^CategoryMedicine and Health

Senior active couple practicing trekking in park among green trees on summer weekend

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Author
News
Date
July 21, 2022

Categorized
Medicine and Health

Tagged
Activity trackers and health, Dementia and patterns of movement, Dementia causes, Sundowning}

Can Tracking Daily Activity Patterns Help Predict Dementia?

_{It’s hardly a glamorous use for fit bit-type technology. But it could help with critical health and lifestyle decisions} _{News

July 21, 2022

3

Medicine and Health}

We all make mistakes and our minds wander. With seniors, the question naturally arises, “Am I developing dementia?” If so, identifying and addressing the problem early might stop it or slow it down. Not all dementias are irreversible. For example, some dementias are caused by medication or infection, and thus treatable. Even dementias that are not treatable now might become so later. One Johns Hopkins research team recently reported “significant differences in movement patterns between participants with normal cognition and those with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease.” Using activity trackers, the team was following 585 participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), of whom 36 participants had either mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s diagnoses: Adjusting for differences Read More ›

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post

Author
News
Date
July 20, 2022

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Consciousness and brain waves, Dementia and consciousness, Persistent vegetative state (PVS), Persistent vegetative state (PVS) and consciousness, Sleep and brain waves, Unconsciousness and brain waves}

Neuroscientists: We hear when we are asleep — but we don’t listen

_{The new finding may help determine whether an apparently unconscious or demented person can actually understand what is said to him} _{News

July 20, 2022

4

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Earlier this week, we talked about the fact that the human nose is much more sensitive than we sometimes think. Our sense of smell gets ignored in favor of visual, auditory, or symbolic information — but it’s still there. The same goes with our hearing when we are asleep, researchers say: The researchers were surprised to discover that the brain’s response to sound remains powerful during sleep in all parameters but one: the level of alpha-beta waves associated with attention to the auditory input and related expectations. This means that during sleep, the brain analyzes the auditory input but is unable to focus on the sound or identify it, and therefore no conscious awareness ensues. Tel-Aviv University, “During sleep the Read More ›

Brain stroke concept. Migraine and headache conceptual image, 3D illustration

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post

Author
News
Date
July 20, 2022

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Adult neurogenesis, Aneurysm, Anthony Hannan, Brain injuries and mental capacity, Emilia Clarke, Neurogenesis, neuroplasticity}

Thrones Star Can Speak While Lacking “Quite a Bit” of Brain. How?

_{Yes, Emilia Clarke is lucky her aneurysms weren’t worse but, given our brains’ complexity, how do our mental abilities survive?} _{News

July 20, 2022

5

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Game of Thrones (2011–2019) star Emilia Clarke, who suffered two aneurysms in her twenties, told BBC News that “‘quite a bit’ of her brain no longer functions” after the extensive bleeding and surgeries: “There’s quite a bit missing, which always makes me laugh,” Clarke said, speaking about her brain. “Strokes, basically, as soon as any part of your brain doesn’t get blood for a second, it’s gone. So, the blood finds a different route to get around, but then whatever bit is missing is therefore gone.” … Clarke said at the time that the surgery left her with “a deep paranoia” over whether it would prevent her from continuing a career as an actor. But she went on to star Read More ›

Diverse business people hiding faces behind papers sheets with question marks, standing in row in office. Identity and equality employee at work, candidates waiting for job interview, recruitment.

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post

Author
News
Date
July 19, 2022

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Philosophy, Science

Tagged
COVID-19 and trust in science, COVID-19 public policy, Science knowledge and trust, Trust in science}

Researchers: If We Tell Folks More About Science, They Trust Less

_{Part 3: The researchers argue that doubts about science arise from conflict with beliefs. The many COVID-19 debacles suggest other causes…} _{News

July 19, 2022

4

Medicine and Health, Philosophy, Science}

We’ve been looking (here and here) at a summary at a science news site of a paper that bemoans the decline of trust in science. The author did a good job and doubtless means well. But the outcome — unintentionally — typifies the reasons so many people distrust claims made on behalf of science. For example, the third factor for distrust that we are asked to consider is that information we learn from science sources can go against our personal beliefs: “Scientific information can be difficult to swallow, and many individuals would sooner reject the evidence than accept information that suggests they might have been wrong,” the team wrote in their paper. “This inclination is wholly understandable, and scientists should Read More ›

Young amateur football fan supporters cheering with confetti watching local soccer cup match at stadium - Friends people group on green t shirts having excited fun on sport world championship final

