Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

When Dr. Yezaz Ghouri sees patients with the cramping, abdominal pain and diarrhea that are hallmark symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), he’ll typically ask how life’s going. More often than not, his patients say they are experiencing stress in their lives. Now, Ghouri’s team has established a link between IBS and anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation in patients who have been admitted to the hospital for their IBS. IBS is a chronic disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) system that strikes up to 15 percent of the population. Ghouri, an assistant professor of clinical medicine and gastroenterology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, thinks that stress may be expressed through both the mind and body. “I think it expresses in the form of mood disorders like depression, anxiety,” Ghouri said. “I think it expresses in a form of IBS, which is basically a manifestation of your autonomic nervous system [which controls involuntary actions like your heartbeat].” The study used data from more than 1.2 million IBS patients in 4,000 U.S. hospitals over three years. More than 38% of these patients had anxiety. More than 27% had depression. These numbers were double the levels of anxiety and depression found in patients who did not have IBS. Lead researcher Dr. Zahid Ijaz Tarar, an assistant professor of clinical medicine, pointed to what’s called the brain-gut… read on > read on >

TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2023 (HealthDay Now) — A long-established Alzheimer’s drug can help people with a disorder that causes them to compulsively pull at their hair or pick at their skin, a new clinical trial has concluded. Memantine considerably improved symptoms in 3 out of 5 patients with either trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder) or excoriation (skin-picking) disorder, researchers reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry. “I think it was encouraging that it helped reduce the behavior of picking and pulling, compared to a placebo,” said lead researcher Dr. Jon Grant, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago. “It gives me the idea that perhaps we’re onto the right underlying mechanism that might be happening here.” Hair-pulling and skin-picking disorders affect an estimated 3% to 4% of Americans, Grant said. Patients obsessively pull out strands of hair or pick at their skin, often doing themselves real physical harm. Memantine inhibits the activity of glutamate, one of the most abundant neurotransmitters in the brain. Overly high levels of glutamate in the brain can cause nerve cells to become overexcited, and this has been associated with conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease and multiple sclerosis, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Glutamate also has been linked to mental health problems like mood disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder, the Cleveland Clinic says. The U.S.… read on > read on >

Many women experience blinding migraine headaches around their monthly period, and now researchers have a clue about why. Levels of the female hormone estrogen fluctuate during menstruation, which may lead to increases in calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). This protein widens blood vessels in the brain, which is part of the cascade of events that cause migraines. “Women with migraine had higher CGRP levels in the blood and tear fluid during menstruation than women without migraine,” said study leader Dr. Bianca Raffaelli, a neurology resident at Charité–University Medicine Berlin in Germany. She is also a fellow with the Clinician Scientist Program jointly operated by Charité and the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité. More research is needed before drawing any firm conclusion about the role that CGRP plays in menstrual migraines, Raffaelli said. “Once the exact processes are understood, appropriate treatment strategies can be developed,” she said. “In recent years, new migraine drugs have been developed that target CGRP, [and] it would be exciting to investigate whether these drugs act differently depending on the hormonal state.” The good news for women with menstrual migraines is that symptoms improve during pregnancy, and their frequency tends to decline after menopause, Raffaelli said. For the study, the researchers measured CGRP levels in blood and tears of 180 women with a history of migraine, including those with a regular menstrual… read on > read on >

Exposure to elevated levels of air pollutants is associated with bone damage in postmenopausal women, according to a new study that said the effects were most evident on the lumbar spine. High levels of niitrogen oxides in air nearly doubled the effects of normal aging on bone density in the spine, said researchers from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York City. This study was the first to explore the effects of air pollution mixtures on bone outcomes, researchers said. It also was the first to explore the connection between air pollution and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. The researchers analyzed data from an ethnically diverse population of 161,000 postmenopausal women in a long-running U.S. women’s health study. To estimate levels of exposure to pollutants, including PM10 (small air pollution particles), nitrogen monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, researchers used participants’ home addresses. Traffic exhaust and emissions from power plants are major producers of nitrogen oxides. Bone density was measured at enrollment in the study and after one, three and six years using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry commonly known as a DEXA scan. The scans included whole-body, total hip, femoral neck and lumbar spine. Researchers said the magnitude of the effects of nitrogen oxides on lumbar spine density would amount to 1.22% annual losses. That’s nearly double the annual effect of age… read on > read on >

