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Researchers have identified two new nuclear medicine tracers that make it easier to diagnose and potentially treat cancer. A proof-of-concept investigation, published in the March issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, reports that 68Ga-FAPI positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) provides high-contrast images with quality equal to or better than that of the standard 18F-FDG imaging. Further, no diet changes or fasting are needed before beginning imaging with 68Ga-FAPI, and image acquisition times are substantially shorter than with 18F-FDG PET/CT.

Have you ever managed a single-legged squat on only one leg or struggled to lift a weight with one arm but not the other? There's a reason for that, and it's called a muscle imbalance: when a muscle is stronger on one side of your body than the other. It's natural and pretty commonplace, which makes sense when you think about how most of us are trained to favor one hand, and therefore one side of the body, when we're very young.

"Imbalances are not a cause for panic," BOC-certified athletic trainer Liz Letchford, MS, told POPSUGAR, especially because your body "is asymmetrical by design — we've got one lung bigger than the other, a liver on one side, and even our diaphragm is a little off-center." And being imbalanced is normal in a lot of sports, too; many, like tennis and softball, are asymmetrical by design, and having an imbalance can even help you in competition.

That doesn't mean it's something you want to keep around. According to Nirav Pandya, MD, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at UC San Francisco, muscle imbalances become an issue when you compete in endurance sports, such as running, cycling, or swimming. "If you're doing just short bursts of activity," like playing tennis once a week or running for 20-30 minutes at a time, an imbalance may not be a big deal. But when you extend that exercise over a long period of time, it can lead to painful joint injuries.

If you're in your 20s or younger, though, an imbalance might be more annoying than painful. My right arm is stronger and noticeably bigger than my left, a remnant from playing softball for 12 years. My leg and glute muscles are also imbalanced — possibly also related to sports, or simply from natural dominance. Neither imbalance has affected my daily life or workouts yet, but Dr. Pandya warned that that could change. He said people typically start running into imbalance-related injuries in their 30s, when their bodies are less able to bounce back from the damage.

Unfortunately, correcting an imbalance isn't as simple as doing more reps or using heavier weights on your weak side. Both Letchford and Dr. Pandya agreed that seeing a physical therapist or a trainer is your best bet, especially one who's trained to recognize and correct imbalances. "If you'd like to give it a go yourself," Letchford said, try to "get curious about how your body moves and feels" when you're working the imbalanced muscles. When I squat, for example, I feel my left quad and glute firing much more than my right. Some people can even see the imbalances in a mirror. Then, Letchford said, focus on what it feels like when you make the movement look or feel more balanced. "Find that feeling more often," she said.

But whatever you do, always train both sides evenly. Going harder or heavier on the weaker side can build up too much strength, which reverses the issue instead of fixing it. "The weaker side will eventually catch up," Letchford said. "And then you can progress your movements with a more balanced body."

That means it's also OK to use lighter weights or lower the reps on both sides until your weaker side is up to speed. "It's better to be a little bit weaker and symmetric than to be really strong and asymmetric," Dr. Pandya said.

It's basically impossible to get to full symmetry, but working both sides to equal strength, or as close to equal as you can, will help protect you from injury in the long run. It's a time-consuming process, Dr. Pandya said. "You're kind of breaking yourself down and building back up again, but that time that you put in can definitely pay off on the back end."

WASHINGTON, DC – A broad coalition of technology giants took the stage in an unscheduled session at the Blue Button 2.0 Developer Conference here in the White House. 

Specifically, Amazon, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle and Salesforce came together to pledge to remove interoperability barriers. 

Dean Garfield, CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council, lead the session and described the pledge as "making a commitment to eliminate the friction that exists in the healthcare systems today," based on "cloud computing and cloud architecture moving toward open standards through FHIR and the Argonaut project."

[Also: CMS Administrator Seema Verma calls on payers to release claims data in API format]

While the companies did not delve into further details, Microsoft Corporate Vice President Peter Lee said his company is committed to removing all barriers to the interoperability of health data. 

"We see this as a historic moment where we can intervene in just the right ways as healthcare shifts to the cloud and makes AI available," Lee said.

Gregory Moore, Google’s vice president of healthcare and life sciences, said the company is also committing to enabling connected care. 

And IBM's Head of Global Product and AI Mark Dudman echoed the sentiment: "Patients should have access to their data and have the flexibility to use products and services across different systems to work seamlessly for their care."

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Chyawanprash has been around for thousands of years. It’s frequently taken as a dietary supplement and is one of the most popular medicines in Ayurvedic medicine. Read on to learn more about chyawanprash and how you can use it to boost your health.

Chyawanprash is an herbal jam-like medicine used in Ayurveda, a system of traditional medicine from India. It is traditionally used as the ultimate health supplement to fight everyday illnesses and to support the immune system. One of the most popular Ayurvedic medicines, chyawanprash falls under a category of drugs named “rasayana,” which are rejuvenating tonics that aim to maintain youth and delay the aging process [R, R].

Chyawanprash is most commonly used to boost the immune system, to treat any lung or breathing problems, and to improve memory and brain function [R].

