healthbriefs
Tai Chi Can Turn Depression Around A
recent study published in the online edition of The American Journal of Geriatric Psychi-
atry reveals that more than 2 million people age 65 and older suffer from depression, including 50 percent of nursing home residents. In seek- ing an alternative to aggressive drug treatments, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), turned to a gentle, western- ized version of Tai chi, a 2,000-year-old Chinese martial art. During the study, 112 adults age 60 or older
that had been diagnosed with major depression were treated with a standard antidepressant drug for four weeks. The 73 adults that showed only partial improvement continued to receive the
medication, but were also assigned to 10 weeks of either Tai chi or health educa- tion classes. The group practicing Tai chi experienced greater improvement in their levels of depression, as well as an enhanced quality of life, better cognition and more overall energy than the non-practicing group. Dr. Helen Lavretsky, the study’s first author and a UCLA professor-in-residence
of psychiatry, says, “This study shows that adding a mind-body exercise like Tai chi, that is widely available in the community, can improve the outcomes of treat- ing depression in older adults that may also have other, coexisting medical condi- tions or cognitive impairment. With Tai chi, we may be able to treat these condi- tions without exposing them to additional medications.”
Chicago study published in the journal Science. Those prone to testing jitters improved their high-stakes test scores by nearly one grade point after they were given 10 minutes beforehand to write about what was causing their fears. Sian Beilock, an associate professor in psychology and the study’s senior
The Write Stuff Eases Anxiety S
author, is one of the nation’s leading experts on the phenomenon of “choking under pressure,” instances in which talented people perform below their skill level when presented with a particularly challenging experience. She explains that feeling under pressure can deplete a part of the brain’s processing power known as working memory, a sort of mental scratch pad that allows us to retrieve and use information relevant to the task at hand. The writing exercise allowed students to unload their anxi- eties before taking the test and freed up the needed brainpower to complete it with greater success. Beilock adds, “We think this type of writing will
help people perform their best in a variety of pressure- filled situations, whether it is a big presentation to a cli- ent, a speech to an audience or even a job interview.”
20 Somerset/Middlesex/Hunterdon Co Edition
NJLiveHealthy.com
CHILDREN AT RISK FOR EATING DISORDERS
three decades and given rise to another worri- some trend: Children as young as 10 are making them- selves vomit in order to lose weight, reports a new Taiwan- ese study of 15,716 school pupils, pub- lished online by the Journal of Clinical Nursing. Thirteen percent of the girls and boys that took part in the Asian research admitted they made them- selves sick to lose weight.
T Unfortunately, studies in the
tudents can combat test anxiety and post better results by writing about their worries just before taking an exam, according to a recent University of
United States show similar trends. According to The Eating Disorder Foundation, 46 percent of 10-year-old girls are dieting, have a fear of fatness or are binge eating, and 27 percent of girls ages 12 through 18 show signifi- cant eating disorder symptoms. Such findings have prompted researchers to warn that self-induced vomiting is an early sign that children could develop eating disorders and serious psycho- logical problems. The researchers believe that
eating disorders can be successfully tackled by ensuring that children get enough sleep, eat breakfast every day and consume less fried food and fewer night-time snacks. They also recommend spending less time in front of a computer screen.
Source: Wiley-Blackwell
he obesity rate among youngsters has nearly tripled during the last
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