Starting November 1
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From the monthly archives:
October 2010
Continuing on the theme of using will-power as a strategy for behavioral change — I grew up on the Little Engine that Could. Perhaps it helps children climb mountains and surmount obstacles. This article suggests, however, that if you attempt to do more than is reasonable, if you think you can avoid temptation all the [...]
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Walnuts’ Potential New Link to Heart Health Reported Walnuts, already shown in some studies to reduce “bad” (LDL) cholesterol, may have yet another way of enhancing cardiovascular health. University of California-Davis (UC-Davis) scientists and their Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and University of Padova (Italy) co-investigators have found that laboratory hamsters that ate feed containing walnuts [...]
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Years ago, California had a 1-800 hotline you could call if you were trying to quit smoking. They asked the callers if they could check back on them to see what strategies of quitting smoking worked. It turned out that a large variety of strategies worked, except for the strategy of using willpower. The problem [...]
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For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. John [...]
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The theme of the last posts has been while we all know what we should do, it is a whole other matter to actually consistent do it. Frankly, I get tired of lists of things to do to diet right, exercise, sleep, etc. Most are so obvious that they put the mind to sleep. Appealing [...]
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A young man who just graduated from Agricultural College is walking by a farm in Iowa and watches an old farmer for a while. Finally, he says to the farmer, You know sir, with these new methods I just learned in school, I can show you how to farm twice as well as you are [...]
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Can you believe it? Walking is better for you than not walking?… Perhaps science needs to convince us to use common sense…. Note that the lowest quartile in this group reported walking eight blocks a week or less…. That’s possible? (I presume these were able-bodied participants who could walk…) The basic issue is often not [...]
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Physicians who work with geriatrics have my vote for an under-appreciated speciality… Dr. Lachs spotlights a vulnerable time in hospital care… After a heart attack, the last thing I wanted to do was leave the hospital… This was the most anxiety I had ever dealt with in my life; the hospital felt like the only [...]
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… The idea of being asked who you are, why you are having surgery, and listening to a checklist sounds very empowering to me — an antidote to how helpless one feels before surgery… Ask for it at your local hospital… Patient Safety: Checklists And Teamwork Lower Number Of Surgery Deaths LINDSEY TANNER 10/19/10 CHICAGO [...]
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When the idea behind biofeedback of training people to warm their hands to reduce their migraine headaches was developed at the Menninger Clinic in the 60′s, the technique they taught people was “autogenic training.” It essentially is a technique developed by a combination of positive thinking and self-hypnosis; the participant goes through a series of [...]
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Yesterday’s post suggested that if you warm your hands by holding a cup of hot coffee, you will have “warmer” thoughts about the people you meet. Even more importantly, you can train your hands (and other parts of your body) to become warm and/or relaxed through a number of mental and physical techniques. Over the [...]
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Continuing on the theme that it is healthy for your heart to warm your hands… In an experiment, college students experiencing physical warmth perceived emotional warmth in strangers. Talk about getting in touch with your feelings. NPR Dan Charles October 23, 2008 If you’re going out on a date anytime soon, you may find this [...]
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Relaxation techniques — including Yoga, meditation, mindfulness and prayer — all have in common that the reduce the flight-fight response and increases the “relaxation response” of the body. Research clearly has shown that chronic stress suppresses the immune system. Much of the original research has its origins in some serendipitous findings and events at the [...]
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One of the earlier and frequently cited studies on mind-body interactions is a 2003 article in psychosomatic medicine: Psychosomatic Medicine 65:564-570 (2003) © 2003 American Psychosomatic Society Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Richard J. Davidson, PhD, Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, Jessica Schumacher, MS, Melissa Rosenkranz, BA, Daniel Muller, MD, PhD, Saki [...]
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Yesterday’s post suggested that as one takes pills, it is a good idea to breathe deeply, relax, and visualize the expected effects of the medication/supplement/vitamin. This suggestion is based on the “placebo effect” — which is another way of describing how powerfully the mind can effect the body. As far as I know, no research [...]
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in the Wikipedia article on the placebo effect it starts out by defining the placebo effect as a “sham”: A placebo… is a sham or simulated medical intervention that can produce a (perceived or actual) improvement, called a placebo effect. Wrong. Very wrong. Very very wrong. Calling the effect a “sham” epitomizes the current emphasis [...]
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The “placebo effect” is essentially a measure of how powerful the mind is in changing the chemistry of the body. It is more powerful than medication, yet we look for pills to cure us… How about we start understanding and using more placebos…
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Big Pharma is not known for its interest in objectively reporting the effectiveness of a drug. The “Numbers Needed to Treat” is one of the better measures that should be standard information. This is an explanation of “NNT” from Wikipedia — often one of the better resources to turn to in this complicated times… Number [...]
