Moms, we've got to get moving!

I am guilty of this too, I watch far too much TV. Yes, and that automatically reduced the amount of physical activity I get. That in turn plays an important role in leading to unwanted weight gain.
Not only is this lack of physical activity bad for the moms, it is setting a poor example for our kids, who too spend far too much time in front of TVs and Computer screens. If not for ourselves, let us change that for our sons and daughters and lets get moving!!

Here is the report on the subject on MedicineNet.com;

Less Physical Activity, More TV for Today's Moms, Study Finds
American mothers watch more TV and get less physical activity today than mothers did four decades ago, a new study finds.
"With each passing generation, mothers have become increasingly physically inactive, sedentary and obese, thereby potentially predisposing children to an increased risk of inactivity, adiposity [body fat] and chronic non-communicable diseases," said study leader Edward Archer, an exercise scientist and epidemiologist at the University of South Carolina.

"Given that physical activity is an absolute prerequisite for health and wellness, it is not surprising that inactivity is now a leading cause of death and disease in developed nations," Archer noted in a university news release. The analysis of 45 years of national data focused on two groups of mothers: those with children 5 years or younger, and those with children aged 6 to 18. The researchers assessed physical activity related to cooking, cleaning and exercising. (Continued)

The advantage of being bilingual and mulitlingual

A recent extensive study on the relationship of bilingualism and dementia has provided further evidence and support to the belief that bilingual individuals show a delay in onset of dementia in old age. 

Sue Hughes reports in the Medscape Neurology section;

' More evidence that speaking a second language may protect against dementia has come from a study conducted in India.

The study, published online November 6 in Neurology, was conducted by a team led by Suvarna Alladi, DM, from Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, India.

"This study provides the strongest evidence yet that speaking more than 1 language delays the development of dementia," coauthor Thomas H. Bak, MD, from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, commented to Medscape Medical News. "We can't say we have proven the effect, but this is the largest and most thorough study conducted on the subject in the most appropriate population. It would be extremely surprising if the results were not real."

He explained that 2 previous studies, both conducted in Toronto, Canada, have suggested that bilingualism might postpone dementia. However, most of the bilingual participants were immigrants with very different cultural backgrounds than members of the monolingual group, which introduced a high degree of confounding.

The study involved 648 patients with dementia diagnosed at a specialist clinic, 391 of whom were bilingual. The age at onset of first symptoms was compared between monolingual and bilingual groups.

Results showed that overall, bilingual patients developed dementia 4.5 years later than those who spoke only 1 language. The effect was consistent across the different types of dementia and was also independent of other potential confounding factors such as education, sex, occupation, and urban vs rural dwelling of participants.'

The fact that the new study was conducted in Hyderabad, India with a mostly bilingual population has been described as a stroke of genius. The majority Hindu population speaks Telugu, whereas the Muslim minority speaks Dakkhini. Besides these languages most Hyderabadis learn English and Hindi in school and use them in formal context. Hence it is likely for a Hyderabad resident to be fluent in 2-3 languages. 

Barbara J. King reports in the NPR Science blog;

' The patients who contributed data to the study, then, are surrounded by multiple languages in everyday life, not primarily as a result of moving from one location to another. This turns out to be an important factor, as the authors explain:

"In contrast to previous studies, the bilingual group was drawn from the same environment as the monolingual one and the results were therefore free from the confounding effects of immigration. The bilingual effect on age at dementia onset was shown independently of other potential confounding factors, such as education, sex, occupation, cardiovascular risk factors, and urban vs rural dwelling, of subjects with dementia."

What exactly is it about the ability to speak in two languages that seems to provide this protective effect? Alladi and co-authors explain:

"The constant need in a bilingual person to selectively activate one language and suppress the other is thought to lead to a better development of executive functions and attentional tasks with cognitive advantages being best documented in attentional control, inhibition, and conflict resolution."

Intriguingly, when a patient speaks three (or more) languages, no extra benefits accrue neurologically. Speaking a single language beyond one's native tongue is enough to do the trick.'

Therefore not only should we try to learn more then one language whenever the opportunity arises, but we should also make an effort to make our children at least bilingual if not multilingual.  

P.S:

New Study Shows Brain Benefits Of Bilingualism (Link to Full Article)
More Evidence Bilingualism Delays Dementia ( Link to Full Article)

Resurgence of Measles : A cause for concern

Recent statistics have shown that the number of cases of measles has tripled in the US in 2013. Most likely culprit is the refusal by parents to get their children vaccinated. This trend has been seen primarily in Europe but is gaining popularity in the US too.

What exactly is Measles? 

According to the CDC; Measles is a respiratory disease caused by a virus. The disease of measles and the virus that causes it share the same name. The disease is also called rubeola. Measles virus normally grows in the cells that line the back of the throat and lungs.

Most common symptoms are fever, runny nose, cough and a rash all over the body. But complications in children may often include ear infections and pneumonia. A more serious consequence may be meningitis which may lead to death in children.

