Modern medicine has extended human life expectancies, and that’s certainly a good thing. But as people live longer, age problems multiply. According to Alzheimer’s Disease International, a nonprofit federation of Alzheimer and dementia associations, there were about 35 million people living with dementia around the world circa 2009. Unfortunately, today that number is over 55
Have you ever felt exhausted at the end of a day when all you did was sit at a desk? It could be that you thought too hard. In a recent study, researchers from Pitie-Salpetriere University Hospital in Paris organized two groups of people. One group was given easy cognitive assignments, while the other group
During one of my substitute-teaching assignments, at the last minute I was asked to cover a class in the vocational area of the high school. All I was given was a room number, so I was surprised to find a classroom with a hospital bed, examination table, and other medical equipment. It was a pre-nursing
I have several friends who are constantly tracking their steps. Their goal is 10,000 steps a day, supposedly an important milestone for staying fit. Fine, but why is 10,000 the magic number? Good question, one that is answered in the May 2023 issue of Scientific American magazine. In an article entitled “The ‘10,000 Steps’ Gimmick,”
The current record for human longevity is 122 years, held by Jean Louise Calment who died in 1997. Living to age 100 is quite an achievement, and only a handful become super-agers at 110. So has the maximum human lifespan been reached? Some think we may still have a ways to go. A team lead by
“Your brain’s health may be the most powerful indicator of how long you will live.” I’m at the age where an article about longevity really gets my attention. So the National Geographic piece “How to take better care of your aging brain” by Michael S. Sweeney really caught my eye (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/longevity-life-brain-care-health-age?). The article’s conclusion is
It’s one thing to achieve medical breakthroughs, but something else entirely to get people to adopt them. Sometimes people will only listen to someone they trust. Like their barber. That was Michael DeVore’s thinking when he founded Live Chair Health. He knew there was a high trust factor between barbers and their customers. He also
Are you getting tired of the hot weather? It’s been pretty relentless; On July 6 The New York Times reported about 70 million people in the U.S. were under heat advisories or warnings. I’m sure you’ve seen the cautions about dehydration, heat exhaustion, and so forth. But you can be sitting in the shade with your glass of
Zombies aren’t the only ones looking for brains. Used brains of all kinds are needed for medical research to advance the discovery of better treatments and cures for brain diseases, disorders, and injuries. If this interests you, check out the Brain Donor Project at https://braindonorproject.org/. This topic is especially timely because there is a campaign
High blood pressure is a real health concern, and one of the most effective countermeasures is lowering salt intake. Sometimes that’s not as easy as it sounds, so you have to get creative. Especially if you’re in Japan. Japanese researchers have announced the development of computerized chopsticks that increase the salty taste of foods by