Chyawanprash is typically composed of around 50 different herbs, though the composition may vary between 25 and 80 herbs, depending on the manufacturer. However, the main ingredient, amla or Indian gooseberry, remains consistent across different formulations. The amount of Indian gooseberry used according to official recipes is over 100 times the amount of each of the other herbs [R].

There are 44 standard herbs in chyawanprash according to the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. For some, only the Sanskrit names are available, though the scientific name has been determined for others [R]:

• Indian gooseberry (amalaki, amla)
• Bengal quince (bilva) – root or stem bark
• Arni (agnimantha) – root or stem bark
• Indian trumpet (syonaka) – root or stem bark
• Patala (paral) – root or stem bark
• Bala – root
• Salaparni (sariva) – whole plant
• Prsnipami – whole plant
• Mudgaparni – root, whole plant
• Musaparni – root, whole plant
• Indian long pepper (pippali) – fruits
• Small caltrops (svadamstra, gokshura, gokhru) – whole plant
• Indian nightshade (brhati, vanavrintaki) – whole plant
• Yellow berried nightshade (kantakari, chhoti kateri, kashtakari) – whole plant
• Srni (karkatsinghi) – galls
• Tamalaki (bhumyamalaki) – whole plant
• Grapes (draksa) – fruits
• Jivanti – root
• Puskara (pushkarmool) – root
• Agaru (agarashta) – heartwood
• Chebulic myrobalan (haritaki, abhaya, harde) – fruits
• Heartleaf moonseed (guduchi) – stem
• Rddhi – root
• Jivaka – leaves
• Rsabhaka – leaves
• Sati (kachur) – rhizomes
• Nut grass (musta, nagarmotha) – root, trichomes
• Spreading hogweed (punarnava, rakta punarnava) – whole plant
• Meda – root, trichomes
• Cardamom (ela, elaichi) – seeds
• Sandalwood (chandana, svetacandana) – heartwood
• Utpala – flowers
• Wild yam (vidari, kanda) – root, trichomes
• Malabar nut tree (vrsamula, vasaka) – root
• Kakoli – root
• Kakanasa (kakanasika) – fruits
• Tugaksiri
• Two types of cinnamon (tvak and tegapatra) – bark, leaves
• Iran wood tree (nagakesar) – stamen

Non-herbal ingredients of chyawanprash include [R]:

• Ghee, or clarified butter (ghrta)
• Sesame oil (taila)
• Unrefined cane sugar (matsyandika)
• Honey (madhu)

To distinguish their chyawanprash from competitors’, some companies add metals such as gold and silver to their formulations; this is potentially toxic in large amounts. Be sure to check the ingredients of the chyawanprash you have!

Indian gooseberry is very high in vitamin C. Since Indian gooseberry is the main component of chyawanprash, it’s likely this high vitamin C content is responsible for some of chyawanprash’s antioxidant properties and its other effects [R].

Indian gooseberry and vitamin C have both been shown to enhance memory, which could be how chyawanprash exerts its improvement on brain function and memory [R]. 

Brain degeneration disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are thought to be caused by decreases in cholinergic neurons (a certain type of brain cell). Chyawanprash may improve brain function by enhancing the activity of cholinergic neurons [R].

1) Chyawanprash Reduces Smoking Symptoms

Smoking can cause a variety of symptoms, including coughing in the morning, persistent phlegm, and breathlessness after exercise. Chyawanprash (12 g, 2x/day) improved symptoms and increased quality of life in a clinical trial with 50 smokers [R].

Tobacco smoke can also damage DNA, increasing the risk of mutations which can lead to cancer and other diseases. A clinical study of 25 male smokers found that 20 g, 2x/day of chyawanprash reduced the DNA damage from smoking [R]. 

Chewing tobacco or betel quid is one of the leading causes of cancer in India, acting similarly to tobacco smoke. In a clinical study of 21 people, 20 g of chyawanprash, 2x/day, along with quitting betel quid chewing reduced the risk of cancer and the toxic effects of tobacco [R].

2) Chyawanprash Helps Treat Tuberculosis

In a clinical trial of 90 people, chyawanprash (10 g, 2x/day) given with anti-tuberculosis drugs eliminated symptoms such as coughing, weakness, and loss of appetite and weight. It also reduced recovery time [R].

Chyawanprash with anti-tuberculosis drugs reduced inflammation and other symptoms in a study of 99 people with tuberculosis. It also improved uptake of the anti-tuberculosis drugs [R].

3) Chyawanprash Can Treat Infection

An increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a marker for inflammation, severe infection, and pregnancy. A large teaspoon of chyawanprash, 2x/day, decreased ESR in a study of 40 children with throat infections [R].

4) Chyawanprash Can Act as Antioxidant

Antioxidants are substances that can prevent cell damage from oxidative stress. Vitamin C is one of the most effective and frequently taken antioxidants. A clinical study of 12 men found that chyawanprash is a more powerful antioxidant than vitamin C [R]. 

Several animal studies demonstrated that the antioxidant properties of chyawanprash could reduce heart, kidney, and liver damage [R, R, R].

