Carol Miller, whose work focuses on language development, is a professor of communication sciences and disorders at Penn State. She is a member of the AI Institute for Exceptional Education's subgroup on learning science for children with disabilities.
Rose Hill, MLIS, CPC, SUDP-T, is a Certified Peer Counselor with a focus in trauma and crisis counseling. She is in her final year of a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduate program. She has extensive professional and lived experience with a wide range of therapy modalities with specialized training in relational therapy, somatic therapy, existential therapy, psychotherapy, CBT, DBT, EMDR, and crisis intervention. She is currently an OUD specialist at Crisis Connections in Seattle, WA
Charee M. Thompson is a Professor of Health Communication at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She teaches and researches health communication within families and between medical providers and persons living with chronic illness. She focuses on health issues that are associated with uncertainty, stigma, and contestation--namely pain, mental illness, and, recently, long COVID. She also creates communication skills trainings for social network members and healthcare professionals, with the goal of equipping individuals to be more empathic and supportive providers of care to people navigating health issues.
Dr. Henry Germain-McCarthy is Professor Emeritus at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (New Orleans). His research about and advocacy for disability rights is long-standing. He works to promote the legacies and leadership of disability activism movements and improve public awareness, professional education, and social policy regarding quality of life for all people. His work has brought him to more than 40 cities in the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, and the U.S. His most recent publication is titled “Self-Advocacy and Ally-Advocacy for Disability Justice: Organisational, Psychosocial, and Political Resources.”
The Whole Grains Council has chosen corn, including popcorn, as the grain of the month for October.
A corn plant doesn’t look much like grass, but that is the plant family it belongs to. Corn has been domesticated for over 9000 years and has changed drastically from its original shape and size. Native to the Americas, it originally produced no cobs nor did it form ears. Indigenous peoples selectively bred the plant to increase the amount of starch produced in the seeds. The corn plant we are familiar with has separated male parts (the tassels) and female parts (the ears).
For more on the complex origin of the domesticated corn plant, see Chapter 1.1 “Corn, Strange and Marvelous: But Is a Definitive Origin Known?”.
North American tribes planted the Three Sisters—corn, beans and squash—together as companion plants. Together these three crops provided all nine amino acids, creating a full protein meal.
Corn has a history of world travel. It is thought that Christopher Columbus introduced corn to Europe, although it did not thrive because it wasn’t understood how to grow it. Native Americans showed corn cultivation techniques to the European colonists. It then became a major crop in Europe by the 17th century. The Portuguese introduced it to East Africa and Asia, including India and China.
In the UK and most of the English-speaking world, the plant called corn in the US is known as maize. The British use the term “corn” to mean various other grains, including wheat, barley and oats.
Corn is one of the most common grain crops worldwide. It supports about a fifth of human nutrition. Corn is grown for many purposes besides human consumption. In the US, about a third is used for animal feed and another third to create biofuel. In addition to corn on the cob, humans use this grain as a sweetener (corn syrup), and in making cosmetics, fabric, glue, ink, laundry starch and medicines, among other products.
There are many varieties of corn. Fresh corn, on the cob or off, is usually thought of as a vegetable rather than a grain. It is often called sweet corn because of its high sugar content.
Field corn has a higher starch content. When dried, field corn kernels become indented, so it is also called dent corn. Most field corn is used for animal feed, or to produce ethanol or sweeteners. Some is also turned into cornmeal or grits.
Flint corn, with its tough outer layer, holds on to its internal moisture when dried. As the kernels are heated, the water inside turns to steam, and the kernels explode from the pressure. This is the type of corn called popcorn!
However you choose to eat corn, it’s a nutritious whole grain, therefore a good source of fiber. It also has greater than 10% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and thiamine. Corn is rich in Vitamin A, antioxidants and carotenoids. And it’s a gluten-free grain. So eat some corn today and enjoy the taste of a healthy whole grain food.
