GNU/Linux - Ubuntu newbie on laptop

From a newbie...CMIIW...
After Ubuntu 5.04, Fedora Core 3, 4, SimplyMEPIS 3.4.3, Ubuntu 5.10, Mandriva 2006, Fedora Core 5, OpenSUSE 10, Kubuntu 6.06, SimplyMEPIS 6.0, now back to Ubuntu 6.06 (Dapper)..got from shipit, absolutely free (except Rp 7.000 for Indonesian mail; Rp 3.000 for the small package's [10 CDs] tax + Rp 4.000 for the extra large plastic recover) :D

Before installation, I found some documentations and help:

• Unofficial Ubuntu 6.06 (Dapper Drake) Starter Guide (in English)
• Panduan tidak resmi bagi pemula Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (Dapper Drake) (in Bahasa Indonesia)
• Howto Conexant and Smartlink modem [updated 13 Oct 06: sorry, it was wrong link]
  
• Ubuntu Extra packages DVD from InfoLINUX 09/2006
• Ubuntu Laptop Testing Team/HP nx6120
  

Using HP Compaq nx6120, triple boot with SimplyMEPIS 6.0 and Win XP HE (original...:D), Ubuntu Dapper (Live CD + installer) was completely success on installation in about 60 minutes. Since Ubuntu CDs contain only free and open source software applications, we need to improve it. If there isn't available Internet connection for the laptop, so it does a problem.

Don't give up, try using Ubuntu Extra CDs or Ubuntu Repository DVD. Ask and find your GNU/Linux or Ubuntu community in your town. Get the power of open source community... :D usually free, costly for the CD or DVD (or bring your own blank CD/DVD).

Using Ubuntu extra CDs, with command line:

$ sudo apt-cdrom add

add some extra packages for multimedia, games, updates, and plugins (for Firefox).

Well-known classic problems on GNU/Linux are: internal modem, wireless card, and VGA driver.

On my laptop, next list works fine: screen resolution, refresh rate, 3D, battery detected, hibernate, lid close function, CPU scaling, sound, headphone, external bluetooth dongle, touchpad+scrolling, usb mouse, card reader (tested with SD [Brica, SanDisk] and MMC [Visipro]), some tested flashdisks, MP3 player.

Fn key combination works fine with: F4 (external monitor), F8 (battery status), F9-F10 (brightness), insert (print screen), end (num lock), and all keypad number/symbol.

Special key works fine: WiFi, info, volume (up, down, and mute; even led still off).

Internal modem works fine after following this method [updated 13 Oct 06: link updated](my smartlink modem can work with method A; make sure to install necessary packages before compiling drivers).

It doesn't work (yet?) with: infrared, PDAs (tested with Treo 650 and iPAQ 4150).

Others are not tested yet (LAN should work like previous version).
[Updated 13 Oct 06: WiFi works fine with KWiFiManager after ipw2200 update].

In my opinion as a newbie, I choose Ubuntu because of:

• GNOME (Ubuntu's default desktop) is more faster than KDE (but I still use kprinter for PDF print, kdebluetooth, konqueror for super user file management and web page test) :D [updated 13 Oct 06: and try Nautilus as File Browser (root)]
  
• great support community and translations (in Bahasa Indonesia also..thanks)
• simple (essential) package with only 1 CD (Live CD + installer) for desktop, SimplyMEPIS 6.0 has the same method (debian also [using ubuntu repos], KDE is default, internal modem detected out of box, but WiFi with manual ESSID configuration)
• easy upgrade from previous version
• promises always be free of charge :D

Linux for human beings...

Ill. rules against Provena in property-tax case

From Modern Healthcare's Daily Dose:The director of the Illinois Department of Revenue [link] rejected an appeal by Provena Health, Mokena, Ill. [link], in a widely watched property-tax exemption case. [See previous posts here, here, and here.] In doing so, the director overruled an administrative law judge in the department who had sided with the not-for-profit system. Provena said it "will

Latest from AHLA's Health Lawyers Weekly (29 Sep 2006)

From the excellent Health Lawyers Weekly (AHLA member benefit), here's the table of contents from the September 29 issue:Top StoriesIOM Issues Recommendations For Improving FDA Post-Market Drug Surveillance -- The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA's) ability to oversee the safety of prescription drugs after they hit the market is undermined by a number of systemic deficiencies--including

Health Informatics - Persiapan menjelajah Internet

Mas Harmi Prasetyo telah memuat tulisan cara efektif menggunakan search engine di situsnya.

