Research By The Various National Institutes Of Health
Part of your federal tax dollars go to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support a vast variety of research studies among a group of federal research agencies as well as NIH grants to medical centers and universities. NIH is a branch of the federal government’s Department of Health and Human Services and NIH alone has some 18,000 employees. NIH coordinates research into health issues affecting the American public through 27 institutes, each devoted to research in a particular health area, plus other offices and centers.
The most familiar institute is the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which has the goals to develop techniques for curing cancers with valid treatments, was developed in 1937. NCI also seeks out solutions for managing those cancers that currently can’t be cured and researches the prevention of cancer. Another prominent research branch of NIH, called the National Institute of Mental Health, focuses the study of mental illnesses and basic research about the brain and human behavior.
Another part of NIH that has received significant coverage in the popular press is the National Human Genome Research Institute. Some years ago the race was on to analyze the structure of human DNA and this institute was established in 1989 to coordinate genetic research in the United States into both the structure of DNA and genetic diseases. Another recent addition to the research arena is the Office of AIDS Research, which is not yet an institute but instead is managed under the Office of the Director, as is the Office of Research on Women’s Health.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has been active in research into communicable diseases since 1948. This institute is the primary research arm for combating AIDS as well as other viral agents that occur throughout the world, performing basic research into vaccines that may be effective against bacteria and viruses. This institute is active in developing effective drug therapies as well. A great deal of research is being done into asthma, its causes, and effective treatments, especially for children.
The new institute National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering was formed in 2000. This institute promotes research in the areas of physics, computer sciences, mathematics and chemistry, along with engineering disciplines for the creations of new technologies that improve health.
Another recent member of NIH is the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Established in 1999, this center, not yet an institute, has the goal to explore alternative therapies through controlled studies and to train researchers on how to evaluate these alternative therapy techniques. Another NIH center that supports health training and conducts international research is the John E. Fogarty International Center.
These are only a sampling of the scores of NIH institutes, offices and centers. For lots of interesting information about all of The National Institute of Health~s programs, log onto http://www.nih.gov.
- Obesity Facts Obesity is a disease which is chronic and serious which can reduce life span, increase disability and may lead to many serious diseases in future. The probable future diseases in future include diabetes, heart disease and strokes. It is a complex disease which develops from an interaction of the environment and the genotype. Human understanding of
- Dealing with Cancer Pain Did you know that as many as 30 to 50% of cancer patients undergoing treatment experience pain? Plus, for the patients in advanced stages of cancer, 70 to 90% experience pain as result of the cancer. Why should patients put up with this pain when treatments and other solutions exist? An exploration of the cancer
- Relevance of Ancient Health Practices Today The modern Western world focuses on primarily physical health, to the exclusion of emotional, mental and spiritual health. But people are slowly realizing that all these dimensions are interrelated. That is the reason why many people today, even in the West are turning to practices from the ancient Eastern cultures to help them achieve better
- The Healthy Soy Diet The evidence for the benefits of a healthy soy diet have been studied and tested by an amazing group of scientist, nutritionist and health experts. The largely positive results of soy research has increased the popularity of healthy soy diets. Soy as an ingredient is being used more frequently as part of more and more mainstream
- Association Between Sleep Problems And Diabetes Sleep disorders hit about 36% of the American population. Grogginess isn’t the only side effect of not getting a good night’s rest ~ lack of sleep puts some people at risk for developing diabetes. This can start a vicious circle whereby people with diabetes have a harder time getting a good night’s sleep. Many doctors
- Your Health is Important With all the medical advancements we have heard of in recent years, we should have a lot of healthy people in our society. There are thousands of treatments and medications to help practically every medical condition known to man. There are even new discoveries being made every day. So why is it that we still
- Eating healthy as a life style You want to live long and to be healthy for the rest of your life. Therefore a healthy eating is exactly what your body needs for being in shape and to be sure you don’t get any disease. There are some diseases which are generic and you get them without taking care of your eating
- Junk Food Junk food is a common term used for any food that is consider to be unhealthy and has low or poor nutritional value. Examples of junk food may include, but are not limited to hamburgers, pizza, candy, soda and salty foods like potato chips and French fries. A diet rich in junk food is not recommended