(NAPSI)—Organ transplants have been saving lives for many years. You may even know someone who has received a kidney or a heart transplant, and what a difference that gift of life has made.

Another type of transplant has been changing lives in incredible new ways—the transplantation of hands and faces. More than 100 people worldwide have received these types of transplants: a veteran who lost his limbs in war, a woman whose face was devastated in an attack, a child who lost his hands to severe infection. All have had their lives transformed.

These procedures are called “Vascularized Composite Allograft” organ transplants, or VCA transplants. They are composed of multiple types of tissue. With a hand transplant, for example, bones, blood vessels, nerves and skin must all be attached to the remaining arm.

So many tissues, however, make VCA transplants extremely complex. The surgery requires the involvement of dozens of surgeons and other medical professionals and can take 16 hours or more. Recovery is also demanding for patients; rehabilitation can be a full-time job for one to two years.

Yet, the results are life changing. VCA transplants can restore abilities and independence in ways that artificial limbs and reconstructive surgery cannot. Just consider the difference a working hand with moving fingers and a sense of touch could make. It can mean the ability to take care of oneself, work, drive and play. Face transplants enable recipients to rejoin society, often ending isolation and depression.

VCA and traditional organ transplants are the same in some respects. Criteria for matching donors and recipients include the need for compatible blood and tissue types. However, VCA requires matching for additional features such as skin tone, body size and hair color. Gender may also be taken into consideration.

A commonly asked question about face transplants is whether the recipient will look like the donor. The answer is yes and no. Yes, skin characteristics such as moles, freckles and scars will transfer to the recipient. However, because the recipient’s underlying bone structure is apt to be different from the donor’s, resemblance will likely be minimal.

Like with kidneys, livers and other organs, there is a national waiting list for VCA transplants that matches donors with potential recipients. However, enrolling as an organ donor on a state or national registry does not mean you’re authorizing VCA donation. Your family would make the decision about VCA donation after your death.

You can learn more at www.organdonor.gov, a website of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration.

(NAPSI) — For people who are on one or more daily prescription medicines, forgetting to take a pill can happen from time to time. Planning ahead for such schedule-disrupting events as vacations and special events can help you stay on track and minimize any health risks that might result from not “taking as directed.”

Doctor’s Advice

“It’s really important to take your medication exactly as prescribed, even if you don’t feel different after missing a day or two,” explained Dr. Victoria Losinski, director of pharmacy services at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. “This is especially true for people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, because their risk of ending up in the hospital is 2.5 times greater when not following a doctor’s treatment plan.”

The mantra “you have to take the medicine for it to work” goes beyond diabetes control. People who don’t take their prescribed high blood pressure medication on a regular basis have a 42 percent higher chance of developing chronic heart failure. And people on high cholesterol medications are twice as likely to develop heart disease if their cholesterol is not under control.

What You Can Do

To help, here are five tried-and-true tips for strengthening your everyday prescription medication habits:

1. Talk to a pharmacist. Some drugs have very specific instructions on when to take them, whether to take them on an empty stomach, with certain foods or to avoid in conjunction with certain medications. Your pharmacist can help you understand your medications and map a plan to stay on track. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota members can also call the number on the back of their cards and speak with a nurse guide.

2. Write it down. If you’ve got several medications to manage, write down the details to keep them straight. Consider using a small one-page calendar, such as the kind found in a checkbook or available through a downloadable tracker, to mark off that you have taken your meds each day.

3. Get organized. Using a pillbox is a simple low-tech way to make sure you take exactly what you need when you need it. There are also pharmacies, including PillPack, that sort your prescriptions, vitamins and other over-the-counter medicines into dated packets to make taking your meds even easier. You can also ask your pharmacy if it offers a similar program.

4. Set an alarm. Use your smartphone to schedule reminders. If you’re looking for an app, try Rxremind, which can be downloaded for iPhone or for Android.

5. Refill on time. Accessing your pharmacy’s auto-refill program, requesting a 90-day supply and using a mail-order prescription service are all good ways to help make sure you don’t run out and miss your medication.

