Wellness Articles from Medworm

Posted on : June 05, 2007
Online important to teens, adults donâ€™t understand
	A new report was released today from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation that suggests teenagers today use and value technologies online that adults don’t always value or understand. I would suggest that this report describes a predictable generation gap that occurs with every few generations. Just as my parents couldn’t understand why I wanted to spend hours every evening on the phone to friends I had just seen in school all day, today’s parents don’t understand teens’ need to always be connected — via text messaging, IM, or some other technology — to their friends. A few generations prior, the technology wasn’t the telephone, but rather the automobile that upset how families and friends kept in touch. Mail that used to take ... ...»

Nebraskaâ€™s abandoned kids are mostly mentally ill
	There’s an even more tragic story behind the news of people traveling from around the country to drop off their unwanted children in Nebraska, since they enacted a law a few weeks ago that allowed any child under 18 years of age to be handed over to the state with no questions asked of the parent or guardian. Thirty of the 34 children dropped off had previously received mental health treatment, 11 of them at an intensive or inpatient level. In other words, these weren’t just unwanted children. These were unwanted children that mostly suffered from ignored, under-treated or untreated mental health concerns. The Iowa Independent has the story: "If we would have had this same law in Iowa, the same thing would have happened here," Estle said. "I suspect that if we real... ...»

Physical and mental exercise to prevent cognitive decline
	We offered some Brain Fitness Predictions in our Market Report , including... "7. Doctors and pharmacists will help patients navigate through the overwhelming range of available products and interpret the results of cognitive assessments. This will require significant professional development efforts, given that most doctors today were trained under a very different understanding of the brain than the one we have today." The American Medical News, a weekly newspaper for physicians published by the American Medical Association, just published an excellent article along those lines: Steps to a nimble mind: Physical and mental exercise help keep the brain fit -- Neuroscience is uncovering techniques to prevent cognitive decline. A few quotes: - It's an example that highlights a wave... ...»

Again, gulf war syndrome real
	Although the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs concluded in 2004 that Gulf War Syndrome is a real medical illness (and not purely a psychological one), apparently a wide range of news media outlets earlier this week took the release of a new report as stating something new or different: “Gulf War illness is real,” the report concludes. “Few veterans have recovered.” Their last report in 2004 also concluded that GWS is not psychological but caused by organophosphates. What the new report did do is simply strength the association and evidence that implicates inflammatory chemicals in the brain called cytokines. Sadly, the new report (PDF) also concludes that many vets are not being properly treated for the Syndrome, and research into it has plummeted since 2001.... ...»

Women: guarding against unhappiness
	Penelope Trunk has an intriguing blog entry today entitled, What women can do when they’re young to be happy later on. I say intriguing, because her suggestions may raise an eyebrow or two: 1. Don’t have kids. 2. Keep your career. 3. If you are divorced, get plastic surgery. Her entry goes into more depth and her reasoning for each of these suggestions, and the first two make a lot of sense (I’m a little less convinced about the last one). Kids, as she notes, bring great joy, but they also bring great self-sacrifice (a lot more than most new parents realize, I think). You’re basically giving up your life for your child’s life for the next 18+ years. Nothing wrong with that choice, but you’ll find it very may impact your happiness from time to t... ...»

Mypyramid.gov now for preschoolers
	In Fall 2008, the U.S. Department of Agriculture launched the My Pyramid for Preschoolers Website just for Preschoolers, children aged 2-5. The site encourages parents and caregivers to Use MyPyramid to help your preschooler eat well, be active, and be healthy. Customized MyPyramid for Your Preschooler Visitors to the My Pyramid for Preschoolers Web site can “get a customized MyPyramid Plan for your preschooler” by entering the child’s first name, age, gender, and typical amount of daily activity. The site then generates a plan tailored to that child. At the My Pyramid for Preschoolers website parents and caregivers can explore ways to help preschoolers: Grow up healthy. Complete a growth chart especially for your child to find out more about normal development. ... ...»

