People With Type D Personalities Experience More Health Problems

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171465.php

People who experience a lot of negative emotions and do not express these experience more health problems, says Dutch researcher Aline Pelle. She discovered that heart failure patients with a negative outlook reported their complaints to a physician or nurse far less often. The personality of the partner can also exert a considerable influence on these patients. Aline Pelle investigated patients with a so-called type D personality.

Easing Needle Anxiety

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171419.php

Needle! For some people, the word-almost as much as the sight of one sliding into skin-is enough for people to cringe, cry, even swoon if they're standing in line waiting for one. Experts believe fear of needles may be preventing people from rolling up their sleeves for the H1N1 vaccination.

Depression As Deadly As Smoking, But Anxiety May Be Good For You

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171382.php

A study by researchers at the University of Bergen, Norway, and the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) at King's College London has found that depression is as much of a risk factor for mortality as smoking.

University Of Montreal Study Reveals Danger To Fetus Of Certain Drugs

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171373.php

More than six percent of expectant mothers in Quebec consume prescription drugs that are known to be harmful to their fetuses, according to a Université de Montréal investigation published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Half these women will voluntarily terminate their pregnancy fearing congenital malformations, which means the abortion rate among these women is 11 percent higher than in the rest of the population.

At-Risk College Students Reduce HBP, Anxiety, Depression Through Transcendental Meditation

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171311.php

The Transcendental Meditation technique may be an effective method to reduce blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and anger among at-risk college students, according to a new study to be published in the American Journal of Hypertension, December 2009.

Study Links Genetic Variation To Individual Empathy, Stress Levels

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171166.php

Researchers have discovered a genetic variation that may contribute to how empathetic a human is, and how that person reacts to stress. In the first study of its kind, a variation in the hormone/neurotransmitter oxytocin's receptor was linked to a person's ability to infer the mental state of others. Interestingly, this same genetic variation also related to stress reactivity.

The GFC Affects Your Health, Not Just Your Pocket

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171119.php

One in four Australian adults has taken an action that puts their health at risk as a result of the global financial crisis (GFC), according to a new MBF Healthwatch poll. The results show that lack of job security was particularly hard on families, with almost one in five parents turning up to work ill and close to one in 10 parents sending sick children to school.

Thoughtful Words Help Couples Stay Fighting Fit

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171018.php

Couples who bring thoughtful words to a fight release lower amounts of stress-related proteins, suggesting that rational communication between partners can ease the impact of marital conflict on the immune system. "Previous research has shown that couples who are hostile to each other show health impairments and are at greater risk of disease," said Jennifer Graham, assistant professor of biobehavioral health, Penn State.

Dark Chocolate May Improve Metabolic Stress Response Say Nestlé Researchers

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170829.php

A new study by Nestlé researchers suggests that eating a few pieces of dark chocolate every day may improve the metabolic response of people who report feeling highly stressed. The study, which was published in the Journal of Proteome Research, was the work of lead investigator Sunil Kochhar, a researcher at the Nestlé Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Use Of Performance Enhancers By Athletes More Likely To Lead To Abuse Of Alcohol, Other Drugs

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170756.php

College athletes who use performance-enhancing substances may be at heightened risk of misusing alcohol and using recreational drugs as well, according to new research in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The study, of 234 male athletes at one university, found that those who used performance enhancers -- ranging from steroids to stimulants to weight-loss supplements -- were more likely to admit to heavy drinking and using drugs like marijuana and cocaine.

New Evidence That Dark Chocolate Helps Ease Emotional Stress

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170653.php

The "chocolate cure" for emotional stress is getting new support from a clinical trial published online in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research: Gut Microbiota, and Stress-Related Metabolism in Free-Living Subjects. It found that eating about an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day for two weeks reduced levels of stress hormones in the bodies of people feeling highly stressed. Everyone's favorite treat also partially corrected other stress-related biochemical imbalances.

Shedding Light On Brain's Response To Distress, Unexpected Events

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170610.php

In a new study, psychologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) are able to see in detail for the first time how various regions of the human brain respond when people experience an unexpected or traumatic event. The study could lead to the creation of biological measures that could identify people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or identify PTSD sufferers who would benefit from specific treatments.

