Saturday, March 31, 2012

Back On Two Wheels Again After Stroke?..... Sorta!



image credit: the SSTattler




"Tadpole Recumbent Trikes.

The trikes we ride are known as "tadpole recumbent trikes". (We can also order delta trikes which have the two wheels on the rear & one on the front).  "Recumbent" means that you are sitting in down with your feet in front of you. These "trikes" have three wheels with two in the front and one behind the rider. This style of trike is known as a "tadpole".

A Bike?

These trikes ride like a little sports car or a go-cart. With their extremely low centre of gravity it is easy to take fast turns without fear of flipping over. Like a bicycle, these trikes are pedal powered and will go as fast as you can pedal. Unlike a bicycle, the trike does not lean when turning, so it is up to the rider to lean and keep all the wheels on the ground. Turning is done with the steering bar that goes under the seat and has handles on each side."



Since my stroke almost ten years ago now, one of the activities that is no longer available to me is riding a bicycle. (or a motorcycle for that matter) I suspect that this may be the case for many people who have been effected by stroke.


Although I haven't been able to have it confirmed, it is my suspicion that the center of gravity within my body has somehow shifted. In any case, however the cause may be explained in technical terms, the effect on my balance is what I call. "walking by bouncing off the walls" 


I do yearn to be able to "bike" again and so I was intrigued  with this article on the recumbent trikes as others may be as well.


Click Here to read the entire article


Article by: the SSTattler


Publisher: John Anderson


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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Can A Robot Stroke Buddy Help With Your Recovery From Stroke?






"Rehabilitation is crucial after a stroke. Yet patients don’t always do their exercises because they’re boring or difficult to do at home.
But what if you could make them easy and fun?
Enter University of Toronto Associate Professor Alex Mihailidis of the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the Faculty of Medicine and his intelligent, table-top robot.
"This new robot will help to advance the use of robotics in stroke rehab," said Mihailidis, “as it will provide an affordable and accessible technology that can be used in hospitals, clinics, and in the home.”
Mihailidis, of U of T’s Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) knows the speed and intensity by which stroke patients begin rehabilitation exercises greatly increases patients' neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to reorganize itself around damaged areas by forming new neural connections—and mobility. But rehab exercises are often neglected in a home environment, either because those exercises are repetitive and boring, or because attendants and rehab machines are needed to oversee or complete the exercises. "

Article: 

Intelligent, affordable rehab robot to help stroke patients


by: March 27, 2012 By Erin Vollick


Provided by "University of Toronto News"

Friday, March 23, 2012

Can a Simple Tool Combined With a Regular Exercise Routine Help Persons Affected By Stroke?

New video from Stroke Nation shares tips on how to get paralyzed shoulders, arms and hands  moving again.

Watch this FREE video now to learn how Rose Ann provides persons affected by stroke with helpful information on a simple inexpensive tool along with a basic therapy routine to reboot the brain and recover lost function.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

ALERT: - Canadian Medication Recall Advisory


"Health Canada is informing Canadians that Apotex Incorporated is conducting a voluntary recall of one lot of Apo-Ramipril 5mg Capsules used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure). The recall of Lot JR2178 was made to retail outlets across Canada.
Medication in the affected lot being recalled has been found to contain intact but empty capsules - meaning that patients taking them may not receive the dose of medication needed to treat their medical condition.
Without appropriate treatment, hypertension may lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney problems, internal bleeding and improper blood circulation. Although Apo-Ramipril is authorized for treatment of hypertension, the ingredient in this medication may also be prescribed for patients who have recently had a heart attack, or who are at high risk of heart attack or stroke."

Who is affected:

"Canadians who have purchased the affected lot of Apo-Ramipril 5mg Capsules. Affected products bear the drug identification number (DIN 02251574) and are from Lot JR2178."

CLICK HERE to read the entire notification from Health Canada...

A "StrokeNewz" survivor awareness announcement

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Do You Have Them...Yes? - I Know That I Do!



Before



"Are you tripping over piles of books on the floor?   Is your bookcase bulging at the seams with no room for all your new books?   How much time and money are you wasting finding a book or on duplicate purchases? Are you like me, someone who loves to highlight and tag your books for future reference?"

Do you have them...Yes? I know that I do, and it's high time that I followed Sherry's advise and purged my book collection. We all have our favorite book (s)  and we all fear change. In one of my recent "basic computer" classes I asked  "What are ten things that are going away because of advances in technology?" One of the answers of course was hard copy books. One lady  gasped "I could NEVER throw out my books. I will have them till I die." I couldn't help myself in that I added. "And then your kids will throw them out" A look of horror came over her face when that image burned it's way across her brain because she KNEW that what I had said is exactly what would happen.

