Have you had to move to another bedroom because of your spouse's snoring? It's possible he (or she) has sleep apnea, a period of not breathing during the night that can happen hundreds of times during the night. Not only does this not allow the person to get real sleep, it can also kill him.
Experts estimate that between 10 and 20% of the population who are middle-aged suffers from sleep apnea,
where breathing is briefly interrupted or becomes very shallow during
sleep. But here's where the death part comes in. Sleep apnea can lead to serious health problems over time, including
diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and weight gain.
And now they're even connecting it to Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Markers for the disease are present 15 to 20 years in people with sleep apnea, before the disease manifests itself, according to newswise.com. You just have to know what you're looking for.
Strangely enough, markers for AD were only found in the lean participants with sleep apnea in a recent trial. Doctors aren't sure whether AD can lead to sleep apnea, or sleep apnea predisposes a person to AD. Studies are proceeding on both possibilities.
In the meantime, the professional who can most help is your dentist. That's because she can fit you with a continuous airway positive airway passage, or CPAP, a device that keeps your mouth open and pushes air into your nasal passages while you sleep so you can't stop breathing. But many people find this huge mask too intrusive and half abandon it after one to three weeks.
A new patch, Provent, is something else that can help. According to Anahad O'Connor, the patch fits over the nostrils and creates just enough air pressure to keep the airways open.
Either way, ignoring this problem will not make it go away. Look for a sleep center where you can be tested and then fitted for a device, if needed.
Monday, May 20, 2013
More Adam Lanzas? Coming Right Up!
A chilling new statistic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Almost 20 percent of children in this country have some form of mental illness.
According to a story in today's Washington Post, between 7 and 12 million children experience a "mental disorder" every year. That's one in five kids.
And the rate is increasing, Tony Pugh reports. Now, of course, we're not talking about all psychopaths, but children with disorders who find it hard to learn, behave and cope with their emotions. The CDC puts that at 13 to 20% of all youths under 18.
Even scarier, only 21% get treatment. Would therapy have helped Adam Lanza? No one will ever know. And it's not because parents don't take their kids for help, it's that the help isn't there. Pugh notes that a shortage of sub-specialty pediatricians and child and adolescent psychiatrists contributes to the problem.
Worse yet, fewer medical students are choosing specialties in pediatric mental health and the folks that do treat children with mental health issues are slowly aging out of the loop.
It also matters where you live. Children in under-served rural and urban areas are most likely not to get the care they need. “Children with serious medical conditions should not have where they live determine what kind of health care services they receive,” Pugh quotes Thomas K. McInerny, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Children are being admitted to hospitals more often, too. One study found that mood disorders for children almost doubled -- from 10 to 17 admissions per 10,000 people from 1997 to 2010, according to Pugh. Another study found a 24% increase in hospital admissions for children suffering from mental health problems.
Sadly, 30% of children made their intentions known before committing suicide. More boys kill themselves than girls, and more non-Hispanics and whites. Boys usually do it more violently, using guns or other weapons. One out of four suicide victims was being treated when he died and about 21% had made a previous attempt, Pugh notes.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common mental disorders found in children, with 7% of children in this country -- or 4.2 million -- diagnosed with it. About 2.2 million children in that group also have behavioral problems while nearly 3%, or 2 million, have anxiety issues, according to Pugh.
An additional 3%, or 1.2 million children, suffer from depression. And about 40% of all these children have more than one mental disorder.
Clearly, something must be done if we don't want more children or young adults shooting up classrooms and theaters and fast food outlets over and over again. We're letting our kids down if we can't find more ways to help them in their distress. These kids didn't create their own problems, nor, most likely, their parents, either, but it's up to us to do something -- volunteer in your community with at-risk kids; if you see a child having a problem, offer support; do just about anything you can -- before the next Adam Lanza strikes.
According to a story in today's Washington Post, between 7 and 12 million children experience a "mental disorder" every year. That's one in five kids.
And the rate is increasing, Tony Pugh reports. Now, of course, we're not talking about all psychopaths, but children with disorders who find it hard to learn, behave and cope with their emotions. The CDC puts that at 13 to 20% of all youths under 18.
