ScienceDaily (Feb. 25, 2009) — Using sleep or napping to cope with chronic pain caused by tension-type headaches could lead to chronic insomnia according to a new study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center. The study, published in the February 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, found that napping to relieve [...]
Archive for February, 2009
28 Feb
Antidepressants calming IBS
An antidepressant may calm an irritable bowel
By Megan Rauscher
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – February 27, 2009 – Antidepressants and psychological therapies, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), appear to provide relief from irritable bowel syndrome, at least in the short-term, according to published studies.
Antidepressants appear to help calm irritable bowels independently of any improvement in coexisting [...]
19 Feb
Alcoholism treatment: Can diet aid recovery?
Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Daniel Hall-Flavin, M.D. answers:
Because people with alcoholism tend to eat poorly, a common-sense approach to good nutrition is an important part of alcoholism treatment. But there’s no credible scientific evidence that any specific nutritional approach is a cure for alcoholism or even a critical part of the recovery process.
Alcoholism is a complex [...]
18 Feb
Fibromyalgia Pain Linked To Central Nervous System Dysfunction
ScienceDaily (Feb. 17, 2009) — Widespread body pain in fibromyalgia patients is associated with specific brain metabolite abnormalities, according to research in The Journal of Pain.
Scientists at Louisiana State University examined 16 fibromyalgia patients to assess the role in fibromyalgia pain played by metabolite abnormalities in the hippocampal region of the brain. The hippocampus is [...]
17 Feb
Erasing Bad Memories?
Study takes step toward erasing bad memories
LONDON (Reuters) – Feb. 15, 2008 – A widely available blood pressure pill could one day help people erase bad memories, perhaps treating some anxiety disorders and phobias, according to a Dutch study published on Sunday.
The generic beta-blocker propranolol significantly weakened people’s fearful memories of spiders among a group [...]
11 Feb
SSRIs May Reduce Suicide In Adults
ScienceDaily (Feb. 10, 2009) — Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may reduce the risk of suicide in depressed adults, according to a study by researchers from the World Health Organization and the University of Verona, Italy published in CMAJ.
The study, a meta-analysis of 8 large-scale observational studies, was undertaken to explore whether SSRIs reduce or [...]
10 Feb
I Did It For Rover
Smokers Would Rather Give Up For Their Pooch’s Health Rather Than Their Own
ScienceDaily (Feb. 10, 2009) — Smokers are more likely to quit smoking for the sake of their pets’ health than they are for their own, suggests research published ahead of print in Tobacco Control.
The published evidence shows that second hand tobacco smoke can [...]
10 Feb
Impact Of Narcotics Is Greater On Mentally Ill
ScienceDaily (Feb. 9, 2009) — Narcotics have an irreversible effect on the brains of people already suffering from mental illness, according to Dr. Stéphane Potvin of the Université de Montréal affiliated Centre de recherche Fernand-Seguin at the Louis-H Lafontaine Hospital.
According to his research, some 33 to 50 percent of psychiatric patients also suffer from drug [...]
9 Feb
Hormone Levels & Postpartum Depression
Hormone Level During Pregnancy May Identify Women At Risk For Postpartum Depression
ScienceDaily (Feb. 8, 2009) — Women who have higher levels of a hormone produced by the placenta midway through their pregnancy appear more likely to develop postpartum depression, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the [...]
8 Feb
Mood disorders common in polycystic ovary syndrome
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Feb. 06, 2008 - The prevalence of depression and anxiety among patients with polycystic ovary syndrome is high and warrants routine screening and aggressive treatment, investigators report in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
In a previous study, Dr. Anuja Dokras, at the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues identified high rates of [...]
7 Feb
Nightmares Increase Risk Of Further Suicide Attempts
ScienceDaily (Feb. 6, 2009) — A thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, concludes that people who have nightmares following a suicide attempt are five times more likely to attempt suicide again, compared with those who do not have nightmares.
The study included 165 patients aged 18-69 years, who were being treated at somatic [...]
5 Feb
Asperger’s Syndrome In Adults
ScienceDaily (Feb. 4, 2009) — Asperger’s syndrome does not only occur in children and adolescents, but is also diagnosed in adults. Mandy Roy from the Hannover University Medical School and her colleagues explain the clinical picture in the new edition of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.
The causes of Asperger’s syndrome have not yet been fully clarified, although [...]
4 Feb
Differences In Recovered Memories Of Childhood Sexual Abuse
ScienceDaily (Feb. 4, 2009) — When a child experiences a traumatic event, such as sexual abuse, it may not be until well into adulthood that they remember the incident. It is not known how adults are able to retrieve long-forgotten memories of abuse and there has been some controversy as to the authenticity of these [...]
2 Feb
Bulimia Tied to Brain Differences
Study: Women With Bulimia Nervosa May Be More Impulsive Because of Brain Activity Patterns
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health News
January, 2009 — Women with bulimia nervosa may be particularly impulsive because of their brain activity patterns, a new study shows.
The study, published in January’s edition of the Archives of General Psychiatry, included 20 women with bulimia and [...]
1 Feb
Zoloft, Lexapro the Best of Newer Antidepressants
THURSDAY, Jan. 29 (HealthDay News) — Sertraline (Zoloft) and escitalopram (Lexapro) are the best of 12 new-generation antidepressants, while reboxetine is the least effective, a new analysis shows.
The Italian researchers reviewed 117 studies that included more than 25,000 patients with major depression to come to this conclusion.
The drugs tested in the trials were bupropion (Wellbutrin/Zyban), [...]
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