Smart Kids: High-protein adds points to your child's IQ

A nutritious diet can make your baby smarter, a new study has discovered. Babies who are given a high-protein diet in their first four weeks have higher IQs by the time they reach adolescence.
Researchers from the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London have discovered the special diet also changes the structure of the brain. It increases the size of the caudate nucleus, which is associated with higher intelligence.

The caudate nucleus has its main growth spurt during the first four weeks following birth.

Although scientists have speculated whether nutrition can influence the caudate nucleus, nobody had tested the theory in a study involving babies. The research team had their opportunity during the 1980s when they gave a standard diet and a high-protein diet to two groups of premature babies.

When they tested the same two groups again when they were adolescents, the researchers discovered that those who had been given a high-protein diet as babies had higher verbal IQ scores, and scans revealed their caudate nucleus was larger.

Insomnia Patients Often Denied Sleep Treatment When They Have Mental Health Conditions

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Patients with insomnia who are diagnosed with accompanying mental health ailments often are not prescribed medication that will help them sleep – which could then make related anxiety or depression worse, new research suggests.
Scientists examining treatment patterns for insomniacs say that their findings suggest that many doctors appear to be reluctant to prescribe sleep aids, even those that pose no risk of dependence, if patients also have depression, anxiety or mood disorders. An exception is psychiatrists, who were found to be twice as likely as primary care physicians to prescribe medication for insomnia. Rajesh Balkrishnan

"Insomnia can cause you to have anxiety and depression, and depression and anxiety can cause you to have insomnia. It's a chicken-and-egg type of story. But research has shown that if one of the conditions is left untreated it can exacerbate the other condition," said senior study author Rajesh Balkrishnan, the Merrell Dow professor of pharmacy at Ohio State University.

"What this calls for is specific guidelines related to the treatment of insomnia that takes into consideration these different types of patients, because insomnia has become such a big public health problem."

An estimated 20 percent of Americans have occasional sleep problems, with about one in 10 suffering from chronic insomnia.

Balkrishnan acknowledges concerns that physicians might have about prescribing certain medications that can cause dependence, especially to patients with mental health disorders. Older sleep aids, a class of drugs called benzodiazepines, are muscle relaxants with addictive properties and high potential for abuse. However, since the early 1990s, a new class of drugs for insomnia called non-benzodiazepines has been on the market. They are effective sleep aids that don't carry the risk of addiction, Balkrishnan said, and for that reason, patients should have ready access to these medications.

"This research highlights the need to take into account that many patients who see their doctors with complaints of insomnia also have a psychiatric condition. But the presence of those mental conditions should not preclude them from being appropriately treated for their insomnia," he said.

The study is published in the January issue of the Journal of Medical Economics.

According to the analysis, patients visiting psychiatrists had two times higher odds of receiving medication for insomnia than patients visiting family practice or internal medicine physicians. The study showed that 33 percent of patients with insomnia saw family practice or internal medicine physicians, 30 percent visited psychiatrists and 9 percent went to neurologists.

Balkrishnan and colleagues collected data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, which tracks Americans’ annual outpatient medical visits. The researchers identified 5,487 physician visits by patients with insomnia between 1995 and 2004, which was calculated to represent about 161 million U.S. patients over that 10-year period.

According to the analysis, an estimated 6.5 million Americans who saw a doctor for insomnia also were diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Of the visits examined, 38 percent of patients with insomnia were diagnosed with at least one other condition, and at least four of every 10 of those accompanying conditions related to mental health. The most common additional condition was anxiety (15.6 percent), followed by episodic mood disorders (14.9 percent), high blood pressure (10.1 percent), depression (7 percent) and diabetes (3.5 percent).

The study showed that insomnia patients with mental health disorders were 36 percent less likely to receive medication for their sleeping problems than were patients without the mental health diagnosis. Those with anxiety were the least likely to receive a sleep aid, with a 45 percent decreased likelihood of receiving medication for insomnia compared to patients without anxiety.

Balkrishnan said that with generic forms of nonaddictive insomnia medication available by prescription, even patients taking antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs can safely – and affordably – add a sleep aid to their regimen. The most common forms of antidepressants prescribed in the United States are a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

"Physicians might perceive that drowsiness is induced by medications such as SSRIs so there might be a general fear about combining them with insomnia medications,” Balkrishnan said. “But I think those fears are somewhat unfounded because we found that psychiatrists don’t have any problems prescribing sleep medications in patients who have accompanying mental conditions; they know there is no danger of a drug-to-drug interaction."

According to the analysis, patients visiting psychiatrists had two times higher odds of receiving medication for insomnia than patients visiting family practice or internal medicine physicians. The study showed that 33 percent of patients with insomnia saw family practice or internal medicine physicians, 30 percent visited psychiatrists and 9 percent went to neurologists.

The study identified other factors associated with insomnia medication prescribing patterns – for example, older and established patients were more likely to receive insomnia medications than were younger patients or those seeing the doctor for the first time. But Balkrishnan said a clear theme emerged from the analysis.

