Mental Attitude: Is Work Stress as Dangerous as Secondhand Smoke Exposure?
Having a high-demand job that regularly places a lot of stress on an individual can result in a similar number of poor health outcomes as can regular exposure to secondhand smoke. Study author Dr. Joel Goh writes, “Unless and until companies and governments more rigorously measure and intervene to reduce harmful workplace stressors, efforts to improve people’s health – and their lives – and reduce healthcare costs will be limited in their effectiveness.”
Behavioral Science & Policy Association, September 2015
Health Alert: Some High School Students Using E-Cigarettes to “Vape” Cannabis.
A new report finds that some teens are using electronic cigarettes to vaporize cannabis instead of nicotine. These adolescents are replacing nicotine solution in their e-cigarettes with cannabis products such as hash oil, dried cannabis, and wax infused with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the active ingredient in cannabis. The researchers conclude, “These findings raise concerns about the lack of e-cigarette regulations and the potential use of e-cigarettes for purposes other than vaping nicotine.”
American Academy of Pediatrics, September 2015
Diet: Reducing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Improves HDL in Children.
Researchers have found that reducing sugar-sweetened beverage intake among schoolchildren by a minimum of one serving per week can improve their HDL (good) cholesterol. They also note that high consumption of these beverages was linked to a lower intake of fruits and vegetables among the same age group. Senior author Jennifer Sacheck comments, “Importantly, not only are most sugar-sweetened beverages high in sugar and devoid of nutritional value, but they are displacing other foods and beverages that offer high nutritional quality, which are critical for children’s growth and development, further exacerbating the potential harmful health effects of sugar-sweetened beverages.”
The Journal of Nutrition, September 2015
Exercise: Resistance Training Can Help Fibromyalgia Patients.
Even though it seems counterintuitive to place physical stress on the muscles of patients with muscle pain, resistance training appears to have a positive effect on reducing the severity of symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia.
Arthritis Research and Therapy, September 2015
Chiropractic: Back Pain and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
Among a sample of 365 nurses, researchers found 59.7% had experienced back pain during the previous year. Those who had at least one episode of back pain during the preceding twelve months were significantly more likely to suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, a disease characterized by fatigue that is not improved by bed rest. The research team notes this is the first study to demonstrate a relationship between back pain and chronic fatigue syndrome in hospital employees.
Agri, July 2015
Wellness/Prevention: Signs of Hypothyroidism.
When your thyroid doesn’t produce enough hormone, it can lead to a condition known as hypothyroidism. Symptoms of hypothyroidism include feeling tired, being sensitive to cold, developing a hoarse voice and slowed speech, a decrease in pulse rate, developing coarse scaly skin and thicker hair, numbness in the hands and fingers, constipation, weight gain, headaches, confusion, depression, and signs of dementia.
University of Maryland Medical Center, September 2015