Tag Archives: medicine
What I love and take for granted in my community
In the last two weeks, I have conversed with an international consortium of dance enthusiasts.
Our conversations took place in a dance studio in the town of Madison, the county of Madison, the state of Alabama, the United States of America, Earth.
Countries of origin included the Philippines, Italy, Germany, France, Russia, Mexico and the United States, of the ones specifically stated; heritage included unspecified European, African and Southeast Asian countries.
In some conversations, I was the “American” toward whom the comparison was made about ethnic/national meal preparation — I agreed that some cultures were known for watering down or making bland the spicy foods of other cultures, such that a Mexican or Italian restaurant in the U.S. was not “authentic”.
[this blog entry was interrupted so my wife and I could watch an episode of “SNAPPED” about the murder of a high school mate of mine, Jeffrey Freeman, one of the funniest guys I knew, an impersonator who was great at portraying Carnac the Magnificent, both Jeffrey and Johnny an inspiration for my humour then and now — my thought trail has been shifted as a result]
What I heard from every one of the people with whom I talked was their love for the variety of foods available from countries all over the world here in the U.S. — if there wasn’t a restaurant serving their favourite dishes, there was almost always a grocery store that carried the spices, fruits and vegetables of their home country with which they could cook their family secret recipes and share with friends/family.
Millions of people travel around the world, settling down in new places, rediscovering themselves and their subcultures.
In fact, it’s the story of the billions of us who’ve lived and wandered this planet to make a better life for ourselves.
I have learned a lot about myself in preparation for a dance showcase — rediscovering the joy of living with people of many different backgrounds just as important.
How people outside the state of Alabama see the people inside the state is a perception I don’t control. What I see is the thriving community around the Marshall Space Flight Center and Redstone Arsenal responsible for moon landings and solar system exploration, with all the ancillary occupations that give the community’s residents a healthy lifestyle.
I have taken my fulfilling life in Huntsville for granted. For that alone, I am thankful this beautiful autumn day, leaves falling on the driveway, and chipmunks, their cheeks filled with winter food, hopping across the flagstones surrounding the backyard pond.
Are you a Forrest Gump or a Walter Mitty?
Fellow soulful touchy-feely opposite friend,
The calendar is a benign measuring tool yet my anthropomorphising self thinks the countdown clock taunts me today:
13,378 days to go!
Dividing the illusion of self into seven-plus billion, using the illusion’s self-delusion as a form of divining rod, one allows oneself to dissolve in order to smell the wind.
Messages pulse through society like heartbeats, pumping health and filth at regular intervals, clogging the arteries of public opinions, creating cesspools, cancers, festering sores full of the disenfranchised losing or gaining energy, affecting the whole.
All for the sole entertainment of one person.
As the message goes, “As it is, as it should be.”
Street talk says a film starring the Big O herself was to blame for the latest “when all you have is a hammerlock, the only solution is gunpowder” message spoken by a costar, paraphrased, “for every one they kill, we kill two,” despite its negative connotation, or because of it, a cat o’ nine tails whipping the shipyards like convicts stuck in a bad performance of Les Miserables, their malice clear as day in their bloodshot eyes.
Every positive mental attitude teacher knows that you never include “not” or other negative subtext when encouraging or enlightening one’s students to improve their world image, for the “not” becomes a “Yes I can” in the thought patterns of the misaligned, maligned malcontents, the chaff wanting to be eaten at the same table as the wheat.
Yet, the world doesn’t go away.
In seven-plus billion is every one of us — the colours of the rainbow, the blind, the deaf, the happy, the sad, the brights, the conscienceless, the healers and the social arterial cloggers.
A subset of the superset of states of energy desires to be one with history, to walk amongst the cultural giants, to be what they feel they cannot be for reasons best left for them to explain, if they have a clue.
Humour is the key that unlocks the door to society’s medicine cabinet, which is fronted by a mirror we choose what to see of ourselves in the reflection looking back at us, left eye to reversed left eye, right eye to reversed right eye, unlike the reflection of ourselves we see in others, left eye to right eye, right eye to left eye, assuming the nominal operation of the symmetrical binary division of our body parts.
My thoughts for the day.
Bai read the text from Lee and wondered what he was trying to tell her. Had she not picked the song for him to read the title as straightforward an approach as she knew how, leaving room for playful teasing?: “Would I Lie To You?”
Bai basked in the glow of the previous weekend’s conference on self-improvement where she had served as the “touchy-feely” expert, providing free hugs and handshakes of love and encouragement for the attendees.