Dsm-v: transparency or secrecy?
	In a world expecting greater and greater transparency in how important medical and mental health research is conducted, should such transparency extend to the intricate workings of determining what constitutes a valid mental disorder diagnosis? That’s the question posed by two sides wrangling over how transparent the new DSM-V process should be. Robert Spitzer, a former editor, wants more transparency, while the current editor, Darrel Regier, suggests the process of should be kept private. The DSM is short for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the “bible” of mental health that defines what a mental disorder is. Technically, if a disorder doesn’t appear in the book, it’s not considered a legitimate disorder nor can a therapist bill a... ...»

Can we pick your brain re. cognitive assessments?
	If you could, you would. You can, but prefer not to know it? More than any other organ, your brain is up to you. You are what you think, not just what you eat. Here's some food for thought: Design your Mind Setting cognitive and behavioral goals raises challenging and worthy questions: What do you want from your brain? Will you know it when you achieve it? To attain the brain of our choosing, we must understand our selves and current abilities. Introspection and curiosity are helpful if they trigger and sustain the effort to enrich the mind. However, objective information which leads to informed assessment of brain function is often lacking. Mind your Brain Honesty. Openness. Self-awareness. Irrefutable virtues, but in practice most people fall short. Few regularly appraise their brain ski... ...»

Fast food = lots of corn isotopes in that hamburger
	This study highlights the overwhelming importance of corn agriculture within virtually every aspect of fast food manufacturing. The presence of corn in so much of the food has some pretty striking implications. The Implications Science Blogger Ed Yong offers these insights in his blog post from November 11, Corn is everywhere in American fast food: …the fact that so much of said food can be traced back to corn has environmental implications. Corn feed is relatively cheap and provides farmers with a way of maximising the calories that their animals are eating for minimum cost. But corn agriculture in the US is encouraged by heavy government subsidies, but has been criticised for being environmentally unsustainable. It encourages heavy use of both fertiliser (as revealed by t... ...»

What happened to healthyplace?
	After losing their HONCode accreditation earlier this year, it appears HealthyPlace has taken another hit, this time to its self-help support communities. As its members list and latest posts show, its once-thriving support forums seemed to have been taken over by spammers. People who’ve tried to contact the site’s owners have had no response. Meanwhile, Wyeth’s Pristiq advertisements continue to display next to posts for penis enlargement and video porn, making one wonder if Wyeth is even aware of what’s going on over at HealthyPlace.com. Since nobody seems to know what’s going on, and nobody seems able to contact the owner, we’re posting on behalf of the stranded members of HealthyPlace — please, help your users and let them know what’s g... ...»

You can only change yourself
	One of life’s hardest lessons to learn is that you can only change yourself. Some people spend inordinate amounts of time and energy upset, angry, or frustrated by other people’s thoughts and behaviors. But to what end? You can rail against the rain or feel sanguine about the snow, but there’s not a whole lot you can do about it. Why should we, by default, believe we can change another person’s — an independent, thinking self just like us — behaviors and thoughts with just a few choice words? If you think about it for a minute, it sounds kind of ridiculous. Yet we don’t think about it when we have an emotional reaction to someone else’s behavior or words. We say things like, “How could they say such a thing!” or “How can... ...»

The more im use, the worse test scores
	A new study just published suggests that the more expertise one has with instant messaging (IMing), the worse one’s test scores. And, not surprising and consistent with prior research, the new study (Fox, 2008) found that IMing increases the time it takes to complete a task. The study looked at 69 undergraduates who were randomly assigned to one of four different groups: reading a simple text passage and answering some questions about it, with one group doing it while not IMing, and another while actively IMing; reading a difficult text passage and answering some questions about it, with one group doing it while not IMing, and another while actively IMing. The researchers then examined the differences in response times and their reading comprehension scores based upon the accuracy o... ...»

The future of the aging society: burden or human capital?
	(Please note that this is my personal take at the discussions that took place in Dubai as part of the Global Agenda Council on the Challenges of Gerontology put together by the World Economic Forum, and builds on the work of my colleagues, but it does not represent a formal document or statement of position. Simply put, we would like to engage your brain in defining the challenges and outlining/ executing the solutions). Context: The Challenges of the Aging Society The world is aging. This is occurring in two ways: through shifts in the age structure that will eventually lead to many more people reaching older ages than ever before, and through continued success in extending life. Less than 100 years ago, life expectancy was between 30 to 40 years. Today, close to 800 million citizens are ... ...»

