Health & WellnessS


Ambulance

Death toll from listeria outbreak in South Africa reaches 172, more than doubling previous numbers

Tanisha Heiberg
Reuters
Thu, 22 Feb 2018 15:11 UTC
listeria
The death toll from an outbreak of the food-borne disease listeria in South Africa has more than doubled from previous numbers given in January to 172 deaths, the government said on Thursday.

The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) said 915 cases of the disease have been confirmed since January last year, up from the previous figures given last month of 61 deaths and 720 confirmed outbreaks.

The government said the source of the outbreak was still unknown.

Comment: For more on listeria, see:

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Wine

Largest observational study to date finds alcohol use biggest risk factor for dementia


Science Daily
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 00:01 UTC
Alzheimer's
© pathdoc / Fotolia
Alcohol use disorders are the most important preventable risk factors for the onset of all types of dementia, especially early-onset dementia. This according to a nationwide observational study, published in The Lancet Public Health journal, of over one million adults diagnosed with dementia in France.

This study looked specifically at the effect of alcohol use disorders, and included people who had been diagnosed with mental and behavioural disorders or chronic diseases that were attributable to chronic harmful use of alcohol.

Of the 57,000 cases of early-onset dementia (before the age of 65), the majority (57%) were related to chronic heavy drinking.

Comment: The contradictory information about alcohol consumption continues to confuse as it seems to defy being nailed down. Is this stuff good or bad for us? Obviously the amount of alcohol consumed seems to be one of the keys to whether it's a health tonic or poison, but it would be nice to have some definitive information on the subject. See:

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Brain

Study of "superagers" show anatomically different brains


Press TV
Thu, 22 Feb 2018 00:01 UTC
superagers older woman
© Getty Images
It's pretty extraordinary for people in their 80s and 90s to keep the same sharp memory as someone several decades younger, and now scientists are peeking into the brains of these "superagers" to uncover their secret.

The work is the flip side of the disappointing hunt for new drugs to fight or prevent Alzheimer's disease.

Instead, "why don't we figure out what it is we might need to do to maximize our memory?" said neuroscientist Emily Rogalski, who leads the SuperAging study at Chicago's Northwestern University.

Comment: It's quite telling that the research seems to be setting "superagers" apart as having some sort of predisposition to maintaining their memory, completely divorced from what one would think would be the most important aspect - how they think.

See also:

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Cloud Precipitation

Minnesota toddler with rare allergy to water


Fox 5
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 11:04 UTC
Baby bathing
© Net Parents Org
Ivy Angerman of Minnesota is full of energy and curiosity like any 18-month-old child. Her parents say she is a happy toddler except when it comes to bath time. Doctors recently diagnosed ivy with aquagenic urticaria, a rare allergy to water that causes severe hives.

"As a father, it absolutely breaks your heart," Dan Angerman, her father, told KMSP/Fox9.com.

"I just thought, 'Is she ever going to be able to go to daycare? Is she ever going to be able to go to public school? Is she ever going to be able to go to the ocean?" mom Brittany Angerman said.

Comment: It's a very bizarre and tragic condition to have. From "The woman who is allergic to water" we read:
Technically, the condition isn't actually an allergy at all, since it's likely caused by an immune reaction to something within the body, rather than an over-reaction to something foreign, such as pollen or peanuts.

The earliest theory to explain how it works is that water is interacting with the outermost layer of skin, which consists mostly of dead skin cells, or the oily substance which keeps skin moist. Contact with water may cause these components to release toxic compounds, which in turn leads to an immune reaction.

Others have suggested that water may simply dissolve chemicals in the layer of dead skin, allowing them to penetrate deeper where they can cause an immune reaction.


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Health

Study Finds: Medical cannabis superior to opioids for chronic pain

GMI Research Group
Greenmedinfo.com
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 13:39 UTC
medical cannabis
Sufferers of chronic pain have been faced with a perilous decision-risk a crippling addiction to opioids or find a way to live with the pain. A new clinical study has focused on medical cannabis as an alternative to opioids, and the results may be a turning point towards a safe, plant-based option for easing pain

A new study published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine represents hope for millions of sufferers of chronic pain. Researchers at the Cannabis Clinical Research Institute at Soroka University Medical Center, and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), found that medical cannabis can significantly reduce chronic pain without adverse effects, particularly among adults aged 65 and older. Use of cannabis, aka medical marijuana, was found to be both safe and effective for elderly patients experiencing pain because of another medical condition, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
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SOTT Logo Radio

SOTT Focus: The Health & Wellness Show: Hello Darkness My Old Friend: The Ups and Downs of Caffeine


Sott.net
Fri, 23 Feb 2018 16:00 UTC
coffee
Caffeine is the most popular mood-altering drug in the world and a daily habit for millions (or billions?) of people. Whether it's savored in coffee, sipped in tea, devoured in chocolate or downed in cola we can't seem to get enough. Though mostly embraced as a concentration booster, workout and memory enhancer, caffeine has also been blamed for hypertension, sleep disturbances, stress and in some extreme cases, death.

