Medical Management

A support group is a gathering of people who share a common health concern or interest. A support group usually focuses on a specific situation or condition, such as breast cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and addiction.

Support groups may be formed by a lay person with the condition or by someone interested in it, such as a family member. In some cases, support groups may be formed by nonprofit organizations, advocacy organizations, mental health clinics or other organizations.

Resource:

• MayoClinic.org
• Find Support Groups
• List of disability rights organizations

Stress management comprises a wide range of approaches to help you better deal with stress and adversity. Stress management might include problem-solving, prioritization and time management. Another approach includes enhancing skills to withstand adverse situations by improving emotional flexibility, finding greater meaning in life, increasing the sense of control and cultivating optimism. A third approach is to practice relaxing techniques, such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, tai chi, exercise and prayer. Improving personal relationships is an important component of stress management.

Resource: MayoClinic.org

Treatments and drugs

A medication or medicine is a drug taken to cure and/or ameliorate any symptoms of an illness or medical condition, or may be used as preventive medicine that has future benefits but does not treat any existing or pre-existing diseases or symptoms.

Medical intervention: The act of intervening, interfering or interceding with the intent of modifying the outcome. In medicine, an intervention is usually undertaken to help treat or cure a condition.

Resources:

• Managing Your Medications
• Understanding Health Coverage
• Organizing Your Health Records
• Working with Care Providers
• Accessing Preventive Care

Spina Bifida Fact Sheet

Nutrition is the intake of food, considered in relation to the body’s dietary needs. Good nutrition – an adequate, well balanced diet combined with regular physical activity – is a cornerstone of good health. Poor nutrition can lead to reduced immunity, increased susceptibility to disease, impaired physical and mental development, and reduced productivity.

An unhealthy diet is one of the major risk factors for a range of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and other conditions linked to obesity. Specific recommendations for a healthy diet include: eating more fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and grains; cutting down on salt, sugar and fats. It is also advisable to choose unsaturated fats, instead of saturated fats and towards the elimination of trans-fatty acids.

Resources:

• WHO

Exercise is a subcategory of physical activity that is planned, structured, repetitive, and aims to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness.

Resources:

• Chair Exercises and Limited Mobility Fitness
• How To: Exercises from Your Wheelchair
• 10 Adaptive Disability Fitness Equipment Recommendations
• NCHPAD
  • Exercise and Fitness
• 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans_ Chapter 7: Additional Considerations for Some Adults
• How to Start Walking

Rest means an instance or period of relaxing or ceasing to engage in strenuous or stressful activity.

Resource: How to Rest Intentionally

Cerebral palsy (CP) is considered a neurological disorder caused by a non-progressive brain injury or malformation that occurs while the child’s brain is under development. Cerebral palsy affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance. It can also impact fine motor skills, gross motor skills and oral motor functioning.

Resources: United Cerebral Palsy

                   MyChild™

Joint replacement surgery is removing a damaged joint and putting in a new one. A joint is where two or more bones come together, like the knee, hip, and shoulder. The surgery is usually done by a doctor called an orthopaedic surgeon. Sometimes, the surgeon will not remove the whole joint, but will only replace or fix the damaged parts.

Resources:

• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a condition that affects polio survivors years after recovery from an initial acute attack of the poliomyelitis virus.  Most often, polio survivors start to experience gradual new weakening in muscles that were previously affected by the polio infection.  The most common symptoms include slowly progressive muscle weakness, fatigue (both generalized and muscular), and a gradual decrease in the size of muscles (muscle atrophy).  Pain from joint degeneration and increasing skeletal deformities such as scoliosis (curvature of the spine) is common and may precede the weakness and muscle atrophy.  Some individuals experience only minor symptoms while others develop visible muscle weakness and atrophy.

Resource: Post-Polio Syndrome Fact Sheet from National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative brain disorder that progresses slowly in most people. Most people's symptoms take years to develop, and they live for years with the disease.

Resources:

• National Parkinson Foundation
• NINDS Parkinson's Disease Information Page at National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke