Health Benefits Of Mushrooms You Need To Know

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Health benefits of mushrooms are among the most highly regarded nutrient sources according to experts and no matter what variety, they do have their share of powerful minerals and vitamins that can provide many of the ones needed by the body.

Health benefits of mushrooms are no joke

You may not be totally aware of it, but mushrooms do carry a powerhouse of nutrients that some even have more of compared to the usual food sources that we have grown accustomed to.

Vitamin D

Surprisingly mushrooms are one of the very few dietary sources of Vitamin D, which is critical in maintaining heart and bone health. Mushrooms that are exposed to sunlight when they grow product Vitamin D.

In fact, scientists found out that mushrooms, when exposed to high levels of ultraviolet B just before they are harvested to be sold at the market converts many, if not most, of the active plant sterols found in them and changes it to vitamin D.

Many mushroom producers in the United States are producing Portobello mushrooms fortified with natural vitamin D. An 85-gram serving of these mushrooms provides no less than 400 IU of vitamin D, which is almost half of the 1000 IU daily requirement of vitamin D prescribed by nutrition experts.

Immune -booster

The American Society for Nutrition, based on a recent study, found that button mushrooms help boost the immune system by increasing the production of antiviral substances and other proteins released by the cells to help protect and repair the body’s tissues.

A separate study also found that mushroom also enhances the maturity of cells in the immune system called the dendritic cells from the bone marrow. This helps the body ward off diseases and strengthens the immune system to defend the body from invading microbes.

High in antioxidants

Especially the portobello and crimini varieties, these mushrooms have been found to contain large amounts of antioxidants that help the body fight off free radicals that result from oxidative stress.

Researchers from the Penn State University declared that mushrooms have one of the highest values of oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) values.

Boosts metabolism

Among the many varieties of mushrooms, those with the highest amounts of vitamin B are the crimini, button and oyster mushrooms. They have high amounts of vitamins B2 and B3.

These are just some of the many benefits of mushrooms for the body and make sure you have a bunch of these to go around with your regular meals.

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Whole Head Transplant May Get The Go Signal By Early 2017

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Whole head transplant may seem like a story fresh out of the movie screen, but is in fact a true story that will be able to indeed break world records for a successful attachment.

Whole head transplant gets mixed reactions

There’ll be those that will believe and there are those who don’t. But once the procedure becomes successful, Russian paraplegic Valery Spiridonov, he just might have a new lease in life.

This is going to be another chance at a medical breakthrough for Italian neurosurgeon Dr. Sergio Canavero, who will be partnering with Chinese surgeon Dr. Xiaoping Rin and have started preparations in the next few months preceding the controversial head transplant procedure.

Chance to be normal

Spiridonov has been suffering from Werdnig- Hoffman Disease since he was very young. This is a rare yet often fatal health condition that breaks down the muscles and dissolves the tissues. 

Spiridonov is hopeful that they do not get to see any unlikely predicament over the preparations and even during the highly-sensitive procedure. He also points out that he totally rests his hopes on the success of the operation and hopes to rid himself of the disease that has plagued him since childhood.

Too good to be true

There are many experts from the medical community who are expressing their great concern over the process itself, after giving rise to questions about whether the procedure would be successful or not.

For his part, Canavero is publishing his plans and detailing it daily, confident that he will succeed in the procedure after it has been successfully tested with mice along with some evidence of studies and experiments highlighted in the journal Surgical Neurology International.

Skeptics, however, abound claiming that since the procedure has not yet been tested on humans, the complexities of the procedure may be too difficult and could end killing the patient.

Others also raised concerns that Canavero may be extremely over-estimating his capacity and his team in conducting the procedure. While others are criticizing Canavero for promoting what they call junk science and may only end up creating only false hopes.

Big team of surgeons and support staff

Canavero said that the procedure would require no less than 80 surgeons and may cost a lot of money to the tune of tens millions of dollars. But he is confident that it will all be for the best as he expressed a 90 plus percent chance that the procedure will become successful.

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Chemicals In Household Products Could Kill

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Chemicals in household products contain different cleaning agents that can be harmful to the body, especially in the lungs where Gasses may also affect the respiratory system.’

Chemicals in household products often gets the risks on the side.

In a study by a team of Norwegian researchers, they saw that people who are in regular contact with cleaning agents and detergent are more likely to face the risk of getting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD.

The condition also includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Using data from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, they were able to analyze data of over 5000 women over a 20-year period.

They found that those who work as cleaning assistants have an increased risk of cardiopulmonary problems. The same goes with those you perform the cleaning themselves, with no less than 14 percent.

Toxic ingredients

High concentrations of cleaning and detergent agents that are incorporated into these cleaning agents. Inhaling some of these vapours may cause you to start having symptoms.

Benzalkonium chloride

A powerful chemical that is also called a quaternary ammonium compound and is often used to disinfect households, hard surfaces and floors.

Chlorine based agents

Also known as sodium hypochlorite. It is commonly used as an active ingredient for bleach.

Limone

Scent agents that are powerful enough and lets off vapour that may be harmful to the respiratory tract and lungs.

Isothiazolinones

These are common active ingredients found in liquid hand wash, clothes and dishwashing detergents

COPD kills

According to the Healthy Lungs For Life Campaign, around 25000 people in the United Kingdom die every year due to COPD. These are often characterized by damage to the walls of tiny air sacs in the lungs for those with emphysema.

For those with chronic bronchitis, it is often characterized by inflamed airways that have thickened and clogged with thick mucus.

Experts advise to always use a mask or a covering for the nose and mouth to protect it from vapours of these substances from entering the body.

Goggles are also advised to be worn during cleaning to also avoid getting the eyes contaminated with the substances and its vapours, along with gloves for the hands to avoid skin contact.

