April 2016
MENTAL HEALTH
MANAGE YOUR CONDITION
IMPROVE COGNITION
IMPROVING AWARENESS
THERAPY
RELATIONSHIPS
www.HealthisYourWealth.co.uk
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 1
Editors Message
Already a quarter through the year ! 2016 is really flying in but as we are all to aware life can change very quickly! Therefore it’s so important to cease the day and not count the days but make every day count! As the saying goes “You only live once” so make the most of your day as summer is just around the corner !! Dominic, Editor
Readers Letters … Send letters to: letters@healthisyourwealth.co.uk Please note that some of these articles are written by patients who are still in recovery. These articles are unchanged and may contain spellings, punctuation and grammar mistakes.
Hope it's going well, it's a really good thing you're doing. All the best. Lee, East Midlands, UK A copy of our medical disclaimer is on our website
The magazine is great. I found it very interesting. Layout is Thank you for your very clear and easy letters. We can’t to follow. acknowledge all the letters but will aim to Claire, Guilford, UK respond to each one! I received the magazine in today’s mail. It really has become a great, professional grade magazine Wolfgang, Germany Please note that errors and omissions are exempt from this publication. For terms and conditions please see www.HealthisYourWealth.co.uk
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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Contents Editors message and Reader Letters Contents Contributors
2 3 4
RELATIONSHIPS How I became a brain surgeon Children's Corner
5-7 8-12
A Parents Uncertainty
13-15
Living with Brain Injury
16-18
IMPROVING AWARENESS Statistics and Awareness Macmillian Cancer Support
19-20
THERAPY Exercise -Body Maintenance
41-44
Speech Matters
45-46
MANAGE YOUR CONDITION Top tips for communication
47
Importance of Nutrition
48-51
IMPROVE COGNITION
Train Your Brain
52-55
Brain Training Applications
56-58
21 REVIEWS & SUBSCRIPTIONS
Headway Essex
22-24
Maidenhead Stroke Club
25-26
Book Review
59
Possible Cause of Parkinson’s
27-31
Movie Review
60
Subscriptions
61
MENTAL HEALTH Early Intervention
32-33
Key Contacts
62
Anxiety and Social Media
34-38
Supporting Awareness
63
How to keep motivated
39-40
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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Contributors To this issue Thank you to the authors who had input to this magazine. Without your valuable content this issue would not have happened! How I came a brain surgeon—Mr. Michael Jenkinson
Brain Training: mybraintraining.com
Mental Health: Becky Wickes Claire Kearns
Children's Corner: Living With Brain Injury: Jackie Rockach
Statistics and awareness Erica Bart
Exercise: Body Maintenance: Trpti Gyan Speech Matters: Tm Hardman
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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Foundation Trust in Liverpool, sub-
“How I became a brain Surgeon!”
specializing in brain tumors.
Brain surgery, it’s not exactly rocket science… but it is one of those jobs that people can’t quite believe you do and I am usually asked if I am joking. So how did I end up becoming a neurosurgeon? My inspiration to become a
“So what is it like being a
surgeon came after watching the movie
neurosurgeon?”
M*A*S*H with Donald Sutherland and Elliot
surgeons during the Korean war. For those of you who have not seen the movie, the characters Hawkeye and Trapper are not typical role models, but they did appeal to my personality, and in 1992, I started at Liverpool Medical School. All through medical school, (and I hesitate to write this since it will be in the public domain forever), I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon. It was only after doing a junior doctor job in neurosurgery in 2000, that I changed my mind. Ten years later and after many exams, I was appointed a consultant neurosurgeon at The Walton Centre NHS
In
common
with
rocket
science,
neurosurgery sounds more glamorous than it really is. My day starts with the 8am team meeting to discuss the patients referred for a neurosurgery opinion over the previous 24 hours. The Walton Centre serves a population of ~3.5 million, and we receive on average 20-30 referrals each day. From 8.30am onwards, each day of my working week is different and consists of outpatient clinics, inpatient ward rounds, operating theatre, team meetings,
research
paperwork.
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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meetings
and
Relationships
Gould, which portrays the antics of two army
brain surgery, complications do happen, for One of my colleagues once gave a talk at a
example, bleeding from the tumour or brain
medical
“Pediatric
swelling. In these cases the patient may not
neurosurgery – the pinnacle of human
recover and may be left with permanent
achievement”.
neurological
meeting
titled
This slightly flippant title
deficits
such
as
difficulty
belies the humbling nature of the specialty. As
speaking or limb weakness as a result of
a neurosurgeon I want my patient’s admission
surgery.
to be as routine and mundane as possible. I
neurosurgeon.
This is the worst part of being a
want my patients to have successful brain tumour surgery and go home. Fortunately for
Being diagnosed with a brain tumour is
most
devastating
patients,
brain
tumour
operations
proceed as planned with no complications.
Unfortunately,
for
patients
many
brain
and
families.
tumours
are
malignant and one of the most difficult things for patients to deal with is uncertainty. I aim to give patients a clear idea of what to expect in hospital and after surgery.
Unfortunately
things are not always black and white, and I have to work with the information available at However, because we are still learning about
the time. But talking to patients, I realise how
the complexity of the brain and how it
the patient is often more accepting of the
functions, and because each patient is a
diagnosis and prognosis, than the relatives.
unique individual, the reaction of the brain to surgery can vary from person to person.
Whilst there is no margin for error during
“Research, Research and more Research”
Research forms a significant part of my job. I
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work with researchers in the UK, Europe and the USA. Unlike many cancers, treatment options for brain tumours are limited. My research is focused on understanding more about how brain tumours grow in the hope that new therapies can be developed in this field. All the staff at The Walton Centre are dedicated to providing outstanding care to our patients, and I feel privileged to be working in this field.
Mr. Michael Jenkinson Consultant Neurosurgeon
Relationships
Is this magazine in your doctors waiting room yet?
IF NOT GO TO www.HealthisYourWealth.co.uk
and click on subscriptions. Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 7
Children’s Corner ABI and Fatigue
Being less coordinated
Fatigue is a common issue following ABI, in
Being irritable and having less patience
both adults and children alike. However we
Being different on different days
Delays in processing and responding to
have to remember that for children and young people, we are asking them to continue their education learning with potential memory
information
problems and concentration issues, as well as
Strategies to help manage fatigue
the issue of fatigue. Signs that a young person is suffering from
Don’t try to fix everything at once - It is
fatigue may typically be:
important to prioritise strategies and overcome
Getting very tired after physical exercise
Struggling to get out of bed in the morning
difficulties, you and your child need to decide what problems or issues are most important, you can’t fix everything at once , so focus on the things that are either easiest to overcome,
Getting headaches and feeling exhausted
or will make the biggest difference.
after concentrating, even after short Good days, bad days - Try to remember that
periods of time
Information overload and feeling ‘blank’
Slurred speech
Blurred vision
your child may have good days and sometimes not so good days, and take account of this when you are encouraging them to achieve their goals.
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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Plan ahead - Plan the week as a whole, both
drop particular activities or make
home and school activities, and take in to
changes to when the activities take
account things like family gatherings,
place across the week. Also where
holidays; that way potential impact of fatigue
possible include more time for
can be taken into account.
relaxing and fun things and if necessary plan some ‘quiet time’ at
Support within the family - Help siblings to
key times of low energy / high
understand about potential fatigue and how
fatigue in the school day.
to support their brother/sister when they get tired and don’t want to play or are irritable.
Other strategies for school: At school
person to write down all the things they do in
illness/injury
Have a “timeout ” card, so that when
a week at school, and use a highlighter pen
the “reserves” have been used up (or
to show:
preferably before), child can have a
“brain break”
When they are feeling tired; remember to include school subjects, times of day,
the amount of writing, language
see a bit of a pattern, and it is useful to
processing, and allow more time
Have a discussion with the teacher
Provide homework via email or on USB stick
Look at where they can make changes to their weekly timetable to save energy.
Provide differentiated work to reduce
places, people and situations. You might
show teachers/parents.
