Spiders’ Size Exagerrated in Minds of Those Who Fear Them
THURSDAY, Feb. 18, 2016 (HealthDay News) — If you’re frightened of spiders, in your mind’s eye they may seem much bigger than they really are, a new Israeli study finds.
The research included female university students. They were divided into two groups, depending on whether they were afraid or unafraid of spiders.
Each of the women was then shown pictures of spiders, birds and butterflies.
Unsurprisingly, both groups said the spider pictures were more unpleasant than the other pictures. However, only those with a heightened fear of spiders overestimated the size of the spiders compared to the butterflies.
The participants’ estimation of spider size was affected by both how unpleasant they found the spider pictures and how much they were afraid of spiders, according to the study published in the journal Biological Psychology.
“We found that although individuals with both high and low arachnophobia [fear of spiders] rated spiders as highly unpleasant, only the highly fearful participants overestimated the spider size,” said lead researcher Tali Leibovich. She is a Ph.D. neurology researcher at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
The findings show “how perception of even a basic feature such as size is influenced by emotion, and demonstrates how each of us experiences the world in a unique and different way,” Leibovich said in a university news release
The research “also raises more questions such as: Is it fear that triggers size disturbance, or maybe the size disturbance is what causes fear in the first place? Future studies that attempt to answer such questions can be used as a basis for developing treatments for different phobias,” she said.
More information
Mental Health America has more on phobias.
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Severe Gum Disease May Boost Death Rate of Kidney Disease Patients
THURSDAY, Feb. 18, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Severe gum disease increases the risk of death in chronic kidney disease patients, a new study suggests.
The findings add to growing evidence that poor oral health is associated with other chronic diseases, according to the researchers at the University of Birmingham in England.
They analyzed data from more than 13,700 Americans who took part in a federal government health survey. They found the 10-year death rate among chronic kidney disease patients was 41 percent for those with severe gum disease, compared with 32 percent for those without severe gum disease.
The study was published Feb. 18 in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology.
Severe gum disease affects more than 11 percent of people worldwide, the researchers said.
“It’s important to note that oral health isn’t just about teeth. The mouth is the doorway to the body, rather than a separate organ, and is the access point for bacteria to enter the bloodstream via the gums,” study author Iain Chapple said in a university news release.
“A lot of people with gum disease aren’t aware of it, perhaps they just have blood in their spit after brushing teeth, but this unchecked damage to gums then becomes a high risk area for the rest of the body,” he explained.
Study co-author Praveen Sharma said researchers are “just beginning to scratch the surface of the interplay between gum disease and other chronic diseases; whether that be kidney disease, diabetes or cardiovascular disease.”
Knowing the heightened risk that gum disease presents to people with a chronic disease “tells us that oral health has a significant role to play in improving patient outcomes,” Sharma added in the news release.
The researchers are now trying to learn more about the link between gum disease and kidney disease, and whether treating gum disease and maintaining dental health could improve the overall health of kidney disease patients.
“It may be that the diagnosis of gum disease can provide an opportunity for early detection of other problems, whereby dental professionals could adopt a targeted, risk-based approach to screening for other chronic diseases,” Chapple said.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research has more about gum disease.
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Stroke Survivors Develop Seizures, Study Confirms
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Feb. 18, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Seizures are common in the years following a stroke, a new study found, with nearly one in six survivors requiring hospital care after a seizure.
Researchers noted that the seizure rate following stroke was more than double the rate compared to people who’d experienced traumatic brain injuries such as concussions.
The researchers also noted that people who had certain type of stroke had an even higher risk for seizure. “One in four patients with a hemorrhagic-type stroke will develop seizures,” said study lead author Dr. Alexander Merkler, a fellow in neurocritical care at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
A hemorrhagic stroke is the type that occurs when a blood vessel in the brain bursts. This type of stroke is much less common than an ischemic stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked, according to the American Stroke Association.
“Patients with stroke should be aware they may develop seizures and should be counseled on common symptoms or signs of seizures,” Merkler added.
