‘Bad’ cholesterol is actually ‘good’
A new study has found that low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or so-called “bad cholesterol” is not as bad as it has been made out to be in recent years.
View full post on Health Stories
‘Good cholesterol’ nanoparticles may help fight cancer
New research, including an Indian-origin boffin, suggests that ‘good cholesterol’ (High-density lipoprotein) can act as a special delivery vehicle of destruction for cancer.
View full post on Health Stories
What Makes ‘Good Cholesterol’ So Good?
Good cholesterol can help protect people from cardiovascular disease, and scientists now think they know why.
View full post on All Stories
How ‘good cholesterol’ protects against heart attack, stroke
The structure of human HDL cholesterol has been identified and it may also shed light on how this ‘fat packet’ protects against cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack and stroke.
View full post on Health Stories
‘Good cholesterol’ structure identified, could help explain protective effects
University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have determined the structure of human HDL cholesterol and say the finding could help explain how this “fat packet” protects against cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack and stroke.
View full post on All Stories
Function of the human receptor for ‘good’ HDL cholesterol unmasked
HDL is known as the “good cholesterol”: it lowers the chance of developing cardiovascular disease. Some families display naturally high levels of HDL in their blood. Research on the underlying causes of genetically high HDL cholesterol is important for the development of new medicines that can increase HDL levels in the blood.
View full post on All Stories
Researchers work to harness power of good cholesterol
They’re still learning just how HDL contributes to heart health, and whether more is always better. When it comes to cholesterol, doctors are sure of two things: High levels of the bad kind increase the risk of heart disease, and lowering those levels reduces the risk. So traditional treatments are aimed at cutting bad cholesterol through diet, exercise and drugs called statins.
View full post on All Stories
Study: Home dialysis as good as hospital treatment
Toronto, Ontario, Canada (AHN) – A study by St. Michael’s Hospital has concluded that home dialysis is as effective as treatments done in the hospital, and much lighter on the pocket.
Home treatment costs $20,000 to $30,000 less, which would translate into savings of up to $516 million if 17,200 kidney patients who underwent hospital dialysis from 2007 had treatments at home, the study found. The data is based on records of the Canadian Institute for Health Information, which were analyzed by St. Michael’s researchers led by Dr. Jeffrey Perl, a kidney specialist.
Perl pointed out that kidney patients who had their dialysis done at home or the hospital have the same 33 percent death rates during the course of the study. However, he admitted not all kidney patients are suitable for home-based treatment.
In home-based dialysis, or peritoneal dialysis, patients are injected with cleansing fluids through a catheter tube to removed toxins from the blood. The fluids are drained several times a day. In hospital-based dialysis or hemodialysis, the patient’s blood is removed from the body, filtered and then returned minus the toxins.
Only 18 percent of kidney patients have their dialysis done at home and their number is going down, even if it saves patients time and even allow some of them to hold jobs.
For kidney failure patients lucky enough, the better alternative to dialysis is to find an organ donor match More potential kidney donors were added to the Living Donor Paired Exchange pool after Quebec signed up in the exchange on October.
The exchange started in January 2009 as a partnership between the Canadian Blood Services and three Canadian provinces. In less than two years all Canadian provinces have signed up, with Quebec becoming the latest to join.
There are about 35,000 Canadians suffering from kidney ailments, with 3,000 of them on the waiting list for an organ transplant. The medical procedure saves the health care system up to $40,000 a year in treatments and medication.
View full post on Health Stories
Dietary Supplements: Prescribed to Good Health
The world wide market for dietary supplements is growing every day as more and more people, who are deficient of nutrients and vitamins in their body, are beginning to see the positive gains and benefits of using dietary supplements as part of their daily food consumption. So also, the number of pharmaceuticals, health and wellness related firms that are entering in to the dietary supplement sector is on a rapid increase due to the visible figures that reflect the growing global potential for the products. This growth is reflected in the significant range and types of products now available and also ever increasing customer base that are using dietary supplements. Dietary supplements that aid in muscle building and fat loss are flying off the shelves as much as those who have tried weight loss strategies and have lost vital nutrients consequently are also seeking dietary supplements to counter the depletion encountered during weight loss. The dietary supplement products have evolved on gender based requirements as much as it has moved forward in a disease based approach.
Even as changes in regulations governing the products, product composition and usage are being brought about, some have also occurred without sound scientific basis for evaluating the safety and efficacy of dietary supplements.
There has always lingered an uneasy doubt about the safety and efficacy of some dietary supplements, though the marketing strategies have more or less relied on promoting them as tested, approved and safe for human consumption. Dietary supplements that are available online and over the counter contain a wide variety of ingredients. They may either be single root, shoot or food extracts to counter specific nutritional deficiencies or a combination of many extracts that provide all round health benefits. Natural extracts from food yield the best health returns and it is a well documented fact. You need only worry about the authenticity of the product and the purity of the extract before you buy one as that could make all the difference to what effect it could have on your health.
