Month: November 2013

Non-surgical nose job offers patients results without commitment

We all have that one thing that we would like to change about ourselves – weight, height, hair color. For 35-year-old Olivia Kraus – it was her nose.

“When I see my nose I’m not satisfied because I see this dent and crack in it,” Kraus said. “I don’t like it.”

Kraus worried that it was a problem that would only worsen with age.

“My father has the crack in his nose and it has drooped as he’s gotten older,” Kraus said. “So I live in fear about how it’s going to progress.”

Kraus said she was always scared to get a nose job because it would be permanent. So when a friend told her about a non-surgical procedure to fix the crack in her nose, she decided to go see Dr. Eric Schweiger, a dermatologist in New York City.

“It’s a procedure that can be done in about 15 minutes,” Schweiger said. “The patient comes in and has an identifiable issue with their nose, like a bump or a downward turning of their nose, and we use filling material to correct that problem.”

After applying a topical anesthetic, Dr. Schweiger injected a filler, called Radiesse, into Kraus’ nose. The filler is made of a protein that commonly found in human bone.

“We can physically mold the filler when it’s under the skin into the place that we want it to be,” Schweiger said. “We also put a little bit of Botox in the muscle that kind of pulls down the nose – and that, in about five days can kind of help push up the nose.”

Not everyone is a candidate for the procedure and possible side effects, which typically go away within five to seven days after the procedure, include bruising and swelling.  The results are not permanent, Schweiger said, which means most patients will have to come back in for touch ups every nine months to a year.

Kraus, however, believed the results were worth it.

“The crack is gone and it looks really good,” Kraus said. “I can’t wait to see how it progresses over the next couple of days. But if it stayed the way it is right now I’d be really happy.”

Source: Airing News

 

Gestational diabetes on the rise: What every mom should know

The percentage of women diagnosed with gestational diabetes is increasing in the United States and the American Diabetes Association estimates that it will occur in up to 18 percent of all pregnancies.

Experts agree that it’s not just a problem during pregnancy; it can actually cause a lifetime of complications in both mothers and their children.

Learn what the latest research on gestational diabetes suggests and what you can do to prevent and manage it.

Are you at risk?

Gestational diabetes is a medical condition that causes blood sugar levels to rise during pregnancy. When you eat, the food is converted to glucose, which the body uses for energy. But the only way glucose gets into the cells is through insulin, and when the cells become resistant to insulin, diabetes occurs.

Gestational diabetes can be genetic and some ethnic groups – American Indian, African American, Asian, and Hispanic – are more prone. Women over the age of 25, and especially those over 35, have a higher risk.

If you had a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds, even if you were never diagnosed with gestational diabetes, chances are you could have it during your next pregnancy.

Some studies show that 50 percent of women who have gestational diabetes have no other risk factors. Yet experts agree that lifestyle is the most important predictor.

“More people are going into pregnancy overweight,” said Dr. Danine Fruge, director of women’s health and family medicine at the Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa in Miami, Fla.

If you’re overweight or obese, your chances of having gestational diabetes is two and four times higher, respectively, than a woman at a normal weight, according to a report in the journal Diabetes Care. If you smoke, your chances double.

Many women who aren’t diabetic going into pregnancy may still have metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance – risk factors they may not have had if they had a normal body mass index (BMI), Fruge said.

Health problems for moms and babies

During pregnancy, moms with gestational diabetes can also have high blood pressure, preeclampsia and eclampsia.

And because babies born to moms with the condition also have elevated blood sugar levels, they’re likely to be overweight, which can cause birth complications, interventions, and can up the chances of having a cesarean section.

After birth, when insulin starts to kick in and the baby’s blood sugar drops, the infant is at risk for seizures, jaundice, polycythemia vera, low calcium and low magnesium, according to Dr. Timothy Morley, medical director for Women’s Healthy Hormones and Founder of BodyLogicMD in New York City.  However, these conditions are very rare.

A lifelong condition

Gestational diabetes goes away after giving birth, but its effects on both mom and baby can last a lifetime.

