Cognitive behavioral therapy effective in treating irritable bowel syndrome
According to the latest research behavioral therapy was more effective in treating the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) than being on a waiting list for treatment.
It seems that all it took for more than a 70 percent improvement rate to be seen was four sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy.
For the research Dr. Jeffrey M. Lackner, of the State University of New York at Buffalo, and colleagues randomly assigned 59 patients with irritable bowel syndrome to one of three treatments; patients in one group received 10 sessions of standard cognitive behavioral therapy, while another received 4 sessions of minimal contact cognitive therapy but with minimal contact, and a self-help workbook to take home.
New vaccine reduces the risk of shingles
A new vaccine which reduces the risk of shingles (herpes zoster) for use in people 60 years of age and older has won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The vaccine, Zostavax, is designed to treat shingles which is caused by the reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox and is a painful disease characterized by a blistering rash.
The varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus lies dormant following an attack of chickenpox, in certain nerve tissue and as people age, the virus sometimes reappears in the form of shingles.
Mom’s high BP tied to greater preterm survival
Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) is associated with lower infant mortality in preterm infants, Canadian researchers have observed.
Study investigator Dr. Shi Wu Wen told Reuters Health that PIH might serve some adaptive role for the fetus in the face of trouble.
However, “it’s important to stress that the findings should not be viewed as an encouragement not to treat PIH.” The risks of such a course outweigh any potential benefits, Wen, from the University of Ottawa, said.
Flu vaccine safe in healthy infants
The trivalent influenza vaccine can be safely given to healthy children 6 to 24 months of age, doctors report in the journal Pediatrics.
“We see no indications of serious side effects from the influenza vaccine in young children, and we would urge parents to have their young children vaccinated against influenza,” Dr. Michael J. Goodman from HealthPartners Research Foundation, Minneapolis, Minnesota told Reuters Health.
“The whole reason this vaccine is now being recommended for infants and young children is that they can get quite sick with influenza,” Goodman explained. “Over the past few years, several studies have shown that the rate of hospitalization related to influenza for young children is similar to that for people over age 65.”