Biji Kuu (his avatar name) is a fifty year health industry executive on the business and administrative side. He has been volunteering with global programs, often with veteran or special needs population for twenty years. He has an MBA and executive education at Wharton, University of Chicago Booth School and Kellogg School, and is a military veteran. Biji is presently spending time in various civic pursuits and global engagement and betterment programs.
Dr. Kimberly Lopez (she/her) works as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. She is interested in critically examining social structures and processes that reinforce difference and marginalisation. As a community-engaged qualitative researcher, she is interested in aging and long-term care (LTC), care labour, and well-being. In particular, Kim values working collaboratively and creatively to amplify BIPOC and other Othered identities (gender, ability, class, ability, and age) in the context of caring labour and leisure – practices inextricably linked to the social through labelled bodies. To learn about practices of labour engaged in LTC caring work and hear about the different ways identity is embodied, Kim looks to influencers of anti-racist feminisms, anti-colonial/restorative practices, and post-identity literature/art.
Ronnie Kraegel is the Executive Director of the Brain Energy Support Team (BEST). BEST provides peer support, education, and skill development for persons with brain injuries and their families to help them live healthy lives and build on their strengths. On Second Life as Namaara MacMoragh, Kraegel is the Chief Grounds Keeper at Etopia Sustainable Communities, Etopia Island, where supportive and engaging activities are provided for neurodivergent individuals.
Cicero Kit (her avatar name) is a woman with disabilities who has personal experience with complex trauma. She is a communication scholar who has taught numerous college level courses on the topic, worked as a journalist, as well as having worked in the non-profit sector.
The purpose of World Osteoporosis Day is to raise awareness of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of metabolic bone disease including osteoporosis. The hard structure of bones is made up of calcium and other minerals.
Osteoporosis is a disease in which the bones become weak and fragile, increasing the risk of bone fracture. Bone is a living tissue; the osteoblast cells continuously replace bone that wears away or is broken down by osteoclast cells when it gets old. But if the bone cells don’t make enough bone, or can’t keep up with loss of bone, the bone structure becomes less dense. About half of women and a quarter of men above age 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis may be due to a wide range of other medical conditions, including:
Some medications, especially steroids, can also cause osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is often diagnosed by a bone density test. This noninvasive exam measures the mineral content of bones. It is recommended that women over age 65 and men over age 70, as well as anyone over age 50 who has recently broken a bone should have a bone density test.
Here are some steps you can take to prevent osteoporosis:
What’s your osteoporosis risk? Check here: https://osteoporosis.ca/risk/
Did you know that for many adults with musculoskeletal conditions, these health problems began in childhood? Children comprise one in ten persons with disabling musculoskeletal health conditions.
These facts are some of the educational points raised by World Pediatric Bone & Joint Day, sometimes called PB&J Day. The purpose of this special day is to raise awareness of the importance of musculoskeletal health in children and adolescents by educating parents and healthcare professionals about appropriate preventive measures and promoting early detection and treatment of childhood bone and joint problems. Healthy habits for youngsters include regular safe physical activity, appropriate calcium and vitamin D consumption, and maintaining a healthy weight.
Children’s and adolescents’ bones differ from the bones of adults because they are still growing. This is especially apparent in the long bones of the arms and legs. The ends of growing bones include growth plates or epiphyseal plates, which are structurally weaker than bone. These cartilaginous areas add length and width to the bones until about the mid-teen years, when the growth plates harden into solid bone.
If the growth plate on a child’s bone is injured, the bone may grow abnormally, perhaps shorter or longer than normal, or even crooked. Growth plate injuries can be fractures caused
by trauma or overuse injuries. Trauma fractures from childhood activities are most often seen in the fingers, forearm or lower leg. Overuse injuries leading to irritation and inflammation are more common in children who participate
in sports, such as Little League elbow in young pitchers.
