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ACUPUNCTURE AND FIBROMYALGIA
There is new hope for the millions of americans suffering from fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is a disorder that causes muscle pain, stiffness and fatigue for unknown reasons. It affects between three and six percent of Americans, mainly women.
Treating the disorder using western medicine can be frustrating. This is why many are now turning to old, eastern medicine for an answer. (Read more about ACUPUNCTURE AND FIBROMYALGIA)
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Hundreds of Strokes Found to Be Avoidable
A University of Manchester study has found that hundreds of strokes could be prevented each year if patients suffering from "mini-strokes", or transient ischaemic attacks (TIA), were assessed sooner by specialist clinicians. Researchers found that almost two thirds of patients attending what are termed 'rapid access' TIA clinics took more than the recommended seven days to be seen by a professional. A transient ischaemic attack is a temporary weakening of one side of the face and corresponding arm which drastically increases a person's chances of suffering from a major stroke within days of the symptoms. Some studies have put the risk as high as a one in for probability. (Read more about Hundreds of Strokes Found to Be Avoidable)
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How Our Brain Changes With Age
According to new research from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, as we age the human brain breaks down even in the absence of serious medical conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease. This deterioration leads to impaired memory and reasoning, but is still part of the normal aging process. According to researchers, the brain can be divided into major functional regions, each responsible for different processes like memory, sensory analysis, planning, and internal thoughts. Each region is connected by a network of "white matter" nerve fibers, where messages pass through the white matter from one region through another. Though scientists are aware that this white matter network degrades with age, how that decline contributed to the break down of large-scale cognition systems was unclear. (Read more about How Our Brain Changes With Age)
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Cell Phones Linked to Insomnia and Headaches
Talking on your cell phone before going to bed could interfere with getting a good night's sleep, a recent study suggests. Carried out by Sweden's Karolinska Institute and Wayne State University in the US, the study suggests radiation from the handset can cause insomnia, headaches, and confusion. Scientists studied 35 men and 36 women between the ages of 18 and 45 who were exposed to radiation equivalent to that received when using a mobile phone. Others were placed in the same conditions, but given only false exposure. Those exposed to radiation took longer to enter the first of the deeper stages of sleep, and spent less time in the deepest one. (Read more about Cell Phones Linked to Insomnia and Headaches)
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Forgiveness Improves Well Being
Holding a grudge against someone can affect the cardiovascular and nervous system, according to the January 2008 issue of Mayo Clinic Women's Healthsource. During a study, people who focused on a personal grudge had elevated blood pressure and heart rates, in addition to increased muscle tension and a feeling of less control. When the participants were asked to imagine forgiving the person who hurt or harmed them, the changes dissipated and the subjects felt relaxed and more positive. Other studies have also found forgiveness to have positive effects on psychological health.. (Read more about Forgiveness Improves Well Being)
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Researchers Find A Solution to Sleep Deprivation
Many adolescents and young adults harbor a desire to skip sleep in favor of getting more from daily life. Now new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine has revealed this desire may not be far from the realm of possibility. A naturally occurring brain peptide, orexin-A, has been shown to reverse the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance in monkeys. Researchers believe these findings may hold potential for patients suffering from sleep disorders and for shift workers, military personnel, and other occupations where sleep is limited, but cognitive demand is high. (Read more about Researchers Find A Solution to Sleep Deprivation)
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High Blood Pressure Raises Risk of Cognitive Impairment
Approximately 50 million people in the U.S. suffer from hypertension, and what is most concerning is that nearly 15 million people are undiagnosed.
The latest issue of Archives of Neurology has revealed that high blood pressure is associated with an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment-a condition that affects thinking and learning. Nearly 10 of every 1,000 elderly individuals without dementia develop mild cognitive impairment yearly. Of those, 10 percent to 12 percent progress to Alzheimer's disease each year, compared with 1 percent to 2 percent of the general population. During the study, Researchers followed over 900 Medicare recipients age 65 and over without mild cognitive impairment beginning in 1992 through 1994. Participants underwent an initial interview and physical, in addition to tests of cognitive function. They then were examined again every 18 months for an average of 4.7 years. (Read more about High Blood Pressure Raises Risk of Cognitive Impairment)
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Gender Differences in Handling Stress
A recent study that appears in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience reveals how men and women differ in the neural response to psychological stress. Researchers claim to have found different parts of the brain that activate with different spatial and temporal profiles for men and women when they are faced with performance-related stress. These findings suggest that stress responses may be fundamentally different in each gender, sometimes referred to as "fight-or-flight" in men and "tend-and-befriend" in women. Through our evolution, males may have had to confront a stressor either by overcoming or fleeing from it, while women may have instead responded by nurturing offspring and affiliating with social groups during times of adversity. (Read more about Gender Differences in Handling Stress)
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Healthy Diet of Fish and Vegetables Reduces Risk of Dementia
A recent issue of the Neurology journal reports that a diet rich in fish, omega-3 oils, fruits and vegetables may lower your risk of dementia. During the study, researchers examined the diets of 8,000 men and women over the age of 65 who did not have dementia at the beginning of the study. After four years of follow-up, 183 of the participants developed Alzheimer's disease and 98 developed another type of dementia. Researchers found that people who regularly ate omega-3 fish oils, found in some cooking oils and certain types of fish, reduced their risk of dementia by 60 percent over the four year follow up period compared to those who did not. People who ate fruits and vegetables daily also reduced their risk of dementia by 30 percent compared to others who did not. (Read more about Healthy Diet of Fish and Vegetables Reduces Risk of Dementia)
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What is an Aneurysm?
WHAT IS AN AORTIC ANEURYSM?
With Dr.Sateesh Babu
Vascular Associates of Westchester (Read more about What is an Aneurysm?)
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