Saya menambahkan sedikit berdasar pengalaman pribadi di kampus:

Lokasi akses

• Akses Internet dapat memanfaatkan WiFi di kelas, prodi, gedung pasca, perpustakaan fk, gedung radiopoetro (beberapa akses poin membutuhkan registrasi, hubungi admin anda). LAN dapat digunakan di lab komputer. Beberapa fakultas lain di UGM juga menyediakan akses WiFi dan LAN tersendiri, lihat WiFi UGM disini...
  
• Di Yogyakarta, terutama di sekitar kampus UGM juga terdapat beberapa warnet (Windows dan GNU/Linux) yang buka 24 jam dengan kisaran harga rata-rata Rp 3.000-5.000-an/jam (cek warnet di Yogyakarta...)
  
• Beberapa kafe dan hotel juga menyediakan akses WiFi gratis (tapi minumnya bayar lho...atau lapor ke front office untuk memperoleh user name dan password)
• Akses di rumah dapat mengunakan telkomnet. Lainnya dapat memanfaatkan CDMA dan GPRS (mahal).

Persiapan sistem operasi
Pengguna Windows dan MacIntosh mungkin tidak menemui masalah yang berarti dengan penyetelan WiFi dan telkomnet. Berbeda dengan pengguna GNU/Linux yang harus melakukan konfigurasi tertentu.


Persiapan piranti lunak

• Dapat menggunakan browser Firefox (karena keamanannya), Opera (karena kecepatannya), atau Internet Explorer (karena kebiasaan; coba tambahkan fasilitas Google toolbar untuk lebih nyaman). Lakukan penyetelan browser sesuai kebutuhan (misalnya di Firefox terdapat pilihan lokasi penyimpanan file, tingkat keamanan, tambahan plugin, extension, dll), tapi jangan sampai memberatkan browser
  
• Untuk pengguna Windows, usahakan update antivirus secara teratur dan backup data untuk berjaga-jaga
• Pengguna Windows, manfaatkan download manager yang dapat terintegrasi ke browser
• Gunakan PDF Creator bagi pengguna Windows untuk menyimpan berkas hasil pencarian ke dalam format PDF. Pengguna Konqueror di GNU/Linux dapat langsung menyimpan ke format PDF. Pengguna Firefox di GNU/Linux memerlukan penyetelan tersendiri (manfaatkan kprinter)
• Manfaatkan fasilitas help yang tersedia pada piranti lunak masing-masing.

Persiapan kata kunci
Kumpulkan kata kunci yang mungkin dapat digunakan untuk menemukan berkas dimaksud. - Setiap situs biasanya memiliki aturan tersendiri dalam pengetikan kata pencarian (coba manfaatkan search tips yang ada). Untuk Google coba cek disini...


Persiapan alamat situs

• Catat alamat situs yang akan dituju
• Manfaatkan fasilitas bookmarks pada browser
• Beberapa situs jurnal langganan kampus hanya dapat diakses di lingkungan kampus.

Persiapan media penyimpanan

• Sebaiknya simpan berkas yang ditemukan pada folder tertentu atau berdasar topik tertentu (atau untuk menghemat waktu, penyimpanan per topik dapat dilakukan saat offline)
• Yakinkan flashdisk masih cukup menampung berkas (hati-hati virus!)

Selamat menjelajah dunia...jangan lupa bagi-bagi informasinya ya...

Beberapa artikel lainnya:
Tentang "pencarian" dari Wikipedia
Beberapa lokasi WiFi di Indonesia
Gratisan di Windows

Health Informatics - Sistem Informasi Manajemen Kesehatan

Rendahnya kualitas ketersediaan data, informasi dan pengetahuan sektor kesehatan suatu negara, mendesak dibentuknya suatu infrastruktur informasi kesehatan nasional. Konektivitas dan manajemen pengetahuan menjadi penting untuk meningkatkan status kesehatan dan sistem kesehatan yang lebih baik.

