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1 week ago | 
kevinmd.com | Marc Arginteanu |Martha Rosenberg |Bryan Thomas |Molly Walker
Did you have chickenpox as a kid? If the answer is yes (which it is for most of us), you’re at risk of getting shingles. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After one recovers from chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in one’s nerve cells. Later in life, if the virus reactivates (which depends on factors like age, stress, or a weakened immune system), it can cause shingles.
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1 month ago | 
kevinmd.com | Marc Arginteanu |Gary Rothenberg |Ryan Ritchie |Jennifer Jonsson
There’s an ever-growing body of evidence to suggest that diabetes contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Some even go so far as to dub Alzheimer’s disease “diabetes type III.”How might diabetes cause Alzheimer’s disease? It’s the sugar: Chronic high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) can damage blood vessels, including those in the brain. This vascular damage reduces oxygen and nutrient delivery to brain cells, increasing the risk of neurodegeneration.
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Dec 5, 2024 | 
kevinmd.com | Marc Arginteanu |Steven Siegel |Michele Luckenbaugh |Lea Lefkowitz
Here are 23 simple things you can do (in five minutes or less) to improve your brain health. Do one of them each day. Keep it up for a few short weeks and your brain will sing your praises. Attitude of gratitudeThe act of being grateful improves mental health in a number of ways, such as making the grateful person less prone to depression and fostering stronger relationships. Becoming more grateful can also change the structure of your brain.
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Jul 13, 2024 | 
kevinmd.com | Marc Arginteanu |Leslie Mattson |Martha Rosenberg |Susan Levenstein
I’ve always adored cinnamon. Its aroma warms the cockles of my heart, and its flavor makes me feel as if I’m wrapped up in an old fairy tale. However, I was floored when I reviewed some of the latest research regarding the effects of cinnamon on brain health. Cinnamon is a type of laurel plant (believe it or not, there are almost three thousand members of the Lauraceae family). Cinnamon happens to be chock full of medically active chemicals.
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May 12, 2024 | 
kevinmd.com | Marc Arginteanu |Ian Chan |Molly Walker |Shetal Shah
A bunch of symptoms, which may persist many months or even years after an acute COVID infection has cleared, have been described in the medical literature with increasing frequency since the onset of the pandemic. This constellation of findings has been dubbed “long COVID.” Long COVID’s effects on the brain, in particular, have certainly been in the news, and it’s also been popping up in the medical literature.
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Mar 27, 2024 | 
kevinmd.com | Marc Arginteanu |Carole Estabrooks |Cindy Thompson
You can’t treat something until you know it’s there. Currently, there’s no cure for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) but earlier diagnosis may lead to better understanding of how the disease inexorably progresses, which in turn may lead to prevention of AD and ultimately eradication of this horrific scourge. The latest breakthroughs in earlier diagnosis and even perhaps pre-diagnosis have involved lumbar punctures, brain MRIs, eye exams, and blood tests.
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Feb 29, 2024 | 
kevinmd.com | Marc Arginteanu |Thomas L. Amburn |Barry Greene |Julie Appleby
An excerpt from of Paint and Pancakes. The epicenter of Jane’s cancer occupied some very expensive real estate between Broca’s area and the motor strip. Her ability to speak and form coherent words resided in Broca’s. A little further back was the Motor Strip, which controlled the movement of the right side of her body. It all looks the same … so damned normal. Mike cleared his throat. High-price real estate. The spasmed muscles in his shoulders and neck felt as if they would rip him in half.
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Jan 29, 2024 | 
kevinmd.com | Marc Arginteanu |Martha Rosenberg |Mohammed Umer Waris |Michele Luckenbaugh
You’ve undoubtedly heard the buzzwords: ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting. I don’t have much of an opinion about what that all does for your waistline, but I venture to say that ketones may benefit your brain. Some doctors have recommended, with rock-solid evidence, diets that increase brain ketone levels as part of the regimen to treat drug-resistant epilepsy in children.
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Dec 20, 2023 | 
kirkusreviews.com | Marc Arginteanu |Mitch Albom |Susan Mallery
A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism. Three woman who join together to rent a large space along the beach in Los Angeles for their stores—a gift shop, a bakery, and a bookstore—become fast friends as they each experience the highs, and lows, of love. Bree is a friendly but standoffish bookstore owner who keeps everyone she knows at arm’s length, from guys she meets in bars to her friends.
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Dec 15, 2023 | 
kevinmd.com | Marc Arginteanu |Mohammed Umer Waris |Nicole Lamberson |Yoo Jung Kim
No one knows exactly why we need to sleep, but we certainly do. Although the brain can’t thrive on sleep alone, good sleep is an essential ingredient necessary to keep your brain functioning at its best. New research is shedding light on how a good night’s sleep may protect your brain from neurodegenerative diseases. In 2022, Canadian scientists evaluated the medical literature regarding sleep apnea and its link to the risk of dementia.
