http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. It was a controversial move when a health insurer began requiring people who were obese to literally pay the price of not doing anything about their weight – but it worked, a new study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-day-higher-health-money-people.html Health Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:01 EST news287161744 The use of Internet-based stress management programs (ISM) effectively reduce stress for a sustainable period, according to a Cleveland Clinic study published recently in Annals of Behavioral Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-internet-based-effective-stress.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:02 EST news286480895 (Medical Xpress)—Want a good night's sleep? Be positive – consistently. Although happiness is generally good for sleeping, when a person's happiness varies a lot in reaction to daily ups and downs, sleep suffers, reports a Cornell study published online in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-good-night-linked-happiness.html Health Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:10:01 EST news286440734 Most people know that the way to stay healthy is to exercise and eat right, but millions of Americans struggle to meet those goals, or even decide which to change first. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered that focusing on changing exercise and diet at the same time gives a bigger boost than tackling them sequentially. They also found that focusing on changing diet first—an approach that many weight-loss programs advocate—may actually interfere with establishing a consistent exercise routine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-diet-habits-results.html Health Sun, 21 Apr 2013 20:00:06 EST news285766089 Abused or neglected teenage girls become teen mothers at nearly five times the national rate of teen motherhood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-sexually-abused-neglected-adolescent-girls.html Health Mon, 25 Mar 2013 03:00:01 EST news283398341 Rocket attacks in Sderot, Israel significantly increase the likelihood of miscarriages, according to a new study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-israel-rocket-miscarriage-likelihood.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:06:50 EST news280757200 Poor mental health leads to unhealthy behaviors in low-income adults – not the other way around, according to a new study¹ by Dr. Jennifer Walsh and colleagues from the Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at The Miriam Hospital in the US. In this study, stress and anxiety predicted subsequent health-compromising behaviors, such as smoking, binge drinking, illegal drug use, unprotected sex and unhealthy diets. One possible explanation for these findings is that health compromising behaviors may be used as coping mechanisms to manage the effects of stress and anxiety. The study is published online in the Springer journal, Translational Behavioral Medicine², and is part of an issue focusing on multiple health behavior change. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-poor-mental-health-unhealthy-behaviors.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 04 Feb 2013 01:00:01 EST news279118526 A new study could provide the link that scientists have been looking for to confirm that reactivation of a latent herpes virus is a cause of some heart problems. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-viral-reactivation-link-stress-heart.html Cardiology Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:09:03 EST news278089734 (Medical Xpress)—Using Twitter can help you achieve a healthy weight. A study by researchers at the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health has found that using Twitter, the popular information network joining people throughout the world, is a valuable support system for helping people lose weight. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-twitter-people-weight.html Health Mon, 14 Jan 2013 08:12:31 EST news277373542 A new study highlights the risk that female teenagers face when they go online – a risk heightened for teen girls who have been victims of abuse or neglect. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-percent-teen-girls-offline-met.html Pediatrics Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:10:01 EST news277298224 Could marriage, and associated companionship, be one key to a longer life? According to new research, not having a permanent partner, or spouse, during midlife is linked to a higher risk of premature death during those midlife years. The work, by Dr. Ilene Siegler and colleagues from Duke University Medical Center in the US, is published online in Springer's journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-marriage-linked-survival-middle-age.html Health Thu, 10 Jan 2013 10:57:49 EST news277037242 (Medical Xpress)—Are you stressed? Results of a new meta-analysis of six studies involving nearly 120,000 people indicate that the answer to that question may help predict one's risk of incident coronary heart disease (CHD) or death from CHD. The study, led by Columbia University Medical Center researchers, was published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Cardiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-stress-future-coronary-heart-disease.html Cardiology Mon, 17 Dec 2012 12:40:24 EST news274970410 (HealthDay)—Exercise duration is improved by exercising with a virtual partner, especially with a moderately superior partner, according to a study published in the October issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-virtual-partner.html Health Fri, 14 Dec 2012 05:08:21 EST news274684093 (Medical Xpress)—Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing researchers have discovered that guided imagery significantly decreases stress, fatigue, pain and depression in women with fibromyalgia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-imagery-symptoms-fibromyalgia.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 19 Nov 2012 08:00:03 EST news272532989 The psychological scars of childhood abuse can last well into adulthood. New research from Concordia University shows the harm can have longterm negative physical effects, as well as emotional ones. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-childhood-abuse-poor-adult-health.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:01:33 EST news272034086 (Medical Xpress)—Parents who smack or shout at their children could be placing them at greater risk of developing cancer, heart disease and asthma. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-children-corporal-greater-cancer-heart.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 12 Nov 2012 09:13:38 EST news271933940 Gender-specific group therapy is effective for treating depressed women with Type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the latest issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine and funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research. Evidence suggests that antidepressants may disrupt blood-sugar control and can be associated with increased weight gain; therefore, other treatment options are needed for depression. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-group-therapy-effective-treatment-option.