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Exercise Three Times a Week Associated With Reduced Risk of Dementia in Older People
BETHESDA, MD -- January 17, 2006 --
Older adults who exercised at least three times a week were much less likely to develop dementia than those who were less active, according to a new study
The study did not demonstrate directly that exercise reduces risk of dementia, but it joins a growing body of observational research pointing to an association between exercise and cognitive decline, say scientists at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which funded the study.
The research, reported in the January 17, 2006, issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, was conducted by Eric B. Larson, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the Group Health Cooperative (GHC), the University of Washington, and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, WA. Larson and co-investigators followed 1,740 GHC members age 65 or older for an average of 6.2 years between 1994 and 2003.
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Transforming State Mental Health Systems
January/February, 2006, Volume 14, Number 1
As SAMHSA's Mental Health Action Agenda guides the national effort to transform mental health systems across America to more consumer-driven and recovery-oriented programs, the states are becoming "the center of gravity" for that transformation.
According to A. Kathryn Power, M.Ed., Director of SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), "State mental health agencies are working to reduce fragmentation of services across systems, to increase their prevention and early intervention programs, and to enhance their investments in new technologies to improve services and accountability for achieving measurable results."
"Transformation implies profound changes in organizational policies, practices, and funding. And transformation requires equally momentous shifts in our own attitudes, beliefs, and values about mental health."
A. Kathryn Power, M.Ed.
Director, Center for Mental Health Services
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Treating moms can help prevent kids' depression, U.S. study suggests
CHICAGO - Researchers say they have shown for the first time that treating a mother's depression can help prevent depression and anxiety disorders in her child, a provocative finding with potentially big public health implications.
- March 21, 2006
The study was small, but the researchers and other experts called it convincing and said it illustrated how important a parent's well-being is to a child.
"It's a very dramatic and important finding," said co-author Dr. A. John Rush, a psychiatry professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Depression runs in families and has a strong genetic component, but environmental factors can trigger it. The study results indicate that for children of depressed mothers, that trigger is sometimes their mothers' illness acting up, said lead author Myrna Weissman, a researcher at Columbia University and New York Psychiatric Institute.
Effective treatment for mothers could mean their children might avoid the need for prescription antidepressants, the researchers said.
"Depressed parents should be treated vigorously," Weissman said. "The impact is not only on them, but it's also on their children."
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Aggression-related Gene Weakens Brain's Impulse Control Circuits
Posted: March 21, 2006
A version of a gene previously linked to impulsive violence appears to weaken brain circuits that regulate impulses, emotional memory and thinking in humans, researchers at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have found.
Brain scans revealed that people with this version -- especially males -- tended to have relatively smaller emotion-related brain structures, a hyperactive alarm center and under-active impulse control circuitry. The study identifies neural mechanisms by which this gene likely contributes to risk for violent and impulsive behavior through effects on the developing brain.
NIMH intramural researchers Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, M.D., Daniel Weinberger, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues report on their magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences during the week of March 20, 2006.
"These new findings illustrate the breathtaking power of 'imaging genomics' to study the brain's workings in a way that helps us to understand the circuitry underlying diversity in human temperament," said NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., who conducted MRI studies earlier in his career.
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Internet Help for Cancer Patients'
2006-03-03 12:27:21--
Newly diagnosed cancer patients who use the Internet to gather information about their disease have a more positive outlook and are more active participants in their treatment, according to a new Temple University study published in the March 2006 issue of the Journal of Health Communication.
"This is the first study to look at the relationship between Internet use and patient behaviors," said principal investigator and public health professor Sarah Bass, Ph.D. "We wanted to see if access to readily available information about their condition helped patients to cope with issues such as hair loss and other treatment side effects."
For this study, the researchers recruited patients who called a National Cancer Institute-funded 1-800 number, where trained specialists answered questions about the disease and directed callers to cancer-related resources in their area. Once selected, the 442 participants were broken into "direct user, indirect user and non user" categories based on their Internet usage patterns.
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More news of interest to people with disabilities
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Kids with extreme personality: ADHD risk
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., (UPI via COMTEX) -- Florida State University scientists say children showing aggressiveness or mood swings may be at risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Date: Mar 21, 2006
FSU psychology professors Jeanette Taylor and Chris Schatschneider, FSU doctoral student Kelly Cukrowicz and University of Minnesota Professor William Iacono found children with ADHD or conduct disorder had more negative emotions -- aggressiveness, tension and feelings of being exploited, unlucky or poorly treated -- and lower constraints, such as a tendency to break rules and engage in thrill-seeking behavior, than did children with neither of the disorders.
