Can eye exercises eliminate the need for classes?
Despite popular beliefs, there is no strong evidence to suggest that any type of eye exercises can alleviate the need for either wearing reading glasses or glasses for distance vision. Of note, prolonged screen time can cause eye stain and dryness so best advice is to follow the 20-20-20 rule. 20 second breaks to look at objects 20 feet away -every 20 minutes.
Source: Popular Science
Air pollution damage
In Canada, thousands of hospital visits and, more than 15,300 premature deaths each year are linked to air pollution. Overall, the social and economic consequences of illness and death associated with air pollution has an economic value of $120 billion per year.
Source: Canada.ca
Good-bye statins
Approx 40% of patients currently prescribed some of the more popular statins such as Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor to protect against high levesl of LDL cholesterol, may not need them according to Dr. Tim Anderson’s at the U of Pittsburgh who is using a new risk called PREVENT.
Looking at date for almost 4,000 adults 40 – 75 enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey, existing guidelines and estimates provided by the new calculator, Anderson’s team claims the 10 year risk of developing heart disease is significantly lower than previously thought.
Source: U of Pittsburg
Fewer girls but less remission
Tourette Disorder (TD) is a male predominant neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by tics and frequent psychiatric comorbidities. The ratio is approx. 4:1. Girls with TD have later peak symptoms, less remission with age, and worse impairment from tics, particularly in adulthood. Female TD patients are less likely to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and more likely to have anxiety and mood disorders.
Source: tourette.ca
Transplanting healthy skin
For burn victims, treatment options using healthy skin to return damaged areas to a healthy state has been used for years. Now Japanese researchers have pioneered using the same process – revertant somatic recombination- to cure those with EI and IWC, two challenging skin disorders. By transplanting grafts called Cultured epidermal autografts (CEA’s) which contain genetic mutation corrections, outbreaks of the disease can be controlled. However, after 24 weeks, some recurrence occurred but the researchers work is said to be promising.
Source: Nagoya University
Wine on the plane?
German researchers are suggesting we think again when the drink cart comes down the aisle. In a small study their findings showed that mixing alcohol with the low oxygen level on a plane, can lead to both an increased heart rate and decreased REM sleep quality. In addition, they suggest that the reduced blood oxygen levels which
can impair function of the heart, kidneys and the brain.
Source: dw.com
Gaucher disease
A rare inherited metabolic disorder, Gaucher is on the rise. Characterized by hepatosplenomagly, bone disease and anemia with symptoms including enlarged slope and liver, easy brusing, bleeding that’s difficult to stop, clotting, excessive tiredness, bone pain and sometimes respiratory problems. Later in life conditions that increase risk of developing Gaucher include: Osteoporosis, Parkinson, Liver Cancer and Myeloma.
Source: Global Data
ADHD treatments
A challenged faced by more than 4% of adults, ADHD still has no cure. However, working on self-esteem and behaviour strategies such as phsychotherapy, cognitive behaviour therapy, which may change “all or nothing thinking” and emotional therapy have been shown to improve functioning. Having ADHD with another condition can severely interfere with daily life with 50% of adults also having
an anxiety disorder.
Too good to go
An app that connects eaters to unsold food at half the price has launched a new labelling in Canada. It’s already in use in Europe and is quickly being adopted by brands here too. The “Look-Smell-Taste” label aims to help households reduce good waste by reminding the that the past-dated food can still be good to eat.
Source: toogoodtogo.com
Spotlight on…
The Centre of Research Expertise (CRE) for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders. Conducting workplace-partnered, stakeholder focused research to transfer knowledge and improve the understanding of and prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), CRE is the largest single contributor to lost time claims and costs in Ontario (and worldwide). Based at the University of Waterloo, CRE-MSD is a network of 47 dedicated researchers across 13 institutions with a wide range of expertise. The Centre is recognized for its focus on the primary prevention of MSDs: saving workers from injury in the first place. CRE-MSD was founded in 2004.
msdprevention.com
