_ A Breakthrough in Anti-Aging Treatment By Jane Farrell article The hormone oxytocin ΓÇô associated with childbirth, sex and social attachments ΓÇô is also essential for muscle maintenance and repair, researchers have found. But an animal experiment found that it declines with age. The new study, published) in the journal Nature Communications, indicates that oxytocin, if it could be administered to humans, could eventually be a treatment for age-related muscle wasting, or sarcopenia. The discovery is especially significant because oxytocin is already approved by the Food and Drug Admnistration for use in people.
_ Breast Cancer Breast Cancer and Malfunctioning Cells in Older Women By Jane Farrell article Scientists are a step closer to understanding why older women are more susceptible to breast cancer. Researchers from the Department of EnergyΓÇÖs Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) said their study shows that as women age, cells that that are responsible for maintaining healthy breast stop responding to cues that should prompt them to suppress nearby tumors. According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer is most frequently diagnosed among women aged 55 to 64.
_ Dietary Supplements For Osteoarthritis By Jane Farrell article Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritisΓÇöaffecting 27 million AmericansΓÇöand is an increasing problem among older adults. Treatments for osteoarthritis address the symptoms, such as pain, swelling, and reduced function in the joints. Nonmedicinal approaches involve lifestyle changes such as exercise, weight control, and rest.
_ Mental & Emotional Health Mental Illness: What's Normal, What's Not By Jane Farrell article What's the difference between mental health and mental illness? Sometimes the answer is clear, but often the distinction between mental health and mental illness isn't so obvious. For example, if you're afraid of giving a speech in public, does it mean you have a mental health condition or a run-of-the-mill case of nerves? Or, when does shyness become a case of social phobia? Here's some help in telling the difference. It's often difficult to distinguish normal mental health from mental illness because there's no easy test to show if something's wrong.
_ Differentiating Among Dementia Diseases By Sondra Forsyth article Not all cognitive decline is Alzheimer’s. Now a new diagnostic tool developed at the University of Eastern Finland helps clinicians differentiate among Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and mild cognitive impairment. The method, devised by Miguel Ángel Muñoz Ruiz MD and explained in articles in PloS ONE and Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, consists of a Disease State Index combining data from multiple sources, and of a Disease State Fingerprint showing the findings in a visual format.
Aging Well Latest Developments in Aging Research By Sondra Forsyth article The 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Aging Association (AGE), held May 30th to June 2nd 2014 at the Westin Riverwalk Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, featured the latest scholarship and research findings in the field of aging research from more than 70 leading experts. The event has long been recognized as a launching pad for researchers to share cutting-edge discoveries into the underlying mechanisms of the causes of aging as well as the possible breakthroughs in finding ways to increase healthspan.
Male Menopause: No Longer a Myth, But a Medical Reality By blog My search to understand male menopause began in the early 1990s and was both personal and professional. Personally, I was nearing the age of 50 and my wife was telling me something was wrong. ΓÇ£YouΓÇÖre hormonal,ΓÇ¥ she told me. ΓÇ£ItΓÇÖs like youΓÇÖre going through menopause or something.ΓÇ¥ At first I laughed at the idea. But professionally many of my male clients were experiencing prostate problems, erectile dysfunctions, anger, depression, and other symptoms that I was learning were related to the ΓÇ£change of life.ΓÇ¥
_ Managing your life during Hepatitis C Treatment By Jane Farrell article TREATMENT Managing your life during Treatment Courses of treatment for hepatitis C can be long, arduous and may not even ultimately eliminate the virus. Patients have to deal with side effects such as hair loss, nausea, and depression. Although the treatment for many cases is a course of antiviral medications, some patients choose to defer treatment even when advised not to do so, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. In the most serious cases, a patient may get a liver transplant. ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT
_ Doctors Don't Want Aggressive End-of-Life Treatment for Themselves By Jane Farrell article Although most physicians would choose a do-not-resuscitate code for themselves when terminally ill, they tend to pursue life-prolonging treatment for patients in a similar condition, new research shows. The study, conducted by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine, demonstrates a ΓÇ£disconnectΓÇ¥ that needs to be further explored. ΓÇ£Why do we physicians choose to pursue such aggressive treatment for our patients when we wouldnΓÇÖt choose it for ourselves?ΓÇ¥ said lead author VJ Periyakoil, director of the Stanford Palliative Care Education and Training Program.
