Health News: Damage DNA

This article is presenting important Health. tips and I think whole part of body is based on DNA and breathing impure air for still a small period of moment that can reason some genes to knowledge reprogramming.

This finding indicates “that environmental factors need little time to cause gene reprogramming, which is potentially associated with disease outcomes,” .
“As several of the effects of particulate matter in foundries are similar to those found after exposure to ambient air pollution, our results open new hypotheses about how air pollutants modify human health,” Baccarelli said.

“The changes in DNA methylation we observed are reversible, and some of them are currently being used as targets of cancer drugs,” said the researcher
“We need to evaluate how the changes in gene reprogramming we observed are related to cancer risk,” Baccarelli said.

Health News: Asthma Attack

This is showing asthma attack and I think this is very dangers diseases in your health and personality because this disease is much sensitive I mean that is create any where and anyplace. Sp please you take care and this article is presenting child has asthma attack.

“Asthma is a risk factor for more serious flu and people who have asthma are more at risk for flu complications like asthma and hospitalizations, so if you can do anything to prevent the flu in that group, it’s important,” says E. Neil Schachter, MD, medical director of respiratory care at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. “If your child has asthma, the recommendations remain the same.”
“It is too early to do an about-face on something that makes sense to do, and has been proven safe and effective in many other studies,” Dr. Schachter says. “The flu shot, although not 100% effective, is known to prevent the flu. Getting the whether you are asthmatic, nonasthmatic, a child, or an adult, means you will be less likely to come down with the flu. This is based on bigger studies of wider numbers.”

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Clinic

The human body has an enormous potential to adjust, repair and rebalance itself. CAM can optimise this potential by correcting and supporting the body's natural energy systems, positively affecting physical, emotional and mental homeostasis.

CAM practice employs a holistic system of medicine for health care, disease management, and wellness maintenance.

The CAM Clinic at Salford offers Acupuncture, Reflexology and Aromatherapy treatments. You may attend either the student or the postgraduate clinic.

Pharmacy

The four year honours B.Pharm degree in Pharmacy was established in UCC in October 2003. The programme is offered by the School of Pharmacy within the Faculty of Medicine and Health in collaboration with the School of Medicine and departments in the Faculty of Science. Students take a module in anatomy and pathophysiology in the first year of the programme. The objective of the module is to ensure that students achieve an understanding of the structural biology of the major body systems relevant to Pharmacy and of the anatomical and histological features of common diseases amenable to drug therapy. The module is accompanied by a dedicated teaching manual and an online practical course to ensure optimal quality and relevance of content.

AN1074 Anatomy and Introductory Pathophysiology (5 credits)

Staff of the anatomy department also participate in supervising Pharmacy students undertaking laboratory-based neuroscience research projects in their final year.

Effectively Remove Acidity Problem Without Any Medicine

The problem of acidity is one biggest issue of today it is widely seen in every age people. Acidity means the formation of gas in stomach. Sometimes the problem of acidity strikes the heart activity and results in to heart attack so it is very essential to find the effective and beneficial way to remove this problem by home based treatment. Here are some very effective remedial tips to remove the problem of acidity.

There are three most beneficial ways to remove acidity are first control your eating habits breakfast is more essential then lunch for you so do breakfast daily at time, avoid eating spicy food because it affects whole digestive system, and eat dinner 2 to 3 hour before sleeping, drink 2 or 3 glass of water early in the morning, eat some Tulsi leaves any time it reduces gastric trouble and most effective home based treatment is Amla very successful acidity treatment from a long time.

Two spoons of honey with vinegar also effective for controlling of acidity. Above all one more ancient and most effective way to control the problem is Exercise. Make a habit of morning exercise as well as morning and evening walk. And remove the problem of acidity without any medicine.

Dual Degree and Dual Admission Programs

Each year, exceptional high school seniors seeking careers in health care are jointly admitted into St. Bonaventure University and one of several other prestigious institutions: George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, SUNY Upstate College of Medicine and Daemen College Department of Physical Therapy.

In addition, the University maintains an accelerated dual degree program with the LECOM School of Pharmacy as well as early assurance programs with SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse and George Washington University School of Medicine. These provide opportunities for undergraduate students to gain provisional acceptance to medical school while in their sophomore year.

All applicants for admissions are carefully evaluated with special emphasis being focused on:

• Communication skills
• Academic achievement
• Leadership ability
• Commitment of service to others
• Character

See the specific program descriptions for SAT, GPA, and class rank requirements.

After the minimal criteria are met, the evaluation committee then reviews:

• Community service
• Letters of recommendation
• Personal qualities and character

High school seniors seeking admission to St. Bonaventure University's dual-admission/dual-degree programs of study must first apply and be admitted to St. Bonaventure University. The applicant must also include a focused personal essay that explains how and why the student is choosing that professional field.

