CHRONIC PAIN
• Specially Designed Video Game Might Ease Phantom Limb Pain: Amputees who experience what is
known as phantom limb pain may benefit from playing a virtual reality game that
simulates the movement of missing limbs, a small study suggests. The Lancet
COMPLEMENTARY & ALTERNATIVE
MEDICINE
• Magic Mushroom Chemical Eases Cancer Patients’ Despair: Cancer often leaves patients feeling
that life has no meaning, a state of mind that psychiatrists call
"existential distress." But two new, small studies suggest that an
ingredient found in hallucinogenic "magic" mushrooms can dramatically
reverse this feeling. A single dose of the man-made drug psilocybin quickly
lifted spirits for most cancer patients, and the effect lasted as long as six
months for many. Journal of Psychopharmacology
• Pot Smoking Might Harm Vision: Smoking pot regularly may be linked to
a limited degree of vision impairment, a new French study suggests. The finding
stems from very preliminary research involving just 52 participants, 28 of whom
were regular marijuana users. That meant they used marijuana at least seven
times a week. JAMA Ophthalmology
• Tai Chi for PTSD: The
age-old practice of Tai Chi shows promise in treating post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) in veterans, new research shows. The study was small -- just 17
U.S. veterans -- and involved four introductory sessions of Tai Chi. the program
helped ease the veterans' PTSD symptoms. Those symptoms included intrusive
thoughts, difficulty concentrating and physiological arousal. Most of the
veterans involved in the program said they would recommend Tai Chi to a friend,
BMJ
• Yoga for High Blood Pressure:
Yoga may help reduce blood pressure in people who are at risk for
developing hypertension, a new study finds. European Society of Cardiology
• Yoga Breathing Helps Fight Depression: A breathing-based meditation practice known as
Sudarshan Kriya yoga helped alleviate severe depression in people who did not
fully respond to antidepressant treatments, reports a new study. Journal of
Clinical Psychiatry
FDA ACTION
• Approves
Empagliflozin
to Reduce Cardiovascular Death in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes
• Will no longer
enforce a requirement that people aged 18 and older receive a medical evaluation
or sign a waiver before buying most hearing aids
• Concludes That Use of
Pioglitazone May Increase Risk of Bladder Cancer
• Issues Anesthesia Warning for Pregnant
Women, Kids under 3
PREVENTION
• Dialysis Patients May Walk Their Way to Better Health: Improved mental and physical health
• Standing or 'Easy' Walks May Help Type 2 Diabetics Control Blood Sugar: For people with type 2 diabetes, better blood sugar control may be as easy as getting up off the couch and standing every so often, or taking a leisurely walk, a new study shows. Diabetologia
• It’s Never too Late to Stop Smoking: You're never too old to reap the
health benefits of quitting smoking, a new study finds. "Even participants
who quit smoking as recently as in their 60s were 23 percent less likely to die
during follow-up than those who continued to smoke into their 70s.” American
Journal of Preventive Medicine
• Optimism May Propel Women to a Longer Life: Women who generally believe that good things will happen
may live longer. That's the suggestion of a new study that seems to affirm the
power of positive thinking. "This study shows that optimism is associated
with reduced risk of death from stroke, respiratory disease, infection and
cancer.” American Journal of Epidemiology
• Just 1 Cigarette a Day Can be Deadly: Data on
more than 290,000 older Americans, aged 59 to 82, smokers were asked about
their smoking habits at nine different points in their lives, beginning with
before they turned 15 until after they reached the age of 70. Compared with
people who'd never smoked, those who smoked an average of less than one
cigarette a day over their lifetime still had a 64 percent higher risk of dying
early. And those who smoked one to 10 cigarettes a day had an 87 percent higher
risk, the findings showed. JAMA Internal Medicine
• Avoiding spiritual struggles and existential questions is linked with poorer mental health Fear of confronting
the tensions and conflicts brought on by existential concerns—the “big
questions” of life—is linked with poorer mental health, including higher levels
of depression, anxiety and difficulty regulating emotions, according to a new
study. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science
• Only Orthothics help to guard against Injury: The
millions who run, walk or play sports may think shoe inserts that cushion the
foot can help prevent injuries. But a new review challenges that notion.