Neuroplasticity and the brain that changes itself
	I first discovered Norman Doidge's book, The Brain That Changes Itself, in a May, 2007 review in the New York Times. Intrigued, but caught up in myriad end-of-school-year responsibilities, the book was put out of my mind until later that summer, when our school's learning specialist emailed to say she had just finished a fascinating book. The Brain That Changes Itself: Stores of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science, is a compelling collection of tales about the amazing abilities of the brain to rewire, readjust and relearn after having a slice of itself rendered dysfunctional. The first seven chapters captivated me for their personal stories; the final four chapters for the science and philosophy. Part of what makes Doidge's writing so accessible is he tells stories, ... ...»

Mental disorders common in hospitals
	If you need any further proof of how significant mental health concerns are in today’s society, look no further than the news article we published today noting that 22 percent of hospital admissions have a mental disorder as well. That’s a significant number. And while most people who are admitted to the hospital with a mental disorder do so for a physical ailment — 84 percent — it still demonstrates an often-ignored component of hospitalization. Co-existing mental disorders like depression or anxiety can have a significant impact on the medical outcome for which a person is admitted. But few physicians recognize the importance of a holistic approach to medical care in a hospital (and few hospital administrators care). This should be a wakeup call to hospitalists... ...»

Itâ€™s healthbolt carnival timeâ€¦
	Welcome to the latest Healthbolt Carnival. It’s full ofÂ interesting health, fitness, and wellness posts from around the blogosphere.Â So just jump on in and start clicking and reading… Kelly Turner from Grounded Fitness gives us all something to think about with her post A Round of Applause for the Fellas . Purple Tomatoes? Yes, really. Naomi from Diary From England provides the facts in British Scientists create purple cancer fighting tomatoes.. Austin Lee from The Health, Drug, Prescription, and GMP Supersite guides us to a report that suggests you might be able to Treat The Flu With Red Wine?!. Definitely my kind of study! Kara-Leah from Prana Flow NZ gives us the low down on how to Squeeze yoga and meditation into a jam-packed day?, saying, “Family, work, & ... ...»

Forced ect is wrong in minnesota, world
	I can’t believe I’d ever had to write an entry like this. It turns my stomach. On Friday, MindFreedom, a non-profit human rights organization for people labeled with psychiatric illnesses, published the disturbing story of Ray Sandford, a 54-year-old resident of Columbia Heights, Minnesota. Sandford’s sad story is amazing and haunting. He is undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for severe depression. We don’t know the full back-story, but the fact that he lives in a sheltered living home called Victory House suggests he’s had a rough life of it so far. Lots of people undergo ECT, although I’m not a big proponent of it. I believe that because of the unpredictable memory loss associated with this “treatment,” it is not only a treatme... ...»

Veterans day 2008: cracking the culture of silence
	Today is Veterans Day in the U.S., a day to give thanks and honor all who serve our country in the military. While the military has made great strides in recent years in acknowledging the mental health problems of vets, vets still face an uphill challenge when they seek mental health services. Two articles last week discussed some of these challenges. The stigma and perceptions regarding mental health concerns can still be extreme within the military, noted the West Seattle Herald: When Chris Hill was honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1982, he made sure to remove the medical records in his permanent file about his visits to a psychiatrist. Hill, who was experiencing severe anxiety attacks, was afraid to be labeled as a veteran with psychiatric problems. “I was e... ...»

China declares internet addiction, imprisons addicts
	The Chinese government, in something right of George Orwell’s 1984 has declared that “Internet addiction” is indeed a disorder (despite there being no agreement amongst researchers what constitutes the disorder). Why was that important? Why, so they can legitimately “treat” the disorder. Government officials declared Internet addiction to affect anyone who spends six hours or more per day online (which would cover a huge swatch of the U.S. population at present, especially for those people who have computers at work). They must also exhibit all of one additional symptom, such as difficulty sleeping or concentrating, yearning to be online, irritation, and mental or physical distress. That one additional symptom wouldn’t help rule-out many in the U.S. eit... ...»

