Category Archives: Brain Function

September 21 is World Alzheimer’s Day, so we present our top articles that discuss Alzheimer’s disease and related topics, including cataracts, psoriasis, Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, cholesterol, amyloid plaques, and traumatic brain injury. World Alzheimer’s Day aims to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease, which is growing as the world’s population continues to age. The ...click here to read more

Dear Friends, The title of this week’s piece may throw you off a bit as you may be thinking to yourself, “You can’t possibly avoid stress!” For the most part, you aren’t that wrong. Stress is, essentially, an inevitable part of life. It affects all aspects of our life to some degree. But before I ...click here to read more

September 13, 2016 is National Celiac Disease Awareness Day. As it’s approaching next week, we present our top stories discussing various aspects of celiac disease, including inflammatory bowel disease, migraines, gluten sensitivity, gluten-free diet, and liver disease. September 13 was chosen as celiac awareness day because that is the birthday of Samuel Gee who was ...click here to read more

The list of exercise benefits seems almost endless, from strengthening bones to promoting weight loss, to even keeping your heart strong and healthy. We are told over and over again we should be exercising, but depending on our age that may be a struggle. The good news is, exercise doesn’t have to be intense if ...click here to read more

Fecal incontinence or urinary incontinence diagnosis is more likely in dementia patients. The researchers analyzed data from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database and extracted records for 54,816 people over the age of 60 who were diagnosed with dementia along with records for 205,795 patients without dementia. Men with dementia had had an annual rate ...click here to read more

This has been one super hot summer, and it doesn’t seem to be cooling down much, even in the wake of the Labor Day weekend, so it looks like the heat may last a bit longer this year. Although many of us enjoy the summer weather, getting a good night’s sleep seems almost impossible when ...click here to read more

Women with urinary incontinence are more likely to experience depression, including postpartum depression. For the study, researchers followed middle-aged women with incontinence and found they are more likely to develop depression, compared to middle-aged women without incontinence. Researcher Jodie Avery said, “Women with both incontinence and depression scored lower in all areas of quality of ...click here to read more

Liver may not be something you think about often, but it’s a very important organ responsible for over 500 different functions! With so much in tow, it really deserves to be taken care of – and to be taken seriously. Your liver has to face many different threats. Alcohol consumption, toxins, poor diet, even extra ...click here to read more

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are more common in schizophrenia patients experiencing relapse. In fact, the risk of developing a UTI during schizophrenic relapse is 29 times higher than for healthy individuals. The study looked at the rates of UTIs in 57 relapsed hospital patients, 40 stable outpatients, and 39 healthy controls. The findings showed that ...click here to read more

Vision problems raise the risk of unemployment, poverty, and mental health problems, according to a recent study. Researcher Mary Frances Cotch said, “Our focus has mostly been on severe visual loss and treating the eye diseases that cause it. This study is saying we probably shouldn’t wait until that time since people with mild visual ...click here to read more

High LDL (bad) cholesterol levels are linked to amyloid plaque deposits, a signature characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. On the other hand, high levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and low levels of LDL cholesterol have been found to correlate with lower amyloid plaque deposits in the brain. Lead study author Bruce Reed said, “Our study shows ...click here to read more

We can’t stress enough the importance of sleep. It is the only time when our body as a whole gets to recharge. Unfortunately, all sorts of sleep problems, from insomnia to sleep apnea, are on the rise, preventing us from getting the quality good night’s sleep we need. Poor sleep can affect the body in ...click here to read more

LDL cholesterol variability is associated with declining cognitive performance in older adults, according to research findings. “Bad” LDL cholesterol has been associated with artery plaque buildup contributing to heart disease. Aside from its effects on the heart, the findings of the study suggest that LDL cholesterol could also play a negative role in cognitive function. ...click here to read more

A recent article published in the Journal of the American Heart Association  states that postmenopausal women with heart disease have a higher risk of developing dementia or other forms of decreased brain function. According to the article, nearly 6,500 U.S. women aged 65-79 with healthy brain function were put through a series of neurocognitive exams. ...click here to read more