People who are found deficient of certain vitamins and nutrients are prescribed dietary supplements for a variety of reasons. From general enhancement of health and well-being, to health promotion for the lacking or reduction in risk to disease and illness is most often the cause for these supplements are prescribed to those found needing them.
Dietary supplements are also taken as alternatives treatment to certain diseases or to complement conventional drug therapies.
Even as dietary supplements are marketed as health and wellness improving food extracts, it is always advisable to consume them under medical supervision or as prescribed by the physician and never to alter the prescription without professional consultation. Self medication could result in adverse health reactions and could disrupt the health balance. One simple example is the trace element selenium that is present in poultry and meat. When the amount of selenium increases in the body above the optimal limit, it is found to result in retaining cholesterol which could result in cardio vascular diseases.
Study: Taking many standing breaks good for heart, waist
Brisbane, Australia (AHN) – Shedding some inches from your waistline could be as simple as standing up a few times more each day, according to a new study.
Researchers with the University of Queensland in Australia said that taking plenty of breaks from sitting at a desk or in front of the television may be beneficial to the heart and help people lose unwanted pounds. The researchers said in a statement that it is not the duration of standing that counts, as much as it is the number of times a person stands up during the day.
Prolonged periods of sedentary time, even if people also spend time vigorously exercising, are linked with worse indicators of cardio-metabolic function and inflammation, including larger waist circumferences, lower levels of “good” cholesterol, higher levels of C-reactive protein and triglycerides, or blood fat.
But the researchers said that even in people who spent long hours sitting around an office or home, if they took more breaks and stood up many times a day they had lower levels of C-reactive protein and smaller waistlines.
A report on the study is published in the online version of the European Heart Journal.
View full post on All Stories
Affordable Health Insurance- Dutch appeals court denies Apple’s plea to ban sale of Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
- Online shoe, clothing store Zappos hacked; passwords for 24 million users reset
- Kansas, Oklahoma insurers won’t get a break on rebate rule
- FAA to issue rules on pilot fatigue more than a year after deadline
- Japanese household spending dips as retail sales, unemployment edge up
- Texas Lawsuit Identifies Problems In Medicare Hospice Provisions
- Daylight Savings Time 2011: things to remember
- Premiums, Deductibles And Cost Sharing In Employer Health Plans Keep Rising
- BlackBerry outage over, RIM exec apologizes
- Insurance broker wants a slice of pizza parlor industry
- Cheap Airline tickets
- GM back on top as world’s biggest automaker
- VW sells record 5.1 million cars in 2011
- Honda widens recall for airbag problem
- GM CEO: Earnings good, but not good enough
- Chinese companies buying automaker Saab
- UAW ratifies deal with Ford
- Ford, United Auto Workers reach tentative contract
- GM enters electric car joint venture with Chinese automaker
- Honda recalls million cars worldwide
- GM, LG team up to create future electric vehicles
- Budget Car insurance
- First class stamp rises to 45 cents
- Visions for a healthier West Bank economy
- No. 1 worry among Americans is the economy
- German exports fall more than expected
- Illinois lawmakers to take up tax plan to keep CME, Sears in state
- Cottage industries offer hope in former war zone
- Fear of financial losses drive soaring price of gold
- Iron ore prices could slide to $140 per tonne
- Economists: U.S. has no way to avoid double dip recession
- Obama vows to do away with millionaire tax cuts, reduce deficit
- Personal Loans
- Never send money to relatives using Paypal
- Prevent Banks from Holding Checks
- Sending Money Abroad – Western Union Alternatives
- Rent to Own Furnishings – A Rip-Off?
- Are Canadian Housing Prices at the Top?
- Low Interest Credit Card Checks
- U.S. lawmakers aim to lure foreigners to buy American homes
- BoE pushes banks to cut bonuses, dividends to improve balance sheets
- No monetary penalty for Fannie, Freddie in proposed settlement
- U.S. to sue big banks over risky mortgages
- Mortgages
- How Much House Can I Afford? Affordability analysis test
- U.S. housing prices show some gains
- Existing home sales fall 3.8% in May to lowest rate in six months
- S&P downgrades China’s property market rating
- Habitats | Clinton Hill, Brooklyn: Adopted by a Brownstone
- How Biweekly Mortgages Protect your Biggest Investement
- Food prices push China’s inflation to 34-month high in May
- Foreclosures Grow in Mortgage Market’s Top Tiers
- Hamilton Heights: Awaiting a Bounce
- The Mysteriously Shifty Interest Rate And Housing Industry
- Business Loans
- Price Chopper Supermarkets recall shredded taco cheese
- Novartis recalls four popular OTC drugs
- Best Buy cancels some online orders before Christmas
- Two major publishers announce bad news for newspaper industry
- Judge blocks Citigroup’s $285 million SEC settlement over mortgages
- Warren Buffett makes about face on investing in tech firms, acquires 5.5% stake in IBM
- U.S. Supreme Court upholds no limit on patient lawsuits against medical device makers
- Telenor refuses to pay $400M in fines to Bangladesh authority
- Post Office ads go after email
- Defendant seeks contempt order against Righthaven for non-payment of attorney’s fees
