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Playing Sports Might Sharpen Your Hearing

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Playing sports may improve the brain’s ability to process sounds, a finding that could lead to new therapies for people who struggle with hearing, researchers report. “No one would argue against the fact that sports lead to better physical fitness, but we don’t always think of brain fitness and sports,” said study senior author Nina Kraus. She’s a professor of communication sciences and neurobiology at Northwestern University, in Evanston, Ill. “We’re saying that playing sports can tune the brain to better understand one’s sensory environment,” added Kraus, director of the university’s Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory. The study included 495 female and male Northwestern student athletes and a control group of 493 age- and sex-matched non-athletes. The participants’ brain activity was monitored while they wore earbuds that delivered speech sounds. The athletes were more adept than those in the control group to tune out background noise to better process the speech sounds, according to the study published Dec. 9 in the journal Sports Health. That skill can be useful for athletes when they’re trying to hear a teammate or coach calling to them during a game. Kraus equated it to listening to a DJ on the radio. “Think of background electrical noise in the brain like static on the radio,” Kraus said in a university news release. “There are two ways to hear the DJ better: minimize…  read on >

Good Workouts Might Extend a Woman’s Life

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If you can tackle a tough workout, that may bode well for your longevity, new research suggests. A woman’s risk of dying from heart disease, cancer or other causes is much lower if she can engage in vigorous exercise, scientists report. The new study included more than 4,700 middle-aged and older women, average age 64, who were referred for treadmill exercise echocardiography because they had known or suspected coronary artery disease. The women walked or ran on a treadmill with a gradual increase in intensity, and continued until they were exhausted. During a median follow-up of 4.6 years, there were 345 heart-related deaths, 164 cancer deaths and 203 deaths from other causes. After adjusting for other factors, the researchers concluded that high exercise capacity was significantly associated with lower risk of death during follow-up, though the study didn’t prove a cause-and-effect link. The annual rate of death from heart disease was nearly four times higher in women with poor exercise capacity (2.2%) than in those with good exercise capacity (0.6%), the investigators found. The annual rate of cancer deaths was twice as high among women with poor exercise capacity (0.9%) than those with good exercise capacity (0.4%), and the annual rate of death from other causes was more than four times higher among those with poor exercise capacity (1.4%) than those with good exercise capacity…  read on >

Health Tip: Managing ADHD in Adults

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(HealthDay News) — About 4 percent of adults have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), says Harvard University Medical School. Adults with ADHD tend to have more difficulty with attention and memory, rather than with hyperactivity, as with children. To help manage ADHD in adults, the school suggests: Consider medications such as stimulants, non stimulants and antidepressants. Learn more about ADHD and encourage your family and spouse to learn, too. Establish realistic expectations and achievable goals. Avail yourself of cognitive behavioral therapy or coaching.

Health Tip: Heart-Smart Approaches to Relationship Stress

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(HealthDay News) — Arguing with a partner or feeling anxious about meeting the in-laws can induce stress. When these strains are intense or prolonged, your heart can suffer, says Johns Hopkins Medicine. The school mentions these healthier ways to deal with relationship stress: Discuss life stresses with your doctor. Check if your coping strategies are healthy. Find stress outlets that make you feel better quickly, and in the long term. Make taking care of yourself a top priority. Pay attention to newer symptoms, such as pain or nausea.

BPA Levels in Humans Are Underestimated: Study

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Levels of the widely used chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in people’s bodies are much higher than once thought, according to scientists who say they’ve created a more accurate way to measure them. BPA is used in many plastic products, including food and drink containers, and animal studies have shown that it can interfere with hormones. Exposure to BPA in the womb has been linked to growth, metabolism, behavior and fertility problems, as well an increased risk of cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, however, contends human exposure to BPA is at very low, and therefore, safe levels. The new method developed by researchers and outlined in their study suggests that the measurements used by the FDA and other regulatory agencies underestimate BPA exposure by as much as 44 times. “This study raises serious concerns about whether we’ve been careful enough about the safety of this chemical,” said study co-author Patricia Hunt, a professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences at Washington State University. “What it comes down to is that the conclusions federal agencies have come to about how to regulate BPA may have been based on inaccurate measurements,” Hunt said in a university news release. Co-author Roy Gerona is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He said he hoped the findings would prompt other experts and labs…  read on >

