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  Mental Health Trending Toward Recovery

  The discrimination and stigma surrounding mental health challenges along with a troubling history of medically sanctioned treatments are no secret. Today, for someone with a psychiatric diagnosis -- such as schizophrenia, depression, bipolar or ADHD -- the standard treatment is psychotropic medications that are always doctor-ordered and sometimes court-mandated.

  Researchers and clinicians are now providing data suggesting that recovery is not always achieved solely with prescribed medications.

  "By pursuing a multi-faceted approach that combines peer support, person-driven plans and other supports with medication at an individual's optimal level, if needed, we are witnessing results with much better long-term success," said Dr. Gina Firman Nikkel, president and CEO of the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care.

  Part of the equation is recognizing that psychiatric medications can come with side effects, and because each person's chemistry differs, these can range from minor to significant. Over long periods of use in particular, the side effects can outweigh the benefits, particularly when addiction is involved.

  This recovery model for mental health care is not a one-size-fits-all cure. Because mental health issues develop regardless of age, race or income level, an approach that requires collaboration is crucial. Most importantly, individuals and their families who face mental health challenges need to realize that they have choices.

  Dr. Nikkel's organization, which was founded in 2011, is driven by a mission to educate professionals and individuals with the goal of making the recovery model of care the new mainstream. As a community foundation with an international reach, the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care funds independent research, new program development and awareness. "As a community mental health development bank, we match the passion of private philanthropy with today's top researchers to bring recovery practices to every community," said Dr. Nikkel.

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  5 Tips for Healthy Eating as We Age

  Good nutrition plays an important role in how well you age. Eating a healthful diet helps keep your body strong and can help reduce your risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke and osteoporosis. Studies even show a link between healthful eating and longevity.

  "As we age, the body becomes less efficient at absorbing some key nutrients. Appetite and taste can suffer from loss of sense of smell and taste or from side effects of medications. Bad teeth can make some foods difficult to chew or digest," said Arthur Hayward, MD, a geriatrician and the clinical lead physician for elder care with Kaiser Permanente's Care Management Institute. "So choosing foods carefully is smart."

  Here are five tips to help you get the nutrition your body needs:

  1. Avoid empty calories.

  Foods with empty calories may contain very few vitamins and minerals. "Convenience foods," such as packaged snacks, chips and sodas, are common sources of empty calories. Avoid the "bad" carbs -- foods that have white flour, refined sugar and white rice.

  2. Choose nutrient-rich foods.

  Eat a variety of foods. The more you vary the foods you eat, the more vitamins, minerals and other nutrients you get. For example:

  * Eat lots of fruits and vegetables -- Choose fresh, frozen or no-salt canned vegetables and fruits in their own juice or light syrup.

  * Eat foods with protein -- Protein is found in lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs and cheese, cooked beans, peanut butter and nuts and seeds.

  * Get enough calcium and vitamin D -- Calcium and vitamin D are found in milk and milk products, including yogurt and cheese. They are also in green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, collard greens) and tofu.

  * Include foods high in vitamin B12 -- After 50, the body produces less gastric acid and absorbs less B12, which helps keep blood and nerves vital. B12 is found in milk, meat, poultry, fish and eggs.

  * Eat high-fiber foods -- This includes fruits, vegetables, cooked dried beans and whole grains.

  3. Drink plenty of fluids.

  Drink plenty of fluids -- enough so that your urine is light yellow or clear like water. Fiber and fluids help with constipation.

  4. If your appetite is poor.

  Try eating smaller meals, several times a day, instead of one or two large meals. Eating while socializing with others may help your appetite. You might also ask about changing medicines. Medication can cause appetite or taste problems.

  5. Eat soft foods.

  As we approach our senior years, chewing food is sometimes difficult. Choose low-sodium canned vegetables or cooked fruits and vegetables. These are often softer. Chop or shred meat, poultry or fish. Add sauce or gravy to the meat to help keep it moist.

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  Doctoral students from four Atlanta universities

  Doctoral students from four Atlanta universities worked together recently to learn how to develop new pharmaceutical products during a two-week interdisciplinary short course at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The course’s final presentations were held June 11.

  Two dozen students from Georgia Tech, Mercer University, Georgia State University and Emory University heard lectures from Atlanta-based medical professionals, researchers, and pharmaceutical company leaders – and worked in teams to develop plans for how a drug company might convert a promising molecule into a real product. To demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of the drug development process, each team included pharmacists, bio-scientists, chemists and engineers.

  “Each team was given information from the scientific literature on a drug in early stage development by a pharmaceutical company, and was asked to put together and justify a detailed plan for bringing that molecule forward into a drug product useful in clinical medicine,” said Mark Prausnitz, the course’s leader and a Regents’ professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering.

  Speakers from the Atlanta pharmaceutical community talked to the students on such topics as drug discovery and design, drug manufacturing, formulation, pre-clinical studies, design of clinical trials, marketing, project teamwork and R&D reports. In addition to Prausnitz, other instructors included:

  • Ajay Banga, professor and chair of pharmaceutical sciences at Mercer University;
  • Andy Bommarius, professor of chemical & biomolecular engineering at Georgia Tech;
  • Bobby Khan, chief medical officer at Atlanta Clinical Research Centers;
  • Joseph Patti, co-founder and senior vice president of R&D at Inhibitex;
  Harold Shlevin, director of bioscience commercialization at Georgia Tech and former CEO of Solvay Pharmaceuticals;
  • James Sikorski, a consultant and former vice president of medicinal chemistry at AtheroGenics;
  • Jaipal Singh, adjunct professor of biology at Georgia Tech and former chief scientific officer at Saint Joseph’s Translational Research Institute;
  • Charlie Thompson, a principal at Axtria;
  • Wes Wynans, director of leadership education and development at Georgia Tech.

  Students were pleased with the opportunity to see the entire drug development process and to work closely with peers from other universities. “Working in an interdisciplinary team allowed us to connect the dots between all of the medical, scientific and business aspects of bringing a drug to the market,” said Meera Gujjar, a graduate student in pharmaceutical sciences at Mercer University.

  Chris Quinto, a Ph.D. student from Georgia Tech, found students from other backgrounds helpful in sharing their expertise in the complex drug development process.

  “The Mercer students in my group were a great resource in helping explain and make sense of the data and terminology in the papers that we read,” Quinto said. “What I found most interesting in this class was how the drug development research teams consist of many different specialties, each of which is vital to the final outcome of the drug development process.”

  The course is expected to be offered once every two years. “This shows how Atlanta universities are working together and with local pharmaceutical companies to build a stronger pharmaceutical research and education community here,” Prausnitz added.