Health Buzz

From LiveScience.com
By Bjorn Carey
Middle-aged English people are healthier than Americans of similar age, a new study reveals.
Despite the fact that the United States spends more on medical care per capita than the United Kingdom—$5,274 compared to $2,164—Americans ages 55 to 64 suffer from higher rates of many life-threatening diseases and conditions than their [...]

NewScientist.com:
Friends, not family, are the key to a longer life, a new study suggests.
While previous research has found that strong social networks help older people live longer, the work had not distinguished between contact with friends or relatives.
The new study followed almost 1500 Australians, initially aged over 70. Those who at the start reported regular [...]

I’ve been wondering why Alzheimer’s seems to be more prevalent these days. This article has an interesting explanation:
The most frequent misdiagnosis of CJD [Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease] among the elderly is Alzheimer’s disease.[55] Neither CJD nor Alzheimer’s can be conclusively diagnosed without a brain biopsy,[56] and the symptoms and pathology of both diseases overlap. There can be [...]