Experts claim to discover 'root cause' of male baldness #health #men

Experts claim to discover 'root cause' of male baldness.

 

Experts say they have discovered what they believe is the root cause of male pattern baldness.

It is not simply a lack of hair, but rather a problem with the new hair that is made.
A manufacturing defect means the hair produced is so small it appears invisible to the naked eye, giving the classic bald spot or receding hairline.
The US team told the Journal of Clinical Investigation the fault lies with the stem cells that make new hair.
It may be possible to 'cure' male baldness by restoring the normal function of these cells, the experts hope.
Ultimately, they hope to be able to develop a cream that could be applied to the scalp to help the stem cells grow normal hair.

Using men undergoing hair transplants as guinea pigs, the University of Pennsylvania team compared hair follicles in bald patches and hairy areas of the scalp.

Although bald areas had the same number of hair-making stem cells as normal scalp, there were fewer of a more mature type, called the progenitor cell.
This difference means that hair follicles in bald patches shrink rather than disappear and the new hairs made are microscopic compared to normal hair.
Dr George Cotsarelis who led the research said: "This implies that there is a problem in the activation of stem cells converting progenitor cells in bald scalp.
"The fact that there are normal numbers of stem cells in bald scalp gives us hope for reactivating those stem cells."
Until now it has been unclear what the exact cause of male pattern baldness is, but experts believe the male hormone testosterone is involved and baldness also tends to run in families.

New guidance on vitamin D recommends midday sunshine #orange #vitamins #D #sunshine

New guidance on vitamin D recommends midday sunshine 

 

 

 

 New health advice recommends short spells in the sun - without suncream and in the middle of the day.

Seven organisations have issued joint advice on vitamin D, which the body gets from natural sunlight.

The nutrient keeps bones strong, and protects against conditions like osteoporosis.

The guidance was drawn up because it is thought fears about skin cancer have made people too cautious about being in the sun.

Cancer Research UK and the National Osteoporosis Society are among the bodies which agree that "little and frequent" spells in summer sunshine several times a week can benefit your health.

The experts now say it is fine to go outside in strong sun in the middle of the day, as long as you cover up or apply sunscreen before your skin goes red.

'Too negative'

Continue reading the main story

Anti-Aging Health Alert:
Vitamins Alter Aging

 

A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that multivitamins can keep you younger, longer. It shows that people who take a daily multivitamin had younger DNA.
Humble vitamin C has a secret life that nobody knows about. A Japanese study tested vitamin C’s effect on telomeres and found that raising the level of vitamin C in the cells could slow down the loss of telomeres up to 62%.

What Are Telomeres?

Telomeres are the key to aging. And it’s not just your life span that’s affected… Short telomeres dramatically boost your risk of serious diseases. One study of 60 to 75 year olds showed those with short telomeres had a 300% higher death rate from heart disease and an 800% higher death rate from infectious diseases.

 

Ultraviolet Light Helps Skin Cancer Cells Thrive, Researchers Report. #Ultraviolet #Skin #Cancer

Ultraviolet Light Helps Skin Cancer Cells Thrive, Researchers Report

 

The finding shows another way cancer pirates normal body functions as it points toward better treatment for the million new cases of non-melanoma skin cancers diagnosed in the United States annually, said Dr. Wendy Bollag, corresponding author of the study in Oncogene. Bollag is a cell physiologist at the Medical College of Georgia and the Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
"We are living longer and getting a lot of UV radiation in the process," she said of increasing skin cancer rates.

Aerobic exercise

In physical exercise, aerobic exercise is complementary to anaerobic exercise.

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Aerobic literally means "with oxygen", and refers to the use of oxygen in muscles' energy-generating process.
Aerobic exercise includes any type of exercise, typically those performed at moderate levels of intensity for extended periods of time, that maintains an increased heart rate.

More Than 25% of Teenagers Have Suffered Cyber Bullying in the Past Year

 Cyber bullying is an emerging phenomenon that is becoming increasingly common among teenagers. Research by the University of Valencia (UV), based on a study carried out in the region, shows that between 25% and 29% of all teenagers have been bullied via their mobile phone or the internet over the past year.

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Your #Holiday #Slim-Down #Strategy

Your Holiday Slim-Down Strategy

 

 

 

 

 

 

When your social schedule begins to expand during the holidays, so does your waistline. "Most people attend tons of festive events—and nearly all of them center around fattening food," says Michelle May, M.D., author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat. Add seasonal stress and zero time to cook or hit the gym, and you have a recipe for holiday weight gain. Well, not this year. Here's a plan for dodging diet pitfalls—everything from thousand-calorie eggnog lattes at the mall food court to button-popping family dinners.

 

Health Benefits of Cucumber

Health Benefits of Cucumber

Cucumber is a fruit that came from the same family as pumpkin, zucchini and other squashes. It has a dark green rind and white succulent flesh. There are 2 types of cucumbers the pickling varieties and the slicing varieties. The pickling variety is relatively small (2 - 4 inches long).

Nutritive Values : Per 100 gm.