The children with both ADHD and conduct disorder had the most extreme personality profiles.
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Electrical Stimulation Boosts Stroke Recovery, Study Shows
Source: Oregon Health & Science University
Posted: March 23, 2006--
Sending tiny electric pulses to a part of the brain controlling motor function helps ischemic stroke survivors regain partial use of a weakened hand, new Oregon Health & Science University research shows.
But coupling the technique known as cortical stimulation with aggressive rehabilitation is key to reversing the impairment, doctors say.
"It's the coolest thing in stroke I've seen in a long time," said Helmi Lutsep, M.D., associate professor of neurology and associate director of the Oregon Stroke Center, OHSU School of Medicine.
In a study examining the safety of cortical stimulation therapy, Lutsep and co-investigators found that stroke patients who received stimulation with rehabilitation improved "significantly" better in hand mobility and strength tests than people undergoing rehabilitation alone.
"Everybody improved to some degree, because even in the subjects who received some rehabilitation, we did see improvement," Lutsep said. "What the data suggested is those who received the (stimulation) implant improved more."
The study was published this month in the journal Neurosurgery. Lutsep's co-investigators were Jeffrey A. Brown, M.D., of Wayne State University, Detroit, Martin Weinand, M.D., of the University of Arizona, Tucson, and Steven C. Cramer, M.D., of the University of California, Irvine.
Ischemic stroke occurs when a clot in a blood vessel blocks the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain. The result can be major weakness on one side of the body, a condition called hemiparesis, which is typically treated with rehabilitation. According to the American Stroke Association, 88 percent of the estimated 700,000 strokes that occur each year are ischemic.
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To your good health..... Healthy Hearts and Aging!
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 | The Baby Boomer Heart: The Riskiest Generation -
Experts say our generation may be the most vulnerable to heart disease ever. |
By Colette Bouchez --- WebMD Feature: 12:03 p.m. ET Jan. 16, 2006
Baby boomers were the first generation to grow up with affluence. But the price for abundance may be heart disease.
When you flip on the TV, do you fondly remember Lassie and Timmy, Ozzie and Harriet, Dale and Roy? Do tie-dye shirts and bell bottoms bring a smile to your face?
If these memories hold a warm place in your heart, then you're a Baby Boomer - one of nearly 76 million born between the years 1946 and 1964.
And, as hard as it is to believe, the generation that coined the phrase "Never trust anyone over 30" is now rapidly approaching 50 - or even 60! Indeed, experts estimate that every seven seconds another boomer hits the "big 5-0."
While many of us may still feel like an invincible rock 'n' roll teen at heart, the truth is we are fast becoming the older generation -- and in the process sharing more than just memories of transistor radios and the Beatles. We also share a risk of heart disease and related conditions, including high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.
In fact, experts say our generation may be the most vulnerable ever. We are the first American generation to grow up with plenty - plenty of food, plenty of cars, plenty of leisure time. As a result, we're also heavier at an earlier age than our parents' generation, and we're developing heart problems younger.
The good news? We CAN change the world after all -- or at least our personal world. Use this guide to reduce your risks. The payoff: A longer and healthier life.
Remember, rock 'n' roll IS here to stay. But you'll need a healthy heart to enjoy it until the sun comes up!
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How-To Guide for a Healthier Body
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You know you need vitamins for good health, but which ones and how much? Here's a rundown of the most important vitamins and minerals.
Part 1 of a series. More of the series here.....
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By Denise Mann, WebMD Feature
In a classic I Love Lucy, Lucy lands the plum role of "Vitameatavegamin girl" and attempts to hawk a tonic with healthy amounts of vitamins, meat, vegetables, minerals (and ample alcohol) all wrapped up in one power drink.
During rehearsal, Lucy drinks, and drinks, the vile tasting liquid. But by the end of the shoot and due to the high alcoholic content, Lucy begins to get drunk, slur her lines, and even begins to enjoy the taste.
For better or for worse, there is no such thing as Vitameatavegamin, but multiple vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other supplements are readily available in tonic, pill, and many other forms.
But what do you really need to be healthier? And how much do you need? And how can you make sure that you are getting it? For starters, WebMD compiled an expert-approved list of the top five healthiest nutrients and how to get them.
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