MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'difficulty'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:09:28 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4536064&cid=t_110050_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhat-the-king%25e2%2580%2599s-speech-teaches-us-about-stuttering%2F2011.03.01 The film “The King’s Speech” won the Academy Award for Best Picture [on Sunday night.] The movie has come in for some criticism for its depiction of the political machinations surrounding the abdication of Edward VIII  and Britain’s appeasement of Hitler. The British-born writer Christopher Hitchens, unsparing and deliciously eloquent as always, puts the politics of  George VI in a far less favorable light than the movie does.       But ”The King’s Speech” has won almost universal praise for its portrayal of the reluctant monarch’s stuttering, a speech pattern that includes involuntary repetition of sounds and syllables and “speech blocks” that cause prolonged pauses. Many young  children who stutter grow out of the problem, but p... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4536064 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:00:13 +0100 4536064 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489678&cid=t_110050_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-aspects-of-the-king%25e2%2580%2599s-speech%2F2011.02.16 Over the weekend I went to see “The King’s Speech.” So far the film, featuring Colin Firth as a soon-to-be-king-of-England with a speech impediment, and Geoffrey Rush as his ill-credentialed but trusted speech therapist, has earned top critics’ awards and 12 Oscar nominations. This is a movie that’s hard not to like for one reason or another, at least most of the way through. It uplifts, it draws on history, it depends on solid acting. What I liked best, though, is the work’s rare depiction of a complex relationship between two imperfect, brave, and dedicated men. At some level, this is a movie about guys who communicate without fixating on cars, football (either kind), or women’s physical features. Great! (Dear Hollywood moguls: Can we have more like this, please?) T... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489678 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 17:00:11 +0100 4489678 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4168091&cid=t_110050_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fwhos-taking-ampyra%2F In January 2010, the FDA approved Ampyra, a timed-release version of the drug 4-aminopyridine for people with multiple sclerosis who have walking difficulties. The clinical trial data showed as much as a 25 percent increase in walking speed and leg strength in patients who responded positively to Ampyra (around 40 percent of people who took it in trials). If there’s one thing we’ve all learned from life with MS it’s that studies say one thing; patients using a newly approved drug say VOLUMES! I have read a peppering of comments throughout the year from people who are taking Ampyra and see improvement in their walking abilities. I cannot bring to mind any posts from people who are not finding the drug helpful. While our “comments” section is hardly any form of scientific data coll... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4168091 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:56:28 +0100 4168091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3617835&cid=t_110050_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdo-speeding-ambulances-save-more-lives%2F2010.06.01 How fast should an ambulance go? The stereotypical speeding ambulance with lights flashing and sirens blaring is the image that most conjure up. But recent data suggests that transport speed may be overstated. In a fascinating piece from Slate, emergency physicians Zachary F. Meisel and Jesse M. Pines examine that very question. They cite a recent study from the Annals of Emergency Medicine, which concluded that a fast transport speed didn’t necessarily save lives. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3617835 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:00:49 +0100 3617835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3588866&cid=t_110050_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fits-american-stroke-month%2F2010.05.22 May is American Stroke Month as designated by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. As I talk about in this video, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, and every 40 seconds someone in the United States suffers from a stroke. The key thing to recognize is that symptoms are sudden — whether it’s weakness on one side of the body, difficulty with talking, difficulty with walking, or other neurological changes. One of the important things to remember is that even subtle weakness or difficulty with speech can be an early sign. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Doctor Anonymous* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3588866 Sat, 22 May 2010 14:00:00 +0100 3588866 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3552246&cid=t_110050_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ffaith-in-healthcare-is-falling%2F2010.05.10 A newly-created index of consumer healthcare confidence has fallen steadily this year, reports The Thomson Reuters Consumer Healthcare Sentiment Index. Consumers report declining confidence in their ability to access, use, and pay for healthcare. The index, set at a baseline of 100 in December 2009, is now at 97. More consumers reported difficulty paying for services and insurance, or reported a reduction or cancellation of their insurance. More delayed or failed to fill a prescription in the past three months or canceled a diagnostic test (such as blood work, X-ray or mammogram). Further, consumers expect the situation to worsen in the next three months, including putting off elective surgery. Thomson will report figures monthly and has published their methodology online. *This bl... