Although the work is preliminary, researchers at the National Brain Research Centre (NBRC) say they have shown that the herb ashwagandha may reverse memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease. Their findings were made in mice modified to have Alzheimer’s, a commonly used way to study the disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disease and the most common type of dementia. One characteristic of the disease is the accumulation of protein deposits (beta amyloid) as plaque in the brain, and much of the prevention and treatment research has focused on ways to eliminate this plaque. Continue Reading »

Results of a new study support what researchers have known for some time: there is a connection between breast cancer and prostate cancer—at least when it comes to certain genes. The new study reports that men who have the mutated breast cancer gene BRCA1 are nearly four times more likely to develop prostate cancer than men without the gene.  Continue Reading »

Scientists at Lund University are on a quest to resolve a classic “if/then”  situation involving a protein discovery that could lead to new cancer treatment. Basically, if they can block a protein called gamma-tubulin, then targeted cancer cells should die while healthy cells survive.

One major problem with cancer treatment is that most chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy not only have an effect on cancerous cells, but also damage healthy cells. This cell damage results in side effects and complications that can seriously impact a patient’s quality of life. Continue Reading »

Longevity is how long you live, but how long can you expect to live without disability? The measure of the latter is known as healthy life years, and according to figures released at the European Joint Action on Healthy Life Years, Swedish men had the highest healthy life years of European men in 2010.

As the numbers of older adults grow ever larger, there is an accompanying growing interest and concern for issues that impact an aging population. One of the most pressing concerns expressed by aging adults is being disabled or incapacitated so they are not able to enjoy a good quality of life or remain independent during their declining years. Continue Reading »

If you have been looking for a way to boost your creative juices, you might want to try meditation. Researchers at Leiden University have published a report in Frontiers in Cognition noting the benefits of certain types of meditation in promoting creativity.

For many years, both conventional and integrative physicians have been touting the stress reduction and relaxation benefits of meditation, and scores of studies have supported these claims. Meditation has demonstrated health advantages in cancer patients, individuals with asthma, people experiencing emotional distress, and those suffering with a variety of chronic diseases. Continue Reading »

The word “cholesterol” typically brings to mind negative associations, such as clogged arteries or an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. However, some researchers are saying cholesterol could have cancer fighting benefits.

For decades we’ve been told cholesterol is primarily a “bad” substance and that we should take steps to lower cholesterol through diet and drugs or to try natural supplements such as beta-sitosterol. Continue Reading »

You might remember the old saying “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning,” which makes it sound like aspirin can take care of any number of unmentioned symptoms and ailments. That concept may not be far from the truth, as researchers continue to discover potential new uses for this commonly used over-the-counter medication.

Taking aspirin for pain relief, such as headache and muscle aches associated with cold and flu, and a daily low dose of aspirin for heart health are well-known uses for this drug, but lately potential new health benefits have been uncovered. Several studies conducted over the past few years, for example, have suggested aspirin can reduce cancer risk and, more specifically,whether aspirin may treat prostate cancer. Continue Reading »

As you get older, decision-making abilities in new situations tend to change, and not for the better. That doesn’t mean, however, that decision-making can’t improve with cognitive training, according to a new study.

Changes in the brain and nervous system are a natural part of aging, but they are not the same in everyone. Both the brain and spinal cord lose nerve cells, while nerve cells transmit signals more slowly, and waste products can accumulate in the brain as nerve cells break down.  Continue Reading »

It’s like a medical delivery version of special delivery from the post office: the use of nanobubbles to deliver chemotherapy or genetic materials directly to individually selected cancer cells. The use of nanobubbles could allow clinicians to treat only cancer cells while leaving nearby healthy cells untouched. Continue Reading »

Discoveries in the realm of genetics and prostate cancer have been brisk as of late, and among the latest findings are two inherited genetic variants that can increase a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer by threefold or fourfold. The findings appeared in the online April 9 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Continue Reading »