Fitness For Health

After welcoming a new baby, the last thing that a parent wants to do is to leave the baby in the care of someone else. But that’s often the situation for parents and families of newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Due to the nature of care and the NICU environment, parents and family members cannot always be with the baby 24/7. They may even miss critical milestones or updates if they need to step away from the NICU for work, to care for other children or even to get some much-needed rest.

Today at IWK Health in Halifax, Canada, that’s not the case. IWK’s Chez NICU Home program provides families with online education, resources, and virtual connections to help them become more active participants in the care of their baby while in the NICU.

Chez NICU Home includes a web-delivered application created by the IWK that provides

Cambridge-based Sinaptica Therapeutics, a company providing electromagnetic treatment for patients with neurodegenerative diseases, announced its receipt of FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for its non-invasive SinaptiStim – AD System, designed to treat cognitive and functional decline in Alzheimer’s patients. 

SinaptiStim uses neurostimulation and brain wave monitoring technologies with an AI-personalization engine to provide electromagnetic therapy for cognitive and functional decline in Alzheimer’s patients.

The FDA designation is based on outcomes from a Phase II clinical trial involving mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s patients that has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. 

The System is for investigational use only. The FDA designation expedites the device’s development, assessment and review. It also gives Sinaptica priority review and interactive communication through the premarket review process with the FDA. 

“This marks an important milestone for the company, as it helps establish our regulatory pathway for FDA clearance of our SinaptiStim – AD System,” Rich Macary, president

I don’t consider myself a biohacker, but I do intentionally engage in practices that I believe will extend my healthspan and lifespan. Cold plunges are one of them. Cold exposure goes into the bucket along with things like resistance training, intermittent fasting, sun on your skin, and sauna—all stimuli that stress the body and prompt it to become stronger and more resistant to chronic and acute health issues. 

I’m tempted to say that cold plunges are an easy way to challenge your system, but if you’ve ever stepped up to the edge of an icy stream or cold pool, you know there’s nothing easy about forcing yourself to get in, sink down to your neck, and make the intentional choice to stay there. Veteran cold plungers and winter swimmers will tell you that over time your body acclimates so it becomes easier to tolerate the cold. You’ll even come to

Reviewed by Jennifer Martin, PhD

---

Maybe you’ve seen the headlines about how oversleeping has been linked to a greater risk of disease and death. If you’re the kind of person who regularly clocks more than eight hours of slumber, these news stories have probably made you wonder, “Why do I sleep so much? And is it bad for me?”

In this story, sleep experts help you understand the latest science. You’ll find out what really happens when you oversleep, along with how it affects your health.

(Spoiler: Chances are, you have nothing to worry about.)

How much is too much sleep?

On average, most people need somewhere between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. But that’s an average, not a good-health edict.

“As you start to move out in either direction, there are people who require slightly more and slightly less sleep,” says Chris Winter, MD, sleep specialist,