Can Negative Thinking Make You Sick?

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By now, the mind-body connection is a familiar idea. Most people are aware, for example, that stress can produce physical symptoms like an upset stomach, or that depression often physically hurts. But a growing body of research suggests that negative emotions and thoughts may also have links to other serious health problems, like heart disease.

“Many negative emotions such as anger, fear, and frustration become problematic when those emotions turn into a more permanent disposition or a habitual outlook on the world,” explains Emiliana Simon-Thomas, PhD, science director of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.

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Take cynicism, for example: A 2014 study published in the journal Neurology linked high levels of cynicism later in life, i.e. a general distrust of people (and their motives), to a greater risk of dementia compared to those who were more trusting, even after accounting for other risk factors like age, sex, certain heart health markers, smoking status, and more.

This way of thinking may also hurt your heart. A 2009 study from the journal Circulation looked at data from nearly 100,000 women and found that the most cynical participants were more likely to have heart disease than the least cynical folks. The more pessimistic women also had a higher chance of dying over the study period, versus those who were more optimistic about humanity.

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Another bad attitude that’s been linked to poor health outcomes: hostility. According to a 2014 study published in the journal Stroke, people who scored higher on measures of unfriendliness, as well as those with chronic stress and depressive symptoms, had a higher risk of stroke than the friendlier, kinder participants.

Finally, there’s depression, which is a serious diagnosis that can have repercussions far beyond feeling sad or losing your appetite. It’s been connected with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, heart attack, and a greater chance of disability later in life. (This is another reason why it’s so important to seek help for depression.)

Our thoughts and emotions have widespread effects on bodily processes like metabolism, hormone release, and immune function, Simon-Thomas says. One theory is that when you’re stressed or depressed, cortisol levels increase, making your immune system less able to control inflammation, which could lead to disease over time.

RELATED: 9 Ways to Silence Your Inner Critic

It could also be that people who feel bad—be it depressed, stressed, cynical, or otherwise—may also be more likely to smoke or drink alcohol, or less likely to be physically active, all things that can affect your health, of course. Or it’s possible that negative emotions might be an early symptom of a health problem, rather than a cause.

All this said, there is a big bright spot for every Negative Nancy out there: by simply changing your perspective, you may just improve your health. “We know that neural pathways are changing every minute of your entire life and that your brain is generating new cells throughout your life. And this neurogenesis is not only associated with the formation of new memories, but with mood stability, as well,” Simon-Thomas says.

So cynics take heart—you have control over your attitude (and your well-being). As Simon-Thomas put it: “We can be deliberate about shifting our habits of feeling and thinking in the world.”

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3 Things You Can Catch from a Pool

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Think a chlorinated pool is a safe, sterile place? Think again. There are a few dangers lurking in a shared pool, whether at a gym, a community center or even a fancy resort. In fact,  outbreaks of illnesses from hot tubs and pools have been increasing in recent years, with 90 outbreaks causing 1,788 illnesses and one death between 2011-2012, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Learn what icky things you can pick up, plus how to ward them off.

Diarrhea

One of the top causes of post- swim illness is a parasite called cryptosporidium (crypto for short), which leads to diarrhea, stomach pain and nausea. According to the new CDC report, of the 69 outbreaks associated with treated water, more than half were caused by crypto.  Symptoms can last for up to two weeks. The parasite ends up in the water if feces (even trace amounts from someone who didn’t shower first) of an infected person gets in the pool. The bug is resistant to chlorine and survives outside the body for long periods.

Protect yourself: Crypto spreads when you accidentally swallow contaminated pool water or you touch your mouth before washing your hands. Don’t touch your face until you’ve had your post-swim shower, with soap and hot water.

Pinkeye

Burning eyes, excessive tearing and redness can occur because of an allergic reaction to chlorine, or an infection if the pool isn’t chlorinated enough. It can also happen if people aren’t showering before swimming or are (ugh!) peeing in the pool. Urine, as well as cosmetics and other chemicals that can wash off people’s skin, can irritate your eyes.

Protect yourself: You can shield your eyes from all of this by wearing a pair of well-fitting goggles every time you go for a dip.

