Turn up the tunes
A new study shows that listening to music can play an important role in alleviating pain and helping in the recovery process following surgery. The study, which was carried out by a team of researchers from several institutions–including Queen Mary University of London, Brunel University, and the BartsHealth NHS Trust–involved an examination of 72 randomized trials about the impact of music on pain. Researchers compared the way music impacted pain with medications specifically designed for pain relief. Researchers found that listening to music visibly reduced pain associated with surgery. In fact, those participants who listened to music required fewer painkillers and generally felt better than people who did not listen to music.
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Drinking and driving threat continues
Drinking and driving continues to represent a serious health threat in the United States. The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released earlier this month showed that alcohol-related traffic accidents represented roughly one-third of all fatal accidents reported in the U.S. A study recently carried out by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), involved an examination of data collected through 2012’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The results revealed that approximately 4.2 million American adults had driven under the influence within the past month. Adjusted to fit the entire U.S. population, the survey suggests more than 120 million Americans may be driving drunk at least once per month.
