Positive News March 2013

1. As people are continuously pursuing their happiness, it should surprise no one that several studies are conducted every year on this subject. In a recent such study in Australia, the specialists have concluded that a happy family is a key to a real happiness.

The results of the study have been published in the Journal of Happiness Studies. The people that have been interviewed were asked to imagine themselves being 85 years old, and to create a list with the most important 30 things they would consider to be good, important and necessary for a happy life. The interviewed people responded that gaining wisdom and having a moral life would belong to the top ten items in the list. These two things were considered to be more important than being treated with respect due to the age, for example.

2. It is so good to learn from the animals and a proof of that is the decision that Africa has made in this direction. Learning from the kangaroo mother that cares for her baby a lot, mothers on this continent are encouraged to have skin to skin contact with their preterm babies, in order to curb the high mortality rates that many countries have. Thus, mothers and their babies are encouraged to have skin contact; this way babies will have the chance to spend time not only in the incubator, but also close to their mothers’ heart.

3. Teens are positively influence by the good sleep they have during night. The study has demonstrated once again how vital sleep is for the general well being of the human body. First of all, sleep reduces stress and makes teenagers more productive. Harvard scientists have showed a year ago that sleep deprivation is strictly related to money loss when it comes to companies and businesses, due to the fact that the tired, sleep deprived employees are less productive. Persons that sleep a sufficient amount of hours smoke less, drink less alcohol, are sharper, healthier and calmer. Also, people that practice sports have better performances when they sleep enough.

4. Belgian scientists have demonstrated that due to the ban of smoking, fewer preterm births take place. In this country smoking is forbidden in the public places, and a strong link has been established between this decision and the small number of preterm births. The Belgian scientists have concluded that banning smoking was a decision that had a positive impact for the mothers.

 

Louis Kraml and Bingham Memorial

Louis Kraml is the administrator of Bingham Memorial Hospital, a critical access hospital in Blackfoot, Idaho. The hospital management team led by Mr. Kraml is focused on providing high quality medical services to people in the south east Idaho region.

Economic Impact Study

In January of 2012, the hospital commissioned an independent study to determine the economic impact that the hospital has in the surrounding area: Bingham, Bonneville and Bannock counties. Dr. Richard Gardner, Ph.D. of Boot Strap Solutions coordinated the study in collaboration with Thomas Harris, Ph.D. at the University of Nevada – Reno.

The study concluded that Bingham Memorial Hospital, administered by Mr. Kraml,  brought more than $550 million to the region between 1999 and 2011. “We are proud of the services and employment Bingham Memorial Hospital is able to offer the residents of east Idaho,” said Mr. Kraml. “Our world-class physicians, state-of-the-art facilities and devoted team at Bingham allow us to deliver outstanding healthcare and services. I am grateful the hospital is a strong economic driver providing benefits to our local counties during these tough economic times.”

The study demonstrated that in 2011 alone, Bingham Memorial Hospital provided 1,742 jobs and brought more than $89 million to the region. Bingham Memorial Hospital is the fifth largest employer in the area of Bingham County, and its number of employees has grown in the past ten years from 274 to over 500. More than 150 providers contract with Bingham Memorial with more than thirty physicians on staff.

Additionally, Bingham Memorial has paid nearly $3 million to Bingham County since 2007, when it became a 501(c)3 organization.

The results of this study also demonstrated the impact of reinvesting the revenues into the facility. Being locally owned, Bingham Memorial Hospital has managed to leave a remarkable, positive footprint, influencing the lives of many for the better.

Diabetic Foot Screenings Clinic

In order to better serve the community, Mr. Kraml recently announced the opening of a new Diabetic Foot Screenings Clinic at Bingham Memorial Hospital. The clinic is dedicated to improving foot health for patients diagnosed with diabetes. The clinic began seeing patients in January 2013 with a goal of helping people monitor their foot health and avoid extreme or costly procedures. Diabetes is responsible for 80% of non-traumatic foot amputations every year, with the number of diagnoses on the rise over the last decade.

Bingham Memorial Hospital physicians recommend diabetic patients monitor their foot health with the same rigor they monitor blood sugar and eye health. Screenings include an initial appointment where the physician evaluates the patient’s foot health and then creates a plan to monitor for conditions that could arise including neuropathy, foot ulcers, peripheral vascular disease and calluses.

Shriner’s Orthopedic Screening Clinic

Twice a year, Bingham Memorial provides free orthopedic screenings for children in partnership with Shriner’s Hospital. Children that qualify are able to receive treatment at no cost through Shriner’s Salt Lake City facility.

Mr. Kraml said, “As a critical access hospital, our purpose is to help provide services that residents would not otherwise be able to receive. Many of the children that were screened at the clinic would not have had access to appropriate care otherwise. We are so pleased to partner with Shriners each year in bringing this free screening clinic to the families of east Idaho.”

Empowering Medical News

The National Institutes of Health has declared that some kids that were formerly accurately diagnosed with autism, once they grow older, lose the symptoms. These results come after a study that has been done in a small group of school aged kids. The kids were given this diagnostic several years ago, and now they are behaving just like normal kids. The study does not provide any details regarding the percentage of kids which will fully recover over the years, but offers great hope for those that have family members that were diagnosed with autism.

The Duchenne muscular dystrophy can be treated with genes, and scientists at the University of Missouri have managed to improve the technique. The dystrophy occurs when the healthy muscle tissue is replaced by fibrous, bony and fatty tissue, and thus ends up losing its function. It is a disease that affects mainly boys: their body stops producing dystrophin, which is a protein that helps the muscle cells survive and function well.

When this protein is lacking, a chain reaction starts and in the end the patient dies. The dystrophin is the largest gene in the human genome, and scientists have managed to create a new micro-dystrophin gene, which did wonders in dogs that suffered from the disease. The dogs had a diminished inflammation and even improved the strength of their muscles. If the studies continue to be as positive as this one, the human testing phase will probably be approved within the following months.

New genetically engineered bacteria will significantly improve the efficacy of vaccines for flu, cholera and HPV. The new generations of vaccines will address diverse pathogens at the same time.

Due to the efforts and serious work of a group of scientists from the University of Queensland and the Department of agriculture, fisheries and forestry, chicken meat and several other foods will be screened for bacteria a lot faster and more effectively than before. The statistics show that a number of over 5. 4 million cases of food-borne gastroenteritis happen in Australia every year. Many of the cases are caused by two of the bacteria that will now be easily and more rapidly detected.

Strawberries and blueberries are demonstrated to be very effective for women that take up to three or more servings per week, drastically reducing the risk of heart attack. This is the conclusion of “Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association”. It is well known that blueberries and strawberries contain flavonoids,  which can also be found in grapes, wine, blackberries, eggplant and that have the property of enlarging the arteries, counter the buildup of plaque and provide several other cardiovascular benefits.

Human hearts continue to create new cells even after birth. A team of scientist in Boston Children’s Hospital has analyzed the hearts of several persons of all ages, and this is the conclusion they have come to. The regeneration process is very ample during infancy, and then disappears after adolescence.

Active video games are proved to be very helpful to kids living in big cities, which have to face the threat of obesity in large numbers. In a recent study, 104 kids were asked to play some of their favorite active games. During these games, the kids in the third, fourth and fifth grade managed to be active enough to achieve the recommended levels of activity.