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3552246 Mon, 10 May 2010 20:00:00 +0100 3552246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3519527&cid=t_110050_111_f&fid=39123&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fnursingcomments%2Ftdtc%2F%7E3%2FsfvKxgIImrI%2F           Your lungs have 2 main parts: bronchial tubes (also called airways) and alveoli (also called air sacs).  When you breathe, the air moves down your trachea (or wind pipe) through your bronchial tubes and into your alveoli.  From the alveoli, oxygen goes into your blood while carbon dioxide moves out of your blood.  If you have chronic bronchitis, the lining in your bronchial tubes gets red, swollen and full of mucus.  This mucus blocks your tubes, and makes it hard to breathe.  If you have emphysema, your alveoli are irritated.  They get stiff and can’t hold enough air.  This makes it hard for you to get oxygen into and carbon dioxide out of your blood.  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (also called COPD) is a chronic lung disease.  Coping with the dis... Nursing Comments blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3519527 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 20:16:42 +0100 3519527 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3420561&cid=t_110050_111_f&fid=39123&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fnursingcomments%2Ftdtc%2F%7E3%2FKGWZE-3JaUg%2F           Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease, which means the body’s defense mechanism, the immune system, begins to attack the body’s own tissues instead of foreign invaders, such as viruses.  It is a chronic (long-lasting) and rare disease that affects the way muscles respond to signals from nerves, leading to muscle weakness.  In myasthenia gravis, the immune system attacks the acetylcholine receptors with specific antibodies.  Some of the receptors are destroyed or blocked, which means that the chemical message cannot be received.  Therefore, muscles do not contract properly and become weak.  It has been estimated that up to 80% of the receptors can be damaged in this disease.  The disease can occur at any age, but it mainly affects women between... Nursing Comments blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3420561 Sun, 28 Mar 2010 11:23:52 +0100 3420561 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3420563&cid=t_110050_111_f&fid=39123&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fnursingcomments%2Ftdtc%2F%7E3%2FG99CC0p7Nfg%2F                  I have a friend and past co-worker that just went to Rochester, Mn., and she was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease.  Her symptoms were difficulty speaking and weakness in the legs and arms.  It was almost as though she had been drugged.  Lou Gehrig’s disease may take several months to know for sure that someone has the disorder.  It can cause symptoms similar to other diseases that affect the nerves and muscles, like Parkinson’s disease or a stroke.  The disease is a disorder that is also referred to as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.  Amyotrophic comes from the Greek language.  ”A” means no or negative.  “Myo” refers to muscle, and “trophic” means nourishment: “No muscle nourishment”.  ... Nursing Comments blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3420563 Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:15:16 +0100 3420563 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3283850&cid=t_110050_167_f&fid=38576&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drbriffa.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F02%2F18%2Fnatural-strategies-for-individuals-who-have-difficulty-falling-asleep-at-night-and-getting-up-in-the-morning%2F Sleep has important benefits for health and wellbeing, but not everyone is able to get as much sleep as they’d like. For some individuals, sleep does not come easy. One particular problem encountered by a few unfortunates is what is termed ‘delayed sleep phase syndrome’ (DSPS). Here, individuals can take hours (literally, hours) to get [...] (Source: Dr John Biffa's Blog) Dr John Biffa's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3283850 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:44:56 +0100 3283850 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3164052&cid=t_110050_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FNMqpG27D3mg%2F A recently released study found that women who drink heavily face more severe, long-term health problems than men, HealthScout reported Dec. 27. For the study, researchers interviewed 711 St. Louis, Mo., women and men who were found to be heavy drinkers in a National Institutes of Health study conducted 15 years earlier. The comparison found that the [...] (Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com) Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3164052 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:30:18 +0100 3164052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1985321&cid=t_110050_93_f&fid=36525&url=http%3A%2F%2Fuvamedicine.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F23%2Fgetting-through-the-semesters-or-what-if-i-fail-something%2F “The Thrill of Victory or the Agony of Defeat” The Drama of Human Competition as the opening lines of ABCs “Wide World of Sports” promised. By now, many students have had their first blocks of exams in medical school. Some people have done very well and some people have “breathed a sigh of relief” that they passed and some people have not passed one or or more of their exams. To fail an exam at this stage can be a huge personal blow but your actions after discovering that you have not passed (I am going to avoid the word “failure” here) are critical to figuring out what you need to do to get “above the yellow line”. Sure you NEED to do a bit or mourning in terms of the loss of those wonderful feelings that infused during orientation week but don’t let the mourning pha... NJBMD's Blog from Student Doctor Network blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1985321 Sun, 23 Nov 2008 17:24:16 +0100 1985321 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1964419&cid=t_110050_158_f&fid=36018&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcaregiversbeacon.