Pros and Cons of Various Screening Tools for Dementia
Working with older adults as a speech-language pathologist for a rehab company, I often assess patients on their cognitive function. I will deal more in-depth on how and why determining cognitive function helps guide my treatment strategies in an upcoming post. For this first article, however, I wanted to discuss the first steps.
The first step I take in determining a person’s cognitive status involves using a standardized screening tool. I like three tests: the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Saint Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS) exam.
Quick, easy to use, and readi...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - May 31, 2019 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Bonnie Slavych Tags: Academia & Research Health Care Private Practice Slider Speech-Language Pathology dementia Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, May 27th 2019
In this study, we found that cofilin competes with tau for direct microtubule binding in vitro, in cells, and in vivo, which inhibits tau-induced microtubule assembly. Genetic reduction of cofilin mitigates tauopathy and synaptic defects in Tau-P301S mice and movement deficits in tau transgenic C. elegans. The pathogenic effects of cofilin are selectively mediated by activated cofilin, as active but not inactive cofilin selectively interacts with tubulin, destabilizes microtubules, and promotes tauopathy. These results therefore indicate that activated cofilin plays an essential intermediary role in neurotoxic signaling th...
Source: Fight Aging! - May 26, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Author Inspired To Help Other Caregivers In Need By Establishing Foundation
When people think about caregiving spouses, they often think of older adults. We only have to look at a young mother diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a young husband diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or in this case, a woman who’s healthy husband had a sudden, massive stroke, to know differently. Care partners come in all ages. Kathi Koll, author of “Kick-Ass Kinda Girl: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Caregiving” knows the drill.
Read the full article on HealthCentral about Kathi Koll and her foundation that helps caregivers:
Carol Bradley Bursack is the Candid Caregiver
MedicareFA...
Source: Minding Our Elders - May 22, 2019 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
VCAM1 Levels Correlate with Parkinson's Disease Severity
Levels of VCAM1 in the bloodstream increase with age, and it appears to be an important signal molecule in at least the brain. Its expression is upregulated by inflammatory cytokines, and so is a marker of inflammatory disease. Chronic inflammation of course increases with age. Researchers have shown that blocking VCAM1 can prevent suppression of neurogenesis due to delivery of old blood plasma into young mice, which is an interesting result, as one might not expect detrimental reactions to inflammatory signaling to have such a narrow bottleneck of regulation. Would a method of interfering with VCAM1 assist in tissue maint...
Source: Fight Aging! - May 20, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Microbiome: The first 1,000 days
In the United States and other developed countries, we have seen a shift over the past several decades in the types of illness people struggle with. Public health campaigns around vaccination, sanitation, and judicious use of antibiotics have largely eradicated many infectious illnesses. As the nature of disease has shifted to inflammatory conditions, we’ve seen a striking increase in allergy and autoimmune conditions such as diabetes, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, and multiple sclerosis. The microbiome — the varied and teeming colonies of gut bacteria inside of us — may be helping to drive thi...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - May 15, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Allan Walker, MD Tags: Digestive Disorders Family Planning and Pregnancy Inflammation Probiotics Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, May 6th 2019
This study shows that mRNA levels of the aging related lamin A splice variant progerin, associated with premature aging in HGPS, were significantly upregulated in subjects with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. Moreover, our data revealed a significantly positive correlation of BMI with progerin mRNA. These data provide to our knowledge for the first-time evidence for a possible involvement of progerin in previously observed accelerated aging of overweight and obese individuals potentially limiting their longevity. Our results also showed that progerin mRNA was positively correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP). This might suggest an ass...
Source: Fight Aging! - May 5, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Chronic Inflammation as Proximate Cause of a Large Fraction of Age-Related Disease
This popular science article discusses at length the chronic inflammation that is characteristic of the old, and its role as a proximate cause of age-related disease. Inflammation is a necessary part of the immune response to injury and pathogens, and when present in the short term it is vital to the proper operation of bodily systems. But when the immune system runs awry in later life, and inflammatory processes are constantly running, then this inflammation corrodes metabolism, tissue function, and health.
The causes of excess, constant inflammation are both internal and external to the immune system. Internally, ...
Source: Fight Aging! - April 30, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Pacing, pacing, pacing …
If there’s one pain management and rehabilitation strategy that keeps me awake at night, it’s pacing. Living with persistent pain, I loathe the idea of pacing because I know everyone “booms and busts” from time to time, and few people like the idea of planning every single aspect of every single day as they come to grips with modifying their daily routines. BUT it’s one of the most popular strategies in textbooks, self-help books, and in treatment so there must be something in it, right?
Vexed definitions
One of the problems with the whole pacing concept is defining what we mean by it. I...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - April 28, 2019 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: BronnieLennoxThompson Tags: 'Pacing' or Quota Chronic pain Clinical reasoning Coping Skills Coping strategies Occupational therapy Pain conditions Physiotherapy Research Science in practice activity management activity pacing pain management pain rehabilita Source Type: blogs
6 Symptoms of Postpartum Depression and 6 Ways to Recover
According to a 2013 study published in JAMA Psychiatry, one out of seven mothers suffers from postpartum depression (PPD). That’s 14 percent of all new moms. Katherine Stone, founder of Postpartum Progress, makes a good point that more women will suffer from postpartum depression and related illnesses this year than the combined number of new cases for men and women of tuberculosis, leukemia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy. Even though, according to Dr. Ruta Nonacs of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, PPD is the most common complication associated ...
