Side effects of Ritalin

Ritalin’s side effects appear to be minimal and short term according to a new study. Researchers studied the long term effects of Ritalin on rats over a several week period.

The scientists noticed some subtle, short-term structural changes in the rats’ brains immediately after Ritalin treatment ended. But those differences weren’t major, and they faded within three months.

Yawn…

Yawning is meant to keep you awake. This from psychologists in England who studied 44 patients. The act of yawning sends cool air to the brain, therefore ‘waking’ the brain up.

The next time you are telling a story and a listener yawns there is no need to be offended – yawning, a physiological mechanism designed to maintain attention, turns out to be a compliment.

Alcohol survey

Did you happen to read the new NIH press release?? Well, it is a couple of days old. The press release states that in 2001 to 2002 30 percent of U.S. adults had met diagnostic criteria for an alcohol use disorder. That is a lot of people!

Of those with alcohol dependence, only 24.1 percent had received any type of treatment, broadly defined to include treatment either by a physician or other health professional, or by 12-step programs, crisis centers, employee assistance programs, or others. Of those with alcohol abuse, only 7.0 percent had received treatment. Although average age of alcohol dependence onset was 22.5 years, average age of first treatment was 29.8-a lag time of 8 years. Average age of alcohol abuse onset was 21.9 years, but average age of first treatment was 32.1-a lag time of 10 years.

Stress & fat

New research suggests that stress is correlated to abdominal fat. The more stress you are under the more the fat.

“It makes sense that, in a stressed environment, an animal would want to make and store fat for a future ‘fight-or-flight’ response,” said neuroscientist Adrian J. Dunn of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, who was not involved in the study. “Unfortunately, in modern society, we are not doing much fighting or fleeing,” and the fat remains.

Back on the saddle

My apologies for the lack of attention these past two weeks.  Between vacation, work and family something has to give.  Life has settled down a bit.  Posts will return shortly.

My thanks to all of those who post comments.  I read each and every one of them.  Thanks again…