Leave a comment Posted on Fibromyalgia

Balneotherapy has been shown to reduce pain in patients with fibromyalgia, according to a trial.

Spa baths for fibromyalgia

Spa baths for fibromyalgia

A type of spa therapy known as balneotherapy has been shown to be both safe and effective in reducing pain in patients with primary fibromyalgia, as demonstrated by a clinical trial.

Findings were reported in the study “Is balneotherapy effective for fibromyalgia? Results from a 6-month double-blind randomized clinical trial,” published in the journal Clinical Rheumatology.

Fibromyalgia is linked to persistent widespread pain, fatigue, and tenderness in specific areas of the body known as tender points. The management of the condition typically involves a combination of approaches, including both pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments. These may include hot and cold therapies, patient education, physical rehabilitation, and balneotherapy. Balneotherapy involves immersing the patient in mineralized and/or thermal waters from natural springs.

Previous clinical trials have indicated that balneotherapy can improve pain and tender point counts, with effects lasting three to six months. Researchers have also found that balneotherapy is well-tolerated and causes fewer side effects than pharmacological treatments. However, some aspects of these studies were limited and may have led to bias.

Conducted in Italy, this prospective, randomized, double-blind study investigated the effectiveness and tolerability of balneotherapy with highly mineralized sulfate water in primary fibromyalgia patients.Read more here

Posted on Autism

Autism in Adulthood-Dying Young and Misunderstood

Autism in adulthood is often overlooked, which can lead to worsened physical and mental health outcomes. Elizabeth is advocating for reforming support systems to increase safeguarding and support for neurodiverse communities. Elizabeth Weir is a postdoctoral researcher at the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge and a Rokos PDRA Fellow at Queens College. She aims to address gaps in current research by highlighting the needs of understudied and underserved groups within the autism community, such as middle-aged and older individuals, those with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and those assigned female at birth.

Posted on autoimmune conditions, Multiple Sclerosis

A recent study has uncovered the molecular mechanism responsible for multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases.

A groundbreaking paper in Nature describes a promising new therapy for obesity that leads to greater weight loss in mice than existing medications. The approach smuggles molecules into the brain's appetite centre and affects the brain's neuroplasticity.

Over twenty years ago, a research team in the lab of David Hafler, a Yale researcher who was at Harvard at the time, identified a type of T cell in humans that suppresses the immune system. Later, they discovered that these regulatory T cells, when not functioning properly, are a root cause of autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the exact mechanism behind this malfunction has remained unclear for many years.

In a recent study led by Yale University, a team of researchers discovered that the loss of immune regulation is caused by an increase in PRDM1-S, a protein involved in immune function. This increase triggers a complex interaction of multiple genetic and environmental factors, such as high salt intake.

The findings, which were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, also reveal a new target for a universal treatment for human autoimmune diseases.

“These experiments reveal a key underlying mechanism for the loss of immune regulation in MS and likely other autoimmune diseases,” said Hafler, who is also the chair of Yale’s Department of Neurology. “They also provide mechanistic insight into how Treg (regulatory T cells) dysfunction occurs in human autoimmune diseases.”

Autoimmune diseases, common among young adults, are influenced by genetic and environmental factors such as vitamin D deficiency and fatty acids. Sumida and Hafler found that high salt levels contribute to multiple sclerosis development by inducing inflammation in CD4 T cells and causing loss of regulatory T cell function, mediated by a salt-sensitive kinase called SGK-1.e,

Posted on Diabetes

“Mankai reduces post-meal sugar levels in diabetics.”

Researchers aim to improve diabetes management in rural and urban communities with low-cost intervention

A groundbreaking clinical trial carried out at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, and the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has shown that consuming Mankai, a newly cultivated aquatic plant after meals can significantly reduce blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes. The study revealed that Mankai’s effect on lowering blood sugar levels is similar to that of certain medications.

High blood sugar, especially after meals, poses significant health risks for individuals with type 2 diabetes. This condition is often worsened by insulin resistance, which reduces the effectiveness of insulin in muscles and the liver. Chronic high blood sugar can damage blood vessels, affect the peripheral nervous system, and increase the risk of severe complications such as heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, and reduced sensation in extremities.

Prof. Amir Tirosh from Sheba Medical Center, Dr Gal Tsaban, and Prof. Iris Shai from Ben-Gurion University conducted a study on the effects of Mankai on post-meal blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. Mankai is known for its high protein, dietary fiber, and antioxidant content. The study, which was published in Obesity, Diabetes, and Metabolism earlier this month, found that consuming a Mankai beverage after dinner resulted in approximately a 20% reduction in post-meal blood sugar levels, lower peak sugar levels, and a faster return to baseline levels. This positive effect was observed in about two-thirds of the participants.

During the trial, 45 participants with diabetes and A1c levels between 6.5% and 8.5% were involved. The participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group consumed a 300 ml Mankai drink after dinner for two weeks, while the other group drank an equivalent volume of water. After two weeks, the groups switched interventions for another two weeks. Blood sugar levels were continuously monitored using glucose sensors and standard laboratory tests throughout the study.

“Mankai, which grows naturally in water and is now cultivated under controlled conditions, has shown promise in previous research for improving vascular and brain health, reducing abdominal and liver fat, and positively influencing the microbiome. Early studies also suggest that Mankai may help lower post-meal blood sugar levels, even in individuals without diabetes.”

Posted on Dementia, Diabetes

“A healthy lifestyle may help counteract the effects of ageing on the brain associated with diabetes.”

Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes are associated with accelerated brain ageing, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in the journal Diabetes Care. The good news is that this may be counteracted by a healthy lifestyle.
Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes are linked to accelerated brain aging, according to a recent study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in the journal Diabetes Care. The good news is that a healthy lifestyle may help counteract this effect.

It is known that type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for dementia, but the impact of diabetes and its early stages, known as prediabetes, on brain aging in individuals without dementia is unclear. A recent comprehensive brain imaging study indicates that both diabetes and prediabetes may be associated with accelerated brain aging.

The study involved over 31,000 individuals aged between 40 and 70 from the UK Biobank who had undergone a brain MRI scan (magnetic resonance imaging). The researchers utilized a machine learning approach to calculate the brain age in comparison to the individual’s actual age.

Sure! Here’s the revised text:People with prediabetes were found to have brains that appeared 0.5 years older than their actual age, while those with diabetes had brains that appeared 2.3 years older. For individuals with poorly controlled diabetes, their brains looked more than four years older than their actual age. The researchers also observed that the difference between brain age and actual age slightly increased over time for people with diabetes. However, these associations were less pronounced in individuals with high levels of physical activity who did not smoke or consume large amounts of alcohol.

“Having a brain that appears older than one’s chronological age can indicate a deviation from the normal aging process and may serve as an early warning sign for dementia,” says Abigail Dove, the lead author of the study and a PhD student at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society at the Karolinska Institutet. “On the positive side, it seems that individuals with diabetes may be able to positively influence their brain health through healthy living.”

Repeated MRI data were available for only a small percentage of the study participants. Follow-up MRI scans are ongoing, and researchers are now continuing to study the link between diabetes and brain aging over time.

“There’s a high and growing prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the population,” says Abigail Dove. “We hope that our research will help prevent cognitive impairment and dementia in people with diabetes and prediabetes.”