Amidst the growing concerns about the spread of the Ebola virus, a company in Japan is offering what could be the solution. A drug that has been widely used in Japan against the flu is also being used as an experimental Ebola treatment, and apparently it is expected to do a good job. Given the fatality rate of Ebola it comes as no surprise that doctors want to try anything they can to treat it.

The World Health Organization is hopeful that this drug will work against Ebola, but they say they’re not putting all their eggs in this one basket. If it does in fact work against Ebola it will only be a matter of time before it can be distributed as needed. In addition to experimental trials the company behind the product is also working to have it clinically tested and approved for human use against Ebola, so that in the future it can actually be used as a full force drug.

Whether or not this drug will work is yet to be seen, but many experts are hopeful that it might work. At this point any sign of hope is a good thing and doctors say this is the most promising step in the past few months. Experimental treatments are beginning soon so it is only a matter of time before we know if it is actually going to work.

FDA Approved First Migraine Prevention Device

Today the FDA announced their ruling on an innovative and new device that many people have been eagerly awaiting. The Cefaly is essentially a headband that can be worn to prevent migraines from developing, which would bring a significant amount of relief to the millions of people that suffer from regular migraines. The way it operates is very simple too, a self adhesive electrode sticks to the user’s forehead and sends well timed and directed electric pulses to control the onset of a migraine.

Currently the device is not available in the United States, but thanks to the FDA’s approval it will likely soon become much more available. The Cefaly is still going to remain a prescription only device, so unless your doctor says you need it you’re not going to be able to get one. The device is also only supposed to be worn for a maximum of 20 minutes per day but many doctors and researchers say that is far and beyond enough time given just how effective it is. This is absolutely great news for the millions of migraine sufferers, hopefully it’ll hit shelves soon and start making people feel a whole lot better.

Researchers Say Baby was Cured of HIV

Research released this week by a medical group in Florida makes some shocking and potentially groundbreaking claims. About 9 months ago a baby was born in Mississippi with HIV, and now reports are showing that the treatment given and the steps taken have in fact cured the child of HIV. Doctors say it is absolutely unacceptable that the child was born with HIV in the first place, largely due to the fact that it is almost entirely preventable, but they’re still happy to report that the child will be able to lead a normal life without the HIV medication so many people depend on.

The child was given an experimental and immediate treatment for HIV that has shown major promise in the past, and this time it was once again a major success. Doctors say now that the child is 9 months old they’ve been actively monitoring her health and there are absolutely no signs of HIV, even though medication has been discontinued. This is a huge step in the right direction and many doctors say these cases are exactly what it will take to eventually find a cure for HIV, so this is absolutely great news for everyone.

Vitamin C Helps Fight Cancer

Chemotherapy is currently the most commonly used cancer fighting medicine on the market. Unfortunately there are a number of side effects and problems that make it less than appealing but there isn’t much most doctors can do beside us it on their cancer patients. Fortunately this week a study shows that one very simple vitamin can have a significant impact on the effectiveness and can essentially reduce the length of treatment required.

The biggest problem with chemotherapy is that it can and does kill cells that are not cancerous, fortunately according to the study vitamin C helps the treatment specifically target bad cancer cells. Doctors are incredibly happy with the results showing that vitamin C treatments helped and are planning to begin using it as a standard part of the treatment in many cases. More studies are being conducted to determine exactly why vitamin C does what it does, they’re also working to determine whether or not any other vitamins could be just as effective.

As a whole this is great news and will likely revolutionize the cancer treatment industry. Multiple follow up studies are being conducted and will likely yield even more positive results.

Drugstore Decides to Stop Selling Tobacco

Today CVS, one of the largest drugstore chains, announced that soon they will no longer be carrying tobacco or tobacco products. The announcement came as part of their new push for healthier decisions and overall wellness of their customers and as you can imagine it generated lots of reactions today. Obviously there are lots of reason for a decision like this but as a whole it is being considered an absolutely brilliant step forward and will likely be good news for society and the company.

Smoking and tobacco are becoming more and more of an outcast of society due to various health issues, despite this nearly every large chain store has continued to sell the product. CVS is the first big company to step up and fight against tobacco by stopping sales and many experts are hopeful that this will eventually spread to other major store as well. Either way it is great news to see a large corporation fighting against smoking and tobacco in the strongest way possible. CVS will officially pull tobacco out of their stores nationwide by October 1st, only time will tell if it makes any impact or whether any other companies decide to follow suit.

