Hypnosis may improve body's healing
News flash: 15 minutes of hypnosis can reduce post-surgery pain!
Mesmerizing news for breast cancer patients: Just 15 minutes of hypnotherapy can reduce the amount of anesthesia needed during surgery and the pain, nausea, and fatigue afterward.
Doctors at New York City's Mount Sinai School of Medicine gave 200 women preoperative hypnosis or psychological consultation and also found the hypnosis patients were out of surgery 11 minutes earlier on average.
Pepper compound may ease pain
Capsaicin -- the compound in red chile peppers that makes them so fiery -- is an effective pain reliever, suggest results from two new studies.
Researchers gave 41 Danish men with surgically repaired hernias either capsaicin powder or a placebo to apply topically to their wounds after surgery.
During the first three days, men in the capsaicin group had significantly less pain. And in a Harvard study conducted on rats, pairing capsaicin with a common anesthetic blocked pain better than the anesthetic alone, without any side effects.
Capsaicin neutralizes a pain neurotransmitter in nerve fibers, says Dr. Jason Theodosakis, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and author of The Arthritis Cure.
Try healthy dose of religion
Did you know that your church or temple could be the next best thing to a doctor's office? Many houses of worship offer crucial health services to their members, according to a national study of 6,037 congregations with 2.5 million total parishioners. Among the many offerings, which are usually free:
• 87 percent of congregations provide transportation to and from doctor's appointments, assistance with insurance paperwork, or donated meals
• 70 percent have direct health services such as cholesterol screenings, flu vaccinations, addiction programs, counseling referrals, or an on-site nurse
• 65 percent provide health education programs on topics that include nutrition, exercise, end-of-life care, and reducing the risk of disease
• 51 percent offer financial assistance for medical bills
Treating herpes won't stop HIV
A second study has found that treating genital herpes infections does not protect people from the AIDS virus.
The study, published on in the New England Journal of Medicine, casts even more doubt on the once hopeful idea that treating the common infection might help put a dent in the AIDS pandemic.
Aspirin use may prevent asthma
People who take aspirin regularly can reduce their risk of asthma, U.S. researchers reported.
They found women who took a small dose of aspirin -- 100 mg every other day -- were 10 percent less likely to develop asthma over 10 years than women given placebos.
Not smoking makes for a happier baby
If pregnant women stop smoking, babies are happier
Mothers who stop smoking while pregnant tend to have cheerier, more adaptable babies, according to British researchers.
Babies of women who continued to smoke while pregnant were notably grumpy, and the researchers believe that mothers who can muster the effort to kick the habit are also caring more for their babies in other ways.