Medicine News

Researching brain cells the team from the Humboldt University in Germany and the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands have made an interesting medical discovery. It appears that there could be enough computing ability in just one brain cell to allow humans and animals to feel, a study suggests. The research, conducted with rodents and published in the Dec. 20 issue of Nature, could rewrite the textbooks on just how important individual brain cells or cell clusters are to the working mind.

The Dutch and German study found that stimulating just one rat neuron could deliver the sensation of touch. Before these insights, "The thinking was that very large ensembles of neurons [brain cells] had to be activated at some point for the animal to feel or perceive" a stimulus, explained the senior researcher of two of the studies, Karel Svoboda, a group leader at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Ashburn, Va.

"But it turns out that a remarkably small number -- on the order of 50 or so activated neurons -- is sufficient to drive reliable behaviors," said Svoboda, who is also associated with the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, in New York.
A second research project from the US suggests the computational ability of the brain cell could be even more complex, with different synapses - the many junctions between neurons and other nerve cells - able to act independently from those found elsewhere on the same cell.
This could mean that, within a single neuron, different synapses could be storing or processing completely different bits of information. Dr Douglas Armstrong, the deputy director of the Edinburgh Centre for Bioinformatics, said the research did not mean all neurons had an individual role to play but that, in some instances, they might be capable of working alone with measurable results. "The fact that a single cell can influence behavior in the cortex is fascinating," said neuroscientist Paul Sanberg, director of the Center for Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair at the University of South Florida, Tampa. The new findings are "allowing us to answer questions about how the brain controls behavior at the cellular level," added Sanberg, who was not involved in the studies.
He said: "The generally accepted model was that networks or arrays make decisions and that the influence of a single neuron is smaller - but this work and other recent studies support a more important role for the individual neuron.
"These studies drive down the level at which relevant computation is happening in the brain."

Abnormal lipid metabolism in the context of insulin resistance results in decreased concentration of high-density lipoproteins which is responsible for the hepatic transport of cholesterol. These changes in lipoproteins balance lead directly to increased atherogenesis and progressive atherosclerosis. When you drop in at a vitamin shop you should hunt for special vitamins and supplements that will keep the level of cholesterol in your body balanced.

Low fat intake is normal for the human being. The only fats that the organism requires are essential fatty acids, i.e. linoleic and alpha-linoleic acids (vitamins F1 and F2). Being polyunsaturated fats, they have to be well-balanced in a healthy diet. If you buy vitamins and nutrition supplements you are to be very careful in order to purchase only the best quality medicines - a quality vitamin complex that is approved by the healthcare agency.

However, the following grave defects commonly distinguish Western diet:

In our age of stress situations in our day to day professional and personal livelihoods one of the best way to get relaxation is good massage of course. As you know, massage helps reduce emotional tension, induce relaxation and calm stress, besides that it is argued that professional massage has a great effect on alleviate back pain and other annoyances.

Probably massage is the oldest and simplest form of medical care. As long ago Egyptian used massage treatment in what we convince seeing on their tomb paintings showed people being massaged. In Eastern cultures, massage has been practiced continually since ancient times. A Chinese book from 2,700 B.C., The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, recommends 'breathing exercises, massage of skin and flesh, and exercises of hands and feet" as the appropriate treatment for -complete paralysis, chills, and fever." It was one of the principal method of relieving pain for Greek and Roman physicians. Julius Caesar was said to have been given a daily massage to treat neuralgia. "The Physician Must Be Experienced In Many Things," wrote Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, in the 5th century B. C., "but assuredly in rubbing.. . for rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose, and loosen a joint that is too rigid."


There a great number of different types of massage. The most popular of them is:
Swedish massage or simply massage therapy
Asian Massage Therapy
Aromatherapy Massage
Hot Stone Massage
Deep Tissue Massage
Shiatsu
Thai Massage
Reflexology
Back Massage
Face and Head Massage
Foot Massage
Neuromuscular Therapy massage
Massage with using oils such as Apricot Kernel Oil
Natural Massage Melts
and more.

If you need some instruction to prepare common Massage Oil here it is:
• 6-8 teaspoons grape seed oil
• 6 drops of lavender essential/fragrance oil
• 2 drops rose essential/fragrance oil
• 2 drops jasmine essential/fragrance oil
Just blend ingredients well and to warm up oil before doing any massage including your fingertips.
Massage Therapy is relaxing, gentle and effective treatment for anyone.

Among the alternative weight loss methods guided imagery is one of the most delcate yet very effective ways. The Weight Loss imagery helps reduce the impulse to eat compulsively, in the state of anxiety or depression, because it's a consoling, refreshing and inspiring experience for most people. Though it doesn't work from the very first time of listening and you won't become a calm, easy person after you've listened through the audio piece once or twice - this is a sort of "therapeutic hypnosis" ot guided meditation that steadily alters your thinking and attitudes with repeated use. With each session you get the ability to "self-regulate" or calm yourself when you feel anxious or depressed. The program is not geared towards relieving stress, removing anxiety or depression, it just provides the tools to manage it when it comes. And you come to use those tools automatically over time.It works differently for different people: some get rolling right away while others spend days and weeks listening to the imagery audio before they really feel ready to start losing weight. Once they are ready the proceed with the a matching behavioral program, and the imagery intensifies the willingness to stay with it. This weight loss program imagery helps improve self esteem and reduce the feeling of depression. Even severely obese people who are still fighting to lose weight find themselves more confident, energized and loving toward themselves after listening to this weight loss program.

What is it sleep deprivation? It’s good if you don’t know what it is yet, you know whay I mean. But actually sleep deprivation is a very widespread disease with definite symptoms. Sleep deprivation is a serious condition that can negatively impact your life. In short, you do not get the sleep you need and this is caused by not having enough time to get the sleep you need. How much sleep do we need? We need enough good quality sleep to feel alert during the day, especially during the afternoon. If you have a sleep debt you will very sleepy in the afternoon and it may cost in lost production, accidents, nervousness and conflicts. Besides that there are some medical conditions interfere with sleep. Many different conditions can have a negative impact on sleep, such as ADHD, anxiety, asthma, bipolar disorder, depression, post-traumatic and stress of course. Stress has emerged as a chronic condition in our fast-paced society. Rest and relaxation are the best cures for stress and stress-related problems, but unfortunately those problems can actually inhibit restorative sleep.

The body and mind need time to decompress from each day's activities. When people work overtime, work from home, run around to kids' extracurricular activities, sit in traffic for hours, etc., it cuts down on the physical and mental downtime our bodies need.

Stress can short-circuit your body and make it more or less forget how to relax and rest. It is also a bit much to ask our bodies to cram in all of its decompression time into sleep hours only. The world turns at a much faster pace than it ever did before; though we may not want to slow down, we must be respectful of our own mental and physical health.
Anxiety, Depression and Sleep
Anxiety and depression can both alter a person's ability to fall asleep and sleep soundly. This can manifest in different ways, from feeling panicked or having a racing mind when you are trying to fall asleep, to having exaggerated, irrational feelings of fear or someone in your house, to waking in the middle of the night and feeling listless as you try to get back to sleep. Not only can the actual medical problem affect sleep - so can the medicine used to cure the problem. Whether it is an antidepressant, theophylline for asthma or even, surprisingly, sleeping pills, medicines can have unsettling side effects. Be sure to thoroughly discuss your medication, and its side effects, with your physician.
What to do? First try to avoid too much stress.
Eat a balanced diet.
Avoid too much caffeine and nicotine, especially in the evening hours.
Don't overdo alcohol. Also sport, outdoor activities and high spirits will help you on this way. Additional way is to try melatonin sleep aid.