Category Archives: featured

Happiness linked to longer life…

featured, Psycological Health

Happiness linked to longer life…

2011-11-02

Being happy doesn’t just improve the quality of your life. According to a new study, it may increase the quantity of your life as well.

Older people were up to 35% less likely to die during the five-year study if they reported feeling happy, excited, and content on a typical day. And this was true even though the researchers took factors such as chronic health problems, depression, and financial security out of the equation.

“We had expected that we might see a link between how happy people felt over the day and their future mortality, but we were struck by how strong the effect was,” says Andrew Steptoe, Ph.D., the lead author of the study and a professor of psychology at University College London, in the United Kingdom.

Previous studies on happiness and longevity have largely relied on the participants’ ability to recall how they felt during a certain period of time in the past. These recollections aren’t always accurate, though, and to get around this problem Steptoe and his colleagues asked more than 3,800 people to record their levels of happiness, anxiety, and other emotions at four specific times over the course of a single day.

The participants, who were between the ages of 52 and 79 when the study began, were divided into three groups according to how happy and positive they felt. Although the groups differed slightly on some measures (such as age, wealth, and smoking), they were comparable in terms of ethnic makeup, education, employment status, and overall health.

Five years later, 7% of people in the least happy group had died, compared with just 4% in the happiest group and 5% in the middle group.

When the researchers controlled for age, depression, chronic diseases, health behaviors (such as exercise and alcohol consumption), and socioeconomic factors, they found that the happiest and medium-happy people were 35% and 20% less likely to have died, respectively, than their gloomier counterparts.

It may seem far-fetched that a person’s feelings on one particular day would be able to predict the likelihood of dying in the near future, but these emotional snapshots have proven to be a good indication of overall temperament in previous studies, says Sarah Pressman, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Kansas, in Lawrence.

“There is always room for error, of course; if I get a parking ticket or stub my toe on the way to the study, I’m not going to be particularly happy,” says Pressman, who was not involved in the study but researches the impact of happiness on health. “But given that the study worked, it suggests that, on average, this day was fairly typical for the participants.”

Unlike the happiness measures, depression symptoms were not associated with mortality rates once the researchers adjusted for overall health. According to the study, this finding suggests that the absence of happiness may be a more important measure of health in older people than the presence of negative emotions.

Positive emotions could contribute to better physical health in a number of ways. Regions of the brain involved in happiness are also involved in blood-vessel function and inflammation, for instance, and studies have shown that levels of the stress hormone cortisol tend to rise and fall with emotion.

The study doesn’t prove that happiness (or unhappiness) directly affects lifespan, but the findings do imply that doctors and caregivers should pay close attention to the emotional well-being of older patients, the researchers say. “We would not advocate from this study that trying to be happier would have direct health benefits,” Steptoe says.

However, this study and others like it should help establish happiness as a legitimate area of concern for health professionals, Pressman says. “There are still some people who see happiness as something fluffy and less scientific — not something they should be worried about like, say, stress or depression,” she says.

Happiness, she adds, “may be something for doctors to ask their patients about.”

The study, which was published today in the Proceedings of the Academy of National Sciences, included participants from a larger, long-running British study on aging. The authors received funding from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, and the (U.S.) National Institute on Aging.

Obesity caused by more than sitting on couch

featured, Uncategorized

Obesity caused by more than sitting on couch

2011-06-28

Obesity experts have been saying for years that children who sit in front of the TV screen day in and day out tend to be heavier. It’s the sedentary lifestyle. But now experts are finding it’s not only the couch potato effect, but the television ads children are watching, along with other factors that can add inches to their waistlines.

According to a new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics, titled, “Children, Adolescents, Obesity and the Media,” junk food and fast food ads increase a child’s desire to eat those types of foods. Studies also show that snacking while watching the tube increases. And if kids stay up late at night while watching the tube or playing video games, their lack of sleep can be a major factor in raising their risk for obesity. Continue reading Obesity caused by more than sitting on couch →

Good in Bed: Getting back in sexual sync

featured, Sexual Health

Good in Bed: Getting back in sexual sync

2011-06-16

With an estimated 40 million Americans stuck in sexless marriages, mismatched libidos could be the No. 1 sex-related issue facing couples in long-term relationships.

