Global Health

Can Sleep Help Heal Painful Memories?

Holly Paten — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:25:05 +0000

People who slept between seeing the emotional images reported a decrease in the intensity of their emotional reaction the second time, compared to those who did not sleep
Brain scans during sleep showed that during REM sleep the brain’s electrical activity slowed, essentially “soothing” the brain of stress.
MRI showed a significant decrease in the region of the brain that processes emotions. This decrease corresponded with an increase in activity of the brain’s center for cognition, rational thought, and decision making.

Based on these results, it’s as though REM sleep allows the brain to have some control of an emotional memory.

This is a single study, and we need to see more research on this subject. But think for a moment about the implications of these results. Sleep problems and sleep disorders—from insomnia and sleep apnea to sleep deprivation and restless leg syndromes—can all increase risks for other health problems, from obesity to diabetes to heart disease. They

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When Mom Has Pregnancy Diabetes, Breast-Feeding Curbs Child Obesity

Marcus Dadswell — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:54:53 +0000

Breast-feeding reduces the risk of obesity in children born to mothers with diabetes during their pregnancy, a new study indicates.

Researchers followed 94 children of diabetic mothers and 399 children of non-diabetic mothers from birth until age 13.

Its known that children of diabetic pregnancies are at increased risk for obesity. The Colorado School of Public Health researchers wanted to assess how breast-feeding affected the growth of body-mass index (BMI), an indicator of childhood obesity.

The study found that children of diabetic pregnancies who were breast-fed for at least six months had a slower BMI growth as they grew older than those who were breast-fed for less than six months.

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The 5 Grossest Things You’re Eating

Holly Paten — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:28:31 +0000

There are two types of reality food shows on TV. The first features mouthwatering meals we wish we could eat right off our flat-screens. The second subjects us to gag-inducing footage of people wolfing down bull testicles, duck embryos, and puréed insects.

Is your kitchen more a) MasterChef or b) Fear Factor?

I’m sorry to say, the correct answer is probably B. Thanks to modern food processing techniques, manufacturers are allowing toxic and disease-promoting ingredients to find their way into our food, and in many cases, they’ve invented clever ways to keep them off the ingredient statement.

So with help from Rodale.com writer Leah Zerbe, I’ve narrowed down the most sordid supermarket selections for you. Read on for five of the grossest foods your grocer has to offer. And for more simple secrets that will keep you looking and feeling your best all year long, or sign up for our FREE Eat This, Not That! daily newsletter. Yo

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A diabetes drug given to girls at age eight might prevent future infertility

Leah Cowen — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:13:58 +0000

A new study concludes that girls who are at risk for developing infertility caused by PCOS can be helped by taking the drug metformin, used to control type 2 diabetes. If the girls take metformin at age 8, their odds of preventing future infertility are remarkably increased.

PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome, is one of the most common conditions responsible for female infertility, accounting for 5% to 10% of the cases in women of reproductive age. The main features of the syndrome are a tendency to become overweight, excessive hair growth (particularly in areas of the body more typical of male hair growth), insulin resistance (which may result in diabetes or pre-diabetes), acne and irregular periods – periods which may be absent, irregular and/or very light.

Even though the tender age of eight might seem like an awfully early time to diagnose a potential condition, it turns out that PCOS is often heralded during a girl’s prepubescent years. Gir

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Aromatherapy and Your Morning Sickness

Leah Cowen — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:02:31 +0000

Morning sickness is just one of those things. Like so many other things in life, a blessing like expectant motherhood is tempered by a little bit of trial and tribulation, like morning sickness. The frustrating thing about morning sickness is that it can be difficult trying to figure out the best way to treat morning sickness. The fact of the matter is that many of the medications that are available to reduce nausea just arent safe to use during pregnancy. For this reason, many women have turned to alternative remedies, such as aromatherapy, to treat morning sickness.

In general, aromatherapy uses essential oils to help treat a variety of ailments. In terms of morning sickness during pregnancy, there are several essential oils you can use via aromatherapy. The most effective and most commonly used essential oil used in aromatherapy to treat morning sickness is ginger. Ginger has been used for centuries to alleviate nausea and vomiting.

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Spartanburg County residents advised to vaccinate pets against rabies, avoid stray animals

Holly Paten — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:38:53 +0000

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A Spartanburg County woman who was bitten by a stray cat is under the care of a physician after the animal tested positive for rabies, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported today.

“The stray cat tried to run inside the woman’s house, which is near Lyman,” said Sue Ferguson of DHEC’s Bureau of Environmental Health, “and when she blocked it from entering, the cat bit her on the foot. Now, she must undergo treatment to prevent the spread of rabies through her body.”

