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Many older men take testosterone to boost their sex drive, but new research suggests that postmenopausal women who struggle with a sagging libido might want to follow suit. Applied topically, the hormone appears to increase women’s sexual function and satisfaction, according to a new review of 36 clinical trials involving nearly 8,500 women. Women naturally produce testosterone as well as estrogen, said lead researcher Susan Davis, a professor of women’s health at the Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in Melbourne, Australia. “Testosterone is a female hormone and there is consistent evidence generated over decades that postmenopausal women with loss of sexual desire or arousal may benefit from treatment with testosterone,” Davis said. The hormone appears to act directly upon sex hormone receptors in women’s brains, Davis explained. “Testosterone has also been shown to increase blood flow, including vaginal blood flow, so treatment may enhance orgasm and arousal by increasing blood flow to genital tissues,” Davis added. The idea of using testosterone to boost female sexuality has been around for decades, but has lain fallow since the mid-2000s, experts said. In 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shot down an effort by Procter & Gamble to sell a testosterone patch for women, said Dr. Andrea Dunaif, chief of endocrinology, diabetes and bone disease for the Mount Sinai Health System in… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Exposure therapy is a psychological treatment developed to help people confront their fears, says the American Psychological Association (APA). When people are fearful of things, they tend to avoid what frightens them. With exposure therapy, psychologists create an environment to expose people to the things they fear. Exposure therapy has been shown to help phobias, panic disorders, social anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, generalized anxiety disorders and others, the APA says.

Turns out that the old adage — an apple a day keeps the doctor away — may actually be true. New research suggests that the more plant foods you eat, the lower your risk of type 2 diabetes. People who ate a mostly plant-based diet reduced their risk of diabetes by 23%, the study found. The association was even stronger — a 30% drop in risk of type 2 diabetes — for people who ate healthy plant-based foods, including veggies, fruits, legumes, nuts and whole grains. These foods contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other beneficial ingredients. So, what isn’t an especially healthy plant food? Processed foods and foods with added sugar. Think foods like white bread, white pasta, breakfast cereal, chips or cookies. The researchers also didn’t include starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, in their healthy-choices list. “A plant-based diet is very healthful in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes,” said the review’s senior author, Dr. Qi Sun. He’s an associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. And the more healthy plant foods, the better, Sun said. But “you should be picky about what types of foods you count as plant-based,” he added. Sun also explained that a diet doesn’t have to be strictly vegan or vegetarian to be healthy. He said it’s a good idea to… read on >

The heat is on. Across two-thirds of the United States, over 115 million Americans live where some level of heat alert is already in effect, and 290 million will see temperatures soar past 90 degrees at some point in the next week, USA Today reported Wednesday. As a dome of high pressure settles over much of the eastern and mid-Atlantic states, the heat indexes (the real-feel temperatures) in many places will top 100 and approach 110 degrees or higher, according to the U.S. National Weather Service. What to do when the temperatures soar so high that heat-related illnesses start to take their toll? One expert offers some sage advice. “Weekend athletes exercising in the heat need to remember to keep ahead of their fluids. It’s vital to stay ahead of your thirst during these heat extremes, not just to drink when you are thirsty,” said Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “Taking breaks is essential when intensely exercising in the heat for more than one hour. This includes rest, finding shade from the sun, and drinking water mixed with sugar and electrolytes. Salty pretzels, fruit and nuts are always a good option if you don’t have access to a drink with sugar and electrolytes,” Glatter noted. If you exercise in the heat, try to do so early… read on >

Financial rewards for quitting smoking do help smokers — including pregnant women — kick the habit and remain smoke-free, a new study confirms. “Rewards, such as money or vouchers, have been used to encourage smokers to quit, and to reward them if they stay stopped. Such schemes have been used in workplaces, in clinics and hospitals, and within community programs,” said study lead author Dr. Caitlin Notley. She’s with Norwich Medical School of the University of East Anglia in England. “We wanted to know whether these schemes actually work long term, as previously it was thought that perhaps incentives only worked for the time that they were given. We found that they do help people stay smoke-free, even after the incentive scheme ends,” Notley said in a university news release. For the new study, the investigators analyzed 33 randomized controlled trials. The studies included more than 21,600 people in eight countries and looked at whether financial incentives — such as cash payments, vouchers or the return of money deposited by participants — helped people quit smoking. Ten trials focused on pregnant smokers. There was significant variation in the amount of incentives used in the trials, ranging from zero (self-deposits) to between $45 and $1,185. The researchers found that after six months or more, people who received financial rewards were about 50% more likely to have… read on >

