Waterfall of Health

New non-invasive method to observe memory cells forming

November 11th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw

Just a few years ago most scientists believed that the human adult does not produce new brain cells. What is now known is, yes, adults do generate new brain cells and that the area of the brain that creates the new cells is called the hippocampus. (The hippocampus plays a part in memory and spatial [...]


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Optimism is in the mind and photos prove it

October 25th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw

Most people instinctively know that a positive outlook on life improves both physical and mental health, while a pessimistic view of life, on the other hand, relates frequently with depressive symptoms.
What New York University researchers wanted to understand is if an optimistic attitude can be linked to the same brain regions that show irregularities in [...]


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Anti-Depressants & anti-inflammatory drugs can dramatically increase GI bleeding

October 9th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw

Emerging evidence has shown that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) used in conjunction with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause bleeding of the lining of the digestive tract including the esophagus, stomach, or upper part of the small intestine–together called the upper gastrointestinal (GI).
Researchers pooled data from 4 studies involving 153,000 patients. Patients taking just [...]


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Scientist have better understanding of how antidepressants work

October 1st, 2007 by Richard Brassaw

Until recently all that was known about how antidepressants work is that they maintain a balance of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. What was not known was how antidepressants bind to brain cells for the antidepressant to work.
Medications, called tricyclic antidepressants, help offset the imbalance of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine. They accomplish this by not [...]


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Faster acting treatment for manic phase of bipolar disorder

September 14th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw

The symptoms of bipolar disorder include profound mood swings, from depression to vastly overblown excitement, energy, and elation, often accompanied by severe irritability. Both children and adults are affected by the disorder.
Often the depressive phase of bipolar disorder is thought to be a period when the patient is at risk, but the manic phase has [...]


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New approaches in treatment of bipolar disorder

September 9th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw

Participants in a recent study of bipolar disorder patients, who experienced manic symptoms while also suffering from depression, did not benefit from antidepressant medication when it was given in addition to a mood stabilizer. A second study also indicated that a mood stabilizer alone appeared to be just as effective as when it was given along with an [...]


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Children of Bipolar parent(s) at risk for developing emotional issues

September 7th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw

Parents who have bipolar disorder face more increased challenges than those parents who do not have the disorder. As a parent they have to contend with their mood and behavior instability, impulsivity and anger problems, all of which lead to parenting difficulties.
The difficulties for bipolar parents are that dealing with their children often increases the stressors [...]


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Significant increase of children diagnosed with bipolar disorder

September 5th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw

Diagnosis of children with bipolar disorder has increased 4-fold in the past decade. The reason for the increase concerns researchers because it could be the result of one of two things. First, it could be a system correcting itself from a period when many children were under diagnosed. Second, it could be that physicians are misdiagnosing [...]


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The secret life of a manic depressive

August 7th, 2007 by Richard Brassaw

Seaneen describes herself as a manic depressive who, on some days, suffers from her bipolar disorder and on other days ‘just has it’. For her it is all a matter of perspective.
She is quite articulate about her experience with Bipolar Disorder, which makes for interesting reading. Like many disorders, diseases, and conditions that cannot be determined [...]


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Bipolar child has 30% chance of having a parent with the disorder

August 2nd, 2007 by Richard Brassaw

The American Journal of Psychiatry reports that a child diagnosed with bipolar disorder has a 30% probability of a blood parent having the same disorder.
Researchers were curious to determine if bipolar children were getting medical attention sooner and more often due to at least one parent having the disorder. Researchers decided to determine if a high correlation existed between children diagnosed with [...]


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