Hot Tub Rash

This is an itchy skin infection that can lead to a bumpy, red rash, often worse in the areas covered by your bathing suit. Chlorine can easily kill the germ that causes it, but the warm water in a hot tub makes chlorine break down faster, so it’s more likely you’d pick it up there.

Protect Yourself:  The risk of hot tub rash goes up the longer the contaminated water touches your skin, which is why it seems to show up in areas your wet bathing suit clings to. Save your dip in the hot tub for the end of your pool day, shower and change shortly after your soak and wash your swimsuit before wearing it again.

Health’s medical editor, Roshini Rajapaksa, MD, is assistant professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine and co-founder of Tula Skincare.

Contributed reporting by Amelia Harnish.

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Statins Might Reduce Complications After Major Lung Surgery

FRIDAY, June 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins might help reduce major complications after lung surgery, new research suggests.

Statins have been linked to fewer complications after heart surgery, and researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City theorized they might also benefit patients undergoing major lung surgery.

The researchers randomly assigned more than 160 study participants to receive the statin Lipitor (atorvastatin) or an inactive placebo before and after lung resection — removal of part of the lung. Complications — such as pneumonia, heart attack and acute respiratory failure — were reported in 22 percent of patients receiving placebo, compared with 12 percent taking statins.

Statins were also linked to a nearly 50 percent reduction in post-surgery rates of atrial fibrillation (abnormal heart rhythm), the researchers said.

While the results are encouraging, they were not statistically significant. However, a subsequent analysis revealed an encouraging trend. The combined rates of major lung and heart complications in those undergoing surgery were three times higher in the placebo group than in the statin group, according to the study published in the June issue of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

The study originally called for the enrollment of 480 patients. Due to difficulty finding people who had never taken statins, however, the study only included 164 participants and ended early, the authors noted in a news release from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.

“Imagine all the people who could potentially have benefited from the knowledge gained by this trial had it accrued as originally intended,” said Dr. Betty Tong, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and author of an editorial accompanying the report.

With continued clinical trials at multiple centers, “we will be able to elucidate further the role of therapies such as this in preventing complications after lung resection,” Tong said in the news release.

The study authors said a larger controlled study is needed to further investigate the potential benefits of statins for lung surgery patients before recommending them as standard clinical practice.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health provides more information on statins.

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See The Empowering Photos That Reveal the True Power of Makeup

We all know how fun makeup can be: It can take you from day to night with the simple switch of a lip color, or help you completely transform yourself to look like your favorite celebrity for a day. But the real reason makeup is magical is that the simple act of primping your outside can make you feel great on the inside, too.

And yet in some circles, caring about cosmetics is seen as superficial, not as a powerful form of self-expression and self-care.

Beauty vlogger and makeup artist Nikkie, who posts on YouTube under the name NikkieTutorials, sets the record straight in her recent video, “The Power of Makeup”, which has since gone viral. In it she explains, “I have been noticing a lot lately that girls have been almost ashamed to say they love makeup. It’s almost a crime to love doing your makeup.” She then proceeds to give herself a “full-on glam” makeover on just one half of her face to show that both the natural and glammed-up halves are unapologetically beautiful.

Once her look is complete, Nikkie clarifies something important: “[I’m not saying] if you have insecurities you should just slap makeup on, feel better, and just never be content with your own self. I just want people to know that makeup is fun, and there are no rules to makeup.”

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Now, women from all over the world are joining in by posting pictures of their half made-up faces along with inspiring self-care messages to combat the “makeup shamers” out there:

Bottom line: If doing up your face (or your hair, or getting dressed up) makes you feel good about yourself, that’s all that matters. As Nikkie says: “If you want to go for that [super sharp] contour for the day, do it! If you want to go for a red lip and crazy bold eyes, do it.” No shame!

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Supreme Court’s Nod to Gay Marriage a Psychological Boost to Couples: Experts

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, June 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Supreme Court’s historic decision on Friday now guarantees the right to marriage for same-sex couples across the nation.

In a close 5 to 4 vote, the judges narrowly upheld the legality of gay and lesbian couples to marry — something that 36 states have already sanctioned.

In the majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that notions of equality and respect were key to their decision.

“It is demeaning to lock same-sex couples out of a central institution of the Nation’s society, for they too may aspire to the transcendent purposes of marriage,” Kennedy wrote.

