Addiction Archive

Taking on a new health regimen can be daunting. Accomplishing smaller tasks that contribute to health may be easier to achieve.

You know what you're supposed to do: exercise daily, ditch junk food, get more sleep, and stay vigilant about every aspect of your health. It's a nonstop commitment that seems like a major undertaking if you've fallen behind. But putting off a healthy lifestyle increases the risk for developing chronic disease and jeopardizes your independence.

Rather than identifying big ways to improve your health, and then procrastinating, focus on small tasks that won't overwhelm you. Try a quick fix once in a while — or all the time if it applies. The more you do, the better you'll feel.

Ask the doctor

Q. With the holidays coming, I may be tempted to drink more than usual — maybe enough to have a hangover the next morning. I'm wondering if a hangover could actually damage my brain.

A. There have been a few scientific studies of that question. Recently, a team of scientists examined those existing studies, involving over 1,100 people, and came to some tentative conclusions, published online August 25 by the journal Addiction.

News briefs

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A French study published Aug. 21, 2018, in The Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that the more steps you take to boost your heart health, the lower your risk for developing dementia. Researchers evaluated health and lifestyle data for more than 6,000 men free of dementia and heart disease men in their 70s to see how they were doing when it came to following seven steps recommended by the American Heart Association: not smoking; controlling weight; getting regular physical activity; eating a healthy diet (that included fish twice a week or more, and fruits and vegetables at least three times per day); and maintaining healthy blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. Researchers also conducted psychological testing on participants at various times. After eight years, it appeared that men who followed five to seven of the healthy habits had the least risk (8%) for developing dementia during the study, compared with men who followed two or fewer habits (they had a 13% risk). The study was observational and doesn't prove that following heart-healthy habits will lower your dementia risk. But many other studies have made similar connections. The takeaway: It's not too late to try to prevent dementia.

Common mental health disorders are linked to a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. Learn to spot the warning signs.

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Heart disease and mental health issues are both common. So it's not surprising that these problems often occur together. But are people with depression or anxiety more prone to developing cardiovascular disease?

Teasing out the answer to that question has proved tricky. Some factors known to contribute to a higher risk of heart disease (for example, an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, and smoking) are also common in people with mental health issues. Now, new research that adjusts for those potentially confounding factors suggests the answer is yes.

This reversible heart condition — which often mimics a heart attack — is being recognized with increasing frequency.

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The term "broken heart" usually conjures up the sad ending of a love affair. In fact, the death of a spouse is a commonly cited trigger for broken-heart syndrome — a temporary weakening of the heart that causes symptoms similar to a heart attack. Also known as stress cardiomyopathy, the condition usually results from severe physical or emotional stress, though sometimes there is no identifiable trigger. Although rare, it's now being recognized much more often than in the past.

"Stress cardiomyopathy was not on anyone's radar screen 25 years ago," says Patrick O'Gara, a cardiologist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. Japanese doctors who first described the condition in the early 1990s called it takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Why? During an episode, the heart takes on an unusual shape that resembles a tako-tsubo (octopus pot), a traditional clay vessel a fisherman uses to trap an octopus.

The number of people with dementia is expected to climb to 50 million in the coming decades, but understanding the connection between vascular health and cognitive health allows people the opportunity to adopt heart-healthy habits that can also reduce their risk of dementia.

Ask the doctor

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Q. The Harvard Health Letter has often said that it is generally healthy for women to have one alcoholic drink per day. Yet I hear a recent study showed no benefit. What's the truth?

A. Before answering your question, let's define "one drink": it's 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. And it means having one drink each day of the week, not having seven drinks on Saturday night, sleeping it off Sunday, and begging off until next Saturday night. Now, despite the recent study, we stick with what we've said, which reflects the research of outstanding nutrition scientists at Harvard and elsewhere.

Sometimes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is behind issues with memory and task completion.

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You may be concerned about your memory if you notice that you're struggling to keep track of items you use each day, getting sidetracked when doing chores and other tasks, and tuning out during conversations. But it could be that you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a brain wiring difference once recognized only in children. In adults, ADHD often produces problems with memory and attention rather than hyperactivity.

"Two to three percent of people in their 60s or older have traits of ADHD that are impairing," says Dr. Craig Surman, a neuropsychiatrist and ADHD researcher at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital and co-author of the Harvard Health Publishing book FASTMINDS: How to Thrive If You Have ADHD (or think you might).

You have many alternatives for treating and controlling pain.

The opioid epidemic continues to rise in America, and a 2017 report from the National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly suggests the crisis now affects more older adults.

A main reason for the growing addiction to pain medicine is the ease with which it is often prescribed, according to Dr. Robert Jamison, a professor of anesthesia and psychiatry with Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.