Continuous excessive drinking can cause changes in the brain related to functional and physiological activity - which may hinder alcoholics’ ability to process information, and, importantly, to stop drinking. The research suggests that people who have alcohol dependence (AD) have problems transferring and applying new knowledge to additional contexts. The lack of ability to apply knowledge to new situations may also hurt their ability to quit drinking. Treatment of addiction continues to improve - ask for new treatments. "AD individuals often have problems applying the knowled...

There are many reasons that a person may begin drinking heavily. Stress, depression, and mental health are all factors. One of the biggest reasons may be a traumatic experience or abuse during childhood. Previous studies have suggested that alcoholics are much more likely to have been physically or sexually abused as children. New research adds that emotional abuse and neglect may be equally important factors. Get professional help if you suspect child abuse. Markus Heilig , M.D., Ph.D., of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug...

The health of your heart appears to be in part related to your access to healthy foods and safe exercise opportunities within your neighborhood. Those with better neighborhood access to grocery stores or farmer's markets with healthy foods and recreational resources such as parks and walking trails tend to have better cardiovascular health. Locate and utilize neighborhood parks and trails. Erin Unger , study author and medical student at Northwestern University, said that neighborhood factors that can significantly lead to improved heart health include include access to parks an...

Stroke care has improved dramatically over the last two decades. But even with those improvements, the number of patients calling 9-1-1 when they experience stroke symptoms has remained stagnant.

Cigarette tobacco slowly maims and kills. That message is getting through, unfiltered, loud and clear. The result is that thousands of lives have been saved.

Methadone Maintenance Treatment ( MMT ), for heroin addicts, comes with considerable societal expenses. Thankfully, an alternative treatment that is more effective and more cost-effective may exist.

Mild winters and warmer weather year round may have some negative side effects. A new position paper believes that climate change will be responsible for even more respiratory disease cases.

Cancer tumors survive and grow in part because of a network of blood vessels they build. This is called angiogenesis . Scientists can't fully explain the process, but are beginning to understand its origins. Previously, a series of experimental results published from New York and Italy showed evidence that the blood vessel growth in the brain cancer glioblastoma was cancer-based growth, rather than normal blood vessels growing to feed tumors. Angiogenesis inhibitors such as Avastin ( bevacizumab ) would only be effective against normal blood vessels, and researchers believed that t...

Stopping diabetes before it starts is the key to lowering rates of this common disease. The question is: when is the best time to step in with medical treatment without wasting precious resources?

Hispanics have several risk factors for heart failure, but little research has been available regarding Hispanic patients suffering the condition. A new study suggests that when it comes to survival, they may have an advantage.