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THE DANGERS OF INEXPERIENCED PSYCHICS/MEDIUMS
Today I am blogging about inexperienced Psychics/Mediums. There are many psychics/mediums around who give the profession a bad name, t...
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ASTRID BROWN
Thursday, 6 December 2012
HOW ANTIDEPRESANTS MAY HELP STROKE PATIENTS RECOVER QUICKER
Another interesting article from the Daily Mail today. It's sad to say as well as being a stigma against mental illness, there is also one about taking anti-depresants, why this should be I have no idea but as I see it taking anti-depressant drugs is no different from taking thyroxine for thyroid disease or insulin for diabetes. Anti-depressants are very valuable medications and DO help patients in recovery and now further research is showing how they could help stroke patients, this is to be welcomed and with people living longer the numbers of stroke patients will increase, for too long too strokes have been labelled a condition associated with elderly patients, however strokes affect any age group.
There are two types of stokes, also known as Cardio Vasular Accidents or CVA for short. The kind caused where a thrombus, a clot, lodges in a blood vessel in the brain or due to a bleed, hemorrhage, both types deprive areas of the brain from oxygen, which is carried in the blood. Once nerve tissue in the brain is deprived of oxygen it dies. So if anti-depressants are shown to have benefit in regenerating nerve tissue, this research is to be welcomed.
Anti-depressants could help stroke patients recover more quickly by 'rebuilding' the brain
- Drugs could promote the growth of new nerve cells in the brain or protect other cells damaged by stroke
- And by preventing depression, they may encourage more patients to be physically active
The drugs could reduce dependence, physical disability, depression and anxiety in the first year after a stroke, according to the study published by the Cochrane Library.
They could also promote the growth of new nerve cells in the brain or protect other cells damaged by stroke, the authors suggest.
The drugs could promote the growth of new nerve cells in the brain or protect other cells damaged by stroke
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh examined 52 studies concerning selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
Professor Gillian Mead, professor of stroke and elderly care medicine at the university, said: 'Anti-depressants have been successfully used for many years to relieve depression.
'However, it now appears that they also have effects on the brain that may help patients make a better recovery from the physical effects of stroke.
'The results of this meta-analysis are extremely promising. We do not yet fully understand how anti-depressants could boost recovery after stroke, but it may be because they promote the growth of new nerve cells in the brain, or protect cells damaged by stroke.'
She added that by preventing depression, the drugs may help patients to be more physically active which is known to aid overall recovery.
'We now need to carry out a number of much larger clinical trials in order to establish exactly if, how and to what extent antidepressants can help stroke survivors recover.'
Commenting on the research, Dr Dale Webb, director of research and information at the Stroke Association, said: 'There are now over a million people living in the UK with the disabling effects of stroke.
'With death rates from stroke declining, it’s increasingly important to find new treatments to help survivors make their best possible recovery.
'The results of this meta-analysis are very encouraging and highlight the need for further clinical research trials.
'If these trials are positive, antidepressants could reduce the disabling effects of stroke in tens of thousands of patients every year.
'However, we are a long way off this type of treatment being offered to stroke patients to reduce the physical effects of the condition. We look forward to the results of further research.'
A GOOD REASON TO BRUSH UP ON YOUR ORAL HYGIENE GUYS!
An interesting piece of research and another good reason to brush up on your dental hygiene guys!
The study was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Never mind bad breath...Men who don't brush their teeth regularly are more likely to have erection problems
- Regular brushing reduces the risk of gum disease
- Turkish researchers found men who had inflamed gums - a symptom of the disease - are three times more likely to have trouble getting aroused
Good oral hygiene is linked with a reduced risk of gum disease, which has been shown to triple the risk of erectile dysfunction
Men who regularly brush their teeth - thereby reducing their risk of gum disease - are less likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction than their less hygienic counterparts.
New research has suggested those who suffer from inflamed gums are three times more likely to have trouble getting aroused.
The Turkish scientists who led the study compared 80 men aged 30 to 40 with erectile dysfunction with a control group of 82 men without erection problems.
This showed that 53 per cent of the men with erectile dysfunction had inflamed gums, compared with 23 per cent in the control group.
When the results were adjusted for other factors - such as age, body mass index (BMI), household income and education level - the men with severe periodontal disease were 3.29 times more likely to suffer from erection problems than men with healthy gums.
