Health News

Eating eggs may halt memory loss and lower the risk of dementia

EGGPLATEScientists are investigating whether eating eggs may prevent memory loss and lower the risk of dementia.

In the six-month U.S. study, half of the participants will have two eggs a day, and will be compared with a control group who won’t have eggs.

Both groups will be tested for memory, reasoning, verbal fluency and attention span – a decline in these is a major risk factor for the development of dementia later in life.
Eggs are one of the best sources of two antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin, which previous research suggests can improve cognitive function.

The researchers, from Tufts University in the U.S., expect there will be ‘a significant increase’ in the mental functioning in the group given eggs.

Super-laser targets ugly caesarean scars
Laser therapy is being tested as a way to reduce caesarean scarring. One in four births in this country is now by caesarean and the surgery can leave a prominent, raised or even painful scar across the abdomen.

Now, a clinical trial is looking at laser therapy to tackle this. The light is thought to trigger chemical reactions in the skin, which stimulates the growth of new tissue, as well as ‘remodelling’ the scar tissue.

The device being tested is six times more powerful than other types of lasers, and is said to penetrate four times deeper into the abdominal tissue, up to 4mm.
Women on the Danish trial at Aarhus University Hospital will have three treatments – scar thickness will be measured before and after.

Cabbage patch to soothe sore joints

Could covering your knee with cabbage ease sore joints?
Cabbage, which is shredded and mixed with warm water to form a poultice, has been used as a traditional remedy for joint pain and skin complaints.

Now, doctors are comparing the benefits of a cabbage poultice with diclofenac gel, an anti-inflammatory commonly used to ease joint pain.

Around 80 people with osteoarthritis of the knee will be given the cabbage dressing, the gel or their usual care, in the trial at Universitat Duisburg-Essen, Germany.

Just how cabbage might help is not clear, but it contains glutamine, a constituent of glucosamine – this compound occurs naturally in the body and plays a role in building cartilage.

Source: Daily Mail

Tips for treating excessive sweating

Heavy sweating (also known as hyperhidrosis) is a very real and embarrassing problem, but there are some effective ways to treat it. Before you hide under bulky sweaters or move to a chillier climate, you can try these proven techniques for combating excessive sweating.

Antiperspirants

The easiest way to tackle excessive sweating is with an antiperspirant, which most people already use on a daily basis. Antiperspirants contain aluminum salts. When you roll them onto your skin, antiperspirants form a plug that blocks perspiration.

You can buy an antiperspirant over the counter at your local supermarket or drug store, or your doctor can prescribe one for you. Over-the-counter antiperspirants may be less irritating than prescription antiperspirants. Start with an over-the-counter brand, and if that doesn’t work, see your dermatologist for a prescription.

Many antiperspirants are sold combined with a deodorant, which won’t stop you from sweating but will control the odor from your sweat.

Antiperspirants aren’t only for your underarms. You can also apply them to other areas where you sweat, like your hands and feet. Some may even be applied to the hairline.

Don’t just roll or spray on your antiperspirant/deodorant in the morning and forget about it. Also apply it at night before you go to bed — it will help keep you drier.

Medical Treatments for Heavy Sweating

If antiperspirants aren’t stopping your hands and feet from sweating too much, your doctor may recommend one of these medical treatments:

1. Iontophoresis: During this treatment, you sit with your hands, feet, or both in a shallow tray of water for about 20 to 30 minutes, while a low electrical current travels through the water. No one knows exactly how this treatment works, but experts believe it blocks sweat from getting to your skin’s surface. You’ll have to repeat this treatment at least a few times a week, but after several times you may stop sweating. Once you learn how to do iontophoresis, you can buy a machine to use at home. Some people only require a couple of treatments a month for maintenance.

Although iontophoresis is generally safe, because it uses an electrical current it’s not recommended for women who are pregnant and people who have pacemakers or metal implants (including joint replacements), cardiac conditions, or epilepsy.

2. Botulinum toxin: Another treatment option for heavy sweating is injections of botulinum toxin A (Botox), the same medicine used for wrinkles. Botox is FDA-approved for treating excessive sweating of the underarms, but some doctors may also use it on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

Botox works by preventing the release of a chemical that signals the sweat glands to activate. You may need to have several Botox injections, but the results can last for almost a year

 Steps You Can Take at Home to Control Heavy Sweating

While you’re trying out different antiperspirants, or whatever other treatment your doctor recommends, you can also incorporate some of these four at-home solutions to reduce sweating.