Meningkatkan status kesehatan di suatu negara tentunya membutuhkan kerjasama bidang-bidang manajemen kesehatan personal (individu), pelayanan kesehatan (praktisi klinis), kesehatan masyarakat, dan penelitian yang terkait kesehatan.

Perkembangan teknologi informasi dan komunikasi (information and communication technologies/ICT) di beberapa negara maju memberikan pengalaman positif terhadap kesehatan.

Dengan TI, dunia kesehatan mampu:

• memberikan informasi dan pelatihan tingkat lanjut bagi dunia pendidikan (situs tenaga kerja kesehatan, pembelajaran jarak jauh),
• meningkatkan pelayanan kesehatan dan manajemen bencana (pemetaan bencana dan kerusakan infrastrukturnya, pemanfaatan PDA [Personal Digital Assistant] di klinik),
• meningkatkan pelayanan kesehatan publik melalui transparansi dan efisiensi (situs informasi kesehatan, konsultasi via email, tender kesehatan)

Gambaran perkembangan sistem informasi kesehatan di negara berkembang tersebut mengalami beberapa masalah mendasar:

• infrastruktur fisik yang belum adekuat
• akses mayoritas populasi terhadap teknologi kesehatan masih kurang
• kurangnya kemampuan penggunaan teknologi kesehatan

Memberikan pendidikan bagi profesional kesehatan dalam penggunaan teknologi kesehatan dan menyediakan akses serta konektivitasnya diharapkan akan mampu mengurangi kesenjangan teknologi bidang kesehatan.

Pengembangan teknologi kesehatan membutuhkan biaya yang tidak sedikit. Sebagai sebuah investasi, diperlukan perencanaan yang matang. Dengan adanya pusat pendidikan informatika kesehatan/kedokteran/sistem informasi manajemen kesehatan (UI, Undip, UGM), suatu upaya strategis untuk menciptakan infrastruktur informasi kesehatan nasional sedang dijalani.

Pengembangan sistem informasi instansi kesehatan, sistem informasi rumah sakit, sistem informasi klinis, sistem informasi farmasi, sistem informasi pendidikan kesehatan, dan sejenisnya diharapkan akan lebih terpacu dan mampu menghubungkan keinginan serta kebutuhan para pengguna maupun pengembang. Yang paling mengetahui masalah di lapangan seyogyanya adalah pelaku kesehatan sendiri, sehingga jika para pengembang mau dan mampu mempelajari sistem kesehatan kita, mengapa tidak orang kesehatan sendiri yang mencoba memahami teknologinya.

Selamat bergabung di sistem informasi manajemen kesehatan.

Public hospital governance manual

From the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems comes this handy 94-page guide, authored by three Powell, Goldstein health lawyers: Legal Structure and Governance of Public Hospitals and Health Systems. Good stuff.

Health costs' rate of increase down, but still 'way ahead of inflation, family incomes

Two stories in the New York Times today, both well worth reading. (And I don't have a stable link to take you to them; as soon as I find one, I will insert it here. Until then, the links I do have require a free registration.)"Health Care Costs Rise Twice As Fast As Inflation," by Milt Freudenheim:A widely followed national survey reported yesterday that the cost of employee health care coverage

"Excited delirium": legitimate diagnosis or another name for "police brutality"?

Every so often -- as with the administration of the death penalty, for example -- medical science and law enforcement procedures overlap in interesting ways. So it is with this story -- dateline Dallas, Sept. 25, from the AP (courtesy of MyWay):Police found 23-year-old Jose Romero in his underwear, screaming gibberish and waving a large kitchen knife from his neighbor's porch. Romero kept

Universal access, universal coverage, universal pessimism

Two developments on the access-to-health-care front today:The Congressionally-created Citizens' Health Care Working Group released their long-awaited "Recommendations to Congress and the President." (There appears to be no link to the entire report, only to individual sections and appendices.) As reported by Modern Healthcare:The U.S. should work to ensure all Americans have access to affordable

Is teacher's suicide attempt "an immoral act"?

