Medicine/Medical Profession Articles

In the past decade, researchers have been using modern technology to study how meditation affects the structure of the brain. They have found that between controls and meditators, there are differences in both gray matter (tissue containing neuronal cell bodies) and white matter (the connective tissue between regions of the brain).

To change how you feel, all you may need to do is change how you think. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine researchers studied 214 people who suffered from chronic face and jaw pain and found that chronic pain sufferers who dwelt less on their issues were likely to sleep better and experience less day-to-day pain.

Of the 600 carotenoids responsible for the rainbow of colors seen in fruits and vegetables, only two--lutein and zeaxanthin--accumulate in the retina of the human eye, giving rise to the “macula lutea” or “yellow spot.” These macular pigments, or color filters, serve as internal sunglasses. Athletes who consume more of these two important xanthophylls may experience: newsletter_teaser: Of the 600 carotenoids responsible for the rainbow of colors seen in fruits and vegetables, only two—lutein and zeaxanthin--accumulate in the retina of the human eye, giving rise to the “macula lutea” or “yellow spot.” These macular pigments, or color filters, serve as internal sunglasses.

Good news from the medical community! According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more U.S. doctors are encouraging adults to be physically active. The report, which is published by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), determined that the percentage of adults whose physician or attending health professional encouraged them to exercise increased from 22.6% in 2000 to 32.4% in 2010.

Much current discussion of health care evolves around what the goal of care should be. This conversation is especially relevant for health and wellness professionals, particularly those who provide mind-body services. According to Institute of Medicine president Harvey Fineberg, professionals from diverse disciplines can create a new model of health-oriented care based on the following themes:

When doctors start using mindfulness to improve their own quality of life, both doctors and patients benefit. Primary care physicians face high levels of professional and personal stress that can lead to burnout, in the form of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization of patients and a low sense of accomplishment.

As the many benefits of health and fitness programs continue to emerge, greater numbers of doctors suggest that patients increase physical activity for health improvements. Unfortunately, a recent study of doctors’ health habits might prove their advice to be more along the lines of “do as I say, not as I do.”

Need a list of reasons to help keep your “resolution” clients from dropping off the fitness bandwagon? Here’s a list of medically based reasons to keep an exercise program in full swing, courtesy of The Methodist Hospital in Houston: 1. Exercise helps keep arteries flexible and malleable for heart disease and heart attack prevention. 2. Weight reduction can reduce blood pressure, glucose, triglycerides and total cholesterol—all contributors to heart disease.

A growing number of medical leaders are calling for “Slow Medicine.” We’ve heard of the Slow Food® movement, originating in Italy—a reaction against fast food and