Optimism is good for your heart
According to researchers from Duke University Medical Center, heart patients are more likely to survive if they have a positive outlook. More than 2,800 heart disease patients were given a psychological questionnaire and asked about their belief in their ability to recover from the illness and return to a regular routine. After 15 years, 1,637 of the patients had died. Of those deaths, 885 (54 percent) were due to heart disease. Patients who had an optimistic outlook were 30 percent less likely to die during the follow-up period, said the researchers. The increased risk of death among pessimistic patients persisted even after the researchers compensated for a number of factors, including heart disease severity, age, gender, income, depression, and social support.
nlm.nih.gov, February 28, 2011
Lifestyle therapies prove highly effective in the fight against chronic disease
Lifestyle therapies that include proper nutrition, stress management, regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy body weight are key elements in the prevention and treatment of many chronic diseases. Heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke and dementia are all strongly influenced by fine tuning diet with plenty of raw organic foods and taking advantage of regular moderate physical activity. Once referred to as alternative medicine, health conscious individuals now embrace a natural lifestyle approach to maintain health. Important research confirms that following four simple behavior patterns can help prevent chronic disease development and progression by more than 90%.
www.naturalnews.com, March 16, 2011
Yoga's spiritual balance may boost health
People have been practicing yoga for millennia to improve their strength, serenity and wellness, but its roots in ancient Indian philosophy have kept the exercise discipline firmly within the realm of alternative medicine. However, a growing body of scientific evidence is building the case that the spiritual balance created by yoga provides proven health benefits. Research has found that yoga can help people who are dealing with health problems as wide-ranging as back pain, chronic headaches, sleeplessness, obesity, neck aches, upset stomach, anxiety, depression and high blood pressure. The relaxation, meditation and breathing of yoga has been shown to improve a person's sense of well-being and can be a good treatment for anxiety and depression.
consumer.healthday.com, January 23, 2011
Diabetes out of control in many countries: study
According to US researchers, people with diabetes in the United States and several other countries do not get effective treatment to control their disease. The findings suggest millions of people with diabetes are undiagnosed or poorly treated, putting them at risk of an early death from heart disease or significant complications of diabetes, such as blindness, chronic kidney disease and foot problems that can require amputations. Diabetes is reaching epidemic levels. An estimated, 280 million people, or 6.4 percent of the world's population, are suffering from it, according to the researchers. Overweight people have an increased risk of developing it, and cases are predicted to rise swiftly in coming decades as obesity rates increase.
nlm.nih.gov, March 1, 2011
Video game addiction tied to depression, anxiety in kids
According to researchers, video game addiction among children and teens may lead to the development of psychological disorders such as depression. The new study found that children who are more likely to become addicted to video games, have trouble fitting in with other kids and are more impulsive than children who aren't addicted. Once addicted to video games, children were more likely to become depressed, anxious or have other social phobias. Not surprisingly, children who were hooked on video games also saw their school performance suffer.
consumer.healthday.com, January 17, 2011
Stress levels can lower immunity through bacteria
Stress levels can make you more vulnerable to illness by altering the composition of bugs living in your gut. These bacteria affect immune function, and may help explain why stress deregulates (impairs) the immune response. When researchers of this study reduced the number of bacteria in the intestines using antibiotics, they found that some of the effects of stress on the immune system were prevented. This study suggests that not only does stress change the bacteria levels in the gut, but these alterations can, in turn, impact our immunity. Because gut bacteria have been linked to diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, and even to asthma, a future goal of the study is to determine whether alteration of gut bacteria is the reason why these diseases tend to be worse during periods of pressure.
www.topnews.in, March 22, 2011
Treating latent tb after 65 raises serious side-effect risk
According to a new study, people over age 65 are at increased risk for serious side effects while undergoing latent tuberculosis therapy. Latent tuberculosis occurs when TB bacteria lurk in the body without making the person sick. The host has no symptoms of TB and is not contagious. However, there is still a chance, the bacteria could multiply and cause tuberculosis, which can be fatal if it goes untreated. Latent TB therapy reduces the chances of developing active TB and is used in Canada and the United States as a way to control the disease. The decision to treat a patient with latent TB therapy depends on his or her risk of developing active disease and of experiencing harmful side effects.
consumer.healthday.com, January 10, 2011
