Scientists at The University of Manchester, UK, have shown for the first time that if the brain is ‘tuned-in’ to a particular frequency, pain can be alleviated. Chronic pain- pain which lasts for more than six months – is a real problem for many people, with 20-50 % of the general population estimated to suffer… Continue reading Pain and Your Brain
Author: Jane Farrell
Managing Balance Problems
Balance problems can be frightening because they often increase the risk of a fall, which can have serious consequences including breaking a hip. People are more likely to have problems with balance as they get older. But age is not the only reason these problems occur; there are other causes, too. In some cases, you… Continue reading Managing Balance Problems
A New Finding on Telomeres
Researchers are drawing closer to a better understanding of the biology of telomeres, “caps” of DNA that protect the tips of chromosomes and play key roles in a number of health conditions, including cancer, inflammation and aging. The findings, by investigators from the University of Pittsburg, were published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular… Continue reading A New Finding on Telomeres
The FDA and Healthy Food Choices
An update from the federal Food and Drug Administrations on the food information you have before making your choices. As you’re sitting around your kitchen table or walking into your favorite chain restaurant, or in the grocery store, you may wonder: What should I feed myself and my family at home? What about when we’re… Continue reading The FDA and Healthy Food Choices
Changing How We Talk about Alzheimer’s
New research recommends talking about Alzheimer’s in a new way: avoiding war metaphors and focusing on messages of resilience. Framing a health issue through comparisons to warfare – “battle,” “victory,” “fight” – is common in popular media and medical and research communities. While it can motivate efforts to deal with the issue, this type of… Continue reading Changing How We Talk about Alzheimer’s
The Importance of A Chronic-Care Plan
Editor’s note: Nobody likes to think about becoming incapacitated, but preparing for the time when chronic care is needed can go a long way toward having peace of mind for both the potential patient and their family. Here, from the experts at Generations Healthcare, a network of skilled nursing, memory care and rehabilitation facilities in… Continue reading The Importance of A Chronic-Care Plan
Avoiding Costly Medicare Mistakes
It’s decision time for the 55 million Americans covered by Medicare. Open enrollment, when people can enroll in Medicare or make changes to their plans, runs every year from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. But anyone who thinks that signing up for the medical plan for seniors is simple could be in for a rude… Continue reading Avoiding Costly Medicare Mistakes
A Better Sleep App?
Researchers have come up with an app that goes one step beyond the sleep-monitoring apps already on the market. The old-style apps help people monitor their sleep patterns by monitoring time of going to bed, time of waking up and any tossing and turning. Now, a group of Brown University computer scientists and clinical psychologists… Continue reading A Better Sleep App?
Get Set for a Healthy Winter
Here, experts from the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) share tips on how you can get through the cold-weather season while doing what you need to avoid colds and flu. Although contagious viruses are active year-round, we’re most vulnerable to them in fall and winter. That’s because, in large part, we spend more time… Continue reading Get Set for a Healthy Winter
Oxygen Therapy May Not Help Some COPD Patients
Long-term supplemental oxygen treatment may not provide much help to some patients who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), researchers say. The group of patients studied have moderately low blood oxygen levels, and the investigators, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, concluded that the treatment made little or no change in time to… Continue reading Oxygen Therapy May Not Help Some COPD Patients
How to Care for Your Indoor Air
Editor’s note: As winter approaches, it’s time to reconsider the quality of our indoor air. Here, experts from the Environmental Protection Agency share what you need to know for this and other seasons. Most of us spend much of our time indoors. The air that we breathe in our homes, in schools, and in offices… Continue reading How to Care for Your Indoor Air
Paper or Electronic: Which Kind of Prescription is Better?
The way a dermatology prescription is written – paper or electronic – can influence whether a patient fills it and picks it up, according to a researcher from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. In the study, published in JAMA Dermatology, Adewole S. Adamson, MD, assistant professor of dermatology, used data from a… Continue reading Paper or Electronic: Which Kind of Prescription is Better?
Facebook and Diagnoses of Illness
Like it or not, social media is among the most common ways people communicate worldwide. And while that has attracted some criticism, researchers say that Facebook updates might help in understanding the onset and early years of mental illness. “Facebook is hugely popular and could provide us with a wealth of data to improve our… Continue reading Facebook and Diagnoses of Illness
How to Cut Down on Your Drinking
If you are drinking too much, you can improve your life and health by cutting down. How do you know if you drink too much? Read these questions from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Healthy, and answer “yes” or “no”: Do you drink alone when you… Continue reading How to Cut Down on Your Drinking
What Nanoscience Can Do
Nanoscience research involves molecules that are only 1/100th the size of cancer cells and that have the potential to profoundly improve the quality of our health and our lives. Now nine prominent nanoscientists look ahead to what we can expect in the coming decade, and conclude that nanoscience is poised to make important contributions in… Continue reading What Nanoscience Can Do
The Brain Factor in Hearing
Researchers have discovered that there may be a “brain factor” among older adults that causes them to struggle to hear in the midst of background noise. In an interdisciplinary study published by the Journal of Neurophysiology, researchers Samira Anderson, Jonathan Z. Simon, and Alessandro Presacco found that adults aged 61–73 with normal hearing scored significantly… Continue reading The Brain Factor in Hearing
Mammograms: What You Need to Know from The FDA
Mammograms are still the best tool for breast cancer screening. And the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certifies facilities that perform mammography —and clears and approves new mammography devices—to help keep you safe. How Does the Test Work—and Is It Painful? A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray picture of the breast. Getting a mammogram… Continue reading Mammograms: What You Need to Know from The FDA
Elder Abuse Goes Undiagnosed in Emergency Rooms
Although elder abuse affects about 1 in 10 older people in the U.S., emergency rooms are missing many chances to diagnose it, according to new research. In the study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, a team of researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of California San… Continue reading Elder Abuse Goes Undiagnosed in Emergency Rooms