YOU & YOUR HEALTH
Research round up
NEW FRONTIERS NEW FRONTIERS:
RESEARCH ROUND UP
FASCINATING NEW RESEARCH OF INTEREST TO HOLISTIC THERAPISTS AND THEIR CLIENTS… PAIN: SOOTHING WORDS AND MUSIC DURING SURGERY MAY REDUCE POSTOP PAIN Patients who were played a recorded text with positive suggestions during surgery under a general anaesthetic were discovered to experience less pain and need for analgesics, less nausea and need for antiemetic drugs. They also enjoyed faster recovery after surgery. Previously, it had been thought that surgical subjects had no reaction to auditory or other stimuli, including surgery itself, during general anaesthesia. The new findings may lead to changes in noise levels and a shift towards therapeutic communication as a feasible, non-drug support for medical interventions and an integral part of therapy and care. The lead researcher, Ernil Hansen, professor of Anaesthesiology at the University Hospital of Regensburg, suggests that there should be a list of issues that should be addressed when taking care of those in need. This list can be adapted for use in Holistic Therapy. The issues include: company, contact, comfort, confidence, information, control, instructions, respect, safety, and healing. Ref: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00077
important in-person relationships, achieving personal or professional goals, or even simply having moments of valuable reflection. They also suggested that social comparison may also be a factor in pushing people towards depression. A further study, published in the BMJ, showed that teens who dislike their physical appearance have an increased risk of developing depression by the age of 18. Boys who disliked their appearance experience greater severity of symptoms. The range lies between 50% and 285% higher risk. A recent Swedish study concluded that youth depression increases the chances of developing other diseases and conditions that lead to a curtailed lifespan. These included sleep disorders, type 2 diabetes, viral hepatitis, and kidney and liver diseases. Compared to those without depression, they also had a significantly higher risk of injuries, especially injuries inflicted by self-harm, and an almost six-fold higher risk of premature death.
The findings also revealed sex differences. For example, women with early onset depression were more likely to suffer injuries as well as urinary, respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Men, on the other hand, were more likely to have obesity, thyroid gland problems, coeliac disease, connective tissue disorders and eczema. Depression was recently declared to be the leading global cause of disability by the World Health Organization and accounts for more disability-adjusted life years than all other mental disorders. Ref: 10.1016/j.amepre.2020.09.014 and Ref: 10.1136/jech-2019-213033.
IMMUNE RESPONSE: NATURAL ANTIBIOTICS INCREASE SLEEP AND SURVIVAL AFTER INJURY When injured or wounded, the body responds by initiating a complex immune response. This includes the production of small antimicrobial
MENTAL HEALTH: NEW STUDIES IN YOUTH DEPRESSION A new study from the University of Arkansas shows that young adults who increased their use of social media were significantly more likely to develop depression within six months. Those who used social media more than 300 minutes a day were 2.8 times more likely to become depressed than those who spent 120 minutes or less on social media sites. The researchers suggested that high levels of social media use may displace forming more
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HOLISTIC THERAPIST 2021
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