2012

Early Morning Stress Reduction Inspiration - 9/15/2012
Smokers in US Cutting Down on Cigarettes
Exercise Wards Off Anxiety During Stressful Events
Hearing Loss in Women Tied to Pain Relievers
In-the-Womb Learning Affected by Mother's Drinking
Expectant Moms: How to Keep Weight Gains Healthy

Posted: 15 Sep 2012 09:00 AM PDT

"When one is deluded, it is as if one were dreaming. And when one is enlightened, it is as if one had awakened."

~The Buddha

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Smokers in US Cutting Down on Cigarettes

Posted: 14 Sep 2012 07:00 PM PDT

CREDIT: Cigarette photo via Shutterstock

Smokers in the United States are generally smoking less than they used to, according to a new Gallup poll.

Results show that a record low percentage (1 percent) said they smoke more than one pack of cigarettes daily, and a record high percentage (68 percent) said they smoke less than one pack a day, according to the poll, based on data collected since 1944.

The percentage of smokers who reported smoking more than a pack a day has declined in recent decades — it peaked at 30 percent in 1978 before falling below 20 percent in the late 1980s, and below 10 percent in the late 1990s, according to Gallup.

The number of pack-a-day smokers is now at 31 percent — a percentage that has remained relatively constant, Gallup found.

The results come from Gallup's annual consumption poll, conducted in July. It is possible that the decline is partly due to people giving more "socially desirable" answers when asked about their smoking, and therefore actually smoking more than they reported when interviewed, the researchers said.

The vast majority said they regret ever starting to smoke. If they could do it over again, they would not have started, 88 percent of smokers said.

However, a smaller percentage (78 percent) said they would like to quit. This percentage has remained relatively steady since the late 1990s, according to Gallup.

Poll results released in August showed that the percentage of people in the U.S. who smoke — about 20 percent — is tied for its all-time low.

The new poll results are based on telephone interviews conducted July 9-12, 2012, with a random sample of 1,014 adults living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The sample is weighted by respondents' genders, ages, races and other factors so that the results are nationally representative.

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Exercise Wards Off Anxiety During Stressful Events

Posted: 14 Sep 2012 07:00 PM PDT

CREDIT: Dreamstime

Exercise not only improves mood, it may help people maintain reduced anxiety in the face of stressful or emotional events, a new study says.

While many studies have shown a link between exercise and better mood, it was not known "whether these positive effects endure when we're faced with everyday stressors once we leave the gym," said study researcher J. Carson Smith, assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

In the study, participants engaged in either a 30-minute period of rest, or 30 minutes of cycling on two days. A survey designed to measure anxiety levels was given before and after the activity.

Participants then viewed a series of pleasant pictures of babies, families and puppies, unpleasant images, such as depictions of violence, and neutral images including plates, cups and furniture. Afterward, their anxiety levels were measured a final time.

Participants' surveys, completed shortly after their 30 minutes of exercise or quiet rest, showed that these conditions were equally effective at reducing anxiety levels.

However, after viewing the images, the anxiety levels of those who had rested rose back to their initial levels, while those who had exercised maintained their reduced anxiety levels, the researchers said.

"We found that exercise helps to buffer the effects of emotional exposure. If you exercise, you'll not only reduce your anxiety, but you'll be better able to maintain that reduced anxiety when confronted with emotional events," Smith said.

The study will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

Pass it on: Exercise may help keep anxiety levels low, even in the face of stress.

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Hearing Loss in Women Tied to Pain Relievers

Posted: 14 Sep 2012 06:00 PM PDT

CREDIT: Friends eating lunch via Shutterstock

Women who take ibuprofen or acetaminophen two or more days per week have an increased risk of hearing loss, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that themore often women took either of these pain relievers, the higher their risk for hearing loss. The link was stronger among women younger than 50 years old, and especially strong among those who took ibuprofen six or more days a week.

There was no link between taking aspirin and hearing loss, according to the study.

"Even though these pain relievers are widely available, they're still medications with side effects," said study researcher Dr. Sharon G. Curhan, an instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "If you think you have a need to take these medications daily, you should discuss this with your doctor first."

However, some experts disagreed with the strength of the findings.

"Hearing tests were not performed in this study," said Dr. Ronna Hertzano, an otolaryngologist from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study. Instead, the researchers relied on study participants' answers to one question on a questionnaire, which is a less accurate measure of hearing loss and limited the validity of the study, she said.

"Hearing loss over the age of 50 is common," Hertzano said. "Some people may be bothered by it, while some aren't even aware they have it."

Hearing loss increases with age

More than 50 percent of adults suffer from high-frequency hearing loss by age 60, according to a national survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The condition can affect people's ability to hear normal speech.

People's risk of high-frequency hearing loss increases with age, Hertzano said. "As we age, we lose the ability to hear high-pitch sounds, or it would have to be particularly loud for us to hear it."

Although men are more likely to experience hearing loss than women, one-third of women in their 50s and almost two-thirds of women in their 60s suffer from hearing loss, according to a 2008 study.

In the new study, Curhan and colleagues analyzed data gathered on more than 62,000 women who took part in theNurses' Health Study II, from 1995 to 2009. Over the study period, about 10,000 women reported they had hearing loss.

Women who said they took ibuprofen two or three days a week were 13 percent more likely to have hearing loss compared with women who took ibuprofen less than once a week.