She knew how to handle the negative inner voice that wanted to dominate her thoughts sometimes — as a successful self-employed person, she had long ago put her internal and externalised views of the world into a positive light.
Bai had developed a love for others that allowed her to reach out without compromising herself in order to express to those around her that she loved them unconditionally, releasing the instantaneous fears of meeting strangers that made many others apprehensive in a crowd.
She only had a few hours with Lee to refine their dance routine for the upcoming showcase in two days.
But it was not just the dance routine that she wanted to work on. She wanted to make Lee a more open person, helping him forgive the images of important people in his thoughts, release the negative inner messages that twisted into passive-aggressive attitudes serving as an unnecessary shield between himself and the people around him who wanted his full love and attention undivided by inner doubts fed by fear of rejection.
Was it too much to ask of him?
Her life was also in turmoil but she was getting a good grip on her emotions, balancing the need to let her boyfriend go without losing him against her need for a steadying male presence in her life, sometimes served mainly by one person but more often served by a mix of personalities across several men — brother, father, confidante, lover, DJ competitor, dance partner — and sometimes served by the socially-defined male-like personality in women that varied by subculture.
She knew the only way to bring happiness into her life was to give happiness freely. Not everyone accepts gifts and that’s okay. She couldn’t control their behaviour, giving out hope and love in equal quality, the quantities depending on how much she felt the other person needed her — for one person, a smile; for another, a hug with no time limit.
She debated responding to Lee’s text. Instead, she was going to talk with him and ask him to open himself up to what he really wanted out of life besides dance lessons. Text messages were great when you couldn’t be with someone but not nearly as fulfilling as real conversation.
And the spider’s web became a trampoline…
13 Sept 2013 Dr Emil Jovanov. UAH alumni lunch n learn
13 Sept 2013 Dr Emil Jovanov. UAH alumni lunch n learn. Opening by David Kingsbury, UAH Alumni president
BIO: Dr. Emil Jovanov, received bachelor and doctorate from Univ of Belgrade. http://www.ece.uah.edu/~jovanov; emil.jovanov@.edu
Dr. Jovanov teaches and supports realtime and embedded systems, wearable and ubiquitous monitoring, senior student design: education and playground, technology commercialization, new products and businesses such as SmartBottle…AdhereTech (www.adheretech.com)
Ubiquitous Health Monitoring – wireless body area network [WBAN] (2005) Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation
WBAN via Zigbee connects to personal server (smartphone) integrates via GPRS/Bluetooth/WLAN with Internet for access to/by weather forecast, emergency, caregiver, medical server and physician
diabetics monitor blood sugar level, doctor can see if you walked as much as you said, when you ate, etc.; ECG
mHealth – http://portal.mhealth.uah.edu/public/index.php
— stress monitoring for nurses, etc.
WBAN includes SmartBottle approach:
in 1994, est. that $100B cost to economy for taking medicine incorrectly; $300B increased costs, $100B lost revenue
MDs/pharmacists need accurate monitoring method; patients need secure system.
— typical use: pill boxes don’t account for “Take on full/empty stomach”
— automated pill boxes based on time
— RFIDs — acid in stomach will activate chip in pill; smartphone will record info; expensive approach, good for specialised drugs
Great potential for smart pill bottle
— Robert Gold, R. Ph, MBA, Newburgh, Indiana
— Prototype development, senior design team:
=> Sreca Jovanov -HW and Sensor Dev
=> Charles Acker – Embedded and PC SW
=> Michael King – Embedded SW
UAH Patent; MBA Graduate project at Wharton School of Business
Completely wireless system; communication between SmartBottle, Reminder Unit, Home Server, and Remote Server; automated reminders and monitoring of medication
Approaches: initial idea – weight measurement but mechanical issues were potentially problematic; breakthrough – capacitive measurement of pills in bottle C=A*e/d (conductive plates (A) sandwiching dielectric medium (d)); measuring capacitive response of empty bottle; smart bottle prototype in spring 2007, connected CVS bottle with unit including wireless module — proof of concept worked – good linear plot of data with 2-3% error (e.g., 2 to 3 pills out of 100); US Patent issued in 2011; SmartBottle Development 2012 update: Test system, AD7745 capacitance to digital converter, accuracy: +/- 4 fF (femtofarads (10 to minus 15th power)); evaluation of patterns and designs – have to compromise total capacitance against accuracy of pill measurement
AdhereTech – winner of 2013 Healthcare Innovation World Cup
Reader’s Digest, September 2013, one of 20 MindBlowing Medical Breakthroughs, technology should be available by September of 2014
Wireless in the bottle (Verizon); measures and send open/close of bottle; 45 day battery = no charge
Nontech savvy – use bottle as regular bottle
Tech savvy – text/email reminder, etc.
