WASHINGTON, DC December 13, 2004 -- Cumulative trauma during a person's lifetime can have an overall effect on health in one's later years, according to a study that examines the consequences of traumatic events on older adults' physical health. Also, traumas experienced in adulthood compared to traumas experienced in childhood appear to cause more damage to an older person's (65 and older) health, say researchers of a new study reported on in the December issue of Psychology and Aging published by the American Psychological Association (APA). Traumas are distinguished from other types of stressful life events by their seriousness, like experiencing a serious or life threatening illness, witnessing a violent crime or being in combat.
In a study of 1,518 older adults from a nationwide survey...
Taking vitamins and exercising aren�t all there is to staying well. Enjoying life and having fun can boost your immune system too.
Research is increasingly finding ways of boosting immunity that can enhance the beneficial effects of conventional �healthy living' approaches such as eating the right kind of diet, exercise and taking supplements. There's a growing focus on how the way you feel affects your immune system � and that means simply doing some of the things that make you feel good.
For instance, �There is now a wealth of orthodox medical research from around the world which supports the idea that humour heals,' says stress consultant Robert Holden, who founded the first NHS laughter clinic, as well as a coaching and training organisation called �The Happiness Project'.
�In particular, the science of psychoimmunology [the study of the way the mind affects the immune system] proves conclusively that a happy, joyful approach to life can inspire energy, vitality and health on every level.'
Socialising, relaxing and laughing are among the enjoyable activities being shown to have proven health benefits. So if you're fed up with experts telling you what you have to give up to be healthier, here are a few suggestions on how to boost your wellbeing by actually enjoying yourself more.
It is well known among professionals that anniversary dates and holidays, especially the first one, can be difficult for those whose loved one has passed away. When the loss involves an unnatural death, holidays can seem unbearable and insurmountable. Thoughts of merriment may arouse feelings of guilt and disloyalty.
Life is shattered for those who have lost a loved one to a violent death. In her book on the subject, Janoff-Bulman states that three basic assumptions are shattered after traumatic events, they are:
Life has meaning,
The world is safe
I have worth.
These issues add to the burden for traditional days.
Goffman says that rituals are necessary for the management of fears, and for the adaptation to the changes necessary in relationships after death. Rituals serve to acknowledge change without threatening the overall social order. Ceremonies help with adapting to what has happened. Rituals allow one to be emotionally engaged while creating a safe distance to ease the overwhelming pain of loss. Ceremonies work to compartmentalize the review of losses amid holiday reminders. Symbols help replace painful images and memories.
(HealthNewsDigest.com)...RICHMOND, Va. (Dec. 20, 2004) Tis the season for spending time with family, friends, and for many a therapist. But holiday blues, nagging family stress and overindulgence can be avoided if you set realistic expectations, according to a psychology professor at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The holidays are a busy time for clinical psychologists and psychiatrists who see their schedules fill with some clients who do not get along well with in-laws or other family members, some who experience depression from not having enough money to buy gifts and others who eat and drink too much.
Expectations and lack of preparation are the most common causes of holiday strife, said Sonia R. Banks, Ph.D., director of VCUs Center for Psychological Services and Development. Put those two together and you have a time bomb.
Whether you�re off to the ski slopes or the distant sunshine, make sure you arrive in fine fettle
It's worth taking a cabin bag that will hold more than the obvious essentials like passport and money so you can pack a few extras to cover you if your luggage should go astray. Remember to include any regular medication you may be taking and if there is room, a change of clothes and a toothbrush. An eye mask, ear plugs, neck rest and inflatable pillow can all help to make the flight more comfortable. Don't be tempted to pack scissors, tweezers or anything sharp in hand luggage as you will only be asked to leave them behind them at security.
Wear loose, comfortable clothing and a sweater or jacket that you can put on or take off depending on the cabin air temperature which can vary from one airline to another. Some experts recommend you wear shoes half a size bigger than normal as feet and ankles can swell in the air, but if this is impractical, opt for a pair that don't constrict your feet.
A few nice deep breaths can be so relaxing. It can be a quick and easy stress reliever. You can do this anytime. You can do this anywhere. It is not visible to others.
And the good news can be that because you are less stressed, you will handle things more easily.
