Bed2U

Published: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 8:47 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 8:47 p.m. It’s no secret that nothing lasts forever.

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Magazine posits a biological basis for insomnia: A 2007 poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that 67 percent of women frequently experience sleep problems[y]et 75 percent of sleep research has been done …

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Canada.com

Bug phobia can be overcome Canada.com, Canada - 7 hours ago For example, Bateman once had a client who had to vacuum her entire bedroom — under and over the bed, moving the dresser and other furniture to get at …

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An extract of artichoke leaf – typically used to soothe indigestion or irritable bowel syndrome – may help keep your cholesterol in check, recent research from the University of Reading indicates.

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Bedbugs Biting Nation's Returning College Students NBC6.net, FL - Aug 29, 2008 College students across the country are now taking that old adage very seriously: Don't let the bedbugs bite. From coast to coast, students are swarming …

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Bedbugs Biting Nation's Returning College Students NBC6.net, FL - 16 hours ago College students across the country are now taking that old adage very seriously: Don't let the bedbugs bite. From coast to coast, students are swarming … First come, first served Boston Globe all 7 news articles

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It’s back-to-school time for bedbugs MSNBC - 20 hours ago But Cooper told Lauer that college campuses are a virtual perfect storm for bed bugs to thrive and grow in numbers. Schools such as Stanford and Ohio State …

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Bed bugs call-outs rocket Peterborough Today, UK - 23 hours ago Owner of Barford Pest Control Services Ron Barford said that over the past two years the number of call outs to deal with bedbugs in Peterborough has risen …

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The fast pace of life in modern-day America promotes competition, excellence and inevitable sleep deprivation.

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 9:20 a.m. The National Sleep Foundation estimates about 20 percent of American children snore occasionally and 10 percent snore on most nights.

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Bed bugs take bite out of New Haven apartments WTNH, CT - Aug 28, 2008 By News Channel 8's Annie Rourke New Haven (WTNH) — People living in one Elm City apartment complex say they have unwanted guests: bed bugs. …

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Hamden bed bugs stopped before spreading WTNH, CT - Aug 28, 2008 Hamden (WTNH) — A bed-bug problem appears to have been 'nipped in the bud' and stopped before it could spread. The bugs were found in three units of a …

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A new study in the Journal of Sleep Research suggests that taking sleeping pills increases the risk of cancer, especially skin cancer. My friend and colleague Dr. Daniel Kripke from the University of California San Diego and Scripps Clinic Sleep Center did the analysis and has just published the findings.

 By way of background, there are many studies that link sleeping pill use with increased mortality, and there are no studies that suggest that sleeping pill use prolongs life. There are also studies that show that people who sleep more than 9 or less than 6 hours each night have increased mortality, so it becomes complicated to understand what is causing what. Most of these studies involved thousands of people and were retrospective.

The most important factor in the new study is that the data were taken from publically available tables from the FDA about the testing done to get the sleeping pills available. These research studies were prospective randomized placebo controlled trials—the best type of study to prove the effect of a medication. People with insomnia who entered the studies were randomly assigned to either the sleeping pill or to placebo, and then the effect of the drug on sleep was assessed, as well as any side effects. Typically, any illness that occurs during the study is reported as a side effect, and then the number of such illnesses is compared to those illnesses in the placebo group to see if there is a difference.

The new paper looked only at the newest sleeping pill, ramelteon (Rozerem), zolpidem (Ambien), eszopiclone (Lunesta), and zaleplon (Sonata). The various trials were assessed separately and after they were combined, and included over 6100 people who took medication and about 2500 people who took placebo. There were 8 cancers in the drug group and none in the placebo group; there were 4 tumors of uncertain malignancy, and none in the placebo group. When combined, the results were statistically significant.

It appeared that the most typical cancers were skin cancers, but after the initial analysis, the FDA re-audited the case files and this quote from the FDA is in the addendum of the paper: “We counted a total of 11 organ-specific and 2 non-specific cancers occurring in the randomized portions of the trial. These included a 1 GI  neoplasm, 1 uterine neoplasm, 2 skin cancers, and 7 basal cell carcinomas. “ Although this strengthens the association of sleeping pills with the development of cancer, the FDA does “not believe the data discussed in our review provides sufficient evidence of a causal association to recommend a specific regulatory action at this time. “ Indeed, as pointed out by Dr. Kripke, there are many limitations to this study. It does, however, suggest a possible public health issue.

The take home message? Don’t take sleeping pills if you can avoid them, even the newer ones. No medicine is completely risk-free. Even the aspirin and the Tylenol sold everywhere can rarely cause serious side effects. Like so many things in medicine, the long-term side effects are difficult to assess, and even though there is no obvious reason how or why a sleeping pill could cause cancer, it is nonetheless possible. Now, there is even some scientific evidence for it, and this possibility should be weighed against the benefit that one receives from taking the medications.

J. Steven Poceta MD is a licensed practitioner of neurology and sleep disorders who has been engaged by Revolution Health. No information in this blog is intended to diagnose or treat any condition. The opinions expressed here are Dr. Poceta’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Revolution Health.

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“I think it really improves the quality of life for the child and the child’s mood … and certainly that has important implications for … the well-being of the family in general,” Honaker says.

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Huge PR Firm Concerned About Fox News' Bug Problem Gawker, NY - 55 minutes ago Generally active only at dawn, adult bedbugs are reddish-brown, flattened and wingless. The bugs are attracted to human warmth and the presence of carbon …

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