Archive for October, 2007
Gambling and increased sexual desire linked to restless leg syndrome
Monday, October 29th, 2007
Study finds evidence of compulsive behavior associated with treatment
Napping doesn’t impair nighttime sleep, research finds
Monday, October 29th, 2007
Concerned that a midday snooze might ruin a good night's sleep? Fret not; ongoing research from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center indicates that napping has little effect on sleep onset -- and that a nap today may be beneficial for mental processing tomorrow.
Drug-craving Brain Region In Rats Discovered
Monday, October 29th, 2007
Chilean researchers have identified a region of the brain -- the insular cortex -- that plays a role in drug craving in amphetamine-addicted rats, according to a report published in Science. This finding ultimately may help support the development of new therapies to treat drug addiction as well as certain behavioral side effects of medications.
Dealing with Stress as a Treatment for Alcohol Abuse
Sunday, October 28th, 2007
A researcher is initiating a study of 'mindfulness-based stress reduction,' a technique often used in behavioral medicine for stress reduction but not before as an adjunct in the treatment of alcohol use disorders.
Watching funny shows helps children tolerate pain longer, study finds
Sunday, October 28th, 2007
Watching comedy shows helps children tolerate pain for longer periods of time.
The accumulation of sugar in neurons may explain the origin of several neurodegenerative diseases
Sunday, October 28th, 2007
A new study demonstrates that the excess of glucose chains (glycogen) induces neuronal death and causes Lafora disease, a fatal kind of epilepsy that affects adolescents. This mechanism, unknown until now, may provide the key to understanding other neurodegenerative pathologies.
Bad Hair Day………….by Susan
Saturday, October 27th, 2007This article really isn't going to be about hair although I will mention hair a little bit later. My reason for writing today is to cuss and discuss the problems I've had recently.....well, all my life, with prescription medication. I'm sure there are plenty of others who also have allergies and really bad side effects to the medications they have tried to take.
A few weeks ago I ended up in the hospital thanks to side effects from medication! I had no idea that something intended for high blood pressure could also cause a person's pulse to drop well below 60 while still allowing the blood pressure to be way too high. Mine did exactly that and it felt awful! Needless to say, my blood pressure medication has been changed.
I've stopped taking all medications with the exception of my new blood pressure medication, my thyroid meds and a small amount of anti-anxiety medication at bedtime. Occasionally, I take a pain medication at bedtime if I've had a really difficult day, pain wise. I try to avoid them because they can trigger migraines. Welcome back migraines and fibromyalgia! I'm dealing with these things, as well as my depression/anxiety, in ways other than those which involve drugs. So far, it's working on some days.
Now, back to the bad hair thing. Inderal is the medication I was taking for my blood pressure. One of the side effects I read about prior to taking the medication was a possible loss of hair. In the month while I was taking Inderal, I lost a lot of hair! Having started out with really thick curly hair, this experience was similar to having had my hair thinned professionally in the past.
One morning as I was getting ready to leave the house, doing all my make-up and trying to make my hair look good, I thought I was having a really bad hair day and was going to have to resort to a pony tail. When I picked up my hand mirror and looked at the back view of my hair, it was suddenly clear to me..........I wasn't having a bad hair day! I was having a no hair day! Clear as day on the back of my head where hair once was extremely thick, I could see my scalp. What a depressing development!
A few weeks ago I ended up in the hospital thanks to side effects from medication! I had no idea that something intended for high blood pressure could also cause a person's pulse to drop well below 60 while still allowing the blood pressure to be way too high. Mine did exactly that and it felt awful! Needless to say, my blood pressure medication has been changed.
I've stopped taking all medications with the exception of my new blood pressure medication, my thyroid meds and a small amount of anti-anxiety medication at bedtime. Occasionally, I take a pain medication at bedtime if I've had a really difficult day, pain wise. I try to avoid them because they can trigger migraines. Welcome back migraines and fibromyalgia! I'm dealing with these things, as well as my depression/anxiety, in ways other than those which involve drugs. So far, it's working on some days.
Now, back to the bad hair thing. Inderal is the medication I was taking for my blood pressure. One of the side effects I read about prior to taking the medication was a possible loss of hair. In the month while I was taking Inderal, I lost a lot of hair! Having started out with really thick curly hair, this experience was similar to having had my hair thinned professionally in the past.
One morning as I was getting ready to leave the house, doing all my make-up and trying to make my hair look good, I thought I was having a really bad hair day and was going to have to resort to a pony tail. When I picked up my hand mirror and looked at the back view of my hair, it was suddenly clear to me..........I wasn't having a bad hair day! I was having a no hair day! Clear as day on the back of my head where hair once was extremely thick, I could see my scalp. What a depressing development!
Stress a major problem in the U.S.
Saturday, October 27th, 2007
New Poll Shows Stress on the Rise, Affecting Health, Relationships and Work Americans Say Housing Costs an Added Stressor in 2007
Imaging Shows Structural Changes in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Saturday, October 27th, 2007
Researchers report that diffusion tensor imaging can identify structural changes in the white matter of the brain that correlates to cognitive deficits even in patients with mild traumatic brain injury.
Humans And Monkeys Share Machiavellian Intelligence
Friday, October 26th, 2007
When it comes to their social behavior, people sometimes act like monkeys, or more specifically, like rhesus macaques, a type of monkey that shares with humans strong tendencies for nepotism and political maneuvering.