Therapist Unlimited Blog

According to a latest medical study a great number of childhood cancer survivors are afraid to marry when they reach adulthood due to the long-term effects of cancer treatment on physical health.
Based on the research conducted by the  Yale School of Medicine, Yale Cancer Center, and Health Education, Research & Outcomes for Survivors (HEROS) Clinic for childhood cancer survivors it was discovered that e 20 to 25 percent of cancer survivors are more likely "to never marry" compared with siblings and the general population.
Lead researcher Nina S. Kadan-Lottick, M.D., M.S.P.H., assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine and Yale Cancer Center, and medical director of the Health Education, Research & Outcomes for Survivors (HEROS) Clinic for childhood cancer survivors explained many childhood cancer survivors still struggle to fully participate in our society because of the lasting cognitive and physical effects of their past cancer therapy.
Using data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, a retrospective cohort of more than 10,000 childhood cancer survivors (who are now adults) treated at 26 institutions around the country, Kadan-Lottick and colleagues evaluated the frequency of marriage and divorce rates among survivors compared with their sibling group and U.S. Census data. The Childhood Cancer Survivor Study is an ongoing study funded by the National Cancer Institute.

Childhood cancer survivors should not be afraid to get married since marriage is part of life.
 

Researchers distributed surveys to participants to determine late outcomes of therapy, medical problems, subsequent cancers, psychosocial functioning and other aspects of survivorship, according to the researchers. They identified patients and treatment factors that may predict marital status, including psychosocial distress and neurocognitive impairment.
"Our study pinpointed what aspects of the survivor experience likely contribute to altered marriage patterns: short stature, poor physical functioning and cognitive problems," said Kadan-Lottick. "These conditions are known to be associated with certain chemotherapy and radiation exposures."
Results showed that an estimated 42 percent of survivors were married, 7.3 percent were separated or divorced and 46 percent were never married.
Those who survived brain tumors were 50 percent more likely never to marry. Survivors of central nervous system tumors and leukemia had the greatest likelihood of never marrying, according to the study. Cranial radiation was the therapy most associated with not getting married.
Likelihood of divorce did not vary between the study populations.
"While it can be debated whether marriage is a desirable outcome, marriage is generally an expected developmental goal in our society to the extent that most U.S. adults are married by the age of 30. Our results suggest that survivors of childhood cancer need ongoing support even as they enter adulthood," Kadan-Lottick suggested.
Electra D. Paskett, Ph.D., who was not involved with the study, but is a deputy editor of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, said these findings shed light on the use of certain treatments and their long-term implications, which may affect a patient’s physical appearance, thereby resulting in social effects.
"In other studies marital status has been found to be a significant predictor of survival. Will we see this among the childhood survivors as well?" asked Paskett, who is the Marion N. Rowley professor of cancer research in the Division of Epidemiology, and associate director for population sciences in The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.
As a follow-up to this report, separate analyses are underway to better understand factors that contribute to other adult benchmarks among childhood cancer survivors, such as living independently, achieving higher education and income.

A recent medical study has shown that those women who are positive about their genitals find it easier to orgasm and are more likely to engage in sexual health promoting behaviours, such as having regular gynecological exams or performing vulvar self-examinations.
Debby Herbenick, associate director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation explained their findings is a positive news to women around the world.
Herbenick said our culture often portrays women’s genitals as dirty and in need of cleaning and grooming.
She added some women may have had greater exposure to such negative messages or may be more susceptible to their impact.
Herbenick’s study created a scale for measuring men’s and women’s attitudes toward women’s genitals. Such a scale, she wrote in the study, could be useful in sex therapy, in medical settings to help better understand decision-making that goes into gynecological care and treatment, and in health education settings involving women and their sexual health. The study also found that men had more positive attitudes about women’s genitals than women.
"Women are often more critical about their own bodies and other women’s bodies than men are," Herbenick said. "What we found in this study is that men generally feel positive about a variety of aspects of women’s genitals including how they look, smell, taste and feel."

To achieve orgasm and better sexual health women should feel confident about their sexuality.