"There is a divide in who gets appropriate medication and who is not appropriately medicated,” he said. “It might not be happening willfully, but it points to a knowledge gap between different types of physicians and the need to develop widely accepted treatment guidelines. And the guidelines should be ratified by essentially all physicians treating the condition."

This research was funded by a grant from Sanofi-Aventis, a sleep-aid manufacturer based in Bridgewater, N.J. The study does not discuss any specific products of the sponsor company. Balkrishnan is a paid consultant for the company.

Co-authors on the study were Manjiri Pawaskar of Ohio State’s College of Pharmacy, Vijay Joish of Sanofi-Aventis, Fabian Camacho of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and Rafia Rasu of the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Study finds widespread vitamin and mineral use among cancer survivors, although benefits of such use remain unclear

SEATTLE - Jan. 31, 2008 - Use of vitamin and mineral supplements among cancer survivors is widespread, despite inconclusive evidence that such use is beneficial, according to a comprehensive review of scientific literature conducted by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and published Feb. 1 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
"Can vitamin and herbal supplements reduce the adverse effects of cancer treatment, decrease the risk of cancer recurrence or improve a patient''s chances of survival? We don''t really know. Research into these matters has been minimal," said senior author Cornelia (Neli) Ulrich, Ph.D., an associate member of the Hutchinson Center''s Public Health Sciences Division. "While supplement use may be beneficial for some patients, such as those who cannot eat a balanced diet, research suggests that certain supplements may actually interfere with treatment or even accelerate cancer growth," she said.

In reviewing 32 studies conducted between 1999 and 2006, Ulrich and co-author Christine Velicer, Ph.D., formerly a postdoctoral fellow at the Hutchinson Center (now an epidemiologist at Merck Research Laboratory in North Wales, Pa.), found that many of the nation''s 10 million adult cancer survivors use nutritional supplements.

They found 64 percent to 81 percent of cancer survivors overall reported using vitamins or minerals (excluding multivitamins), whereas in the general population only 50 percent of adults reported taking dietary supplements.

Survivors of breast cancer reported the highest use (75 percent to 87 percent), whereas prostate-cancer survivors reported the least (26 percent to 35 percent). Factors associated with the highest level of supplement use overall included a higher level of education and being female.

The researchers also found that many people initiate the use of vitamins and supplements after cancer diagnosis; between 14 percent and 32 percent start taking them after learning they have cancer.

"Cancer survivors report that they hope to strengthen their immune system with supplement use or gain a sense of control and empowerment," Ulrich said. However, many cancer survivors who use supplements do not let their doctors know; 31 percent to 68 percent of cancer patients and survivors who use supplements may not disclose this information or their doctors may fail to record it in their charts.

"This is disconcerting and suggests that many physicians may not recognize the importance of understanding whether their patients are taking supplements," Ulrich said.

Knowing about supplement use is crucial, she continues, because of potential adverse effects. "Evidence clearly suggests the need for caution," Ulrich said. "Some vitamins, such as folic acid, may be involved in cancer progression while others, such as St. John''s wort, can interfere with chemotherapy. However, we really need more research to understand whether use of these supplements can be beneficial or do more harm than good."

Until research clarifies the effects of vitamin use in cancer survivors, the authors urge health care professionals to communicate openly with their patients about supplement use. "A simple explanation that medical studies show supplement use may not always be beneficial may help cancer survivors make well-informed decisions," the authors wrote.

The National Cancer Institute funded this research.

Drug Reactions: Report side effects yourself, patients are told

It’s been reckoned that just one in 60,000 side effects to drugs is ever reported – and finally the UK’s drug regulator wants to do something about it. The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority (MHRA) is urging patients to use the ‘Yellow Card’ reporting method, which has been almost completely ignored since it was introduced in 1964.
Usually the cards are completed and returned by doctors – when they have the time, and when they believe the drug is responsible for the adverse reaction. This second reason has prevented many serious effects from being discovered early enough, usually because the doctor will refer to the original data sheets that list known side effects.

But now drug regulators want patients to do the job themselves. You can download a ‘card’ here.

Childhood obesity leads to higher rate of problems during surgery, University of Michigan study finds

Obese children had more trouble with airway obstructions, ventilation
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Add this to the growing list of health challenges faced by obese children: A new study from the University of Michigan Health System finds that obese children are much more likely than normal-weight children to have problems with airway obstruction and other breathing-related functions during surgery.

Obese children were found to have a higher rate of difficult mask ventilation, airway obstruction, major oxygen desaturation (a decrease in oxygen in the patient's blood), and other airway problems. The study appears in the March issue of the journal Anesthesiology.

"To our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind," says lead author Alan R. Tait, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the U-M Health System. This large-scale prospective study examines the effect of overweight and obesity on the outcomes of operations in children undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery.

"Based on current trends, it is likely that anesthesiologists will continue to care for an increasing number of children who are overweight or obese," Tait says, "so it is vital that we are aware of the higher risk they face in the operating room."