This is probably a little more of an employment law issue, but mental health lawyers may find interesting this story from the September 20 issue of CDC's Public Health Law News:“Teacher’s suicide attempt prompts morality debate”St. Petersburg Times (09/10/06) Mary Spicuzzahttp://www.sptimes.com/2006/09/10/Pasco/Teacher_s_suicide_att.shtmlNext month, the Pasco County, Florida, School Board will

Health policy redux

Our reading assignment in Health Law tomorrow is Chapter 7 in the casebook by Furrow et al. ("Health Care Cost and Access: The Policy Context"). The main focus of the reading is a comparison of various ways of expanding access and controlling costs. It's fortuitous that the invaluable journal Health Affairs, has just posted a new article ("U.S. Health System Performance: A National Scorecard") by

Change in organ allocation rules produce dramatic results

There's a good piece in today's N.Y. Times about the dramatic decrease in waiting times for patients on the lung-transplant waiting list, due in part by changes in allocation policies (from longest time on the list to a combination of medical need and ability to thrive after transplant). Technological advances have helped a lot, too, making it possible for more cadaveric lungs to be preserved for

Latest from AHLA's Health Lawyers Weekly (22 Sep 2006)

From the excellent Health Lawyers Weekly (AHLA member benefit), here's the table of contents from the September 22 issue:Top StoriesPhased-In Pay-For-Performance Program Would Encourage Healthcare Quality Improvement, IOM Finds: The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) should phase in a pay-for-performance system in order to promote improvements in the quality of healthcare, the

Medicare Part D: appeals process and regulatory oversight

The Kaiser Family Foundation released two issue briefs on the Medicare prescription drug benefit program (Part D) last week:Issue Briefs Examine Medicare Drug Benefit's Appeals Process and Regulatory OversightKaiser released two issue briefs related to the Medicare drug benefit. The first focuses on the appeals process and highlights issues that can affect beneficiaries' access to needed

Feed your brain to stablise moods swings and improve memory

many people are concerned about their memory as they get older. Ofen they think there's nothing that can be done about it, but this article suggests there are some lifestyle and nutrition changes that can be made to make things better:

http://www.healthandgoodness.com/health/feed_brain_memory.html

these changes are also likely to help to stabilise mdd swings, so take a peak even f you don't consider yourself 'old'!

Disasters and the law

I just received a copy of Disasters and the Law, the new book by Dan Farber and Jim Chen (Aspen 2006, ISBN 0735562288). It's an interesting read, obviously intended for teaching a course with the same title/focus as the book. It's a really different take on a lot of topics that would otherwise be found chopped up into pieces and distributed to different legal disciplines. To get a flavor of it,

It's easy to blame our parents

yesterday I was talking to a firend about how much we could blame our parents for the way we've turned out. The conversation really started me thinking, and today I posted a new article on the web site on just that topic.

If we accept how we are is because of our parents we can end up stuck in pain and anger. Here's my suggestions as to how to tuen that round:

http://healthandgoodness.com/ManagingLife/blaming_parents.htm

From the JCT: a handy little black-letter primer on tax-exempt hospitals

For health-law students who are struggling, or who (like mine) are planning to struggle, to understand the federal law of tax exemptions as it applies to hospitals, life just got a whole lot easier. In connection with the Senate Finance Committee's Sept. 13 hearings on the same subject, the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation published "Present Law And Background Relating To The Tax-Exempt

Latest from AHLA's Health Lawyers Weekly (15 Sep 2006)

From the table of contents of the September 15 issue of AHLA's Health Lawyers Weekly, a free member benefit:Top StoriesGrassley Continues To Examine Nonprofit Hospitals' Provision Of Charity Care -- Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) took the next step in his effort to examine the nonprofit hospital sector by convening a hearing September 13, Taking the Pulse of Charitable

Tax-exempt hospitals & Sen. Grassley's Finance Committee

The Senate Finance Committee's web page for the Sept. 13 hearing on tax-exempt hospitals is fully populated with witness statements, as well as the Senator's opening and closing remarks, including the words on the subject of charity care:Turning now to charity care, particularly discounted care and free care for low-income uninsured, there actually seems to be some agreement that nonprofit

Latest from the law reviews

From the Marian Gallagher Law Library at the University of Washington:FOOD AND DRUGHareid, Jonathan A. Comment. Testing drugs and testing limits: Merck KGaA v. Integra Lifesciences I, Ltd. and the scope of the Hatch-Waxman safe harbor provision. (Merck KGaA v. Integra Lifesciences I. Ltd. [Integra II], 125 S. Ct. 2372, 2005.) 7 Minn. J.L. Sci. & Tech. 713-756 (2006). [L][W] Ma, Jonathan. Note.

