A new research study has linked “bad” cholesterol to Alzheimer’s disease.
The study showed patients with high levels of “bad” cholesterol in their blood were more likely to have tangles of protein inside their brain cells, a common physical symptom of Alzheimer’s. The tangles, called beta amyloid plaques, interfere with the function of brain cells.
The exact causes of the build up are not yet understood and will be undergoing further testing.
However, the study showed that “good” cholesterol actually had a preventative effect on the brain and reduced the plaques on the brain.
The doctors noted the cholesterol that can be linked to Alzheimer’s is the same as the kind that increases heart disease and the risk for a heart attack.
Parallel research is showing that the risk of Alzheimer’s or dementia could be reduced by a third if cholesterol is brought under control. A healthy diet with organic foods and natural sweeteners contributes to increasing good cholesterol.
A new study is suggesting that men and women with severe stress in their lives run a much greater risk of stroke than the average person.
The study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine showed a direct connection between stroke and the level of stress in someone’s life. The study followed men and women for 16 years to track stress along with blood pressure and other health issues.
“Assessment and treatment of anxiety has the potential to not only improve overall quality of life, but may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke, later in life,” Dr. Maya Labiase told Reuters.
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in the United States.
The study also showed that people with high stress in their lives tended to choose activities which increase stress on the body like smoking and alcohol abuse.
A 17-year-old’s attempt to accelerate weight loss ended up causing so much liver damage he is now awaiting a transplant.
Christopher Herrera had bought concentrated green tea extract at a nutrition store as a “fat burner.” Herrera ended up weeks later at Texas Children’s Hospital with his chest, face and eyes so yellow that his doctor called it almost “highlighter yellow.”
A new study is showing that dietary supplements not regulated by the FDA account for almost 20 percent of liver injuries in hospitals. The number is more than double the 7 percent rate from a decade ago. Investigators say they were only counting “severe” cases of liver damage and were deliberately undercounting the total number of cases.
The FDA is banned from approving or evaluating most supplements before they enter the market because of the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. The FDA can only act until the items are on sale and in many cases only if people have been reported to be harmed by a supplement.
The FDA estimates 70 percent of dietary supplement companies do not follow basic quality control standards.
Smog in southwest China has become so bad that a hospital has been forced to open a clinic focused solely on dealing with smog related illness.
No. 7 People’s Hospital in Chengdu City, provincial capital of Sichuan Province, has reported already dealing with 100 patients suffering from smog related respiratory conditions.
Hospital officials say that previously victims of smog related illness would have to be treated in multiple clinics such as ear-nose-throat and pneumology resulting in multiple doctor visits. The new clinic will streamline treatment for patients and doctors.
Thick smog in many parts of China in the last few months have forced closures of schools, businesses and highways. Some days were so bad that officials told residents not to allow their children outside in the air.
The Chinese government is reportedly examining whether liquid nitrogen shot into the air can be used as a way to lower smog in major cities.
A virus that causes debilitating illness has been discovered in the Caribbean after previously only being identified in Africa.
A dozen cases of the chikunguya virus has been confirmed in St. Martin, and islan d in the northeast Caribbean. Health officials say that another dozen people are suspected to be infected with the virus.
The virus causes fever, rash and fatigue along with intense muscle and joint pain that can leave victims virtually incapacitated for weeks. In some cases, doctors have been able to document victims with joint and muscle pain for years.
While the disease can be debilitating, it is not fatal. It is spread through mosquitos that can also carry the deadly dengue fever virus.
There are no specific treatments for the disease and there is no vaccine available. Health officials say a few cases of the disease have been seen in Italy and France in recent years but the St. Martin cases are the first in the Americas.
The Centers for Disease Control has sent a health advisory to U.S. doctors to be alert for potential signs of the virus.
Franklin Graham told a Charlotte area TV station that his father’s health has shown significant decline in recent days.
Graham told WSOC-TV at an event to celebrate this year’s Operation Christmas Child that Billy Graham obtained an infection after his birthday and that he “just hasn’t been able to get his strength back.”
“His vitals are good, but he’s just extremely weak,” Franklin Graham said.
Billy Graham has preached to people about Jesus. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association says that more than 215 million people in 185 countries have heard Rev. Graham share the love of Christ.
“My one purpose in life is to help people find a personal relationship with God, which, I believe, comes through knowing Christ,” Billy Graham has said.
Researchers have borrowed tools used by weather forecasters to create a system that could predict weeks in advance the peak of a city’s seasonal flu outbreak.
The scientists at Columbia University in New York say having greater advance warning of the timing and intensity of outbreaks could help cut down on the number of cases.
The system combines data from Google Flu Trends, which tracks search inquiries for flu related search information with data from the Centers for Disease Control. The system then estimates the number of flu-like illnesses that are likely to actually be cases of the flu.
The system will also have information about how the flu spreads through populations.
A study conducted in 2012 showed the system had a 60% accuracy rate in predicting the time and intensity of outbreaks.
The researchers say they plan to put the system online to allow people the chance to track the flu in their area.
A new study shows that being obese increases the risk of death calling into question the idea that someone can be obese and still be considered “healthy.”
The study showed people who were obese but did not have a metabolic problem such as high blood pressure or cholesterol problems were still 24% more likely to experience heart problems over a 10-year time frame when compared to people of normal weight.
The researchers from Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto declared “there is no ‘healthy’ pattern of obesity.”
Dr. Holly Wyatt of the University of Colorado said the findings are consistent with the idea that obesity itself is a disease. The American Medical Association first agreed with the idea earlier this year.
Critics accused the study researchers of misinterpreting their results.
A new report on deaths linked to the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic shows the total number of deaths to be more than ten times higher than reported by the World Health Organization.
The study also discovered that respiratory deaths in the Americas can be 20 times higher than the death rates in Europe.
Examining only deaths from pneumonia that could have been connected to the flu, the study showed Mexico, Argentina and Brazil had the highest death rates from the pandemic. The toll was significantly lower in New Zealand, Australia and in most of Europe.
“[The report] confirms that the H1N1 virus killed many more people globally than originally believed,” study author Lone Simonsen of George Washington University said. “We also found that the mortality burden of this pandemic fell most heavily on younger people and those living in certain parts of the Americas.”
The World Health Organization said in 2010 the death toll from H1N1 was around 18,500 but noted their total was limited to laboratory confirmed testing.
Pediatricians are warning that extremely spicy snacks, like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and other chips, are sending numerous children to the emergency room every year.
The experts say that eating too many spicy products can cause a significant inflammation of the stomach lining which can lead to severe abdominal pain in children.
“We have a population who loves to eat the hot, spicy, not-real foods, and they come in [to the emergency room] with these real complaints,” Dr. Martha Rivera of White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles told KABC-TV.
One 12-year-old boy told KABC that he would eat 20 to 30 bags of spicy snacks a month until he suffered stomach pain and was diagnosed with gastritis. He said the feeling was like someone bruised his insides and that it hurt “a lot”.
Some school districts in New Mexico, California and Illinois have banned spicy snacks because of their lack of nutritional value. Doctors say parents should steer their children toward healthier snacks like string cheese, apples or pretzels.
The doctors warn the spicy snacks have addictive qualities that could lead to children overeating them.