Researchers studied the experiences of 2,025 children who were having elective surgery. Of those, 1,380 were normal weight, 351 were overweight and 294 were obese. Children ranged in age from 2 to 18 years old.

In addition to the problems the obese patients experienced during surgery, they also had a higher rate of illnesses and conditions including asthma, hypertension, sleep apnea and Type II diabetes. These conditions all can contribute to problems during surgery, Tait notes.

By the numbers:

*An estimated 15 to 17 percent of children and adolescents in the United States are considered obese.
*Major airway obstructions occurred in 19 percent of obese children, compared with 11 percent of normal-weight children.
*Nearly 9 percent of obese children experienced difficult mask ventilation, compared with 2 percent of normal-weight children.
*17 percent of obese children in the study experienced major oxygen desaturation (decreased oxygen in the blood), compared with 9 percent of normal-weight children.
*28 percent of obese children had asthma, compared with 16 percent of normal-weight children.
It should be noted however, that despite the increased risk of adverse events among children who are obese, none resulted in significant illness.

In addition to Tait, authors were Ian Lewis, MBBS, MRCP, FRCA; Terri Voepel-Lewis, MSN, RN; Constance Burke, BSN, RN; and Amy Kostrzewa, M.D., all of the U-M Department of Anesthesiology.

The research was funded by the U-M Department of Anesthesiology.

Morning Sickness Relief with Acupuncture

Morning sickness is one of the first clues of pregnancy as well as one of the first discomforts. With acupuncture, women can safely modify these inconveniences with a natural solution. Acupuncture treatments can ease the severity of the condition as well as lessen the frequency with which it occurs.
In a 2004 study conducted by University Hospital in Sweden, 36 women were divided into four groups. The results revealed that 90% of the women involved in the acupuncture groups had a positive antiemetic (vomit prevention) outcome. The doctors concluded that both acupuncture and acupressure (the act of applying physical pressure to acupuncture points with hands, elbows, or other devices) were extremely effective in the relief of morning sickness and overall nausea.

Dr. Donnica Moore, a doctor and advice columnist of women's health, also addressed the efficacy of acupuncture for morning sickness. She states "There is clear evidence that needle acupuncture is efficacious for adult postoperative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting. Many practitioners use it for nausea of pregnancy as well." She cites a recent study conducted by the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management in which the effects of active acupuncture could be seen 'often within minutes of stimulation.'

is article, "Acupuncture During Pregnancy," Jonathon Hardcastle takes acupuncture's benefits a step further and discusses pregnancy in the later trimesters. Acupuncture can help women with more problems than just morning sickness. Hardcastle states "Acupuncture has been used to successfully treat heartburn and hemorrhoids in the second trimester...In the third, it can provide relief from sciatica (which is inflammation or pain in the sciatic nerve of the back - often the baby will be pressed against it), joint pain, and carpal tunnel syndrome, which many women develop later in pregnancy." In fact, acupuncture has even been known to help turn a breech baby in the womb, and can also help to stimulate labor for an overdue baby. Many women find that acupuncture-induced labor is easier than labor induced by drugs such as Pitocin.

A primary concern of mothers and doctors alike is the vulnerability of a fetus to medication and its adverse effects. Acupuncture is a safe, healthy, and natural means of reducing pain and discomfort for a variety of afflictions during pregnancy. When performed in conjunction with a healthy diet and regular medical appointments, acupuncture can help women to reach their goals of a healthy baby and a smooth pregnancy.

For more information on how acupuncture can alleviate morning sickness and help other pregnancy discomforts, please contact Pacific College of Oriental Medicine at (800) 729-0941, or visit Guests cannot see links in the messages. Please register to forum by clicking here to see links.

Stroke: Start listening to music right away

If you’re unlucky enough to have a stroke, start listening to music for a couple of hours every day. It’s the best way to recover and to regain your faculties, new research has discovered. But it’s important that you begin listening to music immediately after a stroke, and before changes in the brain caused by the stroke can start to take effect.
Researchers in Finland tested music therapy on a group of 60 patients who had just recently suffered a stroke. They either listened to music, or an audio-book, or nothing at all, and the music group demonstrated a 60 per cent improvement in verbal memory after three months, compared with just 18 per cent in the audio-book group, and 29 per cent in the non-listeners.

Focused attention, when we control and perform mental functions, improved by 17 per cent in the music and not at all in either of the other two groups.

Vaccinations: Two parents face jail for refusing polio jab

Two sets of parents in Belgium have been sentenced to prison after they refused to vaccinate their children against polio. The vaccination is compulsory in Belgium. The parents have been fined £4,100 ($8000) and sentenced to five months’ imprisonment.
They failed to appear in court, and the judge sentenced them on the basis of police evidence. He suspended the prison sentence, and has given the parents a second chance to have their children vaccinated.

Belgian law allows exceptions to the vaccine only if parents can prove that their child would have an adverse reaction to it.