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Author: Jane Farrell
Night-Owl People Bigger Risk Takers Than Early Risers
Women who are night owls are as likely as men to be risk-takers. They’re also liable to be single or have short-term romantic relationships.
Research by a professor from the University of Chicago suggests that night owls are different from early risers in very important ways.
The research suggests that sleep patterns are linked with important character traits and behavior.
More People Are Making Living Wills
The number of older people who have living wills has nearly doubled in recent years, researchers have found. The change indicates that millions of people are less timid about discussing the complicated, frightening issues surrounding end-of-life medical treatments.
Investigators from the University of Michigan and the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health Care System found that the percentage jumped from 47 percent in 2000 to 72 percent in 2010.
3 Questions To Ask About The Intensive Care Unit
3 Questions to Ask About The Intensive Care Unit
Looking After Your Loved One In The ICU
The Medical Intensive Care Unit, or what people commonly call the ICU, can be just that – intense.
Most patients are admitted because they have a serious illness that requires critical, round-the-clock care. These people have often developed pneumonia, sepsis, or multiple organ failure. Feelings can run high, especially for patients and their families.
Why It May Be More Than “The Blues”
Everyone feels blue now and then. It’s part of life. But if you no longer enjoy activities that you usually like, there may be a more serious problem. Feeling depressed without letup can change the way you think and the way you experience emotions. Doctors call this clinical depression.
Urban Gardeners Must Know More About Soil
People growing food in urban gardens need to know more about soil contamination, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF).
Although consuming food from urban gardens can have health benefits, a lack of knowledge about soil contamination could pose potential problems for both consumers and producers.
A Simple Step Toward Better Healing
Heart-attack patients’ recovery can improve if hospitals keep to regular day-night cycles during the first few days after the attack, research shows.
Previous studies have shown that circadian rhythms, or day-night cycles, can affect the timing of a heart attack. But this is the first investigation to show the importance of keeping to circadian rhythms in the first few days after the attack.
The findings, by researchers from the University of Guelph, in Toronto, were published in the journal Circulation Research.
Watch: How To Spot “Diet” Foods That Make You Gain Weight
Here's another addition to our Third Age video collection. Press play to start learning.
Breast Lifts Increasing In Popularity
Although breast implants remain the most popular cosmetic surgery for women, the popularity of breast lifts is growing fast, according to newly released statistics.
The statistics, from American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) show that since 2000, breast lifts have grown by 70 percent, outpacing implants two-to-one. In 2013, ASPS surgeons performed more than 90,000 breast lift procedures. Nearly 70 percent of the lifts were performed on women between the ages of 30-54.
Statins Help With Erectile Function
In addition to lowering blood cholesterol, statin drugs also appear to help with erectile dysfunction. Researchers said they hope that conclusion will encourage men who need statins to take them.
The finding is to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.
Are You Lactose Intolerant?
If you find yourself suddenly having unpleasant digestive effects from dairy products, the culprit might be lactose intolerance. Even if you’ve never suffered from it, lactose intolerance can manifest itself in adulthood. Here, from the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearing House (NDDIC), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is some information on what it is, why you might have it and how you can manage it:
Are Relaxed BP Guidelines Safe?
Relaxed guidelines about hypertension could lead to 5.8 fewer million adults taking blood pressure medicine, according to an analysis by Duke Medicine researchers.
That finding is the first peer-reviewed study the impact of guidelines announced in February by the Eighth Joint National Committee, an expert panel. The committee changed the blood pressure goal in adults 60 years and older to 150/90, instead of the previous goal of 140/90. Goals were also eased for adults with diabetes and kidney disease.
More Research Needed On Aging-Related Genes
More Research Needed On Aging-Related Genes
Although there is still no definitive way for scientists to control genes associated with aging, research into the subject could lead to preventive treatment that would prolong lifespan, according to a new analysis of global research.
The research is also paving the way for possible treatment of illnesses relating to aging, according to professor Alexey Moskalev, PhD, DSc, of the Russian Academy of Sciences and at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
Watch: Doctors Have Begun To Use Google Glass In Operating Rooms
Here's another addition to our Third Age Video Collection. Press play to start learning.
“Relaxation” May Not Help Migraines
Relaxation is usually a good thing, but perhaps not when it comes to migraine, according to a new study.
Researchers from the Montefiore Headache Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that migraine sufferers who experienced reduced stress from one day to the next are at significantly greater risk of migraine onset on the subsequent day.
Although stress has often been believed to be a common trigger of headaches, the researchers found that relaxation following the heighted stress was an even more significant trigger.
CT Scans Better At Finding Gout
Researchers from the Mayo Clinic have discovered a new way of diagnosing gout that doesn’t involve needle aspiration.
Until now the painful form of inflammatory arthritis has been detected only through drawing fluid or tissue from an affected joint via a needle and looking for uric acid crystals. But needle aspiration doesn’t seem to work as well as the one just developed by Mayo: X-rays known as dual-energy CT scans. According to a release from Mayo, the scans found gout in one third of patients who had tested negative for the illness.
Getting The Most From Springtime Walking
With spring returning, most of us want to get out and walk, especially if we’ve been stuck at home for most of the winter. Springtime walking isn’t just great exercise; it also lets us observe the beauty of a reawakening world. At this time of year, it’s no wonder that people go outside urban settings and walk on country or unpaved roads. But as wonderful as that can be, rural and even some suburban walking have their own set of hazards.
Recurrent UTIs: Hope For A Cure
Scientists may be edging closer to a permanent cure for recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Researchers led by microbiologists from the University of Utah have shown the efficacy of a compound called chitosan when it’s used in combination with antibiotics. Chitosan is already approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pharmaceutical and agricultural uses.