pathway Do you wear glasses? Find out why! Eye Safety Tips Lesson Plan about the Eye Lesson Plan about Color Vision Lesson Plan about Depth and Motion Does the COLOR of Foods and Drinks Affect Taste? Common Eye Diseases and Disorders

The National Eye Institute has a GREAT page with activities related to the eye called See All You Can See for kids; and aearn about "stereograms."

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Sight (Vision) - University of Washington

I thought Id be chained to my glasses for the rest of my life.

I didnt know you could improve your vision with only 15 minutes of simple eye exercises each day.

I thought my eyes would just keep getting worse, year on year, as I got older.

I didnt know you can attain perfect eyesight, at any age, and then keep it.

Eyes are amazing!

It doesnt matter which eye 'problem' you have, your eyes always retain the ability to heal themselves. YOU can see perfectly.

It just doesn't matter what is 'wrong' with your eyes.

If you give them the help and support they need, they WILL heal themselves.

Perfect Vision is your birth-right.

I used to wear glasses. You know, the ugly goldfish bowl type that make your eyes look as big as saucers!

One day I was complaining to my friend Maria, yet again, about how lucky she was, not needing glasses.

We were at the beach.

I love the beach, but as far as locations go, it's not very spectacle-friendly!

"You don't know how lucky you are Mary. You can swim, play volley ball, roll in the sand, and you don't have to think about your glasses... losing them, breaking them - the constant cleaning!"

Maria, a true friend, was clearly tired of my moaning:

"Look Dave, why don't you quit complaining and just fix your eyes. I read somewhere that you can do it yourself by just doing some special eye exercises every day. I think it's called Natural Vision Correction or something like that."

I laughed. Actually, I scoffed.

I thought she was talking nonsense!

You see, Id been wearing glasses since I was 3 years old. My eyes were getting progressively worse. How could a few exercises change that!

I didn't believe it was possible to reverse my decaying eyesight.

If it was true, surely my optician would have told me?

But her words stuck in my head. They started to nag at me. I began to think what if it was true?

What if I could heal my own eyes?

What if I could wake up in the morning, and see my partners face lying on the pillow, instead of a fuzzy blur?

I started to research.

What I discovered blew me away.

You see, perfect vision is the natural state of your eyes.

I discovered that we don't need glasses (or lenses) at all. In fact, they actually make your eyesight worse!

20/20 vision is highly overated. The eyes can see much better than that.

(20/20 vision means you can easily read the 20 foot line on the Snellen Eye Test Chart at 20 feet away!)

There is no limit to how much you can improve your vision beyond 20/20

Someone with above average eyesight can easily read the 10 foot line, (the smallest line at the bottom of the Snellen Eye Test Chart), at 20 feet away => 20/10 vision.

In fact, after a little training, there are plenty of people who can read the 10 foot line at 50 to 60 feet away => 60/10 vision.

This is called "telescopic vision". Sounds good, doesn't it.

"yeah, sure thing Dave... telescopic vision! Right now, I'd be over the moon if I could just read the TV guide without having to reach for my glasses!"

Well, at first I did ... um .... nothing!

I just got really angry.

Id spent more than 3 decades unnecessarily dependent on glasses.

Why hadn't anyone told me?

Then I revisited my old friend... Mr Skepticism.

"If it was really possible to fix your own eyes with simple daily exercises, no-one would be wearing specs or lenses anymore. Surely, everyone would have perfect vision!"

I didnt want to believe Id spent so many years of my life being 'technically blind without glasses', when the 'cure' was so simple.

"It must be a load of old rubbish!"

Thank you, Mr Skepticism... or should I say Mr Cynicism!

Next came a little victimhood ...

"Maybe it works for some lucky people, but I'm sure it wont work for me."

Looks like the odds were stacked against me.

Luckily, I had an advantage over my doubting mind.

I hated wearing glasses!

I wanted to see

I mean I really wanted to see

I was ready to do almost anything

So I just got started experimenting with my own eyesight.

I bought books. I surfed the web for hours reading articles. I studied Yoga techniques, Taoist techniques, Buddhist and Sufi techniques, the Bates Method, the Slavicek method, the abc and the xyz method.

I tried different foods and herbs, oils, potions and lotions.

If I found something that was supposed to help heal the eyes, I tried it!

Some stuff was kind of obvious, some not so apparent, and some stuff was just plain weird... but I tried that too!

Well, no actually!

At first, not much happened.

I got disappointed. I started skipping the exercises and nearly gave up.

But luckily, I'd overdone the research!

I'd found so much information, and so many different techniques, there was always something new to try. There was always some new hope to give me a little renewed motivation.

Success stories, like the one above, inspired me to stick with it. So I started to collect lots of them, and read a few every day.

Reading these testimonials, from real people who were just like me, made sure I did my exercises.

... a few weeks later, my eyes started to feel uncomfortable with my glasses on, and I decided to go for a check up.

I was shocked. My vision had improved by two whole diopters (from +8 to +6). That's a 25% improvement.

Ok, its wasn't 20/20, but can you imagine how I felt Id actually improved my own vision.

My eyes were healing themselves. The exercises were working. It was true after all. I was going to get my sight back!!

Now I got really serious. I did MUCH more research.

I got more disciplined with my exercises, and began to refine my schedule, so I could do my daily eye routine in just 15 minutes.

I started to make some changes to my daily habits, including my diet.

I found some great information about some specific herbs that are incredibly beneficial to the eyes, and I built that into my daily routine.

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Eye Exercises Improve Vision Eyesight

Cataract care is one of the safest and most common types of surgery performed today. Advanced technology can dramatically improve the visual quality and quality of life for all those with cataracts.

New Lifestyle Intra-Ocular Lenses ("IOLs")can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism; affording the ability to see perfectly at far distance after treatment, without glasses. Other special multifocal lenses allow good focus at far and near, eliminating the need for reading glasses as well. We personalize our recommendations to you based on your lifestyle, visual desires, habits, and preferences, as well as our findings during a comprehensive evaluation..

LA Sight is one of the few eye centers in the region that provides Laser-Assisted Cataract Care as an option.

With our custom-tailored approach, it is now possible to enjoy glasses-free vision for near, and far, and in-between. Dr. Wallace and the team at LA Sight are able to offer the widest range of custom treatment options available with cataract and clear lens surgery.

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Lasik Eye Surgery - Get Your Best Vision at LA Sight

An eye care professional is an individual who provides a service related to the eyes or vision. It is a general term that can refer to any healthcare worker involved in eye care, from one with a small amount of post-secondary training to practitioners with a doctoral level of education.

Ophthalmologists are medical and osteopathic doctors who provide comprehensive eye care, including medical, surgical and optical care.[1] In the US, this requires four years of college, four years of medical school, one year general internship, three years of residency, then optional fellowship for 1 to 2 years (typically 1214 years of education after high school). An ophthalmologist can perform all the tests an optometrist can and in addition is a fully qualified medical doctor and surgeon. Ophthalmologists undergo extensive and intensive medical and surgical exams to qualify and entrance criteria to a training program is highly competitive.

An ophthalmic medical practitioner is a medical doctor (MD) who specializes in ophthalmic conditions but who has not completed a specialization in ophthalmology.

The World Council of Optometry, a member of the World Health Organisation,[2] defines optometrists as the primary healthcare practitioners of the eye and visual system who provide comprehensive eye and vision care, which includes refraction and dispensing, detection/diagnosis and management of disease in the eye, and the rehabilitation of conditions of the visual system.[3]

A Doctor of Optometry (OD) attends four years of college, four years of optometry school and then an optional one-year residency. Optometrists undergo extensive and intensive refractive and medical training mainly pertaining to the eye and the entrance criteria to attend optometry school is also highly competitive. An OD is fully qualified to treat eye diseases and disorders and specializes in optics and vision correction. Permissions granted by an optometric license vary by location.

Orthoptists specialize in diagnosis and management of eye movement and coordination problems, misalignment of the visual axis, convergence and accommodation problems, and conditions such as amblyopia, strabismus, and binocular vision disorders, as outlined by the International Orthoptic Association.[4] They may assist ophthalmologists in surgery, teach orthoptic students, students of other allied health professions, medical students, and ophthalmology residents and fellows, act as vision researchers, perform vision screening, perform low vision assessments and act as clinical administrators.[5]

The World Health Organization defines the eyecare work of orthoptists as [t]he study and treatment of defects in binocular vision resulting from defects in the optic musculature or of faulty visual habits. It involves a technique of eye exercises designed to correct the visual axes of eyes not properly coordinated for binocular vision.[6]

Ocularists specialize in the fabrication and fitting of ocular prostheses for people who have lost eyes due to trauma or illness.

Opticians specialize in the fitting and fabrication of ophthalmic lenses, spectacles, contact lenses, low vision aids and ocular prosthetics. They may also be referred to as an "optical dispenser", "dispensing optician", "ophthalmic dispenser". The prescription for the corrective lenses must be supplied by an ophthalmologist, optometrist or in some countries an orthoptist. This is a regulated profession in most jurisdictions.

