Credit: iStock Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the lungs of people of all ages. Asthma causes repeated episodes of coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing and airflow obstruction. Unfortunately, there is no cure for asthma, but it can be managed to help people with the condition lead a normal and healthy life. Interestingly, asthma … Continue reading Spotlight On: Asthma
Chronic Disease
Why It’s Still Important to Stay Active to Reduce COVID-19 Severity
Credit: iStock As we head into our third year living in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, we’ve learned that the virus, in all its variants, is likely here to stay. In previous blog posts about the health benefits of physical activity during the pandemic, we have explained that adults should participate in at least 150 minutes … Continue reading Why It’s Still Important to Stay Active to Reduce COVID-19 Severity
Spotlight On: Blood Clotting and Hemophilia
Credit: iStock When you play sports outside, you may accidently fall and scratch your knee or elbow, shedding a few drops of blood. Usually this is not a reason to be concerned. You wash your cut with some water, apply an anesthetic spray or ointment and stick on a bandage. The reason most of us … Continue reading Spotlight On: Blood Clotting and Hemophilia
Cutting Back On Added Sugar: Your Brain Will Thank You
Credit: iStock I spy too much sugar in the foods we eat and the beverages we drink. Unlike naturally occurring sugars in foods such as fruit, added sugars and syrups are included during the preparation or processing of our food and drink. While sugar does provide our body with energy, the problem is that too … Continue reading Cutting Back On Added Sugar: Your Brain Will Thank You
How Drugs Change the Way Your Brain Works
Credit: iStock Drug addiction, also known as substance abuse disorder, is a very serious disease that affects people of all ages around the world. When a person is addicted to a drug, they have an uncontrollable craving for the drug because it becomes the only thing that makes them feel good. Without it, they feel … Continue reading How Drugs Change the Way Your Brain Works
Spotlight On: Alzheimer’s Disease
Credit: iStock As we age, the risk of developing dementia increases. Dementia is basically losing the ability to think and remember clearly, though it is a general term, not a specific disease. There are many diseases that fall under the umbrella term of “dementia.” One of the most common is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease was … Continue reading Spotlight On: Alzheimer’s Disease
Stopping Free Radicals in Their Tracks
Credit: iStock “Free radical” is a term you might have heard about, usually in the context of its link to rapid aging and cancer. But what exactly is a free radical? Free radicals—also called reactive oxygen species—and their toxic effects have been on scientists’ minds since their discovery about a hundred years ago. As scientists … Continue reading Stopping Free Radicals in Their Tracks
Spotlight On: Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Credit: iStock Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic, progressive condition that leads to issues with the digestive system, specifically the intestines. This makes it difficult for these organs to absorb nutrients and fluids from your diet so your body can meet its needs. It is not entirely known what causes inflammatory bowel disease, but factors … Continue reading Spotlight On: Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Precision Medicine: When ‘One-pill-fits-all’ Doesn’t Fit
Credit: iStock Everybody is unique due to their genetics. Even identical twins do not have completely identical genetic information, as they start accumulating developmental mutations from early stages in the womb. Our uniqueness is the main reason medical professionals often cannot rely on the same medication when trying to treat different people with the same … Continue reading Precision Medicine: When ‘One-pill-fits-all’ Doesn’t Fit
Spotlight On: Autophagy
Credit: iStock Defects in autophagy have been linked to several diseases, including cancer, neurodegeneration, and infectious and immunological diseases. The significance of this process was highlighted in 2016 when Yoshinori Ohsumi, PhD, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his decades-long research on autophagy. You might already be wondering: What is autophagy … Continue reading Spotlight On: Autophagy