Issues of the Mind Articles #1

Books & Articles

(Return to the main Books & Articles index page)

Issues of the Mind

Childhood Wheezing Reduced with Vitamin D
In the March 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2007, 85: 788-795, 853-859), Massachusetts researcher Dr. Carolos Camargo found that after studying 3 year old children from 1,194 mother-child pairs, those children whose mothers were given a high intake of vitamin D (mean total 548 IU/day) during pregnancy, had less risk of developing recurrent wheeze or wheeze symptoms in early childhood. Dr. Camargo and colleagues partially conclude that, "If others replicate our findings, we would support the initiation of randomized trials of vitamin D repletion in populations at high-risk of asthma morbidity and mortality."

Top Of Page

Yoga and Aerobic Walking Helpful During Menopause
In the April 2007 edition of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, (2007; 33(2) ), Dr. Steriani Elavsky and colleagues at Pennsylvania State University report that after studying 164 sedentary menopausal women, those who took regular yoga classes and walked, had higher emotional well-being than those women who did not engage in these activities. Reduction in hot flashes and an increase in over-all happiness were reported by the yoga/walking group via boosting their over-all cardiovascular fitness. Dr. Elavsky and colleagues partially conclude that the findings are encouraging since fitness is something women can change through consistently performing activities that raise their heart rate. Elavsky points out the need for further studies since some past research has shown the opposite among menopausal women; that exercise actually increased the rate of hot flashes.

Top Of Page

Men Have Denser Bones with Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake
In the March 2007 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, (2007 85: 803-807), Dr. Magnus Hogstrom and colleagues at the Umea University in Sweden found that after studying 78 men aged 16 to 24 while checking blood levels of fatty acid and bone density, those men with higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids (especially docosahexaenoic acid ), had greater mineral bone density in the body and spine compared to men who had low blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Dr. Hogstrom and colleagues partially conclude by writing that the study, "nicely adds to a growing body of evidence that omega-3 fatty acids are also beneficial to bone health."

Top Of Page

Creatine Supplements Being Tested with Parkinson's Disease
On Thursday, March 22, 2007, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders announced through National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni, that they will be testing the supplement creatine on 1,720 early-stage Parkinson's patients in the United States and Canada to see if the supplement can slow down the progression of Parkinson's disease given the supplement's hypothesized potential to affect the mitochondria in dopamine related cells thereby resisting or slowing the destruction of such cells and hence slowing the over-all progression of the disease (as seen in animal studies). Results of the study should be available in three to five years. (NINDS Director Dr. Story Landis, 3/22/07).

Top Of Page

HIV Transmission Reduced Behaviorally
In the March 2007 edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (2007, 44: 213-221), Dr. Stephen Morin and colleagues of the University of California at San Francisco report that after testing a cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention consisting of stress coping and adjustment behaviors in addition to safer sex practices, those patients in the CBT group in out of a total of 936 HIV patients, demonstrated a 36% reduction in transmission risk compared to the control group, measured by the number of unprotected sexual risk acts transpiring with persons of HIV-negative or unknown status. The greater effect of the reduced risk in the treatment group held at the 20 month post-treatment assessment period but not at the 25 month assessment period. Dr. Morin and colleagues partially conclude by writing that, "even small behavior changes among infected individuals can have a significant effect on the epidemic."

Top Of Page

Coronary Heart Disease Risk High Among Firefighters
In the March 22, 2007 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, (2007, 356; 12: 1207-1215), Dr. Stefanos Kales of the Harvard Medical School report that after studying all deaths among U.S. firefighters between 1994 and 2004 (excluding deaths by terrorist attacks), they found that specific firefighting duties such as suppressing fires, responding to alarms and physical training, can trigger heart events in susceptible firefighters. Forty-five percent of firefighter deaths were due to heart disease—which is higher than for police officers and other emergency workers. The review showed that those firefighters involved in the specific activity of suppressing fires were twelve times more likely to die of coronary heart disease than those engaged in non-emergency duties. Dr. Kales and colleagues partially conclude by writing that, "While we can't say what the exact risk is, we presented a fairly wide range of estimates so that we can be quite confident that the risk is increased... Although we can't say that we were surprised by the results, we were struck by how consistent the evidence is."

