Surviving breast cancer

        42 percent of almost 400 breast cancer survivors who had been disease-free for an average of nine years cited stress as one of the main causes of their breast cancer. Only 27 percent blamed genetics. And 60 percent of the women felt their positive attitude helped keep the breast cancer from returning, followed by diet (50 percent), exercise (40 percent), stress reduction (28 percent), prayer (26 percent), complementary therapies (11 percent) luck (4 percent) and tamoxifen (4 percent). The study, published in the March issue of Psycho-Oncology, was conducted at University Health Network and the University of Toronto.

Counseling underused

        Cancer specialists and nurses feel cancer counseling and support services are highly effective, but the services are underused by patients, according to a study from the Oregon Research Institute. Researchers found that while 68 percent of breast, colon and prostate cancer patients said they were aware of the cancer counseling services offered by their HMO, only 8 percent used it. Patients reported they already had enough support (32 percent); they didn't know services existed (25 percent); and their physician didn't recommend the services (13 percent.) But physicians with the HMO said they referred 70 percent of their patients to the services and estimated 40 percent of the patients referred used the services. Researchers suggested physicians weren't being clear enough in recommending the services, perhaps just providing a brochure about the programs instead of discussing it with them.

Protection against stroke

        Feeling happy and hopeful seems to be powerful protection against the risk of stroke, researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch say. In fact, the study suggests, a happy outlook may be more powerful in preventing stroke than depression is in increasing the risk for stroke. The study, published in the March/April issue of Psychosomatic Medicine,followed almost 2,500 men and women 65 and older for six years. Patients who scored highly for emotional well-being had a stroke incidence that was one-third of patients who scored low. But patients who scored high for depressive symptoms showed only slightly higher incidence of stroke than patients who showed little or no sign of depression. The differences associated with positive feelings were more pronounced in men than women and in whites than African-Americans.

Depression and smoking

        A study from the University of Pittsburgh says depression and anger are associated with hardening of the arteries in women, partly through physical and behavioral factors like smoking, bad cholesterol levels and obesity. The study suggests that psychological factors aren't just red flags for heart disease risk, but may also offer clues on how to reduce risk through behavior changes. Women in the study with the most depression symptoms were 2.5 times more like to smoke than women with the least depression symptoms. Depressed women were also less likely to exercise or be physically fit. Women who scored the highest for expressing their anger were most likely to have high levels of low-density lipoproteins (bad cholesterol) and low levels of high-density lipoproteins (good cholesterol). They were also more likely to be overweight or obese.

Tests get at glaucoma
       

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