Running slows the aging

Vigorous exercise (running) at middle and older ages is associated with reduced disability in later life and a notable survival advantage. – Regular running slows the effects of aging, according to a new study from Stanford University School of Medicine that has tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years. Elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as aging nonrunners to die early deaths, the research found.

20 minutes of housework boosts mental health

Scottish Health Survey reveals first time that just 20 minutes of any physical activity, including housework, in a week is enough to boost mental health. – A Scottish Survey reveals first time that just 20 minutes of any physical activity, including housework, in a week is enough to boost mental health. While regular exercise is known to be good for mental health, no one seems able to agree on how much, or what type of activity, is best.

Iyengar yoga improves stability and balance in women

Iyengar yoga program can help improve stability and balance in women over age 65, which could help to prevent falls. – A specific type of yoga – Iyengar yoga program – can help improve stability and balance in women over age 65, which could help to prevent falls, finds a preliminary study out of Temple University’s Gait Study Center.

Overweight, obese women improve life with short exercise

Sedentary, overweight or obese women can improve their quality of life by exercising as little as 10 to 30 minutes a day, researchers reported. – Sedentary, overweight or obese women can improve their quality of life by exercising as little as 10 to 30 minutes a day, researchers reported at the American Heart Association’s Conference on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism.

Aquatic exercise could benefit fibromyalgia sufferers

The addition of an aquatic exercise programme to the usual care for fibromyalgia in women, is cost-effective in terms of both health care costs and societal costs. – Patients suffering from fibromyalgia could benefit significantly from regular exercise in a heated swimming pool, a study published today in the open access journal Arthritis Research & Therapy shows. The findings suggest a cost effective way of improving quality of life for patients with this often-debilitating disorder.

Pedometers help people lose weight

Pedometers help people lose weight

People who participate in a pedometer-based walking program can be expected to lose a modest amount of weight even without changing their diet, with more weight loss the longer they stick with the program, according to a University of Michigan Health System analysis of nine studies. – People walking regularly can expect a modest amount of weight loss even without changing their diet, with more weight loss the longer they stick with the walking program, revealed by researchers at the University of Michigan Health System, US.

Exercise reduces menopausal anxiety, stress and depression

Brisk walking routine can reduce a variety of psychological symptoms such as anxiety, stress and depression in menopause women. – With more menopausal women seeking natural therapies to ease symptoms, a new study has found that simply adding a brisk walking routine can reduce a variety of psychological symptoms such as anxiety, stress and depression.

Safety warning on fentanyl skin patch by US FDA

The FDA warned, for the second time in two years, that improper use of the fentanyl patch, a painkiller, is still claiming lives. – The US Food and Drug Administration issued its second safety warning about the fentanyl transdermal system, an adhesive patch that delivers a potent pain medicine through the skin. In July 2005, the agency issued a similar warning to the public and to health care providers, saying that the directions on the product label and on the patient package insert should be followed exactly in order to avoid overdose.

Late developmental growth may risk depression

Children with low weight during infancy or slight developmental delays may be at greater risk for developing depression.
– Psychiatrists remain divided as to how to define and classify the mood and anxiety disorders, the most common mental disorders. Committees across the globe are currently pondering how best to carve nature at its anxious joints for the fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V), the “gold standard” reference book for psychiatrists.

Diesel exhaust fumes affect people with asthma

This is the first study to investigate in a real-life setting, outside of the laboratory, if traffic fumes make symptoms worse for people with asthma. Two thirds of people with asthma believe this to be the case.
– Diesel exhaust fumes on polluted streets have a measurable effect on people with asthma, according to the first study looking at exhausts and asthma in a real-life setting, published on 6 December in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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