Every now and then we hear of diseases that are deadly and have the potential to become widespread. I think it’s that time of the year again, and this time, we are facing a potentially serious threat from swine flu. In fact, the World Health Organization has already stepped in and has declared a public emergency.
The current strain of swine flu originates from Mexico and is said to be different from the previous ones that we have encountered. In Mexico, it has been reported that 81 people have died from the disease and that more than 1,000 people are currently infected with it.
Swine flu, as the name implies, is transferred from infected pigs to humans. Humans who contract the disease exhibit the normal signs of flu – fever, respiratory problems, fatigue, and the like. However, ...
The human brain is considered to be the last frontier to unlock the utter complexity of the human body. It is the most studied yet most puzzling part of our bodies due to a complexity that cannot be rivaled by today's super-computers pound for pound. The human brain is a compact supercomputer that has an area that is larger than you think is in the human skull. The complex inner workings of the
human brain has baffled scientists who know what it is made of but how it works is still a big puzzle. Today's advanced
imaging sciences and devices have allowed the unlocking of some of its
secrets and the
information they gather is proving to be a huge benefit to those who suffer from disease. Studies with stem cells, the body's super-cells, are giving clues ...
Tags: Amazing Human Body, Human Brain, Imaging Technology, Supercomputer
I might be a prime candidate for Alzheimer’s Disease! This is what I found out from a report that Reuters recently published. They quoted a study conducted by Swedish researchers which stated that there is a link between eating fast food and the disease. If you know me, I tend to eat McDonald’s a lot. If not McDonald’s then KFC or some other fast food meals. This is because a lot of times, I find myself short on time and cooking becomes a non option.
The Reuters report states that:
Mice fed junk food for nine months showed signs of developing the abnormal brain tangles strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease, a Swedish researcher said on Friday.
The findings, which come from a series of published papers by a researcher at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet, show how a ...
Ever since Alzheimer’s was discovered more than a hundred years ago in 1906 (though this is subject to discussion), the medical community has been trying to find ways to cure it. To date, there is no known cure for the disease but there are a lot of breakthroughs occurring in the field of research.
One such breakthrough is the discovery of the potential of vitamin B3 to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. In lab trials, researchers infused mice with high doses of the vitamin and they found out that it had positive effects in retarding the disease. Now, they are ready to try the vitamin on humans.
The Guardian has this report:
A vitamin pill that could slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease is to enter human trials after scientists found it protected animals ...
I once heard that any ailment can be cured by something that can be found in
nature. Now I do not know if there is any truth to this but it does seem that there are many things from nature that can benefit us humans health-wise. As for Alzheimer’s, researchers have not yet found the main reason nor a cure for it. However, there are a lot of findings that just might help in preventing or alleviating the disease.
I recently read
a study about grape seeds having the potential to combat Alzheimer’s Disease. This study was conducted by a team of researchers from the Flinders University in Australia. The basic idea of the study was to use grape seed extract to see what it would do to help boost brain function. ...
So now we know that there is no known cause for Alzheimer’s Disease. Just like other conditions, however, researchers have learned about risk factors, or things that may increase one’s risk of developing the
disease. Let us take a look at some of these.
Age
This is the greatest known risk factor. As one ages, the risk for Alzheimer’s Disease increases as well. As I mentioned in my previous post, most people who have the condition are 65 years and above. In fact, the chances of a person getting Alzheimer’s doubles every 5 years after the age of 65.
Genetics and family history
The chances of getting Alzheimer’s are higher if there is someone in the family who has (or had) the condition. The genes also matter a lot – there are some genes that have ...
As with every other disease that we know about, we want to know the exact cause (or causes) of Alzheimer’s. This knowledge would probably lead to the cure for the disease. At this point, however, the medical community does not know exactly what causes Alzheimer’s. In the course of their studies, though, researchers have discovered some significant things. They have discovered that Alzheimer’s:
-is not a part of the normal aging process
-is not gender specific – it affects both men and women
-is a disease that affects mostly old people; majority of the cases involve people over 65 years old
-is not related to the hardening of the arteries
-is not caused by stress.
I suppose that the last two points can come as a relief to some people but the others do not really give much information as to ...
If October was the month for breast cancer awareness, November is the month for
Alzheimer’s Disease awareness. A lot of people know about this disease, or at least have heard about it. But what do you really know about it?
I tried asking different people what they know about Alzheimer’s and I got different answers. Most of them – from young to old – have an idea of what Alzheimer’s is all about and the general consensus is that is has something to do with the brain and memory. This is true but let’s go into the details a little more.
Alzheimer’s Disease is described by MSN Health as:
Alzheimer's disease damages the brain. It causes a steady loss of memory and how well you can speak, think, and carry on daily activities.
Alzheimer's disease always gets ...
Every adult I know has a certain fear of kidney stones. After all, we know that they could hurt – really badly. When we talk about kidney stones, however, our perceptions are normally limited to adults. This kind of thinking is being questioned by
Dr. Caleb Nelson, a urologist at the Children’s Hospital in Boston. According to him, “There is very little available on pediatric stone disease in particular. Most data has looked at adults or the entire population.”
However, the absence of hard data does not mean that there are no incidences of kidney stones in children. In fact, Dr. Nelson, together with other experts, is certain that there are many children with the condition. They attribute this to various causes such as “sedentary lifestyle, obesity increase, processed high-salt diets. Some children get the stones, because birth defects in the urinary tract put ...
If you have been diagnosed with female incontinence, how do you deal with it?
Reading about statistics and news about the condition is one thing but actually having to live with it on a daily basis is something else. The truth is, no one would probably totally understand the situation like you do. But do not fret, there are things that you can do to help you make the best out of your situation. I have some tips – thanks to
iVillage – which can help you deal with your condition.
There is a more comprehensive article on their web site on how to deal with female incontinence. For this post, I would like to focus on one thing – avoiding the possible triggers of female incontinence. The triggers are different for each person but here are some of the most common ones.
Excessive ...
