Category: Health

Blind in the Mind: Why Some People Can’t See Pictures in their Imagination

Tom Patriot

Imagine an apple floating in front of you. Now see if you can rotate it around in your mind. Look at it from the top, bottom – does it have any blemishes? How clearly can you see it? Some people see the apple perfectly, like watching a movie, while others have a very poor wavering image. Although it might be hard to believe, a small proportion of otherwise healthy people report having no visual experience at all. In other words, their minds are completely blind – no matter how hard…

Read More

Diabetes Drug ‘Significantly Reverses Memory Loss’ In Mice With Alzheimer’s

Tom Patriot

A drug developed for diabetes could be used to treat Alzheimer’s after scientists found it “significantly reversed memory loss” in mice through a triple method of action. The research, published in Brain Research, could bring substantial improvements in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease through the use of a drug originally created to treat type 2 diabetes. Lead researcher Professor Christian Holscher of Lancaster University in the UK said the novel treatment “holds clear promise of being developed into a new treatment for chronic neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.” Alzheimer’s disease…

Read More

The Sixth Taste?

Tom Patriot

Calcium is something of a double-edged sword. Too much of the essential element is as dangerous as too little, either case adversely affecting health in animals from humans to mice to fruit flies. Sensing calcium at all can be crucial. Though it doesn’t fit into the five established tastes the tongue’s receptors can identify — sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savory (umami) — humans can taste it, and describe it as slightly bitter and sour. New research conducted by scientists at UC Santa Barbara and colleagues in Korea has established…

Read More

New Patch Aims To Turn Energy-Storing Fats Into Energy-Burning Fats

Tom Patriot

A new approach to reducing bulging tummy fats has shown promise in laboratory trials. It combines a new way to deliver drugs, via a micro-needle patch, with drugs that are known to turn energy-storing white fat into energy-burning brown fat. This innovative approach developed by scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) reduced weight gain in mice on a high fat diet and their fat mass by more than 30 per cent over four weeks. The new type of skin patch contains hundreds of micro-needles, each thinner than a…

Read More

What Is The Difference Between Dandruff And Dry Scalp?

Tom Patriot

If you’ve ever had an experience with dandruff or a flaky scalp, you understand how annoying it is to find tiny white specks all over your favorite black sweaters. There’s nothing quite like a layer of scalp snow to put a damper on your confidence. But what exactly is dandruff? And how is it different from a dry scalp? We spoke to Dr. Jennifer MacGregor of Union Square Laser Dermatology in New York City to get to the root of the issue (pun most definitely intended). So What Is Dandruff? Dandruff is essentially…

Read More