Daily Archives: June 29, 2012

ED Crowding Getting Worse

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overcA study using a national database found that while the number of emergency department (ED) visits increased between 2001 and 2008, the crowding in EDs increased even more.

Note that the main drivers of crowding appeared to be intensity of the ED visit, including giving intravenous fluids, doing blood tests or procedures, Continue reading →

Eight Weeks of Mindfulness Meditation Can Rewire the Brain and Control Depression Symptoms

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Is it possible to sort of “rewire” your brain so you can better control imposing symptoms of depression and angst? The short answer, according to recent new research, is yes, and it all it takes in large part is some “mindfulness meditation.”

According to a study which appeared more than a year-and-a-half ago, in the January 2011 journal of Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, a team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers reported Continue reading →

Bee Research Sheds Light on Human Sweet Perception, Metabolic Disorders

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A new-born honey bee worker (Apis mellifera) breaks free from her nursery chamber in the colony nest. A few weeks later, she will leave the hive in search for nectar and pollen to feed her siblings and mother queen. The genes vitellogenin and ultraspiracle, which regulate the bees’ behavioral transition to foraging tasks, also coordinate their carbohydrate metabolism, blood sugar levels, sweet taste, and several metabolic genes in adipose tissue. When vitellogenin and ultraspiracle are simultaneously suppressed in adipose cells, the bees develop a metabolic syndrome similar to Type 1 diabetes.
Photo by: Christofer Bang Continue reading →

A Special Message for All Grandparents

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Here’s some health news that doesn’t make the front page very often: the benefits of grand-parenting. Yes, it’s true — at least according to researchers in the U.K. It seems that grand-parenting could boost the mental health of seniors in some very specific ways.

The London research team conducted a study in Chile. Continue reading →

Is This Common Sweetener to Blame for Our Health Problems?

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sfFructose has been the target of a deep well of negative health news over the past decade or so. Its most glaring presence, in terms of our collective nutrition, is in high-fructose corn syrup. This is a classic ingredient in many unhealthy foods, notably soft drinks. But a new study suggests that maybe we have it wrong with fructose. Continue reading →