September 8th, 2011 by RyanDuBosar in Research
Tags: Antidepressants, Depression, Exercise, Intense, Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Major Depression, Mental Disorder, Mental Health, Moderate, Psychiatry, Psychology, Research, SSRI, Treatment
No Comments »
Most patients with major depression require a second medication. A psychiatrist suggests that exercise could fulfill that need, too.
Because most patients with major depression don’t fully respond to just one drug, it’s common to try a second drug or cognitive behavioral therapy. But the rate of non-response in this group is prompting researchers to look for an intervention that most patients could do and that would add to current therapies.
Moderate and intense levels of daily exercise can work as well as administering a second antidepressant drug, as long as Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
September 7th, 2011 by ChristopherChangMD in Research
Tags: dextroamphetamine, Dizziness, Drug, Medication, Motion Sickness, NASA, Nausea, oral scopolamine, Patch, Reduced Gravity Program, Sickness, Treatment, Vomiting
No Comments »
So how would one go about figuring out the best medication for dizziness due to motion-sickness leading to nausea and even vomiting?
Well, step 1… Put a bunch of people in a machine and figure out the necessary motions that will cause dizziness.
Step 2… Do the same thing, but this time, put people on different medications and figure out what works the best.
Sound crazy?
Well it has been done by the friendly folks at NASA. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Fauquier ENT Blog*
September 6th, 2011 by HarvardHealth in Health Tips, Research
Tags: American Heart Association, Barley, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Diet, Eggplant, Fiber, Health, Healthy Eating, Heart Health, Journal of the American Medical Association, LDL, Low Fat, Medical Research, Nuts, Oatmeal, Okra, Plant Sterols, Portfolio, Research, Soluble fiber, Soy, St. Michael's Hospital, Suggestions, Triglycerides
No Comments »
Low-fat diets, move over. When it comes to lowering cholesterol, a “portfolio” diet that includes cholesterol-lowering foods such as oatmeal, nuts, and soy products is better.
Several years ago, researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto created what they called a “dietary portfolio of cholesterol-lowering foods.” It went after cholesterol by adding to a heart-healthy diet specific foods known to lower cholesterol: margarine enriched with plant sterols; oats, barley, psyllium, okra, and eggplant, all rich in soluble fiber; soy protein; and whole almonds.
In a head-to-head test against the low-fat diet traditionally recommended by the American Heart Association, the portfolio approach was the clear winner. (You can see the makeup of the test diet here.) After 24 weeks, it lowered harmful LDL cholesterol by 13%, while the low-fat diet lowered LDL by only 3%. As an added benefit, the portfolio approach also lowered triglycerides and blood pressure, and did not depress the level of beneficial HDL cholesterol. The results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
What I appreciate about this study is that it Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Harvard Health Blog*
September 5th, 2011 by RyanDuBosar in Research
Tags: BMJ, British Medical Journal, Cancer, Cardiometabolic Disorders, Cardiovascular Risk, Chocolate, Diabetes, Diet, Excessive Consumption, Healthy Survey, Metabolic Syndrome, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Obesity, Public Health, Research, Stroke, Study, The Lancet
No Comments »
Eating a lot of chocolate was associated with a 37% reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 29% reduction in stroke compared eating less, researchers reported. But, people are trending toward record obesity by the year 2030, which is a cardiometabolic risk in its own right.
Willie Wonka’s factory wasn’t the only risky place for those with a sweet tooth.
In the first study, to evaluate the association of chocolate with the risk of developing cardiometabolic disorders, researchers performed a meta-analysis of randomized trials, six cohort and one cross-sectional, which reported the association between chocolate and the risk of cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease and stroke), diabetes, and metabolic syndrome for about 114,000 people.
Because the studies reported chocolate consumption differently, researchers Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
September 5th, 2011 by Harriet Hall, M.D. in Research
Tags: Abnormalities, Chiropractic, Christine Anderson, Fetus, High Risk Pregnancy, Homeopathy, Intestinal Bleeding, Left-handedness, Long-Term Consequences, OB/GYN, Obstetrics And Gynecology, Perinatal Death, Placenta Previa, Pregnancy, Prenatal, Research, Routine Ultrasound Screening, Science Based Medicine, Sonograms, Study, Ultrasound
No Comments »
Several questionable sources are spreading alarms about the possible dangers of prenatal ultrasound exams (sonograms). An example is Christine Anderson’s article on the ExpertClick website. In the heading, it says she “Never Liked Ultrasound Technology.”
[She] has never been sold on the safety using Ultrasounds for checking on the fetuses of pregnant women, and for the last decade her fears have been confirmed with a series of studies pointing to possible brain damage to the babies from this technology.
Should We Believe Her?
Should we avoid ultrasounds because Anderson never liked them? Should we trust her judgment that her fears have been confirmed by studies? Who is she?
“Dr.” Christine Anderson is a pediatric chiropractor in Hollywood who believes a lot of things that are not supported by science or reason. Her website mission statement includes
We acknowledge the devastating effects of the vertebral subluxation on human health and therefore recognize that the spines of all children need to be checked soon after birth, so they may grow up healthy.
It also states that “drugs interfere… and weaken the mind, body, and spirit.” Anderson is Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
