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Using Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs to Protect Against Disease The recent research results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Scientists were using zebrafish for their study and plan to use the approach they applied to different model organisms, such as mice. The study highlights several possible ways to protect people who are more vulnerable to certain pathogens like the Salmonella bacteria, which use cholesterol to infect host cells. The study not only revealed new information on potential ways to fight disease, but has also resulted in a blueprint for combining various techniques to help researchers uncover why some individuals are more likely to contract certain diseases than others. One of the most famous examples of this is Typhoid Mary, an Irish immigrant that spread typhoid fever to over 50 people throughout New York City but was immune to the disease herself. To determine why this was the case, the scientists used hundreds of cell lines from healthy subjects and exposed them to the same dose of Salmonella typhi. They visually tagged the bacteria and then searched for genetic differences to identify cells which had higher rates of bacterial invasion. This allowed them to identify a single nucleotide of DNA in the VAC14 gene, which was determined to be associated with the level of bacterial invasion in cells. When they knocked out this gene, they found the cells were invaded more effectively by the bacteria. Additionally, they found cells that were more susceptible to infection had higher levels of cholesterol. New findings revealing that higher levels of cholesterol could increase the risk of disease could mean that cholesterol-lowering drugs may protect against certain diseases. For the latest health news, be sure to visit us at The Benefits Store today.

The Health Benefits of Tomatoes and Spinach Raw tomatoes and spinach are incredibly beneficial to your health! Tomatoes, which are actually a fruit and not a vegetable, are packed with lycopene, which is an antioxidant that has been linked to helping reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. Tomatoes are also a great source of vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and potassium. The flavonoids found in spinach are a type of antioxidant that prevents cholesterol from oxidizing, and that protects the body from free radicals. The folate in spinach is also great for your cardiovascular system, while the abundance amount of magnesium can help lower blood pressure. Spinach is also an excellent source of vitamin B6, phosphorus, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, manganese, calcium, protein and iron. Is Cooked Healthier? Tomatoes and Spinach When cooking tomatoes and spinach, it’s a win-lose situation regarding nutrients. Some of the more water-soluble nutrients, such as vitamin C and vitamin B, will be expelled from both tomatoes and spinach if they are boiled. If you’re making a soup, these nutrients will remain in the stock. Vitamin levels will, however, be lowered the longer they are exposed to heat. Some nutrient levels may increase when cooking tomatoes and spinach. For example, although the amount of vitamin C in tomatoes decreases as a result of cooking, the levels that antioxidants will be absorbed by the body could increase. Additionally, cooking spinach may decrease the amount of fiber, but it will increase the level of beta-carotene that can be absorbed when it’s cooked rather than eaten raw. For more advice on eating healthy be sure to contact us at The Benefits Store today.

Schedule showings during the day – Avoid showing homes at night whenever possible. If you must, make sure all the blinds and curtains are open and that you turn on all the lights, inside and out, before the showing. Always bring up the rear – When showing homes, let the clients walk in front of you. Direct them where to go instead of leading the way. Instruct homeowners not to show alone – When you’re working with sellers, instruct them never to show their house to someone by themselves. There should always be someone with them; their Realtor, when possible. Be careful about the information you share – As a Realtor, odds are you market your listings online. This is an effective way to do your job and usually necessary, but you don’t want to give out too much information about yourself. For example, avoid having your personal address listed, even if you work out of your home. Additionally, don’t advertise the property as “vacant;” this could attract thieves. Be thorough when finishing an open house – Once you’ve ended an open house, make sure that you check every room to make sure everyone is gone. Be alert when you do so. If someone stayed behind, it may have been in an attempt to rob the house. When you’ve cleared the house, make sure you lock up behind you. Make new clients check in – Before you begin showing new clients around, ask them to visit your office and make copies of their driver’s licenses and ask them to complete a prospect identification form. This ensures you’re not dealing with a potential predator. Follow these six tips for greater safety as a Realtor. For more safety tips, be sure to visit us at The Benefits Store today.