Word has it that when people are stressed, they tend to take short little breaths rather than deep, relaxing ones. Is this true for you? Check it out.
Quick and Easy Stress Management Breathing Exercise:
The gently rolling, blue-green aquamarine waters are beckoning. Not surprising considering the attempt to induce a comatose state by having positioned a beach towel and my limp form in direct line with the blinding, sweltering rays of the West Coast Florida August sun. Beads of sweat are trickling down my forehead while the rest of me is being wrapped and mummified in an unmerciful heat and humidity index. Within ten minutes, I concede. What happened to the narcissistic, early 20s worshipper who would prayerfully commune with (okay, lazily luxuriate in the splendor of) the sun god for hours on end? And, of course, this idyllic, daylong meditation was only interrupted by nubile visions and shy flirtations, devouring those oil soaked yet crisp boardwalk fries along with body surfing in the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island.
Alas, the quest for 20th sensory overload has "matured" into the search for sensual-serenity mode some decades later. Pushing my sweaty, gritty body off the towel I trudge...
Associated Press - December 06, 2004
NEW YORK - British regulators recommended on Monday that physicians restrict the use of the anti-depressant Efexor from drugmaker Wyeth because its use could have side effects for heart health and pose other potential risks that require more careful monitoring than other drugs in the class. Wyeth said it would challenge the decision, but its shares slipped 3 percent.
The United Kingdom's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said the drug, which is marketed as Effexor...
American Psychological Association has announced a study that shows that attitudes are learned, but that differences between people in many attitudes are also partly attributable to genetic factors. These include attitudes as diverse as whether one likes roller coaster rides to controversial social issues such as attitudes toward abortion and the death penalty for murder.
Study authors James M. Olson, Ph.D., Philip A. Vernon, Ph.D. and Julie Aitken Harris, Ph.D., of the University of Western Ontario and Kerry L. Jang, Ph.D., of the University of British Columbia, surveyed 336 pairs of adult Canadian twins (both fraternal and identical) to explore the role of genetic factors in creating differences between individuals in attitudes. By comparing the responses to attitude questions between the identical and fraternal twins, (for example, "My overall attitude toward doing crossword puzzles is" with answers ranging from "extremely unfavorable" to "extremely favorable") the researchers were able to determine which attitudes were more influenced by genetic factors.
Of the 30 individual attitude items on the survey...
The occurrence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia patients has been well established (Rovner et al., 1990). Of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 78% suffer depressive symptoms, 77% have agitation and 69% have psychotic symptoms, with over half experiencing all three symptoms (Tractenberg et al., 2003). The diagnosis and treatment of mood symptoms in this population remains a challenge for physicians (Harman et al., 2002). It is important to recognize and treat these neuropsychiatric symptoms, as they result in increased morbidity, mortality and health care costs (Janzing et al., 1999). Mandatory depression screening in nursing homes can improve treatment rates (Cohen et al., 2003).
Major depression and other, less severe forms of depression frequently form part of the clinical presentation of dementia. Depression with reversible cognitive impairment may be a prodrome for dementia rather than a separate and distinct disorder (Janzing et al., 1999).
Diagnostic Difficulties
Depression may be challenging to assess in a patient...
Children throughout the world are increasingly being prescribed antidepressants and other drugs designed to calm or stimulate the brain, finds new research. Prescription rates increased the most in the U.K., the research suggests.
In one study, researchers from the University of London analyzed prescribing trends in nine countries, based on information provided by an international database (IMS MIDAS) between 2000 and 2002. The database contains a representative sample of medical practitioners in each country.
The information was collected on children and adolescents up to the age...
It is clear that comorbid factors are significant in the development and maintenance of headaches (Lipton and Silberstein, 1994). Originally coined by Feinstein (1970), the term comorbidity is used to refer to the greater than coincidental association of two conditions in the same individual. When the relationship between two disorders may be the result of pure chance, this is not considered to be comorbidity. It can be hypothesized that psychiatric factors and headaches may interact in three general ways: 1) etiologic, which would be extremely rare; 2) psychophysiologic or biobehavioral--in this case there is a real physiologic disorder that can be influenced by psychological factors (which is true of virtually any medical disorder); and 3) environmental or genetic risk factors that produce a brain state giving rise to both conditions (i.e., there may be some common biology underlying both conditions) (Puca, 2000; Sheftell and Atlas, in press). This last mechanism seems to be the most likely one underlying comorbidity of chronic headache and other medical disorders. Many have oversimplified the relationship between pain and psychiatric comorbidity, for example, viewing chronic pain as the cause of comorbid depression or...
