Posts tagged Ease
Transportation for elders can ease driving transition
Most of us with aging relatives will eventually face the “how do we stop them from driving” problem. To many people, driving a car equals independence. One reason for that is the lack of convenient public transportation in much of our country. Very large American cities such as New York, plus most of Europe’s large cities, generally have good public transportation, so people who don’t drive aren’t stranded. But across the country, accessible More >
AACE: Rx Food May Ease Diabetic Neuropathy
Action Points Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Explain that a prescription medical food that provides active forms of folate and vitamins B6 and B12 may provide some relief for patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Note that the product studied, Metanx, More >
Sleep Deprivation May Ease PTSD: Study
Results from a new study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry suggest that sleep deprivation may help some people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For the study, researchers showed healthy participants video clips of both safe driving and clips of traffic crashes. Afterwards, half the participants got a normal night’s sleep while the other were deprived of sleep. The investigators found that those deprived of sleep More >
Q&A: Cutting Carbs May Ease Reflux
A reader of The People’s Pharmacy says that cutting out bread, sugar, and refined starches such as bagels, pretzels, and crackers has cured her acid reflux symptoms. According to pharmacologists Joe and Teresa Graedon, heartburn sufferers are often told to limit fatty and spicy foods, while research suggests that limiting starches may be better advice.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/acid-reflux/news-543265-98.html
Strong Marriages May Ease Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain
According to a new study in The Journal of Pain, having a strong marriage may help rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients experience less pain, better function, and improved quality of life. In the study of 255 RA patients, researchers found that those who had marriages that were well adjusted (or at least not distressed) had less psychological disability and slightly less pain than those who were single or who had maladjusted marriages.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/news-540469-98.html
Implanted Drug May Ease Opioid Addiction
According to a new study, implanting the addiction drug buprenorphine in people who are addicted to narcotic painkillers or heroin appears to reduce their cravings, at least for a short time. Researchers say that delivering a low, continuous dose of the drug may help reduce the risk that patients who are addicted to these drugs will relapse after missing doses of or stopping the addiction-treatment med.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-540465-98.html
Deep Brain Stimulation May Ease OCD
According to a new Dutch study, using electrodes to stimulate areas deep in the brain may help people with treatment-resistant, severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Deep brain stimulation involves a surgeon implanting a generator or battery into the wall of the chest to send electrical pulses to electrodes that target specific areas deep within the brain. In a new study, the scientists found that 16 patients with severe forms of OCD showed More >
Romantic Love Helps Ease Pain: Study
Being “head-over-heels” in love can act as a natural painkiller, a new study has found. Researchers enrolled a group of Stanford University undergraduates for their study and found that being in love activates the same dopamine-oriented brain centers that are affected by illegal drugs such as cocaine. The scientists say these pain-relieving systems are tied to the brain’s reward and craving systems, similar to those involved in addiction. They hope More >
Nature’s Sights And Sounds – But Not Cityscapes And Noise – Ease Spinal Pain During Bone Marrow Extractions
As the song says, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, and now researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that the sights and sounds of chirping birds, ribbiting frogs and water trickling downstream can ease the substantial pain of bone marrow extraction in one of five people who must endure it.
