Health and technology topics 
Articles about health and technology items for seniors and the rest
There are currently 23 blog entries related to this category.
Two Exercises that Offer Pain Relief for Arthritis
Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 12:10am. 210 Views, 1 Comments.
Arthritis sufferers look for pain relief where ever they can find it. There are two exercises that can offer pain relief and the benefits of muscle strengthening to any age group. Both are low impact, low stress exercises and can be done in your Santa Cruz home. What are these wonder exercises you ask? Swimming and Tai Chi. Both offer a low impact way to strengthen muscles and tendons without putting stress on your joints.
Tai Chi for arthritisTai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial art form that has become recognized for its health benefits. There are several things that Tai Chi improves through its slow movements and concentration:
•overall physical condition
•muscle strength
•coordination
•flexibility
•balance
•pain levels and stiffness
Stem Cells - How They Can Affect Your Life
Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 11:52pm. 222 Views, 0 Comments.
I did a short piece on adult stem cell research and how it helped with a windpipe transplant. After some thought, it occurred to me that most people do not understand how stem cells work in the body and what part they can play in future medicine, especially for senior citizens and those with disabilities. I thought I would do a little more in-depth writing. It is going to take a couple of posts to get through it, but here goes.
Stem cells are unique from the other cells in the body. All stem cells-no matter where they come from-have three general properties: they can divide and renew themselves over long periods of time, they are unspecialized (they can become any type of cell), they can cause specialized cells to occur.
There are two…
Santa Cruz Eco-Friendly Homes: What makes a home Eco-Friendly?
Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 11:48pm. 206 Views, 0 Comments.
Nestled along California's Central Coast, Santa Cruz is a city whose very existence is characterized by an Eco-friendly mentality. Whether it's current efforts to add a desalinization plant to provide water, or the community's interest in green power sources, Santa Cruz is one of many communities across the United States that has inspired Eco-friendly behavior in its citizens.
There is probably nowhere easier for people to take environmentally positive steps than between the walls of their own homes. So what does it mean to have an Eco-friendly home? We'll discuss the materials used in home construction, the energy efficiency of a home, and the construction techniques relevant to Santa Cruz real estate that make Santa Cruz homes, Eco-friendly…
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Signs, Symptoms, And Common Coping Mechanisms
Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 10:40pm. 204 Views, 0 Comments.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a slowly progressive disease that there is no cure for. The disease attacks your joints causing pain and swelling. Even though there is no cure at this time there are several medications that are offering increased effectiveness at fighting the progression of the disease process. Although none of them can reverse the effects, they do reduce the symptoms and force the disease to slow down.
The normal signs and symptoms of RA are:
Stiffness :: Especially in the morning. People with RA may take several hours to feel as if their joints are loose enough to function properly.
Swelling :: Fluid fills your joints causing the stiffness to be worse.
Pain :: The swelling in the joints makes them tender and sensitive to…
Potential Jobs in Creating a New Energy Infrastructure
Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 10:35pm. 190 Views, 0 Comments.
According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a total of 751,051 "green jobs" were created or maintained in 2006. Of those jobs, almost 127,500 of them related to renewable power generation. The majority of the jobs in question, approximately 85% were located within metropolitan areas. However, with the increasing popularity of renewable energy in today's market, the potential for employment in these areas can increase greatly. Santa Cruz Ca, real estate benefits when people improve their home with energy efficient products.
Projected Renewable Energy Jobs and IndustriesThe Energy Information Administration estimates that the electric power sector generated just over 4 trillion kilowatt hours. Of that, just about 8% was generated from renewable…
New Emission Control Rules for California's Truck Drivers
Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 10:19pm. 173 Views, 0 Comments.
In California there are over 1 million diesel semis' that belch tons of fine particulates into the air each day. It's no wonder that several of the cities in California are rated as having the most polluted air. Trucking companies wouldn't police them and fit their rigs with better air pollution controls, so the state had to step in.
The new laws call for all trucks that do business in California to be fitted or retro fitted with new pollution control systems: diesel particulate filters and oxidation catalysts. The state believes that thousands of lives can be saved by starting to clean up the air from dirty diesel trucks. The new diesel truck laws go into effect in 2010 under the direction of the California Air Resources Board.
The state's…
Living With COPD
Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 10:03am. 210 Views, 0 Comments.
One of the most common diseases that affect the aging population of California is COPD. COPD( chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. "Progressive" means the disease gets worse over time. There is no cure; doctors try to treat the symptoms to relieve the patients' discomfort. COPD can cause coughing that produces large amounts of mucus, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and other symptoms.
To understand COPD, you need to be able to figure out the lungs work. The air that you breathe goes down your windpipe into tubes in your lungs called bronchial tubes, or airways. The airways are shaped like an upside-down tree with many branches. At the end of the branches are tiny air sacs…
Kidney Donors Can Live a Normal Life
Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 10:00am. 189 Views, 0 Comments.
After donating a kidney to a loved one, you can expect to live a life that is as normal as anyone. There are no limitations on your lifestyle, exercise, or life span. A recent study by the University of Minnesota found that donors had a normal life span and were as healthy as people who have two functioning kidneys.
There are probably a few questions you have before donating a kidney. What you should know is that the risks of donation are similar to those involved with any major surgery, such as bleeding and infection. Death resulting from kidney donation is extremely rare. Current research indicates that kidney donation does not change life expectancy or increase a person's risks of developing kidney disease or other health problems.
A person…
How to Manage Your Osteoporosis
Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 5:17am. 172 Views, 0 Comments.
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (www.nof.org) : "Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. These broken bones, also known as fractures, occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist."
While any bone can be affected, of special concern are fractures of the hip and spine. A hip fracture almost always requires hospitalization and major surgery. It can impair a person's ability to walk unassisted and may cause prolonged or permanent disability or even death. Spinal or vertebral fractures also have serious consequences, including loss of height, severe back pain, and deformity.
If you look at…
How Can Stem Cell Research Affect You
Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 5:08am. 167 Views, 0 Comments.
Stem cell research, though limited in the United States, is going ahead at a feverish pace in many other countries. Most European countries have government backed stem cell research programs. It is not the intention of this site or author to get into a political discussion on the ethics of stem cell therapy, only to show that it works and can be very useful in easing human suffering and returning some adults to a near normal level of functioning.
The most politically charged and ethic-bending form of stem cell research involves embryonic stem cells. The cells of an unborn fetus are used to test their ability to repair and re-grow adult tissue. Most people are unaware, or ignore, that the adult body naturally carries its own stem cells. These…
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