Women who took acetaminophen two or three days a week were 11 percent more likely to report hearing loss compared with those who took the drug less than once a week.

Women who took ibuprofen or acetaminophen more than five or six days a week had 21 to 24 percent increased risk.

However, the study didn't look at the reasons these women were taking pain relievers this frequently, Hertzano said. "If someone takes acetaminophen or ibuprofen on a daily basis, there has to be some underlying problem," she said.

How pain relievers might affect hearing

Curhan said the study doesn't prove that pain relievers cause hearing loss, however, pain relievers could be one of the many factors that contribute to hearing loss.

Pain relievers could decrease blood flow to the cochlea, which is a part of the inner ear involved in hearing, Curhan said.

Experts believe genetics and constant exposure to loud noises also contribute to hearing loss. Treatments for the condition include hearing aids, and ear implants for people with severe hearing loss.

Hertzano said people should not stop taking pain relievers based on the results.

"More research is needed to determine a reliable link between [pain reliever] use and hearing loss," she said.

The study was published in the September issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Pass it on: Some pain relievers can contribute to increased risk of hearing loss in women.

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In-the-Womb Learning Affected by Mother's Drinking

Posted: 14 Sep 2012 05:00 PM PDT

CREDIT: Ctacik | Dreamstime

Drinking during pregnancy may harm an infant's ability to learn even before he is born, according to a new study that is the first to examine alcohol's effect on fetuses in the womb.

In the study, researchers measured how long it took fetuses to get used to a repeated sound — a process called habituation, which represents a basic form of learning, the researchers said.

Fetuses of women who engaged in binge or heaving drinking during pregnancy took longer to get used to the sound than fetuses of mothers who did not drink.

The results suggest that such drinking during pregnancy acutely affects the way fetuses' brains work. Previous studies have found that newborns of mothers who drink in pregnancy also take longer to habituate to repeated sounds.

Babies exposed to alcohol in the womb show widely varying effects — some do just fine, while others have learning problems and developmental delays. The findings suggest it may be possible to identify early on which babies have been harmed by alcohol during pregnancy, the researchers said.

"By identifying the presence of alcohol-induced problems before birth, it will be possible to implement better management strategies much earlier, and hopefully improve outcomes," said study researcher Peter Hepper, a professor of psychology at Queen's University of Belfast in Northern Ireland.

Drinking in pregnancy

Habituation depends on a person's ability to recognize a stimulus, and establish that it is not threatening and can be ignored, Hepper said. For example, you may become habituated to the sound of a ticking clock in a room.

The new study involved about 80 women who were surveyed during weeks 12 to 14 and 18 to 20 of their pregnancies. Participants reported how much they drank in the last week, and whether their drinking was spread out over the week, or confined to a few days (a binge).

Because many women decrease their alcohol consumption in pregnancy, there were fewer women in the heavy- and binge-drinking groups, compared with the no-drinking group.

At week 35 of pregnancy, the researchers used a speaker to play a sound close to the mothers' abdomens, and observed the fetuses' reactions — a startle or movement — with ultrasound. The sound was repeated every five seconds until the fetus no longer responded.

Fetuses of mothers who did not drink, or drank moderately over the week, stopped responding after they heard the sound about 17 times.

In contrast, fetuses of mothers who binged (consuming about 20 drinks in two to three days) didn't stop responding until they heard the sound more than 20 times. Fetuses of mothers who drank heavily, but spread their drinking out over a week, also took longer to stop responding to the sound.

Future effects on the brain

The exact brain areas involved in habituation are not known, but it's believed these regions are also important in paying attention and detecting new stimuli. An impaired habituation response may represent damage to these brain areas, and could have long-term consequences for development, the researchers said.

However, the researchers do not yet know whether the behavior changes seen in the womb will predict impairments later in life. Studies need to be conducted that follow-up with children after birth to investigate this, the researchers said.

The study will be published in the December issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

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Expectant Moms: How to Keep Weight Gains Healthy

Posted: 14 Sep 2012 04:00 PM PDT

CREDIT: Pregnancy photo via Shutterstock

Avoiding foods that can send blood sugar levels spiking may help women reduce their risks of gaining too much weight during pregnancy, a new study from Ireland suggests.

In the study, 48 percent of women who maintained their usual diet during pregnancy gained more weight than recommended, whereas only 38 percent of women who switched to a diet of low-glycemic index (GI) foods gained too much weight. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women of normal weight gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy.

Foods that have a low glycemic index release sugar slowly into the bloodstream. Whole grains, brown bread and brown rice have lower glycemic indexes than white rice, white bread and cornflakes.

"Excessive weight gain in pregnancy is associated with an increased need for delivery by Caesarean section, a higher likelihood of post-pregnancy weight retention and a higher predisposition to obesity in later life," the researchers said.

The study included more than 800 women treated at National Maternity Hospital in Dublin. About 400 were advised to switch to a low GI diet — these women were not encouraged to reduce their calorie intake, only to avoid refined carbohydrates.

The women who switched diets were 20 percent less likely to have excessive weight gain compared with women who did not switch.

The average weight gain among women who remained on their usual diet was 30 pounds (13.7 kilograms); among women who changed to a low GI diet, it was 27 pounds (12.2 kg).

The study was published in the September issue of the British Medical Journal.

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