While measles is almost gone from the United States, it still kills an estimated 164,000 people each year around the world. Measles can also make a pregnant woman have a miscarriage or give birth prematurely. Measles is mostly spread by breathing, coughing and sneezing. It is so contagious that any child exposed to it and is not immune to it, will most likely get it.

But today AFP reported;

'Europe is big threat to resurgence of Measles in US'

After a decade of near total US elimination of measles due in large part to blanket immunizations of children, a surge of 175 cases have been documented so far this year, experts say.

That number is almost triple the average 60 cases of US measles per year over the last decade, said findings of a government study published in the Journal of American Medical Association.

And Europe was the source of almost half (25) of the 52 measles cases that are classed as direct importations from abroad this year, a CDC spokesman told AFP. (Complete Story)

Something must be changed....

When I read headline like " More Than 6 Percent of U.S. Teens Take Psychiatric Meds: Survey ADHD, depression most common conditions reported by those on medication", my first thought is this should not be an acceptable situation.
How can we just read this and be ok with it? Why are so many teenagers taking such medications? Are our health professionals are being too quick in prescribing these? Or are US teenagers missing some essential element in their upbringing and lives that is leading to a rise in need for treatment.We need to ask ourselves these pointed questions as the parents and do whatever needs to be done.

Here is an excerpt of the article on WebMD from HealthDay News; 

'Slightly more than 6 percent of U.S. teens take prescription medications for a mental health condition such as depression or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new survey shows. The survey also revealed a wide gap in psychiatric drug use across ethnic and racial groups. Earlier studies have documented a rise in the use of these medications among teens, but they mainly looked at high-risk groups such as children who have been hospitalized for psychiatric problems. 

The new survey provides a snapshot of the number of adolescents in the general population who took a psychiatric drug in the past month from 2005 to 2010.Teens aged 12 to 19 typically took drugs to treat depression or ADHD, the two most common mental health disorders in that age group. About 4 percent of kids aged 12 to 17 have experienced a bout of depression, the study found.Meanwhile, 9 percent of children aged 5 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD, a behavioral disorder marked by difficulty paying attention and impulsive behavior. 

Males were more likely to be taking medication to treat ADHD, while females were more commonly taking medication to treat depression. This follows patterns seen in the diagnosis of these conditions across genders. Exactly what is driving the new numbers is not clear, but "in my opinion, it's an increase in the diagnosis of various conditions that these medications can be prescribed for," said study author Bruce Jonas. He is an epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). But these are stressful times and it is also possible that children are becoming more vulnerable to these conditions as a result. "The recession and various world events might be a contributing factor," Jonas speculated. (Full Article)

Memories in our DNA?

Like me I am sure you have known people with traits, habits, and behaviors that you notice in other members of their families. We are all guilty of statements like "Their whole family is paranoid and strange" or " He isn't the only one in his family with this habit" Well recent animal studies seem to support the idea that some memories are actually passed on from generation to generation through a part of DNA. Here is the report on the subject on BBC World News;

'Memories' pass between generations

Behaviour can be affected by events in previous generations which have been passed on through a form of genetic memory, animal studies suggest.

Experiments showed that a traumatic event could affect the DNA in sperm and alter the brains and behaviour of subsequent generations. A Nature Neuroscience study shows mice trained to avoid a smell passed their aversion on to their "grandchildren". Experts said the results were important for phobia and anxiety research. The animals were trained to fear a smell similar to cherry blossom.

The team at the Emory University School of Medicine, in the US, then looked at what was happening inside the sperm. (Continue..)

The relationship between cholesterol treatment and muscle aches

I know many people who take medications for lowering their cholesterol. Some of them complain of a non specific muscle aches. Now there seems to be a definite proof that these muscle pains may be caused by the interaction of Statins (a class of cholesterol lowering drugs) with other medications a person might be taking. Here is an article on that subject published in a New York Times' Well blog recently;

 People who use statin drugs to lower their cholesterol sometimes complain of muscle pain and soreness. But a new study suggests that in some cases these side effects may be a result of combining statins with other medications.
The research found that people taking statins had double the risk of muscle pain when they were prescribed various other drugs, and often these side effects were what prompted people to stop taking statins. People in the study who quit using statins because they could not tolerate them were, on average, taking as many as three other drugs that could increase the risk of side effects.
Statins are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the world and used by roughly 20 million Americans to reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke. But the new research suggests that doctors and pharmacists may need to do a better job of managing the medications that are prescribed in combination with them. (Complete Article)

Exercise.....the way to so many good things!

We all know exercise is good for the body, the soul and the mind. But now there is clear proof that exercise can help improve our thinking ability and hence our mental capabilities.

Exercise 'is good dementia therapy'

"People with dementia who exercise improve their thinking abilities and everyday life, a body of medical research concludes.
The Cochrane Collaboration carried out a systematic review of eight exercise trials involving more than 300 patients living at home or in care.
Exercise did little for patients' moods, the research concluded.But it did help them carry out daily activities such as rising from a chair, and boosted their cognitive skills." (Full Article)