_ Kidney Health Supplements & OTCs May Hurt Your Kidneys By Sondra Forsyth article How well are your kidneys working? Unless youΓÇÖve had problems in the past, you probably take for granted that your kidneys are working as they should. But more than one in 10 adults in the United States has kidney disease, and most people who have it donΓÇÖt know it.
_ Senior Health Older Adults Can Safely Donate Kidneys By Sondra Forsyth article Previous studies linking older age with kidney and heart disease have raised concerns about the safety of living kidney donation among older adults. However, in the first study to look closely at this issue, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report that older kidney donors (55 years and above) enjoy similar life expectancy and cardiovascular health as very healthy older people who did not donate their kidneys.
_ Do We Need A Better Nutrition Label? By Jane Farrell article The nutrition facts-label on packaged food is one of the most important consumer tools for determining how healthy food products are. But the label, which lists fats, proteins, sugars and fibers, hasnΓÇÖt changed since 1993, except for one alteration in 2006, when details of trans fats were added. Now, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing an update to the label. Although the update isnΓÇÖt approved yet, the agency has been holding public hearings and soliciting comments on the proposals.
_ Healthy Diet & Nutrition Health Buzzwords on Food Products: False Promises? By Sondra Forsyth article Health-related buzzwords such as "antioxidant," "gluten-free" and "whole grain," lull consumers into thinking packaged food products labeled with those words are healthier than they actually are, according to a research done at the University of Houston. A release from the university reports that the team suggests that false sense of health as well as a failure to understand the information presented in nutrition facts panels on packaged food may be contributing to the obesity epidemic in the United States.
_ Exercise What You Need to Know About Exercise As You Get Older By Sondra Forsyth article By Soriyya Bawa While exercise and weight loss are both important elements of any anti-aging regimen, many seniors worry that the risks outweigh the potential benefits. Exercise at an older age means risking serious injury due to falling, injuring the ligaments of the knee, and other forms of musculoskeletal injuries; the risk is even greater if the person is obese. However, a recent study has found that the benefits from exercise at an older age, and the subsequent weight loss, far exceed any possible risk of injury.
Breast Cancer A Possible Link Between Carbohydrates and Breast Cancer By Jane Farrell article Limiting carbohydrate intake could reduce the risk of one type of breast cancer, researchers have found. The findings, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, focused on the cancer whose tumor tissue has the IGF-1 receptor. "There is a growing body of research demonstrating associations between obesity, diabetes, and cancer risk," said lead author Jennifer A. Emond, an instructor in the Department of Community and Family Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College.
_ Pain Management NIH Proposes Standards for Back Pain Research By Sondra Forsyth article Standardized research methods are needed to make greater progress toward reducing the high burden and costs of chronic low back pain, according to a National Institutes for Health Task Force report published in the June 15th 2014 issue of the journal Spine.
_ Healthy Diet & Nutrition Update on Leptin & Appetite Control By Jane Farrell article Twenty years ago, scientists found that the hormone leptin regulates metabolism, appetite, and weight through brain cells called neurons. Now Yale School of Medicine researchers have discovered that the hormone also acts on glial cells in the brain cells to control appetite. The study, published in the June st 2014 issue of Nature Neuroscience, could lead to development of treatments for metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes.
_ Keeping Your Liver Healthy. By Jane Farrell article Many of us are rightly concerned about heart health, cancer, hypertension and diabetes. In the midst of all this, our liver health may not be at the top of the list. But the liver, one of our vital organs, is paramount to our health, and itΓÇÖs essential to protect it. It renders toxins harmless and makes sure they are expelled from the body, according to the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Unfortunately, drugs and even dietary supplements can make the liver go haywire, the FDA says.
_ Breast Cancer Hope for Beating HER2-Positive Breast Cancer By article Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Lonf Island in New York report on May 18th 2014 a discovery that they hope will lead to the development of a powerful new way of treating an aggressive form of breast cancer commonly called "HER2-positive".
_ Heart Health Hospital Visits for AFib Rising By article Hospitalizations and costs for treating irregular heartbeats, a condition called atrial fibrillation or AFib, are escalating. This fact is increasing the burden on the U.S. healthcare system, according to new research published in May 2014 in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. AFib can lead to stroke and other heart-related complications.
_ Exercise How To Have The Exercise Talk With Your Doctor By Jane Farrell article The health benefits of exercise are almost too numerous to list: Experts say that regular physical activity can have a positive effect on health conditions ranging from depression to diabetes. But it’s essential to talk to your doctor you begin exercising, want to take your current routine to the next level, or want to start a different activity.
_ Skip the Surgery for Knee Osteoarthritis By article Arthroscopy of the knee joint for osteoarthritis, also called arthrosis or gonarthrosis,has no detectable benefit. That is the conclusion of a final report published by the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) on May 12th 2014. The study included new data in which strengthening exercises under the supervision of a physical therapist were used as comparison therapy. This data did not changethe result of IQWiG’s preliminary report that was published in September 2013.
_ Age Discrimination Worse Than Sexism or Racism By Jane Farrell article People who believe they are a victim of age or weight discrimination are linked to worse health than those older adults who are the targets of racism and sexism, according to a new study. The findings, by researchers from the Florida State University College of Medicine, were published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
_ Living Well With Hepatitis C By Jane Farrell article By Jane Farrell Hepatitis C, an inflammation of the liver caused by a virus, is a discouraging, debilitating condition. It affects an estimated 3.2 million Americans, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The illness is usually caused by receiving donated blood that is infected, having had a bad organ transplant, or sharing a needle or having sex with a person who is contaminated with the virus.
37 Million Could Be Saved Through Global Health Programs By Jane Farrell article Reaching globally-agreed targets for health risks such as smoking and alcohol can prevent more than 37 million deaths by 2025, according to new statistics. The study, led by researchers from Imperial College London, said the health risks are caused by the “big four” illnesses: cancer, diabetes, lung disease and cardiovascular disease. The study, published in The Lancet, found that the majority of death prevention would be in low- to middle-income nations, while the reductions for smoking and blood pressure will lead to the largest benefits.
_ Even a Little Activity Helps Prevent Knee OA By article Here’s some good news if you aren’t all that eager to engage in high intensity workouts. All you need to do to stave of the pain and disability of knee osteoarthritis as you age is to get up out your chair and do ordinary tasks such as running the vacuum or pushing a shopping cart. That’s the finding of research y done at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago and published on April 29th 2014 on the British Medical Journal.
_ Vitamin D and Aggressive Prostate Cancer By Jane Farrell article Researchers say that Vitamin D deficiency is an indicator of aggressive prostate cancer risk in middle-aged men who underwent a biopsy. Adam B. Murphy, M.D., MBA, assistant professor in the Department of Urology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said that the finding affected European-American and African-American men, although the link between Vitamin D deficiency andaggressive prostate cancer was stronger in African-Americans.