We Speak For Earth

laboratoryequipment:

Passive Smoking Increases Dementia Risk

An international study by scientists in China, the UK and U.S. has found a link between passive smoking and syndromes of dementia. The study of nearly 6,000 people in five provinces in China reveals that people exposed to passive smoking have a significantly increased risk of severe dementia syndromes.

Passive smoking, also known as “second-hand” smoke or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is known to cause serious cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, including coronary heart disease and lung cancer. However, until now it has been uncertain whether ETS increases the risk of dementia, mainly due to lack of research. Previous studies have shown an association between ETS and cognitive impairment, but this is the first to find a significant link with dementia syndromes.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/01/passive-smoking-increases-dementia-risk

(via scinerds)

scinerds:

Chronic Stress: Fight or Flight System Gone Wrong

Stress is the way the body reacts to outside stimuli. Circumstances, events and situations can bring on the stress response. The stress response is also known as fight or flight.

The body prepares itself to react to the situation at hand. The sympathetic nerve system takes over releasing adrenal and other chemicals into the blood stream while heartbeat and respiratory rate increase. Our body becomes prepared to fight or flee. In survival situations the fight or flight response is useful but when we suffer from chronic stress our body suffers because it is preparing for fight or flight even when such a response is not necessary.

Image via flickr

Types

We all deal with stress in our daily lives. We sometimes worry needlessly which may cause various levels of anxiety. We often worry about future events and envision negative outcomes which can keep us in a constant stressed state until the event is finally over. The point is that we can’t totally escape stress since we deal with some form of it every day. We have to learn to deal with stress because if we don’t we may end up suffering ill health from the effects of severe stress.

Effects

Severe stress can cause a variety of physical symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms include migraine headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, fatigue, high blood pressure, loss of appetite, insomnia and restlessness. Long-term stress can cause conditions such as stomach ulcers and heart disease. It can also exacerbate conditions such as asthma. If other health conditions already exist stress the added stress can cause symptoms to worsen. Severe stress takes its toll on the immune system by causing it to become weakened. When the immune system is weak the body becomes susceptible to infections such as colds, flu and pneumonia.

Significance

In some ways stress can be likened to a domino effect. When it is so severe that it causes physical health conditions it also affects the mental and emotional state. When a person doesn’t feel well physically he tends to become irritable. Such irritability may affect one’s life in aspects of relationship, family, work and other areas. People may attempt to relieve feelings of stress by overeating, alcohol consumption or smoking, all of which can adversely affect one’s health.

Considerations

Severe stress can be associated with anxiety and may lead to panic attacks. People suffering severe stress may become withdrawn, less social and experience moments of extreme anxiety bordering on panic. They may start to avoid situations that they perceive to be stressful. People who suffer from such high levels of stress may experience physical symptoms such as chest pain and/or difficulty breathing.

Prevention/Solution

It is important to learn to manage stress effectively in order to prevent unnecessary health problems. Don’t take on more than you can handle. When people are overworked and pressed for time they are stressed. Avoid taking on new projects when you already have a full schedule. Be realistic about what you can do. People who are perfectionists and/or workaholics often have a high level of stress in their lives because they try to do too much and do it all perfectly. It also helps to relieve stress by eating properly, getting plenty of sleep and learning to relax.

Everyone needs to have some time to just sit back and relax. A positive attitude can help eliminate stress. People often worry about what may happen. If we stop trying to live in the future and just be in the present moment we can remove that unnecessary stress from our lives. If you must worry about future events then try to imagine a positive outcome. Life may have its stressful moments but we don’t have to be victims of stress.

ikenbot:

Reading Rainbow Might Stop the iPad From Ruining the Brains of All Children

For a generation now creating advanced things and placed in corridors of power, LeVar Burton was a god-king: both Star Trek’s Geordi La Forge, and the guy who taught us to like books on Reading Rainbow. Now, the two Burtons are fused—and it’s pretty incredible.

LeVar Burton has an app—it’s available starting today. Sure. Lots of people have apps. But it’s doubtful anyone cares as much about their app as LeVar Burton. I step into an expensive hotel room in Midtown Manhattan, and Burton springs up, greeting me by name, shaking my hand, talking almost immediately about reading. There’s an iPad in front of him.

But this isn’t just any product pitch—which is good, because Burton lacks all the unctuousness of a salesman or marketing player. He just… cares. His enthusiasm for an app designed to encourage little kids to read is almost overwhelming. How many people care about anything this much? And how much can I possibly properly appreciate an app designed for tiny kiddo brains? I can’t—so we brought our own: two boys, 3 and 5-years-old, stuck in that valley of super-hyperactivity spanning the end of school and the beginning of summer camp. As Burton lays out the app’s basics—a free download, a $10 per month subscription for unlimited kid-friendly titles, a vibrant cartoonish interface with hot air balloons and floating islands that capture the original series’ acid trip charm—the kids fidget. The older immediately covers himself in pretzel crumbs, the young starts chirping for mom’s attention. The kids are kids. It’s summer and they’d rather not be in a Midtown Manhattan hotel room on a beautiful day. Nobody would.

But then something incredible happens. We hand the older boy the iPad and fire up the Reading Rainbow app. He’s transfixed. The only word is transfixed. The fussing and pretzel-crunching stops, and his little brother curls next to him. They don’t fight over who gets to hold it. They both know intuitively how to use it—complete naturals. He picks pirates, animals, and space as his three preferred topics to generate recommended books. He starts reading along with Burton’s pre-recorded narration. The Wi-Fi sucks and the download stalls. He doesn’t care. The kids are—patient? Attentive? About a book.

I ask Burton if he thinks this is ultimately good, this sticking of LCDs under the eyes of children. Having seen lots of absentee parenting by way of iOS—kids handed a stray iPhone as they might be handed a pacifier, to shut them up in public—could the ubiquitous computer hurt little heads? Can the touchscreen warp fingers that’ve been flipping (and smearing chocolate on) paper for hundreds of years? “We can try to sequester ourselves from technology,” Burton shakes his head. But this is pointless, he explains. Kids like those two mesmerized by an app are an inevitability—and if we can make them mesmerized by a book instead of a game, we have to take the chance. We must. Burton is emphatic. “Ed[ucational] tech!” Burton grunts, pounding his palm with his fist. It’s imperative to him that we get kids using these everywhere-screens to become readers, writers, and thinkers, before they become something else. “We’ve already lost an entire generation of children. Maybe two,” he laments. This one, for whom touch screens are a given, should be different. It must be different, and you can see in LeVar Burton’s almost crazed eyes that the dude really, really, really wants kids to read more. And it seems like they will—if there’s one young charm you can count on, it’s that a little boy will tell you something is stupid and is bad and smells like poop if he thinks so. They’re a brutally honest lot. But our kindergarten demo team gave shy smiles and thumbs up.

Burton doesn’t act surprised in the slightest. And why should he? He lived this world 30 years ago: “I mean, come on—Geordi was carrying an iPad around the Enterprise!”

scinerds:

When Depression Drugs Don’t Help, Talking Might

Talk therapy may be a helpful supplemental treatment for people with depression who have not responded to medication, a new study from the United Kingdom suggests.

Researchers found that people with depression who had not improved despite taking antidepressants were three times more likely to experience a reduction in their depression symptoms if talk therapy was added to their treatment regimen compared with those who continued to take only antidepressants.

The study is one of the first large trials to test the effectiveness of talk therapy given in tandem with antidepressants, the researchers said.

Up to two-thirds of people with depression don’t respond fully to antidepressant treatment, and the findings suggest a way to help this group, the researchers said.

“Until now, there was little evidence to help clinicians choose the best next step treatment for those patients whose symptoms do not respond to standard drug treatments,” study researcher Nicola Wiles of the University of Bristol’s Centre for Mental Health, Addiction and Suicide Research said in a statement.

The study followed patients for one year. Future studies should examine the effectiveness of this treatment combination over the long term, as patients with depression can relapse after treatment, the researchers said.

In addition, because some patients did not improve substantially when talk therapy was added, further research is needed to find alternative treatments for this group, Wiles added.

The study included about 470 people with depression who had not responded to antidepressants after six weeks of treatment. About half received cognitive behavioral therapy — a type of talk therapy — in addition to their usual antidepressant treatment, and half continued antidepressants without the addition of talk therapy.

