Articles Posted in Wellness studies

Published on:

By

Map-of-Health-2018-300x256
The 2018 health rankings are out and Georgia is 39.  The United Health Foundation, a division of the World Health Organization publishes the yearly results.  The UHR looks at the 35 different criteria.  Some of these include:  children in poverty; prevalence of smoking; prevalence of obesity; prevalence of mental and emotional distress, immunizations, birth weight of infants, and percentage of available primary care and mental health doctors.  The model is built on the World Health Organization’s definition of health.  “Health is the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

The least healthy states are all in the south.  The bottom five are in descending order to unhealthiest:  Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.  Where are the healthiest states?  Hawaii, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and Utah.

What are Georgia’s health strengths?  The state’s rate of children in poverty fell to 21 percent, down from 22.9 percent last year.  The national rate of children in poverty is 18.4 percent.  Georgia has increased its number of primary care physicians.  Georgia has 121.9 primary care doctors for every 100,000 individuals.  This is a 2 percent increase from last year.   Nationally, the number of primary care doctors has increased 5 percent.  In Georgia, there are 130.2 mental health providers for every 100,000 individuals.  This is up 6% from past year.  Nationally, the number of mental health providers has increased 8 percent.  Georgia’s number of immunized children is high; violent crime deaths are down; and even adolescent drinking is down.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

Exercise is an absolute must for good health, but overdoing exercise, especially for some members of the population, could cause an increase in the risk of cardiac disease.

According to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago, white men who over-exercise have a risk of heart disease that is almost twice as high as those who exercise in moderation. Researchers studied more than 3,000 participants over a five-year period, and found that white men who exercised for approximately 7 ½ hours per week were more likely to report symptoms of cardiac disease, including clogging of the arteries. White men were 86% more likely to suffer from symptoms of coronary artery calcification over time as compared to black males.

This should not, however, be taken to mean that you should stop exercising. Exercise in moderation is key to a healthy lifestyle.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

Ignoring a sports injury, or returning to work too quickly after an injury, may actually increase a young person’s risk of developing arthritis later in life.

In fact, according to recent research conducted by the University of Iowa, joint damage at the site of an injury may evolve into further problems and actually be a predictor for arthritis down the line.  Furthermore, evidence of arthritis could emerge as quickly as within a decade of suffering the injury.

We generally think of arthritis as a condition that strikes older or middle-aged people, but often neglect the fact that sports injuries can actually trigger joint and bone damage in younger people that can result in future symptoms of arthritis. More than 27 million Americans currently live with arthritis. Those numbers are expected to increase as the population ages and the number of obese people in the population increases. More than 40% of people who suffer an injury to the ligaments, meniscus, or the articular surface of a joint will develop arthritis in the future.  For example, a history of knee injury increases your risk of developing arthritis in the knee by as much as 3 to 6 times.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

Researchers at Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota have announced that they are on the brink of a major cancer treatment breakthrough that could revolutionize treatment for the deadly disease. The federal government is soon expected to approve these evolutionary new cellular therapies that will specifically be used in the treatment of rare forms of blood cancer. According to the researchers, over a period of time, they expect the therapy to be approved for the treatment of other cancers as well.

The treatment involves extraction of the patient’s white blood cells, and putting these through a process of genetic engineering in a lab. These genetically modified cancer-fighting cells are then placed back in the patient’s body to fight cancer cells.  The researchers found that patients’ recovery patterns were enhanced by about seven times when they were put through the stem cell therapy as opposed to to traditional chemotherapy. Patients who benefited from the treatment found that their cancers disappeared.

If the federal government goes ahead with the approval, it would mean the first approval of a genetically modified treatment for cancer. If all goes well, this kind of genetically modified treatment could be a substitute for the toxic chemotherapy that most cancer patients dread.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

A drug used to treat patients who suffer from diabetes may have the unexpected side effect of helping reduce early symptoms in persons who suffer from Parkinson’s disease.

