SATURDAY, Dec. 12 (HealthDay News) — With pressures from the economic hard times, dysfunctional families and countless other factors, the holidays can contribute to emotional stress and depression.
But there are ways to cope with the various scenarios that people experience at this time of year, according to Dr. Laura Miller, director of women’s mental health [...]
Archive for the ‘health’ Category
13 Dec
How to Attack Holiday Stress Head-On
12 Dec
Head and Neck Cancer Survivors Death Risk
Head and Neck Cancer Survivors Who Use Alcohol and Cigarettes Have Increased Death Risk
ScienceDaily (Dec. 11, 2009) — Cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption before head and neck cancer diagnosis strongly predicts the patient’s future risk of death, according to published studies. Now, results of a new study show a similar effect among those who continued [...]
12 Dec
Treating Cluster Headaches
Treating Cluster Headaches With High-Flow Oxygen Appears Effective
ScienceDaily (Dec. 10, 2009) — Patients with a cluster headache, which is characterized by bouts of excruciating pain usually near the eye or temple, were more likely to report being pain-free within 15 minutes of treatment with high-flow oxygen than patients who received a placebo treatment, according to [...]
11 Dec
Most Hospital Patients Don’t Know What Meds They’re Taking
THURSDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) — A small study finds that even adults who know what medicines they take at home can’t accurately name the drugs they’re getting in the hospital.
Forty-four percent of patients believed they were receiving a medication in the hospital that was not actually prescribed. A patient who normally receives a blood [...]
9 Dec
Most Antidepressants Miss Key Target
Most Antidepressants Miss Key Target of Clinical Depression, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (Dec. 9, 2009) — A key brain protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) — is highly elevated during clinical depression yet is unaffected by treatment with commonly used antidepressants, according to an important study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The study has important [...]
9 Dec
Smoking kills 5 million every year
By MARIA CHENG, AP Medical Writer – Wed Dec 9, 2009
LONDON – Tobacco use kills at least 5 million people every year, a figure that could rise if countries don’t take stronger measures to combat smoking, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
In a new report on tobacco use and control, the U.N. agency said nearly [...]
9 Dec
UNDERSTANDING MENTAL ILLNESS
This may be of assistance as you journey through my blog…
DEPRESSION
Problems and misfortunes are a part of life. Everyone experiences unhappiness, and many people may become depressed temporarily when things don’t go as they would like. Experiences of failure commonly result in temporary feelings of worthlessness and self-blame, while personal losses cause feelings of sadness, [...]
8 Dec
Antidepressant May Change Personality
Antidepressant May Change Personality While Relieving Symptoms
ScienceDaily (Dec. 7, 2009) — Individuals taking a medication to treat depression may experience changes in their personality separate from the alleviation of depressive symptoms, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Two personality traits, neuroticism and extraversion, have [...]
7 Dec
News coverage of antidepressants for kids uneven
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Dec 07, 2009 – Media coverage of the warnings on antidepressants and children’s risk of suicidal behavior often failed to give the public the whole story, according to a study published Monday.
The study, by researchers at the Yale University School of Public Health, concludes that many print and TV news [...]
7 Dec
Depression, peers top influences on youth violence
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Dec 07, 2009 – Kids who are depressed and have delinquents for friends may be the most likely to lash out violently at others, according to a new study in The Journal of Pediatrics.
The amount of time a youth spent watching violent TV or playing violent video games didn’t have [...]
6 Dec
Cigarette Smoking Increases Colorectal Cancer Risk
ScienceDaily (Dec. 3, 2009) — New study results strengthen the evidence that people who smoke cigarettes over a long period of time have an increased risk for developing colorectal cancer, even after adjusting for other risk factors.
“This provides one more reason not to smoke, or to quit as soon as possible,” said senior author Michael [...]
6 Dec
WAITING for the SPECIALIST
Written by: Me
Isn’t waiting for a specialist (doctor) appointment enough to frost your socks sometimes? Both the wait for the family doctor, followed by the specialist referral, and then the anticipated wait for the phone call from the specialist, can be a lengthy drawn out process. Sometimes, an envelope of written instructions arrives in the [...]
