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This link shows the many side effects cancer can have. OT can help! I honestly did not think about OT and cancer until this unit of study.

I realize this article is mainly about the accolades of the OT Robin Newman. However, I noticed an interesting piece at the end. She is working on a program that focuses on OT treatment for women who experience cognitive difficulties after completing chemotherapy. When my mom went through chemotherapy, the doctors and nurses told us a common side effect was "chemo brain.," where she would forgot how to do common tasks, easily lose her train of though, and not be able to think of words she wanted to say. Chemotherapy affects many areas of the body, including cognitive abilities. OT is definitely qualified to help treat cancer patients regain their cognitive abilities in a therapeutic way. Just another reason to promote OT!

Sex is a taboo subject for some people, but as future OTA's we need learn how to be able to answer questions about sex. If as a therapist we are uncomfortable discussing sex, we aren't establishing a very good therapeutic use of self if we can not effectively communicate with the client their concerns regarding sex.

This is an article on AOTA website that talks about how important addressing sexuality in the OT field is and the interventions we might take to address sexuality with our clients. Always helpful to have these facts and examples on hand for our future.

Sexuality is a core characteristic and formative factor for human beings. It is a state of mind, representing our feelings about ourselves, what it's like to be male or female, how we relate to people of our own gender and those of the opposite gender, how we establish relationships, and how we express ourselves. This article from AOTA was helpful for me when we were going over sexuality in class. It mentions some specific areas OT can address.

The following is a question and answer based article geared towards understanding the many different types of thermoplastic materials available for orthotic fabrication. It is important to understand the ways in which thermoplastic materials behave when activated in order to make them work properly and effectively for each and every orthotic design.

Oftentimes deaf children are not able to speak effectively due to their disability to listen normally. Although the education system for the deaf has improved considerably, still these children are finding it difficult to communicate fluently or learn things faster. In order to help such children overcome their problem of listening, a new device has been unveiled.

The role of PAMS in therapy is vast. Here is a description of the most commonly used PAMS and the areas that they treat. Included are the things we discussed in lecture, but PAMS are used to treat other issues like urinary incontinence. The general clinical roles of electrical stimulation, therapeutic ultrasound, shortwave diathermy, and one we have not studied in class, light therapy. Light therapy is indicated for pain management, increase ROM, decrease joint stiffness, and increase circulation to the treated area. PAMS are used to increase the effects of therapy.

Physical agent modalities traditionally include therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, shortwave diathermy (electromagnetic energy) and light therapy. This article breaks down how each one helps our patients.

This is a study of the effect of therapeutic exercise on function in stroke patients. It is about just exercise, without meaningful activity, but they used OT as well as PT therapists. It shows a significant gain in function for the patients who received ther-ex.

While browsing through Facebook, this video popped up on my newsfeed. We talked a lot about the emotional side effects of burns and the long process of skin transplants. This firefighter was given a new face with functional eyelids. How incredible that surgeons were able to do this for him. It makes me optimistic for future burn victims.

Although this is basically a commercial for this specific brand of conversion kit, the idea behind converting an existing tub into a walk-in shower for those who struggle to get into their own tub is a good one. Using a method similar to this is more cost-effective than installing an entirely new shower and is much safer for individuals who don't have the flexibility or strength to step into a traditional tub.