Healthy Theory

Spring Break Binge Drinking Can Damage Brain

Camilla Cheung — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 22:46:22 +0000

It's a familiar rite of passage for young people in high school and college — the parties and hedonism of Spring Break. But research shows that binge drinking, such as that which takes place during Spring Break, can have dangerous consequences for young people's brains.

Consuming large amounts of alcohol at one time can lead to thinning of the cortex in the prefrontal lobe of the brain, a key part of the brain regulating attention, planning and decision making, processing emotion, and controlling impulses.

In a study last year, brain scans of young people aged 18 to 25 showed that consuming 4 or more drinks at one time for women and 5 or more drinks at one time for men led to thinning of the gray matter in young people's brains, especially in the prefrontal lobe

In addition, experts like Dr. Alicia Ann Kowalchuk of Harris County Hospital's Insight program (an alcohol and drug intervention program) say that because young people's brains are still developing through the age of 25, binge drinking may cause developmental delays in the prefrontal cortex. This kind of brain damage may lead to difficulty making healthy choices about alcohol and impulse control later as adults.

Another study in England found that binge drinking may have an effect on young people's prospective memory. When asked to remember a series of instructions, university students who regularly had 5-6 drinks at once, two or more times a week, recalled significantly fewer instructions on the memory test than their peers who were not binge drinkers. Although further research is needed, researchers speculate that binge drinking may interfere with teenagers' cognitive development.

Young people who engage in binge drinking are therefore putting themselves at risk in several ways. Not only do they expose themselves in the short term to risky behaviors such as unprotected sex, drinking and driving, drug use, and sometimes criminal behavior, but they also risk damaging their brain tissue in the long term, making them more likely to suffer from alcohol abuse and addiction later in life. They may also be compromising cognitive functions such as memory.

Dr. Kowalchuk urges parents to begin talking about drinking to their children at an early age, making it clear that drinking is not acceptable for underage teens, and highlighting the dangers of alcohol. Lenient drinking attitudes at home have been shown to lead to higher drinking rates in teens, because young people may believe that their parents implicitly approve their behavior.

Hot Yoga: Not for Everyone

Camilla Cheung — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:32:02 +0000

I've enjoyed practicing yoga as much as the next person &mdash ;I've taken yoga classes on and off for the last few years, much like many amateur practitioners. When I was living in Toronto, Canada, one of my favorite forms of yoga was "hot" yoga — yoga done in a hot and humid room, up to 105 degrees F in some yoga classes (Bikram and Moksha yoga are forms of hot yoga).

During the frigid Toronto winters, I loved the feeling of sweating, of being able to go deeper into poses because of increased flexibility due to the heat, and I looked forward to the refreshing shower after class. Every week, I noticed a significant improvement in my strength and flexibility. However, my practice of hot yoga was not without set-backs. After one class, I began to experience extreme pain in my upper back and shoulder; I had strained my back during a spinal twist, and it took a few days for my back to feel normal again.

Although hot yoga continues to be a hot trend, some doctors warn apprentice yogis that hot yoga should be practiced with caution, and that it may not be for everyone. In a recent Globe and Mail article, doctors question whether current practices in hot yoga are safe for everyone.

Dr. Neica Goldberg of New York University's Women's Heart Program, for example, cautioned that the extreme temperature and humidity of hot yoga could be dangerous to people with heart conditions, as well as people with low or high blood pressure. Even otherwise healthy people have been known to faint in hot yoga classes, as their blood vessels expand to allow greater circulation to the exercising muscles, taking blood away from the brain.

Dr. Stephen Cheung, the Canada Research Chair in Environmental Ergonomics, explained that in hot yoga, the body is less able to cool itself down by sweating because often the air is already saturated with humidity. He also noted that the idea that sweating helps to "detox" your body has limited value, as the body only releases a tiny amount of toxins in sweat.

In addition, because your tendons and muscles are more flexible in hot temperatures, there is the potential to hyperextend your body and injure yourself while doing the yoga poses.

