What is the Cause of Your Depression
This article gives the reader two basic causes for depression.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1943836/what_is_the_cause_of_your_depression.html

New Solution for Preventing Cavities
UCLA has done research on licorice flavored lollipops that has proven to fight cavities.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1933920/new_solution_for_preventing_cavities.html

Studies About Children with Weight Problems

Because there is such a strong need to understand the reason for this situation, the Weight Assessment for Teen and Child Health (WATCH) in San Francisco are making studies on this subject.

This clinic, known as WATCH, is so popular with parents, there is a three-month waiting list for new patients.

The first step in treatment is an evaluation of the biochemical and behavioral factors that could be the problem to weight gain.

Robert H. Lustig, MD, Director of WATCH, feels that weight gain in these young people is not entirely their fault. He feels that we are blaming the kids when the real culprit is what is happening in our own environment.

Dr..Lustig believes that there is so much food in our modern environment that is unhealthy for us. He feels that there is too much fructose in our diet, and that we are not consuming enough fiber.

Lustig feels that that the genetic make up of humans hasn't changed over the last three decades, but the food processing has changed. The high sugar content in foods and drinks and the decrease in fiber create hormonal imbalances. He thinks this is the cause for people to eat more and exercise less.

Lustig gives patients and their families four basic rules. He tells them to cut out all sugared drinks, including fruit juices and sports drinks. He tells them to increase high fiber foods which can be found in vegetables, bran flakes, and cereals.

Lustig also tell his patients to wait 20 minutes after eating before deciding to eat more, and finally, he tells them the importance of exercise in our daily lives.

He also feels that our "toxic environment," as he calls it, won't change until there are stronger regulations on the food industry to cut the high sugar content of the foods and drinks that we consume.

Advice to Parents who have an Autistic Child

Since my job as a hospital teacher, I have come across some interesting situations. I have learned about the many types of illnesses. This includes physical diseases as well as mental and other disorders that confront children as well as their parents. You might say that my job at the hospitals has made me a student of medicine as well as a teacher. I'm forever learning new facts about the medical world. Because of my interest in matters pertaining to health, I enjoy reading and looking up information on the internet about this diverse subject.

Last summer, I was working at the UCLA Medical Center's children's division. I was very pleased to know that I was working at one of America's finest hospitals. Recently, I read an article that stated that the UCLA Medical Center ranked number three among America's top five hospitals. Because of this high rating, I value any information I can get when I work there.

At UCLA and elsewhere around the country, researchers are bringing in better understanding of behavioral,
genetic, and neurological development of autism. Because of the new knowledge pertaining to autism, newer treatments have been developed. One clinical psychologist has stated that they have learned more about autism in the past 10 years than they have known in the previous 50 years.

Autism has been puzzling to doctors and parents for many years. At present, however, children with autism is more hopeful than ever. Studies are showing that children are now improving with treatment. Doctors are now saying that early treatment is the key to maximizing the potential of a child with autism. Studies at UCLA have shown that with early, intensive therapy, children with autism can learn important foundational skills like pretend play and communicating with others.. Many autistic children cannot demonstrate emotions. This is something that scientists are continuing to work on.

Although symptoms sometimes can be seen in early infancy, autism may appear after months of normal development. The symptoms of autism include impaired language development and lack of sociability. They have difficulty communicating. Some autistic children have certain behavior patterns such as hand flapping, rocking and unusual responses to sensory stimuli.

Neurogenetists at UCLA are trying to uncover the genetic basis for this disorder. They believe they have found the genes that are causing this disorder.

I have a friend whose grown son is autistic. When he was a small child, the doctors told the parents to put him in a special home. The mother did not want to do this. She decided that she wanted her child to remain home. Because of her decision, he attended a special school. When he was 20 years old, he was able to get a position with Goodwill doing simple jobs. Who knows what he would be doing at the present if the mother hadn’t decided to take care of him. There are so many studies, at present, being done on autism, it is wise for parents, if they are “up to it” to have the child remain at home so that they can help with certain learning skills.

Research Program Are Helping People With Health Problems

Animal research at UCLA has shown that many lives have improved through their research program. The researchers have helped treatments and cures for many health problems.

The studies, using mice, have proven very helpful in the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer. Because of this research, it has been discovered that a new medication known as Herceptin has reduced some side effects caused by chemotherapy. Side effects, such as nausea, can be very disturbing to the patient, so it is good to find out that there is a medication that can be helpful.

An ongoing research using animals have been used at other hospitals as well as UCLA. UCLA oncology specialists have used specially bred mice to bring about a more effective radiation therapy for cancer. It is also hoped that newer methods will bring about minimal side effects which is caused by radiation. The mice used in this research are of a strain known for their longevity and are protected from infection so they will live long enough to be evaluated.

Researchers are pleased to have developed new insights into the biochemical causes of Schizophrenia. As research in this area continues, there are some promising results. Certain genes have been discovered that are the cause of this behavior disorder, and now scientists are working on treatment to counteract it.

It is hoped that through the discovery of the treatment for schizophrenia, people who have genes that cause other neurological and psychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer’s can be helped.

Having worked with children with heart problems at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, it was interesting to me to learn that children with congenital heart defects may soon have an alternative to invasive open heart surgery.

The UCLA researchers are presently developing a heart valve that can be loaded into a catheter and inserted into a vein in a groin area. It is then guided into place and positioned to the precise location within the heart. Researchers are using pigs to test this device. They feel that pigs have a circulatory system that closely resembles that of humans.

Another advancement in the medical field is the seeking of new ways of preventing organ rejection in transplant recipients. Researchers have found a gene that helps a patient’s immune system from rejecting organs.

There have been cases where babies are born blind due to a missing gene. Because of this awareness, scientists are learning about blindness through gene therapy.

Another good news in the discovery of treatment for better health is the development of new vaccines that can combat Tuberculosis. Tuberculosis infects about 2 billion people in today’s world. By using guinea pigs that are highly susceptible to infection by the tuberculosis bacterium, many lives will be saved.

Source: UCLA News Room

Drugs in Our Water Supply May Be Harmful
Some scientists feel that certain drugs that are thrown into our toilets or into the ocean may be harmful when it is turned into drinking water.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1883776/drugs_in_our_water_supply_may_be_harmful.html