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post

Author
News
Date
July 18, 2022

Categorized
Media, Medicine and Health, Psychology, Science, Social Media

Tagged
COVID-19 and science distrust, Media choices and political values, Tribal loyalty among researchers, Tribal loyalty as source of science distrust}

Researchers: Distrust of Science Is Due to Tribal Loyalty

_{In Part 2 of 4, we look at a claim arising from a recent study: We blindly believe those we identify with, ignoring the wisdom of science} _{News

July 18, 2022

5

Media, Medicine and Health, Psychology, Science, Social Media}

Recently, a paper lamenting the decline of trust in science was discussed at ScienceAlert, a science news site. In representing the paper—doubtless accurately — for a lay audience, the write-up embodies the causes of legitimate public distrust. That is worth dissecting in more detail. Yesterday, we looked at the write-up in light of the government responses to COVID, which were all too often panicked reactions rather than trustworthy guidance. Then, in the wake of the debacle, the White House chose to set up a Disinformation Board to target non-government sources of alleged disinformation — which could only deepen existing distrust. We press on. The second point of four raised at ScienceAlert is that tribal loyalty is thought to create distrust Read More ›

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post

Author
News
Date
July 17, 2022

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Philosophy, Science

Tagged
COVID-19 and trust in science, Jay Richards on COVID panic, Science and trust, Trust in science}

Why Many Now Reject Science… Do You Really Want To Know? Part 1

_{COVID demonstrated — as nothing else could — that the “science” was all over the map and didn’t help people avoid panic} _{News

July 17, 2022

5

Medicine and Health, Philosophy, Science}

A recent science news media release is an excellent and mercifully short illustration of what’s wrong with science today. That can’t have been what the study authors were trying to do but never mind. From ScienceAlert, we learn that distrust in science is a “massive problem” and that it has four sources. Here, let’s deal with their first source: First, they say, we have grown to distrust the information source: “Pro-science messages can acknowledge that there are valid concerns on the other side, but explain why the scientific position is preferable,” says Philipp-Muller. Tessa Koumondoros, “These 4 Factors Can Explain Why So Many People Are Rejecting Science” at ScienceAlert (July 16, 2022) The paper requires a fee or subscription. What? Read More ›

Joyful little girl smelling self made croissants with mom

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post

Author
News
Date
July 15, 2022

Categorized
Human exceptionalism, Medicine and Health, Natural Intelligence

Tagged
Anosmia, Gaia Remerowski, Human sense of smell, John McGann, Matthew Cobb (on sense of smell), Matthias Laska, Sara Ives, Smell (sense of smell)}

The Nose Really Does Know, It Turns Out…

_{But we usually don’t notice. Our sense of smell may have declined in recent millennia but it is sharper than we think} _{News

July 15, 2022

5

Human exceptionalism, Medicine and Health, Natural Intelligence}

Anthropologist Sarah Ives reflects on the experiences of people whose sense of smell fell victim to COVID-19: Melissa, a New York–based podcaster, realized how crucial scent is for safety when she lost her sense of smell. “I kept burning stuff on the stove,” she says. “I’ve sent rotten turkey to school with my kid. I have thought, What if I end up dying because I can’t smell something dangerous, like knowing whether you are going to burn the house down? I’ve literally almost done it three times. There are flames, and I’m just sitting in the other room.” Sarah Ives, “What the Anthropology of Smell Reveals About Humanity” at Sapiens (June 30, 2022) Anosmia, the loss of a sense of Read More ›

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post

Author
News
Date
July 11, 2022

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Fadel Zeidan, Mindfulness and pain control, Thalamus and pain}

Study: Brain Scans Show That Mindfulness Reduces Acute Pain

_{The volunteers who meditated during a controlled pain experiment reported a 32% reduction in severity} _{News

July 11, 2022

5

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Recently, neuroscientists at the University of California – San Diego studied whether mindfulness meditation can reduce the perception of pain. That, of course, meant actually causing the volunteers to experience pain. What’s at stake is a central claim of mindfulness meditation: “One of the central tenets of mindfulness is the principle that you are not your experiences,” said senior author Fadel Zeidan, PhD, associate professor of anesthesiology at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “You train yourself to experience thoughts and sensations without attaching your ego or sense of self to them, and we’re now finally seeing how this plays out in the brain during the experience of acute pain.” University of California – San Diego, “Mindfulness meditation reduces pain Read More ›

Happy pregnant woman visit gynecologist doctor at hospital or medical clinic for pregnancy consultant. Doctor examine pregnant belly for baby and mother healthcare check up. Gynecology concept.