If you're considering joining a hot yoga class, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

If you have a history of cardiovascular problems, avoid hot yoga altogether, or consult your doctor before trying it. If you are pregnant and in your first trimester, avoid doing hot yoga unless cleared with your doctor. Other yoga practices, done without elevated temperatures, can be just as rewarding.
Don't push yourself too far. If you're feeling nauseated or dizzy, rest and/or leave the room to cool down. Look for a yoga studio where a staff member is present outside the hot room, to keep an eye on you in case you faint.
Drink plenty of liquids before and during class. Stay hydrated with an electrolyte drink or coconut water.
If your heart rate stays elevated for several minutes and you are unable to get it down by resting, leave the room, and reconsider whether hot yoga is right for you.
Be careful about overextending your body — you may not be able to tell if you are straining your joints, back, and muscles because of the heat, so take it easy. Pain is your body's natural signal that you may be pushing too far. Look for a yoga instructor who not only teaches yoga poses, but also explains how to avoid injuries. Never push yourself to try potentially dangerous inversions (such as a headstand) if you are not ready, and don't let your instructor (or your ego) bully you into it.

Sleeping Pill Users: Higher Death and Cancer Rates

Camilla Cheung — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:04:52 +0000

If you've been guilty of popping a pill every once in a while to get a good night's sleep, you are among many Americans who are prescribed sleeping pills to improve their rest. But a new study shows that while sleeping pills can seem a godsend in the wee hours of the morning, they may in fact contribute to an increased risk of death and of getting cancer.

From 2006 to 2010, the sleeping-pill industry expanded by 23% in the United States and generated $2 billion in sales. But the growing use of the hypnotic pills may be creating greater hazards for mortality, cancer, and heart disease.

Researchers from Scripps Health in San Diego studied the use of 8 of the most commonly used sleeping pills, including popular drugs zolpidem and temazepam. Patients who were prescribed the sleeping pills were matched with a control group of similar patients who were not using the pills. The patients were matched using gender, age and health, in order to eliminate as much as possible other factors that might contribute to increased risk of mortality or cancer. The researchers found that overall there was a 4.6-fold increased risk of death and a significant increase in cancer cases among patients who used sleeping pills regularly. Even among patients who only occasionally used the pills (between 1 to 18 pills per year), the risk of death was 3.6 times higher.

Patients who used prescription sleeping pills regularly (132 doses or more a year) had a 35% higher rate of new cancers. The study included over 10,500 patients who regularly used sleeping pills and over 23,000 control patients who did not. The study was based on observational data available through electronic medical records. Researchers said that although the results of the study were alarming, more research in more controlled settings would need to be done in order to determine whether taking sleeping pills was the definitive factor in higher mortality and cancer rates.

However, the researchers did urge doctors and patients to consider other alternatives to taking sleeping pills. For example, relaxation techniques and working with the body's natural circadian rhythm can be very helpful in improving insomnia, and should be tried before prescribing sleeping pills. When insomnia arises from psychological factors, such as depression, the underlying cause should be treated in order to improve symptoms. According to the researchers, prescribing potentially harmful hypnotic medications should be considered only when other techniques have been used.

Sinus Infection? Skip the Antibiotics

Camilla Cheung — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:23:30 +0000

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis have found that taking antibiotics for sinus infections has little effect on the length of time it takes patients to get better, and does little to alleviate the symptoms of the infection. In the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, antibiotics fared no better than a placebo. The researchers recommend that patients skip the antibiotics, and instead take medications to alleviate symptoms such as congestion, cough, fever, and headache.

Doctors may be overprescribing antibiotics to patients, with as many as 1 in 5 antibiotic prescriptions given for sinus infections. If the antibiotics aren't helping, why use them? Experts are especially concerned that overuse of antibiotics is leading to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria.

In the study, patients complaining of sinus infections were given a 10-day prescription of either a placebo or amoxicillin, a commonly-used antibiotic. All patients were given non-antibiotic medications to alleviate congestion, cough, fever, headache, and other symptoms. All of the patients were assessed after 3, 7, 10, and 28 days.

At the 3-day mark, there was no difference between the responses of the patients on the placebo and on the antibiotics. On the 7th-day assessment, there was a very slight improvement in the patients on antibiotics in comparison to the placebo, but the difference was so minor as to be undetectable to most patients. By the 7th day, most patients already reported that most of their symptoms were much improved or cured. Researchers believed that the tiny (and late) improvement of patients on antibiotics was not significant enough to warrant the use of antibiotics.

There was no difference between the two groups in the amount of medications patients used to relieve pain, fever, congestion, and cough.

The study excluded those suffering from chronic sinus infections, as well as patients with additional complications such as ear and chest infections.

Given that there is little or no appreciable difference between being treated with antibiotics or not when it comes to a sinus infection, researchers recommend that patients take medications to relieve their symptoms and wait for the infection to go away on its own. This may help public efforts to reduce unnecessary use of antibiotics, and thus reduce the rate at which drug-resistant bacteria are developing.

