Waist to hip ratio

Waist to hip ratio is increasingly being used by doctors in preference to BMI as a better measurement of the risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Why does shape matter?

Increasingly, scientific study of body shape shows that whilst being overweight is certainly bad for your health, it may not matter where that weight is held. It had been thought that fat stored centrally was worse than fat distributed elsewhere, such as on the arms or hips, but recent evidence now suggests there is an increased risk if you're overweight or obese, no matter what your shape.

Being overweight or obese puts you at greater risk of many diseases, including:

• Heart disease,Diabetes,Liver disease,Stroke,Cancer,Infertility

So, whatever your shape, if you're overweight it will affect your health.

However, there are lifestyle factors which may affect how energy is used and fat is stored, which you can change to reduce your risk of disease.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/tools/hip_to_waist/hip_to_waist.shtml

Phonological Impairment May Be Causing Dyslexia: MIT Study

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232121.php

Children With Dyslexia May Benefit From Early Musical Games

Children with dyslexia often find it difficult to count the number of syllables in spoken words or to determine whether words rhyme. These subtle difficulties are seen across languages with different writing systems and they indicate that the dyslexic brain has trouble processing the way that sounds in spoken language are structured. In a new study published in the June issue of Elsevier's Cortex, researchers at Cambridge have shown, using a music task, that this is linked to a broader difficulty in perceiving rhythmic patterns, or metrical structure.

Read more....

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/229983.php

Another Blood Test for Alzheimer's Shows Promise

A blood test that screens for certain markers in the blood called "autoantibodies" is showing promise in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease, researchers report.

The blood test correctly detected Alzheimer's disease in people already diagnosed with the devastating brain disorder with 96% accuracy, according to the researchers. The test could also distinguish who didn't have the disease from a control group of non-affected adults with 92.5% accuracy....Read in full on:

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=147789

Back to Basics

 The other day in the clinic, I overheard a physical therapist instructing a patient in a home exercise program to help his neck pain.   The therapist was very clear and concise, and she had the patient perform the exercise to ensure that it was done properly.  She instructed the patient to perform ten repetitions for two sets.

After her instruction, she asked the patient if he had any questions. 

"Just one," he answered.  "What's a set?"

So often we forget that the language we use in the clinic may sound foreign to others who are not familiar with physical therapy or exercise.  We occasionally use terms that are quite familiar to ourselves, but are completely novel to someone else.

Read more: http://physicaltherapy.about.com/b/2011/07/27/back-to-basics.htm

New Driving Simulator For Rehabilitation

Clemson University researchers, working with simulation technology company DriveSafety, have developed a new driving simulator designed for patient rehabilitation that now is being used at 11 Army, Navy and Veterans Affairs facilities. The program recently expanded to Europe with the addition of a driving simulator at Charite Hospital in Berlin, Germany.

New Driving Simulator For Rehabilitation Created By Clemson And Drive Safety

Source:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/231084.php

8 Embarrassing Sleep Secrets

8 Embarrassing Sleep Secrets

What your body was up to while you were sleeping might make you blush.

Habit #1: Snoring

Habit #2: Drooling

Habit #3: Sleepwalking

Habit #4: Talking in Your Sleep

Habit #5: Bedwetting

Read more:http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/8-embarrassing-sleep-secrets?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Scientist Converts Human Skin Cells Into Functional Brain Cells

A scientist at the Gladstone Institutes has discovered a novel way to convert human skin cells into brain cells, advancing medicine and human health by offering new hope for regenerative medicine and personalized drug discovery and development.

In a paper published online in the scientific journal Cell Stem Cell, Sheng Ding, PhD, reveals efficient and robust methods for transforming adult skin cells into neurons that are capable of transmitting brain signals, marking one of the first documented experiments for transforming an adult human's skin cells into functioning brain cells. 
Source:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/231969.php