If you struggle with anxiety, you might want to skip that second cup of coffee, new research suggests. For some people, caffeine may help with concentration and provide an energy boost, but it can cause problems for those with general anxiety disorder, said Dr. Julie Radico, a clinical psychologist with Penn State Health. “Caffeine is not the enemy,” she said in a university news release. “But I encourage people to know healthy limits and consume it strategically because it is activating and can mimic or exacerbate the symptoms of anxiety.” Low doses of caffeine are in the range of 50 to 200 milligrams (mg). Consuming more than 400 mg at once may lead to feeling overstimulated and anxious, and bring on symptoms such as racing heart, nausea or abdominal pain. Anxiety is a common problem, but many patients and their doctors don’t think about caffeine as a potential contributing factor, said Dr. Matthew Silvis, vice chair of clinical operations in the division of family medicine at Penn State Health. “We want people to consider whether there may be a connection between their caffeine consumption and anxiety,” he said. As well as being a potential problem for people with anxiety, caffeine can interact negatively with medications for seizure disorders, liver disease, chronic kidney disease, certain heart conditions or thyroid disease, Silvis noted. “Medical disorders that a… read on >

Music may be as powerful as drugs in calming patients before they undergo surgery, new research suggests. It worked just as well as a tranquilizer before patients received a peripheral nerve block prior to their procedure, the researchers said. Peripheral nerve block numbs a specific area of the body where surgery is being done. Many patients are anxious before surgery and have increased levels of stress hormones, which can affect recovery after surgery. Patients are often given benzodiazepine drugs, such as midazolam, to calm them before surgery. Unfortunately, the drugs can cause side effects such as breathing problems, blood flow disturbances, and even increased levels of agitation and hostility, the researchers noted. In this study, Dr. Veena Graff, from anesthesiology and critical care at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues compared the effectiveness of music and midazolam (Versed) in soothing patients before they received a peripheral nerve block. The study included 157 adult patients who received either 1 or 2 milligrams of midazolam (80 patients) injected three minutes before the use of a peripheral nerve block, or listened to Marconi Union’s Weightless series of music on noise-canceling headphones (77 patients) for the same length of time. The music track is believed to be one of the world’s most relaxing songs. Reductions in anxiety were similar in both groups of patients, but patients in the music… read on >

Sunglasses need to be more than just fashion accessories, an eye expert advises. “Think of sunglasses as sunscreen for your eyes,” said Dr. Dianna Seldomridge, clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “Your eyes need protection from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays, just like your skin,” she explained. “Make sure your eyes are protected year-round. Harmful UV rays are present even on cloudy days.” You should choose sunglasses that block 99% to 100% of both UVA and UVB radiation from the sun. You may be confused by labels that say the sunglasses provide 100% protection from UVA/UVB radiation, while others offer 100% UV 400 protection. Both will block 100% of the sun’s harmful radiation, the academy said in a news release. If you’re skeptical of the UV protection label on sunglasses, take them to an optical shop or an ophthalmologist’s office, Seldomridge suggested. Most have a UV light meter that can test the sunglasses’ UV-blocking ability. Consider buying oversized or wraparound-style sunglasses. The more coverage they provide, the better they protect your eyes, she said. An important note: Dark lenses don’t block more UV rays than lighter lenses. And you don’t have to pay a lot to get sunglasses that provide good eye protection, Seldomridge said. Less expensive ones marked as 100% UV-blocking can be just as effective as those that cost more. Consider… read on >

Plastic surgery is no longer the sole domain of women, and men now have even more incentive to try a little nip-and-tuck on their faces: New research suggests they look more attractive and trustworthy to others. The study included 24 men, average age 49 years, who had one or more of the following procedures: upper eyelid lift, reduction of lower eyelids, face-lift, brow-lift, neck-lift, nose reshaping, and/or a chin implant. More than 150 people were asked to look at photos of the men before and after their surgery and rate them on personality (aggressiveness, extroversion, likeability, risk-seeking, sociability, trustworthiness), attractiveness and masculinity. The photos of the men after their procedures scored significantly higher in perceptions of attractiveness, likeability, social skills and trustworthiness. There was no significant change in perceptions of masculinity, the investigators found. The study, conducted by plastic surgeons at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., was published online recently in the journal JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery. “The tendency to judge facial appearance is likely rooted in evolution, as studies suggest evaluating a person based on appearance is linked to survival — our animal instinct tells us to avoid those who are ill-willed and we know from previous research that personality traits are drawn from an individual’s neutral expressions,” said study senior investigator Dr. Michael Reilly. He is an associate professor of otolaryngology… read on >

You might think that stress affects you only emotionally or that a lack of sleep simply leaves you feeling cranky. But these are among the many lifestyle factors that can lead to health problems because of changes that they cause within your body’s cells. Packed inside every cell is your DNA and its strands of chromosomes. Chromosomes are protected, top and bottom, by sections called telomeres. The health of these “end caps” is crucial to your health and longevity. If they become damaged, meaning shortened, because of poor lifestyle choices such as a bad diet or lack of sleep, your health can suffer. Shortened telomeres may, for instance, be the link between not getting enough quality sleep and developing chronic health conditions. Stress is another risk factor for telomere damage. Small studies have found that people who experience sustained stress have shorter telomeres and a greater risk of disease. This seems to be particularly true for those with an anxiety disorder. Obesity may also play a role in telomere damage. But there’s good news. A research review published in The Journals of Gerontology reports that telomeres can react positively to healthy lifestyle choices, so you can influence their health. Aim for a healthy diet and a healthy weight, get lots of exercise and proper rest, and find ways to manage stress. While research has yet… read on >