Mental Attitude: Money Can Be Depressing?
Rates of depression are higher in countries with higher per capita incomes. 121 million people worldwide have depression. Severe depression can lead to suicide and causes 850,000 deaths every year. The United Sates and France had the highest depression rates. Higher incomes can be related to more work hours and a lowered quality of life. 15% of people in high-income countries were likely to become depressed during their lifetime, compared with 11% of those in low or middle-income countries.
British Medical Journal, Aug 2011
Health Alert: You Are Getting Very Sleepy.
Insomnia affects 23% of US workforce, costing $63.2 billion annually. Insomnia is a condition characterized by difficulty falling asleep and remaining asleep. It includes a wide spectrum of sleep disorders, from not enough sleep to lack of quality sleep.
Sleep, Aug 2011
Diet: Bad Habits?
People entering the movies were given a bucket of either just-popped, fresh popcorn or stale, week-old popcorn. Moviegoers who didn't usually eat popcorn at the movies ate much less stale popcorn than fresh popcorn. Moviegoers who typically had popcorn at the movies ate about the same amount -- regardless it was fresh or stale. When we've repeatedly eaten a food in an environment, our brain comes to associate the food with that environment and we keep eating as long as those environmental cues are present.
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2011
Exercise: Runners Drinking Too Much?
50% of recreational runners may be drinking too much fluid during races. 37% of runners drink according to a preset schedule or to maintain a certain body weight and 9% drink as much as possible. Expert guidelines recommend runners drink only when thirsty. 30% incorrectly believe they need extra salt while running, and 57% drink sports drinks because the drinks have electrolytes that prevent low blood sodium. However, main cause of low sodium is drinking too much water or sports drinks during exercise, which can dilute the sodium content of blood to abnormally low levels. This can cause a potentially fatal condition called exercise-associated hyponatremia. Symptoms of hyponatremia include: nausea, vomiting, headache, confusion, loss of energy, muscle weakness, spasms or cramps. In extreme cases, the condition can lead to seizures, unconsciousness and coma.
British Journal of Sports Medicine, June 2011
Chiropractic: Careful.
In work-related nonspecific low back pain, the use of health maintenance care (treatment after initial disability was resolved) provided by Physical Therapist (PT) or Medical Physician (MD) services was associated with a higher disability (injury) recurrence than in the use of Chiropractic (DC) services.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, April 2011
Wellness/Prevention: Shorter Colds.
Zinc lozenges may shorten the duration of common cold episodes by 40%.
Open Respiratory Medicine Journal, Aug 2011
