December 27th, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, News, Research
Tags: Biofeedback, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Delft University of Technology, Electromagnets, Managing Stress, Medgadget, Miguel Bruns Alonso, Pen, Psychiatry and Psychology, Relaxation Techniques, Short-Term Stress, Stress Control, Stress Reduction, Stress-Associated Movement, The Netherlands, Therapeutic Effect
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Miguel Bruns Alonso, a graduate student at Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands, has developed a pen that detects how much twitching and twirling it’s being put through.
People under stress tend to move and shake a pen more than someone who is calm. In order to try to get a therapeutic effect out of the pen, Bruns built in counter motion feedback that makes the pen a bit more difficult to move around. Though initial experiments have shown a marginal benefit, further studies and development may prove the benefit of the technology. From TU Delft:
Bruns, who studies industrial design, carried out various experiments during the course of his research, which showed that people tend to play with their pens in their hands when they are tense. It also seems that when they are encouraged to check these nervous movements, or make more gentle movements, it is possible to gain more control over a situation. “Sensors in a pen could provide an unobtrusive way of measuring stress levels. Giving users the right feedback could then help them deal with their stress in a constructive way,” says Bruns. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
December 27th, 2010 by Peggy Polaneczky, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Quackery Exposed
Tags: CAM, Chai-Yok, Complementary And Alternative Medicine, Douche, Douching, Dr. Peggy Polaneczky, Female Reproductive Cycle, Fertility Aid, Folk Remedies, Folklore Medicine, Getting Pregnant, Herbal Remedy, Infertility, Korea, Menstrual Cycle, Menstrual Disorders, Mugwort, Natural Remedies, Naturopathy, OB/GYN, Obstetrics And Gynecology, Pelvic Infections, Reproductive Health, Spa Medicine, TBTAM, The Blog That Ate Manhattan, Urinary Tract Infection, UTI, V-Steam, Vaginal Infections, Vaginal Steam Baths, Women's Health, Yeast Infection
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A spa in California is offering vaginal steam baths, in which spa-goers squat or sit on open stools over a tub of hot steam, as a cure-all for menstrual, digestion, and mood disorders:
The V-Steam: Inspired by an ancient ritual practiced for many years in Korea. The steam from the herbal tea rises and absorbs into your skin & orifice. This steaming treatment stimulates the production of hormones to maintain uterine health, aids regular menstrual cycles, helps correct digestive disorders while soothing the nervous system. The natural antibiotic and anti-fungal properties are said to help maintain internal health as well as keeping your skin looking young. (30 min: $50. Series of 6: $180.)
It’s a douche, folks. A $50 douche made with mugwort and 13 other herbs and having a fancy Korean name: Chai-Yok. True, the water gets up there as steam, and if you don’t squat just right over the steam bath, I imagine it may not get up there at all. But in the end, it’s a douche.
We docs strongly advise against douching since we know that women who do it have higher rates of vaginal and pelvic infections. Not to mention that the vaginal mucosa is highly-absorptive surface, meaning anything you put in there is likely to end up in the rest of your body. And so I ask: What herbs are they using, at what doses, and what side effects might they have? Not to mention what might be growing in those wooden tubs they have you squatting over? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at tbtam*
December 27th, 2010 by John Di Saia, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Opinion, Quackery Exposed
Tags: Cosmetic Products, Dermatology, Dr. John Di Saia, False Claims, Healthcare Consumerism, Medical Product Claims, Medical Product Effectiveness, Misleading Healthcare Consumers, OTC, Over-The-Counter Medications, Plastic Surgery, Scar Formation, Scar Prevention, Scarguard, Truth in Cosmetic Surgery
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I saw a Scarguard product on sale at a drugstore locally. The claims on the packaging were over the top as usual:
1. “Guards against new scars forming” – Difficult to prove.
2. “Flattens and shrinks old scars” – Not really.
3. “Scarguard is the #1 choice of plastic surgeons” – Really? Nobody asked me.
Scar treatment is pretty simple. Avoid wounding if you can. If you have plastic surgery, seek a skilled surgeon who will spend the time to do the best. After surgery avoid sunlight and smoking, and consider scar massage as directed by your surgeon. This “Scarguard” product is not going to make a bad scar much better unless it is applied early, and even then the results are debatable.
– John Di Saia, M.D.
*This blog post was originally published at Truth in Cosmetic Surgery*
December 26th, 2010 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Research
Tags: Age-Related Macular Degeneration, AMD, Archives of Ophthalmology, Blindness, Diet and Exercise, Dr. Toni Brayer, Everything Health, Eye Conditions, Eye Health, Good Vision, Healthy Diet, Healthy Eyes, Healthy Lifestyle, Loss of Central Vision, Lost Eyesight, Regular Exercise, Vision Impairment
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We now have another condition that may be prevented by eating a healthy diet, exercising, and abstaining from smoking: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Macular degeneration causes a loss of central vision and makes it difficult to recognize faces and read small print. The macula degenerates with age and severe macular degeneration causes blindness. Treatment is costly and doesn’t work very well.
A new study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology looked at 1,313 women aged 55 to 74 years. They reviewed their diet and exercise habits. Eating a “healthy diet” meant 3.5 servings of fruit and vegetables, 2.3 servings of dairy, 2.7 ounces of meet and 3.5 servings of grain a day. Exercise habits and smoking history were also monitored. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
December 26th, 2010 by Glenn Laffel, M.D., Ph.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Research
Tags: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dr. Glenn Laffel, Emily Holmes, Emotional Health, Flashbacks, Health-Related Video Games, Memory, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Oxford University, Pizaazz, PLoS ONE, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Psychiatry and Psychology, PTSD, Tetris, Traumatic Experience, Unwanted Mental Images, Video Games and Health
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Flashbacks are vivid, recurring, intrusive, and unwanted mental images of a past traumatic experience. They are a sine qua non of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although drugs and cognitive behavioral interventions are available to treat PTSD, clinicians would prefer to utilize some sort of early intervention to prevent flashbacks from developing in the first place.
Well, researchers at Oxford University appear to have found one. Remarkably, all it takes is playing Tetris. Yes, Tetris!
The team responsible for the discovery was led by Emily Holmes. The writeup appears in the November issue of PLoS ONE. Holmes and colleagues had reasoned that the human brain has a limited capacity to process memories, and that memory consolidation following a traumatic experience is typically complete within six hours after the event. Holmes’ team also knew that playing Tetris involved the same kind of mental processing as that involved with flashback formation. So they figured if they had people play Tetris during that six-hour window after the traumatic event, it might interfere with memory consolidation of the traumatic experience. That, in turn, would reduce or eliminate the flashbacks. The idea worked like a charm. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Pizaazz*
