Biomedical subjects
R N Butler
Publications and source records attributed to R N Butler.
Type 2 diabetes: treatment goals and pharmaceutical therapies. 2.
The most important treatments for type 2 diabetes remain weight reduction and physical activity, but an increasing armamentarium of drug therapies has much improved our ability to control blood glucose levels. Each of the known metabolic defects in type 2 diabetes can now be treated by different classes of drugs. Although the side effects of these drug therapies are relatively mild and infrequent, physicians need to be on guard for possible problems. Primary care physicians can manage most patients with type 2 diabetes. Specialists in endocrinology, ophthalmology, and podiatry are valuable resources.
Tell your patients to take a walk.
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Type 2 diabetes: patient education and home blood glucose monitoring. 3.
Successful treatment of type 2 diabetes requires the interaction of the patient, his or her family, and a variety of healthcare professionals. Education is the most powerful tool doctors have to convince patients, especially those who are asymptomatic, of the serious complications that can result from uncontrolled diabetes. Home blood glucose monitoring is a key to the doctor-patient partnership. Physicians may have to consider a patient's cultural and dietary customs in developing a manageable program of weight loss, diet, and physical activity, the most effective forms of treatment. Referrals should be made to local diabetes organizations with patient support programs, when available. Patient empowerment and education are key to effective management.
John Glenn: Star Trek II.
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The plight of home health aides.
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Physical fitness: how to help older patients live stronger and longer. (1).
Most older Americans are not physically fit and do not exercise regularly. This is especially true of older women, who are weaker than men and become disabled and dependent in the later years at a much greater rate. Exercise can increase the body's metabolism and make it more efficient in burning calories. Physical fitness also makes respiration more efficient. Evidence suggests strongly that the physically fit live 2 to 3 years longer and have a better quality of life than sedentary individuals. Any time is the best time for a person of any age to start exercising. Exercise is movement--dancing, walking, lifting a weight, using the body. Older individuals tend to be willing to exercise if they are given appropriate recommendations and follow-up.
Physical fitness: benefits of exercise for the older patient. 2.
Exercise provides important benefits for older adults in the areas of cardiovascular function, strength and muscle mass, postural stability, and psychological function. These benefits can be achieved by those who are healthy, as well as by the frail and very old. Physicians can use a simple screening test to identify patients at risk for loss of mobility and function due to muscle weakness. Exercise helps prevent hip fractures from falls by increasing bone density, coordination, balance, and muscle strength. It is also an important treatment for patients with arthritis, Parkinson's disease, stroke, and other chronic diseases of aging. Patients who exercise show improvements in depressive symptoms and sleep disorders.
Physical fitness: exercise prescription for older adults. 3.
Patients age 50 and older who are seen by primary care doctors are in various stages of wellness, ranging from healthy to frail. Because of this diversity, exercise prescription needs to be individualized, based on many of the same principles as drug prescription. Fitness programs typically include exercises to improve posture, aerobics, flexibility, strength, and balance. Exercising for 5 minutes a day is a good starting point, with sessions increasing gradually to 20 to 30 minutes. Trunk strengthening exercise can help patients stand from soft, low chairs. Ankle exercises can reduce the risk of falls and hip fractures. Weight training is safe and effective exercise for older patients.
An intervention to delay nursing home placement.
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Economic and political implications of immunology and aging on tomorrow's society.
The historic development of immunology is associated with Eli Metchnikoff who introduced the term 'gerontology' in 1906. Metchnikoff also understood the impact of population aging on society as revealed in two remarkable books. The immune system is relevant to aging in so many ways immunesenescence, the potential role of immunological changes in the dementias, the interrelationship of immune resistance and bereavement, retirement and other life changes and transplantation biology and pathology. These are only a few examples of the interrelationships of immunology and aging. The economic and political implications of immunology and aging are rarely discussed. If we are not able to cure the disorders of longevity, we need to delay their onset and progression. Such an effort is enhanced by modern biology including recombinant DNA and Hybridoma technology. Many in society fear the growing numbers of older persons-can we afford old age? Will population aging lead to stagnation of society and will there be intergenerational conflicts? These gloomy notions are not entirely offset by enthusiasm for an extended high quality longevity. This presentation will discuss these various issues and offer positive solutions.
Privacy in the electronic age.
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