Online cognitive therapy oked by health insurance
	My apologies for not writing in a few days...the Global Agenda Summit in Dubai has required all my attention - I will summarize the great experience when I land back in San Francisco tomorrow night. The concepts of night and day do become challenging when working for a few days in a place with a 12-hour time difference with one's home base. Sleep is indeed very important to maintain top cognitive shape...which leads me to a fascinating news announcement: Health insurance firms offering online cognitive therapy for insomnia (Los Angeles Times) - "helping consumers get a good night's sleep has become a priority for most of the top-tier U.S. health insurance companies, including WellPoint, Aetna, Cigna, Kaiser Permanente and several Blue Cross plans. Their new programs don't involve slee... ...»

Weather can change your mood
	Pages: 1 2 Next » Single Page I was browsing a blog the other day and saw an undated (recent?) entry suggesting that research shows that “weather has little effect on our mood.” The entry relied heavily on a recent study (Denissen et al., 2008) that shows that although a correlation between mood and weather does exist, it’s a small one (not nearly as large as conventional wisdom might suggest). The entry quotes almost exclusively and entirely from the one study. I’m familiar with this area of research, so I found the entry’s conclusions a little simplistic and not really doing justice to this topic. There’s a fair amount of research in this area (more than the 3 or 4 studies mentioned in the blog), and I think the overall prep... ...»

Maurice bernard talks about bipolar disorder
	This week on Johnson & Johnson’s YouTube channel, there’s a series of videos featuring General Hospital soap star, Maurice Bernard (who portrays Sonny Corinthos on the show), talking about his battle with bipolar disorder (manic depression). I thought you may be interested in checking the videos out: Maurice Bernard on Bipolar, Part 1 (2:50 YouTube video) Maurice Bernard on Bipolar, Part 2 (2:51 YouTube video) Maurice Bernard and his wife on Bipolar (3:05 YouTube video) I found the videos interesting for both people who might suffer from this concern (I always find it interesting when celebrities “come out” and discuss these things in public), as well as friends or family of someone grappling with it. The last video discusses his last “breakdow... ...»

Can doctors be happy? part 2
	Pages: 1 2 Next » Single Page In Part 1, Can Doctors be Happy?, I discussed the various challenges facing doctors nowadays, and explored some of the possible reasons for physicians’ unhappiness in life. In this article, we’ll discuss three specific skills to practice to raise your happiness level: reducing unnecessary misery by learning mindfulness, experiencing more joy, and finding greater life satisfaction through strategic goal setting. Learn to be More Mindful Much unnecessary misery comes from mindlessness: the frantic, hypervigilant frame of mind that has us always rushing to cross to-dos off our lists, in a hurry, not listening, not concentrating, distracted, not fully present. Greater mindfulness will reduce that misery. There are two comp... ...»

Can doctors be happy? part 1
	Pages: 1 2 Next » Single Page I don't think I know any doctors who are happy in their work. Time magazine tells us that 44 percent of physicians say they are "very happy," a significant difference from the 67 percent of clergy who say they are happy. Doctors are right down there with lawyers, accountants, and dentists. But I have a hard time believing that 44 percent anyway. I'm a psychologist, and I know a lot of doctors, many of whom are making plans to leave the profession ASAP. Some of this is a reflection of world-wide trends. Though physicians generally make a decent income, in the last few years there's been an increasing recognition — and good research evidence — that advances in personal prosperity may actually lead to unhappiness... ...»

Women are stressed out (so are men!)
	My favorite quote of the week from a spokesperson for the American Psychological Association (APA): “Taken together, these things often lead to more stress in women, because they just have more things to be stressed about.” Wow, a deep insight there. Sorry, but I couldn’t help myself. The comment is in reaction to a consumer survey conducted by the APA into how “stressed out” Americans are feeling (which seems apropos, given the economy, an election, a continuing war, etc.). They survey found that women are under more stress, but the spokesperson admitted that “Women are sometimes more aware of the stress they are feeling,” suggesting there may have been a gender response bias to the survey (e.g., if we already know men are less likely to adm... ...»