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Critics Slam McDonald’s For Misleading TV Ad

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Critics slam McDonald’s suggesting that the company knows better that simply removing preservative ingredients does not change the fact that the nuggets may still not be a healthy option for children.

Critics slam McDonald’s for misleading the public

The criticism stems from the release of the recent television commercial of McDonalds where the narrator states “we all want what’s best for our kids,” despite the fact that these chicken nuggets are still processed food that contains unhealthy fat and sodium.

“That’s the defining line that sets up the whole ad,” says Emily Mardell, a registered dietitian in Edmonton, pointing out that the ad suggests they are serving food that is good for kids.

Center for Health Science and Law in Ottawa Bill Jeffery agrees with Mardell, saying that the fact that these McNuggets are still deep fried and laced with salt clearly makes it something that should not be consumed regularly, especially for children due to its adverse impacts on health.

Hear nothing of it

But despite the clamour from numerous influential groups and individuals in the industry, Adam Grachnik, McDonald’s spokesman said that their move to improve their Chicken McNuggets is just the start of something big.

He points out that the company is already pushing its way to develop more health-inclined substitutes as they embark on a journey to be better. This, according to Grachnik, becomes the first step in reshaping their public image.

The chicken nuggets were allegedly found to contain several unhealthy food additives including one used for vegetables oils containing a preservative called TBHQ.

Does not change much

Health experts, however, point out that by removing one object from each of the nuggets does not make any compelling evidence that their food becomes healthy to eat.

“These are still foods that are high in fat, high in sodium. They’re not the types of foods that you want in the everyday or even in routine intake for children,” says Mardell.

According to McDonalds, a serving size of four pieces of is equivalent to 9 grams of fat and 300 milligrams of salt. This is already 25% of the recommended daily requirement in the body.

However, this does not include the dipping sauce that goes along with each order of the nuggets. Each small packet packs a lot of salt and other ingredients, equivalent to a serving order of the nuggets.

McDonalds has already started replacing their McNugget’s inventory as well as seeing it to full fruition. Almost all service fleet of McDonald’s in the greenery and in the United States and Canada.

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Optimizing Hydration To Enhance Performance And Survival

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Optimizing hydration in fact means more than just getting your full 8 glasses of water a day and there needs to be a good understanding of how your body should be properly making the best out of it.

Optimizing hydration is essential for living

Hydration is important to maintain human survival, as the body is typically made of 60 percent water and the muscles are in fact made up of 80 percent of it.

Water is responsible for helping transport all the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals for the body to sustain and nourish it, but truth be told, water is more than just that.

Water aids in diets

Water had been found to be a very effective for weight loss and diet programs, Studies published in the journal Obesity reveals results of research that having half a liter of water or about 500 milliliters before a meal can increase chances of losing weight when dieting.

It was responsible for making those who drink water feel full prior to the meal and reduced the calories consumed by those who dieted.

Water promotes power production

Studies show that dehydration is responsible for sapping out the energy of athletes during competitions. The researchers also found out that sweating can also cause body-mass loss by as much as 3 percent.

Replenishing spent fluids in the body can actually be enough to jumpstart the body into enhancing energy for extended physical performance over time.

Water boosts metabolism

German researchers shared findings of research that metabolism can be increased by as much as 30 percent for about 30 minutes by just drinking half a liter of water, or about 500 milliliters. This also equates to a total of 25 calories just by drinking water alone.

The researchers claim that you can burn no less than 200 calories a day just by drinking 4 liters of water in a day.

Optimizing hydration can help athletes a lot

Proper hydration, especially for athletes is crucial to enhance performance and maintaining it at a high level.

Another ideal hydration medium is coconut water, which can help provide the body with several nutrients and minerals that can help boost energy-giving nutrients.

Among the key nutritional values that you find in coconut water are the following;

Potassium

This is a crucial nutrient that promotes good heart rhythm and muscle function.

Sodium

Just enough amounts of sodium in the body is essential in regulating blood volume, quenches the sensation of thirst, promotes muscle contraction and cardiac rhythm.

Magnesium

Magnesium aids in protein metabolism and helps maintain the electrical charge of the cells to enhance muscle function and regulates calcium to avoid overloading.

Phosphorus

This plays an important role in bone health, as well as with the transfer of energy by helping in muscle contraction and control nerve functions.

Calcium

Plays a crucial role in bone health and muscle contraction.

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Parkinson’s Protein Test May Soon Help Diagnose The Condition

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Parkinson’s protein test may soon become a standard diagnosis procedure where researchers were able to find on a seemingly ‘sticky’ protein molecule found among dementia sufferers.

Parkinson’s protein test may revolutionize therapy and possible prevention

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh, whose study was published in the journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.

Initial results of the study shows that sample numbers, although a bit few, proved very accurate and were consistent in finding these sticky protein clumps in the brain, especially with those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

The study involved collecting samples of spinal fluid from 38 dementia and Parkinson’s patients, where they used a highly-sensitive process to search for a protein molecule called alpha-synuclein.

This type of protein molecule is found in normal and healthy brains, but it is when it clumps together that problems start to occur and has been shown to manifest in the brain of those patients.

They also accurately identified 19 out of 20 samples or an astounding 95% rate for Parkinson’s patients and three positive indicators for three who were believed to be at risk of later developing the condition.

Facts about Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative brain disease the results to the loss of nerve cells and progresses over time. There is still no established test that could detect the early signs of the condition or determine levels that would measure its effects on the brain.

Symptoms are often characterized by depression, poor gravitational balance, tremors and muscular rigidity, among others.

It also affects tens of millions of people all over the world and there is no cure that has been successfully developed to help treat this disease.

