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April 2016 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
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MAKERS
New Procedure Transforms
Kidney Transplants
Headphones Induce
Dopamine High
A new procedure called
desensitization could drastically reduce
the wait time for patients needing a
kidney transplant by sidestepping the
need to find a precise donor match.
Desensitization filters out antibodies
from the blood in order for a transplant
recipient to start producing an entirely
new reserve of antibodies. These new
antibodies are less likely to attack the
donated organ. The complete procedure
costs about $30,000 in addition to the
cost of the donated organ, which can be
as high $100,000. Results from a study
on desensitization were published in the
New England Journal of Medicine on
March 10.
Florida startup company Nervana
unveiled its vagus-nerve-stimulating
earbuds, also called Nervana, at the
Consumer Electronics Show this
January. The vagus nerve, also called
cranial nerve X, is the longest of 12
cranial nerves. It extends from the brain
stem to the abdomen by way of multiple
organs, including the heart, esophagus
and lungs. The vagus nerve forms part
of the involuntary nervous system and
commands unconscious body processes,
such as keeping the heart rate constant
and controlling food digestion. Vagus
nerve stimulation (with electrical
pulses) is sometimes used to treat
people with epilepsy and depression.
When the vagus nerve is stimulated,
it releases feel-good brain chemicals
associated with reward – dopamine,
serotonin and oxytocin. These chemicals
are released in response to stimuli such
as exercise and sex. Thus far, vagus nerve
stimulation is done via surgery or other
invasive techniques. T