Depression

Weight-loss tamarind and anti-depressants a deadly mix

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Are you taking weight-loss supplements while on anti-depressants? Take caution because the popular weight-loss supplement garcinia cambogia — famously known as Malabar tamarind — could lead to toxicity in the body.

Previous studies have shown that garcinia cambogia may, in fact, increase the levels of serotonin — a neurotransmitter.

New research found that taking the supplement in combination with anti-depressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) — which also cause serotonin levels to rise — could lead to serotonin toxicity.

“People who are taking SSRIs should not use garcinia cambogia at least until further research is done,” said D. Robert Hendrickson, a toxicologist at Oregon Health and Sciences University.

In India, garcinia cambogia is better known as Malabar tamarind.

This fruit originated in Indonesia, but is grown and cultivated along the western ghats of Kerala. Sri Lanka and Malaysia are also well acquainted with the garcinia cambogia.

The hydroxycitric acid (HCA) compound in the fruit is touted as a fat-burning, metabolism-boosting, appetite-suppressing weight-loss product.

“If I had a family member or a patient who was considering starting Garcinia and they were on an SSRI, I would recommend that they do not do it for now,” a Live Science report quoted Hendrickson as saying.

The study appeared in the Journal of Medical Toxicrotonin toxicity, Serotonin, Toxic food

Chronic stress in early life linked to anxiety, aggression in adulthood

Researchers have suggested that chronic stress in early life causes anxiety, aggression in adulthood.

A research team led by Associate Professor Grigori Enikolopov of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) conducted experiments designed to assess the impacts of social stress upon adolescent mice, both at the time they are experienced and during adulthood.

The tests began with 1-month-old male mice – the equivalent, in human terms of adolescents – each placed for 2 weeks in a cage shared with an aggressive adult male.

The animals were separated by a transparent perforated partition, but the young males were exposed daily to short attacks by the adult males. This kind of chronic activity produces what neurobiologists call social-defeat stress in the young mice. These mice were then studied in a range of behavioral tests.

These experiments showed that in young mice chronic social defeat induced high levels of anxiety helplessness, diminished social interaction, and diminished ability to communicate with other young animals. Stressed mice also had less new nerve-cell growth (neurogenesis) in a portion of the hippocampus known to be affected in depression: the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus.

Another group of young mice was also exposed to social stress, but was then placed for several weeks in an unstressful environment. Following this “rest” period, these mice, now old enough to be considered adults, were tested in the same manner as the other cohort.

In this second, now-adult group, most of the behaviors impacted by social defeat returned to normal, as did neurogenesis , which retuned to a level seen in healthy controls. “This shows that young mice, exposed to adult aggressors, were largely resilient biologically and behaviorally,” says Dr. Enikolopov.

However, in these resilient mice, the team measured two latent impacts on behavior. As adults they were abnormally anxious, and were observed to be more aggressive in their social interactions.

The study has been published online in the journal PLOS ONE.

Source: zee news

Depression, anxiety lead to loss of teeth

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Depression and anxiety may be associated with dental decay and tooth loss, a new study has claimed.

Tooth loss from caries and periodontal disease is an outcome from complex, chronic conditions. Seve-ral biopsychosocial factors are involved, including accessing care, said R. Constance Wiener from West Virginia University.

Individuals reporting dental anxiety may avoid dental care and individuals with depression may be negligent in self-care, Wiener said. Experts examined a potential association of tooth loss with depression and anxiety by using data of 451,075 respondents. Analysis involved frequency, Chi square analysis, and complex survey logistic regression. Participants eligibility included being 19 years or older, and having complete data on depression, anxiety and tooth loss.

There were 76,292 eligible participants and 13.4 per cent reported anxiety, 16.7 per cent reported depression, and 5.7 per cent reported total tooth loss.

In Chi-square analysis by tooth loss: depression, anxiety, and a combined category of depression or anxiety were significantly different in tooth loss participants without the conditions, researchers said.

Source: The Asian Age

Mindfulness Meditation May Reduce Drug User Relapse

Many people who undergo treatment for addiction will relapse and begin using drugs again soon after their therapy ends, but a new study suggests that meditation techniques may help prevent such relapses.

