Health Topic

[C. Breezy]

Hot weather a migraine 'trigger ' Part 1

Low pressure brings cloudy skies





A hot day can spell bad news for migraine sufferers, increasing their risk of an attack the next day, US research suggests.





The risk went up by 7.5% for every five degree Celsius increase in temperature revealed the study of more than 7,000 patients, published in Neurology.
The same applied to people who suffer from non-migraine headaches too.
Although you can't alter the weather, people can watch the forecast and pop a pill to avert attacks, the authors say.
As well as temperature, people might want to check air pressure too, as lower barometer readings over the past couple of days were also linked with migraines, although less strongly.

The study looked at people attending the emergency department of a large US hospital for advice about a headache at any point during a seven year period.
Overall, 2,250 were diagnosed with migraine and 4,803 with "tension" or "unspecified" headaches.
Using meteorological and pollutant monitors, the researchers then compared measurements of a number of environmental factors during the days leading up to and again some weeks after a patient's hospital visit.
When they averaged the temperature for the day, taking into consideration night time lows and midday highs, the researchers found every five degree Celsius rise in temperature was linked to a 7.5% hike in headache risk.

[C. Breezy]

Hot weather a migraine 'trigger ' Part 2




Storm brewing



Lower barometric air pressure, which typically brings cloudy or stormy skies, within two or three days leading up to a person's hospital visit also increased headache risk.
Air pollution had no effect.



Researcher Dr Kenneth Mukamal, of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said: "These findings help tell us that the environment around us does affect our health and, in terms of headaches, may be impacting many, many people on a daily basis."
He said headache patients should see their doctor to identify the triggers that lead to their symptoms.
Dr Brendan Davies, consultant neurologist and spokesman for the Migraine Trust, said: "This adds scientific validity to what we have suspected for some time. Up to 50% of patients believe weather may trigger their migraine.


"It looks like it is the change in the air temperature, and to a lesser extent the change in air pressure that is important.



"It would be interesting to see if the same environmental factors apply to workers in an office. It also adds more to our understanding that migraine is a sensitivity problem."
He warned that people should not become over-reliant on medication, taking it just in case.
"This does not mean that just because there is a hot day people are going to have a migraine the next day, although it is more likely. We do not want people taking too many painkillers too often because that carries its own risks."
Professor Peter Goadsby, from the University of California, San Francisco and Institute of Neurology, London, said: "The challenge for clinical science is to link this seemingly odd trigger to the brain mechanisms involved in migraine."
Lee Tomkins, director of Migraine Action, said: "Although the study has some flaws, including the fact that most people with headache would not attend a casualty department, this study is very interesting in demonstrating how weather conditions can adversely affect migraine.
"It is another example of science 'catching up' with the anecdotal evidence that many of our members give us about everyday living with migraine."

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By: Molly Mann

Recently, I went through a period of having nightly dreams that were so vivid and frightening that I would wake up in a battle stance against my imaginary attackers, only to find my cat staring at me like she desperately wanted a new owner. Nightmares are one thing, but these were so lifelike, it took me a while to separate the dream from reality after waking. I still recall each sensory detail of those dreams in all their horror

We spend about six years of our life dreaming and have accumulated much lore about what those dreams mean, but scientists who focus on oneirology—the study of dreams—still know very little about the actual process of dreaming. We do know that they arise from Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, in which the brain is as active as it is when the body is awake. Sometimes these dreams are extremely vivid, so much so that the dreamer often has trouble understanding that he or she is not actually awake

Vivid dreams can be either pleasant or frightening. They have a variety of potential causes, from deeper systematic woes to simpler dietary hiccups. Provided they are not associated with any adverse health effects, vivid dreams can be a tool for achieving more lucid dreams and increased awareness while dreaming