Senate Finance Comm. hearings scheduled on nonprofit hospitals and community benefit

From AHLA's Tax and Finance Practice Group comes this e-mail alert:To: Tax and Finance Practice Group MembersFrom: Linda S. Moroney, Chair; John B. Beard, Vice Chair, Membership; James R. King, Vice Chair, Educational Programs; Stephen P. Nash, Vice Chair, Publications; Thomas J. Schenkelberg, Vice Chair, ResearchDate: September 8, 2006 Under the leadership of Chairman Chuck Grassley, the Senate

DEA and proposed controlled-substances rules

From the Federation of State Medical Board's weekly "BoardNet News" (Friday, September 8, 2006):DEA Seeks Comment on New Proposed Controlled Substances RulesThe Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is seeking comment on a policy statement and a proposed rule regarding the issuance of multiple prescriptions. The documents, “Dispensing Controlled Substances for the Treatment of Pain” and “Issuance

Doctors & The Drug Industry

there are many life-saving drugs, but there's also a less glamourous and reassuring side to the drug industry. Do you know that for every 15 doctors in the US there's one drug rep? That's a startling statistic - drug companies would not be spending all that money unless they expected some return.

this and other disturbing facts are in my article:

http://www.mytherapypractice.com/Medical/doctors_drug_companies.html

Latest from AHLA's Health Lawyers Weekly (8 Sep 2006)

From the table of contents of the Sept. 8 issue of AHLA's Health Lawyers Weekly, a free member benefit:Top Stories CMS Reports On Ongoing Improvement Of QIO ProgramThe Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program is an essential component of initiatives in transparency and performance-based payment of providers, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said in an August 31 report to

New article documents higher brain activity in vegetative patient

The N.Y. Times reports today that the journal Science has published an article [abstract; pdf (requires subscription)] in which British researchers performed a functional MRI (fMRI) scan on a post-traumatic-brain-injury patient diagnosed to be in a vegetative state and got back scans that would be indistinguishable from results obtained from subjects without brain injury. According to the Times

Alzheimer Prevention

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive degenerative illness that results in the destruction of a person’s cognitive skills and abilities, including thinking, reasoning, learning and retention, communication, and sometimes even motor. While much of the research currently being done on Alzheimer’s disease is on finding a cure and treatment for the symptoms, considerable progress has also been made in Alzheimer prevention.

As the president and medical director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Foundation International in Tucson, Arizona, Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., is one of the physicians at the forefront of Alzheimer prevention. He contends that the current research on the disease serves only to confirm the idea that Alzheimer prevention is the only practical way of dealing with it.

“We have to realize that the era of the magic bullet – drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease – is over,” asserts Dr. Khalsa. According to him, there is a need to take an integrative approach as what has been done for heart disease. “What works for the heart, works for the head,” he further adds.

Dr. Khalsa’s Alzheimer prevention principle is based on the concept that while the disease progression may be slowed down with medications and drugs, to prevent the disease from developing in the first place, certain steps ought to be taken. Foremost among these steps is to recognize and reduce the factors that lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s – a Multi-factorial Disease

Many scientists agree with Dr. Khalsa that Alzheimer’s is actually a multi-factorial disease. That is, its development is dependent upon several variables, including but not exclusive to nutrition, chronic stress, and lifestyle choices. However, Dr. Khalsa believes that out of these risk factors, the most probable cause of Alzheimer’s are chronic, unrelenting stress and free radical damage and oxidative stress, all of which occur at a certain point in our lives as we age.

Studies show that there are people who appear to be able to protect themselves against memory loss even though their brains show significant damage from Alzheimer’s disease. It has been observed that these people are usually the ones who are mentally engaged or physically active. Additionally, there are also many Alzheimer’s patients who reach 80 and beyond with their memory intact, thus, suggesting that the disease is not a normal part of aging. All these findings further suggest that those who remain mentally active in their later years have a better chance at Alzheimer prevention that those who are not.

In an exciting development of the Alzheimer’s cure research, the Irish drug company Elan and Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories in New Jersey worked jointly in a human test study which they announced in July 2001. This Alzheimer’s cure study is said to find out whether a new Alzheimer’s “vaccine” could halt or even cure the disease. However, after some of the volunteers of the study began to develop brain swelling after getting injected with the Alzheimer’s cure, the study was halted.

