Are you 9 Digits from Cognitive Impairment?

Can playing Sudoku decrease your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease?  The answer is: sometimes.

Brain exercises like Sudoku require certain neural pathways to communicate in order to solve.  As the brain works to solve the puzzle, new connections are formed between neurons, however, while Sudoku and even crossword puzzles can exercise the brain, if it’s done frequently the brain is no longer challenged and the activity loses its potential ability to delay or even prevent the loss of mental function because new connections are not developed.

For this and other methods for preventing Alzheimer’s disease visit Healthy Place.

If you don’t know how to play Sudoku and you want to learn, click here.

Danger Dogs…

If you ask people how rabies is transmitted, 9 times out of 10, the answer is dogbite. In reality your chances of getting rabies from a domesticated dog in the US is only slightly more likely than becoming a werewolf.
Because of successful vaccination programs, dogs are no longer the primary carriers of the rabies virus.  Rabies among coyotes is also in decline since rabies innoculated food sources have been dropped into coyote habitats with some success.

As you can see on the map provided, much more likely is zoonotic transmission of rabies from raccoons (number one culprit), skunks (second most common transmitter of the virus), foxes, coyotes, and bats (rarely).

For this and more information contact the Humane Society.

Stomach Bugs…

For decades people believed that peptic ulcers were caused by stress, alcohol, and spicy foods.  It wasn’t until 1982 that Dr. Barry Marshall and Dr. Robin Warren discovered a bacterium that can inhabit the acidic human stomach.  It is called Helicobacter pylori and it is the cause of the vast majority of peptic ulcers.  H. pylori buries itself in the mucus lining of the stomach where the immune system cannot touch it.  It then secretes protective enzymes as well as a toxin that kills the cells in the wall of the stomach.  This is the actual cause of the ulcer.  Increased stomach acid and even stress can further irritate the ulcer, but thanks to Nobel Prize winning doctors Marshall and Warren, we know the real offender is H. pylori.

Don’t touch that toad!

Of the many myths my mother propagates, perhaps the one that deterred me the least was “If you pick up that toad, you’ll get warts.”  Now, for a rambunctious, young, midwestern boy such as myself, a toad was much too interesting to leave alone.  Just look at that little guy below!  I caught them all the time.  I kept them in my pockets, used them for fish bait, and I even released them on the school bus to scare girls.  These days, warts will scare girls far worse so let’s look at the myth.

Though some toads such as the Australian Cane Toad can secrete toxins from their skin, no toad actually secretes the causal agent of warts in humans:  Human Papiloma Virus or HPV.  That’s right…warts result from a virus-not toads and not from any fungi (such as a toadstool).  For those who remain worried about warts even after this blogpost, Gardasil-a vaccine for HPV-is available and affordable. For more information, contact your local health care provider or see the CDC’s HPV webpage.

Pacify Please…

Myth: Pacifiers should not be given to infants who are breastfed.

Many parents who wish to breastfeed their newborns live in fear of a phenomenon known as “Nipple Confusion.”  This refers to the differences in both shape and feel of things going into the infant’s mouth.  In order to avoid nipple confusion, parents try to avoid bottles and pacifiers.  Bottles aside, there exists one huge reason to use pacifiers-more important than the difficulties with colic:  SIDS: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

While the exact cause remains unknown, there are several practices parents can utilize to reduce the likelihood of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome occuring.  The most commonly recognized one is to lay the infant on their back rather than their stomach when the baby sleeps.  Other steps recommended include putting the infant at the foot of the crib, avoid excessive bedding and clothing to prevent high temperatures, avoiding any exposure to second-hand smoke, and giving the infant a pacifier whenever he or she sleeps.  This is thought to stimulate the baby’s nervous system to continue breathing.  While researchers are unsure for the exact relationship, the link is undeniable: pacifier use protects and prevents.

There is no 100% prevention for SIDS but by using these tips, you statistically give your child the best chance for survival and that’s what matters most.

PS…isn’t Sudden Infant Death Syndrome the scariest sounding syndrome?  It sounds like something from Thunderdome.

Facial Freezing!

Did your mother ever tell you to stop making faces because your face will freeze that way?  Did her warning carry weight?  Well, the answer happens to be yes and no…

Flexed muscles will eventually stiffen if held for long enough periods of time.  This is called contracture.  Contractures are a serious problem, but they occur primarily in the elderly–not rambunctious young children. It is caused by the actual shortening of the affected muscle or tendon’s constant flexion.  Muscular contracture correction involves a combination of therapies that may include physical therapy, braces (as seen below for calf contracture), medications, and even surgery.  For more information or to learn how to prevent contractures in your aged loved ones, visit Aging Care.

If you were to attempt to freeze your face muscles, you would fall asleep and relax long before your muscles had time to shorten and fix.