... You Should See Your Doctor If

You notice symptoms of bipolar disorder or diabetes, since both of these conditions may cause vivid dreaming. Both interrupt REM sleep and therefore affect the body’s ability to separate dreams from waking perceptions. The same effect can occur from taking depression medication, sleep medication, and some over-the-counter drugs. If you notice a recent development of abnormal dreaming associated with a change in your health, it is a good idea to see your doctor to rule out any of these possibilities

?Expecting More Than Work Tomorrow

Many pregnant women experience vivid dreams, both pleasant and disturbing. Researchers have concluded that these dreams are a way for expectant mothers to prepare for the huge life changes that will accompany their child’s birth. Women have reported dreams of cutting their stomachs open to pull the baby out before it comes to term, delivering deformed children or beasts, or being caught unprepared for motherhood once their babies are born. There is no reason to believe these dreams are prophetic or in any way based in reality. They are simply the result of hormonal changes and the need to discharge fears surrounding the anticipated event of birth. It may be helpful to speak to a support group of other pregnant women, mothers, your partner, or a therapist about these fears, but they are completely normal

The Link Between Diet and Dreams

You’ve probably heard that spicy or fatty foods can give you nightmares, but the link between food and sleep goes beyond that. Vivid dreams are a symptom of a vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) excess in the body and can be a warning sign of more complex neurological disorders if over ingestion is continued. Most cases of vitamin B6 excess are due to supplements; limit intake to 100 milligrams (mg) or less per day to avoid toxicity

Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, is another cause of vivid dreams. When the brain senses that glucose levels are low, it will do strange things to get stored glucose into the blood stream. One way it does so is through adrenaline spurts. If your vivid dreams are accompanied by a feeling of being “wired” (if, like me, you find yourself doing ninja kicks around your bedroom at those pesky alien invaders), it likely stems from a blood sugar issue. I solved my problem by adding more protein to my diet, especially before going to sleep. It keeps my glucose levels regulated throughout the night and I sleep much more peacefully

Take Control with Lucid Dreaming

The problem with vivid dreams is separating them from waking reality. However, the practice of lucid dreaming, in which you become increasingly aware of your dreams until you actually develop the ability to control them, may offer a solution that doesn’t stem from any of the root causes listed above. Oneironauts, or lucid dreamers, train themselves to alter their dream experiences to include flight, exotic travel, delicious tastes, and any other vivid experiences they desire. Researchers at the Lucidity Institute at Stanford University have developed a Super NovaDreamer kit that helps you recognize “dream signs” or signals that tell you that you’re dreaming. With practice, you learn to recognize and manipulate these dream signs to dictate the elements that will appear in your dream. It’s like a virtual reality game in your head

Dreams come in all varieties, from the simply satisfying to the seriously scary. Most of the time, we don’t even remember having dreamt, but many people experience dreams so vivid that they spill over into the next day, blurring the edges of reality. After ruling out a more systematic cause of vivid dreams like diet or disease, you might be interested in taking the next step and playing around with how you can take advantage of this other dream world

First published March 2009

[محمد88]

Burning the candle at both ends during the working week could raise a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, New York researchers say.
People who slept fewer than six hours a night were more likely to develop a condition that precedes diabetes than those sleeping for longer, they found.
They said the study supported mounting evidence that cutting back on sleep can have a profound impact on health.
The six-year study was presented at an American Heart Association conference.
Cases of type 2 diabetes, which are often, but not always, linked to obesity, have been rising across the globe
""A good night's sleep is a biological necessity"
Dr Neil Stanley
Sleep expert