Lead author Doctor Faith Oguz, of Inonu University in Turkey, said: 'Erectile dysfunction is a major public health problem that affects the quality of life of some 150 million men, and their partners, worldwide.
'Physical factors cause nearly two-thirds of cases, mainly because of problems with the blood vessels, with psychological issues like emotional stress and depression accounting for the remainder.
'Chronic periodontitis, or is a group of infectious diseases caused predominantly by bacteria that most commonly occur with inflammation of the gums.
'Many studies have reported that chronic periodontitis may induce vascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease, which have been linked with erection problems.'
The average age of the men in both groups was just under 36 and there were no significant differences when it came to BMI, household income and education.
Their sexual function was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function and their gum health using the plaque index, bleeding on probing, probing depth and clinical attachment level.
The study was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
The researchers found 53 per cent of the men with erectile dysfunction had inflamed gums, compared with 23 per cent in the control group
Dr Oguz said: 'To our knowledge, erectile dysfunction and chronic periodontitis in humans are caused by similar risk factors, such as ageing, smoking, diabetes and coronary artery disease.
'We therefore excluded men who had systemic disease and who were smokers from this study.
'We particularly selected men aged between 30 and 40 to assess the impact of chronic periodontitis on erectile dysfunction without the results being influenced by the effects of ageing.
'The result of our study support the theory that chronic periodontitis is present more often in patients with erectile dysfunction than those without and should be considered as a factor by clinicians treating men with erection problems.'
Thursday, 29 November 2012
SHOULD SCHOOL CHILDREN BE TESTED FOR MENTAL HEALTH ILLNESSES
I was horrified to read this in today's Daily Mail, by all means people who are suffering from mental illness should receive care. However young people are very vulnerable and the last thing that should be done to them is being labelled. As labels, especially given at school can stick with the child although their education years. If there wasn't a stigma attached to mental illness, I could perhaps understand but there are far too many ignorant people in the world who do not understand mental illness and see it as something trivial, that sufferer can snap out of it or that they are labelled as crazy and should be put into an institution. The correct person to diagnose a child or anyone for that matter should be their medical practitioner and not some computer test, especially if conducted by a teacher etc. Yes I agree its important help should be given early and I'm all for a teacher say suggesting to the child's parents that it might be an idea for the child to see their doctor. Adolescence is fraught enough for children and many go though a very self conscious process through puberty but then to be labelled as being mentally ill is just not on. For the record depression is caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters (chemicals in the brain) and simply not all in the mind and mental illness can affect anyone of us at anytime and sufferers should be treated with compassion, empathy and respect and not vilified and labelled.
All school children in Britain should be tested for mental health illnesses, say experts
- Screening all 11-year-olds could reveal those at greater risk of conditions such as depression, claim researchers
- This could help health authorities treat youngsters early and stop them descending into more hard to treat conditions
- However, other experts warn that labeling people as 'vulnerable' at such a young age could do more harm than good
All school children should be screened for risk of mental illnesses such as depression, say leading mental health experts.
Scientists at Cambridge University said they had devised a computer test that could reliably identify those at high risk as early as 11-years-old.
A study led by Professor Barbara Sahakian suggested the test could be used to alert doctors and psychologists to intervene early.
At risk? Scientists claim finding those at risk from mental illness could stop them from developing harder to treat conditions
Ian Goodyer, a child and adolescent psychiatrist who worked with Prof Sahakian on the study, said screening 11 to 12-year-old children could reveal those who have 'low resilience' - putting them at higher risk of developing mental illnesses such as depression.
However, other experts have warned that labeling someone as 'high risk' at such a young age could itself have negative consequences.
Mental health problems are common in young people. Some 10 per cent of children aged between five and 16 in Britain are assessed as having a mental disorder of some kind.
Adolescence is also a critical period for the development of major depression - an illness that exacts a heavy toll on people and economies worldwide with patients unable to hold down jobs or needing repeated long stretches of time off work.
The World Health Organization says more than 350 million people worldwide have depression and predicts that by 2020, the disorder will rival heart disease as the illness with the highest global disease burden.
Prof Sahakian said testing children at school age could help health authorities get in early and offer therapy to prevent people descending into more serious, hard to treat conditions.
'When you think that the burden of mental illness is more than cancer, more than heart disease - so why on earth don't we try to do something more proactive,' she said, after presenting her results at a briefing in London.
'Why are we not doing anything to pick it up early? To me it's a no-brainer.'
