Health

Antidepressants Linked with TrkB-mediated Neural Proliferation

by

Scientists have unveiled a functional link between production of new neurons and the effectiveness of antidepressants (ADs) in an animal model. The study provides exciting insight into a mechanism that might underlie a poor response to antidepressive medications for anxiety or depression. Depression is a significant public health problem due to both its high prevalence and its devastating impact on individuals and society,” says senior author Dr. Luis F. Parada from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “Despite much excitement generated by recent advances in the knowledge of brain development and function, the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of depression, as well as its amelioration by AD treatment, remain poorly understood.” Animal studies have indicated that chronic treatment with ADs leads to production of new neurons in a part of the brain called the hippocampus. Exercise, such as running, which … Read more

Exercise Makes you Less Hungry

by

A new study looks at the effects of exercise on reducing one’s appetite. There are several hormones that help regulate appetite, but the in a study attention was payed to ghrelin and peptide YY. Ghrelin is the only hormone known to stimulate appetite whereas, peptide YY suppresses appetite. In the study, eleven male  students did three eight-hour sessions. During one session they ran for 60 minutes on a treadmill, and then rested for seven hours. During another session they did 90 minutes of weight lifting, and then rested for six hours and 30 minutes. During another session, the participants did not exercise at all. The participants filled out surveys indicating how hungry they felt. The researchers measured ghrelin and peptide YY levels at multiple points along the way. It was found that the treadmill activity caused ghrelin levels to drop … Read more

DailyStrength Has been Acquired

by

Several months ago I wrote a post about a website called dailystrength.org. If you are looking to learn more about Daily Strength check out my old post. The reason I bring this up is because the site has now been acquired for $3.13M by HSW International. TechCrunch reported on earlier this month. The company that has acquired Daily Strength has presence in China and Brazil. I am not entirely sure what this means for the company. The comments on Tech Crunch are also a bit disturbing.

Stress

by

Stress causes cortisol levels to increase within the body, which increases oil production and  causes acne breakouts. Getting more exercise, obtaining proper rest, and caring for skin are three basic steps to counteract these problems. Dermatologists have found when you’re stressed out, your body releases a hormone called cortisol. “When cortisol levels increase, oil production increases and sometimes that will cause acne in patients that have never even had acne before,” Flor Mayoral, M.D., a dermatologist in South Miami, Fla. As if acne wasn’t bad enough, stress can cause your hair to fall out too! “When people are stressed out, your body also responds by taking a time out, and we really do not need hair,” Dr. Mayoral explains. Men and women can develop alopecia — bald spots of hair in the beard or scalp — when they’re under stress. … Read more

Running for 30 years and a Cheap Holiday Feast

by

I found a few good reads around the web. The first is from the Wall Street Journal. It talks about a 66 year old man and how for the past 30 years he has ran every day. What I find most suprising about the article is that his man is actually a doctor. He has ran atleast 2 miles every dance since 1978. I think the article is worth the read if you enjoy running or need some motivation to exercise. I really enjoy running myself, but I know that running more than 6 days a week really is not good practice. You usually feel more tired if you continue to run every day and don’t take atleast 1 day off every now and then. I no longer run very much due to knee injuries that have sidelined me. The … Read more