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NEW YORK (Feb. 18, 2010) – Columbia University Medical Center researchers studying the link between emotions and heart disease believe that their recent study, published in the latest issue of the European Society of Cardiology’s European Heart Journal, is the first to show a relationship between positive emotions and coronary heart disease.

In other words, being happy may be good for your heart, says Karina Davidson, Ph.D., the Herbert Irving Associate Professor of Medicine & Psychiatry and director of the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health, who led the research. Although it was observational research in a trial population that had suffered cardiac events, the study suggests that it might be possible to help prevent heart disease by enhancing people’s positive emotions.

Over a period of 10 years, Dr. Davidson and her colleagues followed 1,739 healthy adults (862 men and 877 women) who participated in the 1995 Nova Scotia Health Survey. At the start of the observational study, trained nurses assessed the participants’ risk of heart disease and the degree of expression of positive emotions, which is known as “positive affect.”

Positive affect is defined as the experience of pleasurable emotions such as joy, happiness, excitement, enthusiasm and contentment. These feelings are usually stable and trait-like, particularly in adulthood. After taking into account age, sex, other cardiovascular risk factors and negative emotions, the researchers found that, over the 10-year period, increased positive affect was associated with less risk of heart disease by 22 percent per point, on a five-point scale measuring levels of positive affect expression (ranging from “none” to “extreme”).

“We also found that if someone, who was usually positive, had some depressive symptoms at the time of the survey, this did not affect their overall lower risk of heart disease,” Dr. Davidson said. “As far as we know, this is the first prospective study to examine the relationship between clinically-assessed positive affect and heart disease.”

The researchers speculate about the possible mechanisms by which positive emotions might help confer long-term protection from heart disease. These include influence on heart-rate variability, sleeping patterns and smoking cessation.

“We have several possible explanations,” said Dr. Davidson. “First, those with positive affect may have longer periods of rest or relaxation physiologically. Second, those with positive affect may recover more quickly from stressors and may not spend as much time ‘re-living’ them, which in turn seems to cause physiological damage.”

“If trials support our findings, then these results will be incredibly important in describing specifically what clinicians and patients could do to improve health,” Dr. Davidson said. “However, it would be premature to make clinical recommendations without clinical trials to investigate the findings further.”
An observational study draws inferences about the possible effect of a treatment on subjects, where the assignment of subjects into a treated group (in this case, the group measured in the Nova Scotia Health Survey) versus a control group is outside the control of the investigator. However, randomized controlled trials of interventions to increase positive affect in patients with cardiovascular disease are now under way and should help determine the effectiveness of increasing positive affect on cardiovascular outcome.

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Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in 1767, Columbia’s College of Physicians & Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree and is now among the most selective medical schools in the country. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the largest in the United States. For more information, please visit www.cumc.columbia.edu.

One of the best places to start is with the formal and informal performance feedback you get on-the-job. It’s a great source of information to help guide your training decisions and provide a roadmap for your personalized training and development plan.

Nursing assistants typically get regular formal performance feedback in the form of:

• Employee Performance Appraisals – these usually address general skills such as communication, organization, working with others, etc.
• Peer Reviews – whether you have a formal or informal peer review process, performance feedback from peers can be powerful because it comes from those who work closest with you, sometimes even with the same patients. Ideally your organization’s work culture promotes and encourages constructive feedback among peers.
• Competency Assessments – this is usually a formal process where selected clinical skills are evaluated. In the U.S., facilities must do these assessments to maintain regulatory (such as Joint Commission) accreditation. Competency assessments can be an ideal way to identify clinical skill strengths and areas for development.

Each of these feedback mechanisms can give you insight into your performance strengths and areas needing further development, but taken in isolation they can sometimes be misleading. Combining them gives you a much better, overall view of your performance and helps you more effectively identify training needs. For example, your supervisor might have given you several compliments about how well you communicate with patients. On its own this feedback might lead you to believe you are a good communicator. However, peer feedback might indicate your communication skills when exchanging clinical patient data at the end of a shift are lacking. This could indicate that while your general communication skills might be strong, your technical communication skills may need development. Failing to address this skill gap could impact your opportunities for career advancement. Viewing all your feedback sources together helps you get a better picture of performance so you can identify and address your specific development needs.

Once you have a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, selecting the right training courses is easy. You can now make fact based decisions and get the highest value from your training. Your organization may have a learning management system that helps you identify specific learning and development activities available to you. The ideal system is integrated with your performance management system/process, so you can identify appropriate learning activities based on clinical competencies, skills, performance and interests.

It is only by considering all of your feedback together that get you a balanced view of your performance, which is powerful information for making smart, targeted training decisions.

Halogen Software is the industry leading provider for online nursing competency assessments, development plans and performance management. To learn more about our performance management solutions for nurses, visit our website: http://www.halogensoftware.com.

Create a new group today! After logging in to your account, click on “My Account” then “Groups.” Click on “Create a Group.”    Follow the on screen prompts and upload a picture to represent your group.

Invite your friends to participate in discussions and start sharing!

