Medical Notes: Week of August 12, 2018

Colonoscopies might cause more complications than we thought. A new study in the journal Gut shows that colonoscopies and upper GI endoscopies performed at outpatient specialty centers cause bacterial infections at a much higher rate than expected. Experts had thought that post-endoscopic infection rates with bacteria such as E. coli were one in a million. The new study shows the rate of infection is actually closer to one in a thousand. but experts say colonoscopies are still a good idea, the best bet to detect and even prevent colon cancer.

A glass of wine for dinner may increase a woman’s chance of developing PMS and several glasses each day may increase it by quite a bit. A study in the journal BMJ shows that women who drink alcohol at all are at a 45 percent higher risk of pre-menstrual syndrome, and those who consume more than one drink a day have a 79 percent higher risk. Overall, scientists say alcohol may be responsible for about one in 10 cases of PMS.

And finally… if you think the day ahead is going to be stressful your mind and body will be stressed all day long, even if the actual stresses never come. A study in the Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences shows that waking up anticipating a bad day impacts working memory, which helps people learn and retain information even when they’re distracted. Researchers say that can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy—a bad day of mistakes at work or even while driving.