October 30, 200712:18 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Sweets, Smokes & Alcohol

A recent study published in the November issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research by Yanina Pepino, Ph.D., and Julie A. Mennella, Ph.D., of Monell Chemical Senses Center, reveals an interesting relationship between smoking, family history of alcoholism, and a taste for sweets among women. According to the study, women with a family history of alcoholism have an increased desire for sweets. Conversely, women who are smokers seem to have a decreased preference for sweets; this may be a result of decreased sensitivity of taste buds due to smoking. Additionally, it is not at all unlikely for women who drink alcohol to smoke as well; there is a strong association between alcohol and smoking.

The study shows potential for practical application in identifying risk for alcoholism. However, “Longitudinal studies . . . are needed to determine whether sweet taste thresholds and preferences could serve as a marker for those more vulnerable to develop addictions,” according to the researchers. The following is an excerpt of an article from Medpage Today that reviews the study:

They evaluated 49 women to try to reconcile the long-recognized effect that smoking has on sweet taste with the evidence linking a family history of alcoholism — irrespective of smoking status — to increased food cravings and preferences, particularly sweets.

Smokers had decreased sensitivity for sweet taste, whereas women with a family history of alcoholism had heightened sweet preferences, M. Yanina Pepino, Ph.D., and Julie A. Mennella, Ph.D., of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, reported in the November issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

The rationale for their research is that smoking-related diseases tend to be worse in women–more advanced, more resistant to treatment, and more fatal. So the researchers were interested in exploring the link between tobacco and taste.

Tobacco and alcohol have a strong comorbid association, the authors noted. However, little is known about the combined effects of the two substances on sweet taste.

The investigators wanted to find out which factor seems to predominate in its influence of women’s sweet taste — tobacco or a positive family history. They concluded that it’s the family history.

Click here to read the entire article from Medpage Today

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12:16 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Doctors Group Calls for Universal Autism Screening

There are new guidelines being issued by the Academy of Pediatrics to focus on early intervention for children whom have autism. The new guidelines dictate that all infants be screened twice by the age of two. The guidelines will be published in the journal Pediatrics and available on the web at http://www.aap.org. The new plan urges pediatricians and parents to watch for signs of autism, signs such as failure to make eye contact, no verbal babbling, or motor-smiling late in the developmental process.

Personally, as a new mother, I find this to be great information on signs to look for in screening my child for autism. The monitoring can start at home with the participation of the child’s guardian. As Dr. Scott Myers, a pediatrician specializing in neurodevelopment, mentioned, “…if you recognize it earlier, you get them into treatment earlier. Kids who start (treatment) earlier do better in the long run.”

The following is an excerpt of an article from Medpage Today that reviews the study:

The need for early diagnosis and intervention in children with the disorders was highlighted in two reports issued at the American Academy of Pediatrics meeting here and published simultaneously in the November issue of Pediatrics.
The reports focused on identification and evaluation of children with the disorders and on subsequent clinical management.

“In addition to recommending early recognition so that we can intervene early and hopefully prevent outcomes, these reports provide the guidance for longitudinal medical care, because these are chronic conditions and there are a lot of issues facing the physician in the office when providing care for these children,” said co-author Scott M. Myers, M.D., of the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa.

The report on identification and evaluation of autism spectrum disorders noted that media attention has raised parental awareness about autism spectrum disorders. As a result, parents may come in to the pediatrician’s or primary care practitioner’s office with concerns earlier in the child’s development than they might have in the past. That, the report said, presents clinicians with both opportunities and challenges.

Click here to read the entire article from Medpage Today

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October 26, 20072:01 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Sucessful Minister’s Seminar

This Thursday, Clyde Glandon, DMin, presented at Brookhaven’s Minister’s Lifeline Series. During his presentation entitled, The Stewardship of Consciousness: Christian Desert Spirituality, Cognitive Therapy, and the 12 Step Path, Dr. Glandon explored the many commonalities these three steps of consciousness have. Among the concepts discussed were personal passions, automatic thoughts, and “stinking thinking.” Dr. Glandon cited a variety of historical, religious and therapeutic personalities and groups during his thought-provoking talk. The seminar proved to be a great success and ignited discussion among Ministers in attendance from across Oklahoma.

Our next seminar, on December 13th 2007, is entitled Anxiety Management through Spiritual Change, and will be presented by Debra Steen, MA, LPC. If you missed Dr. Glandon’s presentation but would like to be kept abreast of other upcoming seminars at Brookhaven, simply click here for our itinerary and online RSVP.

