Photos from the Field: Human Health Studies in the Balkans

Posted on 05/24/2012 | Leave a comment

Dr. Cassandra Quave, CSHH Postdoctoral Fellow, has just completed a field study in NE Albania in collaboration with Dr. Andrea Pieroni, from the University of Gastronomic Sciences (Italy). The scope of the study was to investigate traditional health practices, including the use of wild plants for food and medicine, in several small Albanian and Gorani communities located in the Dinaric Alps near Mount Gjallica. Photos capturing the local agricultural, food, and health traditions can be accessed here on Dr. Quave’s website.

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Posted in Botanical Medicine, Integrative Heath, Nutrition, Research

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An evolutionary view of depression

Posted on 03/05/2012 | Leave a comment

Researchers Andrew Miller, MD and William P. Timmie, PhD of Emory University, and Charles Raison, MD, previously at Emory University and now at the University of Arizona, are taking an evolutionary approach to studying the relationships between depression and immune system function.

Due to findings that much of the genetic variation observed in depression is related to changes in immune system function, specifically in inflammation, they propose that this would have offered an evolutionary benefit in terms of being able to fight infections.  For example, there are numerous behavioral factors related to depressions that may have been adaptive in terms of restricting or containing infection, including social avoidance and fatigue/inactivity.

To read more about their recent publication, visit the Emory News Center website.  Part two of the video above is available through the Emory University You Tube Channel.

 

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Posted in Inflammation, Mental Health

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Enlightenment Luncheon: a discussion regarding the rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes in children – March 14, 2012

Posted on 02/27/2012 | Leave a comment

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in children continues to increase due to a number of factors ranging from genetics, a lack of physical activity, and poor nutrition.  This Enlightenment Luncheon, the sixth in a series hosted by the Emory School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics and local philanthropists Stephanie Blank, Lisa Rayner and Laura Turner Seydel, serves to promote dialogue between the academic, health care, and local community to improve health outcomes.

The Luncheon features Griffin Platt Rodgers, MD, MBA, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, as the keynote speaker for the event on March 14th from noon to 2 pm at the InterContinental Hotel Buckhead’s Venetian Ballroom.  The event is open to the public, with registration beginning at 11 am.  For more information about the event, visit this website.  To purchase tickets for the event, please call 404-727-4878 or visit the online registration website.

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Posted in Behavior change, Events, Health Care, Medical School, Metabolic syndrome

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Supportive environments a key factor in successful smoking cessation

Posted on 02/24/2012 | Leave a comment

According to Carla Berg, professor in the Rollins School of Public Health and a member of Winship’s Cancer Prevention and Control program smoking cessation is more likely to succeed when an individual is provided social support. Critical to maintaining a tobacco-free lifestyle is a positive outlook on success reinforced by family and friends, rather than negative complaints about smoking behaviors and nagging about the problem.

An interview with Dr. Berg and additional information about behaviors that promote smoking cessation is available through the Emory News Center.

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Posted in Behavior change

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American Heart Month: The Importance of Exercise

Posted on 02/22/2012 | Leave a comment

Emory cardiologist Nanette Wenger explains the benefits of exercising for your health, and the consequences that can ensue when exercise is not prioritized in this video published by CNN in honor of American Heart Month: http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/21/small-strides-you-should-take-for-your-heart/.

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Posted in Behavior change, Exercise

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How does your county compare in health?

Posted on 02/15/2012 | Leave a comment

The state of health in America is not identical from region to region or state to state, with even significant differences evident at a county by county level. 

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, an independent global health research center at the University of Washington, has used data visualization methods to integrate global health data with maps to demonstrate regional differences in health status. 

For example, they provide the following comparisons:

Additional visualizations are available on the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s website.

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Posted in Uncategorized

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Added fiber: Does it improve health?

Posted on 02/15/2012 | Leave a comment

Much health-related advice that circulates through public (and particularly media) sources emphasizes the need to attain a certain quantity of specific nutrients each day.  For example, Vitamin C, iron, sodium, and calcium all have dietary reference intakes (RDIs) that set a minimum daily threshold according to RDA guidelines.

But does consuming a specific quantity per day matter, and how does the source of that nutrient come into play?  NPR’s Amy Standen investigated whether added fiber, particularly that added into foods traditionally not providing a significant source of fiber such as children’s cereal, truly has substantial health benefits.

The story can be accessed on NPR’s website in print or audio format.

 

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Posted in Nutrition

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