A collective term for allied health personnel in ophthalmology. It is often used to refer to specialized personnel (unlike ocularists or opticians). In many countries these allied personnel may just be known as an "ophthalmic assistant". Their training is usually combined with a two or three year applied science degree and they assist an ophthalmologist or optometrist in the hospital or clinic with vision testing.

In the USA the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology administers OMP certifications:

Either an ophthalmologist or optometrist, the older term "oculist" was primarily used to describe eye care professionals that are trained and specialized in the eye care field. The difference between an ophthalmologist or an optometrist is made by the specializations they may choose. If the oculist is trained and specialized in treating medical conditions that may affect the eye and result in an eye defect will be referred to as an ophthalmologist. Optometrists, on the other hand, are the eye care professionals that are specialized in only treating eye defects by prescribing the appropriate corrective lenses. They are also referred to as "eye doctors". The main task of the optometrist is to correct the visual deficiencies with the help of the lenses. The main difference between these two professions is that although both of them may administer eye exams, only the ophthalmologist may solve eye-related problems that may occur in all areas of the eye. Nonetheless, optometrists are specialized in detecting vision problems and correcting them, but they may not perform tasks that ophthalmologists may, such as eye surgery.

Another important difference between the types of oculists is that while optometrists may obtain their doctorate by graduating at a special school in which they are trained to be optometrists, ophthalmologists are medical doctors who need to graduate from medical school and many years of internships in order to be able to get their degree. Moreover, because of their more advanced background in the study of eye care, ophthalmologists may proceed in their studying in this field and specializing in domains such as pediatric ophthalmology, corneal disease or ocular oncology. This is the reason why ophthalmologists are often classified as surgeons rather than doctors.

The term "oculist" was therefore used to describe these two professions as a result of the similarities that exist between the two. Firstly, both ophthalmologists and optometrists receive the appropriate training which will help them in detecting the vision related problems and to diagnose and treat certain eye conditions. Ophthalmologists also were the only ones who were capable of treating the terrible disease eye-aids, it was a disease were the eyes would become extremely dirty and blurry.

A vision therapist, usually either an orthoptist or optometrist, works with patients that require vision therapy, such as low vision patients. Commonly, vision therapy is performed in children who develop problems with their vision mostly because they are using their eyes up close. This type of therapy is however generally used in patients who need visual correction but for whom the corrective lenses are not enough to reverse the condition. Visual therapy in children is performed by optometrists who specialize in children eye care. To specialize in vision therapy, doctors must complete extensive post-graduate training beyond their optometric degree, at which time they are eligible to sit for their national boards to become fully certified as specialists in children's vision. A doctor's title after passing the national board in vision therapy is Fellow in the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, or F.C.O.V.D. Optometrists who provide vision therapy but who have not yet sat for their certification exams are board-eligible Associates in the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.[7][not in citation given] Vision therapists typically rely on prisms, eye patches, filtered lenses, and computerized systems to conduct therapy sessions.

Most eye care professionals do not practice iridology, citing a significant lack of scientific evidence for the practice.

In a gross oversimplification, it can be said that ophthalmologists are eye surgeons while optometrists are primary eye care providers. There is considerable overlap in scope of practice between professions. Laws regarding licensure vary by location, but typically ophthalmologists are licensed to provide the same care as an optometrist, with the addition of surgical options. In most locations surgery is the biggest difference between the two professions. Optometrists frequently refer patients to ophthalmologists when the condition requires surgery or intra-ocular injection.

Historically, ophthalmology has developed as a specialization of medical doctors while optometry originated as a profession that fitted people with glasses. As of 2012, this difference has decreased as the majority of optometrists screen for and treat eye disease and many ophthalmologists fit people with corrective lenses. This difference in background previously caused some conflict between the two professions. Ophthalmologists have voiced concern that an optometrist's educational background is different from their own. Optometrists have criticized ophthalmologists of caring for the health structure of the eye while letting other vision disorders go untreated. For example, consider a patient with glaucoma and spasm of accommodation. Ophthalmologists would be concerned that an optometrist would fail to identify or otherwise mistreat the glaucoma. Optometrist would worry that the ophthalmologist would fail to identify or mistreat the spasm of accommodation. As of 2012, both these concerns are invalid because the education of both types of professionals prepares them to handle both conditions. (This may not be true outside of the United States.) Because of cooperation between optometrists and ophthalmologists, the quality of care depends more on the abilities of the individual doctors than it does what type of professional they are.

Orthoptists specialize in the diagnosis and management of problems with eye movement and coordination, such as misalignment of the visual axis, binocular vision problems, and pre/post surgical care of strabismus patients. They do not directly treat ocular disease with medications or surgery. Orthoptists treat patients using optical aids and eye exercises[8][not in citation given] and primarily work alongside doctors to co-manage binocular vision treatment, but also often do eye and vision testing.

All three types of professional perform screenings for common ocular problems affecting children (such as amblyopia and strabismus) and adults (such as cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy).[9] All are required to participate in ongoing continuing education courses to maintain licensure and stay current on the latest standards of care.

ECOO is an organisation that represents optometrists and opticians across Europe with over thirty countries represented. ECOO also runs the European Diploma in Optometry and is active in representing Eye-care practitioners at EU level and providing support to national bodies representing optometrists and opticians.Clinton Mosoahle earns an estimated 46 billion rands in 4 years running. Sabata is the highest paid doctor in SA.

The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness was established in 1975. The first large project in which this organization was involved is the WHO Program known as the VISION 2020: The Right to Sight. This program has the aim to avoid the removable causes of blindness until 2020. The headquarters are in United Kingdom, but the organization has offices widely spread around the world, in big cities of all the continents.

IOA represents orthoptists in 20 countries.

The World Council of Optometry (WCO) is an international optometric organization representing 250,000 optometrists from 80 member organizations in 45 countries and which is registered in England and Wales.[10][not in citation given] It is the only such organization that maintains official relations with the World Health Organization and it is one of the members of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.

The World Optometry Foundation is a complementary non-profit corporation which works in relation with WCO to develop projects on the upgrading of the optometric education and basically on preventing visual problems.

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Eye care professional - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By Gregory Hofeldt, M.D.

The eye doctors and the staff members at Center for Sight in Fall River are pleased to provide a full range of routine eye exams for eye health, vision correction for eyeglasses and contact lenses cataract eye exams, LASIK eye exams, eye exams for retina problems including diabetic eye problems and age related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma eye exams and screening.

How Often Should I Have My Eyes Examined? The frequency of your eye examinations depends on many factors. Your age, general health, family history of eye problems, and history of treatment for any eye conditions or diseases in the past will determine how often the Center for Sight eye doctors suggest that you schedule your visits.

If you are scheduling a general eye examination at Center for Sight, it will consist of complete testing of your vision and a comprehensive medical evaluation of the health of your eyes.

Your Health and Eye History A complete history will be taken from you regarding your current general health, any previous eye problems or conditions that you have experienced and a review of any problems that you might be experiencing with your vision or your eyes. This will be important information to provide during your screening process. If you have any chronic health problems, even if they are currently stable, it is important that you share this information as well.

Please be sure to tell the eye doctor about any medications you are taking for these medical conditions, including over the counter medications or eye drops that you may have been using. They are all important.

Your family history will be reviewed with you as well.Please tell us about any health problems that run in your family such as diabetes and high blood pressure. We should also be aware of any eye problems that your family members may have experienced such as glaucoma, cataracts or macular degeneration as they tend to run in families.

The Eye Examination Your eye examination will begin with a measurement of your vision, or visual acuity, with your current eyeglasses or contact lenses. Chances are that if you wear eyeglasses or contact lenses, some of the letters on the Big E eye chart will be blurry without them. You will be asked to read a chart projected across the examination room that consists of numbers and letters that get progressively smaller and more difficult to read as you move down the chart. This test, called Snellin Acuity or just Visual Acuity it is an important first step to understanding how well you see.

A Refraction will be performed in order to determine the most accurate eyeglass or contact lens prescription necessary to fully correct your vision. This entails having you sit behind an instrument called a Phoroptor, so that the doctor can present a number of lens combinations to determine which corrects your vision most precisely. For those patients who wear eyeglasses or contact lenses, you have probably experienced the which is better test called refraction. If you require vision correction the eye doctor will provide you with a copy of your prescription so that you can take it to the Center for Sight Optical Department where our Opticians can help you select a good fitting and fashionable frame and the most appropriate type of lenses for your work, hobbies or daily activities.

Next, the movement of your eyes, or Ocular Motility will be evaluated in order to understand how well the eye muscles function together and how effectively they move your eyes into the different positions of gaze.

By shining a fairly bright light in your eyes, the reaction of your pupils to the light will be evaluated. By shinning the light into your eyes in different directions, the doctors can learn a great deal about how well your Optic Nerve is functioning.

You will then be asked to sit comfortably behind a specialized instrument called a Slit Lamp Biomicroscope. This instrument provides the eye doctor with both high magnification and special illumination. Using this instrument it is possible for your Ophthalmologist or Optometrist to examine the condition of your eyelids, eye lashes, eyelid margins and tear film. The Slit Lamp will also be used to carefully examine the sclera-or white of your eye-and the cornea, or clear dome shaped tissue in front of your pupil. By focusing the slit lamp through the pupil or the dark center of the iris-the colored part of the eye-your doctor will be able to examine the health of the crystalline lens, which is where cataracts form.