"There appears to be little merit in using shock-absorbing insoles for the
prevention of injury, while there is some evidence that foot [orthotics] are
effective for the prevention of some injuries like stress fractures and shin
pain.” British Journal of Sports Medicine
• If you want to stick to an Exercise Plan Try High-Intensity Workouts: High-intensity
interval training (HIT) is more enjoyable than moderate exercise, a team of kinesiologists
has found. It’s the first study to examine changes in enjoyment for HIT
workouts versus moderate continuous training, over the first six weeks of an
exercise program. Plos One
NUTRITION/SUPPLEMENTS/VITAMINS
• White Wine Boost Your Melanoma Risk: A new study raises the possibility that
people who enjoy a glass of white wine every day may face a slightly elevated
risk of melanoma. Total alcohol intake was associated with a 14 percent higher
risk of melanoma per drink per day, researchers found. Each drink per day of
white wine was associated with a 13 percent higher risk of melanoma, the
researchers said. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
• Even Moderate Regular Alcohol Consumption Could Cause A-Fib: Regularly
drinking even small amounts of alcohol may increase the risk of atrial
fibrillation. The researchers found that the risk of atrial fibrillation grew
by 8 percent for each daily alcoholic drink. The findings were similar for men
and women. Journal of the American
College of Cardiology
TREATMENT
• Testosterone Therapy May Be Linked to Serious Blood Clots: Researchers found that men taking the
male hormone seem to have a 63 percent increased risk of a blood clot forming
in a vein, a condition known as venous thromboembolism (VTE). These clots can
cause a heart attack, stroke, organ damage or even death, according to the
American Heart Association. British Medical Journal
• Wider Low-Dose Aspirin Use Would Save U.S. $692Billion: Taking low-dose aspirin daily can reduce older
Americans' risk of heart disease and cancer, and lead to significant savings in
health care spending, a new study contends. University of Southern California
researchers used national data to assess the long-term benefits of daily
aspirin usage. They calculated that taking low-dose aspirin every day would
prevent 11 cases of heart disease and four cases of cancer for every 1,000
Americans ages 51 to 79. PLOS ONE
• US Doctors Still Over Prescribing
Antibiotics: Despite evidence that certain drugs aren't always
necessary, doctors are still prescribing these treatments, a new survey of
doctors reveals. Antibiotics are by far the drugs most frequently used in
situations where they'll provide no value for patients. The survey found that
more than a quarter of doctors surveyed (27 percent) said that antibiotics are
often administered to patients when the drugs will do no good.
• Acetaminophen,
supplements and other medications may trigger drug-induced liver injury: More than 1,000
medications, with acetaminophen being the most common, have been associated
with drug-induced liver injury (DILI). A new article discusses the clinical
impact of DILI and reviews the medications that most frequently cause it. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
• Could Statins Cut Risk of Alzhemier’s?: A new,
large study suggests that if they do have that power, it may depend on the
specific statin, and the gender and race or ethnicity of the person taking it.
For example, black men appeared to gain no benefit from taking any statin,
while white women may lower their risk regardless of which statin they take,
the researchers said.
The findings don't prove that
statins reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's. And if they do shrink the
risk, the effect seems to be small. JAMA Neurology
• Beta Blockers May Not be Best Heart Drug for Dementia Patients: Beta
blocker drugs are often the go-to medication for people who've survived a heart
attack. But a new study suggests that they may not be the medicine of choice
for nursing home residents with dementia. Taking the drugs reduced the risk of
death during the study period by about a quarter, the researchers said. But the
drugs were also associated with 34 percent higher risk that a patient with
moderate or severe dementia would be unable to independently perform the
functions of daily life. JAMA Internal Medicine
OTHER
• Obamacare’s Demise Could Be Quicker Than Republicans Intend: Republicans in
Congress say they'll vote to repeal much of the Affordable Care Act early next
year — even though they don't yet have a plan to replace it. But they also
insist that they don't want to harm any of the millions of
people who got their health insurance under the law. The lawmakers' strategy?
Vote to repeal, and fulfill their top campaign pledge. But delay the changes,
and keep running Obamacare for as long as two years while they figure out how
to fill the hole they'll create in the insurance market. NPR
• 52 Million Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions Become uninsurable if Obamacare is Repealed: In an interview last month with 60
Minutes on CBS, Trump said he intends to retain the Affordable Care
Act’s protection for people under 65 years of age with chronic medical
conditions such as heart disease, cancer, dementia or diabetes, calling it one
of the highly controversial law’s “strongest assets.” But with mounting
uncertainty about how Trump and the GOP intend to repeal much of the Obamacare
law next month without a replacement plan in hand, the plight of millions of
Americans with pre-existing medical conditions is a very big question mark.
Business Insider
•
American Death Rate from Drugs, Alcohol, and Mental Disorders Nearly Triples
Since 1980: More than 2,000 US counties witnessed increases of
200% or more in deaths related to substance abuse and mental disorders since
1980. Cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death overall in the
United States in 2014, but cancers were responsible for more years of life lost
to early death than any other cause. Still, the rate at which Americans die
from cancer and other diseases or injuries differs significantly among
communities, highlighting stark health disparities across the nation. JAMA
•
Prices Skyrocket on Drugs Widely Used by Seniors: The
prices of brand-name drugs used by many older Americans rose nearly 130 times
faster than inflation last year, a new study reports. The researchers examined
the prices of 268 brand-name prescription drugs widely used by seniors,
including 49 in drug categories that are used to treat common and often chronic
conditions, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. The
retail prices of the drugs rose an average of 15.5 percent in 2015, compared
with a 0.1 percent increase in the general inflation rate, according to the
AARP report. The study findings also showed the average annual cost for chronic
use of one brand-name drug rose to more than $5,800, compared with nearly
$1,800 in 2006. AARP
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