health
Keeping your mind and body in check - popular topics in health and medicine to maintain a long and healthy life.
Ageing, Exercise, and Neurodegeneration
Ageing is thought to be the highest risk factor for neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia. Dementia is characterised by the progressive decline in cognitive functions and memory. The WHO indicates that worldwide, approximately 47 million people suffer from dementia, the most common form being Alzheimer’s disease; the predictions are that this number is set to triple by 2030. In an era of increased longevity, what can we do to minimise the risk of developing dementia, a condition for which there is presently no cure?
By Tracey Evans7 years ago in Longevity
My Invisible Disability
This is a true story. My story. It begins at primary school, Primary 2 to be exact, when this started to become more apparent. As a child who was bullied by other pupils I created an anxiety towards other children. Along with anxiety, I became depressed and as many of you know, or don't, you have a million and 1 things flying around your head at any one time. Naturally I went to the teachers, showing them a written note of all the things they had done that day (due to anxiety, memory wasn't my best skill) and at first they pandered to me, but as time went on and so did the bullying, they started to care less getting more annoyed each time. Due to the anxiety and stress of the bullying I became physically ill. I had so much time off school due to this that my parents where being hounded by social services. I was branded a "trouble child who wouldn't get anywhere in life." I overheard this from my school teacher. I was bullied not only by the students but also the teachers. My primary school years where hell.
By Elysia-Rose Barksby7 years ago in Longevity
How to Alkalize Your Body
We all should alkalize our bodies. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Alkalizing your body means that the pH in your body is more alkaline rather than acidic. Your body is constantly maintaining equilibrium at a pH of 7.36 — looked at as slightly alkaline.
By Jacqueline Hanikeh7 years ago in Longevity
How I Met My Lifelong Partner
I'm a type 1 diabetic and, much like relationships, diabetes found me when I least expected it. And then, very much unlike relationships, I couldn't get rid of the bugger when I didn't want it anymore. I was diagnosed in January 2016, just before I turned 22. There I was, having a wonderful time in my final year of university, when diabetes crept up on me. You little sausage, diabetes. For anyone who didn't go to uni, by the way, the three years there are a lot like the first three Spider-Man films: the first one starts out strong, the second one is passable, and then the third one makes absolutely no sense. I am talking about that hilariously awkward dance scene that Peter Parker does in Spider-Man 3...Literally, what was the relevance of that other than to make the audience hate Tobey Maguire?
By Millie Wilson7 years ago in Longevity
Cluster Headaches and You
Welcome, I hope this information is useful in some way! What exactly is a cluster headache? Described as the worst pain known to human kind, known to be worse than child birth, it has specific triggers, time frames, and can only be passed on genetically. Anyone can get a migraine, there's about three million reported cases per year in the US, but only 0.1% of the world has cluster headaches. The information regarding clusters are very minute, due to how rare it is. It's classified as a Primary Headache, which means the pain is caused by itself; secondary or tertiary headaches are caused by other means such as stress, not eating, or smoking. There are different forms of clusters; Chronic and Episodic. Episodic sufferers get one week to one year worth of suffering, but then get up to one month (or more!) of remission. Chronic sufferers get them for more than a year, with less than 1 month of remission in between.
By Robert Montalbano7 years ago in Longevity
Why You Don't Want to Diet
Most people who are looking to lose weight try to find a diet to help them do so. The problem with most diets is that they have quick results, but then you plateau. After plateauing, most give up and then gain the weight back. There are some people who do find a diet that works for them and keep the weight off but that is a very small percentage per diet. Why is this?
By Destiny Johnson7 years ago in Longevity
Chronic Illness & Never Having Enough Spoons
I used to think "why me?" a lot. I was bullied growing up; I had a hard childhood for a lot of reasons I won't elaborate on now. When I finally grew into myself, life got a little easier, and the world wasn't constantly shitting on me anymore, at the age of 27 I was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Fibromatosis.
By Stripes Joplin7 years ago in Longevity
Fibromyalgia and Me
Lady Gaga's recent documentary, Five Foot Two, which aired on Netflix, brought to light her daily battle with the condition Fibromyalgia. For those who don't know what the condition is, fibromyalgia is defined as a long-term pain condition which causes muscle pain, headaches, extreme fatigue, brain fog, and a whole host of other symptoms that severely impact the sufferer's life. At one point during the documentary, Lady Gaga wakes up with extreme pain down her right side and her staff immediately jumps in to help alleviate the pain with massages and various other therapies. Gaga comments that she has no idea what she would do without them or how she would cope. Welcome to the world of pretty much every other person suffering this condition on the planet, to the people who don't have the money or the help to ease their pain and get them through the day.
By S. K. Gregory7 years ago in Longevity
Life's an Itch
Before being diagnosed with HIT, I suffered horrendously with itchy skin that had no rash. It felt like a million fire ants crawling under my skin. The rash would only appear when I was on holiday. I would be up at night screaming from the itch. I had to wake up and have ice cold baths at ridiculous hours of the morning. The itch would make me feel like I was going insane, I became snappy and couldn't think straight.
By Emily Histamine Intolerance7 years ago in Longevity
Living with IBS
Living with IBS, or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, is not a fun thing to deal with. Figuring out you have it is even worse, because then you have to go through your diet and eliminate anything and everything that makes your stomach hurt until it's down to just the bare minimum. You go to a number of doctors appointments, with different doctors each time, looking for a second opinion or a better diagnosis, because you think there HAS to be something wrong. I mean, why else would you be in pain all the time if something WASN'T wrong? This is my story, my baggage to carry, and I'm sharing my experience with all of you.
By Bailey Baker7 years ago in Longevity