Alzheimer Test

It was not until 2005 that a new form of Alzheimer’s cure was discovered by Howard Weiner and his colleagues. The Alzheimer’s cure is actually a nasal spray designed also to target the beta amyloid formation in the brain. Said study is set to be tested on humans in 2006.

The Alzheimer’s test that Professor Solomon developed is called the 7 Minute Screen. It is actually comprised of four Alzheimer’s tests that can be administered in less than 10 minutes, or exactly seven minutes and 43 seconds on the average, by anyone who has had an hour of basic training.

The 7-Minute Alzheimer’s test was patterned after the designs of four older psychological test models but with improvements added to make it more sensitive to detecting dementia. Specifically, the Alzheimer’s test zeroes in on tasks that a person with Alzheimer’s would find difficult to do.

The notion is that if people remain mentally engaged, this would result in the establishment of more synaptic connections between neurons in response to new learning. As observed in children’s brains, new synaptic connection is an integral part of learning and is a process that continues for the person’s entire biological life. Thus, as you grow older, your synaptic connection should grow denser as well.

Alzheimer Prevention

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive degenerative illness that results in the destruction of a person’s cognitive skills and abilities, including thinking, reasoning, learning and retention, communication, and sometimes even motor. While much of the research currently being done on Alzheimer’s disease is on finding a cure and treatment for the symptoms, considerable progress has also been made in Alzheimer prevention.

As the president and medical director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Foundation International in Tucson, Arizona, Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., is one of the physicians at the forefront of Alzheimer prevention. He contends that the current research on the disease serves only to confirm the idea that Alzheimer prevention is the only practical way of dealing with it.

“We have to realize that the era of the magic bullet – drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease – is over,” asserts Dr. Khalsa. According to him, there is a need to take an integrative approach as what has been done for heart disease. “What works for the heart, works for the head,” he further adds.

Dr. Khalsa’s Alzheimer prevention principle is based on the concept that while the disease progression may be slowed down with medications and drugs, to prevent the disease from developing in the first place, certain steps ought to be taken. Foremost among these steps is to recognize and reduce the factors that lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s – a Multi-factorial Disease

Many scientists agree with Dr. Khalsa that Alzheimer’s is actually a multi-factorial disease. That is, its development is dependent upon several variables, including but not exclusive to nutrition, chronic stress, and lifestyle choices. However, Dr. Khalsa believes that out of these risk factors, the most probable cause of Alzheimer’s are chronic, unrelenting stress and free radical damage and oxidative stress, all of which occur at a certain point in our lives as we age.

Studies show that there are people who appear to be able to protect themselves against memory loss even though their brains show significant damage from Alzheimer’s disease. It has been observed that these people are usually the ones who are mentally engaged or physically active. Additionally, there are also many Alzheimer’s patients who reach 80 and beyond with their memory intact, thus, suggesting that the disease is not a normal part of aging. All these findings further suggest that those who remain mentally active in their later years have a better chance at Alzheimer prevention that those who are not.

In an exciting development of the Alzheimer’s cure research, the Irish drug company Elan and Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories in New Jersey worked jointly in a human test study which they announced in July 2001. This Alzheimer’s cure study is said to find out whether a new Alzheimer’s “vaccine” could halt or even cure the disease. However, after some of the volunteers of the study began to develop brain swelling after getting injected with the Alzheimer’s cure, the study was halted.

Alzheimer Test

It was not until 2005 that a new form of Alzheimer’s cure was discovered by Howard Weiner and his colleagues. The Alzheimer’s cure is actually a nasal spray designed also to target the beta amyloid formation in the brain. Said study is set to be tested on humans in 2006.

The Alzheimer’s test that Professor Solomon developed is called the 7 Minute Screen. It is actually comprised of four Alzheimer’s tests that can be administered in less than 10 minutes, or exactly seven minutes and 43 seconds on the average, by anyone who has had an hour of basic training.

The 7-Minute Alzheimer’s test was patterned after the designs of four older psychological test models but with improvements added to make it more sensitive to detecting dementia. Specifically, the Alzheimer’s test zeroes in on tasks that a person with Alzheimer’s would find difficult to do.