In a report published in the September edition of the Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine , the Johns Hopkins team More >
How to Ease Back Pain at Work
Statistics suggest that four in five women who work on a computer daily will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. But experts say there are things people can do to help ease this work-related pain. In this slideshow, experts give 12 simple ways people can help reduce their back pain at work. The list includes such tips as planting the feet while seated, taking breaks, and moving the computer mouse closer to the keyboard and monitor. More >
‘Self-Touch’ May Ease Pain: Study
British researchers say an unusual practice of touching three fingers on one hand to three fingers on the other hand may reduce people’s feelings of pain. In a recent study, study participants were placed in a situation in which they thought they were experiencing extreme heat. The scientists found that those who touched all three fingers to the same fingers on the other hand felt 64 percent less painful heat than those who did not practice this form More >
Mindfulness meditation may ease fatigue, depression in multiple sclerosis
ScienceDaily (Sep. 28, 2010) Learning mindfulness meditation may help people who have multiple sclerosis (MS) with the fatigue, Depression and other life challenges that commonly accompany the disease, according to a study published in the September 28, 2010, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
In the study, people who took an eight-week class in mindfulness meditation training reduced their More >
Zinc Salts May Ease Acid Reflux
Yale researchers say zinc salts may treat acid reflux, and without the side effects of traditional medications. Researchers studied the zinc first in rats, and then used them in 12 human subjects who reported a lessening of their symptoms and no side effects. Experts aren’t sure if over-the-counter zinc will work for the condition.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/acid-reflux/news-536354-98.html
Journal Writing May Help Ease Chronic Pain
Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Center for Integrative Medicine and Wellness have found that some types of writing not only help people express emotions, but can also treat physical ailments such as chronic back and neck pain. Investigators say people who suffer from the Chronic Pain condition known as Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) can use journal writing to explore their emotions, as well as to reduce stress and tension that is More >
Spirituality Can Ease Stress on Alzheimer’s Caregivers
My friend, Pam, is a former Catholic nun who decided that she was not truly called to live that life. She left the sisterhood, got her teaching credentials, and found her true calling as an elementary teacher (which is where I met her since I was a student in her first class). Once I had moved to the next grade level, Pam and my parents became great friends. We went to Pam’s wedding to Don (a former priest) and stayed in touch over More >
Hallucinogen can safely ease anxiety in advanced-stage cancer patients, study suggests
ScienceDaily (Sep. 7, 2010) In the first human study of its kind to be published in more than 35 years, researchers found psilocybin, an hallucinogen which occurs naturally in "magic mushrooms," can safely improve the moods of patients with advanced-stage Cancer and anxiety, according to an article published online September 6 in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Patients enrolled in the study at the Los Angeles Biomedical More >
Hallucinogen Found To Safely Ease Anxiety In Advanced-Stage Cancer Patients
In the first human study of its kind to be published in more than 35 years, researchers found psilocybin, an hallucinogen which occurs naturally in “magic mushrooms,” can safely improve the moods of patients with advanced-stage Cancer and anxiety, according to an article published online in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Patients enrolled in the study at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center More >
Acupuncture Helps Ease Side Effects And Symptoms Of Some Cancers
Recent studies have shown that acupuncture can help control a number of symptoms and side effects — such as pain, fatigue, dry mouth, nausea, and vomiting — associated with a variety of cancers and their treatments. Experts from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s Integrative Medicine Service, who have either conducted or reviewed many of those studies, recommend that cancer patients interested in acupuncture seek a certified or licensed acupuncturist More >
New guidelines to ease sleepless nights
ScienceDaily (Sep. 2, 2010) Insomnia and other sleep disorders are very common, yet are not generally well understood by doctors and other health care professionals. Now the British Association for Psychopharmacology (BAP) has released up-to-the-minute guidelines in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, published by SAGE, to guide psychiatrists and physicians caring for those with sleep problems.
BAP members, representative clinicians with More >
Smoking Marijuana May Ease Chronic Pain
Scientists at McGill University in Montreal have found that smoking small amounts of marijuana may help people who are not getting enough relief from medications better reduce their pain. Chronic Pain patients in the study who used marijuana also fell asleep more easily and slept more soundly than those who did not use the drug, researchers reported.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-533315-98.html
‘Rotten Egg’ Gas May Ease Arthritic Joint Inflammation
Researchers say that hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a gas more commonly associated with the smell of blocked drains or rotten eggs, may play a role in reducing inflammation in joints. In a recent study, scientists found that patients with rheumatoid arthritis had higher concentrations of H2S in their synovial fluid (the fluid in the joints) compared to patients in a control group. Because higher H2S levels were associated with disease activity and lowered More >
Tai Chi May Ease Fibromyalgia
A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the ancient, slow-movement practice of tai chi may be an effective therapy for fibromyalgia. Researchers found that fibromyalgia patients who did a 12-week trial of tai chi did significantly better in measurements of pain, fatigue, physical functioning, sleeplessness, and Depression than patients who did not do it.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-533019-98.html
Alternative Therapies May Ease Back Pain
According to statistics from the American Pain Association, 26 million Americans ages 20 to 64 suffer from ongoing back pain. While many of these people choose surgery or medications to treat this condition, others try alternative therapies to ease their pain. In this article, experts discuss such treatments as chiropractic care, vitamins, and acupuncture and their ability to treat chronic back pain.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-529733-98.html
Mother-Baby Bonding Chemical May Ease Schizophrenia
Researchers say a nasal spray containing a hormone triggered by pregnancy that helps mothers bond with their babies eased symptoms of schizophrenia in a new small study. In the study of 15 people with schizophrenia, the patients received nasal sprays containing either the hormone oxytocin or a placebo for a total of six weeks. The researchers found that those who received oxytocin averaged improvements of around eight percent on standard tests More >