Posts from — August 2009

Walkers, Rollators, Wheelchairs, Transport chairs

“Selecting the Correct Product”

Selecting the right product is really quite simple.  It’s a matter of understanding an individual’s needs and matching the product to individual specifications.  There are a myriad of products imported from overseas that are poorly made; however, when it comes to mobility, quality matters. 

Some of my favorite products are made by Essential and Airgo.  But before thinking about selecting a product or manufacturer, click on this Mobility Evaluation Form  link and print an evaluation form to complete a simple professional style mobility assessment. 

This form only takes a few minutes to complete. It is important that you take time to talk to an individual to understand and review requirements, prior to shopping.  A little bit of time, at this point in the process, could save a great deal of future aggravation. After completing this evaluation, you will be much clearer on your needs, requirements and wants.  Complete the evaluation and then return to this article to read the next few pieces of advice.

“Seek Professional Advice”

The next step is to select the right product and the right fit.    Here are two resources that will assist, you.  Click on the Essential Medical Logo on the Home page of this blog, or click on this link to read Professional Reviews on some of my favorite products.  See if a specific product meets your requirements.  If you do not see a match, click here to learn about a falulous new product.  This link will direct you to the monthly Specials tab at MedicalHealthSupply.com.   The videos on the Airgo 2- in-1 transport chair/ walker in this tab are excellent.  This is a fabulous new item at a unbeatable  price for its quality.Invacare also has some excellent basic products. Click here to view Basic Invacare Walkers.

Notice the absence of online electric wheelchairs  in the MedicalHealthSupply.com store.  It is our belief that electric wheelchairs should not be purchased online.  There are too many variables, and challenges with these products.  Local support is very important to users of these specific  pieces of equipment.

Also Notice that we do not discuss basic short term-use walkers and bariatric items herein.  To select these products, you can go directly to MedicalHealthSupply.com to do research.  These items can be easily ordered and shipped.  Size and weight variations have to be more carefully considered when ordering bariatric items. There are many fine and reputable vendors and retailers who sell these products.

As always, we recommend that you speak to a doctor, nurse, physical therapist, caretaker,  or other professional prior to making a purchase.  It is wonderful to do things right the first time. The contents of this blog do not necessarily reflect the opinions of MedicalHealthSupply, Inc. 

Products discussed herein can be ordered at http://www.medicalhealthsupply.com

Oriental Medicine and the Five Elements Chart

In traditional Eastern Culture there are five basic elements. They are; 1) Fire 2) Earth 3) Metal (Air) 4) Water and 5) Wood. These elements possess Female (Yin) and Male (Yang) orientations. It is believed that strength and weaknesses of these orientations are manifested in one’s emotional health and physical body. The element chart below connects or pairs elements with; 1) internal and surface organs, 2) associated orifices, 3) human character traits and mental characteristics and 4) specific flavors or tastes.

All life functions interact to nourish or deplete life energy. They are interdependent of one another and illustrate the mind/ body connection. Through understanding the mind/ body connection, one can regulate health and well-being to reestablish peace, balance and harmony in life. Proper diet and exercise will also influence health and well-being to reestablish balance.

To learn more about natural products and nutrition visit us at http://www.medicalhealthsupply.com or visit our new site at http://www.healthhealthnbeautyshop.com

Non-Traditional Paths to Healing and Eastern  Medicine

When individuals go to an apothecary in Europe, often they are asked if they would like traditional or non-traditional medical solutions. If they answer this question with the word “traditional”, a traditional pharmacist swiftly appears. A non-traditional practitioner will assist individuals who answer the question with “non-traditional” affirmations. I have answered this question many times and each time the answer is somewhat different. Because so often doctors provide traditional approaches to medicine in the U.S. today. I will continue to explore what  practitioners of  Homeopathic and EasternMedicine share with me.