Chunk information, and allow rest time in between sections
about whether it would be possible to
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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Relationships
Using a timetable, ask the child/young
Graduated return to school post
Reduce the amount that has to be
and then another and full of banter and jokes. A
physically carried around school
lot of young people with brain injury simply
Perhaps have two sets of reference
zone out from these conversations, finding it
books, one for school and another set at
conversation. This is particularly so in larger
home
Use a locker for items not required for
groups, while one to one conversation is manageable.
each lesson
too difficult to keep up with the topic of
Ensure plenty of food and drink is made
Encourage them to choose their
available
friendships carefully, and have friends
If possible group lessons/classrooms
who understand that they may not always
physically closer together
be able to keep to social arrangements or feel like going out and being friendly;
Friendships and social life
Help the young person to explain to friends that they may have difficulty with
Fatigue can have a huge impact on many
keeping up to speed during fast flowing
other difficulties following acquired brain
chatty conversations if they are tired,
injury, and one area that can suffer is
especially when they have late nights and
friendships and social life; this is because
are in noisy environments.
children and young people may be just too tired to get involved in social play and activities. Also it takes a huge amount of concentration and processing to hold onto
Try to keep some energy in reserve for social activities – it is an important part of growing up – perhaps just as important as school.
conversations with friends; most of which are fast paced, tangential – going in one direction
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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any event, and fatigue and tiredness
General Strategies:
can be common amongst teenagers
Try to include physical exercise across the week. (Although it is difficult when
you are constantly tired, if they are
Chill out and relax
activities that your child naturally
Being able to chill out and relax is an
enjoys, it may not feel like such a battle)
important strategy to help reduce fatigue
Remember to “chunk” all activities to
and aid restorative sleep, so make sure
include a rest, and at home as well as at
you also include this as part of a
school
managing fatigue.
Sometimes young people with an ABI lack the insight to know when they are
Help to chill out by:
Laying on a bed and listening to music
fatigue, and know when to stop for a
rest.
Encourage restorative sleep patterns
Remember some medications may have a sedative effect and take this into
and aromas
Simply just lie down in the bedroom
Go for a walk and take in the world around you
account as well when planning the day/
week
Learn relaxation techniques
Try to ensure stress levels are managed
Relaxing from Head to Toe. Scrunch
within the home, and at school
Taking a bath with relaxing bubbles
Also remember that during adolescence young people's sleeping habits change in
up every muscle in your body from the tips of the toes to the top of the head; then, gradually relax each tiny set of muscles starting at the tips of
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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Relationships
tired; help them to recognise the signs of
your toes, through the feet, into the a n k l e s , t h e c a l f mu s c l e s , k n e e s , t h i g h s ……… r i g h t t h r o u g h t o t h e muscles in the face and the top of head….
Mindfulness. This is a method where a person tries to block out all the input from their surroundings – noises, sights, etc, and concentrate purely on breathing, and reducing the speed of their breathing, blocking out all other thoughts.
For some children their fatigue will reduce over time as their rehabilitation continues, and they regain their physical strength, although sometimes the effort in finding new routes to do the things the child used to do, may always cause mental fatigue. For further help and support on issues relating to fatigue please contact: The Child Brain Injury Trust Helpline 0303 3032248 or email helpline@cbituk.org
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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“A Parents Uncertainty”
Blame
Denial
Feelings of loss for how their child was before their injury
“Families’ needs may change at
others
different stages of the ‘journey’ of TB / ABI”
Anxieties about the reactions of
Guilt at what’s happened, guilt for resenting the changes the injury has brought about
Parents may experience one set of feelings at the hospital, and another set entirely when
Anger and frustration
Isolation – parents may lose time to spend with friends as their priorities change
Parents experience difficulties with their child’s behaviour plus anxieties about how
Changes in roles
siblings are coping with the changes Friends, neighbours and relatives not understanding
Parent's experience
the financial strain. Perhaps a parent has given up work, or there are extra costs for transport
It is of utmost importance that parents
or care
remember to look after themselves. This needn’t be something you have to do on
On top of the practical circumstances, there
your own. It’s thought that a positive and
may be these emotional ones:
supportive family environment can make a positive difference to a child’s progress.
Shock
However if you are concerned about the
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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Relationships
their child returns home.
way stress is affecting you or anyone in your
Parents may experience these feelings more
family, you can speak to your GP.
keenly
at
particular
times,
perhaps
the
anniversary of an accident, or the date they Parents whose children have an acquired brain
would have started college.
injury talk about the wide range of emotions they experience. Some talk about their
Denial
feelings at different ‘stages’ of the journey. Coming to terms with any kind of difficulty
Parents – understandably – find it difficult to
can take time, and the feelings people
hear that their child now has a disability.
experience are best understood as a process.
Sometimes, parents may question the diagnosis.
Everybody’s experience is different, but
They may challenge what the healthcare
generally people experience some similarities.
professionals have said, which may get in the way of treatment. Children often make speedy
Feelings of loss
improvements in a short space of time, before this improvement begins to slow down, and this
The changes to a child’s behaviour and
can make things very difficult for parents.
circumstances place great strain on parents.
However it isn’t for anyone else to say how a
Some say the experience is almost like
family should be thinking or feeling, and it isn’t
mourning, in that they grieve for the child as
for anyone to tell a parent to ‘accept’ their
they were before the brain injury. A child may
situation. Everyone must be allowed to move at
be very different, and while the family may be
their own pace.
experiencing feelings close to mourning, it may not necessarily be easy for others to understand.
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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Progress may not always be rapid. And
Guilt and blame
some parents may face a tough time if the These
feelings
may
be
particularly
speed of progress slows down over time.
pronounced if a child has been involved in an accident. A parent may wonder if it was
These things can place a great deal of
preventable, or they may blame someone for
strain on parents. They may also have the
the injury.
uncertainty of not knowing if all of the effects of the brain injury have come to the surface. However with all this
even the child. Guilt and regret are very
uncertainty there may also be great
common and are agonising emotions for
possibility. The medical teams may not be
parents to experience. It’s natural for parents
able to guarantee the level of recovery, or
to think “if only” this had happened or that
commit to anything definitive regarding
hadn’t happened. Don't play the what if game!
progress but neither can they rule out the
You can waste a load of time and effort
improvements some families witness.
thinking about "if things were different I
When speaking to neurologists they have
would be able to do this"
some patients that they are still seeing improvements ten years post injury!
Uncertainty Therefore there is still hope that things There is no single ‘cure’ or treatment for brain injury, no ‘silver bullet’ and some children may never fully return to the way they were
will get better and even if this is a small percentage
it’s
better
improvement at all!
before their injury.
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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than
no
Relationships
This may be the driver of a car, themselves, or
was put into an induced coma. When coming
“Living With a Brain Injury”
out of the coma I was unable to speak and remember my family by name. This was quite frightening but after several weeks I found my
My accident happened on 15 May 2004. I
memory was returning. I stayed in hospital/
suffered from a broken leg, arm, fractured
rehabilitation for 3 months in total. I was told
pelvis and a serious head injury. I previously
by the doctors that my recovery was helped
paraglided with my husband, Lee, but this was
due to my fitness. I was an aerobics instructor
the first time that I had para-motored. Para-
and eat a balanced diet.
motoring is where someone has an engine
“This didn’t go too well as I couldn’t
attached to them to keep the wing flying.
remember what they had asked for” We went to a para-motor flying site in Derbyshire. I was the passenger to someone else who was the pilot of the para-motor. We took off after one failed take-off and were at about 200ft when there was a problem with the equipment. We started to spiral round and crashed down in the field. My husband saw this happen and I was unconscious, 999 was called and an air ambulance came for me. After spending time at the Queens Medical I was taken to hospital in Derby and was then moved
to
Queens
Medical
Centre
in
Centre High Dependency Unit and the DRI in Derby I attended a rehabilitation hospital
Nottingham who specialise in head injuries. I
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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called Kings Lodge in Derby.