"Veterans' Children" Validates Trans-Generational Trauma Of War

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170627.php

Since the Vietnam Era, the American psychiatric community has recognized the returning war veterans' affliction of what is now commonly known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). While there has been much research and advancements in the treatment of PTSD, the focus has always been on the veterans themselves. What has never been addressed or understood, until now, is how the stress from distant battlefields has affected the families of veterans.

Forgetting Traumatic Memories

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170464.php

It is well known that fear memories are permanent. However, a recent paper in Science, evaluated by three Faculty Members for F1000, reports an extraordinary finding that supports the use of a drug to control recollections of traumatic incidents. The researchers demonstrated that, in mice, proteins known as extracellular matrix chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans form 'neural nets' in the brain that protect against the erasure of memory.

Women With Asthma Feel Worse

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170444.php

Women with asthma are more anxious, find it harder to sleep and are more tired during the day than their male counterparts, but nevertheless tend to be better at following their treatment, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg in close collaboration with Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

Survey Says: Fewer Americans Using Mental Health Professionals To Manage Stress

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170353.php

Results of a recent survey reveal that, despite an increase in stress, fewer Americans use therapy as a way to manage it. The results of the annual "Stress in America" survey by the American Psychological Association, released last week, found that while 85 percent of Americans say their stress level has remained the same or increased in the past year, just 4 percent of people use therapy as a way to combat that stress. This reflects a decrease in therapy usage related to stress.

APA Survey Raises Concern About Parent Perceptions Of Children's Stress

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170354.php

Stress related to school pressure and family finances has a greater impact on young people than parents believe, according to a new national survey released by the American Psychological Association (APA). Building on past research indicating that stress is a top health concern for U.S. teens between 9th and 12th grade(1), psychologists say that if they don't learn healthy ways to manage that stress now, it could have serious long-term health implications.

Seattle Residents Continue To Report High Levels Of Stress

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170355.php

Work is causing stress for more Seattleites this year according to the American Psychological Association's (APA) Stress in America survey, while the number reporting money or the economy as significant stressors has dropped since last year. More than 50 percent of city residents remain stressed by one or more of these three sources, a cause of concern for psychologists who worry about the effects of long-term stress and how it can contribute to chronic health disorders.

Yoga Linked To Healthy Heart

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170356.php

Researchers in India who compared the heart rate variability of men who practised yoga regularly and men who did not, concluded that practising yoga was associated with a healthier heart because the heart rate variability of the yoga practitioners showed evidence of stronger control by the parasympathetic (vagal) nervous system.

Head Injury Could Amplify Psychiatric Impact Of Torture

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170249.php

Depression and other emotional symptoms in survivors of torture and other traumatic experiences may be exacerbated by the effects of head injuries, according to a study from the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma (HPRT), based in the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Psychiatry.

Can Stress-Reducing Transcendental Meditation Help CHD Patients Prevent Future Heart Attacks?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170255.php

The National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute will fund a $1 million collaborative study by the Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management Research Institute and Columbia University Medical Center to determine whether the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation technique can help patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) prevent future heart attacks, strokes and death.

Pressure On To Tackle Stress As Business Loses Out, UK

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170033.php

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is supporting National Stress Awareness Day as statistics reveal more than 11 million working days were lost to work related stress last year. This startling figure translates as a £4 billion cost to society and HSE wants companies to be made aware of the real cost, not only to people but also to business.

Workplace Stress - Examine The Causes Says UNISON, UK

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170036.php

UNISON, the UK's largest public sector union, has accused employers of "burying their heads in the sand," instead of tackling stress, anxiety and depression in the workplace. The latest statistics from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence show that 13.7 million working days are lost each year as a result of work-related illness, costing employers a massive £28.3bn a year.

Use Of Cannabinoids (Marijuana) Could Help Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Patients

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169871.php

Use of cannabinoids (marijuana) could assist in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder patients. This is exposed in a recent study carried out at the Learning and Memory Lab in the University of Haifa's Department of Psychology. The study, carried out by research student Eti Ganon-Elazar under the supervision of Dr. Irit Akirav, was published in the prestigious Journal of Neuroscience.

Genes And Environment May Interact To Influence Risk For Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169719.php

Individuals who experience both childhood adversity and traumatic events in adulthood appear more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder than those exposed to only one of these types of incidents, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In addition, the risk was further increased in individuals with a certain genetic mutation.