"Not only are these individuals losing cognition, but they are showing many of the changes in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer's disease," study author Robert Wilson said.
The study suggests that chronic stress may harm portions of the brain responsible for responding to stress, portions that are also involved in memory. Wilson said the findings could lead to early treatments, such as promoting exercise as a way to reduce stress and depression and, thus, the likelihood of later mental impairment.
MEDTRONICA
Weird medical cases
www.nationalreviewofmedicine.com/issue/unusual_cases/case_index.html
An offshoot of a Canadian medical newspaper, this site offers a listing of strange-but-true medical cases reported by actual doctors and nurses.
Americans swallow 16,000 tons of aspirin each year.
GET ME THAT. STAT!
Almost one-quarter of patients 18 years and older who were patients in American hospitals in 2004 suffered from some sort of mental disorder, according to a new report by the Department of Health & Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
NEVER SAY DIET
Oleg Zhornitskiy once ate 128 ounces (8 pounds) of mayonnaise in 8 minutes - a world record.
STORIES FOR THE WAITING ROOM
In India, it was once thought that if a child's nose itched, it foretold the onset of a serious illness. The standard remedy was to tap the child on the nose with a shoe, then spit.
DOC TALK
House red - blood
PHOBIA OF THE WEEK
Consecotaleophobia - fear of chopsticks
BEST MEDICINE
"Doctor, am I going to die?"
"That's the last thing you're going to do."
OBSERVATION
I jogged three miles once. It was the worst three hours of my life.
- Rita Rudner
LAST WORDS
Let the tent be struck.
- Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)
TV A WEIGHTY ISSUE
Most of us know that too much TV time can make you pack on pounds. But too many hours in front of the tube may also make it harder to maintain weight loss, the journal Obesity says. Data was analyzed from almost 1,500 people who had kept a loss of at least 30 pounds for a year. People who increased their TV time gained an average of 9 pounds, while those who cut back gained only 2. Weight-loss experts recommend limiting tube time to 10 hours weekly.
LISTEN TO THIS
Listen up. Duke University found that people who interrupt conversations are up to seven times more likely to get heart disease. Researchers theorize that people who butt in are excessively competitive and controlling. These high-risk folks can lower their risk without drugs or dietary changes. All they have to do is practice being good listeners.