I underwent
really register that this wasn’t normal.
various treatments to teach me to walk again
Once I left and went home it took a long
and different treatments to help my head injury.
time to get back to normal. I wanted to
I had many friends and family visit me so I
get back to some sort of normality and so
was told to ask them what they wanted to drink
I went back to work as a Legal Secretary
and try and remember what they had asked for
part- time. It was really far too early to
and make the drinks.
go back to work but it was very important to me to be able to start living the life I had before the accident. I really
what they had asked for. At the time I felt
struggled with work and I was trying to
quite cross that I had to do such simple things
act and feel the same as I was before but
when I thought that I was absolutely fine.
this is impossible to do when suffering
Looking back twelve years on now, I was
from a head injury.
really upset that I had been placed in a rehabilitation home with other people who were clearly not well and normal when I felt that there was nothing wrong with me.
I can
remember being very agitated and annoyed. I obviously wasn’t ok and needed to be there.
I was ok in the day time because I always had family with me or I was undergoing walking lessons but it was when I was on my own that I felt confused and upset. In the night time I would often wet the bed. At the time this didn’t
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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Relationships
This didn’t go too well as I couldn’t remember
“My place of work was not very
thing to remember is that what ever happened
understanding�
to us we are still here to tell the tale and enjoy life.
My place of work was not very understanding
Jackie lives in Derbyshire and continues to
and I was called to a disciplinary hearing
improve and recover even though her accident
because I wasn’t working the same as I was
was ten years ago.
before. I ended up leaving the job. I then trained to be a nail technician and passed all my exams. I set up my own business from home/mobile.
We moved into a new house in Ashbourne and went on to have a baby in November 2008 and although I suffered from a head injury I have been able to study, take exams, run my own business and go out to work. The most
Jackie Rockach
challenging area of all is to have a baby and bring her up. I still suffer from bad short term memory and I do tend to get more agitated and annoyed than I used to but it helps to have someone close to tell you to take some deep breaths and calm down.
Family life is always very busy and we all have pressures and stressful times but the
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A transient ischaemic attack or TIA is
Statistics and Awareness
also known as a mini-stroke. It is the same as a stroke, except that the symptoms last for a short amount of time and no longer than 24 hours. This is
What is a stroke?
because the blockage that stops the blood getting to your brain is temporary.
A stroke is a brain attack. It happens when the blood supply to part of your brain is cut off.
What causes stroke?
Blood carries essential nutrients and oxygen to
be damaged or die. This damage can have different effects, depending on where it happens in your brain. A stroke can affect the way your body works as well as how you think, feel and communicate.
As we age our arteries become harder and narrower and more likely to become blocked.
However,
certain
medical
conditions and lifestyle factors can speed up this process and increase your risk of having a stroke.
Different types of stroke
Can you recover from stroke?
Most strokes are caused by a blockage cutting
All strokes are different. For some
off the blood supply to the brain. This is an
people the effects may be relatively
ischaemic stroke. However, strokes can also
minor and may not last long. Others may
be caused by a bleeding in or around the brain.
be left with more serious problems that
This is a haemorrhagic stroke.
make them dependent on other people.
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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Improving Awareness
your brain. Without blood your brain cells can
Unfortunately not everyone survives – around one in eight people die within 30 days of having a stroke. That’s why it’s so important to be able to recognise the symptoms and get medical help as quickly as possible. The quicker you receive treatment, the better your chances for a good recovery. Make sure you know how to recognise the symptoms of stroke.
If you’ve been affected by stroke, whether you’re a stroke survivor, a member of your family or a friend has had a stroke, you work with people affected by stroke, or you want to know how to prevent a stroke, please get in touch by telephoning the UK Stroke Helpline on 0303 3033 100 or email at info@stroke.org.uk
The Stroke Helpline is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, GMT: 9.00am to 5.00pm. You can write to Stroke by Post: Stroke Information Service, Stroke Association, Life After Stroke Centre, Church Lane, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B61 8RA.
Textphone: 18001 0303 3033 100 Social Media: Visit the Stroke Association's Facebook and Twitter
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 20
emotional support when things get tough. Right from the moment you’re diagnosed, through your treatment and beyond, we’re a When you have cancer, you don’t just
constant source of support to help
worry about what will happen to your
you feel more in control of your life.
body, you worry about what will happen to your life. How to talk to those close to you. What to do about work. How
professionals,
volunteers,
campaigners and people affected by cancer. Together we make sure there’s always someone here for
At Macmillan, we know how a cancer
you, to give you the support, energy
diagnosis can affect everything. So
and inspiration you need to help you
when you need someone to turn to,
feel more like you.
we’re here, because no one should face cancer alone.
We are all Macmillan. For support, information or if you
We can help you find answers to questions about your treatment and its effects. We can advise on work and benefits, and we’re always here for
just want to chat, call us free on 0808 808 00 00 (Monday to Friday, 9am–8pm) or visit macmillan.org.uk
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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Improving Awareness
you’ll cope with the extra costs.
We are millions of supporters,
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 22
Headway Essex is an independent charity,
education and help with health and social
established in 1985 to provide support for
issues faced by adults with acquired brain
adults with acquired brain injury and their
injury and their carers and families. We
carers and families in Essex. The service was
also
born from the needs of adults who had
Headway Centre in Colchester which
acquired a brain injury and their families who
offers day services that encourage a
could
who
progressive transition to independence by
understood the unique issues faced adults with
accessing a number of social physical and
a brain injury and their families post hospital
educational activities.
not
find
any
organisation
provide
support
through
the
discharge.
Our key aims are that:
Supporting the Carers:
People with acquired brain injury can live as independently as possible and fulfil their potential.
support helpline
Carers are informed and supported to manage their caring role and maintain
The wider community has an increased
Coping and compensating strategies
Home visits and assessments looking
brain injury. Service
is
Information and education on all aspects of brain injury
awareness of the causes and effects of
The
Information and advice on all aspects of the caring role
their own health and wellbeing.
Brain injury advice and carers
at the whole family’s needs delivered
through
our
Community Support Service that operates across Essex to provide both emotional, practical and crisis support, brain injury
One to one support of a community support worker
Carers support group meetings
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Improving Awareness
Headway Essex Services
Respite
from
the
cared-for
person
attending Headway’s specialist facilities
Support group meetings
Support with educational, vocational and
Counselling
Support with benefits
Counselling
Support to pursue their own interests and/
Signposting and referrals to other support
volunteering opportunities
or balance work with a caring role
agencies as required
Signposting and referrals to other support
If you would like to talk to someone about any
agencies as required
aspect of your brain injury or come along to one of Headway’s Support Groups please
Supporting the survivors of brain injury:
Information and education on brain
01206 768797
injury and its effects
Information and advice to cope and compensate with the effects of brain injury, including practical and financial aspects
Neuro Physio exercise
Adult
education
contact The Community Support Team on
and
life
skills
–
Or visit www.headwayessex.org.uk for more information
If you are not in Essex please note that Headway is a UK-wide charity that supports people affected by brain injury. For further information or support, or to find your nearest Headway group or branch, visit www.headway.org.uk
relearning lost skills
IT training
or contact the free phone helpline on 0808 800 2244
Communication and social interaction
E-mail: helpline@headway.org.uk
activities
Health and self-care advice and support
Social and sporting activities in the
Headway Essex is affiliated to
community
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 24
young and old, some in wheelchairs, others with walking aids, others unsteady on their feet. Some have restricted use of an arm, or have trouble speaking. But they all have one thing in common - they make every effort to live their lives to the

Have you had a Stroke?

Do you know someone that At the Stroke Club we try to help our
has? 
full.
members re-establish themselves in a social situation and make use of the
Maidenhead area?
abilities they have. Our members enjoy drinks and snacks, and those that want to
The Maidenhead & District Stroke Club, affiliated to the Stroke Association, is a social group for people who have had a stroke, and is
can join in other activities such as crafts, quizzes, board games and light sporting activities.
run by volunteers with the objective of helping our members re-establish themselves in social situations and make use of the abilities they have. The club has been serving the local community for over 25 years.
