A 13th-century diagram of veins. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

Think of medieval doctors and you probably picture a man dressed in robes, perhaps with a plague mask. In the popular imagination, medicine of the Middle Ages is all leeches, bloodletting, and mystical charms and potions. But to a medieval mind, our modern surgery, pharmaceuticals, and blood tests might look just as divorced from scientific reality.

Modern scholars of the history of medicine are attempting to put the record straight by situating these historic practitioners in a long history of scientific inquiry and deduction. Historian Meg Leja of SUNY Binghamton, who recently penned an article for The Conversation, and Peregrine Horden, whose research was recently published in Social History of Medicine, are trying to shift the needle.

As commented on by Leja, Horden's article situates bizarre medieval “cures” in contexts that explain the rationale behind the (usually gross) regime. These nasty cures could use the fluids and organs of animals, while others involved mixing herbal ingredients like garlic and mugwort. Historic practitioners were undoubtedly successful in curing ailments—treating infections with antibacterial poultices made with honey or concerns for fresh air allude to modern cures. Unfortunately, without modern developments in childbirth, pharmacology, or surgery, saving patients was certainly harder. The regular reoccurrence of deadly pandemics such as plague also devastated patients.

These medieval doctors received inherited medical knowledge from the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians. Yet in the early Middle Ages, often called the Dark Ages, books were rare, and universities just began to form after the year 1000 CE. Monks carefully guarded and copied the remains of ancient knowledge left in Europe.

As physicians began to train at universities, they learned to combine this knowledge with practice and rigorous observation. A patient's fluids and appearance could tell them a lot, just like they inform modern medicine. They then rationally tried to adjust what they observed back to a normal state, perhaps by letting blood to purge toxins or altering a diet to affect the humors of the body.

Early texts from the Dark Ages and into the later medieval period recorded recipes for treatments, signs of disease in urine, and views of veins gained from autopsies. As medieval doctors were far from the only practitioners of healing, their patients would have had a wide variety of treatments to choose from. While today's patients may prefer a modern X-ray with good reason, there's less reason to look down our noses at the medieval “quacks.”

One may think of the Dark Ages as a time of quack doctors and magical cures, but medieval medicine was not as divorced from science as we might think.

A 14th-century chart to interpret urine colors. (Photo: Trinity College, Cambridge, CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED)

A 14th-century dentist extracting teeth. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

A 19th-century facsimile of the 10th-century Bald's Leechbook. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

A selection pf household remedies combined into a book in the 15th century. (Photo: Cambridge University Library/Scriptorium: Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts Online, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED)

h/t: [Smithsonian Magazine, Cambridge University]

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Photo: LIGHTSOURCE/Depositphotos

Dementia is an unfortunate condition faced by many in American families. Aging relatives lose their memories and abilities, while families watch the painful process and do all they can. Care remains expensive and, for many, elusive. With America's population swiftly skewing towards the retiring, aging baby boomers, dementia is a high priority field of medical research. But there is some good news. A new study, funded by the National Institute on Aging and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, discovered that the prevalence of dementia in those over 65 years old has markedly decreased, despite persisting inequities.

Using data from over 20,000 individuals, the team looked to cognitive tests and clinically diagnosed dementia rates. They analyzed the period from 2000 to 2016 to find the change over the years. They discovered something great: age-adjusted prevalence rates of dementia decreased from 12.2% to 8.5% in 2016. This fall of 3.7% is a distinct improvement, and heralds better news for the large portion of the population which is currently around 65. Interestingly, the quickest decline was in the first four years surveyed, between 2000 and 2004. While improvement is shared across racial, gender, and class lines, not all gains were equal.

Prevalence rates for women remain higher, although they saw a greater drop across the period. Black men too saw a larger drop than white men in prevalence rates, but their current overall prevalence remains higher. In short, the inequities of society seem to parallel inequities in rates of dementia. Better education, less smoking, and better cardiovascular health are all thought to contribute to dementia risk. The researchers specifically found they could trace 40% of the improvement among men to a drastic shift in the college-educated population which was over 65 during the studied period. It rose from 21.5% to 33.7%. Among women there was also an increase resulting in 20% of the reduction in dementia prevalence.

“Closing the education gap across racial and ethnic groups may be a powerful tool to reduce health inequalities in general and dementia inequalities in particular, an important public health policy goal,” the author wrote. Most of those over 65 in the period studied would have been members of the Silent generation and the older Baby Boomers, groups which saw about 15% and 24% earning college degrees. However, Millennials clocked in at 39% as of 2018. As with Gen X, but unlike previous generations, women are now more represented in higher education. More people of color are able to attend college now, compared to the 1960s, despite persistent inequity. It remains to be seen how these shifting demographics influence the declining trend of dementia in future years and future studies.

Since the year 2000, dementia rates have fallen in an encouraging sign—however, gender, race, and class disparities persist.

