Journal Watch September 2016

CHRONIC PAIN

• Medical Marijuana’s Pain Relief May Work Better for Men: Smoking a joint provides greater pain relief to men than to women, a new study indicates. Research found that men were significantly less sensitive to pain and better able to tolerate while women were somewhat more able to tolerate the pain but it brought no significant pain relief. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 

• Connection Between Chronic Pain, Anxiety Disorders: Increased expression of a peptide neurotransmitter the body releases in response to stress -- pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) -- is also increased in response to neuropathic pain and contributes to these symptoms. Biological Psychiatry 

• Review Suggests Safe, Effective Ways to Relieve Pain Without Meds: Popular drug-free methods of managing pain from such common conditions as headaches and arthritis appear to be effective, according to a new review. Researchers reviewed 105 U.S.-based clinical trials from the past 50 years. Several alternative approaches showed promise for providing safe and effective pain relief. They included acupuncture and yoga for back pain; acupuncture and tai chi for osteoarthritis of the knee; and relaxation techniques for severe headaches and migraine. Results of massage therapy for short-term relief of neck pain were also promising. Evidence was weaker in some cases. The study found massage therapy, spinal manipulation and osteopathic manipulation might help relieve back pain while relaxation therapy and tai chi might help people with fibromyalgia. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 

• Link between Weather, Chronic Pain: Preliminary findings from a mass participation study have indicated a link between weather conditions -- specifically rain and lack of sunshine -- and chronic pain. British Science Festival

• Corydalis yanhusuo extract for use as an adjunct medicine for low to moderate chronic pain: Root extracts from the flowering herbal plant Corydalis yanhusuo, or YHS, has widely used for centuries as a pain treatment. Yet few studies have investigated how it works on different forms of pain, and little is known about its molecular mechanisms. In a new study, Olivier Civelli, professor and chair of pharmacology at the University of California, Irvine, and colleagues show how YHS effectively treats different forms of pain. Most notably it can reduce chronic neuropathic pain which is poorly treated with common medicines. They also show that YHS seems to not lose its potency over time, as happens with many analgesics. Plos One  

COMPLEMENTARY & ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

• Alternative Medicine May Increase Workplace Absenteeism: A new study says the use of certain types of complementary and alternative medicine by employees with chronic medical conditions can lead to more days missed from work due to illness or injury. The study is based on the researchers’ analysis of the use of CAM services and employment information reported to the National Center for Health Statistics in 2012 by about 10,000 people suffering from one or more of 13 chronic medical conditions. The analysis found that workers with chronic conditions who used CAM services had higher absenteeism rates than those who didn’t use them—13 percent higher for those who took dietary supplements and 55 percent higher for those who engaged in mind-body practices. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 

• Acupuncture Eases Severe Constipation: After eight weeks of treatment with electroacupuncture -- acupuncture involving electrical stimulation -- study participants experienced significant symptom and quality-of-life improvements, according to a study of 1,075 patient, which included a control group. Annals of internal Medicine 

• Laughter based exercise program has health benefits:  Incorporating laughter into a physical activity program that is focused on strength, balance and flexibility could improve older adults’ mental health, aerobic endurance and confidence in their ability to exercise, according to a study. The Gerontologist 

FDA ACTION

• Warns about serious risks, death when combining opioids with Benzodiazepines

• Issued report that antibacterial soaps have not been proven to be beneficial and raised the question of potential negative effects on health. 

• Facilitates Research on Early Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease

• Warns Ovarian Cancer Tests Not Reliable and should not be used

PREVENTION

• Can Exercise Offset Alcohol’s Damaging Effects: Normally, drinking raises the risk of death from cancer and all causes, the researchers said. But just 2.5 hours of physical activity a week could reduce those odds, the large study of British residents found. Current U.S. guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. This includes brisk walking, bicycling, ballroom dancing and gardening. Exercising up to 300 minutes weekly results in even greater health benefits, the guidelines say. British Journal of Sports Medicine

• Midlife Physical Activity is Associated with Better Cognition in Old Age: A new study of 3050 twins finds moderately vigorous physical activity -- i.e., more strenuous than walking -- to be associated with better cognition in a 25-year follow-up. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 