In the study, 286 people who had been treated for substance abuse were assigned to receive one of three therapies after their initial treatment: a program that involved only group discussions, a “relapse- prevention” therapy that involved learning to avoid situations where they might be tempted to use drugs, and a mindfulness-based program that involved meditation sessions to improve self-awareness.

Six months later, participants in the both the relapse prevention and mindfulness group had a reduced risk of relapsing to using drugs or heavy drinking compared with participants in the group discussions group.And after one year, participants in the mindfulness group reported fewer days of drug use, and were at reduced risk of heavy drinking compared with those in the relapse prevention group. This result suggests that the mindfulness-based program may have a more enduring effect, the researchers said.

The researchers emphasized that mindfulness-based programs are not intended to replace standard programs for preventing drug relapse.

“We need to consider many different approaches to addiction treatment. It’s a tough problem,” said study researcher Sarah Bowen, an assistant professor at the University of Washington’s department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Mindfulness therapy is “another possibility for people to explore,” she said.

More research is needed to identify which groups of people benefit most from the approach, Bowen said.

Meditation for addiction

About 40 to 60 percent of people who undergo addiction treatment relapse within one year after their treatment ends, the researchers said.

Although 12-step and traditional relapse-prevention programs have value in preventing relapse, “we still have a lot of work to do,” Bowen said.

Mindfulness-based relapse prevention, a program developed by Bowen and colleagues, is essentially a “training in awareness,” Bowen said.

In this program, each session is about two hours, with 30 minutes of guided meditation followed by discussions about what people experienced during meditation and how it relates to addiction or relapse, Bowen said. The meditation sessions are intended to bring heightened attention to things that patients usually ignore, such as how it feels to eat a bite of food, or other bodily sensations, as well as thoughts and feelings.

The mindfulness program may work to prevent relapse in part because it makes people more aware of what happens when they have cravings.

“If you’re not aware of what’s going on, you don’t have a choice, you just react,” Bowen said.

The program also teaches people how to “be with” or accept uncomfortable feelings, such as cravings, rather than fight them, Bowen said. In this way, people learn skills that they can apply to their everyday lives, and not just situations in which they feel tempted, which is usually the focus of other prevention programs, she said.

Addiction and emotions

Dr. Scott Krakower, assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y., who was not involved in the study, said people with addiction often suffer from other conditions that involve problems regulating emotions, such as depression, anxiety or self-harm.

Emotional problems, such as feelings of numbness with depression, can be a reason people turn to drugs, he said.

The mindfulness program helps teach people to “tolerate feelings of emotional distress, so when they feel like they’re going to use [drugs], they don’t,” Krakowe said.

Krakower noted that mindfulness meditation programs have already been shown to be useful for depression.

Future studies are needed to examine the effectiveness of the therapy for substance abuse over longer periods, Krakower said. But at the very least, it seems that the program can be helpful for people with emotional dysregulation, which is the majority of the substance abuse population, Krakower said.

The study is published online today (March 19) in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

Source: Live science

7 ‘women’s‘ diseases men should watch out for

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Due to variations in genes, anatomy, and hormone levels, some diseases conflict women some-more mostly than men, and vice-versa. However, meditative of diseases that women are some-more disposed to as “women’s diseases” can leave group exposed to critical health problems.

Here are 7 supposed “women’s diseases” that can also strike men. If we knowledge symptoms, don’t let your gender stop we from removing treatment.

1. Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis reduces a firmness of bone, creation it some-more exposed to fractures. One in 3 women are during risk, though so are one in 5 men. Women knowledge fast bone detriment following menopause, though by 65 to 70 years old, group remove bone mass during about a same rate.

Kidney and thyroid problems, vitamin D deficiency, and lengthened bearing to steroids, cancer therapies, and anti-convulsants put we some-more during risk. You might not have symptoms, so ask your alloy for a bone firmness test.

2. Breast Cancer
Women get breast cancer some-more mostly than group since they have some-more breast tissue. Although usually about one percent of all breast cancers impact men, investigate shows that occurrence is on a rise. Men frequency mind a warning signs, so a cancer is authorised to develop. Therefore, group typically don’t tarry as prolonged as women once a diagnosis is finally made.

If you’re over 50, of African-American descent, or obese, you’re some-more during risk. Watch for any surprising lumps or skin abnormalities in a chest.

