_ Brain Health Seeing the Inner Workings of the Brain By Sondra Forsyth article A team of scientists at Stanford University has improved a technique called CLARITY that they developed in 2013 to look into brains from deceased donors, according to a paper published June 19th 2014 in Nature Protocols. A release from the university explains that without this tool, the fatty outer covering of the brainΓÇÖs nerve cells blocks microscopes from taking images of the intricate connections between deep brain cells. CLARITY eliminates the fatty covering while keeping the brain intact with all its intricate inner wiring.
_ Menopause Non-Hormonal Hot Flash Remedy Works By Jane Farrell article A study done at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and published in the May 27th 2014 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine compared low-dose oral estrogen and low-dose non-hormonal venlafaxine hydrochloride extended release (XR) to a placebo. Both treatments proved to be effective in reducing the number of hot flashes and night sweats reported by menopausal women.
_ Understanding Your Blood Work By Jane Farrell article From the Mayo Clinic A complete blood count (CBC) is a blood test used to evaluate your overall health and detect a wide range of disorders, including anemia, infection and leukemia. A complete blood count test measures several components and features of your blood, including: Red blood cells, which carry oxygen White blood cells, which fight infection Hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells Hematocrit, the proportion of red blood cells to the fluid component, or plasma, in your blood Platelets, which help with blood clotting Abnormal increases or decreases in cell counts as revealed in a
_ Exercise Watch: How to Work Out Using Paper Plates By Jane Farrell article Here's another addition to our ThirdAge Video Collection. Press play to start learning!
_ Mental & Emotional Health ΓÇ£Forgive and ForgetΓÇ¥ Really Works By Sondra Forsyth article If you’re still holding a grudge about a wrong someone did to you, you’d probably do well to follow the old adage that tells us to “forgive and forget”. That’s the advice of researchers at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, who showed that the details of an offense are more likely to be wiped from your memory when you’ve forgiven that transgression. You don’t even have to forgive the offender in person. You can simply resolve to pardon the person in your mind.
Heart Health Viagra for Heart Failure? Works Better for the Guys By article Clear-cut gender differences stand out in measuring impact of Viagra as therapy for heart failure, according to a study done at Johns Hopkins and posted online May 16th 2014 in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. Specifically, in female mice modeling human heart failure, the benefits of sildenafil, the generic name for Viagra, ranged from robust to practically nonexistent depending on the animals' levels of the hormone estrogen. Yet in male mice, sildenafil generally appears to work well because it targets a different biological process independent of estrogen.
_ The Molecule That Works Against You By Jane Farrell article Researchers have determined exactly how a “molecular motor” drives a process that invades cells. That finding could be crucial in combating viral infections. In the study, researchers from the University of California Berkeley reached new conclusions on how a type of molecular motor is used to “package” the DNA of a number of viruses, including herpes and adenoviruses. Once the DNA is packaged in the virus, it can invade the body and cause infection.
_ Sleep Health Does Melatonin Work? By Jane Farrell article could get to sleep. Millions of people suffer from the same condition, and melatonin, a popular dietary supplement, is said to help. The melatonin sold in stores is a concentrated form of a natural hormone that plays a role in sleep. The hormone’s levels in the body rise in the a.m. and fall in the p.m. It’s been studied in connection with sleep disorders such as jet lag and insomnia, as well as dementia symptoms.
10 Ways Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT or Tapping) Work to Heal Trauma and Other Stresses of Life By blog When we think of people healing from trauma, we often picture people dealing with the effects of natural disasters, soldiers returning from battle, or people recovering from childhood violence or sexual abuse. But stress and trauma impact many more of us than most people recognize and Emotional Freedom Techniques, also known as EFT or Tapping, can be of tremendous help.
_ Doctors Say Malpractice System Is Better But Needs More Work By Jane Farrell article In a new assessment of the state of medical malpractice, the American College of Physicians (ACP) said that although the cost of liability insurance has leveled off, doctors still “fear litigation” and “expect lawsuits.” Molly Cooke, MD, FACP, president of ACO, also said that physicians feel “the psychological burden of navigating the complex medico-legal system.”
_ Exercise Should You Work Out With A Cold Or Flu? By Jane Farrell article By Joe Vennare, PT & Fitness Program Director Moving more is good for us, which makes regular exercise an essential component of a healthy, active lifestyle. Of course, creating that lifestyle takes time. It’s a product of repetition. That’s how we form habits. We try not to break the chain, for anything.
_ Happy People Work Better By article Happiness makes people more productive at work, according to research done at the University of Warwick in the UK. Professor Andrew Oswald, Dr. Eugenio Proto and Dr. Daniel Sgroi from the Department of Economics were the study leaders. They found that happiness made people 12% more productive.
_ Pets Is Your Cat's Medicine Working? By Jane Farrell article There’s a new clinical design to determine whether medicines designed for cats are actually doing the job. In designing the new method, researchers from North Carolina State worked to overcome the “placebo effect” in a pain-management study of cats. Evaluating the effectiveness of a medicine is difficult when it comes to cats, who may not reveal the pain they are suffering and who also are resistant to taking medication.
The Secret of Life is One Thing: How to Be Successful at Love and Work By blog After spending his life helping people, the “father” of modern psychology and psychoanalysis made a simple observation: “Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.” Most of us recognize that when things are going well at home and at work our lives are joyful. If our love life or our work life is stressful, we suffer.
_ How Does Your Medicine Work? By Jane Farrell article Medicines can enter the body in many different ways, including through an inhaler, a skin patch, a pill or a hypodermic needle. As drugs make their way through the body, many steps happen along the way. Understanding how medicines work in your body can help you learn why it is important to use medicines safely and effectively. In this section on taking medicines, we’ll focus on medicines you take by mouth, since those are the most common. Entering and Circulating in the Body
_ Exercise Watch: 8 Tips for Rapid Recovery After Workouts By article Here's another addition to our ThirdAge Video Collection. Press play to start learning!
_ After Antibiotics Stop Working, What's Next? By Jane Farrell article By Paul DiCorleto, Ph. D. Each year in the United States, 23,000 people die from drug-resistant bacterial infections. Antibiotics, designed to fight infections, have been one of the greatest medical advances of the past 100 years. But many health experts warn that we are entering a postantibiotic era, where drug-resistant “superbugs” threaten our health and economy. Our behavior — how we use antibiotics and antibacterial products — may be part of the problem. How superbugs survive
Exercise The Superior Fat Burning Power of Cold Weather Workouts By Jane Farrell article By Joe Vennare, PT & Fitness Program Director at LeanonLife.com When winter rolls around and temperatures begin to fall, do you shut down or layer up? Hibernating until spring might sound like a good plan -- that is, until cabin fever sets in and extra pounds start to creep on. There’s no reason to let all of the fitness gains you’ve made during the summer slip away.