Fatigue

 

Do Artificial Sweeteners Raise Odds for Obesity?

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Artificial sweeteners may be less helpful than many believe in helping people lose weight and avoid health problems associated with extra pounds, a new evidence review suggests.

Aspartame, saccharin, sucralose and other artificial sweeteners did not lead to any significant weight loss in more than 1,000 participants in seven clinical trials, said lead researcher Meghan Azad. Clinical trials are considered the “gold standard” of medical research, added Azad, an assistant professor of pediatrics with the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada.

At the same time, the combined data from 30 observational studies involving more than 400,000 participants showed that artificial sweeteners are associated with obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart health problems. Observational studies cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship, however.

These results are “kind of the opposite of what these products are intended for,” Azad said. “It should make pe
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What happens when disaster strikes

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There are a lot of scary threats in the world – extreme weather, terrorist attacks, deadly infectious diseases, mass shootings – but if healthcare organisations plan ahead for such disasters, lives can be saved.

The first step for health care organisations preparing for emergencies is to accurately assess the kinds of hazards they may face, such as flooding, power outages, or violence, emergency preparedness expert, Paul Biddinger said at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health as part of the Hot Topics summer lecture series.

In 2005, Biddinger and colleagues learned from consultants from Israel—who’d dealt with bombings that resulted in mass casualties—that the average time from when a bomb goes off until the first person reaches the closest emergency department is four minutes. Experts from other places that had dealt with bombings, including London, Madrid, and Mumbai, confirmed that events unfold incredibly quickly during a disaster.

Realising that
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The Real Truth: Antidepressants Actually Deplete These 3 Crucial Nutrients for the Brain !!

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Antidepressants are one of the most prescribed medications out there.
One in six Americans takes antidepressants or other psychiatric medications, most of them (84.3%) on a long-term basis. (1) This is especially concerning when using addictive drugs like Valium and Xanax. (2)

That number is more than double what it was in 1999….
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A first for South Africa:- Biosimilar oncology drug authorised for use

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Cipla, South Africa’s third-largest pharmaceutical manufacturer, in collaboration with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, has announced the launch of the country’s first biosimilar for the oncology and haematology markets.

Filgrastim Teva, manufactured by Teva and distributed in South Africa by Cipla, paves the way for more affordable treatments to aid in the fight against dread diseases such as cancer, according to Paul Miller, CEO of Cipla South Africa.

“This landmark development for the South African pharmaceutical industry only happened after a thorough approval process. Not only does the approval of Filgrastim Teva hold major significance for the advancement of affordable supportive oncology treatments, but the learnings from this process will assist in faster approvals for more biosimilar medicines in future.”

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16 Foods That Boost Your Immune System

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Elderberry
It’s an old folk remedy. This fruit is loaded with nutrients called antioxidants, and it may help fight inflammation. In some lab studies, an extract from the berries appears to block flu viruses. But scientists caution that more study is needed. You definitely still need to get a yearly flu vaccination!

Button Mushrooms
They give you the mineral selenium and the B vitamins riboflavin and niacin. That helps you in several ways. If you’re low on selenium, you may be more likely to get a more severe flu. Riboflavin and niacin play a role in a healthy immune system.

Acai Berry
Its dark color is a sign that it’s got plenty of nutrients called anthocyanins.
There isn’t any research that shows acai is good for any specific condition. But in general, antioxidants from foods are a key part of a healthy lifestyle.
Enjoy these berries in juice or smoothies, or try them dried and mixed with granola.

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A new Prostate treatment byproduct could accelerate cancer cell growth

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New research out of the United States points to a genetic anomaly in certain men with prostate cancer, which may impact their response to common drugs used to treat the disease.

Researchers found that abiraterone, a common prostate cancer drug, yields high levels of a testosterone-like byproduct in men with advanced disease who have a specific genetic variant.

The study’s lead researcher, Dr Nima Sharifi, who is based at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute, previously discovered that men with aggressive prostate cancer who have a specific variant in the HSD3B1 gene have poorer outcomes than patients without the variant. HSD3B1 encodes an enzyme that allows cancer cells to use adrenal androgens for fuel. This enzyme is overactive in patients with the variant HSD3B1(1245C).

Sharifi and his team in the Department of Cancer Biology, including first author, Dr Mohammad Alyamani, found that men with the genetic anomaly metabolise abiraterone differently
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Vitamin D Deficiency

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If you shun the sun, suffer from milk allergies, or adhere to a strict vegan diet, you may be at risk for vitamin D deficiency. Known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is produced by the body in response to skin being exposed to sunlight.

It is also occurs naturally in a few foods — including some fish, fish liver oils, and egg yolks — and in fortified dairy and grain products.

Vitamin D is essential for strong bones, because it helps the body use calcium from the diet. Traditionally, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with rickets, a disease in which the bone tissue doesn’t properly mineralize, leading to soft bones and skeletal deformities. But increasingly, research is revealing the importance of vitamin D in protecting against a host of health problems.

Symptoms and Health Risks of Vitamin D Deficiency

Symptoms of bone pain and muscle weakness can mean you have a vitamin D deficiency. However, for many people, the symptoms are
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Natural Cold and Flu Remedies

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Natural Cold and Flu Remedies

It’s no wonder these kinds of treatments are popular — we still have no cure for colds or the flu. While the flu vaccine may prevent the flu, and some prescription medications may shorten its symptoms, most conventional medications just ease symptoms. Many natural remedies can give you short-term relief as well, and a few may help you get better. See which ones show the most promise.