Women with gestational diabetes are at risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. By age 50, women who had gestational diabetes have a 26 percent higher 10 year-risk for heart disease, according to a recent study in the journal Circulation.

“You are not out of the woods just because you’re not pregnant anymore,” Fruge said.

Your baby may also face high blood pressure, heart problems, and diabetes, and he or she is more likely to be overweight or obese later on in life.

If you’re at risk for gestational diabetes, the good news is that there are things you can do to prevent and manage it now:

Lower your BMI

“Before you’re pregnant, lose weight.” Morley said. If you had a baby that was more than 9 pounds, ask your doctor about pre-family planning for your next pregnancy, which can help you get your weight under control.

Monitor your blood sugar

If you have gestational diabetes, daily blood sugar monitoring at home is what will determine how healthy your pregnancy will be, according to Fruge.

Clean up your diet

Before, during and after pregnancy, limit processed foods, salt and sugar – and focus on eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats. Your doctor can refer you to a medical nutrition therapist who can help you with a diet plan and set healthy pregnancy weight gain goals.

Exercise

Thirty minutes of exercise five to six days a week before pregnancy is important, but if you have gestational diabetes, you should exercise up it to seven days a week. “Your body is having tremendous difficulty doing its daily work, and exercise is such an incredible helper to using the blood sugar for energy,” Fruge said.  Be sure to talk to your doctor about the type of exercise and intensity that’s right for you

Source: Heal  con

Simple Health Tips That Could Save 200,000 Lives a Year

With heart disease still America’s No. 1 killer, the CDC emphasizes simple health tips to save the lives of people under 65.

Simple changes to Americans’ routines could help prevent 200,000 deaths a year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Specifically, better attention to heart and cardiovascular health could drastically improve the health of the nation.

“Nothing is more important than lowering the rate of heart disease and stroke,” Tom Frieden, CDC director, told reporters Tuesday morning. “They are the No. 1 killer in the U.S.”

Heart disease and stroke accounted for an estimated 200,000 preventable deaths—one out of every three—in the U.S. in 2010, according to the CDC’s monthly report on preventable diseases.

As a doctor, Frieden said he finds these statistics heartbreaking.

“One preventable death is one too many,” he said. “These findings are really striking because we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of deaths that don’t have to happen.”

More than half of those deaths occurred in people under the age of 65 and could have been prevented with lifestyle changes, better medical care, or stronger public health policies.

While progress has been made in lowering the rates of death from preventable heart disease in the 64 to 75 age range, the population in that group is increasing, so the numbers have remained unchanged over the last decade. African-Americans and men remain the highest at-risk groups.

Zip Code vs. Genetic Code

For many people, the risk of early death from heart disease and stroke may be “more influenced by your zip code than your genetic code,” Frieden said.

While many people have a genetic disposition for heart disease, many states carry a three- to ten-fold higher risk compared to states and counties with the lowest rates. For instance, Minnesotans average 36.3 deaths per 100,000 people, while Washington D.C. has 99.6 deaths per 100,00 people.

The areas with the highest risk of heart-related premature death are concentrated primarily in southern Appalachia and much of Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. States in the West, Midwest, and Northeast regions had much lower rates.

“That difference reflects the improvements we can make overall,” Frieden said.

How to Prevent Death from Heart Disease

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched its “Million Hearts Campaign” to try to prevent 1 million heart disease deaths by 2017 by increasing public knowledge about heart attacks, strokes, and other serious health problems.

Frieden says smoking cessation and better management of blood pressure and cholesterol are the easiest and most effective ways to lower your heart disease risk. Increased exercise and a better diet are a great way to start.

While access to quality preventative healthcare, including access to cholesterol-lowering drugs, has been an issue in the past, Frieden says the new Marketplace under the Affordable Care Act, which opens Oct. 1, will hopefully close that coverage gap and offer people the care they need.

To improve the health of its residents, Frieden said local communities should focus on more open spaces for exercise, including places to walk, and fewer places that allow smoking.

