You might walk out of your doctor’s office with an antidepressant even if your mood isn’t a problem: Almost half of all antidepressant prescriptions each year are given out to treat conditions other than depression, finds a new study in JAMA. Leer Más
The art of medical literature
One of the two people to whom cancer physician, researcher and writer Siddhartha Mukherjee dedicates his new book, The Gene: An Intimate History, is a girl named Carrie Buck. It’s unlikely many of you would have heard of her. By the time she turned 21, Buck, born in 1906, had become a symbol of all the warnings explicit in Mukherjee’s book about the dangers of genetic modification. Less than a decade before the genocide—a word, Mukherjee points out, with the same etymology as gene—of Jewish people in Germany, negative eugenics, or the forced sterilization of people considered genetically inferior so that their kind could be weeded out of society, was a point of raging debate in Britain, vocal participants being Charles Darwin’s cousin Francis Galton and science fiction writer H.G. Wells. Leer Más
New venture creation can alleviate suffering in the wake of a disaster
New research from Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management finds that, in the aftermath of a disaster, individuals can successfully overcome adversity by focusing on new venture creation. In “Victim entrepreneurs doing well by doing good: Venture creation and well-being in the aftermath of a resource shock,” Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship Trenton Williams, and his co-author, Dean Shepherd (Indiana University) expand on the overall understanding of the value of entrepreneurial ventures as a mechanism to help individuals overcome adversity and maintain resiliency at a time of great stress. Leer Más
Difficult decisions involving perception increase activity in brain’s insular cortex, study finds
As the difficulty of making a decision based on sensory evidence increases, activity in the brain’s insular cortex also increases, according to researchers at Georgia State University. Leer Más
Early-life stress causes digestive problems and anxiety in rats
Traumatic events early in life can increase levels of norepinephrine — the primary hormone responsible for preparing the body to react to stressful situations — in the gut, increasing the risk of developing chronic indigestion and anxiety during adulthood, a new study in American Journal of Physiology — Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology reports. Leer Más
How the brain makes, and breaks, a habit
Not all habits are bad. Some are even necessary. It’s a good thing, for example, that we can find our way home on “autopilot” or wash our hands without having to ponder every step. But inability to switch from acting habitually to acting in a deliberate way can underlie addiction and obsessive compulsive disorders. Leer Más
SuperSlow Weight Lifting — The Fastest Way to Dramatically Increase Strength
Whether you seek to lose weight or gain muscle mass, strength or cardiovascular fitness, consider high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
By doing short bursts of very high-intensity drills, you can reduce the duration and frequency of your workouts and still make greater gains than what you’d achieve doing moderate intensity exercises for literally hours longer each week. Leer Más
Extreme beliefs often mistaken for insanity, new study finds
In the aftermath of violent acts such as mass shootings, many people assume mental illness is the cause. After studying the 2011 case of Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik, University of Missouri School of Medicine researchers are suggesting a new forensic term to classify non-psychotic behavior that leads to criminal acts of violence.
Childhood fitness reduces long-term cardiovascular risks of childhood obesity
A new study from a group of international researchers has identified a potentially effective tool to reduce the long-term health risks of childhood obesity — aerobic exercise. Leer Más
Boosting productivity at work may be simple: Stand up
Most people have heard the argument that standing desks are good for the body. They can help burn more calories and fight obesity. Standing can even help improve students’ attention and cognitive functioning. Now, new research from the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Public Health indicates that they may boost productivity in adults as well. Leer Más