It’s not news that people have seizures after stroke. “But it was unclear for how long patients were at risk for seizures and exactly what percentage of patients with stroke would develop seizures,” Merkler said.
The new research doesn’t shed light on the ultimate fate of stroke patients who had seizures — it’s not clear if they continued to have lifelong seizure events. Nor did the research look into how many stroke survivors had seizures but didn’t go to the hospital.
In the new study, researchers examined hospital visits from 2005-2013 in California, Florida and New York. They focused on more than 600,000 people with a first stroke and nearly 2 million people with traumatic brain injuries. The study authors wanted to compare seizures after stroke to those after traumatic injury to the brain, a known risk factor for seizures.
The researchers found that 15 percent of stroke patients had a seizure over an average of three years of follow-up, while nearly 6 percent of those who suffered traumatic brain injuries had a seizure. People who suffered strokes caused by bleeding in the brain had the highest risk of seizure, the study found.
The study was scheduled to be presented Thursday at the American Stroke Association’s annual meeting, in Los Angeles. Studies presented at meetings are typically viewed as preliminary until they’ve been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
A seizure can include more symptoms than people might assume, Merkler said.
“Seizures are episodes of excessive electrical activity in the brain that often cause patients to have convulsions or abnormal behavior,” he said. “The typical conception of a seizure is a patient shaking uncontrollably, but seizures can be more subtle than that: Patients may only have a subtle twitch in the face, trouble speaking or even just stare into space.”
Seizures tend to be brief, at less than one minute, but patients may lose consciousness or not breathe correctly. This puts them at serious risk if they’re driving, swimming or operating machinery, Merkler said. Rare kinds of seizures known as status epilepticus last more than five minutes and may lead to brain injury when oxygen doesn’t travel to the brain, he said.
Why do people have seizures after a stroke?
“Stroke leads to dead tissue, which in turn leads to abnormal electrical activity, which can put patients at risk,” Merkler said. “If we consider the normal electric activity in the brain akin to rain, seizures occur when there is a thunderstorm in the brain.”
The study didn’t examine whether seizures are likely to happen again, and the researchers don’t know how people fared over time. According to Merkler, it’s not clear whether medications might help them.
“It’s unknown whether ordering preventive anti-seizure medication for every patient with a stroke is beneficial and cost-effective,” he said. “Further research will be needed.”
Dr. Amy Guzik, an assistant professor of neurology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina, praised the study, although she pointed out that it was limited because it only looked at patients who were treated for seizures at hospitals. As a result, she said, it may underestimate the prevalence of post-stroke seizures.
“We need to let our patients know that seizure is a risk after stroke,” she said. “If you have any new symptoms, call 911 or your doctor.”
More information
For more about seizures after stroke, try the National Stroke Association.
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Post-Stroke Caregiving at Home Tops $11,000 a Year: Study
By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Feb. 18, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The time spent caring for an older stroke survivor in the home totals about 22 hours a week, or more than $11,000 a year, a new study finds.
Paying bills, shopping and traveling to and from doctor’s visits adds up, say researchers who found the true cost of post-stroke home care services for American seniors is much higher than previously estimated. Stroke survivors received about 10 more hours of caregiving from family or friends compared to seniors who had not had a stroke, the study found.
Study author Dr. Lesli Skolarus said more than half of seniors living at home after a stroke have some kind of caregiver on hand.
“Our team found stroke survivors receive an average of about 22 hours of [caregiver] help per week,” she said, compared to about 12 hours a week for a comparable group of seniors with no stroke history.
“If all of this care was provided by a paid caregiver, the total cost would be huge,” said Skolarus, an assistant professor in the neurology stroke program at the University of Michigan. “This includes basic and instrumental activities of daily living along with health care, money matters and transportation activities.”
Skolarus said previous studies arrived at a 16-hour weekly tally, and pegged the national value of post-stroke home care services for at-home Medicare recipients at roughly $27 billion a year. But the true stroke caregiving bill approaches the $40 billion mark, her team concluded.