According to The New York Times, 70 percent of Americans already live in jurisdictions allowing same-sex marriage, and the new Supreme Court decision effectively extends that right nationwide. Polls also show a majority of Americans supporting same-sex marriage.

Many social scientists believe that the affirmative ruling will deliver psychological dividends to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

A marriage contract offers many legal protections and benefits. But equally important is the security and sense of well-being it can provide couples, the experts explained.

“We’re a very marriage-prone society,” said Susan Roxburgh, a professor in the department of sociology at Kent State University in Ohio. “If you take a group of Americans in their 50s, something like 90 percent of them will have been married at least once. And part of the reason is that there’s clearly a marriage benefit.

“Part of it is the element of social control and social support,” she said. “It adds a great deal of prediction to daily life. Someone is looking after your health, after your well-being. So married people tend to be in better mental and physical health than the unmarried. They live longer, and they have lower rates of suicide and depression.”

Robin Simon, a professor in the department of sociology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., agreed.

“Marriage is a source of purpose and meaning and security that offers a big psychological and social boost,” she said. “It’s very clear, even when compared with unmarried co-habitators who live together in a committed relationship. Yes, those couples do better than single folks. But married people do the best on all measures of psychological well-being, which is, of course, a main reason why the LGBT community wants marriage.”

There are those who disagree with the concept of gay marriage — primarily religious organizations and conservatives who insist that, for millennia, marriage has been an institution for a man and a woman. Many of these opponents of same-sex marriage endorse the idea of civil unions between gay couples.

However, psychiatrist Dr. Jack Drescher, a gender and sexuality expert in private practice in New York City, said that when it comes to weighing the desire for the social benefits of marriage against the desire for legal protections, “you really can’t separate the two.”

“When gay marriage is legalized, that’s the state giving its blessing, that the relationship is authentic and recognized and has legal ramifications,” he said.

“But without that, then who gets to visit in the hospital if someone gets sick? That becomes an issue. How do gay couples move from state to state, when states have different laws? How do gay couples who have children in common handle adoption? How does a child get explained that their same-sex parents’ relationship is, in the eyes of some, less than others?” Drescher said.

“Marriage provides stability, both for relationships and for families,” he added. “But the confusion that arises from denying marriage creates an enormous amount of anxiety and uncertainty.”

Simon echoed that point.

“Preventing people from enjoying the social benefits of marriage is itself distressing, because marriage is a form of social integration, a connection with the broader community,” she said. “So, not allowing a person to marry can seriously erode his sense of well-being. It’s a blatant form of systemic social rejection.”

And that, says psychiatric epidemiologist Ilan Meyer, means that the push to broaden the access to marriage to all Americans is ultimately a symbolic stance against LGBT prejudice.

“Gay people have always formed relationships,” said Meyer, who is a senior scholar for public policy with the Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at the UCLA School of Law in Los Angeles. “But even if a couple feels satisfied in its own relationship, if it’s relegated to a separate category outside of marriage, then that is society placing a stigma on that relationship. It sends a message that you’re not part of this society, that you’re not equal and your relationship is not valued.

“So to me, the inclusion of the LGBT community in the institution of marriage would reverse this rejection by sending a strong message of respect and dignity and inclusion,” added Meyer. He delivered this argument when serving as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the 2010 federal case that overturned California’s ban on same-sex marriage, also known as Proposition 8.

“The point,” said Meyer, “is that apart from the very practical protections that come with marriage, the really important element here is that marriage is really a very core thing about who you are attracted to and who you want to build your life with.

“So, the symbolism of normalizing the institution to include gay people will benefit not only those who want to get married but even those who don’t,” added Meyer. “It won’t end homophobia, any more than the 1964 Civil Rights Act ended racism. But it will chip away at it. It will say that gay people are not inferior. It will say that they are equal.”

More information

For more on the debate over same-sex marriage, visit openreader.org.

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A 30-Day Deodorant Detox May Be Exactly What Your Armpits Need

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You know when you sit down on the bus or subway and realize you forgot to put on deodorant? Then you get that panicky feeling that makes you squeeze your pits together to avoid your neighbor smelling your body odor. That was my life for 30 days while I attempted to give up deodorant. For a month, I didn’t raise my arms above my head, all my t-shirts got additional spot treatments due to sweat stains, and I took double the bathroom breaks to give my underarms a splash.

