Category: harvardhealth_news_UNDEFINED

Science continues to find that people with an optimistic outlook enjoy healthier and longer lives. The power of optimism is not just having a sunny disposition, but applying this mindset to make positive change. Even if people are not naturally optimistic, there are ways to change one’s outlook, such as looking for opportunities during trying times, focusing on personal strengths, practicing gratitude, and visualizing their best possible self.

People commonly think back pain comes from the kidney, but it’s more likely due to a muscle- or spine-related problem. When pain is related to the kidney, the pain is higher up in the back, and the symptoms are different, such as a fever and waves of intense pain rather than a steady ache.

Five blood tests beyond basic blood work may be worth pursuing for older adults. For example, a test to determine one’s vitamin B₁₂ level might be helpful, since older adults sometimes have trouble absorbing that vitamin. Likewise, older adults have less ability to absorb sunlight through the skin, which may lead to less production of vitamin D. Other blood tests to consider include those for HIV or hepatitis C infection, and a test to measure fasting blood sugar.

Scientists are studying whether medical detection dogs can sniff out and identify disease in humans, such as cancer, infection, and Parkinson’s disease. Dogs might be useful because their noses have 60 times the number of scent receptors as human noses; that might make dogs able to detect scents given off by bacteria or diseased human cells. But it’s hard to get solid evidence about the accuracy of medical detection dogs. Scientists are also studying whether technology can replicate the same kind of detection.

A small, randomized trial published online April 6, 2021, by JAMA found that people who took part in a high-intensity walking program for one year covered more ground in six minutes than people who’d taken part in a low-intensity walking program.

A Harvard study published online March 29, 2021, by JAMA Network Open found that people who looked up health symptoms online were able to correctly diagnosis a condition about half the time.

A review published online March 17, 2021, by the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that fitness trackers helped overweight or obese people with chronic conditions reduce body weight and body mass index.

Among atherosclerosis, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, which are all related, cholesterol deposits start first.

The glymphatic system is the brain’s “waste management” system. It carries fresh fluid into the brain, mixes the fresh fluid with waste-filled fluid surrounding brain cells, and flushes the mix out of the brain and into the blood.

It’s best to talk to one’s doctor before buying a pain relief gadget. The product may not work, it may cost a lot of money, it might be dangerous, or it might encourage the user to delay medical treatment. Some high-tech pain relief devices may be effective for some people, such as a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machine. And some low-tech devices may also help relieve pain, such as foam rollers, handheld massagers, and heat or cold packs.