Erin's Spin

Food is very complicated. You need food to fuel your body, so you need calories for energy. Your brain needs a constant supply of glucose, so that means sugars, starches and carbohydrates. Your muscles need protein, so that means meats, beans and veggies. Your body also needs other vitamins, minerals and protection from free radicals, meaning fruits and more veggies. Putting it all together can be confusing and convoluted, and so most of us revert to eating dinners composed of cheese and chocolate (my favorite kind), and thus America and the rest of the world have expanding waistlines.

As more research is conducted on the development and spread of pandemic type II diabetes, there is more evidence than ever that diabetes is intricately linked to obesity, which is spreading in the US at an alarming rate.To combat the struggle of managing type II diabetes, physicians have turned to unconventional methods to reduce fat and likewise combat diabetes symptoms.  Obesity reduction was the theme of the 2009 UK Diabetes Professional Conference in Glasgow, and efforts to treat and reverse diabetes through bariatric surgery was one of the most controversial topics.

One of the largest health threats facing our society today is not some super-virus spread from birds, or a tropical parasite spread by mosquito. Instead, it is the increasing resistance of common bacteria to antibiotics and even severe antibacterial treatment. Antibiotics have allowed us some amount of freedom from harmful bacterial infections, diseases and death, but as our antibiotics become overused, and ineffective against infection, our freedom from disease is significantly limited.

If you are one of the many millions that suffer from unexplained abdominal cramps, bloating, constipation and diarrhea, you are not alone. According to the NIH, 1 in 5 Americans suffer from similar symptoms.The cause? Physicians have placed all of the unexplained and irregular symptoms into the catch-all disorder irritable bowel syndrome.

It seems that music has extraordinary magical powers. Famed for being able to tame wild beasts, set a romantic mood, keep you exercising for longer and make babies smarter, music has taken a multifaceted and complex role in our society.  Our search for the panacea of our times may lie in your iPod. 

The solution to more effective cancer treatments may be closer to home than previously expected. The answer is not better chemotherapy or radiation, but cold. Cryoablation technology or the targeted use of extreme cold has previously been identified as treatment option for cancerous tumors and previously tested on invasive breast cancer carcinoma with promising results.

It seems that cherries are the new ‘super food’ to strike a craze in the US. Citing the effects of cherries to slow aging due to antioxidants, they contain a class of free-radical fighting agents called anthocyanins, which are not just found in cherries.In 2004, the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology dedicated an entire volume to the subject of anthocyanins, which are found not only in cherries, but in blueberries, pomegranates, cranberries, sweet potatoes, Elderberries, and grapes. Various berry juices also contain the antioxidants like grape juice, wine and other extracts.

According to researchers at University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute, they have progressed the way that we can treat cancerous tumors using advanced proton therapy. By developing a new way in which protons are delivered, physicians may be able to treat more deeply rooted tumors, larger tumors and tumors located close to vital internal organs. All of these placements have posed serious problems to tumor treatments in the past, as current treatments pose a significant risk to the surrounding body tissue as well as the intruding tumor.

Contrary to popular belief (trekkies especially) space is not yet the final frontier - we still have plenty of  unexplored frontier closer to home yet farther away from pop culture imagination: the oceans.  The deep ocean remains one of the last truly explored regions, and it remains almost as mysterious as any distant galaxy.  According to Discovery Channel’s epic documentary, Blue Planet, Seas of Life, "Over 60% of our planet is covered by water more than a mile deep. The deep sea is the largest habitat on earth and is largely unexplored. More people have traveled into space than have traveled to the deep ocean realm."

If you need another reason to drink your daily glass of wine, here’s one. According to a recent study, not only is moderate consumption of alcohol good for your heart, but also benefits your bone health. Researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University found in their study that in men and post-menopausal women who participated in regular consumption of moderate amounts of alcohol showed greater bone mineral densities.

Hurry! Don't let [random eBay item here] get away! Increase your max bid before someone else steals away your item. There are a few ways in which the creation of eBay was absolute genius; it played upon the needs and wants of society as a whole, combining them and providing easy access to previously unavailable or difficult to find items.

The floodgates have opened, and through it rushes advances in stem cell research. It seems that every day, another effort makes a push forward for medical stem cell therapy. Earlier this week, a team of research scientists published a study evaluating long term clinical results of treating patients with Parkinson’s disease with autologous neural stem cells. The results of the study demonstrated that stem cells from cerebral tissue could form differentiated neurons and could produce dopamine and reverse symptoms of Parkinson’s.  Restored GABA and dopamine signals can restore and provide long term motor improvement.