To learn more about our health and nutrition products and vitamins and supplements visit us at http://www.healthnbeautyshop.com. To order natural products, customers can order our new nutraceutics products at http://www.medicalhealthsupply.com

Cure  Possible for One Type of Leukiema

This article is a reproduction from the Bangor Dailey News, June 11, 2009.  It was shown to  Doctors at Wilmot Cancer Center two weeks ago.  Last week, it was  reviewed by  a Dr. of Eastern Medicine in Rochester, New York.  She is affiliated with Sloan Kettering, and practitioner of Eastern Medicine.  It was  also shared this with a friend , who works in a research lab for major drug companies in the New Jersey area.  She did a bit of  research for me, and discussed the  validity of this study with associates who concluded that the research is promising;  She added that the Doctors, conducting  the studies are reputable.  This study was  also shared with a friend who takes 800ml of Gleevec  per day.  He is diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia(CML). I will continue to follow-up on this promising  research.    

Bangor Daily News

June 11, 2009

Cure Possible for One Type of Leukemia

A physician and researcher  affiliated with The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor says he may have identified a cure for the most common form a human leukemia. Dr. Shaoguang Li, now conducting research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, has identified a specific gene that supports the development of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, as well as a drug treatment that targets that gene to short-circuit the proliferation of leukemic blood cells.  In a telephone interview Tuesday, Li said that results of his study, published in the current issue of the journal Natural Genetics, is good news for victims of chronic myeloid leukemia.  “The power of this strategy is for curing the disease, not just controlling it, “Li said.  The gene, called Alox5 , allows leukemia-production stems cells to develop and proliferate,  Li said.  In research at The Jackson Laboratory, Li studied mice that had been specially bred to lack the Alox5 gene.

“If you remove the gene from a mouse, you don’t see leukemia develop,” he said. That’s because Alox5 is somehow tied to the development of cancer stem cells, the precursors to leukemia, he said.  Li also studied normal mice with leukemia, targeting the Alox5 gene with the drug Zileuton, which is approved for treating asthma.  Zileuton successfully blocked the gene’s production of an enzyme that turns cancer stem cells into full-blown leukemia cells.“When you block the gene’s function by using the drug…you’re going to be leukemia-free, ”Li said.

Mice treated with a combination of Zileuton and Gleevec, the most effective treatment currently available for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, fared even better than mice treated with either medication alone.  Li and Zileuton must now be studied in human clinical trials before it can be prescribed for leukemia patients.  “A lot of patients will be interested in participating in those trials, he forecast.  “This is for a cure.” Already ,  he said, he has been contacted by the father of a young leukemia patients about participating in a clinical trial.  The drug’s current approval for use in treating asthma should fast-track the clinical studies, he said, but he declined to speculate a timeline. Li said there are larger implications as well.

“Now we know we can target cancer stem cells without damaging other stem cells,” he said. “Without this gene, normal blood can be produced, but the leukemia disappears.” 

In a news release issued earlier this week, The Jackson Laboratory said it is seeking “patent protection” on the treatment developed by Li and his research colleges at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at the Harvard Medical School. 

Li, who retains adjunct professor status at The Jackson Laboratory, said the Bar Harbor lab could “benefit a great deal” for his research findings. 

Wilmot Cancer Center is celebrating their 2000^th bone marrow transplant. Bone Marrow transplants are a painful substitution to pharmaceutical alternatives.  Gleevec, a break-through drug marketed by Novatis, is the premier drug utilized by CML sufferers. Gleevec can costs individuals, or insurance companies as much as $4000.00-$8000.00 per month.  Patients, without drug coverage, are in dire circumstances.  Some next-generation chemo-therapy alternatives are now on the market for CML.  Side affects vary by drug and individual.  Bone-marrow transplants are not always an option.   Only people who have perfect  bone marrow matches,  are candidates for transplant.  Bone marrow matches are difficult to find.

To individuals suffering from  all types of cancer,  this study is truly great news.  I will be contacting the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard to follow-up on this research over the next few months. 

–Mary Clare