Causes of different kinds of dementia vary, but about 40% are affected by risk factors a person can influence through lifestyle choices. Two University of Michigan neurologists offer 10 tips for modifying those risks. Keep blood pressure in check. Dr. Judith Heidebrink, a neurologist who is co-leader of the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center’s Clinical Core, recommends aiming for a systolic blood pressure (the upper number) of 130 mm Hg or lower from around age 40. This helps reduce risk of cognitive impairment, dementia, heart attack and stroke. Guard your hearing. Wear ear protection around excessive noise to reduce the risk of hearing loss, center director Dr. Henry Paulson urged. Use hearing aids, if needed. A recent study found that older adults who got a hearing aid for their newly diagnosed hearing loss had a lower risk of dementia in the following three years, he pointed out. Support efforts to reduce air pollution. “There is growing evidence linking air pollution — such as the gases and small particles emitted by cars and factories — to cognitive decline and dementia,” Heidebrink said. “Encouragingly, sustained improvements in air quality appear to reduce the risk of dementia.” Prevent head injuries. Wear proper gear when playing contact sports, including a helmet while biking. Don’t forget to use a seat belt in cars. Head injury can disrupt normal brain function.… read on > read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s heavily criticized tobacco program promised changes on Friday, including a five-year strategic plan to better outline priorities. “As we enter this era of declining use of combustible tobacco and continued innovation in the e-cigarette industry, the societal concerns are not subtle,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said in an agency news release. “Our ability to keep pace with these changes will depend on immediate, short-term and long-term actions the center is taking that we believe will position the agency to more successfully implement our regulatory oversight of tobacco products.” The agency has faced criticism from anti-tobacco advocates, the industry and lawmakers for its past work in cigarette and vaping regulation, the Associated Press reported. An external review commissioned last summer released a report in December that called the FDA “reactive and overwhelmed.” Its workforce was struggling to manage tobacco and largely unauthorized e-cigarettes, the report stated. The FDA’s new strategic plan is expected to outline efforts on e-cigarettes, as well as to be more transparent about FDA decisions, such as mass rejection of applications from e-cigarette makers. Regulators would like to “better communicate” with companies about how the FDA makes decisions, said Brian King, tobacco chief for the agency. “Some things will take longer than others, but we’re committed to getting everything done that we’ve outlined as expeditiously as… read on > read on >

Confused about emergency contraception? The experts have you covered. Here’s a breakdown of what emergency contraception is, the different types that are available, the side effects you may experience, and how emergency contraception works. Plus, you’ll find out where you can get emergency contraception. What is emergency contraception? Emergency contraception is a way to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sexual intercourse, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). It must be used before a pregnancy occurs. Planned Parenthood states that emergency contraception is not the abortion pill, which is a way to end an early pregnancy. “When used correctly, emergency contraception works well to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. It can be useful if birth control fails (like when a condom breaks or slips off), if birth control wasn’t used during sex, or after sexual assault or rape. But there’s a fairly short time in which to use it,” Mount Sinai obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Cynthia Abraham said in a recent blog. Types of emergency contraception There are two main types of emergency contraception, according to the ACOG. These are IUDs (intrauterine devices) and emergency contraception pills. IUDs Copper IUDs are currently the only type of IUD used in emergency contraception. They must be inserted into your uterus by a health care practitioner. The other type of IUD, the levonorgestrel (hormonal) IUD, is used for… read on > read on >

Regular exercise at some point in life is a key to better cognitive health in old age, researchers say. Starting sooner is better and sustaining it longer are, too. A new British study has found that exercising at least once a month at any time in adulthood is linked to better thinking and memory function in later life. People who reported being physically active at least one to four times per month in separate surveys at the ages of 36, 43, 53, 60 to 64, and 69 had the biggest benefit. The effect was greater than for those who said they exercised frequently (more than five times a month) during at least one of the study periods but who didn’t necessarily keep it up across several surveys. “Our study suggests that engaging in any leisure-time physical activity, at any point in adult life, has a positive effect on cognition. This seems to be the case even at light levels of activity, between once to four times a month,” said Sarah-Naomi James of the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health & Aging at University College London. “What’s more, people who have never been active before, and then start to be active in their 60s, also appear to have better cognitive function than those who were never active.” The biggest benefit for thinking and memory function was seen… read on > read on >

When couples stop coupling read on >

WEDNESDAY, Feb, 22, 2023Vaginal dryness. It happens to most postmenopausal women, but few talk about it and even fewer get treated for it. Vaginal dryness is a painful condition that occurs when the lining of the vagina does not produce enough lubrication. A healthy vagina has a thick discharge that keeps the tissues lubricated and healthy. When the body no longer makes adequate lubrication, the tissue becomes thin and dry, which may cause discomfort. According to an article in the International Journal of Women’s Health, approximately 50% to 60% of postmenopausal women suffer from this condition. Yet, only 25% receive treatment. Vaginal dryness can wreak havoc on a woman’s quality of life. Painful sexual intimacy can be challenging to navigate in a relationship. Vaginal dryness can also cause discomfort when sitting or exercising, and it can lead to an increase in urinary tract infections (UTIs). Vaginal Dryness Symptoms According to the Mayo Clinic, some of the symptoms of vaginal dryness include: Painful sexual intercourse/penetration Itching in the perineum Burning when urinating Irritation of the perineum Bleeding post intercourse Vaginal discharge Recurrent urinary tract infections Vaginal Dryness Causes The Mayo Clinic states that a decrease in the body’s production of estrogen is the primary cause of vaginal dryness. The body’s drop in estrogen levels may be caused by: Perimenopause Menopause Removal of ovaries (oophorectomy) Childbirth Breastfeeding… read on > read on >