• Flu Shot More Effective than Nasal Spray: The nasal spray flu vaccine is ineffective and should not be used in the upcoming flu season, says a leading group of U.S. pediatricians. All children aged 6 months and older should receive a seasonal flu shot during the 2016-17-flu season, according to an updated policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

 • Apps and Smart Phones for Better Health: The results of a meta analysis show that both Internet-based and mobile-based intervention were effective in improving lifestyle behaviors including diet and physical activity over short term. People using Internet-based interventions ate better, became more active, lost weight, and cut down on their use of tobacco and alcohol. Smartphone interventions (including apps, texts and voicemail messages) helped people increase their exercise and lose weight. Journal of the American Heart Association

• Why Some Women Find it Hard to Get Good Sleep: Women's internal, or circadian, body clocks run at a faster pace than men's, according to the research. "They go to bed at a later biological time because their clock is shifted earlier eastward.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 

• Facebook Can Increase Sense of Well Being: Researchers found that when people who care about you send personal messages to you through the social media site, the benefits can be significant. Actions such as simply hitting "like" and passively reading wide-ranging posts are unlikely to have an impact, however. Friends need to spend some time and write something personal. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication

• What’s Best for the Middle Aged Heart?: New research says dieting, exercising or a combination of the two can all get the job done about equally well as long as you lose some weight. But the study authors added that exercising in tandem with dieting is probably the best way to go. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 

• Early Onset Menopause Linked to Higher Heart Disease: Dutch researchers reviewed 32 studies involving more than 300,000 women. The investigators compared women who were younger than 45 at the start of menopause with those who were aged 45 and older when it began. Overall, heart disease risk appeared to be 50 percent greater for the women who were under 45 when menopause began. Early menopause also appeared to boost the risk of cardiovascular death and death from all causes. But, it showed no association with stroke risk, the study authors said. JAMA Cardiology 

• Facebook Bullying Can Cause Depression: Negative experiences on Facebook can increase the odds of depression in young people, a new study found. Journal of Adolescent Health 

• Five Second Rule is a Myth: Most people have invoked the "five-second rule" after dropping something tasty on the ground at least once or twice in their lives. Is that food really safe to eat? Probably not, a new study says. After putting the five-second rule to the test, researchers at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., found contamination with bacteria can occur in less than one second. Applied and Environmental Microbiology

NUTRITION/SUPPLEMENTS/VITAMINS

• Changing Cooking Techniques to Reduce Diabetes: Changing the way you cook could help reduce your risk of getting type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests. Boiling, steaming and poaching look like the safest way to go, researchers say. When you fry, grill or bake foods -- also called dry-heat cooking -- foods produce substances called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Diabetologia 

• Vitamin D to Reduce Asthma Attacks: New research has found evidence from randomized trials, that taking an oral vitamin D supplement in addition to standard asthma medication is likely to reduce severe asthma attacks. Cochrane Library 

• Alcohol May Damage the Heart: Long-term drinking even moderate amounts of alcohol may increase some people's risk of stroke by causing the heart's left atrium to get bigger, the researchers said. The left atrium is the upper left chamber of the heart. This enlargement of the left atrium can contribute to a heart condition called atrial fibrillation, in which the heart beats irregularly. Journal of the American Heart Association 

• High Calcium, Low Lactose Diet May Reduce Risk of Ovarian Cancer in African AmericanWomen: A diet high in calcium and low in lactose may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer in African-American women, research indicates. The work also found sun exposure in the summer months may reduce the risk of developing the disease in this population. British Journal of Cancer 

 TREATMENT

• For Uncontrolled Tremors Ultra Sound Instead of Brain Surgery: Patients with uncontrolled shaking caused by a condition called essential tremor may get relief with a new noninvasive ultrasound procedure, a study finds. Focused ultrasound, a noninvasive technique, is "a new treatment option that is available for patients with essential tremor.” Based on this trial, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in July approved the technique to treat essential tremor. Israel-based InSightec, the device maker, funded the research. NEJM 