Generally, at the start of a relationship, the thrill of infatuation keeps us sexually motivated – the whole “can’t keep your hands off of each other” phase – but once we settle into a sense of routine, gaps in libido that may have previously been masked become revealed. Sex drive is very individual, and no two people can reasonably expect to always be in sync over the course of a long-term relationship, regardless of their love for each other.

Mismatched libidos are so common partly because our individual sex drives interconnect with so many other aspects of our lives, and numerous factors can lead one or both partners to experience diminished desire at one point or another. If you stay in a relationship long enough, it’s almost guaranteed that at some point you’ll be dealing with one or more of these issues and that your libido or your partner’s will change:

– Stress, depression, and anxiety
– Age, health, and medical treatment
– Lifestyle issues such as sleep, exercise, nutrition, and tobacco and alcohol consumption
– Relationship boredom
– Diminishing sexual attraction to one’s partner
– Relationship issues and anger
– Lack of sexual enjoyment during partner sex
– Milestones such as having kids that often test a relationship
– Lack of prioritization of sex

Unlike a general sex rut, in which both partners experience diminished desire, libidos that are starkly mismatched can present a whole new array of problems. When you want sex but your partner doesn’t, the rejection can sting – and highjack your relationship emotionally: Your self-esteem can plummet and an inner rage can seethe.

The ego is extremely frail when it comes to sex, and even being rejected once or twice can lead you to give up altogether. On the other hand, if you’re not feeling in the mood, even a hug or a kiss can feel like a sexual overture and create a sense of sexual pressure. Mismatched libidos can be complex, so it’s worth seeking out a therapist or counselor to help cope with them, especially if the problem has been going on for a while. In the meantime you can visit one of our experts in our forum at Good in Bed and here are some tips to help you get in sync:

– If you’re in a relationship in which non-sexual physical intimacy has dried up to the point where any gesture of intimacy comes off as an overture to have sex, it’s probably a sign that you need to cultivate more non-physical intimacy in your relationship. Recent research shows that kissing is paramount to men’s sexual satisfaction, according to researcher Debby Herbenick, Ph.D. Men who report engaging in more kissing, cuddling, and touching with their partners tend to be more sexually satisfied in their marriages. If sex is like a plant and easily prone to withering, then non-physical intimacy is a vital nutrient, like the sun. Create a zone in your relationship where you can be physical and affectionate without the pressure of those activities leading to sex.

– Don’t give up on sex, especially if you’re the partner with a higher libido. I offer this advice a lot to new parents, especially dads who often find themselves feeling like a third wheel or who are frustrated that their wives are so disinterested in sex. It’s easy to turn off and tune out, and many new parents have gone months, even a year or more, without having sex. But a couple has to restore intimacy, which often requires the patience and loving persistence of the higher-desire partner. Life is full of ebbs and flows, and common milestones—like having kids—can transform a relationship and often one’s sex life.

– Communicate about the issue, figure out what’s going on, and come up with a plan. Usually the issue just goes unacknowledged too long, leading to a sense of silent desperation. But relationships come with lots of difficult conversations – about money, kids, in-laws – and talking about sex shouldn’t be swept under the rug, either. When sex drive disappears (from an individual or a relationship), it’s generally a sign that something else is going on. Sex is a clue and a motivation to get to the bottom of the problem.

– Make the conversation sexy. It takes more than just constructive communication to get in the mood. That’s why so many sex therapists and counselors give their patients homework. The brain is the biggest sex organ, so find something sexy to say about your partner, share a fantasy, do something that is simultaneously sexy and boosts your partner’s self-esteem.

– Enjoy your sexuality on your own. Masturbation isn’t a substitute for the thrill and sensuality of skin-on-skin partner sex, but if you’re the higher-desire partner it can help take the edge off and fill natural gaps in libido. For lower-desire partners, just because you have less interest in sex with your partner that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t enjoy your own sexuality. Sometimes masturbation can provide a sexual jumpstart.

– Pay attention to how you handle the issue. When a little dry spell starts to become a permanent rut, we usually deal with it in one of two ways: lashing out and being mean, or holding a grudge and acting like everything’s fine. Neither option is healthy. Left unattended, mismatched libidos can create issues that spiral out of control and lead to unfortunate consequences, such as infidelity.

