Rochdale Village Health

The finding provides new hope that a “functional” cure for HIV — where the virus is brought down to low levels but not eradicated in the body — may one day be possible.

The 18-year-old female, whose mother was HIV positive, was given antiretroviral treatment soon after birth but stopped at age six and has since maintained undetectable levels of the virus in her blood — known as remission — for 12 years.

“This is the first [time] long-term remission has been shown in children, or adolescents,” said Asier Saez Cirion from the Institut Pasteur in France, who presented the findings at the 8th IAS conference on HIV pathogenesis, treatment and prevention, in Vancouver this week.

Continue reading →

The saliva test was presented at the 2015 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Washington this week. Though research is still in its infancy, the saliva test represents the exciting future of diagnostic tools in development for the detection of the neurodegenerative disease.

Researchers present a new study which show biomarkers in saliva may indicate early detection of Alzheimerâs disease.

While doctors are currently able to see the difference between a healthy brain and one affected by Alzheimer’s, the study emphasizes the importance of detecting Alzheimer’s-like changes early.

Continue reading →

from huffingtonpost.com

From the Twitterverse to the Golden Gate Bridge, California’s strict new law requiring childhood vaccination generated very public blowback last week. Many affluent parents have been vocal in their opposition to mandatory vaccination. The views of lower-income parents have received a lot less attention.

So how do lower-income families feel about mandatory vaccination?

It turns out that while they may struggle to get their kids vaccinated, they are very supportive of making it mandatory.

The California law strips away previously permitted exemptions for religious and personal beliefs. The law will also ban undervaccinated children — those who have received some but not all the required shots — from attending any public or private school until they meet the state’s requirements.

Continue reading →

You may want to check your medicine cabinet after reading this.

A new study links long-term use of common medications — including over-the-counter drugs for insomnia and hay fever — to a higher risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Medications in the study included antihistamines found in Benadryl, sleep aids found in Tylenol PM, and certain antidepressants and treatments for bladder control.

>> Hidden Dangers of Common Cold Meds

Dementia risk in older adults starts to rise after three years of regular use of the medications, says study author Shelly Gray, professor of pharmacy at the University of Washington. The longer people took the drugs and the higher the dose, the higher the risk of dementia, although it’s important to note that short-term use was not linked to higher risks.

“We know that these medications may have an effect on memory, and we always assumed that these effects were reversible. We didn’t think these medications were changing the brain permanently. Our study does suggest a link between the highest use and increased dementia risk,” said Gray.

Continue reading →

Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx is among the hospitals most affected by the burden of caring for uninsured immigrants. CreditNicole Bengiveno/The New York Times

New York City’s public hospital system is looking at a major cash squeeze within four years if federal cuts to hospitals serving large numbers of poor and uninsured patients take place as scheduled, according to a report by the city comptroller, Scott M. Stringer, to be released on Monday.

Beginning in 2017, the federal government will begin cutting subsidies to those hospitals, based on the theory that since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which has insured millions of Americans, hospitals will no longer need the same level of subsidies for uncompensated care.

But Mr. Stringer’s report says that the city’s hospital system will not benefit as much as expected from the Affordable Care Act insurance plans because the system continues to serve a high proportion of undocumented immigrants, who are not eligible for coverage under the act.

Continue reading →

Photo Credit: Evdokimov Maxim / Shutterstock.com

Depression presents patients with many management challenges, including the side effects of drug treatments. Antidepressant side effects include photosensitivity, sleep disturbances, and diminished libido, and they are often invasive enough to leave patients seeking alternatives. While you should always include your doctor’s advice in your treatment plans, there are many strategies which are effective supplements for medical therapies.

1. Meditation

Meditation is an ancient art that involves using concentration techniques to calm down brain activity. Theoretically, it helps practitioners achieve an elevated state of tranquility, which can be a boon to people suffering from chronic mood disorders. It’s an inexpensive, risk-free alternative therapy that has been around for thousands of years.

Continue reading →