Photo: RAWPIXEL/Depositphotos

h/t: [RAND]

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Staying healthy is important, no matter your size, weight, or age. There are lots of important factors: drinking enough water, wearing sunscreen, and eating green veggies are all part of the equation. Exercise is important for everyone as well. For people who are overweight and obese and seeking to lose weight, a new paper suggests that dance is incredibly effective in burning fat and helps improve heart health, mental health, and other indicators of wellness.

A metastudy of the results of 646 previously reported studies examined the effects of dance. These studies focused on individuals who are overweight or obese, or had abnormally high fat percentages, as defined medically. All studies involved dance regimes of at least four weeks in length. The results of the metasudy suggest dance is extremely effective for burning fat and reducing waist circumference. Unlike certain other aerobic exercises, dance is full body. This allows participants to keep dancing longer than they might keep lifting or climbing a stairmaster.

Another thing to keep once dancing is the social element. Whether line or square, ballroom or mosh pit, dancing is typically done with others and for pure fun. This draws individuals to the exercise when contrasted with more solitary activities. “Dance is effective on fat loss in people overweight and obese and has a significant improvement on body composition and morphology,” says Zhang Yaya, a Ph.D. student at Hunan University in China. “As a form of physical activity that integrates exercise, entertainment, and sociality, dance possesses innate advantages in fostering motivation for exercise.” This last bit is true for everyone, no matter one's weight. Dancing can help boost one’s mood, lower blood pressure, keep the heart healthy, and reduce hypertension—all of which promote general health. So, it may be time for all to hit the dance floor.

Dancing is a great way to keep healthy, especially for those who are overweight as it burns calories, boosts mental health, and lowers blood pressure.

Photo: RACORN/Depositphotos

h/t: [Good News Network]

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Photo: ORSON/Depositphotos

Music is a powerful medicine for the soul—and as recent research suggests, the brain. Particularly as one ages, keeping an active, varied mental world alive is critical to preserving cognitive abilities and can help stave off decline. A study out of the UK, recently published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, found that playing music (rather than just listening to it) helped older adults without a dementia diagnosis stay sharp across a variety of mental skills. The research is a new argument for encouraging broad, accessible music programs as a public health initiative.

The researchers drew data from 1,100 people aged 40 and above. The average age was 68. “Because we have such sensitive brain tests for this study, we are able to look at individual aspects of the brain function, such as short-term memory, long-term memory, and problem-solving and how engaging music effects that,” lead author Anne Corbett told the BBC. The effects of playing an instrument, singing, reading sheet music, and listening to music played by others were studied. Those who played instruments showed the greatest gains from the activity, especially for piano and for those who played in old age. This may be due to the “multiple cognitive demands” required to coordinate hand, mouth, eyes, and brain while playing. Singing too was beneficial, perhaps due to its social nature which is itself protective.

On reading music, Corbett declared, “Our brain is a muscle like anything else and it needs to be exercised, and learning to read music is a bit like learning a new language, it's challenging.” She opined the value of musical education, which even later in life is likely worth picking up, despite the fact music alone cannot stave off dementia. “The message is around how people can proactively reduce their risk of cognitive decline or dementia, and really thinking about engaging with music as a way of doing that. This study does suggest that it could be part of a much wider lifestyle approach to improving brain health as you age.”

Research suggests that music—not listening but actively playing it—can help keep your brain healthy, leading to better outcomes as the brain ages.

Photo: ARTURVERKHOVETSKIY/Depositphotos

h/t: [BBC, Science Alert]

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Photo: PIOTR_MARCINSKI/Depositphotos

There's a typical cycle with teeth in humans. As newborns, we have none. Slowly they come in through the painful process of teething, and eventually, as toddlers, humans have a full head of baby teeth. Then in elementary school these begin to wiggle and come loose as adult teeth push up and out of the gums. Ideally, these teeth stick with us for our whole lives, but cavities, accidents, and age can cause missing digits. Currently, implants and dentures are the best options to fill these gaps. However, a Japanese company is researching a new solution: regrowing our own teeth. They have developed a new drug which they hope will cue the human body to replace it's own teeth when necessary.

The company, Toregem Biopharma, is in their own words attempting to create a “tooth regeneration antibody drug based on the research results of Dr. Katsu Takahashi, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kyoto University.” Babies are born with tooth buds which form and emerge as teeth. Some adults retain undeveloped tooth buds. The drug developed by the company harnesses this potential. The antibody interacts with the USAG-1 gene, which in its normal function stops these excessive buds from forming into teeth. By preventing the gene from doing its job, the bud should then mature into teeth.

