Finally! Scentists Invent the Ouchless Bandage.

You would think that a painless bandage would have been developed years ago!  We all have experienced the pain of pulling off a band-aid, especially when there is hair that is ripped out with its removal.

This can be an even worse for newborn babies whose skin is extremely fragile.

After observing spider webs and gecko feet for inspiration, MIT biomedical engineers have created a type of adhesive tape with three layers. A non-sticky backing and an adhesive layer are connected by an anti-adhesive layer.  The bandage is able to stick by a pattern on the non-adhesive section and does not pull when removed.

Yeah...I don't get it either, but if it works that's all that matters.

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Black Women Die Sooner After Breast Cancer Diagnosis

According to a study by the American Cancer Society, black women diagnosed with breast cancer were 50% more likely to die within three years than white women with breast cancer.

The study also found that Asian women were 40% less likely than white women to die of breast cancer in the first three years after diagnosis.

On average, the black women were diagnosed at a later stages of the disease.  These findings are preliminary but reinforce the importance of early detection, especially for black women.

Obesity Can Affect Sense of Smell. Fat Cells May Change Olfaction.

We all know that obesity can cause heart disease, stroke and diabetes but research is looking into other effects of carrying excess fat in the body.  Fat cells produce substances of their own that can affect other organs and systems.

Focus is being placed on the olfactory bulb, which contains the most insulin receptors outside the pancreas.  Researchers bred mice that had a highly sensitive sense of smell.  These mice remained thin, even when fed a high fat diet.  When they removed the olfactory bulb from these mice, they were no longer resistant to obesity.

It's not determined yet how smell and obesity are connected, but theoretically it appears that fat cells may produce some kind of chemical that affects olfaction.  Or maybe it's the other way around: People with faulty senses of smell are more prone to obesity.  Future tests may focus on ways to alter or improve one's sense of smell for the purpose of weight loss.

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New Quick HIV Test for Babies in Africa

In Afica, where HIV is such an epidemic, early detection is necessary to ensure the best prognosis.  An untreated HIV positive baby will likely die before they turn two years old.  A company is testing out a new way of testing for HIV very early.  The test requires a drop of blood from the baby's heel and results are returned in just less than an hour. If the baby is HIV positive treatment will begin immediately.

The test works by detecting a low level of a core protein made by the virus.

Before, the test was sent out for processing and results would take 3 months. 

Read more HERE.

Coffee Made of Elephant Poop? Black Ivory Blend.

A Thai hotel is selling Black Ivory blend coffee brewed from coffee beans that have been digested and excreted in the dung of elephants.   The coffee beans are picked out of the poop by the elephant trainers and dried in the sun.

The price is not cheap, costing $50 for two cups.  Apparently this elephant poop coffee is so desirable because during the digestion process enzymes break down the protein in the coffee beans.  Protein is the cause of the bitterness in coffee, so this Black Ivory blend is less bitter, if at all.

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Woman Loses Weight By Eating & Drinking at Starbucks!

A 66-year old librarian lost 88 pounds by eating at Starbucks for two years.  Her Starbucks Diet consisted mostly of black coffee, oatmeal and bistro boxes. She stuck to a 900 daily calorie allowance which was easy to keep track of  because the calories are conveniently listed on the packaging.

The woman spent an estimated $154 dollars a week to sustain this diet.  This seems like a lot but the average person spends $151 dollars a week to eat.

It's simple math and determination that made her successful at the weight loss and the same can be done at any other fast food chain or with any other diet.  The most important concern at hand may be if this method of weight loss allows a person to get all of the necessary nutrients. In the long run, is the Starbucks diet healthy if done consistently?

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Vitamin D Does NOT Fight Colds!

Although Vitamin D has been touted for boosting the immune system and preventing the common cold, new research suggests otherwise.

A New Zealand study found that people who took large amounts of vitamin D per month still caught as many colds as those who were not taking these mega doses.   And their colds lasted for just as long.  This study is not totally conclusive and there are factors that may have affected the findings.  For example, if the subjects' unknown immunity level was already high, the vitamin D would not have made much a difference in their immunity.

Still, Vitamin D is great for other things, such as maintaining healthy teeth and bones.  Just don't bank on it to keep you from getting sick this year.  Maybe Vitamin C would be a better bet.

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Man Looks Amazing Seven Months after Face Transpant

Richard Lee Norris was injured in a gun accident 15 years ago, which disfigured his face.  In March he finally underwent an extensive face transplant surgery which involved the replacement of the muscles and nerve endings in much of his face.

