Natural Awakenings Twin Cities July 2023

health briefs
Close Relationships
May Influence
Physical Well-Being
A new study published in
Social Psychological and
Personality Science has
found that a person’s close
relationships may either
benefit or undermine
physical health. The threeweek
study involving
4,005 participants looked
at how both positive and
negative relationship experiences
affect the body,
and how daily fluctuations
in those interactions may influence changes in well-being,
as reflected in self-reported stress levels and coping
abilities, as well as blood pressure and heart rate reactivity
biomarkers.
The researchers observed that people with more positive
experiences and fewer negative ones reported lower
stress, improved coping skills and better physical functioning.
They also noted that ups and downs in negative
relationships were especially predictive of outcomes like
stress, coping and overall systolic blood pressure.
Seniors Want Fewer
Prescriptions
10 Twin Cities Edition NAtwincities.com
Photo by 13MoonsPublishingServices.com
In a new National Poll on Healthy Aging by the University of
Michigan involving adults aged 50 to 80, the vast majority
of respondents expressed an interest in cutting back
on prescription medications. Eighty percent would be
CGN089/ShutterStock.com
Mislabeled
Melatonin Gummies
New research published in
JAMA Network found that
melatonin gummies may
contain far more of the dietary
sleep aid supplement
than what is indicated on
the label. Researchers from
Cambridge Health Alliance
and the University of Mississippi
analyzed 25 different
melatonin gummies and
Angel Alexis LunaLarios/ShutterStock.com
found that 22 contained
a greater amount of melatonin
than stated on the label. One product contained
only three-quarters of the amount advertised on the label,
another contained 347 percent more than what was listed,
and one product contained no detectable melatonin.
These concerns come on the heels of a 2022 report
by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
which found a 530 percent increase in the number of
accidental pediatric ingestions of melatonin reported to
U.S. poison control centers over the last decade, resulting
in 27,795 emergency department and clinic visits, 4,097
hospitalizations, 287 intensive care unit admissions and
two deaths. Most ingestions were unintentional (94.3 percent).
Among those children with reported symptoms from
accidental melatonin ingestion, most involved the gastrointestinal,
cardiovascular or central nervous systems.
willing to stop taking one or more drugs if their healthcare
provider said it was possible, and 26 percent had already
stopped taking at least one drug they had been taking for
more than a year. When asked which meds they would be
most interested in stopping, 43 percent named their heart
disease pills for high blood pressure or high cholesterol,
13 percent mentioned diabetes medicines and 10 percent
included pain management prescriptions.
These results reflect a growing trend dubbed “deprescribing”.
According to Deprescribing.org, a researcher-led
online resource, it is the planned process of reducing or
stopping medications that may no longer be of benefit or
could be causing harm. The goal is to reduce medication
burden or harm while improving quality of life. Seniors
interested in cutting down on the drugs they are taking
should consult their healthcare provider to ensure it is safe
and helpful to do so.