Applicants must also submit letters of recommendation. Dual-admission applications must be postmarked NO LATER THAN DEC. 15.

Because the field of medicine and health care is so interpersonal, we expect that individuals will have already demonstrated their compassion and care for others by their volunteer work, which might include having volunteered or worked in or with: soup kitchens, nursing homes, hospitals, special needs children, tutoring, homeless shelters, visiting the elderly, helping those with disabilities, setting up volunteer or self-help programs in their school or community. A genuine commitment of service to others is carefully evaluated.

Welcome to the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences is made up of ten schools. Their websites can be accessed from the 'Schools' menu on this page. The Faculty is responsible for the medicine, nursing, midwifery and physiotherapy courses.

Latex Exam Gloves, Nitrile Exam Gloves, Surgical Gloves

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Our current capacity for powder free latex / nitrile disposable examination gloves exceeds 200 million pieces per month. Our current products are:
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New research: a tablet to control hunger

Now scientists in Italy bring a tablet that control hunger for a few hours. Tablet is powdery when dry it became a jelly like ball in the stomach you eat it is made from an organic compound called cellulose it is easily flushed out by the body and can stop hunger for some time. The tablet passes through the digestive system within five to six hours. This tablet has already tested on 20 peoples. It is also being tested on 90 other fat peoples who will be monitored to see how much weight they go down. You can wait for the product launched in May 2008.
Only a glass of purple grape juice in a day could leave you from heart disease and also from cancer. Purple grape juice having the highest level of polyphenols which helps in keeps away from heart disease and also from cancer. It is one of the effecting from of all juices. You already know that fruits contain

called polyphenols that helps to neutralize unbalanced oxygen molecules called free radicals. So just drink one glass of purple grape juice and leave healthy.

Medicine, Brain and Technology Weekly Channel Highlights

Stock Photo titled - Medicine And Health Care Negative Background Of Colorful Pills

Acupuncture Treatments for Weight Loss

In the US weight loss is a 75 billion-dollar industry. Obviously, it is an issue for a large number of people, especially baby boomers who are reaching their middle age. For many people, this is a time when their metabolism slows down and their weight picks up. Is weight gain "just a part of aging" or are there other health and cultural factors at play?

Certainly, there are, because not all aging people gain weight.

Traditional Chinese Medicine teaches that there are many factors to the digestion and metabolism of food. Weight gain could be due to Spleen-Yang deficiency and/or Spleen-Qi deficiency. Dampness is both a cause and a result of weight gain. It is characterized by a hard-to-move, heavy feeling or a foggy-headed feeling. Generally, Spleen-Qi deficiency manifests as fatigue and Spleen Yang deficiency as poor digestion.

There is another direction though, in weight gain that stems from stress or anxiety. In this situation, the improper flow of Qi creates heat in the stomach, which may be interpreted by the brain as hunger. The result is overeating at meals or constant "grazing." The stressful lifestyle also plays havoc with blood sugar levels. People may have several small eating binges to satisfy the low levels but the binge creates high levels. The excess sugar is then converted into fat.

The main weight loss point protocol used in my office is based on a point selection that focuses on tonifying spleen/stomach function to invigorate metabolism and spleen/kidney function to help eliminate the dampness. A different point protocol must be used for weight gain caused by stomach heat. It has to address the anxiety as the root of the problem and reduce the stomach heat.

It is well known that a healthy lifestyle which includes exercise with a balanced diet that is low in sweets, is the best way to lose weight. The acupuncture treatments will result in faster and more efficient caloric metabolism to facilitate the weight loss.

Acupuncture Treatments for Leg, Foot and Hand Pain

There are a number of causes of leg, foot and hand pain. It can be from muscle fatigue or strain from overuse, too much exercise, or holding a muscle in the same position for a long time. Arthritis or dehydration can also create pain. An injury such as a torn or overstretched muscle, an inflamed tendon or a hairline crack in the bone can also cause leg, foot or hand pain.

Medications such as: statins (drugs that lower cholesterol and are known for the side effect of muscle and leg pain.) Diuretics, which can cause dehydration and make you lose too much fluid or minerals results in low amounts of potassium, sodium, calcium, or magnesium deficiencies leads to leg and foot pain.

Other common causes of leg pain that may be serious health conditions include: a blood clot possibly from prolonged bed rest, atherosclerosis that blocks blood flow in the arteries of the legs may cause pain that is felt when exercising or walking and is relieved by rest. Arthritis or gout may cause inflammation of the leg or foot joints. Nerve damage is common in diabetics, smokers, and alcoholics. Varicose veins, infection of the bone and cellulitis are additional causes of limb pain. These may achieve the best treatment results by a cooperative treatment from your M.D. and your acupuncturist.

Seek professional help if:

1. The painful leg, foot, or hand is swollen or red.
2. You have a fever.
3. Your leg pain worsens when walking or exercising and improves with rest.
4. The leg, foot, or hand is black and blue.
5. The leg, foot, or hand is cold and pale.
6. Self-care steps do not help.

