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☆ How to screen for colon cancer
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A representative for Alley confirmed to CNN via email on Tuesday that she had been diagnosed with colon cancer prior to her death. Colorectal cancer, which includes colon and rectal cancers, is the second most common cause of death from cancer in 2022, outranked only by lung and bronchus cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program. Regular checkups are the best way to keep colon cancer at bay, according to the US Preventive Services Task Force. DNA stool test: A DNA stool test is another option, the society said. “You didn’t put the scope in yet, did you?” asked Couric, whose husband, Jay Monahan, had died from colon cancer at age 42 in 1998.

☆ Why colds and flu viruses are more common in winter
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It’s almost as if those pesky cold and flu germs whirl in with the first blast of winter weather. So why do people get more colds, flu and now Covid-19 when it’s chilly outside? It turns out the cold air itself damages the immune response occurring in the nose. Once created and dispersed out into nasal secretions, the billions of EV’s then start to swarm the marauding germs, Bleier said. Wearing a mask can protect you from cold air that can reduce your immunity, an expert says.

☆ Ultraprocessed food may contribute to dementia, study says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —We all eat them — ultraprocessed foods such as frozen pizza and ready-to-eat meals make our busy lives much easier. If more than 20% of your daily calorie intake is ultraprocessed foods, however, you may be raising your risk for cognitive decline, a new study found. While short of proof, this is robust enough that we should conclude ultraprocessed foods are probably bad for our brains.”There was an interesting twist, however. “Ultraprocessed foods drag diet quality down, and thus their concentration in the diet is an indicator of poor diet quality in most cases,” Katz said. One easy way to ensure diet quality is to cook and prepare your food from scratch, Suemoto said.

☆ Pain relief from marijuana may come from believing it helps, study says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A 2020 study, for example, found using marijuana before entering the hospital for a surgical procedure made pain during recovery significantly worse. In fact, the optimistic attitude generated by a placebo can be powerful enough to affect study results dramatically. A unique part of the study looked at the role of news and social media for the placebo effect in cannabis clinical trials, Jensen said. Researchers found positive media coverage after each of the cannabis clinical trials, even when the study results were less than spectacular, she said. “I don’t think you can explain the placebo effect or blame it on social media.

☆ Poor sleep can make you prickly. Here’s what to do
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Develop a sleep debt from those worries, and you’ll pay a price in your ability to think, plan and manage your emotions. “Sleep debt, also called a sleep deficit, is the difference between the amount of sleep someone needs and the amount they actually get,” said sleep specialist Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine. Research has found many people have little idea how much poor sleep has affected their mood and coping skills, said Dr. Bhanu Prakash Kolla, a sleep medicine specialist in the Center for Sleep Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Loss of sleep can directly affect your ability to control emotions and manage expectations, said Dr. Bhanu Prakash Kolla of the Mayo Clinic. “Sleep medications are seldom the solution for chronically poor sleep and impaired daytime functioning,” he said.

☆ Improve memory as you age by eating more flavonols, study says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Eating more flavonols, antioxidants found in many vegetables, fruits, tea and wine, may slow your rate of memory loss, a new study finds. The cognitive score of people in the study who ate the most flavonols declined 0.4 units per decade more slowly than those who ate the fewest flavonols. One of the most common flavonols, quercetin, has shown promise in reducing the onset of colorectal cancer and other cancers, according to studies. (For comparison, the average flavonol intake in US adults is about 16 to 20 milligrams per day, according to the study.) The study looked at the impact of the four major flavonols — kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin and isorhamnetin — on the rate of cognitive decline over the seven years.

☆ Secrets of ‘SuperAgers’ with superior memories into their 80s
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Siegler is a cognitive “SuperAger,” possessing a brain as sharp as people 20 to 30 years younger. She is part of an elite group enrolled in the Northwestern SuperAging Research Program, which has been studying the elderly with superior memories for 14 years. Once accepted, colorful 3D scans are taken of the brain and cognitive testing and brain scans are repeated every year or so. A SuperAger’s brain, usually donated to the research program by participants after death, also has bigger, healthier cells in the entorhinal cortex. SuperAger brains had three times fewer tau tangles, or abnormal formations of protein within nerve cells, than the brains of cognitively healthy controls, the study also found.

☆ Does turkey make you sleepy? Here's what causes your food coma
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Why we feel sleepy after a big Thanksgiving mealSerotonin is one of the “feel-good” hormones, which can calm and relax the body. The US Department of Agriculture recommends planning for 1 pound of turkey meat per person when preparing a holiday meal. “Tryptophan from turkey is unlikely to enter the brain and make enough serotonin to make us sleepy,” Malin said. “These tasty dishes contain a high amount of carbohydrates, which also contribute to post-meal sleepiness.”Another reason you feel sleepy after a meal is a change in blood flow from the head to the digestive system. “Alcohol slows down your brain and relaxes your muscles, so after a few drinks you’ll likely feel sleepy.”

