Therapist Unlimited Blog

 

 

 

Those persons seeking to use aspirin as prevention against cardiovascular disease better abandon the plan now.
A recent medical research has uncovered that the use of low-dose aspirin to ward off heart attacks and strokes in those yet to develop obvious cardiovascular disease can cause serious medical complications.
In the medical world, low-dose aspirin is widely used to prevent further episodes of cardiovascular disease in people who have already had problems such as a heart attack or stroke.
This method known as secondary prevention is well established and of confirmed benefit.
But it is the use of aspirin in primary prevention for those without symptoms, who have not yet had, for example, a heart attack or stroke, but who may be at risk of doing so, following an analysis of the available evidence.
In 2000, cardiovascular disease accounted for two million deaths across the European Union alone, and "worldwide, many people take aspirin every day in the belief that doing so helps prevent cardiovascular disease," says the researchers.

 

 

 

Aspirin could be fatal if not used properly.

 

 

 

The researchers points to various guidelines issued between 2005 and 2008 that recommend aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in various groups of patients. Examples include people aged 50 and older with type 2 diabetes and those with high blood pressure.
But the team explained that the current evidence does not back up the routine use of low-dose aspirin in such groups, because of the potential risk of serious gastrointestinal bleeds that accompany its use and the negligible impact it has on curbing death rates.
Doctors should review all patients currently taking low-dose aspirin for primary prevention, either as prescribed or over-the-counter treatment, says the research team.
"And the decision about whether to continue or stop treatment should be made only after fully informing patients of the available evidence", they added.
"Furthermore,  the researchers concluded that current evidence for primary prevention suggests the benefits and harms of aspirin in this setting may be more finely balanced than previously thought, even in individuals estimated to be at high risk of experiencing cardiovascular events, including those with diabetes or elevated blood pressure.
The researchers believe, that low dose aspirin prophylaxis should not be routinely used for primary prevention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A recent study done in Japan has shown that cancer can be transferred from mother to unborn child.
The study was the work of first author Takeshi Isoda from the Department of Pediatrics and Developmental Biology at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, and colleagues.
The researchers discovered that cases of mother to offspring transmission of cancer are rare and few have been recorded over the last 100 years, wrote the authors, and there is barely any evidence that shows the mother’s cancer cells match the baby’s.
In the paper, Isoda and colleagues describe a case where a 28-year old mother was diagnosed with leukemia shortly after giving birth to a baby girl who developed similar symptoms when she was nearly a year old.

 

 

 

 

Pregnant women should keep themselves healthy and away from cancer since they can transmit this deadly disease to their kids.

 

Using various methods, Isoda and colleagues were able to show that the cancer cells in the baby were a genetic match to those of the mother.
First they generated clones of the cancer cells from both mother and baby and found that they "shared the same unique BCR-ABL1 genomic fusion sequence, indicating a shared, single-cell origin", and then they showed that "microsatellite markers in the infant cancer were all of maternal origin".
They also found that the baby’s cancer cells had inherited a pattern of missing genes (notably a "major deletion on one copy of chromosome 6p that included deletion of HLA alleles") that probably helped the cells avoid detection and destruction by the placental barrier and the baby’s immune system.

 

If you find yourself more concerned about highly publicized dangers that grab your immediate attention such as terrorist attacks, while forgetting about the more mundane threats such as global warming, you’re not alone.
And you can’t help it because it’s human nature, according to a new study led by University of Colorado at Boulder psychology Professor Leaf Van Boven. That’s because people tend to view their immediate emotions, such as their perceptions
of threats or risks, as more intense and important than their previous emotions.
In one part of the study focusing on terrorist threats, using materials adapted from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Van Boven and his research colleagues presented two scenarios to people in a college laboratory depicting warnings about travelling abroad to two countries.
Participants were then asked to report which country seemed to have greater terrorist threats. Many of them reported that the country they last read about was more dangerous.
"What our study has shown is that when people learn about risks, even in very rapid succession where the information is presented to them in a very clear and vivid way, they still respond more strongly to what is right in front of them," Van Boven said.
With that in mind, Van Boven says one of the take-home messages from the study is that when communicating to the public, people must be mindful of how and when they publicize threats, which is a tall task in the around-the-clock news cycle of today.
"Whatever the threat of the season is can ‘crowd out’ concern about other threats even if those other threats are actually more dangerous," Van Boven said. "Because we are so emotionally influenced when it comes to assessing and reacting to threats, we may ignore very dangerous threats that happen not to be very emotionally arousing."

