Day: 08/29/2015

5 Things that Helped Me Improve My A1C

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This article is intended for people with diabetes who take insulin and monitor their blood sugars frequently with blood glucose tests and/or with continuous glucose monitors. (NOTE: If you’re struggling mentally with the pressure of improving your A1C results, read this article from a physician who realized just how emotional A1C measurements can be for her patients: Ending the A1C Blame Game.)

Your A1c is a simple blood test will tell you an approximation of your blood sugar control for the past 3 months based on the amount of Advanced Glycogenated End-Products (AGEs) that have accumulated in your blood. You can read more about A1Cs here.

A1c chartWhen I was a college student through to my early 20s, my A1C hovered between 6.8 to 7.3, but as I’ve gotten older and become and more and more engrossed in health, nutrition, planning for optimal pregnancy, and overall commitment to my diabetes, I’ve set my sights on reducing my A1C to a level near 6.0 percent. You can read what these percentages translate to in blood glucose levels with this chart to the right. —>

My most recent A1Cs were 6.8, then 6.4, and most recently 5.9. At last, I’ve reached my goal! But this was no accident. In addition to regularly fine-tuning my insulin doses and wearing a CGM, here are 5 things that helped me lower my A1C…that might help you:

  1. Change what I view in my head as an “okay” blood sugar. For me, I feel this has the biggest part of my progress. It’s easy (and understandable) in type 1 diabetes to see a blood sugar of 145 or 150 mg/dL as a decent blood level to “hang out” at throughout the day. In reality, if this is often your average blood sugar, then your A1C will inevitably be around 7.0 percent. Which is considered healthy for long-term health in diabetes management, certainly, but if I want to see my A1C around 6.0, then allowing my blood sugar to hang out at 150 too often isn’t going to get me there. So I started taking small correction doses if my blood sugar was ever steadily sitting above 135 mg/dL. Now, a blood sugar of 200 mg/dL seems super-high and occur far less often, whereas I used to view that level as only slightly high.
  2. Get over the fear of hanging out below 100 mg/dl. We all know low blood sugars are rotten and can ruin any good day, but if I want my A1C lower, I need to learn how to feel more comfortable with a blood sugar steadily sitting between 70 and 100 mg/dL. Thanks to a CGM (or 10+ finger sticks per day when I didn’t have a CGM), I make a concerted effort to never treat what I think might be a low until I know for sure. If it’s obvious that I’m dropping quickly, then I’ll treat it, but if I’m simply hanging out below 100 mg/dL I try to be cautious and aware, without over-reacting. *** Please keep in mind that I’m an adult, so expecting a young child or teenager with diabetes to maintain blood sugars safely below 100 mg/dL probably isn’t reasonable or wise! Discuss these standards with your child’s doctor.
  3. Prevent roller coasters by treating lows very carefully. One of the easiest ways to ruin a string of steady blood sugars during the day is to experience a low and then go hog-wild crazy treating it with way too many carbs. One rule I’m implemented for myself is that I will treat most lows with no more than 8 grams of carbohydrates unless it is clearly a severe low and there is clever a major excess of insulin in my system. For most typical lows, 8 grams is plenty and by limiting myself to those 8 grams, I prevent my blood sugar from bouncing back up above 150 mg/dL an hour later…because like I mentioned earlier, 150 mg/dL is now considered a bit too high if I want an A1C in the 6.0 range.
  4. Taking my insulin sooner before meals. You know that whole thing about how insulin should be taken 15 minutes before a meal? Well, it really makes a difference…especially for a higher fat or higher carbohydrate meal. Even if I’m just eating a banana and peanut butter, waiting 10 minutes after taking my injection has been monumentally helpful in preventing my blood sugar from even going over 130 mg/dL after a meal! We’re lead to believe that in life with diabetes we can’t prevent highs after meals, that they’ll inevitably go over 160 mg/dL, but with the right dosage you can absolutely prevent those big swings after eating. That being said, there are certainly some dishes (like chinese food) that take so long to digest because of the excess fat, that I actually don’t wait those extra 10 minutes because I’ve found that the insulin starts kicking in around the same time the food is finally being digested. But I would’ve never noticed this had I not paid more attention to my post-meal BGS and the timing of my insulin doses.
  5. No excuses. Okay, this is key! It’s a constant message in the back of my mind. There are a thousand excuses we can make for ourselves as to why we can’t keep our blood sugars in-range more often, but the truth is that every decision I do or don’t make impacts the results of my A1C. That does not mean I’m going to beat myself up for high blood sugars, but instead, just focus on what I can accomplish if I set my mind to it. Sure, a few aspects of diabetes are out of my control, but a lot of it is absolutely in my control, and I’m not going to make any excuses around that. For instance, I love dessert and still enjoy dessert regularly in moderation, but I’ve pinpointed a few desserts that just aren’t worth it if my biggest goal is getting my A1C down to a 6.0 range. Buttercream frosting and a particular type of gluten-free bread (that tastes delicious) are two examples of foods that I will no longer eat because what they do to my blood sugar just ruins the whole day. As hard as I might try, the intense combo of sugar and fat in that buttercream frosting sends my blood sugar soaring, so rather than say, “Whatevs, I’ll eat it anyway,” I have actively chosen to say “No, thanks,” to that food because my A1C goal is more important to me than frosting.

