According to the proponents, attending yoga classes is better than just consulting a self-care book but it might equally be as effective as stretching classes. The results of the randomized trial surprised experts as they were expecting yoga to be more effective than stretching in easing low back pain.

The same group of experts also conducted a smaller research back in 2005 where they tapped 101 adult subjects. That study suggested that yoga is the best remedy for chronic low back pain since those who do yoga used lesser pain relievers and improved function of the back.

The latest study involves 228 individuals. The yoga classes had a slight advantage over stretching classes but it was insignificant. The subjects attended weekly classes for three months with each class lasting seventy-five minutes.

The subjects attended viniyoga classes that made use of poses specific to the condition of the individual. This was incorporated with breathing exercises and periods of deep relaxation.

The stretching classes were conducted by physiotherapists and focused on parts like the hips, hamstrings, legs, and trunk. They were also asked to do some strengthening exercises.

A third group of subjects were provided self care books.

The results revealed that both yoga and stretching are safe and effective options for people who are looking to improve their low back function and decrease the pain they are experiencing.

A Swedish study suggests that people living near noisier roads were more prone to suffer from high blood pressure that those in a more quiet environment.

The middle-aged subjects of the research who were exposed to traffic noise levels of around 64 decibels on a regular basis are more likely to have high blood pressure compared to their counterparts living in the most quiet roads. A normal chit chat has around 60 decibels.

The recent study adds to the volume of findings connecting long-term noise exposure to more health worries. Other studies have found out that those working in a very noisy job environment or those living close to the airports have higher risks for hypertension and heart attacks.

The logic behind it is the mechanism by which the body perceives noise as a signal of a stressful situation. Exposure in the long run to a noisy environment promotes increase in the amount of stress hormones in the body, increased heart rate, and shooting blood pressure.

The public health research study involved about 25,000 individuals with an age range of 18 to 80 years. The proponents studied the lifestyle of the subjects and also took note of their exposure to traffic noise.

Whether you drink a cup of caffeinated or decaf, sugar or without any sweetener it really does not matter. The research that involved around 70,000 women who enjoyed coffee with their lunch break proved that the subjects also had lower risks of developing type 2 diabetes. The experts suggests that only coffee taken with lunch is beneficial if you want to avoid developing diabetes over the years.

Previous studies have linked coffee in lowering the risks for the obesity related type 2 diabetes but no research linked the timing of the drinking of the coffee so you can get the full benefits of the habit.

The large population of French women was part of a nutritional study in Europe. The subjects were between 41 and 72 years old when they signed up for the study. These subjects were monitored for 11 years.

During the duration of the study, about 1,415 subjects developed diabetes. Those who had regular coffee intake of at least 3 cups were 27% less prone to have type 2 diabetes.

The proponents of the study also looked into the timing of coffee drinking. They found out that only lunch time drinking had effects of lowering the risk for type 2 diabetes. Those who drank more than one cup everyday during lunch were 33% less prone to type 2 diabetes.

The effects were only observed for black coffee since most of the subjects took black coffee. Only a small number of subjects had their coffee with milk or cream. The effects may be related to the timing of the drinking of coffee. The researchers is also considering the effects of the food people are having during lunch. One thing is clear, there is room for coffee in a diabetes diet, and that’s good news for people suffering from the disease!

The scenario is even worse for those who have the riser pattern. Individuals who have a spike in their blood pressure at night and logs short hours of sleep is more dangerous. Normally, the blood pressure drops during bedtime. The University of Japan researchers had 1255 male and female hypertensive subjects or the study. They asked these individuals for the number of hours they slept and measured their blood pressure in a 24 hour period.

The experts found out that those who sleep for less than 7.5 hours have a 1.7 times higher risk of having a major cardiovascular problem in the next few years.  Those who have a riser pattern with their blood pressure have 4.43 times greater risk.

Lack of sleep over fires the sympathetic part of our nervous system which revs up the flight or fight reaction. The activities of the brain during sleep also contribute a lot in regulating essential functions of the human body.

There is also another study which suggests increased blood pressure, appetite, and decrease metabolism of the glucose in young individuals who lack sleep.

Experts at HealthyVibes agree that getting enough shuteye is getting more difficult these days as the demand for everything also increases. They suggest having better sleep hygiene like veering away from late night internet or television may do the trick to get a good night’s rest.

A professor from the University of Miami had the conclusion that heavy drinkers workout 19.9 minutes more every week than those who do not drink at all. The study established that moderate drinkers workout more than teetotalers but heavier drinker seem to do the same.

This is not a small study with data of 230,000 Americans evaluated to correlate booze with exercise. The researchers proved that those who drink have 10% higher chances of doing heavier or more exercise compared to those who do not drink.

Light drinkers also edge non drinkers by five to seven minutes more gym time every week. Moderate drinkers exercise 10.1 minutes more than alcohol abstainers.

Some assume that moderate drinkers tend to counter the intake of calories that comes with the amount of booze they have. The proponents though suggests that this group of individuals may actually be leading a moderate lifestyle.

So does it follow that if you want to have that six pack abs you can drink more?

