ΥΓΕΙΑ health

Maria Dalamagka  Researchers think they may have discovered the mechanism that drives the body’s attack on its own cells and tissues in the autoimmune disease lupus. Two new studies published in the journal Science Translational Medicine point to a cycle of cell death and chronic inflammation involving blood cells called neutrophils, versatile soldiers of the immune system that race to the site of infection to destroy invaders, as a key engine in the disease. The discoveries come during a week when the FDA is expected to announce its decision on the biologic drug Benlysta, which could be the first drug approved to treat lupus in nearly 50 years. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, lupus affects about 1.5 million Americans, many of them younger women. The disease can affect many different parts of the body, including the skin, joints, lungs, heart, blood, and kidneys, which often makes it a challenge for doctors to diagnose. One of the hallmarks of lupus is that pati...

Maria Dalamagka Lung power is the number-one predictor of how long you’ll live. How well you breathe determines how long you’ll stay active and healthy. The medical journal Chest did a 29-year follow up to the Buffalo Health Study, which followed over 1,100 people up to age 89. They found that the better your lungs work, the less likely you are to die of any cause. The correlation was even stronger for heart disease. This makes me wonder about all those workout “gurus.” They keep telling you to do “cardio” which only wears down your heart and lungs. The studies prove that lungpower – not wearing down your heart with hours of aerobics – will keep you going. Most doctors aren’t aware of this, either. They don’t bother to measure your lungpower during a doctor visit. Yet it’s easy to do, and I measure it at my clinic. The best way to tell how powerful your lungs are is a measurement called VO2 max. That’s because VO2 max measures the amount of oxygen your lungs can use while you’re ...

Maria Dalamagka  Exercises you can do to relieve your neck pain: 1. Side Neck Stretch with Resistance – Reach one hand over the opposite side of your head, and hold with your fingers just above the ear. Gently pull your head toward your raised arm until you feel a stretch in your neck muscles. To strengthen, push back with your head as you pull with your hand. Hold for 15-30 seconds and repeat 3 times. 2. Chin Tuck – Stand or lie down with both hands by your sides. With your head in a neutral position, push slowly forward and down, trying to press your chin into your chest. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds. If you’re standing, slowly lifting your head back to neutral will strengthen the muscles at the same time you stretch them. 3. Head Retraction – This is designed to improve the strength of muscles at the base of the neck. Glide your head straight back, lifting your chin, and hold for 15 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times. Lifting slowly will give those muscles more strength as well....

     www.iator.gr                              Author: Maria Dalamagka  Η Διεθνής Ιατρική ανθρωπιστική οργάνωση Γιατροί χωρίς σύνορα (Γ.Χ.Σ), έχουν προσφέρει βοήθεια στην πόλη της Βεγγάζη , στην ανατολική Λιβύη , αλλά δεν είχαν τη δυνατότητα πρόσβασης στις δυτικές περιοχές της χώρας , όπου υπήρξαν αναφορές βίας και έχουν σκοτωθεί ή τραυματιστεί εκατοντάδες άνθρωποι. Την 1η Μαρτίου , ένας γιατρός στη Δυτική πόλη της Misurata , η οποία είναι μια από τις περιοχές που επλήγησαν περισσότερο από τη βία , ζήτησε βοήθεια από τους Γ.Χ.Σ. «Ο γιατρός ζητά φάρμακα και ιατρικά εφόδια για τη θεραπεία των τραυματιών» είπε η Anne Chatelain , ιατρική συντονίστρια στη Βεγγάζη. «Αλλά δεν μπορούμε να παραδώσουμε τις προμήθειες. Ο δρόμος για τη Misurata έχει αποκλειστεί από ένοπλους άντρες , οι οποίοι διέκοψαν την κυκλοφορία. Στη Βεγγάζη , οι Γ.Χ.Σ έχουν μια ομάδα 8 ατόμων , που υποστηρίζει τα νοσοκομεία...

Maria Dalamagka  Ibuprofen was associated with a 38% lower risk of Parkinson's disease, but we didn't find any significant protective effects for other NSAIDs [nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs], for example, aspirin or acetaminophen," lead study author Xiang Gao, MD, PhD, from the Channing Laboratory at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, said in an interview. Their results were supported by those of a separate meta-analysis of other such trials included in this report. The findings were presented last year at the American Academy of Neurology 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Neuroinflammation may contribute to the pathology of Parkinson's disease, the study authors note, and use of NSAIDs in general, and ibuprofen in particular, has previously been linked to reduced risk for the disease. Dr. Gao and colleagues published a previous report in 2003 using data from NHS and HPFS showing a reduced r...

Maria Dalamagka  Tough economic times and profound societal change currently under way may mean rates of depression among men from Western nations are likely to increase, predict the authors of a commentary published in the March issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry. It's well known that women are nearly twice as likely as men to develop major depressive disorder in their lifetime, but this difference may well change in the coming decades, argue Boadie W. Dunlop, MD, director of the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, and his Emory colleague and coauthor Tanja Mletzko, MA. Western economies are undergoing a "profound restructuring," they point out, with traditional male jobs in manufacturing, construction, and other physical-labor jobs being outsourced to low- and middle-income nations or becoming obsolete due to technological advances. The current economic downturn has hit men particularly hard, Dr. Dun...

Maria Dalamagka  An alarming one in three American adults has high blood pressure. Known medically as hypertension, many people don't even know they have it, because high blood pressure has no symptoms or warning signs. But when elevated blood pressure is accompanied by abnormal cholesterol and blood sugar levels, the damage to your arteries, kidneys, and heart accelerates exponentially. Fortunately, high blood pressure is easy to detect and treat. Sometimes people can keep blood pressure in a healthy range simply by making lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, increasing activity, and eating more healthfully. This report details those changes, including a Special Section that features numerous ways to cut excess salt from your diet — a policy strongly recommended by new federal guidelines. This report also includes tips on how to use a home blood pressure monitor, as well as advice on choosing a drug treatment strategy based your age and any other existing medical issues you ...