After six months, about 46 percent of patients in the talk therapy group experienced at least a 50 percent reduction in their depressive symptoms. By contrast, 22 percent of people in the antidepressant group improved by the same amount. By the 12-month mark, both groups experienced similar rates of improvement.

Often, talk therapy is more difficult to access than medication, the researchers said. And people may not be able to afford the treatment if their health insurance does not cover it. Only about 25 percent of Americans with depression have received talk therapy during the past year, they said.

Pass it on: People with depression who have not responded to antidepressants may benefit from the addition of talk therapy.

ikenbot:

Centella Asiatica

Centella asiatica, commonly centella (Sinhala: ගොටුකොල, gotu kola in Sinhala, Mandukaparni in Sanskritमधुकपर्णी,Kannada (ಒಂದೆಲಗ). Tamil: வல்லாரை, vallarai in Tamil, Kodakan in Malayalam(കൊടകന്‍)), is a small, herbaceous, annual plant of the family Mackinlayaceae or subfamily Mackinlayoideae of family Apiaceae, and is native to India, Sri Lanka, northern Australia, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Melanesia, Papua New Guinea, and other parts of Asia. It is used as a medicinal herb in Ayurvedic medicine, traditional African medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine. Botanical synonyms include Hydrocotyle asiatica L. and Trisanthus cochinchinensis (Lour.).

Centella is a mild adaptogen, is mildly antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antiulcerogenic, anxiolytic, nervine and vulnerary, and can act as a cerebral tonic, a circulatory stimulant, and a diuretic.

Centella asiatica may be useful in the treatment of anxiety.

In Thailand, tisanes of the leaves are used as an afternoon stimulant. A decoction of juice from the leaves is thought to relieve hypertension. A poultice of the leaves is also used to treat open sores.

Richard Lucas claimed in a book published in 1966(second edition in 1979) that a subspecies “Hydrocotyle asiatica minor” allegedly from Sri Lanka also called fo ti tieng, contained a longevity factor called ‘youth Vitamin X’ said to be ‘a tonic for the brain and endocrine glands’ and maintained that extracts of the plant help circulation and skin problems. However according to medicinal herbalist Michael Moore, it appears that there is no such subspecies and no Vitamin X is known to exist.

Several scientific reports have documented Centella asiatica’s ability to aid wound healing which is responsible for its traditional use in leprosy. Upon treatment with Centella asiatica, maturation of the scar is stimulated by the production of type I collagen. The treatment also results in a marked decrease in inflammatory reaction and myofibroblast production.

The isolated steroids from the plant also have been used to treat leprosy. In addition, preliminary evidence suggests that it may have nootropic effects. Centella asiatica is used to revitalize the brain and nervous system, increase attention span and concentration, and combat aging. Centella asiatica also has antioxidant properties. It works for venous insufficiency. It is used in Thailand for opium detoxification.

Followers of Sri Sri Thakur Anukulchandra, commonly known as Satsangees, all over the world take one or two fresh leaves with plenty of water in the morning after morning rituals. This is prescribed by Sri Sri Thakur himself.

Many reports show the medicinal properties of C. asiatica extract in a wide range of disease conditions, such as diabetic microangiopathy, edema, venous hypertension, and venous insufficiency. The role of C. asiatica extract in the treatment of memory enhancement and other neurodegenerative disorders is also well documented. The first report concerning the antitumor property of C. asiatica extract was on its growth inhibitory effects on the development of solid and ascites tumors, which lead to increased life span of tumor-bearing mice. The authors also suggested the extract directly impeded the DNA synthesis. “In our study, C. asiatica extract showed an obvious dose dependent inhibition of cell proliferation in breast cancer cells.”

The Effects of Gotu Kola on the Brain

Traditionally, Gotu kola has been used as a brain tonic to support memory. It has been called a “brain food” and has been recommended for overstressed people, mood, to improve reflexes and to support feelings of calmness. Gotu kola has also been studied in humans and was found to have a positive influence on enhancing peripheral circulation.