The study authors said prior analyses haven’t accounted for the full value of the care that informal providers — such as family and friends — typically offer beyond the basic daily living assistance given older adults not in post-stroke recovery.
Skolarus and her colleagues were to present their findings Wednesday in Los Angeles at the annual meeting of the American Stroke Association. Data and conclusions presented at meetings are usually considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
The study team focused on nearly 900 stroke survivors included in the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study and compared them with a similar group of seniors with no prior stroke. All were Medicare recipients living at home.
The researchers first identified all caregiving involving self-care assistance or help with mobility and household upkeep. This included helping patients get to doctors’ visits, assistance with health insurance decisions, and help with transportation issues and financial logistics, such as opening and closing bank accounts.
Services were then quantified in terms of overall value (paid and unpaid) and total time required for caregiving.
The study helps to paint an accurate picture of what caregiving is really all about, said Matthew Neidell, an associate professor in the department of health policy and management at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.
“It’s a move in the right direction, because it is tracking the full or true costs, which are not limited to just paid expenses but also what we call classic ‘opportunity costs,’ ” he said. “Beyond just medical bills and supplies, there is the time and effort devoted to caring for somebody that a lot of family members are, of course, willing to do. But that can mean taking time off of work or changes in that caregiver’s lifestyle and leisure time.”
Because that care may not involve direct outlays of money, “that can make it hard when thinking about how to account for this outlay of time and effort in terms of designing policies that support the people involved,” Neidell said. But factors such as paid or unpaid work leave, flex time or a reduced workload have a value, he noted.
More information
There’s more on stroke caregiving at the National Stroke Association.
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Stroke’s Aftermath Often Worse for Women, Minorities: Study
THURSDAY, Feb. 18, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Anyone can be laid low by stroke, but a new study finds that the road back to health may be tougher for female and minority patients.
Research led by Dr. Cheryl Bushnell, professor of neurology at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., found that male and white stroke survivors tended to fare best in terms of their physical function a few months after their stroke.
The findings didn’t surprise one expert in stroke care.
“This study drives home the point that outcomes are worse in women and minorities,” said Dr. Richard Libman, vice chair of neurology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y.
“It is incumbent upon all of us involved in stroke research and treatment to clarify the reasons for worse outcome,” he added, “and to focus our efforts on improving outcomes in these groups as well as everyone who has had a stroke.”
The new study involved 129 patients who were asked about their mobility, arm strength and ability to do daily tasks three months after a stroke or mini-stroke — also known as a transient ischemic attack, or TIA.
The patients received scores ranging from zero (worst) to 100 (best).
The overall average score was just over 81. However, men had an average score of 85.7 while women had an average of 75.8 — an indication that men did better in regaining physical function.
When it came to race, white patients had an average score of 85.4, while nonwhite patients had an average of 69.4, Bushnell’s team found.
Patients who had suffered a prior stroke or mini-stroke tended to have had lower scores than those who had suffered a first stroke or mini-stroke, the researchers noted.
According to the researchers, the findings highlight the need to improve physical rehabilitation among stroke survivors who are women or members of racial minorities.
The findings were to be presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Stroke Association, in Los Angeles. Findings presented at medical meetings are typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about stroke rehabilitation.
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Eat This for Dinner to Sleep Better Tonight
Image: Courtesy of Cynthia Sass
You probably know from experience that getting a poor night’s sleep can lead you to crave more sugary foods (hello, chocolate croissant). But did you know that what you eat before bed can have a direct impact on the quality of your Zs?
A good deal of recent research has shown that eating patterns can either foster or interfere with healthy slumber. A handful of specific foods have been linked to better sleep, and a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that participants with a higher fiber intake (think fruits, veggies, whole grains, pulses, nuts, and seeds) actually spent more time in restorative slow-wave sleep at night. On the other hand, people who ate too little fiber, too much sugar, and excess saturated fat (the kind found in fatty red meat and dairy products) experienced more disturbed sleep.