Greenville, NC (PRWEB) July 14, 2008 — Ethnic Health & Health Disparities 101: Breakin’ Down the Issues is an International Podcast Show dedicated to debate many of the current and newsbreaking health and medical issues affecting ethnic and health disparity populations around the world. Hosted by Medical Anthropologist Dr. Eric J. Bailey, the Ethnic Health & Health Disparities 101 podcasts are thought-provoking shows that investigates, explains, and challenges the latest articles, programs and initiatives targeted for ethnic and health disparity communities. Because most of the mainstream media outlets overlook or neglect these issues, Ethnic Health & Health Disparities 101: Breakin’ Down the Issues Podcast Shows will discuss these issues in great detail and actually break them down so that anyone can know what these major reports on ethnic health and health disparities are all about.

Host Dr. Eric J. Bailey will use his medical anthropological and public health expertise to re-examine many of the ethnic health & health disparity issues from a biopsychosociocultural perspective — in otherwods — a holistic perspective. By doing this, the audience will better understand and appreciate the real cultural facts behind these ethnic health and health disparity reports and initiatives.

Current shows available for download include:

1. Disparities in Physician Care: Experiences and Perceptions of a Multi-Ethnic America
2. Childhood Obesity on the Decline in the United States?
3. Life Expectancy Declines among United States Women
4. The Public Health Approach to Ethnic Health & Health Disparities
5. Introduciing the Ethnic Health & Health Disparities International Podcast Shows

Our podcast shows are designed to be informative, educational, thought-provoking and enlightening for all those who want to listen. Our International podcast shows serve not only to encourage a continous dialogue among your colleagues, friends, and family members about these serious ethnic health and health disparity issues but also to motivate health directors, health administrators, health professionals, government leaders, local decision makers, institutions, and organizations to take action and solve these problems.

After listening to one of our International Podcast shows, if you have an opinion please feel free to send an email to: ebailey8@aol.com; or leave your comment on our hotline (252) 561-5886; or visit our blog — http://ethnichealthandhealthdiasparities101.blogspot.com. We want to hear from you so let your voice be heard on our International Podcast show because these are health and medical issues that affect ALL OF US.

Ethnic Health & Health Disparities 101: Breakin’ Down the Issues is also looking for sponsors and new media outlets to introduce and feature our podcast shows in new global media markets.

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Do you want to start a blog, but you’re not sure where to begin?

Do you have a blog, but you want to know how to take it to the next level?

If so, the New Blogger Boot Camp may be for you!

Presented by blogger, copywriter, and consultant Kristen King, the New Blogger Boot Camp 8-week webinar takes beginning bloggers through the process of creating a strong foundation for a strategic, sustainable blog.

From figuring out whether blogging is right for you and making technical decisions to planning your content and growing your readership, New Blogger Boot Camp is a high-energy, step-by-step guide to carving out your place online.

Sign up and enter DISCOUNT CODE WH0110 for $25 off!

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Aspiring and brand-new bloggers who want to start off on the right foot and create the foundation for a strong blog and long-term blogging success.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

At the end of the 8 weeks, students will have all the tools and information they need to get a new blog off the ground and, if they completed all of the assignments, may even have their own blog up and running already.

WHAT YOU’LL GET

Registered attendees will receive a printable PDF workbook to help them apply the skills they learn, audio recordings of each session for future reference, and access to a members-only e-mail discussion list to share ideas and questions throughout the 8 weeks of the webinar. In addition to the weekly webinar students will also receive weekly assignments based on the curriculum to reinforce the skills and techniques they learn.

WEBINAR SCHEDULE

New Blogger Boot Camp is scheduled for Mondays, January 11 through March 1, 2010, from 7 to 8 p.m. ET. As long as you have a computer with Internet access and a phone line, you have everything you need to attend!

Sign up and enter DISCOUNT CODE WH0110 for $25 off!

Monday, January 11 — Intro to Blogging

- WHY to blog: What’s in it for you?
- WHO should blog: How do you know if you’re a blogger at heart?
- HOW to blog: Should you strike out on your own or join a network?

Monday, January 18 — The Technical Side of Blogging

- FREE vs. PAID: How and where should you host your blog?
- PLATFORMS: Blogger, WordPress, TypePad… Picking the right platform for you
- DESIGN ON A DIME: Creating a great-looking blog without breaking the bank

Monday, January 25 — Getting Started Blogging

- GOALS: What are they and how can you measure them?
- SETUP: What needs to happen to get your site up and running?
- PLANNING: Strategy, content, and editorial calendars

Monday, February 1 — Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

- METADATA: The search-friendly code behind your blog
- TAGS & CATEGORIES: Making your content reader/search engine friendly
- BONUS ROUND: Importance of alt tags, links, page titles, and more

Monday, February 8 — Blogging Best Practices

- CONTENT TYPES: What kinds — and lengths — of posts should you write?
- IMAGES: Where to find pictures and how to use them to compliment your content
- COMMUNITY: Comments, comment policies, and linking

Monday, February 15 — Blog Promotion

- SOCIAL MEDIA: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, StumbleUpon, and more
- BLOGROLLING: Building your blogroll and getting on other blogs’
- GUEST BLOGGING: How writing and hosting guest posts can build your traffic