Scientific research into Gotu kola extracts and its effects on the brain really only began in earnest in the past decade. In 2002, Gotu kola water extracts were administered to rats, where it improved their cognitive function in terms of learning and memory in a standard shuttle box avoidance and step through test. Brain levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), an indicator of overall oxidative stress, was reduced, and brain levels of the endogenous antioxidant glutathione were increased.

ikenbot:

Why Impatience May Hurt Your Heart

Side Note: To keep the attention this blog has somewhat taken towards ‘getting to know yourself the science way’, I wanted to bring up this article from Livescience about how impatience can lead to health complications. I’m sure many of you will reply with the usual “WE’VE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT” but give this article a read so you can have the data that backs up your claims. But what’s more, I feel like actually knowing and having some understanding of how impatience alters our state of mind is also important within the realms of brain control. Because if outside conditions, however minute they could be, alter you into an impatient person, it can also make you less inclined to indulge in the patience required to learn new things. I have a little bit of impatience myself at times, and I notice that for the most part, living ‘the fast life’ of wanting it now can become a habit in itself and that’s when things like attention spans get shortened. Read the article for yourself and make your own judgement, but in any case please share this information with others. Not everyone knows what you know.

Now that the holiday season is here, nearly everyone’s patience will be tested at one time or another. Long lines, crowded malls and unbearable travel delays are among the reasons why some people will lose their cool.

But those episodes of impatience can trigger physiological responses that may sabotage your health. “Being impatient could cause anxiety and hostility,” said Daniel Baugher, dean of graduate programs at Pace University in New York City who has studied personality and social psychology. “And if you’re constantly anxious, your sleep could be affected, too.”

Baugher said living in the hyper-paced, technology-obsessed 21st century has left many people short on patience. “They seem to want everything yesterday,” he said. “People expect things to be done more quickly.”

But some individuals may simply be hardwired for impatience. “Everyone’s tolerance threshold is different,” he said. “We all feel impatient when certain things happen, but some more than others.”

Type A personalities are at high risk

Often high-strung and competitive, type A personalities seem suspended in a constant state of urgency. They’re unable to cope when things don’t go their way, be it snarled rush-hour traffic or the glacially slow line at the grocery store. “People with this personality type are more likely to experience anger when they’re held up,” said Dr. Redford Williams, an internist at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina, who estimates that roughly 25 percent of Americans have a type A personality, which increases their risk for health problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease.

In a 2003 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers reported that the more impatient and hostile the 18- to 30-year-old study participants felt, the more likely they would develop high blood pressure later in life.”High blood pressure is a symptom that the body is going into overdrive,” Baugher said. “The whole body gets geared up for a fight.”

Impatience + hostility = stress

People who frequently become impatient and angry are in a constant state of stress. The body reacts to that stress by releasing hormones such as adrenaline or cortisol which help the body respond to a stressful situation.

“When you’re about to be attacked by a saber-toothed tiger, this response can help you survive, but not when you’re sitting in traffic or waiting in a long line,” Williams said. High levels of cortisol and adrenaline could ultimately lead to weight gain, high blood sugar and high blood pressure.

In a 2000 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found that young adults who had high hostility levels were predisposed to plaque build-up in their coronary arteries. “Stress hormones stimulate platelets, making them more likely to clot in arteries already narrowed by heart disease, a process that can result in a heart attack,” Williams said. “These hormones also cause the body’s fat cells to release fat into the bloodstream.”

Williams said this fat can be deposited in plaque in the arteries that feed the heart, enlarging the plaques and raising the risk for an artery-clogging clot.

Coping with impatience

Some studies suggest that stress-management programs may help naturally impatient people relax. Teaching people how to head off or control feelings of anger and hostility could reduce blood pressure and lower body weight over time. “The evidence we have on stress training is encouraging, but studies haven’t shown that it can save lives,” Williams said.

The best way for people to handle a situation that taxes their patience and triggers negative responses is to take a deep breath and evaluate what they’re feeling, Williams said. “Ask yourself, ‘Is this important to me? Is it reasonable to be angry over this? Is it worth it?’” Williams advised. “Basically, try to talk yourself out of the anger.”

Pass it on: Being impatient can cause high blood pressure and heart disease.