admin – Page 12 – MyWellness Network

Climate Change And Wellness

Posted on by admin

The AGU Science Policy Conference released this statement on global warming:

When climate change affects what we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink, the consequences can be deadly. Changes in climate also affect weather conditions, causing illnesses related to heat and incidents connected to severe weather events. The EPA even says that the spread of climate-sensitive diseases, such as a new strain of West Nile virus that emerged in 2002, depends partly on climate factors. In response, government and health officials must monitor climate change and implement policies for adapting to change while also mitigating risk.

Copper Connected to Alzheimer’s Disease

Posted on by admin

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America has conducted a study linking the consumption of copper to Alzheimer’s:

Significance
The causes of the sporadic form of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are unknown. In this study we show that copper (Cu) critically regulates low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1–mediated Aβ clearance across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) in normal mice. Faulty Aβ clearance across the BBB due to increased Cu levels in the aging brain vessels may lead to accumulation of neurotoxic Aβ in brains. In a mouse model of AD low levels of Cu also influences Aβ production and neuroinflammation. Our study suggests that Cu may also increase the severity of AD.

Abstract
Whereas amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulates in the brain of normal animals dosed with low levels of copper (Cu), the mechanism is not completely known. Cu could contribute to Aβ accumulation by altering its clearance and/or its production. Because Cu homeostasis is altered in transgenic mice overexpressing Aβ precursor protein (APP), the objective of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of Cu-induced Aβ accumulation in brains of normal mice and then to explore Cu’s effects in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. In aging mice, accumulation of Cu in brain capillaries was associated with its reduction in low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1), an Aβ transporter, and higher brain Aβ levels. These effects were reproduced by chronic dosing with low levels of Cu via drinking water without changes in Aβ synthesis or degradation. In human brain endothelial cells, Cu, at its normal labile levels, caused LRP1-specific down-regulation by inducing its nitrotyrosination and subsequent proteosomal-dependent degradation due in part to Cu/cellular prion protein/LRP1 interaction. In APPsw/0 mice, Cu not only down-regulated LRP1 in brain capillaries but also increased Aβ production and neuroinflammation because Cu accumulated in brain capillaries and, unlike in control mice, in the parenchyma. Thus, we have demonstrated that Cu’s effect on brain Aβ homeostasis depends on whether it is accumulated in the capillaries or in the parenchyma. These findings should provide unique insights into preventative and/or therapeutic approaches to control neurotoxic Aβ levels in the aging brain.

In a separate study, playing a musical instrument was found to and years to the life of the brain.

Sound Prenatal Learning

Posted on by admin

by NIH

Many pregnant women read to their bellies, others play music. And now Finnish researchers have found that an early introduction to sound may be a powerful way to stimulate speech and language development later on.

In a small study, researchers followed 33 women from their 29th week of pregnancy until birth. Half of the mothers listened to a recorded pseudoword TATATA repeated hundreds of times each week, sometimes pronounced differently, sometimes with a different pitch.

After birth, all of the babies were exposed to the pseudoword to see if they reacted. Infants who were exposed to the pseudoword in the womb showed a significant response to it reacting more strongly to the word, its pronunciation and pitch changes than newborns who weren’t exposed to the same stimuli.

Since human fetuses can hear outside sounds at around 27 weeks, the findings suggest they’re also learning as they listen.

The authors say these results may lead to interventions that prevent future language impairments and help compensate for genetic disorders such as dyslexia.

Infections: Don’t Pass It On

Posted on by admin

The campaign develops and distributes education and communication materials for the VA community that promote:
* Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette
* Annual seasonal influenza vaccination
* Correct and appropriate use of personal protective equipment
* Pandemic influenza preparedness and response
* Basic public health measures to prevent transmission of infection

What you can do to reduce the spread of infection:

* Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
* Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
* Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
* Stay home when you are sick and limit contact with others.
* Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
* Get your seasonal flu shot.

Children And Malnutrition

Posted on by admin

By President Obama

Last June, the United States, India, Ethiopia, and UNICEF hosted the Global Child Survival Call to Action event in Washington, DC. In India, 43% of children under the age of five are underweight and 48% are chronically undernourished. To address this and other causes of child deaths that can be prevented, India issued a national Call to Action for Child Survival and Development to end all preventable child deaths by 2035.

Yesterday I wrote about my time in Kachhpura and how they are working to end malnutrition. Today I attended a roundtable discussion with Government of Maharashtra Officials, USAID, UNICEF, Indian civil society and private sector representatives to learn about their efforts to improve nutrition across the country and to make available other proven health interventions to prevent child deaths, such as immunizations, clean water, and treatment of pneumonia and diarrhea.

As a mom, this is a personal issue for me as no parent wants to see her child go hungry or be sick. I am inspired by how the communities that I have visited have launched into action to tackle this problem. I am heartened to learn of the joint efforts of the Indian government, civil society and private sector in close collaboration with the U.S. and UN Agencies to target children between 0 and 35 months old, one of the most vulnerable groups. I look forward to seeing their continued progress in the future.

After leaving the roundtable discussion, I continued on to The Dilaasa Crisis Intervention Department for Women in Bandra, an area in Mumbai. The center is the first hospital-based crisis center in India for female survivors of domestic violence and came out of a partnership between the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, a public entity, and the Center for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes, a private trust. This relationship illustrates how dedicated both the people and the government are to creating a safe space for the victims of gender based violence and to ensuring that this nightmare ends for so many women.

In Hindi, Dilaasa means “reassurance,” and it seems that the center has gone above and beyond that mission for each of the 2,000 women it has cared for so far. Dilaasa provides a safe and anonymous space for women to seek support, a promise the women I met with were so appreciative of. The center focuses on empowering these women by helping them understand that the cause of violence is external to them. I could see the power of this approach in my conversations with the center¹s survivors. I am still amazed by the incredible strength of each woman I was able to meet.