WINTER 2019
HEALTH & HAPPINESS 4 You
How to reverse Type 2 diabetes
Art therapy can reduce stress
Your brain never stops growing
Good posture may reduce back pain Social media is causing depression among youth
HEALTH & HAPPINESS 4 YOU: SERVING THE COMMUNITY FOR THE LAST EIGHT YEARS
Do we need a pudding tax? Now that the festive season is over, we may be facing some health complications – higher sugar in our system, increased levels of cholesterol and a few extra pounds around our waistline. Some public health experts have been suggesting that this over indulgence and high sugar consumption should be tackled with what they call ‘pudding tax’. What is more worrying is the increased consumption of sugar by our children. Children consume much more sugar than they should, around eight excess sugar cubes a day or 2,800 excess cubes per year. The recommended daily maximum of sugar for children aged four to six is five cubes or 19g. For children aged seven to 10 this rises to six cubes (24g) and up to seven cubes (30g) for those aged 11 and over. However, UK children are consuming around 13 cubes or 52g of sugar a day, says Public Health England, based on results from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.
Vijay Rana Editor Health & Happiness 4 You
CONTENTS Winter 2019, Issue 30 5- Cholesterol levels rise after Christmas 6- Colouring books and art therapy can reduce stress 8- How to reverse Type-2 diabetes 9- Sugary drinks linked to kidney disease 10- Breathing exercises help asthma patients 12- Exercise as effective as drugs to lower high blood pressure 13- A bad night sleep can cause a fall 14- Good posture helps to reduce back pain 15- Rude colleagues can affect sleep 16- Your brain never stops growing 17- Social media is causing depressing among the US youth 18- How much sleep your child needs
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Disclaimer: The information available in this magazine is for general awareness only. It is NOT a substitute for the knowledge and judgment of qualified medical experts. We make no warranty as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of this information. Should you have any medical condition, you are strongly advised to consult a qualified health care professional. Views expressed by our contributors are their own and we take no responsibility for their views.
Cholesterol levels may go high after Christmas
Large quantities of rich Christmas food appear to boost Danes' cholesterol levels. Right after the Christmas break, levels are 20% higher than in the summer. So says a new study carried out by researchers from the Department of Clinical Biochemistry at Copenhagen University Hospital and the Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen. All that butter and cream in Christmas food may possibly boost cholesterol levels more than assumed up to now. In a new study of 25,000 Danes, researchers conclude that cholesterol levels after the Christmas holiday are 20% higher than they are in the summer. So the study by researchers at Copenhagen University Hospital and the University of Copenhagen shows that the risk of having elevated cholesterol is six times higher after the Christmas break. �Our study shows strong indications that cholesterol levels are influenced by the fatty food we consume when celebrating Christmas. The fact that so many people have high cholesterol readings straight after the Christmas holiday is very surprising," says Dr. Anne Langsted, M.D., who is one of the authors of the article. Nine out of ten of the people participating in the so-
called Copenhagen General Population Study had elevated cholesterol after Christmas. People who already have high cholesterol should perhaps be even more alert to their cholesterol levels during the Christmas holidays. “For individuals, this could mean that if their cholesterol readings are high straight after Christmas, they could consider having another test taken later on in the year," says another of the article's authors, Dr. Signe Vedel-Krogh, M.D. �In any event, there is a greater risk of finding that you have elevated cholesterol if you go to the doctor and have your cholesterol tested straight after Christmas. It is important to be aware of this, both for doctors who treat high cholesterol and those wishing to keep their cholesterol levels down," she concludes. These findings have been published in the international journal Atherosclerosis.
Facts about cholesterol If you have too much cholesterol in your blood, your arteries can get furred up and there is a greater risk of developing heart attacks and stroke. Heart attacks and strokes are what kill most people worldwide.