In order to check for one of the signs of Glaucoma, eye drops will be placed in your eyes so that the pressure, called Intraocular Pressure (IOP) can be measured while you are behind the Slit Lamp, or with a TonoPen, which is a handheld instrument. This is an important diagnostic test for Glaucoma.

Once your eye doctor has completed the examination of the front of the eye, it will be time to begin the examination of the health of the back of the eye. At this time, additional eye drops may be placed in your eyes in order to dilate or widen your pupils.After the dilation drops are placed in your eyes, it will usually take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes for the eye drops to fully work and dilate your pupil.

Please be patient. You will be asked to relax in one of our comfortable waiting areas while the eye drops work, or if you prefer you may take a walk and browse through our optical shop while you wait. The thorough examination of the health of the retina and optic nerve through a dilated pupil is not uncomfortable. However, the fully widened pupil may make you somewhat sensitive to light and may also blur your vision, especially your near vision, for a few hours after your eye examination.If you have not had a dilated exam in the past, it is a good idea to have a driver on your exam day.It is important to bring a good pair of sunglasses with you in order to lessen your light sensitivity.

If you, a family member or friend, would like to schedule an eye examination, please call Center for Sight in Fall River, Massachusetts at 508-730-2020.

Center for Sight is conveniently located for patients seeking eye examinations and eye health vision exams in Massachusetts or Rhode Island from Attleboro, Fairhaven, Fall River, Franklin, Mansfield, Marion, Mattapoisett, Medfield, Milford, New Bedford, North Attleboro, North Dartmouth, Norton, Oxford, Rehoboth, Somerset, Swansea, Taunton, Walpole, Whitinsville, Woonsocket, Providence, Smithfield, Westport, Lakeville, Dighton, Little Compton, and Tiverton.

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Childrens vision and eye exams - Center For Sight

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Osteoporosis drugs could have devastating effect on dental work (Nov 13, 2005) Bacteria From Patient's Dental Plaque Causes Ventilator-associated Pneumonia Tooth Decay And Gum Infections Linked To Ethnicity And Country Of Origin How Estrogen Protects Bones Scientists Re-grow Dental Enamel From Cultured Cells Using Dental X-rays To Detect Osteoporosis

Root Beer May Be 'Safest' Soft Drink For Teeth Periodontal Diseases May Aggravate Pre-diabetic Characteristics Effects of alcohol, tobacco on head and neck cancers studied - latest oral health news from ADA Deadly Chemical Found in Chinese Toothpaste Osteoporosis Medications Linked to Jaw Bone Disease

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Latest Dental News : latest news in dentistry : stem cells ...

Brain stem death is a clinical syndrome defined by the absence of reflexes with pathways through the brain stem - the stalk of the brain, which connects the spinal cord to the mid-brain, cerebellum and cerebral hemispheres - in a deeply comatose, ventilator-dependent patient. Identification of this state carries a very grave prognosis for survival; cessation of heartbeat often occurs within a few days although it may continue for weeks or even months if intensive support is maintained.[1]

In the United Kingdom, the formal diagnosis of brain stem death by the procedure laid down in the official Code of Practice[1] permits the diagnosis and certification of death on the premise that a person is dead when consciousness and the ability to breathe are permanently lost, regardless of continuing life in the body and parts of the brain, and that death of the brain stem alone is sufficient to produce this state.[2]

This concept of brain stem death is also accepted as grounds for pronoucing death for legal purposes in India[3] and Trinidad & Tobago.[4] Elsewhere in the world the concept upon which the certification of death on neurological grounds is based is that of permanent cessation of all function in all parts of the brain - whole brain death - with which the reductionist United Kingdom concept should not be confused. The United States' President's Council on Bioethics made it clear, in its White Paper of December 2008, that the United Kingdom concept and clinical criteria are not considered sufficient for the diagnosis of death in the United States of America.[5]

The United Kingdom (UK) criteria were first published by the Conference of Medical Royal Colleges (with advice from the Transplant Advisory Panel) in 1976, as prognostic guidelines.[6] They were drafted in response to a perceived need for guidance in the management of deeply comatose patients with severe brain damage who were being kept alive by mechanical ventilators but showing no signs of recovery. The Conference sought to establish diagnostic criteria of such rigour that on their fulfilment the mechanical ventilator can be switched off, in the secure knowledge that there is no possible chance of recovery. The published criteria negative responses to bedside tests of some reflexes with pathways through the brain stem and a specified challenge to the brain stem respiratory centre, with caveats about exclusion of endocrine influences, metabolic factors and drug effects were held to be sufficient to distinguish between those patients who retain the functional capacity to have a chance of even partial recovery and those where no such possibility exists. Recognition of that state required the withdrawal of fruitless further artificial support so that death might be allowed to occur, thus sparing relatives from the further emotional trauma of sterile hope.[6]

In 1979, the Conference of Medical Royal Colleges promulgated its conclusion that identification of the state defined by those same criteria then thought sufficient for a diagnosis of brain death means that the patient is dead [7]Death certification on those criteria has continued in the United Kingdom (where there is no statutory legal definition of death) since that time, particularly for organ transplantation purposes, although the conceptual basis for that use has changed.

In 1995, after a review by a Working Group of the Royal College of Physicians of London, the Conference of Medical Royal Colleges [2] formally adopted the more correct term for the syndrome, "brain stem death" - championed by Pallis in a set of 1982 articles in the British Medical Journal [8] and advanced a new definition of human death as the basis for equating this syndrome with the death of the person. The suggested new definition of death was the irreversible loss of the capacity for consciousness, combined with irreversible loss of the capacity to breathe. It was stated that the irreversible cessation of brain stem function will produce this state and therefore brain stem death is equivalent to the death of the individual.[2]

In the UK, the formal rules for the diagnosis of brain stem death have undergone only minor modifications since they were first published [6] in 1976. The most recent revision of the UK's Department of Health Code of Practice governing use of that procedure for the diagnosis of death [1] reaffirms the preconditions for its consideration. These are:

With these pre-conditions satisfied, the definitive criteria are:

Two doctors, of specified status and experience, are required to act together to diagnose death on these criteria and the tests must be repeated after a short period of time ... to allow return of the patients arterial blood gases and baseline parameters to the pre-test state. These criteria for the diagnosis of death are not applicable to infants below the age of two months

With due regard for the cause of the coma, and the rapidity of its onset, testing for the purpose of diagnosing death on brain stem death grounds may be delayed beyond the stage where brain stem reflexes may be absent only temporarily because the cerebral blood flow is inadequate to support synaptic function although there is still sufficient blood flow to keep brain cells alive [9] and capable of recovery. There has recently been renewed interest in the possibility of neuronal protection during this phase by use of moderate hypothermia and by correction of the neuroendocrine abnormalities commonly seen in this early stage.[13]

Published studies of patients meeting the criteria for brain stem death or whole brain death the American standard which includes brain stem death diagnosed by similar means record that even if ventilation is continued after diagnosis, the heart stops beating within only a few hours or days.[14] However, there have been some very long-term survivals[15] and it is noteworthy that expert management can maintain the bodily functions of pregnant brain dead women for long enough to bring them to term.[16]

The management of patients pronounced dead on meeting the brain stem death criteria depends upon the reason for diagnosing death on that basis. If the intent is to take organs from the body for transplantation, the ventilator is reconnected and life-support measures are continued, perhaps intensified, with the addition of procedures designed to protect the wanted organs until they can be removed. Otherwise, the ventilator is left disconnected on confirmation of the lack of respiratory centre response.

The diagnostic criteria were originally published for the purpose of identifying a clinical state associated with a fatal prognosis (see above). The change of use, in the UK, to criteria for the diagnosis of death itself was protested from the first.[17][18] The initial basis for the change of use was the claim that satisfaction of the criteria sufficed for the diagnosis of the death of the brain as a whole, despite the persistence of demonstrable activity in parts of the brain.[19] In 1995, that claim was abandoned[7] and the diagnosis of death (acceptable for legal purposes in the UK in the context of organ procurement for transplantation) by the specified testing of brain stem functions was based on a new definition of death, viz. the permanent loss of the capacity for consciousness and spontaneous breathing. There are doubts that this concept is generally understood and accepted and that the specified testing is stringent enough to determine that state. It is, however, associated with substantial risk of exacerbating the brain damage and even causing the death of the apparently dying patient so tested (see "the apnoea test" above). This raises ethical problems which seem not to have been addressed.