In the end, I believe in constant observation, constant learning, and always reminding myself that this is a constant work in progress!

14 Amazing Psychology Facts You Should Keep to Yourself!

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Up until only fairly recently psychology and philosophy were thought to go hand in hand. It was only during the 1870’s when psychology became an independent scientific discipline. Since then through multiple studies and technological advances, we have learnt a great deal although still only scratched the surface. Check out these interesting psychology facts, and make sure to share your own thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

1. If you announce your goals to others, you are less likely to make them happen because you lose motivation, studies confirmed.

14 Amazing Psychology Facts You Should Keep to Yourself! - If you announce your goals to others, you are less likely to make them happen because you lose motivation, studies confirmed
There have been tests since as early as 1933 that prove that once intended goals are announced, people are less likely to follow through with them as they lose motivation. This is thought to happen because doing so satisfies a person’s self-identity just enough to prevent them performing the hard work to achieve those goals. (source)

2. Most people have a favorite song because they associate it with an emotional event in their lives.

14 Amazing Psychology Facts You Should Keep to Yourself! - Most people have a favorite song because they associate it with an emotional event in their lives
It is well known that music has a direct effect on emotion. In a recent study on nine undergraduate students, it turns out that the flip side is also true – similar in a way that certain smells can remind us of moments in the past. (source)

3. Music affects the way you perceive the world.

14 Amazing Psychology Facts You Should Keep to Yourself! - Music affects the way you perceive the world
A new study held at the University of Groningen has shown that music has a dramatic effect on perception. The study focused especially on the ability of people to “see” happy faces and sad faces when different music tracks were listened to. Listening to particularly happy or sad music can even change the way we perceive the world. (source)

4. Studies have shown that spending money on others provides more happiness than spending it on yourself.

14 Amazing Psychology Facts You Should Keep to Yourself! - Studies have shown that spending money on others provides more happiness than spending it on yourself
Research performed by Harvard Business School has shown that people are actually happier when they give money to others. Of course, this should go without saying as we often anticipate how people will react to our own gifts at Christmas, more so than what gifts we may receive. (source)

5. According to studies, you’ll be happier spending your money on experiences rather than possessions.

14 Amazing Psychology Facts You Should Keep to Yourself! - According to studies, you’ll be happier spending your money on experiences rather than possessions
Happiness has become an increasingly popular field focused on the scientific study of emotional well-being. Research has suggested that people often sacrifice things that make them happy such as vacations or going out to certain events, in order to afford possessions (such as property). (source)

6. Kids are more highly strung today, with high school students showing the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the 1950’s.

14 Amazing Psychology Facts You Should Keep to Yourself! - Kids are more highly strung today, with high school students showing the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the 1950’s
Approximately 49% of the general population suffer or have suffered from anxiety, depression or substance abuse. In particular, there is proof that the collective human race is becoming more anxious every decade and there are many speculative reasons for that. For instance, people move more, have less interaction with their communities, change jobs, are less likely to get married and more likely to live alone. (source)

7. It has been shown that certain religious practices like prayer and attending services is associated with lower psychological distress levels.

14 Amazing Psychology Facts You Should Keep to Yourself! - It has been shown that certain religious practices like prayer and attending services is associated with lower psychological distress levels
“The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Mood Disorders” discusses several studies that have demonstrated that people who partake in various religious activities may have a lower risk of depressive symptoms and other psychological disorders. (source)

8. While money can buy happiness to an extent, studies show that after $75,000 per year, increased income does little to boost happiness.

14 Amazing Psychology Facts You Should Keep to Yourself! - While money can buy happiness to an extent, studies show that after $75,000 per year, increased income does little to boost happiness
A study of 450,000 Americans in 2008 and 2009 suggested that there are two forms of happiness, emotional well-being (day to day contentment) and an overall life assessment. The more money people had, the higher their “life assessment”. However, findings suggests that once people earn more than $75,000, additional income is simply considered more “stuff”. (source)

9. By surrounding yourself with happier people, you’ll become happier too.

14 Amazing Psychology Facts You Should Keep to Yourself! - By surrounding yourself with happier people, you’ll become happier too.
We’ve all been in the situation at one point of laughing out loud with someone purely because they had an infectious laugh. New research published in the Psychoneuroendocrinology journal shows that stress and happiness are both contagious, and being around groups of either type has a direct influence on us. (source)

10. People between the ages of 18 and 33 are the most stressed in the world. After the age of 33 stress levels tend to reduce.

