Your health: Sauna might help keep brain healthy

Sauna might help keep brain healthy

Regular visits to the sauna can help lower the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease as well as dying of heart ailments, a Finnish study suggests,

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland found a link between sauna visits and memory diseases after following more than 2,300 middle-aged Finnish men for more than 20 years, Reuters reports.

In the study, men who went to the sauna four to seven times a week were found 66 percent less likely to be diagnosed with dementia, and 65 percent less likely with Alzheimer's disease, than those taking a sauna once a week.

"We have taken into account other lifestyle factors, like physical activity and socioeconomic factors … There is an independent effect of sauna on these outcomes," said Jari Laukkanen, senior researcher and a professor of clinical medicine at the University of Eastern Finland.

He noted that the study only indicated an association between the sauna and memory diseases, and the findings would have to be fleshed out through further studies with different age groups, other nationalities and women.

The findings, published in the journal Age and Ageing in December, suggested however that the health benefits of sauna could extend from the heart to the brain.

Previous results of the follow-up study have shown that men who spent time in a sauna seven times a week were less likely to die of heart problems, compared to those who only partook once a week. "In the sauna, the heart rate increases and we start to sweat. This is a bit like physical exercise," Laukkonen said.

A look at impact of tonsillectomy in kids

In a recent study, researchers reviewed illness rates and quality of life for children who had undergone tonsillectomies versus those in which a "watchful waiting" approach was taken for throat infections, the American Academy of Pediatrics reports.

They found that throat infections and school absences declined in the first post-surgical year after the tonsillectomy - as did the number of health care visits for sore throat and throat infections.

In the first year post-surgical year, the tonsillectomy group had 1.74 episodes of sore throat or throat infection compared to 2.93 episodes for who did not undergo surgery.

The benefits of surgery waned over time and information on long-term outcomes is limited. There was no marked difference for quality of life scores in the surgery versus non-surgery groups.

The authors conclude that individual decision-making is needed to consider the benefits of reducing illness outcomes, including missing school and work, with the risks associated with the surgery. Information on the study appears in the February 2017 Pediatrics.

A companion review examined whether children with obstructive sleep-disordered breathing showed improvement after tonsillectomy. The same authors found that children who had surgery had better sleep outcomes than those who engaged in watchful waiting.