Be prepared to answer questions, such as:

1. Where exactly is your pain?
2. Do you have pain in one or both legs?
3. How would you describe the pain in intensity and quality?
4. What makes the pain feel worse? For example, does exercise or long periods of standing worsen your pain?
5. Does anything make your pain feel better - such as elevating your legs?

Your acupuncturist can determine the severity and seriousness of your condition and help you decide what kind of treatment will be best for you.

Acupuncture Treatments for Insomnia

Insomnia is a frequent complaint in western society. We are subjected to more stress than people in other cultures, which often results in anxiety, depression and insomnia.

There are eight root causes of insomnia in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM.) They are worry, which gets two counts, overwork, difficulty with or making too many decisions, blood loss from childbirth, anger, poor diet, and unresolved heat from a fever. When we use the TCM system to determine the cause, we arrive at a diagnosis that is very specific, and consequently, the insomnia treatment is tailored for the individual.

Each cause affects an organ system (which is a slightly different concept in TCM than our western definition of organ.) Seven out of the eight causes affect the heart system's relationship with another organ system.

For example, overworking affects the Heart-Kidney relationship and Yin deficiency results. The relative excess of Yang will leave a person feeling awake and active, and they may awaken repeatedly during the night. A diet of too many sweet, greasy or spicy foods will affect the Stomach-Heart relationship causing Phlegm-Heat to develop. This results in excessive dreaming, restless sleep, agitation and possibly palpitations. Worry can lead to either an excess condition of Heart-Fire or a condition of Spleen-Heart Blood Deficiency.

Unresolved anger affects the Heart-Liver relationship and may include headache, tinnitus, irritability along with restless sleep and excessive dreaming (probably nightmares.) Blood deficiency can result from either heavy menstrual flow over a long time or from childbirth, and affects the Heart-Liver relationship. This person may have difficulty falling asleep, feel dizzy, have poor memory, anxiety and be easily startled.

As always, we plan our treatments to relieve the symptoms and signs as well as the root causes. Because of the way the organ systems are affected, insomnia is one of the conditions that almost always requires herbal treatment along with acupuncture for successful resolution, and together, they are very effective.

Herbs, Foods, Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

The three pillars of oriental medicine are acupuncture, herbs and foods. There are thousands of herbal substances that are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) medicine and often with surprising uses. The herbs and foods are grouped and classified according to their "properties." Herbs and foods are categorized by temperature, taste and the meridian or organ they affect. Everything edible can be categorized this way. Foods are additionally categorized by season.

Think back to your beginning chemistry class. All reactions either absorb heat or give it off. When the body metabolizes herbs or foods it is either warmed or cooled. Depending on the patient's condition, they might require a hot, warm, cool or cold herb to correct it. This is why the information from the tongue and pulse are so important for a correct diagnosis.

The five tastes are sweet, sour, bitter, salty, pungent and bland. Each taste relates to one of the five elements and has a specific action and direction. For example, pungent herbs move upward and outward. Salty herbs move downward.

Acupuncture Treatments for Facial Renewal and Skin Care

Today's society is very focused on cosmetic appearances. More men and women are turning to surgery to make them look younger and physically fit than ever before. There are some drawbacks to this kind of treatment, though. There is considerable downtime while the body is healing. Scars obstruct the flow of Qi (pronounced chee) along the meridians. I know of women who have reported having headaches or an increase in the frequency and severity of headaches after a surgical face-lift. Anesthesia stresses the body chemically. Facial Renewal Acupuncture offers an alternative!

All of the Yang channels ascend to the head. The heart, lung and small intestine do also. With a percentage of the regular meridians rising to the head, it makes sense that whatever conditions are present in the body will show up on the face along these meridians. A program of facial renewal acupuncture is designed to treat the constitutional conditions of the body as well as treat the specific lines and wrinkles that result from the deficiencies or excesses that have caused them.

After the constitutional points are needles, tiny needles are inserted directly into the wrinkles and lines to stimulate the body to build its own collagen to fill them in. Underlying muscles can be stimulated with needles, lights or electronically to be firmer and hold tissues without sagging. Skin tone is improved. The entire face can become more energetic and vibrant. A course of treatment is usually 10 treatments (depends on your starting point) and a monthly maintenance treatment is recommended.

Scar therapy is also available for pits or bumps in the skin. It can be done anywhere there are scars (except eyelids.) Pits can be needles to fill in like the lines. Rope-like scars will soften and normalize. Needles are inserted under the scar to "teach" the Qi (pronounced chee) how to flow again. This is useful for C-Sections, or other surgeries and injuries that cut across meridians.

Acupuncture Treatments for Diabetes

Diabetes Mellitus (Type II) Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes - the translation means "wasting, thirsting disease."

