Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Category: health – Page 6

Eye washing may ease hay fever ocular symptoms and improve quality of life

Hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis, is the condition responsible for seasonal allergies or allergic reactions to other environmental allergens, like dust mites and animal dander. Estimates vary, but somewhere around 10–30% of the population worldwide experiences hay fever at least occasionally. Symptoms include nasal congestion, headaches, itchy throat and ocular symptoms, like itchy eyes, tearing and redness. Ultimately, these symptoms disrupt daily activities and affect quality of life for hay fever sufferers.

While many medications are available to reduce symptoms, many people prefer to include preventative measures. A new study from Japan, published in Scientific Reports, describes a large-scale survey of hay fever sufferers, comparing those who use eye washing as a preventative measure. The study reports that those using eyewash experience improved symptoms.

Hidden household toxin triples liver disease risk, study finds

PCE, a dry-cleaning chemical found in many everyday products, has been linked to tripled risk of serious liver damage. Scientists have uncovered a new environmental culprit behind liver disease: tetrachloroethylene (PCE), a chemical used in dry cleaning and household products. The study found that people with PCE exposure were three times more likely to develop severe liver scarring, even when traditional risk factors like alcohol or obesity were absent. The chemical is widespread in air, water, and consumer goods, making it a stealthy threat to public health.

Liver disease most often develops due to one of three major causes: excessive alcohol use, the buildup of fat in the liver associated with obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol, or viral infections such as hepatitis B and C.

Researchers from Keck Medicine of USC have identified another potential cause of liver damage. A new study published in Liver International links tetrachloroethylene (PCE), a chemical widely used in dry cleaning and found in household products like adhesive glues, spot removers, and stainless steel polish, to serious liver harm.

Function of the Spine

Your spine is an important bone structure that supports your body and helps you walk, twist and move. Your spine is made up of vertebrae (bones), disks, joints, soft tissues, nerves and your spinal cord. Exercises can strengthen the core muscles that support your spine and prevent back injuries and pain.

Learn more about what your spine does and how this bone structure is important for your health.

How T cells transform to defend our organs

We owe a lot to tissue resident memory T cells (TRM). These specialized immune cells are among the body’s first responders to disease.

Rather than coursing through the bloodstream—as many T cells do—our TRM cells specialize in defending specific organs. They battle viruses, , , melanomas, and many other health threats.

Pandurangan Vijayanand, M.D., Ph.D., William K. Bowes Distinguished Professor at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), has even shown that a greater density of TRM cells is linked to better survival outcomes in lung cancer patients.

An Autism Epidemic?

The CDC website now says: “The claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim…” Psychologist David Myers from Hope College summarizes the relevant evidence.

You are an educated reader, so I know that you know that vaccines do not cause autism. However, you probably have also read headlines such as the recent U.S. Health and Human Services release, “Autism Epidemic Runs Rampant.”

New drug could prevent diabetes complications not fixed with blood sugar control, study hints

An experimental drug compound could prevent and treat some complications of diabetes, such as poor wound healing and rampant inflammation. And it works regardless of blood sugar control, a new study in mice and human cells suggests.

The cornerstone of diabetes care is keeping blood sugar in check through diet and exercise, by maintaining a healthy weight, and by injecting the hormone insulin to help shuttle glucose out of the bloodstream. But while maintaining blood sugar levels in a target range reduces the chance that diabetes complications will emerge, it doesn’t eliminate the risk.

Antimicrobial resistance: a concise update

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious threat to global public health, with approximately 5 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR in 2019. Tackling AMR requires a multifaceted and cohesive approach that ranges from increased understanding of mechanisms and drivers at the individual and population levels, AMR surveillance, antimicrobial stewardship, improved infection prevention and control measures, and strengthened global policies and funding to development of novel antimicrobial therapeutic strategies.

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