20Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Ultra-Processed Foods and Drinks Linked to Colorectal Cancer and Early Death

Ultra-Processed Foods and Drinks Linked to Colorectal Cancer and Early Death

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Two large studies that followed participants for decades have provided further evidence that the foods we eat — and don’t eat — can have significant health consequences. The research, published August 31 in the BMJ, found that people who consumed higher amounts of “ultra-processed” foods were at greater risk of cardiovascular disease, bowel (colorectal) cancer, and early death.What are ultra-processed foods? They include items like hot dogs, lunch meat, baked goods, salty snacks like chips, and sugary drinks, along with prepackaged ready-to-eat or microwave meals, which can contain more unhealthy fats and lots of sodium.According to researchers, these findings add further support for policies that limit ultra-processed foods and promote unprocessed or minimally processed foods to improve public health worldwide.Researchers Followed Participants for Over 2 Decades to Assess Cancer RiskIn…
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20Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Taking a Daily Multivitamin May Help Prevent Dementia

Taking a Daily Multivitamin May Help Prevent Dementia

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Are there benefits to taking a multivitamin? Although the over-the-counter daily supplements are considered safe, many health institutions and experts consider them unnecessary unless a person has been diagnosed with a vitamin deficiency.In spite of that, vitamins are quite popular — it’s estimated that about 1 in 3 Americans take supplements, and the classic once-a-day multivitamin accounts for about 40 percent of all vitamin sales, according to Penn Medicine.For those devoted to their daily vitamins, good news: Taking a multivitamin was associated with maintaining cognitive health in older adults, according to findings published on September 14 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. The Number of People With Dementia Is Expected to Double by 2050Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning, which includes things like the ability…
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19Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Implanting a Patient’s Own Reprogrammed Stem Cells Shows Early Positive Results for Treating Dry AMD

Implanting a Patient’s Own Reprogrammed Stem Cells Shows Early Positive Results for Treating Dry AMD

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Specially treated stem cells derived from a single individual have been successfully implanted into that same individual’s eyes in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial testing ways to treat advanced “dry” age-related macular degeneration (AMD).The therapy, currently in its first phase of testing to ensure that it’s safe for humans, involves harvesting and processing a person’s blood cells and using them to replace the person’s retinal cells that had succumbed to AMD, a leading cause of vision loss globally.The procedure was performed by researchers from the National Eye Institute (NEI), a branch of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and from the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. The NIH researchers have been working on the new treatment for a decade.The scientists, who previously demonstrated…
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19Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
A History of Stressors and Childhood Trauma May Predict Worse Menopausal Symptoms and Well-Being

A History of Stressors and Childhood Trauma May Predict Worse Menopausal Symptoms and Well-Being

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Past studies have shown that women who have experienced trauma (physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, financial instability) are more likely to have worse menopausal symptoms than women who haven’t. But previous studies had small numbers of participants, focused on current stressors only, or on childhood stressors only. Research published September 13, 2022, in Menopause analyzed data from a longitudinal study of women and children to examine the long-term effects of abuse on menopause symptoms. Researchers were able to look at history of trauma and abuse during childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. Source link
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19Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Painless, Bloodless Tattoos Possible With New Microneedle Technique

Painless, Bloodless Tattoos Possible With New Microneedle Technique

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Tattoos may seem like they’re everywhere, and no longer taboo. But widespread medical use of tattoos has been limited because of the need for repeated needle injections that can be painful and carry risks of bleeding and infection.Now scientists have developed a way to avoid these deterrents: a tattoo patch containing microscopic needles that can quickly color skin without causing pain or drawing blood. These single-use microneedle tattoo patches work for both color images and for markings visible only with ultraviolet illumination, according to a study published September 14 in iScience.“We've miniaturized the needle so that it's painless but still effectively deposits tattoo ink in the skin,” said the senior study author, Mark Prausnitz, PhD, of the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, in…
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19Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Many Older Adults Are Not Getting Prescribed the Blood Pressure Treatment They Need

Many Older Adults Are Not Getting Prescribed the Blood Pressure Treatment They Need

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More than 7 in 10 older adults in the United States who need more intensive treatment for high blood pressure don’t get it, according to a new Harvard study. The findings, published on September 16, 2022, in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, suggest that millions of people are being undertreated, putting them at increased risk of heart attack and stroke."We haven't been doing well, despite robust evidence demonstrating the strong benefits of good blood pressure control in older adults," said the lead study author, Nicholas Chiu, MD, a clinical fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, in a press release. "This is a major public health gap that needs to be tackled."Nearly Half of American Adults Have High Blood PressureBlood pressure is simply a measurement of the pressure of…
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19Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Foot Massage Can Help Ease Sleep Trouble, Other Menopausal Symptoms

Foot Massage Can Help Ease Sleep Trouble, Other Menopausal Symptoms

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Good news for women around menopause who experience poor quality sleep and increased anxiety: A new study published today in Menopause shows that foot massages can help alleviate those disruptive symptoms.Menopausal Transition Brings Physical ChallengesAs women approach and go through menopause, the decrease in estrogen can cause a number of challenges: hot flashes; insomnia, night sweats, and other sleep disruptions; sexual dysfunction; and vaginal dryness.Hormonal Flux Impacts Mood, Sleep Problems Contribute to FatigueAt the same time, mood changes may occur, notes the North American Menopause Society, putting midlife women at risk for issues such as anxiety, depression, and mood swings. Because of the sleep issues and the night sweats, brain fog and fatigue can become a symptom as well.Foot Massages Promotes Relaxation, Improves SleepA review published in 2020 in JAN (Journal…
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19Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
How to Get Sufficient Doses of the COVID-19 Vaccine When You Have a Rheumatic Disease Like RA

How to Get Sufficient Doses of the COVID-19 Vaccine When You Have a Rheumatic Disease Like RA

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People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised are at higher risk for serious complications if they're infected with COVID-19. That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that these folks not stop at two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines, but instead consider their primary series to be three doses — plus all recommended boosters, including the new one released this fall.This group, which includes people on medications commonly used for rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), remains vulnerable to being severely sickened by COVID-19 even after they’ve had their two shots, the agency said.The CDC now recommends that everyone get the most recently formulated booster dose of an mRNA vaccine, which has been updated to target the currently circulating omicron variants…
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18Feb 2023 by Janice Holland
Providers and Patients Can Help Minimize Risks of Steroid-Induced Osteoporosis, ACR Says

Providers and Patients Can Help Minimize Risks of Steroid-Induced Osteoporosis, ACR Says

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On September 14, 2022, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) released a summary of updated guidelines (PDF) on how to manage glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP), a condition that can occur in people who take steroids as part of their treatment. The full manuscript is expected to be released in 2023.The update comes five years after ACR’s 2017 recommendations and incorporates information on more recent osteoporosis treatments, namely Tymlos (abaloparatide) and Evenity (romosozumab), as well as recommendations for sequential therapy to prevent rebound fractures.Steroids Relieve Symptoms, Treat Many Conditions, but Can Increase Osteoporosis RiskGlucocorticoids (GCs) can relieve the inflammation and pain common in rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as well as other chronic conditions, including multiple sclerosis (MS), Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis (UC), psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, allergies and asthma, and heart failure.RELATED:…
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