Sherry Borsheim  of International Association of Business Organization  has laid out a plan that anyone can follow to make this change. If we follow Sherry's advise we can save money and free up valuable space at the same time. Awesome!!!

If you are really not ready to make the Kindle $100.00 (circa) commitment. Amazon features a FREE app for your laptop or other device called Kindle PC. Check it out.

Click Here to read the entire article


After

Click Here to read the entire article   


credit: "International Association of Business Organization"

Sherry Borsheim,  President

So... What IS "Project Based Stroke Recovery"?

"Different people have different interests.  If you didn’t play basketball or the piano before stroke, it isn’t likely that you want to take up wheelchair basketball or learn to play the piano after your stroke.  We really need to think about Different Strokes for Different Folks — or at least different activities that are aligned with your interests.  So what are your interests and how do you find activities that fit your interest?"

Feeding an interest has proven to be one of the most effective ways of getting our lives back  after having been affected by a stroke. The interests that John talks about are from people in the Edmonton, Canada community but the principal can also be applied to any community. Even yours! Just look around with an eye to your interest or passion. Find a group that shares your interest and join in. Personally I have found a writers group, an arts group and a community school group. The term that I like to apply to this type of recovery is "Project Based Stroke Recovery" and I am becoming more passionate about it every day. I give credit to Dr. Nancy Mayo a Montreal, Canada based researcher for introducing me to this recovery method.  Thanks John and Nancy for sharing!

Click Here to read John's article.

credit: the "Stroke Survivor's Tattler" 

John Anderson - publisher

concept credit: Dr. Nancy Mayo


To learn even more, refer to these publications by Dr. Mayo

Getting on With the Rest of Your Life After Stroke

Getting on With the Rest of Your Life After Stroke 2nd Edition

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Can Art Therapy Heal The Mind and Body After Stroke?



"It elevates the soul, but an appetite for the arts may also do the body good. A new study found that stroke survivors who enjoyed music, painting and theater had better recovery than patients who did not."


"It" referred to in the above quote is "ART".


Recent studies are revealing the fact that persons affected by stroke that have an interest in the arts find that recovery is improved. Health care professionals who have only turned to art therapy after not seeing progress with the traditional therapies are being challenged given the results of this same study.


This concept is further explained in the "Healthland Time" article titled "How an Appreciation for the Arts May Boost Stroke Recovery" by Alexandra Sifferlin | @acsifferlin | 

Read the entire articlehttp://healthland.time.com/2012/03/16/how-an-appreciation-for-the-arts-may-boost-stroke-recovery/#ixzz1pQw0BSnL



Citrus Fruit Consumption May Help Women Make Death Wait...

" A compound in citrus fruits may reduce your stroke risk, according to research reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. Eating higher amounts of a compound in citrus fruits, especially oranges and grapefruit, may lower ischemic stroke risk. Women who ate high amounts of the compound had a 19 percent lower risk of ischemic stroke than women who consumed the least amount."


So says ScienceDaily in it's introductory paragraph of an article that reveals results of studies that seem to conclude that eating citrus may lower women's stroke risk.


Click Here to read the entire article.

 ScienceDaily (Feb. 23, 2012)

Friday, March 16, 2012

400 Year Old Thinking A Roadblock To Stroke Recovery?



"Stroke is the #1 cause of disability in the U.S. and the #3 cause of death.

Yet stroke recovery is one of the most under-funded, under-supported, under-treated, under-researched conditions a person can face.
Limited insurance coverage for treatment and the belief that there is a one year limit on recovery prevent many stroke affected people from realizing their maximum functional potential.
That is why Stroke Nation has come to exist."