As well as running the club meetings, donations have enabled us to help vulnerable members with home security, home
improvements
maintenance, The Stroke Club meets once a fortnight in Maidenhead. Our 50 strong membership consists of people from every walk of life -
and
garden
contributed
physiotherapy and aromatherapy,
to and
enabled garden centre and shopping trips, river boat cruises, pub lunches and have
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 25
Improving Awareness
Do you live in the SL6/
fun and stimulating activities at the club - such
always welcome a carer or family member to
as singing and music, gardening, lunches, bird
attend with them if they wish.
and animal interactions and arts and crafts. If you are interested in joining, or know Enabling these activities - which many able
someone who may benefit from joining the
bodied people would take for granted - is
club, please do get in contact:
essential as it helps our members re-assert their own independence and abilities.
maidenheadstrokeclub@gmail.com or our Facebook Page:
We understand that some people who have
www.facebook.com/maidenheadstrokeclub
suffered Stroke may prefer not to come on their own, or may need support to get to and from the club, or whilst they are there - so
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 26
without
A Mechanism for the possible Cause of Parkinson’s
always
having
to
consult
voluminous textbooks or articles on just one subject.
My search took me into well-studied My
research
into
Parkinson’s
(or
phenomena such as neurotoxins found naturally
in
plants,
curious as to why we couldn’t figure out what
produced within the body, most notably
causes Parkinson’s despite the extensive
by fungi living inside the body.
To
knowledge we have concerning the biology,
physiological
as
physiology, biochemistry, and genetics of the
hypotension (low blood pressure) as well
human body. It seemed to me that we indeed
as
had all the pieces of the puzzle (all the
hypothyroidism, and even disorders of the
relevant information) but were unable to
adrenal glands such as adrenal exhaustion.
successfully fit the information together to
I didn’t start to make any real progress
form the picture that is Parkinson’s.
until I focused on the neuron itself.
Initially I started by consulting medical and
Specifically, the neurons associated with
biology textbooks but it was taking way too
Parkinson’s as well as neurons in general.
long to extract relevant information, so I
My first real clue came when I noticed a
turned to internet searching and finally
connection between Alzheimer’s and
Wikipedia which was much, much faster.
Parkinson’s. I noticed that people who
Wikipedia was indispensable in my research
suffer from high blood pressure have a
because it allowed me to jump from relevant
tendency towards Parkinson’s and people
topic to relevant topic quickly and efficiently
who suffer from low blood pressure
endocrine
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
to
conditions
disorders
Page 27
neurotoxins
such
such
as
Improving Awareness
Parkinsonism) started out as a curiosity. I was
(hypotension)
have
a
tendency
toward
Thus it was natural to try to apply this idea to
Alzheimer’s. I thought that maybe the two
the
aforementioned
bodies
(the
amyloid
were just two sides of the same coin and
plaques and Lewy bodies).
perhaps there was a physiological connection
general chemistry and I remembered that a low
between the two. Unfortunately, this didn’t
oxygen environment produces lactic acid build
take me as far as I hoped it might. So I looked
-up within a cell, unless cleared away.
A little more
for similarities between Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and remembered that both form
There are many factors that can cause hypoxia
bodies in their end stages. In Alzheimer’s, it’s
(low oxygen within a cell) or hypoxemia (low
amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles,
oxygen in the blood). The most common are
and in Parkinson’s it’s Lewy bodies.
hypothyroidism, hypotension, and anemia, of which hypothyroidism is the most common.
Then out of curiosity I studied some general chemistry concerning
of
Thus we can arrive at our possible mechanism
Hydrochloric acid produced in the stomach
for the cause of Parkinson’s (as well as
during digestion, and remembered that the first
Alzheimer’s) that involves hypoxia (low
step
oxygen), lactic acid build-up and accumulation
in
the
the breakdown
production
of proteins
is
denaturation (the unfolding of the structure of
of denatured proteins.
proteins) which occurs naturally in a high acidic environment.
So, the basic mechanism for the cause of Parkinson’s is:
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 28
This explains why L-DOPA is of limited
proteins can then form cross-links and
efficacy. It is because no amount of L-DOPA
other unwanted bonds.
can make-up for damage or loss of function
proteins can accumulate if not repaired or
within the neuron.
cleared
away
accumulation
“In theory this mechanism makes
fast of
Also denatured
enough.
damage
can
This cause
gradual loss of function of the neurons and if enough neurons are damaged or
sense “
lose function there can be an eventual appearance of symptoms of Parkinson’s.
In theory this mechanism makes sense because the proteins that became denatured were
form of neurotubules or neurofilaments.
overuse of neurons that may cause this damage. The old maxim, “use it or lose it”, applies to neurons as well.
During times of mental exertion lactic acid tends to build-up within neurons just as lactic
Both
underuse and overuse of neurons are usually accompanied by hypothyroidism.
acid builds up within muscles during physical exertion. In most people, this excess lactic acid is easily cleared away and damage to the neurons is minimal.
The fact that both underuse and overuse can lead to damage points to the importance
of
oxygen,
heretofore
overlooked. You would expect some kind In a continued low-oxygen environment combined with continued mental exertion, lactic acid can accumulate or not be cleared away fast enough and then the damage to proteins in not minimal.
of damage after years of operating in a low-oxygen environment and the fact that we see this kind of accumulated damage is consistent with our premise that
These denatured
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 29
Improving Awareness
already there within the neuron, usually in the
Ironically, it is both the underuse and
hypoxia (whatever its cause) can indeed lead
Substantia Nigra area of the brain responsible
to Parkinson’s.
for coordinating movement, tend to be overused.
Over time, underuse of these
neurons can also lead to the same result.
“This could explain why some people get Alzheimer’s and others get Parkinson’s.“
Thus Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s have the same root cause and the only difference is the neurons affected.
The mechanisms leading to hypoxia, however, can be subtle. For example, during physical
Stopping or slowing the progression of Parkinson’s possibly involves two key steps:
exercise the body has the ability to restrict blood supply to certain parts of the brain. This is normal. However, when you combine this with any underlying pathology, such as hypothyroidism or hypotension, then the blood supply, and hence the oxygen supply, is
1. Clearing-away excess lactic acid
2. Addressing the underlying pathology (usually hypothyroidism)
greatly reduced. This can lead to hypoxia (an undesirable condition) and sometimes lead to
Your body (and brain) naturally clears away
damage of neurons over time.
lactic acid. However a longer-term solution would be gentle, cardio-vascular exercise after
This could explain why some people get
first getting guidance and permission from
Alzheimer’s and others get Parkinson’s.
your medical doctor.
In
Alzheimer’s, the neurons associated with memory tend to be overused, and in
Addressing the underlying pathology means
Parkinson’s the neurons located in the
you should get checked for hypothyroidism,
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 30
high or low blood pressure, and anemia, and
There is evidence that if you give your
then follow your doctor’s recommendations
body (and mind) enough time to rest and
and instructions.
recover, it can not only clear-away excess lactic acid, but also repair the damage
“Could the color of skin have any impact ?”
done to the denatured proteins and thus slow down or stop the progression of Parkinson’s
(and
Alzheimer’s)
and
possibly restore remaining function. The fact that hypothyroidism is the most common cause of low oxygen within cells
to Parkinson’s than Black people.
Black
people, because of genetics, are more prone towards hyperthyroidism (and high blood pressure), while White people; because of genetics;
are
more
prone
towards
hypothyroidism (and low blood pressure, and
Marcos Benitez marc2benitez@yahoo.com
even anemia).
It was previously thought that more melanin production was the key difference, but that is only partly true. Melanin does provide some protection in the form of (mild) anti-oxidant activity, but by far the most predominant factor is hypothyroidism.
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 31
Improving Awareness
may explain why White people are more prone
understanding amongst a young person's peers then this sense of being alone will only be
Mental Health
exacerbated and could lead to worsening the issue.