5 Dec
Extreme caution with antidepressant Norpramin
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis SA has warned that its antidepressant Norpramin should be given with extreme caution to patients with a history of certain heart problems, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday.
The label for Norpramin (desipramine hydrochloride tablets USP) will also warn that seizures precede abnormal heart rhythms and death [...]
5 Dec
Makers of Powerful Painkillers Present Safety Plans
FRIDAY, Dec. 4 (HealthDay News) — The makers of 24 different prescription painkillers on Friday presented federal regulators with plans to curb the abuse of these opioid drugs.
The pharmaceutical companies have been under pressure from U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials to find a way to stop the hundreds of fatal overdoses that occur with [...]
2 Dec
New Safety Concern Related to Antipsychotic Treatment
ScienceDaily (Dec. 2, 2009) — Overall, antipsychotic medications are reasonably effective, and fairly well tolerated treatments for mood and psychotic disorders. However, treatment with a number of antipsychotic medications is associated with weight gain, and for some, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. In the current issue of Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, researchers discuss this cluster of [...]
2 Dec
Fear of Anxiety May Lead to Depression
Some become so worried about what might happen that they develop other symptoms, researchers find
TUESDAY, Dec. 1 (HealthDay News) — Fear of anxiety may push “above-average” worriers into depression, a new study suggests.
“Anxiety sensitivity has been called a fear of fear,” study author Andres Viana, a graduate student in psychology at Penn State, said [...]
1 Dec
Fears and Facts About Antidepressants
Along with counseling, antidepressants are a common part of treatment for depression. And they are usually effective. Six out of 10 people treated with antidepressants feel better with the first one they try. If the first antidepressant medication doesn’t help, the second or third often will. Most people eventually find one that works for them. [...]
1 Dec
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 [...]
30 Nov
Autism treatment works in kids as young as 18 mos.
CHICAGO (AP) - Monday, November 30, 2009 – The first rigorous study of behavior treatment in autistic children as young as 18 months found two years of therapy can vastly improve symptoms, often resulting in a milder diagnosis.
The study was small — just 48 children evaluated at the University of Washington — but the results were [...]
30 Nov
Cutting Costs On Prescription Drugs
Dispensing Prescription Drugs in 3-Month Supplies Reduces Drug Costs by a Third
ScienceDaily (Nov. 28, 2009) — Purchasing prescription drugs in a three-month supply rather than a one-month supply has long been regarded as a way to reduce the cost of drugs for patients and third-party payers. New research from the University of Chicago quantifies the [...]
29 Nov
DEPRESSION: Common Causes
Health experts’ understanding of depression has come a long way in the last few decades. In many cases, depression doesn’t have only one cause. It often results from a mix of biology, psychology, and stressful or traumatic events.
Reasons for depression include:
Biology. Researchers still have a lot to learn about exactly why people become depressed. But [...]
29 Nov
Bipolar Disorder May Be Tied to Body Clock
FRIDAY, Nov. 27, 2009 (HealthDay News) — New research suggests that an internal body clock that goes on the fritz could be a factor in the development of bipolar disorder in children.
The finding results from the examination of the genetic makeup of 152 children with bipolar disorder, which can make people susceptible to major mood [...]
27 Nov
FIBROMYALGIA TREATMENT: CAN BOTOX INJECTIONS RELIEVE PAIN?
Mayo Clinic rheumatologist April Chang-Miller, MD answers:
Answer
There’s been little research on the effects of botulinum toxin type A (Botox) as a treatment for fibromyalgia, a chronic condition characterized by fatigue and widespread pain.
Here’s what the research has shown so far:
§ One double-blind study of Botox at Ohio State University was terminated early because of adverse [...]
26 Nov
Some Meds Related to Falls Among Elderly
Sedatives, Mood-Altering Drugs Related to Falls Among Elderly: UBC Study
ScienceDaily (Nov. 24, 2009) — Falls among elderly people are significantly associated with several classes of drugs, including sedatives often prescribed as sleep aids and medications used to treat mood disorders, according to a study led by a University of British Columbia expert in pharmaceutical outcomes [...]
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