Friends with benefits
	One of my dearest female friends is in a relationship with a friend of her own. It’s not an unhealthy relationship, but the man has made it clear to my friend that it has a definite ending as he needs to move away for a job. She understands this, intellectually anyway. But there’s some question as to whether our intellect can overrule our emotion in every instance and in every situation. I suspect that the more time we spend with another person involved in intimacies, the more intimate we get regardless of our overall intentions. I would even go so far to say that it’s inevitable. That like that old premise in “When Harry Met Sally,” men and women can’t just be friends. Well, I mean that they definitely cannot just be friends if they’re actively ... ...»

Jonathan delman wins robert wood johnson leadership prize
	Jonathan Delman is a psychiatric survivor and a $125,000 winner of the Robert Wood Johnson leadership prize for his community health work in mental health. Delman founded and leads an organization called Consumer Quality Initiatives. This is an agency that surveys people who receive mental health services from Massachusetts. They then analyze the data for ways to make improvements. The agency is staffed mainly by people with mental illness. Delman himself is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and still takes six medications a day to help treat it (three of which, the article notes, are to help him sleep). Being a patient of the mental health system (and making a dramatic “escape” from McLean Hospital here a decade ago), he’s had a tough, uphill battle to gain legitimacy... ...»

Montessori classroom for alzheimer's disease patients
	A beautiful initiative, featured in the New York Times today: Coming Full Circle: - "In a typical Montessori classroom, teachers use category-sorting exercises to help young students see patterns and connections. But the participants in this group were mostly in their 80s and on the other side of the cognitive development curve. They are residents at an assisted-living facility for people with dementia called Hearthstone at the Esplanade, which has six other homes in New York State and Massachusetts. Since July the residents have participated in a full-time program of Montessori-based activities designed for people with memory deficiencies." - "A common misconception about people with dementia, Dr. Camp said, is that they no longer learn. But they do: residents learn to find... ...»

John the voter
	During this election, the presidential candidates trotted out the overly simplistic story of “Joe the Plumber.” Once the media looked a little bit into the background “Joe the Plumber,” it turned out that maybe he was a little too good to be true. I am so incredibly annoyed by these simplistic labels of people. While perhaps an interesting story-telling device for all of one minute, they completely and absolutely insult the intelligence of the average voter in America. People are not their jobs and to reduce them to such a role just to try and illustrate a hypothetical tax plan is not only ridiculous, but insulting. I have to imagine there are other story-telling devices one can use that don’t insult our intelligence. In fact, I don’t have to imagine ... ...»

Aspirin - things to know about this common over the counter medication
	Estimates figure that about 60 percent of people ages 65 and older take an aspirin at least once a week, some on the recommendation of their doctor (to prevent heart disease) some now. This common, over-the-counter medication can cause some serious side effects. Regular use should be discussed with a doctor. Aspirin is routinely recommended by the American Heart Association for people who’ve had a heart attack, stroke caused by blood clot, unstable angina, or “ministrokes.” Further more the American Heart Association recommends that people who have yet to experience an event but who are at increased risk because of family history, say, may also stand to gain from aspirin therapy. Here are some things you may not know about Aspirin. 1. Aspirin would have a hard time gettin... ...»

Learning to multitask: donâ€™t bother
	Right now, I have 36 windows opened up on my computer. No, I’m not doing (or trying to do) 36 things at once. It’s just that’s what happens when you give a dumb human like me the tools to open up 36 or 72 or 172 windows at once. It’s no wonder it’s so easy to lose track of where we are and what we’re doing. Welcome to the wonderful world of multi-tasking. That modern marvel where companies and bosses expect us to perform miracles simply because the technology allows it. Nobody bothered checking with the human brain first to see if multitasking was even a good thing. Well, until not recently. Turns out that multitasking is generally not a good thing. Need proof? A whole generation (the “Net Gen”) is growing up supposedly learning and do... ...»

Memory problems? perhaps you are multi-tasking
	In this study, 72% of the students had a My Space account, 76% had a cell phone, and 68% had an IM address. Those who had a MySpace account had significantly lower grades than those without an account. The same was true for those that used IM, compared with those who did not. Cell phone use was also associated with lower grades and the effect was magnified if text messaging was used on cell phones. Not surprisingly, if these devices were used during homework, the grades were even lower than for students who used these technologies outside of homework. Almost half reported text messaging during class time, and their grades were lower than the students who only used IM outside of class. These are correlational data and do not prove that using these devices causes lower grades. But it is a go... ...»