Don’t wear heavy clothes that will trap sweat. Instead, wear light, breathable fabrics such as cotton and silk. Bring along an extra shirt when you know you’ll be exercising or outdoors in the heat. Your feet can sweat too, so wear socks that wick moisture away from them (merino wool and polypro are good choices).
Shower or bathe every day using an antibacterial soap to control the bacteria that can inhabit your sweaty skin and cause odors. Dry yourself completely afterward, and before applying antiperspirant.

Use underarm liners and shoe inserts to absorb sweat so it doesn’t ruin your clothes or start to smell.

Don’t order a double jalapeno burrito with a margarita at your favorite Mexican restaurant. Spicy foods and alcohol can both make you sweat, as can hot drinks like tea and coffee.

Source: web md

 

Why Is Pancreatic Cancer So Deadly?

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The pancreas secretes hormones and enzymes to digest our fats. One of those hormones is insulin, which prompts the body to use sugar in the blood rather than fat as energy. Its levels are low in diabetic patients, who suffer from abnormally high blood sugar.

Only one fifth of Americans diagnosed with pancreatic cancer survive for a full year, according to the American Cancer Society, and it is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the country.

How does the disease develop without noticeable symptoms and then kill so quickly?

To find out, we called Allyson Ocean, an oncologist at New York–Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, who specializes in gastrointestinal cancers including pancreatic cancer. An edited transcript follows.

Why does pancreatic cancer kill so quickly?

Pancreatic cancer is typically diagnosed at a late stage because it doesn’t cause symptoms until it’s too late. Weight loss, abdominal pain, jaundice [a yellowing of the skin due to toxic buildup in the liver]—those are the most common symptoms. They usually start after the tumor is a significant size. By then, chances are, it has metastasized [that is, spread to other parts of the body].

Only about 10 to 15 percent of pancreatic cancers are diagnosed when they could be considered for surgery. And the prognosis is poor even in patients who do have surgery, because it comes back about 85 percent of the time. At best, 25 to 30 percent of patients are alive five years after surgery.

When doctors do pancreatic cancer surgery, they take out 95 percent of the pancreas, including the tumor, and then they leave a small remnant of the pancreas in there that serves [the insulin-producing] functions.

If a person can live without a fully functional pancreas, then what, ultimately, kills most pancreatic cancer patients?

When most patients die of pancreatic cancer, they die of liver failure from their liver being taken over by tumor.

What precludes doctors from performing surgery on late-stage patients?

We don’t do surgery if the tumor has already spread outside the pancreas, because there’s no survival benefit in removing the tumor. We also sometimes can’t do surgery [when the tumor] involves the great blood vessels, the superior mesenteric vein and superior mesenteric artery. Those are the main vessels that come off of the aorta, the main artery in our body. If the tumor is wrapped around those blood vessels, then we can’t take it out.

Why is this particular cancer so aggressive?
Because of the nature of the tumor cells. They escape the treatments, they hide out, and then they come back. And they grow again and they affect the liver and then they kill people.

What are the biggest risk factors for pancreatic cancer?
The biggest known risk factors are smoking and family history—it can be a hereditary disease. Then there are some other more obscure risk factors, such as defects in the anatomy of the pancreas, but that’s very rare.

What factors affect how early a person gets diagnosed?
Depending on where the cancer is diagnosed in the pancreas, it can affect how soon it’s diagnosed. For instance, if the cancer is in the head of the pancreas, which is close to the common bile duct, and it grows and it causes obstruction of the common bile duct, a patient can get jaundiced. And then they could [show symptoms] sooner than someone whose pancreatic cancer is in another part of the pancreas, like the tail. They would not present with jaundice, so we would not have a clue that there was necessarily anything wrong with them.

What are some of main symptoms as the cancer progresses?
Unexplained weight loss, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting. Back pain is another one, because the pancreas is very posterior in the body. Back pain is also the most common complaint that patients go to an emergency room for, and most of the time it’s just muscle pain—it’s not pancreatic cancer.

What treatments are available if surgery isn’t an option?
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Sometimes we do both together. We are also using biologic agents now, meaning antibody therapy. There’s a drug called Tarceva, which is an antibody [or immune protein] against the growth factor that the tumor cell makes, and so it blocks that growth signal. It’s given in combination with [a chemotherapy called] Gemcitabine. In a large randomized clinical trial, [the combination of the two drugs] was shown to improve upon Gemcitabine alone.

