Thursday, March 13, 2008

Benefits of Antidepressants Questioned

Prozac and similar drugs are "little better than placebos" according to a new review. The analysis, published February 26, 2008 in the journal, Public Library of Science Medicine, looked at data from over 47 clinical trials, including data that the manufacturers chose not to publish. The trials compared the effects of the drugs versus a placebo. An analysis of the data showed that patients taking the medications (which included Prozac, Effexor, and Serzone), showed improvement, but those taking the placebo improved just as much. The only exception, the most severely depressed patients did better on the drugs.

Although patients with severe depression need pharmaceutical treatment, patients with mild to moderate depression would do much better with a mix of exercise, dietary changes, and cognitive therapy.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Happily Married Women Rebound More Quickly from Stress

According to a new study published in the January edition of Health Psychology, women seeking to reduce their stress levels at work may need to improve their marriages. In the study, which looked at dual-career married couples with school-age children, the happily married women rebounded quicker from daily stress, indicated by a steeper drop in cortisol (the stress hormone) throughout the day, than the women in less satisfying marriages.

Not only major traumas, but minor everyday hassles can influence long-term physical health.

Although marriage is often seen as a health protective factor for men, for women, unhappy marriages may negatively affect physical health. Increasing marital health may be just as important as eating right and exercising.