Kicking the Nail-Biting Habit

SATURDAY, Sept. 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Maybe it’s time to listen to your mother’s words and stop biting your nails. That’s because nail-biting isn’t just an unattractive habit, it can also lead to strange-looking nails and even skin infections, a dermatologist warns.

“Chronic nail-biting can cause serious problems,” dermatologist Dr. Margaret Parsons, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California, Davis, said in a news release from the American Academy of Dermatology.

“In addition to making the skin around your nails feel sore, repeated nail-biting can damage the tissue that makes nails grow, resulting in abnormal-looking nails,” she said. “It can also leave you vulnerable to infection as you pass harmful bacteria and viruses from your mouth to your fingers and from your nails to your face and mouth.”

To cut down on the problem, Parsons suggested avoiding temptation by keeping your nails trimmed short.

She also recommended applying bitter-tasting nail polish, getting regular manicures or wearing gloves.

Replacing the habit with another activity — such as squeezing a stress ball — is another option, Parsons added.

Some people might fare best by starting slowly, she said, focusing, for example, on leaving alone the thumbs before gradually expanding to include the rest of the hand over time.

But more generally, Parsons advocated trying to tackle the general underlying cause of the habit, whether it’s stress, boredom or anxiety.

“For some people, nail-biting may be a sign of a more serious psychological or emotional problem,” Parsons said. “If you’ve repeatedly tried to quit and the problem persists, consult a doctor. If you bite your nails and develop a skin or nail infection, consult a board-certified dermatologist.”

More information

Learn more about nails from the American Academy of Dermatology.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1KmNwJz

‘Preemie’ Birth Linked to Less Wealth, Education in Adulthood

FRIDAY, Sept. 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Adults who were born preterm tend to have less education and wealth, a new study suggests.

“Our findings suggest that the economic costs of preterm birth are not limited to health care and educational support in childhood, but extend well into adulthood,” said study author Dieter Wolke, a psychological scientist at the University of Warwick in England.

“Together, these results suggest that the effects of prematurity via academic performance on wealth are long-term, lasting into the fifth decade of life,” he added.

To reach that conclusion, the research team analyzed data from more than 15,000 people born in Great Britain in 1958 and 1970. At age 42, those who were born preterm (less than 37 weeks’ gestation) had lower levels of schooling, were more likely to have manual labor jobs, more likely to be unemployed, more likely to have money problems and less likely to own a house than those who were born full-term, the findings showed.

Many people who were born preterm had poor math skills, something that may help explain their financial struggles, according to the study published online recently in the journal Psychological Science.

“What is perhaps most surprising is that most of the children we studied were not very preterm — born, on average, only five weeks early — and still we find these long-lasting effects,” study co-author and psychological scientist Maartje Basten, said in a journal news release.

The study authors said they took into account factors that might influence outcomes in childhood and adulthood, such as birth weight, mothers’ prenatal health, and parental education and social class.

However, while the study found an association between premature birth and education and wealth at age 42, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

The researchers noted that preterm births are on the rise.

“Our previous research has shown that teachers and educational psychologists receive no training on needs of preterm children. They have little knowledge of the specific difficulties that preterm children have with learning and attention,” Wolke said.

“Providing this knowledge and developing appropriate interventions could make a big difference for many preterm children and improve their life chances,” he concluded.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about preterm birth.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1QnrqZ3

8 Different Ways to Rock Bangs This Fall

In need of a little hairspo? Our current celebrity hair crushes all have one thing in common: bangs. Seemingly one after another, stars are trying bangin’ new styles—from side-swept to blunt and wispy—and so should you. Consider this your guide to fall fringe.

Kate Middleton

Photo: Getty Images

In breaking beauty news: Kate’s bangs are back. The Duchess of Cambridge was recently spotted with side-swept bangs that hit just below the brow—an ultra-flattering look for the mama of two.

Ciara

During New York Fashion Week, the singer debuted blunt bangs—a super-stylish accompaniment to her newly snipped bob.