Unfortunately, the study does not suggest that. Drinking more does not have definitive effect on how you will workout. You drink when you want to drink and work out when you plan to work out. We also suggest all problem drinkers not to be too happy, and consider a holistic alcohol addiction rehab as soon as possible. Drinking too much is bad, and this study doesn’t disprove that.

This study conducted by medical doctors is the first to connect borderline cholesterol in mid-age individuals to higher risk for dementia after 30 years.

They also found out that treating the high cholesterol level with doses of statin drugs may also decrease the risk for dementia. A healthier heart may actually lead to a healthier mind it seems.

The research involved 9844 individuals whose levels of cholesterol were measured between 1964 through 1973 when these male and female patients were on the range of 40 to 45 years of age.

The proponents of the study reviewed the medical records of the same subject group between 1994 through 2007 and found out that 469 were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and about 127 showed affection with vascular dementia. Vascular dementia is second to Alzheimer’s as the most common form of dementia. It is casued by blocked blood vessels and other conditions which has something to do with the brain’s blood supply.

Individuals with high levels of cholesterol, readings of 240mg/dL or higher, during midlife had a 57% greater chance to have Alzheimer’s disease compared to people who had 200mg/dL cholesterol level during their midlife.

Borderline cholesterol level or  200 to 239 mg/dL during midlife proved to increase by 50% the chance of having vascular dementia.

The findings are very significant especially when place side by side with the information that 100 million Americans have borderline or high cholesterol levels at present.

The study estimates that about 3 million homes or about 7.6% of the German households are over-indebted. This forms part of a bigger picture which reveals a big jump in the number of families in the United States and European countries who have a big chunk of debt to pay. It has been established that socioeconomic status of individuals are directly linked to health. The study adds the factor of debt in evaluating the overall health of an individual.

The research involved 949 individuals from two centers in Germany who are undergoing counseling so they can handle their financial worries better. This group was compared to the result of a health survey conducted over the phone to represent the general populace with 8318 people in 2003.

The figures reveal that 25% of the individuals with considerable amount of debt are obese compared to only 11% of the general population. The indebted group proved to be more prone to obesity and depression. They were also found out to be younger, with less education, and belong to the lower financial bracket.

The proponents established that being over-indebted makes a person almost twice most likely to be overweight and about 2.56 times most likely to be obese. The group cites psychological factors for these figures and says people who have big a big debt may eat more to cope with the stress.

A significant number of studies recently have established the benefits of Vitamin D and the problems linked when you have lack of it. Low Vitamin D levels are connected to hypertension, cardiac disease, and severe asthma.

For older bracket of the populace, insufficiency in Vitamin D reflects the high incidence of fracture, frailty, decreased physical function, and other chronic illnesses.

The current study done by the National Institute on Aging based in Baltimore showed a connection between Vitamin D deficiency and depression.

A long-term investigation was done involving 423 men and 531 women who are 65 years old at least. The proponents found out that about 18% of the male subjects and 42% of the female subjects were depressed while 75% of the women and 50% of the men showed insufficient levels of Vitamin D.

The study suggests that addressing Vitamin D deficiency in the future may form part of the prevention or treatment for depression for older patients.

While these brain games can improve your brain’s ability to carry out a specific task, your brain improves only on that isolated area. It doesn’t raise your IQ or make you think faster. In a nutshell, it just employs the “practice makes perfect” principle. When you’re so used to searching online for trivia answers for a brain game, you become faster at it as time goes by. Sometimes, you may even remember certain trivial facts.

The test which was conducted simulated brain games as well. The subjects were divided into three groups. The first group concentrated on problem solving, planning, and basic reasoning. The second group of participants were asked to perform memory enhancing activities, attention exercises, and a series of more complicated tasks for math, visual and spatial processing.

The third group, which is the control group, was asked to research the answers for trivia questions online. After six weeks, all of the participants were given cognitive-assessment battery tests which were unrelated to the activities they just went through. All tests came out identical: there was a very minor improvement when it came to the participant’s cognitive skills.

Mental Health Providers in Oregon have been researching this subject for years, and now, it seems they’ve finally come up with the answer. Too bad half of Asia is still playing these things. Not me!

Researchers from the University of Minnesota explain that children who were abused, neglected, or maltreated in anyway will grow up dealing with a lot of stress. They also established that there is an abnormal levels of cortisol or stress hormones in the when someone experiences chronic stress.

The subjects of the study were children between 7 and 13 years old 50% of which were neglected or abused. The proponents explored the possibilities of abuses occurring early in life and how depression affected their cortisol levels.

The study found out that levels of depression were highest among kids who experienced abuse during their first fiver years of life compared to those who were not maltreated and those who were not abused early.

Children who were abused before 5 had compromised systems of adapting to stress. The study suggests that the early abuse could be more damaging to stress and emotion systems since it happens when the brain is at its peak development. As a result, children who were abused early may experience stress chronically and may be very wary even though they are not being maltreated.

In the United States, almost 2 million children are neglected and abused per year. The results of the study may be useful in providing recommendations for proper preventive interventions to help these abused children.