Initial symptoms of Type II diabetes include thirst, hunger, weight loss and frequent, copious urination. The copious urination is usually the first symptom as the body tries to flush the excess sugars out of the blood. However, here in the west, many people find out that they are diabetic before they reach the symptomatic stage. In the chronic stages obesity is prevalent along with boils, peripheral neuropathy, retinitis, dry tongue and pruritis vulvae (vaginal yeast.)

The type II person may or may not use insulin. The onset of the disease may be related to diet, stress, obesity, food allergies and even viral infections. These factors can escalate an existing condition as well. The onset is usually abrupt in children and slow in adults. "It's almost a law that any person 30% overweight for 30 years will become a (Type II) diabetic." [2]

Type I diabetics have antibodies to their pancreatic cells and are insulin dependent for survival. There may be a genetic link to a specific tissue type.

Type III is gestational diabetes and only reaches clinical stages during pregnancy. It normally goes away after the pregnancy ends.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory states that the disease (Type II) begins in adults with chronic Stomach Heat and Spleen Deficiency. The heat damages stomach fluids. Left untreated the Yin deficiency can involve, and damage, other organs such as the lungs and kidneys. Because of this, it is classified as upper, middle and lower wasting and is related to the lungs, spleen and kidneys respectively with the predominate symptom being either great thirst, great hunger or great urination or lumbar pain respectively.

Acupuncture and herbal treatments are planned to focus on the individual's specific symptoms. There are numerous herbal substances that will lower and stabilize blood sugar. Therefore, herbal therapy takes precedence over acupuncture, which is supplemental for this disease. Dietary therapy is also a must for successful treatment. Ear acupuncture, Cutaneous acupuncture, Moxabustion might also be included in a treatment program.

Acupuncture Treatments for Chronic and Severe Headaches and Migraines

This is a broad term for headaches that have many different symptoms. In western medical terms these headaches would probably be classified together as migraines. Through a system of symptom-related diagnoses, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) provides the practitioner with a specific diagnosis, so the correct remedy and acupuncture points can be used from the beginning of treatment, offering a faster recovery time and a better focus on the cause.

There are three main categories within the TCM diagnostic structure. They are:

1. headaches from deficiency (not enough Qi or Blood) or,
2. headaches from excess (too much Qi, Blood, Wind or Phlegm) and,
3. headaches that are a combination of excess and deficiency.

The excess headaches are the most common type, because all of the Yang channels rise to the head. Yang is the more active form of Qi (pronounced chee,) and when too much of it gathers in the head, there is little way of escape. Congestion, stagnation and pain are the result.

Each pathology has different identifying symptoms. Deficiency-type headaches have an empty, spaced-out feeling. A Qi deficiency headache has a dull feeling and may be worse in the morning. A Blood deficiency headache may be worse in the afternoon or evening and the person may have difficulty thinking or remembering.

Excess-type headaches have more severe pain than deficiency types. Phlegm has a heavy or foggy-headed feeling. Wind (Thunder Head Wind) often results in twitches or spasms and the pain may move from one area to another. There may also be hypertension or numbness in the extremities. Excess Blood has a very sharp pain that stays in a fixed location. Excess Qi may be one-sided, throb or be accompanied by nausea.

Understanding these symptoms is critical for a practitioner to form an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. For the patient, it will help them give their practitioner the information they need.

Acupuncture Treatments for Asthma

Asthma is often thought of as just one of those childhood diseases that kids grow out of, however, it can be a severe and even life threatening condition. Its frequency is on the rise in the US.

Western medicine looks for presence of episodic wheezing and a history of allergies in the patient or family as keys to its diagnosis. There may also be a tight, non-productive cough, dyspnea (painful breathing), tachypnea (rapid breathing) and a tight sensation in the chest. Asthma often begins in childhood or youth. If asthma begins in adulthood, then further diagnostic tests such as x-rays, allergy and blood cell tests are used to verify the diagnosis. Drugs are usually prescribed to control and prevent the episodes, but success may be limited due to drug side effects.

There are 11 differential diagnoses based on the underlying patterns of external and internal factors, which allows for an individually tailored treatment program. The organ systems (somewhat different than western organs) usually involved are the Lung, Spleen and Kidney systems which all may be secondarily affected by the Liver. The primary internal pathologies are various combinations of the obstructed movement of Qi, deficiencies of Qi and Yin, the presence of internal Heat and the production of Phlegm. The external pathologies are Heat, Cold and Wind.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, asthma treatment has two phases using both acupuncture and herbs. The first phase focuses on relieving the symptoms of acute episodes and the second phase treats the background conditions to help prevent recurrence. Acupuncture reorganizes and restores proper flow of Qi in and out of the Lungs and stimulates the metabolism and transformation of fluids. The use of herbal formulas is integral to successful treatment of asthma. They are formulated to address the specific symptoms manifested by the individual's predominate pathology and to maintain consistent modification of pathologies between needling sessions.