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October 19, 20077:47 am
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

12-steps of transformation

“I am so grateful I went to jail. I am thankful to God for sending me to jail. And I am thankful to my mother for being tough,” said Amie Smith, former convicted felon and drug addict. After being placed in prison, Amie’s life slowed down. She had nothing to do; certainly the thrills she was afforded outside of prison were no longer available to her. “The only focus in my life was to get high,” explained Amie.

While sitting quietly in her jail cell Amie began to read the Bible. Amie soon after became involved in a 12-step group wherein she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. 60 plus women found a new life in Christ as a result of the 12 step group led by a woman that, like her students, had come from a life of addiction. In fact, Tina Manhood was delivered from, not only addiction but, prostitution as well.

This is truly a remarkable story of recovery. Presently, Amie and Tina are working together to lead “Transformation Ministries of Osceola,” a ministry of First Baptist of Kissimmee Florida. Below is an excerpt of an article from the Florida Baptist witness with the details about the stories of these amazing women, authored by Barbara Denman:

Today, Smith, 38, and Mahood, 49, are joining forces to give hope to other women imprisoned by their own addictions and failures. The two women, both members of First Baptist Kissimmee, are laying the foundation for a 12-month residential program “Transformational Ministries of Osceola County,” under the auspices of the church’s Christian ministry center.

“Our mission is to provide a loving and Christian environment where women can receive God’s gift of salvation and be transformed by the renewing of the minds through the gospel,” said Smith, who will direct the program.

The ministry is greatly needed, said Mahood, who has gone back to college to receive her GED and become a certified addiction counselor. Currently when women are released from jail and prison, they have no place to go, she explained, even if they have accepted Christ. They have no jobs, no job skills and no place to live. They are forced to return to the only life they know, which can have deadly consequences..

Mahood tells the heartbreaking story of Pam, a young woman she led to Christ while in jail. “Once she was released, she had no place to go. While back on the streets, trying to make it on her own, she was later found dead, decapitated.” Others of the new believers have had their own struggles.

“They want to change,” Mahood said. “They are searching for hope, the hope we have inside us. But the fear of stepping out of the only life they know cripples them.”
Smith now looks back at her arrest through the eyes of faith. “I am so grateful I went to jail. I am thankful to God for sending me to jail. And I am thankful to my mother for being tough.”

Click here for the entire story from the Florida Baptist witness

Pastors, Chaplains and other church professionals are invited to attend “The Stewardship of Consciousness: Christian Desert Spirituality, Cognitive Therapy and the 12-Step Path,” a free Brookhaven Minister’s luncheon. The seminar will focus on aspects of 12-step recovery and will be presented by Clyde Glandon, DMin, LPC, on October 25th 2007 from 1145am to 1pm.

Click here to register for this free luncheon

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October 16, 20073:26 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

The casual link between stress and disease

There is compelling data suggesting a casual link between stress and conditions like cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS, and depression. Although this link has not been proven, researchers such as Sheldon Cohen, Ph. D., of Carnegie-Mellon University, are examining the reality. In a review centered on a paper delegated by the Institute of Medicine, Dr. Cohen wrote, “other areas in which evidence for the role of stress is beginning to emerge include upper respiratory tract infections, asthma, herpes viral infections, autoimmune diseases, and wound healing.” In general, a connection between stress and both mental and physical diseases has been observed. The difficulty in taking a closer look at this phenomenon is based in ethical concerns. It would not be ethical to subject human volunteers to testing that would induce stress that could potentially bring on disease. To date, researchers have been limited to studies based on responses to real-life stress. The following is an excerpt of an article from MedPageToday that discusses studies based on reactions to real-life stress:

Yet real-life evidence from studies looking at associations between stressful life events and disease reveal intriguing clues, the authors wrote.
For example, in some studies of major depressive disorder, 50% to 80% of patients reported a stressful event such as the death of a spouse in the months prior to the diagnosis.

“Although most investigations have focused on life events as triggers of depression onset, increased stress also predicts the clinical course of major depression, including features such as longer duration, symptom exacerbation, and relapse,” they wrote. “Evidence also suggests that events that occur concurrently with treatment reduce positive response.”

Similarly, work with animal models and observation of healthy adults and cardiac disease patients point to an association between stress and myocardial ischemia, and activation of both inflammatory and coagulatory mechanisms, they wrote.
In addition, prospective studies have found strong associations between psychological stress and cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality.
The evidence for a link between stress and HIV/AIDs comes from studies detecting a link between stress from cumulative negative life events and HIV progression, they noted.