Herbenick, also a sexual health educator for The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction, offers the following suggestions regarding the findings:
Body image. Parents might consider how they can help their daughters to feel more positively about their bodies, such as by teaching them accurate names for their body parts, including their genitals (e.g., "vulva" rather than "down there") and responding in supportive ways to their self-exploration. "Rather than saying, ‘don’t touch down there it’s dirty,’ parents might let their children know that it’s OK for them to touch their genitals, but in private spaces such as their own bedroom or the bathroom," Herbenick said.
Advertisements and marketing. Health educators might consider ways that they can teach women and men about their bodies in positive, sex-positive ways by openly discussing how some products or marketing campaigns make people feel about their bodies.
The survey component of the study involved 362 women and 241 men, most of whom were white/Caucasian and between the ages of 18 and 23.
"Our study builds on previous research that demonstrates that the mind and body are highly connected in regard to sex," said Herbenick."When women feel more positively about female genitals, they likely feel more relaxed in their own skin, more able to let go and thus more likely to experience pleasure and orgasm."
 

Groups around the world are joining hands to urge pregnant women to avoid drinking liquor during their pregnancy to keep their babies healthy and safe from any form of disease.
According to a recent study, learning disabilities, mental health issues and behaviour problems are just some of the issues that afflict babies exposed to alcohol in the womb.
Doctors, state legislators, health care professionals, parents, social workers and drug prevention and treatment specialist has recently gathered to discuss the issue on pregnant women who are drinking liquor during their pregnancy.
During the said meeting the group discovered that  women are getting conflicting information about drinking while pregnant.
while others are saying that drinking liquor during pregnancy is bad some sectors are themselves spreading the information that wine or Champagne were good for a woman’s blood while pregnant.
Some groups are also saying that drinking is safe in the first few months of pregnancy.
However, an intensive research has shown that many lifelong problems caused by permanent brain damage from drinking alcohol while pregnant.

Drinking liquor is bad for pregnant women.

Dr. Todd Ochs, a clinical instructor of pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said that part of the problem is that doctor training hasn’t changed to reflect new research about pre-natal alcohol exposure.
Ochs explained they used to worry about women using heroin or other illegal drugs while pregnant, but there are too many variables with alcohol that we don’t yet understand, so the best advice a doctor can give is that they shouldn’t drink at all.
Dr. Ochs has diagnosed and treated many children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and points out, that drinking will cause damage, they just don’t know how much damage will occur or what amount of alcohol will cause the damage, and why would anyone do something that’s known to be harmful to a baby.

 

A latest medical research has shown that children with emotional difficulties are at higher risk of becoming obese when they grow up.
The researchers revealed while their findings don’t show that emotional problems like low self esteem, being overly worried or feeling less in control of one’s life in childhood actually cause obesity in adulthood, they are a significant factor, alongside parental BMI, diet and exercise.
The relevant study was undertaken by Andrew Ternouth, David Collier and Barbara Maughan from the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London.
It is said that past studies have shown that people who are overweight or obese also have emotional problems like low self-esteem, but which causes the other is not clear.
To get the data, Ternouth and colleagues examined data from about 6,500 people who were enrolled in the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study when they were 10 years old, at which time their emotional problems, self-perceptions and BMI were assessed.

To keep your children away from obesity better help them emotional problems while growing up.
 

BMI stands for Body Mass Index, the ratio of a person’s weight in kilos to the square of their height in metres.
The participants were assessed again 20 years later, when they reached the age of 30.
The results showed that participants who scored low on self-esteem, and those who had felt less in control of their lives,
and who worried more often as children, were the ones most likely to put on weight as adults 20 years later.
The researchers also found that the link between childhood emotional problems and being overweight or obese in adulthood was slightly stronger in girls than it was in boys.
Based on the result of their research, the researchers concluded the findings are particularly important on a larger scale, as it offer hope in the battle to control the current obesity epidemic.
The researchers suggest that helping children with emotional difficulties like anxiety and low self esteem could improve their chances of being in better physical health as adults.
Moreover, the researchers said the result of their research has showed that intervention should be early, and spotting these issues in childhood could be an important step in combating obesity in adulthood.
The researchers concluded it’s not just up to doctors and health practitioners, but the job of everyone involved in the welfare of children, including parents and teachers.
 

A recent study has shown that those who drink heavily are at higher risk of getting inflicted with prostate cancer.
Based on the research heavy drinking consist of four glasses of liquor a day on five days a week.
The researchers in their study also found out that heavy drinking made finasteride ineffective for reducing prostate cancer risk.

Heavy drinkers better stop their habit or limit their liquor intake if they wish to avoid suffering from prostate cancer.

The research has shown that that finasteride’s ability to lower prostate cancer risk was blocked in men drinking 50g alcohol per day.
To avoid chances of suffering from prostate cancer, medical experts hope heavy drinkers will stop their habit or limit their liquor intake for the sake of their health.Prostate cancer, a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system is a deadly disease that should not be overlooked.
The cancer cells may metastasize (spread) from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly the bones and lymph nodes.
Prostate cancer may cause pain, difficulty in urinating, problems during sexual intercourse, or erectile dysfunction. Other symptoms can potentially develop during later stages of the disease.