According to Ferguson, once the rabies virus reaches the brain, the disease is fatal to humans and animals. Anyone bitten, scratched or otherwise exposed to the saliva of a rabid animal must undergo immediate measures to stop the virus from reaching the brain. The woman is receiving preventive inoculations.

“Avoid wild animals acting tame and tame animals acting wild,” Ferguson said. “

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How Baby Monitors Impact Your Baby’s Sleep

Marcus Dadswell — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:45:23 +0000

When you first get pregnant, there are so many things on your list of must haves and nice to haves. Among that list is often a baby monitor. But, would it surprise you if I said sometimes you need to just turn that thing off? No, Im not a negligent parent. Read on as we explore how baby monitors can impact your babys sleep.

Let me start by saying all families have different styles of parenting and everyone has a different size and shaped house. If you have a 500 square foot apartment, that is obviously going to be WAY different than a family with a 3,000 square foot home with 3 floors. If you have a small apartment, you most likely do NOT need a baby monitor. I dont know the right size home that you need a baby monitor, but lets discuss when they may or may not be useful when it comes to your babys sleep, in general.

When it comes to your baby falling asleep, one of the first things youll worry about is how to put your baby to sleep.

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2012 Primo Viaggio SIP 30-30

Holly Paten — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:25:29 +0000

Every baby deserves the style, safety and comfort of our celebrated Primo Viaggio SIP 30-30. That’s why this beloved infant car seat is once again a centerpiece of our new collection.

The 2012 Primo Viaggio SIP 30-30 is the ideal solution for transporting infants and young toddlers who are between 5 and 30 pounds or up to 30 inches. I

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How to Keep Your Cool During a Hot Emotional Time

Leah Cowen — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:50:50 +0000

I’ve always been wary of confrontations, shunning them at times I like to blame it on my astrological sign, Libra Ruled by Venus, the goddess of love, Libras search for peace and harmony, working hard to balance any oppositional forces

But in truth, I think it’s more than that Whenever I have to face a difficult situation with another person, there’s a part of me that fears getting tongue-tied or of things escalating so out of control that in the end there’s a bigger problem than I started with, rather than a resolution or any valuable forward motion

Yet, the reality is that you can’t always run from conflict In my own tireless quest for peace, there’s also that nagging need to have an oft-times spontaneous conversation to “make things right” or to “have a talk,” “straighten things out,” “get something off my chest” or “clear the air”

There’s a “right” way and a “wrong” way to handle a confrontation, I’ve learned by reading , the book I mentioned in my last post To start with, rather than call it a “confrontation,” the authors refer to talking to coworkers, friends, neighbors or family members as an “interview” And, just as you’d prepare for a job interview you would, wouldn’t you?, you can prepare—in fact, you must prepare—for this type of interview There goes spontaneity But there is a time and place for it, and this is it

So let’s throw out the word confrontation for now: it’s just too emotionally laden and filled with finger-pointing and bad endings

Preparation involves doing some homework According to the books’ authors, Mary Ellen O’Toole, PhD, and Alisa Bowman, here are some things you need to do before you ever ask a question:

Set some goals Think about what you want to accomplish during the interview What do you want to find out? Kee

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Sexual violence against women leads to lifetime harm

Leah Cowen — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:31:00 +0000

A new study shows that women who suffer intimate partner violence have an increased lifetime risk of mental health disorders. The study, which covered more than 4,400 women and was reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that 27 percent of the women said they had suffered from sexual or physical violence, or been stalked.

The women were 3 to 11 times more likely to have ever had a mental health condition such as depression or anxiety, and the risk increased dramatically with a greater proportion of the trauma suffered. For women who had suffered at least three of four types of violence, such as rape, other types of sexual assault, physical abuse by a partner or stalking, a full 89 percent had a mental health condition at some point in their lives.

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More clues in the genetics of schizophrenia

Holly Paten — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:30:14 +0000

Two of the largest studies yet carried out on the genetics of schizophrenia in Chinese populations have turned up three genetic loci, or chromosomal regions, previously not known to be related to the disease.

These genome-wide association studies (GWAS), done independently and published in Nature Genetics on 30 October¹^,², also begin to redress a geographical imbalance: until now, GWAS have focused mainly on Western populations.

Roughly 1 in 100 people will suffer from schizophrenia in their lifetimes, which is considered largely heritable (up to 80%). But this genetic influence seems to be produced by hundreds of variations in DNA, each of which increases risk by a small amount. Researchers have so far found some 20 such variants, but have been unable to pin down the exact genes that are affected by those variations or molecular mechanisms that cause the disease.

