Headache pill cuts Parkinson’s risk

A study by the University of California states that over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen can reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease. The researchers studied 579 men and women from California, half of whom had Parkinson’s disease. They were asked if they had taken aspirin or ibuprofen once a week or more at any point in their life for at least one month. Those who took two or more pills a week for at least one month were considered regular users. The researchers found that regular users of such drugs, which ease the pain of arthritis and headaches, were much less likely to have Parkinson’s than non-users or sporadic users. Women who took aspirin regularly lowered their risk of Parkinson’s disease by nearly 40 per cent.

Screen violence tied to aggression in boys
Boys aged 2 to 5 who viewed an hour of on-screen violence a day increased their chances of being overly aggressive later in childhood, a study said. The association was not seen in girls. Of 184 boys in the study, 25 had serious problems with aggression and for each hour on average per day they had watched violent TV. They were three times more likely to be aggressive than those who did not watch violent programming. The researchers analysed the television viewing habits of these children and then assessed their behaviour five years later. The association between violent programming and overly aggressive behaviour was, however, not found among the 146 girls in the study, who tended to watch more educational and non violent shows than the boys.

Yoga boosts health in heart patients
According to a study, an eight week regimen of yoga proved safe for patients with chronic heart problems and helped reduce signs of inflammation. Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta who measured the effects of an eight week yoga regimen on 19 heart failure patients found the exercise routine reduced markers of inflammation associated with heart failure while also improving exercise tolerance and quality of life. The study found significant differences in biological markers in the blood between patients who completed the yoga therapy and those who received standard medical therapy. Patients on the yoga therapy completed the regimen without any complications and saw a 26 per cent decrease in symptoms on a standard assessment the measures quality of life in heart failure patients, compared to a 3 per cent decrease of the patients on the medical therapy alone.
—Reuters