Health & Fitness

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Four out of five migraineurs may have symptoms that herald the onset of the migraine before the headache itself. The first signs often arrive with a change in mood, food cravings, light sensitivity or fatigue. One in five can have additional symptoms that are more localized and last anywhere from five minutes to an hour. The most common are visual, often with shapes that appear before the eyes and enlarge — but aura can also manifest as ringing in the ears or difficulty speaking. Could the man’s day of exhaustion be the precursor for a migraine headache that never arrives? The more the duo read, the more convinced they were that this is what he had. Patel did a little more searching and referred the patient to a headache clinic in Boston. Part of a Bigger Picture The patient was able to h...

"Lifestyle factors such as smoking, exercise and diet influence our development of Alzheimer's, and acting to address these now is a positive way of reducing risk ourselves," she added. "However, 60-80% of disease risk is based on our genetics and therefore we must continue to seek out the biological causes and develop much-needed treatments for the millions of people affected worldwide." The previously unknown genes point to additional pathways for disease progression besides the well-known APOE e4 gene or the development of amyloid beta and tau, two hallmark proteins that build up in the brain with devastating results as Alzheimer's progresses. "Creating an extensive list of Alzheimer's disease risk genes is like having the edge pieces of a puzzle put together, and while this work doesn...

Motherhood and a later menopause could reduce the risk of women developing dementia. A woman with no children is 18 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with dementia than a mother-of-two, a study of more than half a million people has found. Dementia is also 32 per cent more likely in a woman who naturally enters the menopause at the age of 47, compared to one whose menopause comes later at the age of 50. Pregnancy and longer child-bearing years before the menopause could help to ward off dementia by exposing a woman to more oestrogen within her lifetime. The hormone, at the right level in the body, can help to protect the brain. That could explain an additional finding that women are 20 per cent less likely to develop dementia if they have previously taken the contraceptive pill. ...

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorized a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for people 50 years and older, as well as some immunocompromised people. The decision was made at a time when COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the United States have been declining. At the moment, more than 99% of U.S. counties have low or medium COVID-19 community levels, according to CDC data. So why would someone need another booster at a time where the virus is circulating at relatively low levels? Yahoo News spoke to Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center, to break down what Americans need to know about the second booster. Why is another booster needed? There are two main reasons that U.S. f...

Photo: Getty (Getty Images) Recent research out of India raises concerns over the transmission risks of a harmful and hard-to-kill fungal infection. The study found drug-resistant strains of Candida auris on apples that had been treated with fungicides. The findings suggest that apples and other fruits dosed with these chemicals can inadvertently fuel the emergence and spread of this germ, which is known to cause deadly outbreaks in hospitals. C. auris is an emerging pathogen and yeast (microscopic fungus) that was first discovered in 2009. Though most people exposed to it don’t become sick, it can cause a severe infection in some, particularly people who are already sick or immunocompromised. That’s made the fungus a serious threat in hospitals and other health care environments. It’...

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The Mayo Clinic says vitamin B12 plays an essential role in red blood cell formation, cell metabolism, nerve function and the production of DNA. Although a vitamin B12 deficiency is something which can be dangerous, people should be careful not to take too many supplements. The Mayo Clinic states: “Most people get enough vitamin B12 from a balanced diet. “However, older adults, vegetarians, vegans and people who have conditions that affect their ability to absorb vitamin B12 from foods might benefit from the use of oral supplements.” It adds vitamin B12 supplements are also sometimes recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding exclusively and follow vegetarian or vegan diets.