I wish I could tell you that this particular beauty experiment convinced me to never use antiperspirant again. But that would be a total lie (I definitely applied it this morning). My monthlong experiment turned me into a more self-conscious and sweaty version of myself. But I did come out of it with softer, smoother, easier-to-shave armpits. So was the armpit cleanse worth it? Keep reading to find out . . .

Can You Become Addicted to Deodorant?

The month before my experiment I had nothing but complaints about my antiperspirant. The 24-hour formulas left a strange film under my armpits that didn’t wash away in the shower (um, not OK). The only time I could erase the sticky film from under my arms was by shaving. I blame the buildup on antiperspirant’s primary active ingredient: aluminum, which clogs the pores underneath the arm to stop sweating.

To get rid of the waxy feeling, I turned to spray formulas. I was coughing and gagging in an antiperspirant cloud every morning. Apparently you have to keep the bathroom door open and crack all the windows to use these products without suffocating. Which made me question, should I be inhaling whatever is in this stuff anyway?

You’ll hear the granola-toting, organic-loving crowd talk about how the aluminum in antiperspirant can cause everything from Alzheimer’s to breast cancer. While I have no scientific facts to back these claims up, I would never put pore-clogging minerals on my face. So why should I treat my pits any different?

So I decided to give it up altogether. My theory: the less I used the aluminum-packed antiperspirants, the less I would need them. Eventually the bacteria levels and sweat glands in my armpits would balance out, removing the need for the extra-strength formulas I was slathering on daily.

Now I didn’t just make this up. My hypothesis was based on a similar concept in skin care. When you strip all of your natural oils with harsh cleansers, your body goes into sebum overdrive to compensate. So the more often you use astringent products, the more oily your skin gets. Think about it . . . it makes sense!

The Trial

I can admit that breaking a habit you’ve been doing for over a decade isn’t easy. The first few days were OK because there was still plenty of product buildup under my armpits to protect me. But a week in, I was already sneaking swipes of my favorite antiperspirant before important meetings and date night for fear of being the stinky girl in the room.

Some days without deodorant, I would feel a little tingling under my arms. Other times, I would get that swampy, musky feeling that had me doing discreet armpit sniffing in the bathroom. On the worst days, I would clean my underarms with makeup-remover wipes by midday just to get rid of all the moisture.

My wardrobe also suffered from the lack of protection. My jackets, sweaters, bras, and shirts had more pungent underarm stains, causing me to wash everything a little bit sooner than usual (which is highly inconvenient when you have to walk three blocks to do laundry). For the record, no one ever moved subway cars because I funked up the place. The guy I was seeing didn’t even notice I gave up deodorant until I revealed the experiment a month later. I was the only one who could smell my funky pits (believe me, I asked).

The Natural Deodorant Debate

During my antiperspirant break, I also took the opportunity to test out the efficacy of natural deodorants. In my opinion, they are are great . . . if you never walk anywhere and only dwell in air-conditioned environments.

Most days, the protection was enough to cover me through 2 o’clock, but then I would get swamp pits all afternoon. In the 80 degree Miami temperatures or a one-hour hip-hop dance class? FORGET IT! I still ended up a sweaty mess, but I can admit there was less stench.

The sweat isn’t what causes you to stink, it’s the mix of bacteria and moisture that causes the odor. So the natural deodorant was enough to keep the bacteria levels low.

Eventually, I got into a routine of applying natural deodorants twice a day. Once right before bed and another layer before work in the morning. While the product didn’t stop me from sweating, I never got any strange product buildup. My skin actually felt soft, rather than sticky.

Deodorant Detox Aftereffects

My conclusions: for me, using antiperspirant is like watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians. It’s crucial to be a part of functioning society these days, but you know it’s killing your brain cells slowly. Yet when you stop watching, everyone is judging you.