 

 

 

Be careful with your emotion since it could lead you to astray.

 

 

Human emotions stem from a very old system in the brain, Van Boven says. When it comes to reacting to threats, real or exaggerated, it goes against the grain of thousands of years of evolution to just turn off that emotional reaction. It’s not something most people can do, he said.
"And that’s a problem, because people’s emotions are fundamental to their judgements and decisions in everyday life," Van Boven said. "When people are constantly being bombarded by new threats or things to be fearful of, they can forget about the genuinely big problems, like global warming, which really need to be dealt with on a large scale with public
support."
In today’s 24-hour society, talk radio, the Internet and extensive media coverage of the "threat of the day" only exacerbate the trait of focusing on our immediate emotions, he said.
"One of the things we know about how emotional reactions work is they are not very objective, so people can get outraged or become fearful of what might actually be a relatively minor threat," Van Boven said. "One worry is some people are aware of
these kinds of effects and can use them to manipulate our actions in ways that we may prefer to avoid."
The study, which involved undergraduate students as subjects, was published in the August edition of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Michaela Huber, a doctoral student of psychology and neuroscience at CU-Boulder and Assistant Professor Katherine White of the University of Calgary co-authored the study.
Van Boven said the study would be of particular interest to policymakers.
"If you’re interested in having an informed citizenry you tell people about all the relevant risks, but what our research shows is that is not sufficient because those things still happen in sequence and people will still respond immediately to whatever happens to be in front of them," he said. "In order to make good decisions and craft good policies we need to know how people are going to respond."
 

 

 

A leading medical organization has warned parents around the world warned parents to be careful with the disease dubbed as acid reflux since it can cause death if not given proper and immediate treatment.
The medical name for the disease is gastroesophageal reflux. It means stomach + esophagus + backwash.
The Pediatric Adolescent Gastroesophageal Reflux (PAGER) Association has been helping families learn about acid reflux since 1992.
Beth Pulsifer-Anderson, Director of PAGER Association revealed acid reflux in children is often overlooked.
Based on medical facts some of the clues of the disease include excessive crying, ‘colic’, a burning sensation in the throat or chest, tummy aches, spitting up, a sensation of
food coming up, poor appetite, poor weight gain, trouble swallowing, night waking, ear infections, sinus problems, asthma, wheezing, tooth decay and bad breath.
Pulsifer-Anderson added untreated reflux can cause excruciating pain and serious health problems.
She explained a child with acid reflux is often miserable and this affects the whole family.
Moreover said she said PAGER Association has been contacted by more and more Spanish speaking families in recent years.
According to studies, about 6 million Hispanics in the US have acid reflux symptoms and most don’t seek treatment.
Pulsifer-Anderson says, "It is important for Spanish speaking parents to know about acid reflux so they can be sure their children can get appropriate medical attention.

 

 

 

Parents worldwide need to be careful about acid reflux since it can lead to the death of their children.

 

Young athletes are at higher risk if they suffer from a second concussion injury.

 

Those people who are not smokers but are regularly inhaling second hand smoke better do something on their situation before things got get worse.
This developed after a recent research has shown that even second-hand tobacco smoke exposure can result in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a common disease and rising cause of chronic liver injury in which fat accumulates in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol.
A team of researchers at the University of California, Riverside has found out that fat has accumulated in the liver cells of mice exposed to second-hand cigarette smoke for a year in the lab.
The researchers explained such fat buildup is a sign of NAFLD, leading eventually to liver dysfunction.
In their study, the researchers focused on two key regulators of lipid (fat) metabolism that are found in many human cells as well: SREBP (sterol regulatory element-binding protein) that stimulates synthesis of fatty acids in the liver, and AMPK (adenosine monophosphate kinase) that turns SREBP on and off.

 

 

 

People better avoid inhaling second hand smoke since it could lead to a liver disease.