Fractures can also occur in children’s hardened bones because they often fall during play, sports or recreational activities. The most common childhood fracture is of the wrist (distal radius fracture) because children often fall onto an outstretched hand. This is when one of the two lower arm bones (radius or ulna) break close to the wrist joint.
Bone and joint problems in children may also be developmental. Developmental hip dysplasia occurs in infants and young children when the hip joint fails to develop normally. Ranging from subluxation to complete dislocation, infant hip dysplasia may be treated with a harness or brace to keep the hip joint in place or surgery to reposition the ball of the femur and stabilize the hip joint.
Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine, usually diagnosed in late childhood or early teens. Although often mild and causing no health issues, if the curvature progresses and is severe, it can cause pain and impair breathing. Youths with severe scoliosis may need to wear a brace or have surgery.
Although arthritis is thought of as an adult condition, it can affect children as well. Juvenile arthritis or pediatric rheumatic disease is an autoimmune disease which can cause joint inflammation, pain, swelling and tenderness, or can attack the skin and internal organisms without causing joint symptoms.
Another musculoskeletal condition generally thought of as an adult problem is osteoporosis. The cause of juvenile osteoporosis is not always known, but it sometimes has a genetic origin or is due to a medical condition such as an eating disorder or hormonal imbalance. Symptoms include bone pain, easy fracturing, skeletal deformities or reduced height.
World Pediatric Bone & Joint Day highlights these potential musculoskeletal issues that children and adolescents may have. Advocacy, education and research are necessary to promote improved childhood health and reduce the burden of pediatric bone and joint problems.
World Spine Day is the largest annual public health initiative event to raise awareness about the global burden of spinal pain and disability. Spine problems often cause long-term health complications, decreased productivity and ability to work, and significant financial burdens.
The spine or backbone is not just bones. It is a complicated structure composed of bones, joints, ligaments and muscles. The spinal bones are hollow; they enclose the spinal cord, nerves that pass from the brain to all parts of the body. The human spine is divided into sections named after the portion of the body they pass through: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum, and coccygeal.
Lower back pain is experienced by almost everyone at least once. It is the single leading cause of disability worldwide. Very little lower back pain is caused by serious health conditions such as cancer, fracture, infection or inflammatory arthritis. Rehabilitation for lower back pain would benefit most of the individuals who suffer from it.
The motto of World Spine Day 2025 is “Invest in Your Spine.” Individuals, healthcare providers, communities and policymakers can invest in spine health by learning about this important skeletal component, adjusting lifestyles and encouraging positive workplace ergonomics.
Stopping smoking, using correct posture while sitting and standing, staying active, doing spine-specific exercises, and avoiding excess weight strain and long periods of inactivity will all increase spinal health.
Make spinal health a priority today. Invest in a healthier tomorrow.
Lots of us keep photos as mementos of special people or events in our lives. But photos that are improperly stored can curl, warp or stick together. This damage is irreversible.
How to avoid damage to photos? Proper storage.
Much of the damage to photographs comes from heat and/or moisture. This makes attics and basements particularly problematic places to store these sensitive items. Find a safe place such as in a closet or under a bed that is away from heat vents and space heaters.
Archival-safe boxes are great for storing snapshots. There are also special photo-storage sleeves that can delay the natural chemical degradation that causes yellowing of many older photographs.
And of course, digitizing is an excellent and relatively safe way to store your treasured pictorial memories.
Arthritis is not one single disease. It is a group of musculoskeletal conditions that damage joints. The word “arthritis” derives from two Greek words that mean “joint” “inflammation.” The most frequent symptoms of arthritis are pain, stiffness, swelling, and redness around a joint. Arthritis typically increases with age.
The two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage that covers the ends of bones where they form a joint and cushions movement breaks down. It is a degenerative disease, and is the fourth largest cause of disability world-wide.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an immune system disease. The body attacks the linings of its own joint capsules. Diseases such as lupus and psoriasis can cause arthritis in addition to affecting other organs and tissues. Septic arthritis is caused by an infection that impacts joints. Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis in which sharp uric acid crystals build up inside joints, especially the big toe.