Colouring books may reduce stress but real art therapy is more potent
A new study shows that while those adult colouring books can reduce stress, they’re still not art therapy. Girija Kaimal, EdD, assistant professor in Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions led a study that shows that while colouring alone does have some positive effect, it is not nearly as potent as involving an art therapist. Kaimal and her co-authors, Janell Mensinger, PhD, associate research professor in Drexel’s Dornsife School of Public Health, and doctoral students Jessica Drass and Rebekka Dieterich-Hartwell — ran two, separate 40-minute exercises, one consisting of pure colouring and the other involving direct input from an art therapist, to see if one or the other led to significant differences in mood and stress levels. “The art therapists’ open studio sessions resulted in more empowerment, creativity and improved mood, which are significant for individuals striving to improve their quality of life and make lasting change,” Kaimal said. Twenty-nine participants, ranging in age from 19 to 67, took part in each exercise. In the pure colouring exercise, the participants coloured in a pattern or design. In the other exercise, participants were put in an “open studio” situation, where an art therapist was present and able to facilitate the session, as well as provide guidance and support to process the experience and artwork. The participants were able to make any type of art they wished. Perceived stress levels went down by roughly the same levels for both exercises (10 percent for colouring; 14 percent for open studio). Negative mental states also showed similar decreases in levels (roughly a 7 percent decrease for colouring; 6 percent for open studio). But while the colouring exercise didn’t show significant changes for any other effects, the participants
displayed an approximate 7 percent increase in selfefficacy, 4 percent increase in creative agency, and a 25 percent increase in positive feelings after their art therapist-aided open studio sessions. “Colouring might allow for some reduction in distress or negativity, but since it is a structured task, it might not allow for further creative expression, discovery and exploration which we think is associated with the positive mood improvements we saw in the open studio condition,” Kaimal said.
Eat less processed food
Eating lots of highly processed foods, which tend to be packed with sugar, salt, fat and chemicals, is associated with health problems ranging from weight gain to type 2 diabetes and cancer. Swapping soda and sugar-sweetened beverages for water is a good place to start, the AMA says. Cooking at home and building meals around produce and plant-based proteins are also good strategies.
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A new study suggests how to reverse type 2 diabetes A new study from Newcastle University has shown that people who reverse their diabetes and then keep their weight down remain free of diabetes. In addition, the team found that even patients who have had Type 2 diabetes for up to 10 years can reverse their condition. The study, published in Diabetes Care, is part of a growing body of evidence showing that people with Type 2 diabetes who successfully lose weight can reverse their condition because fat is removed from their pancreas, returning insulin production to normal.
Reversing diabetes A previous study led by Professor Roy Taylor, Professor of Medicine and Metabolism at Newcastle University, published in 2011, showed that diabetes could be reversed by a very low-calorie diet. This caused international interest, but the study was very short as it was only eight weeks and the question remained whether the diabetes would stay away. In this new study, 30 volunteers with Type 2 diabetes embarked on the same diet of 600 to 700 calories a day. Participants lost on average 14 kilograms -- just over 2 stone. Over the next 6 months they did not regain any weight. The group included many people with longer duration diabetes, defined as more than 8 years and ranging up to 23 years. Overall, 12 patients who had had diabetes for less than 10 years reversed their condition. six months later they remained diabetes free. In fact, after six months a thirteenth patient had reversed their diabetes. Though the volunteers lost weight they remained overweight or obese but they had lost enough weight to remove the fat out of the pancreas and allow normal insulin production. Professor Roy Taylor said, "If you have had the diagnosis for longer than that, then don't give up hope -major improvement in blood sugar control is possible. The study also answered the question that people often ask me -- if I lose the weight and keep the weight off, will I stay free of diabetes? The simple answer is yes!” "Interestingly, even though all our volunteers remained obese or overweight, the fat did not drift back to clog up the pancreas. "This supports our theory of a Personal Fat Threshold. If a person gains more weight than they personally can tolerate, then diabetes is triggered, but if they then lose that amount of weight then they go back to normal. "Individuals vary in how much weight they can carry without it seeming to affect their metabolism -- don't
forget that 70% of severely obese people do not have diabetes. "The bottom line is that if a person really wants to get rid of their Type 2 diabetes, they can lose weight, keep it off and return to normal. "This is good news for people who are very motivated to get rid of their diabetes. But it is too early to regard this as suitable for everyone. That is a separate question and a major study is underway to answer this."