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:04:43 EST news268498983 Could the impact of chronic stress explain why American black girls are more likely to be overweight than white girls? According to Dr. Tomiyama of the University of California, Los Angeles in the U.S., and her colleagues, higher levels of stress over 10 years predict greater increases in body weight over time in both black and white girls. However, the experience of chronic stress appears to have a greater negative effect on black girls' weight, which may explain racial disparities in obesity levels. The work is published online in Springer's journal, Annals of Behavioral Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-weight-gain-stressed-black-girls.html Health Wed, 19 Sep 2012 12:06:21 EST news267275175 The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which promotes consumption of more fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and whole grain, and less meats and sweets, is a proven effective treatment for hypertension. For some individuals, adherence to the diet can be just as effective in lowering blood pressure as taking antihypertensive medication. A new study has found that greater adherence to the diet can lead to significant reductions in blood pressure, but that African Americans are less likely to adopt the diet compared to whites. The study is published online today in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-african-americans-adhere-dash-diet.html Health Wed, 19 Sep 2012 00:00:01 EST news267206314 A 10-week program that fits easily into the high school curriculum could give students a lifetime of less anger and lower blood pressure, researchers report. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-lifeskills-teens-anger-blood-pressure.html Health Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:44:22 EST news266514255 Given the well-documented relationship between low birth weight and the increased risk of health problems throughout one's lifespan, it is vital to reduce any potential contributors to low birth weight. A new study by Valerie Earnshaw and her colleagues from Yale University sheds light on one possible causal factor. Their findings, published online in Springer's journal, the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, suggest that chronic, everyday instances of discrimination against pregnant, urban women of color may play a significant role in contributing to low birth weight babies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-effects-discrimination-lifetime.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 27 Aug 2012 13:56:10 EST news265294560 One in eight people who suffer a heart attack or other acute coronary event experience clinically significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a meta-analysis of 24 studies led by Columbia University Medical Center researchers. The study also shows that heart patients who suffer PTSD face twice the risk of having another cardiac event or of dying within one to three years, compared with those without PTSD. The findings were published today in the online edition of PLoS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-heart-patients-post-traumatic-stress-disorder.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:00:14 EST news259418133 (HealthDay) -- The food choices young girls make could help doctors predict if they are at risk for developing an eating disorder as teenagers, according to a new study that analyzed food diaries compiled over the course of a decade. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-preteen-food-choices-disorders.html Health Thu, 31 May 2012 19:20:01 EST news257706848 A new study, testing the benefits of a virtual exercise partner, shows that the presence of a moderately more capable cycling partner boosts motivation to stick to an exercise program. The work by Brandon Irwin and colleagues, from Michigan State University in the US, is published online in Springer's journal, Annals of Behavioral Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-cyber-partners-distance.html Health Wed, 16 May 2012 10:48:11 EST news256383921 Two years ago, 57-year-old Allus Brown underwent a simultaneous heart-kidney transplant and spent months in and out of the hospital after battling dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that enlarges and weakens the heart. Now fully recovered, Brown is still in and out of Northwestern Memorial Hospital's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute each week. Only nowadays when he visits, he's laughing it up, playing board games, and sharing accounts of his own struggles with heart disease as part of the Bluhm Institute's new and innovative program, SMART Heart, stress management and recreational therapy for heart patients. Brown says he thrives in his new role because it's one way he can give back and help others coping with the emotional aftermath of cardiac surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-smart-heart-eases-ache-cardiac.html Cardiology Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:47:59 EST news253468073 In low-income, minority communities, tight-knit social connections -- with family members, friends, and neighbors -- can lead people to eat healthy and be physically active, but in some cases it may actually be an obstacle to a healthy lifestyle, according to new research by investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Harvard School of Public Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-social-ties-impact-healthy-behaviors.html Health Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:00:01 EST news253374448 A study published by University of Kentucky researchers shows that survivors of multiple cancers report unhealthier behaviors post-diagnosis than control counterparts. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-unhealthy-behaviors-prevalent-survivors-multiple.html Cancer Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:55:08 EST news251632501 Life without cigarettes is not all doom and gloom. In fact, successful quitters are more satisfied with their lives and feel healthier, both one year and three years afterwards, than those who continue to smoke. That's according to new research by Dr. Megan Piper, from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in the US, and her team. Their work, which looks at whether quitting smoking can improve psychological well-being, is published online in Springer's journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-life-cigarettes.html Health Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:57:55 EST news243003394 Financial incentives work for doctors. Could they work for patients, too? Could they encourage them to change unhealthy behaviors and use preventive health services more? In some cases, yes, according to Dr. Marita Lynagh from the University of Newcastle in Australia, and colleagues. Their work, looking at why financial incentives for patients could be a good thing to change risky health behaviors, indicates that incentives are likely to be particularly effective at altering 'simple' behaviors e.g. take-up of immunizations, primarily among socially disadvantaged groups. Their article is published online in Springer's International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-healthier-financial-incentives-patients-health.html Health Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:08:25 EST news241099697 The consequences of psychological stress, resulting from racial discrimination, may contribute to racial health disparities in conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other age-associated diseases. This is according to analyses of data from the epidemiologic study Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS)1, conducted by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institutes of Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-link-racial-discrimination-stress.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:02:41 EST news235224112