Bel Marra Health’s weekly health news roundup has stories regarding ulcerative colitis, fibromyalgia, migraine in women, and Alzheimer’s disease. New breakthroughs reveal that a cancer treatment drug may benefit Alzheimer’s disease, exercise can help with fibromyalgia pain, natural remedies can be used to help treat kidney stones, and migraine in women increases the depression risk. So if you missed on the latest health news this week, here it is all wrapped up for you to read.
Ulcerative colitis (inflammatory bowel disease) causes, symptoms, treatment, and home remedies
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that impacts about 700,000 Americans. The combination of inflammation and ulcers developed with this disease leads to a lot of discomfort, as well as frequent emptying of the colon.
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When someone is suffering from this inflammatory bowel disease, the innermost lining of their large intestine (colon) and rectum is affected. The symptoms of ulcerative colitis develop gradually and can be life-changing, making it difficult for some sufferers to maintain normal activities. In many cases, people with ulcerative colitis are fearful of being too far away from a washroom.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for inflammatory bowel disease, but there are ways to reduce the symptoms and bring about periods of remission. Continue reading…
Fibromyalgia pain relief using vibration exercise shows promise, regular exercise considered safe
Fibromyalgia pain relief using vibration exercise shows promise and regular exercise for fibromyalgia patients is considered safe. The findings come from researchers at Indiana University who conducted a pilot study. They found that whole-body vibration exercise may reduce pain experienced in fibromyalgia, and this in turn can go on to improve the patients’ quality of life, which is severely hindered by the fibromyalgia pain.
Tony Kaleth, lead author, said, “Our findings are promising, but it is not entirely clear whether these improvements were the result of added vibration or just the effects of being more active.”
Regular exercise has been found to be one of the best modes of treatment for fibromyalgia patients, but many patients simply don’t partake in exercise due to excessive pain. Furthermore, many patients fear that exercise will actually worsen pain, but this is not the case. Kaleth added, “Over time, this can lead to additional weight gain, as well as accompanying chronic health conditions associated with obesity, such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.” Continue reading…
Migraine in women may increase depression risk, lower breast cancer risk
Migraine in women may increase the risk of depression but, on the other hand, lower breast cancer risk. Women with migraines have a higher risk of developing depression, compared to women who have never experienced migraines.
The study classified 36,154 women without depression who provided information regarding their migraine history. The women were then classified into either active migraines with aura, active migraines without aura, prior history of migraines (but not experienced within the past year), or no history of migraines. Information on depression diagnosis was also provided.
A total of 6,456 women had a history of current or past migraines. During an average 14-year follow-up, 3,971 developed depression.
Women with any history of migraines were 40 percent more likely to develop depression, compared to women without a history of migraines. Results were the same regardless of the presence of auras.
Researcher Dr. Tobias Kurth said, “This is one of the first large studies to examine the association between migraine and the development of depression over time. We hope our findings will encourage doctors to speak to their migraine patients about the risk of depression and potential ways to prevent depression.” Continue reading…
Alzheimer’s disease risk may be reduced by FDA-approved cancer drug
Alzheimer’s disease risk may be reduced by FDA-approved cancer drug. The findings of the study reveal that the cancer drug effectively targets the toxic chain reaction that contributes to Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting it may be useful in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The drug may eventually be prescribed similarly to how statins are prescribed for cardiovascular disease prevention.
The anticancer treatment has shown promise in both test tube and nematode worms trials. The nematode worms that were given the drug were genetically modified to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Once the symptoms of Alzheimer’s were present, the drugs had no effect. When the worms were administered the drug prior to the onset of symptoms, no evidence of Alzheimer’s disease was found, suggesting the possibility that the anticancer treatment could work as a potential Alzheimer’s disease prevention measure.
The drug works on the molecular level, stopping the first step in the molecular cascade that leads to cell death in the brain. This process – known as primary nucleation – creates clusters that are highly toxic to nerve cells and believed to contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Continue reading…
Natural home remedies for kidney stones removal
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Often compared to a pain far worse than that of giving birth, kidney stones are no laughing matter, so knowing natural remedies to combat them can offer great relief and prevention. With no one cause for kidney stones, they can affect anyone at any time. Typically, kidney stones are the formation of uric acid, calcium, and oxalate into crystals.
When small, they can easily be passed when we urinate. But the larger they become the greater pain they cause, and surgery may be required to remove them. Kidney stones can be seen using an X-ray or scan, but pay attention for symptoms such as fowl-smelling urine, chills, fever, vomiting or nausea, and blood in urine for other tell-tale signs.
If you have kidney stones and want to hold off on surgery, here are some natural remedies. Continue reading…