A no-brainer: Professor Barbara Sahakian says she can't understand why school children aren't screened for mental health illnesses
Goodyer's and Sahakian's test involves a computer assessment designed to gauge how teenagers process emotional information. It includes asking whether certain words, such as 'joyful', 'failure' or "range", are positive, negative or neutral.
For their initial study, 15- to 18-year-olds also underwent genetic testing - an exercise that would be too expensive for routine use but which validated a connection between genes and upbringing in determining mental health risks.
The researchers found that adolescents who had a variation of a certain gene linked to the brain chemical serotonin and who had also experienced regular family arguments and parental rows for longer than six months before the age of six, had significant difficulty evaluating the emotion in the words.
This, said Goodyer, suggested those children suffered from an inability to process emotional information - a factor which previous studies have established is linked to a significantly increased risk of depression and anxiety.
'The evidence is that both our genes and our early childhood experiences contribute,' said Goodyer.
'Before there are any clinical symptoms of depression or anxiety, this test reveals a deficient ability to... perceive emotion processes... which may lead to mental illnesses.'
Experts are concerned about the early onset of mental disorders - a factor they say many policy makers and members of the public have not yet grasped.
Hans Ulrich Wittchen, a psychologist at Germany's University of Dresden, said in a major European study of mental illness last year that he too thought governments should consider screening adolescents to try to reduce the number who go on to suffer major and recurring bouts of depression.
But other mental health experts advised caution.
'Early screening in the service of early intervention to try to prevent later mental health problems undoubtedly has allure,' said Felicity Callard of London's Institute of Psychiatry.
'But to grow up with the knowledge that you are 'at high risk' of future mental health problems can affect the very way in which you grow up - and thereby... embed a sense that you are mentally vulnerable, with potentially untoward consequences.'
Thursday, 22 November 2012
CHOCOLATE WILL IT IMPROVE YOUR INTELLIGENCE?
In case you didn't know I adore chocolate so I will look for any excuse to eat more of it. I found this interesting article in the Daily Mail. Although it's stated, this article is a bit tongue in cheek, there are good reasons to eat chocolate, dark chocolate is especially high in iron and it's rich in flavonoids, which we know are antioxidants and fight free radicals and we all know how chocolate makes us feel good.
Does eating chocolate make you clever?
It seems that might well be the case after scientists in New York found the higher a country's chocolate consumption, the more Nobel laureates it spawns.
The new research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, is tongue-in-cheek, admits the lead author Dr. Franz Messerli.
But nonetheless, the results did show a surprisingly powerful scientific correlation between the amount of chocolate consumed in each country and the number of Nobel laureates it produced, he wrote in the journal.
The Swiss, naturally, take the lead, with the Swedes and Danes following closely behind. The UK was above average in the table (see below).
Dr Messerli, a Swiss doctor now working at Columbia University in New York, told Reuters Health: ‘I started plotting this in a hotel room, because I had nothing else to do, and I could not believe my eyes.
'All the countries lined up neatly on a graph, with higher chocolate intake tied to more laureates.'
It’s thought that eating chocolate might improve our ability to think as it is high in antioxidants known as flavonoids, which are also found in cocoa, green tea, red wine and some fruits.
Studies have suggested that flavonoids may improve thinking and reduce the risk of dementia by increasing the blood flow to the brain.
Dr Messerli wrote in the journal: ‘Since chocolate consumption has been documented to improve cognitive function, it seems most likely that in a dose-dependent way, chocolate intake provides the abundant fertile ground needed for the sprouting of Nobel laureates.’
When it comes to chocolate, several other researchers have suggested dark varieties might benefit the brain, the heart and even help cut excess pounds.
But to produce just one more laureate, the nation would have to up its cocoa intake by a whopping 275 million pounds a year, Dr Messerli added.
He estimates that every citizen would have to eat 400 grams of chocolate a year to increase the number of Nobel laureates in a given country by one per million inhabitants, if the correlation holds true.
And in the 'conflict of interest section' of his article, Dr Messerli does admit to daily chocolate consumption. Despite the tongue-in-cheek tone of the research, he added that he does believe chocolate has real health effects, although he warns people to stay away from the sweeter varieties and opt for dark.
Does eating chocolate make you clever? New research suggests it may help you win a Nobel prize, at least...
