Scans find marker of Alzheimer’s decline
Scientists are peeking inside living brains to watch for the first time as a toxic duo of plaques and tangles interact to drive Alzheimer’s disease — and those tangles may predict early symptoms, a finding with implications for better treatments.It’s not clear exactly what causes Alzheimer’s. Its best-known hallmark is the sticky amyloid that ... READ MORE
Try behavior therapy for chronic insomnia
Tossing and turning night after night? Don’t automatically reach for the pill bottle. New guidelines say the first choice to treat chronic insomnia should be cognitive behavioral therapy — a way to condition your body to slumber again.It takes more time and effort than popping a pill, but the American College of Physicians says the method known as CBT can be effective and... READ MORE
Study seeks former smokers with COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) describes a set of progressive lung diseases that include emphysema, chronic bronchitis, non-reversible asthma and some forms of bronchiectasis (a widening of the airways that can lead to infection).Symptoms of the condition include increased shortness of breath, frequent coughing (with and without sputum), wheezing and tightness in the chest. In ... READ MORE
Help test a vaccine to prevent avian flu
Bird flu has been out of the news for a while, but that doesn’t mean it may not be a threat at some point, or that it might not cause serious disease. The flu strain known as H5N1 has caused large outbreaks in domestic poultry in parts of Asia and the Middle East.Although H5N1 does not usually infect humans, nearly 650 cases of bird flu in humans have been reported from 15 countries... READ MORE
Exercise builds brain as well as brawn
You probably know that regular exercise offers a wealth of benefits for your body, like staving off excess weight and chronic illnesses like heart disease and diabetes. But mounting evidence suggests that exercise is also good for your brain.A study published in the journal Neurology links better cardiovascular fitness to improved thinking skills in older adults.The findings add to our... READ MORE
Pancreas cell transplants help diabetics
Transplants of insulin-producing pancreas cells are a long hoped-for treatment for diabetes — and a new study shows they can protect the most seriously ill patients from a life-threatening complication of the disease, an important step toward U.S. approval. These transplants are used in some countries, but in the U.S. they’re available only through research studies. Armed with the... READ MORE
A prom that has two generations dancing
When you hear the term “senior prom” you probably think of high school seniors dancing the night away in their school gymnasium. However, in this column, I’m going to talk about a different type of senior prom — one that brought together older adults and teens. The Jewish Council for the Aging (JCA)’s Interages program recently hosted a senior prom that could knock your socks... READ MORE
New treatments for leukemia are studied
Nearly 19,000 new cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) will be reported this year in the U.S., according to American Cancer Society statistics. Testing new drugs Sinai Hospital and Northwest Hospital, members of LifeBridge Health, are participating in two nationwide clinical trials sponsored by TG Therapeutics aimed at improving treatment options for people with CLL. TG... READ MORE
You can fight back when drugs are denied
You make a routine trip to the pharmacy to fill a prescription. But the pharmacist tells you your Medicare drug plan won’t cover the drug. You walk away with no medication — and no clear explanation about why you were denied coverage. More and more seniors are finding themselves in this confusing and potentially dangerous situation, patient advocates say. Questions about... READ MORE
Drug distribution can block competition
The same strategy that Martin Shkreli used to get away with a 5,000-percent price increase on an old drug is used by many other drugmakers to maintain sky-high prices on billions of dollars’ worth of medications. Before the price hike that made him infamous, the former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals had to ensure that no competitor would be able to launch a cheaper version of Daraprim,... READ MORE
Health 2025
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