14 Amazing Psychology Facts You Should Keep to Yourself! - People between the ages of 18 and 33 are the most stressed in the world. After the age of 33 stress levels tend to reduce
According to a 2012 Stress in America survey by the American Psychological Association, people between the ages of 18 and 33 are the most stressed out, and that stress only seems to be increasing every year. (source)

11. Fooling yourself into thinking you’ve slept well, even if you haven’t, still improves performance.

14 Amazing Psychology Facts You Should Keep to Yourself! - Fooling yourself into thinking you’ve slept well, even if you haven’t, still improves performance
We’ve all been in that situation when we wished for just one or two more hours’ sleep. A recent study published by the Journal of Experimental Psychology demonstrated that when patients were told they had above average REM sleep (when they hadn’t), they performed better on a given test. They called it “placebo sleep”. (source)

12. Intelligent people are more likely to underestimate themselves, while ignorant people are more likely to believe they’re brilliant.

14 Amazing Psychology Facts You Should Keep to Yourself! - Intelligent people are more likely to underestimate themselves, while ignorant people are more likely to believe they’re brilliant
Known as the Dunning Kruger Effect, some unskilled people believe they are superior and assess their own abilities as much higher than what is accurate. On the other side of the coin, some highly skilled people often underestimate their competence, assuming that what is easy for them, is also easy for others. (source)

13. If you remember a past event, you’re actually remembering the last time you remembered it rather than the event itself.

14 Amazing Psychology Facts You Should Keep to Yourself! - If you remember a past event, you’re actually remembering the last time you remembered it rather than the event itself
One interesting insight into how the brain works, is that every time we have a memory, we transform it slightly. Recent research conducted by Northwestern Medicine has shown that recalling memories often, makes them less accurate over time. (source)

14. Decisions become more rational if they are thought in a foreign language.

14 Amazing Psychology Facts You Should Keep to Yourself! - Decisions become more rational if they are thought in a foreign language
A recent study by the University of Chicago conducted on United States and Korean citizens has shown that thinking in a foreign language reduces deep seated and misleading biases. (source)

Source: Unbelievable-facts via Idealist Revolution
– See more at: http://www.thinkinghumanity.com/2015/05/14-amazing-psychology-facts-you-should-keep-to-yourself.html?m=1#sthash.7ZGHACrO.dpuf

Do women really tolerate pain better than men?

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The experience of pain is deeply subjective, and tricky to measure. If you’ve ever complained to a doctor about pain, you’re likely familiar with the classic (but arbitrary) rating scale that goes from zero to 10, where zero is “no pain whatsoever” and 10 is “worst and most excruciating suffering imaginable”, or something like that. But your answer to this question is actually dependent on many variables – not least your biological sex and gender.

When it comes to dealing with pain, two main factors are taken into account: pain threshold and pain tolerance. Pain threshold refers to the point at which a person first starts to sense pain after being exposed to a stimulus, such as the stab of a needle. Even though stimuli can be measured, the experience of pain remains entirely subjective. Meanwhile, pain tolerance refers to the amount of pain one can take without collapsing in agony.

It’s widely thought that women tolerate pain better, thanks to an evolutionary history of having been repeatedly put through the wringer of childbirth. However, in 2012 a team of researchers from Stanford University in the US completed a review of over 11,000 medical records and discovered that women actually tend to feel pain more intensely, particularly when it comes to acute inflammation. Within that zero-to-10 pain rating scale, on average women’s pain ratings were almost a point higher than men’s.

But that’s only one piece of the puzzle, because the analysis was primarily based on self-reported ratings in a hospital setting. The researchers also didn’t have access to information that would help them determine the causes of such differences between the sexes. And they haven’t been the only ones looking.

Back in 2009, a team of researchers from the University of Florida performed a massive literature review of pain-related research studies, and also found that women show greater sensitivity to most forms of pain. They also found that women experience more pain in general – they go to the doctor with pain-related issues more often than men, they take more painkillers, and suffer from more painful ailments, such as lower back pain and migraines.

In experimental settings, it was the men who demonstrated a higher pain threshold, according to the review. An experimental setting here means that someone was deliberately hurting people and asking them how they felt about it. Overall, men were found to be more tolerant of pain than women, at least in the lab. One of the proposed explanations for this is biological – men’s bodies usually release more pain-relieving biochemicals, such as beta-endorphins.

So does that mean women actually succumb to pain more easily, and the childbirth connection is a total myth? Not necessarily. As you’ve already gathered, the experience of pain is vastly subjective. The type of ailment, a person’s mood, and stress can all contribute to the experience; for women hormonal fluctuations throughout their menstrual cycle also influence pain sensitivity, although in individually varied ways.

Social gender roles also play a role in how people report their pain – if men are expected to “tough it out”, they might complain less and try to withstand more pain without showing it.As AsapSCIENCE once investigated, we may never know what hurts more – getting kicked in the balls or giving birth.

Water Will Help You With Weight Loss – Here Are the Most Current Fact-Based Reasons Why

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Water Will Help You With Weight Loss - Here Are the Most Current Fact-Based Reasons Why

Gaining weight is easy..taking it off is another matter.  There are certain action steps that we can take in our daily lives to help us achieve weight loss or any goal.  Assuming the goal is weight loss, drinking water each day is one action step towards that goal.  The trick is to be consistent and and follow-through.

