Rat Study Suggests Even Mandatory Exercise Lessens Anxiety, Depression

New research using rats suggests that even when individuals are forced to exercise, they still benefit from reduced anxiety and depression.

Prior research has shown that voluntary exercise is a method to relieve stress, but experts were uncertain as to the mental benefit of exercise when exercise is mandated.

Specifically, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder wanted to study whether a person who feels forced to exercise, eliminating the perception of control, would still reap the anxiety-fighting benefits of the exercise.

Examples of mandatory exercise include regimens placed on high school, college and professional athletes, members of the military or those who have been prescribed an exercise regimen by their doctors, said Benjamin Greenwood, Ph.D., an assistant research professor in CU-Boulder�s Department of Integrative Physiology.

"If exercise is forced, will it still produce mental health benefits?" he said. "It�s obvious that forced exercise will still produce peripheral physiological benefits. But will it produce benefits to anxiety and depression?"

To find an answer, Greenwood and colleagues designed a lab experiment using rats. During a six-week period, some rats remained sedentary, while others exercised by running on a wheel.

The rats that exercised were divided into two groups that ran a roughly equal amount of time. One group ran whenever it chose to, while the other group ran on mechanized wheels that rotated according to a predetermined schedule.

For the study, the motorized wheels turned on at speeds and for periods of time that mimicked the average pattern of exercise chosen by the rats that voluntarily exercised.

After six weeks, the rats were exposed to a laboratory stressor before testing their anxiety levels the following day. The anxiety was quantified by measuring how long the rats froze � a phenomenon similar to the proverbial deer in the headlights � when they were put in an environment they had been conditioned to fear.

The longer the freezing time, the greater the residual anxiety from being stressed the previous day, researchers said. For comparison, some rats were also tested for anxiety without being stressed the day before.

"Regardless of whether the rats chose to run or were forced to run they were protected against stress and anxiety," said Greenwood, lead author of the study appearing in the European Journal of Neuroscience.

The sedentary rats froze for longer periods of time than any of the active rats.

"The implications are that humans who perceive exercise as being forced � perhaps including those who feel like they have to exercise for health reasons � are maybe still going to get the benefits in terms of reducing anxiety and depression," he said.

Source: University of Colorado at Boulder

7 Best Healing Foods for Anti-Aging

Are you interested in turning back the clock on aging? Do you want to find a natural way to look your best without resorting to plastic surgery, Botox, fillers, or expensive creams?

Slowing down aging in your body starts with what you eat and drink on a daily basis. If you eat lots of processed low-nutrient foods, and sugar-filled or artificially sweetened beverages, your skin, hair, and nails will reflect these choices (read 14 Steps to Cut Out Processed Food). My favorite anti-aging foods will provide you with the all good nutrition you need to slow down the aging process.

Anti-Aging Nutrients

When you eat healing foods with key anti-aging nutrients, you become healthy on the inside which is reflected on the outside by an outer glow of vibrant health that is truly beautiful! Organic healing foods which contain the following key nutrients are the best choices for fighting the aging process.

Top vitamins for anti-aging are: vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, and B vitamins.

Top minerals for anti-aging are: sulfur, silicon, zinc, iron, selenium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium.

Top phytochemicals for anti-aging are: Chlorophyll, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, quercetin, lutein, and squalene.

The 7 Healing Foods for Anti-Aging

The following list has my seven favorite anti-aging foods. These healing foods are rich in key vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals, healthy fats, water, enzymes, and fiber that provide you with everything you need to slow down aging and get the glow!

1. Leafy Green Vegetables

Kale, spinach, collard greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens, arugula, watercress, red and green oak leaf lettuce, and romaine lettuce are excellent leafy greens to eat on a daily basis to age proof your body. These leafy greens are packed with water, amino acids, phytochemicals, enzymes, chlorophyll, antioxidants, and fiber which detoxify, alkalinize, and nourish the entire body. Leafy greens contain high levels of chlorophyll which builds up blood and increase the levels of oxygen in the body. A clean body=radiant skin, hair, and nails. (see 20 Ways to Cook Leafy Greens)

2. Berries

Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, goji berries, cranberries, raspberries, mulberries, acai berries, and camu camu berries help cleanse our body of toxins and fights chronic inflammation resulting in beautiful, healthy skin, hair, and nails.  Berries protect against the oxidative stress which causes aging due to the high levels of vitamin C, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that they contain.

3. Avocados

Avocados contain essential omega-3 fatty acids that moisturize your skin from the inside out. Avocados are rich in anti-aging nutrients including high levels of vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, potassium, folate, and fiber. Avocados contain important carotenoids including beta-carotene, lutein, alpha-carotene, and zeaxanthin that fight chronic inflammation and free radical damage which causes your body to age quickly.

