To all my friends: Don't restrict yourselves. What is good for a TBI
(like me) is often applicable to a paraplegic, and vice versa; what an epilectic
is looking for may be in either page - or both! So surf away in them without
feeling "not at home". These pages ARE your home.
Teamwork is what it sounds like - a
collaboration between me and Tammy of the "Teamwork" mailing List -
and, of course, all it's members. It is designed to be a Home Page for the list,
and can truly be said to have been created by teamwork!
A site devoted to helping you, the individual, get the most out
of your spine, whether it be injured or not. I have not surfed it in
detail, but that is what it honestly looks like. So I hope a lot of you
will follow the link (click the title) and learn, learn, and learn - whilst
throwing away the doubts and fears with the positive act of KNOWING!
The following was received by email whilst I was on holiday. I offer it to
you all for what it is: a message of a new treatment that may (or may not) solve
the ills of some sufferers - and, indeed, their carers!
FORWARD:--
===========================================
You should check out our Home Page at:
We offer something that others have only dreamed about... Spinal Cord
Regeneration!
______________________________________________
International Spinal Cord Injury Center
Kirk Kryger
______________________________________________
"No electrons were harmed in the production of this message"
The Mike Utley Foundation also claims
to be leading in the search for regenerating spinal chord tissue, but only
claims laboratory success and likewise, and is generally (in my opinion) more
conservative in it's approach than the above.
Listing of all medical problems
Health Information Resources: Keyword
Listing is not specific for Spinal injuries, or even any particular sort of
medical problem. It provides a searchable databse of over 120,000 resources that
can be contacted - I don't know if they are all web pages, but I doubt it. At
any rate, it was worth including here.
The Disabled Persons Insurance Services have opened near Bradford, England.
They will, in due time, have their own Web Page, but it's not up and running
yet. So I'll content myself with giving you their address in the UK, and include
the link when they're up.
Well, that WAS the situation, but it could have changed
by now! Check and see....
Dickibus
Their address is:-
Disabled Persons Insurance Services
9 King Street
Drighlington
Nr Bradford
BD11 1AA
The Northwest Regional
Spinal Cord Injury System (NWRSCIS), centered at the University of
Washington's Department of Rehabilitation
Medicine, is one of 18 model spinal cord injury (SCI) centers funded by the
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research to pool knowledge
and resources and provide specialized care to persons with SCI.
NWRSCIS goals include providing state-of-the-art medical, surgical,
rehabilitation, and long-term follow-up care to Northwest residents with SCI;
participation in the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, which
collects and combines data from all 18 Model SCI centers; and conducting
research into various aspects of SCI diagnosis and care.
The NWRSCIS also produces a newsletter, Spinal Cord Injury Update, for health
care professionals and consumers throughout the region, and a series of
informational pamphlets for consumers with spinal cord injury.
Catherine Britell, specialist in Rehab
Catherine
Britell, M.D is a specialist in Rehabilitation, and especially on the Rehab.
of partly or totally paralyzed "cases" (for want of a better term -
sorry, lads!). There is special attention given to spinal injuries, Multiple
Sclerosis, and rehab in the workplace.
Technology. for
[spinal injuries] paraplegics gives a ray of hope. New technology is not here
yet, but coming (that's how I read it) where the nerve signals are detected
above the injury, and then used to stimulate walking muscles in the legs. It's
apparently very possible, but very tiring for the patient, so the use is
probably [reach steps; get up, carry chair up; sit down again and carry on].
I'm going to have to create an index section soon, now, where was I, oh yes!
South California Orthopedic Institute carries two links that I'd like to show
you - the first to the whole Institute's Home
Page and the second is about a
general description of themselves.
The Southern California Orthopedic Institute (SCOI) provides high-quality
medical care to patients from around the globe. SCOI is also a leading educator
of medical professionals worldwide on orthopedic disorders and surgery
technique. The SCOI Web site offers a wide variety of informational resources on
anatomy, sports injuries and orthopedic procedures for the education of the
general public.
(Speciality in Rehab and therapies, including speech)
[snipped from Craig Hospital's Page
- thanks] A facility that specializes in spinal cord or brain injury
rehabilitation has the most highly trained, experienced staff and most fully
developed rehabilitation program. At a specialty center, all resources are
devoted to spinal cord and brain injury treatment. Because of the large number
of patients with similar injuries, specialized programs not found in general
rehabilitation facilities can be offered.
In many cases, costs are about the same or lower than those of general
rehabilitation programs.
How do You Identify a Quality Program?
Every hospital offers something of value to you, but it's vitally important you
find the best program for your needs. The most beneficial facilities provide a
comprehensive system of care to the patient during the acute and rehabilitation
phases as well as a life-time of follow-up care. Look for a treatment program
that includes medical and nursing services; occupational, physical, speech, and
recreational therapy; counseling and social services; educational and
instructional programs; and the follow-up services that are essential to good
health maintenence. Look for a facility where a significant number of
individuals are being treated for injuries similar to yours. This last point is
particularly important, since, in health care, quantity can be an important
indicator of quality.
Specialists who focus on one type of injury are typically the best at treating
patients with that injury.
"Many Americans, when asked what image comes to mind when confronted
with the word "injury," will reply: emergency room. This, of course,
is natural. The nature of injuries requires immediate medical attention, no
matter whether the injury is from a motor vehicle crash, a firearm, a burn, or a
fall. What this image underscores, however, is the public's interest in the
treatment of injury rather than in its prevention. In recent years, the medical
community and the public have focused on prevention of chronic diseases, such as
heart disease and high blood pressure, through proper diet, stress reduction,
and exercise, thereby eliminating or reducing the need for treatment. It is time
to do the same for injuries."
Injury Control in the 1990s: A National Plan for Action. A report to the
Second World Conference on Injury Control, May 1993.
[snipped from the US National Library of Medicine - thanks.}
The Visible
Human Project is an outgrowth of the NLM's 1986 Long-Range Plan. It is
creating a complete, anatomically detailed, three-dimensional representations of
the male and female human body. The current phase of the project is collecting
transverse CAT, MRI and cryosection images of representative male and female
cadavers at one millimeter intervals.
The long-term goal of the Visible Human Project is to produce a system of
knowledge structures on
the Web that will transparently link visual knowledge forms to symbolic
knowledge formats such as the names of body parts.
This link gives a long list of diseases, where they are found, etc.
Useful for many people about to travel. Going back one stage to cdc.gov
gives the entire gamut of CDC's operations.
Internet Resources in General
Available, via the Web and via Usenet, are Stephanie de Sylva's List
of Lists. This literally aims to include every mailing list in the Internet,
and, to aid the viewer, is searchable on the Web by keywords.
The Trace Center was formed in 1971
to address the communication needs of people who are non-speaking and have
severe disabilities. Since then, the center has expanded its scope to cover
"communication" in a broader sense.
The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research
These people have published their directory of projects on the 'Net via http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/NIDRR/.
Their work covers a lot of NARIC's activities, and an evening spent starting
with this directory just might produce something of personal interest. But be
prepared to spend time browsing.
The Institute on Independent Living offers free Internet online services for
people with disabilities
The Institute on Independent Living serves self-help organizations of
disabled people working for self-determination and self-respect. We provide
information, educational materials and technical support in the area of
Independent Living, operate an online library on Disability Rights and
Independent Living, particularly on personal assistance, peer support,
international issues, accessibility. We also run a number of useful free
services.
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