How Does Water Help Promote Weight Loss?

The role water plays in weight loss is very important and here’s why: The kidneys require water to function properly and to expel toxins from the body.  When there is a lack of fluid (water), the kidneys can’t perform well and it needs the assistance of the liver.  The liver then, has the added burden of detoxing the body when it should be metabolizing fat stores.  This means that the liver is not metabolizing the fat in your body like it should be, thus, fat stores remain in the body and weight loss ceases.

What is the Most Recent Research?

There is abundant research showing water’s effect on fat metabolism in the body.  One such study (International Journal of Obesity, 2009) looked at whether weight loss was seen with the use of an ACE-Inhibitor – an ACE-Inhibitor reduces blood pressure.  They noted that rats given the ACE-Inhibitor in the study had lost fat despite eating the same amount.  The reason for this, they concluded, is that the rats treated with the ACE-Inhibitor drug drank twice as much water as untreated rats. Hydrated cells allow for better fat metabolism.  Dehydrated cells reduce their ability to take-up glucose. This inability to utilize glucose slows down our metabolism and energy allowing for weight gain.

Two recent studies (Boschmann M,, Steiniger J, 2003) using humans showed that when blood is diluted through water intake, the breakdown of fat (Lipolysis) in the body is promoted.  This further supports the notion that water, indeed, is a useful fat loss tool.

Dr. Michael Boschmann found that by drinking 500 ml of water, increased metabolic rate by 30% in both men and women.  The increase was observed 10 minutes after the consumption of water and the metabolic increase was sustained for over an hour!  They attributed this to the increased metabolic action of room temperature water warming-up to body temperature.  Additionally,  the large amount of water that dilutes the blood, promotes the release of adrenalin and norepinephrine to handle this demand. This metabolic process increases heat production and thus, burns calories.

Water Suppresses Your Appetite

Water acts as an appetite suppressant which helps prevent overeating, thus promoting weight reduction.  People who do not include water as part of their fat loss arsenal, are much hungrier because the brain has trouble differentiating between hunger and thirst.  This is why we tend to think we are hungry when in actuality, we are thirsty.

It is true that there is no one action that will promote fat loss, it is a combined strategy of consuming fewer calories, exercise, adequate sleep and hydration.  Remember to stay fully hydrated throughout the day with a minimum intake of 8 eight oz. glasses of water each day.

12 Incredible Facts Hydrogen Peroxide Should Be In Every Home

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Most people don’t know hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide(HP) is germicidal agent composed of water and oxygen. It’s been a staple in medicine cabinets and first aid kits for generations. HP is considered the worlds safest all natural effective sanitizer. It kills micro-organisms by oxidizing them.

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In fact, there are so many different uses for hydrogen peroxide For Health, Hygiene, Cleaning.

12 Amazing uses of hydrogen peroxide

Immune System Booster

Our produces hydrogen peroxide via certain leukocytes, aka, white blood cells. By this hydrogen peroxide help to fight off, bacteria, viruses and toxins.

Water Purifier

Hydrogen peroxide also use in water purification, just add a pint of hydrogen peroxide to one gallon of the water you use and the HP will help ensure that the water stays sanitary and safe.

Antiseptic mouth rinse

HP is a perfect mouth rinse. It whitens teeth and kills germs responsible for bad breath. It has been found that hydrogen peroxide makes a very effective and inexpensive mouthwash for daily purpose.

Common Cold

Hydrogen peroxide help to keep you away from cold, some claim that applying a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in the ears is best practice to keep cold at bay.

Toothpaste

Mix it with that other medicine cabinet staple, baking soda, and you’ve got an effective toothpaste, it keep teeth whiten and germs free.

Remove ear wax

Hydrogen peroxide remove ear wax easily, put a couple of drops of HP into your ears. Keep it for minute or two, then put a couple of drops of olive oil. After few minute, drain the fluid from your ears. Ear wax will move out.

Health

Your body makes Hydrogen peroxide to fight infection which must be present for our immune system to function correctly. White blood cells are known as Leukocytes. A sub-class of Leukocytes called Neutrophils produce hydrogen peroxide as the first line of defense against toxins, parasites, bacteria, viruses and yeast.

Eye Care

Hydrogen peroxide can be used to clean contact lenses – its very effective for eliminating the dust that can build up on the lenses over time.

Sinus Infections

When your sinuses are stuffy, it can be painful. A tablespoon of 3% Hydrogen peroxide added to 1 cup of non-chlorinated water can be used as a nasal spray. You can adjust the amount used of hydrogen peroxide Depending on the degree of sinus.

Toothache pain

Hydrogen peroxide also cure toothache pain, for curing pain, you can gargle a mixture of coconut oil and HP. The antibacterial properties of HP help to eliminate the bacteria that are causing the toothache pain.

