_ Pets Healthy And Safe Exercise For Your Dog - And You By Jane Farrell article Now that spring’s here, it’s a perfect time to get out and exercise – and having a canine companion will make it ever more enjoyable. But just as you follow safety measures for yourself, you need to know what will keep your dog from danger. Here, from the ASPCA, are some tips: Get your pet a check-up
ΓÇ£Happy AnticsΓÇ¥ Exercise for Dementia Patients By Jane Farrell article A holistic exercise program called “Happy Antics” that pairs cognitive activities with physical movements helps dementia patients and caregivers alike, according to research done at Teesside University in the U.K. and published in May 2014 in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies.
_ "Physician Partners" Help Improve Patient Care By Jane Farrell article A “physician partner” who can handle a doctor’s administrative tasks will help lighten the practitioner’s burden and increase patient care satisfaction, according to a study from UCLA. The study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, focused on the implementation of electronic medical records.
_ 10 Common Cancer Treatment Myths By Jane Farrell article By Mayo Clinic Staff As advances in the treatment of cancer have increased, you may have discovered more opportunities to learn the facts about this disease. Yet some misleading ideas about cancer treatment still persist. Timothy J. Moynihan, M.D., a cancer specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., helps debunk some of the most common misconceptions about cancer treatment and explains the truth. Myth: A positive attitude is all you need to beat cancer.
_ Exercise How To Have The Exercise Talk With Your Doctor By Jane Farrell article The health benefits of exercise are almost too numerous to list: Experts say that regular physical activity can have a positive effect on health conditions ranging from depression to diabetes. But it’s essential to talk to your doctor you begin exercising, want to take your current routine to the next level, or want to start a different activity.
Five Sex-Positive Results of Celibacy By Jane Farrell blog Let’s define celibacy versus abstinence. The terms are often used interchangeably, yet for the purposes of this article, they are two different concepts. According to the website Wait Until Marriage, abstinence is defined as the absence of sexual intercourse, whereas celibacy is the avoidance of all forms of sexual activity. People who abstain from sex often date, kiss and have oral sex. Abstinence is a method of managing potential STDs and unwanted pregnancies. Many people of faith also want to wait until marriage to engage in full sexual relations. Celibacy is a way of being that avoids all sexual situations. This can often demand the avoidance of dating altogether, as it did for me.
_ Meditation Can Give Your Brain A Rest By Jane Farrell article If you’re doing focused meditation, your brain is in effect giving itself a bit of a rest. Norwegian and Australian researchers, examining brain activity via an MRI, found that concentrated meditation, in which a subject focuses on breathing and works to suppress other thoughts, showed a brain activity level that was almost the same as the brain resting.
_ A Cellular Path to Anti-Aging Drugs By Jane Farrell article Researchers have devised an algorithm that can help in the ongoing search for anti-aging drugs. The scientists, from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, published their findings in the journal Frontiers in Genetics. In their investigation, the researchers compared the cells of young and elderly patients, focusing on signaling pathways. The pathways play a crucial part in a process that ultimately results in either normal or pathological changes in cells.
Sleep Health When It's More Than Being Tired By Jane Farrell article Whether from insomnia, stress, or just doing too much, we all feel tired occasionally. But if a good night’s sleep doesn’t revive you, and your tiredness lasts for weeks, that’s probably another issue entirely. Here, the experts at SeniorHealth, a division of the National Institutes of Health, share what you should know about fatigue:
_ Protein Fragments and Alzheimer's By Jane Farrell article Two newly discovered protein fragments may lead to drugs that will better treat Alzheimer’s disease. In a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Prof. Illana Gozes, of Tel Aviv University’s Sagol School of Neuroscience, said that investigators had already focused on a protein called NAP, which is essential for brain formation. Now, they have found similar protein fragments. In their study, investigators looked at the effect of the fragments on mice with symptoms similar to thse of Alzheimer’s.
_ How Can We Avoid Another Global Pandemic? By Jane Farrell article An investigation into the 1918 flu pandemic has yielded some findings that could help experts improve current health policies, researchers say. Researchers from the University of Missouri looked at remote regions in North American to see how environmental, nutritional land economic factors determined the effect the pandemic had on them. The flu pandemic infected more than 500 million people and killed at least 50 million.
_ Food Expiration Dates: What's Safe, What's Not By Jane Farrell article You stand in front of the refrigerator staring at a “sell by” date on food and have the internal debate: Do I throw it in the trash or take my chances? You’re not the only one. Upwards of 91 percent of consumers have thrown food out based on the dates on packaging. But the dating system isn’t as clear as it seems. Nobody wants food poisoning — no fun — but few people want to waste food, either. Let’s get some clarity.
_ Keeping Your Nails Their Healthiest By Jane Farrell article From the Mayo Clinic Take a close look at your fingernails. Are they strong and healthy looking? Or do you see ridges, dents, or areas of unusual color or shape? Many less than desirable nail conditions can be avoided through proper fingernail care. Others indicate an underlying condition that requires attention.
_ The Molecule That Works Against You By Jane Farrell article Researchers have determined exactly how a “molecular motor” drives a process that invades cells. That finding could be crucial in combating viral infections. In the study, researchers from the University of California Berkeley reached new conclusions on how a type of molecular motor is used to “package” the DNA of a number of viruses, including herpes and adenoviruses. Once the DNA is packaged in the virus, it can invade the body and cause infection.
_ The Infectious Bond Between People and Their Pets By Jane Farrell article Humans and their animal companions exchange the bacteria for the antibiotic-resistant MRSA, according to a new study. The findings were published in mBio, the journal of the American Society for Microbiology. MRSA naturally lives on the skin and causes difficult-to-treat infections in humans and animals. It is hard to treat because over time it has become resistant to antibiotics.
_ ΓÇ£Pre-crastinationΓÇ¥ Appears to Be Common By Jane Farrell article Putting off tasks until later, or procrastination, is a common phenomenon — but new research suggests that “pre-crastination,” hurrying to complete a task as soon as possible, may also be common. Thestudy, published in May 2014 in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that people often opt to begin a task as soon as possible just to get it off their plate, even if they have to expend more physical effort to do so.
_ Stem Cells Make ΓÇ£Heart Disease-on-a-ChipΓÇ¥ By Jane Farrell article Harvard scientists have merged stem cell and “organ-on-a-chip” technologies to grow, for the first time, functioning human heart tissue carrying an inherited cardiovascular disease. The research appears to be a big step forward for personalized medicine because it is working proof that a chunk of tissue containing a patient's specific genetic disorder can be replicated in the laboratory.
_ Skin Skin Health Is It Shingles? By Jane Farrell article Shingles is one of the most common conditions for American adults: more than 50 percent have had it by the time they reach 80. However, it’s most frequent in the years between 60 and 80. How can you tell if you have this bothersome, painful problem, and what should you do about it? The experts at the SeniorHealth division of the National Institutes of Health have some answers: