Therapist Unlimited Blog

Cellular phones had more uses aside from communication.
A recent medical study has uncovered that cellular phones could be use to help chain smokers kick their unhealthy habit.
A team of experts lead by Robyn Whittaker, a public health physician at the University of Auckland,  recently conducted four studies: two of text-message only programs and two that used the Internet along with mobile phones to keep up a stream of stop-smoking support.
"It makes a lot of sense," Whittaker said. "Mobiles are well-integrated in daily lives. The programs are using what’s in daily life rather than making people come into a clinic. They’re more proactive, delivering directly to people wherever they are."
Studies included about 2,600 smokers of all ages. After pooling study data, reviewers found that participants in text-message programs were about twice as likely not to smoke after six weeks as smokers in control groups.
People in mixed-media programs cell phone plus Web were significantly more likely to hang in there for at least six months after their chosen quit date.
"Say people are out with friends and feeling really strong cravings. They can text the word ‘crave’ directly into the program and they can get a message with suggestions for techniques to get through the cravings or other things to do to distract them such as listen to music or take a walk around the block," Whittaker said.

 

 

 

Smokers seeking to quit their habit can find solace and help from their own cellular phone.
 

 

 

Studies measured quitting success by self-report and in some cases by testing saliva samples for signs of nicotine. However, not enough people provided saliva samples to make meaningful conclusions based on those.
Two studies conducted in Norway combined e-mail contacts, a Web page and text messages. In the other studies, which took place in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, participants received a barrage of up to six messages daily for a month after their quit date and less frequent messages for up to six months.
""The text messages obviously have to be very brief, to the point; they use a lot of abbreviation but not a lot of texting lingo," Whittaker said. "Motivational messages remind people why they want to quit. Positive reinforcement message tell them they’re doing really well, that they got themselves through the day or week without a cigarette, and to keep up the good work."
Messages can be "personalized and tailored to a certain extent to include information about issues of particular concern to that person, like putting on weight when quitting," Whittaker said.
"However, a lot of information is applicable to most people."
"The problem is that it is not individualized. These are generic messages to help people not use tobacco," said Rebecca Schane, M.D., an internist and pulmonologist with the Center for Tobacco Control Research at the University of California at San Francisco. "
"It is mobile contact but not actual human contact."
"This type of intervention can’t stand alone or substitute for physician visits in any way, shape or form," said Schane, has no affiliation with the review but is familiar with the findings.
"Quitting affects other aspects of people’s health. If they have high blood pressure and they quit, their blood pressure decreases. You need to incorporate that in their treatment," Schane said.
People need a personal touch, she said: "It helps when a physician is in your corner. When you know the physician believes this is a worthwhile step in your life, you’re more likely to do better in quitting."
"For a certain proportion of the population, that’s probably right," Whittaker said, "but a certain proportion prefer not to do face-to-face interventions. Particularly, a lot of young adults preferred something confidential and anonymous."
Both Whittaker and Schane say that quitting is extremely difficult and most people will make several efforts before finding success.
"I’m glad the reviewers are trying to identify new ways to help people quit," Schane said. "What’s out there is relatively stagnant. The protocol hasn’t changed in years. But smokers are changing and our care needs to change. We’re in a bit of a rut; if this study brings to the forefront the idea that there are other ways we can treat smokers, that’s great."

 

 

It is time to cheer up for colon cancer patients around the world.
Immunology experts in the US and China have discovered human stem cells that "fool" the immune system may provide a vaccination for colon cancer.
The study was led by Dr. Bei Liu and Dr. Zihai Li in collaboration with stem cell expert Dr. Renhe Xu at the University of Connecticut Stem Cell Institute and is to be published in the journal Stem Cells.
The study builds on an old notion that immunizing with embryonic materials might produce anti-tumor responses, but this has only been shown in animal studies.
However, this new groundbreaking study showed for the first time that that human embryonic stem (hES) cells injected into mice produced a consistent immune response against colon cancer cells, opening a new door for cancer vaccine research.
Long before embryonic stem cells were used for genetic and developmental studies, scientists understood that they shared similar properties with cancer cells, especially in the way they form and replicate.
Immune systems recognize antigens like proteins on the surface of tumor cells that can trigger an immune response to make antibodies to fight the tumor.

 

 

Stem cells could soon provide vaccine to fight colon cancer among humans.

 

 

However, most of the current research on cancer vaccines target these antigens, while this study takes a different approach: what if you used stem cells into fooling the host immune system into thinking there was cancer present and trigger a tumor fighting response that way? That would open a new route to using stem cells to make a universal cell-based vaccine against cancer.
For the study the researchers vaccinated laboratory mice with human embryonic stem (hES) cells and saw a dramatic decline in tumor growth in the immunized mice.
This showed that immunized mice could generate a strong anti-tumour response through the application of hES cells.
The researchers also found that while natural hES cells triggered a strong anti-tumour response, artificially induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) did not.
This is a significant discovery because it challenges the idea recently put forward in a number of studies that iPSC have the potential to replace hES cells at the forefront of stem cell research.
Liu said:"Although we have only tested the protection against colon cancer, we believe that stem cells might be useful for generating an immune response against a broad spectrum of cancers, thus serving as a universal cancer vaccine."

 

 

Medical experts has advised pregnant women to avoid taking antidepressants during their pregnancy since doing so could put their babies at risk for having heart defects.
According to the latest medical study, it was discovered that depression affects up to 20% of pregnant women and the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during
pregnancy is common and increasing.
However, experts explained medical treatment must balance the health of the mother with potential adverse effects to the developing baby.
Until 2005, most studies of SSRIs found no link with major malformations, but recent studies have indicated an increased prevalence of congenital heart defects. This led to a warning by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2005 about the use of the drug paroxetine during pregnancy.
So a team of researchers investigated the association between SSRIs taken in the first trimester of pregnancy and major malformations in over 400,000 children born in Denmark between 1996 and 2003.
Potential confounding factors, including maternal age and smoking, were taken into account.
However, an increased risk of septal heart malformations was found for children of women who used the drugs sertraline and citalopram, but not fluoxetine.

 

 

 

Taking antidepressants during pregnancy is deadly for babies.

 

 

Exposure to more than one type of SSRI was associated with a four-fold increase in septal heart defects, suggesting that simultaneous use of different SSRIs or a change in type of SSRI during early pregnancy may be problematic, say the authors.
Putting these figures into context, the authors show that the absolute differences in heart defects were low. For example, septal heart defects occurred in 2,315 (0.5%) of unexposed children, 12 (0.9%) of SSRI exposed children, and 4 (2.1%) of children exposed to more than one type of SSRI.
The number needed to harm was 246 for women using one type of SSRI in early pregnancy. In other words, one child for every 246 children exposed was likely to suffer a septal heart defect. The corresponding number needed to harm for children of women using more than one type of SSRI was 62.
Future studies, with much larger sample sizes, are needed to further investigate potential associations with more severe malformations, conclude the authors.
These results suggest that the absolute risk for individual pregnant women is very low, says Professor Christina Chambers from the University of California San Diego, USA, in an accompanying editorial. She urges both doctors and patients to carefully weigh-up the small risks associated with SSRIs against those linked with undertreatment or no treatment.
 

 

A leading medical organization has warned parents around the world warned parents to be careful with the disease dubbed as acid reflux since it can cause death if not given proper and immediate treatment.
The medical name for the disease is gastroesophageal reflux. It means stomach + esophagus + backwash.
The Pediatric Adolescent Gastroesophageal Reflux (PAGER) Association has been helping families learn about acid reflux since 1992.
Beth Pulsifer-Anderson, Director of PAGER Association revealed acid reflux in children is often overlooked.
Based on medical facts some of the clues of the disease include excessive crying, ‘colic’, a burning sensation in the throat or chest, tummy aches, spitting up, a sensation of
food coming up, poor appetite, poor weight gain, trouble swallowing, night waking, ear infections, sinus problems, asthma, wheezing, tooth decay and bad breath.
Pulsifer-Anderson added untreated reflux can cause excruciating pain and serious health problems.
She explained a child with acid reflux is often miserable and this affects the whole family.
Moreover said she said PAGER Association has been contacted by more and more Spanish speaking families in recent years.
According to studies, about 6 million Hispanics in the US have acid reflux symptoms and most don’t seek treatment.
Pulsifer-Anderson says, "It is important for Spanish speaking parents to know about acid reflux so they can be sure their children can get appropriate medical attention.

 

 

 

Parents worldwide need to be careful about acid reflux since it can lead to the death of their children.

 

A medical expert said there is a big possibility that the treatment for tuberculosis could be shortened for patients.

 

 

To offer relief to patients suffering from tuberculosis an intensive research is currently been undertaken to shorten the usual long treatment for the deadly lung disease.
Based on the medical study conducted by Dutch researcher Hanneke Later-Nijland, it may be possible to shorten the duration of treatment for tuberculosis.
It is said that due to the long duration of treatment, not every patient sees it through.
Partly because of this, tuberculosis is one of the most lethal diseases in developing countries.
The research conducted by Hanneke Later-Nijland is helping to shorten the duration of treatment for tuberculosis.
Later-Nijland studied different groups of Indonesian tuberculosis patients. She believes it may be possible to shorten the duration of treatment by increasing the dose of the important drug rifampicin. After increasing the dose, the concentration of the drug in the blood plasma was higher than expected.
In addition, the tuberculosis patients in Later-Nijland’s study did not experience more or different adverse effects at an increased dose than at a standard dose. Therefore increasing the dose of rifampicin might make it possible to reduce the length of treatment for tuberculosis without additional consequences. Research involving larger groups of patients will be needed to confirm this conclusion.