In a 2018 study, ferrets grew new teeth when given the drug. It has yet to be tested on humans; however, in 2025, the company plans to test the drug as a remedy for children who cannot develop adult teeth, a condition known as anodontia. “The idea of growing new teeth is every dentist's dream,” company co-founder Dr. Takahashi, told Japanese newspaper The Mainichi. “I've been working on this since I was a graduate student.” Such a treatment could be revolutionary for those with missing teeth, by accident or by conditions such as hypodontia. Restoring that full grin could be as simple as popping a pill in the future, perhaps even by 2030, if Toregem Biopharma succeeds in their plans.

A company of Japanese scientists has created a drug that they hope will help adult humans regrow missing teeth from their own tooth buds.

Photo: SANTYPAN/Depositphotos

h/t: [Futurism]

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Photo: nito103/Depositphotos
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Doing laundry can be a tedious chore, especially when it comes to bed sheets. However, not washing and changing your bed sheets regularly can have an impact on your health. So, how often should you change your sheets? And what can happen if you don't? A doctor named Jason Singh is hoping to settle this debate, and has explained why it's a uniquely important chore to do.

According to Singh, a study has shown that you should wash your bed sheets at least once a week. “I know it seems like it's a lot of work but trust me, it's worth it unless you want to marinate in a petri dish full of grossness,” Dr. Singh says. He goes to explain that dead skin cells and body oils provide food for dust mites, which are microscopic bugs that live in bedding. “Dust mites and their waste can trigger allergic reactions and asthma in susceptible people.”

And that's not the end of it. “Fungal organisms are like yeast or mold that can also grow in your bed sheets, especially if they're damp from sweat,” Dr. Singh explains. “This creates an environment that can lead to skin infections and smells that have you gagging like it's your first beer pong tournament. So toss in those sheets in the wash once a week.”

If it sounds like too much work, you can always buy yourself some time by having spare bed sheets you can throw on your mattress until your next laundry day. There are affordable alternatives in the market like these ones from Target. But in the end, you're better off not pushing off the task for too long—particularly if your health can get a boost from this.

How often should you change your sheets? And what can happen if you don't? A doctor named Jason Singh is hoping to settle this debate, and has explained why it's a uniquely important chore to do.

Photo: jeancliclac/Depositphotos

Watch his explanation in the video below:

 

Ver esta publicación en Instagram

 

Una publicación compartida por Jason Singh, MD (@drjaysonisfresh)

h/t: [Digg]

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Creative outlets like drawing and painting are great ways of exploring your emotions and relieving stress. However, it isn't that easy to embark on a new hobby, especially when you lack the resources. A new initiative in the UK seeks to change that, by prescribing photography as a mental health treatment. Launched by Wex Photo Video, this project is supported by the National Academy of Social Prescribing (NASP). Once a GP or healthcare professional refers a patient to the “Photography on Prescription” program, they will be granted access to photography equipment and masterclasses by Wex, with the intention of giving them the tools to improve their mental health.

People suffering from depression, anxiety, PTSD, self-esteem issues, and loneliness can all benefit from practicing photography and other creative outlets, according to studies. “Photography can be so much more than a hobby; it's a powerful tool for conveying emotion,” says Paul Wareham, marketing director of Wex Photo Video. “By giving people with mental health difficulties access to masterclasses, equipment, and ongoing support; we want to connect them to a wider community, help develop their self-esteem, and give them a channel for self-expression. Whilst photography will never be the total solution, we hope that this project will help some people who are currently struggling.”

By giving a camera to those struggling with mental health, it will hopefully help patients express their thoughts and feelings without the need for words. So far, community groups in London, Bristol, and Greater Manchester have signed up for the program. A participant from the first masterclass held in London on September 26—which was based around the prompt “Who am I?”—said that she feels “more motivated than ever” to use her camera to express her emotions.

The early positive responses provide hope that this project will continue to grow across the UK and help others with “low level mental health issues” through photography.

h/t: [PetaPixel]

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Photo: brnmanzurova.gmail.com/Depositphotos (Not a photo of the actual woman or dog.)

Making it to a 100 years old is no easy feat, and as a society, we're lucky that those folks are still with us to share their stories and wisdom with us. But how does one make it that far? Some say it's exercise, others credit a healthy diet. But for Ada Daniel, who lived to be 108 years old, the secret to a long life is to have dogs instead of children.

Daniel lived at a nursing home in Derbyshire, in the UK, where she became well known. An activity coordinator named Kelly Goucher knew her as “definitely a character,” and recalls, a conversation she had with the centenarian: “I did ask her what her secret was once and she said it was to have dogs, not kids.”

Instead of having children, Daniel and her late husband enjoyed the company of their beloved pets. “She had a lot of greyhounds. She lived on Street Lane in Ripley and all of her greyhounds were also called Street Lane,” shared Goucher, offering a glimpse of Daniel's charm. Her dogs contributed to her having an active and healthy lifestyle. She used to enjoy daily walks until she was 97, and didn’t move into a care home until she was 103.