The procedure took 36 hours!

 

 

Seven months later, Norris looks great and seems to have a better quality of life.  He is doing tons of physical therapy to strengthen his muscles and notices improvements in his speech and facial expressions.

Richards results show how much more advanced these surgeries are becoming over time because his face transplant is the best I've seen. 

Read more HERE.

Hydrogen Peroxide Contact Solutions More Effective Against Fungi

Even if you take the best care of your contact lenses, there is always the risk of infection--especially that of fungi. Fungi (along with bacteria) form biofilms which is a colony of microorganisms that stick to each other and form a slimy matrix on surfaces (in this case, a contact lens).   These biofilms make the fungi more resistant to disinfection and removal.

In 2006, Bausch & Lomb settled hundreds of lawsuits due to a huge outbreak of fungal eye infections connected to their RENU Moisture-Loc contact lens solution.  It was found that some of the batches were not stored at appropriate temperatures, causing them to lose some of their disinfecting ability.

The organism responsible for all this fungal outbreak was the Fusarium species.  Such an infection is difficult to treat when it infects the eyes.

Studies show that contact lens cleaning solutions containing hydrogen peroxide are more effective in fighting the proliferation of fungi than regular multi-purpose contact lens solution.

Researchers tested two hydrogen peroxide contact solutions and five multi-purpose contact lens solutions against the biofilms of Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum.  The two hydrogen peroxide solutions were effective against both strains.

Only two of the five regular multi-purpose solutions were effective against the biofilms of F.solani and only one of the five were effective against F. oxysporum.

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Halloween Contacts can Cause Pink Eye and Scarring!

Decorative Halloween contact lenses may add that final touch to the perfect costume.  There are all kinds of colors and designs that complete the look, but there are dangers and risks involved when you decide to insert unfitted contact lenses into your eyes. 

It's easy to believe that cheap, non prescription contacts don't require the same consideration as professionally prescribed contacts, but this is not true.  Improperly fitted contact lenses can cause scrapes on the eye.  Also, these decorative lenses may not be stored properly in sterile solution and could cause infections due to bacteria.

Did you know that it's actually illegal to sell decorative contacts without a prescription? There are many stores that do, but they are breaking the law.   So think twice before buying these contacts for Halloween.

Click HERE for more information.

AntiDepressant to Help Pain in Head and Neck Cancer Patients

It's a day of hope for the head and throat cancer patients experiencing side effects from radiation therapy.  It has been found that acupuncture may help relieve chronic dry mouth symptoms in these patients.

It has now been discovered that the antidepressant called Doxepin may help relieve pain from oral mucositis, another side effect of radiation in head and neck cancer patients.

Oral mucositis is another word for mouth sores.  Obviously this is a painful condition that makes it difficult to eat, swallow or talk.

Study subjects were given an oral rinse of Doxepin (which is usually used to treat depression and anxiety)  and asked to measure their pain level at various points after rinsing with it.  Some side effects included burning, stinging and drowsiness.  However, 64% of the patients decided to continue using the Doxepin after the trial was over.



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Children That Get Migraines Perform Worse in School

Really? 

There was a study conducted to see how much the schoolwork of a child with migraines is affected. Depending on the frequency of the migraines theses kids were between 1.3 and 1.6 more likely to perform below average in school in comparison to kids who did not experience them.

A neurologist in a pediatric hospital hopes that studies like this will help children with migraines to get swifter treatment.  These kids have to deal with the physical pain of these headaches and also with adults and parents who don't understand their condition.

Read more HERE for more details on the study.

Why Can't Women Do Pull-Ups in Gym?

A pullup is simply when you grab onto a raised horizontal bar with a forward grip (palms down) and use the upper body strength to pull your body upwards until your chin raises over the bar.  A chin-up is the same exercise, except you would use a backward grip (palms up) and find it easier to achieve.

In the marines, women are not required to do pullups, as it's obvious that most women's bodies just can't do it. 

picsource: officercandidatesschool.com


Researchers took 17 women who could not do a single pull-up and had them work out their biceps and latissimus dorsi back muscle for 3 months. At the end of the training period they had increased their upper body strength by 36% and dropped 2% body fat.  But guess how many could now do a pullup?  Four.

Obviously it takes more than just fitness and strength to do a pull-up.  Women (and men) who can do a pullup have a particular combo of strength, short stature and low body fat.  Women have less testosterone and therefore don't build as much muscle.  Women also can't reduce their body fat as much as men.  Men can get down to as low as 2% body fat, while women usually only can get down to about 10% at most.