The condition develops when the body makes too much insulin, but does not use the hormone efficiently to break down sugar in the blood.
A stepping stone on the way to the condition is known as impaired fasting glucose, in which blood sugar levels are too high, but not high enough to constitute a diagnosis of diabetes.
A team from the University of Buffalo, in New York, followed a group of volunteers over a six-year period.
They found those who slept on average for fewer than six hours a night during the working week were 4.56 times more likely to develop impaired fasting glucose than those sleeping six to eight hours a night.
Lead researcher Dr Lisa Rafalson said: "This study supports growing evidence of the association of inadequate sleep with adverse health issues."
Complex area
Dr Rafalson said it was likely that hormones and the nervous system were behind the link.
"Our findings will hopefully spur additional research into this very complex area of sleep and illness," she said.
A recent study suggested that taking regular lunchtime siestas could increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Dr Neil Stanley, a sleep expert at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, said there was a mounting body of evidence linking lack of sleep to conditions such as diabetes.
However, he said the reasons remained unclear, although it was possible that lack of sleep raised the risk of putting on weight, which in turn could raise the risk of diabetes.
"There is some evidence that lack of sleep mucks up our appetite hormones, so you want to eat more, and eat the wrong things - when we are tired we tend to crave sugary foods.
"A good night's sleep is a biological necessity: your body wants and needs a good night's sleep every night, and if you are well rested you will get a lot more done during the day."
Dr Iain Frame, director of research at the charity Diabetes UK, said the study was too small to draw any firm conclusions.

However, he said the findings echoed previous studies which found there might be a link between disturbed sleep patterns and a raised risk of type 2 diabetes.

But he added: "When it comes to discussing major risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes, issues with sleep duration will remain less significant than other established risk factors such as being overweight, being over the age of 40 or having a history of diabetes in the family."

[محمد88]

The World Health Organisation warned that progress in tackling tuberculosis was far too slow, as it doubled its estimate of the ravages the disease is causing among HIV/AIDS patients.

Some 9.27 million people contracted TB in 2007, an increase of about 30,000 over the previous year mainly in line with population growth, according to the WHO's annual report on tuberculosis control
More than one death in four -- 456,000 of the 1.75 million tuberculosis deaths recorded in 2007 -- is now thought to involve an HIV/AIDS patient.
"These findings point to an urgent need to find, prevent and treat tuberculosis in people living with HIV and to test for HIV in all patients with TB in order to provide prevention, treatment and care," said WHO Director General Margaret Chan in a statement.
However, the report reiterated that there were severe shortcomings in tackling tuberculosis and coordinated care for both diseases largely due to feeble heath care in the developing countries that are the hardest hit.
Just one in seven HIV patients get vital preventive treatment for TB, said WHO HIV/AIDS director Kevin De Cock.
Overall, more than one third of tuberculosis cases are not diagnosed, leaving many out of reach of treatment and, crucially, increasing the risk of spreading the contagious disease, according to the UN health agency.
While the overall rate of TB infection fell in three years to 139 cases per 100,000 people, the improvement was too slow, said Mario Raviglione, the agency's anti-tuberculosis chief.
"We are talking about less than one percent per year, which will get us to potentially eliminate TB in a very distant future: we are talking centuries if not millenia in a way," he told journalists.
The growth in the estimated impact on HIV/AIDS patients was largely down to better data and understanding.
"The revision... is illustrative of the fact that people living with HIV have a risk of developing tuberculosis that's 20 times greater than HIV negative people," said De Cock.
Despite progress in testing TB patients for HIV in Africa, the combination of poor diagnosis, rising drug resistance and the evidence of the impact on highly vulnerable HIV/AIDS patients has heightened alarm among health experts.
Detection of the highly contagious disease has stagnated after a sharp improvement nine years ago, while the impact drug resistant strains of the TB bacteria has grown to infect an estimated 500,000 people.
Just one percent of them receive treatment and 150,000 of them die, according to the WHO, which regards resistance as the "achilles heel" of the anti-TB drive.
"The scale-up of interventions to deal with multidrug TB is not at the pace we would like to see and is far from the targets that have been established," Raviglione said.
Furthermore, 10 percent of them were almost incurable extra-resistant strains (XDR-TB) that are now found in 55 countries.
The WHO is gathering the 27 countries that account for 85 percent of multidrug resistant cases of tuberculosis -- including India, China, Russia, South Africa and Bangladesh - for a meeting in Beijing on April 1.
"You could be in middle of a drug resistant TB epidemic and not even know about it," De Cock pointed out

[C. Breezy]

The EU's health commissioner has urged Europeans not to panic over swine flu, as ministers hold emergency talks on ways to contain the virus.