Source: World of Psychology - April 20, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Therese J. Borchard Tags: Depression Mental Health and Wellness Parenting Pregnancy Self-Help Women's Issues Apathy Depressive Episode Postpartum Source Type: blogs
Ten reasons to never eat wheat
How can conventional dietary advice gotten it so wrong?
Rather than eating plenty of “healthy whole grains,” people on the Wheat Belly lifestyle eat absolutely no grains and enjoy spectacular weight loss and reversal of hundreds of health conditions as a result. Unfortunately, many people view this as a “gluten-free” lifestyle which is incorrect.
Here are 10 reasons why no bagels, pretzels, or sandwiches made from wheat flour should ever cross human lips.
Gliadin-derived opioid peptides (from partial digestion to 4- and 5-amino acid long fragments) increase appetite substantially–as do related pro...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - April 14, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle Gliadin gluten Inflammation Weight Loss Source Type: blogs
Five Fabulous Fats
Happy Fat Tuesday!
On this day, celebrated in many countries with lavish parties and high-fat foods, we’re recognizing the importance of fats in the body.
You’ve probably heard about different types of fat, such as saturated, trans, monounsaturated, omega-3, and omega-6. But fats aren’t just ingredients in food. Along with similar molecules, they fall under the broad term lipids and serve critical roles in the body. Lipids protect your vital organs. They help cells communicate. They launch chemical reactions needed for growth, immune function, and reproduction. They serve as the building blocks of your ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - March 5, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Susanne Hiller-Sturmhoefel and Alisa Zapp Machalek Tags: Cell Biology Chemistry and Biochemistry Pharmacology Cellular Processes Diseases Lipids Source Type: blogs
What Do I Do When My Antidepressant Stops Working?
This study examined 103 patients with bipolar 1 disorder who, despite taking a mood stabilizer, experienced frequent relapses. During a 12-month period, the group receiving cognitive therapy had significantly fewer bipolar episodes and reported less mood symptoms on the monthly mood questionnaires. They also had less fluctuation in manic symptoms.
It’s normal to panic in the days and weeks your symptoms return; however, as you can see, there are many options to pursue. If the first approach doesn’t work, try another. Persevere until you achieve full remission and feel like yourself again. It will happen. Trust me on th...
Source: World of Psychology - March 1, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Therese J. Borchard Tags: Antidepressant Bipolar Depression General Medications Manic Episode Mood Disorder Mood Stabilizer Relapse Source Type: blogs
CBD Oil for Depression, Schizophrenia, ADHD, PTSD, Anxiety, Bipolar & More
In conclusion, the studies presented in the current review demonstrate that CBD has the potential to limit delta-9-THC-induced cognitive impairment and improve cognitive function in various pathological conditions.
Human studies suggest that CBD may have a protective role in delta-9-THC-induced cognitive impairments; however, there is limited human evidence for CBD treatment effects in pathological states (e.g. schizophrenia).
In short, they found that CBD may help alleviate the negative impact of a person with schizophrenia from taking cannabis, both in the psychotic and cognitive symptoms associated with schizophrenia. T...
Source: World of Psychology - February 8, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: John M. Grohol, Psy.D. Tags: Alternative and Nutritional Supplements Disorders General Research Treatment cannabidiol Cannabis cbd cbd oil Marijuana THC Source Type: blogs
Where Is Digital Health Heading In Denmark?
After reading the Danish digital health strategy, one
of the most forward-looking examples of a government-supported objective to adjust the medical arena to the 21st century,
we looked around what real-life projects aim to transform patients’ and
doctors’ lives for the better in the Scandinavian country. Our findings are
thrilling: the newly established Danish National Genome Center strives to have at least 60,000 whole-genome
sequenced in the next 5 years, while the Copenhagen Healthtech Cluster wants to
set up a network of data registers updated so fast that it might enable helping
doctors real-time – perhaps even...
Source: The Medical Futurist - February 7, 2019 Category: Information Technology Authors: nora Tags: Future of Medicine Healthcare Policy big data Danish Denmark digital health digital health strategy genetics genomics health data healthcare design Innovation technology Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, January 28th 2019
In this study, we show that calorie restriction is protective against age-related increases in senescence and microglia activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in an animal model of aging. Further, these protective effects mitigated age-related decline in neuroblast and neuronal production, and enhanced olfactory memory performance, a behavioral index of neurogenesis in the SVZ. Our results support the concept that calorie restriction might be an effective anti-aging intervention in the context of healthy brain aging.
Greater Modest Activity in Late Life Correlates with Lower Incidence of Dementia
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Source: Fight Aging! - January 27, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