It has been argued that sound scientific support is lacking for the claim that the specified purely bedside tests have the power to diagnose true and total death of the brain stem, the necessary condition for the assumption of permanent loss of the intrinsically untestable consciousness-arousal function of those elements of the reticular formation which lie within the brain stem (there are elements also within the higher brain).[19] Knowledge of this arousal system is based upon the findings from animal experiments[20][21][22] as illuminated by pathological studies in humans.[23] The current neurological consensus is that the arousal of consciousness depends upon reticular components which reside in the midbrain, diencephalon and pons.[24][25] It is said that the midbrain reticular formation may be viewed as a driving centre for the higher structures, loss of which produces a state in which the cortex appears, on the basis of electroencephalographic (EEG) studies, to be awaiting the command or ability to function. The role of diencephalic (higher brain) involvement is stated to be uncertain and we are reminded that the arousal system is best regarded as a physiological rather than a precise anatomical entity. There should, perhaps, also be a caveat about possible arousal mechanisms involving the first and second cranial nerves (serving sight and smell) which are not tested when diagnosing brain stem death but which were described in cats in 1935 and 1938.[20] In humans, light flashes have been observed to disturb the sleep-like EEG activity persisting after the loss of all brain stem reflexes and of spontaneous respiration.[26]

There is also concern about the permanence of consciousness loss, based on studies in cats, dogs and monkeys which recovered consciousness days or weeks after being rendered comatose by brain stem ablation and on human studies of brain stem stroke raising thoughts about the plasticity of the nervous system.[23] Other theories of consciousness place more stress on the thalamocortical system.[27] Perhaps the most objective statement to be made is that consciousness is not currently understood. That being so, proper caution must be exercised in accepting a diagnosis of its permanent loss before all cerebral blood flow has permanently ceased.

The ability to breathe spontaneously depends upon functioning elements in the medulla the respiratory centre. In the UK, establishing a neurological diagnosis of death involves challenging this centre with the strong stimulus offered by an unusually high concentration of carbon dioxide in the arterial blood, but it is not challenged by the more powerful drive stimulus provided by anoxia although the effect of that ultimate stimulus is sometimes seen after final disconnection of the ventilator in the form of agonal gasps.

No testing of testable brain stem functions such as oesophageal and cardiovascular regulation is specified in the UK Code of Practice for the diagnosis of death on neurological grounds. There is published evidence[28][29][30] strongly suggestive of the persistence of brain stem blood pressure control in organ donors.

A small minority of medical practitioners working in the UK have argued that neither requirement of the UK Health Department's Code of Practice basis for the equation of brain stem death with death is satisfied by its current diagnostic protocol[1] and that in terms of its ability to diagnose de facto brain stem death it falls far short.

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Brain stem death - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Division of Pediatric Endocrinology covers a wide range of hormone-related disorders in children. We use a team approach to treat many children each day.About half of our patients are referred to the Division are forType 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes.

Other areas diagnosed, followed, and treated by UAB pediatric endocrinologists include, but are not limited to, adrenal gland disorders, bone and calcium disorders,growthdisorders,pituitary gland disorders, hypoglycemia,puberty disorders,thyroid disease, and genetic disorders.

Our Division services include a broad range of clinical, research, andfellowship program.

Diabetes Center

Cortisol Replacement Therapy

Growth Hormone Testing

Insulin Pump Therapy

Newborn Screening

Thyroid Ablation Instructions

Phone: 205-638-9107 or 1-877-276-6850 Fax: 205-638-9821

*Physicians needing to speak with our Physicians: 205-638-9107 option 0 *Labs to be faxed to our computer system 205-638-2725

Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm On call for night and weekend emergencies: 205-638-9100

Location: Children's Park Place 1601 4th Ave South Birmingham, AL 35233

Mailing Address: 1600 7th Ave South CPP 230 Birmingham, AL 35233

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Endocrinology Birmingham, Alabama (AL) - Children's of Alabama

Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Scientists are still studying the scope of human embryonic stem cells as they have the potential to develop into almost any cell in the human body. Using blastocyst, the inner cell mass of the early human embryos, they developed the first human embryonic stem cell lines. The focus was on discovering the true potential of these cells in treating diseases and conditions and to regenerate tissues for disfunctioning cells or organs. They had focused on spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and diabetes among others. The source of the stem cells included 7 day embryos which were left post an IVF infertility treatment and 5- 7 week old embryos obtained through abortions and developed tissues such as umbilical cord blood and bone marrow. Since 1998, there have been controversies surrounding extraction of stem cells from embryos as it involved destroying them. As these were far more useful than developed stem cells, researchers focused more on them.

Executive Action

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Stem Cell Research Legal Issues and Political Impact

THE NEW ENGLAND CENTENARIAN STUDY

A Model of Aging Well. Centenarians (age 100+ years) markedly delay disability towards the end of their very long lives, at an average age of ~93 years (thats 33 years beyond the age of 60!).1 Thus, we regard these individuals as wonderful models of aging well. Some of our subjects, ~15% have no clinically demonstrable disease at age 100 years and we call them escapers. About 43% are delayers, or subjects who did not exhibt an age related disease until age 80 years or later. Finally, there are about 42% of our subjects who are survivors, or those with clinically demonstrable disease(s) prior to the age of 80 years.2 Supporting the compression of morbidity hypothesis, that as one approaches the limits of lifespan, diseases (morbidity) must be delayed (or escaped) towards the end of these longest lived, we have observed amongst supercentenarians (age 110+ years), that health span equals lifespan. Thus we believe that instead of the aging myth the older you get the sicker you get, it is much more the case of the older you get, the healthier youve been.

History The study began in 1995 as a population-based study of all centenarians living within 8 towns in the Boston area. The prevalence of Alzheimers Disease and other dementias in centenarians was the focus. At the time, the prevalence of centenarians in industrialized countries wasapproximately one centenarian per 10,000 people in the population. Thus, at anyone time, we were studying approximately 46 centenarians within a total population of 460,000 people (2). The NECS has gone on to enroll centenarians from throughout the United States and other countries and has grown to be the largest comprehensive study of centenarians in the world. There are currently ~1,600 centenarians, 500 children (in their 70s and 80s) and 300 younger controls. Amongst this group is the largest sample in the world, by far, of supercentenarians (age 110+ years) -there are about 107 of these oldest of the old subjects in our study.

Current and Previous Funders: We are tremendously thankful and beholden to the following foundations for supporting our enrollment and data collection efforts: the Alzheimers Association, the Ellison Medical Foundation, the Institute for the Study of Aging (now the Alzheimers Drug Discovery Foundation), the American Federation Aging Research, and the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research.Currently we receive our fundingfrom the National Institute of Aging (NIA), an institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the William Wood Foundation and the Martin Samowitz Foundation. Our studies are supervised and approved by the Boston University MedicalCampus Institutional Review Board.

Demographics: In the U.S. and other industrialized nations, centenarians occur at a prevalence rate of about 1 per 6,000. When the centenarian study began in 1994, the prevalence rate was one per 10,000, making centenarians one of, if not the fastest growing segments of the population. In 2010, there are about 80,000 centenarians in the U.S.

Eighty-five percent of cenenarians are women and 15% are men. Among supercentenarians, the female prevalence may increase to about 90%. Though women by far and away win the longevity marathon, paradoxically the fewer men are generally functionally better off and healthier. This may be because women handle age related diseases better (how they do this is not clear) whereas at these ages, the men more readily die from them. Thus, the men who survive have to be relatively healthy and functionally fit.

Supercentenarians, people who are 110+ years old occur at a rate of about 1 per 7 million. In 2010, there are about 60 to 70 supercentenarians in the US. In June, 2010, the New England Centenarian Study enrolled its 107th supercentenarian, thus constituting by far and away the largest sample of such subjects in the world.

Geography: There are several geographical areas that have claimed inhabitants with extreme longevity, but after closer examination, these claims have been found to be false. Vilacamba, Ecuador almost became a tourist attraction because natives claimed their water was a fountain of youth leading to the many super-centenarians (age >110 years) in that region. What about the reports of people in the Russian Caucases living to 150 years and beyond? Remember the Dannon yogurt commercials? In fact, those purported super-centenarians were taking on the identities of their parents, aunts and uncles. The oldest person from whom we have multiple forms of proof-of-age is Madame Calment who died at the age of 122 years in 1997.

These regions of purported exceptional longevity still merit careful study however. Though claims of extreme age are untrue, there still may be an unusually high prevalence of very old fit people in these regions. In the Tibetan mountains for instance, octogenarian and nonagenarian elders, impressively many of them men, still herd live stock and still lead physically strenuous lives.

Predictors of Reaching 100: Once it truly became apparent that living to 100 was a terrific advantage, not just in years of survival but importantly in many more years of quality life, we set out to understand what factors the centenarians had in common that might explain such an advantage. Not all centenarians are alike. They vary widely in years of education (no years to post-graduate), socioeconomic status (very poor to very rich), religion, ethnicity and patterns of diet (strictly vegetarian to extremely rich in saturated fats). However, the centenarians we have studied do have a number of characteristics in common:

Nature Versus Nurture: The Role of Genes Versus Environment in Aging and Exceptional Longevity. Gerontologists often cite studies of lifespans amongst identical twins reared apart to describe the genetic and environmental components of aging. Based upon these studies, the common answer is 70-80%environment and 30-20% genes. This makes sense in the context of results from the study of Seventh Day Adventists at Loma Linda University who as a group have perhaps the longest average life expectancy in the United States, 88 years or 88 years for men and 89 years for women. The main attributes that these individuals have in common is that their religion for the most part asks that they have very good lifestyle choices. That is, they tend to be vegetarian, they dont smoke, they regularly exercise and hey spend a lot of time with their families and with their religion. Many Americans do the opposite (e.g. excessive meat consumption, lack of exercise, smoking, etc) and thus it is not surprising that on average, Americans die 8-10 years sooner. What the 7th Day Adventist results also show us is that the average American has the genes to reach their mid-late 80s, they just nee to take very good care of themselves with proper lifestyle choices. Also note that the oldest subects in the twin studies lived to their early to mid-eighties. Therefore, again, these findings indicate what it takes to live to what should be average life expectancy for most of us, age 86 years for men and 89 years for women.