Persons: ”, Raj Dasgupta, Steven Malin, ” Malin, Kristen Knutson, ” Knutson, ” Overeating, Dasgupta, ” Dasgupta Organizations: CNN, University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, National Library of Medicine, Rutgers University, Adobe Stock, US Department of Agriculture, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine Locations: New Jersey, Turkey

☆ Turkey isn’t the reason you’re sleepy – really
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The US Department of Agriculture recommends planning for one pound of turkey meat per person when preparing a holiday meal. “Tryptophan from turkey is unlikely to enter the brain and make enough serotonin to make us sleepy,” Malin said. “Turkey doesn’t really make us sleepy,” Knutson said. “Remember all the delicious side dishes surrounding the center piece of turkey, such as sweet potato pie, casseroles and yummy desserts,” he said. “Alcohol slows down your brain and relaxes your muscles so after a few drinks you’ll likely feel sleepy.”

☆ How to save your sleep from the holidays
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“You will enjoy the holidays more if you can protect your sleep time — and you may actually get more done if you aren’t tired and inefficient from sleep deprivation, she said. Watch your alcohol intakeWhile many of us believe that alcohol helps us fall asleep, it actually impairs sleep quality, Dasgupta said. “Remember, alcohol can make you fall asleep faster and sleep heavier during the first portion of the night. “Exercising improves sleep by reducing sleep onset, meaning it takes less time to fall asleep and decreases the amount of time you are lying in bed awake during the night,” Dasgupta said. “Studies have shown that exercise enables individuals with insomnia to fall asleep faster, sleep longer, and enjoy better sleep quality,” he said.

☆ Plant milks or dairy: What's better for you and planet Earth?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The advertisement featuring a pearly white, cow’s milk mustache on a smiling face sends a message often repeated at home: Dairy milk is good for you. Fat, sodium and cholesterol: Compared to dietary cholesterol in whole dairy, most plant milks are good choices — plant foods never have dietary cholesterol, Gardner said. Sodium levels are relatively equal between plant milks and dairy at about 100 milligrams of sodium. “No need to fear the fat of most plant-based milks — unsaturated fats are considered healthful in the modest quantities found in plant-based milks,” Gardner said. Plant milks have no such advantage, and this is where nutrition can stumble, Gardner said.

☆ Marijuana smoke harms lungs in tobacco smokers, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Smoking weed while being a tobacco smoker may increase damage to the respiratory system, a new study found. Scans from an additional 57 nonsmokers with no preexisting lung disease, chemotherapy or other history of lung damage were used as controls. Lung damage was greater in those who smoke marijuana and tobacco compared with tobacco-only smokers, a preliminary study found. “We just don’t know if it’s a synergistic effect between the marijuana and the tobacco versus the marijuana alone.”Irreversible damage? In addition, tobacco smokers quickly exhale, while marijuana smokers often inhale and hold their breath to maximize the high, she said.

☆ Artificial light while asleep linked to higher diabetes risk
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Sleeping in a room exposed to outdoor artificial light at night may increase the risk of developing diabetes, according to a study of nearly 100,000 Chinese adults. Urban light pollution is so widespread that it can affect suburbs and forest parks that may be tens, even hundreds, of miles from the light source, the authors said. “Studies have suggested that inconsistent sleep patterns have been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes,” he said in a statement. Blood samples were collected and compared with satellite imagery of light levels in the area of China in which each person lived. The analysis found chronic exposure to light pollution at night raised blood glucose levels and led to a higher risk of insulin resistance and diabetes.

☆ Health benefits of a random act of kindness
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Our six-part mindfulness guide will inform and inspire you to reduce stress while learning how to harness it. CNN —Spreading kindness not only helps others feel better about themselves — it can also boost the giver’s health and happiness, according to research. Lower blood pressureGiving donations to others, or “prosocial spending,” has been shown to reduce blood pressure and improve heart health. They found that those who spent money on others had lower blood pressure at the end of the six-week study. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, which promotes kindness all year, has lists of kindness ideas, organized by work, community, environment, animals, strangers, kids, seniors and more.

☆ Sleep deprivation affects nearly half of American adults, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The analysis also found over 30% of adults reported an hour of sleep debt -— when you sleep less than your body needs — while nearly 1 in 10 adults had a sleep debt of two hours or more. “This is a well done study examining a very large and representative sample,” said Dr. Bhanu Prakash Kolla, a sleep medicine specialist in the Center for Sleep Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Social jet lagIn addition, nearly half of the adults in the study reported social jet lag – a bad fit between the sleep timing preferred by a person’s inner biological clock and the one dictated by society. Over 46% of the survey participants reported at least 1 hour of social jet lag, while 19.3% experienced at least 2 hours. Untreated social jet lag can have serious consequences, including insomnia, early waking or excessive sleepiness, daytime fatigue, difficulty concentrating, constipation or diarrhea and increased cortisol levels.

