Animals Ease Patients’ Pain

Visiting a doctor’s office can be stressful. Very often, patients don’t know what to expect. They may be in pain or they may anticipate having to endure painful medical procedures. Fortunately, scientists are finding natural ways to provide comfort. New research shows that dogs can be used to manage pain. Several medical professionals conducted this [...]

Healing PTSD with Games

Video games may prove to be essential for American soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder that develops as a result of a traumatic experience. New research shows that these games can help with two conditions that have been linked to PTSD: traumatic brain injury and flashbacks. In October 2011, scientists published [...]

Can Games Alleviate Anxiety?

Games may be helpful for children suffering from anxiety and depression, according to research published last year. In the study, Game-Based Biofeedback for Paediatric Anxiety and Depression, M. Knox and five other scientists reported that children responded favorably to video games utilizing biofeedback devices and techniques. During eight sessions, M. Knox and colleagues tested twenty-four [...]

Is Your Job Hurting Your Health?

The modern-day workplace is a stressful place. Jobs have become much more demanding. In fact, the average employee must do the work of several people. And the downward spiral in consumer spending has made it much more difficult for employees to generate the results that companies expect. In addition, with reduced corporate revenue comes the [...]

Do Autistic Children Have a Nutritional Deficiency?

Last year, four scientists announced that some autistic children were found to have a zinc deficiency. Scientist Hiroshi Yasuda and colleagues published this discovery in the study, Infantile Zinc Deficiency: Association with Autism Spectrum Disorders. According to Yasuda and co-authors, they compiled the information by testing hair samples from 1,967 children who had autistic disorders, [...]

What Leads to ADHD?

In a recent study conducted in Thailand, scientists learned that certain genetic and environmental factors could predispose children to ADHD. The research was done at Vajira Hospital in Bangkok, where two groups of children — an ADHD group and a control group —were evaluated for risk factors and tested for allergies. Among the forty children [...]

Meditation Technique Helps Traumatized Soldiers

For soldiers, sound can mark the beginning of pain or relief from pain. The sound of a bomb can signal the beginning of damage to a soldier’s body and mind. But the sound of a person’s voice may provide relief from mental suffering, according to new scientific findings. A recent study found that a technique [...]

The Causes of ADHD

We all know ADHD is characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. However, not much focus is put on the cause. Unfortunately, a simple, definitive answer is not fully known or understood. While no one truly knows, evidence strongly points to genetic factors.

OCD Triggers Runaway Fear Response, Study Finds

Canadian scientists have learned that a key factor in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) prevents patients from stopping certain compulsive behaviors.1 This discovery was recently documented in a study entitled, When Too Much Is Not Enough: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder as a Pathology of Stopping, Rather Than Starting. Scientists from McMaster University and the University of Waterloo found that [...]

The Facts on Hypertension

Blood pressure is defined as the pressure exerted by blood circulating on the walls of the blood vessels, and it is one of the common vital signs. Our hearts pump blood through our arteries and throughout our body. It is when people develop high blood pressure (hypertension) that problems can arise.

A normal blood pressure range is considered less than 120/80. People at risk for hypertension are considered to have pre-hypertension, which is blood pressure ranging 120-139/80-89. Anything higher is considered hypertension. Stage 1 high blood pressure ranges from 140-159/90-99 and Stage 2 high blood pressure is anything 160 and above/100 and above.