ALL ABOUT HEALTH -

31Jan 2023 by Janice Holland

Millions See Poignant Portrait of Alzheimer’s in One Family’s Viral Videos

Main

Seeing a loved one progress through the stages of a degenerative disease can have its heartbreaking moments, but one family is showing the world how much joy there’s still to be had when caring for a person with Alzheimer’s.Joshua Pettit’s loving TikTok videos of his mom struggling to identify her own reflection in a mirror are putting a very public face on Alzheimer’s disease, drawing millions of viewers and an outpouring of support from thousands of complete strangers all over the world.The Highs and Lows of Being a CaregiverIt’s easy to see why so many people are captivated. The videos Joshua Pettit makes of his mother, Betty Pettit, put a very human face on Alzheimer’s disease and the roller coaster of good and bad moments life with this condition entails.In…

31Jan 2023 by Janice Holland

There’s More Than One Way to Eat for a Longer Life

Main

There are many different healthy eating patterns that may help you live longer, a new study suggests — as long as these dietary habits focus on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, that is.For the study, researchers at Harvard University examined data on more than 75,000 women and more than 44,000 men who completed a series of dietary questionnaires over 36 years starting when they were in their early fifties. None of the participants had a history of cancer or heart disease.Scientists scored their diets on the basis of how closely they followed one of four different eating patterns, including a plant-based diet and the Mediterranean diet. The two other diets were the Healthy Eating Index, which aligns with the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and the Harvard-developed Alternative…

31Jan 2023 by Janice Holland

U.S. Cancer Deaths Decline but Racial Disparities Remain

Main

While cancer death rates continue to decline in the United States, research suggests that many long-standing racial disparities in survival odds aren’t going away.First, the good news. Cancer mortality rates have dropped 33 percent since 1991, according to a new study from the American Cancer Society, published in January 2023 in CA: Cancer Journal for Clinicians. This year, an estimated 1.96 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States, and about 610,000 people will die. That’s about 3.8 million fewer deaths than the country would have seen without the sharp decline in fatalities over the years.“The downturn has occurred for 29 years now, but was especially exciting in 2020 because most other leading causes of death increased in 2020 because of the pandemic,” says Rebecca Siegel,…

31Jan 2023 by Janice Holland

VEXAS Syndrome May Be More Common Than Previously Known

Main

A rare, recently discovered inflammatory disease may strike more people than previously thought, a new study suggests.Scientists first reported the discovery of a disease they dubbed VEXAS syndrome in a paper published in 2020 in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). At the time, they only identified 25 men in the United States with the condition — and no women. All had similar mutations in a gene called UBA1.Now, a new paper published in JAMA on January 24, suggests that VEXAS, while still rare, is much more common than scientists initially believed, impacting roughly 1 in 13,600 people. The researchers also found that VEXAS is even more common in older individuals and affects both men and women: Among those 50 and older, researchers estimate a VEXAS prevalence of about 1…

31Jan 2023 by Janice Holland

Viagra and Cialis May Cut Risk of Early Death From Heart Disease by 25 Percent

Main

Those who take erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra and Cialis may experience an additional health benefit beyond help with sexual performance.A large observational investigation published January 13 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine revealed that men who regularly took a specific type of erectile dysfunction (ED) medication had a 25 percent lower chance of dying prematurely than men with ED who did not take these pills.Use of Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Correlates With Multiple Heart BenefitsResearchers analyzed the health records of more than 70,000 men with erectile dysfunction and found that those who were prescribed Viagra (sildenafil), Cialis (tadalafil), Levitra (vardenafil), or similar drugs called phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors also had:39 percent lower death rate due to heart disease22 percent lower death rate due to unstable angina (where the…

30Jan 2023 by Janice Holland

Plant-Based Ulcerative Colitis Treatment Works in Preliminary Study

Main

Patients with active ulcerative colitis may be able to reduce symptoms and achieve remission by taking a plant-based treatment combining the herbal compounds curcumin and qingdai, preliminary results from a new study suggest.Curcumin is the main compound in the spice turmeric, and has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. Qingdai, also called Indigo naturalis, can be extracted from several different plants and also has a long history of medicinal use. While some previous research suggests these substances may be beneficial for ulcerative colitis patients, results have been mixed, some safety issues have been raised, and most of the studies have been too small and too brief to draw broad conclusions.The new study explored the safety and effectiveness of these compounds with three separate tests. In the first part of…

30Jan 2023 by Janice Holland

UV Nail Dryers for Gel Manicures May Raise Skin Cancer Risk

Main

Gel manicures are a popular option at salons because they’re so long-lasting compared with traditional varnish manicures. But a small laboratory study published January 17 in Nature Communications found that repeated exposure to UV light from the special nail dryers used for gel manicures may raise skin cancer risk, contradicting previous research that deemed the dryers safe.“I definitely did not expect these results,” says Maria Zhivagui, PhD, the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at UC San Diego who focuses on cellular and molecular medicine. “These machines are widely marketed as safe, even by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). … I got very worried and have stopped using gel manicure just to be safe and take as much precaution as possible.”Although people are aware that…

30Jan 2023 by Janice Holland

New Survey Asks: What Do Patients Want Most in a Doctor?

Main

Compassion, empathy, and active listening are important in any relationship — and the doctor-patient relationship is no exception.A new survey from Everyday Health and Castle Connolly suggests that patients really value the soft skills that contribute to a good bedside manner when they’re hunting for a new doctor. Roughly half of patients surveyed said these traits were the most important things they looked for. The survey involved 1,001 consumers and 277 healthcare professionals.Clinical experience still matters, and 28 percent of patients said this was their top priority in searching for doctors. But the survey results suggest that professional expertise isn’t the main thing people want in a physician, says Patrice Harris, MD, an Atlanta-based psychiatrist and the chief health and medical officer at Everyday Health.“The bottom line is patients deserve…

30Jan 2023 by Janice Holland

Apple Watches Help Predict IBD Flares in Small Study

Main

People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be able to get an early warning sign of an oncoming flare from their smartwatch, a new study suggests.For the study, researchers asked 125 people with one of two types of IBD — ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease — to complete daily surveys about their symptoms and wear an Apple Watch to measure their heart rate. Because some previous studies have linked increased heart rate variability to IBD flares, scientists wanted to see if the Watch could detect these changes and predict flares.On the basis of patient-reported symptoms, heart rate variability detected by the Watch was higher when people were experiencing symptomatic flares and increased inflammation, according to preliminary study findings presented at the Crohn’s and Colitis Congress 2023 in Denver.“Currently IBD flares…

30Jan 2023 by Janice Holland

Did Lockdowns and Masking Lead to ‘Immunity Debt’?

Main

The United States is in the midst of a “tripledemic” of three highly contagious respiratory illnesses: COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and seasonal flu. One theory circulating on social media blames so-called “immunity debt” for this wave of illness, arguing that COVID-19 mitigation efforts like lockdowns and masking weakened our immune systems and robbed us of our natural ability to fight off infections.However, “there’s very little basis for assuming what’s happening so far has anything to do with immunity debt,” says Michael Osterholm, PhD, a professor and director of the Center for Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota in Twin Cities.Here’s a closer look at the immunity-debt claim and other possible explanations for the spike in respiratory infections this winter.What Is ‘Immunity Debt’?The notion of immunity debt…