Health & WellnessS


Brain

Brain drain: The mere presence of your smartphone reduces brain power


medicalexpress
Mon, 26 Jun 2017 23:26 UTC
smart phones
© ZME ScienceExerting self-control impairs your capacity to form memories
Your cognitive capacity is significantly reduced when your smartphone is within reach—even if it's off. That's the takeaway finding from a new study from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.

McCombs Assistant Professor Adrian Ward and co-authors conducted experiments with nearly 800 smartphone users in an attempt to measure, for the first time, how well people can complete tasks when they have their smartphones nearby even when they're not using them.

In one experiment, the researchers asked study participants to sit at a computer and take a series of tests that required full concentration in order to score well. The tests were geared to measure participants' available cognitive capacity—that is, the brain's ability to hold and process data at any given time. Before beginning, participants were randomly instructed to place their smartphones either on the desk face down, in their pocket or personal bag, or in another room. All participants were instructed to turn their phones to silent.

Comment: The real Zombie Apocalypse? People check their Smart Phones 85 times a day!

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Sun

Study: Nearly three-quarters of sunscreens don't work as advertised

Tom Huddleston, Jr.
Fortune.com
Mon, 05 Jun 2017 23:18 UTC
sunscreen
© Nashville Green Magazine
The official start of summer is almost here, pushing sunscreen to the top of many shopping lists.

But even people who stay well-stocked and diligently lathered in sun block may still find themselves inadequately protected. That's because nearly three-quarters of all sunscreens on the market don't work as well as they claim to, or they contain potentially harmful ingredients, according to a recent study from the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG).

Last month, the EWG released its 11th annual sunscreen guide, which analyzed more than 880 beach and sport sunscreens, as well as 480 moisturizers and 120 lip products containing SPF. The Washington, D.C.-based research group found that roughly 73% of the products it tested either contained "worrisome" products or they did offer the level of UV protection they advertised. EWG said those worrisome products can include oxybenzone, which is known to be a hormone disruptor, and retinyl palminate, a form of vitamin A that EWG says can sometimes actually heighten sensitivity to the sun.

Comment: Read more about debunking the myths surrounding sun exposure and sunscreen:

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Sun

Sun's rays could be a cure for eczema: Nitric oxide released while sunbathing can reduce inflammation that causes the itches

Conor Riordan
Daily Mail
Mon, 26 Jun 2017 15:09 UTC
Shedding light on cure: University of Edinburgh scientists say their findings pave the way for new therapies for the skin condition (pictured) which mimic the effects of the sun's rays
Shedding light on cure: University of Edinburgh scientists say their findings pave the way for new therapies for the skin condition (pictured) which mimic the effects of the sun's rays
Exposure to sunlight releases a compound from the skin that can alleviate symptoms of eczema, research has found.

The molecule, called nitric oxide, works by dampening inflammation, which causes itchy skin associated with the condition.

Scientists say their findings pave the way for new therapies which mimic the effects of the sun's rays and could help patients avoid light therapy, which can have damaging side effects on the skin such as raising cancer risk.

Lead researcher Dr Anne Astier, of the Medical Research Council Centre for Inflammation Research at the University of Edinburgh, said: 'Our findings suggest that nitric oxide has powerful anti-inflammatory properties and could offer an alternative drug target for people with eczema.'

Tests on healthy volunteers found that exposing a small patch of skin to UV light triggers a release of nitric oxide into the blood stream.
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Ambulance

Opioid related hospital visits in the U.S. top one million a year

Genevieve Leigh
World Socialist Website
Wed, 21 Jun 2017 19:25 UTC
emergency
A report issued Tuesday by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) shows that there were 1.27 million emergency room visits or inpatient stays for opioid-related issues in 2014, the latest year for which there is sufficient data. This represents a 64 percent increase for inpatient care and a 99 percent hike in emergency room treatment compared to figures from 2005.

Aside from the overall skyrocketing of hospital visits, the report found that the previous discrepancy between males and females in the rate of opioid-related inpatient stays in 2005 has disappeared. The rate of female hospital visits has now caught up to that of males.

Another significant finding is that from 2005 to 2014, the age groups with the highest rate of opioid-related inpatient stays nationally were 25 - 44 and 45 - 64 years—in other words, adults in their prime working years, not adolescents. The highest rate of opioid-related Emergency Department (ED) visits was among those aged 25 - 44 years.

This mirrors another recent report, which found that death rates have risen among the same age group, 25 - 44, in every racial and ethnic group and almost all states since 2010, likely driven in part by the opioid epidemic.

Comment: Communities in the U.S. are crumbling under an evolving opioid addiction crisis

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Roses

Aromatherapy: Scents to uplift, balance and calm

Michelle Schoffro Cook
care2.com
Fri, 24 Mar 2017 21:53 UTC
aromatherapy
Bath and beauty companies have led most people to believe that aromatherapy is beneficial for relaxation, skin care and bathing. While it definitely helps in these regards, medical aromatherapy—a scientific approach to aromatherapy that uses the potent natural chemical constituents found in key essential oils—can also dramatically affect pain, inflammation, boost energy, improve sleep and improve healing.

Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of natural oils from flowers, plants, trees, resins and other elements in nature that have healing properties. Aromatherapy is as old as nature itself, but humans have been using the art and science of aromatherapy therapeutically for at least 6000 years. There is plenty of archaeological evidence to suggest that aromatherapy oils were regularly used in the ancient temples of Egypt, Greece and Rome. Our ancient ancestors must have observed that the scents of flowers, trees and other plants had an impact on their stress levels, anxiety, sleep, mood, pain and more.