Even scarier, only 21% get treatment. Would therapy have helped Adam Lanza? No one will ever know. And it's not because parents don't take their kids for help, it's that the help isn't there. Pugh notes that a shortage of sub-specialty pediatricians and child and adolescent psychiatrists contributes to the problem.
Worse yet, fewer medical students are choosing specialties in pediatric mental health and the folks that do treat children with mental health issues are slowly aging out of the loop.
It also matters where you live. Children in under-served rural and urban areas are most likely not to get the care they need. “Children with serious medical conditions should not have where they live determine what kind of health care services they receive,” Pugh quotes Thomas K. McInerny, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Children are being admitted to hospitals more often, too. One study found that mood disorders for children almost doubled -- from 10 to 17 admissions per 10,000 people from 1997 to 2010, according to Pugh. Another study found a 24% increase in hospital admissions for children suffering from mental health problems.
Sadly, 30% of children made their intentions known before committing suicide. More boys kill themselves than girls, and more non-Hispanics and whites. Boys usually do it more violently, using guns or other weapons. One out of four suicide victims was being treated when he died and about 21% had made a previous attempt, Pugh notes.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common mental disorders found in children, with 7% of children in this country -- or 4.2 million -- diagnosed with it. About 2.2 million children in that group also have behavioral problems while nearly 3%, or 2 million, have anxiety issues, according to Pugh.
An additional 3%, or 1.2 million children, suffer from depression. And about 40% of all these children have more than one mental disorder.
Clearly, something must be done if we don't want more children or young adults shooting up classrooms and theaters and fast food outlets over and over again. We're letting our kids down if we can't find more ways to help them in their distress. These kids didn't create their own problems, nor, most likely, their parents, either, but it's up to us to do something -- volunteer in your community with at-risk kids; if you see a child having a problem, offer support; do just about anything you can -- before the next Adam Lanza strikes.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Move to the U.S. Die Younger.
Did you know that moving to the U.S. may kill you younger? It's the truth. The New York Times reports today that immigrating to this country makes people die earlier than they would if they had remained in their own country.
"The longer they live in this country, the worse their rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. And while their American-born children may have more money, they tend to live shorter lives than the(ir) parents," according to Sabrina Tavernise.
Sadly, once they're in this country, many immigrants lose their healthy diets, exchanging their traditional meals of corn and peppers and beans for Big Macs and KFC. Even worse, they take up smoking (though smoking is popular in many European countries, too).
“There’s something about life in the United States that is not conducive to good health across generations,” Robert A. Hummer, a social demographer at the University of Texas at Austin, told Tavernise.
Foreign-born Hispanics live three years longer than their American counterparts, studies say, Tarvernise notes. But that is starting to change, too, as immigrants take advantage of super-sized portions -- twice the French fries! double the burgers! -- for little money, convenient and easy for a family juggling jobs, school and life.
What's probably most disturbing about this picture is that the offspring of immigrants do worse. (We've already seen it happening in our country, where obesity, and the illnesses it brings on, have brought about a prediction that our children will die earlier than previous generations.)
Still, and surprisingly, immigrants have better health outcomes than most Americans, with death from heart disease about 16% lower than those born in the U.S.; kidney failure, 18% lower, and cirrhosis of the liver occurring 24% less of the time.
What helps these families is the community and kinship they can join or develop, Tarvernise asserts, often missing in Americans' own lives. Frequently whole families -- and several generations -- come to the U.S. together to make a new home, providing the support and care that, while it does not compensate for poor eating habits, nonetheless makes it easier for immigrants to assimilate here.
But many immigrants are learning well the flaws of our way of life. Hispanics are 14% more likely to have diabetes than whites in this country, and their children, a shocking 51% likelihood of developing the disease over their white counterparts.
We have many good things in this country and no one would dispute that. But for all our diets and exercise and nutrition advice, our ways of living could use a real health boost that we'd do well to pass on to others.
"The longer they live in this country, the worse their rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. And while their American-born children may have more money, they tend to live shorter lives than the(ir) parents," according to Sabrina Tavernise.
Sadly, once they're in this country, many immigrants lose their healthy diets, exchanging their traditional meals of corn and peppers and beans for Big Macs and KFC. Even worse, they take up smoking (though smoking is popular in many European countries, too).