• Combining Formoterol With Budesonide for Asthma is Safe: A post-marketing safety study mandated by the FDA has shown that a combination drug therapy for the treatment of asthma is safe and effective. The therapy tested consisted of a long-acting beta agonist, formoterol, added to an inhaled glucocorticoid, budesonide. NEJM 

• Effect of Combined HRT on BreastCancer Risk Likely to Have Been Underestimated: The effect of combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in increasing a woman’s risk of breast cancer is likely to have been underestimated by a number of previous studies, according to a prospective study published in the British Journal of Cancer. For 40 years, 100,000 women were followed in the Breast Cancer Now Generations Study. Women using combined HRT (for a median duration of 5.4 years) were 2.7 times more likely to develop breast cancer during the period of HRT use than women who had never used HRT. This risk increased with duration of use, with women who had used combined HRT for over 15 years being 3.3 times more likely to develop breast cancer than non-users. However, in women using estrogen-only HRT there was no overall increase seen in breast cancer risk compared with women who had never used HRT. 

• Weight Loss Surgery Sheds Pounds Long Term: 10 Year follow up study finds many who had gastric bypass kept weight off. JAMA Surgery 

• New Immunotherapy Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer: A new immunotherapy treatment IMM-101 has shown dramatic results in treating advanced pancreatic cancer, a deadly cancer that has seen little progress in treatment over the last 20 years. British Journal of Cancer 

• Early Palliative Care Improves Patients’ Quality of Life: Starting palliative care (comfort care) shortly after a person is diagnosed with incurable cancer helps patients cope and improves their quality of life. It also leads to more discussions about patients' end-of-life care preferences. American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting 

• New Super lice Resist Most Over the Counter Remedies: A new report warns that over-the-counter products have lost much of their effectiveness against the so-called super lice. The good news is that prescription products can still get rid of those creepy critters. Pediatric Dermatology

• Experimental Shingles Vaccine Looks Quite Effective: An experimental vaccine against shingles may offer lasting protection for most older adults who receive it, a new clinical trial found. There already is a vaccine against shingles, but its effectiveness is limited. The new study found that the experimental vaccine protected about 90 percent of adults age 70 and up. And the effects were still apparent four years later. NEJM 

• Prostate Cancer Treatments: A large, decade-long study offers new insights into the treatment dilemmas that many men diagnosed with prostate cancer face. The research finds that for certain men, death rates from prostate cancer were roughly the same over several years regardless of whether they chose to be monitored -- called "watchful waiting" -- or underwent radiation or had their prostate removed. But the findings don't prove that "watchful waiting" is always the best choice. Men who were otherwise largely healthy and chose to be monitored were twice as likely as the others to see their cancer spread over the 10-year study period. NEJM 

• Corticosteroid Use Linked to Worse Outcomes for Patients with Lyme Disease-AssociatedFacial Paralysis: Patients who were prescribed corticosteroids as part of treatment for Lyme disease-associated facial paralysis had worse long-term outcomes of regaining facial function than those who were prescribed antibiotic therapy alone, new research shows. Based on these findings, the researchers urge caution in prescribing corticosteroids to patients with acute Lyme disease-associated facial paralysis. 

• Researchers Criticize: Psychotropic Drugsare No solution: The currently available drugs cannot permanently alleviate the symptoms of mental disorders. This is the conclusion drawn by psychologists Prof Dr Jürgen Margraf and Prof Dr Silvia Schneider from Ruhr-Universität Bochum in a commentary published in the journal EMBO 

CAREGIVING

• New Report for Families Caring for an aging America: The demand for family caregivers for adults who are 65 or older is increasing significantly, and family caregivers need more recognition, information, and support to fulfill their responsibilities and maintain their own health, financial security, and well-being, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Although caregivers' individual circumstances vary, family caregiving can negatively affect caregivers' mental and physical health as well cause economic harm, including loss of income and career opportunities. The report calls for health care delivery system reform that elevates family-centered care alongside person-centered care to better account for the roles of family caregivers and support their involvement in the care delivery process. 

