New Stroke Rehabilitation Device May Join Others Already In Use

Victoria University, New Zealand, masters student in engineering, Abigail Rajendran, 23, designed a stroke rehabilitation device and is working to market it. Rajendran believes that stroke patients will be able to rehabilitate themselves from home with the new device. With the device strapped on to a patient’s hand the goal is to exercise it in an opening and closing motion. A connected computer game activates at the same time and keeps both sides of the brain working. Once the patient regains the strength and can do the motion himself, he can increase the resistance with a special liquid contained in the device. Rajendran says that until now, stroke patients had to rely on expensive and large rehabilitation equipment only found in hospitals. However this device could be used regularly at home. Funding for a prototype has been provided by the Science and Innovation Ministry. Few, if any, home rehabilitation instruments are available for people recovering from strokes and new technology has to be made available according to Chief executive Sunil Vather. Apparently New Zealand stroke patients get only a few hours of therapy if they’re lucky and this device may afford them many more hours. Miss Rajendran will present her idea in Singapore later this month, and in Brisbane in October. The device may be ready for use in about a year. Apparently unknown to Miss Rajendran and her associates such physical therapy solutions already exist and are being used successfully in many leading U.S. and European and other hospitals and clinics. The physical therapy products known as the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR have been devised to allow intensive exercises to stroke victims as well as those afflicted with disabling Parkinson’s, MS, CP, brain/spinal cord injuries and other upper and lower limb paresis. The TUTORs are comfortable ergonomically designed gloves and braces that are attached to the affected areas of the body and then connected to a computer that has dedicated software in the form of games. These games are played with the active initiation of the patient himself and the results are recorded and evaluated by physical therapists who then design a specific exercise program for that patient. Since many patients have improved to the point where they no longer need hospitalization they and others who live too far from a rehabilitation clinic can avail themselves of the TUTORs at home through the use of telerehabilitation. In addition the TUTOR system is one of the most cost effective physical therapy products on the market today and they are small in relation to hospital based large equipment. The TUTORs are fully certified by the FDA and CE. See WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for more information.

What (Not) to Eat After a Spinal Cord Injury

What does food have to do with spinal cord injury one might ask. However after such an injury, a person’s metabolism can often change quite a bit. Since fewer muscles are being used, people with a spinal cord injury don’t need as many calories per day as before the injury. So, if their eating habits do not change , they may be at risk for obesity and other negative health conditions. It is necessary to avoid certain types of food after a spinal cord injury in order to help a person maintain a healthy weight. Fast foods are high on the list of what to avoid after a spinal cord injury, or SCI, as they tend to put too many calories into each meal. Eating 1200 calories in one meal, as fast foods generally contain, may be half the person’s daily intake The National Guideline Clearinghouse, states that a person with a spinal cord injury requires around 10 percent fewer calories per day than the average person. If they are severely impaired or inactive they may need even less. Avoiding the excess fat and cholesterol that these foods tend to contain is necessary. According to The Spinal Cord Injury Network people with paraplegia or quadriplegia should also limit their sodium intake to no more than 500 to 1,000 mg daily. Taking more than that may cause excess fluid retention, which can make their bodies more susceptible to negative health conditions. Too much sodium can raise blood pressure,which is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Sodium is prevalent not only in salt but also in many sauces, condiments and pre-packaged meals. It is important to read labels of such foods before ingesting them. Just like salt, SCI patients should also avoid too much sugar as they are high in calories and give no nutrition. According to The Baylor College of Medicine such foods should make up only a small part of the daily diet for those living with SCI. Included in these foods are sodas, candy, cookies and cakes. Sweetened beverages, such as juices or tea mixes, may also contain too much sugar. Likewise alcohol consumption should be limited to one drink per day for women with SCI and two for men as a maximum. Other foods for SCI patients to avoid would be chips, fried chicken, certain oils, butter and fatty meats. So much for food intake for the SCI patient but in order to strengthen the limbs and muscles of these patients the proper exercises have to take place. One of the most cost effective physical therapy solutions can be found today in the TUTOR system. It consists of motivating and challenging games that allow the patient to practice isolated and/or interjoint coordination exercises. Controlled exercise practice will help to prevent the development of compensatory movement patterns. The dedicated software allows the therapist to fully customize the exercises to the patient’s movement ability. In addition the therapist can objectively and quantitatively evaluate and report on the treatment progress. The rehabilitation system optimizes the patient’s motor, sensory and cognitive performance and allows the patient to better perform everyday functional tasks to improve their quality of life. The TUTOR system (HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR) are available for children as well as adults and are fully certified by the FDA and CE. Currently in use in leading U.S. and European hospitals the TUTORs can be used in the patient’s home through telerehabilitation. See WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for more information.

Obesity–When Will It End?

The information below is not necessarily new but because of its importance bears repeating. Obesity is a worldwide problem and in some cases is more serious than malnutrition. A change of lifestyle and eating the wrong foods contribute to being overweight. The problem exists in both developed and developing nations and has grown to be a global epidemic. The figures have reached one billion with about 300 million classified as clinically obese. There are more than one billion overweight adults in the world, and at least 300 million of them are clinically obese. One of the problems is that very little is known about what causes obesity. In addition information about consequences and remedies is also somewhat lacking . What is known is that the U.S. has the highest number of obese people followed by Mexico, the UK and Australia. The lowest percentages are in Japan and Korea. There has been tremendous growth of obesity during the 1990s in the U.S. and experts feel that it will increase further. The problem, sadly, also affects children. Multiple studies have shown that obese children are likely to become obese adults. The problem is not only one of health but also economic. Studies have shown that obese people have lower employment rates. Medical problems cause health costs to rise. These are costs related to obesity causing many diseases such as cancer, stroke, diabetes, heart disease and even depression. Obesity is caused by the difference between calorie intake and usage. There is a difference of opinion as to what is a greater cause. Some argue that the growth of fast food outlets is a major cause. Others feel that it may be due to snacking between meals. Still others feel that the cause may be lack of exercise. Following an evolutionary chain some people feel that the cause may be the increased rate of industrialization and the resulting lack of time by workers. This brings about an increase to ”grab some food” from a fast food outlet instead of taking the time to prepare a home cooked meal. Some research has shown that Hispanics and black people have a higher incidence of obesity than wealthier and more educated people have. All in all this shows that the problem is complex and it would be difficult to pinpoint a particular reason for obesity. There are more statistics available and there is a myriad of advice as to how to counteract the problem. Those that are interested can certainly avail themselves of this information. As stated, one of the direct results of obesity is the increased possibility of getting a stroke. This debilitating disease usually results in at least a partial paralysis of an arm or leg or both. When that occurs and the initial medical attention is completed a system of physical rehabilitation is instituted to try to return full use of the limb to a pre stroke status. When that occurs it behooves the patient to be able to make use of the most efficient physical therapy solutions. Such a solution is the TUTOR system. Consisting of the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR these devices afford the patient a state of the art exercise program. The TUTORs are comfortable and ergonomically designed gloves and braces that are placed startegically on the affected limb. The dedicated and exclusive software that is used consists of specially designed games that allow the patient to maximize his own efforts (rather than a robot’s efforts). The physical and occupational therapists assigned to that patient can tailor make a specific exercise program that is designed for that particular patient. The TUTORs are currently in successful use in leading U.S. and European hospitals and clinics. They are fully certified by the FDA and CE and are available for children as well as adults. In addition they can be used in the patient’s home through the use of telerehabilitation. See WWW.MEDITOUCH.CO.IL for more information.