The study Participants in this study had Type 2 diabetes for between six months and 23 years. The team were able to identify in advance participants who would not respond to adequate weight loss by reversing their diabetes as at the start they had almost absent insulin production from the pancreas.
The low-calorie diet •
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3 diet shakes per day and 240 grams of non-starchy vegetables taking in between 600 and 700kcal a day for 8 weeks volunteers then gradually returned to eating normal food over the next two weeks with very careful instruction on how much to eat volunteers were seen once a month and supported with an individualized weight maintenance programme over the next 6 months to keep weight steady after the weight loss, they were eating around one third less than before the study
Sugary beverages linked to higher kidney disease risk
Higher collective consumption of sweetened fruit drinks, soda, and water was associated with a higher likelihood of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a community-based study of African-American adults in Mississippi. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN), contribute to the growing body of evidence pointing to the negative health consequences of consuming sugar-sweetened beverages. Certain beverages may affect kidney health, but study results have been inconsistent. To provide more clarity, Casey Rebholz PhD, MS, MNSP, MPH (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) and her colleagues prospectively studied 3003 African-American men and women with normal kidney function who were enrolled in the Jackson Heart Study. "There is a lack of comprehensive information on the health implications of the wide range of beverage options that are available in the food supply," said Dr. Rebholz. "In particular, there is limited information on which types of beverages and patterns of beverages are associated with kidney disease risk in particular." For their study, the investigators assessed beverage intake through a food frequency questionnaire administered at the start of the study in 2000-04, and they followed participants until 2009-13. Among the 3003 participants, 185 (6%) developed CKD over a median follow-up of 8 years. After adjustment for confounding factors, consuming a beverage pattern consisting of soda, sweetened fruit
drinks, and water was associated with a higher risk of developing CKD. Participants in the top tertile for consumption of this beverage pattern were 61% more likely to develop CKD than those in the bottom tertile. The researchers were surprised to see that water was a component of this beverage pattern that was linked with a higher risk of CKD. They noted that study participants may have reported their consumption of a wide variety of types of water, including flavoured and sweetened water. Unfortunately, the investigators did not collect information about specific brands or types of bottled water in the Jackson Heart Study. In an accompanying editorial, Holly Kramer, MD, MPH and David Shoham, PhD (Loyola University Chicago) noted that the findings hold strong public health implications. "While a few select U.S. cities have successfully reduced SSB [sugar sweetened beverage] consumption via taxation, all other municipalities have resisted public health efforts to lower SSB consumption," they wrote. "This cultural resistance to reducing SSB consumption can be compared to the cultural resistance to smoking cessation during the 1960s after the Surgeon General report was released. During the 1960s, tobacco use was viewed as a social choice and not a medical or social public health problem." In an accompanying Patient Voice editorial, Duane Sunwold explained that he is a patient with CKD who changed his eating and drinking patterns to put his disease in remission. As a chef, he offers a number of recommendations to fellow patients trying to decrease their consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks.