Acupuncture Alternative Medicine

Alternative medicine has developed in response to demand by people who want to manage their health without the use of drugs and invasive techniques. Reasons may relate to the political structure of western medicine, to the side effects of pharmaceutical drugs used, or there may be other compelling reasons. But the bottom line is that it just makes sense to nurture your body. Wellness and sickness cannot coexist in the same body.

Health is more than the absence of disease; it includes a mental and emotional component as well.

Acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, naturopathy all provide for the treatment of disease and the creation of health. Acupuncture is the most complete system of the group. It encompasses herbs as oral and topical medicines. These are very effective, have few side effects and are generally less expensive than drugs.

Dietary approaches to creating health are thousands of years old. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, foods are known to have affinity for certain organs, and dietary regimes can be planned targeting those organ systems that are deficient or diseased so their health is easily maintained.

Bodywork and exercise are two main ways of relieving physical stress in the body. Acupuncture includes both of these through Qi (pronounced chee) Gong, Tai Qi and Shiatsu/Tui Na. Qi Gong is a method of focusing and moving the body's energy through breathing. The energy can be moved out of blocked and stagnant areas or can be concentrated in deficient areas so that the free flow of healing energy is reestablished and maintained. Tai Qi, is an exercise routine with roots in martial arts. In its slow form it focuses and moves energy, but accomplishes this is through movement. Shiatsu and Tui Na are two of the Asian massage forms.

Needling also focuses on moving Qi and blood, and often with remarkable results that affect both the physical and emotional states. People often report feeling deeply relaxed or euphoric after a needling session.

Acupuncture Treatments for Heart Health

Our western concept of heart is that of an organ that pumps blood throughout our bodies and our "heart care" focuses around the issues of cholesterol levels in the blood, blood pressure in the arteries, and stress.

That is only the beginning of the concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM.) Now it includes those ideas as newer additions, but within the framework of the traditional view. The concept of "heart" is not limited to a small organ, but includes the entire meridian that connects with the organ. Cardiac function, ie. rhythm, output, (strength and volume) are dependent on the Yin and Yang balance of the meridian/organ and also other meridians and organs that are connected or related to the heart system. There is a predictable chain of energy flow from organ to organ, and excess or deficiency at other levels can be responsible for poor heart function.

The heart is said to house the mind (shen), so much of TCM mental health treatment involves the heart. We share this concept in our poetic literature, but not in our medicine. To illustrate the connection, consider for a moment how difficult it is to think clearly when you are upset or to take a test/perform when you are nervous. TCM theory, there is an interrelationship between specific organ systems and specific emotions to the point that long-standing unbalanced emotions can cause disease and unstable organs can affect the emotions.

In order to be truly effective, a treatment for one must contain elements for the other. So, TCM offers herbal formulas and acupuncture that can effectively moderate high blood pressure and cholesterol, arrhythmias and some other circulatory problems, and it also focuses on the emotional patterns that encourage the manifestations of these symptoms.

A person with a healthy heart will not only have adequate and appropriate blood flow, but a joyous and gentle outlook on life, free from emotional extremes.

Elderly women with 'dowager's hump' may be at higher risk of earlier death

Hyperkyphosis, or "dowager's hump" — the exaggerated forward curvature of the upper spine seen commonly in elderly women — may predict earlier death in women whether or not they have vertebral osteoporosis, UCLA researchers have found.

In a study published in the May 19 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found that older white women with both vertebral fractures and the increased spinal curvature that results in the bent-over posture characteristic of hyperkyphosis had an elevated risk for earlier death. The finding was independent of other factors that included age and underlying spinal osteoporosis.

Women who had only hyperkyphosis, without vertebral fractures, did not show an increased risk for premature death.

Hyperkyphosis can be caused by a number of factors besides osteoporosis, including habitual poor posture and degenerative diseases of the muscles and intervertebral discs.

"Just being bent forward may be an important clinical finding that should serve as a trigger to seek medical evaluation for possible spinal osteoporosis, as vertebral fractures more often than not are a silent disease," said Dr. Deborah Kado, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery and medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the study's primary investigator. "We demonstrated that having this age-related postural change is not a good thing. It could mean you're likely to die sooner."

For the study, the researchers reviewed data on 610 women, age 67 to 93, from a cohort of 9,704 participants in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. The participants were recruited between 1986 and 1988 in Baltimore, Md.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Portland, Ore.; and Pennsylvania's Monongahela Valley. Researchers measured spinal curvature with a flexicurve and assessed vertebral fractures from spinal radiographs; they assessed mortality based on follow-ups averaging 13.5 years.