For more on this study click here.

Acupuncture to Help Relieve Dry Mouth in Cancer Patients

Dry mouth is an unfortunate side effect of radiation in the treatment of head and throat cancers.  The only medical treatment for this is Salagen, which comes with side effects of its own,  or the use of special mouthwashes and toothpastes that don't always prove effective.

It seems that acupuncturists have known that their methods could help these cancer patients for a long time, but these patients don't typically seek out alternative treatments.

Research may change that.  144 cancer patients experiencing chronic dry mouth were selected for this study.  They were divided into two groups.  One group attended 2-hour education sessions on oral care and the other group had 20-minute acupuncture sessions that targeted points that stimulate salivary glands.

Then both groups switched places.

By the end of the whole experiment, participants were nearly twice as likely to report a positive change in 5 out 6 chronic dry mouth symptoms. 

Don't get too excited.  Still, at the end of this study, only 1/4 reported improvement.

It doesn't seem like a promising treatment for all, but it wouldn't hurt to try it.

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What are the Nutrients in Broccoli?

Broccoli is a very healthy vegetable that provides many nutrients for promoting health.  Broccoli contains Vitamin C, Vitamin A, folic acid, calcium and fiber.  All of these nutrients are important for a healthy body. 

Let's go through each of these and see why broccoli is such a healthy vegetable.

Vitamin C:  The recommended daily intake (RDA) for vitamin C is 75 mg. A half cup broccoli contains about 52 mg of Vitamin C.  It is important in collagen production and maintaining proper immune function.  Vitamin C is seems to play a role in cancer prevention, the treatment of cataracts and healing the common cold.

Vitamin A: Vitamin A is important for the skin. Vitamin A also helps with the vision, improving sight in low-light.

Folic Acid:  Folic acid is important for DNA synthesis and cell division.  This is especially important during pregnancy when cells are consistently growing to create baby organs.

Calcium:  Broccoli does not contain as much calcium as a glass of milk, but every little bit helps, right.  Calcium is important to maintain healthy bones and teeth.  It is also important in muscle function.

Fiber: Fiber is important for the function of digestion and aids in preventing constipation.  It also helps to lower blood sugar.

In addition to all of these vitamins, broccoli is included in the cabbage family. These cruciferous vegetables are linked to lower cancer rates.

Broccoli also has sulpforaphane which helps to reduce the presence of the bacteria Helicobacter Pylori, which is a cause of gastric cancer.

Broccoli also contains indoles which improve liver function and acts as an anti-cancer agent.

Makeup Can Cause Early Menopause in Women?

Early menopause can be brought on by the use of makeup?

How scary. Washington University has determined that the pthalates found in cosmetics (along with food packaging) may accelerate menopause!  Isn't that ironic.  Women wear makeup to look younger but doing say may cause them to go through the change before time.   Women exposed to these chemicals were shown to stop menstruating at age 49, whereas the normal age is 51. 

The research here is still tentative, but do you think most women would sacrifice 3 years of menstruation to be beautiful today?  I think they would.

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Research Gets Aggressive with Lyme Disease Research

Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdoferi and is carried by ticks.  It was discovered in 1981 and humans become infected with the bacteria when bitten by a tick carrying the tiny organism. It causes inflammation and infection in body tissues and can also progress to causing neurological symptoms and heart problems, among many other things.  It is treated with antibiotics and some cases are more severe than others.

Lyme disease affects around 30,000 Americans yearly and researchers are now trying to find the specific genes that make the Borrelia organism so relentless and persistent.

They are now on a mission to figure out the spirochete's method of survival and exactly how it is able to proliferate in the body.  Lyme disease patients are probably wondering why some research like this has not been a priority before now, but better late than never.

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Aspirin as Preventative Treatment for Colon Cancer?

Interesting.  A new study seems to show that aspirin may be helpful in treating colon cancer.

Don't get too excited.  Evidence shows that the aspirin seems to only be effective for the colon cancer patient who have a certain gene mutation.  This mutation seems to be present in 1/6 of all colon cancer patients and aspirin does not seem to be effective for those who do not have the mutation.

Doctors are tentative about these findings and more research must be done before aspirin is recommended widely for colon cancer. 

Colo-rectal cancers are the leading cause of cancer deaths all over the world.  It would be a huge breakthrough if aspirin could help to save some of these lives.

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