Change Your Life: Living Skillfully

I’ve been going through some of the recent health links in my feed reader today, and there’s some interesting material, mostly from Eurekalert.

• Arts education and cognition research interests me because my first degree was in arts. There are (as you would probably expect) some interesting correlations in terms of memory, perception and motivation with training in performing arts. The famous brain researcher Michael Gazzaniga led the series of studies.

• Adding to the wonderful free stuff on the Internet is Argosy Publishers, who have launched the Visible Body, a completely free, 3D, interactive human anatomy resource. But it requires Internet Explorer – boo, hiss!

• And Biomed Central is launching BMC Research Notes, an open access journal which will be a repository for otherwise unpublished research. Hooray for more freely and publicly accessible research data.

• Bad news for some of my alternative health colleagues – a comprehensive study on aromatherapy “failed to show any improvement in either immune status, wound healing or pain control among people exposed to two often-touted scents. While one of two popular aromas touted by alternative medicine practitioners — lemon — did appear to enhance moods positively among study subjects, the other — lavender — had no effect on reported mood, based on three psychological tests. Neither lemon nor lavender showed any enhancement of the subjects’ immune status, nor did the compounds mitigate either pain or stress, based on a host of biochemical markers. In some cases, even distilled water showed a more positive effect than lavender.” Though there does appear to be some support for a (gradual) effect of aromatherapy on stress.

• According to another study, you’d be better off playing some Bach to boost the immune system. Music therapy is also good if you’re depressed (and since the immune system is affected by depression, these two findings aren’t too surprising).

• And when it comes to depression, Nietzsche (a noted sufferer) was right: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, according to a psychiatrist’s theory on the value of depression.

• However, emotional stress reduction helps recovery from cancer, according to an Israeli study which confirms what stress researchers and stress reduction advocates like Dr Herbert Benson have been saying for years. (EDIT: check my next post on How to Read a Scientific Study; in fact, this press release appears to make a false claim.)

• Some interesting research, too, on panic attacks by Dr. R. Bruce Lydiard, who suggests that a number of disorders including fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine, general anxiety disorder, depression and panic disorder may share a psychophysiological mechanism: a reduced ability to manage the stress response. This is why teaching methods of managing stress better helps many people with these disorders.

• Once again, a study finds an association between eating breakfast and reduced rates of obesity. Don’t skip breakfast, people! It starts up your metabolism and helps to stop you from overeating later in the day.

• Also, low-fat diets are better than low-carb diets, at least for protecting you against heart disease.

• Critical awareness of advertising helps reduce alcohol abuse among inner-city teenagers. Awareness, actually thinking about what you’re doing, is important in improving your life in all kinds of ways. (Note to self: do a post on this.)

• Even low-intensity exercise helps with energy levels, according to a study at the University of Georgia. It’s becoming more and more clear that exercise, even mild exercise, has benefits for the mind as well as the body – it improves mood, concentration and a number of other mental abilities, apparently including energy. (Further note to self: Write a post on this too.) One of the researchers said: “A lot of people are overworked and not sleeping enough. Exercise is a way for people to feel more energetic. There’s a scientific basis for it, and there are advantages to it compared to things like caffeine and energy drinks.” Word. This is especially interesting to me as I decided this morning (before I saw this piece) to try a new practice: a set of dumbbell exercises every hour and a half during my working day, to help me stay alert. I’ll let you know how it goes.

• France’s public smoking ban has been followed by a striking 15% decrease in admissions to hospital for heart attacks, paralleling similar drops in Italy, Ireland and Scotland following their bans. And yet there are still people who will argue against the harmfulness of smoking. The human capacity for denial is amazing.

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