– Last of all, have sex. Try it – you’ll like it (we hope). This is especially true if you’re the type of person that wants to want sex, but just doesn’t. Sometimes you have to put your body through the motions and wait for your mind to follow.

If, despite these tips, you really feel like your libidos are irreconcilably mismatched, see a professional. Visit the website for the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists at aasect.org to find a therapist. With the right care and feeding, your sex life can thrive.

Should Kids Under 13 Be on Facebook?

featured, Uncategorized

Should Kids Under 13 Be on Facebook?

2011-06-14

In a perfect, law-abiding world, no child under 13 has a Facebook account. But this world is pretty far from ideal, if the 7.5 million tweens — and younger kids — trolling the social-media behemoth are any gauge. Now, if Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg gets his way, that already impressive number will explode.

Last week, Zuckerberg told the NewSchools Venture Fund’s Summit in Burlingame, Calif., that he’d like younger children to be permitted to patronize his site. Technically, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) prohibits websites that gather data about users from allowing access to anyone younger than 13. In reality, though, COPPA is pretty ineffectual.

Consumer Reports (CR) recently announced results of an annual survey that found that “more than one-third of the 20 million minors who actively used Facebook in the past year” were under 13.

In fact CR found that over 5 million of Facebook’s 7.5 million-plus underage were as young as “10 and under.” … That’s not the worst of it. CR also found that underage kids using Facebook were unsupervised by parents. The site claims — not wrongly — that this exposes them to “malware or serious threats such as predators or bullies.”

Consider other points raised in the report like: 15% of all Facebook users post “their current location or travel plans,” 34% post their birth date in full, and 21% with children post their children’s names and pictures.

What about Facebook’s privacy controls, your bastion against all things nefarious? CR found “roughly one in five” weren’t using them.

Still Zuckerberg insists that connecting on Facebook — for educational purposes, natch — is a must for young kids. “That will be a fight we take on at some point,” CNNMoney quoted him as saying. “My philosophy is that for education you need to start at a really, really young age.”

(More on Time.com: Pediatricians Should Discuss ‘Facebook Depression’ with Kids)

Zuckerberg, not so far removed from the gawky age of 13 himself, says that Facebook has not begun researching how to open up the site to young kids and protect them at the same time. “Because of the restrictions we haven’t even begun this learning process,” he said. “If they’re lifted, then we’d start to learn what works. We’d take a lot of precautions to make sure that they [younger kids] are safe.”

Whew. That’s reassuring.

Still, it’s undeniable that kids simply don’t have the same powers of judgment as adults. Consider, for example, the New Hampshire teen who mourned on Facebook that Osama bin Laden hadn’t first offed her math teacher before he was killed. “In hindsight, she’s mortified that she said that, but she’s a 13-year-old kid,” the girl’s mother, Kimberly Dell’isola, told a local television station.

That’s exactly why the publisher of Consumer Reports isn’t quite as cavalier as Zuckerberg about little ones friending and tagging to their hearts’ content. On Friday, the nonprofit Consumers Union worried that kids and teens don’t really get why it’s so important to self-censor what they share with the online world. “We urge Facebook to strengthen its efforts to identify and terminate the accounts of users under 13 years of age, and also to implement more effective age-verification methods for users signing up for new accounts,” Ioana Rusu, the regulatory counsel for Consumers Union, wrote in a letter to Zuckerberg.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Rusu’s letter came on the heels of a congressional hearing questioning the security of underage Facebook users:

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said it was “indefensible” that Facebook had only 100 employees monitoring the activities of its 600 million users.

At the hearing, Facebook Chief Technology Officer Bret Taylor said Facebook shuts down the accounts of people found to be lying about their age. But he acknowledged that Facebook depended on other users to report underage users.

The Consumers Union urged Facebook to be more “diligent and effective” at safeguarding the millions of minors who frequent the site. It suggested a few ways to do that: make minors’ default privacy setting one that facilitates sharing with “friends only” instead of “friends of friends;” for the average user, that amounts to nearly 17,000 people. And institute an “eraser button” that users can click to delete embarrassing information posted on the site when they were underage.