Tuberculosis and diabetes
 

Later-Nijland also conducted research into the reduced effectiveness of treatment in tuberculosis patients who also have type 2 diabetes. Her research revealed that the concentration of rifampicin in the blood plasma of patients with type 2 diabetes was lower than in patients with tuberculosis alone but who were administered the same dose. Whether tuberculosis patients with type 2 diabetes would benefit from a higher dose of rifampicin is a subject for further research.
Hanneke Later-Nijland started her research in October 2004 at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre. She carried out her research within the Indonesian, Tanzanian and Dutch research network Poverty Related Infection Oriented Research, or PRIOR. PRIOR focused on research into poverty-related infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV and malaria, and was funded by NWO.

 

Medical experts called on pregnant women around the world to do their best to get all their flu shots as soon as the vaccines become available this year to protect them against both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 (swine) flu.
Eight organizations of medical practitioners namely American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses, the Infectious Disease Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine today partnered has join hands to issue the message to protect pregnant women from the deadly H1N1 virus.
The group revealed the normal changes of pregnancy make pregnant women at increased risk of the harmful effects of flu infection.

 

 

Flu shots keep pregnant women safe from the deadly H1N1 virus.

 

 

The group then urge every pregnant woman to discuss influenza immunization with her health care provider because the risk of serious illness during pregnancy is substantial.
They explained it is important to note that the vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials.
Moreover, in addition to getting immunized before the flu season for both the seasonal and the H1N1 viruses, the groups also urge pregnant women to follow good hygiene habits, such as hand-washing and avoiding others who are sick, to prevent the virus from spreading.
The group said pregnant women who develop flu-like symptoms should also quickly contact their health care provider so that they can begin treatment immediately.
H1N1 flu is caused by a virus. In the spring of 2009, many people in Mexico became sick with H1N1 (swine) flu. It spread to several countries, including the United States. Now, the US is taking steps to deal with the first influenza pandemic in more than 40 years.
Research published Sept. 11, 2009 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which surveyed pregnant women in two states, found that women who got a seasonal flu vaccine did so because their health care provider recommended it.

 

 

Young athletes are at higher risk if they suffer from a second concussion injury.

 

Although alcohol consumption is known to be associated with chronic pancreatitis, new evidence indicates that a threshold of five or more drinks per day is required to significantly raise risk; however, most patients with chronic pancreatitis do not drink this amount.
In addition, based on the study it was also discovered that smoking is an independent, dose-dependent risk factor.
"Chronic pancreatitis is an inflammatory syndrome of the pancreas characterized by progressive parenchymal fibrosis scarring of the organ, maldigestion, diabetes mellitus and pain," the researchers explained.
"Recurrent acute pancreatitis [acute pancreatitis that occurs on two or more occasions and may become chronic] and chronic pancreatitis are associated with alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking.
The etiology of recurrent acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis is complex, and effects of alcohol and smoking may be limited to specific patient subsets."
Dhiraj Yadav, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues in the North American Pancreatic Study Group examined the current prevalence of alcohol use and smoking and their association with pancreatitis in patients evaluated at U.S. referral centers.
Between 2000 and 2006, 1,000 patients (540 with chronic pancreatitis and 460 with recurrent acute pancreatitis) were  enrolled in the North American Pancreatitis Study 2 (NAPS2), as were 695 healthy controls.
All participants (average age 49.7) reported their alcohol consumption and smoking habits.

 

About one-fourth of both controls and patients were lifetime abstainers. Among those with chronic pancreatitis, 38.4 percent of men and 11 percent of women were very heavy drinkers  (five or more drinks per day), compared with 16.9 percent of men and 5.5 percent of women with recurrent acute pancreatitis and 10 percent of men and 3.6 percent of women in the control group.
"We found the threshold drinking amount for association between alcohol use and chronic pancreatitis to be five or more drinks per day," the authors write. Compared with abstaining and light drinking (half a drink per day or less), very heavy drinking was associated with approximately triple the odds of developing chronic pancreatitis. However, fewer patients with chronic pancreatitis  than expected (about one-fourth) drank at this level. Other factors, including genetic mutations, also contribute to pancreatitis risk.
Although many heavy drinkers also smoked, cigarette use was an independent risk factor for both chronic pancreatitis and recurrent acute pancreatitis. Among smokers, those with chronic pancreatitis tended to smoke more (26.6 pack-years, vs. 19.5 pack-years for those with recurrent acute pancreatitis and 16.2 pack-years for controls; one pack-year is about 7,300 cigarettes  smoked) and had smoked for a longer period of time (a median or midpoint of 30.5 years, vs. 21.9 years for controls and 22.7 years for those with recurrent acute pancreatitis), suggesting a dose-dependent effect.
"In conclusion, only very heavy alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking are independent risk factors for chronic pancreatitis," the authors write. "Risk for chronic pancreatitis from alcohol consumption occurs above a threshold level, while risk due to smoking is dose dependent. Drinking levels in subjects with recurrent acute pancreatitis are similar to controls.
Only a minority of patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis currently seen at secondary or tertiary U.S. centers could be categorized as very heavy drinkers."

 

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.