☆ Permanent Daylight Saving Time will hurt our health, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

We’ll move them forward (again) next spring when governments put daylight saving back in place. Not according to the United States Senate, which in March passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 – if it becomes law, Daylight Saving Time will be permanent. Our bodies need the early morning light to set our internal body clock, experts say. When President Richard Nixon signed a permanent Daylight Saving Time into law in January 1974, it was a popular move. “The United States has tried permanent daylight saving time twice before and ended it early.

☆ New testing finds high level of toxic chemical in sports bras, watchdog warns
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The CEH, which conducted the testing, is a non-profit consumer advocacy group focused on exposing the presence of toxic chemicals in consumer products. Under California law — specifically Proposition 65, enacted in 1986 — the maximum allowable dose level for BPA via skin exposure is 3 micrograms per day. “We want brands to reformulate their products to remove all bisphenols including BPA. In adults, exposure to BPA has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity and erectile dysfunction. Premature death was also associated with BPA exposure, a 2020 study found.

☆ Is it safe to shower during a thunderstorm?
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Lightning can travel through plumbing so you shouldn't shower or wash your hands or the dishes during a thunderstorm. That includes when you are taking a shower, washing in the tub or even washing dishes. Since lightning can travel through plumbing, “it is best to avoid all water during a thunderstorm. Do not shower, bathe, wash dishes, or wash your hands,” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted. Get inside a safe location; no place outside is safe,” the CDC said.

Persons: Lena Gadanski, ” That’s, “, crouch, ” Organizations: CNN, National Weather Service, Adobe, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC Locations: Florida, Texas

☆ Ryan Reynolds gets a colonoscopy on camera to raise awareness of new guidelines
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —It was a first for actor Ryan Reynolds, who allowed a video crew to capture his colonoscopy screening on camera to raise awareness of the increase in colon cancer diagnoses among people under 50. The new video, made in partnership with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and another colon cancer awareness organization, Lead From Behind, did not show the colonoscopy procedure itself, for either Reynolds or McElhenney. “I have a pretty little colon,” Couric said with a sleepy chuckle as she watched the video projection from the scope inside her colon. “You didn’t put the scope in yet, did you?” asked Couric, whose husband had died from colon cancer at age 42 in 1998. However, like Reynolds and McElhenney, most people are more heavily sedated and rarely wake up during a colonoscopy.

☆ How psilocybin, the psychedelic in mushrooms, may rewire the brain to ease depression, anxiety and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-11 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

CNN —Shrooms, Alice, tweezes, mushies, hongos, pizza toppings, magic mushrooms — everyday lingo for psychedelic mushrooms seems to grow with each generation. Yet leading mycologist Paul Stamets believes it’s time for fans of psilocybin mushrooms to leave such childish slang behind. “The SSRI did not increase brain connectivity, and it actually did not improve well-being as much as psilocybin,” Nutt said. A typical microdose is 0.1 to 0.3 grams of dried psilocybin mushrooms, as compared with the 25-milligram pill of psilocybin that creates the full-blown psychedelic experience. “Our hope is that we can use this information to ultimately make drugs that mimic the benefits of psychedelic drugs without the psychedelic experience,” Roth said.

Persons: CNN — Shrooms, Alice, tweezes, Paul Stamets, “, ” Stamets, ”, Richard Isaacson, ” Isaacson, Pamela Kryskow, pharmacologist Brian Roth, Matthew Johnson, ” Johnson, David Nutt, Nutt, ” Nutt, you’ve, Johnson, they’ve, microdosing, microdosers, “ I’m, Harriet de Wit, Wit, Frederick Barrett, ” Barnes, Roth, ” Roth Organizations: CNN, US Food and Drug Administration, Prevention, Center for Brain Health, Florida Atlantic University, University of North, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, ”, microdosing, University of Chicago, National Institute on Drug, Center, Research, Johns Hopkins Locations: University of North Carolina, “

☆ Sexual desire in older women: What a study finds may surprise you
▼ + stars: | 2020-09-28 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“Some of the prior studies had suggested that sex goes downhill and all women lose interest in sex as they get older,” Thomas said. For example, more highly educated women may have higher incomes and feel more stable in their lives with less stress. “I can’t tell you enough about the impact of anxiety and stress on sex,” Faubion said. “Then there’s what society teaches us about aging women,” Faubion said. Faubion added, “Bottom line: Women should talk to their providers if they’re having concerns about their sexual health.

☆ How many 'unavoidable defects' are in peanut butter and other foods you eat?
▼ + stars: | 2019-10-04 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

That dark, delicious bar you devoured might contain 30 or more insect parts and a sprinkling of rodent hair. That means each 2 tablespoon-peanut butter sandwich would only have about eight insect fragments and a teensy bit of rodent filth. (“Filth” is what the FDA calls these insect and rodent food defects.) Did you know there can be 450 insect parts and nine rodent hairs in every 16-ounce box of spaghetti? “Do we have particularly high insect parts or was it a particularly buggy time of year when the food was harvested?

Persons: CNN — Brace, gosh, ”, Ben Chapman, Chapman, “, ” Chapman, I’ve, Will Organizations: CNN, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, North Carolina State University Locations: America

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