Further tests needed

Although many from the medical community lauded the breakthrough findings, calls for additional and equally in-depth studies are needed to come to establish those discoveries as conclusive evidence to push for other developmental researches for treatment and possible effective intervention.

“We hope that with further refinement, our approach will help to improve diagnosis for Parkinson’s patients,” says Dr Alison Green from the University of Edinburgh. “These people could then be given the opportunity to take part in trials of new medicines that may slow, or stop, the progression of the disease.” 

The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation reports that around 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with this condition each year and may only get worse as this does not include those that are not reported.

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Cocoa Extract Boosts Health And Can Promote Better Heart Health

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Cocoa extract boosts health ideally according to experts, except that many chocolate brands in the market contain much amounts of sugar and other additional ingredients that may not bode well for good health.

Cocoa extract boosts health with vast amounts of nutrients

Researchers reveal that there is new evidence that points to cocoa extract containing a certain for of nitric oxide that is responsible for causing blood vessels to dilate. This can be a way in which the cardiovascular system can thwart of problems like high blood pressure or even help prevent stroke.

This was the initial findings by a research group from the Yale University Prevention Research Center where they hope to further go deep into their study and are recruiting for volunteers for a four-year study related to this.

A separate study last year reveals that findings show that it produces antioxidant compounds known as flavanols and polyphenols that improve blood flow.

Problem with popular chocolate types

Essentially, chocolate- in its pure form as cocoa extract – contains a lot of beneficial substances that help promote better health for the body, however, commercial chocolate brands come in candy form that also contain large amounts of sugar as sweeteners and other additional ingredients.

There are studies to prove that having more than enough chocolate candy bars can cause people to gain weight, especially older women.

A three-year study on chocolate consumption among older women concluded that chocolate consumption has been linked to increased weight gain.

Upcoming research

The researchers are inviting volunteers to participate in a four-year study that are willing to undertake a cocoa extract test. The ideal participants are those aged 60 up for men and 65 up for women.

But don’t be misled into thinking that they will be given chocolate bars throughout the study process, but in fact be provided with a regular diet containing a specimen made from cocoa extract. The “test” samples won’t even taste close to chocolate candy bars but will have a similar amount of cocoa extract like having 1000 calories of dark chocolate.

The participants won’t even know if they are consuming cocoa extract or a placebo, in the hopes of avoiding any bias that may arise from their awareness of consuming such a product.

The researchers are hoping that they may be able to find the answers on how cocoa extract can largely benefit health and also pave the way for future researches into medical breakthroughs

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Child Immunization Becomes An Alarming Concern

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Child immunization, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) during a recent survey reveals that parents believe that vaccinations ate no longer necessary for children and may start to sound alarm bells soon.

Child immunization is still important

Contrary to popular belief that immunization should be an essential preventive measure for many diseases like flu and other health conditions, vaccination has been proven to ward off some deadly virus or bacteria.

A years-long research conducted by the AAP showed the marked increase of the reduced number of children going through vaccination compared to recent years, with parents either delaying or even refusing to have their children undergo vaccination.

Vaccines help prevent disease

Success stories have always been tied up with the need for vaccination as it was able to prevent no less than 322 million ailments, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of the world’s most dangerous diseases are now fading into oblivion because of the advent of vaccinations back in the past.

Although they did not specifically point out what specific diseases were those vaccines targetted to address, but the fact that the public’s mindset is shifting and tends to be growing, not is a better time to in still measures to avoid it from further compounding.

The survey involved more than 600 paediatricians when it was started back in 2006 and another one back in 2013 to estimate the number of those having a change of heart on the process.

Call to action

This alarming concern is starting to push doctors and paediatricians to educate the public about the importance of vaccination, which has been proven to even prevent deaths associated with several communicable and those once thought responsible for many epidemics in the past.

Some, on their own initiative, have been coordinating with their respective local health authorities to drive campaigns on vaccination and immunization, especially among young children.

The World Health Organization reports that the world can be safe from major diseases with the help of proper vaccination and immunization, as millions of children all over the world continue to die from diseases that can be avoided by it.

It could prevent as much a 2 to 3 million deaths per year especially among poor and less-developed countries where deaths are caused by tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough and measles, among others.

The WHO believes that vaccination and immunization is the most effective and cost-efficient health intervention to address these problems.

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Muscle Food 101: Meats With The Most Protein

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Meats with the most protein can indeed be good news for many out there who need to have their daily dose of meat products, especially those who want to build mass.

Meats with the most protein can be a delicious piece of steak

Yes you got that right. Topping the list of the top three protein meat sources can be grilled to perfection, but still a word of caution to make sure that it is taken in moderation and balanced with other food types for a balanced and nutritious meal.

Proteins play a crucial and essential role in maintaining and building a healthy body, grows muscle mass and develops the bones. Two of the most common protein products in the body are the hair and fingernails.

The proteins that we put into our bodies are the dietary proteins that we source from food and most of the beneficial proteins that our bodies need are those from vegetables and meats that we consume.

The building blocks of protein are called amino acids and considered as necessary nutrients present in every cell and are precursors to nucleic acids, hormones, co-enzymes, immune response, repair and other molecules essential for life.

Pork tenderloin

Who says pork is bad for the body? Well, experts say that pork tenderloin can be a veritable source of animal protein that helps build muscles mass. A 3-gram serving of pork tenderloin gives you 26 grams of protein.

The key here is that pork tenderloin is lean meat and contains and does not contain fat.

Turkey and chicken breast

A favourite among weight lifters and body builders, chicken and turkey breast meat packs a lot of protein. It contains 24 grams for every 3 ounces of cooked meat.