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post

Author
News
Date
July 5, 2022

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Social Media

Tagged
Abortion and crisis pregnancy centers, Abortion rate decline in U.S., Andrea Swartzendruber, Crisis pregnancy centers, Crisis pregnancy centers (mobile), Danielle Lambert, Google Maps, Google Maps and CPCs, Kylie Cheung, Letitia James}

Activists to Google Maps: Crack Down on Crisis Pregnancy Centers

_{Overall, the U.S. abortion rate has been in decline for about thirty years, for a variety of reasons, including available alternatives} _{News

July 5, 2022

5

Medicine and Health, Social Media}

When the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Dobbs decision (June 24, 2022) that “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion” (SCOTUSblog) returned the abortion issue to the state legislatures, a number crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) that do not offer abortion have been attacked by abortion militants. One source the militants appear to be using is an online map of such centers created by University of Georgia biostatisticians Andrea Swartzendruber and Danielle Lambert, who call them “fake women’s health centers.” For example: Puget Sound Anarchists posted a link to the map in a post made about a vandalism at a Vancouver, Washington pregnancy center. Crisis pregnancy center Options 360 was vandalized with red paint, and the phrase “Jane’s Revenge.” The Read More ›

Old lonely woman sitting near the window in his house.

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post

Author
News
Date
July 1, 2022

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Relationships, Robotics

Tagged
Dementia and loneliness, Eldercare and robots, ElliQ (companion robot), Greg Olsen, Japan and robots, Loneliness and robot companions, Loneliness in old age, Old age and loneliness, Robots in old age care}

Is a Robot Pal Really a Solution to Old Age Loneliness?

_{New York State is buying a companion bot called ElliQ in a pilot project that is likely among the first of a trend} _{News

July 1, 2022

4

Medicine and Health, Relationships, Robotics}

New York State is buying 800 ElliQ robots from Israeli firm Intuition Robotics to help seniors cope with the familiar problem of loneliness — which worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic: ElliQ, a tabletop device that resembles a virtual assistant like Alexa or Siri, can make small talk, answer questions, remind users to take medication, help contact friends and family, initiate conversation and help with other daily activities. Users interact with the robot an average of 20 times per day, according to the company. Margaret Osborne, “New York State Purchases Robot Companions for the Elderly” at Smithsonian Magazine (June 22, 2022) Greg Olsen, director of the state’s Office for the Aging, says that seniors accept new technology like the ElliQ model Read More ›

Photo captured during office hours of a company in Brazil.

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post

Author
News
Date
June 30, 2022

Categorized
Data Privacy, Law, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook and data from hospitals, Facebook privacy violations history, Fierce Healthcare, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIAA), Hospitals sending Facebook data, Markup (non-profit newsroom), Medical privacy and Facebook}

A Third of Top US Hospitals Have Sent Patient Data to Facebook

_{The hospitals do not seem anxious to discuss the matter and it is not clear what Facebook did with the information} _{News

June 30, 2022

7

Data Privacy, Law, Medicine and Health}

The Markup, a non-profit newsroom, published information earlier this month that should concern U.S. hospital patients: A tracking tool installed on many hospitals’ websites has been collecting patients’ sensitive health information—including details about their medical conditions, prescriptions, and doctor’s appointments—and sending it to Facebook. The Markup tested the websites of Newsweek’s top 100 hospitals in America. On 33 of them we found the tracker, called the Meta Pixel, sending Facebook a packet of data whenever a person clicked a button to schedule a doctor’s appointment. The data is connected to an IP address—an identifier that’s like a computer’s mailing address and can generally be linked to a specific individual or household—creating an intimate receipt of the appointment request for Facebook… Read More ›

Healthy lifestyle choice. Fresh vegetables and fruit shaped as human head

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post

Author
News
Date
June 17, 2022

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience

Tagged
Allison Whitten, Brain and malnutrition, Malnutrition and brain}

Yes, Our Brains — Like Computers — Have a Low-Power Mode

_{Sure they do. It makes a lot of sense to conserve power when food supplies are low} _{News

June 17, 2022

4

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience}

Neuroscientists have often wondered if the high-metabolism human brain had a power conservation mode and a recent open-access paper in Neuron finds that brains use an energy-saving strategy to cope with shortages. Cognitive neuroscientist Allison Whitten explains: Now, in a paper published in Neuron in January, neuroscientists in Nathalie Rochefort’s lab at the University of Edinburgh have revealed an energy-saving strategy in the visual systems of mice. They found that when mice were deprived of sufficient food for weeks at a time — long enough for them to lose 15%-20% of their typical healthy weight — neurons in the visual cortex reduced the amount of ATP used at their synapses by a sizable 29%. But the new mode of processing Read More ›

