Puerto Rico Looks East for Help With Zika Mosquito

In Puerto Rico, they’re trying to figure out once again how to kill the mosquitoes. WebMD has the details.

From: http://www.webmd.com/news/20160317/puerto-rico-zika-mosquitoes?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Years of lead contamination suspected in Newark, N.J.

Lead testing began Thursday for pre-kindergarten children in Newark public schools

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/years-of-lead-contamination-suspected-in-newark-n-j/

Flint's water crisis started with the flip of a switch

In April 2014, the former mayor of Flint flipped a switch -- moving the city's water supply from Detroit to the Flint River

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/flint-water-crisis-started-with-the-flip-of-a-switch/

More Older Women Living With 'Moderate' Disability

Trend a reversal from the 1980s, researchers say

From: http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20160317/more-older-women-now-living-with-moderate-disability-study-shows?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Kidney Dialysis Might Not Extend Elderly Survival

Study suggests conservative care may be suitable option for some patients over 80

From: http://www.webmd.com/news/20160317/kidney-dialysis-might-not-extend-survival-of-elderly?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Acetaminophen Won't Help Arthritis Pain: Study

Prescription diclofenac a more effective choice for short-term pain relief, researchers say

From: http://www.webmd.com/arthritis/news/20160317/acetaminophen-wont-help-arthritis-pain-study-finds?src=RSS_PUBLIC

EPA testing Newark kids for lead after school water contamination

The Environmental Protection Agency says over four years, the drinking water in 431 schools nationwide was found to contain unsafe levels of lead

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/epa-testing-newark-kids-for-lead-after-school-water-contamination/

Genetic testing results don't change how most people behave

Knowing they're at higher risk of a certain disease is supposed to help people take action, but do they?

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/genetic-testing-results-dont-change-how-most-people-behave/

5 years after chimp attack, woman helps doctors study treatment

After she was attacked by an out-of-control chimpanzee in Connecticut, Charla Nash came to Boston for a groundbreaking facial transplant

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/5-years-after-chimp-attack-woman-helps-doctors-study-treatment-charla-nash/

Mosquitoes could spread Zika in dozens of U.S. cities

A new study highlights areas at highest risk, but experts say this country won't be as hard hit as Brazil

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/zika-virus-mosquitoes-us-cities-most-at-risk/

Attitudes shift on gay adoption

Younger generation leads a significant change in the way Americans think about the issue, study finds

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/attitudes-shift-on-gay-adoption/

Scientists: Cities Where Zika May Hit This Summer

Weather and travel patterns could expose people as far north as New York City

From: http://www.webmd.com/news/20160317/scientists-pick-us-cities-where-zika-might-hit-this-summer?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Bumble Bee Tuna Recalled

Bumble Bee Tuna Recalled

From: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/20160317/bumble-bee-tuna-recall?src=RSS_PUBLIC

GKAS Institute ambassador success stories span the U.S.

When Tracy Ginder walks into dental offices across Cabarrus County in central North Carolina, she’s often greeted with a wave of hellos and familiar smiles.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/march/gkas-institute-ambassador-success-stories-span-the-us

Give Kids A Smile primer

Give Kids A Smile is a national movement through which free oral health services are provided by approximately 10,000 volunteer dentists annually, along with 30,000 other dental team members.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2016-archive/march/give-kids-a-smile-primer

Bumble Bee recalls 31,000 cases of canned tuna

Company voluntarily recalls canned Chunk Light tuna due to spoilage concerns

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/bumble-bee-recalls-31k-cases-of-tuna/

Rowing Together to Fight Cancer

From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THPqeXS-3jk

Mayo Clinic Minute: Hands-on Seminar Gets Kids in Career Mode

From: Mayo Clinic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izrS9K8JhcI

Long-Term Care Insurance: Less Bang, More Buck

Seniors slammed with big premium increases face tough choices.

From: http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/20160317/longterm-care-insurance-less-bang-more-buck?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Prostate Cancer Clinical Trial: What to Expect

WebMD explains how a clinical trial for prostate cancer works, including what kind of care you get during the study and how you can find one.

From: http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/decision-point-clinical-trials-15/what-to-expect?src=RSS_PUBLIC

The missing rewards that motivate healthy lifestyle changes

Follow me at @srinipillay

It’s hard to maintain the lifestyle changes you want to make. It doesn’t matter whether your goal is weight loss, exercise, normal blood sugar, or decreasing stress — research has shown that simply learning about the value of lifestyle changes is insufficient on its own to help people maintain their goals.

Of course, few people are actually ignorant about the number of calories in a chocolate truffle, the benefits of exercise, or the incredible danger, discomfort, and inconvenience of diabetes and stress. Still, despite this awareness, maintaining these changes is an uphill battle. And that’s largely because habits are hard to kick.