Helps monitor: Forgetfulness; purposely omitted pill taking; low priority conduct
Pharma: captures percentage of increased revenues, especially for clinical trials of extremely-expensive medication
Hospitals: used to make money on readmissions but no more — want to reduce readmissions; hospitals penalised 1% CMS payments for readmissions (`$14000/year) with higher penalties in following years; poor adherence to drug plan is most common reason patients are readmitted. CHF: 25% readmission rate; heart attack: 20% readmission rate; pneumonia:18% readmission rate; more diseased states penalized every year
Provides aggregate adherence data for healthcare pros; personal data for patients
Examples of Secured deals: Walter Reed Natl Military Med Ctr; Weill Cornell Medical College; Univ of Michigan
Competitors: Vitality GlowCaps; Proteus Digital Health; plain/automated Pill boxes; Adherence smartphone/tablet apps
Pilot clinical trials start in 2014
Benefits include passive intrusion, no change to current pill users’ behaviour.
Strong IP, team, business models and traction in media!
==> info@AdhereTech.com: Featured in WSJ, TIME, WIRED, TEDMED, Fast Company, TechCrunch, MEDCITY, the Atlantic, StartUpHealth, Blueprint Health, GIGAOM, Xconomy
Sent from my iPad
Today’s lunch’n’learn lecture…
It’s from me it’s for you. It’s from you, it’s for me. It’s a worldwide symphony
The U.S. president stood at the podium and looked at the camera.
“Earlier today I authorised a large-scale mobilisation of our naval and air forces to converge on Syria.
“I have not made this decision lightly. In fact, I consulted with historians as well as your elected representatives on both sides of the aisle.
“Based on the advice I graciously received, I instructed our armed forces to take the following action.
“One, we have a brotherly and sisterly love for the Syrian people. Our first order of business is to flood the cities and neighbourhoods of Syria with leaflets warning of our plans we are declaring in full disclosure to every country that wants to interfere with our humanitarian mission to prevent more senseless bloodshed, offering a peaceful solution backed by our military might to restore order.
“Two, a massive airlift is now underway. We will soon drop air cargo loads filled with blocks of pure, nutritious American cheese from our country’s heartland to feed the Syrian people in dire need of real food.
“Three, to address the rumours of starvation driven by despair and depression and to prevent any chance of malaria or other tropical disease, we will spray the people of Syria and their beloved geography with a special formulated mix of pest-deterring organic cannabinoids and low-concentration psilocybin, which I have been assured by both scientific and medical experts will restore the appetites and happiness of war-weary inhabitants of the City of Jasmine and other metropolitan areas ravaged by over two years of civil war.
“Four, we will offer a trade-in program for citizens on all sides of the Syrian conflict. Every gun, tank, missile, ammunition or other weapon not authorised for the strict use of American military to protect global citizens in Syria is eligible for this program. If you turn in a weapon, we will provide you with enough food and clothing to last you a year. In addition, we will send you to a nearby training centre to provide you the trade skills and business acumen to start your own business to compete in the world economy.
“My fifth and final announcement on this important issue. We ask not only the Syrians but all the people of the Middle East to open their stores and shops to people of any race, creed, national origin, political or religious difference. If you do so, your family will prosper. At the end of the day, isn’t that what we want for ourselves and our children?
“That’s all that the United States of America is trying to do here, provide Syrians with a peaceful path toward prosperity, cementing a healthy relationship with the rest of the world. No other country can offer or is offering you such a solution.
“My administration will keep our phones and doors open for Syrians. Talk to us after you read our leaflets.
Thank you. No questions.”
The president walked off the platform and turned to his closest advisor. “Okay, now that that’s over, do you have the latest update on Tiger’s golf score?”
Guten tag!
Guest post facto: Ashleigh’s new stint
Sept. 4, 2013
STENTSATIONAL NEWS
Dear Friends,
I had hardly finished writing to you (on August 26) about the oldest piece of hardware in my body - a dental bridge which has been in place since 1967 - when suddenly and quite unexpectedly I found myself getting a brand-new piece, of a very different kind - one which, whether I come to love it or not, is already quite literally very close to my heart - a tiny platinum mesh cylinder called a STENT, which serves to keep blocked arteries open.
