Not really, but I’d imagine that headline caught your eye and grabbed your attention, which is what it was supposed to do. The study on which that claim is based was widely and often quite misleadingly trumpeted across the Internet yesterday (July 6, 2009). Although some responsible sites included in the headline that the tests were done in mice, many concealed this important fact until you were well into the article and had already been exposed to whatever advertising was on the page. I’d already seen several misleading headlines before I realized the studies were in mice and I’m sure that many people didn’t ever get the full story.
The entire webisode was set in motion by the University of South Florida Health’s press release, a slick piece of PR entitled “Caffeine reverses memory impairment in Alzheimer’s mice,” based on research done at that institution. At least they got it right. […]
Original post by admin and weightlossopinions.com
Most people know that the ear has two functions; namely, hearing and balance. Now new research has shown that the inner ear balance function, called vestibular function, is impaired in fully 35 percent of all U.S. adults over the age of 40. Such dysfunction, which affects 69 million Americans can lead to catastrophic problems, most notably to falls with their attendant issues such as fractures. Vestibular dysfunction increases with age, eventually affecting 85 percent of those over the age of 80. The findings were published in the May 25, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
The researchers studied nearly seven thousand U.S. adults over the age of 40. Participants completed a questionnaire and also underwent balance testing by something called the “Romberg Test of Standing Balance on Firm and Compliant Support Surfaces.” This tests a variety of sensory inputs that contribute to balance: the vestibular system in the inner […]
Original post by admin and weightlossopinions.com
If you or someone you know takes Plavix (clopidogrel), which is an anticlotting medication (often referred to as a blood thinner), you should take note of recent findings suggesting a potential problem when it is taken along with other drugs known as proton pump inhibitors. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are drugs that reduce stomach acid and they are often prescribed along with Plavix because it can irritate the stomach in some patients. The PPIs help to reduce the stomach irritation. But recent findings are suggesting that PPIs might reduce the effectiveness of Plavix, which could be a problem since Plavix is most often prescribed for people who are at risk of having a heart attack or stroke and if it didn’t work they could be at risk of serious problems. So if you do take Plavix and if you also take (or are considering taking) a PPI, you should definitely […]
Original post by admin and weightlossopinions.com
If you or someone you know takes Plavix (clopidogrel), which is an anticlotting medication (often referred to as a blood thinner), you should take note of recent findings suggesting a potential problem when it is taken along with other drugs known as proton pump inhibitors. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are drugs that reduce stomach acid and they are often prescribed along with Plavix because it can irritate the stomach in some patients. The PPIs help to reduce the stomach irritation. But recent findings are suggesting that PPIs might reduce the effectiveness of Plavix, which could be a problem since Plavix is most often prescribed for people who are at risk of having a heart attack or stroke and if it didn’t work they could be at risk of serious problems. So if you do take Plavix and if you also take (or are considering taking) a PPI, you should definitely […]
Original post by admin and weightlossopinions.com
It’s not often that I recommend natural remedies because there’s rarely any scientific evidence that they work better than a placebo. But when there’s data supporting their use I’m all for it. Such is now the case in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as shown by a review of research recently published in the British Medical Journal. Turns out that two of the best treatments for IBS, peppermint oil and fiber, are old-fashioned, inexpensive and widely available over-the-counter (OTC). And I don’t mean that these are just two of the best natural remedies or two of the best OTC remedies, they are two of the best remedies period.
The research review found three IBS treatments to be consistently better than placebo. In addition to peppermint oil and fiber, the anti-spasmodic scopolamine (also called hyoscine), a natural product derived from certain plants, is also effective […]
Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com
Have you heard of the National Children’s Study (NCS), an ambitious new research undertaking that will examine the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of 100,000 children from before birth to age 21? It’s already been 10 years in the making and will finally begin enrolling pregnant women in January 2009. That means it’ll take more than another two decades to complete, at an estimated cost of some $3.2 billion. But because the study will follow children over time, it will uncover and report different information as the children are born and as they age.According to a recent National Institutes of Health press release “[B]ecause the study will enroll pregnant women and, in some cases, women who are not yet pregnant, study scientists hope to identify a range of early life factors that influence later development. ‘With more than 100,000 participants, we believe […]
Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com
Add Web searching to the list of mental activities like crossword puzzles that are thought to keep the aging mind engaged and healthy. Why? Take a look at the pictures below of two functional MRI (fMRI) brain scans. The one on the left shows brain activity while reading a book, while the one on the right shows brain activity while doing an Internet search. The differences are obvious and dramatic and the implication is that Web searching can be good for your mental health.
UCLA Newsroom - http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/srp-view.aspx?id=34812
At least that’s the conclusion of researchers at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior who studied 24 volunteers between the ages of 55 and 76. According to their press release, “[T]he study results are encouraging, that emerging computerized technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle-aged and older adults,” said principal investigator Dr. […]
Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com
St. John’s wort, an herb long thought to be effective for the treatment of depression, is used widely in many countries for this purpose and is available over-the-counter in the United States (but not approved by the FDA as an antidepressant). But clinical studies have sometimes yielded conflicting results, in part because of variations in study designs (such as the exact definition of depression) as well as variations in the preparation of the herbal extract and the dosages used. But a new meta-analysis has reviewed 29 separate studies involving nearly 5500 patients and found that, overall, St. John’s wort was more effective than placebo and similar in efficacy to both older antidepressants (such as those called tricyclics of which amitriptyline is typical) and newer ones (such as those called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, of which Prozac and Celexa are typical). Most of the patients studied […]
Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com
Election day, Tuesday, November 4, is fast approaching and I encourage everyone to register and vote in this historic presidential election. But a new study has found that if you drive on election day during voting hours, you should exercise extra caution. That’s because, as strange as it may seem, there’s an 18 percent increased risk of dying in a motor vehicle accident during voting hours on a presidential election day than on a non-election day. The research was published in the October 1, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The researchers examined all eight presidential elections since 1976 and found a consistent pattern of increased fatalities on election days across the decades. They compared the number of traffic accident-related fatalities on presidential election Tuesdays with the numbers on the Tuesdays before and after, which served as controls. On average, there were […]
Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com
The world mourns the loss of Paul Newman, a great actor, philanthropist and humanitarian. He was the embodiment of the Yiddish word “mensch,” meaning a person of great character, integrity and honor. And while it has been widely reported that his death was due to lung cancer and that he was, formerly, a heavy smoker, whether his lung cancer was caused by smoking is unknown. What is known is that smoking greatly increases one’s risk of lung cancer. But what’s also known is that up to 15 percent of lung cancer deaths occur in people who have never smoked. Moreover, lung cancer in never smokers is, according to the Lung Cancer Alliance, “the sixth biggest cancer killer in the United States.”
Over 215,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008 and the majority will die within 12 months. More people die […]
Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com
