While makers clearly state that Alli (pronounced Al-eye) isn’t a miracle drug, many are flocking to the nearest drugstore to get a box or two of this latest weight loss medication. Alli is the first ever weight loss drug to be approved by the FDA for over-the-counter sale. It works by disabling enzymes that digest fat in the stomach. Thus, about 25% of your fat intake won’t be absorbed by your body; the extra fat will go out as stool. However, this doesn’t mean you can eat all the fatty foods you want because Alli works best when taken in conjunction with a low-fat diet. Keeping...

The Shanghai Institute of Hematology (SIH) and the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF) have been developing the cure for a rare form of leukemia called APL or acute promyelocytic leukemia. Their procedure incorporates a combination of chemotherapy and differentiation therapy. The Emerald Foundation Inc made a three-year donation of $375,000, expanding the collaboration between the analysts from both organizations. The Samuel Waxman/Emerald Foundation Inc. Global Collaborative Grant would then provide donations for research on new drugs that can restore cell development and normal...

Based on a report by the Center for Disease Control, there are over 13,000 young people who are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes every year. In 2006, diabetes ranked as the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. As a result of this, the Craig Thomas Pest Control, in cooperation with the Culumus Media Station WPDH, sponsored the 27th Annual Roof-A-Thon in July 2010, with proceeds going to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Craig Thomas, president of the pest control company, said that being a local company owner also required giving back and promoting the local...

The Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund gave a $50,000 one year donation to the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) of the Great Triangle for increasing breast cancer awareness and the benefits of early detection of the disease. It also aims to offer free screening mammograms for women. The foundation has been funding the program for almost a decade now. One of the programs that YWCA provides is the ENCOREplus breast health program, which is dedicated to educating women regarding breast health, specifically those in Franklin, Wake and Johnston counties. With the support of the...

Lorie Locklier, an Andalusia High School graduate who is currently residing in the Birmingham neighborhood, was chosen to take part in a Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation fundraiser called the 2011 Bombshell Calendar. She was at last year’s event, which, she said, also had a gala. “I believe they are going to do the same thing this year. It seemed like a good cause.” According to Locklier, since women are prone to bloating and frequent urination, ovarian cancer is like a common symptom among them. The Bombshell Calendar is said to be 1950s and 1960s-themed. According to...

This year’s AIDS Walk gathered 25,000 participants to San Francisco for a six-mile hike to raise funds for AIDS/HIV. As a result, the city’s AIDS Foundation tallied 59 community-driven organizations that would be given funds from the $3 million plus that was raised. The sum of all raised funds was $229,000 and they range in varied sizes – the smallest was $1,000 and the largest $7,000. However, several of the grants were usually $2,500, $5,000 or $4,000 and were given to nonprofit groups that carry out AIDS/HIV-associated work in the Bay Area and within San Francisco. Two programs of...

Rarely does one see young people going through health screenings, which are expensive and time consuming. Although it may seem like a waste of time, such tests can actually be helpful. This also applies to cholesterol screening. According to a research released in an issue of the Annals of Family Medicine, despite having less than half of them are screened for high cholesterol. Coronary artery disease, better known as coronary heart disease, is an upsurge of plaque, fatty material and calcium in one’s arteries. It stops the regular flow of oxygen and blood to the heart, leaving the person...

The Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden in Kansas is part of a research plan at the university that aims to grow and harvest native plant life in search of medicinal compounds suitable for remedies, food, cosmetics, etc. Senior scientist Kelly Kindscher of the Kansas Biological Survey said that the world is in dire need of herbal antioxidants, preservatives or food. “If we can find some antioxidants from native plants, we can develop them into a commercial product that would be great for the Kansas economy,” he added. The Plant Research Garden is part of a program that is sponsored by...

Researchers from Austria tested 100 people suffering from tinnitus and 100 who were not suffering from it, and then compared this with mobile phone usage. They found out that the disease was about 70% likely to be in people who used their cell phone for about 10 minutes each day. The study was published in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine journal. However, according to the British Tinnitus Association, such a claim remains unproven. Despite drugs, intense noise and head trauma being common factors that trigger the risk of the ear disease, in several cases, the causes are...

A new research concluded that patients suffering from depression might likely be prone to develop dementia when they are older. The study, which was released in the Neurology journal last July 6th, 2010, examined 949 patients in the Framingham Heart Study for about eight and a half years. There were also some who were studied for almost two decades. In that span of time, over 164 patients, around 17% of the people studied, developed dementia. However, among those participants who were depressed at the start of the study, the rate of developing the illness was higher at about 22%. Setting...