The notion is that if people remain mentally engaged, this would result in the establishment of more synaptic connections between neurons in response to new learning. As observed in children’s brains, new synaptic connection is an integral part of learning and is a process that continues for the person’s entire biological life. Thus, as you grow older, your synaptic connection should grow denser as well.

Alzheimer Prevention

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive degenerative illness that results in the destruction of a person’s cognitive skills and abilities, including thinking, reasoning, learning and retention, communication, and sometimes even motor. While much of the research currently being done on Alzheimer’s disease is on finding a cure and treatment for the symptoms, considerable progress has also been made in Alzheimer prevention.

As the president and medical director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Foundation International in Tucson, Arizona, Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., is one of the physicians at the forefront of Alzheimer prevention. He contends that the current research on the disease serves only to confirm the idea that Alzheimer prevention is the only practical way of dealing with it.

“We have to realize that the era of the magic bullet – drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease – is over,” asserts Dr. Khalsa. According to him, there is a need to take an integrative approach as what has been done for heart disease. “What works for the heart, works for the head,” he further adds.

Dr. Khalsa’s Alzheimer prevention principle is based on the concept that while the disease progression may be slowed down with medications and drugs, to prevent the disease from developing in the first place, certain steps ought to be taken. Foremost among these steps is to recognize and reduce the factors that lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s – a Multi-factorial Disease

Many scientists agree with Dr. Khalsa that Alzheimer’s is actually a multi-factorial disease. That is, its development is dependent upon several variables, including but not exclusive to nutrition, chronic stress, and lifestyle choices. However, Dr. Khalsa believes that out of these risk factors, the most probable cause of Alzheimer’s are chronic, unrelenting stress and free radical damage and oxidative stress, all of which occur at a certain point in our lives as we age.

Studies show that there are people who appear to be able to protect themselves against memory loss even though their brains show significant damage from Alzheimer’s disease. It has been observed that these people are usually the ones who are mentally engaged or physically active. Additionally, there are also many Alzheimer’s patients who reach 80 and beyond with their memory intact, thus, suggesting that the disease is not a normal part of aging. All these findings further suggest that those who remain mentally active in their later years have a better chance at Alzheimer prevention that those who are not.

In an exciting development of the Alzheimer’s cure research, the Irish drug company Elan and Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories in New Jersey worked jointly in a human test study which they announced in July 2001. This Alzheimer’s cure study is said to find out whether a new Alzheimer’s “vaccine” could halt or even cure the disease. However, after some of the volunteers of the study began to develop brain swelling after getting injected with the Alzheimer’s cure, the study was halted.

Alzheimer Test

It was not until 2005 that a new form of Alzheimer’s cure was discovered by Howard Weiner and his colleagues. The Alzheimer’s cure is actually a nasal spray designed also to target the beta amyloid formation in the brain. Said study is set to be tested on humans in 2006.

The Alzheimer’s test that Professor Solomon developed is called the 7 Minute Screen. It is actually comprised of four Alzheimer’s tests that can be administered in less than 10 minutes, or exactly seven minutes and 43 seconds on the average, by anyone who has had an hour of basic training.

The 7-Minute Alzheimer’s test was patterned after the designs of four older psychological test models but with improvements added to make it more sensitive to detecting dementia. Specifically, the Alzheimer’s test zeroes in on tasks that a person with Alzheimer’s would find difficult to do.

The notion is that if people remain mentally engaged, this would result in the establishment of more synaptic connections between neurons in response to new learning. As observed in children’s brains, new synaptic connection is an integral part of learning and is a process that continues for the person’s entire biological life. Thus, as you grow older, your synaptic connection should grow denser as well.

