Your Weekly Dose of #5ThoughtsFriday: A description of what we think is important at BIAMD
  #5ThoughtsFriday
The
Edition

04/27/2018
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The National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.4 million Americans abused controlled prescription drugs.

The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.
 
The DEA’s Take Back Day events provide an opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths.

Here are the 5 things we thought were
worth sharing with you this week:
This is an odd admission for a psychiatrist to make, but I’ve never been very good at sitting still. I’m antsy in my chair and jump at any opportunity to escape it. When I’m trying to work out a difficult problem, I often stand and move about the office.

We’ve known for a while that sitting for long stretches of every day has  myriad health consequences , like a higher risk of heart disease and diabetes, that culminate in a  higher mortality rate . But now a new study has found that sitting is also bad for your brain. And it might be the case that lots of exercise is not enough to save you if you’re a couch potato the rest of the time.

A study published last week , conducted by Dr. Prabha Siddarth at the University of California at Los Angeles, showed that sedentary behavior is associated with reduced thickness of the medial temporal lobe, which contains the hippocampus, a brain region that is critical to learning and memory.

The researchers asked a group of 35 healthy people, ages 45 to 70, about their activity levels and the average number of hours each day spent sitting and then scanned their brains with M.R.I. They found that the thickness of their medial temporal lobe was inversely correlated with how sedentary they were; the subjects who reported sitting for longer periods had the thinnest medial temporal lobes.


Why not read the rest of the article while standing? Can't Hurt.
Knowing how much to help is a daily challenge for many caregivers. Brain & Life's expert advice can help you find that sweet spot.
“If there's something they can't do at a particular time, like while recovering from surgery, I'll absolutely help them. But otherwise, for things like tying their shoes or walking to school, I encourage them to try it,” she says. “It's always hard to see your child struggle, but I want them to be functioning, independent adults, and doing these things builds a sense of confidence that can help over the long term.”

As many caregivers know, offering just the right amount of help can be challenging and stressful for both sides, and requires time and communication. And even after striking the right balance, the needs of the person being cared for may change, requiring caregivers to recalibrate.

Still, says Barbara Resnick, PhD, a nurse practitioner specializing in geriatrics and a professor at the University of Maryland's School of Nursing, finding the right amount of support is important.

The trick, says Dr. Resnick, is to optimize what patients can do instead of doing everything for them. People with Parkinson's disease, for example, often have difficulty with fine motor skills like buttoning a shirt. Caregivers might want to button the shirt for the person because they can do it more quickly.

“You really have to hold your hands behind your back and let the person do the buttoning if he or she can,” Dr. Resnick says. “You have to be able to count to 10, or to 100, and think about your grocery list.”

To find out about Dr. Resnick's "Three-time" rule:

A pitcher for the Chicago White Sox is facing an uncertain future after suffering a brain aneurysm midway through a recent home game.

White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar had just completed a turn on the mound Friday when he vomited and fell over while in the dugout during the sixth inning of their game against the Houston Astros. According to ESPN, the 31-year-old was initially treated by medical staff on site, and was then taken to the ICU at Rush University Medical Center.

The next day, the White Sox announced that Farquhar had experienced a ruptured brain aneurysm. The father of three underwent an operation over the weekend, the team said in a statement sent to PEOPLE.

“Danny Farquhar’s medical team reported today that Danny is progressing well following a successful surgery Saturday to address the aneurysm,” the statement reads. “Farquhar has use of his extremities, is responding appropriately to questions and commands and is speaking to doctors and his family.”

He remains in a critical, but a neurologically stable condition, the team says
For More on this Story:
2) What We're Reading We Think You Might Enjoy

by

Hilda L. Norton

When Rex, 83-year-old musician, husband, and father of three, suffered a massive stroke, he was told that he would never recover.

However, with the powerful grace and love of his spiritually-awakened wife Hilda, Rex underwent an inspiring journey of healing that helped restore his ability to speak and walk.

A Stroke of Love is the true story of Rex and Hilda's path toward recovery, which reveals how his persistent joy in the face of adversity and her special care and steadfast faith in God helped them to overcome fear, and trust in the healing power of love.

A perfect story for anyone facing a life-altering diagnosis, A Stroke of Love is an intimate and encouraging example of how faith and love can be the most powerful medicines.

The author, Hilda Norton, was Rex's wife of 45 years (and sweetheart for 51 years.) She is a violinist, a woman of great faith, a lover of nature, gardening, poetry and books, the mother of three sons, and a proud grandmother.

A passionate musician, she continues to give private music lessons out of her home studio in Hagerstown, MD. In honor of her beloved, all proceeds of the book will be donated to the Doey's House - Hospice of Washington County, Maryland.



  (If you decide to buy anything mentioned in #5ThoughtsFriday, don't forget to use  Amazon Smile  and select the Brain Injury Association of Maryland as your donation beneficiary.) 
1) Quote We Are Contemplating...

There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done.
One is called YESTERDAY and the other is called TOMORROW, so today is the right day to love, believe, do, and mostly live."


Fourth Annual
Service Members and Veterans:
Treatment Methods, End-of-life Considerations, and Changes in Cognitive Function for the Aging Patient

Tuesday, May 1, 2018 7:15 AM - 4:30 PM   
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
Turner Bldg., Baltimore, MD  

This one day activity will provide attendees an opportunity to review treatment methods, end-of-life considerations, and changes in cognitive function for the aging service members and veterans. Leaders from Veterans Health Administration, VA Maryland Health Care System, and Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital will provide lectures and discussions to improve the care of aging service members and veterans.

To Find out More and To Register Online


HAVE A TERRIFIC WEEKEND. 
STEPHEN J. CARRERA/AP
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  Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful weekend.