Scientists Create New Stem Cells

For many years now researchers have been working on developing various disease cures with stem cells and the results are definitely looking very promising. Unfortunately at the current time stem cells are difficult to capture or grow without damaging the host organism, the good news is that this new breakthrough might be exactly what it takes to bring stem cell research to the front of the research process.

Essentially researchers found an innovative new way to grow stem cells from standard cells in a mouse, they have significant success through repeated testing. Now the research team is beginning to attempt the same procedure using human cells, if they are successful they should quickly and easily be able to develop human stem cells without any real risk. The stem cell research industry has been controversial and complicated for years due to public opinion but this could very well be the next big step forward in what many doctors say is the most promising form of medical research.

The scientists involved are hoping to begin testing the procedure on human cells in the next few months. If this process does in fact work out it will definitely be the best breakthrough the medical industry has seen in quite a long time.

This week the FDA officially approved a much anticipated diabetes drug that has been going through screening for quite some time. The drug was designed specifically as a type 2 diabetes treatment and according to the FDA it is now acceptable to sell to the public, which is absolutely great news for millions of diabetes sufferers. What makes Farxiga different from other medication is the way it works, rather than simply treating the issue, this new medication directly deals with the blood sugar generation system.

As a whole this is great news for anyone that suffers from type 2 diabetes. The drug has been proven to be successful, incredibly effective, and it is now going to be available to everyone. Doctors are very excited that Farxiga is now an approved medication and they’re likely to begin recommending it to a large number of patients in the very near future. Overall all type 2 diabetes patients are eligible to use the new drug and they might find that it is more effective and more affordable than current options, making it a big step forward. This is just another step forward in medicine that will likely be a big deal to millions of people around the world in the coming years.

Today an interesting and somewhat bizarre news story has been spreading and at first it seems almost unbelievable. A man in China accidentally cut off his hand in an industrial machine accident and while for most there would be no way to save the hand, the doctors in China successfully managed to save his hand. The radical procedure used to save the man’s hand hadn’t been used before and doctors weren’t sure if it was even possible, but after multiple surgeries the man’s hand was successfully grafted onto his calf for temporary survival.

Due to the severity of the damage to the man’s arm it was not possible to immediately reattach it. In order to make things work doctors surgically attached the hand to the man’s calf so it would get a constant supply of oxygen and blood to stay alive. Then once his arm and wrist area had successfully recovered enough doctors removed the hand and placed it back where it should be. The entire story seems farfetched and impossible but it is in fact true, it is an absolutely heartwarming story of just how innovative medicine can be. Now after some recovery time has passed the man has complete movement and feeling in his hand, which is something many doctors believed would never be possible.

A number of drugs that are currently used to treat diabetes has been going through studies and trials recently to determine if they have any additional medical value and according to a report released this week it looks like they might just be the next big thing in cancer treatment. The drugs are all very similar in the way they work and while they’re approved for use, the FDA keeps very tight restrictions on their usage for patients. Due to a number of preliminary studies many medical experts felt that these drugs could have an impact on cancer risk and now they’ve concluded that the drugs do in fact lower the risk of developing cancer in women.

Essentially according to doctors the drugs increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin which can reduce the risk for diabetes, since diabetes is often followed by cancer they believed this could have an impact on cancer development. After months of studies the reports concluded that the drugs did in fact have a measurable impact on cancer rates in women. Obviously it’ll be quite a while before anything like this could become a real, usable treatment, but many doctors are hopeful that this is a step in the right direction for cancer testing.

The electronic cigarette is being considered one of the best advances in technology to help smokers, despite that there are still some people out there that want to see more regulations, and for good reason. Electronic cigarettes are far and away healthier options than regular old cigarettes but the addiction is still a very real issue for many people. As a result of this many health advocates are beginning to press for tighter regulations, especially in regards to younger people, which is fantastic news.

Currently there is no federal minimum age for electronic cigarettes, although certain states restrict sales, this means that in many cases younger children are getting their hands on the devices. Parents and health experts are fighting to force a nationwide age restriction of 18 to match regular tobacco products and at this point it looks promising, which is absolutely great news. Restricting electronic cigarettes to older users is a good thing, without a doubt, and many electronic cigarette companies have even jumped in to support the cause so it is definitely a step in the right direction. Experts are hopeful that the FDA will begin deliberating these changes in the very near future.