Cleaner Air Quickly Brings Big Health Benefits, Study Finds

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When people are breathing cleaner air, their health generally improves — rapidly, in some cases, a new review shows. The report, from the Environmental Committee of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), details some of the evidence on air quality and human health. Overall, it concludes, people can reap a range of benefits when air pollution is cut — from fewer asthma attacks, to lower risks of heart attack and stroke, to a longer life expectancy. Some of the effects are “quite striking,” said Dr. Dean Schraufnagel, the report’s lead author and executive director of FIRS. He pointed to the example of changes made in cities hosting the Olympics — which, for a time, resulted in cleaner air and healthier residents. For the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, officials bumped up public transportation and closed downtown streets to private vehicles. As a result, peak daily ozone levels dropped by 28%, and over the next four weeks, the number of city children needing medical care for asthma attacks fell by more than 40%. Similarly, when Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympics, the Chinese national government put three-month restrictions on traffic, as well as factory emissions. Air pollution plummeted, and within two months, there were declines in doctor visits for asthma and in deaths from heart disease and stroke. “If you stop the pollution at its source,…  read on >

Health Tip: 4-7-8 Breath Relaxation Exercise

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(HealthDay News) — Breathing exercises can help you relax and manage stress, says the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine. The center suggests using the 4-7-8 breath exercise: Exhale completely through your mouth. Close your mouth and inhale through your nose to a mental count of 4. Hold your breath for a count of 7. Exhale through your mouth to a count of 8. Repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

Health Tip: Using American Ginseng

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(HealthDay News) — American ginseng is an herb that people take by mouth as a stimulant, to reduce stress, or to boost the immune system, says MedlinePlus. American ginseng has different medicinal effects from the Siberian and Asian varieties. Here’s what MedlinePlus says about American ginseng: Side effects may include diarrhea, itching, insomnia, headache and nervousness. Never take ginseng if taking warfarin (Coumadin). Use caution if taking ginseng with MAOIs, antidiabetes drugs or immunosuppressants. Do not take ginseng if you are pregnant.

Birth Control Pill May Alter Part of Women’s Brains

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A small, preliminary study suggests that a brain area called the hypothalamus appears to be about 6% smaller in women who use birth control pills. But exactly what that means isn’t yet clear. In this study, women on the pill had statistically significant increases in anger. Researchers also found a possible link with depression symptoms. The good news: They didn’t see any difference in women’s mental performance. And women who use the Pill shouldn’t search for other forms of birth control based on these findings, researchers said. “There isn’t enough data here for anyone to worry,” said study author Dr. Michael Lipton. “There’s more than a 50-year history of birth control pills. We’re not advising any changes (in your contraception) based on this preliminary finding.” Still, he added, there may be clinical consequences that this study was too small to find. Lipton is associate director of the Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in New York City. Located at the base of the brain, the hypothalamus produces hormones. It also helps regulate essential body functions like temperature, sleep and heart rate, the researchers said. “There’s a lot of stuff packed in there,” Lipton said. “The hypothalamus covers a lot of basic body functions, like sleep regulation, reproductive regulation, ovulation, the menstrual cycle, sex drive, appetite, mood, reward-related behavior and water…  read on >

Health Tip: Common Causes of Knee Pain

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(HealthDay News) — Knee pain is common, especially in highly active people, says the Cedars-Sinai hospital system. Women, people with a high body mass index and the elderly are at a greater risk of knee pain. Cedars-Sinai mentions these common causes: Overuse of the knee. Inflammation in tissues around the knee. Misalignment of the kneecap. Damage to ligaments, nerves or bone in the area. Injury. To diagnose the reasons for your knee pain, your doctor will perform an exam to test the knee’s range of motion, strength and areas of soreness. Sometimes, an X-ray or MRI may be needed to determine the cause of pain.