Figures
have
shown
that
early
intervention in a mental health crisis, or even
“Early Intervention - Why educating young people is vital in promoting a greater understanding of mental illness!” Mental illness touches many lives across the world, whether it is through receiving a diagnosis or having a loved one go through a mental health crisis. There is no exception for those
under
18,
with
current
at the start of an illness, has a much better prognosis for recovery. If a strong education regarding mental health were rolled out in schools, youth clubs, or even through social media campaigns; it could result in a someone recognizing symptoms in a friend, or even themselves, and help being rectified much earlier.
statistics
estimating that one in ten children between the
Ongoing campaigns that are in place to battle stigma such as ‗Time for Change‘ do fantastic
ages of one and fifteen has a mental disorder.
work, and seem to be having a brilliant effect; This
is
a
concerning
figure,
and
is
unfortunately on the rise - in the past 25 years, rates of depression and anxiety amongst teenagers has risen approximately 70%.
however, there is still something whispered about mental illness, it is at times the elephant in the room. There are moments when the mass media does not help this situation, and in fact only serves in making preconceptions about
Having a mental health issue can be isolating for anyone, and if there is a lack of
mental illness even stronger. Use of words such as 'psycho', 'crazed', or highlighting a mental health issue as the sole reason for some
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 32
misdemeanour
negative
from education regarding mental illness
associations with mental health, and can result
is inspiring people to talk about their
in further feelings of isolation. If someone has
experiences. Hearing about someone else
a
are
going through the same thing is often
statistically more likely to be the victim of
helpful in connecting with people, and
violence than to perpetrate it themselves, yet
working towards a recovery. Inspiring
some newspapers seem at times to do nothing
anyone to talk should only be a good step
more than directly link violent attacks to
towards greater understanding of mental
mental illness. The media has a direct impact
illness, even if this is simply through
on young people especially. Thus of even
social media input, the word still gets out
greater importance that education is put into
there.
mental
only
health
furthers
diagnosis,
they
Mental Health
place. If someone is already knowledgeable about mental health, then there is more of a chance that they would not react to the nefarious claims that newspapers make.
Unfortunately, some negative misconceptions about mental illness can lead to bullying often due to a lack of understanding of the problem at hand. Clarity on what constitutes a mental illness, how it will impact the person, and what will happen could be vital in cutting rates of bullying within schools and institutes
Rebecca Wicks
of education.
Twitter @thebibli0phile
One of the positive factors that could arise
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 33
advantages of platforms such as Facebook,
anxiety & social media....
Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat to name just a few, without becoming too involved in what goes on beyond your computer screen. This is particularly crucial if you already suffer from mental health issues which leave you more susceptible to stress.
It is difficult to imagine a world without the existence of social media. Although in the
“A lot of what we see is illusion�
grand scheme of history it was not that long ago, in contrast the role this virtual platform
Appearances can of course be very deceptive.
now plays in many people's everyday lives can
A social media profile can be completely
be vast. The internet is broadly seen as a
tailored and even altered to suit personal
positive innovation, as online connections can
preference and present a particular ideal. Try
be made far and wide. It can put us in touch
not to take anything you see too seriously. I am
with people in other continents and from
very guilty of this myself. It is very easy to
distant cultures and provide us with the means
compare your own life to a news-feed or
to learn and discover alternative ways of life
timeline full of happy details, relationship
that are very different from our own. However,
updates, job promotions and overall successes,
there are also various drawbacks to social
especially when already struggling from low
media, in particular when the use of it
self esteem. I can only describe this as
becomes less of an opportunity to discover and
becoming lost down a rabbit hole, hopping
more of a way to retreat and hide from reality.
from one profile to another of people I do not even know in meaningless jumps that reflect
It is important to try and focus on the
and clash against my own already deflated
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 34
sense of identity. I have to pull myself back
difficult to back out and retreat, but it is
out with the reminder that we are not given as
possible. Stepping away is the only way
much access to the downtimes, the strain and
to deal with this and prevent such
the hardship, the raw unedited photos that are
clashes.
deleted from smart-phones.
“Remind yourself that you do A lot of what we see is illusion and it can't be relied on as an accurate representation or
not owe anyone a response�
anything you should mark yourself up against. Remind yourself that you do not owe Thinking before you type is a hugely valuable
mostly relevant on Twitter where posts are limited to 140 characters and appear instantly with one click of a button but can be blown up
keep engaging. Take five minutes away, ten even, then reconsider your response with a more rational head. Breathe. Distract yourself.
into extreme proportions. It is understandable that in times of high emotion, when you are feeling upset or angry, that you may be pushed to react to someone else in a way that
If you do happen to have an unexpected reaction to something you post online, or receive personal attacks or bullying there are various ways of protecting yourself.
you might later regret.
Most social media outlets have a block There are also certain tones such as sarcasm that don't always translate online and so you can easily be misunderstood. Once you get into an argument with someone it can be
function, and you can tailor your content or stick to safer spaces with content that does not feel threatening or triggering. Turn off your Twitter notifications and
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 35
Mental Health
lesson with regards to social media. This is
anyone a response if you do not wish to
don't let unhelpful voices intrude. If you need
social media as a bridge that can link yourself
to, rely to those around you within close reach
back into actual human contact; a place to be
for support. Words can be powerful and
heard when speaking out loud about personal
hurtful and it is okay to feel moved by them,
experiences is too much of a challenge. But in
it does not make you weak. Equally try to
turn, it can also become exhausting to deal
grasp on to the fact that the views of strangers
with problems beyond your own, and you
should never define you and "real life"
need to put boundaries in place so that you do
influences are far more important. Some
not become overwhelmed in helping others.
people like to argue for the sake of it and they will try to provoke a reaction in you; which is
Even mental health professionals are not
cowardly and all too easy to do from behind a
expected to be on call all day every day.
screen.
Everyone, including you needs breaks. If there are moments where you feel you can't reply to
“it can also become exhausting to deal with� It is natural to make meaningful connections with people you interact with on social media websites and want to be there for them as they are for you. My own experiences have shown me that online relationships can be hugely rewarding and a lifeline when you are struggling with public social interaction. Rather than relying on it permanently, think of
everyone you'd like to and when the mental strain feels too much then there is no need to feel guilty.
If
all
else
fails,
deactivate.
Becoming
emotionally distraught or overly caught up in the stresses of social media is simply not worth it. I recently made this decision myself with regards to Facebook, for a little over a month until I felt ready to return. It was refreshing to have a break and I did not miss it. Instead it was a relief not to be bombarded
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 36
with
the
goings
on
of
old
school
acquaintances, petty gossips or political disputes, the influx of baby photos, not to have a bright laptop screen be the first thing that greeted me in the mornings after my coffee. Inevitably I went back, if only as I realised I was missing friends' birthdays, but I am staying vigilant and having regular hours away each day.
Consider it if you find yourself becoming
taking away from you more than it is giving you, and if the answer is yes then do not hesitate.
Claire Kearns
ashbourne-taxis@hotmail.co.uk
Ashbourne TAXIS offers a door to door taxi service. Specialist in providing transfers to and from the doctors office / hospitals / airports. Co-ordinating with airport special assistance and hospital porters so that both your destination and pickup is stress free. When making a booking please specify that you would like special services included and quote reference “health� and we will be only happy to help make sure you get to your destination with ease.
@_shewrites_
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 37
Mental Health
overwhelmed, ask yourself if social media is
informed choices. The Infoline gives
Mental Health help and support services
information on types of mental distress, where
If you are experiencing mental health problems or need urgent support, there are lots of places you can go to for help.
network of nearly 200 local Mind associations
Samaritans
to get help, drug treatments, alternative therapies and advocacy. Mind also has a
providing local services.
Saneline
Telephone: 116 123 (24 hours a day, free to call) Email: jo@samaritans.org Website: www.samaritans.org
Telephone: 0845 767 8000 (6pm-11pm) Website: www.sane.org.uk/what_we_do/ support/helpline
Provides
non-judgmental
Saneline is a national mental health helpline
emotional support for people experiencing
providing information and support to people
feelings of distress or despair, including those
with mental health problems and those who
that could lead to suicide. You can phone,
support them.
confidential,
email, write a letter or in most cases talk to someone face to face.