Breathing exercises help asthma patients with quality of life A study led by the University of Southampton has found that people who continue to get problems from their asthma, despite receiving standard treatment, experience an improved quality of life when they are taught breathing exercises. The majority of asthma patients have some degree of impaired quality of life. Researchers, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), also found that the benefits of the breathing exercises were similar, whether they were taught in person by a physiotherapist in three face-to-face sessions, or delivered digitally for use in their own home (in this study via DVD). Their findings are published in a paper in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. The controlled trial recruited 655 UK adults who reported impaired asthma-related quality of life. Participants were randomised to receive a breathing exercise intervention delivered via DVD (261 people), or face to face with a physiotherapist (132 people). A third 'control' group received 'usual care' (262 people), continuing to take normal asthma medication, with no further intervention. Both the DVD and face to face physiotherapy programmes improved patients' asthma-related quality of life scores (over 12 months) compared with those receiving usual care, with improvements that are comparable to those achieved by increasing medication. Neither of the breathing retraining interventions (exercises) improved lung function or airway inflammation, suggesting they were not affecting the underlying biology of the disease. The programmes did not 'cure' asthma, despite improving people's experience of having it. The number of asthma attacks was lower in the breathing retraining groups, but the reductions were not at a level of statistical significance. The NHS healthcare costs were lower for both breathing retraining groups than for the usual care control group, and were lowest when access was provided digitally. Savings made by delivering the programme in this way outweigh any technology provision costs. The team has made the contents of the DVD and the supporting booklet freely available through the
website http://www..breathestudy.co.uk/. Asthma affects more than five million people in the UK and costs the NHS and social care (including disability payments) more than ÂŁ1 billion each year. It led to at least 6.3 million primary care consultations, and 1,160 asthma deaths in 2012. While asthma medications can provide full symptom control for some, a recent European survey suggests this isn't the case for most. First author on the paper, Professor Anne Bruton, of the University of Southampton, comments: "Our study provides valuable evidence to show that not only can these breathing exercises be of help to people with asthma, they can also be cost-effective -- with teaching by DVD much cheaper than in person. Many patients have concerns about taking medicines long-term, so non-drug approaches to control asthma, like these exercises, can be of particular interest." The NIHR was receptive to calls from patients, carers and clinicians to fund studies looking into ways that could help asthmatics manage their condition. Professor Hywel Williams, Director of the NIHR's Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme, says: "We are delighted to have funded this study in an area of research that is important to the public and medical professionals. "The need for more research into the possible benefits of breathing exercises as a physical therapy for asthma was identified by the James Lind Alliance (JLA) after patients, carers and clinicians highlighted it among their top 10 questions for research into asthma. "It is important that we continue to fund research in technologies that help people manage their conditions." 10 HEALTH & HAPPINESS 4 YOU
A bad night sleep may result into a fall
Disturbances during sleep decreases capability to control posture and balance according to researchers from the Department of Engineering and Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick who have an article published in Scientific Reports. This is the first study demonstrating the relationship between disrupted sleep and the reduced capability to control posture and balance, and it could pave the way to new interventions to prevent falls in later life, should the results be confirmed by other studies on older adults. The research shows that fragmented and disrupted sleep leads to acute balance deficit. The study was conducted by the School of Engineering in collaboration with Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick. A sample of healthy adults underwent sleep and balance assessment over two consecutive days, in order to determine the links between day-to-day variations in sleep quality and balance. State-of-the-art wearable sensors were used for in-home sleep monitoring and balance testing. These findings are relevant to pave the way to the design of fall prevention programs in populations and settings where normal sleep is frequently disrupted, such as older people and hospital wards. Dr Leandro Pecchia, team leader of the research from the School of Engineering at the University of Warwick says: "We all have direct experience of this. When we do
not sleep well, we may feel a little dizzy and our capability to control our posture and balance is somehow diminished. When we are fit and in good health, our body is able to adapt and we develop a strategy to keep our balance, avoiding falls and incidents. This ability is reduced with ageing or when there are other concomitant conditions that may compromise our ability to adapt." Prof Francesco Cappuccio, Head of the Sleep, Health & Society programme at the University of Warwick's medical school, explains: "The results obtained in healthy normal volunteers are surprising, given the ability at younger ages to compensate for such acute and shortlived sleep disruptions. We would expect more dramatic effects when these experiments be replicated in older people, whose vulnerability to sleep disruption, postural hypotension and risk of falls is much greater." Dr Lenadro Pecchia continues: "These results could contribute to the understanding of in-hospital falls. Hospitalised older patients find themselves in a frail condition, sleeping in an unfamiliar environment, with unusual nocturnal light and noises from other patients and nurses, and perhaps being administered more than one drug. Waking-up to go to the toilet can be more challenging than we can imagine. One of the problems in fall prevention is that we know a frail subject will fall, but it is very difficult to predict when. Our study is first step towards finding a solution."
4 ways to turn good posture into less back pain
Most of us get back pain at some point in our lives. It may be due to a sports-related injury, an accident, or a congenital condition such as scoliosis. But most of the time, upper or lower back pain develops during the course of day-to-day life. Repetitive activities at work or home, such as sitting at a computer or lifting and carrying, may produce tension and muscle tightness that result in a backache. One solution to preventing back pain is to improve posture. In addition to improving your posture, general physical fitness and a healthy weight are important too. But the surprisingly simple act of paying attention to improving your posture can go a long way.
pelvis. Picture yourself as a ballerina or ice skater rather than a soldier at attention. •
Shoulder blade squeeze. Sit up straight in a chair with your hands resting on your thighs. Keep your shoulders down and your chin level. Slowly draw your shoulders back and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Hold for a count of five; relax. Repeat three or four times.
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Upper-body stretch. Stand facing a corner with your arms raised, hands flat against the walls, elbows at shoulder height. Place one foot ahead of the other. Bending your forward knee, exhale as you lean your body toward the corner. Keep your back straight and your chest and head up. You should feel a nice stretch across your chest. Hold this position for 20–30 seconds. Relax.
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Arm-across-chest stretch. Raise your right arm to shoulder level in front of you and bend the arm at the elbow, keeping the forearm parallel to the floor. Grasp the right elbow with your left hand and gently pull it across your chest so that you feel a stretch in the upper arm and shoulder on the right side. Hold for 20 seconds; relax both arms. Repeat to the other side. Repeat three times on each side.
The basics of posture Posture is the way you hold your body while standing, sitting, or performing tasks like lifting, bending, pulling, or reaching. If your posture is good, the bones of the spine — the vertebrae — are correctly aligned.
4 steps toward improving your posture You can improve your posture — and head off back pain — by practicing some imagery and a few easy exercises. •
Imagery. Think of a straight line passing through your body from ceiling to floor (your ears, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles should be even and line up vertically). Now imagine that a strong cord attached to the top of your head is pulling you upward, making you taller. Try to hold your pelvis level — don't allow the lower back to sway — and resist the urge to stand on tiptoe. Instead, think of stretching your head toward the ceiling, increasing the space between your rib cage and
Practice these imagery and posture exercises throughout the day. You might try to find a good trigger to help you remember, such as doing one or more of them when you get up from your desk, or right before scheduled breaks and lunch. Soon it will become a habit. For more on healing an aching back, read Back Pain, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. 13 HEALTH & HAPPINESS 4 YOU
A colleague’s rudeness can affect your sleep
Rudeness, sarcastic comments, demeaning language, interrupting or talking over someone in a meeting workplace incivilities such as these are becoming increasingly common. Now a new study from Portland State University and University of Illinois researchers has found that this behaviour has the potential to not only negatively affect an employee's sleep but their partner's as well. The study, recently published in the journal Occupational Health Science, builds on previous research by examining the relationship between workplace incivility -- a common stressful work event -- and employee sleep in the context of dual-earner couples. The researchers surveyed 305 couples in a variety of jobs. Charlotte Fritz, the lead author of the study and associate professor of industrial and organizational psychology in PSU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said when one spouse experiences workplace incivility, they tend to ruminate more about work at home and report insomnia symptoms, like trouble falling asleep or waking up in the middle of the night. But the study went a step further examining sleep problems in the employee's spouse and found their sleep is also affected -- but only if the couple works in the same company or occupation. "Because work-linked couples have a better idea of what's going on in each other's work, they can be better supporters," Fritz said. "They probably know more about the context of these rude behaviours and might be more
pulled into the venting or problem-solving process." Fritz recommends that organizations do everything in their power to create a culture of civility by imposing zero-tolerance policies or offering civility training. But given that workplace incivilities aren't completely avoidable, Fritz also suggests a number of strategies to help employees cope, including mentally detaching from work during non-work hours by spending time with family and friends or enjoying hobbies, and practicing meditation at work and home. The same is true of the employee's spouse. "Not talking about work or not supporting your spouse is not the solution," Fritz said. "They can talk about work, vent about it, discuss it, but then they should make an explicit attempt to unwind together and create good conditions for sleep."
