May 10, 2010
MONDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) — Medicines used to treat Parkinson’s disease may increase the risk of impulse control disorders, such as problem gambling, compulsive shopping and binge eating, researchers warn.
In a new study that included 3,090 patients being treated for Parkinson’s at 46 movement disorder centers in the United States and Canada, the researchers found that 13.6 percent of the patients had impulse control disorders. These impulse disorders included gambling (5 percent), compulsive sexual behavior (3.5 percent), compulsive shopping (5.7 percent) and binge eating (4.3 percent), and nearly 4 percent of the patients had two or more of these disorders.
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March 31, 2010
WEDNESDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) — A pacemaker that electrically stimulates the stomach can help control chronic vomiting in people with severe stomach disorders, says a new study.
Swedish researchers first tested temporary electrical stimulation of the stomach in 27 patients and found that 22 of them experienced fewer symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting. The researchers then surgically implanted a permanent pacemaker in the stomach of 20 patients and 90 percent of them experienced good long-term results. Read More
February 10, 2010
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) — For the first time in more than a decade, the American Psychiatric Association has announced proposed changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), long considered the “Bible” of psychiatry.
Unlike its predecessor, DSM-4, the new DSM-5 would not formally recognize sex and Internet addictions; would create a new category for “risk” disorders for people possibly heading towards developing full psychosis or dementia; and would create a new disorder, “temper dysregulation with dysphoria” (TDD) to incorporate both mood and behavioral disturbances, partly a response to current overdiagnosis of juvenile bipolar disorder. Read More
A look at what Health.com editors are reading today
August 21, 2009
- We’ve voiced our skepticism over “miracle” supplements like açai berry and resveratrol in the past, and always thought the endorsements by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Mehmet Oz were a bit fishy. Now the TV twosome is firing back with legal action against companies that have used their name and image without permission. [Forbes]
- News headlines this week announced that U.S. life expectancy has hit an all-time high, while the death rate has dropped to an all-time low. Although that’s still good news, now we look at the other half of the story: Our country is still behind about 30 others in this measure, and with all the lifesaving advancements we’ve made, some say that the gains reported are modest at best. [Live Science] Read More
December 11, 2008
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) — Science is verifying what many overeaters have suspected for a long time: sugar can be addictive.
In fact, the sweetener seems to prompt the same chemical changes in the brain seen in people who abuse drugs such as cocaine and heroin.
The findings were to be presented Wednesday at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s annual meeting, in Nashville. Read More
