health tips

Exercise may help alleviate depression, review finds

Exercise may help ease symptoms of depression, according to a fresh look at past research.

Researchers who analyzed data from previous studies found people who exercised experienced a “moderate” reduction in their depressive symptoms compared to those who did other activities, such as using relaxation techniques, or received no treatment.

“This review provides some additional evidence that there may be some benefit (to exercise),” Dr. Gillian Mead, the study’s senior author from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, told Reuters Health.

A 2009 review from the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research, found similar results, but more studies looking at the link between exercise and depression have since been published.

“We’d become aware of some new trials in the area and – in general – the Cochrane review should be kept updated if there is new evidence that may lead to changes,” Mead said.

About one in ten Americans reports depressed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most popular treatments for depression include antidepressant medications and psychotherapy.

Mead and her fellow researchers write in The Cochrane Library, however, that many people prefer alternative treatments, and some doctors recommend exercise as a potential option.

For the new review, they searched databases for all medical trials conducted through March 2013 that compared exercise among adults with depression to other activities or no treatment.

Overall, the researchers were able to combine data from 35 trials that included 711 people who were randomly assigned to an exercise program and 642 who were randomized to comparison groups.

Because the studies used various scales to assess depression, they converted the results into a single measurement to compare people in exercise and non-exercise groups. Using that measurement, a difference between groups of 0.2 represents a small effect, 0.5 a moderate effect and 0.8 a large effect.

Mead’s team found a 0.62-point difference in depressive symptoms favoring people who exercised.

In one of the included trials from 2007, for instance, researchers found 45 percent of people who took part in supervised exercise no longer met the criteria for depression after four months, compared to 31 percent taking an inert placebo pill.

In another trial from 2002, 55 percent of older people experienced a significant decline in depression symptoms after 10 weeks of exercise, compared to 33 percent who attended informational talks during that time.

The difference between groups, however, was greatly diminished when the review authors only analyzed data from the six trials that were considered high quality.

Still, exercise appeared to reduce depressive symptoms as much as psychotherapy or antidepressant medications. But Mead cautioned that those findings are only based on data from a small number of trials.

“One has to be careful saying it was as effective as other therapies,” she said.

She added that it’s still unknown how exercise affects depression.

“There are lots of ideas about potential mechanisms, but I don’t think there is enough evidence in the literature that one mechanism applies more than another,” Mead said.

The researchers were also unable to say which type of exercise is best, but Mead said previous reviews have recommended people choose an activity that they’ll stick with over the long run.

“Once people are prescribed exercise or they choose exercise, the big challenge is to make the exercise real,” Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, who has studied the effect of exercise on depression but wasn’t involved with the new research, told Reuters Health.

“If the recommendation from the treating clinician is that you should be exercising with some frequency and intensity… it’s important that the patient follow that regimen week after week,” Trivedi, a professor of psychiatry at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, said.

Michel Lucas, who was also not involved with the new review but has studied the topic before, said studies tend to show a dose-response relationship between exercise and depression.

“The dose is very important. If you’re walking at a very slow pace, this has no effect,” Lucas, a visiting scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, told Reuters Health.

Source: Fox news

Nuclear plants don’t raise child leukemia risk

Despite fears to the contrary, children who live near nuclear power plants have no greater risk of developing leukemia or a type of cancer known as non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to a large British study published on Friday.

Researchers who studied some 10,000 children aged fewer than 5 and analyzed birth records for nearly every case of childhood leukemia in Britain from 1962 to 2007 found no apparent extra risk from living near an atomic power station.

John Bithell of the Childhood Cancer Research Group, who led the study, noted there have been concerns about child leukemia near nuclear plants in Britain since the 1980s, when a television program reported an excess of cancer in children near the Sellafield plant in north-west England.

There have since been conflicting reports in Britain and other European countries about whether children living near such reactors are at greater risk of developing childhood cancers.

A study on Germany, published in 2007, did find a significantly increased risk. But a 35-year-long survey in Britain by the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment, published in 2001, found no evidence that living near nuclear plants increased the incidence of children developing leukemia.

Bithell said the findings of his research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, and should be reassure the public.

“Our case-control study has considered the birth records for nearly every case of childhood leukemia born in Britain and, reassuringly, has found no such correlation with proximity to nuclear power plants,” he said in a statement.

Leukemia is a cancer of immature white blood cells that mostly occurs in children between 2 and 4 years old.

It is rare, affecting around 500 children a year in Britain, and experts say 85 to 90 percent can now be cured.

Bithell’s research group was funded by the Scottish and English governments and the charity Children with Cancer UK.

