Alternative Health News

Thanks to antiretroviral therapy, HIV infection is no longer the life sentence it once was. But despite the effectiveness of drugs to manage and treat the virus, it can never be fully eliminated from the human body, lingering in some cells deep in different human tissues where it goes unnoticed by the immune system. Now, new research by University of Alberta immunologist … [Read more...]

Approximately one third of the world's population suffers from one or more allergies, with the trend increasing every year. By far the most widespread form of allergy is the so-called type I allergy, also known as immediate-type allergy. This includes, for example, allergic rhinitis (hay fever), allergic asthma, food allergies, or allergies against insect venoms, pollen, … [Read more...]

There’s a new tool in the fight against COVID-19, but it’s not a vaccine. An antibody combination drug known as Evusheld has receivedTrusted Source an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help prevent COVID-19 in some adults and children over the age of 12 who are at least 88 pounds. Under this therapy, a person receives two … [Read more...]

In the central nervous system, microglial cells play critical roles in development, aging, brain homeostasis, and pathology. Recent studies have shown variation in the gene-expression profile and phenotype of microglia across brain regions and between different age and disease states. But the molecular mechanisms that contribute to these transcriptomic changes in the human … [Read more...]

Scientists investigating the DNA outside our genes -- the 'dark genome' -- have discovered recently evolved regions that code for proteins associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. They say these new proteins can be used as biological indicators to distinguish between the two conditions, and to identify patients more prone to psychosis or suicide. Schizophrenia … [Read more...]

Red blood cells are the most abundant cell type in blood, carrying oxygen throughout the human body. In blood circulation, they repetitively encounter various levels of oxygen tension. Hypoxia, a low oxygen tension condition, is a very common micro-environmental factor in physiological processes of blood circulation and various pathological processes such as cancer, chronic … [Read more...]

Hearing loss and other auditory problems are strongly associated with Covid-19 according to a systematic review of research evidence led by University of Manchester and NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) scientists. Professor Kevin Munro and PhD researcher Ibrahim Almufarrij found 56 studies that identified an association between COVID-19 and auditory and … [Read more...]

Life changes influence the amount of physical activity in a person, according to a recent study by the University of Jyväskylä. The birth of children and a change of residence, marital status and place of work all influence the number of steps of men and women in different ways. For women, having children, getting a job and moving from town to the countryside reduce everyday … [Read more...]

When it comes to vaccination, words matter as do perceptions of what is normal behavior. An experiment by Washington State University researchers revealed that relatively small differences in messages influenced people's attitudes about the human papillomavirus or HPV vaccine, which has been shown to help prevent cancer. Young adult subjects in the study recently published … [Read more...]

Some of the most common mental disorders, including depression, anxiety and PTSD, might not be disorders at all, according to a recent paper by Washington State University biological anthropologists. In the paper, published in the Yearbook of Physical Anthropology, the researchers propose a new approach to mental illness that would be informed by human evolution, noting that … [Read more...]

Stress is common in a family setting, especially when people are spending so much time together under stay-at-home measures meant to slow the spread of COVID-19. New research finds that parents suppressing feelings of stress around their kids can actually transmit those feelings to the children. In a paper published in Journal of Family Psychology, Sara Waters, assistant … [Read more...]

Emotional, social and psychiatric problems in children and adolescents have been linked to higher levels of genetic vulnerability for adult depression. University of Queensland scientists made the finding while analysing the genetic data of more than 42,000 children and adolescents from seven cohorts across Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and UK. Professor … [Read more...]

Key factors must be taken into account in determining the need for and allocation of scarce ventilators during a severe pandemic, especially one causing respiratory illness. Strategies to help state and local planners in allocating stockpiled ventilators to healthcare facilities, including pre-pandemic actions and actions to be taken during the pandemic, are detailed in a … [Read more...]

The virus that causes COVID-19 remains for several hours to days on surfaces and in aerosols, a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found. The study suggests that people may acquire the coronavirus through the air and after touching contaminated objects. Scientists discovered the virus is detectable for up to three hours in aerosols, up to four hours … [Read more...]

How individuals respond to government advice on preventing the spread of COVID-19 will be at least as important, if not more important, than government action, according to a new commentary from researchers at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London in the UK, and Utrecht University and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the … [Read more...]

For the first time, in a study conducted in mice, researchers found that tobacco smoke from a hookah caused blood to function abnormally and be more likely to clot and quickly form blood clots, which can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular … [Read more...]

A popular U.S. brand of potato chips once promoted itself with the slogan, "betcha can't eat just one!" Maybe that's because potato chips, like so many foods in the American diet, can pack a mix of ingredients apt to light up people's brain-reward neural circuitry and overpower mechanisms that are supposed to signal when we've had enough to eat. Researchers call this … [Read more...]

Light provides all our visual information, but it reaches our eyes in different ways. Direct light comes unperturbed, coming straight from the source, whereas indirect light bounces off different surfaces, such as walls or ceilings, before entering our eyes. Extracting information from these two pathways has significant implications in diagnostic imaging and other applications. … [Read more...]

A smart shirt that measures lung function by sensing movements in the chest and abdomen has proved to be accurate when compared to traditional testing equipment, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress. Researchers have used the smart shirts, together with a mobile app, to reliably measure breathing in healthy people while … [Read more...]

Japan’s health minister claims that workplaces that require women to wear high heel shoes are “necessary and appropriate” amid a petition with nearly 20,000 signatures against the practice. Takumi Nemoto was asked to comment Wednesday on a petition filed with his department earlier this week by a group of women demanding the government ban workplaces from requiring female … [Read more...]