Summary: You don't have to push yourself to the limit to get fit. Why moderationis the name of the game.
Moderation for Long-Term Exercise
If you're beginning a new workout regimen, don't expect too much of yourself--or too little. Results of a study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center suggest that, left to their own devices, people gravitate to a moderate exercise program that's neither...
Joan realized that something was wrong. She had swollen glands, trouble thinking clearly, and dragged through her day. She seemed to be more sensitive to everything in her environment. After a careful examination by the doctor and multiple blood tests, she was told she was HIV+.
Ellen had a bout with the flu and never seemed to recover. She had swollen glands, trouble thinking clearly, and dragged through her day. She seemed to be more sensitive to everything in her environment. After going to several different doctors and having multiple blood tests, she was told she had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Is this an illness or is it an acceptable label for hypochondriacs? Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a controversial illness. There are some in the medical community who believe strongly that this illness exists and there are many who think Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a "catch all" for sloppy diagnosticians. The public is split in a similar fashion to the medical community. Some believe it is truly a debilitating illness, with people being sick for months and usually years, sometimes never recovering. Others believe that it is a convenient diagnosis for those who are "burned out," depressed, or chronically symptomatic.
A growing number of medical professionals blame the controversy on troublesome diagnostic criteria put out by the Center for Disease Control in 1988. There were several problems with that criteria:
FOR MANY OF US, charting our financial future is fraught with fear,insecurity, impulsivity--feelings that can capsize a savings or retirement plan, or even discourage us from investing in the first place.
INVESTING IS A SIMPLE MATTER: buy good stocks and hold on to them, and time will make you rich. This is the most common bit of advice given to beginning investors. But if it's true that investing is so simple, then why do people wind up losing money on stocks, view the market as a major gamble, or feel too intimidated to invest in the first place? Because every emotional drive associated with money gets played out in investing: the longing for security, the guilt engendered by greed, the quest for power and self-esteem, the fear of being abandoned, the search for love, the dream of omnipotence. And when these constellations of emotions intersect with the churning, manic-depressive mood gyrations of the market itself, the result can be financially dangerous.
In recent years, more people have...
One advantage of getting older should be the chance to step off the treadmill and start pleasing yourself � so here�s how.
You rush around all day, and by the time evening arrives all you want to do is sink into the chair. Then it's time for bed and before you know it, it's time to get up again but you still feel tired. You never have time to catch up on yourself, to do the things you really enjoy. If this sounds familiar it's time to take stock, to free up some time for you � to make more �me time'.
Start by taking a long hard look at your lifestyle. Why are you always chasing your tail? According to Gladeana McMahon, fellow of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, if you have recently retired, the work ethic may be so deeply ingrained that it has become your own worst enemy. But now is the time to adjust your pace. The sense of hurry left over from a busy working life does not have to govern your days any more unless you want it to.
�You must stand back and ask yourself: �Why am I going on like this?"', says Gladeana. Tell yourself and your friends that you have worked hard all your life and your reward is to make more time for yourself � and that's what you intend to do from now on. Other people may assume that you will be there to help out whenever they need you � whether it's baby-sitting, organising a charity raffle or collecting for a jumble sale � but don't feel obliged to do everything you're asked to do. According to Gladeana you are more likely to succeed in making more �me time' if you say what you mean to do out loud, even if you do feel a bit silly at the time.
Is this you?
You may also be going about things in the wrong way. See if any of the following personality types sound familiar...
WASHINGTON -- At family gatherings, talk of the latest ailments is a dinnertime staple. Federal health officials want Americans to take that a bit further over the Thanksgiving weekend and serve up a little health genealogy that could benefit current and future generations.
Knowing who had what type of cancer or developed mental illness at a certain age can be critical information for family members years later, says U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who yesterday announced the initiative to collect family health histories.
