Behavioral Medicine News and Research

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Behavioral medicine (BM) is a newly developing field of study which integrates behavioral, psychosocial, and biomedical concepts and practices to prevent, diagnose, and treat patients with psychosomatic disorders. The practice of BM targets the relation between how both thought and behavior can affect mental and physical health.

Positive results from Palatin’s bremelanotide Phase 2B trial on female sexual dysfunction

Palatin Technologies, Inc. today reported positive top-line results, including the successful achievement of statistical significance for the primary endpoint and key secondary endpoints in its Phase 2B clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of bremelanotide for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction (FSD).

9 Nov 2012

People's reactions to stressors determine health consequences, say Penn State researchers

Contrary to popular perception, stressors don't cause health problems -- it's people's reactions to the stressors that determine whether they will suffer health consequences, according to researchers at Penn State.

3 Nov 2012

Healthy lungs can retain age-related cognitive functions

Keeping the lungs healthy could be an important way to retain thinking functions that relate to problem-solving and processing speed in one's later years, new research suggests.

9 Oct 2012

Gender-specific group therapy effective in treating depressed women with Type 2 diabetes

Gender-specific group therapy is effective for treating depressed women with Type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the latest issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine and funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research.

4 Oct 2012

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements could slow key biological process linked to aging

Taking enough omega-3 fatty acid supplements to change the balance of oils in the diet could slow a key biological process linked to aging, new research suggests.

2 Oct 2012

Stress may play a major role in obesity epidemic and contribute to racial disparities

Could the impact of chronic stress explain why American black girls are more likely to be overweight than white girls? According to Dr. Tomiyama of the University of California, Los Angeles in the U.S., and her colleagues, higher levels of stress over 10 years predict greater increases in body weight over time in both black and white girls.

20 Sep 2012

Greater adherence to DASH diet can lead to significant reductions in blood pressure

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which promotes consumption of more fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and whole grain, and less meats and sweets, is a proven effective treatment for hypertension. For some individuals, adherence to the diet can be just as effective in lowering blood pressure as taking antihypertensive medication.

20 Sep 2012

William LifeSkills program could reduce anger, blood pressure among school students

A 10-week program that fits easily into the high school curriculum could give students a lifetime of less anger and lower blood pressure, researchers report.

11 Sep 2012

Young women with indoor tanning habits frequently experience sunburn

Controversy remains over the risks involved with indoor tanning, especially in children and young adults. Since sunburn serves as a marker for excessive and skin-cell damaging ultraviolet (UV) exposure -- which can eventually lead to the development of skin cancer -- investigators at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) took a closer look at a college-aged sample of females and their indoor tanning habits.

31 Jul 2012

Tumor necrosis factor may play a key role in how light at night leads to depression

Chronic exposure to dim light at night can lead to depressive symptoms in rodents -- but these negative effects can be reversed simply by returning to a standard light-dark cycle, a new study suggests.

24 Jul 2012

Miriam Hospital receives NIH renewal grant to support growth of Lifespan/Tufts/Brown CFAR

The Miriam Hospital has received an $8.5 million, five-year renewal grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support the continued growth of the Lifespan/Tufts/Brown Center for AIDS Research (CFAR).

28 Jun 2012

One in eight people with heart attack experience significant symptoms of PTSD

One in eight people who suffer a heart attack or other acute coronary event experience clinically significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a meta-analysis of 24 studies led by Columbia University Medical Center researchers.

21 Jun 2012

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements can reduce inflammation in overweight older adults

New research shows that omega-3 fatty acid supplements can lower inflammation in healthy, but overweight, middle-aged and older adults, suggesting that regular use of these supplements could help protect against and treat certain illnesses.

21 Jun 2012

New web-based cessation program takes smokers from preparation to quit date

StopAdvisor is a new web-based smoking cessation program, which takes smokers from preparation for the target quit date to the quit date itself. It achieves this by offering expert advice through a combination of interactive menus and personalised sessions.

2 Jun 2012

Doctors may predict girls at increased risk of eating disorders based on food choices

Doctors may be able to predict which girls are at risk of developing eating disorders based on the food choices they make when they are younger, according to a new study by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

30 May 2012

Virtual exercise partner can significantly boost motivation

A new study testing the benefits of a virtual exercise partner shows the presence of a moderately more capable cycling partner can significantly boost the motivation - by as much as 100 percent - to stick to an exercise program.

25 May 2012

Researchers examine whether fast foods impact body's reaction to stress in married couples

Today's busy families often rely on fast food and take-out to keep everyone fed and on schedule. Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center want to know whether those types of food, which are often high in saturated fat, impact the body's reaction to stress.

25 Apr 2012

Web-based decision guide reduces uncertainty about breast cancer prevention options

When women at high risk of breast cancer viewed a customized web-based decision guide about prevention options, they were more likely to make a choice about prevention and to feel comfortable with their choice, a new study finds.

16 Apr 2012

SMART Heart improves cardiovascular surgical outcomes

Two years ago, 57-year-old Allus Brown underwent a simultaneous heart-kidney transplant and spent months in and out of the hospital after battling dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that enlarges and weakens the heart. Now fully recovered, Brown is still in and out of Northwestern Memorial Hospital's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute each week. Only nowadays when he visits, he's laughing it up, playing board games, and sharing accounts of his own struggles with heart disease as part of the Bluhm Institute's new and innovative program, SMART Heart, stress management and recreational therapy for heart patients.