OTHER

• Kids Mild Brain Injury Can Have Long-term Effects: Researchers compared 100,000 Swedes who suffered at least one traumatic brain injury (TBI) before age 25 with their unaffected siblings. The investigators found that those who had had head injuries were consistently more likely to die early and have problems functioning as adults. PLOS Medicine 

• Senior Years May Truly Be Golden for Happiness: A study, which included adults aged 21 to 99, found that on average, mental well-being steadily improved as people grew older. And that was despite the fact that older adults had more physical health issues and problems with memory and thinking, versus younger people. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 

• 45 Potential Toxins Found in Household Dust: Household dust contains a wide range of toxic chemicals, potentially exposing people to harmful compounds in their own homes, a new evidence review contends. Researchers identified 45 potentially toxic chemicals in dust samples from homes in 14 states. These chemicals come from a broad array of consumer products, including furniture, carpeting, drapes, electronics and toys. Environmental Science & Technology

• Can Some Types of Fat Protect Us From Brain Disease: Having a little bit of extra fat may help reduce the risk of developing diseases caused by toxic protein aggregation, such as Huntington's, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Scientists have discovered a new communication process between organelles inside the cell, including mitochondria, and shown how fat metabolism plays a central role in linking mitochondrial health to cytosolic protein homeostasis. Another study uncovers a new signaling pathway that may explain the peripheral wasting seen in Huntington's. Cell 

Take a Break: Enjoy the Show "Hamilton"

Founding Father Alexander Hamilton was born in the British West Indies.  Illegitimate, he came to America at the age of 15. The “ultimate immigrant,” Hamilton fought with General Washington during the Revolution and saved the United States from financial ruin. Tragically, he died as a result of a duel with Aaron Burr. Oh yeah, and he graces the $10 bill.

 Lin-Manuel Miranda read “Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow and was surprised no one had made a musical of his life.  Six years later, there is now a spectacular show on Broadway called “Hamilton.” Receiving rave reviews and Tony Awards galore, most of us wont get a chance to see it as tickets sales are booked until 2018.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, has stepped down from performing the lead but thanks to the Internet, you can see snippets of his performance as well as listen to the entire score with the original cast. What’s incredible about the show,  it’s the telling of America’s history by who America is today.

Enjoy!

• “Hamilton” Tony Awards 2016 AmazingPerformance 

 • Hamilton at the Grammys-Cast performs the opening number which gives a biography of Hamilton’s life. 

 • Hip Hop and History Blend for Broadway hit Hamilton: Interview with Lin-Manuel Mrianda 

 • Original Cast Recording of  Hamilton 

 • Lin-Manuel Miranda on Jay Z, The West Wing, and 18 More Things That Influenced Hamilton 

This is only the tip of the iceberg of what is available on-line.

Not interested in today’s activity, go to the Take a Break Pinterest Board. and pick out something else.

Defusing One's Anger

While many of my posts include a “consider this” component, this one doesn’t as it’s a piece of my own journey in struggling with anger. I write it in the hopes that some may find it useful and to hear how others have coped with similar situations.

For almost a year, my husband and I have been dealing with a tenant who has not only done considerable damage to our property but has been the source of significant loss of income at a time when we could ill afford it. Because of  proximity of the rental to our home, I’m reminded of it each and every day. More than the money, the toll it’s taking on us emotionally is far worse. The anger at something we have no control over (Vermont laws are written with tenants’ rights first and foremost) was literally making me sick

While friends, neighbors and others commiserated with us, none of their “let it go,” “try not to stress over something you can’t control” just wasn’t helping. In the midst of this swirling vortex of negative emotions, I happened to read something a friend posted about the difference between successful and unsuccessful people.

Successful people                                         Unsuccessful

Have a sense of gratitude                                Have a sense of entitlement

Forgive others                                                 Hold a grudge

Give others credit for their victories               Take all the credit for their victories

Accept responsibility for failure                     Blame others for their failures

Compliment                                                    Criticize

Talk about ideas                                              Talk about people

Want others to succeed                                   Secretly hope others fail

Share information                                            Horde information

Exude joy                                                        Exude anger

Continually learn                                            Think they know it all

Embrace change                                               Fear Change   

As I read this, I realized two things- the “unsuccessful list” described the tenant to a T and my negative thinking about the situation was leading me down the same path.  That thought alone helped be see things in a new way.