"We have to exercise vigilance, we should not panic, we have to be prepared," Androulla Vassiliou said.
The ministers are discussing a possible EU-wide travel advisory for Mexico.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised its pandemic alert to the second highest level, but says it is currently not planning to raise it further.
However WHO Assistant Director General Keiji Fukuda said the situation was still evolving rapidly.





The EU is considering a travel advisory for Mexico

In Mexico, the epicentre of the outbreak, the number of confirmed cases rose to 97 - up from 26 on Wednesday. Dr Fukuda said this was due to many laboratory results coming in.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon urged people to stay at home over the next five days.
There are many cases elsewhere - including the US, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Israel, and New Zealand.
BBC health correspondent Matt McGrath says the raising of the WHO alert to level five suggests a global epidemic, or pandemic, is imminent.
But, he adds, many experts remain hopeful that even if this happens, the effects of the H1N1 virus will be mild.
None of the dozens of cases of swine flu reported on the continent so far has been severe.
The only deaths from the virus have been recorded in Mexico and the US.





Swine flu cases map



In the latest developments:

* The Netherlands confirms its first case of swine flu, in a three-year-old boy recently returned from Mexico. Cases have also been confirmed in Switzerland, Costa Rica and Peru
* The number of confirmed cases in the US rose to 109 in 11 states
* China's health minister says that the country's scientists have developed a "sensitive and fast" test for spotting swine flu in conjunction with US scientists and the WHO. The country has recorded no incidence of the flu yet.

At the meeting of health ministers in Luxembourg, a French proposal for a continent-wide travel advisory for Mexico will be discussed.


It is unclear whether the EU executive has the power to impose a travel ban.
Several countries have restricted travel to Mexico and many tour operators have cancelled holidays.
Other members are resisting calls to implement travel bans or close borders, on the grounds - backed by the WHO - that there is little evidence of their efficacy.
The EU ministers will also try to agree on how to refer to the virus.
The European Commission has been calling it "novel flu", replacing the word "swine" to avoid prompting a fall in demand for pork and bacon.
On Wednesday, Egypt began a mass slaughter of its pigs - even though the WHO says the virus was now being transmitted from human to human.
Ghana has become the latest country to ban pork imports as a precaution against swine flu.

[C. Breezy]

Lithium in water 'curbs suicide'

The protective effect could be the result of years of drinking this water




Drinking water which contains the element lithium may reduce the risk of suicide, a Japanese study suggests.

Researchers examined levels of lithium in drinking water and suicide rates in the prefecture of Oita, which has a population of more than one million.
The suicide rate was significantly lower in those areas with the highest levels of the element, they wrote in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
High doses of lithium are already used to treat serious mood disorders.
But the team from the universities of Oita and Hiroshima found that even relatively low levels appeared to have a positive impact of suicide rates.
Levels ranged from 0.7 to 59 micrograms per litre. The researchers speculated that while these levels were low, there may be a cumulative protective effect on the brain from years of drinking this tap water.


Added element
At least one previous study has suggested an association between lithium in tap water and suicide. That research on data collected from the 1980s also found a significantly lower rate of suicide in areas with relatively high lithium levels.

The Japanese researchers called for further research in other countries but they stopped short of any suggestion that lithium be added to drinking water.
The discussion around adding fluoride to water to protect dental health has proved controversial - criticised by some as mass involuntary medication.
In an accompanying editorial, Professor Allan Young of Vancouver's Institute for Mental Health said "this intriguing data should provoke further research.
"Large-scale trials involving the addition of lithium to drinking water supplies may then be feasible, although this would undoubtedly be subject to considerable debate. Following up on these findings will not be straightforward or inexpensive, but the eventual benefits for community mental health may be considerable."
Sophie Corlett, external relations director at mental health charity Mind said the research "certainly merits more investigation.
"We already know that lithium can act as a powerful mood stabiliser for people with bipolar disorder, and treating people with lithium is also associated with lower suicide rates.
"However, lithium also has significant and an unpleasant side effects in higher doses, and can be toxic. Any suggestion that it should be added, even in tiny amounts, to drinking water should be treated with caution and researched very thoroughly."

