Diet plays a very important role when it comes to your health. There are many people who have to adhere to strict diets because of certain conditions they have. While the basic understanding that we need all kinds of foods to fulfill our body’s needs, sometimes these foods can also cause harm to your body. For example, lactose intolerant people cannot eat or consume any kind of dairy product as their bodies do not have the necessary compounds, known as lactose, to break down dairy foods. Similarly, there are many foods that may be ok for others to consume, but not for people who have digestive issues like IBS. But this new clinical trial may be able to help us know what food we can eat based on our blood test! The blood test, called inFoods IBS, looks for a special type of antibody in the blood. Antibodies are like tiny soldiers that our bodies make to fight off things that could make us sick.
IBS is a very common problem, affecting a large number of people. Many people know that what they eat can make their IBS symptoms worse, but it's often hard to figure out exactly which foods are the culprits. This is because everyone is different, and what triggers one person might not trigger another. Doctors hear from patients all the time, asking for help in determining which foods are causing their problems. So, finding a reliable way to pinpoint those foods is important. This test is attempting to provide that reliability.
Basically, the test is looking for an antibody called IgG. When the gut reacts badly to a food, it makes more of this IgG antibody. The test checks for reactions to 18 common foods, like wheat, milk, and certain fruits. If the test finds high levels of the IgG antibody for a certain food, it means that food is likely causing problems. Therefore, the patient should try to remove that food from their diet.
Many people with IBS struggle to find relief from their stomach pain and discomfort. This new study looked at whether a special blood test could help. The idea was to see if the test could tell people which foods were making their IBS worse. The results were encouraging. When people changed their diets based on what the blood test showed, about 60% of them felt less stomach pain. This is better than the 42% who felt better when they just tried a general diet change. This shows that the blood test might be a useful tool for people with IBS to get real relief.
Many doctors suggest that people with IBS try elimination diets, where they cut out certain foods to see if their symptoms improve. However, these diets can be very hard to follow, because they often require people to cut out a lot of different foods. Doctors are always looking for ways to give patients care that's tailored to their specific needs. In the case of IBS, that means figuring out exactly which foods each person should avoid.
This blood test is a step in that direction. Experts are calling it a move towards "precision nutrition." This means that instead of giving everyone the same diet advice, doctors could use the blood test to create a personalized plan for each patient. While more research is needed, this test brings hope that doctors will soon be able to give much more precise dietary recommendations to those people that suffer from IBS. While this test is yet to be approved by FDA, it could be a world of comfort and ease for people who suffer with IBS.
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Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is an irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm, also called an arrhythmia and can create blood clots in the heart, which can increase your risk of having a stroke by five times.
When a person has AFib, the normal beating in the upper chambers of the heart (the two atria) is irregular and blood doesn't flow as well as it should from the atria to the lower chambers of the heart (the two ventricles).
In this case, the risk of developing blood clots in your heart increases, which can not only cause a heart attack but also damage vital organs such as your brain. An AFib may happen in brief episodes, or it may be a permanent condition.
Common symptoms include palpitations (the feeling that your heart is racing, pounding, fluttering or like you have missed heartbeats), chest pain, finding it harder to exercise, tiredness, shortness of breath, dizziness or feeling faint.
READ MORE: You Can Stop A Heart Attack With This Medicine, Cardiologist Reveals Heart Attack 101
The death rate from AFib as the primary or a contributing cause of death has been rising for more than two decades.
Over 454,000 people with AFib are hospitalized in the US each year, out of which 158,000 die of the cause. It is estimated that 12.1 million people in the US will have AFib in the US will have AFib by 2050.
Treatment for AFib includes medications to control the heart's rhythm and rate, therapy to shock the heart back to a regular rhythm and procedures to block faulty heart signals.
A person with atrial fibrillation also may have a related heart rhythm disorder called atrial flutter. The treatments for AFib and atrial flutter are similar.
