Does Better Information Mean Better Health?

After combining 30 studies which compared cardiovascular drugs to their generic counterparts, researchers found that the brand-name drugs didn't work any better. Generic pills may be different colors and shapes and they may have different binders and fillers, but they contain the same active ingredients as the brand-name drugs and are FDA approved. Because pharmaceutical companies can't retain exclusive rights to the drugs they develop, other companies can eventually sell chemical equivalents at substantial savings. Generic drugs represent 66% of the U.S. prescriptions, but they represent only 15% of the money spent on prescriptions. Obviously, generic drugs make the cost of medicines easier to swallow.




A drug-related study done by Duke University showed that acupuncture is more effective in treating headaches than drugs like aspirin. The study which involved approximately 4,000 patients with migraine, tension and other forms of chronic headaches found that 62% of the acupuncture patients reported headache relief compared to 45% of those taking headache medicines. Although acupuncture itself is painless, it releases the body's natural painkillers and an average of only 5 to 6 acupuncture treatments were necessary for the patients in the study to experience headache relief. They didn't have to take 2 aspirins and call the doctor in the morning.




According to scientists at the University of Chicago who monitored 500 healthy volunteers in their mid 40's, sleep is important for a healthy heart. Twenty-seven percent of those who slept 5 hours or less developed coronary artery calcification within 5 years. However, only 6% of the volunteers who slept 7 hours or more developed the calcification which is a strong marker for heart disease. The study's results showed that people who are sleep deprived have 4.5 times the risk of getting heart disease. For them it's especially important to sleep on this information.




Then there's the study done by psychologists at the University of South Florida and at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. They analyzed detailed accounts of more than 3,000 crying episodes submitted by volunteers and found that crying is healthy. Crying helps control breathing, which helps overcome the body's negatively aroused state. When people experience overwhelming stress and arousal, their heart rate increases and their bodies begin to sweat. When people cry, their breathing slows down, which creates a calming effect. Because the calming effect usually lasts longer than the unpleasant stress reaction associated with it, crying is nothing to cry about.

Knight Pierce Hirst has written for television, newspapers and greeting cards. Now she writes a 400-word blog. KNIGHT WATCH, a second look at what makes life interesting, takes only seconds to read at http://knightwatch.typepad.com

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