The search for eternal youth is as old as time itself. The theme of immortality winds its way through religion, mythology, poetry, fiction, and modern movies. Usually, stories of those who have achieved immortality expose the curse of eternal life, rather than the blessing of perpetual youth. While living forever may never be possible, life expectancy is steadily increasing, and healthier — that is, more youthful — aging may actually be possible.

New research published in the medical journal The Lancet posits that most babies born since the year 2000 will live to be at least 100 years old. Read more →

Chronic pain is a widespread challenge, affecting as many as 50 million Americans, and lacks effective treatment options. The American College of Rheumatology defines chronic pain as pain occurring at least 4 days per week for at least 3 months. If there is pain at 11 or more of the 18 defined trigger points, the condition is defined as fibromyalgia.

Both physical and psychological factors are believed to be involved in the development of chronic pain, and individual differences exist in pain sensitivity and tolerance, making treatment difficult. Read more →

Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a fatal, inherited neurodegenerative disease. It affects approximately 30,000 people in the United States, with another 200,000 at risk of developing the disease. There is currently no cure.

Hope is on the horizon, however, with the FDA’s approval of the first drug to treat HD in August of 2008. The drug, Xenazine (tetrabenazine) was developed in the 1950’s to treat psychosis, but had limited success. Now, it is available in the United States, as well as Europe, Canada, and Australia, to treat one of the hallmark symptoms of HD — chorea. Read more →