Office syndrome, Backache and Lower Back Pain Concept. a man touching his lower back at pain point

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post

Author
News
Date
June 9, 2022

Categorized
Business and Finance, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Featured, Managed Medicare, Medical insurance, Medical insurance and pre-authorization, Medicare, Richard Hurley, Robert J. Marks}

The Challenges of Medical Care When Insurance Algorithms Rule

_{Pain management physician Richard Hurley is a veteran of many successful appeals to insurance companies that have refused to pay for treatments} _{News

June 9, 2022

15

Business and Finance, Medicine and Health}

In the first portion of Episode 187, “Good and bad algorithms in the practice of medicine” (May 19, 2022), Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks and anesthetist Dr. Richard Hurley discussed where algorithms help in medicine… and where they don’t. In this portion, they turn to how to get good medical care when you are dealing with an insurance company as well as medical staff and institutions. The two types of institution are, as we will see, very different. Before we get started: Robert J. Marks, a Distinguished Professor of Computer and Electrical Engineering, Engineering at Baylor University, has a new book, coming out Non-Computable You (June, 2022), on the need for realism in another area as well — Read More ›

Health insurance, tax concept on blue background

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post

Author
News
Date
June 8, 2022

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Algorithms in medicine, Featured, Health insurance, Health insurance and medical advances, Migraines, Richard Hurley, Robert J. Marks, Robotic surgery}

Algorithms in Medicine: Where They Help … and Where They Don’t

_{Removing creativity, nuance, and insight from medicine may result in cheaper care but not better care} _{News

June 8, 2022

10

Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, Medicine and Health}

Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks continued his podcast discussion with anesthesiologist Richard Hurley in “Good and bad algorithms in the practice of medicine” (May 19, 2022). An algorithm is “a procedure for solving a mathematical problem (as of finding the greatest common divisor) in a finite number of steps that frequently involves repetition of an operation.” (Merriam–Webster) We most commonly think of algorithms in connection with computers because that is how programmers instruct them. Algorithms, Dr. Marks points out, can either sharpen or derail services, depending on their content. Before we get started: Note: Robert J. Marks, a Distinguished Professor of Computer and Electrical Engineering, Engineering at Baylor University, has a new book, coming out Non-Computable You (June, Read More ›

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post

Author
News
Date
June 5, 2022

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Mindfulness

Tagged
Dan Harris, Karo Wanner, Kevin Dickinson, Mindfulness health benefits, Mindfulness meditation, Mindfulness research, Mindfulness vs. screen time, Screen time and mental health, Ten Percent Happier (book)}

Science: Mindfulness Makes a Measurable Difference — a Small One

_{Many mindfulness practitioners don’t take it seriously enough to change their lifestyle so as to gain the available benefit} _{News

June 5, 2022

4

Medicine and Health, Mindfulness}

Researcher Kevin Dickinson reminds us that there is science behind mindfulness meditation but that crazes are crazes — and the nearly $9 billion dollar market for mindfulness wares is no substitute for serious, regular practice. Here’s what he found that the science tells us: A systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at 47 randomized clinical trials with active controls (totaling 3,515 participants). It found moderate evidence of mindfulness easing anxiety, depression, and pain; low evidence for assuaged stress; insufficient evidence of reduced substance abuse and poor eating habits; and no evidence that mindfulness was better than other treatment options. Similar results can be found across the scientific literature. Another meta-analysis found slightly larger but still moderate Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
June 1, 2022

Categorized
Addiction, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Featured, Fentanyl addiction, Neurostimulation therapy, Opiod addiction, Opioid recovery, Opioid withdrawal, Recovery from addiction, Rehabilitation from addiction, Robert J. Marks, Stretch (pseudonym), Suboxone}

How “Stretch” Finally Kicked the Medical Opioid Habit

_{It wasn’t easy but it was the high cost of staying alive while managing his chronic medical disorder} _{News

June 1, 2022

11

Addiction, Medicine and Health}

In a recent podcast, “A first-hand account of kicking Fentanyl addiction: reversing Hebb’s law” (May 12, 2022), Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks interviewed a man who got addicted to Fentanyl as a medical drug. Some opioid addictions begin in the hospital. In the previous portion of this episode, “Stretch” told Robert J. Marks how he became addicted while seeking relief from pain stemming from operations — because “neurons that fire together wire together ( Hebb’s Law )”. Then, when he sensed that drugs were ruling his life without really dealing with the pain, he set out on the road to recovery — and was surprised to find anesthetists and nurses in the recovery group with him. Now, in Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 31, 2022

