Medical advances affect people, and also their pets.

Advances in medicine have benefited not only people, but also their four legged friends. In this Orlando Magazine article; hints of better pet care to come. 

"EVERY OTHER THURSDAY, 5-YEAR-OLD BARKLEY plunges into a heated swimming pool for hydrotherapy, a water-based massage that soothes his aching limbs, rebuilds muscle tissue and helps compensate for his missing leg.

 

The golden-haired Labrador lost a hind leg to cancer last August. Ever since, his owner, Susan Kaminski, has made the hour-plus drive from The Villages to the University of Florida’s small-animal hospital in Gainesville so Barkley can undergo rehabilitative treatment.

 

“Does he like it?” she asks, surprised at the question. “He’s a Lab.  He’s in the pool immediately. He cries as we get nearer the hospital. It’s hard to get his life vest on, he’s so excited.”

 

Each session lasts 20 minutes and costs about $200 for 5 weeks, according to Kaminski. Her pet insurance bears most of the expense, she says, because Barkley is a trained service dog who helps keep tabs on her sugar levels because of Kaminski’s diabetes. But it’s obvious he’s far more than that. “He’s not only my service dog; he’s my love,” she says simply. 

 

Barkley’s post-operative care to alleviate pain and keep him active represents just one medical advance now available to dogs, cats and other small animals. Many treatment options for pets today mirror those of their human companions, from hydrotherapy, acupuncture and cold-laser therapy, to hip replacements, sophisticated cancer treatments and new vaccines. University of Florida veterinarians from the College of Veterinary Medicine, who often treat the sickest and most severely injured animals, concede  that price at times can be prohibitive. But, as one says, “we can always do something to allay a pet’s suffering” at a reasonable cost. The following is a partial list of what they view as important breakthroughs in care:"

 

Read more here: http://www.orlandomagazine.com/Orlando-Magazine/September-2012/Pets-2012-Sit-Stay-Heal/

FOX NEWS: Acupuncture may help some people with COPD (chronic lung disease).

From FOX NEWS: 

Three months of acupuncture improved breathing problems in people with chronic lung disease, in a new study from Japan.

According to one researcher, the benefits seen with the alternative treatment were on par with, or better than, what's been shown for conventional drugs and exercises used to treat the disease. But the study was small, he added, and more research will be needed to convince doctors and policymakers of acupuncture's usefulness.

"We don't know if this is going to extend life, but the study suggests it improves quality of life," said Dr. George Lewith, from the University of Southampton in England.

"If I had enough money and I was the patient, I would give acupuncture a try."

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is irreversible impairment of lung function, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, often caused by smoking. One large national health survey suggested 24 million Americans have the condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Shortness of breath is one of the main symptoms of COPD. Typical treatment includes steroids and bronchodilators, as well as breathing exercises.

Because of that, it's not totally surprising that an alternative therapy known to promote relaxation would help patients with breathing problems, according to Lewith.

"What acupuncture does is it seems to relax all the muscles around the chest wall," said Lewith, who wrote a commentary published with the new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"It's absolutely consistent with what we're trying to do conventionally, which is help with their breathing exercises and their relaxation techniques."

Click to read more ...

Video: Alternative Therapies Could Help Young Cope With Cancer Treatment

To help young cancer patients deal with the painful and grueling side effects of treatment, some hospitals are offering alternative therapies as a way to cope.

"Hospitals have long known that what they do to treat and heal involves more than just medications and procedures," Nancy Foster, vice president for quality and patient safety at the American Hospital Association, told the LA Times. "It is about using all of the art and science of medicine to restore the patient as fully as possible."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/20/alternative-therapies-cancer-treatment_n_969754.html?ref=healthy-living-health-news

New Trend: Online Doctor Treatments via Phone and Web

With new technology, including Skype and Video Chat / Conferencing, getting professional therapy and help has gone from something that had to be meticulously scheduled along with often travelling long distances to see a specialist, to something that you can acheive in the comfort of your own home. 

From the New York Times: 

Since telepsychiatry was introduced decades ago, video conferencing has been an increasingly accepted way to reach patients in hospitals, prisons, veterans' health care facilities and rural clinics - all supervised sites.

But today Skype, and encrypted digital software through third-party sites like CaliforniaLiveVisit.com, have made online private practice accessible for a broader swath of patients, including those who shun office treatment or who simply like the convenience of therapy on the fly.

"In three years, this will take off like a rocket," said Eric A. Harris, a lawyer and psychologist who consults with the American Psychological Association Insurance Trust. "Everyone will have real-time audiovisual availability. There will be a group of true believers who will think that being in a room with a client is special and you can't replicate that by remote involvement. But a lot of people, especially younger clinicians, will feel there is no basis for thinking this. Still, appropriate professional standards will have to be followed."

The pragmatic benefits are obvious. "No parking necessary!" touts one online therapist. Some therapists charge less for sessions since they, too, can do it from home, saving on gas and office rent. Blizzards, broken legs and business trips no longer cancel appointments. The anxiety of shrink-less August could be, dare one say ... curable?

Ms. Weinblatt came to the approach through geographical necessity. When her therapist moved, she was apprehensive about transferring to the other psychologist in her small town, who would certainly know her prominent ex-boyfriend. So her therapist referred her to another doctor, whose practice was a day's drive away. But he was willing to use Skype with long-distance patients. She was game.

Now she prefers these sessions to the old-fashioned kind.

 Read the Original Story Here: http://mobile.nytimes.com/article;jsessionid=482B91B57CA7FE8619892CD3E87F24AB.w5?a=845424&f=35&p=1