Sandra Bullock

The “World’s Most Beautiful Woman” freshened up her long locks with lash-skimming bangs while promoting her new film at the Toronto Film Festival.

RELATED: Tricks for Beautiful, Low Maintenance Hair

Taylor Swift

The pop singer’s shoulder-skimming crop with lots of layers and full bangs brings the iconic shag into the here and now (cue: It never goes out of style).

Beyonce

On her 34^th birthday, otherwise known as #BeyDey, this songstress got bangs. She showed off sweeping strands pulled back loosely from her face. All together now: Flawless.

Kate Mara

Wispy forehead fringe adds feminine edge to the A-Lister’s textured pixie.

RELATED: 10 Foods for Stronger Nails and Thicker Hair

Victoria Beckham

The designer’s brand-new bangs are super-short and side-swept, like a modern day Audrey Hepburn.

Taraji P. Henson

At the season 2 premiere of Empire on Saturday, this leading lady rocked a new set of baby bangs. We love how confidently she pulls off the bold look!

RELATED: 10 Ways to Detox Your Hair

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1F6XoYZ

More Cavities Seen in Kids of Chronically Stressed Mothers

FRIDAY, Sept. 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Dental cavities are more common among kids whose mothers suffer from chronic stress, according to a new study.

A mother’s chronic stress is also associated with lower odds of breast-feeding and fewer dental visits for their children, the researchers found.

“Policy that aims to improve dental health, particularly the prevalence of cavities among children, should include interventions to improve the quality of life of mothers,” said the study’s co-author, Dr. Wael Sabbah, from the Dental Institute at King’s College London.

“Chronic maternal stress as a potential risk factor is something we need to consider, in addition to the wider implications of maternal well-being, social and psychological environment on dental health,” Sabbah added in a college news release.

However, the researchers cautioned that the study doesn’t prove a cause-and-effect relationship between maternal stress and a child’s inadequate dental care.

For the study, the investigators examined information from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994) on 716 U.S. mothers and their children aged 2 to 6 years.

The findings showed that dental cavities were more common among kids whose mothers had two or more biological markers of chronic stress, or “wear and tear.” These markers included levels of blood fats, such as triglycerides and HDL (“good”) cholesterol; blood sugar; blood pressure; and waist circumference.

After considering caregiving behaviors — including breast-feeding, eating breakfast every day and visits to the dentist — the researchers found that cavities were more common among the children who weren’t breast-fed as babies. The mothers with at least one of these biomarkers were much less likely to breast-feed, the researchers reported in the Sept. 17 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

Income level also played a role, the findings suggested.

“Our study indicated that mothers with lower income were significantly less likely to breast-feed or to have taken their child to the dentist in the prior year. They were also less likely to feed their child breakfast than higher-income counterparts,” said Sabbah. “It is important to better understand the dynamics of these links, so that we might develop effective public health programs and interventions.”

It’s known that poverty is associated with chronic exposure to adverse living circumstances, added the study’s first author, Erin Masterson, from the Schools of Public Health and Dentistry at the University of Washington in Seattle.

“These take a toll on a person biologically and also affect behavior. This study uniquely highlights the importance of considering the influence of socioeconomic status and maternal stress on children’s oral health through mothers’ struggles to adopt healthy patterns that are major predictors of dental cavities,” Masterson added in the news release.

More information

The American Psychological Association has more about chronic stress.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1inGXNt

Your Sleep Tracker Probably Isn’t Very Good at Tracking Your Sleep

Jawbones and Fitbits are fine, but there are still some health insights that your own brain figures out better. Like this one: How did you sleep last night? In a recent Reddit AMA, Ying-Hui Fui, a sleep scientist at the University of California, San Francisco, explained that while wearables do a good job of measuring movement and heart rate while you sleep, they aren’t going to provide an accurate picture of the quality of your night’s rest.