Adjusting for age, as well as osteoporosis-related factors such as low bone density, moderate and severe vertebral fractures, and the number of prevalent vertebral fractures, the researchers found that women with previous vertebral fractures and increasing degrees of spinal curvature were at increased mortality risk from the spinal condition, regardless of age, smoking, spinal bone-mineral density, or the number and severity of their spinal fractures.

These study findings provide evidence that it is not just vertebral fracture alone but the associated increased spinal curvature that may be most predictive of adverse health outcomes. Other studies linking hyperkyphosis to poor health, such as impaired physical function, increased fall risk, fractures and mortality, have been unable to exclude the possibility that vertebral fractures alone were the underlying explanation for the findings.

The researchers note several caveats. This study focused on women, though hyperkyphosis also affects men; measurements for vertebral fractures were based only on height ratios, which could lead to misclassification of other causes of height ratio decreases, such as Scheuermann disease; and the timing of the assessments could have affected the results, though it's unlikely to have made much difference.

However, this study demonstrates a possible association between hyperkyphosis and increased risk for earlier death independent of the number and severity of vertebral fractures or osteoporosis in older women, the researchers write.

"These results add to the growing literature that suggests that hyperkyphosis is a clinically important finding. Because it is readily observed and is associated with ill health in older persons, hyperkyphosis should be recognized as a geriatric syndrome — a 'multifactorial health condition that occurs when the accumulated effect of impairments in multiple systems renders a person vulnerable to situational challenges.'"

Automated analysis of MR images may identify early Alzheimer’s disease

Analyzing MRI studies of the brain with software developed at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) may allow diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and of mild cognitive impairment, a lesser form of dementia that precedes the development of Alzheimer's by several years. In their report that will appear in the journal Brain and has been released online, the MGH/Martinos team show how their software program can accurately differentiate patients with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease from normal elderly individuals based on anatomic differences in brain structures known to be affected by the disease.

"Traditionally Alzheimer's has been diagnosed based on a combination of factors – such as a neurologic exam, detailed medical history and written tests of cognitive functioning – with neuroimaging used primarily to rule out other diseases such as stroke or a brain tumor," says Rahul Desikan MD, PhD, of the Martinos Center and Boston University School of Medicine, lead author of the Brain paper. "Our findings show the feasibility and importance of using automated, MRI-based neuroanatomic measures as a diagnostic marker for Alzheimer's disease."

The researchers note that mild cognitive impairment occurs in about 20 percent of elderly individuals – as many as 40 percent of those over 85 – 80 percent of whom develop Alzheimer's within five or six years. Since drugs that may slow the progression of Alzheimer's are in development, the ability to treat patients in the earliest stages of the disease may significantly delay progression to dementia. To investigate whether MR imaging can produce diagnostic markers for mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, the research team used FreeSurfer – an openly available imaging software package developed at the Martinos Center and the University of California at San Diego – to examine a number of neuroanatomic regions across a range of normal individuals and patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

In the first phase of the study, the investigators examined MR images of 97 elderly individuals, some who had been determined to have mild cognitive impairment and others who were cognitively normal. Analyzing those images identified three regions of the brain where structural differences distinguished the normal controls from participants with mild cognitive impairment with an accuracy of 91 percent. Earlier pathological and imaging studies have found evidence of early Alzheimer's disease in these three areas – the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex and the supramarginal gyrus.

To validate the accuracy and assess the reliability of the first-phase observations, the investigators analyzed imaging data from 216 individuals in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Database – 94 of whom were normal, 58 who had mild cognitive impairment at the time of imaging and went on to develop dementia, and 65 who had probable Alzheimer's based on their clinical symptoms. These participants also had a series of neuropsychological tests, and samples of cerebrospinal fluid were available for many of them.

Automated MRI measures of the same three areas identified in the first phase – entorhinal cortex, hippocampus, and supramarginal gyrus – discriminated individuals with mild cognitive impairment from normal elderly controls with 95 percent accuracy, and patients with Alzheimer's were discriminated from normal controls with 100 percent accuracy. The MRI measures also were significantly correlated with clinical and cognitive tests of dementia, particularly memory decline, and with biomarkers of cellular pathology such as the Alzheimer's-associated forms of the tau and amyloid proteins.

"Our results indicate that these automated MRI measures are one effective way of identifying individuals in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease, but before this technology can be used clinically, several follow-up studies need to be done," says Desikan. "Those include determining whether these automated MRI measures can accurately predict which individuals with mild cognitive impairment will progress to Alzheimer's; seeing if they can differentiate Alzheimer's from other neurodegenerative diseases; assessing how these measures do at early diagnosis, compared to other measures such as cellular biomarkers; and then validating all of these findings against the gold standard for diagnosis, postmortem examination of brain tissue."

U.S. officials consider bumping up flu shot season

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials said on Wednesday they are considering starting the vaccination campaign for seasonal flu earlier this year to make room for a possible second round of shots against the new H1N1 flu.