Monday, February 22 — Monetization

- ADVERTISING: Direct ad sales, ad networks, and Google/Yahoo ads
- AFFILIATE PROGRAMS: What they are, what they can do for you, and where to find them
- INDIRECT INCOME: Using your blog to promote other products and services

Monday, March 1 — Kitchen Sink Week
- YOUR QUESTIONS: Any lingering questions? Ask them this week…
- WRAPUP: If you take nothing else from this webinar, remember these key points
- YOUR MISSION: What happens next

ABOUT INSTRUCTOR KRISTEN KING, MPS

Kristen King, MPS, is a prolific blogger and social media user who’s been writing for the Web since the late 1990s. Her freelance writing blog, Inkthinker, was named one of the Top 10 Blogs for Writers in 2006, and she won several recognitions as a women’s health and women’s business blogger at global media network b5media from January 2007 through October 2008.

A sought-after public speaker, Kristen has presented at the National Press Club, National Writers Union, Society for Technical Communications, The George Washington University, University of Mary Washington, Virginia Commonwealth University, Women’s National Book Association, Editorial Freelancers Association, Virginia Press Women, and American Independent Writers, among others.

In 2009, Kristen joined the faculty of GWU’s College of Professional Studies as an adjunct professor. She teaches an upper-level graduate course she designed in the Master of Professional Studies in Publishing program on designing for the Web and integrating print and electronic publications.

She is a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of Marketing & Communications of American Independent Writers, where she edits the organization’s blog, runs its website, and administers its social media presence. She was honored as the recipient of the 2009 American Independent Writers President’s Award. Also in 2009, Kristen joined the Network Solutions Social Web Advisory Board.

Kristen holds an MPS in publishing with an electronic publishing concentration and a BA in English.

WEBINAR PRICING

Early Registration (before midnight December 19): $347 for all 8 weeks

Regular Registration (beginning December 20): $397 for all 8 weeks

Individual Classes (attendance and audio recording only): $59.99 apiece

Sign up and enter DISCOUNT CODE WH0110 for $25 off!

Los Altos, CA (PRWEB) October 6, 2009 — As President Obama rallied doctors in the Rose Garden, Professor Clayton Christensen, of Harvard Business School and author of The Innovator’s Prescription, called for patients to discard their roles as passive health care consumers and become agents of disruptive change in the current issue of Atlantic magazine.

These e-patients now have a powerful new tool for online health search and personalized medicine at www.ResoundingHealth.com — a new environment that combines a powerful, knowledge-intensive vertical search engine and database with the ability of consumers to customize it for their own needs and then easily share their search results with others, including their health care providers.
Our goal is to technologically enable participatory, personalized medicine.
Resounding Health was co-founded by Harvard Medical School Professor and former pharmaceutical company executive Dr. Mark Boguski and seasoned Silicon Valley developer and entrepreneur Dr. Alan Littleford. “Our mission is to empower the e-patient” says Littleford. Also, Boguski added, “Our goal is to technologically enable participatory, personalized medicine.”

A unique feature of Resounding Health are Casebooks, free e-books that contain essential information from authoritative sources in a convenient package that users can create, build upon, link to, print and share with their doctors, caregivers and others. According to Littleford, future releases of Resounding Health will enable users to link their online search results to their personally-controlled electronic medical records or EMRs.

A sampling of recent Casebooks on various medical conditions and drugs shows the diversity of topics covered: addiction, alternative medicine, autism and Asperger’s syndrome, brain tumors, breast cancer, diabetes, drug intoxication, herniated discs, Hodgkin’s disease, leukemia, medical tourism, mercury poisoning, liver transplants, lupus, pancreatic cancer, seizures, stem cell transplants, stress fractures and stroke.

For additional information including video tutorials, or to create your own Casebooks, visit www.ResoundingHealth.com. This web site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from a health care professional. The information is not to be used for self-diagnosis or treatment. Resounding Health™ and empowering the e-Patient™ are trademarks of Resounding Health Incorporated. New Casebooks can be followed on Twitter @ResoundHealth

About ResoundingHealth.com:
Resounding Health Incorporated was co-founded by Mark Boguski, M.D. and Alan Littleford, Ph.D. Dr. Boguski has held positions at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the U.S. National Library of Medicine and as an executive in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. He is a former vice president of Novartis and was honored as a Visionary and Influencer by the Personalized Medicine Coalition in 2006. Dr. Boguski was elected to both the Institute of Medicine of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences the American College of Medical Informatics in 2001. He is currently on the faculty of Harvard at the Francis Countway Library of Medicine and at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. Dr. Littleford was the co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Healthscape, Inc. Prior to this, he held a number of key positions in the IT industry as Principal Architect, Lead Developer or Founder at companies such as Cogent Software, Sitka (a subsidiary of Sun Microsystems), Siebel Systems and Network Associates. Littleford has also served as a highly sought-after consultant for a number of both major companies and technology start-ups.

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Margaret’s blog is the definitive source for curcumin research as it applies to multiple myeloma.

http://margaret.healthblogs.org/