Steak round

The quintessential beef cut is a harmony of protein and flavour. Whether top or bottom part, the steak round is taken from the hind leg of the cow, which makes it a bit juicier compared to its other tough counterparts.

A single 3-ounce serving can give you 23 grams of protein.

Fish

Of course, fish is also an animal and this is not one to be singled out because fish like tuna, cod or salmon, contains 22 grams of protein for every 3 ounce serving.

Veal (low fat)

A lean cutlet of veal can provide you with 10 grams of protein for every 3-ounce serving.

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Chest Training Tips For Bigger Muscles

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Chest training exercises are the way to go and in ways that you’d least expect to let you get those well carved chest muscles.

Chest training exercises need focus

Sometimes it takes some well-earned fitness knowledge and body mechanics to understand how you could start attacking your chest muscles and maximize the effects in the shortest time possible.

Mind you, it’s not about the number repetitions nor the intensity of the workouts, but by the way you strategize and target the right muscle groups for your chest muscles.

Open your chest by retracting your shoulders

Doing the bench press seems like a fairly simple process. How difficult can it be to pump the iron by lowering it to your chest and pushing it back up, but as mentioned earlier, there are ways to ensure that you are properly doing it to enhance the results.

Have you considered checking the position of your shoulder blades for your bench press exercise? As you lower the barbell, retract both shoulder blades to open up the chest. It is usually characterized by a slight exaggeration of the thoracic spine that make your chest expand. This movement recruits the lats and even help you to perform the press safer.

Utilize several bench angles

Angles are critical when doing the press. One of the main benefits of the incline press in addition to the flat bench press is that you are aiming for the thorough pecs development.

This concept is similar to the intermediate bench press then halfway through the routine you shift to a flat and incline press that gives you an overall upper body and core muscle workout.

All you need to do is to start with a flat bench, followed by a second set by moving it up a notch, then higher every set until you end up to the normal incline position.

Remember that the steeper you go, the higher it moves up to the chest muscle network.

Consider your liftoff and lockout

Always remember from where you started off so that you’ll know what to do in order to lower your range of motion.

Start building strength from the bottom by adapting the paused bench presses, also called the dead benches. Allow the bar to settle on the safety latches in a power rack just lightly off your chest for 2 seconds before you power out.

Make sure that the bar settles at the safety latches between each rep to be able to develop strength from the bottom of each rep.

Building at the top

Use bench press boards or adjust the safety latches in the power rack, then train over a smaller portion of the range of motion.

You can add more weight for full-range reps to allow for an ascending strength curve.

Building along the natural strength curve

For this, use bands or chains with the bench to create additional resistance when you push the weight away from your chest.  This allows for developing your ascending strength curve.

Stress the triceps

Apply a bit more aggressive approach to your triceps. Incorporate weighted dips, machine dips, weighted bench dips and closed-grip bench presses. Strength gains call for lower reps while close grip benches allow you to take in more advanced techniques.

Also do more tricep pushdowns if you feel you need to do more.

Follow a consistent bench program

Build bigger chests with substantial strength training, so make sure you follow the same bench program consistently.

Also, diet and rest are also crucial at this state of muscle development so make sure you have the right food and adequate rest for your muscles to recover and grow.

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Bacteria Based Nanorobots May Help Treat Cancer

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Bacteria based nanorobots are now being developed by researchers to help in cancer treatments by way of accurately targeting tumour cells in the body through these minute bots that transports the drug directly on affected cells.

Bacteria based nanorobots getting the nod

Medical experts lauded this invention as a revolutionary step forward into the treatment of cancer and help improve health conditions for many who are plagued with the deadly disease.

The work was recently published in the Journal Nature Nanotechnology, where researchers from the Nanorobotics Laboratory of Polytechnique Montreal. 

Prof. Sylvain Martel, who head the research team, points out that conventional chemotherapy treatments often get to affect all cells in the body and do not isolate it to the specific or affected cells. As the drugs travel through the bloodstream, it affects other healthy cells along the way.

“So we thought that if we could navigate it directly from point A to point B where we need to do the treatment, exactly inside the tumour, all those agents would become extremely efficient,” Martel said.

This is when they started to develop bacteria-based nanorobots that would help the  magnetococcus marinus bacteria that contain magnetically metallic crystals, which can be injected close to the affected tumour site and controlled by computer-guided magnetic fields.

Nanorobots testing

During the testing phase, Sylvain and his team were able to successfully inject the nanorobots into laboratory mice with colorectal cancer tumour. As the expected, the nanorobots did its job.

The nanorobots gravitated towards the tumour cells that it found to be low-oxygen areas.

“When you’ve got something with propulsion, navigation, and sensors, it starts looking like the nanorobots of the future,” he said, adding: “…They behave exactly like futuristic nanorobots and deliver the drug exactly where the drug will be the most effective,” says Martel

Martel also says that the possibilities of using these nanorobots are endless, not just limited to treating patents with cancer. He said it also has a high potential for use to deliver diagnostic and imaging agents throughout the body.

They are hoping that clinical trials be undertaken soon, but they are also still trying to study if the bacteria they are working on for the nanorobots are safe for humans .

The National Cancer Institute reports that there is an increasing number of cancer incidents all over the world. This year, more than 1.5 million estimated new cases of cancer were diagnosed in the United States alone and almost 600,000 are expected to die from various cancer types.

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Scalpel-Free Brain Surgery Gaining Strong Popularity

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Scalpel-free brain surgery may soon be the safest technology adopting a non-invasive ultrasound therapy to improve symptoms of a neurological disorder that causes intermittent and uncontrollable tremors.

Scalpel-free brain surgery gets a facelift

Not to be confused with Parkinson’s disease, the essential tremor – as what it is commonly called – is a common disorder that mainly affects the head and hands.