Mind Infoline Telephone: 0300 123 3393 (9am-5pm Monday to Friday) Email: info@mind.org.uk Web site: www.mind.org.uk/help/ advice_lines Mind provides confidential mental health information services. With support and
ChildLine Telephone: 0800 1111 Email: http://www.childline.org.uk/Talk/Pages/ Email.aspx Website: www.childline.org.uk ChildLine is a private and confidential service for children and young people up to the age of nineteen.
You
can
contact
a
ChildLine
counsellor for free about anything - no problem is too big or too small.
understanding, Mind enables people to make
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 38
“How to KEEP Motivated?” Challenge you therapist ! You don't have to be medically trained to ask the following questions:
of change or trying something new or ‘cutting edge’ as Mr Michael Jenkinson (Consultant Neurosurgeon, The Walton Centre,
Liverpool,
UK)
“Research,
Research, Research”
Perhaps it's time to mix things up?
Are we doing the right things? It doesn't mean you have to change
choices available to you? Things are changing rapidly in the medical profession almost every week and is your therapist up to date with the latest techniques and skills?
therapist you can just try something new! After all if you keep repeating the same things over and over again you will keep getting the same results. This is not an effort to defy or prove the medical community wrong, it’s working with them
Perhaps there is another method? Not everyone knows everything! With this level of change every week in the industry it's impossible to keep up! Perhaps someone with
to ensure you recover quicker and become as good as you can be.
Are we things the right way? Are doing then well?
a different perspective that may have an alternative view or experience. Don’t be afraid
Ask for a method to measure your progress. Ensure that the measurement is
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 39
Mental Health
Have you really explored all the options and
a numeric metric rather that an opinion which can be subjective. Keep it simple so it's easy to understand and everyone can interpret it easily. A good example is measuring balance with the Berg balance assessment, it's not sensitive enough to measure everything but can be appropriate for many scenarios.
For speech and language measurement try recording your voice periodically and see if there any changes over time!
For occupational therapy there are many point scoring systems that can be used to track progress particularly with brain training applications which start with a baseline and then over many weeks are able to accurately detail your results using graphs etc. See http://mybraintraining.com for more details Usually your therapist will know the best way to measure your progress but don't be afraid to push and challenge a little!
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 40
Exercise, “Maintenance for your body !” Are you seeing what is there? “Evidence is not the enemy of informed certainty. However the two should never be juxtaposed. We find what we find, and we believe what we believe.” Before we start, have a look at this square.
were Christ, to be housed together in the Ypsilanti State Hospital in Michigan, USA, in what became known as the Ypsilanti experiment. But far from the stormy encounters he expected, these men got along well, each coming up with complex and often absurd explanations
patient,
Joseph
Cassel,
accurately
observing that the other two ‘were insane What colour is it? We will come back to this later.
whilst confidently maintaining their own delusions. This story was detailed in a
In the late 1950’s a psychologist named Milton Rokeach was inspired by an article he had read about two women both having the delusional belief that they were the Virgin Mary.
and belonged in a mental institution’)
He decided to replicate this and
arranged for three men who believed they
book The Three Christ’s of Ypsilanti by Milton Rokeach in 1964. This classic psychology study is bizarre but anecdotal. Clearly these men were delusional and, when confronted with clear evidence, they refused to accept the obvious
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
reality
but
Page 41
instead
twisted
Therapy
for the beliefs of the other two, (with one
everything around to keep their delusion
they had even finished?
intact at all costs. The question is, how much
often been found to stop asking symptomatic
do we do the same every day? Few of us
or historical questions because they reached an
claim to be the Messiah, but when it comes to
early conclusion, thus failing to unearth key
protecting our beliefs, decisions and first
information.
impressions, psychological research is pretty
reinforcement is known as anchoring bias -
clear: none of us is much better than the men
once the human mind has made a decision we
in Ypsilanti hospital.
are very reluctant to reject it for another
This
form
Medical staff have
of
confirmation
(Wallsten, 1981; Larue, 1995). Based in rationality and Bayesian-reasoning as the scientific and medical worlds are, us
So how can we overcome this? Well, it is not
human actors within them are still human,
easy, and there is no perfect solution.
and carry these behaviours along with us.
Klein’s extensive review provides a few
Alas, those of us educated in these fields
pointers:
seem to be very capable at rationalising
1) Be aware of base rates;
cognitive biases, actually believing they are
2) Consider whether information is truly
the result of a logical thought process. This
relevant, rather than just salient;
often manifests as confirmation bias, with
3) Seek reasons why your decisions may be
potentially serious implications for our
wrong, and entertain alternative hypotheses;
patients. In taking medical histories, medics
4) Ask questions that would disprove, rather
often ask questions that solicit information
than confirm, your current hypothesis;
confirming early judgments. Have you ever
5) Remember that you are wrong more often
listened to a patient tell you the first few
than you think.
symptoms, then make a diagnosis in your
(Klein, 2005)
mind, and decide upon a treatment before
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 42
But
In many areas of research into overcoming
obviously it is yellow. Except of course,
biases and avoiding simple errors, the act of
it isn’t. It isn’t if you are reading this post
writing the presenting factors down, or
on a computer screen or your phone,
working through checklists, repeatedly comes
tablet, or television.
out as a significant factor. This is common
never seen yellow light on any of these
practice in professions such as pilots, military
devices. No one has.
personnel
and
nuclear
reactors
In fact you have
control.
Adopting a similar practice in surgery has
You see, screens do not emit yellow light;
halved the error rate (Cohen, 2003).
they are made up of red, green and blue elements
that
emit
light
at
these
But of course, we all listen to our patients,
wavelengths in varying relative amounts,
and see the world as it is. We are not insane,
referred to as RGB.
and unlike the men in Ypsilanti hospital what
specific proteins in the cone cells of your
we witness is objective and real.
Well,
retina, themselves only responding to
remember at the start I asked you to look at
certain wavelengths, sending a signal to
this?
your visual cortex that decides that a
The light hits
yellow, and tells your conscious mind that that’s what colour it is. A more detailed explanation of this phenomenon can be seen here
(https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=R3unPcJDbCc) or with white light here And I asked you to keep in mind what colour
(https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=uNOKWoDtbSk).
it was? Well, it is yellow isn’t it? Quite
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 43
Therapy
certain pattern of RGB light equals
Oncologists and primary care physicians' If your brain is lying to you constantly about
attitudes toward pain control and morphine
something as simple as what colour you are
prescribing in France. Cancer 1995;76: 2375-
looking at, how can you be sure that your first
2382
impression about that patient you saw or that
Cohen BJ. Theory and Practice of Psychiatry.
theory you believe in is correct? The answer
2003; Oxford University Press, 1st Ed. ISBN-
is that you can’t. Every one of us is in thrall
13: 978-0195149388
to classical confirmation, recall and anchoring
Muller S & Patel HRH.
biases. And if you’re still thinking this doesn’t
checklists: lessons learned from the aviation
describe you, then scroll up to those squares.
industry. Journal of Surgical Simulation.
They’re still yellow, aren’t they?
2013;1:1–4
“Careers do not come with instructions.
BBC
There are no ‘hard and fast’ rules. This is
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7825780.stm
News,
14 th
Jan,
Safe surgery
2009;
http://
because you will work for - and with - other human beings, and people are complex and
Suffered an injury?
confusing creatures.”
Book an appointment with TG Physiotherapy Care today.
Wallsten TS. Physician and medical student bias in evaluating diagnostic information. Med Decis Making 1981;1: 145-64. Klein JG.
Five pitfalls in decisions about
diagnosis and prescribing. BMJ. 2005;330:
TG Physiotherapy Nottingham
Care
has
venues
in
You can contact us on: Tel: 07866-464-385 (Within the UK) Tel: +44 (0) 7866-464-385(Outside the UK) Email: tripti@triptigyan.com
781–783 Larue F, Colleau SM, Fontaine A, Brasseur L.