Are 400 year old medical beliefs creating a nightmare scenario for the persons who have been affected by stroke community? According to some experts like Dr. Norman Doidge, author of the popular book, "The Brain That Changes Itself", the thinking and training  of health care professionals in the health care and insurance industries have somehow gotten stuck in the long forgotten past. People who have sustained brain injury due to accident or stroke and their families are routinely told there is only a small window of time through which recovery is possible. That window is referred to as one year to eighteen months at most.
Hundreds of thousands of persons affected by stroke are left to fend for themselves, facing anything from long term care in a care home to finding the knowledge and courage to continue recovery on their own.
Because of the more recent research as reviewed  in Dr. Doidge's book on the topic of neuroplasticity and the efforts of visionary thinking in stroke recovery treatment, a new project has been born.
Stroke Nation is a project from the mind of West Coast physio therapist (Rose Ann) and her assistant (Alex). Their goal is to prove that recovery is possible long after that so called window has closed.  The project has barely begun but already results are far greater than could have been expected given the gloomy picture still painted by health care professionals in hospitals everywhere.
The fact that 850,000 strokes occur in North America every year makes this project key to the long term treatment received by persons affected by stroke and their success in being able to return to a life of reasonable independence. 

Click Here to visit Stroke Nation's web page and learn more about Rose Ann and Alex's project and how YOU can help.
www.strokenewz.blogspot.com


Thursday, March 15, 2012

Debbie's Story - Will You Be A Stroke Story Too?...



"My name is Debbie Jackman... and I am a stroke survivor... three time stroke survivor to be exact. My last stroke being October, 2010. There is much I could share with you about my journey to where I am today... but we all know time is valuable and you want to turn the page of this wonderful and informative newsletter."  Debbie Jackman

Debbie's story is just one of hundreds and thousands of stroke stories. In North America alone there are over 850,000 strokes that occur each year. It is the third leading cause of death and the number one cause of long term disability. Stroke can strike out of the blue. Are you ready?

Click Here to read more of Debbie's story and learn more about John Anderson's "Stroke Survivors Tattler" blog and the Stroke Recovery Association of Edmonton's "Stroke Recovery News" Newsletter that Debbie spoke about.

credit: Strroke Survivors Tattler

John Anderson publisher

Stroke Recovery News

Stroke Recovery Association Of Edmonton publisher

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Robotic Glove May Have A Grip On Stroke Recovery



"While Robonaut 2 has been busy testing its technology in microgravity aboard the International Space Station, NASA and General Motors have been working together on the ground to find new ways those technologies can be used."

Innovation in robotics continues to provide hope for stroke survivors around the globe. There are over 850,000 strokes every year in North America. With stroke being the number one cause of long term disability the need for this type of innovation is huge.

Click Here to read the entire article.

ScienceDaily (Mar. 14, 2012) 

Could Stem Cells Restore Stroke Damage?

"Surviving a stroke is just the beginning. Many are left fighting to regain complete motor function for the rest of their lives. Local doctors are studying how to reverse strokes with stem cells."

Could there be an active blueprint in stem cells that could possibly repair and restore damage caused by a stroke?

Click Here to view the KABC video and read the entire article by:


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Stroke Survivor applies for the Right-To-Die



"Mr Nicklinson, 57, who is married with two grown-up daughters and lives in Melksham, Wiltshire, wants a doctor to be "lawfully" able to end his life, which he sums up as "dull, miserable, demeaning, undignified and intolerable"".

It is sad to read a story like this when there are so many locked in stroke survivors who are working hard every day to be the very best that they can be. They display a strong positive attitude wanting to live their life to the full within their limited capacity. They NEVER give up!

Click Here to read the entire Huffington Post story.

Why Don't People Call 911 When They Suffer A Stroke?

So why don't people call 911 when they suffer a stroke?... Would you?

I can recall thinking when I was experiencing my stroke. (and friends were making the call for me) "The're calling 911 FOR ME!" Then in my mind's ear I  heard my inner voice again. "Shut up, you fool! You are having a stroke and you NEED 911."

It is strange how even as it is happening to us we have a tough time possessing the fact in our own mind.

Click Through to read this very interesting article.

Action Points:

  • Nationwide, only about half of stroke patients arrived at the emergency department via ambulance and that figure did not change over a 10-year period.
  • The trend was apparent for all subgroups, except for young patients and those with a payment source other than private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid, which experienced a downward trend in ambulance use between 1997 and 2008.


"Stroke Patients Don't Call 911" 
by By Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: March 13, 2012

Welcome To StrokeNewz

Welcome,

If you are looking for the best in news about stroke we will do our best to keep you up to speed.

Thanks for dropping by.

You can also visit our other site Facebook page. www.facebook.com/mylifeafterstroke 

Of course we would LOVE it if you could LIKE our page and join our conversation. We try to post a daily question "to day's question:" so that our readers can respond and at the same time grow the topic. It has proved to be most popular with our readers.

Thanks for visiting. We hope you make us part of your day.

Gary

stroke survivor since 2002