Mental & Emotional Health

News Day apparently got moved to Friday this week! Here you go!

Second-Hand Smoke a ‘Killer at Large’ - The number of smokers in China has reached about 350 million, the highest in the world. And about 100,000 of the 1 million Chinese who die due to smoking-related diseases each year are passive smokers, says the report.

International Health Officials Urge Widespread HIV Testing - In issuing new guidelines, UNAIDS and the WHO said 80 percent of people who are infected with the virus that causes AIDS are unaware of their situation. An estimated 40 million people throughout the world are living with HIV. More than 60 percent live in Africa.

Pesticide Exposure and Head Blows Increase Parkinson’s Risk - People with a family history of Parkinson’s disease may be more susceptible to it after pesticide exposure or repeated blows to the head, European investigators reported. In a case-control study of nearly 1,000 patients with Parksinon’s disease or parkinsonism and almost 2,000 controls, high exposure to pesticides increased the risk of the disease by 41%, according to Finlay Dick, M.D., of the University of Aberdeen here, and colleagues.

Tea, Chocolate Chemical May Boost Memory - It may be possible to boost memory with a plant compound called epicatechin, which is found in foods and drinks including blueberries, grapes, tea, and cocoa. That’s according to a study published in The Journal of Neuroscience.

New ADHD Meds Harder to Abuse - Two new formulations of drugs traditionally used to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), methylphenidate and d-amphetamine, last longer and have less potential for abuse, according to presentations at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting in San Diego.

Happy or Sad? Emotional Cues Vary By Culture - Culture is a huge factor in determining whether we look someone in the eye or the kisser to interpret facial expressions, according to a new study. For instance, in Japan, people tend to look to the eyes for emotional cues, whereas Americans tend to look to the mouth, says researcher Masaki Yuki, a behavioral scientist at Hokkaido University in Japan.

Feeling Down? Refuel with Tofu & Turkey - “Food is so powerful,” says New York-based registered dietitian Joy Bauer, author of “Joy Bauer’s Food Cures,” a nearly 500-page consumer guide to treating health concerns, released last month. “By eating the right foods in the right combinations, you can help treat, manage, and sometimes cure common health concerns.”

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