ADHD CHILDREN HELPED BY SENSORY INTERVENTION
A study of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, shows sensory intervention, such as exercise, improves problem behaviors. Children receiving occupational therapy were 95 percent improved, according to Temple University researchers Kristie Koenig and Moya Kinnealey, who presented the findings at the American Occupational Therapy Association meeting in Long Beach, Calif. "Many children with ADHD also suffer from sensory processing disorder, a neurological underpinning that contributes to their ability to pay attention or focus," says Koenig. "They either withdraw from or seek out sensory stimulation like movement, sound, light and touch. This translates into troublesome behaviors at school and home."
OLDER PEOPLE REACT LESS AGGRESSIVELY
Older people are less likely than younger people to react aggressively when problems come up in their relationships, says a University of Michigan study. "Older people appear better able than younger people to pick their battles," says Kira Birditt. "When they're upset with others, older people are more likely to do nothing or to wait and see if things improve. Younger people, on the other hand, are more likely to argue and yell." The study, published in Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, finds people may become better able to regulate their responses to problems as they age.
BLACK CHILDREN MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM INJURY
A new study of 6,000 children suggests that black U.S. youth are more than twice as likely to die from a traumatic injury as are white children. "Trauma has a far greater impact on minority children than it does on white children," says study leader Jonathan Groner of Ohio State University. "As a group, black children tend to have more serious injuries." In fact, black children are also two to three times more likely to be admitted to the hospital because of a traumatic injury. The findings, published in the Journal of the National Medical Association, found black children were: nearly eight times more likely to sustain burns or gunshot wounds, seven times more likely to be struck by a car, six times more likely to be assaulted, and nearly five times as likely to drown.
RICE BRAIN OIL CUTS CHOLESTEROL
A natural component of rice bran oil lowers cholesterol in rats, and it may have potential as an anti-cancer and anti-infection agent. A study, published in the Food and Chemical Toxicology, says total cholesterol levels in animals dropped by 42 percent and bad cholesterol levels dropped up to 62 percent after their diets were supplemented with a form of vitamin E called tocotrienol rich fraction, or TRF, isolated from rice bran oil. TRF is derived from barley, oats, palm and rice bran. Scientists have not found any adverse effects of tocotrienols, says researcher Mohammad Minhajuddin, of the University of Rochester Medical Center. In addition, TRF reacts with liver enzymes clearing toxic substances, reducing or stabilizing liver tumors -- therefore tocotrienol might reduce overall cancer risk.
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(EDITORS: For more information on ADHD contact Eryn Jelesiewicz at 215-707-0730 or [email protected]. For Diane Swanbrow at 734-647-9069 or [email protected]. For BLACK CHILDREN, Jonathan Groner at 614-722-3919 or [email protected]. For CHOLESTEROL, Leslie Orr at 585-275-5774 or [email protected].)