“To really know the quality of sleep, we have to be able to measure EEG during sleep,” said Fui, meaning the brain’s electrical activity. “Most EEG devices are difficult to use and expensive.” In other words, they don’t retail for $99 and clip neatly to your clothing. The best way to track your own sleep, then, is the old-fashioned way, Fui said. More on that:

I think that right now, the best way is still to listen to your body and figure out what is the best schedule and duration for yourself. For example, when you are on vacation and have no social responsibilities and no other external influences, what is your body telling you to do and how do you feel? What makes you feel the best most of the day? Although it sounds primitive, it’s still the most accurate way. You can use fitbit or whatever to measure your sleep duration, but if you don’t feel good, it still has no benefit to help you with your sleep.

You still know yourself better than your Fitbit does.

More from Science of Us:

The More Money You Make, the More Sleep You Get

What’s Happening in Your Brain When You Can’t Stay Awake

A Composer Hopes His Music Will Put You to Sleep

How to Recover From an All-Nighter

There’s a Bright Side to Bad Dreams

How Your Feet Can Help You Sleep

Science of Us is a smart but playful window into the latest science on human behavior, with the goal of enlightening, entertaining, and providing useful information that can be applied to everyday life.

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1LmN7Jj

There’s Something Called the Hannibal Lecter Facial — You Need to See It To Believe It

When Thomas Harris created the character of Hannibal Lecter, I highly doubt he imagined the forensic psychiatrist/cannibalistic serial killer would ever have a facial named after him! Officially called the IDERM Galvanic Treatment, one thing is for sure — Harris would totally approve of how renowned Skincare Guru, Marianne Kehoe, represents his infamous character at her Los Angeles-based skin spa, MK Skin Studio.

There were no fava beans or Chianti in sight when I arrived for my appointment — phew! — though I somehow seem to have missed a couple of her top celebrity clients, Jeremy Scott and Eli Roth, by just one day. I’ll admit, I was a little hesitant to get electrocuted in the name of beauty, but I’m always down for anything and knew I’d be fresh faced and beautiful after my facial.

So, what exactly does the Hannibal Lecter facial consist of? Marianne started the treatment by cleaning my face with a gentle cleanser. It was extremely relaxing and I could feel all the impurities and the stress of my week wash away.

Next she placed surgical cotton — which had been soaking in a yucca root solution — before putting a dry heat dome over everything. Marianne explained that the 10-minute soak would prepare me for the extraction process, which she does in a rolling method.

At this point — and this might shock you — I had surgical cotton that had been soaked in vitamin mineral solution placed all over my face along with electrode pads. That’s when Marianne cranked up the IDERM machine to deliver what she calls “an even flow of low amperage galvanic current.” Yes people, meaning an electrical current.

In the beginning, she turned it up to where I could feel some tingling on my face, then slowly lowered it down to a comfortable, almost unnoticeable level.

Thanks to the vitamins from the solution, my pores got flushed of impurities and the galvanic machine helped firm and tighten my skin. This treatment is known for boosting collagen production, so forget a facelift or Botox ladies — this is all you need!

When Marianne was all done, she removed the bandages and a creepy mask was left behind that resembled that of Dr. Lecter.

Yes, that part’s pretty creepy, but when I looked in the mirror, my skin was so smooth and radiant. Marianne mentioned that many celebrities like getting this done before a big event or red carpet since it leaves your skin looking flawless, and seeing how my skin has held up even after leaving the studio, I could not agree more.

The IDERM Galvanic Treatment Facial starts at $120 at MK Skin Studio.

This article originally appeared on MIMIchatter.com.

More from MIMI:

Why Your Scalp Deserves a Facial Just as Much as Your Face

Could a Butt Facial Get Rid of Cellulite?

We Tried Kate Somerville’s Luxurious LED Facial

MIMI Chatter is an endless stream of beauty content. We bring together the must-knows and the how-tos from your favorite sites, beauty influencers, our editors, and YOU.

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1W8BLf3

Signs of Brain Tumor May Show in Blood Years Before Diagnosis

FRIDAY, Sept. 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Brain tumors known as gliomas usually produce symptoms several months before they’re diagnosed, but new research found changes in immune function may occur up to five years before these cancers are detected.