"The bottom line is that knowing your family history can save your life," Carmona said. "Millions of dollars in medical research, equipment and knowledge can't give us the information that this simple tool can."
The Department of Health and Human Services has developed a downloadable computer program, "My Family Health Portrait," to help families collect and organize their health histories.
Although most people know that certain illnesses...
There is now a lot of research suggesting that a pet is more than a good companion.
Once described as a nation of shopkeepers, we Brits might now be more accurately labelled a dog-loving people, and thousands of us demonstrate this fact each year by attending Crufts. Possibly the most celebrated dog show in the world, Crufts offers visitors the opportunity to see over 20,000 top pedigree dogs compete to achieve the prestigious title of 'Best In Show'.
While show dogs have their appeal, however, there's a lot more to be said about the attractions of owning less exotic canine pets. There's an increasing amount of scientific evidence that dogs are actually good for our health.
Blood pressure benefits
According to the Society of Companion Animal Studies (SCAS), having a dog, cat or other pet around could bring health benefits for a whole range of people and save the NHS �1bn a year. Sam Ahmedzai, Professor of Palliative Medicine at Sheffield University Medical School, and former Chair of SCAS, suggests that the potential health benefits of owning or having access to a pet animal are being under-exploited. Professor Ahmedzai cited one study of 18 people and their dogs which found that time spent stroking and talking to the dogs resulted in subjects reducing their blood pressure, increasing levels of phenylethylamine and endorphin (the body's natural mood-enhancing and pain-relieving chemicals) and decreasing levels of cortisol, a substance associated with stress.
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDayNews) -- If you needed another reason to get up off the couch and start exercising, a new study provides one: Along with lowering your risk of heart disease, keeping fit and eating healthy foods may also help prevent dementia.
The study found that older people who have metabolic syndrome, a group of cardiovascular risk factors, had a 20 percent higher risk of cognitive impairment compared to people without the syndrome.
"Having a sharp mind as you age may not be dumb luck, but rather may result from...
Music is famously the food of love but the latest studies suggest it can also help ease depression, calm anxiety and aid recovery from illness.
The benefits of music have been recognised by healers since time immemorial and today an increasing body of scientific research supports this ancient wisdom.
�Whereas we use words to communicate facts, we use music to communicate and evoke emotions,' says psychologist Dr Mike Lowis of University College Northampton. He has conducted research into the way that music can stimulate what he calls 'peak experiences' � moments of intense clarity and almost mystical euphoria. He attributes this to music's unique ability to unite the left (logical) and right (emotional) sides of our brains.
Play it again, Sam
As the makers of films and TV programmes � not to mention ads � well know, the right choice of music can create a mood faster than set, costume or script. �You only have to hear a snippet of a tune you have heard at a moment of high emotion to re-experience that emotion,' says Lowis.
Music can also help distract us from pain, lift a miserable mood and even nudge our bodies into regulating their natural rhythms. �The emotional effects are believed to...
There are many styles of massage but all are based on the principle of using touch to promote healing.
There are many different types of massage on offer today but all have developed from the age-old concept of touch as a natural form of healing and, especially, of pain relief. Depending on the type of massage they practise, different therapists will offer different explanations as to how the effect is achieved. They may use theories compatible with orthodox western medicine (relaxing muscle tension, improving blood flow and so on); they...
NEW ORLEANS - When the human genome was unveiled in 2001, researchers made a point of saying that there is no genetic basis for what we call race--whether someone is Asian, African-American, or Caucasian. Mostly, that's true. There is much more variation within any single racial subgroup than there is between them.
So how do we explain the new heart failure pill tested by NitroMed (nasdaq: NTMD - news - people )?
The pill, a fixed combination of two generic ingredients, is the first drug tested only in African-Americans. Results unveiled this morning here at the American Heart Association meeting and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine are stunning. On top of the best treatments available, BiDil still increased survival of African-American heart failure patients by 43% compared with a sugar pill, while cutting hospitalizations by 33%. That's particularly impressive because heart failure, a chronic weakening of the heart's ability to pump blood, has a 50% mortality rate over five years.
Previously, BiDil had never been a true success...