health
Keeping your mind and body in check - popular topics in health and medicine to maintain a long and healthy life.
Chagas Disease
Chagas Disease is a disease that is transmitted from insects to animals and people. Chagas Disease is a tropical parasitic disease caused by protozoan flagellate Trypanosoma cruzi found in insect vectors. The disease is mainly spread by the insect Triatominae or also known as the kissing bug via it’s feces/urine.
By Shae Nicole8 years ago in Longevity
Living with Tourette Syndrome
The symptoms for me started early. As young as 7-years-old. Watching back old home movies, I can see myself showing signs, but back then we didn’t know exactly what was happening. Fast forward to six years later, and I had many, many signs of Tourette Syndrome. I had just moved with my family 16 hours away from everything I knew, to a whole new state. The stress of moving across the country, starting a new school, and battling this disorder that I didn’t even know I had yet, my symptoms were extremely intense. At 13-years-old, you’re still trying to figure out life. Your body is going through a lot of changes and the world is very confusing. Add a neurological disorder on top of that, and you can imagine the stress. It reached a breaking point where my parents actually sat me down and asked me to stop. I told them I couldn’t. I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t. They began to do some research and I was taken to Yale Hospital in New Haven, CT where I underwent several tests and they determined I had Tourette Syndrome. Since TS is very rare in girls, I became a guinea pig. I had dozens of MRI’s, scans, and tests in a few year times span.
By Katie Stanley8 years ago in Longevity
This Is Me
Imagine yourself sitting on the colorful, carpeted floor, huddling in close. It’s circle time. Which consists of a book being read to the class, as we all watch our teacher’s eyes light up in enthusiasm. But today was different. Today was my first day back to kindergarten after being diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes (T1D). My mom brought in a book about diabetes in school. The class was excited! Some classmates had a look of confusion while others yelled with excitement, “Can I walk you to the nurse first?!”
By Cady Sinclair8 years ago in Longevity
Caffeine and Sugar Addiction
These addictions are the latest frontier in modern medicine as far as medicine is concerned. Caffeine addiction comes from a culture heavily saturated with caffeine and alcohol. Sugar addiction is the foundation for alcohol addiction in young children. If somebody is a sugar addict, they are susceptible to alcoholism in the future. All alcohol is fermented sugar after all. Caffeine addiction is something that has come about because of Starbucks being in every neighborhood. Sugar addiction has been present since the invention of sugar.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Longevity
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Low carb, high fat, Whole 30, Keto, Paleo. The list of diets goes on and on. But intermittent fasting isn't hijacking a new dietary trend, it's based on the ancient principles of fasting applied to our new, modern lifestyles. The benefits of intermittent fasting are both expansive and exemplary. Don't just take our word for it though, explore the list below to see some examples.
By Brian McCann8 years ago in Longevity
After Scoliosis
When I had found out that I was gonna have surgery I didn't want to believe it. I always told myself that I wouldn't have it done. In truth, I was terrified that I was gonna die during surgery. I had watched so many movies and shows about people going in for surgery and not coming out of the hospital alive. I wasn't ready to die.
By Keileigh Jones8 years ago in Longevity
Staring at the Sun—My Cancer Story
When someone tells you it’s likely you have cancer I don’t think there’s much that can really prepare you for such news. Everything you’ve probably read or seen on TV, all those stories about the floor giving way, things going blurry, it not feeling real and being like a bad dream may sound cliché, but as I found out pretty quickly with cancer, all the clichés usually ring true. But there’s another side to it as well, and this is something else I learned very quickly; just like us, each cancer is different, and each of us reacts to it in a different way. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution. So yes, the floor did give way and it was completely surreal to be given the news, but, and I guess this is the main reason for me wanting to tell the story of my illness; I knew something good was happening to me as well.
By Gregg Arthur Kurtz8 years ago in Longevity
Type 1 Diabetes
First, let me talk about what type 1 diabetes is. Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease that prevents the pancreas from producing insulin, which is an important hormone that controls blood sugar levels. Our bodies use sugar to create energy, but without insulin our bodies cannot do that. It causes a rise in our blood sugar, resulting in going into Diabetic Ketoacidosis, or DKA. There are many signs or symptoms that can be present when someone has undiagnosed or untreated diabetes. Here are a few of those symptoms:
By Taylor Bri8 years ago in Longevity
Rice Bran and Cancer
There is a little substance called inositol that has been in the news lately as a potential cure for cancer. Known more commonly as IP6, it is composed of an inositol sugar molecule (one of the B vitamins) with six phosphate groups attached. This tiny little treasure naturally occurs in beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, rice and wheat bran, corn and sesame. There are 650 mgs of IP6 in a half cup of whole kernel corn.
By Linda Paul8 years ago in Longevity
Type 1 Diabetics Do Not Die Young
Diabetics do not die young. This is ridiculous. Your lifespan is not shortened by insulin, but rather prolonged. I plan on being around until like, 120 anyway because my aging process has already been slowed. It is ridiculous to assume I’m going to die young. Why the hell do you ignorant people think this anyway? I met a type-1 diabetic once who was already old. This was a grandfather of a friend of mine, who didn’t die of diabetes. He died of heart failure. I promised him I’m going to law school.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Longevity
WARNING! Pregnant Women: Beware Gallstones
I started my pregnancy like any woman. Except for maybe the cyst on one of my ovaries. I was happy and in love with this life growing inside me. I was finally able to feel her moving inside me. I was ecstatic. Everything was easy breezy. Then one day I started getting horrible pain in my chest.
By Plum Winters8 years ago in Longevity
