Music Helps Lower Cholesterol
Doctors have found that prescribing music can improve heart health and lower cholesterol levels.
If a patient listens to 30 minutes a day of their favourite music, it not only relaxes them mentally but also benefits physically by expanding and clearing blood vessels.
This is believed to work by triggering the release into the bloodstream of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps to prevent the build up of blood clots and harmful cholesterol.
The findings are part of a growing body of research into the effects of music on the human body. Read more
Cancer Genes Decoded Mutations Found
For the first time, researchers have decoded all the genes of a person with cancer and found a set of mutations that might have caused the disease or aided its progression.
Using cells donated by a woman in her 50s who died of leukemia, the scientist sequenced all the DNA from her cancer cells and compared it to the DNA from her own normal, healthy skin cells. Then they zeroed in on 10 mutations abnormal growth, preventing the ells from suppressing that growth and enabling them to fight off chemotherapy. Read more
Obesity Ups Risk Of Cancer Death
Many obese people lack lean muscle mass which may put them at higher risk in battling diseases like cancer. This has been concluded in a latest Canadian study that was conducted at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
The study found that body compositions of cancer patients determined their survival rates as well as their activity levels during the illness and even the reaction to chemotherapy treatment.
The study viewed computed tomography images of 250 obese cancer patients.
Their findings showed that patients with a condition called sarcopenic obesity a depletion of lean muscle mass, paired with being severely overweight lived an average of 10 months less than their counterparts who were obese, but had more lean muscle mass.
Source: TOI
Testosterone Patch Can Give Women’s Libido a Boost
Testosterone patch boosts libido in older women. A simple stomach patch loaded with the male hormone testosterone boosts sexual drive. This has been found in new study by Australian scientists.
Testosterone is the only agent known to improve desire and arousal in women.
The study was conducted on 814 post menopausal women worldwide who were given either the male hormone or a dummy patch. The patch was put on the stomach and was changed twice weekly.
The patch has been developed by Procter and Gamble, a US based drug company.
Before the study, the women enjoyed half their sexual encounters. However, after six months, those on the testosterone patch had an extra two satisfying experiences a month, in contrast with 0.7 among the placebo group.
Source: TOI
Migraine Reduces Breast Cancer Risk
In a recent study and puzzling revealation, women who have a history of migraine headaches are far less likely to develop breast cancer than other women.
The study is the first to look at the relationship between breast cancer and migraine and its findings may point to new ways of reducing a woman’s breast cancer risk, they said.
“We found that, overall, women who had a history of migraine had a 30 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who did not have a history of such headaches,” said Christopher Li of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Li said the reduction in risk was for the most common types of breast cancers those driven by hormones. Hormones also play a role in migraine.
Source: TOI
Coffee Can Lead To Low Birth Weight of Kids
Pregnant women need to be careful. Recent study has issued a warning that pregnant women should reduce their caffiene consumption to two cups of coffee a day if they are avid coffee drinkers. Otherwise they stand at risk of giving birth to under weight babies.
Current recommended caffeine limit of 300 mg a day to 200 mg, the equivalent of two average-sized mugs of instant or two ups of brewed coffee a day.
It has also identified other products containing caffeine that count towards the 200 mg total. The limit is equivalent to four cups of tea, five cans of cola, three energy drinks or five bars of chocolate.
Coffee shops have higher levels of caffeine in their drinks. Read more
Jugular Venous Pulse – JVP
Normal Jugular Venous Pulse (JVP):
The normal JVP consists of three positive pulse waves a, cand v and two negative pulse waves x and y.
The ‘A’ Wave: The ‘a’ wave is produced by retrograde transmission of the pressure pulse produced by right atrial contraction. In normal subjects the ‘a’ wave is often the largest positive wave visible, coinciding with the fourth heart sound.
1. ‘a’ wave is absent in atrial fibrillation
2. ‘a’ wave is diminished in
- Tachycardia
- Prolonged PR interval Read more
You Might Be Programmed To Be Fat
You might have been programmed to become obese before you were born. A new research has suggested thatt eating a high-fat diet in pregnancy may cause changes in the fetal brain that lead to obesity early in life.
Rat mothers who were fed a high-fat diet had many more brain cells specialized to produce appetite-stimulating proteins, a finding that may help explain why obesity rates have soared in recent years. Read more
MK-677 – The Drug That Could Retain Youth In Elderly
A drug that restores mucle mass in elderly has been found. Scientists claim that with this they have come closer to the fountain of youth
Experts at the University of Virginia Health System said that a daily dose of an investigational medication has been found to restore muscle mass in the arms and legs of older adults and improve some of their biochemistry to levels found in healthy young adults. Read more
Do You Snore?
Snoring is the vibration of respiratory structures and the resulting sound, due to obstructed air movement during breathing while sleeping. In some cases the sound may be soft, but in other cases, it can be rather loud and quite unpleasant. The structures are usually the uvula and soft palate. The irregular airflow is caused by a blockage and usually due to one of the following:
- Throat weakness, causing the throat to close during sleep
- Mispositioned jaw, often caused by tension in the muscles
- Fat gathering in and around the throat
- Obstruction in the nasal passageway
Snoring is a serious medical condition and in some cases can even lead to high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems.
If a person snores then he/she should get themselves screened at a sleep medicine clinic as in the long run it could result in high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems.
Sleep Apnea is dangerous consequence of ignoring a snoring problem. In this, patients don’t breathe for more than 10 seconds due to obstructed airway. As a result, they have disturbed sleep at night and make up for it by sleeping in the day.
Experts say this can be dangerous as people can suddenly fall asleep while driving.
Doctors say it is important to diagnose this problem in the initial stages as it can be cured.