Ingrid Scheffer Photo: Marija Ivkovic It was only a few hundred years ago that people with epilepsy were thought to be possessed by the devil. While that stigma passed, doctors continued to believe the disorder was acquired from injury -a fall, a difficult labour, a tumour or a sports or car accident - as recently as two decades ago. It would take the research of two Melbourne neurologists to reveal the true nature of epilepsy, a debilitating condition that affects about 50 million people. Over the past 20 years, Ingrid Scheffer and Sam Berkovic have unmasked the significant role genetics plays in these disorders, identifying the first gene directly linked to one form of the condition. For their pioneering work in this field, which has led to targeted research, and better diagnosis and treatment for patients, they have been jointly awarded the 2014 Prime Minister's Prize for Science, which comes with $300,000 prize money. Advertisement "We've both won awards separately, but we've never had one together, so this is really exciting," Professor Scheffer said. The pair, both clinicians and researchers at the University of Melbourne and Austin Health, have focused their research questions around the patients who visit their clinics. … Continue reading →

San Diego, California (PRWEB) October 28, 2014 The top stem cell clinic in San Diego, Telehealth, is now offering regenerative medicine procedures for the knee to help restore cartilage and avoid the need for joint replacement. The procedures are outpatient and performed by Board Certified doctors at Telehealth. Call (888) 828-4575 for more information and scheduling. Hundreds of thousands of knee replacements are performed every year in the US, with most being extremely successful. However, it is a major surgery and there is a chance of complications such as infection or blood clot. Therefore, it is advisable to consider a stem cell procedure for the arthritic knee in an effort to delay or avoid the procedure. Telehealth provides the procedures with several options, including platelet rich plasma therapy, bone marrow or fat derived stem cells, along with amniotic derived procedures. All of the procedures are outpatient and low risk. In most cases, the procedures are covered in whole or partly by insurance. Telehealth will perform an insurance verification prior to one's procedure. The Board Certified doctors at the stem cell clinic in San Diego treat patients from a broad area in Southern California. There are several locations including La Jolla, … Continue reading →

Parents can learn to use a scientifically validated autism therapy with their own children by taking a short series of group classes, a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford has found. The therapy helped children improve their language skills, an area of deficiency in autism, according to the study, which will be published Oct. 27 in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The study is the first randomized, controlled trial to test whether group classes are a good way to train parents on using an autism therapy. "We're teaching parents to become more than parents," said the study's lead author, Antonio Hardan, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, who directs the hospital's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic. "What we're most excited about is that parents are able to learn this intervention and implement it with their kids." The treatment is not intended to replace autism therapies administered by professionals, but rather to improve parents' ability to help their children learn from everyday interactions. "There are two benefits: The child can make progress, and the parents leave the treatment program better equipped to facilitate the child's development over … Continue reading →