4. Allium Vegetables

Onions, garlic, leeks, chives, and shallots are all members of the allium family. These wonderful vegetables contain high amounts of sulfur an important mineral that helps rebuild keratin and collagen, along with purifying the liver. Onions are also rich in quercetin an antioxidant that fights free radical damage.

5. Sprouted or Raw Nuts and Seeds

The best nuts and seeds to fight against aging include: almonds, walnuts, coconuts, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, and flax seeds. All of these nuts and seeds contain healthy fats, protein, amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber that help neutralize free radicals; fight inflammation; and repair cellular damage. Nuts and seeds contain fatty acids like GLA that are potent anti-inflammatory fats and also important for keeping your skin moisturized.

5. Olives and Olive Oil

Olives and olive oil are rich in vitamin A, vitamin E, and amino acids which repairs connective tissue and reduces the appearance of fine lines. Olives contain squalene an unsaturated fat, antioxidant, and oxygen carrier that helps smooth and protect your skin. Olives and olive oil are high in monounsaturated fats that have anti-inflammatory properties. The heart healthy fats in olives and olive oil are also important for keeping your skin, scalp, and hair moisturized.

6. Red and Black Radishes

These tiny root vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals that keep your skin, hair, and nails in top condition. Radishes contain silicon, sulfur, and vitamin C. Silicon also known as silica, strengthens connective tissues and keeps your skin smooth and glowing. Silicon also helps make your hair thick and strong.

7. Turmeric

Turmeric is an amazing root vegetable with anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric is rich in antioxidants that purify the blood and support the liver. Having clean blood helps to keep your skin smooth and soft.

If you include these healing foods into your daily diet you will reap all the anti-aging benefits they provide and start enjoying the glow of radiant health.

Refrence: eatlocalgrown.com

FDA Approved Osphena: A New Medication for Painful Sex in Postmenopausal Women

Ospemifene (brand name Osphena) is a medication recently approved by the FDA for dyspareunia treatment in postmenopausal women. The medication will be available in June, 2013.

Dyspareunia is a broad term meaning painful sex in females. There are many causes of dyspareunia. One major cause is menopause. During menopause, a woman's body stops producing estrogen and progesterone. This results in thinning of the vaginal lining, with dryness, itching, burning, discharge, and even cracking, resulting in pain during sexual intercourse. Up to 40% of postmenopausal women may have these symptoms, a clinical sydrome also known as atrophic vaginitis. Ospemifene mimics the action of estrogen on the vagina. In some ways it may be a "pink Viagra", because it can enable an older person who is unable to have sex due to a medical condition to be able to enjoy sex again.

Comparing ospemifene with other treatments for dyspaureunia:

1) Vaginal lubricants. This is by far the safest option, outside of doing nothing. Using a lubricant such as Replens or Astroglide 2-3 times a week can be helpful for some women, but it is not as effective as hormone replacement. Vaginal lubricants can also be messy and inconvenient.

2) Estrogen/progesterone replacement. This is highly effective, and can take a variety of forms, including pills, vaginal creams, and dissolving vaginal rings. Typically, taking pills is reserved for patients who also have disabling hot flashes, as estrogen and progesterone by mouth raises the risk for breast cancer, stroke, and blood clots.

We do not know for sure about the risks for these complications for hormones delivered via the vagina. It is thought that the risk is less than for orally given hormones.

"Bioavailable" hormones have been popularly promoted to be safer than conventional hormone replacement but there is no scientific data supporting this claim.

3) Ospemifene. This is also very effective. The advantages of ospemifene over hormone replacement are unclear, except you take it by mouth instead of in the vagina. This may be important if you have a hard time manipulating a ring or reaching your vagina (if you have severe hand/wrist/elbow arthritis, or if you are obese, for example).

The current studies of ospemifine are not large enough to compare the risks of breast cancer, blood clots and strokes with hormone replacement.

You should not take ospemifene if:

1) You are not menopausal. If you are still having your monthly cycle, then your own body's hormones will work better than ospemifene.

2) Your main problem is low libido and your vagina does not hurt. Ospemifeme does not treat libido, only vaginal pain, and it does have side effects.

3) Your pain is not from a thin vaginal lining. A regular pelvic exam can easily tell your provider whether you have atrophic vaginitis.

4) Your pain is adequately relieved by vaginal lubricants. These methods carry less risk for side effects. Unfortunately, alternative medicine therapies such as herbs and soy do not seem to work for this condition.