They measured the distance children lived from the nearest nuclear plant both at birth and when diagnosed with leukemia or non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Data on cancer cases came from the National Registry of Childhood Tumours, which has kept records of nearly all children diagnosed since 1962 and is estimated to be more than 99 percent complete for leukemia cases over the period studied.

Hazel Nunn, head of health information at the charity Cancer Research UK, said the results were “heartening”.

“This study supports the findings of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment that being born or living near a nuclear power station doesn’t lead to more cases of leukemia and similar cancers in children under 5 in the UK,” she said.

“But these results can’t rule out any possible risk, so it’s still important that we continue to monitor both radiation levels near nuclear power plants and rates of cancer among people who live close by.”

Source: fox news

10 ways to prevent bloating

The reason for your puffy belly may be bloat, not fat. In fact, one of the worst culprits for this problem—a slow digestive system—is common among women over age 40

Nothing’s more frustrating than grabbing your favorite jeans and—eek!—they aren’t even close to buttoning. But don’t despair: The reason for your puffy belly may be bloat, not fat. In fact, one of the worst culprits for this problem—a slow digestive system—is common among women over age 40. The good news is that there are lots of simple tweaks that can counteract common bloat-inducers. Here’s how to slim your silhouette.

Start off with fiber

There’s nothing distends a belly like constipation, so start your morning with a breakfast cereal packed with fiber to get things moving. Look for a cereal with both insoluble fiber (from bran) and gel-like soluble fiber (from psyllium).

Slim your veggies

Instead of noshing on raw vegetables, opt for steamed ones instead. A half-cup serving of cooked carrots delivers the same nutrition as one cup raw, but it takes up less belt-bloating room in your GI tract.

Hold the hot stuff

Give dishes a flavor boost with in-season fresh or dried herbs like dill, basil, mint, sage, tarragon, and rosemary—instead of super-spicy additions like black pepper, Chili powder, hot sauces, and vinegar. Spicy foods can stimulate the release of stomach acid, which can cause irritation.

Spit out the gum

When you chew gum, you swallow air. All that air gets trapped in your gut and causes pressure, bloating, and belly expansion.

Skip fake sugars

Sorbitol, xylitol, and mannitol are bloat-inducing sugar alcohols found in diet sodas and sugar-free gum. Avoid them for a slimmer silhouette.

Cut the carbs

As a backup energy source, your muscles store a type of carbohydrate called glycogen—and each gram of glycogen is stored with about three grams of water. But most people don’t need all this stockpiled fuel. Decreasing high-carb foods like bagels, pasta, and pretzels will help drain off excess stored fluids.

Be smart about beans

There’s a reason they’re called the magical fruit. Legumes and veggies like cabbage and Brussels sprouts induce more gas in your GI tract and can make you look like you swallowed a balloon. Soak dried beans overnight or take the OTC enzyme Beano.

Get a move on

Moving your body helps release air that has been trapped in your GI tract, relieving pressure and—you guessed it—bloating. Increasing your heart rate and breathing stimulates the natural contractions of the intestinal muscles, helping to prevent constipation and gas buildup by expediting digestion. Walk for at least five minutes to help get things moving inside your belly.

Guzzle more liquids

It seems counterintuitive—you’d think more liquid would equal more puff, right?—but getting rid of bloat means being well hydrated, so aim for at least eight glasses of water each day. Instead of plain water, try our Sassy Water that has ginger in it to help soothe your GI tract.

Avoid acidic sips

Coffee, tea, juice, and alcohol are all high-acid beverages that can irritate your GI tract, causing swelling

Bring on the bananas

Foods such as bananas, potatoes, and spinach help your body get rid of excess water weight, minimizing your middle. Extra fluid tends to accumulate when your potassium and sodium levels are out of balance. Increasing your potassium intake can bring lower your sodium.

Source : fox news

Johnson & Johnson recalls schizophrenia drug

Johnson & Johnson is voluntarily recalling one lot of schizophrenia drug Risperdal Consta after discovering mold during a routine testing process, a company spokeswoman said, and the latest in a string of recalls over the past two years.

Risperdal Consta is manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a unit of Johnson & Johnson. The company is recalling the drug from wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies and healthcare providers.

The medicine is a long-acting form of J&J’s Risperdal anti-psychotic medication, and is used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. It is injected, unlike basic Risperdal, which is a pill.

“We estimate that fewer than 5,000 dose packs remain in the market considering our current inventory levels and the usage of this product,” spokeswoman Robyn Reed Frenze said in an email to Reuters. A single lot of Risperdal Consta consists about 70,000 dosage packs.

Frenze said that the risk to patients is considered low, and “there have been no trends of adverse events of infection associated with this lot”.