I have certainly faced adversity and anger before and in looking back could see how those situations had a number of positive outcomes. What good could come from this situation? That answer was simple-my husband has agreed to no longer rent, something I’ve been trying to get him to do for years. I don’t enjoy cleaning up my own messes, let alone someone else’s.

The third component of healing was including the tenants in my daily Loving Kindness Mediation or metta, a tradition that dates back thousands of years. If you’ve never tried it, check out Sylvia Boorstein’s short video. Over the years of doing this, I have modified the phrasing to the following:

May you be safe and secure

May you be strong and healthy

May you be content and centered

May you live with ease knowing joy, love, peace and purpose

Again there were two things about this that I noticed-when I thought about getting “pay back” for what they have done, and continue to do,  it didn’t result in my being a calmer or saner in fact it made me feel crazier. However, by listening to the words in my daily metta, I could easily see that if these components were part of the tenants’ life they would be in the “successful column” and wouldn’t need to be so destructive to themselves and others around them.

A friend made an interesting comment about the metta. Maybe when doing metta, if including whoever is causing us anger etc. gets us in too many knots - try more simply "May you do no harm to those around you" as opposed to the other well wishes. And, which you probably know, doing some empathetic joy practice can really help - envisioning them as a young child innocent and joyful. That's been working pretty well for me. It sort of opens me up. Also suggested, was doing spacious, open awareness practices. Isn't it a drag that whatever works, takes time. Sigh... The “May you do no harm” definitely seemed like a very good phrase to include.

Ultimately, it’s their work to get from living an “unsuccessful” life to a “successful” one. It’s my responsibility to make sure that I don’t allow them to drag me into their “un success.”

Rest assured that I’m not always calm about this situation, but I’m handling it a lot better than I was a few weeks ago.

Take a Break: Make Accordion Folded Leaves

Apples are red and the leaves are turning here in Vermont. Definitely in a fall frame of mind. I started experimenting with accordion folded leaves last spring and thought these would be fun to make and hang with fishing line, which is hard to see, so it will appear as though the leaves are falling and will float if there is a breeze.

DIY Paper Leaves: This is Instructables directions and includes seven different patterns. 

Autumn Leaves: Similar instructions but with directions for making stems.  

DIY Folded Paper Fall Leaves: Includes a large template you can print to make the maple leaf.  

Fan Folded Leaf Tutorial: Different style stem and a smaller template for the maple leaf. 

Not interested in today’s activity, go to the Take a Break Pinterest Board. and pick out something else.

Purchase Gift Cards Safely

Gift cards are one of the more valuable and useful things you can give to someone who is affected by a chronic and/or life threatening condition. Unfortunately, there are more and more acts of gift card fraud being committed.

Gift cards work essentially the same as credit cards with a mag stripe—the gift card number is printed on the card for manual key entry and is also encoded on a mag stripe on the back of the card. The mag stripe number is plain text and can be read with a mag stripe reader purchased for $15 from eBay or an electronics store. Some criminals will write the number down.

This type of fraud is fairly low-level and does not result in a huge loss to the merchant, but is quite a shock to the customer when the recipient of a gift card tries to redeem it and finds that the balance is zero.

To avoid giving a card that has been hacked, do the following:

• Purchase cards from a reputable merchant. It’s best if the cards are stored behind the counter or locked in a cabinet.

•  Avoid buying gift cards from online auction sites, because the cards may be counterfeit or may have been obtained fraudulently.

• Inspect the card before you buy it. Verify that none of the protective stickers have been removed. Make sure that the codes on the back of the card haven't been scratched off to reveal a PIN number. Report any damaged cards to the store selling the cards.

• Give the recipient your original receipt so they can verify the card's purchase in case it is lost or stolen.

• Consider an electronic gift card, which allows the user to upload to their smart phone and avoids the problem of loosing the card. It also allows you to write a personal note in the e-mail.

For more tips Check out the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information Gift Cards site.