Community News

 

PHILADELPHIA – July 28, 2024 – According to research that was presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia on July 28^th, a new blood test can provide earlier and a more accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. This could provide a quicker pathway to treatment. The blood test was about 90% accurate in identifying Alzheimer’s disease in patients who have already exhibited early symptoms. The study was performed at Lund University in Sweden. It has just been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The tau protein blood test predicts the likelihood of amyloid plaques in the brain. The buildup of tau protein in the blood is felt to be a biomarker that occurs before patients show impairment with the ability to think, learn, remember, use judgement and make decisions. These are the important symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid plaques have been shown to be present in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Reducing the formation of the plaques has been the target of recently approved medical treatments.

The traditional methods used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease is a medical history, mental status tests, physical and neurologic exams, brain imaging, and a lumbar puncture to analyze cerebral spinal fluid. The study reports that without the blood test, primary care physicians can only diagnose the disease with 63% accuracy and neurology specialists are a little better at 73%. More than 1 thousand patients participated in the study.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

BUNCOMBE COUNTY, NC – Summertime, 2024 – This is a great time of year to go for a hike in the mountains around Asheville. Hiking provides many health benefits like lowering the risk of heart disease, reducing blood pressure, and strengthening cardiovascular fitness. Hiking can range from a leisurely low-intensity activity to a very strenuous high-intensity workout on mountainous terrain. Many hikers carry supplies like water, food, clothing, and a tent, particularly on longer routes that can last for more than a day. Carrying heavy loads put a greater stress on muscles and joints and increase energy needs and fatigue. Overuse and traumatic injuries can occur with hiking, such as fractures and sprains.

Walking with poles originated in Finland. This activity is time-efficient, low-stress, and a total body workout. It has spread to many countries in Europe and the United States. Hiking with poles is both accessible and cost-effective. The poles are referred to as hiking poles, Nordic walking poles, and trekking poles. They may be made of light aluminum or carbon fiber.

Many people use specially designed trekking poles to help them hike. These hikers feel that the poles help with balance, stability, and offloading their lower extremities. An article published in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine in 2020 reviewed the medical literature over the preceding 40 years. This review found that hikers can walk faster with poles. During unloaded walking, trekking poles improved balance, decreased lower extremity loads, when going downhill and on level ground, but required more cardiovascular effort. With carrying higher loads, the poles increased balance and stability when hiking. Poles act as an accessory brake when going downhill and reduce leg muscle activity and leg soreness afterwards. The hikers with loads had a more normal walking pattern though expended more effort. However, there was no difference in cardiovascular effort when compared to hikers not carrying loads. The authors did not find any evidence supporting the use of one pole versus two poles when hiking.

Hiking with poles has also been shown have beneficial health affects for special populations like persons with Parkinson’s disease, obesity, low back pain, and the elderly. In Parkinson and elderly patients, using poles help facilitate a better coordinated gait pattern, better balance, and a faster gait. In obese persons, using poles can offload their lower extremity joints and reduce the risk of the development of osteoarthritis. Hiking with poles can offload the spine and temporarily reduce low back pain in persons suffering from this ailment.

Hiking with poles is an activity that can improve safety, reduce joint stress, give you a better overall workout, and improve endurance in contrast to hiking without poles. The authors concluded that hiking poles should be considered if the hiker has any pre-existent lower extremity conditions or pain. However, persons using trekking poles should understand that the poles will stress their cardiovascular fitness and their upper body more than not using them. You will burn 20% more calories if you use poles; and you will walk faster too.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

 

ASHEVILLE, NC – July 31, 2024 – The winter surge of respiratory infections, like COVID-19, has passed. However, over the past 3 years, COVID-19 infections have also surged in August.

The CDC’s COVID Dashboard for the week ending on July 20^th shows:  

• 3% of the deaths in North Carolina were due to COVID, the 2^nd lowest level of 6 groups.
• Emergency department visits for COVID-19 are low in North Carolina, less than 2.0% of all visits.
• Deaths and emergency department visits have increased more than 15% since last week.

Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID outbreaks. The Buncombe & Henderson counties wastewater data on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard was not reported last week.

 

Listen to the full report below:

 

 

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

More Posts for Show: Asheville FM News Hour

• • TONIGHT, it’s Daddy’s Big Gay Trivia Night, hosted by dom daddy Wolverine, at O.Henry’s from 7 to 9 PM. This adult-themed event promises to be a spankin’ good time with hilarious trivia questions, multiple choice, unscramble the words, visual trivia, fantastic prizes, and delicious drinks. This is a recurring event on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month at 7 PM. 
  • The first Thursday of the month is Divine’s Karaoke kiki with Proceeds to Blue Ridge Pride! Enjoy sing-alongs, props, and singing with a twist, hosted by a comedy drag queen. That’s at Archetype Brewing from 7-9pm
  • This friday, July 24th, Suede Presents: Leo Season Queer Dance Party, with sounds by Mordaga. Hosted by 12th House AVL at the Odd, this friday, from 8-12.
  • This and every Friday it’s Drag Queen karaoke at O Henry’s 8pm to midnight
  • This Friday there is a RuPaul Drag Race All Stars Season 9 viewing party at Banks Ave Bar. 8pm start time.Tuck It Up, Buttercup follows with. Music by DJ Bleu Lallama & DJ Blazze 9pm Showtime: 11:30pm. A night of interactive drag and dance music with an ever-changing lineup, each event will blend well-known, established queens/kings with up-and-coming queens/kings from the community and surrounding areas.

