2008 Woodie Awards
SCIENCE BRIEFS
Alexander Tingey
Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: Health
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Sleepless turn to alternative medicine for night's rest
With so many drugs marketed to those in need of some much earned shut eye, it is refreshing to see a return to holistic medicine. According to Reuters, one in four Americans qualifies as a sleep deprived individual, many getting less than half the recommended number of hours of sleep each night. 4.5 percent of these individuals seek natural alternatives to the popularly advertised Lunesta and Ambien.
Some of these natural alternatives involved herbal and meditative practices. Some 17 percent or so reported a significant increase in ease of falling and staying asleep the study reported. Sleeplessness is most often found in the 45-54 year old demographic, however an individual of any age may have trouble sleeping from time to time. Chronic sleeplessness is also apparent in college and high school students.
Among the top reasons listed for sleepless nights were anxiety and depression; however the alternative meditative techniques used by many of the participants helped to mitigate some of these ailments.
**********
New device to detect on field concussions in athletes
According to a report released by The Sports Network, Division I football reported 13 concussions from games occurring within the first week of the season. Concussions are considered a dangerous and potentially fatal injury to the brain, in which the brain contacts the inside of the skull. Usually this condition occurs during a sudden impact or deceleration and is often associated with motor vehicle accidents.
Dr. David Wright, a researcher at Emory University in Atlanta, was intrigued by the relatively high rate of these injuries and found that there are 1.2 million concussions (in this country) every year, and the problem is they are very difficult to diagnose."
In steps DETECT. The device which is an acronym for Display Enhanced Testing for Cognitive Impairment and Traumatic Brain Injury is an on field device which can be used to detect a serious brain injury in about seven minutes. Currently the unit is still being tested; however, researchers are excited for the portability and potential accuracy this device holds.
With so many drugs marketed to those in need of some much earned shut eye, it is refreshing to see a return to holistic medicine. According to Reuters, one in four Americans qualifies as a sleep deprived individual, many getting less than half the recommended number of hours of sleep each night. 4.5 percent of these individuals seek natural alternatives to the popularly advertised Lunesta and Ambien.
Some of these natural alternatives involved herbal and meditative practices. Some 17 percent or so reported a significant increase in ease of falling and staying asleep the study reported. Sleeplessness is most often found in the 45-54 year old demographic, however an individual of any age may have trouble sleeping from time to time. Chronic sleeplessness is also apparent in college and high school students.
Among the top reasons listed for sleepless nights were anxiety and depression; however the alternative meditative techniques used by many of the participants helped to mitigate some of these ailments.
**********
New device to detect on field concussions in athletes
According to a report released by The Sports Network, Division I football reported 13 concussions from games occurring within the first week of the season. Concussions are considered a dangerous and potentially fatal injury to the brain, in which the brain contacts the inside of the skull. Usually this condition occurs during a sudden impact or deceleration and is often associated with motor vehicle accidents.
Dr. David Wright, a researcher at Emory University in Atlanta, was intrigued by the relatively high rate of these injuries and found that there are 1.2 million concussions (in this country) every year, and the problem is they are very difficult to diagnose."
In steps DETECT. The device which is an acronym for Display Enhanced Testing for Cognitive Impairment and Traumatic Brain Injury is an on field device which can be used to detect a serious brain injury in about seven minutes. Currently the unit is still being tested; however, researchers are excited for the portability and potential accuracy this device holds.
Be the first to comment on this story