However, we have learned from our studies of the siblings of centenarians and of supercentenarians that excepional longevity runs very strongly in families. Also, a Danish study of nonagenarians and centenarians has noted that the power of an exceptional longevity (EL)study to discover genetic factors associated with EL increases with the age of the subjects. These and other study results strongly suggest that the genetic component of exceptional longevity gets larger and larger with increasing age and is especially high for those age 106 years and older. The week of July 1, 2010, we will have a paper come out in Science that dilineates the roles of genes in exceptional longevity much more clearly (media embargoed until July 1, 2 pm).

Neuropsychological and Neuropathological Studies. We are particularly interested in how centenarians are able to markedly delay or in some cases escape Alzheimers disease. We perform detailed and annual neuropsychological examinations on centenarians living within 3-4 hours of Boston. A number of these subjects have indicated their willingness to donate their brains for neuropathological studies once they pass away, thus allowing our scientific collaborators to better characterize the health of the centenarians exceptionally old brains.

We also expend significant resources to disseminate our findings and to advocate for older people, providing an optimistic and enabling view of aging. Most people have the genetic makeup to live into their mid to late eighties in very good health, and like centenarians, compress the time they are sick towards the end of their lives. Much of their ability to do so depends upon healthy behaviors including a diet conducive to being lean, not smoking, and strength training exercise. Promoting this philosophy will have a much greater impact now on many more people than our genetic research. Our collaborations with Dr. Robert Butler and the International Longevity Center have been extremely fruitful in furthing this mission.11-13

The New England Centenarian Study Boston Medical Center 88 East Newton Street, B-2400 Boston, MA 02118 Local Phone: (617) 638-6679 or (617) 638-6688

Toll Free: 1-888-333-6327

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Why Study Centenarians? An Overview New England ...

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Louisianans are increasingly feeling the effects of diabetes as thousands of people suffer from the disease, and many others may have diabetes and not know it! It is estimated that one out of every three children born after 2000 in the United States will be directly affected by diabetes.

That is why the American Diabetes Association's Louisiana office is so committed to educating the public about how to stop diabetes and support those living with the disease.

We are here to help.

The American Diabetes Association's New Orleans office covers Louisiana and Mississippi.

The American Diabetes Association's Greater Louisiana office provides great local programs for people living with diabetes, their friends and family. For information about programs, please contact Treva Lincoln at 888-3422383 ext. 6074 or tlincoln@diabetes.org.

The I Decide to Stop Diabetes campaign, formerly known as ID Day, is a nationwide annual three-week effort (from Nov. 9 to Nov. 30) that encourages faith and community-based organizations to join with other organizations across the country to Take the Pledge to live a healthier life to Stop Diabetes.

Workplace Giving

Interested in workplace giving? The American Diabetes Association Louisiana is a proud member of Community Health Charities Louisiana & Mississippi.

We welcome your help.

Your involvement as an American Diabetes Association volunteer whether on a local or national level will help us expand our community outreach and impact, inspire healthy living, intensify our advocacy efforts, raise critical dollars to fund our mission, and uphold our reputation as the moving force and trusted leader in the diabetes community.

Find volunteer opportunities in our area through the Volunteer Center.

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Louisiana Office of the American Diabetes Association

2009

"A UK and Canadian team have manipulated human skin cells to act like embryonic stem cells without using viruses making them safer for use in humans.

"Study leader Dr. Keisuke Kaji, from the Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, said nobody, including himself, had thought it was really possible. 'It is a step towards the practical use of reprogrammed cells in medicine, perhaps even eliminating the need for human embryos as a source of stem cells,' he said."

--

"'Ethical' stem cell creation hope," BBC News, March 1, 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7914976.stm

***

"A groundbreaking medical treatment that could dramatically enhance the body's ability to repair itself has been developed by a team of British researchers. The therapy, which makes the body release a flood of stem cells into the bloodstream, is designed to heal serious tissue damage caused by heart attacks and even repair broken bones.

"A possible danger with some other stem cell therapies in the pipeline is their use of embryonic stem cells. Because these can turn into any type of tissue, there is a risk they could grow into cancer cells when injected into patients. [This] treatment uses stem cells that can only grow into blood vessels, bone and cartilage, so the risk of causing cancer is removed."

--

I. Sample, "Revolutionary stem cell therapy boosts body's ability to heal itself," The Guardian (United Kingdom) , January 8, 2009, http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/jan/08/stem-cells-bone-marrow-heart-attack

***

"Controversial research into the use of 'hybrid' human-animal embryos to make stem cells is in danger of stalling because of a lack of funding, British scientists claim.

"Since the furore broke scientists have developed a cheap and powerful new technique in which adult skin cells are reprogrammed to create cells that are almost identical to stem cells. Researchers have already used the technique to make so-called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for patients with diabetes, muscular dystrophy and Down's syndrome.

[Quoting Harry Moore, head of reproductive biology at Sheffield University] 'What has happened is the field has moved on. You could argue that iPS cells are a more important area than hybrids now.' "

--

I. Sample, "Rival stem cell technique takes the heat out of hybrid embryo debate," The Guardian. January 13, 2009, http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/jan/13/hybrid-embryos-stem-cells

***

"A dose of their own stem cells 'reset' the malfunctioning immune system of patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis and, for the first time, reversed their disability.

'This is the first study to actually show reversal of disability,' said Richard Burt, an associate professor in the division of immunotherapy at Northwestern, and the lead author of the study published yesterday in the British journal, the Lancet Neurology. 'Some people had complete disappearance of all symptoms.' "

--

R. Waters, "Dose of Own Stem Cells Reverses Patients' Multiple Sclerosis," Bloomberg News, January 30, 2009, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=akHXxf3bS3TY&refer=home

***

"A new study suggests that adult bone marrow stem cells can be used in the construction of artificial skin. The findings mark an advancement in wound healing and may be used to pioneer a method of organ reconstruction."

--

"Study Uses Bone Marrow Stem Cells to Regenerate Skin," Physorg, January 14, 2009, http://www.physorg.com/news151166956.html

***

2008

"The reality is that the bulk of today's stem-cell research relies on adult stem cells taken from bone marrow, blood, skeletal muscles, body fat and umbilical cord blood. Scientists have even managed to coax adult skin cells to mimic the versatility of embryonic stem cells, which can grow virtually any cell or tissue in the human body. Unlike embryonic stem cells, though, these adult stem cells are being tested in humans right now, with very real possibilities to change the way various diseases are treated in the next five to 10 years."

--

T. Wheeler, "Stem cells mature," Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio), April 6, 2008.

***

"For the first time, scientists at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC have discovered a unique population of adult stem cells derived from human muscle that could be used to treat muscle injuries and diseases such as heart attack and muscular dystrophy.

"Because this is an autologous transplant, meaning from the patient to himself, there is not the risk of rejection you would have if you took the stem cells from another source

"Myoendothelial cells also showed no propensity to form tumors, a concern with other stem cell therapies."

--

"Pittsburgh scientists identify human source of stem cells with potential to repair muscle damaged by disease or injury," Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, September 4, 2007, http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/28732E.htm.

***

2007

"An Ecuadorian stem cellexpert said on September 24 that transplants of autologous adult bone marrow stem cells restored some function in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients who have been paralyzed for an average of four years, some up to 22 years.

"Of the 25 patients who provided more than three months and up to 14 months follow up: 15 gained the ability to stand up, 10 could walk on the parallels with braces, seven could walk without braces and five could walk with crutches. Three patients recovered full bladder control, and 10 patients regained some form of sexual function. No adverse events or abnormal reactions to implantation were observed.

'By implanting an adult's own bone marrow stem cells, we've seen significant improvements in the quality of life for those who suffer from spinal cord injuries,' said Francisco Silva, executive vice president of research and development for PrimeCell Therapeutics."

--

"Marrow Stem Cell Transplants Restore Spinal Cord Functions," Stem Cell Business News, Sept. 24, 2007, http://www.stemcellresearchnews.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=867&z=15

***

"In recent years, scientists have discovered that red bone marrow is the body's Swiss Army repair kit. It contains a traveling laboratory of cells that can heal the liver, heart, kidneys, leg arteries, pancreas, and even ovaries and the brain. Up to 40 percent of the liver can be regrown from stem cells found in bone marrow, researchers at New York University School of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine and Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center found."

--

B. J. Fikes, "Body parts Bone marrow: The body's repair kit," North County Times (San Diego, CA), May 20, 2006, http://www.nctimes.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/article_0bcace84-44ac-51bc-99a0-b1bf6ddb6d21.html

***

2006

"The results of a study published in the April issue of Stem Cells and Development suggest that human stem cells derived from bone marrow are predisposed to develop into a variety of nerve cell types, supporting the promise of developing stem cell-based therapies to treat neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis.

