Hepatitis-C
and Demands for Transplants According
to the results of a study found in Health Day News, a rise in demand for liver transplants is directly correlated to the aging
population in the U.S.
Findings suggest that liver cancer in boomers with hepatitis C is responsible for much
of the demand and will increase as boomers continue to age.
Between 2000 and 2010 rates of new candidates for
liver transplants with hepatitis C quadrupled for people born between 1941 and 1960.
What makes your eyelid twitch? This
annoyingly common condition is known as eyelid myokymia. Not a lot is known about eye twitches, which are more likely to occur
in the lower eyelid than in the upper, though they're probably caused by the misfiring of a nerve. But experts know that fatigue,
stress, and caffeine all increase the likelihood of the pesky twitching. So do eyestrain, poor nutrition, excessive alcohol
intake, and allergies. Fortunately, eye twitching is almost always benign and usually goes away by itself. To put an end to
a bout of the eye flutters, cut down on coffee and alcohol and give your eyes—and your whole body—a good night's
rest. Can chewing sugarless gum and eating
cheese prevent cavities? It sounds odd, it’s
true. The fats in cheese act as a protective barrier for teeth. It also contains calcium and phosphate which strengthen teeth
and may help prevent cavities. When you eat,
the bacteria that is in our mouth reacts chemically with the food. That makes an organic acid which can cause decay. Dislodging
food particles, rinsing the teeth which dilutes the acid and the saliva we produce helps counter the process. That’s
where chewing comes in. As we chew we stimulate the salivary flow according to James Wefel, Ph.D., and director of the Dows
Institute for Dental Research in Iowa City. It’s recommended that you limit between-meal snacks, thereby reducing the
number of acid exposures. Chew sugarless gum after meals when you can‘t brush or eat a few pieces of cheese.
Numbness in the feet or hands Numbness of the foot or feet is sometimes referred to as numb foot, numbness in feet, tingling feet,
parasthesia of the feet. It’s an abnormal sensation caused by an alteration in sensory nerve function in the foot. Sensations are carried from the extremities of the body to the
brain via neurons in the spinal cord. If the blood supply to the nerves is decreased, it
can produce the feeling that "my foot fell asleep". If the blood loss is permanent or severe, it is called ischemia and can result in permanent nerve damage. Nerves in
the fingers feet can be damaged when the blood supply is decreased over time, as in diabetes.If foot numbness is persistent and accompanied by other symptoms such as weakness and pain, it requires
thorough evaluation by a physician. A complete history and physical, including family history, work history, laboratory tests may be indicated.
Nerve conduction velocity tests, electromyography, imaging studies and nerve biopsy may be required. Treatment will depend
on the underlying cause and relieving symptoms. Anti-inflammatory medications, antidepressant medications (such as amitriptyline and Effexor may
used.) Physical and occupational therapy as well as stretching exercises may help alleviate
symptoms once the underlying cause is found and treated. Written by:
JC Jones MA, RN, Reviewed by: Paul Auerbach, MD , Written: September 19, 2007, Last
Updated: September 30, 2007, Published By: Healthline Networks Inc. Why do some people always feel cold? Body
temperature is regulated in the brain by the hypothalamus, which signals the body to give off heat in warm conditions and
trap heat (or shiver, generating heat in muscles) when it's cold. Iron plays a role in this process, so people with anemia
(commonly caused by iron deficiency) often feel chilly. Poor circulation—due to high blood pressure or medications,
among other culprits—can leave the extremities deprived of heat. An underactive thyroid gland can also slow a person's
metabolism to a point where the body generates insufficient warmth. A recent study suggested there may even be a genetic predisposition
to toward tolerance of cold. If you're the type who needs to wear sweaters and wool socks in the summer, eat iron-rich foods
like lean red meats, beans, and dark green leafy vegetables, which can counter anemia. And avoid nicotine, which constricts
blood vessels and leads to poor circulation. Floating Stools- Reviewer Info: Christian Stone, MD, Division of Gastroenterology, Washington
University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by
David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., 03/08/2008 Stools that float
are generally associated with some degree of malabsorption of nutrients or excessive flatus (gas).Floating stools are seen in a variety of different situations. Most are diet-related,
or caused by episodes of diarrhea that accompany a gastrointestinal infection. A change in diet can lead to an increase in the amount of gas produced by the bacteria found in the (healthy) gastrointestinal tract. Similarly, acute gastrointestinal (GI) infections can result in increased gas in the intestines, due to rapid
movement of food through the GI tract. One wrong idea is that floating stools are caused by an increase in the fat content
of the stool. In fact, it is increased gas in the stool that make it less dense and allow it to float. Another
cause of floating stools is malabsorption , in which the body can't properly digest and absorb fat and other nutrients from the GI tract.