Source: Scientific American

 

Healthy Weight Loss & Dieting Tips

In our eat-and-run, massive-portion-sized culture, maintaining a healthy weight can be tough—and losing weight, even tougher. If you’ve tried and failed to lose weight before, you may believe that diets don’t work for you. You’re probably right: traditional diets don’t work—at least not in the long term. However, there are plenty of small but powerful ways to avoid common dieting pitfalls, achieve lasting weight loss success, and develop a healthier relationship with food.

The key to successful, healthy weight loss
Your weight is a balancing act, but the equation is simple: If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. And if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you lose weight.

Since 3,500 calories equals about one pound of fat, if you cut 500 calories from your typical diet each day, you’ll lose approximately one pound a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories). Simple, right? Then why is weight loss so hard?

All too often, we make weight loss much more difficult than it needs to be with extreme diets that leave us cranky and starving, unhealthy lifestyle choices that undermine our dieting efforts, and emotional eating habits that stop us before we get started. But there’s a better way! You can lose weight without feeling miserable. By making smart choices every day, you can develop new eating habits and preferences that will leave you feeling satisfied—and winning the battle of the bulge.

Getting started with healthy weight loss
While there is no “one size fits all” solution to permanent healthy weight loss, the following guidelines are a great place to start:

Think lifestyle change, not short-term diet. Permanent weight loss is not something that a “quick-fix” diet can achieve. Instead, think about weight loss as a permanent lifestyle change—a commitment to your health for life. Various popular diets can help jumpstart your weight loss, but permanent changes in your lifestyle and food choices are what will work in the long run.

Find a cheering section. Social support means a lot. Programs like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers use group support to impact weight loss and lifelong healthy eating. Seek out support—whether in the form of family, friends, or a support group—to get the encouragement you need.

Slow and steady wins the race. Aim to lose one to two pounds a week to ensure healthy weight loss. Losing weight too fast can take a toll on your mind and body, making you feel sluggish, drained, and sick. When you drop a lot of weight quickly, you’re actually losing mostly water and muscle, rather than fat.

Set goals to keep you motivated. Short-term goals, like wanting to fit into a bikini for the summer, usually don’t work as well as wanting to feel more confident or become healthier for your children’s sakes. When frustration and temptation strike, concentrate on the many benefits you will reap from being healthier and leaner.
Use tools that help you track your progress. Keep a food journal and weigh yourself regularly, keeping track of each pound and inch you lose. By keeping track of your weight loss efforts, you’ll see the results in black and white, which will help you stay motivated.

Keep in mind it may take some experimenting to find the right diet for your individual body. It’s important that you feel satisfied so that you can stick with it on a long-term basis. If one diet plan doesn’t work, then try another one. There are many ways to lose weight. The key is to find what works for you.

Source: help guide

 

The Shocking Truth About Aspirin – It Doesn’t Work!

Aspirin has been around for over half a century. It’s primary and “original” use was for pain relief. But when Tylenol and NSAIDs (such as Advil) took over the pain relief field, the aspirin industry “bigwigs” pulled out the “big guns” and went after: heart disease.

What the heck, they figured. After all, a billion-dollar medicine has to go somewhere. And like most businesses, you have to keep growing and finding new “revenue streams” to increase revenue and profits. The “big killer” of heart disease seemed like a natural avenue to go down. So aspirin decided to acquire “new indications” as a blood-clot fighter and is already widely used to treat and prevent strokes and heart attacks.

It Didn’t Work For Apples
Just about every male I know over the age of 60 (including younger men) and many women (BOTH my parents in fact) are taking “an aspirin a day to keep the doctor away.” Well, it didn’t work for apples and I don’t think it works for aspirin either. But that isn’t stopping its promoters from telling people it will do that and a whole lot more.

Crazy Claims
Take a quick look at some of the other claims the “Aspirin Institute” is making about its product. The “Institute” strongly hints (“studies suggest that…”) that this “miracle drug” cures, decreases, alleviates, or prevents:

  • Breast cancer
  •  Migraine headaches
  •  Hodgkin’s disease Alzheimer’s disease
  •  Prostate cancer
  •  Cancer of the pancreas
  •  Colon cancer Birth defects
  •  Leukemia Immune disorders, including AIDS

And that’s just a partial list, But geez … take a look at the last one – AIDS! Wow, if Aspirin really could do that, it would be a “miracle” drug, right? …

So the “experts” seem to think that at least 95 percent of the population needs aspirin on a daily basis. But the dangers associated with extensive use of aspirin are downright horrifying.