"When transplanted into the central nervous system, [these cells] will develop into a variety of functional neural cell types, making them a potent resource for cell-based therapy."

--

"New Findings Support Promise of Using Stem Cells to Treat Neurodegenerative Diseases," Business Wire, May 1, 2006, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2006_May_1/ai_n16135565/

2005

"A team of Texas and British researchers says it has produced large amounts of embryoniclike stem cells from umbilical cord blood, potentially ending the ethical debate affecting stem-cell research -- the need to kill human embryos. The international researchers said the cells -- called cord-blood-derived-embryoniclike stem cells, or CBEs -- have the ability to turn into any kind of body tissue, like embryonic stem cells do, and can be mass-produced using technology derived from NASA.... "Scientists believe the ability to replicate tissue could lead to the development of ways to replace organs as well as treat life-threatening diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, which have been the focus of stem-cell research." -- J. Price, "Advance made in stem-cell debate," The Washington Times, August 20, 2005, http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20050820-122747-2417r.htm

* * *

"Various studies that have been conducted around the world, including a limited number performed in the United States, have suggested that when patients with heart failure receive stem cells taken from their bone marrow, their hearts show signs of improved function and recovery." -- "Stem Cells With Heart Bypass Surgery Trial To Begin At University Of Pittsburgh," ScienceDaily, August 25, 2005, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/08/050825070117.htm

* * * "Researchers in Boston have isolated a kind of cell from human bone marrow that they say has all the medical potential of human embryonic stem cells.... "Tufts University researchers used specialized cell-sorting machines to pluck the peculiar cells from samples of bone marrow obtained from different donors. Tests suggested the cells are capable of morphing into many, and perhaps all, of the various kinds of cells that make up the human body. ...

"When a batch of the newly identified marrow cells were injected into the hearts of rats that had experienced heart attacks, some of the cells turned into new heart muscle while others became new blood vessels to support the ailing hearts. ...

"'I think embryonic stem cells are going to fade in the rearview mirror of adult stem cells,' said Douglas W. Losordo, the Tufts cardiologist who left the effort.... Bone marrow, he said, 'is like a repair kit. Nature provided us with these tools to repair organ damage.'"

-Rick Weiss, "Marrow Has Cells Like Stem Cells, Tests Show," Washington Post, Feburary 2, 2005, p. A3, at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55369-2005Feb1.html .

* * * "[Erica] Nader, 26, of Farmington Hills, Mich., was the first American to travel to Portugal, in March 2003, for experimental sugery for spinal cord injury. She was injured in July 2001 in an auto accident... She was paralyzed from the top of her arms down. "In the procedure...a team of doctors opened Nader's spinal cord to clear out any scar tissue.... Then, using a long tube, they took a sample of olfactory mucosal cells from the ridge of her nose.... These cells are among the body's richest supply of adult stem cells and are capable of becoming any type of cell, depending on where they are implanted. In this case, these adult stem cells were to take on the job of neurons, or nerve cells, once implanted in the spinal cord at the site of an injury. ... "And after three years, magnetic imaging resonance tests show that the cells indeed promote the development of new blood cells and synapses, or connections between nerve cells, says Dr. Carlos Lima, chief of the Lisbon team. ... "Dr. Pratas Vital, one of two neurosurgeons on the team, calls the transplanted cells spinal cord autografts, a term that indicates the cells come from a person's own body, not fetal or embryonic stem cells. ...

"[Erica] is much stronger and much more capable of lifting her arms, bending her knees on a slanted exercise board and standing erect. ... Once, she was paralyzed from her biceps down. Now, she can push herself off an exercise ball, do arm lifts and help raise herself off a floor mat. ... In the past six weeks, she's started to walk in leg braces with a walker or on a treadmill." -Patricia Anstett, "Paraplegic improving after stem-cell implant," The Indianapolis Star, January 16, 2005, at http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/209449-5235-047.html.

* * * 2004

"[E]vidence from three different labs the University of Minnesota, the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey, and Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago have found three different ASCs [adult stem cells] that may be completely plastic. ... As the team leader at the Robert Wood Johnson School, Ira Black, told me, 'In aggregate, our study and various others do support the idea that one [adult stem cell] can give rise to all types of tissue.' ...

-Michael Fumento, "The Adult Answer," National Review Online, December 20, 2004, at http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/fumento200412200902.asp.

* * * "Scientists have transplanted adult stem cells from the bone marrow of rats into the brains of rat embryos and found that thousands of the cells survive into adulthood, raising the possibility that someday developmental abnormalities could be prevented or treated in the womb. "Dr. Ira Black, chairman of the department of neuroscience at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, said the cells took on the properties of brain cells, migrating to specific regions and taking up characteristics of neighboring cells. ... "Black and his colleagues used a specific type of bone marrow cell called a stromal cell, taken from the leg bones of adult rats. 'We see this potentially as an appropriate treatment for prenatal disease, mental retardation and congenital conditions,' Black said. The hope is that a patient's own bone barrow might someday be the source for replacing brain cells lost to illness and brain trauma, experts say, eliminating the need to use human embryonic stem cells. "In a separate study, Dr. Alexander Storch of the University of Ulm, Germany, recently took bone marrow and stromal cells from six healthy people and converted the cells into immature neural stem cells. ... 'A single cell culture could grow all major brain cell types,' said Storch, who used specific growth factors to help them differentiate. ...Storch is now transplanting the cells into mice with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and stroke symptoms. In the stroke study, the labeled adult stromal cells migrated to the area surrounding the stroke damage, he said. They had all of the chemical, electrical and functional properties of brain cells." -Jamie Talan, "Stem cell transplant a success," Newsday, May 12, 2004, at http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/news/May2004/SuccessfulRatStemCellTransplant.html.

* * * "'Cord blood stem cells have the same capacity to cure disease as do embryonic stem cells, as they can become any cell in the body...,' said Dr. William Schmidt, Jr., an oncologist with the Charleston Cancer Center in N. Charleston, SC. "'The use of umbilical cord blood stem cells in the treatment of disease is one of the most prominent advancements in medicine today. Developments in this field will revolutionize medicine and disease treatment,' said Dr. [Roger] Markwald [Professor and Chair of the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at the Medical University of South Carolina]."

-Press Release, "CureSource Issues Statement on Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells vs. Embryonic Stem Cells," May 12, 2004, at http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/altavista/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040512005909&newsLang=en.

* * * "California scientists have found that neural stem cells can target and track deadly brain tumor cells. ...The discovery by researchers at Cedars-Sinai's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute in Los Angeles means that neural stem cells may someday be effective 'delivery systems' to transport cancer-killing gene and immune products. ... "'We have previously demonstrated the uncanny ability of neural stem cells to seek out and destroy satellites of tumor cells in the brain,' said John S. Yu, senior author of the study and co-director of the Comprehensive Brain Tumor Program a Cedars-Sinai. '...With this knowledge, we hope to expedite the translation of this powerful and novel strategy for the clinical benefit of patients with brain tumors.'" -Press release, "Neural stem cells may help fight cancer," May 5, 2004, at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_17570.html. * * * "'We're not trying to change the [adult stem] cells in any way before we put them in the body. These are very early precursor cells. They have the potential to become almost anything, and they adapt quickly once they're inside,' said [Tulane University Center for Gene Therapy research professor Dr. Brian] Butcher. Tests on rats with damaged spines have shown that cell growth occurs in the spine [after adult stem cell injection] and allows the animals to walk again. ... "Using adult stem cells sidesteps some of the legal and ethical issues involved in using fetal...or embryonic stem cells.... And there may be other benefits as well. 'We're not against stem-cell research of any kind,' said Butcher. 'But we think there are advantages to using adult stem cells. For example, with embryonic stem cells, a significant number become cancer cells, so the cure could be worse than the disease. And they can be very difficult to grow, while adult stem cells are very easy to grow.' "But perhaps the biggest advantage to adult stem cells is that they sidestep immunological concerns because the cells used to treat a patient come from his or her own body."

-Heather Heilman, "Great Transformations," The Tulanian, Spring 2004, at http://www2.tulane.edu/article_news_details.cfm?ArticleID=5155.