 

 

The researchers revealed based on their study they discovered that second-hand smoke exposure inhibits AMPK activity, which, in turn, causes an increase in activity of SREBP.
The team said when SREBP is more active, more fatty acids get synthesized.
The team addded the result is NAFLD induced by second-hand smoke.
Manuela Martins-Green, a professor of cell biology, who led the study revealed their study provides compelling experimental evidence in support of tobacco smoke exposure playing a major role in NAFLD development.
Green added their work points to SREBP and AMPK as new molecular targets for drug therapy that can reverse NAFLD development resulting from second-hand smoke.
She said drugs could now be developed that stimulate AMPK activity, and thereby inhibit SREBP, leading to reduced fatty acid production in the liver.
The researchers revealed their study emphasizes that discouraging cigarette smoking helps prevent not only cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease and cancer, but now also liver disease.
Second-hand smoke is the combination of smoke exhaled by a smoker and smoke given off by the burning end of a tobacco product.
Lingering in the air long after tobacco products have been extinguished, it is involuntarily inhaled by nonsmokers in the vicinity.
According to medical facts, second-hand smoke is a major toxicant that affects children, the elderly and nonsmokers living in the household of adults who smoke.
Many state and local governments have passed laws prohibiting smoking in public facilities.
Diseases associated with second-hand smoking include cancer, heart disease, atherosclerosis, pneumonia, bronchitis and severe asthma.
Despite the large body of scientific evidence documenting the effects of passive or active smoking on the heart and lungs, reports investigating how smoking causes liver injury are scant.

 

If it can be avoided people should avoid breathing regularly polluted air in thier surroundings since doing so could lead you to suffer from heart disease.
According to the study made by the researchers at the University of Michican they found out that the very air we breathe can be an invisible catalyst to heart disease.
The researchers warned their study have shown that inhaling air pollution over just two hours caused a significant increase in diastolic blood pressure, the lower number on blood pressure readings.
Based on the latest medical data, nearly one in three Americans suffer from hypertension, a significant health problem that can lead to heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and other life-threatening problems.
Robert D. Brook, M.D., lead researchers and vascular medicine physician at the U-M Cardiovascular Center revealed although this increase in diastolic blood pressure may pose little health risk to healthy people, in people with underlying coronary artery disease this small increase may actually be able to a trigger heart attack or stroke.
To get the data they are looking for, eighty-three people in Ann Arbor and Toronto were utilized in testing and breathed air pollution, concentrated by a mobile air quality research facility, that was similar to what would be found in an urban environment near a roadway.

 

 

 

 

To avoid chances of suffering from heart disease better avoid constant air pollution exposure now.

 

 

Robert Bard, M.S., overall research project manager explained they looked in the participants blood vessels and then their responses before and after breathing high levels of air pollution.
The researchers revealed ozone gases, a well-known component of air pollution, were not the biggest culprit.
The researchers said small microscopic particles about a 10th of the diameter of a human hair caused the rise in blood pressure and impaired blood vessel function, tests
showed.
The blood pressure increase was rapid and occurred within two hours, while the impairment in blood vessel function occurred later but lasted as long as 24 hours.
It’s believed these fine particles deposit deep into the lungs and certain components may gain entrance to the blood stream, or cause an inflammatory response throughout the body.
There is also evidence that functions in the body’s nervous system are also disrupted.
It is said that the new research is the latest in the relatively new field of Environmental Cardiology which looks at the association between air pollution and heart disease.
Brook says that at the very least the findings support efforts to maintain current ambient air quality standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
He said there are practical ways to avoid exposure to high levels of air pollution, such as avoiding unnecessary travel or commutes and not exercising during rush hour, or near busy roadways.
He added in modern society, the burning of fossil fuels is the primary source for air pollution.
The researcher cited if air pollution levels are forecasted to be high, those with heart disease, diabetes or lung disease should avoid unnecessary outdoor activity.
 

 

A recent study has confirmed that doing yoga can offer treatment to those patients suffering from back-pain.
Based on the student made by the West Virginia University it was discovered that people with chronic low-back problems who do yoga also do better at overcoming pain and depression than people treated
conventionally for back pain.
According to the the three-year, $400,000 study, those group who did yoga postures showed lifted mood, less pain and
improved function compared with a control group who received standard medical therapy.
Kimberly Williams, Ph.D., research assistant professor in the Department of Community Medicine revealed the yoga group had less pain, less functional disability and less depression compared with the control group.

