'health': the 'norm' not necessarily 'normal'...

What is 'normal'? And how do we decide? ... And how do we decide who decides? Dr Ricky Fishman over at Lybba explores whether all the givens are indeed givens:

....Your blood is drawn and your blood pressure is taken ... she reports a number: 120/80. “Perfect”, she says ...

How do we establish these numbers, these “normals”?

In her provocative book Medicine and Culture, Lynn Payer compares definitions of health and disease in four countries—The United States, England, France, and Germany. One would think that among these modern, industrialized nations, diagnoses and treatment would be the same. In fact, there are great variations, most of which can be attributed to historical, cultural, and political (e.g., health insurance system) differences. Fundamentals such as “normal” blood pressure and the prevalence of particular diagnoses must be understood within socio-cultural frameworks.

For example, in Germany, where there is a powerful romantic tradition, a blood pressure on the lower end of the spectrum, a reading of 90/60, one that would be celebrated by an American Doctor, might be of concern to a German MD who could feel that ones heart is not functioning properly, that it is weak, and perhaps an indicator of the need for love. For a spinal condition, an American Doctor might recommend a surgical procedure while an English Doctor might opt for a more conservative physiotherapeutic approach. The reason: in the US, where Doctors are reimbursed on a “fee for service” basis, the surgical procedure will pay very well, whereas the English Doctor, who is being paid a regular monthly salary, has no such financial incentive.

According to Payer, ideas about health and disease are strongly influenced by factors beyond “objective” medical research. Medicine is an art and a science, a business and a cultural artifact. In my own practice I have had patents describe their chronic headaches as normal, to be expected in today’s stressful environment. “I am here for my back,” they tell me. “I can’t work because of the pain. The headaches I can live with."  So in the post-industrial American world, where people commonly work 40-50 hours per week in front of computer screens, headaches have become so typical that their significance has shifted from pathology to nuisance, less a diagnosis than a natural byproduct of modern living. The norm gradually becomes normal.

...

full article at Lybba

Who is disabled?

Has anyone else encountered Aimee Mullins?

I've seen pics (especially the cheetah modelling ones) and mentions off and on of her over the past few years without knowing who she was or even that I was seeing the same person.

She shifts the ground (sic) on inappropriate shoe shopping and the  normative social and societal constructions of 'disability' to a whole other uber domain that I find I am both fascinated and wary.

Modelling (and in lots of ways disability too) is about the gaze of the Other and I love the way she has challenged this by provoking and having fun with that in a way that seeks to have every individual be 'architects of our own bodies from a place of empowerment'.

The 'however' circles around modelling already having a default mode of unrealistic aspirational wobbling. Re-framing thinking about how we move, and if we move, as an aesthetic and in terms of 'augmentation' rather than as 'disability' or loss is very appealing - but I wonder if it does not also come with a danger of re-framing some forms of disability as exotic and fetishising (if that's a word)....

Aimee Mullins provoking the senses with her exquisite wooden Alexander McQueen custom designed boots/prosthetics (can I squash any more adjectives in??)

Indeed she embraces 'wobbling' in a whole other way that I am surprised to find makes me exceedingly anxious watching her stand and talk irrespective of knowing she prefers the high risk returns of wobbling ... another great thought stimulating TED vid:

Global accessibility map and Therese Rein for PM!

Pah, here in Oz at the mo' the Australian media is on  a particularly mindless and relentless  binge when it comes to stripping the prime ministerial office of any dignity, respect or integrity. Worse the incumbent government seems tempted to succumb to such fractious and fracturing ego fuelled bullying (and have  the gall to call it politics) about who is the better labor party leader (and therefore PM) in an unimaginative and stale would-be duel between: Julia Gillard or Kevin Rudd.
 
Forget both of them. I recently stumbled across this interview with the rather talented and thoughtful Therese Rein.

Therese Rein has all the qualities both of the above are regularly accused of lacking, says I. Despite being a very successful woman in her own right, I feel ashamed to say, I only knew her as 'wife of' the PM for that brief period when KRudd was incumbent in the prime ministerial office.

Sadly, at that time her high profile was only discussed in (appallingly sexist and invasive) terms of her weight and appearance - shame on us and a sloppy media.

Therese Rein receiving the Human Rights medal in 2010

This interview (worth enduring the verrrry annoying Jane Hutcheon) is an eye opener.

She's not talking politics - she's talking about her experience of disability and how it has influenced her awareness and decision-making.  She grew up in a household where one of her parents used a wheelchair and talks about how it affected so many of the family's decisions.


So not unsurprisingly she's keen to spread the word about the incubating 'global accessibility map'.

'Accessibility' also sounds like it was very much part of her awareness in starting her very successful employment agency.


What an engaging leader, conducting her self with all the restraint and decorum the Australian federal political scene lacks.


I'm not able to post the interview in this post unfortunately - requires clicking through to the ABC's One plus One   definitely worth the extra click through.

some body that I used to know

Tenuous? Perhaps, but I manage to layer all sorts of my own ms-ey gripes into this song.

Anyone else intrigued by Gotye's 'somebody that I used to know'? I'm equally fascinated that it resonates with so many people and intrigued why that might be. As expected it made No.1 by the largest margin ever on the JJJ Australia Day Hottest 100 countdown last week.