[C. Breezy]

Fathers' depression 'harms young'

Fathers' mental health problems can affect their children


Children whose fathers have mental health disorders are likely to have psychiatric or behavioural disorders themselves, researchers warn.



University of Oxford experts reviewed existing evidence and said, in the Lancet, there had been too much focus on mothers' mental health issues.
They said boys in particular could be affected if their father had depression or was an alcoholic.
Mental health campaigners said men often had problems seeking help.





Alcoholism
The Oxford team said it was not surprising much of researchers' emphasis had focused on mothers as, in most societies, it is mothers who provide the majority of childcare - particularly when children are very young.
But they said the role of men had been "underemphasised" and that they had more influence on their children's development than previously thought.
In addition, the peak age for men to be affected by psychiatric disorders is the same as the peak age for becoming a father - between 18 and 35.

Paternal depression during the postnatal period, measured at eight weeks after birth, has been associated with increasing the chance of the child subsequently developing behavioural and emotional problems from 10% to 20%.







Teenage offspring of depressed fathers also have an increased risk of various psychological problems, including depression and suicidal behaviour.
Around 2% of men are affected by generalised anxiety disorder, and children whose parents have anxiety disorders have a two-fold increased risk of developing such disorders themselves, researchers say.
Previous studies have also found links between a father's alcoholism and an increased risk of conduct disorders, where children behave aggressively and destructively and abuse substances - particularly in sons.
Paternal alcoholism is also associated with an increased risk of mood disorders, depressive symptoms, poor performance at school, low self-esteem and problems forming relationships.
Adolescents whose parents have bipolar disorder are up to 10 times more likely than adolescents with mentally healthy parents to develop bipolar disorder, and three to four times more likely to develop other psychiatric illness, research suggests.





'Nurturing role'
The Oxford team, led by psychiatrist Professor Paul Ramchandani, said more research was needed on how fathers' psychiatric disorders affect their children's development.
He said: "Fathers are more involved in child-rearing in countries including the UK than they used to be.
"In years gone by, if fathers were depressed and distant it may not have made much of an impact.
"We now need a more general understanding of what effects psychiatric problems in fathers can have on children."
Emily Wooster, policy and campaign manager for the mental health charity Mind, said: "Men's roles in bringing up children have changed significantly over the last century, with many dads now taking on an active 'nurturing role' so it's important that there is more research into the relationship between fathers' mental health problems and how these may affect their children.
"Mind has found that men often have difficulties coming forward and talking about their mental health problems, perhaps because of the way they are socialised into being 'strong, tough men' who can't show their emotions."
She said the charity was due to launch a campaign next week calling for "male-friendly" mental health services and better support for men.

[محمد88]

A new study suggests that the more teenagers watch television, the more likely they are to develop depression as young adults. But the extent to which TV may or may not be to blame is a question that the study leaves unanswered.

The researchers used a national long-term survey of adolescent health to investigate the relationship between media use and depression. They based their findings on more than four thousand adolescents who were not depressed when the survey began in nineteen ninety-five.
As part of the survey, the young people were asked how many hours of television or videos they watched daily. They were also asked how often they played computer games and listened to the radio.
Media use totaled an average of five and one-half hours a day. More than two hours of that was spent watching TV.
Seven years later, in two thousand two, more than seven percent of the young people had signs of depression. The average age at that time was twenty-one.
Brian Primack at the University of Pittsburgh medical school was the lead author of the new study. He says every extra hour of television meant an eight percent increase in the chances of developing signs of depression.
The researchers say they did not find any such relationship with the use of other media such as movies, video games or radio. But the study did find that young men were more likely than young women to develop depression given the same amount of media use.
Doctor Primack says the study did not explore if watching TV causes depression. But one possibility, he says, is that it may take time away from activities that could help prevent depression, like sports and socializing. It might also interfere with sleep, he says, and that could have an influence.
The study was just published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
In December, the journal Social Indicators Research published a study of activities that help lead to happy lives. Sociologists from the University of Maryland found that people who describe themselves as happy spend less time watching television than unhappy people. The study found that happy people are more likely to be socially active, to read, attend religious services and to vote.

