http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Long term opium use, even in relatively low doses, is associated with almost double the risk of death from many causes, particularly circulatory diseases, respiratory conditions and cancer, concludes a study published in the British Medical Journal today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-opium-linked-death.html Addiction Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:30:02 EST news253891329 Dialysis patients whose mental health deteriorates over time have an increased risk of developing heart problems and dying prematurely, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). Additional research should investigate whether caring for kidney disease patients' mental health may help prevent heart complications and even death. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-mental-health-role-dialysis-patients.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:00:05 EST news252860439 After a decade and a half of near stagnation, four new drugs could help make advanced prostate cancer a chronic illness instead of a terminal disease, a leading Colorado prostate cancer expert says. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-drugs-prostate-cancer.html Cancer Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:11:39 EST news248623872 A spoonful of medicine goes down a lot easier if there is a dog or cat around. Having pets is helpful for women living with HIV/AIDS and managing their chronic illness, according to a new study from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-dog-cat-women-cope-hivaids.html Health Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:07:48 EST news246546459 (Medical Xpress) -- Women with celiac disease -- an autoimmune disorder associatedwith a negative reaction to eating gluten -- are more likely than the general population to report symptoms of depression and disordered eating, even when they adhere to a gluten-free diet, according to researchers at Penn State, Syracuse University and Drexel University. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-women-celiac-disease-depression-disordered.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 26 Dec 2011 10:10:55 EST news244116630 Known for her poetry, letters, love affair and marriage to Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning also left a legacy of unanswered questions about her lifelong chronic illness. Now, a Penn State anthropologist, with the aid of her daughter, may have unraveled the mystery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-elizabeth-barrett-browning-illness-deciphered.html Other Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:52:37 EST news243514313 Across U.S. outpatient clinics between 1997 and 2008, opioid prescriptions for chronic abdominal pain more than doubled, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-opioid-painkillers-abdominal-pain.html Medications Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:41:23 EST news241796476 Patients with cancer, heart disease and other chronic illness struggle not only with complications inherent to their disease, they also experience an involuntary loss of weight and muscle mass triggered by the body's natural response to infection and inflammation. Increasing nutrition intake does not mitigate the process and there is no treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-loss-weight-chronic-illness-treatment.html Medical research Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:31:35 EST news240575488 Family caregivers of people with dementia experience more burden and are at greater risk of developing depression than caregivers of people with a chronic illness. A new evidence review from the Netherlands finds that a psychotherapy technique called cognitive reframing can help reduce caregivers’ stress when they are caring for loved ones with dementia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-cognitive-reframing-dementia-caregivers-depression.html Health Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:00:01 EST news240050638 Individuals who practice religion and spirituality report better physical and mental health than those who do not. To better understand this relationship and how spirituality/religion can be used for coping with significant health issues, University of Missouri researchers are examining what aspects of religion are most beneficial and for what populations. Now, MU health psychology researchers have found that religious and spiritual support improves health outcomes for both men and women who face chronic health conditions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-religious-spiritual-benefits-men-women.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:56:34 EST news238856185 Parents of nut-allergy sufferers face hostility and scepticism in trying to find safe environments for their children, a new study has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-nut-allergy-prejudice-.html Health Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:20:01 EST news232685829 Sharing stories and health information with friends and families gives strength to Indigenous Australians living with chronic illness, a new study has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-chronic-illness.html Health Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:21:24 EST news229267139 Children who are overweight or obese are more likely to be victimised by bullying when compared to children who are not overweight. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-link-obesity-chronic-illness-bullying.html Health Wed, 06 Jul 2011 03:15:17 EST news229140891 Schizophrenia is a chronic illness that most often comes on in late adolescence or young adulthood and can devastate patients’ lives. Many physicians and researchers believe that early intervention can increase the chances for recovery, reduce recurrences and even prevent the warning signs of psychosis from progressing to the actual disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-early-interventions-schizophrenia-evidence-inconclusive.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:48:21 EST news227350091 (Medical Xpress) -- Anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental health problems, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association. In fact, it's estimated that nearly 29 per cent of the population will experience an anxiety disorder during their lives. For those individuals, the impact of an anxiety disorder can vary tremendously, with some experiencing the same level of impairment as a chronic illness, including cancer, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-emerging-anxiety-treatments-advance-coping.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:45:48 EST news227349925 A new Commonwealth Fund report finds that Medicaid managed care plans that are owned by publicly traded for-profit companies whose primary line of business is managing Medicaid enrollees spent an average of 14 percent of premiums on administrative costs, compared with an average of only 10 percent spent by non-publicly traded plans owned by groups of health care providers, health systems, community health centers, or clinics. Sampling health plans with at least 5,000 enrollees resulted in an initial sample of 225 Medicaid managed care plans representing 23.8 million enrollees. The numbers of plans reporting quality of care measures was limited and varied by measure. Only 27 percent of the publicly traded Medicaid-only plans reported quality measures and scored lower on these measures compared to non-publicly traded plans; they scored 13 percentage points lower when it came to managing chronic illness, and 11 percentage points lower on a composite score measuring preventive care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-medicaid-companies-higher-adminstrative.html Health Wed, 15 Jun 2011 04:23:03 EST news227330559 (Medical Xpress) -- New research from the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine, shows that adults over the age of 50 with at least one chronic illness (such as migraine) are more likely to experience a major depressive episode, than those living without a chronic illness. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-relationship-chronic-illness-depression.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 14 Jun 2011 08:25:15 EST news227258668 Researchers at the University of Florida and Metagenics Inc. today announced that a program consisting of a breakthrough medical food combined with a low-glycemic, Mediterranean-style diet is almost twice as effective as one of the best diets alone for lowering risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-breakthrough-medical-food-reverses-heart.html Health Thu, 19 May 2011 16:57:45 EST news225043034