_ Skin Skin HealthDiscovery Could Cure Skin Infections By Sondra Forsyth articleResearchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and partners have tested the use of ionic liquids to break bacterial biofilm layer on skin. A release from the laboratory explains that biofilms, which are like a protective tent over a colony of harmful bacteria, make the treatment of skin infections especially difficult. Microorganisms protected in a biofilm pose a significant health risk due to their antibiotic resistance and recalcitrance to treatment.
_ Wii Balance Board Helps MS patients By Sondra Forsyth articleThe Nintendo Wii Balance Board video game console can help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) reduce their risk of accidental falls, according to research done at Sapienza University in Rome and published online August 26th 2014 in the journal Radiology. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans showed that use of the balance board system appears to induce favorable changes in brain connections associated with balance and movement.
_ OsteoporosisSurgery to Repair Hip Fracture Saves Billions of $ By Sondra Forsyth articleEach year, more than 300,000 Americans -- primarily adults over age 65 -- sustain a hip fracture, a debilitating injury that can diminish life quality and expectancy and result in lost work days and substantial, long-term financial costs to patients, families, insurers and government agencies. Surgery, which is the primary treatment for hip fractures, successfully reduces mortality risk and improves physical function. However, little has been known about the procedure's value and return on investment.
_ Heart HealthNew Statin Guidelines an Improvement By Sondra Forsyth articleNew national guidelines can improve the way statin drugs are prescribed to patients at risk for cardiovascular disease, a Yale University study has found. The research, published August 25th 2014 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, also showed the new guidelines produce only a modest increase in the number of patients being given the drugs.
_ Preventing Organic Food Fraud By Sondra Forsyth articleA growing number of consumers are willing to pay a premium for fruits, vegetables and other foods labeled "organic", but whether they're getting what the label claims is another matter. Now scientists at the Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority and the Wuerzburg University in Germany are studying conventional and organic tomatoes are devising a new way to make sure farms are labeling their produce appropriately. Their report, which appears in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in August 2014, could help prevent organic food fraud.
_ CaregivingMindfulness Training for Caregivers & Loved Ones By Sondra Forsyth articleMindfulness training for people with early-stage dementia and their caregivers together in the same class turned out to be beneficial … Read More→
_ Digestive HealthHope for New Crohn's Disease Tx By Sondra Forsyth articleGenetic changes that occur in patients with a type of inflammatory bowel disease called Crohn's disease could hold clues to fighting the illness, according to research led by the University of Edinburgh in the UK and published August 26th 2014 in the journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Currently, there is no way to prevent Crohn's disease and therapy is focused on treating the symptoms, which may include abdominal pain, diarrhea and severe weight loss.
_ Healthy Diet & Nutrition Medical CareChange in Tube Feeding Boosts Nutrition By Sondra Forsyth articleWhile the importance of enteral nutrition (EN), or feeding patients through a tube, in an intensive care unit is well understood, underfeeding is still common. A practice of a certain amount of feeding per hour can be interrupted by tests, procedures, or emergencies. Changing to a volume-based system, which calls for a certain nutrition volume per day, could reduce underfeeding, according to a quality improvement audit published in the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition's (A.S.P.E.N.) Nutrition in Clinical Practice journal on August 26th 2014.
_ Pain ManagementChronic Pain & Painkillers: Why You Should Consider Alternatives By Sondra Forsyth article By Dr. Frank King Roughly 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain lasting more than six months, according to a report from the Institute of Medicine. Throughout the past decade, the use of painkillers such as Vicodin, Percocet and OxyContin has soared by 300 percent. For many – 17,000 people per year, or 46 each day – the treatment is worse than the pain. That’s the number of users who die from the medicine, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Preserve the Harvest for Winter Meals and Holiday Gifts By Sondra Forsyth article By Melinda Myers The cucumbers have filled the vegetable drawer, you’ve run out of cabbage recipes and your family is refusing to eat one more BLT. Or maybe you just couldn’t resist that special deal on a bushel of tomatoes, potatoes or apples at the farmer’s market. So what is a gardener or shopper to do with all that produce?
_ Medical Care Medical ProceduresDeep Brain Stim OK for Older PD Patients By Sondra Forsyth articleOlder patients with Parkinson disease (PD) who undergo deep brain stimulation (DBS) appear to have a 90-day complication risk similar to younger patients, suggesting that age alone should not be a primary factor for excluding patients as DBS candidates. That’s the finding of research done by Michael R. DeLong, B.A., of the Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. and colleagues and published online August 25th 2014 inJAMA Neurology.
_ Is MSG Really Bad for You? By Sondra Forsyth articleThe American Chemical Society has debunked a long-running food myth about monosodium glutamate. More commonly known as MSG, the compound has had a bad reputation for nearly 50 years. The society felt it was time to clear its name. In a video, the chemists explain why the scientific consensus is that this flavor enhancer, known for its savory umami flavor, is perfectly safe for the vast majority of people.
_ Menopause Women's Health and WellnessGSM, New Term for Postmenopausal Problems By Sondra Forsyth articleTalking about genital, sexual, and urinary problems can be uncomfortable for postmenopausal women and their doctors. Having a term that doesn't carry stigma, isn't embarrassing to say, and is medically accurate could go a long way in helping women get the help they need and allowing them to make smarter healthcare decisions. That term is "genitourinary syndrome of menopause" or GSM. The term was developed and endorsed by The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) and the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH).
_ Men's HealthTailor Made Prostate Treatment By Sondra Forsyth articleSequencing RNA (ribonucleic acid), not just DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), could help doctors predict how prostate cancer tumors will respond to treatment, according to research published in August 2014 the open access journal Genome Biology. Because a tumor's RNA shows the real time changes a treatment is causing, the authors think this could be a useful tool to aid diagnosis and predict which treatment will most benefit individual cancer patients.
_ Aging WellWhy Our Word Choices Matter As We Age By Sondra Forsyth articleBy Roger Landry MD Have you ever considered how the words we use impact the culture around us? How do those words reflect our own attitudes, beliefs, and values? Furthermore, for those among us who work in the aging profession, how does what we say affect both how we perceive older adults to be, and how they self-identify? How Our Brains React to the Words We Say
_ Lung CancerAHA E-Cigarette Recommendations By Sondra Forsyth articleThe American Heart Association issued new policy recommendations August 25th 2014 on the use of e-cigarettes and their impact on tobacco-control efforts. The guidance was published in the association's journal, Circulation. Based on the current evidence, the association's position is that e-cigarettes that contain nicotine are tobacco products and should be subject to all laws that apply to these products. The association also calls for strong new regulations to prevent access, sales and marketing of e-cigarettes to youth, and for more research into the product's health impact.
_ Aging Well Healthy Diet & NutritionAre You as Old as What You Eat? By Sondra Forsyth articleResearchers from University College London (UCL) have demonstrated how an interplay between nutrition, metabolism, and immunity is involved in the process of aging. The two new studies, supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), could help to enhance our immunity to disease through dietary intervention and help make existing immune system therapies more effective.
_ Pain ManagementBlocking the Chili Pepper Receptor By Sondra Forsyth articleBiting into a chili pepper causes a burning spiciness that is irresistible to some, but intolerable to others. Scientists exploring the chili pepper's effect are using their findings to develop a new drug candidate for many kinds of pain that can be caused by inflammation or other problems. They reported their progress on the compound, which is being tested in clinical trials, in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.