- US research suggests the higher a country's chocolate consumption, the more Nobel laureates it spawns
- The Swiss take the lead, with the Swedes and Danes following closely behind. The UK was above average
- Researcher admits research is tongue-in-cheek, but maintains findings are scientifically sound
The higher a country's chocolate consumption, the more Nobel laureates it spawns, new research suggests
It seems that might well be the case after scientists in New York found the higher a country's chocolate consumption, the more Nobel laureates it spawns.
The new research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, is tongue-in-cheek, admits the lead author Dr. Franz Messerli.
But nonetheless, the results did show a surprisingly powerful scientific correlation between the amount of chocolate consumed in each country and the number of Nobel laureates it produced, he wrote in the journal.
The Swiss, naturally, take the lead, with the Swedes and Danes following closely behind. The UK was above average in the table (see below).
Dr Messerli, a Swiss doctor now working at Columbia University in New York, told Reuters Health: ‘I started plotting this in a hotel room, because I had nothing else to do, and I could not believe my eyes.
'All the countries lined up neatly on a graph, with higher chocolate intake tied to more laureates.'
It’s thought that eating chocolate might improve our ability to think as it is high in antioxidants known as flavonoids, which are also found in cocoa, green tea, red wine and some fruits.
Studies have suggested that flavonoids may improve thinking and reduce the risk of dementia by increasing the blood flow to the brain.
Dr Messerli wrote in the journal: ‘Since chocolate consumption has been documented to improve cognitive function, it seems most likely that in a dose-dependent way, chocolate intake provides the abundant fertile ground needed for the sprouting of Nobel laureates.’
The Swiss, naturally, take the lead, with the Swedes and Danes following closely behind. The UK was above average in the table
But to produce just one more laureate, the nation would have to up its cocoa intake by a whopping 275 million pounds a year, Dr Messerli added.
He estimates that every citizen would have to eat 400 grams of chocolate a year to increase the number of Nobel laureates in a given country by one per million inhabitants, if the correlation holds true.
And in the 'conflict of interest section' of his article, Dr Messerli does admit to daily chocolate consumption. Despite the tongue-in-cheek tone of the research, he added that he does believe chocolate has real health effects, although he warns people to stay away from the sweeter varieties and opt for dark.
Thursday, 15 November 2012
WHY ARE MEN LESS LIKELY TO SEEK HELP?
Again another article on depression from the Daily Mail, I have posted a comment below the main article from another reader as I do agree with them and it is so true. I wish more could be done to end the stigma of mental illness as it is a condition anyone of us could contract at any time. As I see it, it is no different from any other physical illness for in fact it is just the same and like thyroid disease or diabetes, both of which are due to a chemical imbalance in the body. As a rule men avoid seeking advice and are very reluctant to go to a doctor for a physical ailment as it is and even more so with depression. Guys you are not immune and just as likely as women to secumb to it, it's just women confide in their friends and are not afraid to get help. Please don't play the martyr and suffer nor think it's macho and it will go away, when swift intervention can deal with it before it gets worse, you owe it to your wives, girl friends and children as they suffer too, knowing they are powerless to help you for you must take the first step.
It's easier to spot when a woman's depressed (meaning men are less likely to seek help)
- Both men and women were equally likely to classify a woman as having the condition
- But men were less able to spot it amongst themselves
People identify symptoms of depression more readily in women than men
Researchers found gender stereotypes influence public perceptions of depressed people.
For instance, when presented with a scenario of a man or woman in distress, men were more likely to say a woman was depressed than their male counterparts.
Dr Viren Swami, a reader in psychology at the University of Westminster, presented study participants with one of two fictitious subjects, Kate and Jack.
Both were described as having identical symptoms of major depression, the only difference being their suggested gender.
For example, a sample of the test reads: 'For the past two weeks, Kate/Jack has been feeling really down.
'S/he wakes up in the morning with a flat, heavy feeling that sticks with her/him all day. S/he isn’t enjoying things the way s/he normally would. S/he finds it hard to concentrate on anything.'
The respondents were asked to identify whether the individual described suffered a mental health disorder, and how likely they would be to recommend seeking professional help to the subject in the test.
Both men and women were equally likely to classify Kate as having a mental health disorder, but men were less likely than women to indicate that Jack suffered from depression.
Dr Swami said: 'Men were also more likely to recommend that Kate seek professional help than women were, but both men and women were equally likely to make this suggestion for Jack.
'Respondents, particularly men, rated Kate’s case as significantly more distressing, difficult to treat, and deserving of sympathy than they did Jack’s case.'