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The ABC’s of Natural Health Part 5

Marcus Dadswell — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:23:05 +0000

With so many natural health remedies and facts out there, we would need to make hundreds and hundreds of postings regarding natural health each week. So in order to touch on the basics we are going to run through the ABC’s of Natural Health. If you see a topic you would love to know more about, simply make a comment on the topic and one of the next blogs entries to appear will be related to that topic!

R. Rashes. Have an itchy, scratchy, blotchy rash? Apply petroleum jelly to your rash twice a day. You should see an improvement in your skin in just three days. Petroleum jelly is chemical-free, non-allergenic and soothes as well as moisturizes your skin.

S. Sinus Pain. If you are looking for relief from sinus pain the answer may just be in your feet. A foot massage can help cut your sinus pain in half for hours at a time. How? A foot massage stimulates nerves that increase the flow of blood to your sinuses. Increased blood flow means reduced congestion and less pressure on your sinuses.

T. T

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Dealing with Pregnacy Heartburn

Leah Cowen — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:18:04 +0000

Heartburn is extremely common during pregnancy. Because of the changes that take place in the body in hormone levels, as well as the crowding of the pregnant womans internal organs that naturally occurs as her baby grows, heartburn is just something that most pregnant women have to deal with. While some women may experience more heartburn during pregnancy than others, most will agree that its an inconvenience, at best. In some cases, severe heartburn can be extremely frustrating.

Compounding the problem is the fact that many heartburn medications that are available on the market today havent really been tested that much for use by a woman when shes pregnant. Other heartburn medications are known to have a detrimental affect on your baby. The good news is, however, that there a number of different ways that you can deal with heartburn during pregnancy without having to turn to medication.

The old saying goes that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and this is as true with heartburn during pregnancy as it is for anything else.

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Poor Sleep May Complicate Young Diabetics’ Blood Sugar Control

Marcus Dadswell — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:43:44 +0000

Poor sleep may be undermining the efforts of children with type 1 diabetes when it comes to controlling their blood sugar, new research indicates.

In the study, researchers tracked sleep patterns among 50 kids with type 1 diabetes aged 10 to 16. Compared with similarly aged kids, the children with diabetes were found to be spending more time in a lighter stage of sleep.

In addition, experiencing this form of sleep deficit was linked to poorer performance in school as well as higher blood sugar levels, according to the report published in the January issue of the journal Sleep.

Despite adhering to recommendations for good diabetic health, many youth with type 1 diabetes have difficulty maintaining control of their blood sugars, the studys principal investigator, Michelle Perfect, of the University of Arizona in Tucson, said in a news release from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

We found that it could be due to abnormalities in sleep, such as daytime sleepiness, lighter sleep and sleep apnea.

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Sleepless and in Pain: A Link Between Fibromyalgia and Sleep

Holly Paten — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:57:18 +0000

Women who reported having difficulty sleeping “always” or “often” had nearly 3-½ times greater risk of fibromyalgia as women who did not have problems sleeping
Women age 45 and older who “always” or “often” had sleep problems had more than 5 times the risk of developing fibromyalgia as women without sleep problems
Younger women, ages 20-44, who “always” or “often” had difficulty sleeping were at 3 times greater risk of developing fibromyalgia than their counterparts who didn’t have trouble with sleep

It’s important to make clear that this study does not prove that sleep deficiencies cause fibromyalgia. What it does do-for the first time-is establish a strong connection between sleep problems and fibromyalgia, by showing the increased risk of fibromyalgia that is associated with lack of sleep.

What is fibromyalgia? It’s a syndrome whose main characteristic is chronic pain. Pain is often felt throughout the body, in muscles, tendons and soft tissues. Wi

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Learn More About Treating Premenopausal Symptoms

Leah Cowen — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:21:59 +0000

Most of us know what menopause is, but some women aren’t aware that symptoms related to our changing hormones can start in our mid-30s This time of life is sometimes referred to as premenopause, and the time closer to the end of our menstrual cycles is referred to as perimenopause But more important than what we call it is what we do about it Dr Whitney Pollock, an OB/GYN with the Gynecology Center in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, believes we women do not need to suffer silently with symptoms that too often disrupt our lives In this videotaped interview with Dr Pollock, she urges women to educate themselves about their symptoms and to talk to their health care providers Dr Pollock says that heavy menstrual bleeding is the No 1 reason that women visit their gynecologists Heavy bleeding can cause anemia and affects quality of life, causing women to miss out on activities This is not necessary or acceptable, she says, because there are many treatment options available Hysterectomy is not the only or best solution for most women For those of us who are through having children, a new minimally invasive procedure that takes five minutes and has no recovery time may put an end to heavy bleedingClick on this video to find out more about heavy menstrual bleeding and other premenopausal symptoms You’re not alone, and you may not need to suffer with premenopausal symptoms any longer