Mental & Emotional Health This Is Your Brain on Anxiety By article According to the National Institute of Mental Health, over 18 percent of American adults suffer from anxiety disorders. These people suffer from excessive worry or tension that often leads to physical symptoms. A release from the California Institute of Technology reports that previous studies of anxiety in the brain have focused on the amygdala, an area known to play a role in fear. However, Caltech researchers had a hunch that understanding a different brain area, the lateral septum, could provide more clues into how the brain processes anxiety. Their instincts paid off.
_ 7 Ways to Traverse Through Any Transition By Jane Farrell article By Servet Hasan None of us can escape loss. Life's challenges are universal and eventually will find us. Whether you're moving to a new city, leaving for college, or experiencing a divorce in your family, having life throw a major curve ball can leave us longing for the way things used to be.
Managing Your Medications By Jane Farrell article Editor’s Note: A crucial part of looking after yourself is managing the medicines you’re taking – by, among other things, understanding how and when you’re taking them; being consistent; storing them properly; and noting when you should ask for a refill. Here, the best tips for being an efficient medication manager, from the SeniorHealth division of the National Institutes of Health:
_ Why Inflammation Impairs Memory as We Age By article Inflammation has long been linked to disorders of memory such as Alzheimer's disease. Severe infections can also impair cognitive function in healthy elderly individuals. Now new research done at Brighton and Sussex Medical School in the UK and published in the journal Biological Psychiatry not only helps explain why inflammation impairs memory but could spur the development of new drugs targeting the immune system to treat dementia.
_ On the Horizon: A New Way to Treat Pain By Jane Farrell article Researchers have identified two molecules that perpetuate chronic pain, and that may pave the way for more effective, less addictive medicines. A study from the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland said that the molecules may play a role in the phenomenon that causes uninjured areas of the body to be more sensitive to pain if they are near an area that has been injured. The findings were published in the journal Neuron. "With the identification
_ Meds That Fight Fever May Spread the Flu By article Better not reach for the Advil or some aspirin when you have the flu. You may end up infecting others. Research done at McMaster University in Ontario showed that the widespread use of medications containing fever-reducing drugs may lead to tens of thousands more influenza cases and more than a thousand deaths attributable to influenza, each year across North America. These drugs include ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and acetylsalicylic acid. The study was published in January 2014 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
_ The 7 Hidden Causes of Fatigue By Jane Farrell article From the Cleveland Clinic Fatigue can signal anemia, diabetes, hypothyroidism or hepatitis C. But once your doctor rules out major medical causes of fatigue, it’s time to consider hidden ones. "We look for the less obvious roots of fatigue — that’s our job,” says Tanya Edwards, MD, Medical Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Integrative Medicine. Hidden causes include: 1. A junk food diet
_ Osteoporosis Drug Holidays From Osteoporosis Meds By article Due to the risk of fractures in the thigh bones and tissue decay in the jaw bone associated with osteoporosis drugs known as bisphosphonates, The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists currently recommends a drug holiday or break from these medications after four to five years of bone density stability if osteoporosis is moderate and after 10 years of stability if fracture risk is high.
Awaken Your Genius: How to Free Your Creativity and Manifest Your Dreams By blog Over the last 40 years I have been helping men, and the people who love them, to live well. I’ve learned that we never heal alone. There are always helpers and guides along the way that give us the love, support, and the wisdom we need to find our true selves and manifest our dreams.
Heart Health Surprise! Dense Heart Plaques Are Better, Not Worse By article A surprise finding of study led by researchers at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine shows that that coronary artery calcium (CAC) density may be protective against cardiovascular events rather than raising the risk of disease as has long been assumed. A release from the university quotes lead author Michael H. Criqui, MD, MPH as saying, "Current scoring systems assume that denser heart plaque (CAC) is more hazardous, but we found the opposite.
_ Flu Forecasting Website Posts Predictions By article Infectious disease experts at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York City have launched a website that reports weekly predictions for rates of seasonal influenza in 94 cities in the United States based on a scientifically validated system. The URL is cpid.iri.columbia.edu. New predictions are posted every Friday afternoon during the flu season.
_ FDA Warning About OTC Laxatives By article The Food and Drug Administration is alerting consumers that over-the-counter laxatives with sodium phosphate, marketed as Fleet, are potentially dangerous if dosing instructions or warnings on the Drug Facts label are not properly followed or when there are certain coexisting health conditions including kidney disease, heart problems or dehydration. People over 55 are also at increased risk. An article on the FDA page for consumers notes that there have been “dozens of reports of serious side effects, including 13 deaths” with these laxatives.
_ Women's Health and Wellness Fake Headache Treatment May Be As Good As the Real Thing By Jane Farrell article Patients who receive good information about the medicine they’re taking do better than those who aren’t given as many positive details, according to a new study of migraine sufferers.The study showed that patients’ expectations of the drugs’ effic
_ 5 Treatments Older Adults May Not Need By article By Anne-Marie Botek, Editor-in-Chief of AgingCare.com Overtreatment is a persistent problem among the aging population. Research shows that the more doctors an individual has, the more likely a patient is to be prescribed conflicting medications. Indeed doctors may over treat elderly patients unintentionally.
_ Breast Cancer Stopping Breast Cancer Metastasis By article Researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah in salt Lake City have discovered a cellular mechanism that drives the spread of breast cancer to other parts of the body, as well as a therapy which blocks that metastisis. The research results were published online in the journal Cell Reports on January 2nd 2014.
_ Pain Management Chinese Medicine for Chronic Pain By article Corydalis, a plant used for centuries in Chinese medicine, may be just what we in the West need to relieve chronic pain, according toa study done at the University of California-Irvine and published in the journal Current Biology on January 2nd 2014. A key pain-relieving ingredient is a compound known as dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB) found in the roots of the flowering plant, which is a member of the poppy family.
Turning Off the ΓÇ£Aging GenesΓÇ¥ By Jane Farrell article Researchers at Tel Aviv University and Bar-Ilan University say they have found a possible way to stop the aging process. A release from the university notes that until now, restricting calorie consumption has been one of the few proven ways to combat aging. However, Keren Yizhak and colleagues have developed a computer algorithm that predicts which genes can be "turned off" to create the same anti-aging effect as calorie restriction.
Vitamin E Helps AD Patients Function Better By article New research from the faculty of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City working with Veterans Administration Medical Centers suggests that alpha tocepherol, fat-soluble Vitamin E and antioxidant, may slow functional decline in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease and decrease caregiver burden. The study is published online first in the January 1st 2014 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.