5) You have vaginal bleeding and you do not know the cause. Ospemifene was studied for only one year in a limited number of patients before gaining FDA approval. Although there were no cases of endometrial cancer during that one year, ospemifene could cause an existing cancer to grow. We do not know whether there may be a slight increase in the risk of endometrial cancer, particularly over longer periods of use.

6) You have had or currently have breast cancer. Ospemifene has been shown to possibly retard the growth of breast cancer in animals. It did not seem to cause breast cancer in the clinical trials leading to FDA approval. However, this is not proof that it is safe enough to use in breast cancer patients.

7) You have severe hot flashes. Ospemifene has been shown to worsen hot flashes. If you don't think you could handle hot flashes worse than the ones you have now, this is not the drug for you.

References:

Bachman, Gloria A., and Nicole S. Nevadunsky. "Diagnosis and Treatment of Atrophic Vaginitis." American Family Practitioner 61.10 (2000): 3090-096. Print.

Hill, D. Ashley, and Susan Hill. "Counseling Patients About Hormone Therapy and Alternatives for Menopausal Symptoms." American Family Practitioner 82.7 (2010): 801-07. Print.

Portman, D. J., G. A. Bachmann, J. A. Simon, and Ospemifene Study Group. "Ospemifene, a Novel Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator for Treating Dyspareunia Associated with Postmenopausal Vulvar and Vaginal Atrophy." Menopause (n.d.): n. pag. 28 Jan. 2013. Web.

Simon, J. A., V. H. Lin, C. Radovich, G. A. Bachmann, and Ospemiifene Study Group. "One-year Long-term Safety Extension Study of Ospemifene for the Treatment of Vulvar and Vaginal Atrophy in Postmenopausal Women with a Uterus." Menopause(n.d.): n. pag. 8 Nov. 2012. Web.

http://voices.yahoo.com/is-osphena-me-look-medication-painful-12042761.html?cat=70

Home health and fitness fails

Image Credit: confused.com

A Laser Skin Clinic Has Many Treatment Options

Laser skin tightening is one of the best ways to maintain your youthful appearance, look radiant and feel good about yourself. There are a variety of different skin treatment options available at Skin Vitality Skin Clinic including skin tightening, Venus Freeze, Botox injections, body contouring and Juvederm among others. These treatments can help make your dream of looking and feeling good about your appearance a reality.

The most common of all laser skin treatments is skin tightening. The treatment is highly recommended for people with loose skin as it aims at tightening and making it firmer. Similarly to skin tightening is body contouring. Body contouring however, aims to give a more appealing contour as well as smoother skin especially around the waist, hips, buttocks, outer thighs and abdomen. It goes hand in hand with cellulite reduction procedures. VelaShape offered by Skin Vitality is a non-surgical medical device that improves tone and reclaims the curves lost with weight gain and age. After you experience treatment you will see the skin's surface is gradually smoothed out, cellulite is noticeably reduced and circumferential reduction occurs.

Botox injections are a cosmetic procedure administered to patients who have started developing wrinkles. It's commonly used to prevent the appearance of wrinkles on the face by retraining the facial muscles. The treatment can last up to 8 months and multiple sessions are often required. This inexpensive, pain-free procedure has become one of the most popular ways to reduce the appearance of age. Equally, Juvederm just like Botox, is used to reduce the appearance of facial wrinkles by softening the deep folds on the face. It can also be used on scars, hollow places and lips. The treatment is also temporary and patients should expect additional treatments every 9 months to maintain the appearance.

Skin rejuvenation on the other hand is specially intended for a more attractive and clearer skin. The treatment clears any pigmented lesions on the skin much faster and more easily than any other skin treatment procedure. It is effective on all skin types and can give one their radiant skin back within a very short time. In many ways, skin rejuvenation relates with chemical peels. Skin Vitality offers a variety of Glo Therapeutics medical grade chemical peels that will clinically transform your skin. Visit SkinVitality.ca to see all the excellent services that are available.

Bio:  Christine writes about health and beauty topics and focuses on some of the top cosmetic procedures on the market. Through her fantastic experiences with Botox injections and laser skin tightening treatments she recommends you visit Skin Vitality Skin Clinic to see which treatment is right for you.

Mouse Study Shows Why Sleep Deprivation Temporarily Relieves Depression?

Many people have experienced relief from depression after going without a good night�s sleep � but the mood boost typically only lasts until the person falls asleep again.

Although sleep deprivation is an impractical long term treatment, researchers have been interested in the workings behind this phenomenon. Now a research team at Tufts University has pinpointed glia as the key players.

Previously, the researchers found that astrocytes � a star-shaped type of glial cell � regulate the brain chemicals involved in sleepiness.

