Category: Uncategorized

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/valtrex-for-cold-sores?utm_source=Sailthru%20Email&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=MNT%20Daily%20News&utm_content=2020-12-01&utm_country=&utm_hcp=yes&apid=32297275
Worthwhile article. What’s amazing about these sores is how fast they develop and how quickly they’ll subside with treatment.

With so much confusing information about narcotics, especially codeine related, I thought this was worth a few minutes of your time. Oxycodone, in any form, is highly addictive.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11xKKx9BEj2H9sSjP5HtehLy6AiGWoxw71KB1TJ4HPGo/edit?usp=sharing

IMPORTANT ARTICLE ON VITAMIN D LEVELS IN MEN AND HEALTH https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/vitamin-d-levels-may-predict-future-health-risks-death-in-older-men?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MNT%20Daily%20News&utm_content=2020-09-14&utm_country=US&utm_hcp=yes&apid=32297275&utm_term=A

IMPORTANT! DON’T GET INTO THE WEED UNLESS YOU WANT TO.
LARRY

Right under your nose: A more convenient way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease
Certain proteins in nasal discharge can indicate the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s, providing an avenue for early detection
Date:
August 11, 2020
Source:


DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology)
Summary:
Scientists discover a new way to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease by analyzing the levels of specific proteins in nasal discharge. This simple and inexpensive method could help in timely diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, in order to start treatment as soon as possible, thus delaying disease progression.
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The Republic of Korea, like other countries with a rapidly ageing population, is facing increasing numbers of patients with dementia, of which Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most representative type. Unfortunately, AD has no complete cure yet; but, some treatments have been proven to delay its progression. Of course, this means that timely diagnosis while the symptoms are still mild is essential to maximize a patient’s quality of life.
However, currently available technologies for diagnosing AD are limited because they involve expensive machinery and invasive or inconvenient procedures. Now, in a recent study published in Scientific Reports, scientists from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Korea, hint at a novel way of diagnosing AD in a much simpler way –collecting and analyzing specific proteins in nasal discharge samples.

They found that the levels of two particular Aβ oligomers (the aggregated forms of Aβ implicated as characteristic of Alzheimer’s) were consistently higher in patients from the AD group. What’s more, the levels of the “soluble” form of this protein could be used to not only separate healthy subjects from patients with AD, but also predict the onset and progression of AD over a three-year period.
Prof Moon remarks, “Routine nasal discharge screenings would be a better option to screen for AD because of its various advantages, such as its relatively low cost and non-invasive nature. The results of our study introduce a novel and simple approach to assess AD progression.”
This new diagnostic technique will hopefully help in simpler and faster detection of Alzheimer’s and improving the disease outcome, thus bringing much needed relief to millions suffering from the Alzheimer’s worldwide.

July 30, 2020

Source:

University of Basel

Summary:

People who laugh frequently in their everyday lives may be better equipped to deal with stressful events – although this does not seem to apply to the intensity of laughter.

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People who laugh frequently in their everyday lives may be better equipped to deal with stressful events — although this does not seem to apply to the intensity of laughter. These are the findings reported by a research team from the University of Basel in the journal PLOS ONE.

It is estimated that people typically laugh 18 times a day — generally during interactions with other people and depending on the degree of pleasure they experience. Researchers have also reported differences related to time of day, age, and gender — for example, it is known that women smile more than men on average. Now, researchers from the Division of Clinical Psychology and Epidemiology of the Department of Psychology at the University of Basel have recently conducted a study on the relationship between stressful events and laughter in terms of perceived stress in everyday life.

Questions asked by app

In the intensive longitudinal study, an acoustic signal from a mobile phone app prompted participants to answer questions eight times a day at irregular intervals for a period of 14 days. The questions related to the frequency and intensity of laughter and the reason for laughing — as well as any stressful events or stress symptoms experienced — in the time since the last signal.

Using this method, the researchers working with the lead authors, Dr. Thea Zander-Schellenberg and Dr. Isabella Collins, were able to study the relationships between laughter, stressful events, and physical and psychological symptoms of stress (“I had a headache” or “I felt restless”) as part of everyday life. The newly published analysis was based on data from 41 psychology students, 33 of whom were women, with an average age of just under 22.

Intensity of laughter has less influence

The first result of the observational study was expected based on the specialist literature: in phases in which the subjects laughed frequently, stressful events were associated with more minor symptoms of subjective stress. However, the second finding was unexpected. When it came to the interplay between stressful events and intensity of laughter (strong, medium or weak), there was no statistical correlation with stress symptoms. “This could be because people are better at estimating the frequency of their laughter, rather than its intensity, over the last few hours,” says the research team.

I consider this study, like many basic science studies, are of interest but not definitive.

Who cares. I don’t think that there’s any downside to laughter.

Larry

A common medication for treatment of asthma could affect a basic component of the process that results in Alzheimer’s.

If this works, the drug would immediately be available for use.

– Larry

At Least One Guaranteed To Make You Laugh.

This is a brand new blog for me. I’ve been blogging for several years, and I hope this new blog will serve me and my reader best. Initially, my blog was designed to promote my work, but over the years the blog has become at least 90% medical news and a small % about my work: new novels, promotions, Audible productions etc.

In the course of writing, a large percent of which was medical fiction, I regularly reviewed the medical news and found items that interested me, and would likely interest others as well. Medical news is exhaustive and one benefit of being a physician is the ability to recognize news that’s significant. These item I share with readers of my blog.

Read the article if you’re interested in the details about medical illness producing this problem or see:

Lifestyle causes

Brain fog can often be the result of lifestyle factors that affect how well the brain functions. Modern life and a busy calendar can mean that the brain may not get enough rest to function at its best.

Causes of brain fog that relate to someone’s lifestyle include:

• stress
• lack of sleep
• diet
• low energy from physical inactivity

If constant stress and difficulty sleeping are affecting someone’s memory and concentration, making some lifestyle changes can help overcome these problems.

Changes to diet and exercise can also increase a person’s energy levels and improve mental focus.

Larry

Very large study that’s worth a few minutes of your time. One caveat, however: as I’ve watch the medical literature over time I’ve see weakening or elimination of epidemiological data. This is problematic as recommendation require significant lifestyle changes.