Top Of Page

Insomnia Can Predict Anxiety Disorders
In the July 2007 issue of the journal Sleep (2007, 30: 873-880), Dr. Dag Neckelmann of the Haukeland Hospital in Norway reports the results of an eleven year prospective study which showed that insomnia is a predictive risk factor for developing anxiety or an anxiety disorder but not for depression. Dr. Neckelman looked at two health surveys carried out between 1984 to 1986 and one from 1997 and 1997, and found that compared to subjects without chronic insomnia, those with chronic insomnia had a significantly increased risk in developing a DSM anxiety disorder eleven years later. Dr. Neckelmann partly concludes by writing, "individuals reporting difficulties initiating or maintaining sleep (DIMS), in addition to receiving adequate treatment for their sleep disturbance, should be carefully examined for the presence of anxiety disorder as well as depression."

Top Of Page

Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery Survival Improved with Counseling
In the July 1st, 2007 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology (2007, 25: 2702-2708), Dr. Thomas Kuchler and colleagues from the Universitatskliniken Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel, Germany, found that supportive psychotherapy is associated with improved survival in surgical patients with gastrointestinal cancer. The results are from a 10 year randomized study of 271 gastrointestinal cancer patients who either received usual hospital care or who received formal counseling by a psychotherapist. Dr. Kuchler reports that the psychotherapy group had significantly better survival than the controls with a result that 29 of the 136 psychotherapy subjects survived versus 13 of the 136 control subjects. Dr. Kuchler partly concludes that, "An individualized psycho-oncological approach delivered within an interdisciplinary surgical team that intervenes as early as possible preoperatively has a significant impact on long-term survival of patients with gastrointestinal cancer."

Top Of Page

Poorer Outcomes for "Type-D" Chronic Heart Failure Patients?
In the July 2007 issue of the journal, Heart (2007, 93: 814-818), Dr. Angelique Schiffer and colleagues from Tilburg University in the Netherlands report that cardiac patients who suffer from chronic heart failure (CHF) who demonstrate a "Type-D Personality," (defined as internalizing a broad range of negative feelings with fear of rejection) are more likely to have poor outcomes to their treatment than those CHF patients without these personality characteristics—especially as it applies to patient self-care. Dr. Schiffer reports that after studying 178 CHF patients below 80 year of age, those who had the Type D personality profile experienced more heart-related symptoms, higher stress and were 2.7 times LESS likely to seek medical assistance than those CHF patients without the Type-D profile. Dr. Schiffer partly concludes by saying, "The results of our study indicate that type D personality is a risk factor for the delay to consult a doctor or nurse, despite clinically evident symptoms of CHF and associated high levels of health worry."

Top Of Page

U.S. Adults with Alcohol Disorders Go Largely Untreated?
In the July 2007 issue of the journal, Archives of General Psychiatry (2007, 64: 830-842, Dr. Deborah Hasin and colleagues from New York's Columbia University report the results of data analysis of the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (which included face to face interviews with 43,093 respondents over 18) which showed that nearly one-third of American adults report having alcohol abuse or dependence disorders but few seek treatment. The study showed that on the average, alcohol abuse developed at age 22.5 years and dependence at 21.9 years but there was an eight to ten year delay before these individuals sought any kind of treatment. Dr. Hasin partly concludes by writing, "A call to action appears indicated to educate and update public and policy makers about alcohol-use disorders, to de-stigmatize the disorders, and to encourage help-seeking among those who cannot stop drinking despite considerable harm to themselves and others."

Top Of Page

Dr. Larry Lachman is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist based in La Jolla, California, who is the co-author of a book on coping with cancer entitled, "Parallel Journeys." Dr. Lachman is a Psychology Instructor at Chapman University and Argosy University in San Diego. Dr. Lachman can be reached through his website located at: www.DrLarryLachman.com