Folk medicine is the age old wisdom passed down from generation to generation that would traditionally provide cures for minor ailments. Simple remedies dealt with the recurrent minor hazards of life - coughs, colds, sore throats, cuts, bruises and minor burns. Many these days are turning away from conventional medicine and re-discovering simple home cures in order to have a more natural lifestyle.
What are Folk Remedies?
Folk remedies do not provide a miracle cure, but almost anyone can benefit from the healing effects of herbs, flowers, fruits and vegetables. A variety of home grown herbs and vegetables should be eaten on a daily basis as a matter of course to promote good health. Follow the advice of an herbalist for a specific condition as some herbs can be toxic if taken in excess.
Health & Wellness
Neuroscientists have found that the human brain is capable of holding and retrieving memories for specific fears.
The discovery reveals a more sophisticated storage and recall capacity of the brain than previously thought, boffins claim.
The study, which appears in the journal Nature Neuroscience, was conducted by researchers at New York University's Center for Neural Science, the Department of Psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine-Bellevue Hospital Center, the Copernicus Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Krakow, Poland, Université Paris-Sud, and the Emotional Brain Institute at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research.
The research focused on the brain's amygdala, which has previously been shown to store fear memories.
The discovery reveals a more sophisticated storage and recall capacity of the brain than previously thought, boffins claim.
The study, which appears in the journal Nature Neuroscience, was conducted by researchers at New York University's Center for Neural Science, the Department of Psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine-Bellevue Hospital Center, the Copernicus Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Krakow, Poland, Université Paris-Sud, and the Emotional Brain Institute at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research.
The research focused on the brain's amygdala, which has previously been shown to store fear memories.
A group of researchers has discovered that the brain saves energy by forecasting what it is likely to see.
Boffins in the Dept. of Psychology at the Univ. of Glasgow, working in collaboration with the Max-Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt, Germany, claim that the visual cortex does not simply react to visual stimuli but proactively predicts what it is likely to see in any given context.
And by doing so it uses less energy to process images, but if something unexpected were to appear in that familiar environment, the visual cortex becomes more active in order to process this information, reports New Scientist.
"The brain expects to see things and really just wants to confirm it now and again," says Lars Muckli at the University of Glasgow, UK.
Boffins in the Dept. of Psychology at the Univ. of Glasgow, working in collaboration with the Max-Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt, Germany, claim that the visual cortex does not simply react to visual stimuli but proactively predicts what it is likely to see in any given context.
And by doing so it uses less energy to process images, but if something unexpected were to appear in that familiar environment, the visual cortex becomes more active in order to process this information, reports New Scientist.
"The brain expects to see things and really just wants to confirm it now and again," says Lars Muckli at the University of Glasgow, UK.
"Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill."
"We grow too soon old and too late smart."
Both proverbs pay tribute to the powers of the brain with age. An editor liked to say the first as the newsroom grew younger around him. He was all for shrewdness -- the ability to anticipate problems and make the first move. A high school friend's mother would quote the second: Wisdom comes with experience.
There's reason to be optimistic about how the brain changes as we grow older. The news keeps getting better: Time may improve some abilities, such as complex reasoning and empathy. New brain cell growth appears possible with the right stimulation. And while certain lapses in memory can be expected, there are new strategies to stay sharp.
Don't worry about not remembering names, walking into a room and forgetting why, or getting confused by a ton of new information. By age 50, neuroscientists say, that's normal.
"We grow too soon old and too late smart."
Both proverbs pay tribute to the powers of the brain with age. An editor liked to say the first as the newsroom grew younger around him. He was all for shrewdness -- the ability to anticipate problems and make the first move. A high school friend's mother would quote the second: Wisdom comes with experience.
There's reason to be optimistic about how the brain changes as we grow older. The news keeps getting better: Time may improve some abilities, such as complex reasoning and empathy. New brain cell growth appears possible with the right stimulation. And while certain lapses in memory can be expected, there are new strategies to stay sharp.
Don't worry about not remembering names, walking into a room and forgetting why, or getting confused by a ton of new information. By age 50, neuroscientists say, that's normal.
Medical scientists have investigated the incidence of Parkinson's disease for long-term smokers and have discovered an inverse correlation between smoking and Parkinson's disease.
"The study, released today in the journal Neurology looked at the lifetime smoking history of more than 300,000 people, and confirmed the inverse relationship between smoking and Parkinson's disease, established in earlier scientific studies. But, researchers say they've found a critical new piece to the puzzle: It appears to be the length of time one has been a smoker - not the number of cigarettes smoked - that has the most effect on disease risk reduction," reports the Paging Dr. Gupta blog.
Experts are quick to let the public know they are not advocating smoking. However, they are curious to find out what chemicals in cigarettes lower the risk of Parkinson's disease.
"The study, released today in the journal Neurology looked at the lifetime smoking history of more than 300,000 people, and confirmed the inverse relationship between smoking and Parkinson's disease, established in earlier scientific studies. But, researchers say they've found a critical new piece to the puzzle: It appears to be the length of time one has been a smoker - not the number of cigarettes smoked - that has the most effect on disease risk reduction," reports the Paging Dr. Gupta blog.
Experts are quick to let the public know they are not advocating smoking. However, they are curious to find out what chemicals in cigarettes lower the risk of Parkinson's disease.
