What is Epilepsy: Its Causes and Treatment

The word “epilepsy” comes from the Greek word, “epi” which means “upon” and “leptos” which means “seizure”. People with epilepsy tend to have recurrent seizures (fits). The seizures occur because of a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain. This causes a temporary disturbance in the messaging systems between brain cells. During a seizure the patient’s brain becomes “halted” or “mixed up”. Every function in our body is triggered by messaging systems in our brain. What a patient with epilepsy experiences during a seizure will depend on what part…

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Eating Celery & Broccoli May Support Breast Cancer Treatment

A group of researchers from University of Missouri have discovered that regular consumption of vegetables like celery and broccoli and also herbs like parley and thyme can reduce the risk of developing metastasis that originates from breast cancer on women. The study shows that these vegetables and herbs contain a natural compound called Luteolin that helps in supporting breast cancer treatment by reducing the side effects. Luteolin is a non-toxic plant-based compound that has been shown to act against several types of cancers. This particular study focuses on triple negative breast cancers where…

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Fungal treatment of artificial voice box may improve speech

Treating fungal infection inside the artificial voice box may improve speech quality and help people with throat cancerwho lose their larynx, a study has found. Throat cancer refers to cancer of the voice box, the vocal cords, and other parts of the throat, such as the tonsils and the oropharynx. During a total laryngectomy, the entire voice box (larynx) is removed and the windpipe (trachea) and food pipe (oesophagus) are separated from each other. This operation creates an opening between the food pipe and the windpipe, where the voice prosthesis…

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Palliative Care Should be Standard in Cancer Treatment: Guideline

For patients with advanced cancer, palliative care should start early and be an integral part of treatment, not just something added on near the end of life, according to a new practice guideline from the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Expanding on a 2012 opinion, the guideline authors say that caregivers of advanced-cancer patients and early-stage cancer patients should also be considered for palliative – sometimes known as “comfort” – care. Palliative care teams help build rapport and relationships with patients and family caregivers, manage symptoms like fatigue, mood…

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Report: More Than Half of Mentally Ill U.S. Adults Get No Treatment

Mental Health America just released its annual assessment of Americans with mental illness, the treatment they receive and the resources available to them – and the conclusions are sobering: Twenty percent of adults (43.7 million) have a mental health condition, and more than half of them do not receive treatment. Among youth, the rates of depression are rising, but 80 percent of children and adolescents either get insufficient treatment or none at all. “Once again, our report shows that too many Americans are suffering and far too many are not…

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For Osteoporosis, Early Treatment Is Crucial

My neighbor Arlyn Riskind, who is 53, has premenopausal osteoporosis, diagnosed nine years ago. She takes low-dose birth control pills to preserve her bone mass and postpone menopause. But after menopause, she knows she “may be soon faced with some decision-making.” And she is quite anxious about it. The source of her angst is whether to begin treating her osteoporosis with bisphosphonates, drugs that are very effective at increasing bone density but carry some small risks. These include an increased chance of developing osteonecrosis of the jaw, in which the…

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