Treatments for arthritis will depend on its cause. There is no cure for arthritis, so the goals of treatment are to reduce symptoms, especially pain, and thus to improve quality of life. Types of treatment include lifestyle changes (e.g., healthy weight, quitting smoking, staying active), physical therapy (e.g., specific exercises and stretching), and medications (e.g., corticosteroids, NSAIDs, and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs). Sometimes surgery is used to fuse or replace arthritic joints.
World Arthritis Day is held every October 12. The aims of World Arthritis Day are to:
• Raise public awareness of arthritis and other rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.
• Influence public policy makers to be aware of the health and economic burdens of arthritis and other joint diseases, and what can be done to ease this burden
• Offer support to persons with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases and their caregivers
• Promote research related to arthritis and other rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases
The theme of World Arthritis Day 2025 is “Power of Dreams.” This speaks to the hopes and vision of persons living with arthritis.
The Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health has declared this period of October to be Bone and Joint Week. It is sometimes known as Bone and Joint Health National Action Week. Musculoskeletal health is important, because over half of all US adults are affected by related health conditions.
This event is dedicated to raising awareness about the management and treatment of musculoskeletal health conditions like arthritis, back pain, osteoporosis and trauma, and to educating the public on ways to prevent them.
The musculoskeletal system has several types of tissues which work together to support, move and protect the body.
Bones are the rigid strictures that are the internal framework of the body. They store calcium and phosphorous. Joints are connection points between bones that allow for movement. Cartilage is the smooth, elastic tissue that cushions the joints and reduces friction between the bones.
Muscles are a special contractile type of tissue that applies force to the bones to enable movement. Contraction of muscles generates heat, which keeps the body warm.
Muscles are attached to bones by connective tissue bands called tendons. Bones are connected directly to other bones by ligaments.
The week includes several related awareness days. How can you celebrate Bone and Joint Week?
• Engage in healthy habits to promote bone and joint health. This includes a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, regular physical activity and exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight.
• Learn about bone health, and how to avoid bone and joint health problems. Common sources of bone and joint problems include diseases (e.g., arthritis, cancer, osteoporosis), overuse and trauma.
• Encourage family and friends to pay attention to their musculoskeletal health.
Everyone knows, and many of us fear, the impact of aging on brain functions. The brains of older people process information slower, leading to lapses in memory and difficulty multitasking. It becomes troublesome to find the right word when speaking or writing, and there may be problems with attention and focus.
The physical changes in the aging brain are less well-known, but may be the cause of the functional changes. The volume of the frontal and temporal lobes decreases with age, as does blood flow. The nerve cells that make up the brain begin to deteriorate. Neurotransmitter chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin also decrease. Overall, there is more inflammation and tissue damage in the brain as we get older.
There are diseases related to brain changing in older adults. These include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and various forms of dementia, including frontotemporal, vascular, and dementia with Lewy bodies.
Research comparing error correction between younger and older adults points out some interesting differences in their brains. When asked general information questions as in a trivia quiz, older adults were more likely to answer correctly. However, when given the correct answer to questions they got wrong, older adults were less likely to get that question correct on a retest.
Recent similar testing relating answers to the respondent’s confidence in their correctness showed a mental advantage of older adults. When offered the correct answer to questions they were less confident about and had gotten wrong, older adults were more likely than younger adults to later recall the corrected answers. The researchers attributed this result to older adults not wanting to make mistakes and focusing their attention more strongly on the corrected answers than did younger adults.
Apparently, it IS possible to teach older dogs new tricks, so to speak.
You can teleport to any of the displays and exhibits in Second Life using the SLURLs in this posting.
In Second Life, click on the poster with the same name as the title of the poster set, and you will get a notecard that contains all the text of the posters plus descriptions of the images. If you click each poster, you will get a private message with additional information and live links.