Aspirin Does The Opposite
Researchers have reported that aspirin might, in fact, increase your risk for stroke, heart attack, macular degeneration (blindness), and cataract formation! You didn’t hear anything about these findings because no one reported on them in the popular press. So if you don’t read medical journals in your spare time, you probably missed these REAL bits of news.

Here’s what the researchers have to say:

  •  40% of people who regularly take large doses of aspirin actually demonstrated an INCREASED risk of both stroke and heart attack.
  •  Regular aspirin users have a significantly increased risk of macular degeneration with blindness!
  •  Aspirin use also puts people at a 44% increased risk of cataracts.

Of course, there’s always the widely known increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding that accompanies aspirin too. And these sorts of findings weren’t published in some lowly rag. No, the highly respected prestigious rags, like the British Medical Journal, Lancet, and the Journal of the American Medical Association, came to a similar conclusion: aspirin shows no benefit in the prevention of heart attacks!

Source: self growth

Florida man dies from spider bite

Central Florida authorities are reporting a rare death from a spider bite. Polk County Medical Examiner Stephen Nelson tells The Ledger that Ronald Reese of Lakeland died Feb. 16 from complications of a spider bite.

Nelson said the bite became infected and developed into an abscess on the back of Reese’s neck, which pressed on his spinal cord.

Reese’s father says the 62-year-old had been bitten in August by a brown recluse spider.  H.K. William Reese says required lengthy hospital stays and numerous procedures for six months after the bite.

“He was working in an old house tearing out the existing walls and ceilings and replacing  them. Brown recluse spiders like to live in those old houses,” he said.

Nelson said Reese was never tested to determine what type of spider bit him, but medical records show there were definite complications from a spider bite wound on his neck.

Few statistics on deaths attributed to spider bites are available. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, only two people died from spider bites between 2001 and 2005. Both were believed to be caused by brown recluse spiders.

The brown recluse spider, which is not native to Florida, is one of just a handful of spiders that are dangerous to humans, though all spiders carry venom as a way to kill and digest their prey, said Polk State College biology professor Logan Randolph.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a bite from a brown recluse spider starts with two small puncture wounds and develops into a blister. The venom can also cause a severe lesion by destroying skin tissue, which requires medical attention.

However, the bites typically aren’t lethal, Randolph said. “In most spider bites, complications arise mostly if there’s some secondary factor. If the person has a specific allergic reaction, if their health was compromised in some other manner, or if the bite causes an open wound with a secondary infection,” Randolph said.

Spiders typically avoid humans, he said. “Most spiders aren’t going to attack you,” Randolph said. “It’s when you trap them, or

you’re moving something out of a cabinet and your hand brushes them – it’s typically a defense. They react rather than attack.”

Source: fox news

Leprosy the world’s oldest infectious disease?

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Researchers have found two leprosy-causing bacteria from a last common bacterial ancestor around 10 million years ago.

“Leprosy is a strict human disease that stretches back millions of years,” said Professor Han from University of Texas’ MD Anderson Cancer Centre.

He found that two leprosy-causing bacteria, including Mycobacterium leprae, were pinpointed to come from a last common bacterial ancestor around 10 million years ago – meaning that ancient humans suffered from the disease.

Human beings carried the leprosy bacteria when departing Africa around 100,000 years ago to populate the rest of the world, said the study.

“Tracing the ultimate origin of leprosy through the parasitic adaptive evolution of the leprosy bacteria is rather insightful – not only for this single disease but also for our better understanding of the mechanism behind other human infections,” explained Han.

Together with Francisco Silva, of the University of Valencia’s Evolutionary Genetics Unit, Han concluded that leprosy can be viewed as a natural consequence of a long parasitism.

The study was published in the journal PLOS Neglected

Source: Business standard

3D-printed heart aids life-saving surgery on US baby

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A newly developed 3D-printed heart has helped doctors perform a life-saving heart surgery on a 14-month old infant in the US.

Researchers from the University of Louisville and Kosair Children’s Hospital created a 3D printed model of the organ 1.5 times its actual size that helped the surgeons to prepare for the surgery.

Built in three pieces using a flexible filament, the printing reportedly took around 20 hours and cost USD 600.

Roland Lian Cung Bawi of Owensboro, Kentucky, was born with four congenital heart defects and his doctors were looking for greater insights into his condition prior to a February 10 operation.

