_ Don't Get Fooled by Poison Ivy By Jane Farrell article If you think you know what poison ivy looks like, think again. Poison ivy can take the form of a vine, shrub or ground cover. It has leaves that are shiny and leaves that are dull. Its edges can be smoothed or notched. So how can it be recognized and avoided? The old phrase ΓÇ£leaves of three,ΓÇ¥ let it beΓÇ¥ is a good way to do it, says Lou Paradise, president and chief of research of Topical BioMedics, Inc., makers of Topricin.
_ Loud Noise Can Affect Your Brain By Jane Farrell article A lot of loud noise may do more than damage your hearing: It actually alters the way the brain processes speech, neuroscientists say. Researchers from the University of Texas at Dallas said that could eventually lead to difficulty in distinguishing speech sounds hearing loss. The investigatorsΓÇÖ findings were published in the journal Ear and Hearing.
_ Exercise 5 Exercise Myths Debunked By Sondra Forsyth article By Brett Osborn M.D. As a neurosurgraon and an avid bodybuilder, I know that you will do more harm than good if youΓÇÖve bought into some of the myths and ΓÇ£conventional wisdomΓÇ¥ about exercise that is simply wrong. HereΓÇÖs the truth about are those misconceptions:
_ Women's Health and Wellness Female Boomers with Asthma Face Challenges By Sondra Forsyth article An article published in the August 2014 issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), outlines the challenges faced by older women in treating asthma, and offers practical solutions to improve their care.
_ Healthy Diet & Nutrition Tree Nuts Help Lower Blood Sugar Levels By Sondra Forsyth article Eating tree nuts appears to help lower and stabilize blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes compared to those on a control diet, according to a study done at St. MichaelΓÇÖs Hospital in Toronto and published July 30th 2014 in the online journal PLOS ONE. Tree nuts include almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, coconuts, hazelnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, walnuts, pine nuts and pistachios. They do not include peanuts, which are legumes.
_ Cosmetic Surgery Beware of Claims About Cosmetic Stem Cells Procedures By Sondra Forsyth article Advertising claims for cosmetic procedures using stem cells are running far ahead of the scientific evidence for safety and effectiveness, according to a review in the August 2014 issue ofPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Dr. Michael T. Longaker of Stanford University Medical Center and colleagues wrote: "Stem cells offer tremendous potential, but the marketplace is saturated with unsubstantiated and sometimes fraudulent claims that may place patients at risk."
_ Healthy Diet & Nutrition Controversy Over Changes to Food Labels By Sondra Forsyth article To help Americans make better decisions about what they eat, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this year proposed significant changes to the Nutrition Facts label found on nearly every food product in the U.S. An July 2014 article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly news magazine of the American Chemical Society (ACS), explains the suggested updates ΓÇö and the fight that has ensued.
_ Osteoarthritis Omega-3 Lessens Severity of Osteoarthritis By Sondra Forsyth article Mice consuming a supplement of omega-3 fatty acids had healthier joints than those fed diets high in saturated fats and omega-6 fatty acids, according to Duke Medicine researchers. The findings, published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases on July 11th 2014, suggest that unhealthy dietary fats ΓÇô not just obesity ΓÇô may contribute to worsening osteoarthritis.
_ Medical Care $15 Billion Physician Training System Needs Overhaul By Sondra Forsyth article The U.S. should significantly reform the federal system for financing physician training and residency programs to ensure that the publicΓÇÖs $15 billion annual investment is producing the doctors that the nation needs, says a new report release in July 2014 by the Institute of Medicine. Current financing -- provided largely through Medicare -- requires little accountability, allocates funds independent of workforce needs or educational outcomes, and offers insufficient opportunities to train physicians in the health care settings used by most Americans, the report says.
