About 1 in 10 Europeans has to contend with some form of depression during his or her life. But how people become depressed is still largely a mystery. With their recent research, scientists from the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) connected to the University of Antwerp in collaboration with scientists of the University of UmeÃ¥ in Sweden, are lifting a corner of the veil. Their studies indicate that the TPH2 protein is involved in the development of depression and manic depression. [continue reading…]
March 2008
Individual genes do not cause depression, but they are thought to increase the probability of an individual having a depression in the face of other accumulating risk factors, such as other genes and environmental stressors. One gene that has been shown to increase the risk for depression in the context of multiple stressful life events is the gene for the serotonin transporter protein.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) are two serious and debilitating diseases with no confirmed cause and limited treatment options. However, results of a new comprehensive literature study propose a simplified treatment process that could help alleviate symptoms for patients suffering from these diseases.
Kent Holtorf, M.D., medical director of the Holtorf Medical Group Center for Endocrine, Neurological and Infection Related Illness in Torrance, Calif., is advising a simplified treatment process that may help alleviate CFS and FM symptoms. [continue reading…]
An estimated 10 million American baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s disease in their lifetime, placing enormous strains on the U.S. health-care system, new report from the Alzheimers Association , 2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures predicts.
• As many as 5.2 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s.
• 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s in their lifetime.
• Every 71 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s.
• Alzheimer’s is the seventh-leading cause of death.
• The direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias to Medicare, Medicaid and businesses amount to more than $148 billion each year.
These are just a few of the facts in the new report, 2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. The report is a comprehensive statistical abstract of U.S. data on Alzheimer’s disease that includes:
• prevalenceÂ
• mortality
• the costs of Alzheimer care
• family caregiving
• a special report on lifetime risk
New Report: 
 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures (43 pages)
Source: Alzheimers Association
