In a radical experiment, doctors are snaking wires inside the lungs of asthma patients to essentially burn off some of the tissue that blocks their ability to breathe.

Called bronchial thermoplasty, the procedure is the first attempt at a non-drug treatment for asthma.
Continue reading ‘First Non-Drug Asthma Treatment Tested’

I’m convinced that antidepressants can have an impact on appetite — some can increase it, and while this is a good thing if depression has led to someone not being bothered to eat, it’s not so great if it makes them eat too much and gain too much weight (which in most instances can make them feel low about their body and lead to other physical problems such as an increase in blood pressure).

Alternatively, as you’re finding with your husband, the appetite can wane, which can mean people don’t eat enough of the foods that are going to make them feel better. Second, certain foods can, independent of medication, have a positive impact on mood by stimulating endorphin production — most notably foods rich in protein and vitamin C.
Continue reading ‘What food could ease my husband’s depression?’

New research in specially bred mice has elucidated how the antidepressant Prozac works. Scientists have long known that in addition to discouraging synapses from reabsorbing the neurotransmitter serotonin, Prozac (known generically as fluoxetine) also increases the number of neurons (neurogenesis) in the adult brain. But exactly how the drug manages this multiplication trick has proved difficult to pin down. Now researchers have traced the development cascade of new neurons and determined where fluoxetine exerts its multiplying–and beneficial–effect.
Continue reading ‘Secret of Prozac’s Success Revealed’