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On the Brain: Does a full bladder free your mind?This week there's a somewhat bizarre study about whether judgment improves after drinking copious amounts of water, as well as research in Alzheimer's disease and early childhood mental disorders. A little self-control Swimming, biking, and running his way off medsThree months ago I saw my personal physician and was started on three medications, two for high blood pressure and one for high LDL levels, the bad lipids. It was that day that I applied for the CNN Fit Nation Triathlon Challenge and decided that I needed to make a change in my life towards healthier living. My family history is strong for hypertension on my dad’s side of the family. It was no surprise that I would have problems as well. For years I had had borderline hypertension, even medicated for a couple years. When I lost a few pounds the BP improved and I was able to come off medications. Over the years the weight came back and the high blood pressure returned. When I saw my primary care provider in November my blood pressure was 140/98. That is the highest that it has ever been and I was promptly started on my medications. FDA targets unapproved prescription cold medsCompanies that make, distribute or market unapproved prescription cough, cold and allergy medications were put on notice Wednesday by the Food and Drug Administration that their products can't be legally marketed in the United States. The FDA says the safety, effectiveness and quality of 27 active ingredients in approximately 500 unapproved drugs have not been evaluated by the agency. Deborah Autor, director of the Office of Compliance in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said the agency doesn't know what's in these drugs or how they were made. Sheen has us asking: What's bipolar?Over the last couple days, I have found it interesting how many people have watched the antics and interviews with Charlie Sheen, and immediately diagnosed him as either being on drugs or in the middle of a manic episode. Could be – but who knows, maybe it is all a big ruse. His erratic behavior is not in question, but arriving at a diagnosis based on a TV interview is impossible. In fact, my colleagues in the psychiatry community say it can be challenging even after completing a full assessment. Bipolar disorder is characterized by the occurrence of at least one manic episode during the patient’s lifetime. Most patients also, at other times, have one or more |
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love. ![]() ![]() |
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