New Research: Indoor Tanning Can Become Addictive--Are You An Addict?

We've talked a lot about the dangers of indoor tanning here on the blog, and there's been a lot in the news on the topic in the last year. But, even despite the common knowledge about the health risks, so many people opt to take their chances. And, now, a new study may shed light on why: Tanning, they say, is strangely addicting ...

According to U.S News and World Report, researchers, whose study was recently published in the Archives of Dermatology, surveyed more than 400 college students about their indoor tanning habits, and a shocking 30-40 percent fit the criteria for "tanning addicition," characterized by people who go tanning despite a complete understanding about the health risks, and also people who seek stress relief, relaxation or a mood boost from tanning beds.

Natural Relief for Arthritis Pain: Drunken Raisins

Before there were doctors, hospitals or giant pharmaceutical companies, folks treated their ailments with a variety of homespun remedies. These remedies often work (at least to some extent) and they're usually more fun than a doctor's visit.

In Lafayette, Colorado, 9News reported on one man who has used some modern marketing techniques to take his arthritis folk remedy to the people.

Larry Wright is the owner and proprietor of DrunkenRaisins.com. As the name suggests, his company sells raisins that have been soaked in gin -- along with juniper berries, honey and cinnamon. Wright claims that they're delicious and effective pain relievers.

Natural Herbs Can Relieve Many Painful Disorders

QUESTION: I have painful arthritis (psoriatic) and I heard on the news that my medicine can cause cancer. I am afraid of it being recalled because I need my Enbrel.

ANSWER: Currently, the FDA has not recalled any of the controversial drugs, they have just asked manufacturers to strengthen warnings about the potential dangers. Some studies point to an association with cancer, others do not, so it remains inconclusive.

The blockbuster drugs taking the heat include Humira, Remicade, Cimzia, Simponi and Enbrel. They are prescribed to treat rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease and other inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. When I give lectures, it surprises people to hear that there are natural herbs that work on the same biochemical pathway as these drugs, and that help relieve many painful disorders.

My Teeth Whitening Experience From Hell

Do you get the feeling that our society is a little teeth-whitening-obsessed? I mean, you can hardly buy a tube of toothpaste these days with out "whitening" featured on the label, and doesn't it seem that neon white teeth is a prerequisite for anyone in the public eye (celebs, news anchors, etc.)? I'm all for pearly whites, but after my teeth whitening experience from hell, I've decided that the color of my smile is just fine--the way it is...

I have an infant in the house, so I'm frequently feeding him and reaching for the remote control when I do. My channels of choice: TLC and The Food Network! So, while catching an episode of John and Kate Plus 8 (raise your hand if you love this show!), I watched as John and Kate went to get their teeth whitened at their dentist's office. I cringed when Kate's gum's started to burn from the treatment, because that's exactly what happened to me.

Michael J. Fox: 20 Years With Parkinson’s

Scientists still aren’t sure what causes Parkinson’s. But four people on the set of Leo and Me, Michael J. Fox’s first television series, developed the progressive, incurable disease. The fifth person, of course, was Fox himself, an amiable comic actor who starred in the comedy Family Ties and the Back to the Future movies before he got the illness, around 1990. (Leo and Me aired in 1981.)

Fox won’t speculate about why his coworkers on Leo and Me became ill, though researchers have focused on environmental hazards as a possible cause for Parkinson’s. (They are also looking at a genetic factor.)  Speaking to CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Fox said, “I am not concerned about a few people. I am focused on everyone who has the disease.” His organization, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, has raised more than $200 million to fund efforts toward finding a cure.

Metabolic Factors May Be Linked to Cancer

Metabolic syndrome -- a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes -- may play a role in the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer, U.S. researchers said.

The metabolic syndrome, or insulin resistance syndrome, consists of a series of factors including abdominal obesity, high blood glucose levels, impaired glucose tolerance, abnormal lipid levels and high blood pressure. It is associated with poor diet and lack of physical activity.

Senior epidemiologist Geoffrey C. Kabat at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and colleagues used existing data from a large, national study designed to assess major causes of chronic disease in women. Participants included post-menopausal women ages 50-79 years at enrollment who had repeated measurements of components of metabolic syndrome over an eight-year period.

Mental Health Stigma Keeps Many from Seeking Help

There may be a significant difference between the number of people suffering from mental health problems and the number that actually seek treatment for their mental distress. The reason for the discrepancy? The stigma that comes with mental health issues.

About 20 percent of residents of California report a need for mental health services, while one in 25 report serious psychological distress, researchers found.

