The evidence is mounting and is becoming indisputable: Gut bacteria play a role in strokes and heart attacks. The link may seem a little far-fetched, but cardiovascular disease may have less to do with what we eat and more to do with what chemicals gut bacteria make from the food we eat.
Streptococcus and staphylococcus bacteria produce toxins that can cause toxic shock syndrome.
Our canine best friends could spread our bacterial worst nightmare, according to a recent study. The problem with drug-resistant bacteria is well known. Overused, poorly used, and naturally adaptive bacteria clearly have us outnumbered. As science drives hard to find alternative drugs, therapies, and options to treat increasingly resistant infections, humans are treading water, hoping our drugs of last resort work until we figure out better strategies.
It's about time people acknowledged that judging drug users would do nothing productive to help them. In the US this week, two new programs are launching that should help addicts be a little safer: Walgreens Healthcare Clinic will begin offering to test for HIV and hepatitis C next week, and Las Vegas is set to introduce clean syringe vending machines to stop infections from dirty needles.
An advance in the race to stop birth defects caused by Zika-infected mothers has been made by a team of researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. They have identified the process Zika uses to gain entry into the placenta, and published their findings in the journal Biochemistry.
A dangerous bacterial disease is infecting dogs in northern New Jersey, forcing owners to keep their pets inside.
Ecosystem changes caused by agricultural choices in Brazil are creating a dangerous microbe mix in exploding populations of vampire bats and feral pigs.
Most people know atopic dermatitis by its common name, eczema—that dry, flaky skin that itches incessantly. Along with the scratching comes frequent skin infections, often with Staphylococcus aureus.
Every year, 100-200 people in the US contract leptospirosis, but usually 50% of the cases occur in Hawaii where outdoor adventurers are exposed to Leptospira bacteria found in freshwater ponds, waterfalls, streams, and mud. That's why it's so alarming that two people in the Bronx have been diagnosed with the disease and a 30-year-old man has died from it.
We usually associate Salmonella bacteria with a dangerous type of food poisoning, but they actually are pretty good at seeking out tumors. That trait made the bacteria a great candidate to deliver a protein that would help knock tumors out.
A crick is a sudden, spasmodic pain and stiffness in the neck caused by tight muscles that can absolutely ruin your entire day. It can last for more than one day and can be triggered by the smallest movement of the neck, such as a simple pandiculation, aka a yawn-stretch. Although you can't always prevent them, there are many natural ways to lessen a painful stiff feeling in the neck.
When you have a parent who cooks—and has you act as sous chef—the kitchen automatically becomes a less intimidating place. In other words, kids who know their way around the kitchen will most likely become adults who cook for themselves, which also means that they'll eat more unprocessed whole foods, save money, and maintain a healthy weight.
Chopsticks are very easily reusable, yet they always get thrown away. You use them when you get Chinese takeout, then toss them out without even a backwards glance.
In this free video series, our expert reiki master will teach you about reiki history and philosophy. You will learn about the basic principals of reiki healing, as well as learn some basic hand placement techniques for centering and clarity. This is a great video series for anyone interested in learning more about alternative therapy methods, or basic reiki facts and practices. Whether you believe in the healing power of reiki or simply find it to be a relaxing therapy, the tips and advice f...
Recognizing the signs of schizophrenia is the fist step toward getting help and proper treat for a loved one with this serious mental health affliction. With proper medication and therapy schizophrenia can be controlled so check for and understand what to look for.
A dislocated shoulder involves movement of the ball of the humerus away from the ball and socket joint. Ninety-five percent of the time, it will come out anteriorly when an individual's arm is forcefully pushed backwards and rotated in such a way that the ligaments in the front of their shoulder tear and the ball will pop out the front of the shoulder. This is a very common injury seen in contact sports. Learn how to diagnose and treat a dislocated shoulder in this medical how-to video.
Learn what to expect when receiving acupuncture therapy, its methods, procedures & techniques, and information on the ancient medical practice of acupuncture from a Chinese medicine expert in these free video clips.
Weight loss is a very important factor in society today and everyone is looking for new ways to make it easier to lose weight. Learn what to expect when receiving acupuncture therapy and how it can help with hormone balance from a Chinese medicine expert in these free video clips.
Weight loss is a very important factor in society today and everyone is looking for new ways to make it easier to lose weight. Learn what to expect when receiving acupuncture therapy and how it can help with weight loss from a Chinese medicine expert in these free video clips.
Relieve stress and tension in the face and head area by learning how to do Japanese shiatsu massage with expert massage therapy tips in this free health video series.
