Weekly Health Digest: Schizophrenia and Blindness, Corona Virus Tests, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

People Born Blind Are Mysteriously Protected From Schizophrenia

By: Shayla Love

There are no recorded instances of a person born blind developing schizophrenia, despite the fact that scientists have been on the lookout for decades. Given the frequency of the two conditions, it seems unlikely that this baffling observation could have occurred by chance. Even more puzzling, congenital blindness and schizophrenia share some independent risk factors…so why does being born blind seem to protect against schizophrenia?

Are coronavirus tests flawed?

By: James Gallagher

Around the world, there are several accounts of infected people testing negative for the Coronavirus up to six times before finally being diagnosed with it. The tests used are RT-PCR tests, which are the same ones used for viruses such as HIV and influenza. While highly reliable for those viruses, they are not as accurate with the new Coronavirus. There are several explanations for this. It could be that patients truly do not have the virus when they take the test and it could also be that the test is administered in the early stages when there’s not enough to detect. Other explanations include not administering the test correctly or not storing the samples correctly. A final explanation is that “the RT-PCR test for the new coronavirus is based on flawed science.”

Cherry juice and other ways to reduce post-exercise soreness

By: Robert J. Davis

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the soreness that arises after exercise and lasts for a few days. Any strenuous activity or an activity that your body is not accustomed to can cause DOMS. Researchers believe that the soreness, swelling, stiffness, tenderness, to name a few symptoms, are caused by the process of the body repairing micro-tears in muscle caused by exercise. There are several methods to reduce post exercise soreness like heat and cold treatments, massage therapy, and tart cherry juice. The research around tart cherry juice as a treatment for muscle soreness is preliminary. However, in one study, “semi-professional soccer players consumed tart cherry concentrate (which was mixed with water) or a placebo for eight days. On day five, they ran sprint intervals. Post-exercise soreness was lower in those who had gotten the tart cherry concentrate” (Davis). With or without these remedies, you will likely experience some soreness after an intense workout, but these remedies may lessen that pain.

Why DNA tests are suddenly unpopular

By: Rani Molla

Over 30 million individuals have spit in a tube and mailed a sample of their saliva to a lab. And while they were a big hit back in 2018, DNA test kit sales were down 38% and 54% for Ancestry and 23andMe respectively during this last quarter. Outside analysts have attributed the fall of DNA testing to a few potential issues: market saturation, data privacy, and inaccuracy.