The Science Behind Yawning Scientists at the University of Nottingham recently looked into why yawning seems to be such a contagious reaction. It turns out that the part of the brain responsible for triggering the yawn is the primary motor cortex, which is responsible for motor function. This part of the brain is also partly responsible for conditions such as Tourette’s syndrome. Contagious yawning is actually a form of echophenomena, which is an automatic imitation of words or actions performed by others. It’s something that is seen in conditions such as epilepsy. Scientists performed a study to find out what was happening in the brain during echophenomena. During this study, they monitored 36 subjects while they watched other people yawning. Some of the subjects were encouraged to yawn if they had to, while others were told that they had to try and suppress the yawn. The study revealed that the extent of the urge to yawn came down to how the primary motor cortex of each subject worked. The more excitable it was, the bigger the urge. This excitability in the motor cortex can also be increased through the use of TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation). These findings could prove to be useful in terms of reducing the effects of such conditions as Tourette’s and dementia. TMS could potentially help modulate imbalances in the brain networks. However, while the strength of the urge to yawn as a result of its contagious element could be traced to the motor cortex, the actual cause of yawning is still unknown. Scientists are continually making advancements regarding human function, such as identifying why yawning is so contagious and using those findings to improve our health. For all the latest health news, visit us at The Benefits Store today.

How technology can help dyslexia cases One of the major challenges of dyslexia is that it can cause individuals to lose belief in themselves. They’ll often assume that they simply aren’t as smart as their peers, which is rarely true. This lack of confidence can cause students with dyslexia to avoid asking for help, causing them to fall behind in their studies, which makes learning an even bigger challenge. Fortunately, new advances in technology provide individuals with dyslexia the tools that they need to compensate for their learning disabilities, thereby giving them a much better chance to overcome their condition. This, in turn, can inspire them to greater things as a result of an improved self-confidence. Traditionally, students with dyslexia were taught using modified teaching methods. However, new software programs and devices have proven to help students with dyslexia to not only improve their reading abilities but to help them learn to love reading. One such type of software is the word-reading app. There are a number of these apps available for smartphones, tablets and laptops. These programs are text-to-speech software that allows dyslexic children to read books while the words are being read aloud at the same time. Basically, they act as a real-time assistant when dyslexic students get stuck on certain words. There are also a number of dyslexic-designed fonts, including Dyslexie font and OpenDyslexic, which transform digital text into a font that’s more readable for those with dyslexia. Yet another useful tool is Livescribe Echo pen, which reads back what you’ve written to ensure that you wrote the right word. Thanks to technology, students with dyslexia have more tools to help them learn! For more health news updates, visit The Benefits Store today.

The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention and Care recently reported findings on how the onset of dementia can be prevented at this year’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. Preventing Dementia The Lancet Commission was made up of 24 experts who identified six lifestyle factors along with 3 nonmedical interventions that could affect the development of dementia. According to their report, these combined nine factors affect an estimated 35 percent of all dementia cases. The risk factors that were revealed can be diminished at every stage of life in order to help prevent the onset of dementia. The following are the stages of life and the risk factors for dementia that should be addressed at that time: Youth – Young people should focus on educating themselves about dementia and the risk factors associated with its development so that they can begin taking steps and making changes in their lifestyle to help avoid dementia in their later years. Middle age – Once people reach middle age, they should take steps to manage hearing loss, obesity and hypertension. Managing these risk factors can help reduce the occurrence rate of dementia by a combined 20 percent. Old age – Once a person reaches old age, risk factors that can lead to dementia include smoking, diabetes and depression. In addition to managing these risks, older individuals should also focus on physical exercise and maintaining an active social life. Addressing all of these factors together could reduce the incidence of dementia by as much as 15 percent. Although there is currently no cure for dementia, researchers have recently determined that managing the risk factors that can lead to its development may help to reduce the incident rate by a substantial amount. To keep up with all of the latest health news and health tips, be sure to visit us at The Benefits Store today.