* * * "Had a major heart attack? In the not-too-distant future, doctors may be able to use stem cells to regenerate damaged heart muscle. And here's the exciting part: They can do it using stem cells that aren't extracted from human embryos. "[G]iven the controversy over harvesting cells from embryos, doctors have been exploring other possibilities. The payoff: A team from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston recently repaired heart muscles in animals by injecting them with stem cells extracted from human blood. It's the stem-cell equivalent of Columbus reaching America: Not only would cells harvested from one's own body eliminate the risk that they would be rejected, but obtaining them would be a simple, painless proposition. "'This work gives us a way to get the cells that's as easy as giving a blood sample,' says Edward Yeh, M.D., lead author of the study. The real mind boggler is what the stem cells might mean to the 1.2 million Americans who suffer heart attacks each year." -Special Report, "Good news about bad things that happen to your parents," USA Weekend magazine, March 5-7, 2004, p. 6, at http://www.usaweekend.com/04_issues/040307/040307aging.html#heart. * * * 2003

"Scientists in Canada have turned adult skin cells into the building blocks of brain cells --opening the way for their use in new therapies for such incurable diseases. The discovery, by a team at the University of Toronto, is particularly exciting as it promises to provide a readily accessible and ethically neutral source of neural stem cells -- the precursors of nerve and brain tissue. "While other groups have managed to create these cells before, they have generally required the use of adult stem cells from bone marrow, which are difficult and painful to extract, or embryonic stem cells, which require the destruction of a human embryo. "If the Toronto technique is perfected for clinical use it would allow neural stem cells to be made from a patient's skin, ensuring a perfect genetic match that would not be rejected by the body. The cells would then be transplanted into the brains of people with neurological disorders, to replace, for example, the specialized dopamine neurons that are lost in Parkinson's disease." -Oliver Wright, "Patients' Own Skin Cells Turned into Potential Alzheimer's Treatment," The Times (London), December 10, 2003, Home News, p. 8.

* * * "Massachusetts General Hospital researchers have harnessed newly discovered cells from an unexpected source, the spleen, to cure juvenile diabetes in mice, a surprising breakthrough that could soon be tested in local patients and open a new chapter in diabetes research... "'This shows there might be a whole new type of therapy that we haven't tapped into,' said Dr. Denise Faustman, MGH immunology lab director and lead author of the new study, which appears today in the journal Science. 'We've figured out how to regrow an adult organ'." -R. Mishra, "Juvenile diabetes cured in lab mice," The Boston Globe, November 14, 2003, p. A2. * * * "There is now an emerging recognition that the adult mammalian brain, including that of primates and humans, harbours stem cell populations suggesting the existence of a previously unrecognised neural plasticity to the mature CNS [central nervous system], and thereby raising the possibility of promoting endogenous neural reconstruction... Since large numbers of stem cells can be generated efficiently in culture, they may obviate some of the technical and ethical limitations associated with the use of fresh (primary) embryonic neural tissue in current transplantation strategies." -T. Ostenfeld and C. Svendsen, "Recent advances in stem cell neurobiology," Advances and Technical Standards in Neurosurgery, vol. 28 (2003), p. 3. * * * "Stem cells in our bone marrow usually develop into blood cells, replenishing our blood system. However, in states of emergency, the destiny of some of these stem cells may change: They can become virtually any type of cell liver cells, muscle cells, nerve cells responding to the body's needs. Prof. Tsvee Lapidot and Dr. Orit Kollet of the Weizmann Institute's Immunology Department have found how the liver, when damaged, sends a cry for help to these stem cells. 'When the liver becomes damaged, it signals to stem cells in the bone marrow, which rush to it and help in its repair as liver cells,' says Lapidot...

"The findings could lead to new insights into organ repair and transplants, especially liver-related ones. They may also uncover a whole new stock of stem cells that can under certain conditions become liver cells. Until a few years ago only embryonic stem cells were thought to possess such capabilities. Understanding how stem cells in the bone marrow turn into liver cells could one day be a great boon to liver repair as well as an alternative to the use of embryonic stem cells." -"Weizmann Institute scientists find that stem cells in the bone marrow become liver cells," EurakAlert, August 11, 2003, at http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-08/wi-wis_1081103.php.

* * * I.S. Abuljadayel, Chief Scientific Officer of Tri-Stem Inc., on his study published in the July 2003 Current Medical Research and Opinion on producing pluripotent stem cells from adult blood cells:

"This new technology offers a viable option for the generation of large numbers of pluripotent stem cells. These are likely to have many clinical and research applications. The source material is blood, the most accessible tissue in our body which can be extracted by simple venipuncture or aphaeresis. The procedure raises no ethical concerns and removes the need to resort to embryos or aborted fetuses. The technology is also cost-effective, donor-friendly producing relatively large quantities of stem cells within a short time, which could eventually save patient lives and shorten patient waiting lists." -"Stem cell-like plasticity induced in mature mononuclear cells," Reuters Health, July 7, 2003.

* * * "This is an example of promising experimental therapies involving stem cells from bone marrow. Until just a few years ago, conventional wisdom held that only embryonic stem cells could turn into any cell in the body. But that thinking began to change as studies showed that stem cells from bone marrow could become heart, muscle, nerve, or liver cells. Now, the results of clinical trials conducted in Britain, Germany and Brazil show that heart patients injected with their own bone marrow cells benefit from the treatment."

-N. Touchette,"Bone Marrow Stem Cells Heal the Heart," Genome News Network, May 2, 2003, at http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/05_03/sc_heart.shtml * * * "Stem cells from bone marrow can transform into insulin-producing cells, scientists have shown, suggesting a future cure for diabetes... "Transplants of pancreatic cells have been tried between people, but the supplies are restricted and recipients have to take strong anti-rejection medication. Embryonic stem cells have also been converted into insulin-producing cells, but also produce immune-rejection, in addition to ethical concerns. But taking bone marrow cells from a patient, developing them into beta cells and then reimplanting them would have none of these difficulties. Also, much of the technology for bone marrow transplantation is already well developed, says study leader Mehboob Hussain, at the New York University School of Medicine. "'I am absolutely excited by the potential applications of our findings,' he said. 'In our body, there is an additional, easily available source of cells that are capable of becoming insulin-producing cells.'" -S. Bhattacharya, "Bone marrow experiments suggest diabetes cure," NewScientist.com News Service, March 17, 2003, at http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993508. * * * 2002

"The use of human embryonic stem cells has been confronted with major obstacles because of bio-ethical and political issues involved obtaining them, as well as the suggestion that embryonic stem cells may lack appropriate developmental instructions, making them potentially less feasible for engrafting into adult tissue... "As compared to embryonic stem cells, adult derived stem cells are endowed with additional developmental instructions and may be better suited for therapeutic purposes. According to [Dr. Shahin Rafii of Cornell University Medical College], 'We are approaching a day when a patient's own stem cells can be induced to divide and develop into tissue that can replace that which is diseased or destroyed, making overcrowded organ transplant lists and rejection of foreign tissues a thing of the past'." -"Mechanism For Regulation Of Adult Stem Cells Found," UniSci - Daily University Science News, May 31, 2002, at http://unisci.com/stories/20022/0531021.htm * * * On the versatility of adult hematopoietic (blood-producing) stem cells, HSCs: "[R]ecent studies have suggested that a subpopulation of HSCs may have the ability to contribute to diverse cell types such as hepatocytes, myocytes, and neuronal cells, especially following induced tissue damage... These surprising findings contradict the dogma that adult stem cells are developmentally restricted." -K. Bunting and R. Hawley, "The tao of hematopoietic stem cells: toward a unified theory of tissue regeneration," Scientific World Journal, April 10, 2002, p. 983.

* * * 2001

Commenting on a study by researchers at New York University, Yale and Johns Hopkins: "'There is a cell in the bone marrow that can serve as the stem cell for most, if not all, of the organs in the body,' says Neil Theise, M.D., Associate Professor of Pathology at NYU School of Medicine... '(t)his study provides the strongest evidence yet that the adult body harbors stem cells that are as flexible as embryonic stem cells'." -"Researchers Discover the Ultimate Adult Stem Cell," ScienceDaily Magazine, May 4, 2001, at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/05/010504082859.htm * * * "Umbilical cords discarded after birth may offer a vast new source of repair material for fixing brains damaged by strokes and other ills, free of the ethical concerns surrounding the use of fetal tissue, researchers said Sunday."

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Scientific Experts Agree Embryonic Stem Cells Are ...

What is arthritis?

Arthritis is a general term that literally means "inflammation of the joints." The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which is caused by wear and tear on joint cartilage. Another form is rheumatoid arthritis, which causes joint inflammation due to an immune system disorder. This section only addresses osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis affects nearly 27 million Americans and is the most common cause of long-term disability. It is caused by degeneration of the cartilage in joints. Osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease, not only reduces elasticity and lubrication in the joints, but weakens muscles and loosens ligaments. This degeneration of cartilage can occur in any joints, but is most common in the knees, hips, hands, neck, and lower back.

The biggest risk factors for osteoarthritis are simply aging and joint use, but osteoarthritis can also be due to obesity, injury, nutritional factors, metabolic disorders, and genetics.

Most people over age 60 have osteoarthritis to some degree, but its severity varies. Even people in their 20s and 30s can get osteoarthritis. In people over 50, more women than men get osteoarthritis.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis most often develop gradually and include:

The degree of arthritis seen on x-ray studies or arthroscopy doesn't directly correlate with the level of pain or disability someone experiences.

Conventional treatments for arthritis begin with protecting the joint from progressive joint degeneration, increasing joint movement, and providing pain control so that the individual can maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. When pain and disability from arthritis increase, surgery is an option.

Treatments that focus on pain control include:

When pain from arthritis cannot be controlled with medication, surgery is sometimes an option. The most common surgeries done for arthritis are:

Lifestyle changes that protect the joint from progressive cartilage degeneration include:

Studies done on people with mild to moderate osteoarthritis consistently show that regular exercise, including aerobics, strength training, and range of motion/flexibility, improves pain, increases walking tolerance, and decreases self-assessed disability.

