A new study from the University of Eastern Finland (tracking men’s health over 20 years) found that those who used a sauna four to seven times a week had a 66-percent lower risk for dementia and a 65-percent lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease. The medical researchers hypothesized that sauna bathing reduces inflammation and blood pressure and improves vascular function.
Study: Acupuncture, Yoga, Massage and Tai Chi Show Evidence for Pain Management
A new review of clinical trials from 1966-2016, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, shows that a variety of complementary health approaches, including acupuncture, yoga, massage, tai chi and meditation hold promise for managing various types of pain.
Positive Genetic Impact of Both a Resort Vacation and a Meditation Retreat
An interesting new study from Mount Sinai, the University of California, San Francisco and Harvard Medical School researchers measured the “resort vacation effect” compared with the “meditation effect.” Studying participants over a six-day stay at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing, half experienced a regular resort vacation there, while half also did a meditation program (designed by Deepak Chopra, MD). The findings: both groups showed large, immediate changes in genetic expression associated with stress and immune pathways; however, the meditation retreat, for those who already meditated regularly, was also associated with antiviral activity.
Study: Ordering/Choosing Food Before Eating Means Lower-Calorie Diet
New Carnegie Mellon University experiments revealed that, when a solid gap existed between when people ordered their food and when they planned to eat it, they opted for significantly lower calorie meals. Interestingly, it wasn’t being hungry in the moment that made the “no willpower” difference, but seemed to be that when one orders meals/food in advance that one can better weigh the longer term costs/benefits.
Learn Something, Wait a Few Hours, then Exercise to Build Memory
A new study from Radboud University-Netherlands and the University of Edinburgh explores how exercise can boost brain function. Participants first observed pictures, to try to remember their place on a screen, and then two-thirds did follow-up exercise: half of the group did interval training 35 minutes after the spatial/visual test and half did it four hours later. The interesting finding was that those who exercised four hours after the test recreated the picture locations most accurately, and MRIs showed their brain activity had a more consistent pattern of neural activity.
New Study: Kids with Early Bedtimes Half as Likely to Become Obese
A new study of 1,000 children found that preschool kids that are in bed by 8 p.m. (as opposed to those who stay up past 9 p.m.) are half as likely to be obese in their teen years. Read this study that indicates that it’s not only poor sleep that can result in obesity, but the timing of sleep that’s a key factor.
