Asthma affects 8.6% of all American children and is the leading cause of hospitalization and school absenteeism. Exacerbations of asthma sypmtoms can lead to extended hospital stays and the need for strong courses of anti-inflammatory and bronchodilator drugs. In 2009, 8.4% of people with asthma had to visit the emergency department and 2% of people were…
Dementia is a disease that mainly affects older people and is characterized by difficulties with coordination and speech, memory distortions, restlessness, and problems with perception. People with dementia also suffer from behavioural changes which can include depression, irritability, anxiety, apathy, and agitation. 20-40% of people over the age of 85 will be diagnosed with dementia…
A report in 2012, published in the journal Cell Research, seemed to suggest that genetic material, specifically microRNA, could pass from a person’s small intestine and into their blood stream. These microRNAs are small pieces of genetic code that cells use to modify the expression of certain genes. Think of them as dimmer switches on…
Waist to hip ratio (WHR) is an indicator of health that is used to estimate fat deposition in the abdominal region. An increase in the WHR, known as the apple shaped body, is associated with decreased fertility and increased risk of heart disease. Research has shown that the tendency for someone to have an apple…
Antibiotic resistance is a problem that affects every country in the world. Bacteria are evolutionary melting pots and in a short amount of time are able to acquire genes that allow them break down antibiotics and survive our current treatments. This can result in life threatening infections that are resistant to all known drugs. MRSA…
The amount of sleep each person needs varies between individuals but the average adult needs between 7-8 hours a night, the average teen needs 9-10 hours a night, and the average child needs at least 10 hours of sleep a day. However, nearly 30% of adults get less than 6 hours of sleep per day…
Cancer is formed when a cell mutates and develops the ability to grow uncontrollably. This uncontrollable growth means that cancer cells are energy hogs, they require copious amounts of fuel to drive their growth and movement. Many chemotherapeutics target the food supplies of cancer cells in an effort to starve them. Typically, nutrients are provided to cancer…
You go to your family doctor complaining of difficulty breathing, wheezing, tightness in your chest, and a cough. Your doctor listens to your chest, makes some notes and diagnoses you with asthma. You get some inhalers to control the symptoms and carry on your way. Surprisingly, there was never a test done to determine if…
Dementia is a long term, gradual disease in which the brain degenerates leading to impairment in a person’s memory and ability to think. This often results in severe disruptions in their day to day life. Alzheimer’s disease makes up 50-70% of all cases of dementia and a definitive cause or treatment are still not known.…
Exposure to certain triggers can cause patients with asthma to suffer exacerbations and become hospitalized with an asthma attack. These stays in hospital can be long and in severe cases can result in visits to the intensive care unit. Triggers of exacerbations include allergens (animal dander, pollen, mold), weather changes, chest infections, influenza, and cigarette smoke…