  • The 2nd and 4th Fridays it’s Daddy’s Big Gay Trivia Night, hosted by dom daddy Wolverine, at O.Henry’s at 7 PM. This adult-themed event promises to be a spankin’ good time! More information at Ohenrys Of Asheville dot com
  • Saturday July 25th it’s Trash Talk at Shakeys. Queer Dance Party with DJ Abu Dissaray 10p-2am Drag shows hosted by Priscilla chambers& Calcutta.

• • THIS SATURDAY, July 27th, come celebrate the anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act with DIYabled! Hosted at Pack Memorial Library, there will be a Reception, a screening of the Disability on the Spectrum Documentary by Priya Ray, and a Panel Discussion with People with Disabilities and Q&A with the Filmmaker Priya Ray. The Disability Pride Art Show will be available to see at Pack Memorial Library all month long!

• This and every Saturday, drag shows starting at 11pm and midnight at O.Henrys.
• Sunday’s it’s Gentle Yoga for Queer & GNC Folks at West Asheville Yoga Studio from 1:30 to 2:30. Learn more at “westashevilleyoga.com”.

• Also this and every Sunday it’s Social Sundays at Banks Avenue Bar from 4-7pm. Music, Dancing and Drinks with the queer community.
  
• This Sunday, July 28th, is the Beer City Bears Social @ Shakey’s – A kiki for bears, cubs, chubs, and their admirers. A fundraiser event! 4-5 PM at shakeys.
• It’s also the WNC Queer Professionals Networking event this Sunday at PLEB Urban Winery from 2-4pm. Dr. Laura Jurgens (she/they), relationship and intimacy coach (and escaped academic), will guide us through some fun and thought-provoking exercises to help us figure out how to safely expand our authenticity at work.  They willl be focusing on these questions: How do we connect more authentically in business relationships? How can we feel more safe to be ourselves? How might it benefit us? How can we allow other people — whether clients, colleagues, customers, bosses, or employees, to see the real us– and how much of the real us do we really want them to see?
• Monday and every Monday, Karaoke hosted by Ganymede at the 27 Club at 10pm.  
• Tuesday, July 30th it’s Take Over Tuesday at Haiku I Do. A social event for the LGBTQ community starting at 5:30pm.

Looking Ahead:

• Next Thursday, August 1st, Tina and Her Pony is playing a one hour set on 8/1 Wicked Weed Funkatorium 6-7pm for AVL FEST! Tickets are available at www.avlfest.com. 
• Next Friday, August 2nd at 6pm t’s Pride Night at the Blue Ridge Beer Garden in Hendersonville, a monthly community meet up by Hendersonville Pride.
• Next Saturday, August 3rd. AVL Fest is here! Join M A R and the Marmeladies August 3rd at 2pm at The Orange Peel for for music, dancing and good times! M A R and the Marmeladies is a spirited 4-piece band rooted in the rich tapestry of Latin American Folk and ventures beyond boundaries of genres adding a touch of quirky bluesy indie and Latin flair over bilingual lyrics. Hailing originally from Peru and based in the US, M A R, the lead singer and guitars of the Marmeladies is a trans/non-binary songwriter, musician and producer. 

Looking Further Ahead:

• Thursday, August 8th it’s Make Medicine Queer (again) an interactive lecture/workshop at RiverRock Clinic to learn about queerness in healthcare. This lecture/interactive workshop will be led by Mary Burke-Pitts (accupuncturist) and Dr. Catherine Lok (family physician). This event is all about embracing our queer identities and reclaiming our space in the medical world. explore how we can make medicine more welcoming and affirming for all LGBTQ+ individuals and how to get the most of both natural/Traditional Chinese Medicine and conventional medicine as a queer person or ally. RiverRock Clinic’s cozy patient waiting room is at 2 Weaverville Road #201 in Woodfin.
• Thursday August 15th Center for Craft invites you to an opening celebration of Max Adrian: RIPSTOP on Thursday, August 15 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm! Max Adrian: RIPSTOP is a solo exhibition celebrating queer material culture and history through the lens of craft by the Ohio-based fiber artist and recipient of the prestigious 2015 Center for Craft Windgate-Lamar Fellowship. The show features patchwork textiles and inflatable sculptures made from fur, satin, pleather, fringe, and ripstop, the show’s namesake, a woven nylon material that allows the pieces to hold air. On view are monumentally scaled works that inflate in response to the viewer.
• Youth OUTright’s GSA Summit is back again! This year, the GSA Summit will be back at Warren Wilson College on October 12th from 9am-5pm. And presentation applications are open now till August 12th! High school youth are invited to present an hour-long workshop, discussion, or presentation on social justice such as racial justice, gender justice, disability justice, and more. If you’re interested in this opportunity, you can find more info and the link to apply at givebutter.com/GSASummit2024

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