Disinfect your hands

Hydrogen peroxide best for disinfecting wounds, HP also use in hand washing. Just dip your hands into or spray them with diluted version of HP.

Keep freshness of vegetables

Hydrogen peroxide freshness your vegetables. Add about ¼ a cup of food-grade Hydrogen peroxide to a sink full of cold water and keep your veggies into it. Soak it for about 15 minutes. Then, rinse them and allow them to dry.

Treat animal wounds

You can use Hydrogen peroxide on animal wounds as you would use on human wounds. Used HP onto your animal carefully, and it will heal wounds with in few days.

Reference:

ohsimply.com

naturallivingideas.com

lusterbuster.com

China’s air is so bad breathing it is like smoking 40 ciagarettes a day in some areas

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The air quality in some parts of China is so bad, a new study finds, that breathing it in all day is equivalent to smoking 40 cigarettes, or two packs of cigarettes, each day.That’s because the air is thick with pollutants, including a particularly dangerous type of pollutant called PM2.5. These tiny particles, which measure less than 2.5 microns in diameter (about 28 times smaller than a human hair) are found in soot, smoke, and dust. Cigarette smoke also contains a large amount of PM2.5.

Because PM2.5 particles are so small, they’re particularly bad for your lungs and respiratory system, where they can easily get lodged and accumulate, eventually causing respiratory illnesses like asthma and chronic lung disease.

In a recent report by the nonprofit Berkeley Earth, researchers found that the average person in China was exposed to 52 micrograms of PM2.5 per unit of cubed air (the standard way of measuring the pollutant). For comparison, a study of the long-term effects of air pollution found that an annual exposure to just five micrograms of PM2.5 per unit of cubed air (10 times less than the amount discovered in the air in some areas of China) increased the risk of developing heart problems by 13%.

China’s rapid industrialization has left the country without a great way of monitoring coal-powered plants or the growing amount of car exhaust in the air.

About a year and a half ago, the country declared a “war on pollution.” The government set up about 1,000 monitoring stations to check for pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide, and – most importantly – the PM2.5. But these efforts are just beginning to figure out how bad the situation is.

Here’s a chart from The Economistshowing where the air is most deadly.

Fortunately, some areas aren’t all that bad, especially areas farther way from Beijing and Shanghai. But even so, The Economist notes, about half of China’s 1.3 billion population lives in areas with PM2.5 levels above the EPA’s highest tolerance level.

Looks like China’s “war on pollution” still has a ways to go.

HIV particles do not cause AIDS, our own immune cells do

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Researchers from the Gladstone Institutes have revealed that HIV does not cause AIDS by the virus’s direct effect on the host’s immune cells, but rather through the cells’ lethal influence on one another.

HIV can either be spread through free-floating virus that directly infect the host immune cells or an infected cell can pass the virus to an uninfected cell. The second method, cell to cell transmission, is 100 to 1000 times more efficient, and the new study shows that it is only this method that sets off a cellular chain reaction that ends in the newly infected cells committing suicide.

“The fundamental ‘killing units’ of CD4 T cells in lymphoid tissues are other infected cells, not the free virus,” says co-first author Gilad Doitsh, PhD, a staff research investigator at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology. “And cell-to-cell transmission of HIV is required for activation of the main HIV death pathway.”

In a previous investigation, the scientists discovered that 95% of cell death from HIV is caused by immune cells committing suicide in self-defense after an unsuccessful infection. When the virus tries to invade a cell that is “at rest,” the infection is aborted. However, fragments of viral DNA remain and are detected by the resting host cell. This triggers a domino effect in the cell’s defense system, resulting in the activation of the enzyme caspase-1, which ultimately causes the induction of pyroptosis, a fiery form of cell suicide.

In the new study, published in Cell Reports, it was revealed that this death pathway is only activated through cell-to-cell transmission of HIV, not from infection by free-floating viral particles. Using lymphoid tissue infected with HIV, the scientists compared cell death rates between cell-to-cell and cell-free virus transfer. They discovered that while overall rates of infection remained the same, there was significantly more CD4 T cell death if HIV was spread by infection from other cells than by free-floating virus.

“Although free-floating viruses establish the initial infection, it is the subsequent cell-to-cell spread of HIV that causes massive CD4 T cell death,” says co-first author Nicole Galloway, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology. “Cell-to-cell transmission of HIV is absolutely required for activation of the pathogenic HIV cell-death pathway.”

To confirm this finding, the researchers perturbed viral transfer through a number of means: genetically modifying the virus, applying chemical HIV inhibitors, blocking inter-cellular synapses, and increasing the physical distance between the cells so they could not come into contact with one another. Notably, disruption of cell-to-cell contact effectively stopped the death of CD4 T cells. What’s more, only during cell-to-cell transmission was caspase-1 activated within the target cells, thereby initiating pyroptosis, the pro-inflammatory cell-suicide response.

