_ How Do You Recover from Anesthesia? By Jane Farrell article A new study has found important clues about the process the brain uses to ΓÇ£navigateΓÇ¥ back to consciousness after being on anesthesia. Earlier research has revealed some elements of brain activity under anesthesia, but until now there havenΓÇÖt been any findings on the navigation process out of anesthesia.
Heart Coherence: 3 Simple Steps for Reducing Stress and Living Well By blog IΓÇÖve always prided myself on having a healthy heart. When IΓÇÖd have my yearly health checkups, the doctor always commented that I had the low blood pressure of an athlete. I do keep in good shape, but I havenΓÇÖt considered myself an athlete since high school when I played basketball and wrestled.
_ "Brain Marijuana" Can Help with Dementia By Jane Farrell article The protein beta-amyloid, long suspected to play a key role in AlzheimerΓÇÖs, may begin its destructive process by blocking marijuana-like substances in the brain. A study by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine focused on the blocking of endocannabinoids in the early stages of AlzheimerΓÇÖs. Endocannabinoids are signaling substances that are the brainΓÇÖs versions of the psychoactive chemicals in marijuana and hashish. As a result of the discovery, the investigators are now focusing on the molecular details of exactly how the blocking occurs.
_ Skin Skin Health Endorphins and Sun Addiction By Sondra Forsyth article Why do sun lovers eagerly flock to the beach every summer in spite of widespread awareness of the risk of skin cancer? A study published June 19th 2014 in the journal Cell may have the answer. The research, done at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, reveals that chronic exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes the release of feel-good hormones called endorphins, which act through the same pathway as heroin and related drugs and lead to physical dependence, tolerance, and addiction-like behavior.
_ Weight Loss Sticking to a Diet: Compliance vs. Adherence By Sondra Forsyth article By Sondra Forsyth You may have noticed that most health care professionals have stopped using the word ΓÇ£complianceΓÇ¥ when referring to whether or not people stick with medication regimens or apply sunscreen daily or exercise on a regular basis. The word most often used now is ΓÇ£adherence.ΓÇ¥ The rationale is that telling patients to comply smacks of issuing a command, whereas asking them to adhere implies that they are partners in their care and can use free will to do whatΓÇÖs best for their health.
_ Exercise Calling All Couch Potatoes: You Might Be at Risk for this Disease By Sondra Forsyth article HereΓÇÖs yet another compelling reason to get up off the couch: Physical inactivity can increase the risk of colon, endometrial, and lung cancers, according to a study published June 16th 2014 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Time spent watching TV was especially predictive of increased cancer risk.
_ Vision Health AMD: Omega-3 Stops Unwanted Blood Vessel Growth By Sondra Forsyth article Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is characterized blood vessel growth, is the primary cause of blindness in the elderly in industrialized countries. The prevalence of the disease is projected to increase 50% by the year 2020. There is an urgent need for new pharmacological interventions for the treatment and prevention of AMD.
_ Exercise People Underestimate Intensity of Exercise By Jane Farrell article If you think youΓÇÖre exercising enough, you just might be mistaken, a new study shows. The investigation, by researchers from York University in Toronto, found that many people over-estimate the effort required to work out at a moderate intensity level.
_ Is Medical Marijuana Safe? By Jane Farrell article EditorΓÇÖs note: As of earlier this year, 20 states have legalized the use of marijuana for some serious medical conditions, including cancer, glaucoma and HIV/AIDS. But using medical marijuana isnΓÇÖt a casual decision. Here, the National Institute on Drug Abuse offers (NIDA) offers a briefing on the most controversial medicine of our time: According to NIDA, the term ΓÇ£medical marijuanaΓÇ¥ refers to the whole unprocessed marijuana plant or its crude extracts. The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesnΓÇÖt recognize or approve those substances as medicine.
_ Estrogen May Affect Male Obesity By Jane Farrell article An imbalance of female hormones may contributing to obesity among men in Western nations. In a paper published in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers from the University of Adelaide's School of Medical Sciences, in Australia, said that part of the massive weight gain among men could be linked with exposure to substances containing estrogen. "Hormonally driven weight gain occurs more significantly in females than in males, and this is very clear when we look at the rates of obesity in the developing world," said medical student James Grantham, co-author of the study.
_ 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.
_ Men's Health Men with Gout Often Have ED By Sondra Forsyth article A study presented in June 2014 in Paris at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress (EULAR 2014) showed that erectile dysfunction (ED) is present in most men with gout and is frequently severe. A release from EULAR reports that in a survey of 201 men, 83 had gout, of whom a significantly greater proportion had ED (76%) compared with those patients without gout. Also, a significantly greater proportion of gout patients (43%) had severe ED compared with patients without gout (30%).
_ Mental & Emotional Health Imaging the Adult ADHD Brain By Sondra Forsyth article Brain scans done at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology differentiated adults who have recovered from childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and those whose difficulties linger. The study was published in the June 10th 2014 issue of the journal Brain. A release from MIT notes that about 11 percent of school-age children in the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD. While many of these children eventually outgrow the disorder, some carry their difficulties into adulthood: About 10 million American adults are currently diagnosed with ADHD.
_ When a Loved One Is Diagnosed With Parkinson's Disease By Sondra Forsyth article By Judy Santamaria MSPH The incidence of Parkinson's disease, which is common in people over the age of 60, is expected to rise with the aging of our populations. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that mainly affects movement. The primary symptoms of Parkinson's disease are tremor, rigidity or stiffness of the muscles, slow movement, loss of movement, and balance and walking problems.
Love Insurance: How to Protect Your Most Valuable Asset By blog Most of us spend a considerable amount of money on car insurance to protect us in the event of an accident. We spend even more for health insurance to help pay for expenses should we get sick. We get life insurance to help our families after we are gone. But few of us even consider getting ΓÇ£Love insuranceΓÇ¥ to protect our relationship from small or catastrophic accidents that can befall us.
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.
Protein Keeps Aging Blood Stem Cells Healthy By Sondra Forsyth article The notion that a protein called SIRT1 is a powerful regulator of aging has been highly debated, but its connection to the health of blood stem cells "is now clear," according to Saghi Ghaffari, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Developmental and Regenerative Biology at Mount Sinai's Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine in New York City. "Identifying regulators of stem cell aging is of major significance for public health because of their potential power to promote healthy aging and provide targets to combat diseases of aging," Dr. Ghaffari said.
_ How Obesity-Induced Diabetes Begins By Jane Farrell article Scientists from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered the sequence of early cellular responses that can ultimately lead to obesity-induced insulin resistance and diabetes. The cells respond, the investigators said, to a high-fat diet. ΓÇ£WeΓÇÖve described the etiology [cause] of obesity-related diabetes. WeΓÇÖve pinpointed the steps, the way the whole thing happens,ΓÇ¥ said Jerrold M. Olefsky, MD, associate dean for Scientific Affairs and Distinguished Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego.