Abstinence News and Research

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Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging a desire or appetite for certain bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to abstention from sexual intercourse, alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions or practical considerations.

A selection of opinions and editorials

In the Senate debate over health care reform, our priority should be to lower costs for American families and small businesses (Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, 12/14).

15 Dec 2009

Washington Post, New York Times examine PEPFAR

The Washington Post examines the Obama administration's goal "to get the 'emergency' out of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief" and integrate HIV/AIDS programs more into the health infrastructure of recipient countries. A five-year strategy for PEPFAR was released last week.

9 Dec 2009

Cancer-free status does not lead to resumption of smoking among former smokers

Assurance of a cancer-free status did not prompt people participating in a long-term computerized tomography (CT) lung-cancer screening program to pick up their cigarettes again, researchers wrote in a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

4 Dec 2009

Lightlake Therapeutics granted ethical approval for gene testing subjects in obesity treatment trial

After two decades of scientifically and medically proven success in their field, Lightlake Therapeutics' experts have been granted ethical approval to begin selecting and gene testing subjects for a trial of a simple, safe and effective treatment for what the World Health Organisation has described as a global epidemic of unhealthy eating and obesity.

3 Dec 2009

Latino men adapted to U.S. culture more likely to quit smoking than their less-acculturated counterparts

Latino men who are more adapted to U.S. culture are more likely to quit smoking than their less-acculturated counterparts, according to research by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center published in the December issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, which has a special emphasis on tobacco.

3 Dec 2009

Cannabis as a substitute for heavy alcohol usage?

Substituting cannabis in place of more harmful drugs may be a winning strategy in the fight against substance misuse. Research published in BioMed Central' open access Harm Reduction Journal features a poll of 350 cannabis users, finding that 40% used cannabis to control their alcohol cravings, 66% as a replacement for prescription drugs and 26% for other, more potent, illegal drugs.

1 Dec 2009

HAMS: A support and informational program to deal with alcohol problems

There is a new game in town when it comes to dealing with alcohol problems. It is harm reduction, offering pragmatic and realistic strategies where traditional approaches to alcohol problems have failed. Spearheading this movement is a group called HAMS -- Harm Reduction, Alcohol Abstinence and Moderation Support. HAMS is a free-of-charge, lay-led support and informational group for people who drink alcohol.

25 Nov 2009

Pfizer Canada accepts Prix Galien Canada 2009 Innovative Product Award for CHAMPIX

Pfizer Canada accepted the Prix Galien Canada 2009 Innovative Product Award for CHAMPIX (varenicline tartrate), the first prescription treatment for smoking cessation in adults specifically designed to target nicotine addiction. The award was presented last night at a gala in Ottawa recognizing excellence in pharmaceutical research.

18 Nov 2009

Dark side of compulsive eating

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have shown that intermittent access to foods rich in fat and sugar induces changes in the brain which are comparable to those observed in drug dependence. The findings, reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may explain how abstinence from these foods contributes to relapse eating among dieters as well as related eating disorders.

10 Nov 2009

Yo-yo dieting and sugar-bingeing can lead to anxiety and withdrawal symptoms

In research that sheds light on the perils of yo-yo dieting and repeated bouts of sugar-bingeing, researchers from The Scripps Research Institute have shown in animal models that cycling between periods of eating sweet and regular-tasting food can activate the brain's stress system and generate overeating, anxiety, and withdrawal-like symptoms.

10 Nov 2009

Educational video induces girls diagnosed with PID to ensure partner treatment

A study at Johns Hopkins Children's Center found that girls diagnosed with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) who watched a short educational video were three times more likely to discuss their condition with their partners and to ensure partner treatment than girls diagnosed and treated without seeing the film.

5 Nov 2009

Want to quit smoking? Try a nicotine patch plus a nicotine lozenge

In a comparison of five different smoking cessation medications, a nicotine patch plus a nicotine lozenge appears most effective at helping smokers quit, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 Nov 2009

Provisions in health care bill may transform nation's largest abortion chain into quasi-government status

The Senate version of America's Healthy Future Act of 2009 may transform the nation's largest abortion chain into a quasi-government entity for sex education.

28 Oct 2009

Development of VLN cigarettes for use in smoking cessation continues: 22nd Century

22nd Century Limited, LLC is pleased to announce that it is continuing development of a very low nicotine cigarette for use in smoking cessation. Clinical trial results demonstrate that these cigarettes, also referred to as ‘nicotine-free’ and ‘denicotinized,’ may be more effective for quitting than FDA-approved therapies.

28 Oct 2009

Crushing virtual cigarettes reduces nicotine dependence

Smokers who crushed computer-simulated cigarettes as part of a psychosocial treatment program in a virtual reality environment had significantly reduced nicotine dependence and higher rates of tobacco abstinence than smokers participating in the same program who grasped a computer-simulated ball, according to a study described in the current issue of CyberPsychology and Behavior, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

28 Oct 2009

Lobbying efforts heat up on health care

All sorts of special interest groups are stepping up lobbying efforts and spending millions to shape health legislation.

19 Oct 2009

Phone-based counseling can help teen smokers to quit

For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have demonstrated that it is possible to successfully recruit and retain a large number of adolescent smokers from the general population into a smoking intervention study and, through personalized, proactive telephone counseling, significantly impact rates of six-month continuous quitting.

13 Oct 2009

Multiple intervention programs can reduce teen pregnancies

When teenagers receive health education and information about contraception, the number of them having unintended pregnancies decreases, finds a large new review.

7 Oct 2009

Cognitive behavioral therapy effective for bulimia and binge eating disorders

Although most people with bulimia and binge eating disorders wait many years before seeking help, a new review shows that psychological treatment can make a large difference — and that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective talk therapy for these disorders.

6 Oct 2009

Vaccine to treat cocaine dependence reduces use of the drug, according to study

A vaccine to treat cocaine dependence appears to reduce use of the drug in a subgroup of individuals who attain high anticocaine antibody levels in response, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. However, only 38 percent of vaccinated individuals produced high enough antibody levels and those who did maintained them for only two months.

6 Oct 2009