“There’s something about life in the United States that is not conducive to good health across generations,” Robert A. Hummer, a social demographer at the University of Texas at Austin, told Tavernise.
Foreign-born Hispanics live three years longer than their American counterparts, studies say, Tarvernise notes. But that is starting to change, too, as immigrants take advantage of super-sized portions -- twice the French fries! double the burgers! -- for little money, convenient and easy for a family juggling jobs, school and life.
What's probably most disturbing about this picture is that the offspring of immigrants do worse. (We've already seen it happening in our country, where obesity, and the illnesses it brings on, have brought about a prediction that our children will die earlier than previous generations.)
Still, and surprisingly, immigrants have better health outcomes than most Americans, with death from heart disease about 16% lower than those born in the U.S.; kidney failure, 18% lower, and cirrhosis of the liver occurring 24% less of the time.
What helps these families is the community and kinship they can join or develop, Tarvernise asserts, often missing in Americans' own lives. Frequently whole families -- and several generations -- come to the U.S. together to make a new home, providing the support and care that, while it does not compensate for poor eating habits, nonetheless makes it easier for immigrants to assimilate here.
But many immigrants are learning well the flaws of our way of life. Hispanics are 14% more likely to have diabetes than whites in this country, and their children, a shocking 51% likelihood of developing the disease over their white counterparts.
We have many good things in this country and no one would dispute that. But for all our diets and exercise and nutrition advice, our ways of living could use a real health boost that we'd do well to pass on to others.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Traumatized? Your Brain Changes Forever
Soldiers know what survivors of rape and assault and crime know. Once you have been traumatized, your brain never goes back to what it was, even when there is no stress in your life.
According to a story at newswise.com, once the brain has endured enough trauma, it functions abnormally even in the absence of stress.
Previous imaging studies of people with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, have shown that these brain regions "can over-or under-react in response to stressful tasks, such as recalling a traumatic event or reacting to a photo of a threatening face."
But now researchers at NYU School of Medicine are studying what happens in the brains of combat veterans with PTSD when there are no external triggers, newswise.com reports.
PTSD is known for triggering nightmares, panic attacks, flashbacks and instability. As someone who has suffered from PTSD also, it's not something you ever want to relive. And yet, you relive it almost every day.
Studies have found that 20% of soldiers who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan have PTSD. Suicide risk is higher in the people who have PTSD. (And sadly, 2012 was a record year for military suicides -- at 350, it's more troops than died in Afghanistan last year.)
Researchers have found that the brain’s "fear circuitry," what processes fearful and anxious emotions, was significantly higher in 52 combat veterans with PTSD than in 52 combat veterans without PTSD, newswise.com notes. Those with PTSD also showed "elevated brain activity in the region of the brain that regulates sensitivity to pain and negative emotions."
In addition, studies have found that PTSD sufferers' brains have less activity in the part of the brain that processes information from the past and the future, causing victims to have severe "re-experiencing" of the troubling event, over and over again, resulting in nightmares, flashbacks and frightening thoughts.
Though my experience of PTSD was not from wartime, it's all basically the same. You can't breathe. You think you are going to die. You don't know how to live from one second to the next. And actually, a lot of the time, you do want to die.
Fortunately, there are many options for soothing, even if not ending, this terrifying brain event. Talk therapy helps some, meditation and yoga work for others, and sometimes -- but not always -- time can do the trick.
According to a story at newswise.com, once the brain has endured enough trauma, it functions abnormally even in the absence of stress.
Previous imaging studies of people with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, have shown that these brain regions "can over-or under-react in response to stressful tasks, such as recalling a traumatic event or reacting to a photo of a threatening face."
But now researchers at NYU School of Medicine are studying what happens in the brains of combat veterans with PTSD when there are no external triggers, newswise.com reports.
PTSD is known for triggering nightmares, panic attacks, flashbacks and instability. As someone who has suffered from PTSD also, it's not something you ever want to relive. And yet, you relive it almost every day.
Studies have found that 20% of soldiers who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan have PTSD. Suicide risk is higher in the people who have PTSD. (And sadly, 2012 was a record year for military suicides -- at 350, it's more troops than died in Afghanistan last year.)
