Your Weekly Dose of #5ThoughtsFriday: A description of what we think is important at BIAMD
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#5Thoughts Friday
The


Edition

7/7/2023
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
(Reuters) - The American Medical Association (AMA) on Wednesday said it will advise doctors to pay less attention to body mass index (BMI) in determining if a patient is at a healthy weight, saying the measure does not predict disease risk equally well across racial and ethnic groups.

BMI, a ratio of weight to height, has long been used to define underweight, "normal" weight, overweight, obesity and morbid obesity, despite mounting evidence that it is an inaccurate predictor of health risks on an individual level.

At the influential physician group's annual meeting in Chicago, members voted adopt a new policy that says BMI should be just one factor in determining whether a patient is at a healthy weight. Other measures such as body composition, belly fat, waist circumference, and genetic factors are also important, the AMA said.


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Comeback Club
for Survivors of Stroke
and Their Caregivers
 
 
WHEN:       Monday, July 24th, 2023
                   1:00 – 2:00 PM
 
WHERE:     We’re hybrid! Join us at either of the following locations:

In person:
MedStar NRH Telehealth Conference Room
102 Irving Street NW
Washington, DC 20010
 
       Online:
   
Meeting ID: 898 2837 5085

 SPECIAL GUEST:

    Alyssa Colbert, MS, CTRS/RRT
       Community Recreation Therapist
And
Evelyn Sweeney, BS, CTRS/RRT
Recreation Therapist
    
TOPIC:  Learn What TR & Adaptive Sports Has to Offer
 
FACILITATORS:  Annie Kennedy, PT, DPT
                       Sonya Boltansky, MS, OTR/L, CBIS
                       Jessica Copperman, MA, CCC-SLP, CBIS
I only recently learned that July is Disability Pride Month. Although not yet officially recognized in the United States, since 2004 Disability Pride Month has been celebrated with parades in cities including New York, Chicago, Madison, and Los Angeles.

July was chosen because the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed on July 26, 1990. It prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, including in employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and in relation to access to state and local government services.

July is also the month when, 28 years ago, my father suffered a spinal cord injury, resulting in quadriplegia. He joined what the World Health Organization has called “the world’s largest minority,” as an estimated 15 percent of the world’s population live with some type of disability.


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Brain Injury Connector Podcast is in Season 4 and we are looking for guests!

Because every brain is different, every brain injury is different, and every brain injury recovery is different, most individuals and families dealing with brain injuries have many more questions than answers. Join Bryan Pugh, Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Maryland, as he searches for answers by interviewing individuals with brain injuries, family members, healthcare providers, policy makers and other members of the brain injury community. Each episode contains powerful information to help you learn more about brain injury, discover new treatments and solutions, and meet inspirational people making meaningful impacts on their community by changing the world.

Join us and tell your story!

CLICK HERE to listen

CLICK HERE to sign up to become a guest


Many of the changes to the brain that happen during Alzheimer’s disease may also appear in the retina, according to an NIA-funded study. The findings, published in Acta Neuropathologica, provide important insights on the effects of Alzheimer’s on the retina and suggest that noninvasive methods of monitoring the retina might be a way to reliably detect and track the disease.

Located at the back of the eye, the retina relays visual information to the brain. Previous studies have found signs of Alzheimer’s in the retina, including amyloid protein deposits and thinning of the tissue. To understand how these changes in the retina relate to the progression of Alzheimer’s, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles analyzed donated postmortem retina and brain tissue from 86 people.

The researchers found that amyloid deposits in the retina were five times higher in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and nine times higher in those with Alzheimer’s, compared to cognitively unimpaired individuals. In all cases, the deposits were unevenly distributed across the retina. Most were found in the inner layers and regions of the retina that are involved in peripheral vision.

CLICK HERE to read study finding.
More Than You Can See: A Mother's Memoir 
At seventeen, Barbara’s daughter Jennifer is in a horrific car accident and sustains a traumatic brain injury that sends her into a two-week coma. Once she awakens, a unique disability presents itself: Jenn lacks any traditional method of communication. Unable to speak or function on her own, Jenn must relearn basic life skills in a rehabilitation facility while Barbara and her family struggle to piece together their lives, now forever changed.







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1) Quote We are Contemplating
"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. "
Looking for Something fun to do in Maryland this weekend?



Click the picture below and discover a world of possibilities for things to do this weekend!

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

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 Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful weekend.