He also found that individual attitudes towards depression were associated with scepticism about psychiatry and anti-scientific attitudes.
Dr Swami added: 'The results are significant for initiatives aimed at enhancing mental health literacy, which should consider the impact of gender stereotypes and attitudes towards help-seeking behaviours.'
I've posted this comment from the newspaper as it is so true.
Saturday, 10 November 2012
LAUNCHED TODAY MY LATEST BOOKS
Thursday, 8 November 2012
CAN LEMONADE HELP SMOKERS?
An interesting little article I came across on the Daily Mail and anything is worth a try if it helps. Seriously though you need to think back and why you are addicted, people tended to become addicted because it's filling a void in their lives and generally something triggers this off. I often hear smokers say it makes them feel relaxed, technically smoking doesn't relax you, if anything it's a stimulant, what it does do is satisfy a craving and that you are craving something because initially it filled a void where something was lacking, perhaps it was because you felt you would belong better in your peer group when young and that it would give you more confidence and a sense of belonging. If you can analyse and find out why smoking or any addiction is your crutch in life, that's half the battle to kicking the habit for good.
How gargling lemonade could help smokers to quit the habit
- Sugar on the tongue activate sensors that boost attention and can improve self control
- Could help people quit bad habits, at least in the short-term
For those smokers desperate to give up the habit, scientists have an unusual solution - gargling with a glass of lemonade.
They found that the interaction of sugar (known as glucose) on the tongue boosts attention as well as energy and can improve self control.
This could help keep smokers away from the cigarettes at least in the short-term.
Trying to ditch a bad habit? A glass of lemonade could help by activating sensors on the tongue, which then stimulate the brain
A team from the University of Georgia conducted self-control tasks on 51 students to see if a mouth rinse with glucose boosts attention as well as energy.
The first task, which depletes self-control, was to meticulously cross out Es on a page from a statistics book.
The second was the Stroop task, where participants were asked to identify the colour of various words flashed on a screen, which spell out the names of other colours.
The Stroop task’s goal is to turn off the student’s tendency to read the words and instead see the colours.
Half the students rinsed their mouths with lemonade sweetened with sugar while performing the Stroop test, and the other half with Splenda-sweetened lemonade.
Results showed students who rinsed with sugar, rather than artificial sweetener, were significantly faster at responding to the colour rather than the word.
Professor Leonard Martin, of the University of Georgia, said: 'Researchers used to think you had to drink the glucose and get it into your body to give you the energy to (have) self control.
'After this trial, it seems that glucose stimulates the simple carbohydrate sensors on the tongue.
'This, in turn, signals the motivational centers of the brain where our self-related goals are represented. These signals tell your body to pay attention.'
Sugar could provide at least a short-term boost to your willpower
It took participants about three to five minutes to perform the Stroop test, which shows a measure of self-control, but glucose mouthwash might not be enough to solve some of the biggest self-control obstacles like losing weight or smoking.
Professor Martin said: 'The research is not clear yet on the effects of swishing with glucose on long-term self-control.
'So, if you are trying to quit smoking, a swish of lemonade may not be the total cure, but it certainly could help you in the short run.'
Professor Martin, along with co-author Matthew Sanders, a doctoral candidate, believes the motivation comes in the form of self-values, or emotive investment.
He said: 'It is the self-investment. It doesn’t just crank up your energy, but it cranks up your personal investment in what you are doing.
'Clicking into the things that are important to you makes those self-related goals salient.
'The glucose seems to be good at getting you to stop an automatic response such as reading the words in the Stroop task and to substitute the second harder one in its place such as saying the colour the word is printed in.
'It can enhance emotive investment and self-relevant goals.'
The study, published in journal Psychological Science, says previous research into self-control has shown a decline in performance for the second task as energy levels plummet.
'Previous studies suggest the first task requires so much energy, you just don’t have the energy left for the second task that you need,' Martin said.
'We are saying when people engage in self-control, they ignore important aspects of their goals and feelings.
'If you have to stay late at work, for example, but you really want to be going home, you have to ignore your desire to go home. Doing so will help you stay late at work, but it may also put you out of touch with what you personally want and feel on later tasks.
'Swishing glucose can focus you back on those goals and feelings and this, in turn, can help you perform better on the second task.
'In short, we believe self-control goes away because people send it away, not because they don’t have energy. People turn it off on purpose.'
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