Down Syndrome Trial May Hold Key To Learning

...An ingredient used for decades in cough syrup, and to treat a variety of conditions, could hold the key to improving memory, language, and learning in people with Down syndrome....In the first trial of its kind targeting cognitive impairment in people with Down syndrome, researchers at Monash University are currently investigating the effectiveness of the ingredient, known as BTD-001, and its potential to significantly improve the quality of life of people with Down syndrome - the most common genetic form of intellectual disability affecting 6 million people worldwide.....

Illinois Medicaid Update

An update on Medicaid and the SMART Act

An update on Medicaid and the SMART Act The Illinois Eye Institute's senior director of governmental and external affairs Vincent Brandys, OD, and director of clinical operations Shonnie Cheeks sits down to discuss Medicaid.

The Illinois Eye Institute has up to 95,000 patient visits per year. Many of these patients are at risk for numerous eye and vision problems. If you have Medicaid as your insurance, please look at this carefully. The Illinois Eye Institute is ready to meet your many eye care needs.

Mobile Medical Mission Hospital’s Mission: St. Vincent, West Indies

Are you an Optometrist? Read this:

You are invited to participate in Mobile Medical Mission Hospital’s (MMMH) 37^th annual humanitarian health care mission to St. Vincent, West Indies 25 May - 3 June 2013. Our team consists of 4 Ophthalmologists, 4 Optometrists, 1 ENT, 3 Dermatologists, 4 RN’s and 16 Assistants.

There is a 16% incidence of glaucoma, > 50 % incidence of cataracts, D< & HTN retinopathy. In the primary care section located in an air conditioned college, the protocol is for RN’s to check VA, dilate all patients, check IOP with a Tonopen and do an autorefraction with a Retinomax, before the OD reviews the findings and examines for pathology.

Completely different from your office setting-  No insurance, no payments for medications or glasses. We dispense donated eyeglasses from our 25000 pair computerized glasses inventory. St. Vincent is completely safe politically, medically, and English is spoken there. We stay at a 5 star private resort called Young Island. The physician owner gives us a 60% reduced rate. Accommodations include a beach from cottage and 2 meals per day. Lunch is provided free by the hospital. Cost is &175.00 per day and less if you share a cottage. Round trip airfare is about $850.00. All expenses are 100% tax deductible. More information is available at www.mobilemedicalmission.org , or contact the Mission Director, Colonel Jeff Pritchard, USAF (ret) at [email protected] or the MMMH Operations Director, Dr. Robert Fisch at [email protected] 

Thank you for your time and we hope to hear from you soon.  

Dr. Robert E. Fisch

MMMH Operations Director

Music Benefits Both Mental And Physical Health

Playing and listening to music benefits both mental and physical health.

The finding came from the first-large scale review of 400 research papers in the neurochemistry of music which found that music can improve the function of the body's immune system and reduce levels of stress.....Listening to music was also shown to be more successful than prescription drugs in decreasing a person's anxiety before undergoing surgery.

.... music increases an antibody that plays an important role in immunity of the mucous system, known as immunoglobulin A, as well as natural killer cell counts, the cells that attack germs and bacteria invading the body.....Listening to and playing music can also lower levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), ....music therapy, when combined with standard care, is a successful treatment for depression.....

Comments: Music...it's good for what ails ya!! DM

Preventing Sports-Related Brain Injury In Youngsters

Ice hockey accounts for nearly half of all traumatic brain injuries among children and youth participating in organized sports who required a trip to an emergency department in Canada, ....

....."Unless we understand how children are getting hurt in sport, we can't develop ways to prevent these serious injuries from happening," said Dr. Cusimano, a neurosurgeon and the lead author of the study. "One would think that we know the reasons why kids are having brain injuries in sports, but until know, it was based mainly on anecdotes." .....

Comments: For more information about sports, our children and concussion go to http://sportslegacy.org/ or contact me at the Illinois College of Optometry, or seek out information from COVD and NORA. DM

You Don't "Own" Your Own Genes

Researchers Raise Alarm about Loss of Individual "Genomic Liberty" Due to Gene Patents That May Impact the Era of Personalized Medicine

Humans don't "own" their own genes, the cellular chemicals that define who they are and what diseases they might be at risk for. Through more than 40,000 patents on DNA molecules, companies have essentially claimed the entire human genome for profit, report two researchers who analyzed the patents on human DNA. Their study, published March 25 in the journal Genome Medicine, raises an alarm about the loss of individual "genomic liberty."

....."If these patents are enforced, our genomic liberty is lost," says Dr. Mason, an assistant professor of physiology and biophysics and computational genomics in computational biomedicine at the Institute for Computational Biomedicine at Weill Cornell. "Just as we enter the era of personalized medicine, we are ironically living in the most restrictive age of genomics. You have to ask, how is it possible that my doctor cannot look at my DNA without being concerned about patent infringement?" ....
Comments: This should make us afraid, very afraid. If we do not own our own genes, what does that tell us about our future and that of our children and their children? DM

Genetic Connections Identified In 15q Duplication Syndrome/Autism

A new study published in the March issue of Autism Research from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Le Bonheur researchers is making the genetic connections between autism and Chromosome 15q Duplication Syndrome (Dup15q). 

.....Chromosome 15q Duplication Syndrome (Dup15q) results from duplications of chromosome 15q11-q13. Duplications that are maternal in origin often result in developmental problems. The larger 15q duplication syndrome, which includes individuals with idic15, manifests itself in a wide range of developmental disabilities including autism spectrum disorders; motor, cognitive and speech/language delays; and seizure disorders among others. While there is no specific treatment plan, therapies are available to address or manage symptoms. ......

How Vision Training Contributes to Athletic Success

How Vision Therapy Contributes to Athletic Success

....After almost every play, we hear a football commentator say things like RG-III "can see the entire field," or Peyton Manning "can see things others can't" or Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger improvise as well as any quarterback who has ever played the game. What do all of these guys have in common? Great vision.

There is a major emphasis on strength and conditioning in sports, but vision training is becoming quite "vogue"—not just in football, but also in baseball, NASCAR and other sports. Last spring, Sports Illustrated ran an article that credits the use of Dynavision vision training technologies for the improved batting average of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. (See What Is Sports Vision Training?)......

Additional CDC data rule out vaccine-autism link

Additional CDC data rule out vaccine-autism link

Frank DeStefano, MD, MPH, director of the CDC’s Immunization Safety Office, compared vaccination histories and antigens of 256 children with autism and 752 children who did not have autism.

“.... no increased risk was found for autistic disorder or autism spectrum disorder with regression.”

.... “This study is the first to evaluate the issue of ‘too many vaccines too soon’ and the development of autism. The study found no relationship between the amount of vaccine antigens received during the first 2 years of life and the development of autism,” DeStefano told Infectious Diseases in Children.

Visual processing and learning disorders

Visual processing and learning disorders

....Ophthalmologists as well as patients must realize that with normal 20/20 eyesight interpretation of what is seen may be dysfunctional because of faulty brain processing of that which is seen by normal eyes. Abnormal Visual Processing as well as auditory processing disorders eventually lead directly to learning disorders in children and young adults.....

Comments: OMG! Ophthalmology finally notes that learning related vision problems exist! They finally admit that vision information processing problems can interfere with learning. Developmental Optometrists have been diagnosing and treating vision problems that affect learning for decades. To learn more go to http://www.COVD.org, http://www.OEPF.org and http://www.AOA.org today! DM