“Despite progress against heart disease and stroke, hundreds of thousands of Americans die each year from these preventable causes of death,” Frieden said. “Many of the heart attacks and strokes that will kill people in the coming year could be prevented by reducing blood pressure and cholesterol and stopping smoking.”

Source: health Line

 

 

Why is yoga important for healthy living?

Power yoga and Bikram yoga are popularly followed for weight loss. But there is more to yoga says wellness expert, Santosh Kumar. He goes on to explain the benefits and types of yoga.

Santosh Kumar shares his point of view on the principles of yoga, “There is only one Yoga from my point of view, but there are eight branches of yoga.”

1. YAMA: Discipline and self-control

2. Niyama: Rules and restriction

3. Asana: Positions

4. Pranayama: Breathing

5. Pratyahara: Includes all the above aspects with internal yoga

6. Dhyana: Meditation

7. Dharna: Concentration

8. Samadhi: Absorption

He says, these are the paths or rules to nirvana, “When you follow these you will achieve the ultimate goal. But in present times very few people follow this path.”

Besides these principals, there are different parts of yoga that also improves your well being.

Hatha Yoga: The benefits of hatha yoga are that it keeps you physically fit and makes you aware of your breathing.

Raj Yoga: It incorporates exercise and breathing practices with meditation and study making it ideal for healthy living.

Jana Yoga is associated with wisdom and it is one of the best forms of yoga.

Bhakti yoga is a practice which makes you an ultimate devotee of God.

Karma yoga is based on your day-to-day life, which makes you active in today’s scenario.

Tantra yoga is a way of showing unseen consciousness through specific words, diagrams, and movements. And the last part of yoga is Kashmiri Shaivism, that is rising above your limits.

Santosh Kumar concludes that in order to be happy, free and in good health, just take a deep breathe. “Try and do 30 minutes of deep breathing everyday as this will help you cope with stress.”

Source: Zee news

Roasted Sweet Potato Pie or Flan

I like this as much without a crust as with one. It’s not a flan in the traditional sense, with a caramel component. It’s an irresistibly creamy one. If you use 2 eggs instead of 3 (see variation) the texture will be smoother but it won’t slice as neatly.

2 large sweet potatoes or enough for 1 1/2 cups puréed roasted sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 cup mild honey, such as clover

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons drained yogurt or crème fraiche

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 gluten-free dessert pastry (or other crust of your choice), fully baked and cooled (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Pierce the sweet potatoes in several places with the tip of a paring knife. Place on the baking sheet and bake 40 to 50 minutes, until soft and oozing. Remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle, peel and place in a food processor fitted with the steel blade (you can also blend the mixture with a hand blender). Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. If not using a crust, butter a round 9-inch baking dish.

2. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of sweet potato purée (store any extra purée in the refrigerator and enjoy with a meal). Place the purée in the food processor, or in a bowl if using a hand blender, add the remaining ingredients (except the crust) and blend until smooth and creamy. Scrape into the baking dish or the crust. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Yield: 1 pie or flan, serving 8 to 12

Advance preparation: These tastes even better the day after it’s made. The roasted sweet potatoes will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator. When you blend them, include any of the syrup that has oozed out.

Variation: Use 2 eggs for a creamier flan.

Nutritional information per serving (8 servings): 345 calories; 18 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 140 milligrams cholesterol; 40 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 304 milligrams sodium; 8 grams protein

Nutritional information per serving (12 servings): 230 calories; 12 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 93 milligrams cholesterol; 27 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 202 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein

Source: New York Times

 

Air Pollution as a Heart Threat

Bit by bit over the past few decades, scientists have been building a new understanding of the ways that air pollution threatens human health. Much of their attention has been focused on lung diseases, including cancers. With good reason, it turns out: just last month, the World Health Organization declared air pollution to be one of the planet’s most dangerous environmental carcinogens.

But cardiovascular disease is much more common than cancer. Sadly, there is now a pile of evidence, sometimes startling, that air pollution also plays a role in heart attacks and strokes. The new studies suggest that air pollution not only worsens cardiovascular disease — but can also cause it.