Comment: Additional articles about the healing properties of Aromatherapy:

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Book

Lynne Farrow: My medical mystery solved - Iodine deficiency

Lynne Farrow
Honey Colony
Tue, 13 Jun 2017 13:10 UTC
iodine
Iodine deficiency wrecked my life.

How did this happen?

No, I didn't live in a Third World Country where iodine deficiency is the leading cause of mental retardation. I grew up in New Jersey eating plenty of seafood and vegetables sprinkled with iodized salt. Still, for years I endured daily headaches and bouts of brain fog so bad that I lost my driver's license for speeding through stop signs without being aware. I slept so much my family called me Rip Van Winkle. Eventually I could no longer drag myself to work even with caffeine and Darvocet, a prescription painkiller.

I moved from teaching college full time to working as a journalist part time. To make things worse, pounds began to pad my middle. What was wrong with me? At least fifty doctors reviewed my case and ran tests. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, adrenal exhaustion, epilepsy, ovarian cysts, TMJ, candida, and multiple chemical sensitivities. They prescribed remedies but nothing worked. Did I have a disorder? A disease? And how did I finally land on iodine deficiency — the correct culprit?

The last doctor on my medical mystery tour shrugged. "There are things worse than brain fog."

Turned out he was right. I was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.

Through what sounded like a metal tunnel, I heard these word: "After surgery you need to see an oncologist for chemotherapy and a doctor who will perform radiation."

Comment: The Health & Wellness Show: The Iodine Crisis - Interview with Lynne Farrow

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Hearts

Researchers discover link between noisy cities heartbeat disruption

Sarah Knapton
The Telegraph
Sun, 25 Jun 2017 14:49 UTC
oxford street
© Jack Taylor/ Getty Images Busy high streets like London Oxford Street affect heart rhythm scientists found.
The cacophony of noise town centres could trigger heart problems, a new study suggests, after scientists found that fluctuating sounds on busy high streets disturb normal cardiac rhythms.

Researchers from Nottingham Trent University found that constant changes in noise - even at low levels - had an immediate and disruptive effect on the patterns of participants' normal heart rates.

The team says their findings add to a growing body of research which shows how our everyday surroundings could have wider implications for long-term health.

For the study, shoppers were asked to wear mobile body sensors to monitor their heart rates as they moved about Nottingham city centre for 45 minutes.
"We found that rapid changes in noise resulted in rapid disturbance to the normal rhythm of participants' hearts," said researcher Dr Eiman Kanjo of Nottingham Trent's School of Science and Technology.

"If this pattern is repeated regularly then there is a danger it might lead to cardiovascular problems."

Comment: See also:

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Arrow Up

Successful dog bone implant paves way for human bone implants generated by a 3D printer


RT
Sat, 24 Jun 2017 16:33 UTC
3-D imaging
© Sergio Perez / Reuters
New bone regeneration technology that successfully implanted a bone in a dog's leg could pave the way for a revolutionary treatment that would see human bone implants generated by a 3D printer.

Researchers at the University of Glasgow in Scotland successfully saved a dog's leg from amputation by using medical technology funded by the landmine charity, Find A Better Way.‌

The dog, Eva, broke her leg during a car accident and was close to needing an amputation when her vet contacted the synthetic bone research project.

Although patient trials were not due to start for a few more years, the researchers agreed to treat Eva using a combination of a naturally-occurring protein called BMP-2, combined with PEA, a common household ingredient found in paint and nail polish.

While BMP-2 is recognized as effective for stimulating the growth of bone tissue, scientists have had difficulty containing it in the relevant area.

Comment: See also: Stem cell therapy: The innovations and potential to help repair and regenerate your body

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Take 2

Could doctor John E. Sarno's 'Mind-Body' approach be the answer to chronic pain?

Alexandra Rosenmann
Alternet
Mon, 19 Jun 2017 19:33 UTC
John E. Sarno
John E. Sarno
A new documentary examines the revolutionary methods of The Divided Mind author John E. Sarno.

John E. Sarno has been dubbed America's best doctor, by Forbes. But despite garnering the celebrity endorsements of Howard Stern and Bernie Sanders, his "mind-body" approach to solving chronic pain has drawn skepticism from the medical establishment.

Now a new documentary, All the Rage (2016), aims to validate his methods.
"Most physicians in the western world are not knowledgeable about psychosomatic illness and do not know what to do about it," Sarno explained in his 2006 book, The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mind-body Disorders.

"Sometimes they will tell the patient that it is all in the mind and may refer them to a psychiatrist or psychotherapist, which makes them angry because they feel that their doctor has not been really listening to them," he added. "Their pain may originate in the mind or psychic pain might greatly exacerbate the pain of a physical disorder. But in any case, it is not all in the mind. It is in the mind-brain-body. It is psychosomatic."
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Info

Fallacies of western medicine - depression is not a prozac deficiency

Ali Le Vere
Greenmedinfo.com
Wed, 21 Jun 2017 14:41 UTC
depression

When people come to me for holistic health advice, my main objective is to provide evidence-based health information supported by the scientific literature. One of the quintessential pillars of my mission is to share those practices with empirical validation in order to elevate therapeutic nutrition to the same perceived mainstream legitimacy as any other science-based discipline.

Oftentimes, however, people thank me and say that they will see what their primary care physician, or worse yet, their specialist, has to say about it. Although I always advocate that you run any intervention or modality past a licensed physician for contraindications and medical advice, I can't help but flat-out cringe when they tell me they will solicit natural health advice from their allopathic doctor, due to the shortcomings of biomedical education in true lifestyle- and diet-based preventative medicine.
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