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Neurology StoriesToday's Featured Doctor |
Surgery Likely Better Than Exercise for Back Pain
The results of a four-year study on severe back pain show that spine surgery produces more and faster pain relief and greater improvement in function than exercise, physical therapy and analgesic drugs.
The study, known as the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial (SPORT), was published in the medical journal Spine. The results of the first two years of the research had already found that spine surgery works better than non-surgical techniques for patients who have herniated lumbar (lower back) discs. The next two years have confirmed those findings.
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Compound in Indian Curry Attenuates Strokes
Curry may also be a pharmaceutical. Research that's being conducted at the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine is showing that curcumin, the biologically active compound in curry's main spice, turmeric, can diminish the size of blood clots in the brain. These clots form when a blood vessel bursts in the brain, causing a hemorrhagic stroke. These comprise 17 percent of strokes, according to the American Stroke Association. As a bonus, curcumin reduces one's chances of coming down with cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Read more about Compound in Indian Curry Attenuates Strokes
Four Predictors of Long Life
Evidence is mounting that some rather surprising attributes and habits of a person's life can pretty well foretell whether that man or woman will live to a ripe old age. Here are four of them: -- Having strong legs. Leg strength translates into good flexibility, balance and endurance, which are crucial for avoiding the falls and other accidents that shorten so many seniors' lives. It's good to do squats, lunges and stair climbing to kill two birds with one stone: losing weight and gaining strength. Read more about Four Predictors of Long Life
Smoking's Link to Back Problems
Smoking causes cancer, lung disease and heart attacks, and disrupts body chemistry in such dangerous ways that a host of other ailments can result. So it's not surprising that even back problems might be caused by nicotine and smoke ingestion. Indeed, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) says smoking diminishes the blood supply to the bones, and saps them of calcium, both of which increase the possibility of the onset of osteoporosis. Suggestive of the relationship between smoking and back issues, one's chances for success after back surgery improve dramatically if one is a nonsmoker or has ceased smoking. Read more about Smoking's Link to Back Problems
As Goes Oral Health, So Goes General Health
Many studies are showing a persistent connection between gum disease and other ailments that afflict corners of the body far afield from the teeth. Specifically, when gingivitis (early-stage gum disease) or full-blown periodontal disease is present, it's often the case that doctors find that a patient has diabetes, kidney disorders, preterm labor, certain types of cancer, osteoporosis or even Alzheimer's disease. Read more about As Goes Oral Health, So Goes General Health
Mechanics of Sleep Apnea Show Why It's Perilous
Sleep apnea – in which a sleeping person repeatedly ceases breathing for intervals – restricts the brain’s blood flow and raises its blood pressure, eventually disrupting the brain’s ability to control these dynamics and shield itself from damage, a recent study showed.
The study, published by the American Physiological Society in the Journal of Applied Physiology, was performed by researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn. The results revealed why America’s 18 million sleep apnea sufferers are at much greater risk than others for stroke and for dying in their sleep. Read more about Mechanics of Sleep Apnea Show Why It's Perilous
How Sleep Apnea Can Cause a Stroke
Obstructive sleep apnea decreases blood flow to the brain and causes changes in the brain that increase sufferers' risk of suffering from a stroke or dying in their sleep, according to a study published by The American Physiological Society. The decreased blood flow to the brain causes elevated blood pressure within the brain that eventually harms the brain's ability to modulate these changes and prevent damage to itself.
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Expert Commentary: Steven Park, M.D. 3/9/2010
We know a lot about the molecular and biochemical processes that occur with Alzheimer's Disease. Autopsy studies show amyloid plaque deposition and neurofibrilary tangles. About 5% are hereditary, and the rest are spontaneous. There are different types of dementia, of which vascular dementia is the largest component. We also know that patients with atherosclerotic risk factors and history of stroke have the highest risk for AD.
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Sleep Loss And Alzheimer's Linked
Chronic sleep deprivation demonstrated in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease makes brain plaques appear earlier and more often, according to a Washington University School of Medicine report published in Science Express. The researchers involved also found that orexin, a protein that helps regulate the sleep cycle, appears to be directly involved in the increase.
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Brain Injury Linked to Mercury Vaccine Preservative
Parents and scientists concerned about an increasingly aggressive childhood vaccine schedule haven been given additional credence, according to a study in the journal NeuroToxicology. A team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh found that infant macaque monkeys receiving a single Hepatitis B vaccine containing the mercury-based preservative thimerosal experienced delays in developing critical reflexes controlled by the brainstem. The monkeys that did not receive the vaccine developed normally.
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