The Risk of Measles Since January 2016, there have been more than 14,000 measles cases reported in Europe alone. Measles is no small matter, either – 35 people have died in Europe as a result of measles this year, according to the World Health Organization. While there haven’t been any major outbreaks in the U.S., there have been a number of cases, most of which have been the result of international travel. This can be especially dangerous, since an American who contracts measles overseas and brings it home risks causing an outbreak here in the states. There are currently travel health notices for five European countries that have experienced measles outbreaks since November of last year. These countries include Belgium, France, Italy, Germany and Romania. However, there have been measles cases reported in 15 countries throughout Europe this year alone. Measles Precautions If you are planning a trip to Europe this summer, then you and your family should take precautions by visiting your doctor at least four to six weeks before you travel in order to get vaccinated for the measles. The vaccination is a series of shots, which is why you may need up to six weeks to have them administered and for your body to build up immunity to the disease. Measles is not something you should take lightly. It’s one of the most contagious of all infectious diseases. It’s estimated that 90 percent of susceptible persons who have close contact with someone that has measles will contract the disease. It’s a virus that can be spread via coughs or sneezes and that can live two hours or more in the air or on surfaces. For more health tips or general health information, be sure to visit us at The Benefits Store today.

Get a checkup before leaving – Find out about the diseases that are prevalent in the area to which you are traveling traveling and then get a checkup with your doctor before you leave. Your doctor will make sure you’re in good enough health to travel and will provide you with any necessary innoculations to protect against region-specific diseases, such as yellow fever, malaria and hepatitis A. Pack a health kit – Bring a few basic health supplies with you in case you fall sick on your trip. You should bring an anti-inflammatory drug (such as ibuprofen), an anti-diarrhea medication (such as Imodium™), a motion sickness medication, antiseptic cream, drugs for an upset stomach and, last but not least, adhesive bandages. Always wash your hands – This may seem like a basic tip, but a lot of people forget to do this regularly while traveling. Always wash your hands before meals and after you’ve handled objects on public transportation or in tourist spots. Be careful about what you drink and eat – If you’re traveling in third world countries or developing nations, you need to be very careful about what you eat and drink. Only drink bottled water or water that has been boiled. Make sure the meat you eat is well cooked. Don’t put ice in your drinks and avoid foods and beverages from unhygienic locations, such as street vendors. These four summer travel tips can help you and your family avoid getting sick while on vacation. For more health tips and to stay up to date with all the latest health news, visit us at The Benefits Store today.

How Lung Cancer Screenings Can Become More Cost-Effective The study was performed by researchers from Canada who, following their research, believe that combining a CT (computed tomography) screening for multiple conditions along with efforts to manage heart and lung diseases that aren’t cancer-related (and efforts to stop smoking) can help make the screening a lot more cost-effective. Over the past few years, lung cancer treatment has become more and more expensive, which makes early detection and prevention even more important. In fact, the ability to diagnose smoking-related diseases could help to improve the length and quality of people’s lives. Unfortunately, there is no national lung cancer screening program currently in place. This is because there was very little evidence available that a lung cancer screening would help improve a person’s life considering the costs associated with such a program. Fortunately, this newly published research shows that lung cancer screening programs implemented on a national scale could become more financially viable if they target high-risk people and if the screenings are also used to identify non-cancer conditions; for example, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Using data gathered from two major screening trials, researchers found that if they targeted high-risk people, then they could reduce the number of people that would need to be screened for cancer by over 80 percent. They determined that it would cost slightly less than $21,000 CAD a year per life saved. This would be more cost-effective than the $100,000 that is often paid for other types of cancer interventions. A national lung cancer screening program could become even more cost-effective if it is combined with smoking cessation. If done properly, a lung cancer screening program in the United States could be just as effective as well. For the latest on health news around the world, visit us at The Benefits Store.

