24 April 2012
Most people know that poor air quality can affect your lungs by making them more susceptible to infection, causing inflammation of the cells and lining of the lungs, and aggravating asthma or other chronic lung diseases. But...
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21 February 2012
The nutrients in your diet may affect your brain.
Most people are aware of the effects of diet on organs like your heart. But now researchers have found a link between certain nutrients and brain changes associated with...
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Is one hip prosthesis better than another?
Americans get about 300,000 hip replacement surgeries every year. There are several options for the materials used in the prostheses, including metal-on-polyethylene, metal-on-metal, and ceramic-on-ceramic. Which is the best? A recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study set out to discover the answer. After analyzing data from 18 comparative studies, researchers found no clear advantage of...
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Flu season is not over yet!
Flu season is not over yet! By the time January rolls around, many people have forgotten about getting a flu shot, even though peak flu season is usually in January and February. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s still beneficial to get vaccinated, even late in the season. People over 65 are...
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A laboratory-grown windpipe
Science has been advancing for years with regard to artificial or prosthetic body parts. You’ve heard about artificial limbs, joints, and hearts, but now doctors in Sweden have successfully implanted an artificial windpipe (trachea) in a 36-year-old man with cancer. Artificial tracheas have been transplanted before using parts of a donor’s trachea, but this artificial organ...
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A different blood thinner
In 2010, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate) for the prevention of stroke and blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation, a common abnormal heart rhythm. For many years, the most commonly prescribed blood thinner for atrial fibrillation has been Coumadin (warfarin). People taking warfarin need to undergo periodic...
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Arthritis news
Rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease A study recently published in Arthritis Research & Therapy found that the inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be responsible for an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, especially in the presence of other heart disease risk factors. Researchers in Sweden analyzed data from 400 RA sufferers and found that...
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Can spicy food be harmful?
Hot and spicy foods cause a burning sensation that some people love and some people don’t. But can this burn hurt you? The compound that causes the burning sensation is called capsaicin, and spicy foods are also acidic. Science has not revealed much about how these factors can affect your overall health, but for some people,...
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Taking your medicines on vacation
If you are traveling this summer, taking your medications along is essential to maintaining your health and enjoying your vacation to the fullest. Keep these tips in mind to avoid any hassles: Carry all medications in the original containers. Officials at some ports of entry may require proper identification of medications. Labels should be legible so...
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Anti-inflammatory drugs may interfere with certain antidepressants
Scientists at the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research at The Rockefeller University have shown that anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen reduce the effectiveness of the most widely used class of antidepressant medications—the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. The researchers treated mice with antidepressants in the presence or absence of anti-inflammatory drugs....
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