In a recent publication of the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from The Sunnybrook Hospital on Toronto, Canada, introduced a new ultrasound thalamotomy, which is a scalpel-free procedure that destroys bits and pieces of brain tissue in the thalamus region which is responsible for controlling muscle activity.

Essential tremors can occur at anytime, without regard to age or gender, but should not be confused with Parkinson’s disease which is a degenerative disease that results to brain damage.

Improved quality of life

“It has a significant impact on (patients’) quality of life – without making a hole in the skull or an incision,” says Dr. Nir Lipsman, co-author of the study and a neurosurgeon at the Sunnybrook Research Institute where this form of treatment is currently being exclusively provided by The Sunnybrook Hospital.

The study involved some 76 patients who were diagnosed with moderate to severe essential tremor conditions that were not responsive to any medication. The test participants were enrolled in a randomly controlled test where some were administrated MRI-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy while others went through a placebo treatment.

After three months, those who underwent the non-invasive procedure had their conditions improve by 46 percent compared to the control group.

Lipsman said that the results have been ‘extremely rewarding’ and were thrilled to see the improvement among the patients.

Other test participants noted significant improvement over their conditions, where one of them was now able to write when it was not a possibility prior to the treatment.

Not effective for all

There’s just one downside to the process, since it did not work for some of the patients and doctors still do not have the answer as to why, but are now conducting ongoing research to find out.

Essential tremor is typically not a dangerous condition, but has been found to be an embarrassing by many of those who are afflicted by it. It may sometimes disappear over time, but there are cases where it could get worse over time.

It may occur at anytime and at any age, but is most common with people aged 40 and up.

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Parents Challenge Epipen Prices And Got Response For Action

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Parents challenge epipen prices and received a fairly good initial result as it led to mounting pressure for a pharmaceutical company to issue discount coupons that would offset prices.

Parents challenge epipen prices through online petition

Prices of EpiPen – a leading brand of epinephrine injector formula that reverses the effects of allergic reactions – has reached a jaw-dropping price hike of more than 500 percent in a matter of years.

This started a clamor among consumers who claimed that this life-saving medicine that fights allergic reactions has been getting the ire of a lot of people, prompting some concerned citizens to petition the US Congress to get on top of the situation.

The petition ‘Stop the EpiPen Price Gouging’ was created by Brooklyn actress Mellini Kantayya started off as a concern that was welling-up, when raising concerns about rising prices for EpiPen.

Kantayya’s husband is suffering from allergic conditons and shared the sentiments with her friends and colleagues, who also echoed back her sentiments including inadequate health insurance coverage for this treatment.

Mounting pressure

Kantayya started the campaign by using an online petition service called Petition2Congress.com that collects signatures and addresses these to the respective congressional representatives.

In the next 45 days, supporters fanned the flames that Kantayya started and were able to generate more than 80,000 signatures and flooded Congress with more than 120,000 letters expressing their sentiments.

In an apparent answer to the swelling public clamour, including representations from high profile political personalities like Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, the pharmaceutical company Mylan that manufactures EpiPen decided to announce that it will issue coupons and extend patient assistance programs to help alleviate patients.

The announcement was made by Mylan CEO Heather Bresch.

Reason for hikes may be due to rising demand

The apparent reason behind the staggering price hikes may have been the rising demand for EpiPen, for which prices were first increased by no more than 10 percent very year, then by 15 percent increments years after.

From there it may have started to take off, until it reached several folds and would cost no less than $400 for a standard box containing two units.

Which also came as a surprise to Sanders, who asked why the medicines cost so much when the company could only produce it for a few dollars.

But several groups claim they will continue to push for more campaigns to drive the company to push Mylan to lower retail prices down.

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Weights Are Better Than Cardio At Burning Fat

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Weights are better than cardio based on the fact that large muscles burn more calories, and in turn, burn fat. Simply put, weightlifting works the muscles to burn more of the calories and the fat that gets stored in the body.

Weights are better than cardio since calories are not burned by activity

Cardio does not burn fat fast, but it also is not as fast as working the muscles to burn it. This is where weightlifting comes in.

High repetition strength is responsible for what is called excess post exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). This means that the body goes through an increased oxygen intake that follows an intense strength activity.

Short bouts of training brings up the heart rate, it increases metabolic activity and starts to dissolve fat cells. The more muscle mass, the greater the chances of burning fat.

Resting metabolic rate

Most of your calories burned throughout the day is not because of activity, but by your body’s capacity to burn it by what is called the resting metabolic rate (RMR).

Numerous studies have shown that the strength training allows one to maintain a better muscle-to-fat ration, which not only helps the body process food but guarantees the amount of calories lost outside the gym to support the work during training.

Training tips

Metabolic resistance training will help enhance your fat loss quest through weight training. You only do not get to lose weight, but you also gain mass and burn fat in the least amount of time.

• Make use of compound multi-joint exercises with free weights.
• Do overall body workouts during alternate days around three to four times every week.
• Pick a weight that would make you complete no more than three to four sets of 12 to 15 repetitions. For experts, do round 6 to 8 sets with the same repetitions.
• Just make sure to maintain a rest period of no more than 1 minute in between sets.
• Alternate your workout sets of upper-body and lower-body exercises.
• Challenge yourself by progressively increasing weight loads, as well as with new and different variations for your continuing workouts.

Fat loss myths to avoid

Of course, it would be good to know about fat loss methods, but you also have ot be wary of the common myths regarding fat loss which you should avoid.

Cardio only workout

This is a myth not worth anything, probably just very little. It may do some fat burning, but is an inefficient way of losing it. Experts agree that high intensity interval training is the best way to go at it.

