Magnetic therapy may help control major depression
Repetitive magnetic stimulation of the brain may be an effective and safe long-term maintenance therapy for some patients with major depressive disorder, results of a small study suggest.
“There is growing evidence to support the short-term antidepressant effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), but few published data pertain to the maintenance treatment of patients with DSM-IV diagnosed major depressive disorder,” write Dr. John P. O’Reardon and colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Widespread Depression in Elderly Is Under-Reported
New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene this week announced that depression in senior citizens is “a serious and under diagnosed condition.”
An innovative, year-old program at Montefiore Medical Center may offer a model for identifying and treating the homebound elderly with depression. The program trains all of its home care agency staff—nurses, social workers and therapists—to identify patients with depression and refer them to a Montefiore psychiatrist who provides treatment in the patient’s home.
Healthy diet combats high blood pressure
Healthier eating habits could make a big difference in the epidemic of high blood pressure in the U.S., according to a report from the American Heart Association.
Over the past 10 years, studies have bolstered evidence that diets rich in fruits and vegetables and low in sodium can lower a person’s blood pressure, the AHA concludes in a scientific statement published in its journal Hypertension.
Surgery Best for Controlling Breast Cancer in Elderly Women
Although women over age 70 are rarely offered surgery to treat their breast cancer, a new review of recent studies suggests surgery works better than hormone therapy to stop the progression of breast cancer in older women with operable tumors.
Although there was no significant difference in how long the women lived after having either surgery or first-line hormone therapy such as tamoxifen only, two of the studies found that women can go longer without their breast cancer becoming worse if they have surgery.
Obese Kids Twice as Likely to Have Diabetes
Childhood obesity can carry with it some heavy health risks that often last well into adulthood – heart disease, high blood pressure and depression, to name a few.
Obese children also are twice as likely to have diabetes than children who are of normal weight, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Health System.
Just quit - you’re more likely to succeed
According to British scientists smokers who suddenly decide to quit immediately, without making plans about how or when, are far more likely to succeed.
Robert West, a professor of psychology at University College London says though this appears contrary to what many experts and others believe, that in order to succeed a smoker must plan and prepare for the quitting, it is not necessarily true.
New inhaled drug for diabetics an alternative treatment option for some
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has given it’s approval for the sale of a new drug to treat diabetes.
The drug is the first inhaled version of insulin to hit the market and is expected to offer, for some diabetics, an alternative to injecting insulin on a daily basis.
Exubera should be available by mid-year.
