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 Laughter not best medicine for COPD patients: studyLaughter causes a short-term decline in lung function among people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a new study. COPD is a progressive lung disorder that affects more than 12 million people in the United States and is the fourth leading cause of death in the nation, CBS News reported. This study included 46 COPD patients who underwent lung function tests immediately before and after watching a funny video or a home repair video. Those who watched the funny video had more air trapped in their lungs afterward, a sign of reduced lung function, the Ohio State University researchers said. "COPD is characterized by this increased air trapping, so our hypothesis was that laughter would reduce some of that trapped air," lead author Kim Lebowitz Feingold, a doctoral candidate, said in a written statement, CBS News reported. "But in hindsight, the findings make sense. With laughter, people also are introducing an increased amount of air into their lungs compared with a normal breath. These patients have trouble getting the air out, so they are taking in more air with laughter, but they cannot easily expire that air." Healthy diet too expensive for many americans: study The high cost of eating a healthy diet could make it difficult for many Americans to meet the country's updated nutritional guidelines, a new study says. The new guidelines encourage people to eat more foods containing dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin D and calcium. However, doing so would add hundreds of dollars to their annual grocery bill, according to the study in the journal Healthy Affairs. "We know more than ever about the science of nutrition, and yet we have not yet been able to move the needle on healthful eating," lead researcher Pablo Monsivais, an assistant professor, Department of Epidemiology and the School of Public Health, University of Washington, told the Associated Press. The researchers say the government needs to provide help to make it affordable for people to adhere to the nutritional guidelines. Pfizer may attempt OTC version of lipitor An over-the-counter version of the cholesterol-lowering statin drug Lipitor is being considered by Pfizer after it loses patient protection on the prescription version in November, a person with inside knowledge told The New York Times. Lipitor is the world's best-selling drug and selling an OTC version would reduce the financial hit Pfizer will suffer when the patent protection expires. However, it may be difficult for Pfizer to convince the Food and Drug Administration that consumers can take Lipitor without a doctor's supervision, The Times reported. Two other drug companies -- Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibb -- failed to get FDA approval for OTC versions of their statin drugs. Pfizer refused to comment on the matter, The Times reported. (Source: health.usnews)
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