Love really can grow from lust, study says

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Questions about sexual desire and love have plagued humans for eons. While poets, musicians, and artists believe love lives in the heart, scientists know it exists in the brain. And sex? Apparently, that urge resides in the "little brain" or the bed or maybe a barn. It gets a little confusing what with those tired old adages about cows and free milk (or pigs and free sausage).

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He wants you, but does he love you? A new study finds love and sexual desire are controlled by the same part of the brain.

Now a new study has found that the same regions of the brain that control love also control sex -- indicating that sexual desire can actually morph into love. That's right. If a woman has sex with a man, he might not only buy the cow but love the cow, as well.

“Love and sex are clearly overlapping and they are different,” says Jim Pfaus, a professor of psychology at Concordia University in Montreal who's been studying love and libidos for more than a decade. “You can have desire for sex without love.”

But sex can also be the start of a beautiful relationship.

How does all of this work?

The brain's insular cortex (or insula) and the striatum play a role in both sexual desire and love. The insula is nestled deep within the cerebral cortex and influences emotions. While the striatum resides in the forebrain and receives messages from the cortex.

In order to map out the location of sexual desire and love, researchers reviewed 20 studies that used fMRI technology. First, they looked at the regions of the brain that lit up when sparked by love. They then compared the findings of all the papers to see what regions were activated when someone felt aroused or amorous.  

What they discovered was a bit surprising -- love and sexual desire both activate the striatum, showing a continuum from sexual desire to love. Each feeling impacts a different area of the striatum.

Sexual desire activates the ventral striatum, the brain’s reward system. When someone enjoys a great dessert or an orgasm, it’s the ventral striatum that flickers with life. Love sparks activity in the dorsal striatum, which is associated with drug addiction.

“You don’t make a connection that love is a drug; it acts just like drug addiction," says Pfaus. "Anyone who has had someone break up with them feels like a drug addict in withdrawal. You end up getting cravings.”

But it doesn't stop there. The researchers also saw an overlap between sexual desire and love in the insula.

“[The insula] translates emotional feelings into meaning,” explains Pfaus. “You take the internal state and give it external meaning.”

The areas of overlap indicate that sexual desire transitions into love in many cases, and the feelings aren’t separate.

“Even love at first sight, can it happen? Of course it can happen," says Pfaus. "And when it does happen, do you want to play Scrabble with each other? When it happens, you normally want to consummate it.”

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FDA approves first ever home HIV test

OraSure Technologies Inc.

The Federal Food and Drug Administration has approved the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test, the first at-home, quick test for HIV antibodies.

Federal health officials have approved the first at-home test for antibodies against HIV, a step that aims to identify and treat the estimated 20 percent of infected people in the United States, who do not know they have the virus that causes AIDS.

Food and Drug Administration officials on Tuesday approved the OraQuick In-Home HIV Test, the first over-the-counter, self-administered test that quickly detects possible HIV infection. Despite worries about learning serious diagnosis at home an FDA panel unanimously agreed that the benefits outweigh risks. home test

"It is very exciting," said Carl Schmid, Deputy Executive Director of the AIDS Institute, a non-profit that focuses on issues surrounding the disease. "It could be a potential game-changer for HIV."

Manufactured by OraSure Technologies Inc. of Bethlehem, PA., user test swabs of oral fluids from the upper and lower gums, which are then tested for the presence of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and type 2, HIV-1, HIV-2.

Test results are available within 20 to 40 minutes.

A positive result does not mean that the person who is definitely infected with HIV, but rather to further should the test be performed by medical professionals to confirm the result. A negative result does not mean that a person is absolutely clear of the virus, especially if exposure may have occurred in the previous three months.

OraSure expects the at-home HIV test should be available in October starting at more than 30,000 retail stores across the United States and online, according to a company press release. A spokeswoman said would set fixed prices for the test closer to distribution.

The test has the potential to identify large numbers of previously undiagnosed HIV infections. An estimated 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection. About one of every five do not know they are infected. About 50,000 new HIV infections are diagnosed each year.