Despite her age, Daniel never let go of the excitement for her birthday, which is on June 1. Before her 105th birthday, the staff of the nursing home she lives in asked for people to send her cards. This call to action was such as success, that they've carried on with the tradition each year. For 2023, Daniel got 300 cards—and an extra special greeting. King Charles and Queen Camilla also congratulated her for her birthday.

Daniel passed away in October 2023, after living a long and beloved life. She will certainly be remembered for her sense of humor and unique personality. While 108 is certainly an impressive number, that's nowhere near the oldest person in the UK. Currently, the record is held by Ethel May Caterham, who was born in 1909, making her 114 years old.

A woman named Ada Daniel lived to be 108 years old, and she had a theory about how she lived such a long life.

For her, the secret to a long life is to have dogs instead of children.

Photo: halfpoint/Depositphotos (Not a photo of the actual woman or dog.)

“She had a lot of greyhounds. She lived on Street Lane in Ripley and all of her greyhounds were also called Street Lane.”

Photo: halfpoint/Depositphotos (Not a photo of the actual woman or dog.)

h/t: [Bored Panda]

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READ: 108-Year-Old Woman Credits Having “Dogs, Not Kids” as Her Secret to a Long Life

The Nobel Prize is the peak achievement in many fields. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Since 1901, Nobel Prizes have honored achievements which change the world. Laureates include Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, George Bernard Shaw, Ernest Hemingway, Niels Bohr, and Malala Yousafzai. These awardees spread their expertise across fields from Medicine to Physics to Peace. Yet relatively few of these Nobel Laureates existed in circumstances where their discovery was as publicly discussed as the mRNA vaccine developed in recent years to combat COVID-19. A raging global pandemic, rampant anti-vaccine misinformation, and the more mundane yet no less tricky technical barriers of scientific practice make the achievement of these scientists all the more impressive. Now, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman are being honored for their work towards the development of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2023, awarded jointly.

The award, recently announced, comes almost four years after the airborne COVID-19 pandemic began. Spreading like wildfire around the globe and leaving millions dead, the race to develop a vaccine was virtually unprecedented in timeline, intensity, and universality. Vaccines were first developed in the 18th century and perfected in the 20th century to virtually eliminate many formerly common diseases. They were created with weakened or dead forms of a pathogen. Research into mRNA vaccines, a new approach, dates back almost to the discovery of mRNA itself in the 1960s. However, using mRNA (also known as messenger RNA) was not easy, as it had to be delivered into our very cells. Trials on mice took place in the 1990s, and human trials in the 2010s. However, the global pandemic changed the regulatory and scientific context, necessitating emergency authorizations of a vaccine which has since proved incredibly successful and safe.

Karikó and Weissman's contributions are described as discovering “nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19,” according to the Nobel Committee in a press statement. “Through their groundbreaking findings, which have fundamentally changed our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system, the laureates contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times.” The two researchers are an ideal academic match, having worked together since meeting in the 1990s. “With Weissman’s background in immunology and Karikó’s expertise in RNA biochemistry, the two scientists complemented each other well and shared a passion for exploiting the use of mRNA in medical applications.”

Both new laureates are currently professors at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The Nobel Prize—while presitigious and valuable through its very name—comes with an award of 11 million Swedish kronor (slightly over US$1 million). With COVID-19 vaccine production becoming more regular like flu shots, mRNA technology will likely continue to influence new and improved vaccines for years to come. In a new age of vaccine skepticism and the unfortunate reappearance of diseases like polio in places where they were previously eradicated, cutting edge science is just as important as accurate public health information.

Distinguished scientists Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman have been jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work developing the mRNA vaccine technology that led the fight against COVID-19.

Before the COVID-19-inspired mRNA developments, thsi is how vaccines worked. (Photo: © The Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine. Ill. Mattias Karlén)

These researchers' discovery saved millions of lives.

h/t: [IFL Science]

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Do you sneeze after seeing bright light? Well, you're not alone. ACHOO syndrome, or Autosomal Dominant Compulsive Helio-Ophthalmic Outbursts, is estimated to affect between 18–35% of people around the world. While not a dangerous condition, it is one that continues to mystify scientists.

Records of ACHOO syndrome have been found as far back as 350 BCE. Unlike regular sneezes, which occur after the mucous membranes in our nose are irritated by particles, there is no physical trigger other than bright light. This can happen outdoors in the sunshine, or inside after turning on the light. “The reflex seems to be triggered by a change in intensity of light rather than a specific type or wavelength of light,” Dr. Annie Nguyen, an ophthalmologist with Keck Medicine of USC, says.

Although scientists know that ACHOO syndrome is genetic, they are still unsure what causes it. One previous theory suggests that bright light which makes the pupils constrict also irritates the nose. Another proposes that it's due to higher sensitivity to visual stimuli.

h/t: [UNILAD]

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