Light weights

This is one myth that would only frustrate you. Using weights can in fact help burn fat easier and faster. Using weights increases the metabolic rate due to the process of muscle repair.

Targetted fat mobilization

This could lead to muscular imbalance and possible injury. Working on a certain area too much like the arms or core and ignoring the back and chest would result to poor muscle mobilization in all areas.

This could result to poor muscle development and recovery.

Machines only

Do not just limit workouts to machines, but make sure to use free weights as well. Limiting your workouts to machines could result to poor muscle activity and lets you lose more energy without causing an impact on fat and muscle mobilization.

But keeping fit need not take you more than an hour and experts agree that at least 30-minutes of time spent a day for regular cardio training and some simple but effective routines are guaranteed to let you keep a good body frame.

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Depression On Social Media Becomes More Predictable

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Depression on social media like Instagram gave researchers the idea to study the ongoing mental activity in the brain that impacts behaviour and social media conduct.

Depression on social media affects a lot of people

A mobile app developed to analyze photos and images posted in social media sites like Instagram was able to accurately predict users who may be experiencing depression.

The study, undertaken by researchers from Harvard University, who sought for permission from 166 Instagram users to analyze their posted photos and were asked if they were diagnosed for any mental condition or sought treatment for clinical depression from a mental health practitioner.

Using a computer algorithm to analyze to sort out the data, the researchers were able to predict users who are experiencing depression, finding a distinct similarity on the images posted by those with depression and for those who did not.

Study lead author Andrew Reece points out that they studied four different categories of colour and brightness, number of faces in the photos, use of filters in Instagram and the existing metadata.

“In general, each one of these things has some relationship to what people have already found in studying depression,” says Reece.

Colours tell the difference

The software was able to distinguish information that suggest those with depression tend to choose deeper colours like darker shades of blue and grey. They tend to use less filters and if so, were commonly using Inkwell that makes everything black and white.

They also post fewer faces in each of the posted photos, however, are inclined to post more photos with faces.

“We were right about people being healthy 84 percent of the time. About a third of the people who were truly depressed, the machine found,” Reece says.

Although they have noted a fairly accurate level of prediction among the test participants, but Reece points out that are not encouraging this to replace the primary medical practitioners from expertly diagnosing depression.

Their goal is simply to develop this technique to assist doctors in their diagnosis of patients.

Depression affects millions 

Depression is a common mental illness in the United States, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. 

It affects 40 million adults aged 18 and older, which makes up 18 % of the entire population.

One upside on social media, fortunately, is that people become more expressive with their ideas and even their moods and temper by being active in social media sites like Instagram and allow people to detect danger signs of an emerging mental illness for possible intervention.

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Grass Fed Beef A Good Meat Protein Source

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Grass fed beef is better for you but there are things that you should know to be able to make the right food choices in the way it is prepared and consumed to get not just the most out of flavour, but of nutritional values as well.

Grass fed beef superior than standard beef

By far, grass fed beef stands to become a better choice than standard beef because of several compelling reasons. It has higher levels of nutrients that include vitamins, antioxidants and healthy fats called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) that boosts immunity and fights inflammation.

It also has double the amount of omega 3 fatty acids, although it is still less than those found in salmon.

Recent studies also reveal that it is less likely to culture antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’.

Moderation is key

The American Institute for Cancer Research suggests pegging your meat consumption to no more than 18 ounces per week, based on research that links red meat with colorectal cancer.

It is also recommended for people to pair meats with other nutrient-rich whole foods like vegetables for a more balanced meal.

It is recommended to prepare 3-ounce servings of beef per meal, which is about the size of a deck of cards and not more than six servings in a week.

No defined boundaries for the term ‘grass-fed’

It may be semantics or a more common understanding of how ‘grass-fed’ is defined and regulated before it gets sold in the market.

The USDA has no definite marketing standard for grass-fed meat, making independent certifications have different criteria.

“Grass-fed’ could mean that the cow could have been fed only with milk from its mother, grass and other greens. Some could be labelled ‘grass fed’ that could mean it had access to green pastures but not strictly restricted from other feed types.

“Grass fed” is different from organic

Some grass-fed varieties may be fed only with grass, but may not be drug-free, meaning it may be administered disease-preventing antibiotics, hormones or health-boosters.

The USDA standards on organic beef, on the other hand, states that those labelled organic must be free from drugs and hormones and only be provided with grass or vegetarian feeds.

Nutritionists and fitness experts agree that grass fed beef source is better than standard beef not just in terms of protein content, but nutrition-wise as well.

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Impact Of Longer Commute Can Be Dangerous To Health

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Impact of longer commute, according to a recent study, adverse to health that leads to this prognosis is actually the reason behind why it may end up being bad for you – inactivity.

Impact of longer commute results to sedentary period

The idea of losing precious time in a day consumed by traffic or your daily commute to work, is but pebbles compared to findings about longer commuting time that may end up very unhealthy for you.

Most commuters living in Wales and England face the dilemma of being subjected daily hours of commuting to and from work, whether taking the train, bus or even inside cars.

These commuters spend an average of 56 minutes per day based on studies back in 2013, where they are mostly spending it sitting down and doing nothing and spent on a sedentary period.

This was supported by the Royal Society for Public Health based on a recent report pointing out that these two countries admittedly have the longest commuting time globally.

Health- impacting factors

The RSPH report indicates that on average, UK commuters have lately been found to add an additional 800 calories to their diets weekly, basically due to the additional food consumed and eaten during these travel periods.

Policy and research manager Emma Lloyd reveals that the report suggests that the current factors affecting commuting is that it has become a stressful experience. This results to reduced physical activity and is complicated by an increase in blood pressure, lack of sleeping time, among others.