Truth in advertising - bayer warned about unsubstantiated aspirin claims
	According to Federal regulators from the Food and Drug Administration, Bayer has been illegally marketing two aspirin products that make unsubstantiated health claims about fighting heart disease and osteoporosis. In both cases, the aspirin has been combined with a dietary supplement into a single pill. Aspirin is often recommended by doctors to treat general aches and pains and in small doses (baby aspirin) as a blood thinner for patients with heart disease. The two products in question: Bayer Aspirin with Heart Advantage (Bayer Heart Advantage)"“aspirin combined with phytosterols (a plant-based supplement also known as plant sterols) Bayer Women’s Low Dose Aspirin + Calcium (Bayer Women’s)"“aspirin combined with calcium These product formulations are not approved by FDA. ... ...»

Metacarnival #1: a conversation across the blogosphere
	Welcome to the first edition of MetaCarnival: a Carnival of Carnivals (announced here), the new, monthly, and interdisciplinary gathering of blogs and blog carnivals. Let's picture all participants in the shadow of an expansive sycamore tree, conducting a lively Q&A lunch discussion. General Advice Q: What would you recommend to live as long as possible, and as healthy as possible? - Hourglass (biology of aging): Try Not To Stab Yourself Repeatedly. Or smoke. Or eat that much fast food...you get the idea.Â "The vast majority of people are quite comfortable engaging in habits that cause great harm to the old person they will one day be, cutting off years or even decades of health." Q: Can blogging help, too? - I and the Bird (birds): Indeed. Just read about these life-ch... ...»

Is american healthcare in a bubble?
	Over at e-Patients.net, my colleague Alan Greene (who, with his wife Cheryl, runs the fantastic parenting and child resource site, DrGreene.com) writes an entry based upon a talk he gave at the second Health 2.0 conference in San Francisco this past week. (Health 2.0 is a conference that ostensibly seeks to help encourage the conversation amongst people seeking to help empower patients with their health care.) Dr. Greene believes that change is coming in the American health care system, which is currently in a bubble, because the current system is simply unsustainable: At one time, the dot.com bubble of the new economy and the more recent housing bubble looked to many like they would go up forever. The banking bubble grew in the marbled halls of century-old firms. But what looked so so... ...»

What to do in an economic crisis
	First, don’t panic. The cause of many people’s angst and misery during an economic crisis is surely money-related, but we also multiply it by worrying unnecessarily. Worry won’t change the situation, nor bring back any money you may have lost. In fact, worry can make matters worse, increasing your stress level and causing anxiety (which in turn causes irrational thinking and can lead to poor decision-making). So the last thing you want to do is panic. Second, look at the big, long-term picture. Yes, I know that’s easier said than done, but most people’s losses are in their 401(k) retirement funds. These are long-term funds meant to weather the occasional stock market storm. So even if you’ve lost a quarter or half of your retirement savings in the pa... ...»

Metacarnival: a carnival of blog carnivals
	If you are a blogger or read blogs often, you know that there are a good number of excellent blog carnivals focused on specific themes. If you are interested in medicine, you know what carnival to visit. Education, the same. Biology, neuroscience, nursing, birds, aging, philosophy...a variety of topics are very well covered in the blogosphere. What you probably haven't come across is a high-quality "metacarnival" or "carnival of carnivals", where you can read the best blog posts ACROSS topics, subjects, disciplines. This is why a few blog carnival "organizers" are launching next Monday a monthly rotating "MetaCarnival" to feature the most interesting posts from a variety of high-quality blog carnivals. Participating blog carnivals so far, alphabetica... ...»

Alzheimer's risk and prevention: the cognitive reserve
	A couple of recent research findings are making the media rounds, bringing much needed attention to the high Alzheimer's rates among Latinos and to preventive approaches based on the Cognitive Reserve - such as, what jobs we choose: More Alzheimer's risk for Hispanics, studies find (International Herald Tribune): - Studies suggest that many Hispanics may have more risk factors for developing dementia than other groups, and a significant number appear to be getting Alzheimer's earlier. And surveys indicate that Latinos, less likely to see doctors because of financial and language barriers, more often mistake dementia symptoms for normal aging, delayingÂ diagnosis. - "This is the tip of the iceberg of a huge public health challenge," said Yanira Cruz, president of the National Hisp... ...»

