Health and Living

New and veteran immigrant (olim) families, who have a special needs child or adult at home in Israel have access to a variety of government and private sector outreach services, which a growing number of Anglo immigrants claim are superior to many services available in the USA.

Empathy is not agreement or approval. It is simply understanding, the intuitive sensing of another person’s underlying feelings, wants, and psychological dynamics, i.e., “What would I be feeling if I were him or her?”

Teva Pharmaceuticals has opened a new $110 million plant in Hungary, set to be one of the largest sterile medicines plants in the world.

Fundamental and far-reaching changes are coming that will have a profound effect on every individual in New York State who receives services under the current system for caring for individuals with developmental disabilities.

A generation of students at the Mir Yeshiva give thanks for the miraculous recovery of their Rosh Yeshiva from ALS, courtesy Israeli technology.

A joint American-Israeli startup has developed the world’s first breathalyzer attachment for smartphones, in order to prevent drunk driving.

Now that Pesach and Shavuos have come and gone, we can reflect and review some of the changes we saw in our elderly parents over the past Yom Tov. Siblings who came from a distance might have observed changes that daily, primary caregivers often don’t notice. At the same time, if you are the primary caregiver, Yom Tov may have stirred up some personal questions and feelings.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on Monday urged American pediatricians to provide prescriptions for post-intercourse contraception to underage patients, as well as making them aware of the ability to take medications to prevent pregnancy even after engaging in sex.

Wouldn’t it be great if you had a chavrusa working with you, guiding and helping you in your work environment?

The tall buildings of Haifa University and the Naveh Nof residential Tower in Bat Yam were lit up in pink Tuesday night in solidarity with an international breast cancer awareness campaign.

A look at modern day miracles that are changing the face of Israeli life.

Chaim* was admired in yeshiva for his incredible diligence. His days were consumed with learning and he could be found in the Beis Midrash almost 24/7. For him, sleep was a waste of time. Great things were forecast for his future until neighbors found him lying in the middle of the street in Geula, hallucinating that he was Moshiach. Medications stopped his racing mind but made him feel like a zombie. He became depressed and shell of his former self. His parents thought they were acting responsibly when they had him hospitalized and then put in a hostel.

One of today’s fastest growing new dietary trends is the proliferation of foods labeled “gluten free” on the shelves of supermarkets across the country.

A $1 million dollar prize has been announced which will go to the individual or team with the highest potential for helping people around the world by the non-profit organization Israel Brain Technologies.

An interview with Professor Michael Aviram from Rambam Hospital and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology in Israel.

The life of a typical adolescent may often combine difficulties and complexities. Adolescents are often faced with issues related to peer pressure, academic stress, and potential family difficulties. Friendships and relationships often serve as outlets for adolescents during times of difficulty and turmoil.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the influential paper published by a Mount Sinai physician, Dr. Burrill Crohn, and his colleagues that for the first time characterized a disease associated with severe inflammation of the intestine. Patients with what was later named Crohn’s disease develop diarrhea, fever, stomach pain, and often lose weight. Crohn’s is now classified as an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks its own healthy tissue in the gastrointestinal tract, causing chronic inflammation. It affects young individuals, and, even though it is not curable, it can be treated and controlled by medications and surgery.

The old debate over who has it ‘harder,’ stay–a- home mothers or working mothers, has never been clearly resolved. Some studies claim that stay-at-home mothers are more satisfied while working mothers are plagued with guilt, while other studies suggest the opposite.

The newest addition of the DSM-5 manual is scheduled for publication in May 2013. The DSM is used by clinicians to determine whether a client or patient meets or does not meet the criteria for a particular diagnosis.

Between 1997 and 2008, the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) increased almost fourfold, according to the National Health Interview survey. The 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health indicated that 1.1 percent of all children born in this country are on the autism spectrum.

The Swimathon reflects the vision of Sadnat Shiluv: personal empowerment, inclusion for all and giving to society. Vivienne Glaser, the superheroine behind the swim likes to say: “Never decide for someone else what their limitation is. If you empower someone, they will go way beyond their expectations.”

A research team headed by Professor Tsvee Lapidot of Israel’s Weizmann Institute’s immunology Department has discovered that the body’s precious stem cells – special bodies which can morph into many different types in order to provide vital services to the body in cases of need – have a little help in the immune system.

The American Inclusion Movement’s First Wave, which was focused solely on Inclusion in the workforce, has been almost entirely forgotten. It occurred in the 1930’s, decades before the 1960’s zeitgeist brought about broader and more famous changes in pro-disability policy, architectural barriers, and independent living.

Having mobility issues can be challenging in many ways, from obtaining a proper wheelchair to navigating your environment. One of the biggest challenges is getting from origin to destination. Whether you have your own vehicle or need to rely on public transportation, you need to do research on what is the most appropriate accommodation.

Jews across America, in the privacy of their own computer screens, are scanning the internet for job opportunities which will enable them to make the leap toward life in Israel.

While lack of resolve is often blamed for this downfall, new research from gastronomy experts points to more complex reasons for the all too common “weight loss struggle”.

In the past, people used to turn to coffee or orange juice to get through a midday slump, but today, many are turning to power and energy drinks for a quicker and longer-lasting jolt. The power drink industry is booming with projected sales of $9 billion and no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

Articles in the media are recommending a certain kind of “conversation." In an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2010, Michael Vitez describes in detail how a palliative care team brought a family into a comfortable living room for repeated discussions about their mother who had been hospitalized for confusion and falling. Over and over again, they were offered the choice of discontinuing her “aggressive" medical care, but the family held out. They continued her medical treatment.

While surgery can be scary and stressful for children and their parents alike, anesthesia can be a useful tool for reducing pain and calming fear and stress, yielding very temporary symptoms following surgery.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a public health emergency on Saturday, in the wake of the worst flu outbreak in many years.