Stay alert and join us for this episode of The Health and Wellness Show where we explored the ups and downs of this cherished substance, its 'addictive' properties, withdrawal symptoms, side effects and medicinal uses. Note: We talk about coffee. A lot.

Also stay tuned for Zoya's Pet Health Segment where she tells us about a coffee-drinking cat that lived to 34 years old!

Running Time: 01:18:07

Download: MP3

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Christmas Tree

UK: Cannabis license considered for boy saved from seizures by using "just 3 drops" of medicated oil


BBC
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 12:00 UTC
cannabis seizures boy
© Maggie Deacon/PA WireAt one point, Alfie had 3,000 seizures and 48 hospital visits in a year
A licence to allow a boy to legally take cannabis to treat his epilepsy is being considered by the government.

Six-year-old Alfie Dingley, from Kenilworth in Warwickshire, suffers up to 30 violent seizures a day.

The Home Office had denied the family's request for a licence as the drug is illegal in the UK.

But speaking in the House of Lords earlier, Health minister Baroness Williams said "every option is being considered" by ministers.

Comment: The decades of needless suffering caused by a failed government drugs 'war' against a plant which is medically proven to help with a great many health problems - a fact that has been known for well over a century:

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Pills

The overmedication of the elderly

Dr. Mercola
mercola.com
Wed, 21 Feb 2018 15:39 UTC
medication bottles
According to a survey conducted by Consumer Reports,1 you may be in the minority if you don't regularly take a prescription drug. In a sample of nearly 2,000 American adults, more than half regularly took prescription medications and the average adult took four. The total number of prescriptions filled by Americans increased by 85 percent from 1997 to 2016. However, the total population increased by only 21 percent during that same period.

Every age group is at risk for being diagnosed with a condition they may not actually have, and subsequently being prescribed medications they do not need. Many choose an over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription medication to feel better. You might assume that OTC drugs are safe, but availability does not equate to being risk-free. Some current OTC medications were once available by prescription only.

In an increasingly litigiousness environment, and under a very real fear of medical malpractice lawsuits, physicians often feel pressured to prescribe medications designed to relieve symptoms, but not seek the foundational cause of your condition. When physicians do not follow published standards of care and instead seek to provide individualized care to their patients, they may be publicly criticized by colleagues and potentially rebuked by their professional organization.

One group of individuals who are at high risk of receiving prescription medications for diseases or illnesses they do not actually have are nursing home residents who suffer from dementia.2
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Health

6 bodily tissues that can be regenerated through nutrition

Sayer Ji
Green Med Info
Sat, 17 Feb 2018 15:29 UTC
regenerating organs
It may come as a surprise to some, especially those with conventional medical training, but the default state of the body is one of ceaseless regeneration. Without the flame-like process of continual cell turnover within the body - life and death ceaselessly intertwined - the miracle of the human body would not exist.

In times of illness, however, regenerative processes are overcome by degenerative ones. This is where medicine may perform its most noble feat, nudging the body back into balance with foods, herbs, nutrients, healing energies, i.e. healing intention. Today, however, drug-based medicine invariably uses chemicals that have not one iota of regenerative potential; to the contrary, they almost always interfere with bodily self-renewal in order to suppress the symptoms against which they are applied.

Despite the outright heretical nature of things which stimulate healing and regeneration vis-à-vis the conventional medical system which frowns upon, or is incredulous towards, spontaneous remission in favor of symptom suppression and disease management, over the course of the past few years of trolling MEDLINE we have collected a series of remarkable studies on the topic...
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Wine

Drinking alcohol one of the keys to longevity says long term study of nonagenerians

Joe Dziemianowicz
Chicago Tribune
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 19:33 UTC
old drink alcohol age
The secret to living long into ripe old age has been heavily debated for quite some time.

Eating a healthier diet, regularly practising yoga in a peaceful park, visiting exotic hot springs to cleanse your body... people have tried all sorts of things to ensure longevity.

However, a study has discovered that the key to reaching past the age of 90 could all come down to drinking a couple of glasses of alcohol a night and putting on a few extra pounds.

Comment: Another common trait amongst "super agers" is a great many are smokers, they follow a traditional diet (typically high in animal fats), stay active, and they belong to a community:

See Also:

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