The spokeswoman added that the medication is administered to patients by healthcare professionals only, “and it is important that patients continue their prescribed treatment”.

In the past two years J&J has recalled over-the-counter drugs, contact lenses, heart devices, and insulin pump cartridges.

Source: Fox news

Obesity tied to semi-frequent migraines

everyone should be aware that obesity is associated with an increased risk of episodic migraine and not wait until a patient has chronic migraine

Overweight and obese people are at higher-than-average risk of migraines, suggests a new study.

Researchers looking at so-called episodic migraines – headaches that occur less than every other day – found they were almost twice as common among obese people as among normal-weight adults.

“This suggests patients and doctors need to be aware that obesity is associated with an increased risk of episodic migraine and not wait until a patient has chronic migraine to address healthy lifestyle choices, such as diet and exercise, and to choose medications that impact weight with care,” lead researcher Dr. Lee Peterlin, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, told Reuters Health in an email.

However, the researchers couldn’t be sure which came first – the extra weight or the headaches. And one migraine researcher not involved in the study said he would be cautious interpreting its findings.

“If this helps of course to make people believe they should lose weight, that’s great, but does it mean that reduction in weight will reduce migraine attacks, or treat migraines? That’s a question they haven’t addressed,” Dr. Tobias Kurth, of the French national research institute INSERM and the University of Bordeaux, said.

About 10 to 15 percent of people have episodic migraines, according to Peterlin.

Previous studies have linked obesity to chronic migraines, which by definition occur at least every other day. But there’s less evidence on whether weight also plays a role in less frequent migraines, researchers said.

To try to answer that question, Peterlin and her colleagues analyzed data on 3,862 people who participated in a national U.S. survey in the early 2000s, including 188 who reported having migraines an average of three or four times each month.

About 32 percent of people with episodic migraines were obese, based on their self-reported height and weight, compared to 26 percent of non-migraine sufferers.

After accounting for other differences between people with and without migraines, such as their age and smoking rates, the researchers found that being obese was linked to an 81 percent higher chance of having episodic migraines, they reported Wednesday in Neurology.

The obesity-migraine link was stronger among women and people under 50 years old but less clear for men and older adults, who have lower migraine rates in general.

Peterlin said there are a few possible explanations for the association, including that the same systems in the body that are activated during a migraine help regulate how much people eat. Also, people who get regular migraines may be less active because of the pain or take medications that influence weight gain, she said.

Kurth, who wasn’t involved in the new study, agreed lifestyle factors may play a role in both obesity and migraines. But he cautioned against drawing a direct link between weight and episodic migraines in the absence of more research.

“I’m just very careful, because I’m missing the big picture,” he told Reuters Health.

“If obesity would cause migraine, which is the suggestion of this study, we would expect to see an increase … in the prevalence of migraine, because we have such an epidemic of obesity in the United States,” he said. “And this is just not true.”

However, Peterlin said, rates of the two conditions wouldn’t necessarily be expected to go hand and hand on a larger scale – and that some studies have suggested episodic migraines are in fact becoming more common.

Source: fox news

 

Lobsters may be the answer to immortality

Scientists say they may have found the key to eternal life in an unexpected creature – lobsters.

Research shows the crustaceans possess an enzyme called telomerase, which makes them ‘biologically immortal.’ Growing older doesn’t raise their chance of death, The Sun reported.

In other living creatures, strands of DNA get shorter as cells replicate and die, and they eventually become too badly damaged to copy new cells.

But in lobsters, telomerase prevents DNA strands from shortening, allowing perfect cells to replicate again and again, according to biologist Simon Watts, founder of ReadySteadyScience.com.

The average lobster weighs under 2 pounds, but near the coast of Maine in 2009, fishermen caught a lobster that weighed 19 pounds, meaning the creature was approximately 140 years old.

Medical experts hope further studies about telomerase will help discover new ways to increase lifespan and prevent cancer.
Source: Fox news

 

Measles still poses threat to US, health officials warn

Private school children at greatest risk of measles says leading doctor

Private school pupils ‘at greatest measles risk’

Although measles was officially “eliminated” in the United States in 2000, public health officials warned Thursday that the highly contagious, and sometimes deadly, virus continues to be imported from Europe and other parts of the world where the disease is still common. Despite high vaccination rates nationwide, measles continues to cause outbreaks in individual communities with large numbers of unvaccinated persons.

Between January 1 and August 24 of this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received reports of 159 laboratory-confirmed measles cases. Federal health officials say all of the U.S. cases so far this year involve persons who either acquired the virus while traveling outside the U.S. or were exposed to an infected international traveler.

