_ Racial Disparities in Type 2 Diabetes By article Two surprising risk factors – diminished lung function and low serum potassium levels - appear to have nearly the same impact as obesity in explaining why African-Americans are disproportionately prone to developing type 2 diabetes, according to research done at Duke University Medicine and published in the February 2014 print edition of the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The finding points to potential new avenues for developing treatments.
_ Aging Well Older Women Self-Employed by Necessity By article Older women most often turn to self-employment because of financial need while older men typically choose self-employment. That is the sobering but not surprising finding of research done at the University of Missouri in Columbia. The study will be published in the Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare in March 2014.
_ Pain Management Talk Therapy Best for Chronic Pain? By Jane Farrell article Psychological treatment often provides better relief for chronic pain than prescription drugs or surgery, according to a review published by the American Psychological Association. However, it’s used much less frequently. “Chronic pain affects 116 million American adults, making it more prevalent than heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined, and traditional medical approaches are inadequate,” said lead author Mark P. Jensen, PhD, of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington.
_ The Personal Records You Need to Keep By Jane Farrell article We don’t like to think about suddenly becoming seriously sick or disabled. Yet it’s extremely helpful to review what you and others need to know if that happens. To have your “affairs in order” will help your family and caregivers as well as you yourself. The federal National Institute on Aging has a list that will help you and other family members be prepared for a sudden crisis. (And if you are caregiving yourself for a family member, it might be a good idea to tactfully bring up this subject.)
Exercise New Sitting Risk: Disability After 60 By article Regardless of exercise, too much sedentary time is linked to major disability after 60. If you're 60 and older, every additional hour a day you spend sitting is linked to doubling the risk of being disabled , according to a study done at a new Northwestern Medicine and published February 19th 2014 in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health.
_ Do You Use Online Doctor Ratings? By Jane Farrell article Online sites to rate physicians have proliferated in recent years, and about 25 percent of patients now use them, according to a new study. Additionally, 65 percent of respondents reported awareness of online physician ratings. The study, reported in JAMA, analyzed responses from a nationally representative sample of the U.S. population.
_ Food Packaging Chemicals May Be Harmful By article The synthetic chemicals used in the packaging, storage, and processing of foodstuffs might be harmful to human health over the long term, according to a commentary by environmental scientists the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The authors explain that most of these substances are not inert and can leach into the foods we eat.
The Fat ThatΓÇÖs Ruining Your Body from the Inside By Jane Farrell article By Dr. Victor Marchione Obesity is a topic very much on the radar of health professionals across North American. Combating this grave health condition could mean saving millions of dollars in health care costs, never mind improving the lives of those who find themselves carrying around too many extra pounds.
_ Linking Hospital EHR to Medical Flight Crews By article Although trauma, heart, and stroke patients benefit from being transferred from a local hospital to a higher-level care facility via medical air ambulances, patients transferred with non-urgent medical conditions show at least a 30 percent higher death rate than had they stayed put, according to researchers from Case Western Reserve University’s nursing school in Cleveland. The team set out to find out why this happens. A release from the university quotes Andrew Reimer, PhD, RN as saying, “We think the answer is somewhere in the medical records.”
Vision Health Training Can Improve Vision By Sondra Forsyth article With a little practice on a computer or tablet — 25 minutes a day, four days a week, for two months — our brains can actually learn to see better. That is the encouraging finding of research done at the University of California, Riverside and published in the journal Current Biology. Although the team did the training with baseball players at the university who had normal vision, the hope is that the same training, called perceptual learning, will help people with low vision due to cataracts, macular degeneration, or amblyopia.
_ Breast Cancer New Breast Ca Surgical Guideline By article The Society of Surgical Oncology announced on February 10th 2014 the release of a comprehensive consensus guideline for physicians treating breast cancer that will reduce healthcare costs and improve the course of treatment. Developed in conjunction with the American Society of Radiation Oncology, the guideline outlines an evidence-based surgical treatment path that will save patients from unnecessary surgery.
_ Marriage 5 Tips to Keep Your Marriage Feeling Young By article By DJ Miller There’s popular assumption that once you get married, romance and butterflies fall by the wayside. That stereotype isn't always the case, but too often "to have and to hold" does become an obligation after a few decades. If you're part of a couple that is going through a marital slump after many years, here are tips to help you get out of the rut. Remember Why You Got Married
_ How Does Your Medicine Work? By Jane Farrell article Medicines can enter the body in many different ways, including through an inhaler, a skin patch, a pill or a hypodermic needle. As drugs make their way through the body, many steps happen along the way. Understanding how medicines work in your body can help you learn why it is important to use medicines safely and effectively. In this section on taking medicines, we’ll focus on medicines you take by mouth, since those are the most common. Entering and Circulating in the Body
_ Exercise Picking the Right Pedometer By Jane Farrell article Walking can help pave the way to fitness. But are you taking enough steps to get results? Using a pedometer can help you set and achieve fitness goals. A pedometer can offer motivation and accountability. See how to choose and use a pedometer — it can be a powerful reminder that every step counts on the path toward better health. Choosing a pedometer
_ Tinnitus: Loud Sounds & Hearing Loss By article A research team at the University of Leicester in the UK investigated tinnitus, a condition in which there is the perception of sound such as ringing in the ears even though there is no actual sound. The team discovered new insights into the link between the exposure to loud sounds and hearing loss associated with tinnituts. Their study, published in February 2014 in the jouranl Neuroscience, explans how damage to myelin, a protection sheet around cells, alters the transmission of auditory signals occurring during hearing loss.
_ Resveratrol: A New Discovery By Jane Farrell article Resveratrol is already believed to have a number of health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease and fighting the effects of aging. Now, scientists have made an additional discovery about a protein, linked to resveratrol, that keeps cells healthy over a long period of time. Investigators led by researchers from Northwestern University discovered that the protein SIRT1, which is activated by resveratrol, regulates another protein, (heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), keeping it active.
Aging Well Rejuvenated Stem Cells Help Aging Muscles Heal By article Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have pinpointed why normal aging is accompanied by a diminished ability to regain strength and mobility after muscle injury: Over time, stem cells within muscle tissues dedicated to repairing damage become less able to generate new muscle fibers and struggle to self-renew.