The test is about 92 percent accurate correctly identify positive results, a measure known as sensitivity, clinical trials showed. This means that one false negative results could be expected from all 12 tests.

It was also around 99,98 per cent accurate correctly identify negative results, a measure known as specificity. This means a false positive would be expected of every 5,000 test results in uninfected individuals.

OraQuick plans to offer consumers access to toll-free 24-hour support center to help consumers to understand the results of the tests.

Doug Michels, OraSure CEO, discusses the benefits of the first FDA-approved home HIV test. It will begin to sell to retailers in October for less than $ 60 per kit.

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Broiling? Why tempers flare when it's so hot

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Eric Thayer /Reuters

A man wipes his forehead while sitting in Central Park in New York July 5, 2012. Six days after violent storms hit the eastern United States, parts of the east coast and midwest sweltered in the fourth day of a heat wave.

By Rachael Rettner
MyHealthNewsDaily

Hot days certainly take a toll on our bodies, but they can also test our tempers, experts say.

Many people feel a little hotheaded when the mercury rises, said Nancy Molitor, an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry and behavioral science at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

In fact, hot and especially humid weather is known to be associated with increases in aggression and violence, as well as a lower general mood, Molitor said.

That's because trouble sleeping, dehydration and restrictions on our daily actives — such as being cooped up inside all day to avoid the sweltering heat — may all contribute to a worsening mood in warm weather, Molitor said. And a lack of control over the situation may further irritate some people, she said.

If the summer heat has you feeling snappish, Molitor advised avoiding making any important life decisions, because you might make a choice you later regret.

And whether you're at the office or on the road, recognize that people you deal with may also be a bit testy.

"Everyone's fuse is going to be a little bit shorter," Molitor said.

Summer SAD

While it's common to feel a little depressed or grouchy in the summer heat, a small percentage (about 1 or 2 percent) of people experience a summer version of seasonal affect disorder (SAD).

On top of feeling uncomfortable and depressed, people with this condition feel enormously anxious in the summertime, and can even become suicidal, Molitor said. For them, the heat and sunshine are "almost impossible to endure," she said.

Molitor said she suspects that prolonged periods of heat and humidity, as many regions have experienced this summer, may lead to an increase in cases of summer SAD seen by doctors.

Coping with the heat

Molitor urged that people practice common sense in the heat: stay hydrated, and listen to your body. If you're healthy and want to exercise, try to get in your workout in the morning or evening, rather than the middle of the day.

If you take mediations that are diuretics, such as blood pressure medications, you will need to drink even more that usual to stay hydrated, Molitor said.

In addition, focus on aspects of your life you can control, Molitor said, and realize that eventually, it will cool down.

"The average person can withstand this, if they listen to their body," Molitor said.

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Diseases from animals hit 2 billion people a year

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LONDON — A global study mapping human diseases that come from animals like tuberculosis, AIDS, bird flu or Rift Valley fever has found that just 13 such diseases are responsible for 2.4 billion cases of human illness and 2.2 million deaths a year.

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The vast majority of infections and deaths from so-called zoonotic diseases are in poor or middle-income countries, but "hotspots" are also cropping up in the United States and Europe where diseases are newly infecting humans, becoming particularly virulent, or are developing drug resistance.

And exploding global demand for livestock products means the problem is likely to get worse, researchers said.

"From cyst-causing tapeworms to avian flu, zoonoses present a major threat to human and animal health," said Delia Grace, a veterinary epidemiologist and food safety expert with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Kenya and lead author of the study.

She said targeting these diseases in the hardest hit countries is crucial to protecting global health, and failing to tackle them would allow demand for meat products to "fuel the spread of a wide range of human-animal infectious diseases."

The study, conducted by the ILRI, the Institute of Zoology in Britain and the Hanoi School of Public Health in Vietnam, mapped livestock-keeping and diseases humans get from animals, and drew up a list of the top 20 geographical hotspots.