Learn More

For additional facts, tips and resources, visit Bluecrossmn.com/ManageMyMeds.

(NAPSI) — If you ever get sick to your stomach due to pregnancy, chemotherapy, surgery, riding in a car, a boat, a plane or an amusement park ride, or even virtual reality gaming, you may be relieved to learn two things:

First, you’re not alone. Nausea affects millions of people every day. Scientists are not sure why, but according to a study published in the journal Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, there is a significant genetic contribution that may be responsible for as much as 57 percent of the people who suffer from motion sickness.

What To Do

Next, whatever the cause, you can feel better with the help of these four anti-nausea tips:

• Eat light, plain food, such as dry bread and crackers.
• Avoid anything too sweet or greasy.
• Sip certain liquids if you can—ginger ale, ginger tea, mint tea and plain water may all help.
• Get a fast-acting, drug-free, nausea relief band that works without the side effects of medications such as drowsiness and constipation.

How It Works

Featuring a clinically-proven technology, it’s a specially designed wristband that uses patented scientific knowledge, endorsed by health care professionals, and that emits accurately programmed pulses with highly specific waveforms, frequency and intensity. These pulses signal the median nerve at the P6 location on the underside of the wrist. This stimulation of the nerves, known as “neuromodulation,” uses the body’s natural neural pathways to send messages to the part of the brain that controls nausea, retching and vomiting. The signals have a rebalancing effect, normalizing nerve messages from the brain to the stomach and quickly reducing symptoms of nausea, retching and vomiting.

The unique band is easy to use and comfortable to wear, even over time, and the attractive design rivals the most fashionable wearables. Called Reliefband 2.0, it features a latex-free band and hypoallergenic surgical steel contacts for efficient transmission of pulses. The intuitive display has 10 intensity settings that can be moved up and down at the touch of a button and a battery that lasts about 18 hours on a full charge and recharges quickly. This adjustable band, designed to control nausea, helps put you back in control so you can live your life in full motion.

Learn More

For more information, go to www.reliefband.com, and to find a community of fellow nausea sufferers and learn how they cope, visit www.nationalstopnauseaday.com.

(NAPSI)—Every heart has a built-in pacemaker that ensures it beats regularly. When that natural pacemaker doesn’t do its job, however, a person may experience an irregular heart rhythm, the most common and undertreated of which is atrial fibrillation (AF). This irregular heartbeat isn’t always noticeable at first but can cause chaos over time.

Understanding AF

AF, which affects more than 33.5 million people worldwide, occurs when the upper chambers of the heart beat significantly faster than a normal heartbeat or quiver irregularly. Some people with AF have no symptoms, while others have chest discomfort or pain and experience fainting or light-headedness, as well as fatigue, shortness of breath or weakness.

“When I was young, my heart did funny things. It fluttered, it skipped a beat, but mostly it resolved by itself,” said Sue Halpern, a lifelong AF patient. “When it didn’t resolve by itself, I somehow learned how to make it stop. I began to notice in my 20s and early 30s that it was getting harder to make it stop, but I still didn’t know anything was wrong with me.”

Because the heart isn’t pumping normally, blood can pool in the heart and clot; these clots can also make their way through the bloodstream. If left untreated, people with AF have a much higher risk of stroke and an increased risk of heart failure.

AF is typically caused by damage to the heart from disease, an abnormality from birth, surgery or a heart attack. However, adopting healthy behaviors such as monitoring cholesterol and blood pressure, avoiding smoking and excessive caffeine, and not abusing alcohol can help prevent disease.

How To Tell If You Have AF

As with so many diseases, early detection of AF is important. Physicians may obtain an electrocardiogram (ECG) or stress test, or recommend short-term monitoring with a cardiac event recorder or Holter monitor. Unlike these short-term methods, a small insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) automatically detects and records abnormal heart rhythms for up to three years, while remaining barely detectable under the patient’s skin. For example, the Medtronic Reveal LINQ ICM is approximately one-third the size of an AAA battery, yet it can accurately detect AF.