Categorized
Addiction, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Anonymous type recovery groups, Featured, fentanyl, J-pouch, Opiates, opioids, oxycontin, Recovery groups, Robert J. Marks, Stretch (pseudonym), Withdrawal from opioids}

Medical Opioids: The War Between Chronic Pain and Addiction

_{“Stretch” tells Robert J. Marks, the surgeries did not really work and he became addicted to the painkillers while trying to live a normal, working life} _{News

May 31, 2022

12

Addiction, Medicine and Health}

In a recent podcast, “A first-hand account of kicking Fentanyl addiction: reversing Hebb’s law” (May 12, 2022), Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks interviewed a man who got addicted to Fentanyl as a medical drug. Some opioid addictions begin in the hospital. In the previous portion of this episode, “Stretch” told Robert J. Marks how he became addicted to medical doses of opioids while seeking relief from pain stemming from operations — because “neurons that fire together wire together (Hebb’s Law )”. Now he talks about the experiences that set his mind on the road to recovery. Before we get started: Robert J. Marks, a Distinguished Professor of Computer and Electrical Engineering, Engineering at Baylor University, has a new Read More ›

Asian adult granddaughter hurrying over to her fallen grandpa in coma on floor and calling 911 on her mobile phone at home. elder senior fall and faint risk at home concept

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post

Author
News
Date
May 29, 2022

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience

Tagged
Axolotl (regeneration), brain death, Brain death (reversibility), Death (as process), Harvard definition of death (1968), Ira D. Pastor, Twilight of Death concept}

Can Brain Death Be Reversed? Some Researchers Are Hopeful

_{Some researchers study the salamander, which can regenerate parts of its brain, for answers for brain-injured humans} _{News

May 29, 2022

4

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience}

Although we have been told since 1968 that brain death is irreversible (“A definition of irreversible coma. Report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Harvard Medical School to Examine the Definition of Brain Death”), some are beginning wonder whether, with newer technologies, that is still true. Bioquark CEO Ira S. Pastor offers some thoughts: Despite the label of irreversibility associated with the 1968 Harvard Ad Hoc Committee definition, there are several documented cases in the literature of potential brain death reversal, primarily associated with younger subjects whose central nervous system maintained some degree of underlying neuroplasticity. As most leaders in this field acknowledge that residual “nests” of neuronal activity and residual blood flow do indeed exist in the recently Read More ›

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post

Author
News
Date
May 27, 2022

Categorized
Addiction, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Cleveland Clinic, Donald Hebb, Featured, Fentanyl (medical addiction), Opioids (medical addiction), Robert J. Marks, Stretch (pseudonym)}

Some Opioid Addictions Begin in the Hospital

_{News

May 27, 2022

11

Addiction, Medicine and Health}

In a recent podcast, “A first-hand account of kicking Fentanyl addiction: reversing Hebb’s law” (May 12, 2022), Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks interviews a man who got addicted to Fentanyl as a medical drug. “Stretch” tells us how he got hooked and how he finally beat the narcotic, without once going to the street for help, though his experience was challenging, to say the least. Readers may also wish to read or hear anesthesiologist Richard Hurley’s perspective here and here. Before we get started: Robert J. Marks, a Distinguished Professor of Computer and Electrical Engineering, Engineering at Baylor University, has a new book, coming out Non-Computable You (June, 2022), on the need for realism in another area as Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
May 27, 2022

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Christof Koch (on prenatal consciousness), Fetus (mind and brain development), Unborn child (behavior)}

What Is the Human Mind Like Before Birth?

_{Researchers stress that the unborn child’s brain is in a rapid, ongoing, and little understood state of development} _{Denyse O'Leary

May 27, 2022

6

Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind}

Some have addressed the question of the prenatal mind by trying to determine when various parts of the brain develop. The difficulty with that, as neuroscientist Mark Solms and neurosurgeon Michael Egnor have noted, is that it’s not clear that there is a “seat” of consciousness in the brain. If it is a human brain at all, it is developing human consciousness, in the same way that a kitten brain is developing cat consciousness. At any rate, human consciousness is a “Hard Problem with no special location in the brain. Unborn babies, like very young born ones, spend most of their time asleep, as neuroscientist Christof Koch has pointed out: Invasive experiments in rat and lamb pups and observational studies Read More ›