healthy living for women + their families
Researchers have developed a molecular compound that reversed the symptoms of Alzheimer’s in mice. The compound also reduced inflammation of the brain.
The compound, antisense oligonucleotide (OL-1), “reversed learning and memory deficits and brain inflammation in mice that are genetically engineered to model Alzheimer’s disease,” said Susan Farr, Ph.D., research professor of geriatrics at Saint Louis University.
The findings were published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
An online training module using “Edna”, a virtual elderly woman with chronic lower back pain as a case study, greatly improved medical student clinical skills. That’s the finding of a study done at the University of Pittsburgh and published in the May 2014 issue Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The module is the first curriculum resource created through the efforts of the National Institutes of Health Pain Consortium’s Centers of Excellence in Pain Education program (CoEPEs).
Here’s another reason to enjoy a glass of red wine with dinner: A new study published in the May 2014 issue of the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry has found that red wine, as well as grape seed extract, could potentially help prevent cavities. The researchers say that their report could lead to the development of natural products that ward off dental diseases with fewer side effects.
A Northwestern Medicine study published in the May 2014 issue of Respiratory Research reports that although vitamin E-rich olive and sunflower oils are associated with improved lung functions, the form of vitamin E in canola, soybean, and corn oils is associated with decreased lung function. The research ties the increasing consumption of supposedly healthy canola , soybean, and corn oils to the rising incidence of lung inflammation and, possibly, asthma.
One of the best things about warmer weather: throwing open the windows to let in some fresh air. But that doesn’t automatically mean that the air in your house is healthy, or even safe. If you want to keep your house a healthy place for you, your family and your pets, the American Lung Association has some suggestions:
If you haven’t already, make your home a smoke-free zone. Don’t let anyone smoke inside; if they want to inhale, they can go a safe distance away from the house, so smoke won’t blow in through your windows.
Have a radon test, the ALA says.
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”.
By Andrea Cespedes, PT, Yoga Instructor, Chef
A pledge to focus on healthy eating will do you no good if you still have cheese curls and chocolate chip cookies calling to you from your pantry. Sound familiar?
Robotic surgery, the primary choice for removing cancerous prostate glands, is as safe as open surgery for Medicare patients over 65, according to a new survey.
The findings came in a survey that included analysis by researchers from Henry Ford Hospital. The hospital is a pioneer in robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), a minimally invasive procedure.
“Although studies comparing the two techniques were done early in the robotic era for this surgery, RARP boomed in more recent years, overtaking open surgery,” says study co-author Jesse D.
Bacteria in urine appears to contribute to overactive bladder in some women, according to new research.
The finding, by researchers from Loyola University Chicago, appears to contradict the belief that urine is germ-free. The investigators used DNA-based detection methods to reveal the presence of bacteria that couldn’t be revealed by standard techniques.
Researchers have found exactly how a drug works to mimic the action of eating well and, as a result, possibly extending lifespan.
The drug, an immunosuppressant and antibiotic called Rapamycin, was approved for use about 15 years ago.
It’s generally accepted that olive oil is healthy, but researchers have found exactly how it makes its dietary magic.
Researchers from King’s College London looked at whether unsaturated fats such as olive oil, and nitrite-rich vegetables (lettuce) benefited from their inhibition of an enzyme.
There are so many “alternative” or “complementary” therapies available today that it can be hard to tell which ones are effective, don’t work at all or can do you harm. It’s just as much of a challenge to choose a complementary health practitioner. Should you want to go to one, it’s best to do the research beforehand or you may end up paying money for “treatments” that don’t work. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is part of the National Institutes of Health and an authority in the field of alternative medicine.
By Dr. Prakash Masand
May is Mental Health Month, and a time to bring awareness to the many conditions that make up mental illness. One of the most common is depression. Unfortunately, many people have been misled about the facts of depression from what they’ve seen on TV or in the movies, or have heard about from their friends and others. What are the real facts about depression?
Here are the 10 ten facts that everyone should know about depression:
1. There’s more to depression than just feeling blue.
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.
The Associated Press-National Opinion Research Center (NORC) for Public Affairs Research conducted a follow-up study to the 2013 survey regarding Americans’ understanding and attitudes about long-term care. The earlier research has shown that most people n the Boomer and Beyond cohort are expecting their families to take care of them as they age and that few people are ware of the true costs of long-term care. The current study shows that this has not changed significantly.
An aging population poses challenges for governments around the globe as nations grapple with how to satisfy the physical, social and economic needs of older adults. About 40 million adults 65 years and older live in the United States while 126 million adults 65 years and older live in China – the country with the largest population of senior citizens.
The criteria for active surveillance — often called “watch and wait” — in dealing with prostate cancer should be re-evaluated. That is the recommendation of a study done at the University of California, Los Angeles and published in the May 19th 2014 issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Urology.
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