A bottle of Lysol can’t make a dent in the bacterial colonies teeming in trillions of numbers around us, on us and even in us. The ability of bacteria to exist in practically every imaginable environment on Earth makes them an integral part of life and a necessity we cannot wash away. In fact, eliminating […]
Author Archives: Joie Guner
When the mere idea of a cure is enough
A patient is given a pill to take daily as a painkiller. After a month, the pain is gone. Surprise ““ the pill contained no active ingredients, but was merely a sugar pill. The elimination of pain was a result of what is known as the placebo effect. The placebo effect is the physiological changes […]
Low-carb dieters lose more than weight
Recent popular diets have devised a way to color-code the food pyramid, by encouraging the elimination of white foods ““ those that tend to be high in carbohydrates. Dr. Robert Atkins first sparked debate in 1972 by supporting a diet based on an extreme reduction of carbohydrates and an increase of proteins in order to […]
AIDS awareness, research increase on campus
The first documented incidents of AIDS in the United States occurred in Los Angeles in 1981. Those first diagnosed with the disease were treated at the UCLA Medical Center. By 1982, the terrifying new disease had become widespread throughout the country. Now it is unquestionably a worldwide epidemic. Distant countries like Romania and South Africa […]
Symposium feeds attendees nutrition, DNA info
Obesity claims the lives of approximately 300,000 Americans each year. Often caused by poor diet and lack of exercise, poor nutrition associated with obesity can eventually lead to damaged genes. Obesity, as well as other health issues, including Alzheimer’s, mad cow disease and dietary supplements, were addressed at “Nurturing Our Nature: Genomics, Diet and Nutrition,” […]
Med students try a new way of learning
The current class of first-year students at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine are the first to be taught under a newly structured curriculum, which places emphasis on integration in medicine. After one semester, the curriculum is getting mixed reviews from both students and faculty. But the scales tip in favor of the decision to […]
Forum serves food for thought
By the year 2050, there will be 9 billion humans inhabiting the world ““ a population that will require a 100 percent increase in the production of food to stave of starvation. A symposium on Friday entitled “Foods for the Future,” organized by UCLA Extension in collaboration with the David Geffen School of Medicine, addressed […]