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Tweens decidedly ambivalent toward cigarettes and alcohol

When it comes to prevention of substance use in our tween population, turning our kids on to thought control may just be the answer to getting them to say no.

13 Mar 2012

One in three 13 year olds are binge drinking: Study

Some 35% of school pupils drink to excess by their early teenage years, a study has found. The findings came out of a survey of drinking habits in six European countries: Germany, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Scotland. The study defined binge drinking as consuming five or more alcoholic drinks on one occasion.

12 Mar 2012

LSD for alcohol addiction: Study

Hallucinogenic drug LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) could help alcoholics give up drinking, according to an analysis of studies performed in the 1960s. A study, presented in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, looked at data from six trials and more than 500 patients. It said there was a “significant beneficial effect” on alcohol abuse, which lasted several months after the drug was taken.

12 Mar 2012

Middle aged ignoring health messages on alcohol consumption

A new survey finds that adults aged 45 and over are more than three times as likely to drink alcohol almost every day as those under 45. This could mean that the middle aged population is ignoring the serious health risks associated with excessive drinking. The age disparity is most pronounced among women. Those aged 65 and over are 12 times more likely than those aged between 16 and 24 to drink on a near-daily basis according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

11 Mar 2012

Single dose of LSD shows promise against alcoholism

Forty years ago, LSD was used in the treatment of alcoholics - with good results. Perhaps it's time to look at it again? In the 1950s, '60s and '70s, researchers in many places in the world experimented with LSD in the treatment of various disorders, including alcoholism. Not all experiments were scientifically tenable by today's standards, but some were.

9 Mar 2012

Researchers identify specific gene linked with throat cancer

Researchers at King's College London and Hiroshima University, Japan, have identified a specific gene linked to throat cancer following a genetic study of a family with 10 members who have developed the condition.

8 Mar 2012

Veterans prescribed more opioid pain killers: Study

According to a new government study Morphine and similar powerful painkillers are sometimes prescribed to recent war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress along with physical pain. The study suggests that these vets are at high risk for drug and alcohol abuse, but they're two times more likely to get prescriptions for addictive painkillers than vets with only physical pain.

7 Mar 2012

Study: Weekend smoking linked with memory damage

People who smoke only at weekends cause as much damage to their memory as those who smoke on a daily basis, according to research from Northumbria University.

6 Mar 2012

Children's academic achievement test scores not affected by intrauterine drug exposure

Researchers from Boston University Schools of Medicine (BUSM) and Public Health along with Boston Medical Center have found children's academic achievement test scores not affected by intrauterine exposure to cocaine, tobacco or marijuana.

6 Mar 2012

Tips to practice good sleep hygiene

The return of daylight saving time and losing an hour of sleep causes most to cringe at the thought. According to Aparajitha Verma, M.D., medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston, "springing forward" affects the sleep patterns of more than 70 million Americans. She offers some tips about how to practice good sleep hygiene before March 11 rolls around.

6 Mar 2012

Sleep specialists offer advice on why Daylight Saving Time can be hazardous to health

It's National Sleep Awareness Week, and Loyola University Health System sleep specialists are offering advice on -- Why Daylight Saving Time, which begins Sunday, March 11, can be hazardous to your health.

6 Mar 2012

Link between school bullies and substance use

Middle- and high-school students who bully their classmates are more likely than others to use substances such as cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana, a new study found.

5 Mar 2012

Gaps in knowledge about alcohol limits

A Centre for Alcohol Policy Research report, released today, found 95 per cent of people surveyed were unable to correctly identify the Australian guidelines for safe drinking levels. Between 30 and 50 per cent were unable to even provide an estimate.

5 Mar 2012

Health Impact Project announces awardees of 15 new grants

The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, announced the awardees of 15 new grants today. Selected following a nationwide call for proposals, the grantees will conduct health impact assessments (HIAs), a type of study that looks at potential health impacts of policies and projects in other sectors.

5 Mar 2012

Maintaining healthy lifestyle from young adulthood linked with low CVD risk in middle age

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle from young adulthood into your 40s is strongly associated with low cardiovascular disease risk in middle age, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

3 Mar 2012

Teenagers with healthy behaviours more likely to have higher levels of happiness

Teenagers who turn their backs on a healthy lifestyle and turn to drink, cigarettes and junk food are significantly unhappier than their healthier peers. New research also shows that 12-13 is a catalyst age when young people turn away from the healthy habits of their younger years and start to get involved in risky behaviours.

2 Mar 2012

Robotic surgery effective in treating oropharyngeal cancer in patients with HPV

Over the past few decades, doctors have noted a surprising trend in cancer of the tonsils and base of the tongue. Though oral cancer previously appeared predominantly in elderly patients with a history of tobacco and alcohol use, it's increasing in younger patients: 30- to 50-year-old nonsmokers with the human papillomavirus.

2 Mar 2012

Induced hyperammonaemia increases daytime sleepiness in patients with cirrhosis

Italian and Swiss researchers confirm that induced hyperammonaemia significantly increases daytime sleepiness in patients with cirrhosis. The findings available in the March issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, show that higher blood levels of ammonia reduced the ability of cirrhotic patients to produce restorative sleep.

2 Mar 2012

Tips for people to ensure heart health

There's not just one way to ensure heart health. Instead, it takes a multifaceted approach that includes regular exercise, a balanced diet and other elements. But regardless of age, it is relatively easy to take steps that will contribute to heart - and overall - health.

29 Feb 2012

Tiny molecule might help protect pancreas from cancer

A tiny molecule might help protect the pancreas from deadly disease and cancer. Tackling a mysterious process: There is a feeling that neglected cancers need more research and Pancreatic cancer is one of the least studied. Today, the survival rate is 3% for five years. Professor Petersen, at the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University, hopes his team's research can change that.

29 Feb 2012