Therapist Unlimited Blog

PREGNANT women if possible should avoid taking anti-epilepsy drugs since doing so could affect the intelligence quotient of their unborn child.
Recent research at the University of Liverpool suggest that children aged three years and younger, who are born to women taking the anti-epileptic drug sodium valproate whilst pregnant, are likely to have an IQ of six to nine points lower than average.
The study looks into 300 three-year-olds in the UK and US, whose mothers took one of four anti-epilepsy drugs (AEDs) while pregnant.
According to the initial findings those children exposed to the drug sodium valproate had lower IQ results than children exposed to other AEDs, regardless of the mother’s IQ.
The researchers also took dosage, duration of pregnancy and mother’s consumption of folic acid while pregnant.

A recent study has shown that an anti-epilepsy drug has harmful effects on IQ of unborn children.

Gus Baker, professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Liverpool explained their research looked at how exposure to sodium valproate and other AEDs in the womb affected children’s everyday life in particular their IQ, memory and language
abilities from one to six years of age.
Based on studies, some 5,000 women with epilepsy become pregnant every year in the UK and the majority of these, including those on AEDs, will experience uncomplicated pregnancies and births.
Earlier studies on the matter has already shown that children exposed to AEDs such as sodium valproate in the womb are more likely to suffer birth defects characterized by
heart malformations, dysmorphic features and minor limb deformities.
Baker said the answer is not as simple as to take women off AEDs altogether as the effects of suffering a seizure can also pose a risk for both mother and unborn child.
He said it is vital that the research is now used to educate women with epilepsy before they start to plan for a family.
Furthermore, Baker said women need to be aware of the risks so that they can make informed choices with the help and advice of experts.
Baker said it is also important that women do not stop taking AED treatment without taking advice from their medical practitioner.
He said it is important to stress that sodium valproate is used globally and it has a favorable safety profile for all adult patients who use it.
He added it has a range of pharmaceutical uses including bipolar disorder, migraine, epilepsy, and in adults sodium valproate is extremely effective.

Those children facing anorexia have higher chances of suffering from impaired bone development when they reach adolescent.
This was the result of a recent research which also uncovered that children and teenagers with even mild cases of anorexia exhibit abnormal bone structure.
Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by emaciation, distorted body image and intense fear of gaining weight.
Miriam A. Bredella, M.D., musculoskeletal radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston said Adolescence is the most critical period for growth of bone mass, and the onset of anorexia interferes with that process, impairment of bone development may permanently alter bone structure and increase the risk of fractures and osteoporosis in adult life.
Bredella revealed people with the disorder are obsessed with weight control and often perceive themselves as overweight, even when they are dangerously thin.

Recent studies have shown that anorexia could affect adolescent bone development.

She said the disorder primarily occurs among young women and affects one in 100 adolescent girls.
The medical expert added among the many health problems associated with anorexia is bone loss.
To get the data, Bredella and her team used high-resolution, flat-panel volume computed tomography (CT) and DXA to study 10 adolescent girls, age 13 to 18, with mild anorexia and 10 age-matched girls without the disorder.
The new, high-resolution CT exam allowed the researchers to identify differences in bone structure between the patients with anorexia and the healthy controls, whereas bone mineral density measurements obtained using DXA did not.
The researchers said the results showed that while there was not a significant difference in bone mineral density between the anorexic patients and the healthy control group, there were significant structural differences, indicating that changes in bone structure begin to occur in anorexic patients well before decreases in bone density.
Moreover, the researchers claimed their data suggest that reassuring values of bone mineral density obtained using DXA may not reflect the true status of bone structure in this undernourished population.
Bredella said that in patients with anorexia, bone structure should be analyzed to detect abnormal bone health.

According to medical experts, constant texting would not only result in sore thumbs, but would also affect the neck, arms and hands of the texters.
In a study conducted by the  Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden they discovered that some persons who are text addicts ends up having problems with their neck, arms and hands.
To get the result of the study, Ergonomist Ewa Gustafsson studied mobile phone habits among 56 young adults who text message on a daily basis.
Gustafsson said half of the subjects reported problems with the neck, arms or hands, while the other half had no such symptoms.
He said considering how much we use the small mobile phone keypads, it is important that we learn how they affect our bodies.
He added there is a need to identify factors related to mobile phone usage that may affect our health and ability to work.

People should stop texting too much since such an activity could affect your neck, arms and hands.

Gustafsson also interviewed 25 young adults who use mobile phones and computers extensively to communicate.
The medical expert said these people use the technology as a tool to be and act in the present, to be social, effective and independent with almost unlimited possibilities.
He said that there are also risks.
He revealed those interviewed related health risks to long-term usage, bad work posture and reduced physical activity.
To avoid injuries and pains while texting, Gustafsson recommended these tips:

A. Avoid sitting in the same position while texting and trying different position instead. He said it would be best to use the chair’s backrest in order to relieve forearms by resting them against a desk on your thighs.
B. He also recommended the use of both hands in texting and to refrain from hunching for a long time.
C.  Gustafsson also advised to allow the thumbs a break when typing long messages and not to type too fast.