_ Aging Well Caregiving 3 Tips for Choosing an Assisted-Living HomeΓÇ¿ for Your Parents By Sondra Forsyth article By Peder Johnsen Seventy percent of people age 65 and older will need long-term care at some point in their lives, according to a 2014 study by CareScout, a division of Genworth Financial Services. But that doesnΓÇÖt mean they have to sacrifice quality of life. In fact, a person who needs some assistance with day-to-day living will often find he or she is much happier in a good assisted-living community with an atmosphere that reminds them of their former home.
_ Trees Save Lives, Especially in Cities By Sondra Forsyth article In the first broad-scale estimate of air pollution removal by trees nationwide, U.S. Forest Service scientists and collaborators calculated that trees are saving more than 850 human lives a year and preventing 670,000 incidences of acute respiratory symptoms. The researchers valued the human health effects of the reduced air pollution at nearly $7 billion every year in a study published recently in the journal Environmental Pollution.
_ Psoriasis Psoriatic Arthritis Patients Need Better Screening By Sondra Forsyth article Leading experts have joined together for the first time to call for better screening of psoriatic arthritis to help millions of people worldwide suffering from the condition. A release from the Universoty of Leeds in the UK explains that psoriatic arthritis (PsA) causes painful joint inflammation and can cause irreversible joint damage if left untreated. PsA tends to affect people with psoriasis. This skin condition causes a red, scaly rash. Around one in five go on to develop PsA ΓÇô usually within ten years of the initial skin problem being diagnosed.
_ How to Fight Prediabetes By Jane Farrell article Type 2 diabetes is one of the most serious chronic illnesses in existence; it puts people at risk for everything from heart and kidney disease to amputation of limbs. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), it is shockingly widespread 29.1 million Americans have the illness. And the ADA estimates that 86 million more Americans have prediabetes, a condition that indicates a high risk of developing the illness. Here, from the federal National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse and the ADA, is what you need to know about prediabetes:
_ Exercise Does Air Pollution Make Outdoor Exercise Risky? By Sondra Forsyth article By Edward R. Laskowski, M.D. While aerobic activity is one of the keys to a healthy lifestyle, air pollution and exercise can be an unhealthy combination. This is especially true if you have asthma, diabetes, heart or lung conditions, or lower respiratory disease. Even when you're not exercising, exposure to air pollution can cause health problems. But with the combination of air pollution and exercise, the potential health problems are increased.
Rosemary & Oregano Fight Diabetes By Sondra Forsyth article The popular culinary herbs oregano and rosemary are packed with healthful compounds, and now lab tests show they could work in much the same way as prescription anti-diabetic medication, scientists report. In their study published in July 2014 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Elvira Gonzalez de Mejia and colleagues found that the way the herbs are grown makes a difference, and they also identified which compounds contribute the most to this promising trait.
_ Aging Well Life Expectancy Gains Threatened By Sondra Forsyth article A study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health finds that the more ailments you have after retirement age, the shorter your life expectancy. The analysis, one of the first to examine the burden of multiple chronic conditions on life expectancy among the elderly, may help explain why increases in life expectancy among older Americans are slowing. A report on the findings, based on an analysis of 1.4 million Medicare enrollees, appears in the August 2014 issue of the journal Medical Care.
_ Mental & Emotional Health When It's More Than Just Anxiety By Jane Farrell article Although thereΓÇÖs a lot of talk about depression, another condition ΓÇô Generalized Anxiety Disorder ΓÇô doesnΓÇÖt get nearly as much attention. And that can make it harder for friends and family to understand whatΓÇÖs happening when someone they love has GAD. Here, from the National Institute of Mental Health, are some things you should know: What Is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
_ Warm-Weather Food Safety By Jane Farrell article ItΓÇÖs the height of picnic and barbecue season, but these festivities can quickly go sour if your food isnΓÇÖt safe. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), each year about 1 in 6 Americans get sick from tainted foods. Most foodborne illnesses last only a short time. At the same time, foodborne diseases kill about 3,000 people nationwide each year. Those especially at risk include infants, older people, and people with weakened immune systems.