The scientists speculate that the difference in cell death rates between the two methods of infection is due to the increased efficiency of cell-to-cell transmission. Aborted viral DNA fragments are quickly removed during infection by cell-free HIV particles, so they are not detected by the cell’s defensive system. However, in cell-to-cell transmission, the viral DNA fragments overwhelm cell maintenance, building up until they surpass a threshold and are detected. This then triggers caspase-1 activation and pyroptosis.

“This study fundamentally changes our mindset about how HIV causes massive cell death, and puts the spotlight squarely on the infected cells in lymphoid tissues rather than the free virus,” says senior author Warner C. Greene, MD, PhD, director of the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology. “By preventing cell-to-cell transmission, we may able to block the death pathway and stop the progression from HIV infection to AIDS.”

Other investigators on the study include Kathryn Monroe, Zhiyuan Yang, and Isa Muñoz-Arias from the Gladstone Institutes, and David Levy from New York University College of Dentistry. Funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the UCSF/Robert John Sabo Trust Award, and the Giannini Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship.

Story Source:

The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Gladstone Institutes. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

  1. Nicole L. Galloway, Gilad Doitsh, Kathryn M. Monroe, Zhiyuan Yang, Isa Muñoz-Arias, David N. Levy, Warner C. Greene. Cell-to-Cell Transmission of HIV-1 Is Required to Trigger Pyroptotic Death of Lymphoid-Tissue-Derived CD4 T Cells. Cell Reports, 2015 DOI:10.1016/j.celrep.2015.08.011

 

Trace Amyloid Back to Precursor Protein

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There is a more extreme view that amyloid itself has almost nothing to do with dementia in the human, unlike the brain of the mouse models which are overloaded with abnormal beta-amyloid protein.

As I’ve expressed in a commentary in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, I do not think it is a stretch to consider that amyloid, senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuronal death are just various end-points indicative of a process that is actually causing the dementia, but have no role in causing dementia.

From a molecular neurobiological perspective, it is more reasonable to take amyloid, predominantly an extracellular protein, out of the causal cascade leading to dementia and instead follow its intracellular complement of the gamma-secretase cleavage. This protein, so-called amyloid precursor protein (APP) intracellular domain (AICD), is actually in a better position to affect conditions inside the neuron.

AICD is known to cause hyperphosphorylation of tau, which will continue the cascade leading to dementia: formation of paired helical filaments, which aggregate to form neuropil threads (which are found only in those amyloid plaques associated with dementia and a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease), and the neuropil threads amputate axons and dendrites, leading to massive synapse loss — the direct cause of dementia.

The subsequent events, retrograde transport of neuropil threads to neuronal cell bodies, accumulation of neuropil threads to form neurofibrillary tangles, and resulting cell death are not part of the cause of dementia, either — instead, they are just late effects. All of the well-known pathological stigmata of Alzheimer’s disease, plaques, tangles, neuron death, inflammatory response, are all visible but secondary consequences of the underlying process leading to the dementia and should not be mistaken for treatment targets.

The real line to follow for prevention is to understand the APOE genotype and how age leads to the progressive breakdown of the serotonin and norepinephrine neurons, finally ending up damaging the cholinergic neurons. The loss of the basic brainstem projections is associated with an imbalance in the memory mechanisms involved in processing the APP, specifically, failure to activate the alpha-secretase cleavage of the APP, with default excess cleavage by beta-secretase and gamma-secretase, leading to increased production AICD, leading to synapse loss and dementia.

I am hopeful that the field can look to the critical neurobiological processes beyond the amyloid cascade hypothesis so it can quit wasting billions of dollars and realign behind some promising directions.

Physicians Should Speak Out on Mass Deportation of Immigrants

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Mass deportation, as proposed by Donald Trump, and echoed to varying degrees by other politicians, would have a catastrophic effect on the health of the approximately 12 million undocumented residents of the United States. Physicians accordingly have an ethical responsibility to speak out, individually and collectively, for the health of these people, and against mass deportation.

That the medical profession is obliged to advocate for the health of all persons, without regard to their legal residency status, is well-established. As the ACP’s Ethics Manual, Sixth Edition, affirms, “All physicians must fulfill the profession’s collective responsibility to advocate for the health, human rights, and well-being of the public.”

“Health and human rights are interrelated,” it continues. “When human rights are promoted, health is promoted. Violation of human rights has harmful consequences for the individual and the community. Physicians have an important role to play in promoting health and human rights and addressing social inequities. This includes caring for vulnerable populations, such as the uninsured and victims of violence or human rights abuses. Physicians have an opportunity and duty to advocate for the needs of individual patients as well as society.”

It is indisputable that people who are undocumented, and at risk of deportation, are especially vulnerable to adverse and inequitable health consequences:

  • “Worries about their legal status and preoccupation with disclosure and deportation can heighten the risk for emotional distress and impaired quality of health.”
  • “Restricted mobility; marginalization/isolation; stigma/blame and guilt/shame; vulnerability/exploitability; fear and fear-based behaviors; and stress and depression are specific to undocumented immigrants and have health and mental health implications.”
  • The psychosocial impact of deportation include “the trauma of sudden and imposed family separation” … “drug use and less interaction with medical or treatment services (including HIV testing, medical care, and substance abuse treatment” … adverse “changes in family structure and stability.”
  • “The aftermath of deportation impacts entire communities as it instills fear of family separation and distrust of anyone assumed to be associated with the government, including local police, school personnel, health professionals, and social service professionals.”