Symptoms of weakness and nausea were afflicting me, sometimes disabling me for hours at a time. So I went to an internist, who ran a series of tests, which turned up nothing.
Finally, at a loss, he ordered a brain scan. I vividly recall the words of the neurologist when the results came in: "There's nothing wrong with your brain. But you might have a potassium deficiency. If you are feeling low, eat a banana." How easy! I enjoyed slicing a banana onto my Wheaties and milk for breakfast.
"We've done every test I can think of, and there's nothing organically wrong with you," said the internist. "I think you are clinically depressed. I'm putting you on an antidepressant." I had an intuitive sense I'd been misdiagnosed. Had I ever felt depressed? Sure. But the symptoms I had reported to him didn't feel like depression. I asked him about the side effects of the drug he prescribed. I refused to take it. As I left, he warned me, "You'll be sorry."
A couple of months later, I was in the office of a dermatologist for a routine checkup, and I had one of those attacks of nausea and weakness. It was the first time I'd had those dreaded symptoms while with a physician. He checked my vitals. Blood pressure was way down, for one thing. He got a hunch. "I once had a patient with symptoms just like yours," he said. "Turned out he had food allergies. Why not get checked out for food allergies?"
Finally, at a loss, he ordered a brain scan. I vividly recall the words of the neurologist when the results came in: "There's nothing wrong with your brain. But you might have a potassium deficiency. If you are feeling low, eat a banana." How easy! I enjoyed slicing a banana onto my Wheaties and milk for breakfast.
"We've done every test I can think of, and there's nothing organically wrong with you," said the internist. "I think you are clinically depressed. I'm putting you on an antidepressant." I had an intuitive sense I'd been misdiagnosed. Had I ever felt depressed? Sure. But the symptoms I had reported to him didn't feel like depression. I asked him about the side effects of the drug he prescribed. I refused to take it. As I left, he warned me, "You'll be sorry."
A couple of months later, I was in the office of a dermatologist for a routine checkup, and I had one of those attacks of nausea and weakness. It was the first time I'd had those dreaded symptoms while with a physician. He checked my vitals. Blood pressure was way down, for one thing. He got a hunch. "I once had a patient with symptoms just like yours," he said. "Turned out he had food allergies. Why not get checked out for food allergies?"
At least seven children have died and dozens fell ill due to an unidentified disease in Bihar's Araria district, officials said Tuesday.
The children in Simaria village in Araria, about 400 km from here, suffered from high fever and a type of rash before they died, a district administration official told IANS.
Nearly half of the villagers have shifted to neighbouring villages in panic.
The children in Simaria village in Araria, about 400 km from here, suffered from high fever and a type of rash before they died, a district administration official told IANS.
Nearly half of the villagers have shifted to neighbouring villages in panic.
As the bacteria known as C. diff continues to raise concerns throughout the nation, a group of Ohio hospitals is having some success driving down the infections that patients pick up after they are admitted.
Clostridium difficile is one of the most common causes of bacterial colon infections and often is brought on by use of antibiotics, which can disrupt the normal bacteria in the bowel. Many infected people have no symptoms, but some become severely ill.
A recent report shared at an infection-control conference showed that C. diff infections are now more common than MRSA infections at 28 hospitals in the Southeast. MRSA is a deadly, drug-resistant staph infection.
Clostridium difficile is one of the most common causes of bacterial colon infections and often is brought on by use of antibiotics, which can disrupt the normal bacteria in the bowel. Many infected people have no symptoms, but some become severely ill.
A recent report shared at an infection-control conference showed that C. diff infections are now more common than MRSA infections at 28 hospitals in the Southeast. MRSA is a deadly, drug-resistant staph infection.
A mysterious fever has claimed five lives, including that of two children, in the past 12 days at Trakuda village in Khambha taluka of Amreli district. The village has a population of 2,000.
The district health officers were not available for comment. The new born baby of Ashok Ambabhai did not survive even for a day. Savji Arjan's daughter had come to her maternal home for delivery but her baby too did not survive for long. Nileshpari Rameshpari, 17, Jivabahi Bhagvanbhai ,70, and Harjivan Premjibahi, 60, also fell victims to the fever.
The district health officers were not available for comment. The new born baby of Ashok Ambabhai did not survive even for a day. Savji Arjan's daughter had come to her maternal home for delivery but her baby too did not survive for long. Nileshpari Rameshpari, 17, Jivabahi Bhagvanbhai ,70, and Harjivan Premjibahi, 60, also fell victims to the fever.
Comment: Recently, and perhaps during the same period, similar case happened in Bihar's Araria district, India.
Some of Britain's best-known foods contain the controversial chemical bisphenol A, The Independent can reveal.
Tins of Heinz baked beans, soup and beans, John West and Princes fish, and Napolina tomatoes are lined with a membrane containing bisphenol A, or BPA. Other companies using it in their tins include the biggest retailers in the UK, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda, who use it for tins of tuna and sardines.
Britain's Food Standards Agency (FSA) has given the chemical the all-clear, in contrast to the US Food and Drug Administration, which in January expressed concern over its impact on the brains and development of young children and said it was "taking reasonable steps to reduce human exposure" to it in the food supply. After the American U-turn, the EU-funded European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) launched and is still carrying out a review of BPA.
Comment: Recently, and perhaps during the same period, similar case happened in Gujarat's Amreli district, India.