Blame the patient
	When a patient or client isn’t doing better in psychotherapy, sometimes a therapist may fall back onto that old familiar refrain, “Well, the patient just isn’t doing the work. He’s to blame for his lack of progress in getting better.” Dr. Richard Friedman describes this strategy in a thoughtful article in yesterday’s New York Times. It’s not uncommon for a psychotherapist, when faced with a client who doesn’t seem to be improving after months (or even years) of therapy, to blame the patient. They aren’t trying. They’re not doing their homework. They don’t really want to get better. There’s a dozen different reasons a therapist will come up with depending upon the specific client. More often than not, though... ...»

Navigating the brain fitness landscape: do's and don'ts
	"Choosing the right cognitive fitness product or program for senior living residents is harder than it sounds. But understanding residents' needs, identifying your objectives and considering the total cost of ownership will help set you on the right path." You can continue reading my first guest column at McKnight's Long Term Care News here: Navigating the brain fitness landscape: do's and don'ts Brain Fitness, brain fitness product, cognitive fitness, cognitive fitness product, long term care, products, senior living, senior living residents (Source: SharpBrains) ...»

Been rejected? you may be a better judge of genuineness
	Who knew that rejection might have an upside? After being dumped by a boyfriend or girlfriend, the only things we feel good at is, well, being rejected. But in a strange twist of evolutionary fate, apparently that rejection may sensitize us to genuineness in others and being better able to spot fake or artificial emotions. The researchers tested their hypothesis on undergraduates and smiles: The research found that subjects who were manipulated to feel rejection were able to distinguish a fake smile from a real one nearly 80 percent of the time. Researchers studied 32 subjects, 17 women and 15 men. […] "Some thought the subjects who had been rejected would latch on to any sign of positivity and accept the insincere smiles as genuine," Bernstein said. "But it's clear we"... ...»

Treating adhd is a walk in the park?
	Pages: 1 2 Next » Single Page As we reported on Friday, a small, 17-person study published by researchers from the University of Illinois suggested they had the perfect treatment for kids with attention deficit disorder (ADHD) — a walk in the park. We’re all for the most natural, simple treatments available. And this one really sounded good! What could be better than telling parents, “Hey, take your kid for a walk in the park and your child’s ADHD will be less severe.” So why does this study make us hold our noses? Besides the small sample size (which should raise warning bells for anyone who thinks this could apply to everyone), the other red warning flag to me was the use of the Digit Span Backwards test as the sole measure for t... ...»

Fighting cognitive dissonance & the lies we tell ourselves
	If you’re interested in psychology and human behavior, you’ve probably heard the phrase cognitive dissonance. It’s the term coined by psychologist Leon Festinger in 1954 to describe “the feeling of psychological discomfort produced by the combined presence of two thoughts that do not follow from one another. Festinger proposed that the greater the discomfort, the greater the desire to reduce the dissonance of the two cognitive elements” (Harmon-Jones & Mills, 1999). Dissonance theory suggests that if individuals act in ways that contradict their beliefs, then they typically will change their beliefs to align with their actions (or vice-a-versa). The easiest way to describe the concept is by a quick example. Say you’re a student looking to choose be... ...»

Training attention and emotional self-regulation - interview with michael posner
	Michael I. Posner is a prominent scientist in the field of cognitive neuroscience. He is currently an emeritus professor of neuroscience at the University of Oregon (Department of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive and Decision Sciences). In August 2008, the International Union of Psychological Science made him the first recipient of the Dogan Prize "in recognition of a contribution that represents a major advance in psychology by a scholar or team of scholars of high international reputation." Dr. Posner, many thanks for your time today. I really enjoyed the James Arthur Lecture monograph on Evolution and Development of Self-Regulation that you delivered last year. Could you provide a summary of the research you presented? I would emphasize that we human beings can regulate our ... ...»