Such adverse health impacts would be exponentially higher if the United States were to attempt to remove by force every person who is in the country unlawfully.

Recognizing this danger, the American College of Physicians asserted in a 2011 position paper on immigrant access to health care that:

“Any policy intended to force the millions of persons who now reside unlawfully in the U.S. to return to their countries of origin through arrest, detention, and mass deportation could result in severe health care consequences for affected persons and their family members (including those who are lawful residents but who reside in a household with unlawful residents — such as U.S.-born children whose parents are not legal residents), creates a public health emergency, results in enormous costs to the health care system of treating such persons (including the costs associated with correctional health care during periods of detention), and is likely to lead to racial and ethnic profiling and discrimination.”

Instead of mass deportation, ACP advocated “for a national immigration policy on health care that balances the needs of the country to control its borders, provides access to health care equitably and appropriately, and protects the public’s health.”

In the same paper, the College also cautioned that a policy of mass deportation could compromise the patient-physician relationship if it required that physicians report on the legal status of their patients:

“Any law that might require physicians to share confidential information, such as citizenship status to the authorities, that was gained through the patient–physician relationship conflicts with the ethical and professional duties of physicians. National immigration policy should respect the boundaries of this relationship and the ethical obligations of physicians and not require physicians to reveal confidential information. Therefore, federal policies should not intrude upon a physician’s obligation to treat patients, regardless of legal status, and physicians should not be required to report on the immigration status of patients.”

Finally, ACP advocated that:

“U.S.-born children of parents who lack legal residency should have the same access to health coverage and government-subsidized health care as any other U.S. citizen” noting that “as outlined by the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the U.S. and of the state wherein they reside. This means that a child born in the U.S. to immigrant parents automatically becomes a citizen … U.S.-born children should not be at a disadvantage from receiving the benefits of U.S. citizenship because of their parents’ immigrant status and fear of deportation.”

ACP clearly was prescient in anticipating the current debate over mass deportation and the citizenship of U.S. born children of undocumented persons, addressing the issue solely from the standpoint of advocating for the individual and collective health of the all persons, without regard to legal residency status.

But given that the direction of the debate has taken a decidedly wrong turn in the four years since ACP released its recommendations, it is high time for physicians, and their professional associations, to raise their voices now, individually and collectively, against mass deportation of undocumented persons, for the constitutionally-guaranteed right of their U.S. born children to have the same access to health coverage and government-subsidized health care as any other U.S. citizen, and against any policy that would require that physicians report on the immigration status of their patients or otherwise compromise their ethical obligation to provide care for all.

Today’s question: Will you take up the call to speak out against mass deportation and for policies to ensure access to healthcare for all U.S. residents, regardless of legal residency status?

The Science Of Dirty Talk And Why It Increases Sexual Pleasure

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Harder. Keep going, don’t stop.

Yeah, you like that, baby?

As forced as it sounds when you read it, many of us love hearing dirty talk in the bedroom. We lose ourselves in the heat of passion and take on a persona that turns us on in the most naughty, unconventional ways. But there’s more to it than that. What is it about erotic communication that increases our sexual arousal? When we look past the kinkiness, we may find there’s more to dirty talk than our desire to bring out our wild side.

1.Sex On The Brain

It begins in the mind.

The brain is considered a more powerful sexual organ than even male and female genitalia because it’s where sex drive stems from. The right amount of dirty talk will excite the mind. However, there is a difference in how each gender’s limbic system works in the brain.

Two areas in the hypothalamus, the preoptic area and the superchiasmatic nucleus, have distinct functions in female and male brains, according to a study published in the journal Hormone Research. The preoptic area, involved in mating behavior, is over two times larger in men than women and contains two times more cells. Meanwhile, the superchiasmatic nucleus, involved with circadian rhythms and reproduction cycles differs in shape: Males have a nucleus that is shaped like a sphere, while women have more of an elongated one.

A larger hypothalamus for men means more circulating testosterone to stimulate the desire for sex. A lower testosterone level and a smaller hypothalamus in women, on the other hand, means their sex drive is not as strong as a man’s. These biological differences are just the many ways men and women’s brain function differs when it comes to sex.

Daryl Cioffi, specializing in couples, relationships, sex, neuropsychology, and owner of Polaris Counseling & Consulting in Patucket, R.I., says dirty talk is a whole mind and body experience.

“People very much enjoy dirty talking because it activates all regions of your brain while your body is also getting stimulated,” Cioffi told Medical Daily. “Similar areas of the brain are touched upon during dirty talk as when we curse. So, very often as your brain sees it, the dirtier the better.”