• Vitamin A 180 I.U.
• Niacin Trace
• Vitamin C 9 mg.
• Calcium 32 mg.
• Iron 1.8 mg.
• Phosphorus 27 mg.
• Potassium 80 mg.
• Carbohydrates 17 gm.
• Calories 70

Reported Health Benefits :

• Cucumber is best natural diuretic known, secreting and promoting the flow of urine.
• Helps in kidney and urinary bladder disease.
• Liver disease
• Pancreatic disease

• The potassium content of cucumber makes it highly useful for conditions of high and low blood pressure.
• Cucumber contains erepsin, the enzyme that helps to digest protein.
• The high silicon and sulphur content of the cucumber is said to promote the growth of hair, especially when the juice of the cucumber is added to the juice of carrot, lettuce and spinach.
• A mixture of cucumber juice with carrot juice is said to be beneficial for rheumatic conditions resulting from excessive uric acid in the body.
• Cucumber juice is also valuable for helping diseases of the teeth, gums, especially in cases of pyorrhea.
• The high mineral content of this vegetable also helps to prevent splitting of nails of the fingers and toes.
• Cucumber, radish and bitter gourd are beneficial in diabetes.

Water and Skin Care

Water and Skin Care


Water plays a big relation in taking care of your skin. Have you ever wondered why does water wrinkle your skin? This is because water has certain elements that react to human skin. You might have heard a number of skincare experts saying that drinking water for your skin would help a lot. Quite true. Water is indeed vital to a beautiful skin. And much of it is because of the very nature of water.

The Nature of Water

Water primarily stimulates the circulation of blood, fluids, and the necessary elements inside our body. Additionally, it also controls and regulates the skin's natural balance. When water is warm, it has the power to hydrate, revitalize, detoxify, and oxygenate the skin. Warm water also gets rid of blackheads and makes large pores smaller. Drinking water makes the body more relaxed and invigorated. It also replaces the moisture lost due to everyday activities. Simply put, these are all the benefits of drinking water for skin.

Why Does Water Wrinkle Your Skin?

Staying underwater or soaked in a bathtub too much causes your skin to wrinkle. It is because the water washes off the sebum, an oily substance produced in the epidermis, which in turn, is the outer layer of the skin. Sebum actually blocks water from entering the skin. But it is washed off when you stay in the water too much and then absorbing water through skin starts. Without sebum, water penetrates the skin causing it to swell. The tip of the fingers and toes are the ones most affected. And it is because these parts of the skin hold water and sebum is abundant there too. But then again, once the absorbed water evaporates, the skin that has been wrinkled by water goes back to its normal form. So the wrinkles to the skin caused by water is really not something to worry about.

The Role of Water in Skin Care

Water keeps the skin hydrated.

Our skin is comprised of 90% water. And so without the right amount of water to keep that level, the skin tends to be unhealthy and dry. In fact, dehydration does not affect the skin alone, but the rest of the body as well, including the vital organs like kidneys and lungs.

Sleep gives brain disease warning

Physically "acting out" dreams when asleep could be an early warning sign of dementia or Parkinson's disease.

Canadian researchers studied 93 people with "REM sleep behaviour disorder", which can involve punching or kicking out while dreaming.

The Neurology study found more than a quarter were diagnosed with a degenerative brain condition over the next five years.

UK experts said the research could help doctors predict the condition.

Normally, during "Rapid Eye Movement", or "REM" sleep, our muscles relax and do not move, but people with certain sleep disorders are able to lash out, or cry out.

It is a known symptom of some kinds of brain disease, including Parkinson's disease, and a rare form of dementia called Lewy body dementia.

This important finding could boost our understanding of how Lewy body dementia develops and help us detect it early Dr Susanne Sorensen Alzheimer's Society

The exact reason for the link is unclear, although some have suggested that subtle damage to a part of the brain which regulates sleep may be responsible.

However, in some cases, the problem happens long before the onset of the main symptoms of these diseases, and doctors at Montreal General Hospital wanted to see whether apparently otherwise healthy people with the problem were at higher risk.

Their study volunteers were all elderly - on average 65 years old - which already put them at higher risk of developing dementia or Parkinson's compared with a younger person.

However, each was followed on average for five years, and in that period, 26 of the 93 developed a degenerative brain disease.

In total, 14 were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, seven with Lewy body dementia, four with Alzheimer's Disease, and another diagnosed with a disorder called multiple system atrophy, which involves both Parkinson's and dementia symptoms.

High chance

Their predictions suggested that patients of this age with the same sleep disorder would have a greater than 50/50 chance of falling prey to a similar condition over the following 12 years.

The researchers said that knowing more about the risks faced by people with the sleep disorder could not only help doctors to advise their patients, but also to work in the years to come to come up with ways to protect them.

Dr Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, said that the findings were particularly interesting in relation to Lewy body dementia, which accounts for only 4% of dementia cases.

The researchers had said that even the four Alzheimer's cases might turn out to be Lewy body dementia as the disease progressed.

Dr Sorensen said: "People with Lewy body dementia often have vivid nightmares, restless sleep and hallucinations - this study suggests that people with the disease may experience sleep disorders years before their other symptoms develop.

"This important finding could boost our understanding of how Lewy body dementia develops and help us detect it early. With further research we may be able to stop this devastating disease in its tracks."

Skipping_Sleep

Skipping sleep 'hardens arteries'

People who scrimp on sleep are more likely to develop hardening of their arteries, a precursor to heart disease, research suggests.

Calcified arteries were found in nearly a third of people who slept fewer than five hours a night.

This dropped to around one in 10 for those who slept an extra hour, the Journal of the American Medical Association study of 495 adults found.

Experts said getting enough sleep was important for good heart health.

In the study, the volunteers underwent two CT scans, designed to assess the build-up of calcium in the heart's arteries, five years apart.

Although this single study does not prove that short sleep leads to coronary artery disease, it is safe to recommend at least six hours of sleep a night

Dr Diane Lauderdale, lead researcher