“Now, clinicians don’t have any way to detect the tumors until patients have symptoms, which is typically three months before diagnosis. I see something five years before,” study author Judith Schwartzbaum, an associate professor of epidemiology at Ohio State University, in Columbus.

Researchers analyzed blood samples collected over 40 years in Norway from people getting annual checkups or donating blood. Norway also has a cancer registry, enabling the researchers to identify blood samples of people who developed a brain tumor. The blood samples were collected an average of 15 years before tumors were detected.

Specifically, the researchers compared interactions between 12 allergy-related proteins, called cytokines, in the blood samples of 487 people diagnosed with glioma and 487 samples from people without cancer.

Cytokines are activated during an allergy-related immune response. Allergies, the study authors noted, have been linked to reduced risk for glioma.

At first, the study revealed no significant differences among the blood samples. But after limiting the analysis to 55 people who gave blood no more than five years before they were diagnosed with a brain tumor, the researchers found reduced interaction among cytokines compared to otherwise healthy people, they reported in the Sept. 9 issue of PLOS ONE.

Gliomas can suppress the immune system, which enables them to grow. Early on, these tumors can cause detectable changes in the immune system long before the disease is diagnosed, the researchers explained.

“The cytokines are not signaling as strongly to each other as the time of diagnosis approaches. Mathematicians who have modeled immune function changes in glioma patients suggest this means the tumor is starting to direct or suppress local immune activation. And that makes sense,” Schwartzbaum said in a university news release.

“I can’t say which are the most important cytokines because they’re all related to each other and they don’t act alone. But I see a weakening of all of their relationships in glioma patients within five years before diagnosis, and nothing like that among controls,” she said.

The researchers pointed out that higher levels of the protein IL4, which is overproduced in people with allergies, is linked to a lower risk for glioma later in life. They suggested allergies could help protect against these brain tumors up to 20 years before they might develop.

However, the researchers said they’re still not sure whether allergies reduce cancer risk or if these tumors interfere with the immune response to allergens.

Glioblastomas, the most serious form of glioma, account for 60 percent of adult brain tumors in the United States, affecting an estimated five in 100,000 people, the researchers said. On average, patients treated with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy survive for about one year after diagnosis. Less than 10 percent of patients survive up to five years, the researchers added.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute provides more on brain tumors.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1OjIVfa

FDA Approves New Drug for Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder

FRIDAY, Sept. 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A new antipsychotic drug to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in adults has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The drug, Vraylar (cariprazine), is a capsule taken once a day.

“Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be disabling and can greatly interfere with day-to-day activities,” Dr. Mitchell Mathis, director of the division of psychiatry products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in an agency news release.

“It is important to have a variety of treatment options available to patients with mental illnesses so that treatment plans can be tailored to meet a patient’s individual needs,” Mathis said.

Schizophrenia, a chronic and disabling brain disorder that usually develops in early adulthood, occurs in 1 percent of the general population, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health. People with the condition often see or hear things that are not there. They are also withdrawn or paranoid, believing others are trying to read their mind or control their thoughts.

Vraylar belongs to a class of drugs known as atypical antipsychotics. Others in this group include Abilify (aripiprazole), Seroquel (quetiapine) and Risperdal (risperidone).

The drug’s effectiveness in treating schizophrenia was tested among more than 1,750 patients in three six-week clinical trials. It was shown to reduce schizophrenia symptoms compared to the placebo. The drug’s maker, Forest Labs, and distributor, Actavis Pharma, are based in New Jersey.

The most commonly reported side effects in the schizophrenia trials were tremor, slurred speech and involuntary muscle movements.

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, leads to dramatic mood swings or shifts in energy and activity levels. People with bipolar disorder have alternating episodes of depression and mania, or “highs,” characterized by irritability, increased activity, restlessness, impulsive behavior and racing thoughts. Almost 3 percent of U.S. adults have bipolar disorder, the mental health institute says.

