Israel Offers Superior Services to “Special Needs” Olim
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.
The Ins And Outs Of Visiting The Sick: An Interview With Hospital Chaplain Rabbi...
Some people are naturals at visiting people in the hospital. Others feel awkward: What should I say? How long should I stay? Does the person even want me to come?
Risks of Anesthesia in Young Children
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.
Fostering a Positive Parent-Teen Relationship
The collective conscious of our greater community seems to be suffering from a high degree of panic and anxiety in relation to the topic of “teens-at-risk.” Just bringing up this topic is enough to send people into semi-hysteria.
Keeping People with Alzheimer’s and Dementia Active
Activities are things we do, like getting dressed, doing chores, playing cards — even paying bills. They can be active or passive, done alone or with others. Activities represent who we are and what we're about, and usually keep a person active and occupied most of the day.
Israeli Buildings Pink-Lit to Fight Breast Cancer
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.
Are Working Mothers Happier and Healthier Than Stay-at-Home Mothers?
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.
American-Israeli Startup Creates First Smartphone Breathalzyer Test
A joint American-Israeli startup has developed the world’s first breathalyzer attachment for smartphones, in order to prevent drunk driving.
Jews and the First Wave of the American Disability Inclusion Movement: The League of...
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.
The Sibling Factor: Meeting Your Other Children’s Needs
“I feel mad because my brother is always breaking my things.”
“I wish things weren’t always so hard for him.”
“I feel both happy and sad that she is my sister.”
Lubavitcher Chassid Sues New York Over Conversion Therapy Ban
He further notes that some of his patients have succeeded in reducing or eliminating their unwanted attractions, while some have not or have chosen not to continue the process.
Cannabis At Davos
In his address, Yona spoke passionately about how Alvit is translating the language of medicinal cannabis so doctors can understand and prescribe it.
$1 Million Israeli BRAIN Prize To Be Awarded in 2013
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.
Health Ministry: Breast is Best in Israel
Israel’s Health Ministry will begin a more concentrated effort to encourage women to breastfeed their babies, instituting new policies in hospitals starting September 1.
Mir Rosh Yeshiva Recovery Just the Beginning of Israel’s Stem Cell Miracles
A generation of students at the Mir Yeshiva give thanks for the miraculous recovery of their Rosh Yeshiva from ALS, courtesy Israeli technology.
Israeli Doctor: Over-the-Counter Drugs Could Raise Blood Pressure
Chemical components in anti-inflammatory pain relievers, antibiotics, contraceptives and anti-depressants may increase the risk of heart attack or stroke, according to Dr. Ehud Grossman...
Skepticism And Vigilance Animate Frum Anti-Vaxxers
"There's no nexus whatsoever between Yiddishkeit and the anti-vaccination movement," said Rabbi Kotler.
The Highs And Lows Of Marijuana Use
Chronic pain is debilitating and eating or smoking pot has given many people relief. Most people see it as a benign way of dealing with pain, but is it benign?
Bipolar – Not A Life Sentence
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.
Getting The Most Out Of Your Farmers Market
It's that time of year again! As each day gets warmer and the sun gets brighter, an often overlooked highlight of summer is the emergence of the best quality fresh produce around – at your local farmers market.
Two Wings of a Bird
Health has to do with harmony. Harmony with our surroundings. Harmony with ourselves.
The New Senior Lifestyle – Fit and Active
By 2015, 46 million Americans will be over the age of 65. As members of the baby boomer generation pass the traditional retirement age, our standards for aging are steadily changing.
Making the Multi-Generational Household Work
As Rabbi Meyer Waxman discusses elsewhere in this issue, more elderly parents are being forced, by circumstances, to move in with their adult children, as are more young adults who find themselves compelled to move back into their parents’ home. More adults have become part of the sandwich generation, as members of the six million American households today that span three or even four generations.
Debunking Myths in Women’s Health Update
Earlier this year, the American Cancer Society came out with new guidelines concerning Pap smears, which screen for cervical cancer. Conventional wisdom had long held that women should receive annual Pap smears, but in March, doctors announced the new guidelines suggesting that women receive a Pap smear once every three years.
Israel Prepares Africa For Mass Circumcision
A delegation of Israeli mohels (ritual circumcisors) returned from a two week trip to Africa last week, where they prepared a UN medical team for a mass African circumcision.
Important Conversations about Health Care
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.
Outing a Silent Killer: Screening and Beating Lung Cancer
Did you know that lung cancer kills more people each year than colon, prostate, and breast cancer combined? In 2012, this number represented over 160,000 men and women who died from lung cancer, over 25% of all cancer deaths in the United States. Yet this is a treatable disease.
Pomegranates Saving Lives
An interview with Professor Michael Aviram from Rambam Hospital and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology in Israel.
Success is within Reach
With the right approach, children with dyslexia can soar.
Israeli Team Discovers Stem Cell “Bodyguards”
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.