From the NYT: “Meditation has long been used to induce calm and physical relaxation. But research on its potential uses for treating medical problems “is still in its very early stages,” and designing trials can be challenging, said Richard J. Davidson, a neuroscientist who founded the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “So it’s not surprising the scientific literature is filled with mixed findings at this point in time.”

“Some studies have suggested meditation may help reduce blood pressure in young adults at risk of hypertension, ease anxiety and bolster quality of life in cancer patients, and reduce the incidence, severity and duration of acute respiratory illnesses like flu. A 2010 review of the research reported that meditation and other mind-body therapies may help relieve some common menopausal symptoms like hot flashes.

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Some folks have asked if there was a video of today’s end-of-live choices discussion. A video wasn’t done but this is a presentation done recently at Town Hall.

Talk at Seattle’s Town Hall about planning for the end of our lives. How do we have the conversations; talk to our loved ones and medical providers: understand our choices; make our wishes known; and understand all the options?

Click here for the handout which references web sites, books, etc.

At the end-of-life choices discussion this afternoon, the subject of VSED was raised. Stopping eating and drinking as a means of exiting this world is probably as old as mankind itself and may occur much more often in nursing homes that we know. The above video by Phyllis Schacter is very descriptive of VSED and the impact on a couple.

Several folks wanted to know more about the VSED conference being held in October at nearby Seattle University School of Law. Click here for more information:

“OCTOBER 14-15, 2016 | 12.5 CLE CREDITS, PENDING; 12.5 CME CREDITS APPROVED; 12.5 SOCIAL WORK CEU CREDITS APPROVED; NURSING CREDITS APPLIED FOR

“Voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED) is one way to assuredly hasten death. Although generally regarded as legal, VSED has not gained nearly as much public or scholarly attention as aid-in-dying, though the latter is legal in only five states. This interdisciplinary conference will address ethical, legal, clinical, religious, personal, family, and institutional issues that arise with VSED, including contexts of hospice and dementia care. Many presentations will be published in the Seattle Journal of Social Justice, a publication of Seattle University School of Law.”

Pneumonia is defined as an inflammation of lung tissue which is most commonly caused by an infectious agent. Not at all uncommon, it’s often just a nuisance. Take a Z-pack and all’s well when we have so-called walking pneumonia. We get our flu shots and pneumonia shots to try to prevent this kind of thing.

But, it’s not at all surprising that an overworked over-traveled and over stressed Presidential candidate might get pneumonia. A few days of rest, supplemental fluids, and an antibiotic may be all she needs. Sure hope so.

Pneumonia in the debilitated elderly or immuno-suppressed person can be a much more serious situation. So, knowing the health status of both our “elderly” candidates is important. Let’s hope that we learn more, and that this current pneumonia turns out to be a minor blip in this presidential campaign.

by David Arterburn, MD, MPH, senior investigator at Group Health Research Institute and affiliate professor in the University of Washington School of Medicine

“In a large study of Veterans Affairs (VA) patients around the country, we found that those who had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery lost much more weight than did matched patients who had no bariatric surgery. And the vast majority of patients sustained most of this weight loss in the long term—up to a decade. We published our findings, “Bariatric Surgery and Long-Term Durability of Weight Loss,” in JAMA Surgery today.”

From Dick Dion and the Puget Sound Business Journal: “Washington state hospitals and care facilities are known for providing some of the best care in the nation — when it comes to treating patients. But a new report actually ranks the state’s health care environment among the worst in the nation.

“Finance website WalletHub released an analysis of states with the best and the worst health care on Tuesday and Washington came in at No. 37 overall — thanks in part to the high cost of care and accessibility to that care.

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“WalletHub released an analysis of states with the best and the worst health care and… more

“In order to determine the states that offer the most cost-effective and highest-quality care, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 29 metrics. Bringing down Washington’s ranking was the cost of health care – Washington ranked No. 48. For access to health care, the state ranked No. 38.

“WalletHub did rank Washington high for outcomes, which includes things like infant mortality rates and patient readmittance rates. The state ranked No. 10.”