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Tag: sleep disorders
Quick & Healthy: A 1,000-Year-Old Medical Marvel

Quick & Healthy: A 1,000-Year-Old Medical Marvel

“Quick & Healthy” offers some highlights from the world of health and wellness which you may have missed this week:

  • It’s another win for java-junkies: The World Cancer Research Fund found in a recent study that each cup of coffee consumed is correlated with a 14 percent decreased risk for liver cancer.
  • Eating well can halve your risk for Alzheimer’s Disease. That’s the conclusion of a new study that tracked participants’ adherence to one of three diets; those who stuck with healthy eating regimens were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s later in life.
  • An apple a day does not diminish one’s need to seek medical attention, according to a report in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. That matter settled, researchers are currently refocusing their efforts on understanding whether or not a pot of water being surveilled can, in fact, be brought to boil.
  • A concoction of garlic, wine, and bile, taken from a 10th-century apothecary’s textbook, was found to be effective at stopping an antibiotic-resistant pathogen. These so-called “superbugs” are expected to be one of the major health hazards of the next century; the potion, derived centuries before the development of germ theory, shows promise for combating them.

Photo: Paul Morriss via Flickr

Health Memo Roundup: Attack Of The ‘Superbugs’

Health Memo Roundup: Attack Of The ‘Superbugs’

Here are some highlights from the world of health and wellness you may have missed this week:

  • Sleep disorders are prolific, detrimental, and treatable. Snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, and restless leg syndrome are among the afflictions that can get in the way of a good night’s rest, causing moodiness, irritability, and memory problems. Luckily, these can usually be treated with exercise, proper dieting, and other measures.
  • The common cold and the flu are both viruses that can put you out of commission for a while, but while the former is relatively mild, influenza can turn aggressive and deadly pretty quickly. Especially for patients who are at greater risk for respiratory illness, it’s important to be able to identify which virus is which, and also to be aware of how to not only treat these infections — but prevent them as well.
  • The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (aka “superbugs”) is one of the major potential health crises of the moment. These tough bugs have evolved to survive all the treatments that we currently have developed to combat bacteria, and after a recent outbreak in a Los Angeles hospital, other medical centers are stepping up. Learn how hospitals are changing their practices to curb the transmission of these difficult-to-kill pathogens.
  • Tune in to this: There is compelling new evidence that using psychedelics, like LSD and magic mushrooms, does not harm your mental health. A recent study found no link between use of these drugs and the development of anxiety and depression later in life. If anything, the study found that those who experimented with psychedelics may be at a lower risk for mental health problems. Far out.

Image: BASF via Flickr