What To Do If You Have AF

Once diagnosed, living with AF doesn’t have to be a burden. While treatment options vary, many people respond well to medications. For those whose natural pacemaker needs an extra boost to keep the beat, treatment may include an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) or a pacemaker that can respond to and reduce the duration of AF episodes. An ICD can also detect a dangerous and potentially life-threatening heart rhythm and send a lifesaving therapy to correct it.

Another treatment for paroxysmal (fleeting) atrial fibrillation (PAF) is cryoablation, a minimally invasive procedure that isolates the pulmonary veins, which are a source of erratic electrical signals that cause PAF. The device used in the procedure uses cold energy to interrupt these irregular electrical pathways in the heart.

In Halpern’s case, cryoablation greatly reduced her PAF episodes and has given her a new outlook on life.

“For someone who was having episodes every seven to 10 days for eight to 12 hours at a time, I wouldn’t have dreamed of having a life free of AF,” Halpern said. “My advice is, if you feel something off with your heart, do something about it.”

Learn More

Those who are living with or who suspect they may have AF can get further facts about therapies that may help get their heart back in sync and find a physician by visiting www.medtronic.com/us-en/patients/conditions/atrial-fibrillation-afib.html.

(NAPSI) — If you or someone you care about is among the 1.6 million Americans with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, there are a few facts you may find it helpful to know.

The conditions are collectively known as inflammatory bowel diseases, or IBD. They affect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the area of the body where digestion takes place. The diseases cause inflammation of the intestine and can lead to ongoing symptoms and complications. Although there is no known cause or cure for IBD, there are many effective treatments to help control it.

Anyone can be diagnosed with IBD, but adolescents and young adults between the ages of 15 and 35 are the most susceptible. Ten percent of those afflicted develop symptoms before age 18.

Approximately 20 percent of patients have another family member with IBD, and families frequently share a similar pattern of disease.

IBD can vary from one person to the next, but often has a significant effect on quality of life. People often experience ongoing symptoms, reduced ability to work, social stigma and difficulty with physical activities.

Symptoms And Complications

Ulcerative colitis involves the inner lining of the colon, while Crohn’s disease involves all layers of the intestine and can occur in both the small intestine and colon. Here are four things to consider:

1. Symptoms range from mild to severe and can include any or all of the following: Persistent diarrhea, abdominal pain or cramps, rectal bleeding, fever and weight loss, fatigue, joint, skin or eye irritations and delayed growth in children.
2. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are unpredictable. Some people have no active symptoms for some time (also known as remission). Others require frequent hospitalizations and surgery. Symptoms may vary in nature, frequency and intensity.
3. Taking medications as prescribed by a doctor can help control symptoms, inflammation and any complications that may arise, such as malnutrition or anemia.
4. Regular colonoscopies are recommended in IBD patients to monitor inflammation and any growths that can potentially be removed, or changes happening within the colon.

Treatments

There are medications currently available to help control disease symptoms and inflammation. The most commonly prescribed are aminosalicylates (5-ASA), corticosteroids, immunomodulators, biologic therapies, and antibiotics.

Surgery is sometimes recommended when medications can no longer control symptoms, when there are intestinal obstructions or when other complications arise.

Emotional Factors

IBD does not only affect the body physically. There can also be effects on mental health. Feelings of anxiety and depression can be very common in IBD, as patients learn to cope with everyday living. It is important not to ignore these invisible symptoms and to seek support or to talk to your doctor about any emotional concerns.

Diet

There may be times when modifying a patient’s diet can be helpful, particularly when symptoms are active, but there’s no evidence that certain foods cause IBD. No single diet or eating plan works for everyone with IBD. Diets are tailored to each patient.

What’s Being Done

There is critical research in areas of genetics, microbiome and environmental triggers that will help improve quality of life for patients, advance toward precision medicine and, ultimately, lead to new treatment and cures.

Learn More

You can get information, guidance, support, and the latest clinical and research news from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation at www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org. You can also join a nearby chapter, connect with others living with these diseases, and get involved. Call the IBD Help Center at 888-MY-GUT-PAIN (888-694-8872) or e-mail info@crohnscolitisfoundation.org.