_ Chinese Herb for Rheumatoid Arthritis By article A traditional Chinese herbal remedy, dubbed the Thunder God Vine, relieves the joint pain and inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis as well as methotrexate, a standard drug treatment for the condition. The Latin name of the herb is Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, or TwHF for short. Also, combining the herbal remedy with methotrexate was more effective than treatment with methotrexate alone, according to researchers led by Qian -wen LV at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Bejing. The team published their findings online in April 2014 in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
_ Breast Cancer Doubling ΓÇ£Progression-Free SurvivalΓÇ¥ of Breast Ca Patients By article The amount of time patients with hormone-receptor–positive breast cancer were on treatment without their cancer worsening, which is called "progression-free survival", was effectively doubled in women with advanced breast cancer who took the experimental drug palbociclib. That was the result of the final clinical trials conducted by researchers from the Revlon/UCLA Women's Cancer Research Program at Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles.
_ New Combo Drug Effective for Hep C By article Treatment options for the 170 million people worldwide with chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) are evolving rapidly, although the available regimens often come with significant side effects. Two multi-center clinical trials led by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center show promise for a new option that could help lead to both an increase in patients cured with a much more simple and tolerable therapy involving only oral medication.
Bitter And Sweet: The Paradox Of Living With Dying By blog The name of my book is “Bitter and Sweet, A Family’s Journey with Cancer.” Here is a brief summary. In April of 2010, my husband Tim began to have some strange sensations in his side. On May 7, we found ourselves facing stage IV gallbladder cancer rather than a simple gallbladder removal as planned. Five months and one week later, my husband died. Those five months were the most difficult and horrifying time of our lives. It was also an extremely beautiful time for us.
_ Heartburn/GERD GERD: Help For Heartburn And Other Woes By Jane Farrell article Ugh…heartburn again? If that’s your mantra after meals or as you fall asleep, you may have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In GERD, the valve between your lower esophagus and stomach weakens. This sometimes lets food and stomach acids back up into your esophagus. The result is usually a burning sensation behind the breastbone, or heartburn. But GERD can also cause other symptoms: hoarseness, chest pain, a dry cough, the sensation that food is caught in your throat. A Problem For All Ages
_ Green Tea Boosts Your Brain By article Green tea is said to have many positive effects on health. Now researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland are reporting the first evidence that green tea extract enhances cognitive functions, in particular the working memory. The findings, published in April 2014 in the journal Psychopharmacology, suggest promising clinical implications for the treatment of cognitive impairments in psychiatric disorders such as dementia.
_ Why Newly Proposed Nutrition Labels are (Mostly) Good By article By Michael (Dr. Mike) S. Fenster M.D. Nutritional labeling hasn’t been overhauled in 20 years but proposed update, which could take a year or more to appear on store shelves, is being driven by first lady Michelle Obama as part of her “Let’s Move” campaign. Our current nutrition labeling is the same as that implemented in the 1990s, except for the 2006 addition of trans fats information. It’s based on nutrition data and eating habits from the 1970s and 1980s.
_ Viral Invasions And Your Blood Sugar By Jane Farrell article A crucial discovery about the relationship between viruses and cells could lead to treatment for conditions as disparate as cancer and the common cold. The findings, by scientists from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, represent the first detailed study explaining exactly how viruses reprogram the metabolism of the cells they invade to promote continued viral growth. The study results were published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
_ Why It May Be More Than "The Blues" By Jane Farrell article 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.
_ Grow Your Own Organic Produce By article By Bob McClendon Growing your own food can be a fun project that yields healthy results. Here are my tips to help you to start or make the best of your own garden at home:
_ Exercise The Zero Gravity Lesson We Learned from Astronauts By article By Roger Landry, MD, MPH “Houston, we have a problem.”
_ Being Underweight Is as Hazardous as Obesity By article Being underweight puts people at the highest risk of dying just as obesity does, according to research dome at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and published in March 2014 in the Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health. A release from the hospital written by Leslie Shepard notes that the connection between being underweight and the higher risk of dying is true for both adults and fetuses. This is so even when factors such as smoking, alcohol use or lung disease are considered, or adults with a chronic or terminal illness are excluded, the study found.
_ Health Concerns About E-Cigarettes By article With sales of electronic cigarettes, or "e-cigarettes," on the rise and expected to hit $1.5 billion this year, concerns over potential health risks of using the trendy devices are also gaining momentum and political clout. An article in the March 2014 issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly magazine of the American Chemical Society, delves into what scientists and regulators are doing about e-cigarettes, which are now being cleverly marketed under more appealing names such as hookah pens and vape pipes.
_ A More Effective Form Of Chemotherapy By Jane Farrell article Researchers have developed a drug that can manipulate the body’s signaling systems, triggering an attack and shutdown of deadly cancer cells. The finding was published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition. The drug, called ZL105, is a compound based on the metal iridium. The study, by researchers from the University of Warwick in the UK, has found ZL105 could potentially replace currently used anticancer drugs. Those drugs become less effective over time, have a number of side effects and damage both healthy and cancerous cells.
I Want To Take The Alzheimer's Test By blog Last night I had trouble getting to sleep. Tossing and turning, I attempted to clear my thoughts, but my brain had other ideas. My mind was on an instant replay loop: A new study reveals researchers have developed a blood test that will predict if a healthy person — someone with no symptoms — is likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease within the next few years. The study focused on people over 70 and was about 90 percent accurate.
Breast Cancer Breast Reconstruction: Making the Decision By Jane Farrell article Every woman who has a mastectomy is then faced with another choice: whether to have breast reconstruction – surgery to rebuild the shape of the breast. There are other choices, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI): to wear a breast form, or padding, or to do nothing.
_ What You May Not Know About Preventing Heart Attacks, Strokes, and Diabetes By article By Bradley Bale MD and Amy Doneen ARNP with Lisa Collier Cool Have you ever wondered why someone could feel perfectly fine and then minutes later have a massive heart attack or stroke that either kills the person or causes a life-long disability? Even more challenging is the concept that some people can go in for a full medical exam, including cholesterol and blood pressure check and a stress test, and be told they are fine only to drop dead of a heart attack days or weeks later.
Breast Cancer Mammogram Risks for Age 70+ Outweigh Benefits By article Researchers from Leiden University Medical Centre in The Netherlands report that their study suggests that breast cancer screening programs for older women results in a large proportion of women being over-treated, and at risk from the harmful effects of such treatment, because these women were more likely to die from other causes than from any tumors detected in the early stages of growth. The team presented the findings the European Breast Cancer Conference in Glascow UK.