A recent study has shown that people over the age of 60 are the most vulnerable to heat waves, with 82% to 92% more deaths than average occurring in this age group.
Based on the research, risks for heat-related illness or injury such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion and heat cramps are also
heightened in people with obesity, heart disease, diabetes and respiratory conditions as these decrease the body’s ability to adapt to temperature changes.
The researchers said physicians and their patients must be aware of the risk factors for older people and people with chronic disease in excessive heat conditions and counsel and manage accordingly.
According to the researchers, laboratory-based physiologic studies show that the ability to detect heat is reduced, and the physiological response to heat with adequate blood distribution and sweating to cool the body is slower, in otherwise healthy older individuals compared to younger people.
The research team explained their ability to respond to thirst is also delayed and they take longer to recover from dehydration.
Moreover, the study has also shown that people of lower socio-economic groups, lower levels of education and those who are socially isolated have a greater risk of mortality.

The elderly need to be careful since they are at higher risk from suffering from heat stress.

The researchers said air conditioning is associated with a risk reduction of 80% and working fans with a 30% reduction.
The researchers added housing may be a factor as lower income people often live in crowded or poor-quality housing, with inadequate ventilation and cooling systems.
They revealed homeless people are at risk because of lack of shelter from extreme heat and often also by underlying physical or psychiatric issues.
Dr. Glen Kenny from the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa and his co-authors said the new research should focus not only on filling these gaps in the science-based information but also on developing clinical guidelines for health professionals to facilitate the giving of advice to patients.

A recent study has shown that the feelings of depression could be one reason patients fail to follow their doctors’ orders on exercising and eventually become less physically active.
It is said that although past research shows that exercise improves chronic health conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, it also shows that patients with these conditions often suffer from depression.
To get the result, the researchers evaluated 11 studies comprising some 20,000 patients.
Based on eight studies reported that having symptoms of depression after a coronary event, such as heart attack, was a significant risk factor for developing a sedentary lifestyle or a poor adherence to an exercise regimen recommended by the patients’ doctor.

Those patients who are less active could be suffering from depression.

Babak Roshanaei-Moghaddam, M.D. of the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at University of Washington in Seattle and lead author of the study explained there are both behavioral habits associated with depression, such as smoking and obesity, which may then limit exercise motivation and enjoyment, as well as biologic factors that can cause obesity and decrease energy level, exercise tolerance and pain threshold.
Evette Joy Ludman, Ph.D., of Seattle-based Group Health Cooperative, who had no affiliation with the study, for her part said depression can indeed make people have less motivation and energy to exercise.
Ludman added the physical activity is not only important for preventing and managing many chronic conditions; it can be very helpful for improving mood and other symptoms of depression.

Pregnant women should eat nutritious foods during their pregnancy to ensure their baby will be healthy and have the right weight upon birth.
A recent study has shown that those babies who are born with low birth weight are at higher risk of suffering from kidney disease in the future.
According to the study, parents of newborns who tip the scales at less than 5 ½ pounds should put some heavy thought to a possible future consequence: kidney disease.
Based on the same study it was also discovered that low birth weight babies have a 70% greater risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) in later life.
The latest statistics taken from the National Kidney Foundation have shown that 26 six million American adults have CKD and millions of others are at increased risk.
Dr. Kerry Willis, National Kidney Foundation Senior VP for Scientific Activities said High risk groups include those with diabetes, hypertension or a family history of kidney disease.
Lead researcher, Sarah L. White, MPH of the George Institute and the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia for her part revealed experimental studies suggest that restricted growth of a fetus in the womb can interfere with normal kidney development
and result in fewer and smaller filtering units, or nephrons, at birth.
White added those with low birth weight may therefore be vulnerable to accelerated loss of kidney function later on as a result of any additional injuries to the kidney caused, for example, by accidents, infections or the presence of other risk factors such as diabetes.

Pregnant women should strive hard to keep their babies healthy upon birth to protect them from possible kidney disease in the future.