 New Sex column main photo

For example, many powerful women in their everyday lives and jobs enjoy being more submissive in the bed, says Cioffi, because it stimulates the amygdala. This brain region is our fear center that is heavily involved in excitement and pleasure during sex. The whispers, moans, and screams accompanied by dirty talk are all processed by the brain’s hearing center, including the temporal lobe, the frontal lobe, and the occipital lobe.

After all, the mind is an erogenous zone. The brain and how it organizes the rest of our erogenous zones is further proof of the crucial role of the brain in determining both sex drive and sexual pleasure.

Asking what our partners need from us and what we need from them opens up the lines of communication to show we’re open to changing things up in the bedroom. Verbalizing the sexual roles we want and hearing what our partners want to do to us is essential in sexual arousal.

According to Dr. Ava Cadell, professional speaker, writer, and sex therapist in Los Angeles, Calif., couples engage in dirty talk to “heighten their arousal and share fantasies that they may not want to turn into reality, but talking about them can be even better.”

2.Communicating Sexual Fantasies In The Bedroom

Committing sexual acts and talking dirty involve two completely different mindsets. Dirty talk is something we do by ourselves, as opposed to physical sex acts. This erotic dialogue, therefore, serves to unleash the interest in new sexual acts that might not usually be of interest.

“Individuals can become comfortable and familiar with using phrases and language and descriptions that express their needs and wants,” Dr. Fran Walfish, Beverly Hills psychotherapist, author of The Self-Aware Parent, and expert panelist on WE TV’s Sex Box told Medical Daily. “Practice expressing your needs and wants and encourage your partner to do the same and be ready to deliver the goods.”

A 2012 study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found the more comfortable we are talking about sex, the more satisfactory our sex lives will become. According to the researchers, even the slightest anxiety about communication affected whether partners were communicating or not. It also directly affected their satisfaction. Those who did communicate during sex were more likely to experience sexual satisfaction. In other words, engaging in a dialogue that feels good with our partner can heighten the sexual experience.

April Masini, relationship expert and author, told Medical Daily: “Talking dirty can enhance sex because it’s another layer of sexual behavior beyond physical sexual acts.”

Dirty talk can also arouse partners to the point of orgasm. Some women and men can actually get so turned on by dirty talk that they will get wet or hard and orgasm, even without genital stimulation. Masini says, the power of dirty talk can allow someone to get “out of their own head” and into the mood.

3.Dirty Talk And The ‘Good Girl’ Complex

The “good girl” complex, similar to the Madonna-Whore complex, is just one facet of what men want. Sex always seems to be the line that the “good girl” crosses where they just have to screw someone in order to be considered a “bad girl.” Pop culture has perpetuated this complex from songs like Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” where he “knows” she wants it because she’s an animal and it’s in her nature, to Usher’s “Yeah!” where Ludacris acknowledges “we” (the men) want a lady in the street and freak in the bed.

Dirty talk is a liberating experience for women to break down this mindset and become comfortable in their sexuality and desires. It’s where people invite their fantasies and where that straight-laced version of a person will enjoy being tied up, being called certain kinds of names, and using dirty words for genital parts when otherwise they wouldn’t think of such behavior, says Walfish.

It lowers inhibitions and reveals bedroom personalities by allowing partners to go a layer deeper within our everyday selves.

For example, some women may get turned on by words like “slut” or “whore,” even though they find it offensive outside the bedroom. Women are able to take control of the word and use it on their own terms. This linguistic exchange can reveal the darker fantasies of the mind and be played out in the privacy of the bedroom.

A woman who calls up her partner at work to say to him “when you come home sweetheart, I’m going to let you tie me to the bedpost, handcuff me, and arrest me,” says Walfish, is vocalizing her fantasy outside the bedroom.

“One possibility is maybe she has a dependent personality and maybe she likes the idea of submitting to a dominant, powerful force,” she said. “Or maybe she fantasizes about being the dominant one and is afraid to put that on to her guy to do it first, so she tests the waters.”

Basically, when we assume a persona via dirty talk or  role playing, we have an easier time being sexual.

4.Dirty Talk And Intimacy

Dirty talk gives people permission to surrender to their deepest, darkest, wildest fantasies. Sex is supposed to be dirty, erotic, and most of all fun.

Sexuality creates intimacy for a couple and becomes the glue of the relationship. Good sex is a barometer of a good relationship.

“Sex isn’t just a physical release or an expression of love and affection. It’s a way to work things out and process traumas, big and small,” Masini said.

Dirty talk isn’t for perverts, it’s about enhancing your sexual experience and vocalizing your sexual wants. More men want women to do it, according to Cadell, and that’s why women do it, to please their men. “Women are more auditory and men are more visual,” she said.

For dirty talk to be successful, it has to be tit for tat. Both people should do it so there’s no sort of animosity or resentment or power struggle.

It’s all about fill in the blank. “I love it when you blank me,” or “Your blank is so hot.”

After all, says Masini, “talking dirty is nothing more than sexual prelude. It’s all about the sex.”