In three three-week trials involving more than 1,000 bipolar patients, Vraylar reduced disorder symptoms, the FDA said.

The most common drug-related side effects in the bipolar disorder trial included tremor, slurred speech, an urge to move (akathisia), indigestion, vomiting, drowsiness and restlessness.

All FDA-approved drugs for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder must carry a black box warning indicating an increased risk of death if these drugs are used by older people with dementia-related psychosis, the agency noted.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more about mental health medications.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1OjIVf4

New Antibiotics May One Day Beat Superbugs

FRIDAY, Sept. 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — As concerns over antibiotic resistance grow around the world, researchers report they’ve discovered a promising new group of antibiotics.

These new drugs contain iridium, a transition metal that doesn’t break down easily. This may help the antibiotics treat superbugs, such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), the researchers said.

“We are still at the beginning of developing and testing these antibiotics but, so far, our preliminary results show a new group of antibiotics that are effective and safe,” said Joseph Falkinham, a professor of microbiology in the College of Science at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and an affiliate of the Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery, in a university news release.

“Within the next few years, we hope to identify various characteristics of these antibiotics, such as their stability, their distribution and concentration in animal tissue, their penetration into white blood cells, and their metabolism in animals,” he said.

Tests showed the new compounds are nontoxic to animals and animal cells in the lab, and effective against bacteria.

The study was published recently in the journal Medicinal Chemistry Communications.

“So far our findings show that these compounds are safer than other compounds made from transition metals,” study author Joseph Merola, a professor of chemistry in the Virginia Tech College of Science and an affiliate of the Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery, said in the news release.

The team is currently testing the compounds in human cells in the lab. So far, the cells have remained healthy and normal, the researchers said.

The researchers said their findings might one day provide new hope for more than 2 million people in the United States affected by antibiotic resistance. In 2013 alone, MRSA caused nearly 10,000 deaths in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The biggest question scientists have to ask to tackle antibiotic resistance is, how can we stay on top of the bacteria? Fortunately, these new organometallic antibiotics are coming at a time when bacteria have not evolved to resist them,” said Merola.

More information

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

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1OjISzW

Teens Copy Parents’ Smoking: Study

FRIDAY, Sept. 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Although many teens don’t often copy their parents’ behavior, there’s one habit they may pick up from mom or dad — smoking.

Teens are three times more likely to smoke at least one cigarette — and their odds of nicotine dependence are nearly twice as high — if one of their parents is dependent on nicotine, the new study found.

And teenage daughters of women who smoke seem to be most at risk. These young girls were almost four times as likely to be dependent on nicotine if their mother was a regular smoker, the researchers said.

“Most smokers start smoking when they are teenagers. As this study shows, parents are a powerful influence,” the study’s lead author, Denise Kandel, a professor of sociomedical sciences in psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and the Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, said in a university news release.

“To prevent teens from starting to smoke and becoming addicted to tobacco, we need to do a better job of helping parents quit smoking,” she said.

The study included data from the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health collected between 2004 and 2012. Researchers reviewed information on the smoking habits of 35,000 sets of parents and their teenage kids.

Of the teens whose parents never smoked, 13 percent said they smoked at least one cigarette in their lifetime. In contrast, of the teens that had a parent that was dependent on nicotine, 38 percent said they smoked at least once, the study revealed.

When the researchers only considered the teens that admitted to smoking at least one cigarette, they found 5 percent were dependent if their parent didn’t smoke, and 15 percent were dependent if their parent was hooked on cigarettes.

Girls didn’t seem to be more likely to become dependent if their father smoked, and whether or not a parent smoked didn’t seem to impact the risk of tobacco dependence for boys, the researchers said.

The study authors suggested that reaching out to parents and educating them about smoking and its effects on their kids during pediatrician visits might help give parents a reason to try to quit.

The study was published online Sept. 17 in the American Journal of Public Health.

More information

The American Lung Association has more about why kids start smoking.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1OjIUYy