One of the problems with exercising indoors is that for many people, it’s not a lot of fun. It’s one of the reasons why experts have recommended focusing on short, intense workouts. This cuts down on the time needed to spend on them in order to get the benefits of exercising. While people who do this are often happy with the results and with the short duration, they still don’t have fun doing it, which makes it difficult for many people to keep it up. The new study focused on whether a longer workout at a lower intensity would result in a more enjoyable experience and whether that would then contribute to people sticking to their exercise plans. The study involved 40 healthy subjects in Austria. They completed a number of questionnaires regarding their general moods and anxiety levels. The subjects then participated in prolonged workouts that were low on intensity, including going through a hike in the mountains. They were asked to move at a brisk pace, but not one that was strenuous, while they wore heart rate monitors. They walked fast enough for it to require work, but slow enough so that they could speak with one another as they hiked. The hike lasted roughly three hours. The next day, the subjects performed the same workout on a treadmill inside of a gym, using the same incline as the mountain. According to the heart monitors,  hiking the mountain was more strenuous than using the treadmills; however, every participant felt that the outdoor hike was actually less strenuous than the treadmill. Mood scores, which were recorded following both workouts, indicated that they enjoyed the hike more as well. Researchers came to the conclusion that walking outside is more beneficial to one’s mood, which can encourage more regular participation. For more health-related news, visit The Benefits Store today.

The average life expectancy has gone up over time because of the advancement of new medicines, medical techniques and technology, all of which have helped reduce the average age of death quite a bit. However, researchers recently came to the conclusion that the human body will generally max out at 115 years – although there is a one-in-10,000 chance that a person could survive up to 125 years. The study, “Evidence for a limit to human lifespan,” claims that the maximum lifespan is not fixed and can be affected by genetic and pharmacological interventions. For example, researchers in Sweden discovered the maximum lifespan of a human being was around 101 years back in the 1860s. By the 1990s, that max was pushed to 108 years due to all of the advancements made in medicine and technology over that period of time. However, scientists involved with the new study believe that it is unlikely that the human age limit will exceed 125 years for the simple reason that various forms of declining mental health will prevent it. To break that barrier, scientists believe that future advancements would have to overwhelm the many genetic variants that collectively determine the human lifespan. Many scientists believe that effort should be focused on living better during that period instead of living longer. As one researcher pointed out, what’s the point of living longer if the person is no longer mentally present? Human beings do have a general expiration date, although this could technically be lengthened in the future. To keep up with all the latest health-related news, visit us at The Benefits Store today.

Ticks are not insects – Ticks are arachnids, which means that they’re more like spiders than mosquitoes. If you think about it, they actually look a lot more like spiders than they do other insects. Lyme disease is carried by deer – Only the deer tick carries Lyme disease. The reason there have been so many more Lyme disease-related incidents over the past few years is due to the explosion in the deer population throughout the country. Fortunately, other types do not carry Lyme disease. It takes 24 hours to transmit an infection – A lot of people are terrified of ticks because of the spread of Lyme disease. However, it generally takes at least 24 hours for any type of disease to transmit from a tick to its host. This means that if you remove a tick within 24 hours, you should be in the clear. Pulling ticks off is easy – One of the misconceptions about ticks is that they are almost impossible to get off once they’ve latched on. This isn’t true. You can simply use a pair of tweezers to pull the tick off. Just try to get a grip on it as close to the skin as possible. Don’t worry if its mouthpart remains attached either; it’s the body that carries diseases. You can tell if you’ve gotten Lyme disease – If you’ve contracted Lyme disease, you’ll receive a reddish bulls-eye rash that radiates outward near the bite mark a few days to a month after you’ve been bitten. However, if a red ring shows up but doesn’t get bigger and then disappears, it’s probably just a normal rash from the bite. Keep these tick facts in mind and visit us at The Benefits Store for more health-related news and advice.