3. Thyroid Problems
The thyroid is a tiny gland that rests in a center of a reduce neck, where it produces hormones to control metabolism. If it produces too much, hyperthyroidism results. Symptoms include:

  • fatigue
  • weight gain
  • forgetfulness
  • dry, counterfeit skin and hair

If a thyroid doesn’t furnish adequate hormones, hypothyroidism results. Symptoms include:

  • irritability
  • muscle weakness
  • sleep disturbances

Women are 5 to 8 times some-more expected to have some form of thyroid illness than men, though group can still be affected.

4. Eating Disorders
As some-more group feel a vigour to be skinny and demeanour good, some-more are descending plant to eating disorders. Only 10 to 15 percent of people with anorexia or bulimia are male, though a effects can be equally devastating. Men also are reduction expected to find treatment, withdrawal them some-more during risk for complications such as:

  • heart problems
  • bone loss
  • organ failure
  • death

Athletes, portly boys, group with gender issues, and those who are concerned or have captious personalities are some-more during risk.

5. Bladder Infections
Bladder infections are most some-more common in women, though group can get them, too— quite group with an lengthened prostate, kidney stones, or an aberrant squeezing of a urethra. Treatment involves antibiotics and is typically really effective, though group need to be wakeful of a symptoms.

They include:

  • frequent urination
  • cloudy urine or bloody urine
  • a clever titillate to urinate
  • a blazing or rawness prodigy during urination
  • low-grade fever

6. Depression
Women are dual times some-more expected than group to be diagnosed with depression, though that might be since their symptoms are different. Women might feel unhappy and cry some-more often, since group are some-more expected to uncover anger, irritation, frustration, and discouragement.

Men might spin to drugs or alcohol, or rivet in unsure behavior. They are also some-more expected to finish self-murder if they try it. Because of these differences, many group go undiagnosed. Without treatment, basin is expected to worsen.

7. Lupus
About 90 percent of those diagnosed with lupus are women, though this autoimmune commotion can also strike men. Symptoms include:

  • joint flourishing and pain
  • muscle weakness
  • extreme fatigue
  • unexplained fever
  • hair loss
  • leg swelling
  • eye puffiness
  • mouth sores
  • swollen glands
  • butterfly-shaped red unreasonable opposite a overpass of a nose and cheeks

The illness is treated likewise in both genders. Your alloy might disremember it since it is singular in men. If we have symptoms, ask for testing.

Always Check with Your Doctor
Studies uncover that group are reduction expected than women to demeanour after their health. They’re 25 percent reduction expected to have visited their alloy in a past year, and roughly 40 percent some-more expected to have skipped endorsed health screenings. They’re also 1.5 times some-more expected to die from heart disease, cancer, and respiratory diseases, and they die an normal of 5 years progressing than women.

If you’re not feeling right, check with your doctor. By removing a treatments we need, we can kick a odds.

Source: Health Medcine Network

 

Man dies of heart attack caused by … nail biting

It’s a good thing you listened to your mom when she told you not to bite your nails: The bad habit ended up costing one UK man his life.

John Gardener, a 40-year-old amateur football referee, bit his fingernails so badly that they bled—leading to an infection that turned septic and caused a fatal heart attack,

Gardener may have become immune to the pain after years of nail-biting; his doctor says the man’s fingernails were “always in poor condition and … often bleeding,” and he’d lost nearly all feeling in them.

The habit had only gotten worse in recent years, as he also suffered from anxiety and depression. He was admitted to the hospital in September with septicemia, and was initially treated just with antibiotics because he didn’t want to lose his finger, but eight days later, doctors were forced to amputate the tip.

Even so, he died two weeks after being admitted, despite showing signs of improvement and no fever. His surgeon says Gardener’s death was “upsetting and shocking.” His mother insists, “there could’ve been more done to help him.” The family is taking action against the hospital

Gardener, who was also diabetic, had previously had his lower right leg amputated due to leg ulcers.

Source: Fox news

Health and Happiness: Men beat Women

A new survey has found that men are more healthier as well as happier about their appearance than women who are more concerned about their looks, making them less happy.

Health and Happiness, a nationwide study of 2,000 men and women revealed that men reported a higher rate of happiness when it came to their weight, shape, appearance, and the way they are perceived by others.

However, the survey found women to be more self-conscious and slightly less satisfied with their happiness levels at around 49 percent.

It also said that women are much more likely to try dieting than men.

