For modern, harried lifestyles focused on getting and spending, tai chi can be an ideal way for anyone to stay fit. A staple in senior citizen centers and a common dawn sighting in public parks, the practice can offer long-term benefits for all age groups. "In this high-tech world that's all about speed, greed and instant gratification, tai chi is the antidote to bring us back to balanced health."

Researchers report that a 20-minute session of yoga improved participants' speed on tests of working memory and inhibitory control, two measures of brain function associated with the ability to maintain focus and take in, retain and use new information. Participants performed significantly better immediately after the yoga practice than after moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise for the same amount of time.

Knee pain appears to decrease up to one year after "prolotherapy," a series of sugar water injections at the site of the pain. Previous research on the therapy that suggested positive effects was plagued by flaws, but the new report may be more reliable, according to Dr. John D. Loeser, a pain specialist and professor emeritus at the University of Washington in Seattle.

A new "telerehabilitation" approach lets physical therapists assess patients with low back pain (LBP) over the Internet, with good accuracy compared with face-to-face examinations, reports a study in the May 15 issue of Spine. Taking advantage of Skype and other widely-used services may make telerehabilitation a more feasible alternative to in-person clinic visits.

Two proteins released from fat in the knee joints of mice have been linked to arthritis in a University of Colorado study. A protein released from fat cells could be linked to rheumatoid arthritis, but that might not mean being thin lowers your risk for RA, according to a mouse study from the Journal of Immunology. For the new study, researchers examined fat cells in mice to determine how arthritis was triggered.
 

Exercise may lower a woman’s risk for breast cancer and researchers are finding out why. Scientists conducted a study of 391 inactive, healthy, premenopausal women whom they split into two groups. They found that the 179 women in the intervention group showed changes in their estrogen metabolism that could explain the anti-cancer benefits of working out.

Regular exercise is touted as an antidote for many ills, including stress, depression and obesity. Physical activity also may help decrease violent behavior among adolescent girls. Researchers analyzed results of a 2008 survey completed by 1,312 students at four inner-city high schools in New York to determine if there was an association between regular exercise and violence-related behaviors.
 

The recommendations are meant to cut down on the anxiety many fibromyalgia patients experience while navigating the medical system, and serve as a resource for doctors hesitant to diagnose fibromyalgia. Primary care physicians should take responsibility for the diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia, according to new guidelines published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Just two years ago, Barbara Whitmarsh was a woman who seemed to have it all. Married for 30 years, she’d raised six children with her beloved husband, John. But then John Whitmarsh started to notice some disturbing changes in his wife, now 62. It was as if the woman he’d married and lived with all that time was slowly and inexorably fading away.

In older adults with diabetes, low blood sugar episodes may be a cause as well as a consequence of cognitive decline, according to a new study. In older adults with diabetes, low blood sugar and cognitive decline may create a vicious cycle, putting seniors at risk for serious short- and long-term health problems, suggests a study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine.

A type of brain surgery appears to be a relatively effective treatment for people with severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) who have not responded to other treatments, a new study suggests. In the study, nearly half of patients showed at least some improvement in their OCD symptoms, and 15 percent fully recovered seven years after the surgery.

Exposure to pesticides and other chemicals is linked to an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease. Dr. James Bower, a neurologist from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said the finding is consistent with previous research but the study still can't prove that pesticides cause people to develop the neurological condition.

In the search for medication against Alzheimer's disease, scientists have focused on -- among other factors -- drugs that can break down Amyloid beta (A-beta). After all, it is the accumulation of A-beta that causes the known plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. The starting point for the formation of A-beta is APP.

German software company SAP is looking to recruit people with autism as programmers and product testers, drawing on skills that can include a close attention to detail and an ability to solve complex problems. SAP has asked start-up Danish recruitment company Specialisterne to help it find, train and manage employees diagnosed with the disability.

ADHD has been linked to struggles with drugs and alcohol, less schooling and more arrests, but the latest study shows it may also contribute to problems with weight as well. In the study published in Pediatrics, researchers connected the impulsive behavior that can characterize attention deficit-hyerpeactivity disorder (ADHD) with the over-eating that contributes to calorie-overload.

Up to 20 percent of children in the United States suffer from a mental disorder, and the number of kids diagnosed with one has been rising for more than a decade. In the agency's first-ever study of mental disorders among children aged 3 to 17, researchers found childhood mental illnesses affect up to one in five kids and cost $247 billion per year in medical bills, special education and juvenile justice.

Rates of whooping cough in the United States are at their highest level in decades, yet most adults don't know whether they are adequately protected against the disease, results from a new poll suggest. In the poll, 61 percent of adults said they didn't know when they were last vaccinated against whooping cough, also known as pertussis.

For people with existing heart problems, exposure to high levels of air pollution can trigger the irregular heartbeats that may lead to a stroke or heart attack, according to a new study. Past research has linked air pollution to ventricular fibrillation, electrical confusion in the lower chambers of the heart which can cause sudden death.

The 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl who fought for a lung transplant has a difficult journey ahead. The transplant isn't a cure for her cystic fibrosis, and new lungs don't tend to last as long as other transplanted organs. But it can extend life by years, buying some time. "You're keeping them alive and hopefully well, hoping that something else will come along that will make the big difference."

The national organization that manages organ transplants has rejected emergency rule changes on lungs for children and voiced serious ethical and medical concerns about a recent ruling by a federal judge who questioned the existing system. A special committee review issues have been raised in the cases of a terminally ill 10-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy.

People with sleep apnea should not have their driving restricted just because of their diagnosis, says a leading medical group. "You don't want to unfairly prejudice people with a diagnosis of sleep apnea, because many of them are not sleepy or are less sleepy than people in the general population" who might work night shifts or have restricted sleep.

A federal court judge has granted a temporary order that will allow 10-year-old Sarah Murnaghan, who is dying from cystic fibrosis and desperately needs new lungs. Judge Michael Baylson made his ruling after hearing oral arguments Wednesday afternoon on a federal lawsuit filed by Sarah's parents, challenging the "Under 12 Rule" that was keeping the 10-year-old off the adult transplant list.

The number of New York parents who had their child skip at least one required vaccine due to religious reasons increased over the past decade. What's more, researchers found counties with high religious exemption rates also had more whooping cough cases - even among children that had been fully vaccinated.

In the U.S., 68.8% of current adult smokers want to quit for good. Since 2002, the number of former smokers exceeds the number of current smokers in the country, but there’s still work to be done, with 1 in every 5 U.S. deaths credited to tobacco. It’s a good thing that there are cessation methods that work, according to a recent review of 267 studies involving 101,804 people published in the Cochrane Library.

Language is formed by giving meaning to sounds and stringing together these meaningful expressions to communicate feelings and ideas. Until recently most linguists believed that the relationship between the structure of language and the natural world was mainly the influence of the environment on vocabulary. There is a link between geographical elevation and the way language is spoken.