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In trying to sort out what the statistics about the alleged effects of different drugs mean, this was one of the better articles… Treat Me? The crucial health stat you’ve never heard of. Slate Magazine By Darshak Sanghavi Sept. 26, 2006, If anything is supposed to be certain in medicine, it’s that people with high [...]
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Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.“ – Mark Twain’s Own Autobiography: The Chapters from the North American Review In my quest to [...]
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National Institute of Health Why Blood Cholesterol Matters Blood cholesterol plays an important part in deciding a person’s chance or risk of getting coronary heart disease (CHD). The higher your blood cholesterol level, the greater your risk. That’s why high blood cholesterol is called a risk factor for heart disease. Did you know that heart [...]
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Data from the 2007 National Diabetes Fact Sheet (the most recent year for which data is available) Heart disease and stroke • In 2004, heart disease was noted on 68% of diabetes-related death certificates among people aged 65 years or older. • In 2004, stroke was noted on 16% of diabetes-related death certificates among people [...]
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Green tea Botanical evidence indicates that India and China were among the first countries to cultivate tea. Today, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world, second only to water. Hundreds of millions of people drink tea around the world, and studies suggest that green tea (Camellia sinesis) in particular has many health [...]
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I suspect that walking and exercise is much more beneficial than this study would indicate; this article would suggest that it is less effective than moderate drinking, the same as owning a cat, and not as effective as eating Peking Duck. Miracle Cure Found March 20, 2008 About.com What if there was a miracle pill [...]
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Do Optimists Live Longer? Study: Negative Outlook Appears to Raise Risk of Heart Disease, Death By Salynn Boyles WebMD Health News Aug. 10, 2009 — Whether you believe the metaphorical glass is half full or half empty may not only affect how you see the world, it may also affect your heart. New research suggests [...]
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J Epidemiol Community Health 2006;60:456 HOSTILITY AND HEART DISEASE Hostile men, but not women, are more than twice as likely to suffer from recurrent coronary heart disease (CHD). Researchers used data from the Nova Scotia Health Survey 1995 to identify participants with CHD at baseline, whose outcomes were compared against their hostility data (also taken [...]
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Alcohol May Reduce Men’s Heart Risk Study Shows Moderate Drinking Cuts Risk of Heart Disease in Men by 51% By Kathleen Doheny WebMD Health News Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD Nov. 18, 2009 — Regular consumption of alcohol — beer, wine, or hard liquor — reduces the risk of heart disease in men by a [...]
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Science Daily May 21, 2007 The nighttime breathing disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea increases a person’s risk of having a heart attack or dying by 30% over a period of four to five years, according to a new study. The more severe the sleep apnea at the beginning of the study, the greater the [...]
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ScienceDaily Nov. 17, 2009 Patients with coronary heart disease who practiced the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation® technique had nearly 50 percent lower rates of heart attack, stroke, and death compared to nonmeditating controls, according to the results of a first-ever study presented during the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Fla., on Nov.16, [...]
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Psychology Today July 10, 2010 The famous Framingham Heart Study followed approximately 12,000 men ages 35 – 57 at risk of heart disease, for nine years. Researchers wanted to know if there were ways to improve the men’s longevity. The participants were asked about a number of lifestyle topics, including vacation. “The more frequent the [...]
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American Heart Association Black tea tames artery disease A new study finds a strong link between drinking black tea and arterial health in people who have heart disease. “The study demonstrated that drinking black tea reverses endothelial dysfunction. Endothelial dysfunction is believed to contribute importantly to the development of cardiovascular disease,” said Joseph Vita, M.D., [...]
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Circulation. 2009;119:1433-1441.) Cocoa and Cardiovascular Health Epidemiological data demonstrate that regular dietary intake of plant-derived foods and beverages reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Among many ingredients, cocoa might be an important mediator. Indeed, recent research demonstrates a beneficial effect of cocoa on blood pressure, insulin resistance, and vascular and platelet function. [...]
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Fiber is one of those nutrients that many of us know is important but that remains a bit of a mystery. Exactly what is it? What are the best sources of fiber? And what are its health benefits? Here we try to answer these and other questions. Vegetables and Fruits: Get Plenty Every Day: How [...]
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(Note that correlation is not cause and effect – just because a low frequency of sexual activity is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease does not mean that this is the cause of it.) More Sex Could Mean Less Heart Risk Study Shows Men Who Have Sex Twice a Week Have Less Risk [...]
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(This blog is not to be mistaken for medical advice; it provides information so that you can make informed choices when you talk with your physician) Update on Red Yeast Rice Desperately seeking red yeast rice? Consider generic statins. Richard N. Fogoros, M.D. June 18, 2008 Results from a large randomized trial conducted in China, [...]
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