Check out the calming breathing exercise on the back wall!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/128/126/24
.jpg)
PFAS are manufactured chemicals that were created to repel heat, grease and water. This makes them nearly indestructible. They are used in a wide variety ofproducts, including waterproof and stain-repelling fabrics, soft contact lenses, cosmetics, paper drinking straws, and firefighting foams.
Unfortunately, PFAS’s characteristics allow them to build up in the environment and in the human body. You acquire PFAS by living near areas where the air, soil or drinking water is contaminated. They can enter through your skin or tear ducts or you may breathe them in. PFAS also get into your body when you eat foods grown or raised near places that made or used these chemicals, or by using the many common products that contain them. They also pass from expectant mothers to their unborn babies.
Inside living things, PFAS increase the risk of some types of cancer and cause other health problems. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says PFAS have numerous health impacts, which include decreasing fertility, increasing cholesterol, reducing the effectiveness of the immune system, causing childhood developmental delays, and disrupting hormones.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been testing public drinking water from systems with at least 3,300 customers for the past three years to measure amounts of PFAS and other forever chemicals. The EPA has established limits to how much of these chemicals is allowed in drinking water.
You can see results from tests throughout the country in a detailed map here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/08/14/pfas-epa-forever-chemicals-drinking-water-pollution/85639307007/
When a drinking water system exceeds the EPA limits, they have until 2029 to either install an effective filtering system or find a non-contaminated source for their water supply. (However, the EPA may extend this deadline, as well as increasing the allowed amounts of certain chemicals.)
Can you avoid PFAS in your drinking water in contaminated areas? Yes, home water treatment systems including activated carbon filters and reverse osmosis systems can remove PFAS along with other contaminants. Be sure the filter you purchase is certified by an independent testing organization such as the NationalSanitation Foundation (NSF) or the Water Quality Association (WQA) as able to reduce PFAS.
Not all bottled water is free of PFAS. The International Bottled Water Association has established a safe limit for PFAS in their members’ products. Check that the brand you purchase is certified.
Staying hydrated is important for your overall health. So is avoiding PFAS. Check the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Tap Water Database to see water quality results for your area in your state. Drink adequate water, but be sure it is free of health-impairing chemicals.
The Whole Grains Council honors rice and wild rice (two different crops) as grains of the month for September.
There are wild varieties of the various types of rice. Domesticated rice is a grass plant, either of Asian or African descent. The Asian grain was first domesticated in China over 9,000 years ago. The African grain was more recently domesticated.
The rice plant produces many grains on each stem. It is often grown in irrigated environments, such as rice paddies in Asia, although it can’t survive continuous submergence. It can also be grown in areas with adequate rainfall.
Rice has always been a labor-intensive crop. Many of us in the western world can picture Chinese persons in conical hats bent over while standing in water as they transplant individual seedlings in paddies or manually harvest and thresh the grains. Now, rice farming has become mechanized.
Rice comes in a variety of colors. White is the most common on the market now. However, white rice is not a whole grain. White rice has been milled, leaving only the endosperm. Most people are also familiar with brown rice. Brown rice is a whole grain, because it still has its bran and germ, with only the husk or chaff removed.
The size of the rice grains also varies. Short-grain rice, often used for sushi or puddings, is sticky when cooked. Cooked long-grain rice is fluffy, not sticky, and may be aromatic like Jasmine and Basmati types.
What is sold as wild rice is not actually rice at all. It is another type of grass plant that grows in shallow water mainly in North America and Asia. In North America, it was traditionally harvested by NativeAmericans who thresh the grains directly into canoes. Compared to white rice, wild rice is higher in protein and is a good source of several minerals and B vitamins.
September is Whole Grains Month. For
more information on how whole grain foods affect your health, stop by Healthinfo
Island this month and check out the poster set at
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/114/79/24