Busting the myths about sleep?
	Pages: 1 2 Next » Single Page You probably can’t get through a single year without reading one article or watching one news segment on TV about the detriments the lack of sleep has on people. The blame is usually cast on modern society’s fast pace of life and there being so much to do. And, in fact, sometimes a lack of sleep can be a sign or symptom of other problems (such as this article notes in teens). The average adult gets between 7 to 7 1/2 hours of sleep per night, and the average child and teen, about 9 hours. Common wisdom suggests adults also need 8 to 9 hours a day, but there’s little empirical support for this number. Jim Horne over at the New Scientist makes the claim that we’re not putting sleep deprivation into proper hist... ...»

Brain fitness newsletter: premium research sponsors
	This article summarizes the main market dynamics, open questions, and top trends to watch for. Nourishing Our Brains and Minds Teaching is the Art of Changing the Brain: Laurie Bartels promises, "I have read a number of books that translate current brain research into practice while providing practical suggestions for teachers to implement. This is the first book I have read that provides a biological, and clearly rational, overview of learning and the brain." Go and enjoy her review of a very interesting book by James Zull, Director Emeritus of the University Center for Innovation in Teaching and Education at Case Western Reserve. Philosophy as the Missing Link in School Curricula: Kimberly Wickham answers provides some good answers to the question, "Why would anyone want... ...»

Global agenda council: the challenges of gerontology?
	I announced two months ago (Global Agenda Councils: The Challenges of Gerontology) that I had been invited to join a very stimulating new initiative by the World Economic Forum. Next month, 700 experts will meet to drive an interdisciplinary agenda covering 68 topics (see below); 16 of us focused on the Challenges of Gerontology. Dubai To Host 700 Of The World's Most Influential Leaders From Academia, Business, Government and Society At First World Economic Forum Summit on the Global Agenda (I didn't write the title of the press release...) - "The World Economic Forum, in partnership with the Government of Dubai, will hold its inaugural Summit on the Global Agenda in Dubai from 7 to 9 November 2008. The Summit is a new, unique gathering of the world's 700 most innovative and relev... ...»

Clergy often dismiss a mental health concern
	As we reported earlier today, nearly a third of Christian people in a study who went to their clergy for assistance with a personal or family member’s mental illness were told they (or their family member) didn’t really have a mental health problem. Instead, it was suggested to them that it was just a spiritual crisis. (The mental illness was already diagnosed by a mental health professional, so there was little question about the validity of the diagnosis.) The study found this occurred more often with women, and in conservative churches. A disturbing data-point. Clergy should not be making any type of judgment or diagnosis regarding the people in their church and I’m not at all clear as to why a clergy member or church leader would do so. Perhaps the problem lies i... ...»

Vitamin angels - providing vital nutrition to children & families in need
	Vitamin Angels For a quarter, you can keep a child from going blind due to Vitamin A deficiency. Over the course of four years, when children are most vulnerable, the total expense for Vitamin Angels is $1.00, whichs covers the cost of two high dose vitamin A and anti-parasitic supplements given each year to a child from the ages of 2 to 5. Operation 20/20 Vitamin Angels is committed to eradicating childhood blindness due to Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) on the planet by the year 2020. Operation 20/20 is the first major step in this global campaign, which launched in 2007 18 countries. Vitamin Angels Vitamin Angels is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing vital nutrition in the form of supplements, to developing countries, communities and individuals in need. Vitamin Angels has s... ...»

Harvest time, foliage time brings memories to alzheimerâ€™s patients
	AlzheimersNotes.com As I gaze at the colorful foliage of autumn around my New Hampshire home, I’m reminded of my mother’s love of this time of year.Â We were surrounded by pasture and woodlands at the farm where I grew up and where Mother lived for more than 50 years.Â She always called our attention to the autumn colors in the woods and field and garden.Â Some corn stalks lingered in the field beyond the barn.Â Pumpkins and squash, ready for picking,Â added color to the garden near the house.Â As Mother developed Alzheimer’s, she still enjoyed the autumn leaves and harvest.Â I recall one autumn of taking her for drives through the colorful countryside near her home.Â She talked about that for days afterward, whenever she remembered.Â It was an event that still br... ...»

Wellness Articles from Medworm | Healthy Figures

Wellness Articles from Medworm