PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

  ANGER ABOUT PAST EXPERIENCES CAN NEGATIVELY IMPACT BLOOD VESSELS.           A brief episode of anger triggered by remembering past experiences may negatively impact the blood vessels' ability to relax, which is essential for proper blood flow, according to new research published today in the  Journal of the American Heart Association , an open-access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association. Previous research has found that impairment of blood vessels' ability to relax may increase the risk of developing atherosclerosis, which may, in turn, increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. "Impaired vascular function is linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke," said lead study author Daichi Shimbo, M.D., a professor of medicine at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City. "Observational studies have linked feelings of negative emotions with having a heart attack or other cardiovascular disease events....

  CELLULAR OPTIMIZATION IN ORGANS :        OPT The health benefits of exercise are well known, but new research shows that the body's response to exercise is more complex and far-reaching than previously thought. In a study on rats, a team of scientists from across the United States found that physical activity causes many cellular and molecular changes in all 19 of the organs they studied in the animals. Exercise lowers the risk of many diseases, but scientists still don't fully understand how it changes the body on a molecular level. Most studies have focused on a single organ, sex, or time point and only included one or two data types. To examine the biology of exercise more comprehensively, scientists with the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) used an array of lab techniques to analyze molecular changes in rats after weeks of intense exercise. Their findings appear in  Nature . The team studied a range of tissues from the a...

  SITTING HEALTH RISKS Sitting for long stretches isn't just a harmless habit—it’s a well-documented threat to your health. Research keeps piling up showing that even if you make time for exercise, spending most of your day parked in a chair can set you up for a range of serious medical issues. Why Sitting Too Much Is a Problem Extended time in a chair is tied to higher rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers, and these dangers don’t magically disappear just because you hit the gym before or after work. Studies show that a daily run or spin class isn’t enough to cancel out the risks of sitting eight or more hours a day (American Journal of Preventive Medicine; Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice). The impact goes beyond chronic disease. Extensive studies following thousands of people over time have found that the more you sit, the higher your risk of dying from any cause, including heart disease and cancer. Notably, it’s not just the total hours that matter; m...

  STRATEGY FOR LOSING WEIGHT ON A PLANT-BASED DIET When you started your plant-based diet, you expected to lose weight. Now, you feel like you may have been misled. Your bathroom scale says you’re heavier than when you started. Eliminating or cutting down on animal products in your diet can help you lose weight. Numerous studies have found that vegetarians and vegans tend to have less body fat than meat eaters. Eating more plants also has many other health benefits. These include lowering cholesterol and blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. However, as you may have discovered, these outcomes are not automatic. Learn how to make your plant-based diet lighter and healthier. Avoiding Common Pitfalls: 1. Limit processed foods. With or without animal products, frozen dinners, and packaged sweets are high in sugar, salt, unhealthy fats, and calories. Opt for whole foods instead. You can still buy convenient items like plain frozen vegeta...

   PAIN TOLERANCE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY          In 2023, researchers from UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, the University Hospital of North Norway (UNN), and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health found that among more than 10,000 adults, those who were physically active had a higher pain tolerance than those who were sedentary; and the higher the activity level, the higher the pain tolerance. Following this finding, the researchers sought to understand how physical activity might influence the likelihood of experiencing chronic pain several years later. And they wondered if this was related to how physical activity affects our ability to tolerate pain. "We found that people who were more active in their free time had a lower chance of having various types of chronic pain 7-8 years later. For example, being just a little more active, such as going from light to moderate activity, was associated with a 5% lower risk of reporting some form of chr...

  Survey finds loneliness epidemic runs deep among parents The majority of respondents feel isolation, loneliness, and burnout from the demands of parenthood         A new national survey conducted by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center finds that most parents experience isolation, loneliness, and burnout from the demands of parenthood, with many feeling a lack of support in fulfilling that role. The survey of parents conducted this month found: About two-thirds (66%) felt the demands of parenthood sometimes or frequently feel isolating and lonely. About 62% feel burned out by their responsibilities as a parent. Nearly 2 in 5 (38%) feel no one to support them in their parenting role. Nearly 4 in 5 (79%) would value connecting with other parents outside of work and home. "I work from home full time, and I actually have a job where I'm on camera a lot, and I'm Zoom calling people very often," said Anne Helms, a mother of two young children in Columbus,...

  MIGRAINES IN WOMEN: CAUSES AND TREATMENTS         A third of the nearly 20 million women who participated in a national health survey reported migraines during menstruation, and of them, 11.8 million, or 52.5%, were premenopausal. The analysis was conducted by researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center and Pfizer, Inc., a company that manufactures a migraine medication. Because of the underuse of medications to help treat or prevent menstrual migraines, investigators wanted to understand how common menstrual migraines were and which groups of women could most benefit from potential therapies. The study will be presented on April 16 at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Denver. "The first step in helping a woman with menstrual migraine is making a diagnosis; the second part is prescribing a treatment; and the third part is finding treatments patients are satisfied with and remain on to reduce disability and improve quality ...