Echinacea
This herbal supplement may boost your immune system and help fight infections. But it’s unclear whether that helps you fight off colds. Most evidence shows echinacea doesn’t help prevent a cold, but some research found it shortens symptoms by a day or two. Other studies say it has no effect. To try it, take it when you start to feel bad and continue for 7 to 10 days.

Zinc
Some studies show it helps fight viruses, like the cold. They say the mineral stops certain proteins from forming before cold virus
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Medici medical app launches in South Africa

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A medical app, Medici, that is said to be revolutionising the doctor-patient relationship, is now available in South Africa. The next-generation secure messaging app enables users to communicate virtually with medical providers via text, call, or video.

Originally launched in the U.S., the app hosts an array of practitioners including family physicians, paediatricians, dermatologists, dentists, mental health providers, nutritionists, dieticians and even veterinarians, providing a more convenient and modernised method of consultation to suit all healthcare needs.

App users will receive a consultation receipt so that patients are able to claim back from their medical aid provider. Patients who aren’t covered by a medical aid will also benefit from the app as a result of the consultation fee being significantly lower than traditional examinations.

Partnerships

Medici Africa has partnered with Dr Michael Mol and Hello Doctor, already servicing
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Pool-Linked Infection Doubles in 2 Years

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Families seeking to cool off don’t expect to pick up a nasty infection. Yet, outbreaks of a diarrhea-causing parasitic infection have doubled in recent years at swimming pools and water playgrounds in the United States, health officials warn.

At least 32 outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis were reported in 2016, compared with 16 outbreaks in 2014, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Crypto is the most common cause of diarrhea, the CDC says. It spreads when people come in contact with the feces of an infected person.

Otherwise healthy people can be sick for up to three weeks with watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea or vomiting, the CDC warns. The infection can become life-threatening in people with compromised immune systems.

The cause? Adults or children sick with crypto-caused diarrhea are swimming in public pools despite their illness and further spreading the parasite, said Michele Hlavsa, chief of the CDC’s
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Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative brain disorder, read on for more information about PD.

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Parkinson’s disease (PD) which involves the death and malfunction of vital nerve cells in the brain, called neurons. This usually occurs in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra.

It leads to a reduction in a chemical called dopamine in the brain. Dopamine plays a vital role in regulating the movement of the body. A reduction in dopamine is responsible for many of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

The disease develops gradually sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. The symptoms continue and worsen over time thereby damaging a part of the brain. At the early stage of the Parkinson disease, there is always stiffness of muscles especially in the face or the arms. This will make a person unable to show expressions like smiling, laughing, swinging the arms and will cause slurred speech.

Parkinson’s comes with age. Most people with Parkinson’s start to develop symptoms when they’re over 50, although around 1 in
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Green Tea extract:- SA voted among best in the world

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A highly potent South African green tea extract has been voted among the world’s top new products at one of Europe’s most prestigious natural health trade shows.

Produced in the foothills of the Drakensberg in Mpumalanga and developed by scientists and medical experts, polyphenol-rich Origine 8 was voted as one of the top three out of 330 new health products in the Judges Choice Awards at the Natural & Organic Products Europe trade show (NOPE) in London…
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The winter is on it’s way so keeping the dreaded flu at bay !!

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That influenza, or flu, is merely an indisposition and not that serious is a myth. Graham Anderson, CEO and principal Officer at Profmed says: “The truth is that the flu is actually a relentless and possibly life-threatening disease which kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide every year.”

Graham says it is also incorrect to believe that the virus is a natural occurrence and that almost everyone should expect to contract the ailment every year.
This flu shot can help keep you from catching the flu. “You can vaccinate against influenza but not the common cold so a person can still experience a cold following a flu shot,” he says.

As a matter of fact, most people are not aware of the distinct difference between a cold and the flu. The flu is caused by different virus types in contrast to a cold. Flu symptoms are usually more intense and sudden, with more serious complications like pneumonia, inflammation of the heart and other bacterial infectio
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Drug Users:- How to reverse overdoses

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Find out how drug users banded together to use a simple injection to save thousands of lives. Alexander Walley was a twentysomething medical student when he witnessed the power of naloxone. It was the midnight shift at the Emergency Department at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

The call wasn’t unusual: a middle-aged man had been found unconscious after overdosing on heroin. Walley accompanied a pair of paramedics to an ambulance, and they headed out into the cool moonlit night. After five blocks or so they arrived at one of the city’s housing projects and threaded their way across crumbling sidewalks to a shabby apartment in a dimly lit building. Inside, Walley found the man slumped against a wall, blue-skinned and not breathing. “He looked dead,” Walley says, recalling the incident 15 years later.

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The Future:- Climate change will make rice less nutritious, putting millions of the world’s poor at risk

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Rice is the primary food source for more than three billion people around the world. Many are unable to afford a diverse and nutritious diet that includes complete protein, grains, fruits and vegetables. They rely heavily on more affordable cereal crops, including rice, for most of their calories.

My research focuses on health risks associated with climate variability and change. In a recently published study, I worked with scientists from China, Japan, Australia and the United States to assess how the rising carbon dioxide concentrations that are fueling climate change could alter the nutritional value of rice. We conducted field studies in Asia for multiple genetically diverse rice lines, analysing how rising concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere altered levels of protein, micronutrients and B vitamins.

Our data showed for the first time that rice grown at the concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide scientists expect the world to reach by 210
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