HEALTHWISE
SNIPPETS FROM THE WORLD OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH
Issue 0008
For 2012 we continue to highlight some of the latest developments in health and medicine…

New hope for baldness
There is new hope for people with thinning or receding hair.

Lack of sleep
A team from the University of Milan, studying problems associated with sleep deprivation, have found some interesting results.

Walking against prostate cancer
A report in the Cancer Research Journal says taking a brisk walk can help keep prostate cancer from spreading

Heartiness can pay
Having an optimistic outlook can help reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Essential oils can be hot stuff
A warning has gone out saying that people need to be aware of the high risk of fire with essential oils.

New hope for baldness

There is new hope for people with thinning or receding hair.

George Cotsarelis, a dermatologist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, has completed a study that shows that engineered hair follicles can be patched into skin and then coaxed to connect to surrounding tissue to produce a normal cycle of hair growth, shredding and making new hair.

This is very different from current hair transplant methods which simply remove existing hair follicles from one area of the head to another to cover a bald area. The new system creates brand new hair follicles from existing cells.

So far the tests have only been undertaken on mice, but the team say the results are very exciting.

Lack of sleep

A team from the University of Milan, studying problems associated with sleep deprivation, have found some interesting results. The study showed that lack of sleep causes brains to become more reactive; increasing levels of sleep deprivation causes nerve cells to grow increasingly jumpy. This is why lack of sleep can trigger seizures, events marked by massive excitement of nerve cells.

Interestingly, they also found that sleep deprivation can reverse the symptoms of depression, again possibly the result of the boost to the brain’s excitability.

Walking against prostate cancer

A report in the Cancer Research Journal says taking a brisk walk can help keep prostate cancer from spreading.

The report was based on men suffering from prostate cancer who power walked for at least three hours every week and said that the effect seemed to halve how much their cancer would grow and spread over the following two years. They said strolling at a leisurely rate does not have the same effect.

Heartiness can pay

Having an optimistic outlook can help reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

A team at Harvard School of Public health in Boston, US, has completed a review that looks at the connections between psychological well-being and cardiovascular health. The results showed there was around a 50 per cent reduction in the risk of heart disease between those who scored highest on optimism scores compared with those who scored at the lowest levels.

Maureen Talbot, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, has commented on the findings, saying that the area is very complex and not yet fully understood.

Essential oils can be hot stuff

Many of us scented oils to add to the calm and peaceful feel of a home and they are also used a lot in aromatherapy and other complementary treatments.

Now a warning has gone out saying that people need to be aware of the high risk of fire with essential oils. The oils are easily combustible and won’t readily wash off towels, pillows, sheets and flannels unless the wash has been set at 40°C or above. 

 (Previous Healthwise Issue)