The United States also reported its eighth death from the new swine flu virus, in a patient in Arizona.

"If possible we do want to have an earlier rollout of seasonal vaccine," Dr Daniel Jernigan of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters in a telephone briefing.

He said the CDC would work with manufacturers of influenza vaccines and a committee of doctors that advises on vaccination policy to see if that would be possible and desirable. Flu vaccination usually starts in September in the United States and peaks in November.

Vaccine experts agree it would be better to launch a second round of vaccinations against the new H1N1 strain instead of trying to add it to the seasonal flu vaccine or replacing one of its three components with the new H1N1 virus.

"The production of seasonal flu vaccine is nearly complete," Jernigan said.

On Wednesday, the CDC reported 5,710 confirmed and probable cases of the new H1N1 strain in 48 states, with eight deaths. Globally, more than 10,000 cases have been confirmed with 80 deaths, most in Mexico.

Jernigan said it is clearly still affecting younger people more in the United States -- 40 percent of the 247 people who have been hospitalized with serious illness from the new H1N1 strain are aged 19 to 49, he said.

Seasonal influenza puts 200,000 Americans in the hospital every year and is a factor in 36,000 deaths, but 90 percent are over 65 or have chronic diseases such as asthma and heart disease that make them more vulnerable. With the new H1N1 flu, Jernigan said, 70 percent of hospitalized patients have an underlying condition.

AGE 50 ADVANTAGE

Only 13 percent of people who have been hospitalized with swine flu are over 50, Jernigan said, and he said tests of blood among the general population may eventually show whether people born before 1957 may have been infected with an older H1N1 strain that was close to the swine flu strain. They may then have some lifetime resistance to the new strain, he said.

In 1957, a new flu strain called H2N2 caused a pandemic and became the predominant strain of flu circulating globally. There is a seasonal H1N1 strain that still circulates but it is only a very distant relative of the new swine flu strain.

Seasonal flu is also still infecting people but Jernigan said 78 percent of U.S. cases tested for influenza are the new H1N1 strain. The CDC and state health departments are only doing targeted testing and say the true number of flu cases across the country is likely more than 100,000.

Jernigan said many flu patients are getting antibiotics -- which prevent so-called secondary infections -- but not enough are getting the antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza, which are known to help symptoms.

Tamiflu, or oseltamivir, is made by Roche AG and Gilead Sciences Inc while the inhaled drug Relenza, or zanamivir, is made by GlaxoSmithKline and Biota Inc.

The new flu seems to be about as contagious as seasonal flu, Jernigan said.

He was unable to say why so many more people are infected in the United States than in countries such as Britain, which reports 102 cases, but said there may have been more U.S. travelers to Mexico and more time for the virus to spread.

(Editing by Eric Beech)

Comfrey Root Eases Back Pain

May 21, 2009 -- People who suffer from acute back pain may find relief in the form of a plant long thought to have medicinal value.

A new study, funded by the drug company Merck and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, showed that people with acute back pain who used an ointment containing comfrey root extract had significant reductions in pain, compared to their peers who used a ointment.

The researchers note that in previous studies comfrey root extract has been effective in the treatment of ankle sprains and arthritic knee pain.

The study included 120 participants between the ages of 18 and 60, all suffering from either upper or lower back pain not caused by an identifiable source like. They all rubbed 4 grams of ointment on their backs three times a day for five days. Half of the participants used ointment containing comfrey root extract and half did not. Neither the participants nor the researchers knew which participants were getting comfrey root ointment and which participants were getting the placebo.

Participants were asked to assess their back pain and how much it interfered with normal movement, plus their back pain at rest.

The placebo users saw their pain intensity drop 38% during the study period, while comfrey root ointment users had a 95% reduction in pain. Back pain at rest was reduced 97% in the comfrey root group and 40% in the placebo group. The comfrey root ointment seemed to take effect in less than an hour.

"The results of this are clear-cut and consistent across all primary and secondary efficacy variables," the authors write in their conclusion. "Comfrey root extract shows a remarkably potent and clinically relevant effect in reducing acute back pain."

Groundbreaking 'reorganizational healing' model puts emphasis on self-awareness and personal will

New Rochelle, NY, May 21, 2009—Reorganizational Healing (ROH), an emerging concept for wellness, healing, and personal growth, is explored in depth in a seminal groundbreaking article and accompanying commentaries in the latest issue of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The Reorganizational Healing articles are available free online at

Reorganizational Healing gives people the tools to create a map "to self-assess and draw on strengths to create sustainable change," explain Dr. Donald Epstein, DC, Dr. Simon Senzon, MA, DC, and Dr. Daniel Lemberger, DC, in the article entitled, "Reorganizational Healing: A Paradigm for the Advancement of Wellness, Behavior Change, Holistic Practice, and Healing."