“For example, among HIV-positive men, each additional moderately severe event increased the risk of progressing to AIDS by 50% and of developing an AIDS-related clinical condition by 2.5-fold,” the authors wrote. “Moreover, stress has been found to influence the course of virally initiated illnesses to which persons with HIV are especially susceptible. These studies are supported by experimental research with animals wherein exposure to social stressors results in decreased survival.”

Click here to continue reading the article from MedPageToday

Click here for information on treatment of stress related disorders

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October 15, 20078:13 am
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Seven percent of full-time US workers report depression

According to a recent government report, 7% of the full-time US workforce reports having had bouts of depression. Out of all of the full-time US workers reporting depression, personal-care workers, which includes people that work with children, elderly, and disabled, have the highest rate of depression at 11%. Workers in the food industry, specifically food workers that prepared or serve food, were a close second with 10.3% reporting bouts of depression. Social workers and health-care workers were in a tie for third with reports of depression at 9.6%. The study tracked information about full-time US workers from 21 different occupational categories from 2004 to 2006. According to the report, workplace depression causes anywhere from $30 billion to $44 billion in production losses.

Although 7% of full-time US workers reported depression, the rate was 12.7% among the unemployed. It would appear that simply working on a full-time basis aids in the prevention of depression. The following is an excerpt from an article by the Washington Post that reviews the findings:

People who tend to the elderly, care for children and serve food and drinks have the highest rates of depression among U.S. workers.

Overall, 7 percent of full-time workers battled depression in the past year, according to a government report available yesterday.

Women were more likely than men to have had a major bout of depression, and younger workers had higher rates of depression than their older colleagues.

Almost 11 percent of personal-care workers — whose jobs include child care and helping the elderly and severely disabled with their daily needs — reported depression lasting two weeks or longer.

During such episodes there is loss of interest and pleasure, and at least four other symptoms surface, including problems with sleep, eating, energy, concentration and self-image.

Workers who prepare and serve food — cooks, bartenders, waiters and waitresses — had the second-highest rate of depression among full-time employees, 10.3 percent.

Click here to read the entire article from the Washington Post

Click here to read about signs and symptoms of depression

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October 10, 20074:12 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Can depression affect my health?

According to a recent study published in the September 8th issue of The Lancet by Somnath Chatterji, M.D., and colleagues of the WHO, depression was associated with the lowest health care scores world-wide. The study focused on an international group of patients ages 18 and older numbering 245,404. According to the findings, patients with depression had an average health score of 72.9. Patients with asthma angina, arthritis, or diabetes and no depression had mean heath scores of 80.3, 79.6, 79.3, and 78.9 in that order. Patients found to have the lowest scores were those that had some form of chronic illness coupled with depression.

This study highlights just how serious a health issue depression can be. Psychiatric conditions are sometimes seen as only affecting a person’s mind; as a result, do psychiatric concerns sometimes take the back seat to physical ailments?

The following is an excerpt from MedpageToday that discusses the study:

In the World Health Survey of 245,404 patients ages 18 and older, from 60 countries in all regions of the world. respondents with depression had the lowest health score among all five chronic disease conditions, 72.9 (P<0.0001).

On the basis of interviews and self-reports, respondents with asthma, angina, arthritis, or diabetes alone had mean health scores of 80.3, 79.6, 79.3, and 78.9, respectively, significantly different from having no disease, but not from one another, Somnath Chatterji, M.D., of the WHO here, and colleagues, reported in the Sept. 8 issue of The Lancet.

Patients with depression plus even one chronic disease had the worst scores on a health survey, they added. Respondents with neither chronic disease nor depression had the highest health score of 90.6.

Depression prevalence was determined on the basis of ICD-10 criteria, while the prevalence for four chronic physical diseases-angina, arthritis, asthma, and diabetes-was estimated from a Diagnostic Item Probability Study. Overall, the rate of a depressive episode in the previous year was 3.2% (95% CI 3.0-3.5).

For angina, this figure was 4.5% (4.3-4.8); for arthritis 4.1% (3.8-4.3); for asthma 3.3% (2.9-3.6); and for diabetes 2.0% (1.8-2.2).

The depression risks for these chronic diseases were higher than that expected in the general population, the researchers said.

Click here to read the entire article from MedPageToday

Click here for information on depression

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