Tune blood pressure
Most people love music and find it soothing. Now new research is proving that the right kind of music can regulate your blood pressure, help you get a better night’s sleep and decrease the pain you feel, says a report in the October issue of Bottom Line Health.
A study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology found that those who listened to classical music had much lower systolic (top number) blood-pressure levels than those who listened to jazz or popular music. By listening first to something with a strong, fast beat, then gradually switching to slower, softer music, you can reduce stress and lower blood pressure.
Can’t sleep? Try slow, soft music at night with the lights out. Researchers at Tzu-Chi General Hospital in Taiwan found that the most effective types of music to improve sleep were “piano versions of popular `oldies,’ New Age, harp, classical and slow jazz.”
A study published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing reports that older adults with osteoarthritis who listed to music while sitting quietly for 20 minutes a day had a significant decrease in pain.
Help for obsessives
People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) now have a good resource available to them online at ocfchicago.org,a Web site run by the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago. The site offers the latest information on the disorder, treatment referrals and support groups.
In addition, it offers professional materials for mental health workers, supplies knowledgable speakers to increase public awareness and helps fund research that focuses on finding a cure for OCD. The link also offers a brochure geared to preteens and teens on facts about the disorder and a guide for parents to help kids with OCD.
OCD is an anxiety disorder with which people have unwanted and intrusive thoughts and behaviors or mental acts that they feel driven to perform repeatedly. Even though most people with OCD know their obsessions and compulsions are irrational, they can’t control them. The medical condition results from an imbalance of certain types of brain chemicals. Treatments are available to lessen the behaviors.
Lonely hypertension
Hypertension can result from loneliness, shows a new report from the Chicago Health, Aging and Social Relations Study, funded by the National Institute on Aging. Researchers think episodes of high blood pressure could arise because lonely people tend to perceive stressful situations as threatening rather than challenging.
The study, reported in the October issue of The Johns Hopkins Medical Letter, showed that systolic blood pressure rose by about 30 points through loneliness. Yet researchers do think people can lower that number by increasing social connectedness.
For example, lonely people should make an effort to reach out to loved ones rather than withdraw. It also helps to join social activities with peers. The story lists these warning signs of loneliness:
– Feeling a lack of companionship or friends.
– Feeling as though you have nothing in common with those around you.
– Feeling isolated from others.
– Feeling as if you’re left out of group activities.
CD on stuttering
A new CD on stuttering, designed for teachers, also includes information beneficial to parents. Called “Stuttering: Straight Talk for Teachers,” the CD and a handbook are available at the Web site stutteringhelp.org, founded by the Stuttering Foundation of America, a non-profit organization.
About 3 million Americans stutter. That’s about 1 percent of the population. In addition, it affects four times as many males as females. The site offers a chart of risk factors that helps to show if your child is at greater risk for stuttering. It also lists seven ways to help them.