It found that Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania, as well as India have the highest zoonotic disease burdens, with widespread illness and death.

It also found the United States and Europe - especially Britain - Brazil and parts of Southeast Asia may be becoming hotspots of "emerging zoonoses", which are infecting humans for the first time, are especially virulent or are becoming drug resistant.

The report studied so-called endemic zoonoses which cause the vast majority of illness and death in poor countries.

One such disease is brucellosis, also known as Bang's diseases or Mediterranean fever, which is a highly contagious zoonosis people catch by consuming unsterilized milk or meat from infected animals.

The researchers estimated that about one in eight livestock in poor countries are affected by brucellosis. As well as threatening people with disease, this also reduces milk and meat production in cattle by around 8 percent.

The study also looked at epidemic zoonoses, which typically occur as outbreaks - such as anthrax and Rift Valley fever - and at the relatively rarer emerging zoonoses like bird flu. A few of these, like HIV/AIDS and H1N1 swine flu, have shown the ability to spread to cause pandemics.

While zoonoses can be transmitted to people by either wild or domesticated animals, most human infections are acquired from the world's 24 billion livestock, including pigs, poultry, cattle, goats, sheep and camels.

The study initially looked at 56 zoonoses that together are responsible for around 2.5 billion cases of human illness and 2.7 million human deaths per year.

It then zoomed in on the 13 most important, and found high levels of infection with these in livestock in poor countries.

Some 27 percent of livestock in developing countries showed signs of current or past infection with bacterial food-borne disease - a source of food contamination and widespread illness.

The researchers estimated at least a third of the world's cases of diarrhoeal disease are caused by animal-human diseases and said this was the biggest zoonotic threat to public health.

John McDermott, director of the CGIAR research program on agriculture for nutrition and health led by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), said that in booming livestock sectors in developing nations the fastest growing areas are poultry and pigs - putting the potential disease risk emphasis on flu.

"Historically, high-density pig and poultry populations have been important in maintaining and mixing influenza populations," he said in a statement accompanying the study.

"A major concern is that as new livestock systems intensify, particularly small- and medium-sized pig production ... more intensive systems will allow the maintenance and transmission of pathogens. A number of new zoonoses ... have emerged in that way."

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

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High-dose vitamin D prevents fractures in the elderly

A new analysis of nearly a dozen studies testing D-vitamin in older individuals have found that it takes a daily dose of at least 800 international units (I.E.) to consistently help prevent broken bones.

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A high-dose was found to reduce the risk of hip fracture by 30 percent and other breaks at 14 percent. Lower doses have no effect.

The report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that too much calcium--perhaps more than 1,000 milligrams (mg) per day--may weaken the advantage.

"These hip fractures cost a lot and is a really serious incident. They are usually the end of independent living for a senior person; 50 percent do not regain their mobility. Reduce risk by 30 percent with just a vitamin supplement would be occasion enormous public health, "said study researcher Dr. Heike Bischoff-Ferrari, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, Reuters Health.

The Institute of Medicine recommends that most adults getting 1,000 to 1,200 mg of calcium per day and 600 to 800 IU vitamin d. It outlines a recommended upper limit of 2,000 mg calcium and 4,000 IU vitamin d.

Bischoff-Ferrari said the lack of advantage seen in other studies "can be explained by adherence to treatment and vitamin d supplements taken outside the study medicine."

Dr. Richard Bockman, a hormone expert at the hospital for special surgery in New York, said the findings are an important counterweight to last month's widely reported recommendation by the u.s. Preventive Services Task Force.

Government-backed Taskforce deprecated to take doses of less than 400 IU of vitamin d with 1,000 mg of calcium and concluded evidence was unclear for higher doses. It also said food supplements carry a risk of side effects such as Kidney stones.

Bockman said best trial is a study, 2003, known as the Trivedi trial version, in which volunteers received an average of 800 IU per day as a single 100,000 IU dose every four months.

"It clearly showed a reduction in fracture risk in people who took vitamin D," he said.

