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.

Maturity Helps Boost Self-Control A study published in Current Biology revealed that the ability to control impulses, make good decisions, and stay on task all increased over time. The study consisted of roughly 900 subjects from the ages of eight to 22. The results of the study show that abilities such as running or seeing are well developed by the time a person is eight years old, but that the ability to inhibit inappropriate responses doesn’t develop well until they are in their 20’s. The development of such self-control is known as executive function. One of the goals of the study was to determine how the brain changes as executive function develops. Researchers used diffusion imaging to observe the fibers making up the information highways of the brain. They discovered two things: Information highways in the brain cluster into modules that perform specialized functions, such as impulse control. The connections between those modules become stronger. These two changes allow information to flow more efficiently throughout the brain’s network. The more efficiently the brain is able to process information, the stronger a person’s executive function will become. While this study revealed enlightening information about how the brain functions and develops, the study itself was not without its limitations. Although there was a large study group, the observations of these subjects were not made over time. New studies that will explore the maturation of the brain and the development of executive function plan to rectify these limitations. The ability to identify the development of executive control could also allow medical professionals to identify individuals at risk of developing psychiatric or substance abuse disorders in the future. For more health-related news, visit us at The Benefits Store today.

Studying Fitness Trackers Euan Ashley, a cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at the Stanford University Medical Center, and several colleagues studied seven types of fit trackers, comparing them to the official tests that doctors use to determine the accuracy of the data that they collect. They focused on two metrics that fitness trackers record: heart rate and calories burned. To determine how accurately fit trackers recorded the user’s heart rate, they compared it to an EKG (electrocardiogram). According to the study, the fit trackers ability to record the user’s heart rate was relatively accurate; most devices were only off by roughly five percent. When it came to calories burned, however, the fit trackers were highly inaccurate. The calories burned reported by fit trackers were compared to a scientific system of calculating metabolism. This system measures the oxygen and carbon dioxide in the breath of a person to determine how many calories are being burned. Compared to this system, fit trackers were anywhere from 20 percent to 93 percent inaccurate. Unfortunately, not only does this mean that the data tracked by fit trackers is not accurate enough to be relied on by medical professionals, users probably shouldn’t be basing their exercise goals on them either. The inaccuracy of the calories burned metric could fool users into undermining their diet and sabotaging their fitness goals. While fitness trackers do track certain metrics accurately, such as steps taken and heart rate, users shouldn’t rely on them heavily due to some of their inaccuracies. Keep up with all the latest news concerning health technology by visiting us at The Benefits Store today.

The Risks of Not Getting Enough Sleep Numerous studies have shown that getting enough sleep on a regular basis is important to one’s health. A lack of sleep can lead to an increased risk for obesity, high blood pressure, poor mental health, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even an earlier death. There’s also the short-term effects caused by a lack of sleep. People are more likely to be in a bad mood and to be unproductive the next day without a good night’s sleep. How much sleep a person needs, however, depends on their age. According to the Sleep Research Society and The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the following is roughly the amount of sleep a person should get depending on their age: Adults between 18 and 60 should get at least seven hours of sleep a night. Teens between 13 and 18 should get between eight and ten hours of sleep a night. Children between six and 12 should get between nine and 12 hours of sleep a night. Preschool children between three and five should get between 10 and 13 hours of sleep every 24 hours. Toddlers between one and two should get 11 to 14 hours of sleep every 24 hours. Infants between four and 12 months should get between 12 and 16 hours of sleep every 24 hours. In addition to getting enough sleep, people should focus on getting good quality sleep. Certain sleep disorders can cause poor sleep, even for those who are sleeping long enough. For more health-related advice and information, be sure to keep up with The Benefits Store today.

The Cost of California’s Single-Payer Healthcare The report was released by the state Senate Appropriations Committee. About half of that $400 billion would be offset by existing federal, state, and local funds. However, the other half would have to be accounted for with additional tax revenue from California residents. The report assumed that this tax revenue would be raised through a new payroll tax. This added tax rate could be upwards of 15 percent of earned income. While this may seem like a substantial cost to Californians, the report did note that these new payroll taxes would be largely offset by the amount of money saved on healthcare coverage by both employees and employers. Proponents for a California single-payer healthcare system argue that the system would not only make healthcare more affordable for California residents, but also more efficient since it would eliminate the need for as much paperwork as the current healthcare insurance system typically requires. Proponents also bring up Medicare, which is a federally funded healthcare program for seniors, as a model of how a single-payer healthcare system could work. However, there are still opponents of single-payer healthcare, who argue that it would raise taxes too much and that it would give the government too much power. A single-payer healthcare system could very well work in California, although there are still some detractors. To keep up with all the latest news within the healthcare industry, be sure to visit us at The Benefits Store today.

Despite the anti-vaccer agenda, there has still been some US vaccination success, with 90 percent of children having received their recommended vaccinations for polio, chickenpox, measles, mumps and rubella in 2015 according to a CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Unfortunately, other vaccination rates fell below their target. Vaccination Rates Drop Short of Herd Immunity Herd immunity is the term used for the resistance of a population to the spread of disease. This results when a large percentage of people are immune. Unfortunately, vaccination rates for several serious diseases did not reach the level of herd immunity. Vaccination rates for diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus were only at 80 percent according to the CDC. Additionally, vaccination rates for hepatitis B and the gastrointestinal disease rotavirus were only at 89 percent and 68 percent. There have also been a number of outbreaks over the course of the last few years of diseases such as pertussis and measles, both of which are preventable through vaccinations. For example, in 2015 there were 229 cases of Mumps. Last year, there were 5,748 cases of mumps. Dozens of children were infected with the measles this year as well – even after the measles virus was declared eliminated back in 2000. Improving the Vaccination Rate One state that has proven a US vaccination success is California, where the vaccination rate has increased after the state made it more difficult for parents to opt out of vaccination compliance. For example, after the pertussis outbreak in Marin County three years ago, the vaccination rate for kindergarteners rose from 77.9 to 93.2 percent. Although there has been some US vaccination success, the vaccination rate hasn’t quite met herd immunity as of recently. That’s why vaccination awareness is so important. To keep up with all California health-related news, visit us at The Benefits Store today.