Nedley Health Report

With sex scandals continuing to produce national headlines, the fact that 1 in 4 of U.S. teenage girls is affected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) has slipped under the radar screen. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, an estimated 3.2 million U.S. girls ages 14 through 19 (about 26% of that age group) have an STD such as the human papillomavirus (HPV), Chlamydia, genital herpes or trichomoniasis.HPV, which can cause genital warts and cervical cancer, was seen in 18% of the girls.

Chlamydia, which is caused by a bacterium that can damage a woman’s reproductive organs, was seen in 4% of the girls. Trichomoniasis, which is caused by a single-cell parasite and results in vaginal itching and discharge, was seen in 3% of the girls. About 2% of the girls were infected with herpes simplex virus type 2, which causes most cases of genital herpes. Although half of teenage girls have not had sexual relations, 40% of the other half had at least one sexually transmitted disease. Girls who had only a sexual relationship with only one person still had a 20% chance of contracting a sexually transmitted disease. Unfortunately, many of the STDs are life-threatening.

The human papillomavirus, which is a cause of cervical cancer, has recently been found to also be the cause of rising head and neck cancers. Incidences of head and neck cancer had been declining, due to decreases in smoking rates and smokeless tobacco usage. However, the human papillomavirus is now causing 40% of all head and neck cancers. In the event of neck cancer, a test should be done to see if the cancer is due to the human papillomavirus, as the best treatment for HPV-related neck cancers is different than the best treatment for smoking-related cancers. Syphilis is also on the rise in America, and has been for the last 7 years. Transmission of this organism and many others can occur during any type of sexual activity.

Bottom line: The importance of abstinence before marriage, and monogamous relationships thereafter, has never been more important. Teenage boys and girls need continuing education to remind them of the health (and mental) issues involved.

Comments(0)

Because working memory is the single most important predictor of learning, some psychologists are calling it the “new I.Q.” Working memory is what allows people to hold and manipulate a few items in their minds.

Like a box, our minds can only hold so much. (Most people can hold 3-5 items in their “mental grocery list”. If there are more, something on the list may be forgotten). The fact that there is a limit involved makes it even more critical to put in the right thing, since irrelevant information clutters up working memory.

In contrast to IQ (which measures vocabulary, mathematical skills, problem solving, spatial ability, and other brain functions), working memory is the pure measure of a child’s potential.

Many people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have problems with working memory. According to Dr. Mel Levin, co-founder of the non-profit institute “All Kinds of Minds”, working memory allows a reader to still remember what was at the beginning of a page when they reach the end.

One young girl, who struggled with working memory problems, reported that it was “as if every time I read a sentence, the one just before just got erased” Dr. Levine suggested the girl buy her schoolbooks, so she could underline key points as needed. He then had her read those points into a digital tape recorder, and play them back to help her remember them even better.

Soon this girl, who used to tell her mother “I’m the stupidest kid in class”, was instead telling people “I’ve got to work on expanding my active working memory.”

While children with poor working memories are often considered lazy or dim, the good news is that many of these underachievers really can improve. A tool developed by Dr. Tracey Allow of Britain’s Durham University helps teachers assess working memory capacity in children as young as 4 years old.

In October of 2008, a 5-day peak mental performance program for adolescents and adults will be held in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Those who attend and participate in this program will be able to significantly improve their working memories, as well as their I.Q. and emotional intelligence.

Bottom Line: If your child appears to be struggling with working memory, help them understand what it is and how it works. And remember—the same strategies that will help a child manage and improve memory (e.g. not putting too many “things in the box”, lifestyle choices that improve cognitive function) can help adults too.

Comments(0)

New research suggests there may be a connection between retirement and mortality in apparently healthy people. The findings surfaced in a study of nearly 17,000 adults. Researchers found that those who were retired upon enrollment in the study were 51% more likely to die during the study period than their same age counterparts who were still working. This trend was observed across all age groups. For example, among men who were younger than 55 at the study entry, 9% of retirees died versus just over 1% of those who were still working. The difference narrowed but was still evident in the older men.

The research team found that for every 5-year increase at the age of retirement, there was a 10% decrease in mortality risk. Even when researchers accounted for other factors (such as age, education, smoking habits, and weight), there was still a correlation between retirement status and the odds of dying during the study.

People looking forward to an early retirement may want to rethink those plans. If they are going to retire from their usual jobs, they may want to be involved in productive work on a regular basis after retirement.

Bottom Line: The Bible’s command to labor for six days a week is a plan that can enhance the health and longevity of those who participate.

Comments(0)

The link between listening to pop music and later utilizing alcohol and drugs has been recognized for more than a generation. Syncopated rock and roll rhythms can suppress frontal lobe function. It can also lead individuals to participate in activities that they otherwise would not have, had the frontal lobe been more enhanced.

A study recently published by the American Medical Association (in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, February of 2008) strengthened the evidence of a connection, by showing that today’s hit songs often contain highly positive references to alcohol and drug use.

While 41.6% of the songs reviewed in the study contained references to drugs, a full 33% explicitly referred to substance use. The investigators also reported that 24% of the songs depicted alcohol use, 14% referred to marijuana use, 11% portrayed other substances, and 3% depicted tobacco usage. Rap songs had a 77% chance of referring to substance use in a positive way. Country music songs had a 36% chance of the same, while R & B hip-hop songs had a 20% chance.