As soon as the experiment was over, I was back to using aluminum antiperspirant every day. But instead of giving the area three or four passes with the rollerball, I just do one good swipe and stop. I did throw out my clinical-strength stick. While I’m not the kind of girl who can go without deodorant, 48-hour protection is a little excessive (because, you know, showers work). The only way I could give it up long term is if everyone around me promised to be sweaty too (#BObabes), and I find that highly unlikely unless there’s a major aluminum shortage on the horizon.

However, there were benefits to the break. The skin under my arms is softer, thanks, and I no longer have a layer of buildup, which makes shaving a lot easier. While I’m still going to use antiperspirant, I will gladly go funky on the weekends when I can just to give my underarms a chance to breathe.

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New Rapid Ebola Test Shows Promise in African Clinics

FRIDAY, June 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A new rapid-detection test that diagnoses Ebola within minutes could improve treatment of the deadly virus and help health care workers contain outbreaks, researchers say.

Harvard Medical School researchers found the rapid diagnostic test as sensitive as traditional lab tests that can take days to produce results. The findings suggest this diagnostic tool could be a potential game-changer in the fight against Ebola, the researchers said.

In the West African countries hardest hit by Ebola — Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone — more than 11,000 people have died from the virus since late 2013. Although experts say the worst is over, some new cases continue to surface.

In order to contain Ebola, it’s critical for doctors to quickly differentiate between patients who are infected with the virus and patients with other illnesses that cause similar symptoms. Conventional lab tests require drawing blood and disposing unsafe needles and syringes. The blood must be transported to a lab, potentially exposing more people to the Ebola virus along the way. Results of these tests may not available for several days.

While patients await these tests results, they are confined to “holding” areas. This means people who don’t actually have Ebola may be exposed to it, the researchers pointed out.

“Simplifying the process and speeding up diagnosis could have a major impact,” study senior author Nira Pollock, associate medical director of the Infectious Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory at Boston Children’s Hospital, said in a Harvard news release.

For the study, she and her colleagues put a promising rapid-detection test developed by Colorado-based Corgenix to use during the outbreak in Sierra Leone.

Local health workers were trained to perform the test, known as ReEBOV Antigen Rapid Test. At two treatment centers in Sierra Leone, 106 people suspected of having Ebola underwent both rapid-detection and conventional testing in February.

With the rapid-detection method, a finger-prick blood sample is applied to a treated strip. If the sample is positive for Ebola, a colored line appears on the strip.

The safety lancet has a spring-loaded mechanism that prevents health care workers from accidentally sticking themselves, according to the news release.

The rapid-detection test accurately diagnosed all confirmed cases of Ebola, the study published June 25 in The Lancet found.

The rapid test also had a specificity of 92 percent, which means it resulted in few false-positive results.

Missed cases of Ebola involved patients with very low levels of the virus. The study authors noted these cases were only detected using an alternative lab test that is not widely available.

They concluded that more research is needed to determine how rapid diagnostic tests would work for patients in the very early stages of the illness.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides more information on Ebola.

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Could Brain Scans Help Guide Treatment for OCD?

FRIDAY, June 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Psychotherapy can help some people avoid the disruptive behaviors linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and a new study suggests that brain scans can help spot those patients for whom the therapy will be most effective.

The treatment is called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It works by placing patients in controlled situations where they are exposed to anxiety-causing stimuli, so that they gradually learn to deal better with these situations.

“Cognitive behavioral therapy is in many cases very effective, at least in the short term,” said Dr. Jamie Feusner, an associate professor of psychiatry at University of California, Los Angeles, and director of the Semel Institute’s Adult OCD Program.

However, the treatment is “costly, time-consuming, difficult for patients and, in many areas, not available,” Feusner noted in a UCLA news release. So, “if someone will end up having their symptoms return [after treatment], it would be useful to know before they get treatment,” he reasoned.

His team wondered if certain patterns on brain scans might point to those patients who have the most to gain from CBT.

The notion has some merit, said one expert, especially since more reliable treatment is needed for people suffering from OCD.

“OCD is an illness in which patients experience obsessions and then act on them by performing compulsions,” explained Dr. Alan Manevitz, a clinical psychiatrist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

Even though “the patient realizes that these obsessions and compulsions are unwanted, unreasonable and excessive, he or she cannot stop listening to the thoughts and acting on them,” he said.