RELATED: Best and Worst Foods for Sleep
Given the findings to date, you can’t go wrong with the dinners below: Each meal is high in fiber, low in saturated fat and sugar, and contains at least one food thought to bring on a good night’s rest, such as lentils, leafy greens, salmon, kiwi, sunflower seeds, brown rice, and quinoa.
Getting better sleep—starting tonight—could do your body a world of good. Aside from appetite and weight regulation, sleep is also tied to emotional wellbeing, increased productivity, improved mental and physical performance, and decreased inflammation (a trigger of premature aging and disease).
These four recipes, from my book Slim Down Now ($10, amazon.com), serve one, though you can easily double or triple them. Bon appétit, and sweet dreams.
Moroccan Lentil Soup
In a medium saucepan over low heat, sauté ¼ cup minced yellow onion in 1 tbsp. coconut oil and 1 tbsp. organic low-sodium vegetable broth until translucent. Add 6 tbsp. of additional broth, ½ cup cauliflower, cut into small florets, 1 tsp. each minced garlic, fresh squeezed lemon juice and Italian herb seasoning, and 1/16 tsp. each ground cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, and coriander. Stir for 3 to 4 minutes. Add a ½ cup water, ½ cup fresh baby spinach leaves, and one diced Roma tomato. Bring to a very brief boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 1o minutes. Add ½ cup of lentils and stir to heat through.
Salmon Avocado “Tacos”
In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup of quartered grape tomatoes (about 16), with a ¼ cup each minced yellow bell pepper and white onion, 1 tsp. minced garlic, 1/16 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro, and 2 tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice. Toss together and marinate in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Fill three outer romaine leaves each with one ounce of cooked salmon, top with the vegetable mixture, and garnish with a quarter of a sliced avocado. (See photo above.) Have two kiwis for dessert.
RELATED: 30 Sleep Hacks for Your Most Restful Night Ever
Savory Turkey Stuffed Zucchini
Trim stems from one whole, large zucchini. Slice lengthwise, scoop out filling, finely chop, and set aside. Pan brown 3 oz. of extra lean ground turkey and set aside. In a medium pan over low heat, sauté ¼ cup minced red onion in ¼ cup organic low sodium vegetable broth until translucent. Add 1 tsp. minced garlic, 1 tsp. Italian herb seasoning, 1/8 tsp. ground cumin, and the chopped zucchini, and sauté 2 to 3 additional minutes. Add ground turkey and 2 tbsp. of sunflower seeds, and stir to heat through. Spoon mixture into zucchini shell, and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Serve baked zucchini over ½ cup cooked brown rice.
Pesto Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps
Dice four hard boiled eggs, keeping only one of the yolks. In a small bowl toss the eggs with ¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper, 2 tbsp. minced red onion, and 1 tbsp. of jarred basil pesto to coat thoroughly. Spoon 1 tbsp. cooked, chilled quinoa into four outer romaine leaves, and top with the egg mixture.
Do you have a favorite food that helps you sleep? Chat with us on Twitter by mentioning @goodhealth and @CynthiaSass.
Cynthia Sass is a nutritionist and registered dietitian with master’s degrees in both nutrition science and public health. Frequently seen on national TV, she’s Health’s contributing nutrition editor, and privately counsels clients in New York, Los Angeles, and long distance. Cynthia is currently the sports nutrition consultant to the New York Yankees, previously consulted for three other professional sports teams, and is board certified as a specialist in sports dietetics. Sass is a three-time New York Times best-selling author, and her brand new book is Slim Down Now: Shed Pounds and Inches with Real Food, Real Fast. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
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The Surprising Reason You Might Be Overeating and What to Do About It
Photo: Getty Images
Do you struggle to resist the temptation of the cookie jar? Your cluttered countertops could be to blame. The results of a recent study by the Cornell Food and Brand Lab suggest that a messy kitchen leads to more snacking.
