http://www.helixexams.com Medical Directory en-us This week we learn about Alzheimer's disease, how it changes the brain and may be caused by the virus which causes cold sores. We probe your grey matter to find out how memory works, what goes wrong to give us false memories, and the science behind earworms - the songs that we can't get out of our heads! http://www.helixexams.com/article/Memory-and-Learning-Podcast-1643.html Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:29:44 MST http://www.helixexams.com/article/Memory-and-Learning-Podcast-1643.html Regular acupressure treatment helps reduce agitated behavior in dementia patients, according to a small study by Taiwanese researchers. Acupressure involves the application of pressure to certain points of the body. This study of 20 dementia patients found that 15-minute acupressure sessions given twice a day, five days a week, led to noticeable improvements, including reduced wandering and less verbal and physical aggression. http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=601269 Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:37:39 MST http://www.helixexams.com/article/Acupressure-May-Help-Dementia-Patients-888.html Neurological disorders have struck millions of people, young and old alike, in the United States, new estimates show. Some 67 per 1,000 elderly Americans now have Alzheimer's disease, up substantially from past estimates, and nearly one out of every 1,000 people have multiple sclerosis (MS), a rate that is about 50 percent higher than earlier estimates. It's not clear if that represents improvements in diagnosis or an actual increase in incidence of MS. http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=601368 Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:37:08 MST http://www.helixexams.com/article/Neurological-Disorders-Strike-Millions-887.html Alzheimer's disease has no cure, and there's no surefire way to prevent it. But research has shown there are some activities that may help delay its onset. The National Women's Health Resource Center offers these suggestions: * Get regular physical exercise. * Participate in mentally stimulating activities such as playing cards, chess, a musical instrument, or doing crossword puzzles. * Eat a diet rich in antioxidants with plenty of fruits and vegetables, nuts and fish such as salmon, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids. * Stay at a healthy body weight. People who are overweight may be more likely to develop the disease. http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=601305 Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:36:41 MST http://www.helixexams.com/article/Health-Tip-Postpone-Alzheimers-886.html Being lonely may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life, new research suggests. Researchers at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago assessed loneliness and dementia in 823 people, averaging almost 81 years of age, for up to four years. At the start of the study, the participants' overall average loneliness score was 2.3 on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 5. http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=601633 Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:36:10 MST http://www.helixexams.com/article/Loneliness-Could-Boost-Alzheimers-Risk-885.html