According to Manevitz, one in every 40 Americans (2.5 percent) has clinical OCD, with symptoms bad enough to interfere with daily living, and another 10 percent have a lower-level form of the illness, where thoughts intrude but do not reach such a disruptive state.

“The past few decades, however, have seen the emergence of many effective treatments, both pharmacological and psychotherapeutic,” including CBT, Manevitz said.

But who will gain the most from the psychotherapy? Feusner’s team noted that although CBT may be very effective initially, not all patients see long-term benefits, and about 20 percent of patients suffer a relapse of their OCD symptoms.

In the UCLA study, brain scans known as fMRIs were used to study the brains of 17 people with OCD who ranged in age from 21 to 50.

The scans — which measure brain activity in real time — were performed before and after the patients completed intensive CBT.

The patients’ symptoms were also monitored for one year.

According to Feusner, people with more efficient brain network “connectivity,” as gauged by the brain scans, actually had worse long-term outcomes following CBT treatment.

The team also found that the intensity of OCD symptoms prior to treatment, or the patient’s initial level of response to the therapy, was not a good predictor of long-term success.

Having a better understanding of which patients will not respond well to specific therapy long-term could help doctors develop a more effective treatment strategy.

The researchers were quick to point out that the study does not suggest that some patients with OCD are “beyond help” when it comes to psychotherapy. Instead, they believe that these patients may simply need longer CBT than the four weeks used in the study, or that they may be helped by medications as well.

“We are now starting to translate knowledge of the brain into useful information that in the future could be used by doctors and patients to make clinical decisions,” Feusner said. “Although a brain scan may seem expensive, these scans only took about 15 minutes and thus the cost is not exceptionally high, particularly in comparison to medication or cognitive behavioral therapy treatments, which over time can cost many thousands of dollars.”

However, Manevitz did have some reservations about the findings.

“The results are intriguing but this study has a very small sample size: 17 subjects,” he said. Plus, those subjects appeared to be especially willing to undertake the rigors of CBT — something not every person with OCD might be amenable to, he said.

All of that “makes it harder to generalize [the findings] to the overall OCD population,” Manevitz said. He also believes that while brain network “connectivity” may play a role in the effectiveness of psychotherapy for OCD, that remains only a theory.

The bottom line, according to Manevitz: “It is important to follow up this study with a larger group of participants.”

Dr. Emily Stern is assistant professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. She said that brain scans may have potential “to predict which patients will relapse has the potential to identify those patients who may need further treatment or greater monitoring.”

If the findings pan out, “brain network organization may provide a window into patient functioning that cannot be assessed through symptom measures alone,” Stern said.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health and published recently in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health provides more information on OCD.

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Common Antidepressants Linked to Higher Fracture Odds in Menopausal Women

FRIDAY, June 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Women prescribed a common class of antidepressants to ease menopausal symptoms may face a long-term rise in their risk for bone fracture, a new study suggests.

The antidepressants in question are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) medications such as Celexa, Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft.

Besides being used to treat depression, these drugs are often prescribed as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to tackle hot flashes, night sweats and other problems that can accompany menopause.

However, “SSRIs appear to increase fracture risk among middle aged women without psychiatric disorders,” wrote a team led by Dr. Matthew Miller of Northeastern University in Boston.

The team added that the effect seems to be “sustained over time, suggesting that shorter duration of treatment may decrease [this effect].”

The study authors acknowledged that their work did not establish a direct cause-and-effect link between SSRIs and a boost in fracture risk. However, they point out that prior research has highlighted bone-thinning as a possible side effect of antidepressants.

Findings from the study were published June 25 in the journal Injury Prevention.

For the study, researchers sifted through data from the PharMetrics Claims Database, which collects information on drug treatments involving roughly 61 million patients nationally.

In this case, investigators specifically focused on more than 137,000 women between the ages of 40 and 64, all of whom began SSRI treatment at some point between 1998 and 2010.

The SSRIs in question included citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Sarafem, Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil) and sertraline (Zoloft).

The SSRI group was compared with more than 236,000 other women who had been prescribed indigestion medications instead of an SSRI.

They found that women in the SSRI group faced a 76 percent higher risk for fracture after a single year of SSRI use, compared with the non-SSRI group. That figure fell slightly, to 73 percent after two years and 67 percent after five years, the study said.

