Life Changes
Healing Through Storytelling: Lessons from The Odyssey
The journey of Odysseus in Homer's 'The Odyssey' offers profound insights into healing...
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- Written by: Erin Karter, Northwestern University
Currently there is not a single test that can reliably and objectively diagnose concussions, but new research suggests measuring the brain’s response to sound could take the guesswork out of the diagnosis.
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- Written by: Leslie Orr, University of Rochester
Women with breast cancer cite “chemo-brain” as a substantial problem after chemotherapy for as long as six months after treatment, research shows.
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- Written by: Leslie Orr, University of Rochester
A tool that analyzes the expression patterns of four genes might help doctors predict if prostate cancer will reoccur following surgery.
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- Written by: Johanna Harvey, University of Pennsylvania
A new study confirms that sense of smell declines sharply in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, which suggests a sniff test might be a helpful diagnostic tool.
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- Written by: Jessica O'Leary, University of Rochester
Scientists are studying a small group of older adults with excellent memories called “supernormals” to determine their risk for Alzheimer’s.
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- Written by: Kevin Stacey, Brown University
Scientists have used a wireless “brain-spinal interface” to bypass spinal cord injuries in a pair of rhesus macaques, restoring intentional walking movement to a temporarily paralyzed leg.
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- Written by: Sarina Gleason, Michigan State University
A centuries-old herbal medicine, discovered by Chinese scientists and used to effectively treat malaria, may help treat tuberculosis and slow the evolution of drug resistance.
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- Written by: Ziba Kashef, Yale University and James Devitt, New York University
Older adults are less inclined to take risks, but this behavior may be linked to changes in brain anatomy rather than age, new research shows.
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- Written by: Marin Hedin, Johns Hopkins University
The bacteria that cause chronic gum infections may also trigger the autoimmune inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), new evidence suggests.
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- Written by: Chris Jones, Cardiff University
People in noisy situations should face slightly away from the person they’re listening to and turn one ear towards the speech.
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- Written by: Osho
Every night sit comfortably in a chair and rest your head back, like you do at the dentist. You can use a pillow. Don't change your breathing -- let it be natural. By and by your breathing...
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- Written by: Kate Becker, Boston University
New voices, sounds, sights, feelings, tastes, and smells all trigger a brain response called rapid neural adaptation. It is so effortless that we are rarely even aware it’s happening.
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- Written by: David Salisbury, Vanderbilt University
Research indicates that psychotherapy, particularly cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), is highly effective in improving daily functioning for individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A study analyzed over 1,700 patients, revealing that CBT leads to significant improvements in daily activities compared to other therapy types, highlighting its importance in IBS treatment.
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- Written by: Sarina Gleason, Michigan State University
A common bacterium found in improperly cooked chicken can cause Guillain-Barré Syndrome, or GBS, the world’s leading cause of acute neuromuscular paralysis in humans.
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- Written by: Lynn Hodges
One of the most difficult aspects of depression is coping with the negative thoughts that happen moment to moment. People often ask me whether I think you can take an active role in managing and reducing your depression. I answer a very big yes to this question...
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- Written by: Mark Michaud, University of Rochester
A new study challenges the hypothesis that nerve cells in the brains of people with autism spectrum disorders do not reliably and consistently respond to external stimuli.
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- Written by: Texas A&M University
Is it possible to sneeze without closing your eyes? You might recall the age-old myth that warned against sneezing with open eyes to mitigate the possibility of eyeballs popping out. Tales swirled for decades speculating that...
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- Written by: Lori Dajose, California Institute of Technology
Scientists have discovered for the first time a functional link between bacteria in the intestines and Parkinson’s disease.
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- Written by: Matthew Solovey, Penn State University
A system of sensors added to defibrillator implants might make it possible to predict heart failure events—sometimes more than a month before they happen.
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- Written by: Christina Sumners, Texas A&M University
Scientists have long puzzled over how breast cancer can suddenly reappear, often with a vengeance, months, or years after treatment is complete.
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- Written by: Vanessa Wasta, Johns Hopkins University
An experimental drug appears to pack a one-two punch against some prostate cancers, significantly slowing the increase of cancer cells and making them more vulnerable to radiation.