“We’ve known for about 20 years that we see increased risk of heart attack and stroke in association with increased levels of air pollution,” said Sara Adar, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan. The most recent data show that “air pollution does more than just make you worse.”

Scientists like Dr. Adar have been studying fine particulates adrift in the cloud of unfriendly gases shrouding many of our communities. Measuring 2.5 micrometers (or microns) or less, these bits of material are so tiny that it would take about 30 of them to equal the diameter of a human hair. A series of studies has found that they penetrate deep into the lungs, embedding in tissue and setting off a cascade of inflammatory effects. Researchers believe the inflammation also spreads into the circulatory system, altering the way blood vessels function.

Although air pollution is a long-recognized and regulated health hazard, only gradually have researchers come to appreciate the threat of particulates. In 1989, C. Arden Pope III, a professor of economics at Brigham Young University, published a paper based on the temporary shutdown of a nearby steel mill, showing a linear relationship between emissions and hospitalizations. He traced the illnesses to particulates in the air.

Dr. Pope originally had focused on air pollution’s effects on the lungs, but over the years he kept turning up increases in cardiovascular disease. “By 2002, I’d given up on the idea that this was just some anomaly in the study design,” he recalled in an interview. Eventually he identified the culprit: fine particles, far smaller than those tracked in his original steel mill study. “The deeper you dive into the data, the more clearly you see the effect on cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Pope said.

Dr. Adar and her colleagues have been tracking the damage at the microscopic level in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air), which has followed more than 5,000 people in six states for more than a decade. It is funded primarily by the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Researchers working with the project have contributed to an increasingly precise understanding of risks associated with fine particles that float in polluted air. Dr. Adar and her colleagues have shown, for instance, that increased exposure to pollutants, after other factors are factored out, can be directly linked to narrowing of blood vessels and to a steady thickening of artery walls.

Their most recent study, published this year in PLoS Medicine, described a near-linear relationship: as air pollution levels dropped, the thickening slowed. When exposure to air pollutants increased, signs of damage increased.

The MESA Air study also has reinforced a sense that vehicle exhaust may be unusually harmful. Researchers in the United States and many other countries have linked traffic pollution to heart rate variability in a range of people – from vehicle drivers to bicyclists traveling congested roadways. A study published this year in Environmental Health found evidence of “acute changes” in heartbeats in people, aged 22 to 56, driving in Mexico City traffic. Another recent study, of bicyclists in Ottawa, found that theirheart rhythms appeared to be altered for hours after they had returned home in ways unrelated to exertion.

“There’s increasing evidence that there’s something about traffic-related pollution in particular,” said Dr. Joel D. Kaufman, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Vehicle emissions are thought to include an unusually high proportion of very small, or ultrafine, particles, allowing them to penetrate deeper into the body. Researchers say there is also some evidence that the shape of these particles gives them an unusually high surface area, which permits other contaminants to stick onto them. As a result, they may actually concentrate toxic compounds in polluted air.

“The evidence is pretty overwhelming that fine particles do harm,” said Dr. Russell V. Luepker, a cardiologist and epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, a co-author of two scientific reports on air pollution for the American Heart Association.

But, he added, health choices — such as poor diet, smoking and lack of exercise — and conditions such as hypertension still pose greater risks. “If we got rid of air pollution, heart disease would not disappear,” Dr. Luepker said.

Researchers studying the health effects of air pollution are starting to look at ways that their findings can be used for greater protection. Dr. Adar and her colleagues are looking for ways to better identify and control the most dangerous vehicle emissions, while other scientists are pondering everything from improved air purifiers to particle-absorbing barriers. But one of the most effective responses is environmental regulation.

Several decades of clean air regulations in the United States have had lifesaving effects. A study published this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimated that there has been a 35 percent drop in deaths and disabilities related to air pollution, including cardiovascular diseases, in the United States since 1990.

“Our public policy efforts to reduce air pollution are one of the most effective medical interventions in the last 20 to 30 years,” Dr. Pope said.

Source: poison pen

 

More Deaths, Illness Linked to Energy Drinks

The FDA has posted adverse-event reports for two more energy drinks: 40 illnesses and five deaths linked to Monster Energy, and 13 illnesses and two lasting disabilities linked to Rock star Energy.

