The central nervous system is bathed in fluid. This fluid provides a buffer against shock, as well as providing a good medium for the transmission of chemical signals. (Electrical signals are handled by the neurons.) The central nervous system is extremely sensitive to dehydration, which is why headaches are so common: most people are somewhat dehydrated. We consider ourselves too … Continue reading..
Here is an article from a San Antonio, Texas paper about replacing the aortic valve in the heart without cracking the chest, but instead using a minimally-invasive catheter technique:
This is absolutely thrilling news. Open-heart surgery is one of the most inherently worrisome and fraught forms of surgery, with an unbelievably painful post-op recovery phase. Simply cracking the … Continue reading..
This article states that around 5% of non-depressed people go on to develop depression when they eat junk food of the baked-goods variety (like croissants, pecans spins and Twinkies) or fast food.
Link between fast food and depression confirmed
The authors assume the link is causal (fast/junk food causes depression), but I don’t see why. Many people … Continue reading..
… In a number of ways.
This article describes a new finding which relates memory loss and cognitive dysfunction to a loss of glutamate receptors in the prefrontal cortex (PFC):
body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedaily.com%2Freleases%2F2012%2F03%2F120307132202.htm&subject=How+repeated+stress+impairs+memory
They state that this is why the PFC tends to falter in the face of repeated stress: the receptors for one of the key neurotransmitters … Continue reading..
This is about what we used to call numeric literacy:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120210133346.htm#.TzdCY4vl1xg.mailto
I have problems with using the word “numeracy” to mean “numeric literacy”, but I can adapt. To me, the word “numeracy” means “of or relating to numbers”; therefore, to be numerate means to be of or relating to numbers, and that doesn’t make sense.
This spasm of reflexive … Continue reading..
“ScienceDaily (2012-01-10) — Patients simultaneously treated for both Type 2 diabetes and depression improve medication compliance and significantly improve blood sugar and depression levels compared to patients receiving usual care, according to a new study.”
In plain English, this means that people with non-insulin-dependent diabetes need to be treated both for diabetes and depression; when that happens, twice … Continue reading..
OK, this stuff is cool enough to make me want to keep my iPhone:
iPhone glucometer:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/01/video-ihealth-smart-glucometer/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=facebookclikthru
iPhone blood pressure monitors & trackers:
http://mashable.com/2011/07/03/review-two-blood-pressure-monitors-for-iphone-ipad-video/
I’d like to design a mobile app for tracking and managing pain. Flareups and neurotoxic food sensitivities wouldn’t stand a chance. Touchscreens rock for radio buttons and simple data entry; just have to make … Continue reading..
This ScienceDaily article reports on a study which states that the personality differences between men and women are simply enormous and have been substantially underreported for years:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104174812.htm
However, if you read the actual methodology used in the study, you’ll see that the entire population studied was from only one country, the US:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0029265
“Personality measures … Continue reading..
A fascinating study which further clarifies the role of those fascinating, complex, busy busy cells, the glia:
ScienceDaily (2011-12-29) — New research indicates that glia cells are “the brain’s supervisors.” By regulating the synapses, they control the transfer of information between neurons, affecting how the brain processes information. This new finding could be critical for technologies based … Continue reading..
I just went looking for scholarly articles linking chronic CRPS to the HPA axis damage that has been such a feature of my life. Though me, my cohorts and all my providers have been talking freely about this for years, there was nothing on PubMed and nothing of value in the Google search.
It’s possible to chain together articles … Continue reading..
