Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage in the joints falls apart. Doctors are seeing that these injections can be very harmful for joints with serious complications.

Osteoarthritis or “wear arthritis” occurs when the cartilage of the joints is damaged, a problem that usually affects the elderly.

In the United States, more than 30 million people suffer from this disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly 9 million people in the United Kingdom suffer from osteoarthritis, according to the NHS.

Corticosteroid injections are recommended for those who get no relief with pain relievers. However, studies on their safety suggest that they can cause from joint inflammation to back pain and infections.

To better understand this mechanism, scientists looked at patients with osteoarthritis who received between one and three corticosteroid injections last year. Patients returned 2 to 15 months later for a checkup.

The scanners showed that osteoarthritis had worsened in 6% of patients, compared to their condition before injection, according to research published in the journal Radiology.

0.6% suffered a subchondral fracture due to insufficiency, which occurs when the bone is not strong enough to withstand daily forces.

Another 0.7% presented joint destruction, including bone loss, and the same number of patients suffered "complications such as osteonecrosis," which occurs when bone tissue dies due to lack of blood supply.

Based on these results, scientists are asking that patients be scanned before giving corticosteroid injections to ensure they don't have fractures that can get worse.

According to the authors, “Doctors do not usually inform patients about the possibility that they may suffer a joint collapse or a subchondral fracture due to insufficiency, problems that can lead to a total hip or knee replacement much earlier than expected.

"This information should be included in the informed consent when injecting intra-articular corticosteroids to patients."

Drinking the equivalent of two glasses of sweetened beverage increases the risk of dying prematurely. The details of the study are published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

A study conducted a few months ago in the United States had revealed that the largest consumers of soda and other sugary drinks see their risk of premature death increase by more than 20%. Today, nearly half a million people surveyed and followed over 16 years. The consumption of sweetened beverages was taken into account this time. Like the previous study, the results are not pretty.

For this study, the researchers more specifically tracked the medical records and eating habits of approximately 450,000 people. None at the beginning of the study had cancer, heart disease, stroke, or diabetes. During this survey, 41,700 participants eventually died.

17% higher risk

For the data we are interested in here, we learn that among those who reported consuming at least two sweetened or sweetened beverages per day, 11% died during the study period. Against 9% of those who reported consuming less than one of these drinks per month.

When other risk factors, such as diet, physical activity, smoking, or level of education, are taken into account, the researchers conclude that the risk of death was 17% higher for people who drink two glasses. of soda a day at least. Compared to the risk of death for those who consume less than one soft drink per month:

"Our findings regarding sugary soft drinks support measures to limit their consumption – replacing these drinks with other alternatives that are healthier, such as water, is a good idea." Dr. Neil Murphy stated as one of the primary authors involved in this study.

There are several things to note. On the one hand, the type of drink did not affect the participants in the same way. Those who consumed light sodas were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease. While people who frequently consumed sugary sodas were more likely to die of digestive problems (diverticula, colic or liver disease).

The study also reveals only one association. Researchers cannot prove with certainty that it is indeed the regular consumption of soda that has led to all these premature deaths. Further studies will be needed to isolate the true mechanisms that explain how sweet or sweetened beverages affect our health.

Lack of sleep accelerates the action of the cells responsible for brain cleaning, which end up destroying essential neurological tissue.

In previous research it has already been concluded that a single night of insomnia is enough to produce irreparable brain damage; In the long term, such brain damage even becomes permanent.

Now a new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience has gone further, investigating how it is produced and to what extent it affects. In conclusion, it has been discovered that the cells responsible for brain cleaning accelerate can destroy brain connections and even healthy neurons.

Brain cleansing

During a normal sleep habit, glial cells are responsible for cleaning toxins at the brain level i.e. for destroying and digesting worn-out cell debris or potentially harmful metabolic debris.

However, during insomnia, this situation accelerates. In the short term this can even be beneficial, as accelerating the cleanliness and reconstruction of healthy brain connections can be of great help. However, in the long term, insomnia can increase the risk and even trigger neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's or other disorders, as claimed by Michele Bellesi and his colleagues at the Marche Polytechnic University in Italy.

These effects have been discovered for the moment in mice: a group of mice that were allowed to sleep at will was compared with another group of mice that were kept awake for another eight hours. Finally, a third group of mice stayed awake for five seconds to mimic chronic insomnia.

The glial cells of the brains of the mice - the brain cleansing cells - were analyzed. A certain type of these cells, astrocytes, are responsible for cleaning up unnecessary brain connections; On the other hand, the microglia cells are responsible for cleaning the brain of debris and damaged cells.

Insomnia and accelerated brain cleaning

After a normal restful sleep, the astrocytes were in an activity of 6%, while in a brain that suffers from lack of sleep, the activity goes up to 8% and even up to 13.5% if said lack of sleep becomes chronic.

Lack of sleep could cause brain connections to break more than the bill. This could be somewhat beneficial in the short term, as brain connections must be remodeled every so often when they become "old."

However, on the other hand, it was also discovered that microglia cells also increased their activity during sleep deprivation, and that is worrisome: if the activity of this type of cells is accelerated, neurological diseases can be triggered. In fact, microglia cells have already been linked to diseases such as Alzheimer, schizophrenia, depression and even damage caused by chronic marijuana use.

At the moment it is not clear if sleeping more could protect the brain or avoid these harmful effects related to insomnia. According to the researchers, there is much to investigate about it.

In 2014, scientists at the University of California reported that red meat triggers toxic immune response that can lead to cancer. Since then, scientists have been looking for evidence for three years that red meat causes cancer and heart disease, but couldn’t find anything.