 The new reports follow this week’s revelation of FDA reports linking 92 illnesses and 13 deaths to 5-Hour Energy shots. The FDA previously said it was investigating the deaths linked to Monster Energy.

These adverse-event reports (AERs) are filed by patients, families, or doctors. They simply warn that the products might have harmed someone — but they do not prove that the product caused harm. The FDA can remove a product from the market only when investigation shows that the product causes harm when used according to the product label.

“If we find a relationship between consumption of the product and harm, FDA will take appropriate action to reduce or eliminate the risk,”  FDA public information officer Shelly Burgess says.

Moreover, the reports do not offer details on any underlying medical conditions that may have led to product-related illnesses.

The reports, some dating back to 2004, are not a complete inventory of all events that product users may have suffered. Most people, and many doctors, do not know how to file these reports or do not get around to filing them. And even when a product actually causes an illness, a user or doctor may not associate the product with the illness.

The new reports detail the events suffered by users of 5-Hour, Monster, and Rockstar energy drinks. These include:

Deaths due to heart attack or suicide linked to 5-Hour Energy

  • A miscarriage linked to 5-Hour Energy
  • Convulsions, life-threatening fear, deafness, and hemorrhage linked to 5-Hour Energy
  • Deaths due to heart attack or loss of consciousness linked to Monster Energy drink
  • Hospitalization due to irregular heartbeat, severe diarrhea, migraine, psychotic disorder, heart attack, and/or vomiting linked to Monster Energy drink
  • Disability from irregular heartbeat or stroke linked to Rockstar Energy drink
  • Hospitalization due to psychotic disorder, increased heart rate, or loss of consciousness linked to Rockstar Energy drink
  • All of these reports are collected by the product manufacturers. Because they market their products as nutritional supplements, they are required to submit them to the FDA.

A recent government report documented a sharp spike in the number of people who need emergency medical care after consuming energy drinks.

Living Essentials, the maker of 5-Hour Energy, said in a statement that the company “takes reports of any potential adverse event tied to our products very seriously.”

But the company maintains that its products are safe when used as directed. Rockstar and Monster Energy did not respond to interview requests by publication time.

Source: Web MD

 

Rosemary and spearmint extract stave off Alzheimer’s disease

A new study has revealed that enhanced extracts made from special antioxidants in spearmint and rosemary reduces deficits caused by mild cognitive impairment, which can be a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease.

Susan Farr, Ph.D., research professor geriatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, said that although the study suggested that eating spearmint and rosemary is good for you, their experiments were in an animal model and she doesn’t know how much- or if any amount- of these herbs people would have to consume for learning and memory to improve.

Farr tested a novel antioxidant-based ingredient made from spearmint extract and two different doses of a similar antioxidant made from rosemary extract on mice that have age-related cognitive decline.

She found that the higher dose rosemary extract compound was the most powerful in improving memory and learning in three tested behaviors. The lower dose rosemary extracts improved memory in two of the behavioral tests, as did the compound made from spearmint extract.

Further, there were signs of reduced oxidative stress, which is considered a hallmark of age-related decline, in the part of the brain that controls learning and memory.

“Our research suggests these extracts made from herbs might have beneficial effects on altering the course of age-associated cognitive decline,” Farr said. “It’s worth additional study.”

The study was presented at Neuroscience 2013.

Source: Zee News

 

 

Chemical Found in French Fries Linked to Cancer

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued yet another popular food ingredient to its list of foods to be wary of and this time, it’s a chemical called acrylamide which is found in crispy French fries.

In a consumer update posted to its website, the FDA gives a detailed report, urging consumers to cut back on acrylamide, a chemical that forms naturally in plant-based foods when they are cooked at high temperatures for a long time. The most popular food item this ingredient is found in is French fries, especially crispy ones.

Besides crispy fries, the chemical acrylamide is commonly found in cereals, coffee, crackers, breads and dried fruits. Acrylamide is not only limited to food items, the chemical has also found its way into the industrial chain in products including paper, dyes and plastics and treating drinking water, wastewater and sewage.