The rewards of the changes themselves have their limits. On a cold, snowy day in February, going to the gym is far less appealing than staying in bed for one more hour. And when you return home tired from a day of work, the calories in that extra glass of wine may in fact suddenly turn invisible. So how can you get that extra motivation?

The two types of rewards — and what they can do for you

Despite a growing body of evidence on the value of reward-based systems in promoting health behaviors, they are notoriously ineffective. But these studies generally focus on one kind of reward. Having an understanding of the other category of rewards may provide additional motivation to maintain the changes that you want.

There are two kinds of rewards: hedonia and eudaimonia. Hedonia (H-rewards) includes superficial pleasures such as weight loss, looking good, and acceptance by others. These rewards are more concrete and often short-lived. Eudaimonia (E-rewards), on the other hand, refers to a sense of meaning and purpose that contributes to overall well-being. Connecting your lifestyle goals to E-rewards may help motivate you even more.

The greater the size of a self-processing region in your brain called the insula, the higher your E-rewards. Specifically, if you have a large insula, your senses of personal growth, positive relations with others, and personal purpose are high. It’s not hard to imagine how feeling this way can help motivate you in many different ways, let alone when it comes to making specific lifestyle changes.

E-rewards also motivate you by activating the brain’s reward region, the ventral striatum. You feel less depressed when this part of the brain is activated. In contrast, when you satisfy only your H-rewards (e.g., looking good and getting a massage), this can actually make you more depressed and less motivated in the longer term.

What are your E-rewards?

To stay motivated, ask yourself how you will enhance your sense of meaning and purpose. They can be strong motivators for achieving your goals. The following are all examples of people with strong E-rewards motivating their decisions:

• A college sophomore obsessed with pizza and beer starts to eat and drink healthily when she realizes that her career in broadcast journalism will probably require her to be on camera day in and day out, so she needs to look (and feel) her best.
• A grandfather won’t let anything stop him from going to the gym so that he can have the longest possible time alive to be with his grandchildren.
• A doting husband ignores most of the buffet table at a cocktail party (except for the veggies and dip) because he knows that he wants to be there for his wife and kids.
• A young woman decides to start skipping dessert when she recognizes that her work on eliminating poverty is too important for her to undermine her own well-being in any way.

It’s not just the service or job that inspires E-rewards either. The story is a little more complex.

The concept of E-rewards can be traced back to Aristotle, who believed that the highest level of human good was not about satisfying one’s appetites, but about striving to express the best that is within us. This could only really be achieved by self-realization, a continuous process that looks different for each person, depending on his or her unique talents and dispositions.

As Aristotle points out, the first and foremost ultimate goal of all living humans is this feeling of well-being, which must be the primary focus if we are to achieve any of our health-related goals. Contrary to other theorists on the subject, Aristotle points out that H-rewards — good friends, wealth, and power — help as well. Yet, there is more to it than that. To truly feel E-rewards, you need to feel like you are flourishing in your life. In this inspired state, you are more likely to be motivated to achieve your goals.

To start this process, ask yourself how much of your day you spend in activities that nurture this sense of self. According to Carol Ryff, there are six areas of your life that you can reshape to enhance these E-rewards: greater self-acceptance, higher-quality relationships, being in charge of your life, owning your own opinions even when others oppose them, personal growth, and having a strong intrinsic sense of purpose. If you work on these factors, you will likely feel more intrinsic reward, and therefore enhance your motivation to accomplish your lifestyle changes as well.

We tend to focus on H-rewards to motivate ourselves to achieve our goals. But E-rewards may offer an additional focus to maintain your motivation for the lifestyle changes you desire.

Related Post:

• Is addiction a “brain disease”?
• Neuroscience can help you live a healthier life
• 94-year-old Master track star an inspiration to all
• Benefit to improving diet and exercise at the same time
• Can an app help you lose weight?

The post The missing rewards that motivate healthy lifestyle changes appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Srini Pillay, MD http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-missing-rewards-that-motivate-healthy-lifestyle-changes-201603179301

WHO statement on end of Ebola flare-up in Sierra Leone

WHO joins the government of Sierra Leone in marking the end of the recent flare-up of Ebola virus disease in the country. As of today, 17 March, 42 days have passed, two incubation cycles of the virus, since the last person confirmed to have Ebola virus disease in the country tested negative for a second time.

From: http://www.who.int/entity/mediacentre/news/statements/2016/end-flare-ebola-sierra-leone/en/index.html

Pregnancy after miscarriage: What you need to know

From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/getting-pregnant/in-depth/pregnancy-after-miscarriage/art-20044134