 

In their study, researchers also found a connection between low birth weight and subsequent development of end-stage kidney disease, or kidney failure.
Additionally, in comparing data from two large twin studies, investigators found significant differences in kidney function between members of the same set of twins where one twin was smaller, but not among different sets of twins.
The researchers said this suggests that the association between birth weight and kidney function is more closely connected with fetoplacental factors affecting intrauterine growth than with maternal or genetic factors.
White explained despite the association between low birth weight and risk of chronic kidney disease in later life, early detection and management of chronic kidney disease and its risk factors are highly effective in preventing adverse outcomes.
She added people who were very small at birth should avoid obesity that could lead to diabetes, maintain regular physical activity, avoid medications that could be toxic for the kidneys and see their doctors for simple assessment of chronic kidney disease including blood pressure measurement, a dipstick test for urinary protein and a blood test of serum creatinine level.

According to a latest medical study middle aged people who smoke, have high blood pressure or diabetes are far more likely to develop dementia in later life.
With the result, researchers hoped that people could modify their lifestyle in mid-life to avoid developing dementia.
Based on medical facts, dementia is a growing public health problem affecting older people in developed countries.
It is perceived that one in six people older than 70 have dementia.
Based on this number it is expected that the number of people with dementia will grow threefold by 2050, compared with 2000.
Earlier research have shown that the presence of cardiovascular risk factors including high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and smoking increase the risk of developing subsequent dementia, but have often failed to show the relationship.
Researchers from the universities of Minnesota, North Carolina and John Hopkins and the University of Mississippi Medical Center studied more than 11,000 people aged 46-70 who were participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study in 1990-92.
In their study, people underwent a physical examination and cognitive testing at that time and they were followed up until 2004 to see how many were hospitalized with dementia.

Middle age people should live a healthy lifestyle to avoid suffering from dementia later in their adult life.

After following their progress, the researchers identified 203 cases of hospitalization with dementia.
Smoking, high blood pressure and diabetes were all strongly associated with dementia in white participants and African-Americans.
The results showed that rates of hospitalization with dementia increased exponentially with age in men and women and in different ethnic backgrounds.
Overall, African-Americans had a two and a half times higher rate of hospitalization than white people and African-American women in particular had the highest rates of all.
Current smokers were 70% more likely than those who had never smoked to develop dementia, people with high blood pressure were 60% more likely than those without high blood pressure, and people with diabetes were more than twice as likely than those without diabetes to develop it.
No association was found between people who were obese/overweight and dementia in later life.
The researchers explained the results suggest that smoking cessation and prevention or control of high blood pressure and diabetes starting in midlife may have the added benefit of decreasing dementia hospitalization risk.
The researchers added the results emphasize the importance of healthy lifestyle modification and risk factor treatment to prevent dementia.

Parents should do their best to keep their children away from air pollution and family problems to protect them from strong chances of suffering from asthma.
Recent studies have shown that children constantly exposed to air pollution and family stress makes them susceptible to asthma.
Based on the study conducted by the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) it was learned that the risk of asthma associated with traffic-related pollution was significantly higher for children of parents reporting high levels of stress. Stress, as well as low parental education, was also associated with larger effects of
exposure to tobacco smoke during pregnancy.
Principal investigator Rob McConnell, M.D., professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Deputy Director of the Children’s Environmental Health Center at USC revealed they found out that it was the children who were exposed to the combination of air pollution and life in a stressful environment who were at highest risk of developing asthma.
It was learned that asthma is the most common chronic childhood illness in developed countries and has been linked to environmental factors.
The study drew upon data from the USC Children’s Health Study, a longitudinal study of respiratory health among children in 13 southern California communities.
To get the data, researchers followed 2,497 children with no history of respiratory problems over three years, tracking whether they developed asthma starting in kindergarten or first grade.
The researchers also measured parental stress and parental education as an indicator of socioeconomic status using a questionnaire, and collected information on exposure to traffic-related pollution and whether the children had been exposed to tobacco smoke in utero.

Children should keep away from air pollution and family stress to avoid getting inflicted with asthma.

It was learned in the study that the results showed that parental stress alone did not increase the risk that children would develop asthma.
However, when children had a combination of parents with stressful lives and also lived near high levels of traffic-related pollution, their risk of asthma increased compared with children only exposed to pollution.
McConnell explained air pollution can promote inflammatory responses in the airways of the lung, which is a central feature of asthma.
McConnell added stress may also have pro-inflammatory effects and this may help explain why the two exposures together were important.
Moreover, McConnell said children whose parents perceived their lives as unpredictable, uncontrollable, or overwhelming were susceptible to the effects of pollution.
He said stress associated with poverty may help explain why asthma rates are often higher in lower socioeconomic status communities.
He added childhood asthma is a complex disease that probably has many contributing causes.
The medical expert said further study of effects of exposure to air pollution in combination with stressful environments associated with poverty and other social factors could contribute to our understanding of why the disease develops.