 

 

Those who wish to find relief in their back-pain can try yoga as treatment.

 

 

Williams added the result were statistically significant and clinically important changes that must be maintained six months after the intervention.
She said 90 study subjects, who experienced mild to moderate functional disability, were randomly assigned to the yoga group or the group that received conventional medical therapy.
She added yoga participants took 90-minute classes twice a week for 24 weeks, doing postures targeted to relieve chronic low-back pain.
Williams said a follow up continued for six months after the end of classes or therapy.
Moreover, Williams said the classes were taught by certified Iyengar yoga instructors.
She said a popular form of yoga in the United States, Iyengar yoga emphasises postures that encourage strength, flexibility and balance.
It is said based on the latest statistics that in the United States, low-back pain represents the largest category of medical reimbursements, with $34 billion in direct medical costs reported annually.

 

Some people view insect bites as minor injuries that do not medical attention.
Well, to all these people it is time for you to change your outlook in life.
Recent studies have shown that insect bites can kill you if you do not do some proper medical attention if ever insects stung you.
The death of legendary skateboarder Andy Kessler’s death after being stung by an insect is a reminder that stings can
be deadly for those with stinging insect allergy.
Based on the data gathered by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI),up to 5% of Americans are at risk for a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction from insect stings.
Unfortunately, most people are not aware they are allergic to insect stings until after experiencing a reaction.
Accordingly, an allergic reaction occurs when the immune system overreacts to the insect venom. When this happens, an allergic person’s body produces an allergic substance called Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody, which reacts with the venom.

 

 

Seek immidiate medical help if ever an insect stung you since delayed treatment can kill you.

 

This triggers the release of histamine and other chemicals that cause allergic symptoms and, in the most severe of cases, a rapid fall in
blood pressure, loss of consciousness and sometimes even death.

Here is a list of the common stinging insects in the United States:

 

- Yellow jackets - black with yellow markings, found in various climates
- Honeybees - a round, fuzzy body covered with dark brown and yellow markings
- Paper wasps - slender, elongated bodies that are black, brown or red and have yellow markings
- Hornets - black or brown with white, orange or yellow markings and are larger than yellow jackets
- Fire ants - reddish-brown ants living in large mounds, mostly in warmer climates.
 

 

Practical steps to avoid being stung by insects

- Avoid the "territory" of the stinging insect’s nest. These insects are most likely to sting if their homes are disturbed.
- Remain calm, quiet and slowly move away from stinging insects. Do not swat them.
- Avoid brightly colored clothing and perfume outdoors that may attract stinging insects.
- Be careful when cooking, eating or drinking sweet beverages outdoors. Keep all food and beverages covered until consuming
them.
- Avoid loose-fitting garments that can trap insects between material and the skin.
 

Parents around the world should strive hard to keep their children away from smoking cigarettes since tobacco can lead to life-threatening diseases and premature death.
In a recent data gathered by the Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS) it was discovered that although it is illegal to sell cigarettes to children under the age of 18, 42% of 13 year old regular smokers and 57% of 15 year old regular smokers are reportedly buying cigarettes from a shop, while 13% of 13 year old regular smokers and 10% of 15 year old regular smokers buy their tobacco from a vending machine.
With the alarming result of their research a group of doctors in Scotland wants to see a robust approach to tobacco control in order to reduce the number of teens who smoke.
Dr. Peter Terry, Chairman of physicians group in Scotland explained it is essential that cigarettes are made less accessible to children.

 

 

Medical experts revealed children hooked on smoking cigarettes can suffer death if their addiction could not be stopped.

 

 

Terry said banning point of sale displays and getting rid of tobacco vending machines will go some way to doing this.
He said smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease and respiratory problems.
He added smoking also ages skin, makes your breath smell and stains fingers yellow.
Moreover, Terry said every day doctors witness the death and despair caused by smoking.
Terry said there is a need to break the tobacco trap.
Terry added young smokers will become tomorrow’s parents who smoke and they will continue the cycle of smoking-related ill health.