“There is a noticeable decline in health and well- being if you have a longer commute,” says Lloyd,

Alarming effects resulting from long commutes

The report, based on data from the Office of National Statistics, also states that among the reasons commuters are becoming less healthy is reflective of the poll results where more than half of them feel stressed due to the long commute, with 44% complaining they are spending less time with their friends and families, while 41% reported reduced activity.

Commuters also end up snacking on novelty or junk food during the commute and lack of sleep, which reflects the findings that the increase in weight gain statistics for these commuters.

Experts are recommending for more awareness of these impacts and to push for programs that would improve and reduce commuting times and increase activity levels among commuters.

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The Health Benefits Of Black Garlic

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Health benefits of black garlic are truly fascinating, considering that it is an aged and fermented regular garlic that is starting to gain a good reputation as a flavour- enhancing ingredient.

Health benefits of black garlic better than regular garlic

Yes, that’s right. Experts believe that the black garlic contains more nutritional values than regular garlic.

But what exactly is black garlic? It is nothing more than the regular garlic that you commonly know it to be. It originated in Korea years back where heads of garlic are being aged until the cloves turn black and begin to develop a smooth and lardy texture akin to roasted garlic.

They allow the garlic bulbs to sit in a storehouse with a constant low humid temperature that causes a chemical reaction that breaks down its amino acids and sugar to develop that umami-packed flavour of the garlic.

Garlic benefits

The benefits of taking garlic is truly amazing, from that simple unassuming bulb, you get a lot of good health benefits that you can seldom find from any other food items that you commonly find in your kitchen or pantry.

Science has been able to prove through numerous studies that garlic contains a lot of substances that yield positive effects for the human body for more than 150 different diseases. This is due to its high concentration of powerpacked phytonutriens that nature has naturally gifted it with.

Garlic is a good anti-inflammatory agent, which has also been found to fight off 14 different types of cancer, as well as helps boost the cardiovascular system.

Some cultures around the world believe in the healing effects of garlic, which they ingest raw as for those who are suffering from high blood pressure as it quickly helps lower it.

Black garlic, on the other hand, has twice the amount of phytonutrients and antioxidants as a result of the curing process, which makes it more potent in its health-promoting properties.

Natural antibiotic

Only recently, researchers have found a substance in garlic and more in black garlic, of an antibiotic called allicin, which has been found to be highly effective in fighting off superbugs, or bacteria that has evolved its resistance to common forms of antibiotics.

It may look small and unassuming, but garlic and black garlic should never be underestimated.

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Diagnosing Mental Disorders Through Speech

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Diagnosing mental disorders may soon be as easy as pie as scientists may be able to determine the condition with non-invasive procedures that could make the process simpler.

Diagnosing mental disorders with advanced AI software

There are lots of evidence that point to body language and verbal tics that are often used by many psychologists and psychiatrists to determine one’s state of mind or level of mental health and behavior.

Very recently, a team of researchers may have a very good idea about this technique which they are now currently developing- together with the help of advanced technology – to diagnose cases of mental disorder among people.

This was what was on the minds of researchers from tech company NeuroLex Diagnostics, who developed an artificial intelligence model that has so far correctly predicted test participants composed of a group of young through speech analysis.

The researchers explains that they determined who among those test participants were predicted to develop psychosis, which is a primary factor in schizophrenia.

Plans for full development

NeurLex CEO Jim Schwoebel, is also an engineer and is hoping that this tool can be full developed for doctors in screening patients for schizophrenia with a process as simple as raking a voice recording using a smartphone or recording device that is set up incognito.

The software, taking the recorded information would then analyze the data for linguistic cues and help provide data for diagnosis using a set of measurements and guidelines.

With the software algorithm in place, the more people who are taking these diagnostic samplings, the more details and ‘benchmarks’ would be reflected to determine a person’s well-being and state of mind.

NeuroLex recently received an award from the American Psychiatric Association for helping develop a tool for psychiatric patients in hospitals to help track their progress during treatment and therapy by taking voice samples and analyzing it for progress.

Huge step for behavioural and psychiatric medicine

This development is going to be a revolutionary step towards effective and accurate diagnosis.

Currently there are three common tests that can be taken to diagnose mental health and disorder. There’s a physical exam where doctors will conduct an in-depth study of your medical history and rule out all possible physical factors that cause the symptoms, laboratory tests where blood and tissue samples could be taken to analyze thyroid function or through drug or alcohol screening and a psychological evaluation.

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Sugar Intake For Children Should Not Be More Than Prescribed Levels

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Sugar intake for children may look like it is becoming a tolerable yet health-impacting pastime and is making authorities and health experts worried about the health implications that it will have on today’s younger generations.

Sugar intake for children is dangerously rising

The American Health Association recommends that children from two to 18 years old should consume no more than six teaspoons of added sugars everyday, however, with the number vast varieties of processed foods and beverages containing added sugar, this may seem like an understatement.

The guidelines were issued recently by the AHA to help provide guidance on how much added sugars may be tolerated for consumption to prevent health complications associated with sugar consumption.

The recommendation is equivalent to a daily consumption of not more than 100 calories or about 25 grams and should be less than 10 percent of the daily calories for each group. This also falls within the guidelines and recommendations set by the World Health Organization and the US Food and Drug Administration.

Children’s eating priorities need to be changed and parental awareness need to be a primary consideration as studies show that the minds of the youth are more influenced to take in more junk food compared to healthy and whole foods.

Advertising influences children’s eating priorities

This also came in the heels of findings of children getting more influenced by media on their eating habits and priorities.

In a study published by the University of Kansas Medical Center, researchers documented that individual differences in brain stimulation among children through media advertising, especially with food products in relation to brands and logos.

