How do thoughts, emotions and social environment influence people diagnosed with breast cancer?

A report by Falagas and his colleagues looked at and compared 46 studies investigating psychological and social factors that affect breast cancer survival rates. The results are not entirely conclusive. The most promising parameters associated with better breast cancer prognosis were social support, minimizing and to some degree being married. Read more →

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been in the news a lot lately, primarily due to the prevalence of PTSD in Iraq war veterans. PTSD can occur following any severely stressful event, and recent research has shown that some individuals are genetically “at-risk” for its development.

A study of adult victims of childhood trauma compared the occurrence of PTSD and genetic variations in the FKBP5 gene, which is related to stress response. Not surprisingly, the study found that both abusive and nonabusive childhood traumatic events were linked to the development of PTSD. In addition, four specific variations of the FKBP5 gene significantly increased the risk of PTSD in child abuse victims. This effect was still present after controlling for depression severity, age, sex, and the occurrence of other kinds of trauma. Read more →

Inflammation is a hot topic in medical research, with studies showing links to heart disease, dementia and longevity. Depression is a relatively new addition to the list of inflammation-associated diseases, with two recent publications demonstrating altered levels of inflammatory molecules in the blood of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Both studies evaluated the levels of cytokines in patient’s blood. Read more →

Stroke victims face a long and difficult road to recovery, and many of them suffer from irreparable residual effects. Researchers around the globe are searching for treatment options that improve recovery in stroke patients, but to date no magic bullet has arrived. Currently, patients are treated with a multimodal approach, including physical therapy, occupational therapy and counseling as needed.

One simple thing that may aid in the recovery of mental function following stroke is listening to music. According to a recent study, stroke victims who listened to music for 1 to 2 hours daily showed significant improvement in certain mental functions than those that did not. Read more →

I have yet to form a solid opinion regarding universal health coverage. Regardless of what I conclude to be the best policy, I am glad that the issue is out there. But I wish that this topic was more extensive; I wish that our country would broaden its’ definition of healthcare to include alternative treatments.

A team of researchers at Ohio State University recently released findings that showed a correlation between wound healing and the inability to control anger. Read more →

The biopsychosocial model of health and disease was originally a fringe idea, and is still criticized by some. But its popularity is growing as more healthcare professionals and patients recognize the link between emotional health and physical disease. A recent literature search on Medline, the U.S. government database of medical literature, found 1,973 articles relating to the biopsychosocial model, with 433 published within the last three years alone. Read more →