Researchers have found that the brain’s "fear circuitry," what processes fearful and anxious emotions, was significantly higher in 52 combat veterans with PTSD than in 52 combat veterans without PTSD, newswise.com notes. Those with PTSD also showed "elevated brain activity in the region of the brain that regulates sensitivity to pain and negative emotions."
In addition, studies have found that PTSD sufferers' brains have less activity in the part of the brain that processes information from the past and the future, causing victims to have severe "re-experiencing" of the troubling event, over and over again, resulting in nightmares, flashbacks and frightening thoughts.
Though my experience of PTSD was not from wartime, it's all basically the same. You can't breathe. You think you are going to die. You don't know how to live from one second to the next. And actually, a lot of the time, you do want to die.
Fortunately, there are many options for soothing, even if not ending, this terrifying brain event. Talk therapy helps some, meditation and yoga work for others, and sometimes -- but not always -- time can do the trick.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Some Drugs with Those Uggs?
I remember leaving a doctor I loved because I couldn't stand the hour or more wait while he was wined and dined by pharmaceutical salespeople.
I'm not kidding. This guy would take anyone who wandered in with a loaded briefcase right into his office and sit and joke and laugh with them while we patients stewed outside. When I needed a prescription, guess what? It was always one of the drugs these people peddled.
A story today in The New York Times pointed out that all this electronic assembling of medical records is feeding right into the hands of pharmaceutical companies, giving them the lowdown on everything from the meds doctors prescribe to how often you refill your prescriptions (and if you do) to what color underwear you're wearing (just kidding, but that's probably coming, too).
Databases that would have been sealed to them in the past are now open as medical records switch over to electronic health records. And this allows drug companies to target their pitches more precisely to doctors, and yes, sell more drugs.
I suppose it's not illegal, or unethical, and it's really no more than advertisers do now, sending you ads related to what you've looked at online.
But somehow medicine to me, and doctors, were more circumspect than that. Ads for drugs for depression really don't belong next to ones for rejuvenating your face.
Business is business, I guess. We'll just have to accept it. But I remember when all the world was not a stage, people didn't post their meals or their kids' birthday parties or their dogs licking a steak on the table, and what you were being treated for was between you and your doctor.
I'm not kidding. This guy would take anyone who wandered in with a loaded briefcase right into his office and sit and joke and laugh with them while we patients stewed outside. When I needed a prescription, guess what? It was always one of the drugs these people peddled.
A story today in The New York Times pointed out that all this electronic assembling of medical records is feeding right into the hands of pharmaceutical companies, giving them the lowdown on everything from the meds doctors prescribe to how often you refill your prescriptions (and if you do) to what color underwear you're wearing (just kidding, but that's probably coming, too).
Databases that would have been sealed to them in the past are now open as medical records switch over to electronic health records. And this allows drug companies to target their pitches more precisely to doctors, and yes, sell more drugs.
I suppose it's not illegal, or unethical, and it's really no more than advertisers do now, sending you ads related to what you've looked at online.
But somehow medicine to me, and doctors, were more circumspect than that. Ads for drugs for depression really don't belong next to ones for rejuvenating your face.
Business is business, I guess. We'll just have to accept it. But I remember when all the world was not a stage, people didn't post their meals or their kids' birthday parties or their dogs licking a steak on the table, and what you were being treated for was between you and your doctor.
Which Hand Connects to Your Brain?
I already knew this but now research has proved it. The ear you use to listen on your cell phone is usually -- the opposite from the hand you use to hold it.
In other words, if you are left-brain dominant, like 95% of the population, you'll use your right ear to listen and your right hand to hold the phone. I'm a right-brainer and I hold my cell phone in my left hand. I'm left-handed, though, so that may defeat the whole point.
But newswise.com reports today that there's a strong correlation between brain dominance and the ear used to listen on the phone. The majority of the population who are left-brain have their speech and language center located on the left side of the brain and are far more likely to use their right hands. These people tend to be more logical and analytical than right-brainers. We're more creative (or so they say) and whimsical and logic? Fuhgeddaboutit. Or so my husband says.
But that's pretty interesting because he was born a lefty, yet was switched over to righty by a teacher (they did that in those days). He went on to be a tennis star, using his right hand, but that's unusual.
