Why Loss of Smell Occurs in COVID
Millions of people suffering from long-COVID have yet to recover their sense of smell. A team of scientists has now discovered why. A study of samples collected from 24 nasal biopsies of previously infected individuals revealed a widespread inflammatory response on the tissue in the nose where smell nerve cells are located. These sensory nerves […]
CoQ10 Could Alleviate Chronic Fatigue
For people struggling with fatigue due to chronic conditions, relief may be found in Coenzyme Q10, a fat-soluble antioxidant compound found in the body that is also widely available in supplement form. That’s according to a recent meta-analysis of 3 studies involving more than 1,100 people with conditions that commonly cause fatigue, such as heart failure, autoimmune […]
Calls for Caution with this Common Food Dye
Allura Red, a.k.a. FD&C Red 40 and Food Red 17 is a common synthetic food dye used in candies, soft drinks, dairy products, and some cereals, often to attract children. A new study in mice has found a concerning link between long-term consumption of this dye as a possible trigger for inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, and […]
How Sounds Alter Visual Perception
What we see, we generally believe. We barely notice when we perceive something – our brain registers shapes, colors, and information, and it seems automatic. We then use this information to create meaning. This is especially true when an audio cue leads us to perceive something: We hear a car engine roar and look over […]
Want to Wake Up More Refreshed? Try This.
Waking up groggy in the morning is a common complaint for many, especially in this modern go-go-go society that runs on caffeine, sugar, and insufficient sleep. However, it seems that a lucky few are “morning people”–they feel legitimately refreshed upon waking, ready to start their day. How do they do it? They may be born […]
Oral Bacteria Linked to Brain Abscesses
A new study is identifying a link between bacteria that cause oral infections and abscesses in the brain. Abscesses are groups of pus that can accumulate in the brain when there’s an infection. Though these abscesses are “relatively uncommon,” they can be deadly. For the study, researchers looked at 87 brain abscess patients who were being treated […]
High-Sugar Diet in Early Life Could Cause Lasting Changes to DNA
According to a new study, researchers found that our experiences early in life (even as early as the womb) can influence how our genes behave later in life. Gene expression (how genes act) can have a memory that can exist as long as the person does. The scientists discovered the mechanism which allows this process to […]
This Could Be One Cause of “Teen Angst”
New research is showing that, regardless of different environmental factors in upbringing, many children in the UK experience a “sharp” drop in their well-being early in their middle (“secondary”) school years. And a predictor of this may be their self-esteem going into secondary school. Researchers studied 11,000 children from different parts of the UK and gathered […]
Prenatal Wellness Classes Cuts Mom’s Risk
A new study found that offering soon-to-be mothers wellness classes as a health intervention has substantial outcomes on whether or not the women will experience depression later (up to eight years later). As BIPOC individuals tend to receive lower levels of medical care and/or may not have as much access to wellness classes as others, 162 […]
HDL “Good” Cholesterol Not So Good After All?
We’ve been taught for decades that there are two types of cholesterol: LDL (bad) and HDL (good). It turns out these determinations are not so cut and dried. Past findings have suggested that HDL (“good”) cholesterol was good because it served as an indicator in predicting heart disease and a protective factor against it. This […]