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In the media: Evidence-based mental health therapy?

March 28, 2013 By Sheri Leave a Comment
depression440

The New York Times' Well Blog has a fascinating post this week on why mental health therapists do not consistently use evidence-based techniques in treating their patients. The post cites a meta-analysis conducted in 2009 that found patients rarely received evidence-based psychological treatments.  And when patients do receive them, they are often not implemented as well as they should be. In addition to referencing a wide range of studies, the author quotes mental health experts on possible … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness, In The Media Tagged With: evidence-based practice, Health and Wellness, research translation, science in the media

Evaluating programs to promote teen sexual health

March 15, 2013 By Sheri Leave a Comment
Father_of_the_Teen__Growing_Up_With_Your_Kids_photo

Teenagers and young adults represent only 25 percent of the sexually active population in the U.S., but they acquire nearly half of all new sexually transmitted infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. In addition, about 3 in 10 girls in the U.S. become pregnant before age 20. Clearly, encouraging the sexual health of young people is an important public health priority. But what's the best way to go about it? A new systematic review evaluates interventions parents can take … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, The Learning Center, Youth Development Tagged With: behavior change, children and youth, evidence-based programs, Health and Wellness, parenting

The murky evidence about saturated fat

March 11, 2013 By Sheri 3 Comments
butter

For decades, it has been accepted as truth that eating foods high in saturated fats  such as  full-fat milk products and fatty cuts of meat -- lead to an increased risk of heart disease. Yet a small but growing body of evidence is raising questions about whether reducing saturated fat intake impacts health outcomes. Let me start by saying, the U.S. government unequivocally recommends a diet low in saturated fat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reviewed the evidence in 2011 and concluded that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness Tagged With: evidence-based practice, food and nutrition, Health and Wellness, nutrition, research translation, social trends

The latest evidence on Vitamin D

March 7, 2013 By Sheri Leave a Comment
vitamins

Keeping track of the latest evidence on which vitamin supplements to take can be confusing. Although new information is available regularly, mainstream media outlets don’t always report the full story, which can result in conflicting reports. There is new, clear evidence this month: The U.S. Preventative Services task force is recommending that healthy, postmenopausal women should not take Vitamin D and calcium supplements to prevent fractures. The task force - an independent panel of medical … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness, policy Tagged With: food and nutrition, Health and Wellness, nutrition, policy, research translation, science in the media

The serious effects of physical discipline

February 26, 2013 By Sheri Leave a Comment
corporal-punishment

There are many factors that influence how parents discipline their children: parents' own upbringing, family customs and stress levels all factor in. But there is clear evidence that some forms of discipline - specifically physical punishment - have negative effects on children throughout their lives. A new systematic review reveals a body of evidence demonstrating physical punishment may increase the chances of antisocial behavior and aggression, depression, anxiety, drug abuse and psychological … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Youth Development Tagged With: behavior change, children and youth, evidence-based programs, Health and Wellness, parenting

Exercise: One of the best medicines for your heart

February 18, 2013 By Sheri 3 Comments
aging_active

We all know that exercise is good for us.  But a new systematic review shows that regular exercise can significantly reduce cardiovascular risk factors, which ultimately reduces the risks of dying from heart disease. The review spells out detailed evidence about how much exercise is needed to improve cardiovascular health, and which populations benefit the most.  Here are some of the take-home messages that I found most interesting: The more your exercise, the more you reduce your risk of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness Tagged With: alternative treatments, evidence-based practice, Health and Wellness, research translation

The evidence on yoga and the mind

February 14, 2013 By Sheri 2 Comments
yoga

We've all heard about the benefits of practicing yoga: Increased strength and flexibility, and well as peace of mind. Now there's a growing body of evidence that suggests yoga is helping for treating psychiatric disorders including depression, schizophrenia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A systematic review published last month provides a good summary of the evidence on using yoga to treat mental health problems. The review identified 16 studies which examined yoga as … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness Tagged With: alternative treatments, Health and Wellness, social trends

What we know about obesity and traffic accidents

February 13, 2013 By Sheri Leave a Comment
Obese-driver

It's the time of year when many people could use some additional motivation to continue working toward their New Year's resolutions.  I found this post on the New York Time's Well blog.  It contains some great evidence about why it's important to keep weight-loss resolutions. The post , based on a review in the Emergency Medicine Journal , examines whether people who are obese are more likely to be injured or killed in a traffic accident. The answer is yes. The researchers reviewed data on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness Tagged With: Health and Wellness

The long-term effects of alcohol abuse

February 8, 2013 By Sheri 2 Comments
teen drinking

We've all heard about the dangers of binge drinking: alcohol poisoning, injury and risky decision making – for example, having unprotected sex or driving drunk - have potential lethal consequences. Here at EBL, we've written before about the particular dangers involved when teens consume alcohol. Now there is new evidence that has identified long-term consequences for young people who binge drink. A systematic review published in the journal Cortex combined data from twenty separate studies … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness, Youth Development Tagged With: children and youth, Health and Wellness, parenting, social trends

New evidence on fluoride

February 5, 2013 By Sheri 1 Comment
Toothpaste

Since I was a child, I have always considered fluoride a good thing for preventing tooth decay.  I've always taken regular trips to the dentist, brushed with a fluoride toothpaste and generally taken good care of my teeth.  So I was surprised last week to see a new review raising some questions about the safety of fluoride consumption. The report - written by Harvard researchers and funded by the National Institute of Public Health  - reviewed 27 studies published over a period of 22 years … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Evidence-Based Living, Health and Wellness Tagged With: children and youth, food and nutrition, Health and Wellness, policy
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