According to the CDC, at least 82 percent of the cases involved patients who had not been vaccinated. An additional 9 percent of the patients had unknown vaccination statuses.

Of the patients who had not received measles immunizations, 79 percent had philosophical objections to vaccination, federal health officials said.

Results of a National Immunization Survey released today show that 90.8 percent of U.S. toddlers between the ages of 19 and 35 months have received at least one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) – just above the federal government’s target of 90 percent. However, federal health officials warned that measles imported from other countries can still cause large outbreaks in the U.S., especially if introduced into areas with clusters of unvaccinated persons.

Such clusters can exist in homes, neighborhoods, schools or religious organizations, with heavy concentrations of people who are opposed to vaccination.

Such was the case in New York City back in March. An unvaccinated 17-year-old infected with measles returned from a trip to the United Kingdom and is suspected to be the source of the largest U.S. outbreak of the disease since 1996. Public health officials identified 58 measles cases in two Brooklyn neighborhoods, all involving people who had not been vaccinated.

Fortunately none of the U.S. cases this year has resulted in death, and CDC officials said all of the outbreaks of 2013 have been contained, thanks to high vaccination rates and rapid response by public health agencies. However, they continue to urge Americans to get vaccinated because the disease is easily transmitted.

“You can bring measles virus into an arena, and anyone who’s not vaccinated in that arena who’s never had measles is going to get that virus,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Since elimination in 2000, the largest number of U.S. measles cases was reported in 2011, with 220 people becoming ill.

Source: Fox news

US firm brings next generation pacemaker in India

St Jude Medical Inc, a global medical device company, today announced the launch of next generation pacemaker in India.

The NYSE-listed firm announced the first commercial implant of `Allure Quadra’, a cardiac resynchronisation therapy pacemaker (CRT-P), in the country.

The first-to-market quadripolar pacemaker system offers more pacing options for patients with heart failure (HF), a company release said here.

Quadripolar leads allow for increased implant efficiencies, which clinical data indicates can result in fewer surgical revisions. Broad clinical evidence on the advantages of the quadripolar technology has been documented in more than 100 publications worldwide, it said.

Explaining how this new technology works, Anil Saxena of Fortis Escorts Hospital, said: “Historically, pacing systems that treat heart failure included a lead with only one electrode in the heart. Later, these were replaced by leads with two electrodes.

“Nearly 40 per cent of patients do not effectively benefit from traditional pacing due to potential complications all of which require repeat surgeries.”

The new technology has four electrodes and 10 programmable pacing configurations, allowing electro-physiologists to manage their patients with greater flexibility and improved patient outcomes, Saxena said.

The worldwide prevalence of heart failure has been rising over the last few decades. More than 26 million people globally suffer from HF, with a prevalence rate in India estimated to range from 1.3 to 4.6 million people.

Why chocolates, olive oil and tea are healthy for you

Researchers are focusing on the healthful antioxidant substances in red wine, dark chocolate, olive oil, coffee, tea, and other foods and dietary supplements.

Researchers are focusing on the healthful antioxidant substances in red wine, dark chocolate, olive oil, coffee, tea, and other foods and dietary supplements.

The American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, is holding a symposium on those substances during its 246th National Meeting and Exposition.

Reports in the symposium involve substances that consumers know best as ‘antioxidants,’ and that scientists term ‘ phenolic derivatives.’

These ingredients, found naturally in certain foods and sold as dietary supplements, have been linked with health benefits that include reducing the risk of heart disease and cance

Long-lasting chest pains indicator of heart attack!

Researchers have claimed that patients suffering long-lasting chest pain are likelier to have a heart attack than those with pain of a shorter duration.

James McCord, M.D., a cardiologist at Henry Ford Hospital on the research team, said that patients can experience varying strength, location, and duration of chest pain, asserting that the variety of symptoms any one patient may experience during a heart attack is a challenge to the physician who is trying to distinguish between patients who are having a heart attack and those who are not.

Of 426 patients included in the study, 38 (less than 9 percent) had a final diagnosis of heart attack, with average chest pain duration of 120 minutes, compared with 40 minutes in patients without heart attack.

In patients with chest pain lasting less than five minutes, there were no heart attacks and no deaths at 30 days.

McCord said that these findings suggest that patients with chest pain lasting less than five minutes may be evaluated as an out-patient in their doctor’s office; while patients with chest pain greater than 5 minutes, without a clear cause, should seek prompt medical evaluation in an emergency department.

Patients were interviewed during the study to determine medical history and demographics. Those with a diagnosis of heart attack were significantly older.

The study has been published in Critical Pathways in Cardiology.