On stress levels, 60 percent of women felt anxious once a week or more while almost 60 percent of male respondents said they only felt stressed once a month.

Men rarely feel depressed as over 70 percent of them claim they rarely felt down or had mood swings, whereas half of women admitted to feeling low or unhappy at least once a month, if not more.

When it comes to wellness, men are again leading as almost half of them said they rarely got headaches compared to 64 percent of women who said they experienced them at least once a month or more.

Also, 70 percent of men said bloating and poor digestion would only occur once a month or less, while it was a daily or weekly problem for half of women.

Patrick Holford, leading nutrition expert and who conducted the research said: “The general perception is that women are more health conscious, but what this survey shows is that women do actually have more health issues to deal with, especially relating to digestion, mood, anxiety and sleep.”

“The results also show that respondents, regardless of their gender, considered the absence of disease to be an indicator of good health. But being healthy means more than that – it’s abundance of well-being indicated by good energy levels, a stable mood and a sharp mind, all of which achieve optimum health,” added Holford.

Source: Zee news

Saliva Test Predicts Risk of Severe Depression in Boys

High levels of stress hormone cortisol led to much greater likelihood of clinical depression diagnosis

If your teenage son is showing mild signs of depression, an experimental saliva test could determine if he’s at a risk for severe depression later in life.

In a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, researchers examined the saliva of 1,800 teens between ages 12 and 19, and tracked the teens’ depression symptoms and mental illness diagnoses for up to three years later.

The test’s results were most pronounced for boys. Boys with mild symptoms of depression and high levels of cortisol–a stress hormone–were 14 times more likely to have a clinical depression diagnosis later on, compared with teens with lower levels of the hormone. For girls, high levels of cortisol put them at a four times greater risk for major depression later on.

Source: TIME

Loneliness ups older adult’s chances of premature death by 14%

A new study has revealed that feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s chances of premature death by 14 percent.

The study by John Cacioppo, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, and his colleagues shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent.

A 2010 meta-analysis showed that loneliness has twice the impact on early death as does obesity, he said.

The researchers looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in physical and mental health as people age.
Cacioppo and colleagues have examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to develop their resilience, the ability to bounce back after adversity and grow from stresses in life.

The consequences to health are dramatic, as feeling isolated from others can disrupt sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol, alter gene expression in immune cells, and increase depression and lower overall subjective well-being.

Cacioppo, one of the nation’s leading experts on loneliness, said older people can avoid the consequences of loneliness by staying in touch with former co-workers, taking part in family traditions, and sharing good times with family and friends – all of which gives older adults a chance to connect others about whom they care and who care about them.

The study was presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual meeting in Chicago.

Source: Yahoo news

 

5 Early signs you have a calcium deficiency

Calcium is widely found in the human body. While bones and teeth are home to 99 percent of the body’s calcium levels, remaining 1 percent circulates in the blood, muscles, and cell fluid.

Although the mineral’s key role is of maintaining bone health, it is also important for maintaining heart rhythm and muscle function. Calcium deficiency can impair the blood to clot properly and damages nerve impulses.

A balanced diet helps maintain the body’s calcium levels. One can also take calcium supplements to ensure we get the adequate amount of the mineral.

If one suffers from calcium deficiency, the most common symptoms experienced are:

Early signs

• Muscle Cramping Muscle cramping is believed to the first sign of calcium deficiency. These cramps usually occur at night and especially afflict the legs.

• Dry Skin and Brittle Nails Calcium deficiency causes the skin type to become dry. The nails of both fingers and toes become brittle, and thus can break easily.

• Yellowing of Teeth As calcium plays an important role in teeth health, its deficiency can cause the teeth to turn yellow.

• Increased PMS Symptoms Women suffering from calcium deficiency experience severe abdominal cramping during menstrual cycles. Calcium deficiency also alters her menstrual flow and taking additional calcium in diet helps ease these symptoms.

• Bone Fractures or Breakage Lack of calcium could also lead to high risk of osteoporosis or weakening of bones. Women who lack sufficient calcium in their bodies are at high risk of suffering from bone fractures. If early signs of calcium deficiency are missed and the condition is left untreated it may lead to chronic calcium deficiency. The symptoms include Memory loss, Muscle spasms,  Numbness and tingling in the hands, feet, and face, Depression

Source: mashable