Category: news-perspectives

Some popular drugs for depression may primarily help people who have severe illness, a study suggests. The study looked at combined data from six previous studies. In three studies, people took paroxetine (Paxil) or placebos (fake pills). Three studies used imipramine, an older generic drug of a different type. With either drug, people were more likely to get better if they had severe depression. People with milder symptoms showed little change. The study was in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The New York Times and USA Today wrote about it on January 6.

Treadmill walking can help people with poor blood flow in their legs to walk better, a study shows. The study included 156 people with peripheral artery disease. People with this condition have narrowed leg arteries. They may get leg pain when they walk. But people in the study walked anyway. They built up to walking 40 minutes 3 times a week on a treadmill. After 6 months, they could walk 69 feet farther on a 6-minute treadmill test than they did at the start of the study. Others in the study did no exercise. After 6 months, their walking distance decreased by 49 feet. Reuters Health news service wrote about the study January 14. It appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Methadone is known mainly as a treatment for heroin addiction. But now more doctors are using it to treat pain. In the process, it has become the fastest-growing cause of U.S. narcotics deaths. Deaths linked to methadone increased nearly fivefold from 1999 to 2005, the New York Times reported August 17. Experts told the Times that it’s hard to prescribe the right dose of methadone. People’s bodies respond to it differently. It also can build up in the body. Until 2006, a package insert listed a maximum dose that could be dangerous. Now U.S. officials may require doctors who prescribe methadone to take a class.

Only about 1 out of 4 Americans gets enough vitamin D, and that number is going down, researchers say. A new study compared data from about 20 years ago with data from early in this decade. In the first period, nearly 1 out of 2 Americans had ideal levels of vitamin D. In recent years, that dropped to 1 out of 4. The number of people with very low levels (deficiency) increased from 2% to 6%. Among blacks, 29% had a deficiency. Very few blacks had ideal levels. The authors cited two causes for the trend: more use of sunscreen and less time spent outdoors. They said people should get about 1,000 international units of vitamin D daily. The study appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine. HealthDay News wrote about it March 23.

Americans spend $34 billion a year on alternative medicine, a new report says. The report was released July 30. It came from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. This agency leads research in the field. The director, Josephine Briggs, M.D., talked to the Associated Press about the report. She said some alternative treatments are “promising and sensible.” Others can be harmful, she said. This report included herbal pills but not vitamins and minerals. A later report will cover these pills. More research is needed because so many people use these treatments, Dr. Briggs said.

Allergists have some news for the Obama family: There’s no such thing as a “hypoallergenic” dog. President-elect Barack Obama says that his family will get a dog when they move to the White House. He said his daughter Malia “is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic.” But all dogs produce the proteins that can cause allergies, experts told the Associated Press. The proteins are found in dander (dead skin cells), saliva and urine. Grooming and bathing can reduce symptoms, experts said. So can frequent cleaning and removing carpets.

A 20-year study finds that men who take in more vitamin C appear less likely to get gout, a painful type of arthritis common in men. Nearly 50,000 men were surveyed about their diet and health. The risk of developing gout was 45% lower in men taking 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C per day or higher. Vitamin C appears to reduce uric acid. This naturally occurring acid can form deposits around joints, leading to the pain and swelling of gout. The study appeared in the March 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Women with a certain pattern of migraine headaches may be more likely to have a heart attack, a study has found. The study included about 28,000 women, age 45 or older. More than 3,500 women had migraines. Some had migraines with aura. They would see flashing lights or have blurred vision before a headache. During the 12-year study, 1 out of 100 women had a heart attack. Heart attack rates were twice the average in women who had a migraine with aura less than once a month. No increased risk was seen with women who had migraines more often or without aura. An earlier study in this group found four times the average risk of stroke among women who had migraines with aura once a week. The new study appeared in the journal Neurology. HealthDay News wrote about it June 24.

Donating a kidney doesn’t seem to harm people’s long-term health, a study finds. The research looked at nearly 3,700 people who donated a kidney in the last 40 years. Their survival rates were similar to the U.S. average. A smaller group of donors were randomly selected for medical tests. Their health also was found to be average. In the overall group of donors, 11 later needed dialysis or a kidney transplant. That rate is lower than average. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The Associated Press wrote about it January 29.

In a study, children exposed to more air pollution before birth had lower IQs at age 5. This is the first time research has linked air pollution and intelligence, the Associated Press reported. The study included 249 pregnant New York City women. None of them smoked. They lived mostly in low-income areas of Manhattan and the South Bronx. The women wore devices to track pollution for two days during the latter part of pregnancy. At age 5, their children were given IQ tests. Those exposed to the most pollution before birth scored 4 to 5 points lower than children exposed to less pollution. The journal Pediatrics published the study online July 20.