Researchers at the University College London recently found that the drug exenatide, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved in 2005 for the treatment of diabetes, also may benefit persons with Parkinson’s disease. Researchers studied the effects of the drug on diabetic patients as compared to a control group that was on a placebo. They found that the diabetic patients who were on the drug showed better motor function after treatment. Patients on the drug showed reduced signs of decline, compared to those on the placebo.

The study only included a limited number of participants, and the researchers acknowledged that larger group samples may further confirm the findings of the study.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful condition and many victims who suffer from this debilitating disease apply for Social Security disability benefits every year.

A person who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis may suffer from pain, severe inflammation, and stiffness in the joints combined with excessive fatigue. There are also several complications associated with rheumatoid arthritis, including osteoporosis, dry eyes, infections, carpal tunnel syndrome, and even cardiac disease. These complications make it extremely difficult for a person to work and earn a sustainable income.

A new study finds that eating more fish can help relieve some of the painful symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis. The results of the study were published recently in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology. Researchers were specifically looking at how increasing fish consumption could reduce activity of the disease.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

Research shows that stem cell therapy has many benefits for arthritis patients, especially those who suffer from advanced stages of the condition.

According to ongoing studies, stem cell therapy may not promise a complete cure for arthritis, but could trigger the production of healthy cells that can replace damaged cells. These stem cell transplants are now being used to replace damaged cartilage between joints.

Arthritis is a condition involving inflammation of the joints, swelling and pain. Over time, joints can become weak, and the pain chronic. There are several types of arthritis, the most common being osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 50 million Americans have been diagnosed with some form of arthritis.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

The upcoming trials of an inexpensive drug that is already used to lower high cholesterol levels will be watched closely by doctors as well as patients who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

In 2014, trials found that MS patients who were administered Simvastatin showed significant reductions in brain atrophy levels, compared to those who were not given the drug. That was a smaller trial with just 140 participants, but a new larger trial that is due to begin soon will focus on more than 1,100 people, and will try to confirm the results of the earlier study.

The new study will specifically look at whether the administration of Simvastatin helps reduce the progression of MS in patients. Researchers are optimistic that the drug holds plenty of potential for millions of Multiple Sclerosis sufferers in the United Kingdom – where the trial will be conducted – and around the world.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

Scientists recently announced that they have discovered a gene that is responsible for a condition that causes children to be born with blindness, deafness, and other serious symptoms.

This condition is known as COMMAD Syndrome, and children born with it suffer from deafness, blindness, albinism, fragile bones, a large head, malformed eyes, and prematurely graying hair. According to scientists, the condition is caused when children inherit a gene mutation called MITF from parents who are deaf and suffer from another genetic disorder called Waardenburg Syndrome 2A.

Not every person who suffers from deafness also suffers from Waardenburg Syndrome 2A. In fact, most people do not suffer from this rare genetic disorder. However, deaf persons often prefer to marry other deaf persons, and according to the researchers, it is important for persons to undergo genetic counseling before they get married to confirm that both of them do not suffer from Waardenburg Syndrome 2A. If they do, they may be at risk of transmitting the MITF genetic mutation to their children.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

Stroke treatments in the future could be significantly better than they are now, thanks to research that has found a new way to safely remove clots in patients.

Doctors currently treat stroke by using an infusion which removes the blood clots by dissolving them. However, patients who are given this treatment stand a risk of swelling in the brain and excessive bleeding.  In addition, patients must receive the infusion within three hours of suffering the stroke for the treatment to be effective.

However, researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston are using a drug combination that will potentially improve outcomes for stroke patients. The researchers conducted tests on mice, and found that when the mice were given the new treatment, there was a drop in bleeding levels, lowered swelling in the brain, and limited brain damage, compared to animals that were not given the treatment.

Continue reading →
Contact Information
5555 Glenridge Connector, Suite 200
Atlanta , GA 30342
Phone: (404) 255-9838 Email: lisa@lisasiegellaw.com

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2023, Lisa Siegel
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design