5) Chyawanprash Boosts the Immune System

A clinical trial of over 600 children found that chyawanprash (6 g, 1x/day) reduced illness frequency (from infection or allergies) and improved energy levels, physical fitness, strength, and stamina [R].

In cell studies, chyawanprash increased the activity of different cells in the immune system and increased the release of cytokines (molecules involved in activating the immune system) [R, R].

6) Chyawanprash Reduces Symptoms of Aging

In a study with 9 people, 25 g, 2x/day of chyawanprash reduced the levels of molecules associated with aging, such as urine nitrogen content [R]. 

A mouse study found that chyawanprash can reduce skin damage from UV exposure [R]. 

Cell studies with human skin cells also show that chyawanprash increased cell growth and helped reduce levels of reactive oxygen species, a molecule involved in oxidative damage and aging [R].

7) Chyawanprash May Improve Brain Function

In a clinical trial with 128 college students, chyawanprash (15 g, 2x/day) improved alertness, attention, concentration, and academic performance [R].

Some mouse studies found that daily chyawanprash supplementation improved memory in aged mice, more so than in young mice. There was also generally improved brain function, possibly due to chyawanprash’s antioxidant properties. Chyawanprash may also improve brain function by enhancing the activity of a certain type of brain cell (cholinergic neurons) [R, R].

Chyawanprash Reduces Side Effects of Cancer Radiation Therapy

A clinical trial of 75 people with head and neck cancer showed that chyawanprash (10 g, 2x/day) given during radiation therapy reduced the side effects. People were given either chyawanprash, chyawanprash and vitamin supplements, or vitamin supplements alone. The groups given chyawanprash showed improved skin and mucosal reactions [R].

9) Chyawanprash May Treat Depression

A clinical trial of 60 people showed that 10 g, 2x/day of chyawanprash could reduce depression as measured by a depression rating scale [R].

10) Chyawanprash Reduces Blood Cholesterol

In a clinical trial of 10 healthy people, chyawanprash (15 g, 1x/day) helped reduce cholesterol levels [R].

Animal and Cellular Studies

The following studies were conducted only on animal models or cell lines.

11) Chyawanprash May Prevent Allergies

Studies on rats and mice show that chyawanprash given before an allergic reaction can reduce the effect of the allergy, comparable to cetirizine (a common anti-allergy drug) [R].

For the most part, there are few side effects to taking chyawanprash. Most clinical studies have not reported any negative effects or toxicity [R]. 

Those with diabetes should take caution when taking chyawanprash due to its high sugar content, from the added unrefined cane sugar and honey.

Pregnant women should consult with a physician before taking chyawanprash as a supplement. Some sources online recommend reducing dosage by half for pregnant women, though no scientific studies have examined this in detail.

Some reviews mention sensations of heat after consuming chyawanprash, likely due to the strong combination of herbs in chyawanprash. Taking chyawanprash with hot milk may soothe this sensation. No scientific studies have described this in detail.

There are no reported interactions between chyawanprash and other drugs. However, it’s still recommended you consult with a physician and an Ayurvedic practitioner if you wish to take chyawanprash in combination with other medications due to the variety of herbs that are found in chyawanprash.

Chyawanprash is a dark brown jam-like paste. It is usually eaten directly, or with warm milk or water.

The typical dosage of is one teaspoon (~10-15 g) of chyawanprash, 2x/day. Doses should be reduced for younger children [R].

Different classical texts and current industrial practices have modified methods and ingredient proportions. For example, the amount of gooseberry used may vary, and the proportions and parts used of other herbs can differ. Additionally, the amount of sugar and ghee can be variable [R].

A majority of reviews recommend taking chyawanprash with milk, and some say it can be spread on bread or crackers as well. Many reviewers take it to boost immunity especially during the winter, to supplement their diet with more nutrients, and to improve energy and activity levels as they grow older.

Some reviewers complain of the taste, which is a mixture of sweet, sour or spicy, and bitter.

One review cautions users to take note of possible allergies since many herbs are used in chyawanprash.

I came home from work & grabbed a beer from the fridge. Came upstairs, put the beer down, put my workout clothes on and went & lifted.

Be persistent fam.

(The trick is, I have an alarm on my phone set for just after I get home which tells me to go lift.)

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Jillian Michaels loves mixing things up in the gym. The fitness expert and trainer, who has her own workout app called My Fitness by Jillian Michaels, frequently shares her workouts on Instagram. And while some are best reserved for fitness pros, this medicine ball circuit that she shared on Sept. 11 is a good one for all fitness levels.

Jillian starts with medicine ball throwdowns, then transitions to push-ups on the med ball. She then does forward lunges while throwing the medicine ball to each side. She follows that with a medicine ball wall toss and squat, then standing wood chops against the wall. Jillian said to do each move for 30 seconds for four rounds, with one minute of rest in between each round.

The best part about this circuit is that you can customize it to fit your fitness level. If you need to modify the push-ups, you can. You can also adjust the weight of the medicine ball. Plus, you only need one piece of equipment!

Give this HIIT circuit a try next time you're looking to mix up your cardio and strength training at the gym.

Source: https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Jillian-Michaels-Medicine-Ball-Circuit-45255929

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