Positive Parenting May Prevent Obesity

Camilla Cheung — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:46:59 +0000

An innovative new study links positive parenting during early childhood to significantly lower rates of obesity.

In a new study published by the journal Pediatrics, experts have found an interesting link between parenting and obesity rates. Researchers found that programs that aimed to support parents and solve or prevent behavioral problems in children had the unintended side effect of reducing the children's obesity rates later in life.

Researchers from the NYU Child Study Center analyzed long-term follow-up studies of children who had participated in the child-parent support programs "ParentCorps" or "Incredible Years." The programs targeted high-risk children from low-income minority families and focused on preventing behavioral problems that can put children at a significant disadvantage when entering school.

For example, children who entered school with behavioral problems are at higher risk for academic underachievement, school dropout, antisocial behavior, delinquency, and health problems such as obesity. However, the family intervention programs themselves did not address nutrition, weight, or exercise.

Rather, the child-parent support programs aimed to reduce harsh and ineffective parenting methods, encourage the use of praise, and help parents to be more responsive and attentive to their children. Parents who were involved in the programs spent more time reading and playing with their children, and tended to replace physical punishment with other disciplinary strategies such as time outs.

Follow-up studies of the intervention programs followed the children 3 to 5 years later, and found that children who were part of the family support programs had significantly lower rates of obesity. Among children with early behavioral problems who were not part of the program, more than half of the children were obese by the second grade. Among children with early behavioral problems who were part of the parenting programs, the obesity rate was only 24%. One follow-up study also found that children who were involved in the family programs had lower blood pressure and consumed fewer carbohydrates.

The researchers concluded that helping parents to use more effective parenting strategies, and working to prevent behavioral problems in young children, could reduce obesity rates among at-risk children as well as improve their "health behaviors."

The study is certainly a good reminder that a child's health is closely related to many factors, many of which may not at first glance have a direct impact on nutrition. Reducing behavioral problems by focusing on positive parenting, and hopefully addressing the root causes of the behavioral problems, have a significant positive impact on a child's physical health.

Working Long Hours Raises Risk for Depression

Camilla Cheung — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:03:19 +0000

If you're already working 11-hour days, this new research may not come as a shock to you — working long hours can double your risk for depression.

Especially in this economy, many workers feel pressured to put in more hours in order to keep their current job and income. Researchers in London found that civil servants who were forced to work 11 hours a day or more had double the risk of a major depressive episode than civil servants who worked 8-hour days. After studying about 2000 middle-aged British civil servants, researchers found a strong link between longer hours and depression, even after controlling for other factors such as socio-demographics, chronic disease, lifestyle, job strain, and other factors. The study was published in the journal PLoS ONE.

Researchers suggested that working longer hours may contribute to a greater risk of depression because of a variety of factors (WebMD). Most obviously, prolonged stress can contribute to an increased likelihood of depression. Working longer hours can reduce the amount of time available for relaxing activities, as well as reduce the time available for sleeping. Longer work hours can also damage relationships with family and friends, which can contribute to increased stress and trigger depressive moods. People who work more may have less time to exercise and to prepare nutritious meals, both important activities for reducing stress and reducing the risk of depression.

Some warning signs that you may be becoming depressed include:

Difficulty sleeping
Feeling stressed
Feeling irritable and restless
Inability to enjoy things that used to give you pleasure, such as time spent with friends
Inability to concentrate or focus
Feelings of hopelessness
Significant weight loss or gain

Researchers warned workers that it is important to have periods of rest and relaxation to keep depression at bay. If cutting work hours is not an option, the researchers suggested making a clear distinction between work time and leisure time, and being sure to take all of your vacation days.

Investing in your self-care, such as getting regular exercise, eating healthfully, and getting enough sleep, are also important factors that can reduce the likelihood of depression. Experts also suggested reducing technological ties to work after work hours, such as turning off your cell phone and avoiding checking your work email, to reduce stress at home after work.

Lower Levels of Lead Can Still Harm Children

Camilla Cheung — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:04:42 +0000

This month, a federal panel is asking the U.S. government to lower the cutoff standards for lead poisoning in children. Citing recent research that shows that even low levels of lead can be damaging to children, specialists urge the government to adapt the new definition, which could result in thousands more children being diagnosed with lead poisoning.