Dr. Robert Heaney of Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, said in an editorial, the problem of conflicting studies may be that most have been able to consider each person's vitamin d levels to start with.

Give it to people who already have enough, or does not provide enough for people with very low levels may show no benefit, he said.

"In this respect, as in many other respects, and nutrients are in contrast to drugs. Additional intake has no effect when there is a suitable concentration, "said Heaney.

Bischoff-Ferrari said the new results came without direct including Trivedi results. "The writers lost the data sets for a computer disaster," she said.

The new analysis is based on 11 attempts, which tested various adapted population variables oral vitamin d in people age 65 and older, mainly women, against an inactive placebo. Some of the experiments also included calcium.

Overall, there were 4,881 hip and other fractures (not including breaks in the spine) among more than 31,000 people.

Vitamin d cut is not the rate of hip fracture considerably, and the decline in other fractures were small. When the researchers looked at the people that get the highest doses of the vitamin, typically 800 IU daily, the benefits were clearer, with a 30-percent reduction in hip fractures and 14-percent decline in other broken bones.

"In particular, there was no reduction in the risk of hip fracture at any actual intake levels lower than 792 IU per day," the researchers said.

Advantages of the higher dose was seen regardless of age, additional calcium intake of patients living at home or in an institution, and the original levels of vitamin d.

Bischoff-Ferrari said the clearest effect was seen in nursing home patients who got the highest doses of vitamin D and regularly took their pills, because the nurses had to give them.

Equally important is the discovery that too much calcium-more than 1,000 mg per day-can dilute the vitamin d benefits for bones, she said. Because many dietary supplements contains 1,000 mg calcium, can people get in their diet to send people across the border.

' This is a very, very important public health message, "said Bischoff-Ferrari. "There are still doctors around who gives calcium without vitamin hip fracture patients. Imagine giving calcium supplement and increase fracture risk. "

In an earlier study, she added, fewer than 10 percent of the population comes into the hospital for a hip fracture had taken vitamin. And 60 percent of them had suffered a second fracture in the prior decade, yet "the red flag is not coming."

"In the medical world, vitamin d acts as a very low priority. It may be the lack of lobbying for it, the fact that it costs almost nothing ", and some people think it is too good to be true," she said. "But the data is impressive."

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions on: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

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6 Tips to Stress-Proof Your Family Vacation

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Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr, MD, FACP, FACR

Spring break is almost here. Are you looking forward to getting away and having a worry-free family vacation? Advance planning can help you to stress-proof your family travels so that you can have the most fun and relaxing experience possible without undue worry.

A vacation with the family, while intended to give everyone a break and some relaxation, can be a stressful event in itself. Several factors can increase everyone's stress levels - the actual travel, unfamiliar surroundings, and perhaps a different language and culture. If all family members are dealing with their own stresses related to the different surroundings and lack of familiarity, the potential is heightened for conflicts among family members.

Lack of communication is one factor which can greatly increase holiday stress and worry. It's important to discuss the trip in advance and talk about what everyone's expectations are in terms of activity vs. quiet time, time spent alone, and the degree to which your days are planned or scheduled in advance. You should discuss your expectations of the vacation as well. One family member, for example, may crave activity and diversion while others may simply want to rest. Finally, people often get caught in the trap of unrealistic expectations while on vacation. For example, expecting anxiety and stress over work-related problems to magically disappear, or thinking that a conflict-ridden relationship will work itself out on vacation. Financial issues are often a source of stress for families on holiday. If you're on a budget, discuss how you'll handle things such as impulse purchases and eating out in restaurants.

If you are traveling with young children, it is important not to overload your schedule and to allow plenty of time for spontaneous activity. Location is not as important as the way your time is spent. "Kid-friendly" can be what you make it. It's perfectly possible to have a relaxing city holiday with children, visiting parks and zoos and taking leisurely walks. It's also possible to turn a tropical paradise into a tense and stressful place if your days are overscheduled and you're constantly tired and quarreling.