Philip Dydynski, chief of radiology at Kosair Children’s Hospital wondered if a 3D model of the child’s heart could be constructed using a template created by images from a CT scan to allow doctors to better plan and prepare for his surgery.

The result was a model heart 1.5 times the size of the child’s.

Once the model was built, Erle Austin III, cardiothoracic surgeon at Louisville, was able to develop a surgical plan and complete the heart repair with only one operation.

“I found the model to be a game changer in planning to do surgery on a complex congenital heart defect,” he said.

Roland was released from Kosair Children’s Hospital on February 14. His prognosis is good, doctors said.

Source: zee news

When Breast Cancer Spreads

If your cancer spreads beyond your breast and the nearby lymph nodes, it’s called advanced cancer, or metastatic cancer. The most common places it spreads to are the liver, lungs, bones, and brain.

News that your cancer has spread is scary, but there are many treatments that work for metastatic breast cancer.

“The majority of women with metastatic breast cancer can move forward with their therapies while continuing their regular lifestyle — working, taking care of their families, exercising, and traveling,” says Erica L. Mayer, MD, MPH, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

“We often think of metastatic breast cancer as a chronic disease, like diabetes,” says Mayer. A Different Treatment Schedule

Treatments for advanced breast cancer may go on without an end date, to keep the cancer under control. You’ll visit the clinic on a regular basis and you’ll get to know the health care team.

“If the treatment works, you’ll stay on it as long as it’s working well without side effects,” says Rita Nanda, MD, of the University of Chicago’s breast cancer program. If not, your doctor will try different treatments.

Your doctor is likely to suggest chemotherapy because it travels through your entire body. “Metastatic breast cancer is a whole-body disease,” Mayer says.

You may also need hormone therapy. Targeted drugs are another option. They work directly on the changes within cancer cells. These combinations can make chemotherapy work better.

Sometimes surgery or radiation can help ease symptoms. Regular Tests Keep Tabs on Your Cancer

Occasionally, you’ll have imaging tests to see how treatments are working and whether the cancer has spread. Common imaging tests include:

CT scans, where an X-ray machine circles around as you lie on a table Bone scans with an injection that helps show areas with cancer (scintigraphy) PET scans with a special camera and a tracer chemical that goes in your arm by IV
“CT scans examine the chest and abdomen,” says Richard J. Bleicher, MD, of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. “You can see something on organs like the liver or sometimes the bones.” Sometimes results are combined for a PET CT scan. A computer merges the images to find hot spots that may be cancer.

Your doctor will tell you how often you need these tests, based on the stage of your cancer.

Source: Web md

 

Fully-formed teeth growing inside baby’s BRAIN: Medical Miracle

A four-month-old baby boy was found to have teeth growing in his brain. The unnamed infant in Maryland, U.S., had a rare type of brain tumour which contained multiple fully formed teeth.

He is thought to be the first person in the world to be found to have teeth within this type of brain tumour. The baby required surgery to remove the tumour, but, a year on, he is now making a good recovery.

The child first came to the attention of doctors after a routine health check revealed his head was growing faster than expected.  According to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine, he had an MRI scan which revealed a tumour near his pituitary gland which measured 4.1cm by 4cm by 3.5cm.

The scan revealed that the tumour also contained teeth very similar to those found in the lower jaw. The baby underwent surgery to remove the tumour and further tests revealed it was a slow-growing mass called adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma.

The tumour is thought to have arisen from Rathke’s pouch, an embryonic precursor to part of the pituitary gland. These tumours are sometimes filled with viscous, yellow fluid containing cholesterol crystals.

They usually start in the area around the pituitary gland but spread into surrounding areas and they often recur after they have, seemingly, been completely removed. It is very rare for them to spread outside the brain.

It is now a year since the body underwent surgery and he is making good progress. However, he has had to have a shunt fitted to drain brain and spinal fluid from his head. He also has to take thyroid and adrenal hormone-replacement drugs.

He still undergoes regular MRI scans to ensure the tumour has not returned. The doctors who treat the boy say it has long been suspected that the type of tumour he suffered from form from the same cells as those involved in the creation of teeth.

However, until now, surgeons had never actually seen teeth within one of these tumours. Dr Narlin Beaty, a neurosurgeon at the University of Maryland Medical Center, who performed the boy’s surgery, told Live Science: ‘It’s not every day you see teeth in any type of tumour in the brain. In a craniopharyngioma, it’s unheard of.’

He added that these tumours often contain some calcium deposits ‘but when we pulled out a full tooth…I think that’s something slightly different’.

Source: Daily mail