AUTISM TREATMENT: The Son-Rise Program - My Son Started Achieving When I Started Believing He Could http://www.autismtreatment.org/ - When Jennifer's son was diagnosed with PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder) and mental retardation, she lost hope and sto... By: autismtreatment … Continue reading →

Jenny McCarthy says she plans to take legal action following a report claiming she had changed her controversial anti-vaccination stance. McCarthy is an outspoken advocate for autism research and treatment whose views on vaccination have put her at odds with health experts. The 41-year old claims that her son's autism was caused by vaccines and she has said she was able to cure her son of the disorder by using alternative treatments, such as dietary changes. An article published by the entertainment news website Radar Online on Friday reported that McCarthy told Time magazine her son may not have had autism after all, and that she was changing her stance on vaccines. On Saturday, McCarthy took to Twitter to set the record straight, calling the report "blatantly inaccurate and completely ridiculous." "Evan was diagnosed with autism by the Autism Evaluation Clinic at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital and was confirmed by the State of California (through their Regional Center). The implication that I have changed my position, that my child was not initially diagnosed with autism (and instead may suffer from Landau-Kleffner Syndrome), is both irresponsible and inaccurate," McCarthy said in a statement. 'The View' host also pointed out that, while … Continue reading →

Recent research has come even closer to finding a breakthrough for autism. In this edition of Healthy Living, Katie Gibas takes a closer look. One out of 88 children have Autism Spectrum Disorder. For parents, the diagnosis can be particularly tough. However, there is good news. "Are we close to a breakthrough? I would like to say yes because the research is so active and people are so passionate about it," said Dr. Roula Choueiri, a neurodevelopmental pediatrician. Autism is a group of complex disorders of brain development. It is characterized by difficulties in social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviors. Currently, there is research tackling Autism from every angle. "There is a lot of research on genetics, so what are the causes of Autism Spectrum Disorder? What's the rate of occurrence? What's the prognosis? What's the outcome. And there's a lot of research in the treatment of ASD," noted Dr. Choueiri. While many scientists believe genetics account for 80 percent to 90 percent of the risk for developing autism, they haven't been able to pinpoint one inherited cause. That's why a lot of the focus is on improving symptoms. Speech, occupational therapy, and physical therapy early on have been shown … Continue reading →

Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Associations Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospitals commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations. With a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and the Get With The GuidelinesStroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award demonstrates Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospitals commitment to being one of the top hospitals in the country for providing aggressive, proven stroke care and addressing the important element of time, said James Ling, M.D., Medical Director of the Houston Methodist Sugar Land Stroke Program. We will continue with our focus on providing care that has been shown in the scientific literature to quickly and efficiently treat stroke patients with evidence-based protocols, said Maria Socci, Manager, Stroke Program. Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital has developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. This includes always being equipped to provide brain imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate. To receive the … Continue reading →

by Dr. Aaron Heide Sparks Tribune A stroke is a brain attack and should be considered a medical emergency, the same as a heart attack. Similar to a heart attack, in which blood flow to heart muscle is blocked, a stroke results from a blood clot blocking a vessel carrying blood to or within the brain. Neurologists and other physicians who treat stroke agree that time lost is brain lost. Minutes matter when treating a person who has shown signs of stroke. Every minute that blood flow is blocked means more of the brain is damaged. Without immediate treatment only about one in five stroke sufferers makes a near or full recovery. Strokes can have one or more warning signs and symptoms, and these can present themselves alone or in varying combinations. To recognize a stroke, watch for a person suddenly having any of these problems: Trouble walking, losing balance, becoming dizzy or losing coordination of the arms or legs on one side of the body. Changes to the head and eyes, including trouble seeing in one or both eyes or having double vision; slurred speech; numbness or weakness of one side of the face; or a noticeable droop of … Continue reading →

However, the numbers of those affected were low, with just 0.21 per cent of those taking part in the study who had shingles suffering a stroke. The study was also not able to establish whether there was a direct cause for strokes or heart attacks by shingles. Dr Judith Breuer, a virologist at University College London who led the study, said patients suffering from shingles should, however, be monitored more closely for their risk of stroke. She added that further work was needed to see whether vaccinating against shingles could reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients. She said: Anyone with shingles, and especially younger people, should be screened for stroke risk factors. The shingles vaccine has been shown to reduce the number of cases of shingles by about 50 per cent. Studies are needed to determine whether vaccination can also reduce the incidence of stroke and heart attack. However, what is also clear is that factors that increase the risk of stroke also increase the risk of shingles, so we do not know if vaccinating people can reduce the risk of stroke per se. Current recommendations are that anyone 60 years and older should be vaccinated. … Continue reading →

FYCOMPA is the First and Only FDA-Approved Non-Competitive AMPA Glutamate Receptor Antagonist FYCOMPA offers patients and their physicians a new adjunctive treatment option, said Lonnel Coats, President and Chief Executive Officer, Eisai Inc. This is important because far too many patients with partial onset seizures continue to have seizures even while on medication. FYCOMPA was approved by the FDA in October 2012, primarily based on three Phase III studies (304, 305 and 306). These multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group studies evaluated the efficacy and safety of FYCOMPA compared to placebo given as adjunctive therapy in patients age 12 and older with partial-onset seizures. The studies demonstrated that FYCOMPA significantly reduced seizure frequency in patients with partial-onset seizures with or without secondarily generalized seizures. In the three clinical studies, the most common adverse events (greater than or equal to 4 percent and greater than placebo) in patients treated with FYCOMPA 8 or 12 mg were dizziness, sleepiness, tiredness, irritability, falls, nausea, problems with muscle coordination, problems walking normally, vertigo and weight gain. Serious or life-threatening psychiatric (mental) and behavioral problems were also seen more frequently in patients treated with FYCOMPA. These reactions are described in the Boxed WARNING bolded below … Continue reading →