Where are we with the red meat in 2019? Among scientists and other nutritionists, a debate erupted over whether or not eating red meat is unhealthy. It's all about a new study of specialists from seven countries. For three years they studied various articles on the dangers of red meat and its effect on heart disease, cancer and other diseases. The authors found no convincing evidence of a link to disease and death, because most nutrition research often does not meet scientific standards. Some experts harshly criticized this article, calling it "irresponsible, unethical and undermining public confidence in science." Others supported the authors and called for a review of research approaches to healthy nutrition. Here are the main points of the new study and gives the arguments of his supporters and opponents.

Medical organizations in different countries and the World Health Organization recommend that people eat less red meat. They believe that it causes heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

However, a new study says that almost all such dietary recommendations are not backed up by reliable scientific evidence. Its authors are a group of scientists from seven countries led by Bradley Johnston, an epidemiologist at Dalhousie University in Canada. Over the course of three years, they have studied over one hundred articles and studies, in which over four million people participated. All of them concerned the connection of raw red meat (beef, pork, lamb, horse meat and goat meat) and processed meat (sausages, sausages, bacon) with various diseases. In order to avoid conflicts of interest, the study was conducted without external funding. The authors also warn that they did not address issues of the negative impact of animal husbandry on the environment and the problems of handling animals.

The study is divided into four parts. In the first three, scientists looked at data on how eating different types of red meat affects the risk of developing cardiovascular disease or cancer. They concluded that the association with disease and mortality was small, and the quality of evidence was low or very low. Some results show that eating meat three times a week can be good for your health.

The fourth part talked about why people like red meat and whether they are ready to cut back on it for health. Researchers have found that most research participants are “tied to meat and do not want to limit their use when faced with potentially undesirable health effects.”

The main question that the authors of the new report raise is that nutrition research often does not meet scientific standards. At the heart of most of them is an observational study in which attention is paid to only one component of the diet. Such data do not reveal the cause and effect, however, on their basis, the main principles of healthy nutrition are still being developed.

This study has caused great discussion among scientists, nutritionists and other nutritionists. The American Heart Association and the Cancer Society have severely criticized its findings. Harvard School of Public Health called the study “irresponsible and unethical,” and stated that such findings “damage the authority of nutrition science and undermine public confidence in research.” A panel of doctors on responsible medicine advocating for a plant-based diet filed a petition against the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, which published this article. US officials responsible for healthy nutrition guidelines adhere to the principle that eating less meat is still good, although evidence of its harm is imperfect.

When we are hungry and we eat the food that we love, it does not always give you a feeling of well-being…

Bizarre? Not really! This is simply because some foods contain components that can negatively impact our mood. Here are the five bad mood foods that you should stay away from.

1. The biscuits

Bad news: In addition to being very rich, the chips and other stuff that we love at the cocktail hour contain monosodium glutamate, a 100% chemical feed additive that can cause headaches. Not to mention that as an aperitif, cookies tend to increase and then quickly drop our blood sugar. We can also feel some irritability.

2. The coffee

In the morning, many people need their cup(s) of coffee to wake up and get going. Ok, but be careful about the side effects – if you abuse caffeine (more than 5 cups / day), it can cause increased blood pressure, sweating, difficulty concentrating, mood swings and difficult in sleep.

3. The junk food

Not only are French fries and burgers hyper-caloric, but recent scientific studies have shown that the many trans fats they contain partially inhibit the action of omega-3s in the body. However, when the level of good fats in the body is low, this results in aggressive behavior with a pessimistic or depressive mood.

4. Fries

We sure feel good when we eat fries, nuggets, spring rolls or other fast food. However, you should know that frying food at very high temperatures prevents the release of certain hormones related to well-being (endorphin, serotonin) in the body. So, even if at the moment we feel good, after a meal rich in fries, we will be in a bad mood.

5. The margarine

Often presented wrongly as a healthy alternative to butter, margarine is in fact a product rich in processed lipids. Consumption of margarine can lead to glycemic imbalances and mood swings. Not to mention the risk of weight gain.

What is Adrenal Fatigue?

Each of us has recently come across the mention of the “adrenal fatigue syndrome” on the Internet. An increasing number of patients at the endocrinologist's office claim that they have this condition. In order to understand what really worries the patient and help him in the best way, specialists need to have a good idea of ​​what is usually meant by the term “adrenal fatigue”.

Here are some of the ways to naturally overcome adrenal fatigue.

Sleep

This is one of the most important things that anyone can do for health. If every night you don’t get 7-9 hours of quality sleep, your health will soon begin to suffer. You may not feel it now, but the consequences will not take long to follow.

Try to get to bed at about the same time – it is advisable to go to bed between 10-11 hours of the night. Then try to wake up at the same time every morning. If at night you cannot fall asleep due to a lot of thoughts in your head, then turn off the electronics 2 hours before going to bed and do something relaxing, for example, meditate, make a diary entry, take a bath with fragrant foam. You can also apply lavender oil to your feet or spray it in your bedroom.

Stress management

Healthy management of your stress is essential for overcoming adrenaline fatigue and healing your body. Try at least one relaxing activity every day. Examples include hiking, diary, meditation, prayers, yoga, bathing with Epsom salts, or reading a pleasant book.

Food

Everything you eat either adds stress to your body or helps you take care of it. Focus on eating healthy, nutritious foods and meals. Cut back on processed foods and refined sugars. Make sure your body gets enough pure protein, healthy fats, fresh fruits and vegetables.

Additional funds

Some supplements and essential oils can have a very beneficial effect on the body and help reduce stress, support the work of your adrenal glands.

Adaptogenic herbs are very effective in balancing our stress hormones and in supporting adrenal function. In addition, therapeutic essential oils, such as rosemary and basil oils, are a wonderful tool for treating adrenal imbalance. Just apply a few drops in the area of the adrenal gland 2-3 times a day.

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