Study author Dr. Amanda Bruce, assistant professor of behavioural pediatrics, points out that children are excessively exposed to food advertising- including junk food- and are directly influences their food choices and stimulated brain activity.

This includes the ‘wholesome’ images and youth-inspired enticing commercials that advertise these products. Marketing junk foods in this manner greatly impacts the choices of children and increases the risk of childhood obesity.

“Food commercials may prompt children to consider their liking and wanting of specific food items, irrespective of the lack of any health benefits. This increased emphasis on taste may make it even more difficult for relevant caregivers to encourage healthy food choices. This evidence has implications for policies related to food advertising to children,” says Bruce.

The Center for Disease Control reports that obesity among children has more than doubled and an alarming four-fold increase among adolescents in the past 30 years.

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Banned Chemicals Linked To Autism May Still Be Potent After Decades

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Banned chemicals linked to autism back in the 1970’s as a common ingredient in pesticides and used as an insulating material may still be leeching through ordinary household items or food products.

Banned chemicals linked to autism still present

It may still be a component of any insulated material that was purchased back then, or from reused containers that were exposed to it, the presence of this sinister chemical compound called organochlorine may still rear its ugly head.

Scientists believe that even children who were once born and exposed to this chemical are still roughly 80 percent more likely to be diagnosed with symptoms of autism.

The problem is, organochlorine does not break down easily and even when it was banned back in 1977, it could still remain in the environment and still be potent enough to contaminate livestock for human consumption and lead to exposure

Increases further risk for autism

Kristen Lyall, an assistant professor at the Drexel University’s A.J. Drexel Autism Institute who is the study lead, points out that organochlorine can cross through the placenta during pregnancy and greatly impact the neurodevelopment of the fetus.

“There’s a fair amount of research examining exposure to these chemicals during pregnancy in association with other outcomes, like birth weight—but little research on autism, specifically,” says Lyall. “To examine the role of environmental exposures in risk of autism, it is important that samples are collected during time frames with evidence for susceptibility for autism—termed ‘critical windows’ in neurodevelopment. Fetal development is one of those critical windows.”

The findings were recently published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Study on risk factors

Lyall and her team analyzed data taken from Southern California based on a population sample of 1,144 children covering the periods between 2000 to 2003, sourced from data of mothers enrolled in California’s Expanded Alphafetoprotein Prenatal Screening Program.

This undertaking was initiated to provide data for study specifically on detecting possible birth defects during pregnancy.

The participants were grouped into three where 545 were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, 181 with intellectual disabilities but have no signs of autism and 418 with none of the two conditions.

Blood samples were taken for testing during the second trimester of the pregnancy of mothers to help determine the level of exposure to two classes of organochlorine substances called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) used as a primary ingredient for auto coolants, lubricants and insulators for electronic and consumer products and organochlorine pesticide (OCP) found in DDT.

“There’s a fair amount of research examining exposure to these chemicals during pregnancy in association with other outcomes, like birth weight—but little research on autism, specifically,” says Lyall . “To examine the role of environmental exposures in risk of autism, it is important that samples are collected during time frames with evidence for susceptibility for autism—termed ‘critical windows’ in neurodevelopment. Fetal development is one of those critical windows.”

Lyall points out that their findings could help medicine regarding autism research and help determine causes of autism and how it may soon provide good insights and knowledge regarding therapy or diagnosis early on.

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Successful Stem Cell Research May Reverse Stroke Damage In The Brain

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Successful stem cell research conducted by a team from the University of Southern California hope to see their research gaining good ground for possible human clinical trials soon.

Successful stem cell research to benefit stroke patients

This, after a study published in the journal Nature Medicine reveals that researchers were able to successfully yield positive results with lab mice in reversing the effects of brain damage among stroke patients.

Transplanted human cells are combined with a special protein called the 3K3A-APC which is a variant of the ‘activated protein C’ human protein. They discovered that this protein is able to stimulate neural stem cells to develop into functional neurons.

“This USC-led animal study could pave the way for a potential breakthrough in how we treat people who have experienced a stroke,” says Jim Koenig, a program director at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke that funded the research. “If the therapy works in humans, it could markedly accelerate the recovery of these patients.”

Medical breakthrough

Berislav Zlokovic, senior study author and director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, said that his team was the first to successfully use the 3K3A-APC to develop neurons using human stem cells that were grafted into the brain of lab mice damaged from stroke.

“We showed that 3K3A-APC helps the grafted stem cells convert into neurons and make structural and functional connections with the host’s nervous system,” says Zlokovic, also a scientific founder of ZZ Biotech, a company devoted to developing therapeutics using variants of activated protein C. “No one in the stroke field has ever shown this, so I believe this is going to be the gold standard for future studies.”

Hope at the end of the tunnel

Zlokovic and his team injected human neural stem cells into damaged brain tissue from mice that were stroke induced, after which they inoculated an immunosuppressant cyclosporine with doses of 3K3A- APC within a period of 7 days.

A week in the life of mice is equivalent to several months in humans.

The stem cells successfully matured into working neurons and brain cells. The mice also treated with the special formula produced 16 times more human stem-cell neurons than those treated with a placebo.

“Functional deficit after five weeks of stroke were minimized, and the mice were almost back to normal in terms of motor and sensorimotor functions,” says Zlokovic. “Synapses formed between transplanted cells and host cells, so there is functional activation and cooperation of transplanted cells in the host circuitry.”

The researchers are hoping that this would revolutionize treatment and therapy for stroke patients and are now into further study to make use of this special compound to also treat spinal cord injuries.

Image Credit: Berislav Zlokovic, M.D., Ph.D., – University of Southern California

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