Although cases of lead poisoning have been dramatically reduced in recent years with the banning of lead in paint, toys, gasoline, and other products, specialists say that lead poisoning is still a risk.

The government banned lead in house paint in 1978, but half of the houses built before 1978 may still contain lead paint. This becomes a greater hazard when paint is chipping, flaking, or in bad repair, because young children may pick up paint chips or paint dust and put it in their mouths.

Lead paint is also a hazard when you are doing renovations on an older home, because tearing down walls and other construction work can disturb decades-old lead paint. Even if the lead paint in a home has been painted over, experts say that even the friction from opening and closing windows and doors can create lead dust, which eventually finds its way into children's mouths.

People may also be exposed to lead through lead-glazed pottery, imported jewelry, leaded crystal, and old furniture that has been painted with lead paint.

Although there are few cases of convulsions, coma, and death due to high levels of lead exposure today, lower levels of exposure can still be a problem. Low level lead poisoning can cause learning and behavioral difficulties and may lower a child's IQ.

Experts advise the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce the definition of lead poisoning from 10 micrograms to 5 micrograms.

Children under the age of 6 should be routinely tested for lead poisoning (at least once a year), especially if you live in a house that was built before 1978 and if that house has recently undergone renovations. Your child may not show immediate symptoms of lead poisoning, so a blood test is crucial.

If you are renovating a house built before 1978, use lead-certified contractors. If you plan to do it yourself, follow the EPA's safety guidelines for lead in homes. If you suspect your home has lead paint, you can take paint chips to a local lab to have them tested, and then follow through with lead abatement if needed.

Keep the house clean, wiping up dust from windowsills and floors, which will help prevent children from ingesting lead dust. Wash children's hands frequently, especially before eating. A healthy diet high in calcium, iron, and vitamin C can also help to prevent lead poisoning.

Read more about the EPA's guidelines on lead hazards in the home.

Get Your Vitamin D to Prevent a Score of Problems

Camilla Cheung — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:30:57 +0000

Two recent studies emphasize the need for sufficient vitamin D in our diets. One study shows that lack of the vitamin may play a role in obesity and the development of Type 2 diabetes, whereas another recent study links vitamin D deficiency to depression. For the sake of your physical and mental health, make sure you get enough vitamin D!

Vitamin D Deficiency and Diabetes

Research recently published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM) shows that obese children are significantly more likely than non-obese children to have low levels of vitamin D. The same study linked vitamin D deficiency with risk factors for Type 2 diabetes. Obese children with low vitamin D levels were found to have high insulin resistance, when the insulin in the body becomes less effective at breaking down glucose.

Obese children who had poor dietary habits such as skipping breakfast and consuming large amounts of juice and soda tended to have lower vitamin D levels. The study highlights a need for future clinical studies of how vitamin D deficiency may contribute to Type 2 diabetes, and whether treatment using vitamin D can lower the risk of the disease.

Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Depression

In one of the largest such studies ever undertaken, psychiatrists working with the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study have found that low levels of vitamin D are linked to depression.

After examining over 12,600 patients, researchers found that higher vitamin D levels significantly reduced a person's risk for depression, especially for people who had a prior history of depression. Low vitamin D levels were associated with a higher risk of current depression, especially for patients with a prior history of the disorder. In the U.S., nearly 1 in 10 adults suffer from major depressive disorder.

The study did not address whether increasing vitamin D intake improved symptoms, and more research needs to be done about how vitamin D chemically affects depression. Researchers believe that the vitamin may affect neurotransmitters, inflammatory markers, and other factors.

Other Conditions Associated with Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D is essential for building bones, as it helps your body to use the calcium you take in your diet. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with a host of other medical conditions, such as low bone density and an increased risk of bone fractures, and has also been linked to other conditions such as cancer, asthma, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, and cognitive impairment in the elderly.

Getting Enough Vitamin D

Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin because your body produces it in response to sunlight. Getting 10 minutes of sun exposure a day (without sunscreen) is enough to lower your risk of vitamin D deficiency (although you should limit sunscreen-free exposure to the sun to reduce your risk of burning and skin cancer). The vitamin is also naturally present in fish, egg yolks, and dairy products. People who follow a strict vegetarian diet may be at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Your doctor can test you for vitamin D deficiency and recommend an appropriate course of treatment, which may or may not include vitamin D supplementation.