A universal blood test for cancer A team at Johns Hopkins University has trialled a method that detects eight common forms of the disease. The CancerSeek test looks for mutations in 16 genes that regularly arise in cancer and eight proteins that are often released. It was tested on 1,005 patients with cancers in the ovary, liver, stomach, pancreas, oesophagus, colon, lung or breast that had not yet spread to other tissues. Overall, the test found 70% of the cancers.
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Brain never stops growing
The brain never stops growing, scientists have found in a landmark discovery that could help treat degenerative diseases. Previously researchers believed that the brain did not grow any new cells after childhood, which is why it is so much harder for adults to pick up new skills or learn a foreign language. More recent studies suggested that if specific zones of the brain were hyperstimulated then new cells could form, as was proven in London black cab drivers study. These cab drivers were found to have an increased number of neurons in areas linked to mapping. But a new study has found that new brain cells are actually forming all the time in their thousands, even when people are elderly. It suggests that problems with mental ability and memory associated with old age are not down to a loss of neurons, but rather the failure of the cells to properly communicate with each other. Dr Maura Boldrini, associate professor of neurobiology at Columbia University, in New York, said: “We found that older people have similar ability to make thousands of hippocampal new neurons from progenitor cells as younger people do. We also found equivalent volumes of the hippocampus, a brain structure used for emotion and cognition across ages. Nevertheless, older individuals had less vascularization (blood vessel formation) and maybe less ability of new neurons to make connections.�
The breakthrough could help scientists better understand the causes of dementia and how to prevent it from occurring. There are currently 850,000 people suffering dementia in Britain with the figure expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2025. For the research, scientists looked at the hippocampus in 28 previously healthy individuals aged between 14 and 79, who had died suddenly. None were cognitively impaired or suffered depression, which can impact brain cell development. It is the first-time researchers looked at newly formed neurons and the state of blood vessels within the entire human hippocampus soon after death. They found that even in the oldest brains, new brain cells were still forming up to death. However older individuals formed fewer new blood vessels within brain structures and possessed a smaller pool of progenitor cells - descendants of stem cells which turn into neurons. Prof Boldrini summarised brain deterioration in old age may be caused by this smaller pool of neural stem cells, the decline in blood vessels, and reduced cell-to-cell connectivity within the hippocampus. "It is possible that ongoing hippocampal neurogenesis sustains human-specific cognitive function throughout life and that declines may be linked to compromised cognitive-emotional resilience," she says. 16 HEALTH & HAPPINESS 4 YOU
Social media is causing depression among US youth The more time young adults use social media, the more likely they are to be depressed, according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings could guide clinical and public health interventions to tackle depression, forecast to become the leading cause of disability in high-income countries by 2030. The research is published in the journal Depression and Anxiety. This was the first large, nationally representative study to examine associations between use of a broad range of social media outlets and depression. Previous studies on the subject have yielded mixed results, been limited by small or localized samples. "Because social media has become such an integrated component of human interaction, it is important for clinicians interacting with young adults to recognize the balance to be struck in encouraging potential positive use, while redirecting from problematic use," said senior author Brian A. Primack, M.D., Ph.D., director of Pitt's Center for Research on Media, Technology and Health. In 2014, Dr. Primack and his colleagues sampled 1,787 U.S. adults ages 19 through 32, using questionnaires to determine social media use and an established depression assessment tool. The questionnaires asked about the 11 most popular social media platforms at the time: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Google Plus, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, Vine and LinkedIn. On average the participants used social media a total of 61 minutes per day and visited various social media accounts 30 times per week. More than a quarter of the participants were classified as having "high" indicators of depression. There were significant and linear associations between social media use and depression whether social media use was measured in terms of total time spent or frequency of visits. For example, compared with those who checked least frequently, participants who reported most frequently checking social media throughout the week had 2.7 times the likelihood of depression. Similarly, compared to peers who spent less time on social media, participants who spent the most total time on social media throughout the day had 1.7 times the risk of depression. Lead author Lui yi Lin emphasized that, because this was a cross-sectional study, it does not disentangle cause and effect. "It may be that people who already are depressed are turning to social media to fill a void," she said. Conversely, Ms. Lin explains that exposure to social media also may cause depression, which could then in turn fuel more use of social media. For example:
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Exposure to highly idealized representations of peers on social media elicits feelings of envy and the distorted belief that others lead happier, more successful lives. Engaging in activities of little meaning on social media may give a feeling of "time wasted" that negatively influences mood. Social media use could be fuelling "Internet addiction," a proposed psychiatric condition closely associated with depression. Spending more time on social media may increase the risk of exposure to cyber-bullying or other similar negative interactions, which can cause feelings of depression.
In addition to encouraging clinicians to ask about social media use among people who are depressed, the findings could be used as a basis for public health interventions leveraging social media. Some social media platforms already have made forays into such preventative measures. For example, when a person searches the blog site Tumblr for tags indicative of a mental health crisis-such as "depressed," "suicidal" or "hopeless"--they are redirected to a message that begins with "Everything OK?" and provided with links to resources. Similarly, a year ago Facebook tested a feature that allows friends to anonymously report worrisome posts. The posters would then receive pop-up messages voicing concern and encouraging them to speak with a friend or helpline.
How much sleep your child needs Sleep hygiene, which includes practices like providing a cool and quiet sleeping environment or reading before bed time to help kids unwind, is increasingly popular among parents looking to ensure their children get a good night's rest. University of British Columbia sleep expert and nursing professor Wendy Hall recently led a review of the latest studies to find out. "Good sleep hygiene gives children the best chances of getting adequate, healthy sleep every day. And healthy sleep is critical in promoting children's growth and development," said Hall. "Research tells us that kids who don't get enough sleep on a consistent basis are more likely to have problems at school and develop more slowly than their peers who are getting enough sleep." The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends the following amounts of sleep, based on age group:
important. Hall and co-author Elizabeth Nethery, a nursing PhD student at UBC, also found extensive evidence for limiting technology use just before bedtime, or during the night when kids are supposed to be sleeping. Studies in Japan, New Zealand and the United States showed that the more exposure kids had to electronic media around bedtime, the less sleep they had. "One big problem with school-age children is it can take them a long time to get to sleep, so avoiding activities like playing video games or watching exciting movies before bedtime was important," said Hall. Many of the studies also highlighted the importance of routines in general. A study in New Zealand showed family dinner time was critical to helping adolescents sleep. Information provided by Chinese studies and one Korean study linked school-age children's and adolescents' short sleep duration to long commute times between home and school and large amounts of • 4 to 12 months -- 12 to 16 hours evening homework. With more children coping with • 1 to 2 years -- 11 to 14 hours longer commutes and growing amounts of school work, • 3 to 5 years -- 10 to 13 hours Hall says this is an important area for future study in • 6 to 12 years -- 9 to 12 hours North America. • 13 to 18 years -- 8 to 10 hours While Hall said more studies are needed to examine the effect of certain sleep hygiene factors on sleep quality, she The UBC review aimed at systematically analysing the evidence for sleep hygiene across different countries and would still strongly recommend that parents set bedtimes, even for older kids, and things like sitting down for a cultures, and honed in on 44 studies from 16 countries. family dinner, establishing certain rituals like reading The focus was on four age groups in particular: infants before bed, and limiting screen time as much as possible. and toddlers (four months to two years), preschoolers "Sleep education can form part of school (three to five years), school-age children (six to 12 years) programming," added Hall. "There was a project in a and adolescents (13 to 18 years). These studies involved Montreal school where everyone was involved in close to 300,000 kids in North America, Europe and Asia. "We found good-to-strong endorsement of certain sleep designing and implementing a sleep intervention -- the principal, teachers, parents, kids, and even the Parent hygiene practices for younger kids and school-age kids: Advisory Council. The intervention was effective, because regular bedtimes, reading before bed, having a quiet everyone was on board and involved from the outset." bedroom, and self-soothing -- where you give them Ravneet Sawhney is the Director/Proprietor of Modern opportunities to go to sleep and go back to sleep on their Day Nursery in Hounslow. For more information visit: own, if they wake up in the middle of the night," said www.moderndaynursery.com Hall. 18 HEALTH & HAPPINESS 4 YOU Even for older kids, keeping a regular bedtime was
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