Relieve stress in the hips and back by learning how to do Japanese shiatsu massage for these problem areas with expert massage therapy tips in this free health video series.
Release tension and stress by learning how to do shiatsu massage with expert tips on massage therapy in this free health video series.
In this health video series, our experts are going to give you some techniques to use for pain relief that come from a branch of Chinese medicine called “acupressure.” Like acupuncture without needles, acupressure is a traditional therapy where one applies local pressure on the body at various strategic points.
In this video series, let our expert show you how to practice reiki. Through Eileen Dey's instruction, you can learn how to change the world around you. Learn how to use reiki symbols and techniques. There are many ways that reiki can impact the world, children, pets, and plants. Also, learn how to enhance your romantic relationship. Eileen also illustrates how to diminish stress and headaches in your life. So, take some time and learn about the fascinating therapy of reiki today!
Just as predicted (but perhaps with less fanfare than usual), Apple has made the move of adding a depth sensor to the rear camera of its latest edition of the iPad Pro.
On the airplane, in the middle of cold and flu season, your seatmate is spewing, despite the clutch of tissues in their lap. Your proximity to an infectious person probably leaves you daydreaming (or is it a nightmare?) of pandemics and estimating how likely it is that this seatmate's viral or bacterial effusions will circulate throughout the plane and infect everyone on board.
People infected with HIV take many different types of pills every day to decrease the amount of virus in their body, live a longer and healthier life, and to help prevent them from infecting others. That could all be in the past as new clinical trials testing the safety and effectiveness of a new type of treatment — injections given every four or eight weeks — look to be equally effective at keeping the virus at bay.
Whether or not a microbe is successful at establishing an infection depends both on the microbe and the host. Scientists from Duke found that a single DNA change can allow Salmonella typhi, the bacteria that causes typhoid fever, to invade cells. That single genetic variation increased the amount of cholesterol on cell membranes that Salmonella and other bacteria use as a docking station to attach to a cell to invade it. They also found that common cholesterol-lowering drugs protected zebrafi...
A recent study offers information that might help combat a deadly virus that affects an estimated 300,000 people each year in West Africa.
How can a drug used to treat cancer be effective against viruses, too? The answer lies in the drug's shared target — specifically, cellular components that control the activity of genes. A new research study showed that one such type of drug, histone methyltransferase inhibitors used in cancer clinical trials, has activity against herpes simplex virus, too.
As if the swollen, painful joints of rheumatoid arthritis weren't enough, the disease is the result of our immune system turning against cells of our own body. Ever since this realization, scientists have worked to find the trigger that sets the immune system off. Scientists believe that gut bacteria may have a role in initiating the abnormal immune response. Now, a team of researchers from Boston has figured out how that might occur.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death of men and women in the US. Over half a million Americans die from it annually. Atherosclerosis — a build up of plaque in the arteries — is a common feature of heart disease and can be caused by smoking, fats and cholesterol in the blood, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Even though HIV rates declined 18% between 2008 and 2014, 1.1 million people in the US are living with the infection. Part of that is because HIV is treatable, but not curable.
Coronaviruses are common viruses, and most of us catch one at some point — they cause about 30% of all common colds. A new accidental discovery could help fight these viruses, even the deadlier, emerging ones.
People who have heart disease get shingles more often than others, and the reason has eluded scientists since they first discovered the link. A new study has found a connection, and it lies in a defective white cell with a sweet tooth.
The problem with HIV is that it attacks and kills the very cells of the immune system that are supposed to protect us from infections — white blood cells. But a new technique, developed by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in La Jolla, California, offers a distinct HIV-killing advantage.
Drug-resistant bacteria have made curing some infections challenging, if not nearly impossible. By 2050, it's estimated that 10 million people will be dying annually from infections with antibiotic-resistant organisms.
Even though the Ebola virus was discovered as recently as 1976, over 30,000 people have been infected since, and half have died a horrible death. Since there's no way to cure the infection, the world desperately needs a way to prevent it — and the five similar viruses in its family, the ebolaviruses.
Tremendous strides have been made in the treatment and outlook for patients infected with HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. Treatment with a combination of antiretroviral drugs can keep patients with HIV alive for decades, without symptoms of the infection. The trouble is, if HIV-infected people stop taking their medications, the virus takes over in full force again—because the virus hides out quietly in cells of the immune system, kept in check, but not killed by the treatment.
Yellow fever has emerged again in Brazil, causing death and disease to people unprepared for this mosquito-borne illness.
