Month: October 2013

People are most likely to think about quitting smoking on Mondays, a new study suggests. Researchers looked at Google searches between 2008 and 2012. They looked at searches done in English, Chinese, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Russian. They found that people searched for information about quitting smoking more often early in the week. The peak occurred on Mondays for 4 of the languages. Mondays lagged a bit behind Sundays for Chinese and Russian searches.  For all 6 languages combined, Monday searches totaled 25% higher than those for the average day during the rest of the week. Searches declined steadily after Monday before rising again on Sundays. Researchers said they aren’t sure what the pattern means. But they said it might be helpful in figuring out the best days to target quit-smoking messages.

Children with concussions should rest their brains and return to schoolwork only gradually, a doctors’ group says. The new guidelines come from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The doctors admit there’s limited evidence about the best way to recover from concussions. So each child will be different. But they say it’s important for kids to have “cognitive rest” as they recover. This means restrictions on not just schoolwork but also video games, texting, TV and reading. Such brain activity may increase symptoms such as headaches or vision problems. If symptoms last more than a few weeks, the child may need to see a specialist. Kids can try returning to school when they can handle 30 to 45 minutes of school work or other stimulation without symptoms. The return may be part-time at first.

Strokes are rising worldwide, a new study shows. And much of the burden is falling on middle-aged adults and low- to middle-income countries. Researchers put together numbers from 119 studies to estimate strokes for the years 1990 and 2010. In that 20-year span, stroke death rates declined 36% in high-income countries and 20% in low- and middle-income countries. But the total number of first strokes rose 68%. Strokes among adults ages 20 to 64 rose from 25% to 31% of all strokes. Most of that increase occurred in the low- to middle-income countries. Illness and death linked with stroke has shifted toward people under age 75, the study found. They now account for 62% of new strokes, 45% of deaths and 72% of illness and disability. Another new study found that hemorrhagic (bleeding) strokes cause 52% of deaths and 61% of disability from stroke.