Discover the Science of Health
Two recently published studies have found that changes in heart function are seen during major depression [1] and also seen in some people who have recovered from depression [2]. This link between mental health and physical health emphasises how the body and mind are linked. Furthermore, it also suggests that some people with depression may be at increased risk of cardiac disease. The research also sheds further light on the biological pathways of depression.
A heart attack, or myocardial infarction (MI), occurs when a portion of the heart muscle becomes oxygen-starved due to clogged blood vessels. This can damage or kill the affected portion of muscle. Depending upon the amount of muscle involved, heart attacks range from mild to life-threatening. The best predictor of whether a heart attack sufferer will survive an acute MI is their ability to identify that a heart attack is taking place and get medical help.
Rabies is a serious — almost always fatal — viral infection of the central nervous system. The virus is present in the saliva of infected mammals, and is most often spread via a bite wound. Raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes, and coyotes are the most common carriers of rabies in the United States, though any mammal, including domestic dogs and cats, can become infected and transmit the disease. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention keeps statistics on rabies incidence in the U.S., and notes that cases are quite rare. Only one or two individuals a year become infected with the rabies virus, and prophylaxis (vaccination post-exposure, but prior to the development of symptoms) is almost always effective.
Anxiety caused by stressful events like moving or losing a job is a normal part of life. Anxiety disorders, on the other hand, are characterized by persistent, excessive and disabling fear and worry and get progressively worse if left untreated. It is estimated that anxiety disorders affect between 3 and 14 percent of older adults in a given year. To provide an older audience with additional information, NIHSeniorHealth, the health and wellness website for older adults from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has added a topic about anxiety disorders.
Visitors to the website can learn about the risk factors, symptoms and treatments for generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and specific phobias such as fear of flying or fear of public speaking. Anxiety disorders can severely affect a person’s life, and they are often overlooked in older adults.
Health Highlights is a biweekly summary of particularly interesting articles from credible sources of health and medical information that we follow & read. For a complete list of recommeded sources, see our links page.
The iPad has the potential to be truly useful for healthcare. Thomas Goetz offers an optimistic forecast.
Jacqueline reviews Health Tweeder, a visual tool to aggregate twitter messages on specific health topics.
The results of an online survey published in the journal Pediatrics found that claims of unwanted sexual solicitation or harassment associated with social networking sites don't appear justified. Dr Shock reviews the results.
Jay Parkinson predicts what will happen when the business model of "sickcare" – transactions between payors and providers – becomes squeezed between federal and state regulations, and the implications of such an event for brands entering the health space.
A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds that regular exercise can be effective at reducing anxiety. Fred Lee runs through the results.
Cheree Cleghorn reviews the results of a recent poll on U.S. sleep habits and questions why we’re a nation of sleep-deprived people.
Thomas Goetz discusses self-guided or personalized research – patients using social media to decentralize and distribute health data, and using that information to make informed decisions.
The complementary and alternative medicine movement has a great deal of influence over healthcare consumers. Jacqueline expresses worry over the tactics recently taken by alternative practitioners to silence critical science writers.