Authors of the study offered another tantalizing piece of information: cell phone use and tumors of the brain, head and neck may not necessarily be linked.
Makes sense. Since 80% of the population use their right ear, there would be a far larger proportion of people diagnosed with cancer on the right side of their brain.
In the study not everyone followed the pattern. Newswise.com says, "Among those who are right-handed, 68% reported that they hold the phone to their right ear, while 25% used the left ear and 7% used both right and left ears. For those who are left-handed, 72% said they used their left ear for cell phone conversations, while 23% used their right ear and 5% had no preference."
So what does it matter? I guess, not a lot. But it's interesting to think that something as trivial as which ear you use to listen to cell phone conversations can be extrapolated out to how your brain works.
In other words, if you are left-brain dominant, like 95% of the population, you'll use your right ear to listen and your right hand to hold the phone. I'm a right-brainer and I hold my cell phone in my left hand. I'm left-handed, though, so that may defeat the whole point.
But newswise.com reports today that there's a strong correlation between brain dominance and the ear used to listen on the phone. The majority of the population who are left-brain have their speech and language center located on the left side of the brain and are far more likely to use their right hands. These people tend to be more logical and analytical than right-brainers. We're more creative (or so they say) and whimsical and logic? Fuhgeddaboutit. Or so my husband says.
But that's pretty interesting because he was born a lefty, yet was switched over to righty by a teacher (they did that in those days). He went on to be a tennis star, using his right hand, but that's unusual.
Authors of the study offered another tantalizing piece of information: cell phone use and tumors of the brain, head and neck may not necessarily be linked.
Makes sense. Since 80% of the population use their right ear, there would be a far larger proportion of people diagnosed with cancer on the right side of their brain.
In the study not everyone followed the pattern. Newswise.com says, "Among those who are right-handed, 68% reported that they hold the phone to their right ear, while 25% used the left ear and 7% used both right and left ears. For those who are left-handed, 72% said they used their left ear for cell phone conversations, while 23% used their right ear and 5% had no preference."
So what does it matter? I guess, not a lot. But it's interesting to think that something as trivial as which ear you use to listen to cell phone conversations can be extrapolated out to how your brain works.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
One Reason to Get Skin Cancer
We've all been warned about skin cancer, how melanoma is rapidly increasing as our earth warms and the ozone gets stripped away. But now we may want to get it. A study has found that people with skin cancer are less likely to get Alzheimer's, though not those with melanoma.
True, the study participants were 79 years old. But people who had skin cancer were 80% less likely to develop this dreaded dementia. In the study, only 2 of the 141 participants was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
One of the study's authors puts it down to outside activity. "“Physical activity is known to protect against dementia, and outdoor activity could increase exposure to UV radiation, which increases the risk of skin cancer," Richard B. Lipton, MD, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, told newswise.com. It could also be from Vitamin D, which we get from the sun and being outdoors.
But don't stop wearing sunscreen and protecting yourself from the sun. Melanoma, a deadly skin cancer, will be diagnosed in over 75,000 people in the U.S. this year and 10,000 will die. Caucasians have a 1 in 50 chance of getting it, while it is 20 times more common in African Americans. Non-melanoma skin cancer will be diagnosed in 2,000,000 people this year.
The incidence of melanoma has been rising steadily for 30 years.
True, the study participants were 79 years old. But people who had skin cancer were 80% less likely to develop this dreaded dementia. In the study, only 2 of the 141 participants was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
One of the study's authors puts it down to outside activity. "“Physical activity is known to protect against dementia, and outdoor activity could increase exposure to UV radiation, which increases the risk of skin cancer," Richard B. Lipton, MD, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, told newswise.com. It could also be from Vitamin D, which we get from the sun and being outdoors.
But don't stop wearing sunscreen and protecting yourself from the sun. Melanoma, a deadly skin cancer, will be diagnosed in over 75,000 people in the U.S. this year and 10,000 will die. Caucasians have a 1 in 50 chance of getting it, while it is 20 times more common in African Americans. Non-melanoma skin cancer will be diagnosed in 2,000,000 people this year.
The incidence of melanoma has been rising steadily for 30 years.
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