Maybe it's something to do with the release valve it provides for  tanty indignation or feeling misunderstood or not heard at times - or just having a chance to vent some pained self-righteousness in a catchy creative way?? At the same time, framing it as a duet with a ah-hang-on-a-minute-there-buster right of reply tilts it in even more pause-for-thought delicious ways.


Creepy film clip? Much. (Okay his eyebrow raise, her shoulder shrug: brilliant!)
Creepy name? Much. (Makes me think of 'goitre', ha!)
Like? Much.

Dishy designs on rollators: up and coming talent

Ooh, I do seem to be on something of a blog binge of late - hopeful that yes I can make some impact converting the hoarded draft posts into the real deal.

Not before time, here's some folks attempting to re-write the narrative, design and attitudes regarding rollators. Yeah.


First: a Finn

Personally, I don't hear enough about Finland. I did once spend a magical couple of hours at Helsinki airport. Well, all the shops were open, even though it was the middle of the night ... or maybe not, let me rephrase that: it was very dark. The sales staff seemed bemused when I asked what the word for 'thankyou' was in Finnish. In fact, their english was so impeccable they were thrown by the question and had to get me to repeat the question so peculiar a request it apparently seemed. No, the magic was flying in, it was early winter and the place was under an amazing deep blue tinged glow, such aesthetics in its design  .... ahh I digress.

Freeroll by Heikki Juvonen of Finland

Ahhh look what happens when an industrial designer spends some time with a rollator: the whole perspective changes:

 the Freeroll, positions the user as a part of the rollator, than being an extension of it.

Even the language associated with it changes to something distinctly upbeat and cooler.

Hard to say if it would be a total success - but some nice ideas, huh? (A nice young bloke in the pics for starters hey... like I said, talking a different language...) And would rate well on the Star Trek appeal meter, no??

Freeroll by Heikki Juvonen

Alas, it appears it is not in production - wonder what he did with the demo one in the pic. His contact details are here if you want to try and find out :))

Next: the Dutch

Meet the Rollz: And this is in production:
Here's their spiel:

...we designed a stylish rollator to take you wherever you want to go. And, even more important, for as long as you want. An ergonomically designed rollator with a strong but lightweight frame which enables you to walk tall, steadily and comfortably.

And if you want a little rest along the way, the Rollz Motion converts into a wheelchair at a simple flick of the wrist.

Rollz

And below flipped to wheelchair mode:

Looks like they assume if  you flip to wheelchair mode you don't want capacity to push or turn yrself.

Here's the spiel on its features:

• Drum brakes
• Converts to a wheelchair and back
• Foam filled wheels for suspension

And there's some nifty accessories ala cup holders, cane holders and bags that slings underneath.

But no mention of it's fold down action for transporting.

Interesting huh?

Comes in some star trek friendly colours (as opposed to hospital ugly ones); as well as orange, there is a pale blue, white and a lemony colour.

There's some fun but slightly incongruous images of funky 1950s folk busting a move and frolicking in the ocean over their webpage.It's not clear why, but it makes it an upbeat visit - you can even make a postcard to send to someone too, hmm.


Anyhow, unfortunately, the point is moot (sic) as it is only available in Holland, Belgium, Germany or Sweden.



Retailing for € 549, if you do happen to find yrself handy to one of those locations.

 

MRI?...'I'll have what she's having'!

Does climbing into an MRI machine push your buttons?? The claustrophobic and din aversion ones probably.

Over at  Big Think, Kayt Sukel is tackling other possiblities - oh, all in the name of research, of course:

I donned a hospital johnny and was pushed back into the scanner’s tube, as ready as I would ever be to have an orgasm in an fMRI. The magnet started to spin around me. As promised, it was loud. It lasted the majority of my session inside the scanner, which was approximately an hour and a half. Even with ear protection, I could feel each click, clank, and whir all the way down my spine.
Just as I was starting to zone out, not into sleep exactly, but into something like it, the noises suddenly stopped. It was now time for the big show. Ready or not, I had to woman up and bring myself to orgasm. In a few minutes I would know if loud clanks and clicks, hospital johnnies, and a tight mesh head restraint could make the magic happen.
Hearing my cue, I took a deep breath and got to it. It may not have been romantic or sexy in there and, man, this mask thing was starting to get really uncomfortable, but I was going to orgasm no matter what. I powered through it, keeping my head as still as possible.

Umm, mri machines and orgasms -  not two words I had ever considered in the same sentence - Anyone?? Bueller? Something to consider at your next mri appt? New Year's resolution perhaps?

And if you are wondering - cause no doubt you are - from this, the neuro scientists from Rutgers Universtity made the mind boggling discovery that:

...areas implicated in memory, integration of sensory information, and emotion also became active. As my orgasm came to a close, the hypothalamus turned back on, and reward areas like the nucleus accumbens and caudate nucleus were flooded with dopamine. That was what gave me that final rush. Getting to that point involves a variety of cognitive, emotional, and sensory components—even when it’s just you doing the work.

Is this a leap for womankind? Astonishing that it made her feel good? I think not. Astonishing that she felt good in an mri machine? Well!... It seems the research overlooks the impact this could have for ms-ers spending time in mri machines...

Surely raising questions as to whether there are other just as effective means that could be being embraced for those encountering mri machines? Let alone questions around the placebo effect??

Meg Ryan and 80s Big Hair in that scene:

There's no mention of seeking recruits for further studies. Nonetheless, next you spend some quality time in an mri machine, might you consider a whole different slant on: 'How was it for you?'