[C. Breezy]

How Do You Make Your Workout Fun?

By Amanda McMillan

Last year when Reebok was conducting market research for their next big product launch, they looked at a survey of 15,000 women across 25 countries—and discovered that although nearly half of all women know that exercise is very important to their overall health, less than 25% participate in fitness often. Why? Nearly two-thirds said they’d work out more if it were more fun. More than half felt that exercise was a chore.

That next big product launch turned out to be their Jukari Fit to Fly fitness classes, a very cool experience that I can tell you firsthand makes fitness more fun. But even after I tried out a Jukari class, those survey results stuck with me. Sure working out is often the last thing we want to be doing with our valuable time, but it’s sad to see that the “un-fun” factor is turning so many people off from exercise completely.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Sometimes it just takes some creative effort to figure out what you really enjoy—and don’t enjoy—doing. Hate running? Join a walking or biking group, or try a new sport, such as roller blading, instead. Can’t stand the gym? Take your workout outdoors in the summer, and bundle up for some hiking or skiing in the winter. Still can’t get motivated? Try these tips.

Join a club
Sign up for an adventure club that organizes weekend activities.

Involve your friends
In lieu of joining an official club (and paying official club fees), my girlfriends and I have worked out our own system in which we take turns planning ski trips, surfing and kayaking lessons, fitness classes, and hiking explorations. As an added benefit, it has also inspired me to work out more on my own. No one wants to be left in the dust on the slopes!

Try new equipment
Testing out the Jukari Fit to Fly class was fun for me because it was a totally new experience—the same way I felt when I first attempted snowboarding. The novelty of doing something unexpected helps distract from the actual work involved, and it’s a great way to work muscles that don’t normally get used.

Make it a game
One of the most physically demanding days I’ve had in the last month (and I’m training for a triathlon, so that’s saying a lot) was when I competed in a New York City–wide scavenger hunt—a fundraiser for a friend’s charity. We spent the afternoon running around Manhattan, snapping photos and tossing souvenirs into our backpacks, while racing against the clock—and other teams. It definitely took care of our 10,000 steps (and then some!) for that day.

Revisit your childhood
Remember when running around all day was actually fun? Dedicate a day to gather your friends and do something you haven’t done since you were kids: Host a skating party at the roller rink, set up a kickball game after work, work out with a hula hoop, or ride the roller coasters at a local theme park—just be sure to spend most of your day walking, rather than just standing in line.

Reward yourself
Give yourself something to look forward to once you’ve finished your workout, like a relaxing night in with a movie and a glass of wine. Or set a larger fitness goal and a larger reward for once you’ve reached it, like a hard-earned day at the spa.

Get results now
Maybe losing weight and getting healthier aren’t enough of a motivation for you—or you just don’t see results quickly enough to really care. Instead, participate in an activity where you can feel like you’ve really made a difference even after just one day. Spending a day planting flowers in your garden or picking up litter in the park gives you all the benefits of exercise, plus you’ll feel extra productive after a job well done.

Learn what you like
Think hard about what types of activities you enjoy and where you’d like to improve, and develop a fitness regimen around that.

Most people who don’t enjoy exercise have a hard time because they’re not used to it. And if you’re carrying around extra pounds or are plagued by injuries, it can make getting started that much harder. But once you find a routine that’s safe and doable for your fitness level, these activities will slowly start to get easier and you’ll start to enjoy yourself more and more—both during your actual workout and, as you become more fit, in your everyday life.



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