The blockbuster comedy
The Hangover centered on the drunken misadventures of
a groom-to-be, his groomsmen’s and the hilarious attempt to find him after somehow
getting lost at his own bachelor party. Most who saw it thought it was a really funny
movie in a twisted kind of way.
Are criminal acts a result of free will, or are some individuals “predestined” towards criminal or
psychopathic behavior? The answer could lie within the results of current research in genetics and neuroscience; research that could very well question what the law and society assumes about culpability, treatment, and justice.
June is “Aphasia Awareness Month” and many health groups and centers are taking this opportunity to help educate the public on a disorder known as aphasia. Though it is a condition that afflicts over a million Americans and is more common than Parkinson’s disease, most people know very little about this neurological affliction.
Imagine if your closet contained a wardrobe that could not only change your mood but could also be used as a tool for fighting
Alzheimer’s disease. Sound far-fetched? So far, it is a promising concept that could be the fashion wave of the future . . . that is, if Jinny Tillotson has her way.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has reached another recovery milestone since being caught in a horrific assassination attempt more than four months ago. Recently, she received implant surgery on her skull to protect her brain and skull, and doctors report she is doing very well.
On May 13, 2011, Derek Boogaard, hockey player for the New York Rangers, was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment. He was 28 years old.
What caused such a talented athlete to die so young has yet to be determined, but in an attempt to help unravel the mystery of brain injury, his family has made the decision to donate his brain to science. This selfless act has been taken in hopes of helping science understand the
effects of repeated head trauma.
Every day, we are exposed to radiation from computers, wireless internet connections, microwaves, cell phones, etc. A new study from the National Institutes of Health and Brookhaven National Laboratory shows that the radiation we receive from cell phone use affects brain cell activity.
Cell phone usage continues to experience a meteoric rise, yet there is no compelling or conclusive evidence they are safe. On the contrary, the evidence seems to point in another direction entirely.
One of the most remarkable natural health discoveries in a long time could be a strong combatant in the fight against
Alzheimer’s. This totally natural strategy could very well contribute to the prevention and treatment of the disease.
The brain food in question is coconut oil, specifically the ketone bodies found in it that ward off “brain starvation” – one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s.
John makes his living on the Internet. At any given time he has two browser windows open, Skype, and instant messengers too. John says he’s constantly clicking back and forth between article research, checking his e-mail, responding to Skype messages, and seeing what the latest tweet is all about. As much as he would love to “unplug,” technology has become a part of his fabric. He has become addicted to his digital life.
Advances in research continue to deliver encouraging news about possible treatments for
Alzheimer’s. In the most recent study, researchers have found a way to transform a human embryonic stem cell into a specific type of neuron (brain cell) that dies in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. The death of this neuron is a major contributor to memory loss.
Such a breakthrough is huge because it will enable scientists to reprogram stem cells and then grow them by the thousands. This will allow for extensive drug testing for Alzheimer’s disease and enable researchers to understand why the neurons die in first place. Even more important, the ability to grow neurons can potentially make transplanting the new brain cells into Alzheimer’s patients a real possibility.
Most people around the world cannot imagine life without a cell phone. You can hardly walk down a city sidewalk without seeing people race by, eyes focused in thought, with their phone plastered to their ear (maybe you're one of them!) But cell phones aren’t just for talking anymore. People use them to check e-mails, update their Facebook status, play games, listen to audio books, pay their bills online, check their bank balance, get a quick weather update, check the stock market . . . the list goes on and on.
Recently, some pretty exciting advances in blood testing have made the news. Just a short while ago a blood test for pre-diagnosing cancer was announced. Now, there is new hope for Alzheimer’s patients as well.
On January 8, 2011 the nation listened in horror as reports of an assassination attempt on Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona were broadcast into their living rooms. After learning she had been shot in the head, to many of us, the outcome seemed sure to be devastating. Thankfully, Rep. Giffords is on the road to rehabilitation. But the true miracle is that she survived at all. How? A gunshot through the temple usually means certain death. Or does it?
Watching a parent or loved one on the long steady decline that is Alzheimer’s is incredibly heartbreaking. But it’s also overwhelming and challenging as you try to meet the increasing needs of the Alzheimer’s patient. The one thing to remember is you can’t deliver the best possible care unless you take proper care of yourself as well by lessening the challenge as much as possible.
Imagine there was a way to tell if you would be stricken with Alzheimer’s 20 years from now? Would you want to know?
That is a dilemma plaguing researchers at Brunel University in London. Scientists are in the process of developing a 30 second spot test for Alzheimer’s in people in their 40s. It’s a simple procedure that could provide evidence of the disease before the symptoms show up. The hope is that it could lead to routine screening for dementia in the next two years.
It’s no secret walking is one of the best, easiest, and most enjoyable ways to get fit and healthy. Walkers live longer and can expect fewer incidences of diabetes, heart disease and stroke, cancer, as well as a few other killer diseases. The mental and spiritual benefits of walking can’t be discounted, either.
Johnny cringes when his teacher calls on him to read out loud in class. Most of the time he can’t recognize the words and when he does, he can’t pronounce them correctly. He always gets poor grades in spelling and writing and no matter how hard he tries, he still struggles. School is a very unpleasant place to be and deep down he feels he can’t measure up to his peers.
It seems like every day we hear new reports on Alzheimer’s research, some promising and some discouraging. One minute you may hear encouraging news about how to prevent Alzheimer’s in the first place only to have hopes dashed by some other body of data. One thing scientists seem to agree on however, is that once the causes of Alzheimer’s are identified finding better methods of treatment – and possibly prevention – are much more easily obtained.