Several studies on animals have found that when high levels of arylamide are induced, there is a higher risk of cancer. However, more research is needed, particularly long-term studies on humans, in order to determine the link between arylamide and cancer development.

Since up to 40 percent of the calories we consume contain acrylamide, according to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, it’s worth exploring some of the other ways to reduce it where we can.

The cancer concern arylamide poses is not one that only the FDA has. Both the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization call the levels of acrylamide in foods a “major concern,” and call for more research.

Below are some tips on how to reduce acrylamide consumption from the FDA and Cancer.gov:

  • Avoid frying foods. “If frying frozen fries follow manufacturers’ recommendations on time and temperature and avoid overcooking, heavy crisping or burning,” the FDA says.
  • Frying, baking, roasting and broiling are the methods that create the most acrylamide, while boiling, steaming, and microwaving appear to generate less.
  • According to Cancer.gov, 248°F (120°C) seems to be the magic temperature, above which more acrylamide forms. On the contrary, foods heated to below 248°F or less do not seem to contain the chemical.
  • Avoid eating burnt toast. “Toast bread to a light brown color rather than a dark brown color. Avoid very brown areas,” advises the FDA.

 

Source: Parent Herald

 

Autism man still seeking higher education after appeal to Obama

Billy Pagoni is refusing to give up on his hopes for a higher education.

Diagnosed with severe autism at 18 months old, 21-year-old Billy has trouble speaking and communicating with others, making it difficult for him to integrate into a typical college environment.

Nevertheless, Billy had always dreamed of attending college, with hopes of one day becoming a professional chef.  However, according to his mother, Edith, there are currently no university programs suited to meet his special needs.

In an attempt to fix this educational gap, Billy made a public plea to President Obama in April 2012, asking for his help to enroll in a secondary school.  While his video prompted a response from the White House, the Pagonis feel the problem still hasn’t been fully addressed, forcing them to seek more creative routes to further Billy’s educational career.

Now, having just completed his senior year of high school, Billy has enrolled in a special vocational program developed by a Connecticut-based company called G.R.O.W.E.R.S. Inc., where he works in a greenhouse, learning how to tend to plants and herbs.

“What they’re doing is breaking down the skills,” Edith Pagoni, the director of KNEADS, a non-profit social and vocational program for adolescents and young adults with autism, told FoxNews.com.  “He works in the gardens now; he does pruning, floral arrangements, and natural herbs…He’s really learning as he’s going, and we’re hopefully developing for him the ability to take an online course for him to be a sous chef.”

A bumpy road to education

In order to provide Billy with a good education growing up, Edith enrolled him in an applied behavioral analysis (ABA) program at Rutgers University, where he learned to read, write and speak.  She then had to convince local school systems in Connecticut, where the Pagoni family lived, to incorporate the program into their curriculum.

Later, when the family moved to Naples, Fla., they fought to have the ABA program incorporated in schools there as well.

While growing up in Florida, Billy was inspired to take up baking classes after he went to visit a German bread baker. Ever since then, Billy has wanted to become a professional baker or chef, but when it came time to register him in more specialized, university-level programs, Edith found the options to be incredibly scarce.

“They tell me there’s no place for him,” Pagoni told FoxNews.com in 2012 about the search process. “He [went] to school every day, he [got] A’s in a specialized curriculum, but he’s being denied a post-secondary experience.”

Feeling as though Billy had little to no opportunities to attend an institution for higher learning, the Pagonis appealed to an unlikely source: the President of the United States.  In a video posted to Facebook, Billy read from a letter addressed to the Commander in Chief, imploring him to create opportunities for himself and other autistic individuals.

“Dear President Obama, my name is Billy Pagoni,” Billy recited. “I want to be a baker. I am a great student. I never miss a day of school. I get A’s on my report card. Please, can you help me go to college? I am an American. I am autistic.”