As a non-smoker, non-drinker, active exerciser, and fairly careful eater, and with no family history of any such trouble, I had little reason to consider myself a good cardiac candidate. And when a few weeks ago I began to experience feelings of weakness, and some internal tightness, e.g. when bicycling uphill, I thought the most likely cause must be something easily treatable like anemia, which I had had before (and was fixed then simply by taking Iron tablets). But there was one factor which, three months short of my 80th birthday, I had failed to consider: the simple fact of AGE. And when I finally told my doctor, Michael B. Fisher M.D., about this current trouble, he immediately arranged for me to see a Cardiologist (Dr. Thomas Watson) who in one session, after several tests (including a treadmill) told me he was convinced that I had some serious blockage, which must be acted on at once. And the very next morning, (Friday, August 30) almost before I could fully comprehend this new situation, there I was, at Santa Barbara’s Cottage Hospital, being operated on.
It was a “non-invasive” kind of procedure, with no cutting, and not even any anesthesia - just some “sedation,” — so I was conscious the whole time. And somehow with the aid of computers and “balloons,” that little stent was maneuvered into position, where it is now supposedly making itself at home in my left coronary artery. (Fortunately I apparently had no other blockages.) And after only one (albeit endless-seeming) night in the hospital, I was sent home.
Isn’t it amazing that a job so delicate and intricate can now be done in so little time!
But when it comes to my collection of medical hardware, let us not forget that since being hit by a car in January 2011, I have already been carrying around a much larger piece of metal, a “plate” which was supposed to help repair my broken left leg. Strangely, however, that device itself soon “broke,” and became useless. And although the leg eventually healed anyway, the plate is apparently fated to remain there permanently. My Orthopedist (Dr. William Dunbar), dismisses the contrivance as now mere “jewelry.”
Of course I know there are other people with far more artificial parts than I have, and I’ve no desire to engage in any kind of competition. Many of you could no doubt put my own bionic record to shame. Nor do I mean to make light of this very serious and scientifically marvelous matter of changing and replacing body parts. It’s just that when your own body becomes the matter at issue, it all somehow acquires a different perspective.
And here’s another thing that happened in the course of these events to give me a different view of myself: — While I was being processed at Dr. Watson’s office, I was asked for my weight and height. I knew my weight exactly, because I check it very frequently, completely naked, on a good scale. (The latest reading was 132 1/8 lb). But I hadn’t had my height taken in many years — so I took this opportunity to ask to have it measured. Whenever I’d been asked before, I had always said “5 ft. 9 ½ inches,” but that reading was so old that I couldn’t even remember just what point in my life it dated from.
So they did measure me, and to my great surprise, I was told I am now only 5 ft. 7inches! How could this be? I know that people sometimes get shorter as they age - But have I really lost 2 ½ inches? This is genuinely alarming, and conjures up uncomfortable images of “The Incredible Shrinking Man.”
So in various ways, from artificial additions to natural shrinkage, it seems there is now less of the original “me” than there used to be. But yes, I know this is only the beginning of a process which our whole species is apparently embarked upon. And for the answers as to just where (if ever) it will end we currently have no better guide than the writers of Science Fiction.
In any case, as my body recovers from its latest metallic insertion, this message comes with greetings which I hope you can appreciate are unusually HEARTY.
All the best,
Ashleigh Brilliant
ASHLEIGH BRILLIANT, 117 W. Valerio St. Santa Barbara CA 93101 USA. Phone (805) 682-0531 Orders:(800) 952-3879, Code #77. Creator of POT-SHOTS, syndicated author of I MAY NOT BE TOTALLY PERFECT, BUT PARTS OF ME ARE EXCELLENT. 10,000 copyrighted BRILLIANT THOUGHTS available as cards, books etc.World’s highest-paid writer (per word). Most-quoted author (per Reader’s Digest.) Free daily Pot-Shot cartoon: www.ashleighbrilliant.com CATALOGS:[h&m included]. Starter $2. Complete Printed version: $25 Electronic Text-Only (emailed $25, on CD $30). Electronic Illustrated Catalog/Database (CD only) $105 (includes shipping anywhere). Details: www.ashleighbrilliant.com/IllustratedCatalog.html
Sacrifices
My wife and I sat down and looked at our finances this afternoon. I have done what I’ve always wanted to do — I put the desire for dancing above my need for hearing aids — I’d rather be deaf and move my body to the sound of music than be a cyborg with enhanced auditory functionality.
Again, the happiness of overcoming physical fears is almost impossible to describe, like I changed bodies last week and am a new man.
Time for this new old man to get off of his cloud and sleep!
treetrunkdings 