More than 2 weeks of diarrhea with floating stools is often seen in people suffering from malabsorption. Increased levels of nutrients in the stool (which have not been absorbed
by the GI tract) are supplied to the normal bacteria that live in the gut. These bacteria in turn produce more gas. This results
in more gas-rich stools that float. Most causes are harmless and the floating stools will
go away by themselves when the infection ends or the normal bacteria in the GI tract adjust to the changes in the diet. If not please consult your doctor. The following diseases may also cause
floating stools: Abetalipoproteinemia Biliary atresia Cystic fibrosis Disaccharides deficiency (insufficient amounts of the sugar-digesting enzymes lactase, sucrase, or isomaltase) Gluten-induced
enteropathy ( sprue or celiac disease) Idiopathic steatorrhea (fatty stools with no known
cause) Short bowel syndrome
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EATING RIGHT Our diets often change as we retire, so
how do FOOD
AND AGING affect our bodies and health as we are getting old? 5 FOODS THAT FIGHT CANCER
Why are there rings or halos around lights when you drive at night? This phenomenon
falls under the category of "spherical aberration"—just one of several examples of how the human eye
is optically imperfect. In daylight, the pupil narrows to a very small opening, allowing light to hit the very center
of the lens. At night, when the pupil dilates dramatically to allow maximum light to enter, your eye is using a much larger
swath of its lens to see. "The farther out on the lens you go, the less perfect the optics are," says Duffner.
"And as you get off center, those light rays won't be focused to the center of the eye." You see circles,
well, because your lens is round. Almost everyone sees these rings, and if you've always seen them, you're probably
just fine, he says. But halos can also be caused by opacities in the lens—a sign of cataracts. So if seeing
halos is new to you, see a doctor for a cataract exam.
CHECK OUT THESE GREAT LINKS WE HAVE FOR YOU
Bad Odor in Urine: To begin with,
if you drink enough fluids and are otherwise healthy, urine does not usually have a strong smell. Changes in urine odor are usually temporary. Such changes are not always a sign of disease. Certain foods
and medicines, including vitamins, may affect your urine's odor. For example, asparagus causes a characteristic
urine odor.However, foul smelling urine may be due to bacteria, such as that responsible for urinary tract infections. Sweet smelling urine may be a sign of uncontrolled diabetes or a rare disease of metabolism. Liver disease and certain metabolic disorders may cause musty smelling urine. Abnormal urine odor may indicate: Dehydration (concentrated urine can have an ammonia-like scent) Hepatic (liver) failure Ketonuria Maple sugar urine disease (very
rare) Phenylketonuria (rare) Rectal fistula Urinary tract infection Contact your health care provider if you have fever, chills, burning pain with urination, or back pain along with an abnormal urine odor. These may be signs of a urinary tract infection.
Is it true that your ears grow throughout life? Yes,
the outer ears do. Starting at birth, the ears are, proportionally, the body's largest feature, with a Spock-like prominence.
They grow rapidly until about age 10, then slow to the languid pace of about 0.22 millimeter per year, according to a study
by Britain's Royal College of General Practitioners. Other studies show that the earlobe itself also lengthens throughout
life (men have longer lobes than women). However, the size of the ear canal, which is formed by bone and cartilage, does not
increase into old age. What causes the feeling of "pins
and needles"? Called paresthesia,
pins and needles are caused by blocked blood flow to a pressed nerve. If you sit too long in an awkward position—or
even just with your legs crossed—you may press hard enough on a nerve to interrupt its signaling to the brain, causing
your feet, for example, to "fall asleep," or go numb. This is not the same as a pinched nerve, a longer-lasting
condition that occurs when a part of the body, swollen because of injury or misalignment, applies steady pressure on a nerve.
Paresthesia is usually felt in the extremities—hands, feet, and ankles. That crazy-making prickly sensation is the resumption
of pain messages to the brain. Simply changing your position is almost always enough to allow the nerve to resume communication.
But prickly feelings more rarely can be symptoms of diseases as diverse and serious as diabetes, lupus, and MS. If your pins
and needles don't resolve quickly with a change of body position, see a doctor. Why does chopping onions make you tear up? When you cut into an onion, you rupture its cells, releasing enzymes that produce a gas called propanethial
sulfoxide. Once that gas reaches your eyes, it reacts with tears to produce a mild sulfuric acid. And that hurts. The brain
then signals the eyes' tear glands to produce more liquid to flush the stuff out. The more you chop, the more irritating gas
you produce and the more tears you shed. "The onion's chemical reaction is a defense mechanism that evolved to repel
pests," explains University of Wisconsin-Madison horticultural professor Irwin Goldman, Ph.D. Keep the stinging and crying
to a minimum by chilling an onion in the freezer before cutting it; cold temperatures slow release of the enzymes. The highest
concentration of enzymes is at the bottom of the onion, so cut it last to postpone the weeping (and the irritation) for as
long as possible.
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