While we�re awake, astrocytes continuously release the neurotransmitter adenosine, which builds up in the brain and causes "sleep pressure," the feeling of sleepiness and its related memory and attention deficits.

Adenosine creates this pressure by binding to receptors on the outside of neurons like a key fitting into a lock. As more adenosine builds up, more receptors are triggered, and the urge to sleep gets stronger.

In the new study, the researchers investigated whether this process is responsible for the antidepressant feelings during sleep deprivation. Mice with depressive-like symptoms were given three doses of a compound that triggers adenosine receptors � mimicking sleep deprivation.

Although the mice continued to sleep normally, after 12 hours they showed a significant improvement in mood and behavior, which lasted for 48 hours.

The findings verify that the buildup of adenosine is responsible for the antidepressant effects of a lack of sleep. These results lead to a promising target for new drug development because it suggests that mimicking sleep deprivation chemically may offer the antidepressant benefits without the unwanted side effects of actually losing sleep.

This type of treatment could give immediate relief from depression, especially compared to traditional antidepressants, which often take six to eight weeks to work.

According to Dustin Hines, lead author and a postdoctoral fellow at Tufts, this study may also have implications beyond depression and sleep regulation.

"For many years neuroscientists focused almost exclusively on neurons, whereas the role of glia was neglected," Hines said.

"We now know that glia play an important role in the control of brain function and have the potential to aid in the development of new treatments for many illnesses, including depression and sleep disorders."

Source: Psych Central News

Menopause Symptoms

Women may have different signs or symptoms at menopause. That's because estrogen is used by many parts of your body. So, as you have less estrogen, you could have various symptoms. Here are the most common changes you might notice at midlife. Some may be part of aging rather than menopause.

Mood Changes

You might find yourself more moody or irritable around the time of menopause. Scientists don't know why this happens. It's possible that stress, family changes such as growing children or aging parents, a history of depression, or feeling tired could be causing these mood changes.

Your body seems different

Your waist could get larger. You could lose muscle and gain fat. Your skin could get thinner. You might have memory problems, and your joints and muscles could feel stiff and achy. Are these a result of having less estrogen or just related to growing older? Experts don't know the answer.

Change in your period

This might be what you notice first. Your periods may no longer be regular. They may be shorter or last longer. You might bleed less than usual, or more. These are all normal changes, but to make sure there isn't a problem, see your health professional if:

• Your periods come very close together
• You have heavy bleeding
• You have spotting
• Your periods last more than a week

Sex

You may find that your feelings about sex are changing. You could be less interested. Or, you could feel freer and sexier after menopause. After 1 full year without a period, you can no longer become pregnant. But remember, you could still be at risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), such as gonorrhea or even HIV/AIDS.

Hot flashes

Many women have hot flashes around the time of menopause. They may be related to changing estrogen levels. Hot flashes may last a few years after menopause. A hot flash is a sudden feeling of heat in the upper part or all of your body. Your face and neck become flushed. Red blotches may appear on your chest, back, and arms. Heavy sweating and cold shivering can follow. Flashes can be very mild or strong enough to wake you from your sleep (called night sweats). Most hot flashes last between 30 seconds and 10 minutes.

Sleep

Around midlife, some women start having trouble getting a good night's sleep. Maybe you can't fall asleep easily, or you wake too early. Night sweats might wake you up. You might have trouble falling back to sleep if you wake during the night.

Problems with your vagina and bladder

Changing estrogen levels can cause your genital area to get drier and thinner. This could make sexual intercourse uncomfortable. Or, you could have more vaginal or urinary infections. Some women find it hard to hold their urine long enough to get to the bathroom. Sometimes urine leaks during exercise, sneezing, coughing, laughing, or running.

Other Physical Changes

Two common health problems can start to happen at menopause, and you might not even notice.

Osteoporosis

Day in and day out, your body is busy breaking down old bone and replacing it with new healthy bone. Estrogen helps control bone loss, and losing estrogen around the time of menopause causes women to lose more bone than is replaced. In time, bones can become weak and break easily. This condition is called osteoporosis. Talk to your doctor to see if you should have a bone density test to find out if you are at risk. Your doctor can also suggest ways to prevent or treat osteoporosis.

Heart disease

After menopause, women are more likely to have heart disease. Changes in estrogen levels may be part of the cause. But so is getting older. As you age, you may gain weight and develop other problems, like high blood pressure. These could put you at greater risk for heart disease. Be sure to have your blood pressure and levels of triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, and LDL, HDL, and total cholesterol checked regularly. Talk to your health care provider to find out what you should do to protect your heart.

This Article was originally published at NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine on Spring 2013 Issue: Volume 8 Number 1 Page 16

Menopause and Weight Gain