An eraser button? Should it actually be created, many adults will likely lobby to use it too.

Go ahead – ‘sext’ your spouse

featured, Sexual Health

Go ahead – ‘sext’ your spouse

2011-06-10

Is “sexting” really cheating? Well, if, like Congressman Anthony Wiener, you’re married and sexting someone other than your spouse (and without your partner’s knowledge or approval), of course it is!

In an earlier post for The Chart, I talked about Internet infidelity and how it’s accelerating at a record pace. With its easy accessibility and novelty, the Internet enables us to easily tune out and turn off to our partners, when we should be making an effort to tune in and turn on.

The instant gratification of these technologies stimulates reward centers in the brain, and soon we find ourselves craving the quick hit of an instant connection or lamenting its absence.

Real relationships take time and patience, whereas sexting a stranger or engaging in a flirtatious Facebook friendship brings us a quick thrill and requires a lot less work. And the more technology becomes a personal accessory that renders us always on, the more likely we are to become novelty seekers in search of the next ping.

We live in an era when many consider sexual infidelity to be the ultimate personal betrayal. But there are those who believe that if infidelity doesn’t involve a physical component, it’s not really cheating—and that’s just not true.

The accessibility of the Internet means that we need to be more vigilant of emotional infidelity, and seemingly benign activities that nonetheless have a sexual and secretive component.

In her seminal book on emotional infidelity, “Not Just Friends,” the late psychotherapist Shirley Glass implores readers to “maintain appropriate walls and windows. Keep the windows open at home. Put up privacy walls with others who could threaten your marriage.” She contends than an emotional affair is marked by three distinguishing qualities:

– Close friendship and emotional intimacy. An emotional affair often begins as friendship and gradually drifts into something more. While friendship alone isn’t enough to qualify as cheating, a feeling of shared closeness and understanding is the starting point for an emotional affair.

– Sexual attraction. An emotional affair is fueled by feelings of attraction between two people.

– Secrecy. Here’s where friendship and attraction cross the line into emotional cheating. In an emotional affair, each person stops sharing certain aspects of the friendship with his or her partner, and starts confiding more in the “friend” and less in his or her partner.

We’re all living, breathing sexual beings. Attraction doesn’t end once we’re in a relationship. Even the most happily coupled people are going to feel the familiar buzz of attraction when someone catches their eye or laughs at one of their jokes. And as I discussed in another column for The Chart on negotiated monogamy, some couples are even willing to expand the boundaries of flirtation and accepted behavior within their relationship.

Relationships often start out in the “fast lane,” but eventually we find a comfortable cruising speed in the middle lane, and sometimes switch over to the slow lane.

Some relationships run out of fuel altogether, and every couple needs a jump-start every now and then. Instead of seeking that jolt of excitement from outside your relationship, make more of an effort to seek it within.

Post-baby weight gain raises diabetes risk in next pregnancy

featured, Reproductive Health

Post-baby weight gain raises diabetes risk in next pregnancy

2011-05-24

Women who gain weight after giving birth for the first time dramatically increase their risk of developing pregnancy-related diabetes during their second pregnancy, a new study suggests.

Compared with women of similar height who maintain their weight, a 5-foot-4 woman who gains roughly 12 to 17 pounds after giving birth more than doubles her odds of developing diabetes during her second pregnancy, the study found. If she gains 18 pounds or more, she more than triples her odds.

(The study used body mass index, a ratio of height to weight, so problematic weight gain will vary according to a woman’s height.)

Diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy, known as gestational diabetes, is influenced by hormonal changes and normal weight gain and usually goes away after the baby is born.

It can lead to birth complications, however, and it also increases a woman’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. In addition, it makes the baby more prone to diabetes and obesity as he grows up.

The findings underscore how important it is for women to lose their baby weight and keep postpartum weight gain to a minimum, the researchers say. This applies especially to those who are overweight or obese at the start of their first pregnancy.

The overweight women in the study who lost weight post-birth substantially lowered their risk of gestational diabetes compared with those who maintained their weight.