"Instead of being meaningless, people's problems become diseases of meaning…helping them become stronger, to live more fully and with more understanding," write the authors. ROH incorporates three central elements: the Four Seasons of Well-Being, the Triad of Change, and the Five Energetic Intelligences.

"There can be no doubt that we are witnessing the birth of a powerful method of healing, grounded in rigorous scientific fact, that will become integral to future systems of healthcare. This is a manuscript that deserves study in all teaching and therapeutic institutions," says Dr. Kim A. Jobst, Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

Describing ROH as "a health change model whose time has come," Professor Robert H.I. Blanks, PhD, Affiliated Faculty at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (Florida) asserts that ROH "presents a viable big-picture option for improving the health of individuals and addressing the current health care crisis in the United States and worldwide."

One aspect of ROH, Network Spinal Analysis (NSA), uses electromyographic measurements of the central nervous system (CNS) to determine the organization and synchronization of electrical signals across the entire spine–whereas in neurologic disorders there is a lack of synchronization of these signals. However, with healing, the innate ability of the CNS to reorganize is harnessed so that the signals become less random and more predictable which is indicative of greater organization of the circuitry. "From this point of view, it is fair to assert that Network Spinal Analysis (NSA) provides some sort of 'reorganization healing'," writes Professor Edmond Jonckheere, PhD, from the University of Southern California, in a Letter to the Editor published in the same issue of the Journal.

"At a time when there is increasing global instability in financial, industrial, political, and social systems, healthcare is not exempt from the same apparent chaos. Such times are critical for evolution. They are Crises – moments of simultaneous danger and opportunity. At such times, the old dies to make way for new structures, new hierarchies of value and meaning if the opportunity can be seen and seized," says Editor-in-Chief Jobst. "In this context, when individuals understand the relationship between their disease symptoms and their lifestyle choices, and most importantly are willing to take the steps needed for sustainable behavior change, they can achieve healthier, more fulfilling and more meaningful lives."

Swine Flu Less Severe for Over-50s?

CDC researchers have detected antibodies in the blood of older people that neutralize the new flu bug now sweeping the nation, Daniel Jernigan, MD, MPH, deputy director of the CDC's flu division, said today in a news conference.

"We infer from that, there is some level of protection," Jernigan said. "But to prove protection, we look at the effect [the virus has] on the population, and at this point we don't have that information."

Why is 1957 a key year? Every flu season after it first appeared, the deadly 1918.H1N1 flu bug circled the globe. Each year, the virus. changes that made it different from the original virus. But in 1957 there was a new pandemic, this time with an H2N2 virus. The new virus took the place of the old H1N1 bug.

"And so when we talk about the pre-1957 exposures, we are referring to those exposed to the past H1N1 virus that went away in 1957," Jernigan said. "The farther back you go in time, the more likely you are to have been exposed to an H1N1 virus before 1957 -- and exposure to that virus many years ago may allow you to have some reaction to the new H1N1."

The new H1N1 swine flu bug is much different from the 1918 H1N1 virus. It's also much different from the H1N1 seasonal flu virus that still circulates. But something about that pre-1957 bug seems to have left older people with antibodies that neutralize the new flu -- and might offer some protection against it. Swine Flu Hits Youths Hardest

Whether or not ancient antibodies are protective, many older people are getting sick from the new flu. Some of these illnesses are severe: 13% of people hospitalized with swine flu are 50 or older. And the number of H1N1 cases among older people is increasing.

But H1N1 swine flu is hitting young people hardest. More than 60% of cases are in 5- to 24-year-olds.

Remarkably -- since this is usually the healthiest age group -- 37% of people hospitalized with swine flu are 19 to 49 years old. The medicain age of a person hospitalized with the new flu is 19.

Those aged 5 to 18 make up 29% of swine flu hospitalizations. Because so many cases of H1N1 swine flu have been transmitted in schools, it's possible that older people only seem to be protected because they've had less contact with younger people.

In past flu pandemics, however, the same pattern has emerged: the illness tended to strike young people hardest.

Jernigan said that the CDC will soon release a detailed report on the neutralizing antibody study.

Meanwhile, the new flu continues its spread while the seasonal flu wanes. Jernigan said that nearly 80% of people who test positive for flu now turn out to have the new H1N1 bug.

SOURCES:
Daniel Jernigan, MD, MPH, deputy director, influenza division, CDC, Atlanta.
CDC web site.
World Health Organization web site.
© 2009 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

Disabled childrens charities

Children's charities and charitable organisations assisting the disabled child and their families in the UK. Do you know of a good childrens charity? Please feel free to submit any charities assisting children and we will add them to this section.

The world's largest orphan and abandoned children's charity is the 'SOS Children Charity' They are supported by sponsors and donors worldwide, the children's charity provides a new family for over 60,000 children in 123 countries and helps almost a million more people through our projects around the world. If you know of a similar children's charity please let us know so we can list them here.