Noisy Toys May Cause Hearing Damage

Camilla Cheung — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:14:03 +0000

Toys that make noise are hot items at the holidays, with talking stuffed animals, trucks that make realistic noises, and other toys among the most sought-after gifts for kids every year. But experts at the University of California, Irvine warn parents and well-meaning gift-givers that noisy toys may be dangerous to children's health.

Researchers from the university tested the noise levels of dozens of popular toys in stores, and ended up purchasing the 10 noisiest toys for more controlled testing in a soundproof both at UC Irvine's Medical Center. The noise-making toys included popular items such as Let's Rock Elmo, Tonka Mighty Motorized Fire Truck, Buzz Lightyear Cosmic Blaster, Road Rippers Lighting Rods, and more.

As it turns out, toys like the Cosmic Blaster might be more aptly named the "Sonic Blaster," as the noises made by the toys exceeded 90 decibels, and many exceeded 100 decibels or more, a noise level equivalent to that of a chain saw, lawn mower, or subway train. Children who play with these toys may risk permanent hearing damage. Noises above 85 decibels can cause permanent hearing damage, and louder noises can cause more damage in a shorter time.

Although at first listen, the noises made by the toys may not seem excessively loud, experts warn parents that children may be holding the toys too close to their ears. When held at a toddler's arm's length (about 12 inches), the toys' noise levels were acceptable, but close to the speaker, the noise levels became higher and more dangerous. Children frequently hold toys close to their heads, which may cause the toys to be too loud.

Researchers emphasize that a child's hearing is more sensitive than an adult's, and that being exposed to excessive noise may cause permanent and irreversible hearing damage. Children are especially sensitive to loud or high-pitched sounds. The experts recommended that adults who intend to buy noise-making toys for children pay attention to the location of the speaker on the toy — speakers that are located underneath the toy rather than on top tend to be better. Also, try holding the toy close to you and listening, as a child would, to test if the toy is too noisy.

The list of the loudest toys tested by UC Irvine researchers included:

Road Rippers Lightning Rods
I Am T-Pain Microphone
Tonka Mighty Motorized Fire Truck
Marvel Super Shield Captain America
Whac-A-Mole Game
Tapz Electronic Reflex Game
Sesame Street Let's Rock Elmo
VTech Magical Learning Wand
Toy Story Buzz Lightyear Cosmic Blaster
Green Lantern Colossal Cannon

Teens Smoking Fewer Cigarettes, But More Marijuana

Camilla Cheung — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 01:27:57 +0000

Results released by this year's Monitor the Future survey by NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) have found that teens in grades 8, 10, and 12 are smoking fewer cigarettes than ever before. Cigarette use among teens is at a historic low, a very positive development. However, experts are quick to temper the enthusiasm for the new statistics with warnings that although teens are smoking fewer cigarettes, they continue to abuse tobacco in other forms, and are increasingly turning to marijuana as their drug of choice.

The percentage of teenagers smoking has declined to a historic low — for example, only 6.1% of eighth-graders smoke in 2011, compared to 21% in 1996 and 8.7 percent in 2006. Experts are encouraged by the decline, saying that fewer surveyed teens will die of smoking-related diseases in adulthood, and fewer will go on to abuse other drugs. However, when compared to dramatic declines in teenage smoking in the late 1990s, the rate of decline in smoking has slowed. And while teens may not be smoking as many cigarettes, they are continuing to abuse tobacco products in other forms: hookahs, cigars, and smokeless tobacco.

In addition, marijuana use seems to be on the rise. In the 2011 survey results, 36.4% reported marijuana use, an increase from 31.5% five years ago. The percentage of high school seniors using marijuana every day has increased to 6%, up from 5% five years ago (that's about 1 in 15 high school seniors smoking pot every day — the highest rate in 15 years). The perception that taking marijuana is not as risky a behavior as it actually is may be fueling the rise.

Even more troubling is the increase in use of synthetic marijuana, known as K2 or Spice. This "fake weed," or "herbal smoking blend," is a synthetic cannabinoid that mimics the effect of marijuana and was created to avoid drug regulations. However, K2 and Spice are dangerous drugs and may cause hallucinations, psychosis, racing heartbeat, high blood pressure, and other dangerous conditions, even more than natural marijuana. Because the synthetic cannabis products are so new, tightened regulation of the products just took effect this year, and it remains to be seen whether the ban on synthetic marijuana will result in lessened use among teens.

Experts encourage parents to speak to their children about the risks of marijuana and of synthetic forms of marijuana, saying that it is important that teenagers know how dangerous abusing marijuana can be.