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[ad_1] Researchers from the University of Southern California showed that a brief breathing session -- inhaling for a count of five, then exhaling for a count of five for 20 minutes twice a day for four weeks can have significant impacts. Volunteers` heart rate variability increased during each exercise period and the levels of amyloid-beta peptides circulating in their blood decreased over the four weeks of the experiment. Accumulation of amyloid beta in the brain due to increased production and/or decreased clearance is believed to trigger the Alzheimer`s disease process. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, maybe the first to discover a way that adults, both young and old, can reduce their amyloid beta levels: via breathing exercises that lower the levels in our blood of these peptides associated with Alzheimer`s disease, the team said. It is because the way we breathe affects our heart rate, which in turn affects our nervous...

[ad_1] The Alzheimer's drug Leqembi is seen in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters on Jan. 20, 2023. Eisai | Reuters The new Alzheimer 's antibody treatment Leqembi could cost Medicare up to $5 billion per year, according to research published in a leading medical journal this week. Medicare would spend about $2 billion per year if around 85,700 patients test positive for the disease and are treated with the Eisai and Biogen product Leqembi, according to the research published Thursday in JAMA Internal Medicine. The program for seniors would spend $5 billion if around 216,500 patients become eligible for the breakthrough treatment, according to the study. The authors said the estimated costs to Medicare are conservative and that spending on Leqembi might increase more than anticipated depending on demand and other factors. The researchers who conducted the JAMA study included physicians and public health and policy experts. They are affiliated with the Univ...

[ad_1] The Alzheimer's drug Leqembi is seen in this undated handout image obtained by Reuters on January 20, 2023. Eisai | via Reuters Medicare has agreed to pay for the Alzheimer's treatment Leqembi , a major turning point for patients who are diagnosed with the early stages of the disease. Leqembi is the only drug on the market right now that has demonstrated the ability to slow the progression of early stages of Alzheimer's disease in a clinical trial. The monoclonal antibody, administered twice monthly through intravenous means, slowed cognitive decline by 27% over 18 months in the trial. Leqembi is made by Japanese drugmaker Eisai and its partner Biogen , which is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Medicare's decision to cover Leqembi, which came moments after the Food and Drug Administration fully approved the drug Thursday, promises to make the treatment more accessible to patients. Medicare coverage is crucial for most patients to have any hope of being...

[ad_1] When Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga released their first album together in 2014, some may have found them an unlikely pair. But the singers had gotten close and continued to create music as a duo, with Gaga even crediting Bennett, who died on Friday at age 96, with "saving" her.  "Six months ago I didn't even want to sing anymore," Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, told Parade Magazine in 2014 during an interview with Bennett as they promoted their album "Cheek to Cheek."  "Do you know what Duke Ellington said? He said, 'Number one, don't quit. Number two, listen to number one,'" Bennett quipped. "Right! The other day, Tony said, 'I've ­never once in my career not wanted to do this.' It stung. Six months ago I didn't feel that way. I tell Tony every day that he saved my life," Gaga replied. It appears the pressure of the music industry had gotten t...

[ad_1] Medicare last week agreed to cover the new drug Leqembi, the first medication proven to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's green light of the pricey drug. The decision was  cheered by the Alzheimer's Association and others who advocate for the 6.7 million U.S. seniors with the progressive disease, which has no cure and which primarily affects people over the age of 65. The approval to cover the drug is significant because the vast majority of Americans with Alzheimer's get their health coverage through Medicare. Yet some patients and families could still face hurdles in getting access to the medication. For one, Medicare — the health care plan for people who are 65 years and older — won't cover the entire cost of the drug.  Secondly, Leqembi, pronounced "leh-KEM-bee," might not be appropriate or even accessible for every patient, according...

[ad_1] Jay Reinstein, who suffers from Alzheimer's, receives an injection so he can have a PET scan at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC on June 20, 2023. Michael Robinson Chávez | The Washington Post | Getty Images Sales of the Alzheimer's drug Leqembi may be slow initially due to logistical requirements but could pick up in 2024, analysts said after the groundbreaking treatment won approval in the U.S.  Wall Street is chewing over the Food and Drug Administration 's Thursday approval of Leqembi – a milestone in the treatment of the disease , even though the drug isn't a cure.  Leqembi, from drugmakers Eisai and Biogen , is the first medicine proven to slow the progression of Alzheimer's in people at the early stages of the memory-robbing disease.  Medicare on Thursday announced it is now covering the antibody treatment for patients enrolled in the insurance program for seniors, broadening access for those who can't afford the d...

[ad_1] The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday fully approved the Alzheimer's treatment Leqembi, a pivotal decision that will expand access to the expensive drug for older Americans. Medicare announced shortly after the FDA approval that it is now covering the antibody treatment for patients enrolled in the insurance program for seniors, though several conditions apply. Leqembi is the first Alzheimer's antibody treatment to receive full FDA approval. It is also the first such drug that to receive broad coverage through Medicare. Leqembi is not a cure. The treatment slowed cognitive decline from early Alzheimer's disease by 27% over 18 months during Eisai's clinical trial. The antibody, administered twice monthly through intravenous infusion, targets a protein called amyloid that is associated with Alzheimer's disease. Medicare coverage is a crucial step to help older Americans with early Alzheimer's disease pay for the treatment. With a median income ...