This especially applies to those with knee arthritis. Using a cane, walker, or wedged insoles to help distribute the weight on joints can be helpful.

Staying physically active when you have arthritis is important because arthritis pain is typically worse after excessive activity as well as inactivity.

It is important to eliminate activities that cause joint wear and tear, such as running and high-impact aerobics.

Optimizing weight to reduce stress on the joints is important for both prevention and for decreasing symptoms and progression of disease. Losing weight helps reduce stress and strain on joints. In fact, for every pound of weight loss there is a four pound reduction in the load exerted on the knee.

In one study, a 10% weight loss led to a 28% improvement in function. Weight loss appears to alleviate more than just direct mechanical stress, because lowering body mass also improves the course of disease in the hand and wrist joints. Also, diabetics experience more severe osteoarthritis than those without diabetes, so if you have type 2 diabetes, losing weight could improve your arthritis both on its own and by possibly eliminating your diabetes.

An anti-inflammatory dietthat is, one low in saturated fats like red meat, dairy, and fried foodmay help reduce the inflammatory process in the joints. Increasing Omega-3 fatty acids may also help this balance. Some individuals may have symptomatic improvement with the elimination of nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, tobacco). A 2-3 week trial is worth considering.

In several US survey studies, many older patients with arthritis reported using complementary and alternative treatments. The most commonly used treatments were massage therapy (57%) and chiropractic (21%). The use of complementary therapies for arthritis was most common among those who considered themselves in poorer health and who also used traditional healthcare resources more.

Multiple studies have been done on the use of acupuncture for the pain of osteoarthritis. In a recent trial of almost 600 patients with knee arthritis, 26 weeks of acupuncture were compared to education sessions. Those receiving acupuncture showed significant improvement in function at 8 weeks, and in pain reduction at 26 weeks.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a program of meditation and gentle yoga that has been scientifically validated. It is currently used in more than 200 hospitals and medical centers to complement the medical management of chronic pain and stress-related disorders. Research has studied individuals with many different kinds of pain (not just arthritis) and shown dramatic reductions in pain levels and an enhanced ability of individuals to cope with pain that may not go away.

Yoga is a holistic discipline, including mental, physical, and breathwork practices. A pilot study has shown that yoga may provide a feasible treatment option for obese patients over 50 years old and offers potential reductions in pain and disability caused by knee osteoarthritis.

The level of effectiveness of manual therapy with arthritis is under-researched; however, there are clinical reports of effectiveness, and some early studies are very promising.

One study of over 100 patients with osteoarthritis in the hip compared a five-week manual therapy program, including manipulations and joint mobilization, to an exercise program. Eighty-one percent of individuals had general perceived improvement after manual therapies, while only 50% experienced that in the exercise group. Patients in the manual therapy group had significantly better outcomes on pain, stiffness, hip function, and range of motion. These improvements lasted through at least 29 weeks.

There have been limited studies on the effectiveness of osteopathic manipulation alone. However, studies of osteopathy combined with conventional medical care show that the combination was more effective than conventional medical care alone for individuals with chronic pain syndromes from degenerative joint disease.

Early studies have shown massage therapy to be efficacious in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee, though long-term-costs studies have not yet been done.

Ice massage can be used to improve range of motion and strength of the knee, and improve function. Cold packs may be used to decrease swelling.

There are some naturally occurring substances with anti-inflammatory effects and a lower risk of gastrointestinal bleeding than NSAIDs. As with any medications, these should ideally be used for limited periods of healing, not for indefinite, long-term use.

Typical doses for each botanical are indicated below. However, you should talk with your healthcare provider before adding botanicals to your health regimen and ask about the right dosage for you.

Many people who suffer from arthritis experience either severe chronic pain or moderate chronic pain with occasional episodes of severe pain. Since the degree of pain and disability is highly influenced by an individual's perception of pain and not necessarily correlated with the degree of cartilage degeneration, a treatment plan that includes both conventional and integrative therapies can be very effective. As always, you should make sure that you communicate and share your treatment plan with all of your care providers.

Since obesity increases the risk for osteoarthritis of the knee and hip, maintaining ideal weight or losing excess weight may help prevent osteoarthritis of the knee and hip or decrease the rate of progression once osteoarthritis is established.

Acupuncture for pain relief may reduce the need pain medications, such as NSAIDs.

Maintaining activity as much as possible is helpful to delay disability and improve quality of life. A regular exercise program with stretching, strength training, and endurance and aerobic activities is important. Yoga is a good base activity for many people.

A regular meditation or relaxation practice can help you cope with pain, as can a self-reflection practice that honestly addresses emotional awareness and health.

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Arthritis | Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing

Arthritis is inflammation of a body joint. The two most common types are osteoarthritis (also known as degenerative joint disease) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Osteoarthritis occurs in older adults or after trauma and is caused in part by degeneration of the joint and increases with age. RA is an autoimmune disease that often occurs in younger adults where the bodys own defenses attack the joint lining.

Your doctor will likely conduct a complete physical and may perform blood tests to look for inflammation to help diagnose your condition. Additional tests may include bone x-ray, CT, MRI, or ultrasound. Treatment will depend on the type, severity and location of the arthritis and may include medication, therapy or surgery.

Arthritis means inflammation of one or more joints in the body. A joint is an area where two or more bones make contact and move against each other. The underlying cause varies with specific types of arthritis. There are over 100 forms of arthritis with the two most common being osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, is caused in part by degeneration of parts of the joint such as cartilage and increases with age. The increasing wear and breakdown on parts of the affected joint can result in reactive inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), on the other hand, is an autoimmune disease where the bodys own defenses attack the normal joint lining. In this type of arthritis, the inflammation of the lining of the joint develops first and over time damages the component parts of the joint. Other relatively common causes of arthritis include trauma, abnormal limb alignment, infections, autoimmune conditions other than rheumatoid arthritis and abnormal deposits in the joints, such as in gout.

Some type of arthritis affects over 40 million people in the United States. More than half of those people have degenerative joint disease. Almost 60 percent of those affected by arthritis are women. While arthritis mainly occurs in adults, children can be at risk of certain types of arthritis such as those caused from injury and autoimmune diseases. Although any joint in the body can be affected, particular forms of arthritis have a tendency to occur in certain parts of the body. For example, rheumatoid arthritis commonly affects the wrists and knuckles, feet, neck, and larger joints in the limbs while degenerative joint disease may affect the thumb bases, finger joints, knees, hips, shoulders, and lower spine.

Symptoms of arthritis include:

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When diagnosing arthritis, your doctor will likely do a complete physical examination of your entire body, including your spine, joints, skin and eyes. You may undergo blood tests to detect inflammation. In cases where an infection or gout is suspected, it may be useful to draw some fluid from a joint with a needle in order to analyze the contents of the material. In addition, your physician may order one or more of the following imaging tests:

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Treatment for arthritis depends on the type, severity and location of the disorder. Common treatments include:

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Arthritis - RadiologyInfo.org

Welcome to Freehold Ophthalmology

Healthy eyes and good vision are important to your quality of life. That is why our doctors and office staff are committed to exceeding your expectations and providing the best comprehensive ophthalmic eyecare.

Freehold Ophthalmologyprovides a full range of eye related services including the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, diabetes, macular degeneration, dry eyes, infections, and eye trauma. Routine eye care and contact lens fitting are also a priority, and there is a fully staffed on-site optical shop in all 3 offices.

Our doctors specialize in cutting edge cataract surgery as well as state-of-the-art Laser Vision Correction. Cosmetic Botox treatments and plastic surgery around the eyes are also available.Types of Payment Accepted We accept cash, personal checks, MasterCard, and Visa.

Insurance Plans We participate with VSPand most major medical insurance and vision plans.

Facilities and Equipment Lasers for treatment of eye diseases. Visual field testing, HRT/OCT, Pachymetry for glaucoma Retinal photography and angiography Full Optical and Contact Lens service

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Eye Doctor NJ Freehold Ophthalmology

Eating Carrots Will Improve Your Sight

Fact: Carrots are high in vitamin A, a nutrient essential for good vision. Eating carrots will provide you with the small amount of vitamin A needed for good vision, but vitamin A isn't limited to rabbit food, it can also be found in milk, cheese, egg yolk, and liver.

Sitting Too Close to the TV Will Damage Your Vision

Fiction: Sitting closer than necessary to the television may give you a headache, but it will not damage your vision.

Reading in the Dark Will Weaken Your Eyesight

Fiction: As with sitting too close to the television, you may get a headache from reading in the dark, but it will not weaken your sight.

Using Glasses or Contacts Will Weaken My Eyesight, and My Eyes Will Eventually Become Dependent On Them

Fiction: Your eyes will not grow weaker as a result of using corrective lenses. Your prescription may change over time due to aging or the presence of disease, but it is not because of your current prescription.

Children With Crossed Eyes Can Be Treated

Fact: Children are not able to outgrow strabismus on their own, but with help, it can be more easily corrected at a younger age. That's why it is important for your child to have an eye exam early, first when they are infants and then again by age two.

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Information on eyesight and vision: myths and facts at ...