Drug and alcohol use were frequently associated with partying, sex, violence, and/or humor, and the behavior was often motivated by pure social pressure. Most songs that mentioned drugs or alcohol portrayed positive social, sexual, financial or emotional consequences. Of the 279 most popular hits included in the study, only 4 songs contained any anti-use message and no song portrayed refusal of a substance.

Take-away point: What we listen to and observe can affect our behavior.

Comments(0)

A morning-time dose of bright light, when combined with an evening dose of melatonin, may help normalize the sleep-wake cycle in elderly adults with Alzheimer’s. Dr. Glenna A. Dowling of the University of California, who headed the study, randomly assigned 50 nursing home patients with Alzheimer’s into three groups.

The first group was given light therapy for one hour, five hours per week. The second group received a dose of melatonin before bedtime, in addition to light therapy. The third group was exposed only to normal indoor light, and was not given melatonin.

Over the 10-week period of the study, Dr. Dowling and her colleagues found that the combination of light therapy and melatonin helped curb daytime sleepiness, and increase the patient’s activity level during the day overall. The light therapy used in the study included natural light as well as medical grade lights. Medical grade lights, such as those used in the Nedley Depression Recovery Program, are available through drnedley.com.

Bottom line: A regimen of melatonin and light therapy may be effective in curbing daytime sleepiness and increasing activity levels during the day.

Comments(0)

The Residential 10-day Nedley Depression Recovery Program has helped many people with depression. To date, the program has a 97% response rate, with more than 50% finding a lasting cure for their depression.

Due to Dr. Nedley’s schedule for the rest of the year, only one of these programs will be run in 2008. A few spots are still available in this program, which will run from April 11-April 21 in Ardmore, Oklahoma. If you know anyone who could benefit from this program, please let them know, and they will end up thanking you immensely for the referral. For more information, call Nedley Health Solutions at 1-888-778-4445 and ask for Paula.

Comments(0)

“What is the best diet for adult-onset diabetes?” This question has long been the subject of lively debate. While multiple studies have suggested a low-fat vegan diet as optimal for Type 2 diabetics, many have argued that a totally plant-based, no-sugar and low-fat diet would be difficult, if not impractical, for the average person to understand and adopt.  In a search for answers, Dr. Neal Barnard (of Washington D.C.) and colleagues studied a group of more than 100 adult-onset diabetics. The majority of study participants were on multiple medications who did not have their blood sugar under control. Dr. Barnard randomly divided the diabetics into two groups.

The first group ate the diet prescribed by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) during the study, while the second group stuck to a low-fat, vegan diet. Dieticians who fully believed in each approach explained the assigned diet to each patient to ensure that they fully understood.  The ADA diet, which allows consumption of pretty much any food in small amounts, was thought to be much easier to maintain.

The higher compliance rate for the low-fat vegan diet in Dr. Barnard’s study showed this assumption to be false. The continuous need to count grams of carbohydrates, milligrams of cholesterol, and calories discouraged many of the patients on the ADA diet, who eventually gave up and ate whatever they wanted. In contrast, the low-fat vegan diet, with its lack of carbohydrate restrictions, was actually easier to understand and comply with than the ADA diet.

Health professionals who believe in the benefits of a vegan diet and can teach adult-onset diabetics how to incorporate it may reap the following results benefit from increased blood sugar control, substantial reduction in risk of complications, a greater probability of compliance with the prescribed diet, and even long-term better weight control.  Although Dr. Barnard’s research involved a one-year study, he has now released data showing that patients can maintain the diet for a longer term (greater than 18 months) with a high degree of satisfaction. Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes also provides some excellent advice on dealing with this deadly disease.

Bottom line: In addition to being the most effective diet for adult-onset diabetes, the low-fat vegan diet is the one patients find easiest to comply with, long-term, as well.

Comments(0)

Have you ever wanted to run a very successful depression recovery program in your community? The Nedley Depression Recovery Seminar is a well-researched, scientifically-based program designed to meet the needs of depressed individuals in our world today. Now the tools and knowledge you need to help others who are suffering from depression are available for the first time, through an online class.

If you have wanted to attend a “Training the Trainer” program but could not because of travel constraints, now is your opportunity to attend this 15-session training online and earn your training certificate. Learn how to help individuals in your neighborhood and community. Through this course you will learn how to:

• Identify underlying causes of depression
• Improve brain function
• Minimize depression relapse
• Overcome addictions
• Eat, live and think better
• Visualize hope, and
• Utilize valuable materials for helping your community.

For more information, please visit drnedley.com

Comments(0)

Finnish researchers have reported that a cluster of heart disease and diabetes risk factors known as the metabolic syndrome may be a “predisposing factor” for the development of depression. Non-depressed individuals who were found to have the metabolic syndrome at the start of the Finnish study were twice as likely to have symptoms of depression at a follow-up to the study seven years later. Components of metabolic syndrome include:

• high cholesterol
• high triglycerides
• low levels of “good” HDL cholesterol
• high blood sugar
• high blood pressure, and
• excess belly fat Excess belly fat also increases the risk of memory loss and Alzheimer’s dementia.

In a report in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (February 2008), the researchers warned the increasing incidences of metabolic syndrome will likely result in an increase in future cases of depression as well. Bottom line: Any of the bullet-point factors of metabolic syndrome listed above increases the risk of depression, and a combination of those factors increases the risk even further.

Comments(0)