All Health & wellness Articles

Bipolar disorder, commonly known as manic-depressive disorder, is highly influenced by the circadian system - the body's internal clock - and a specific kind of psychotherapy may help decrease irregularities in the circadian system that can trigger key symptoms of bipolar disorder, according to a study presented today at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) annual meeting. The Read more...

Children and teens of parents with bipolar disorder appear to have an increased risk of early-onset bipolar disorder, mood disorders and anxiety disorders, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. As many as 60 percent of patients with bipolar disorder experience symptoms before age 21, according to background Read more...

People who eat a Mediterranean diet are 30 percent less likely to develop depression, media reports have claimed. Previous research has shown that a diet rich in oily fish, olive oil and fresh fruit and vegetables can help to protect against heart disease. This latest study involved 10,094 healthy people living in Spain who completed a dietary questionnaire between 1999 and 2005. Read more...

Workplace exposure to the chemical Bisphenol-A, used in food packaging and plastics, may jack up the risk of male sexual dysfunction, U.S. researchers found. The five-year study examined 634 workers in factories in China, comparing workers in BPA manufacturing facilities with a control group of workers in factories where no BPA was present. The study found workers in the BPA facilities Read more...

This must be how it all started. Heath Croll's 7-year-old nephew thought spinach was disgusting. But Croll, a Boulder-based youth fitness specialist, knew how to change that. "If you want to get big and strong like you're uncle, you've got to eat spinach," Cross told him. The boy started eating it immediately, straight out of the bag. Croll, who has more than 13 years Read more...

Greek researchers say mom was right when she said "wolfing down your food will make you fat." The study, published in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, finds those taking a full 30 minutes to eat ice cream tend to have higher concentrations of two satiety inducing gut hormones -- peptide YY and glucagon-like peptide -- and had more of a Read more...

Ten squares of dark chocolate a day for two weeks can ease stress, researchers have found. The treat reduced levels of stress hormones and helped to rebalance other chemicals in the body during times of high anxiety. The study adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests chocolate, and dark chocolate in particular, is the latest superfood, thanks to high levels of anti-oxidants and Read more...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- While exercise is constantly touted as the best way to have a fit and healthy body, it may also be the single most important tool to combat everything from obesity to depression to ADD and Alzheimer's, according to research by one Harvard professor. Moderate exercise, even just five or 10 minutes at a time, can help supercharge the brain's mental circuits and help beat Read more...

Lifestyle interventions are better than drugs at delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes in at-risk patients, a major new analysis concludes. Promoting weight loss can delay the onset of type 2 diabetes by four years and has effects that last up to a decade, researchers found. The study, published in The Lancet last week, was a follow-up of the Diabetes Prevention Program, a trial Read more...

A U.S. health and wellness expert says an easy way to boost immunity is to eat more fruits and vegetables in different colors. Amy Hendel says says a study published in the Phytonutrient Report found eight in 10 Americans are missing out on the health benefits of a diet rich in colorful fruits and veggies -- resulting in a phytonutrient gap. The report looked at fruit and vegetable Read more...

Music can help ease recovery from a cardiac procedure, heart attack or stroke, relieve stress and maybe lower blood pressure a bit, a U.S. newsletter says. The November issue of the Harvard Heart Letter says researchers have found that listening to music can lower blood pressure, slow the heart rate and lessen anxiety in people hospitalized for heart ailments. "Music can ease pain Read more...

At most Thanksgiving dinners, a selection of pies is almost as traditional as the turkey. But that slice of pie doesn't have to tip the scales of dietary regret. It just takes a little moderation and common sense. Most obviously, take a small slice; most pies should serve at least eight people. If there is a choice of fruit pie or a creamy pie such as pumpkin (a painful decision for Read more...

People looking for natural cures will be happy to know there is one. Two words explain how it works: "I believe." It's the placebo effect -- the ability of a dummy pill or a faked treatment to make people feel better, just because they expect that it will. It's the mind's ability to alter physical symptoms, such as pain, anxiety and fatigue. In just the past few weeks, the Read more...

Almost 50 percent of women with breast cancer reported pain two to three years after treatment, researchers in Denmark said. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found younger women who had received supplemental radiation therapy were the more likely to have pain. Dr. Rune Gartner of the University of Copenhagen and colleagues questioned 3,754 women Read more...

Steven Squires is part of a growing group in America: He is a diabetic. November is American Diabetes Month, a reminder that diabetes is on the rise in this country. According to the American Diabetes Association, 8 percent of the U.S. population -- 23.6 million people -- have diabetes; 90 percent have type 2 diabetes, and 10 percent have type 1. Diabetes increased 13.5 percent in the U.S. Read more...

Ann Monroe emerged from the glittering Olympic-size pool with water still dripping off her green bathing suit after about an hour of twisting, kicking and completing crunches. Monroe describes herself as an ordinary 92-year-old. She drives, enjoys avocados for dinner, and works out every week at Florida's Homestead Family YMCA's SilverSplash program, a "gray" friendly activity. Read more...

Aspirin? Acetaminophen? Ibuprofen? Naproxen? Many people merely stick with what their parents used when they were children. But that may not be the best idea. Andy Ledford, pharmacist at St. Simons Drugs on St. Simons Island, says that individuals should find the medication that works best for them. "These medicines provide the public with relief of mild to moderate pain from Read more...