_ How Long Should Hep C Treatment Last? By Jane Farrell article As new treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV) are approved, biomedical scientists are exploring their mechanisms and what they reveal about the virus. An online publication in May 2014 in Hepatology is the first to report real-time tracking of viral decay in the liver and blood in 15 patients with HCV.
_ Pain Management New Target for Chronic Pain Treatment By Jane Farrell article Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have found a new target for treating chronic pain: an enzyme called PIP5K1C. In a paper published on may 21st 2014 in the journal Neuron, a team of researchers led by Mark Zylka, PhD, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology, shows that PIP5K1C controls the activity of cellular receptors that signal pain. By reducing the level of the enzyme, the scientist demonstrated that the levels of a crucial lipid called PIP2 in pain-sensing neurons is also lessened, thus decreasing pain.
ΓÇ£Happy AnticsΓÇ¥ Exercise for Dementia Patients By Jane Farrell article A holistic exercise program called “Happy Antics” that pairs cognitive activities with physical movements helps dementia patients and caregivers alike, according to research done at Teesside University in the U.K. and published in May 2014 in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies.
_ 10 Common Cancer Treatment Myths By Jane Farrell article By Mayo Clinic Staff As advances in the treatment of cancer have increased, you may have discovered more opportunities to learn the facts about this disease. Yet some misleading ideas about cancer treatment still persist. Timothy J. Moynihan, M.D., a cancer specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., helps debunk some of the most common misconceptions about cancer treatment and explains the truth. Myth: A positive attitude is all you need to beat cancer.
The Moment By blog Our seven-year-old Shih-Tzu, Princess, always loved car trips. Just the mention of the word car would get her jumping with excitement. That changed a while back when we were driving her to the veterinarian for knee surgery. Princess sat in her normal spot in the back seat, but her uncontrollable shaking proved to us she sensed she was not heading to a fun day in the park. In a moment, going up a flight of stairs, her knee gave out and the peaceful life she knew suddenly became uncertain.
_ Protein Fragments and Alzheimer's By Jane Farrell article Two newly discovered protein fragments may lead to drugs that will better treat Alzheimer’s disease. In a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Prof. Illana Gozes, of Tel Aviv University’s Sagol School of Neuroscience, said that investigators had already focused on a protein called NAP, which is essential for brain formation. Now, they have found similar protein fragments. In their study, investigators looked at the effect of the fragments on mice with symptoms similar to thse of Alzheimer’s.
_ Mental & Emotional Health May Is Mental Health Month: WhereΓÇÖs Your Sanity? By article By Dr. Claudia LuizΓÇ¿ΓÇ¿ Everybody is overwhelmed and nobody is afraid to talk about it. Historically speaking, we are more sophisticated than ever emotionally; we are highly aware of what we feel, and we can talk about it. If we don’t feel better, it’s only because our methods for dealing with what we feel are still so antiquated. It’s just the same-old, same-old: try to be better, get inspired to change. But it doesn’t’ work. ΓÇ¿ ΓÇ¿
_ Exercise Health & Fitness Injury Prevention & Treatment Debunking Injury Prevention and Treatment Myths By Sondra Forsyth article By Sondra Forsyth
_ Osteoporosis Do You Really Need Vitamin D Supplements? By article You may have heard that researchers who analyzed hundreds of studies have concluded that vitamin D supplements won’t protect healthy, middle-aged adults from osteoporosis. And even worse, the scientists say the supplements may increase the risk of death from other diseases. However, none health experts at the Cleveland Clinic warn that you need to make sure you aren’t deficient in vitamin D before you stop taking the supplement, especially if you are past menopause.