Diet and exercise help manage diabetes
Q: I don’t know why my diabetes is out of control — I cut out soda and cake! I walk around my house; shouldn’t that be good enough for exercise? A: Diabetes can be complicated to manage. Medications can be difficult to understand, and knowing what to eat and how to exercise can be confusing. Unfortunately, there is no universal plan because everyone’s lifestyle and health are... READ MORE
Why scientists are trying to map all cells
Did you hear what happened when Bill Gates walked into a bar? Everybody there immediately became millionaires — on average. That joke about a very rich man is an old one among statisticians. So why did Peter Smibert use it to explain a revolution in biology? Because it shows averages can be misleading. And Smibert, of the New York Genome Center, said that includes when scientists... READ MORE
Biscuits with the flavor of sweet potatoes
It was only a matter of time before sweet potato-loving Southern cooks combined the fluffy texture and pleasant tang of biscuits with the earthy sweetness of this popular tuber. To add the flavor of sweet potatoes to biscuits without weighing down the dough, we microwaved them to eliminate their moisture while concentrating their flavor. After mashing the flesh, we stirred in cider... READ MORE
Immune therapy fighting more cancers
A treatment that helps the immune system fight deadly blood cancers is showing early signs of promise against some solid tumors, giving hope that this approach might be extended to more common cancers in the future. The treatment, called CAR-T therapy, involves genetically modifying some of a patient’s own cells to help them recognize and attack cancer. Richard Carlstrand of Long... READ MORE
Can a vegan diet relieve arthritis pain?
If your joints ache due to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), chances are you’ve tried every medication and trick in the book. But have you considered changing what you eat? RA is a progressive disease that currently has no cure. Along with diabetes, heart disease and other major diseases, it has been linked to chronic inflammation. RA is an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune... READ MORE
Relief for leg cramps; digestive issues
Q: I frequently have leg cramps that wake me up from sleep. How can I quickly stop the cramps, and are there ways to prevent them? A: Few things are more jarring to a night’s sleep than a sudden cramp in your calf. By the way, you have lots of company. Although nocturnal leg cramps can strike people at any time of life, they become more common with age. Among people over 50, about... READ MORE
Insulin too pricey? Ways to cut costs
The skyrocketing price of insulin has some diabetics scrambling to cover the cost of the life-saving medication. Others are skipping doses or using smaller amounts than needed and sometimes landing in the emergency room, patients and advocates told Congress recently. About 7.4 million Americans use insulin to keep their blood sugar at safe levels. Insulin needs vary by patient, as do... READ MORE
New Alzheimer’s-like condition identified
Some people told they have Alzheimer’s may instead have a newly identified mimic of the disease — and scientists say even though neither is yet curable, it’s critical to get better at telling different kinds of dementia apart. Too often, the word dementia is used interchangeably with Alzheimer’s when there are multiple types of brain degeneration that can harm people’s memory... READ MORE
Easing pain from golfer’s or tennis elbow
Dear Mayo Clinic: A few months ago, I noticed minor pain in my elbow when I’d lift anything — even something light. Recently, the pain is worsening and moving down my inner forearm. My elbow hurts even when I’m not lifting. Turning my wrist or twisting my arm causes pain. What could be the reason for this? Are there things I can do at home to make it better, or do I need to see my... READ MORE
Brain zaps boost memory in people 60+
Zapping the brains of people over 60 with a mild electrical current improved a form of memory enough that they performed like people in their 20s, a new study found. Someday, people might visit clinics to boost that ability, which declines both in normal aging and in dementias like Alzheimer’s disease, said researcher Robert Reinhart of Boston University. The treatment is aimed at ... READ MORE