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 44
Speech Matters “It was as if the word was on the
immediately tidies up the beginning and end of words.
tip of my tongue�
This helps you to be
understood by other people. It is better to take 1 or 2 seconds longer over saying
Verbal communication is a very complex process which we master to varying
a sentence rather than being asked to repeat a garbled message 3 times over.
degrees after years and years of practice. It seems slow to start, our first word is usually uttered after we have been hearing words
our 20s we are still learning about the nuances of communication.
than you think. Just listen to politicians delivering speeches: some of our most gifted communicators hold the attention of hundreds and thousands for minutes at a time whilst using lots of pauses to let
After a major trauma to the brain, our
their message sink in.
communication can seem a whole lot less effective
and
a
whole
lot
more
2. Find a quiet spot
effortful. Here are my top talking tips: Filtering background noise from speech 1. Slow down
is a very tiring process. Finding a quieter room, turning off the TV or radio will
Taking some---very short---- pauses----between
----groups----
of
really help.
words
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 45
Therapy
and interacting for about a year. Even in
You can get away with being a lot slower
3. Get ahead with a script
a present, get it wrapped before they arrive, not as you're giving it.
No
one
going
If you know you have a particular point to
You may be apprehensive about
get across, get it ready. This might mean
speaking to new people because your
writing down some bullet points and
talking is harder to understand or the words
practicing saying the sentences before the
take longer to find....but you have an
conversation.
wrong.
likes
communication
advantage....you know it is going to be tricky. Get ahead of this by having a little
Knowing WHAT you want to say allows
explanatory script ready to help the person
you to pay more attention to HOW you want
you are speaking with.
to say it.
You can say it or have it written down.
5. Can you say that again please?
Example: Conversations happen quickly but brains “Hi, I'm Bill. My speech sounds different
recovering from trauma tend to work a bit
since my car accident.
slower.
I can still
You might find yourself getting
understand you if you say 1 or 2 sentences
confused in conversations as you are trying
at a time.
to understand what is being said and plan
If I get confused I'll let you know.�
what you want to say.
It is OK to ask
someone to repeat, slow down or ask a 4. Wrap your present
question to clarify.
When we speak to someone, we 'give' them
Tim Hardman is a Senior Speech and
information. Imagine your message is like
Language Therapist in Derby hospital.
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 46
awkward about asking for help.
Top tips for
Communication
is not great it might still be helpful.
Find a good place to communicate in somewhere quiet without distractions is best.
Take your time, don't rush your
communication. Especially on the phone, maybe
helpful
to
When face to face use gestures and
with
the
person
that
you
repeat your phone number back to you!
Be aware that some people find it
easier to use real objects to communicate but photos and pictures can really help too.
If the person wants to take you to show you something, go with them.
Watch the person – they may tell you things through body language and facial expressions. Learn from experience – you will need to be more observant and don't feel
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
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Managing Your Condition
Check
facial expressions.
they can comprehend you. Ask them to
your
Be aware that some people may find
understand what they are saying and that
explain
challenges before your conversation.
difficult.
it
talking or listening in a large group
Try drawing – even if your drawing
“Importance of Nutrition”
Coffee
physical
boosts
your
performance.
Have a cup of black coffee about
Pro’s and Cons of coffee
an
hour
before
workout
and
your
performance can improve by 11-12%. Coffee has been both praised and scorned for
Caffeine increases adrenaline levels in
a long time so what are the actual,
your blood. Adrenaline is your body’s
scientifically proven pros and cons of coffee?
“fight or flight” hormone which helps you to prepare for physical exertion.
Caffeine,
the
most
widely
consumed
substance in the world, is the best known
contains
ingredient of coffee. Its beneficial effects on
regulating
well, mainly by coffee manufacturers which
benefits.
potassium,
blood
sugar
levels
and
and snacks.
Coffee helps you burn fat. Caffeine helps fat cells break down body fat and use it as
effects and suggest that it’s not the caffeine that is responsible for most of coffee's health
and
reducing your craving for sugary treats
leaves you somewhat skeptical of the Intel
caffeinated coffee may have the same health
magnesium
which helps the human body use insulin,
the human body has been researched quite
provided. Some studies argue that decaf and
Coffee may help you lose weight. Coffee
fuel for training.
Coffee helps you focus and stay alert. Moderate caffeine intake can help you focus and improve your mental alertness.
Research on coffee and it's pros and cons for humans is nowhere near finished, but here is a list of what we know at the moment:
Coffee reduces risk of stroke. Reasonable consumption of coffee is associated with
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 48
coffee can have a lot of impurities in
Coffee reduces risk of Parkinson’s
it,
disease. Studies have shown that regular
headache or a general bad feeling.
coffee
of
This can happen if your coffee is
Parkinson’s disease by 25 %. There’s
made from beans that have been over
evidence that coffee causes activity in
ripped or otherwise ruined. Even one
the part of the brain affected by
ruined bean can make your cup
Parkinson’s.
toxic. If you invest and buy high
Coffee protects your body. Coffee
quality, specialty coffee you don’t
contains a lot of antioxidants.
have to worry about this.
drinking
decreases
risk
can
cause
sickness,
Coffee protects your brain. High caffeine levels in your blood reduce the risk of
Coffee can kill you. Yes, if you drink 80-100 cups (23 litres) in a short
Alzheimer disease. It also lowers risk of
session. This dose is lethal and will
dementia.
which
amount in 10-13 grams of caffeine
Coffee brightens your mood and helps
within your body. Before you reach
fight depression. Caffeine stimulates the
this
central nervous system and boosts
point,
however,
you'll
be
vomiting most of it out since 23
production of neurotransmitters like
liters of any liquid is a lot. Even
serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline,
drinking 23 liters of water can kill
which elevate your mood.
you.
Disadvantages and Risks of Coffee Drinking
Bad coffee can be toxic. Bad quality
Coffee can cause insomnia and restlessness. Again, it's the caffeine working here. If you’re caffeine-
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 49
Managing Your Condition
lower risk of stroke.
sensitive, be careful with coffee. You are
bedwetting. One survey reported that
probably already aware what amount and
caffeine consumption of 5-7 year old kids
what kind of coffee suits, or doesn't suit
may increase enuresis (bedwetting).
you.
Don’t drink more than one cup a day if
So, is it good or bad for you?
you’re pregnant. Studies on coffee's effect on a fetus have been controversial,
If you have high cholesterol or you are caffeine
but one thing is sure: if you drink coffee
sensitive, pregnant or a child (or a parent of
when pregnant, caffeine will also reach
one), you should pay attention to coffee
the fetus, and your baby is highly
drinking.
sensitive to caffeine. So, if you’re a
heavyweight coffee drinker and can’t
For others, reasonable / small amounts coffee
stop drinking it while pregnant, at least
can be good for you. It can prevent serious
reduce your coffee intake to one cup a
diseases, boost your mind and muscles, and
day.
even help you with weight loss. Remember, as
If you have high cholesterol please
long as you drink toxin free, specialty coffee
choose filtered coffee. Coffee beans
and brew it with care, you can and should be
contain cafestol and kahweol, two
enjoying it knowing it's good for you.
ingredients that appear to raise LDL cholesterol levels. Filtering the coffee traps most of the LDL, but cafestol and kahweol are found in espresso, turkish coffee, french press and scandinavian style “cooked coffee”.
Coffee
for
kids,
may
increase
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 50
Managing Your Condition
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 51
Brain Training “Each issue will include exercises to strengthen your brain!” The rules of brain training: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Try and do a minimum and maximum of thirty minutes each day. Try and commit to doing for ten weeks. This duration requires that you set time to one side to complete this. It has to be challenging to work. If it’s to easy there are no benefits. To keep motivated set yourself rewards. If you complete an exercise give yourself a reward, something to look forward to! As well as doing exercises on your own work with others to increase your social skills.