For the experiment, half of the study’s 98 participants (all women) were asked to wait for someone in a tidy, quiet kitchen. The other half were told to wait in a disorganized, loud one with a sink full of dirty dishes, newspapers strewn across the table, and a phone ringing off the hook. Both kitchens had bowls of cookies, carrots, and crackers.
RELATED: How What You Have on Your Kitchen Counter Can Predict Your Weight
The women who waited in the messy kitchen ate twice as many cookies as the first group—which came to an extra 53 calories in 10 minutes. “Being in a chaotic environment and feeling out of control is bad for diets,” explained lead author Lenny Vartanian, PhD, in a press release. “It seems to lead people to think, ‘Everything else is out of control, so why shouldn’t I be?’”
And if you’re already flustered when you walk into chaos (say, after a long, busy day), the effect seems to get worse. Some women in the study were primed with a writing exercise to feel stressed out beforehand, and when they entered the cluttered kitchen, they consumed 100 more calories than women who were primed to feel cool and collected.
RELATED: How Putting a Mirror in Your Dining Room Might Help You Lose Weight
The silver lining? Having a calm mindset seems to counteract the urge to nibble, even when your surroundings are anything but.
Meditation might be one way to help keep your hand out of the cookie jar, suggested co-author Brian Wansink, PhD, the director of the Food and Brand Lab, in the study’s press release. However, he points out, “it’s probably easier to just keep our kitchens picked up and cleaned up.”
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Is It Possible to Get a Heart Attack From Having Sex?
Photo: Getty Images
Is it possible to get a heart attack from having sex?
It’s very unlikely. And it appears as if sexual activity is no more prone to cause heart attacks than any other form of moderate physical activity, such as brisk walking or climbing a couple of slights of stairs. Sex may even be safer because you’re doing it for a shorter amount of time (or, hey, maybe not!).
RELATED: 10 Best Foods for Your Heart
That’s if you’re healthy, but what if you or your partner has heart disease? Good news: A recent research letter in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that only 0.7% of heart disease patients who’d suffered a heart attack reported having had sex within an hour before the attack, showing it’s highly unlikely that sex is a trigger. In fact, the American Heart Association issued a new scientific statement in September saying that it’s probably fine for folks with heart disease to have sex as long as their condition has stabilized. Still, if you do have heart disease, it’s always smart to receive guidance from a doctor regarding any type of physical exertion, and that includes getting intimate.
RELATED: 12 Ways to Fight Stress and Help Your Heart
Health’s medical editor, Roshini Rajapaksa, MD, is assistant professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine.
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The Workout SI Swimsuit Cover Model Hailey Clauson Swears By
Photo: Courtesy of Sports Illustrated
Ronda Rousey isn’t the only Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model who loves getting her sweat on in the ring. Hailey Clauson told Health that boxing is her go-to way to stay fit.
“I know a lot of models do it,” said Clauson, referring to the likes of Adriana Lima, Gigi Hadid, and others. “But once I started practicing and getting good, I realized it’s so fun!”
RELATED: Sports Illustrated Releases its Most Body-Positive Swimsuit Issue Ever
The 20-year-old fashion model has discovered how important it is to find a workout you actually love, “otherwise you’re going to hate working out and you’re never going to do it,” she said. For her, boxing turned out to be a perfect fit.
For any woman who’s worried boxing will make her bulk up, Clauson assures it will have the opposite effect. “When I started boxing, I actually slimmed out,” she explained. “Since you’re not using any extra weights, just your own body, in a weird way it’s like doing Pilates or yoga. I think it’s the best way to get long and lean muscles.”
RELATED: Mix-and-Match Boxing Moves for a Better Body
Aside from being a killer workout, boxing can be therapeutic, too, she said. “Boxing gets out all of your frustrations, which feels great. It just feels good to punch something sometimes.”
Plus, it’s super empowering, she added: “It feels good to know that in case something ever happens, you know how to fight.”
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