Experts recommend following the below to reduce yor risk of stroke or developing AFib and maintaining heart health:
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Changes in your voice, whether in tone, volume, speed or overall quality, can act as early warning signs for a wide range of medical conditions, experts say.
Your voice is produced by the coordinated effort of your respiratory system, vocal cords (also called vocal folds), and the resonating chambers of your throat, mouth, and nose. Even subtle shifts in hormone levels, hydration status or tissue health can noticeably affect how you sound.
Recent research shows that subtle changes in speech, for example, slurring or vocal cord tremors, may be signs of disease or illness like Parkinson’s disease, depression, cardiac and mental health problems, as speech requires coordination with the brain, muscles and respiratory system.
Apart from serious medical conditions, voice changes may also be linked to aging and lifestyle factors. Fluctuations in testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid hormone levels may also influence the structure and function of the vocal cords.
Dehydration is one of the most common causes of voice problems, as cords need adequate moisture to vibrate efficiently. Aim for at least 64 ounces of water daily, and more if you use your voice professionally or live in a dry climate.
Smoking irritates and inflames the vocal cords, causing chronic hoarseness and increasing the risk of vocal cord cancer. Even secondhand smoke and vaping can affect voice quality.
Diet also plays a role in vocal health. Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics that can dehydrate your vocal cords. Spicy foods and acidic beverages may trigger reflux, irritating the throat.
Dairy products can increase mucus production in some people, affecting voice clarity. Voice overuse or misuse, common in teachers, singers, and public speakers, can lead to vocal fatigue and damage. The following table compares how different lifestyle factors impact your voice.
Whether the cause is hormonal changes, medical conditions, aging, or lifestyle factors, most voice problems can be improved with proper diagnosis and treatment. Here are some things you can do to take care:
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Living under constant psychosocial stress can significantly raise the risk of developing dementia and a stroke, a JAMA Network study suggests.
Psychosocial stress is a type of stress related to our relationships with others, usually arising from feeling judged, excluded, or not enough in others' eyes. It can also put a person in fight-or-flight mode, causing both mental and physical symptoms.
According to Chinese researchers, people who experience this form of stress in childhood as well as adulthood face more than a threefold higher risk of developing dementia compared with those in other groups.
Similarly, young people experiencing stressful situations in their adulthood had a significantly higher risk of stroke incidence that their counterparts.
Based on these results, the study highlights that early identification of psychosocial stressors, combined with effective mental health support and depression prevention, may reduce the long-term burden of neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular disease.
The scientists defined adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as traumatic exposures occurring during childhood, typically grouped into 3 categories: household dysfunction, social dysfunction and family death or disability.
On the other hand, traumatic exposures occurring during adulthood were defined as adverse adult experiences (AAEs), which include events such as the death of a child, lifetime discrimination, ever being confined to bed, ever being hospitalized for a month or longer and ever leaving a job due to health conditions.
While analyzing the data they collected from the participants, the researchers also found that depression partly explained the links in all major relationships as it accounted for more than one-third of the connection between childhood adversity and dementia, and about one-fifth of the link between adulthood adversity and both dementia and stroke.
READ MORE: Avoid Doing These 3 Things Prevent Dementia, According To Neurologist
These findings suggest that long-term psychological stress may lead to brain and blood vessel diseases by causing ongoing emotional distress, unhealthy behaviours, and biological changes like inflammation and abnormal stress responses.
Psychosocial stress can trigger physiological responses like increased heart rate, cortisol secretion, and inflammation, significantly increasing risks for hypertension, cardiovascular disease and mental health disorders.
This kind of stress can affect men, women, and people of all genders differently, but many of the symptoms are still the same. Common symptoms include:
These symptoms can be acute or chronic, meaning for some people they go away, and for others, they persist over a long period of time. Meeting with a therapist is often recommended for those living with chronic stress.
Experts typically suggest developing coping mechanisms include building support networks, utilizing relaxation techniques, and, in cases of severe mental impact, seeking professional support to help deal with psychosocial stress.
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