What Kind Of Eater Are You?

more and more people are realising that dieting is not the answer, but haven't found a good alternative. There's interesting work being downe now on intuitive eating - learning to eat when you're hungry. Alice Greene has written an interesting article reviewing the other types of eaters. Knowing what you are can help you to become what you wnat to be, so check out this article:


What Kind of Eater Are You? by Alice Greene
There are so many different reasons why we struggle with food. Many of the reasons stem from what we've been told, the way we've been raised and the way we feel on a given day. It is liberating to know that the struggle isn't just because we are bad when it comes to eating well.

http://healthandgoodness.com/weightshape/what_kind_of_eater_are_you.htm

Health law positions at Georgia State

Georgia State is looking for a couple of good public-health law profs:Georgia State University’s College of Law seeks highly qualified applicants for three or more full-time faculty positions beginning with the 2007-2008 academic year.Areas of special interest include criminal law and procedure, and it is anticipated that a successful candidate would be hired at the rank of assistant or associate

therapists, take your practice to the sun (or the snow)

I quite like it as the days get shorter and we need the heating on in the house, but I know lots of therapists hate it, so I was pleased to have this article by Deborah Marshall-Warren. I was mazed that it's possible to go and work in exotic places just for a few weeks if you want. She's written an article for our web site, and has a book that tells you even more:

http://www.mytherapypractice.com/Successful_practice/therapists_practise_abroad.html

therapists, take your practice to the sun (or the snow)

I quite like it as the days get shorter and we need the heating on in the house, but I know lots of therapists hate it, so I was pleased to have this article by Deborah Marshall-Warren. I was mazed that it's possible to go and work in exotic places just for a few weeks if you want. She's written an article for our web site, and has a book that tells you even more:

http://www.mytherapypractice.com/Successful_practice/therapists_practise_abroad.html

SSRN roundup: health law (August 2006 additions)

Here are last month's postings to the ever-useful SSRN:Being Specific About Race-Specific MedicineHealth Affairs, Vol. 25, 2006Jonathan D. Kahn and Pamela Sankar, Hamline University - School of Law and University of Pennsylvania - School of MedicineDate Posted: August 30, 2006Last Revised: August 30, 2006 Accepted Paper Series Counterfeit Drugs: The Good, the Bad and the UglyAlbany Law Journal of

Losing weight and getting fit

Whatever the time of year there's always lots of people who want to lose wight and get fit. A lot of these people are looking for quick fix solutions, but the people who succeed in the long term know they need to take one day ata time. Here's a really good article on this theme that I've posted on one of my web sites:

Health & Fitness Is Not A 12 Week Program by Tom Venuto
You can avoid the on and off, yo-yo cycle of fitness ups and downs. You can get in great shape and stay in great shape. You can even get in shape and keep getting in better and better shape year after year, but it's going to take a very different philosophy than most people subscribe to.

Read the full article:

http://healthandgoodness.com/exercise/fitness_not_12_weeks.html

Krugman: Why is health policy malpractice a conservative disease?

You can't read today's (or any day's) op-ed piece by Paul Krugman (or any other columnist in the N.Y. Times) unless you are a TimesSelect subscriber, so this link to his column, "Health Policy Malpractice") won't work for many of you. More's the pity. He compares the VA health care system (which by most measures appears to be working well -- excellent outcomes, low costs per patient) with

Post-grad opportunity at Harvard

From I. Glenn Cohen, a fellow at the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics (Harvard Law School):The Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics at Harvard Law School2007-2009 Post-Graduate and Mid-Career Fellowship ProgramCall for Applications: Deadline October 16, 2006The Petrie-Flom Center is an interdisciplinary research program at

Will Christian Science health plan count in Massachusetts?

As recently reported by the AP (courtesy of the Portsmouth (NH) Herald), health care regulators in Massachusetts are beset by a bevy of difficult issues in the wake of the Bay State's passage of a universal health care law:When Gov. Mitt Romney signed the Massachusetts' health care law in April, it was hailed as a watershed moment. Under the new law, Massachusetts is the first state to require

AHLA's Health Lawyers Weekly (Sept. 1)

Here's the table of contents from Friday's "Health Lawyers Weekly," a free member benefit from the American Health Lawyers Association (and reprinted here with their permission):September 1, 2006 Vol. 4, Issue 34 Top StoriesSpecialty Hospitals Associated With Increased Utilization, MedPAC FindsPhysician-owned heart hospitals are associated with a significant increase in the rate of cardiac

U.S. research: running on empty?

Today's N.Y. Times has a piece ("The State of Research Isn't All That Grand") discusses the implications for the U.S. economy of reduced R&D expenditures in both the public and private sectors. The balanced conclusion:In global R.& D. rankings, the United States is still the clear leader in spending, with 34 percent of the total. In fact, about half of all such spending comes from just two