Children can become stressed by a vacation just as adults can, although they may show their stress in different ways. It's not surprising that children may experience stress when they are in an unfamiliar environment and confronted daily with new experiences. Since many children are not able to recognize or verbally convey their feelings of stress, their stress may manifest itself in their behavior. For example, children may behave in a way that is inappropriate for their age, or they may appear to be moody or temperamental.

While a "worry-free" vacation is likely an unattainable goal, an ideal vacation is one in which the "good" stresses (i.e. dealing with unfamiliar cultures, increased contact with family members) are not outweighed by the "bad" stresses (arguments, tiredness, resentment).

Here are six brief spring break vacation survival rules:

Accept others' wishes and be prepared to compromise. Everyone should have some opportunity to do things he/she wants. In most families, this means compromises on everyone's part. Recognize that you may have to take part in some activities that wouldn't be your first choices, for the sake of group harmony. Give yourself plenty of time for the trip. Rushing to catch a plane or train only increases everyone's stress level and leads to conflicts. This is especially true when traveling with very young children who are likely to require more breaks and cause unpredictable interruptions. Don't overextend your schedule. Very few people can do a "whirlwind tour" of five cities in seven days and remain relaxed, and trying to do so would be unthinkable for a family with young children. Likewise, don't try to fill your days with too many commitments and activities. Leave time to see where your whims and moods take you. Communicate without being confrontational with other family members. Don't sulk and act resentful if it seems that nothing is "going your way." Kindly mention to the others that you're feeling disappointed that you haven't been able to see or do whatever it is you feel is important to you. Suppressed anger and resentment can easily ruin your dream vacation. Be realistic about your expectations. If your children misbehave at home, they're not going to behave perfectly just because you're on vacation. Interpersonal differences and conflicts won't magically disappear. Relax and have fun without expecting the very state of being on vacation to "cure" any difficulties or problems you may be facing back home. REFERENCE: eMedicineHealth.com. Stress.

Last Editorial Review: 3/13/2012

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Mother-to-child spread of disease ' kissing bugs ' reported

MyHealthNewsDaily staff

A boy born in Virginia two years ago became the first person in the United States known to have acquired Chagas disease from his mother, according to a new report, describing the case.

The case highlights the need for increased awareness of the disease among health care providers in the United States, said the researchers. The disease occurs mainly in Latin America, but cases in the United States and elsewhere have been increasing, mainly as a result of migration, according to the World Health Organization.

Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is typically transmitted to humans by bites from insects commonly known as kissing bugs. Though less common, the disease also transmitted congenitally, from mother to child during pregnancy, as was the case with Virginia boy.

While the boy's case was the first to be documented formally, it has been estimated that between 65 and 638 cases of congenital Chagas disease occur in the United States each year, said the Centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) report. This estimate is based on the typical birth rates of women from regions where Chagas disease is endemic, and the fact that the disease in 1 to 5 percent of pregnancies of infected mothers, are sent to the child.

In August 2010 birth mother who had recently immigrated to the United States from Bolivia, by cesarean section when his child was 29 weeks old. The boy had signs of jaundice, and excess fluid around his heart, abdomen and lungs. Child's doctors who did not know the boy had Chagas disease, administered antibiotics for what they believed to be a widespread bacterial infection called sepsis.

Two weeks after the birth, the mother revealed she had been told in Bolivia during a previous pregnancy that she had Chagas disease. After testing her baby boy, doctors found he also had the parasite in his blood. The boy was given a 60-day treatment of benznidazole, a drug for Chagas disease, and was healed.

The case "illustrates, congenital Chagas disease, even when serious, not perhaps recognized, or diagnosis could be delayed due to lack define clinical features, or because the diagnosis is not considered," said today's CDC report.

Chagas disease is estimated to affect about 300,000 people in the United States, most of whom immigrated here.

Doctors in the United States should be aware of the condition so that pregnant women from high-risk areas for Chagas disease can be subjected to screening and identification, says the report. Mothers diagnosed with Chagas disease should be treated for the condition, but only after they have finished breast-feeding, the report said.

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