by Martin Flynn
INSOMNIAC BRITAIN
Latest research confirms Britain is a nation of insomniacs
with HIV positive people particularly suffering. Sleep disturbance leads to
increased levels of depression and poor adherence to antiretroviral drugs.
According to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, two
thirds of the population think we are less happy than previous generations
because of high stress levels. Insomnia is regarded as a main symptom.
The research found that more than 12 million people in Britain experienced
at least three bad nights’ sleep each week; 13 per cent said their bed
partners regularly disturbed their sleep and one in 10, or 4.5 million people,
regularly suffered from nightmares. More women than men experienced bad night’s
sleep (42 to 32 per cent).
Tony Blair was dreamed about more than any other politician, but two per cent
had a nightmare about him. The Queen did not feature in anyone’s dreams.
Of celebrities dreamed about, Jude law and Brad Pitt came top.
A separate study from researchers at London’s Imperial College found
depression to be a major cause of insomnia in people with HIV.
Some doctors have theorised that antiretroviral medications or drug and alcohol
abuse are behind the sleep deprivation. But the Imperial study found that
a staggering 73 per cent of HIV patients suffer from insomnia and people with
psychological problems, such as depression or anxiety, suffer most.
“Given that psychiatric disorders are often missed in general medical
setting, an important first step would be to improve the management of anxiety
and depression in people with HIV infection,” the authors conclude.
Meanwhile, a study of over 1,700 HIV positive people in Denver found that
adherence in depressed patients was greatly improved by antidepressant treatment.
But a new study from the UK Medical Health Foundation (MHF) found exercise
could be a more effective treatment for depression than taking more pills.
“Society needs to be educated about the benefits of exercise in treating
mild or moderate depression,” said MHF chief executive Dr Andrew McCulloch.
“And GPs need to be made aware that exercise referral is available,”
he added.
l ‘Sleeping Well’, a new leaflet from the Royal College of Psychiatrists,
is available online at: www.rcpsych.ac.uk/info/help/sleep/sleep.pdf
LIQUORICE CAN STOP HERPES-RELATED CANCER
A compound in liquorice may help
to stop people with a herpes virus from developing cancer, research from New
York University suggests.
The study found that glycyrrhizic acid, found in liquorice, could stop the
virus (HHV-8) from triggering Kaposi’s sarcoma.
The infection causes lesions and sometimes tumours in people with depressed
immune systems and is a particular problem in gay men with difficult-to-treat
anal sores; easily spread by touch and almost impossible to get rid of.
The New York team showed glycyrrhizic acid could kill cells harbouring the
herpes virus by disrupting the action of key genes which control the virus’
ability to stay lurking in the cells with the potential to trigger disease.
They are now working on an anti-viral agent that specifically targets the
genes of the virus while it is in the latent state.
Liquorice, derived from the root of Glycyrrhiza Glabra, has been used for
more than 4,000 years as a flavouring agent in foods, beverages and tobacco.
It is also used as an alternative medicine to treat gastric and duodenal ulcers,
sore throat, coughs, bronchitis, arthritis and some allergic diseases.
ARE YOU ORTHOREXIC?
With all the recent fuss about eating healthily, a new syndrome
has entered medical literature.
Orthorexia nervosa is an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating and, unlike
the related anorexia, sufferers are concerned not with quantity but with quality.
It’s not so much about feeling fat, but about feeling pure.
Orthorexics exhibit an over-enthusiasm for pure eating and healthy foods which
can be beneficial in moderation, but in extremis can lead to weight loss and
malnutrition.
Dr Steven Bradman told BBC News that excessive meal planning was an early
symptom and experiencing guilt and self-loathing over a small piece of chocolate
led to an escalation of phobias.
“Most resort to an iron self-discipline bolstered by a hefty dose of
superiority over those who eat junk food,” Dr Bradman said.
NEW CONTACT LENSES CUT INFECTIONS
Sleeping
in contact lenses carries a significant risk of severe eye infection
(keratitis), but a new generation of silicone hydrogel lenses cut the risk
fivefold, research has found.
The study from the British Journal of Opthalmology, based on interviewing
every patient attending Manchester’s Royal Eye Hospital over a year,
found those wearing hydrogel lenses were much less likely to catch severe
eye infections.
Three million people wear contact lenses in the UK and in the last few years
there has been a significant shift from long-term usage, involving washing
in peroxide and rinsing in distilled water, to throwaway once-a-day lenses.
Lens wearers who used disposable lenses were found to have less serious eye
infections than those who cleaned and re-used their lenses.