The video garnered attention from people all over the world, as well as feedback from a White House spokesperson, who provided Edith with a list of colleges that offered educational programs for autistic students.  However, after meeting with these colleges, Edith found their programs to be more geared towards those with high functioning autism, such as Asperger’s syndrome – and since Billy had a more severe form of the disorder, he couldn’t quite fit in.

As a result, Edith was forced to find alternative solutions to meet Billy’s educational needs.

Growing with G.R.O.W.E.R.S.

Fortunately, Billy was able to get a glimpse of the college experience when his family moved back to Connecticut and enrolled him in a special program at Quinnipiac University in Hamden.  There, he was able to finish his senior year of high school while living on campus and learning how to function on his own.

But after graduating in May of 2013, Billy still wanted to continue his educational career.  That’s when Edith stumbled upon G.R.O.W.E.R.S. Inc., a company aimed at helping people with developmental disabilities perform useful skills and tasks in a normal work environment.

Edith said this program has been extremely beneficial for Billy, as they try to assess his options for future education and employment.

“We’re kind of in a transitional stage,” Edith said. “He really wants to continue with that post-secondary academic experience, but we have to carve it out for them, because there really are no programs out there.”

At G.R.O.W.E.R.S – stands for Growing Real Opportunities with Educational Relationships and other adults work together to grow flowers and plants in a greenhouse, attending additional responsibilities surrounding the horticulture business.  The program is meant to cultivate the specific needs of each participant, depending on what they want to achieve in the future.

“Each individual has different goals,” Scott Hickman, president and owner of G.R.O.W.E.R.S., told FoxNews.com.  “There’s basically a support team around each individual…Some may have dreams (of) working for a landscaper.  Some people have been there since 1975 and would feel uncomfortable if they had to go anywhere else.  Some want to increase their work skills.  It’s great for self-esteem and from person to person it differs.”

Hickman originally ran a similar vocational program for a larger agency in the mid-1990s, but it was canceled by the company due to budget costs.  However, Hickman had seen firsthand how beneficial the program had been for people with disabilities, so he decided to create G.R.O.W.E.R.S. to continue giving individuals opportunities that might otherwise be unavailable to them.

Like Edith, Hickman agrees that there is a significant lack of valuable educational opportunities for adults with autism.

“With a lot more people coming of age with autism, there’s going to have to be more programs available,” Hickman said.  “I think research needs to continue and funding for programs is absolute key.  One of the things I hate to see is seeing an agency that turns into a babysitting service…What we offer, and what needs to be offered more in programs, are activities that are connected with something worthwhile.”

Though Billy loves working at G.R.O.W.E.R.S., Edith says there is still much more work to be done in order to give Billy and other young adults with autism the opportunity to attend school and someday participate in a normal work environment.

Now, Edith says she has a novel business model that can do just that.

A roadmap for the future

While Billy continues to work with G.R.O.W.E.R.S., Edith’s non-profit KNEADS has teamed up with Autism Speaks, in order to carve out a more tailored roadmap for his future.  Together, they are working on developing a new educational model for restaurants and other businesses, which could be mutually beneficial for both the companies and autistic individuals who want to go to work.

According to Edith, franchise restaurants – such as Subway or Chili’s – could easily carve out jobs suitable for people with autism.  Meanwhile, these businesses could partner with local colleges to develop certificate programs specially designed to educate autistic individuals on how to operate in these positions.  Then, once an individual finished the program, he or she could immediately start working at one of the restaurants, using the distinct set of skills he or she learned at school.

“If they could carve certain jobs out and then bring it to a vocational trade school and call it a program, then they would have a path towards employment,” Edith said. “But we need to get these companies to pull together to understand that that would be a great path with someone with autism.”

Edith said that while there are more programs geared towards individuals with high-functioning autism, there are very few options for adults like her son, who have trouble communicating. She said as long as this educational gap exists, she will continue to fight for opportunities for Billy, so that he can become the person he wants to be.

“As a parent, you can have all the money in the world, but if your son or daughter is not connected, then it feels like you’ve failed,” Edith said. “These major franchises that are in business: Let us help you.  There are so many that we can plug into.”

Source: fox news