Women on the Pill have less menstrual pain

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young women on birth control pills tend to have less painful menstrual periods than those not on the contraceptives, a new study finds. Swedish researchers found that of 2,100 women followed from age 19 to 24, those on the combined birth control pill (estrogen and progestin) had less-severe menstrual pain over time. It's already common practice for doctors to recommend the Pill to women with dysmenorrhea -- menstrual cramps, back pain and other symptoms that are severe enough to disrupt a woman's life. Birth control pills are not specifically approved for that purpose, but doctors can prescribe them for dysmenorrhea on an "off-label" basis. However, it has not been clear how effective the pills...

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Posted in: HEALTH

Study links sleep apnea and sudden deafness

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Sudden hearing loss might be tied to an underlying sleep disorder that interrupts breathing, suggests a new study from Taiwan. Consulting a large health insurance database, researchers found that people who'd suffered sudden deafness were more likely to have a previous diagnosis of sleep apnea than a comparison group without hearing loss. The absolute difference was small: 1.7 percent of those with hearing loss had sleep apnea, compared to 1.2 percent without hearing trouble. "If there is sudden hearing loss, I would investigate the presence of apnea as well, given that it's easy to diagnose and it's easy to treat," said Dr. Seva Polotsky, a sleep apnea researcher from Johns Hopkins University...

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Neuroscience Suggest Three Distinct Systems for Love

Helen Fisher, an evolutionary biologist from Rutgers University, hypothesized that there are three distinct yet intersecting brain systems that correspond to sex, romantic love, and long-term attachment (like a mother-child bond or the comfortable relationship you might see in a couple who have been married for sixty years). These three separate systems, she argued, could cover all facets of love: romantic, parental, filial, platonic, and that old bugger, lust. Scientists have long known that the seat of the sex drive is the hypothalamus. When it is removed, folks lose all interest in sex, as well as the ability to perform sexually. This almond-size brain area is linked to the pituitary gland, which produces the hormones...

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Docs more likely to suspect abuse in poor kids

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When a toddler has a broken bone, pediatricians may be more likely to suspect abuse if the family is lower-income, a new study finds. Researchers found that pediatricians who read a fictional case report of a toddler with a leg fracture were more likely to suspect abuse if the child was described as coming from a lower-income family. The hypothetical child's race, on the other hand, did not appear to influence doctors' opinions. The second finding is somewhat surprising, according to the researchers. Studies looking at real-world cases have found that minority children are more likely to be evaluated for abuse than white children are. And it's well known that the child welfare system in the U.S....

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Posted in: HEALTH