One expert in bone health said a relationship between SSRIs and bone weakening does have some basis in biology.

“The authors speculate that the mechanism of action involves the activation of osteoclasts, cells which break down bone, by the SSRIs,” explained Dr. Caroline Messer, an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

She said that, “While more studies are needed, the trial does suggest that women might want to limit the duration of treatment with SSRIs and perhaps consider taking the lowest effective dose to minimize bone loss.”

More information

For more information on menopause and treatment options U.S. National Institute on Aging.

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Surgery May Help Teens With Frequent Migraines, Study Contends

By Valerie DeBenedette
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, June 25, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Migraine surgery may be an effective choice for teens who haven’t gotten relief from standard treatment, a small study suggests.

In the study, researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland reviewed the medical records of 14 patients, with an average age of 16.

In teens with migraine who haven’t responded well to other treatments, “migraine surgery may offer symptomatic improvement of migraine headache frequency, duration and severity in patients with identifiable anatomical trigger sites,” wrote the study’s authors.

However, at least one headache expert questioned the value of the procedure, citing a possible placebo effect.

Results of the study were published in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Migraines are recurring bouts of moderate to severe head pain, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. As many as 8 percent of children and teens experience migraines, according to background information in the study.

Options for treating migraine in teens include over-the-counter pain relievers, the nasal medication sumatriptan (Imitrex), and a preventive medication called topiramate, according to the study authors. A previous study found that nearly one-quarter of teens treated still had migraines after treatment.

The current study looked at whether or not surgery might be an effective option for these teens.

The surgery involved is actually a plastic surgery procedure that decompresses a nerve or releases a trigger point that is believed to cause the migraine. The surgery was developed after doctors noticed that migraine patients who underwent certain cosmetic procedures, such as a forehead lift, had fewer headaches afterward, according to the study’s lead author, Dr. Bahman Guyuron, an emeritus professor of plastic surgery at Case Western. Guyuron developed the techniques used in the migraine surgery.

There are several sites in the head and face that are considered common trigger sites for migraines, Guyuron said. Before surgery, patients are asked to keep a diary of their migraine symptoms and to note where headaches start. The trigger site can also be confirmed either by injecting a small amount of local anesthetic at the site to see if a migraine eases up or by using a Doppler ultrasound device to check blood vessels that might be impinging on nerves.

All of the procedures were performed by Guyuron. Follow-up averaged more than three years.

Five patients were free of migraine symptoms after their surgery, the findings showed. For those still experiencing headaches, the average frequency of migraines for the teens over a 30-day period went from 25 to five. The duration and severity of their headaches also decreased. One patient didn’t have improvement in the frequency of headaches, but did have less severe headaches with shorter duration, according to the study.

Still, not every teen who has migraines is a candidate for surgery, the study authors pointed out. Surgery should be reserved for teens whose migraines have not responded to other treatments and who are likely to continue to have them as adults, Guyuron said.

“Some teenagers outgrow migraine headaches,” he said. It is important to look at pattern of migraines in the family. If family members have migraines that continue past the teen years, “it is almost a given that the teenager will continue to have migraines in adulthood,” he said.

However, the surgery, which is performed by plastic surgeons, is controversial for both teens and adults among headache and migraine specialists.

Migraine surgery is not reversible and can have long-lasting implications, said Dr. Andrew Hershey, a spokesman for the American Migraine Foundation, and director of neurology at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He said there have been flaws in how the studies of the surgery in adults have been done, such as a lack of a control group.

This study of migraine surgery in teens didn’t have a control group, which means the results may be due to a placebo effect, Hershey added. “The placebo effect can be as high as 70 percent with kids’ disorders,” he said. Because migraines come and go naturally, it may seem that there has been an improvement, he explained.

“This is not a proven treatment,” Hershey stated. He added that the surgery is expensive and may not be covered by health insurance.

Guyuron said he doesn’t think the results are due to a placebo effect.

“I have at least 400 patients without migraine headaches for at least 14 years,” he said, adding that several studies of migraine surgery have been published showing good results.

More information

For more on migraines and their treatment, head to the Migraine Research Foundation.

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