Body and Soul
With the ingenuity and complexity of our human bodies and brains, it would be foolish to think they were not intertwined. So it is interesting to see that scientists are now starting to link the two.Of course not always, but at least they don’t exclude the possibility outright.
Attached here below is a link to an article in The Scotsman from a couple of weeks ago, reporting on a study from the US that evidence a link between diabetes and ADHD.
A double dose of disadvantage can dramatically multiply a child’s risk of getting ADHD. The disadvantages, in this case, the mother developing gestational diabetes and then on top of that having a low socio-economic status. The study from Queens College and Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, showed that gestational diabetes and a disadvantaged living situation were separately associated with ADHD. Put the two together and the risk increases by 14 times.
‘Since ADHD is a disorder with high heritability, says Dr Nomura in charge of the study, efforts to prevent exposure to environmental risks through patient education may help to reduce the non-genetic modifiable risk for ADHD and other developmental problems.’
To follow Dr Nomura’s recommendations of patient education and responsibility, I will also attach an article, published in Treatment Strategies at Cambridge Research Centre, on the importance of patient collaboration and empowerment in the treatment of Diabetes. The article is written by Marianne Lundberg, a diabetes specialist nurse at Skåne University Hospital in Malmö.
Marianne who has 14 years of clinical experience with Diabetes patients, says:
‘Healthcare providers often ask how they can motivate patients to learn. However, the patient must play an active role in the teaching process and the process should be a collaboration to be successful. The implementation of an empowerment based approach takes time and requires support and clinical practice for the healthcare providers.’
Marianne and I have had many conversations during the years regarding our respective fields of expertise. How interesting that I can now join the dots between our professional worlds here in my blog.
Here is the article in The Scotsman:
And here is Marianne’s article on patient collaboration and empowerment:
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/3f0790a9#/3f0790a9/88.
This article has been used with permission of Treatment Strategies – Diabetes, Patient Cooperation and Empowerment, Marianne Lundberg, 2011, Vol.3 Iss 2. For further information please visit www.treatmentstrategies.co.uk