“We acknowledge that this is not an easy thing to do,” says the lead author of the study, Samantha F. Ehrlich, a researcher at Kaiser Permanente, in Oakland, California. “It’s quite common for women to gain weight.”

The study, which appears in the June issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, included 22,351 ethnically diverse women who were members of the Kaiser Permanente health plan in Northern California. The overall rate of gestational diabetes during the women’s first pregnancy was 4.6%, and during the second it was 5.2%.

Less than 10% of the women in the study lost weight between pregnancies, which isn’t surprising given the new stresses and responsibilities that come with a newborn.

Having a baby causes a host of changes to a mother’s life and lifestyle that can influence her eating patterns, exercise habits, and work-family balance, says Truls Ostbye, M.D., a professor at Duke University Medical Center, in Durham, North Carolina, who studies postpartum obesity but was not involved in the current research.

“Many of these changes make it hard to return to a healthy weight,” he says. “But the period can also be seen as a teachable moment for positive change. [It] can be time when the mother — and the rest of the family — can refocus on a healthy lifestyle and set the new baby on a lifelong healthy trajectory.”

Pregnant women should walk regularly (with or without a stroller), keep snacking to a minimum, and avoid soda and other sugary drinks, Ostbye says. Breast-feeding can also make it easier for women to shed pregnancy pounds.

Women who breast-feed their babies for at least six months are more likely to achieve a healthy weight after pregnancy, Ostbye adds. Ehrlich and her colleagues are currently studying a weight-loss program, which includes weekly telephone coaching sessions, specifically tailored to help women with infants exercise and eat well.

“We believe that something that’s based on the telephone or a website would be easier for new moms to do than having to go somewhere to have classes,” she says.

Powerful Women as Likely to Cheat as Men, Study Finds

featured, Sexual Health

Powerful Women as Likely to Cheat as Men, Study Finds

2011-05-10

Women in powerful positions are just as likely as men to cheat on their spouses, according to new research.

It’s widely believed that men are more likely than women to cheat on their spouses, but power appears to be a more important factor than gender, according to the study published April 28 in the journal Psychological Science.

“There has been a lot of research in the past that indicates that gender is the strongest predictor of infidelity, but none of these studies have been done on powerful women,” Joris Lammers, of Tilburg University in the Netherlands, said in a journal news release.

He and his team analyzed responses from 1,561 people who took part in an anonymous online survey. They were asked about their amount of power at work, confidence levels, and perception of risks associated with infidelity.

The survey revealed two significant findings, according to the researchers. First, there is a strong link between power and confidence, and the amount of confidence a person has is the strongest connection between power and cheating. Second, the gender of powerful people made no difference in past infidelity or their desire to be unfaithful.

The popular notion that men are more likely than women to cheat is simply due to the fact that men occupy more positions of power than women, according to Lammers.

“As more and more women are in greater positions of power and are considered equal to men, then familiar assumptions about their behavior may also change. This may lead to increased negative behaviors among women that in the past have been more common among men,” he said.

What the Yuck: How do I stop snoring?

featured, Uncategorized, ,

What the Yuck: How do I stop snoring?

2011-03-21

Too embarrassed to ask your doctor about sex, body quirks, or the latest celeb health fad? In a regular feature and a new book, “What the Yuck?!,” Health magazine medical editor Dr. Roshini Raj tackles your most personal and provocative questions. Send ’em to Dr. Raj at whattheyuck@health.com.

Q: I’m afraid I’m a loud snorer. Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening when I spend the night with my new man?

You mean aside from lying awake all night? First, don’t drink alcohol. It can make snoring worse by relaxing your throat’s muscles. When you breathe in and out, those relaxed muscles vibrate, and you snore.

Also, congested nasal passages contribute to snoring, so you might want to bring along a box of nasal strips and pop one on before climbing in bed (just say you have allergies). They may not be pretty, but they open up your nasal passages from the outside in, letting air flow more easily.

If these moves don’t help you get your snoring under control, you may have obstructive sleep apnea – a serious respiratory condition – and should make an appointment to discuss this problem with your doctor.

But, to be honest, you shouldn’t be embarrassed about this or any other bodily function. If this is going to be a long-term relationship, sooner or later he’s going to hear you snore. And if he dumps you because of that, what a jerk!