Word Search Exercise For The Brain Diet Exercise Nutrition Fitness Yoga Protein Carbs Breakfast Water Muscle
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 52
Brain Training Applications “A selection of applications that are fun but will also improve cognition� This maze is much more complex than usual. You start on the left hand side and have to escape to exit on the right hand side. However there are multiple dead
ends and only one solution! Perhaps time yourself to see how long it takes you, take a note of the time and try it again a few weeks later. Have fun!
Improve Cognition
START
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 53
“MyBrainTraining - the Online-Fitness-Center for your brain!” MyBrainTraining Professional
approximately
10%
of
patients
with
schizophrenia commit suicide.
(proven effective in study with Schizophrenia Patients
Depressed schizophrenia patients are at particularly high risk for suicide the first
conducted by University of Hamburg, Germany, Prof. Steffen
few months after diagnosis and after hospital discharge. The University of
Moritz)
Hamburg Approximately
25%
of
schizophrenia
patients experience course-related depression. Depression in patients with schizophrenia is linked to reduced social
and
vocational
functioning,
increased likelihood of psychotic relapse and
Re-hospitalization,
and
other
problems. Depression in patients with schizophrenia also has been linked to undesirable life events, especially “exit events” such as losing people in their lives, as well as suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, Overall,
and it
has
completed been
suicides.
noted
that
utilized
MyBrainTraining
Professional in a study with a total of 90 subjects diagnosed with schizophrenia and
participated
in
a
randomized-
controlled study executed via the Internet.
All subjects were either former patients or have
participated
in
online
forums
pertaining to psychotic disorders. Various control
measures
ascertain
their
were
disorder
employed with
a
to high
probability, e.g. checks for plausibility. After a
baseline
evaluation,
subjects
were
randomly assigned to three treatment groups:
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 54
cognition treatment arm at time of (1) MyBrainTraining
Professional
(standard version). (2) MyBrainTraining
follow-up. This indicates that patients have become more conscious about
Professional
–
their problematic cognitive strategies
including a meta-cognitive extension
leading to altering of decision making
(now part of the standard version)
patterns.
(3) Control Group. The frequent use of MyBrainTraining
Notably, subjects showing reluctance to make decisions could, per current
Professional led to improving symptoms
readings, be an important indicator for
of depression; the correlation between
avoiding
using MyBrainTraining Professional and
symptoms of psychotic disorders and
the reduction of feeling depressed was
harmful behavioral consequences.
or
reducing
recurring
To The frequent use of MyBrainTraining
learn
more
www.MyBrainTraining.com
Professional with metacognitive extension (assessment
of
confidence
in
please
one’s
judgment; feedback on mistakes when being overly confident or responding too hastily) led to a significant reduction in premature/hasty decision making (i.e. reluctant decision making – measured by the so-called “Fish Test”) and high confidence in own judgment in the meta-
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 55
go
to
Improve Cognition
significant.
How friendly is it?
The Tower
Easy for all ages to pick up and play but does require reasonable co-ordination as the game increases in difficulty What phone/system is it compatible with? Available on Google Play and iTunes Review of application and rating
Build the tallest tower in the world to reach the sky with a power of one-tap game play! Beat your friends, unlock new towers, dis-
We give this a ★★★ rating. Its
very
good
and
simple
to
use
plus it’s free and highly addictive
cover all locations. What will it do? May improve focus and concentration. Good for co-ordination and processing speed as you have tap the screen at the right time.
To avoid getting frustrated with this game it is best to play frequently but for short periods of time as some practice is required.
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 56
How friendly is it?
Crossy Road
Easy for all ages to pick up and play but does require reasonable co-ordination as the game increases in difficulty What phone/system is it compatible with? Available on Google Play and iTunes Review of application and rating We give this a ★★★★ rating. very
good
and
simple
to
use
plus it’s free and highly addictive. It’s Crossy Road for people age over forty is
slightly easier than the tower game
similar to the video game frogger from 1981,
reviewed on the previous page hence we
all be it n updated version. The object of the
rate it a littler higher.
game is to direct frogs to their homes one by one by crossing a busy road and navigating a river full of hazards
The same tip also applies to this game so to avoid getting frustrated with this game it is best to play frequently but for short
What will it do?
periods of time as some practice is
May improve focus and concentration. Good
required.
for co-ordination and processing speed as you have tap the screen at the right time.
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 57
Improve Cognition
Its
speed as you have tap the screen at the right
Glow Hockey
time.
How friendly is it? Easy for all ages to pick up and play but does require reasonable co-ordination as the game increases in difficulty What phone/system is it compatible with? Glow Hockey delivers a new style of hockey game. Easy to play, hard to master. Challenge
Available on Google Play
yourself with the computer opponents!
Review of application and rating
2-player mode (on the same device).
We give this a ★★★★ rating.
Colourful glow graphics.
The same tip also applies to this game so to
Smooth and responsive game play.
avoid getting frustrated with this game it is
Realistic physics.
best to play frequently but for short periods of
Quick play mode (single player), challenge yourself with 4 difficulty levels (easy to insane).
4 selectable paddles and pucks.
Vibrate when goal.
time as some practice is required. This is a great game in single player mode bt loads more fun is to be had when playing against someone else
What will it do? May improve focus and concentration. Good for co-ordination and reaction / processing
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 58
Book Review A Hard Chance about by a terrible car accident are wonderful. He weaves in and out of time in masterly way. By
contemplating
"before"
and
"now"
vignettes of life, we can see the emotional devastation this tragedy brought to the author's wife and to him.
This incident and its immediate effects are A delve into the impact of an instant life
earth shattering, the hospital stage is in
shattering trauma on relationships and love.
retrospect, the "easy" part of a journey into
After deciding to separate from each other, the
what were well known, but now are uncharted
author and his wife are involved in a tragic car
waters.
accident which leaves her at death's door with profound disabilities.
Rehabilitation, no matter how spectacular, cannot erase the event and its consequences.
The role of caregiver is very difficult to define. Is it based on love, obligation,
We give this book a ★★★★ rating
responsibility? Perhaps elements of all three? The authors description of what might be called the "acute" stage of the crisis brought
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 59
Movie Review Concussion Over the next few years, Omalu discovers that three other deceased former NFL players, Terry Long, Justin Strzelczyk and Andre Waters, had symptoms very similar to Webster's. He finally persuades newly appointed NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to present his findings before a committee on player safety. However, the NFL In 2002, former Pittsburgh Steelers centre
doesn't take Omalu seriously; they don't even
Mike Webster is found dead in his pickup
allow him to be in the room for the
truck. Pennsylvania coroner's office, handles
presentation, forcing Bailes to give it for him.
Webster's autopsy, and discovers that he has
Amid growing scrutiny from Congress, the
severe
ultimately
NFL is forced to take the concussion issue
determines that Webster died as a result of the
more seriously. This film clearly identifies the
long-term effects of repeated blows to the
pitfalls of a billion dollar business verses the
head. With the help of former Steelers team
ethical concerns surrounding safety that are
doctor Julian Bailes, fellow neurologist
still being debated today.
brain
damage.
He
Steven T. DeKosky and county coroner Cyril Wecht, Omalu publishes a paper on his
We give this film a ★★★★ rating of “must
findings, which is initially dismissed by the
see” as it will appeal not only to sports
NFL.
enthusiasts but also to also people in with head injury.
Health is Your Wealth Magazine
Page 60
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Simply send a blank email to subscribe@healthisyourwealth.co.uk OR Click Here! Copy and paste the web address below or type the www address into you web browser.
NOTE The E-Magazine is FREE!!! And can be printed out for your patients to read.
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Key Contacts Sales/ Advertising Carolyn Wright Director of Sales Telephone: +44 (0) 1332 416131 E-mail: cw@healthisyourwealth.co.uk
Positive Mental Attitude
Website / BLOG for: www.HealthisYourWealth.co.uk
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This publication helping increase awareness for these organizations:
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