Health

Dementia is diagnosed presumptively by a clinical exam that notes impairments in cognitive functioning such as memory, language and attention.

It appears that our beloved dark chocolate candy bars can contain dangerous amounts of lead and cadmium — the dark chocolate we intentionally chose for its health benefits like lower blood pressure and antioxidants that protect cells from damage.

As a new year begins I realize that time is not waiting for me. Where did 24 years of this century go? I certainly can name milestone events during those 24 years, but the rest of the time, the majority, I seem to have little recollection.

The Fort Wayne Farm Show, to be presented Jan. 14-16 by Tradexpos at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, will feature daily educational seminars provided by Northeastern Indiana Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Purdue Extension.

Why the results surprised anyone is itself a surprise. After the state of California began testing dairy herds for highly pathogenic avian influenza, known also as bird flu or H5N1, in August, it found the pathogen on 645 dairy farms.

California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in that state and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the United States.

A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the nation’s first severe case of the illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The death of an Oregon house cat and a pet food recall are raising questions about the ongoing outbreak of bird flu and how people can protect their pets.

Leaders from the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health shared global trends in the soy market in 2025 and beyond.

It Takes a Village is a nearly three-acre, urban nonprofit farm in Sauk Village, a suburb of Chicago, that opened in response to the last grocery store closing in the community in 2019.

It is true that excess sodium has health risks, and I agree with public health officials in recommending that people consume less sodium. High sodium increases blood pressure levels for most people. However, sodium is an essential nutrient.

Many of us set goals that are too ambitious or unattainable. Simply put, we set ourselves up for failure when we set unrealistic goals. We also fail if our goals lack specificity and are hard to measure and track.

Dairy checkoff initiatives of 2024 successfully increased dairy access in schools, expanded market share for U.S. dairy products and supported the industry’s longstanding commitment to sustainability.

Before 2024 slides into history, some noteworthy farm and food updates, please, to ensure these stories go with it.

Older men are less likely to get their partners pregnant, and this difference is apparent by the age of 35.

An outbreak of often-fatal epizootic hemorrhagic disease afflicted more than 500 white-tailed deer in Indiana’s Allen, Porter and Wabash counties last summer.

Indiana Soybean Alliance Board Directors Mike Koehne and C.J. Chalfant were elected to leadership positions with the Soy Transportation Coalition during the group’s meeting in Alabama.

Melatonin is safer and has fewer side effect, one of them being vivid dreams. However, 5 mg is a big dose.

The 2024 Fall Meeting of the Dairy Sustainability Alliance emphasized the industry’s collective efforts to meet sustainability targets through the adoption of new technologies, best practices and measurement tools.

Some of the facts are scary: As we age, we lose muscle mass. The more inactive we are, the more we lose.

As a medical student, I remember seeing what RA looked like before we had effective medications such as methotrexate and TNF inhibitors like Humira.

There are lots of options to add prebiotics, probiotics and fermented food into a diet that can provide some health benefits.

A public hearing for a proposed wheat checkoff was held at the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The proposal calls for a 1.5-cent checkoff per bushel of wheat sold in Illinois.

FRAX is a tool to evaluate fracture risk based on individual patient models, incorporating clinical risk factors and bone mineral density at the femoral neck.

Federal health officials called for more testing of employees on farms with bird flu after a new study showed that some dairy workers had signs of infection, even when they didn’t report feeling sick.

Americans who think of petrified hot dogs, frozen burritos and salty snacks when they imagine getting food at a gas station or truck stop may be pleasantly surprised during their next road trip.

PCOS doesn’t go away after menopause, but it’s harder to diagnose. There aren’t good data to help guide treatment, so understanding what’s happening at a biochemical level is important.

All types of UV light exposure, whether they lead to a sunburn or suntan, cause damage to the skin and lead to an increased risk of skin cancer.

Here we go again. Another winter, another COVID variant. This one is called XEC, and it’s emerging as a common one right now, taking over from variant KP.3.1.1.

An Illinois State University organics class toured a farm and milling facility to see up close the field-to-bag process.

Have you made your Medicare decisions yet for 2025? The period for open enrollment runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, and by now you should have received your 2025 handbook “Medicare & You” if you’re already signed up.

The most common symptom of uterine cancer is abnormal uterine bleeding. This usually takes the form of red, pink or brown spotting.

Changing your body’s circadian rhythm isn’t always easy, and after such a long time, it will take longer for you. But it shouldn’t be as difficult as you might fear.

How long can you stand on one leg? This balance ability is apparently a good indicator of how we’re aging — or so say several researchers.

Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer of the bone marrow. The cells in the bone marrow, called plasma cells, stop responding as they should and make large amounts of antibodies.

Because so many people have high blood pressure and the consequences of untreated or poorly treated high blood pressure include a risk for heart attacks and strokes, it’s critically important to understand this thoroughly.

In general, we recommend surgical repair for symptomatic hernias, as the pain tends to gradually increase over years. No surgery comes without a risk, but the risk is not enormous.

The Dairy Management Inc. New Product Competition for college students is accepting entries for 2025. The competition seeks innovative dairy product concepts and is open to undergraduate and graduate students.

Alendronate, with the brand name Fosamax, is in the class of drugs called bisphosphonates. These are powerful drugs that should not be prescribed lightly.

Here we go again. Not to be an alarmist, but COVID never did go away. It’s been creeping around, changing its composition, infecting people, staying one step ahead of medicine every step of the way.

Few states put on a show like the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin, where 50,000 visitors from nearly 100 countries will see 1,800 owners exhibiting 2,500 or so of the best dairy cattle in the galaxy.

Although aspirin is better than nothing, it has been proven to be less effective than Xarelto and similar medicines in people who are at risk for blood clots.

Intestinal metaplasia is when the lining of the stomach develops a microscopic appearance, similar to the intestines. This can predispose people to stomach cancer.

Confetti, traveling and fair food, oh my. Many people joke that my teammates and I are now “owned” by Illinois FFA.

We don’t always need to have the answers on the tip of our tongue. Whether it’s things we have forgotten, or it’s information about our current world, sometimes it’s enough to know where to find that information.

Isotretoin is the most effective treatment for acne, but it has the potential for serious side effects and can only be given after a thorough review of its risks.

The first 1,000 days of a baby’s life — encompassing pregnancy through the child’s second birthday — is a critical period for brain development.

National Farm Safety and Health Week will be observed Sept. 15-21 this year. The theme, “Don’t Learn Safety by Accident,” encourages people to take a proactive approach to safety education.

Animal shelters across the country are loaded with adoptable animals, with more coming in all the time. How did this happen?

The initial treatment for OAB symptoms usually consists of lifestyle changes — quitting smoking and avoiding medications that worsen symptoms at night — pelvic floor muscle exercises and bladder training.