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Healthwise is a regular column written especially for
laterlife.com members and visitors. Welcome to healthwise
101.
For previous articles in the healthwise series
visit
'more healthwise'
Health News and Views
TEST COMING TO PREDICT YOUR RISK OF BLINDNESS
Macular Degeneration (AMD) is one of the most feared problems as one grows older. The disease affects the central part of the retina in the eye, making it thinner and in many cases resulting in blindness.
AMD is the leading cause of sight loss in the UK. The problem cannot be reversed but if it is identified early enough, there is treatment available which can help slow down the disease and prevent sight loss.
Now a new test, called Macular Risk, has been jointly developed by ArcticDX, a Canadian company, and Cambridge Enterprise, the business arm of Cambridge University.
The test is based on swabs of saliva which are analysed for genes which can indicate if the patient has a high probability of developing the disease. The aim is to diagnose the condition before symptoms arise. Then treatment can be started early which may arrest the disease before significant vision loss occurs.
The test is planned to be made available in Canada from October and globally from next year.
REPAIRING TEETH A NATURAL WAY
A natural way to repair holes in teeth has been developed by the Leeds Dental Institute.
They have created a solution that mimics the way the body forms new teeth. This solution includes a protein which creates a “scaffold” which attracts minerals that form enamel. This is the same way teeth are formed naturally.
The solution can be painted on teeth to fill tiny holes before they become large holes full of decay.
The same team of scientists has developed a mouthwash that kills the bacteria which causes plaque when a light is shone into the mouth. The method, called photodynamic therapy, has been developed from cancer treatment and could also be used to treat gum disease which is a major cause of tooth loss.
It is hoped that trials will begin shortly and the Institute say they hope to gain a licence for the developments within five years.
PROVED – OLDER PEOPLE NEED LESS SLEEP!
It’s a shame really, it seems when we reach the age where we can’t really be bothered to dance the night away, we have also reached the very age when we could do this without suffering.
New research has shown that older people really do need less sleep than younger people.
Researchers at the respected Harvard Medical School in America conducted an experiment comparing people between the ages of 60 and 72 with people ages between 18 and 32 years.
It showed the older group generally required 7.5 hours sleep a night compared with 9 hours for the younger group.
Interestingly, the research also showed that any “sleep debt” in the older group was not made up the following day. The researchers said this dispelled the conventional belief that older people sleep little but often.
So it seems older people still benefit from a proper night’s sleep, but don’t need quite as much sleep as their younger counterparts.
If
in any doubt about any of the information covered in healthwise articles and
it's relevance for you, consult your GP.
IN THE PREVIOUS EDITION
Osteoporosis
Drug causes irregular heart beat
American researchers have linked Fosamax with the development of atrial fibrillation (irregular hearbeat).....
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fitness programme – walking and jogging
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Gene
Associated with Alzheimer's is identified
American researchers have
identified a gene that plays a role in Alzheimer’s
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