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fbasics-of-congestive-heart-failure-for.html If you are a caregiver for someone who has congestive heart failure this video will help you understand the symtpoms and lifestyle changes that can help. (Source: The Caregiver's Beacon - Resources, Links, Ideas, News) The Caregiver's Beacon - Resources, Links, Ideas, News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1964419 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:37:00 +0100 1964419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1488840&cid=t_110050_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fmultiple-sclerosis%2Flife-with-ms%2Fmulitple-sclerosis-its-hard-to-swallow%2F You’ve all likely noted that we have the occasional banner advertisements on “Life with MS.” We’ve made fun of some of them in these very pages. I’ve noted the new Nestle ad for drink thickeners the past couple of weeks but didn’t really pay too much attention. However, I experienced some “swallowing issues” over Memorial weekend that have me thinking about this particular ad. For Memorial weekend, I went sailing with some friends from Europe. We had great fun, enjoyed the soft breeze and saw tons of wildlife (including a young humpback whale resting quietly off the tip of an island as we passed). However, through the serenity of it all I began to experience some issues with dysphasia, which is difficulty swallowing properly. I’ve had some problems with swallowing... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1488840 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:46:10 +0100 1488840 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1307690&cid=t_110050_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2F17%2Fan-alternative-treatment-for-borderline-personality-disorder%2F People with borderline personality disorder (BPD) have interpersonal relationships characterized by irrational behavior and instability. They often have significant trouble in maintaining close attachments with others, even therapists, because they have difficulty separating out their own personal feelings and thoughts from those around them. BPD is traditionally treated with a combination of a specific type of psychotherapy (called dialectical behavior therapy) and sometimes medications to treat other specific, related concerns (such as depression). But an alternative psychotherapy treatment approach is also available, called mentalization based therapy (MBT). This psychodynamic approach focuses on helping an individual separate out what thoughts and feelings are theirs, and what thoug... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1307690 Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:00:16 +0100 1307690 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=835599&cid=t_110050_158_f&fid=36018&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcaregiversbeacon.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fseniors-can-use-zoom-to-make-internet.html If you are having difficulty reading the text on this website, or any other one, did you know that there is an easy way to make the text larger? You can even make the size of the typing huge if vision difficulties require this. It is easy and here are the steps to do this.In the lower right hand side of your computer screen look for a small picture of a magnifying glass with a plus sign on it. To the right of it there will be a small arrow, actually just the "arrowhead".Click on the "arrowhead" and a small pop-up screen will list amounts you can choose to increase the size of the text on your screen. You will see the main screen's text get larger and you can try different sizes to see which size is easier to read. (Source: The Caregiver's Beacon - Resources, Links, Ideas, News) The Caregiver's Beacon - Resources, Links, Ideas, News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=835599 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:28:00 +0100 835599 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=948688&cid=t_110050_93_f&fid=36525&url=http%3A%2F%2Fuvamedicine.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F08%2F12%2Fsurgical-clerkship-101-part-3%2F This is the last in my series about surgical clerkship. In this essay, I thought I would address some of the things that can go wrong and present some strategies to fix them or do “damage control”. Misunderstandings or Miscommunication - Communication in medicine - any specialty- is a key component. Learning to listen carefully to your patients, your colleagues and your teachers is of paramount importance. Sometimes anxiety or time prevents you from actually “hearing” the message. This happens to everyone and especially to people who are trying to juggle several tasks at the same time. If you make a mistake, own up to it, apologize and move on. Don’t internalize and don’t personalize anything on any clinical rotation. It is very easy to miscommunicate wh... NJBMD's Blog from Student Doctor Network blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=948688 Sun, 12 Aug 2007 18:11:09 +0100 948688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=522848&cid=t_110050_87_f&fid=34865&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecancerblog.com%2F2007%2F04%2F05%2Fthought-for-the-day-three-signs-of-ovarian-cancer%2F Filed under: Ovarian Cancer, Research, Daily news, Thought for the DayOvarian cancer is difficult to detect. There are no great screening tests to pick up on its presence in the body, and by the time symptoms appear, the disease has often progressed into an advanced stage. But a ray of light has recently emerged in the study of ovarian cancer -- and it could help in the prevention and early detection of this deadly disease.Think about this, from the April 2007 issue of Woman's Day magazine:Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine have identified a simple checklist of six symptoms associated with an increased risk of the disease and three of them -- if they occur at least 12 times per month and are present for less than one year -- were present 57 percent of the time i... The Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=522848 Thu, 05 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100 522848