Daily Health News Blog

Niacin Protective against Dementia in Aging Taking niacin may help protect patients against Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of cognitive decline according to the results of a recent study. A research team followed 3,718 participants in the Chicago Health and Aging Project for six years and tracked their niacin intake and mental status via food frequency questionnaires and testing of cognitive functioning at three-year intervals. The subjects were 65 and older and did not have Alzheimer's Disease when the study began. Scientists tested a random sample of 815 subjects, 131 of whom had developed Alzheimer's. When the niacin intake of the sample was examined, it was found that subjects who ranked in the top three-fifths of the sample's niacin consumption through supplements and foods had a 70% lower adjusted risk of developing the disease than those in the lowest sample. Even when the vitamin was obtained from food alone, the protective benefit was similar. Cogn

How To Cure White Patches on Skin By: Dr. Mital John White patches affecting millions of population from any races and both sexes. Actually this post is a brief discussion about the skin conditions which causes the white patches on skin, what are the causes of these patches and how these skin conditions can be treated. The other cause of this is called vitiligo. This is a condition of unknown cause, but is probably an autoimmune condition. The pigment cells in the skin are absent, and so even pale skin shows white patches, and this is much more noticeable in dark skin. Some causes of white patches on the skin include: • Vitiligo - causing white patches • Hypo pigmentation • Halo nevus - a pale mole with surrounding hypo pigmentation. • Skin injury - causes a white or pale patch during skin recovery. • Tania vesicular • Lichen sclerosis • Leprosy Other causes of white patches include deficiency of vitamin B12 which in turn leads to anemia, hyper activity of the thyroid

Millions of people who have hypertension, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, or a family history of premature heart disease—or who have already had a heart attack—have been advised by their doctors to take low-dose aspirin. Just one-quarter adult tablet (81 milligrams, sometimes called a "baby" aspirin) daily reduces the tendency of the blood to clot, thus helping to ward off heart attack and stroke. Some people take half a tablet (162 milligrams) every other day or daily. Aspirin therapy has probably saved thousands of lives. If you are on it, you may have noticed recent headlines and TV news reports claiming that for some people, aspirin doesn’t work. What’s going on here? As aspirin therapy has become commonplace, scientists have learned more about it. While low-dose aspirin reduces the risk of a first heart attack in middle-aged men by 44%, for example, it is not a cure-all. Some people on aspirin therapy have a heart attack anyway. No one is sure why—but one factor may b

When it comes to cholesterol, most people think lower is better. But it isn’t so simple. While all the cholesterol you eat is the same, cholesterol in the blood travels in different types of packages. The two basic kinds are LDL (low-density lipoprotein, the "bad" type), which promotes atherosclerosis, and HDL (high-density lipoprotein, the "good" type), which helps protect against this. So while you want to keep your LDL and total cholesterol low, you want to keep your HDL high. HDL is turning out to be even more cardio-protective than previously thought. Not only does it help remove cholesterol from artery walls, but recent research indicates that it also acts as an antioxidant, reduces inflammation and blood clotting, and helps blood vessels to dilate and stay flexible. Low HDL is a part of the metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that greatly increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes. It’s estimated that for every 1 mg/dl incre

Socializing to Continue Healthy Aging It is always a good thing to have friends, which you can socialize with. There are so many good things about being around people. It is difficult living alone without someone there to lend you an ear when needed. Unfortunately, we live in a world filled with consume souls, which rarely take the time to share and listen to others. Still, you can find someone in the billions of people in the world who will listen. When you are alone you, feel lonely. At this time your body and mind endures unwarranted stress from lack of socialization. Experts tell us all the time to get out and enjoy life, since withering away, locked behind the walls of your home will affect your health. What problems can non-socializing cause? Non-socialization can affect your mind and body. Usually a person who refuses to socialize will sit around dawdling in self-pity. The mind starts to stress out, which leads to depression. While you may enjoy being alone away from stre

Is Exercise a Natural Sleep Aid for Seniors? There are a number of reasons why exercise, particularly if performed at the right time of day, is considered the most positive sleep aid for seniors. None, however, are more significant than the fact that exercise is a completely natural form of aid. But before discussing why exercise is such a great sleep aid, it is important to examine both the definition of insomnia and the reasons that people suffer from this affliction. At its basic level, insomnia is defined as a difficulty to either fall or stay asleep, or to experience sleep that seems inadequate or fails to produce the refreshing feeling that sleep normally provides, despite the length of time spent sleeping. Insomnia is not considered a disease, rather it is a symptom that is thought to have numerous, quite different causes. Of the types of things that can lead to patterns of insomnia, physicians note that physical disorders, drinking large amounts of alcohol in th

The Importance of the 12 B Vitamin The 12 b vitamin is one of the b vitamins that are essential to maintain a healthy body. Otherwise known as Cobalamin, the 12b vitamin is needed for the processes to convert the carbohydrates, fats and proteins from food into energy. 12 b also, more importantly, helps keep the red blood cells healthy and therefore prevent heart disease as well as keeping the immune system functioning at its maximum level. In addition, 12 b is used to create the protective covering of all nerve cells in the body. The most important function of 12 b is to form healthy red blood cells. However, all cells need 12 b to keep them healthy. It is the white blood cells, amongst others, that need 12 b to help ensure that the immune system functioning properly. All of the nerve cells in the body also need 12 b to form their protective fatty layer. This is essential for all of the nerves but is especially so for those in the brain. If there is not sufficient 12 b to creat