Lead author David Grant, director of the California Health Interview Survey at the University of California, Los Angeles, Center for Health Policy Research, says among adults with a "perceived need" for mental health services, or who report serious psychological distress, only one-third reported visiting a mental health professional for treatment. The reluctance was most likely attributable to fear of stigmatization, as well as lack of insurance coverage.

Menopause Symptoms May Prevent Breast Cancer

How many women enjoy their hot flashes? Chances are pretty near to none. But now there may be a reason to celebrate the heat wave. Researchers are saying that women who have hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms are at fifty percent or less risk of developing breast cancer, according to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

"We know that hormones are important to breast cancer risk, and we also know that menopausal symptoms occur primarily because of changes in hormones that women experience as they go through menopause," said lead author and breast cancer epidemiologist Dr. Christopher I. Li.

Menopause: A Risk Factor for Heart Disease

What are the risk factors for heart disease? Unfortunately for middle-aged women, menopause is one of them. So women entering menopause need to be aware of the facts on heart disease and women, and how heart attack symptoms differ in women and in men.

Dr. Vera Rigolin of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago says men often experience chest discomfort while women commonly may have other, more subtle heart attack symptoms -- such as fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, jaw pain or abdominal discomfort.

"In some women, plaque can build in the smallest blood vessels called the microvascular circulation. These blockages do not show up in an angiogram," Rigolin says in a statement. "In these cases, we often use magnetic resonance imaging with medication to visualize blood flow within the small blood vessels when other standard tests do not provide us answers."

Memory Problems, Incontinence Drug Linked

If a family member or a friend is taking oxybutynin chloride to treat incontinence, memory problems could be an unwanted side effect, medical experts say.

Writing in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia say a recent study of volunteers indicated that those taking the drug, sold under the brand name Ditropan, scored low on mental function tests.

Study author Dr. Ira Katzy says the test findings "demonstrate that oxybutynin can cause cognitive impairment and suggest that physicians prescribing it should monitor their patients to facilitate the early recognition of those who experience drug-related cognitive deficits."

Male Menopause: Hormone Change Hits Men, Too

Think menopause is just a "female thing"? Not true! In fact, more than five million men are suffering from  male menopause, research shows. And just like the lowering of female hormones in women can lead to decreased sex drive, weight gain, mood swings and hot flashes, the lowering male hormones in men can have similar results -- affecting their weight, mood and sex drive. Other symptoms in men include tiredness and hair loss.

Experts believe 95 percent of cases of male menopause may be undiagnosed. But that's unfortunate, because just like there are remedies -- both prescription and natural -- for menopause, there are treatments for male menopause, too.

Lifestyle Changes Key to Longevity

Middle-age men who quit smoking, increase their exercise levels and lose weight are boosting their chances of a longer life free of heart disease and diabetes, researchers say.

Writing in the Archives of Internal Medicine, British scientists say moderately active middle-aged men, in a variety of body sizes ranging from very trim to obese, who had never smoked had an 89 percent probability of surviving 15 years free of cardiovascular events and diabetes compared with a 42 percent probability for an average inactive, middle aged smoker around 5'10" in height and weighing 209 pounds.

The authors found that cigarette smoking, overweight and physical inactivity singly or in combination constitute major hazards to survival free of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. They conclude: "These findings should provide encouragement for public health promotion directed toward middle-aged men."

Joint Supplements: Just a Pain

You’ve seen them in the health food store. Maybe you’ve even bought them. Osteo Bi-Flex, Elations Healthier Joints, Trimedica MSM with Glucosamine—they all taunt you with the promise of healthier joints, pain-free joints.

Well, I hate to break it you: they don’t work. 

A breakdown of 10 studies found that glucosamine and chondroitin supplements for joint pain are, well, bogus.

Generating $2 billion in 2008, the supplements are most popular with people who suffer arthritic knees or hips. Researchers found that people taking the supplements did not experience differences from those taking a placebo when it came to measures of pain or changes in joint space.

Job Burnout May Increase Diabetes Risk

An Israeli study suggests that workers who suffer from job burnout may be more prone to developing type 2 diabetes.

Lead author Samuel Melamed of Tel Aviv University looked at the experiences of 677 Israeli workers who were followed from 1998 to 2003. Nearly 77 percent of the workers were men, and their average age was about 43 years.

Of the workers, 17 developed type 2 diabetes during the study period. The researchers found that people who experienced job burnout were 1.84 times more likely to become diabetic, even when factors like age, sex and obesity were taken into account, according to the study published in a recent issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.