Category Archives: Mental Health

It’s been a miserable winter for most parts of the country, with many regions seeing record levels of both cold temperatures and snowfall, and along with the drastic weather comes an increase in serious health risks.

A newly published clinical study reveals for the first time that severe weather can be especially dangerous for those with a high risk of stroke. The Yale University study indicates that stroke risk increases when temperatures fall, and also when they raise dramatically.

While previous studies have offered mixed results on the connection between inclement weather and stroke risk, this new study appears more definitive and will ideally lead to additional research in this same area.

Before getting into the specifics of the Yale University study, it might be helpful to take a moment to review the typical early warning signs that you may be at risk of suffering from a stroke. In general, common precursors prior to suffering from a stroke include face drooping, arm weakness and speech difficulty.

A recent study conducted by researchers from the U.K. and India suggests that learning a second language and becoming bilingual can help to delay dementia and cognitive decline. During the study, which was remarkably straightforward, the researchers noticed that participants with dementia lived about 4.5 years longer before developing the disease if they were bilingual. Even after adjusting for factors such as income and educational background, the researchers determined that the results pertain to Alzheimer’s as well as two other types of dementia. The University of Edinburgh’s Dr. Thomas Bak, one of the lead researchers behind the study, said that although being bilingual won’t remove the risk of developing dementia, it can certainly delay it by many years.