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Massage can reduce anxiety, but no better than a cheaper approach — simply relaxing while listening to soft, soothing music.

A new study shows that patients, on average, had half the symptoms of anxiety three months after getting a series of 10 hour-long massages. But researchers were surprised to find that massages didn’t reduce anxiety anymore than lying down and listening to enjoyable music.

“We were surprised to find that the benefits of massage were no greater than those of the same number of sessions of … listening to relaxing music,” Karen J. Sherman, a senior investigator at Group Health Research Institute, said in a news release from the institute. “This suggests that the benefits of massage may be due to a generalized relaxation response.”

The study is the first to examine the effectiveness of massage as a treatment for patients with generalized anxiety disorder.

The researchers randomly assigned 68 patients with anxiety to one of three treatments. Some received 10 one-hour massages as music played, while others breathed deeply while lying down and listening to music. Patients in a third group had their arms and legs wrapped with heating pads and warm towels as they listened to music.

The groups didn’t show any difference in their level of relief after three months.

“Treatment in a relaxing room is much less expensive than the other treatments [massage or thermotherapy], so it might be the most cost-effective option for people with generalized anxiety disorder who want to try a relaxation-oriented complementary medicine therapy,” Sherman said.

The findings were published recently in the journal Depression and Anxiety.

If you’re pregnant and having trouble remembering things, a new study suggests it might not be just you.

British researchers found that pregnant women had more trouble remembering the positions of objects as the birth of their child neared.

The women even had trouble with what’s called spatial recognition memory — the ability to know where things are in the world — for at least three months after birth.

“Forgetfulness and slips of attention are phenomena commonly reported by pregnant women, but scientists have yet to identify a specific mechanism by which this memory impairment might occur. Indeed, some question whether the reported memory loss exists at all,” researcher Diane Farrar said in a news release from the Society for Endocrinology.

Farrar and her colleagues at Bradford Institute for Health Research in the United Kingdom studied 23 pregnant women and 24 women who weren’t pregnant. The women took computer tests to see how well they could learn rules and plan moving things within a space, and whether they remembered previously seen patterns and locations.

The researchers found that pregnant women did significantly worse on the tests, and also had higher levels of anxiety and depression.

What’s going on? “Mood and level of anxiety improved following pregnancy, suggesting hormonal influences may be responsible. More research is now needed to identify the neurological effects of pregnancy to help guide future research and provide information for women and those involved in maternity care,” Farrar said.

The findings were presented this week at the Society for Endocrinology conference in Manchester, England.

More needs to be done to prevent a rising tide of infections related to acupuncture, researchers from the University of Hong Kong say.

In a commentary, published online in BMJ, Patrick Woo and his colleagues stressed that “to prevent infections transmitted by acupuncture, infection control measures should be implemented, such as use of disposable needles, skin disinfection procedures, and aseptic techniques. Stricter regulation and accreditation requirements are also needed.”

Five percent to 10 percent of acupuncture patients who develop certain kinds of bacterial infections go on to experience serious complications, the authors pointed out. These can include joint deterioration, flesh-eating disease and even paralysis and organ failure.

Other problems related to acupuncture infection include hepatitis B transmission and perhaps even transmission of hepatitis C and HIV, Woo said in a news release. There’s also a new syndrome, called acupuncture mycobacteriosis, which can occur when contaminated items such as cotton swabs or towels come into contact with the needle-insertion point. This infection can lead to abscesses and ulcers.

The experts urge more funding to promote proper infection-control guidelines for acupuncture, which is one of the most widely practiced forms of alternative medicine.

Medicare Part D Plan coverage gap prices for widely used brand name drugs rose in 2010, and price increases since 2006 have far exceeded the rate of inflation, a new study finds.

Kaiser Family Foundation researchers checked the Medicare Web site for prices of commonly used brand-name drugs without a generic substitute for enrollees in stand-alone prescription drug plans. The prices are how much enrollees would pay for a 30-day supply of a drug after they reach the coverage gap (which begins after total drug spending reaches $3,610) and before they qualify for catastrophic coverage.

Among the findings:
The price of the osteoporosis drug Actonel increased 8 percent between 2009 and 2010, from $91 to $98 per month. Since 2006, the price of the drug has increased 39 percent.
The price of the Alzheimer’s drug Aricept increased 7 percent between 2009 and 2010, from $184 to $198 per month. Since 2006, the price has increased 41 percent.
The price of the anti-clotting drug Plavix increased 7 percent between 2009 and 2010, from $142 to $152 per month. Since 2006, the price has risen 25 percent.

People enrolled in Part D plans who reach the coverage gap have significant out-of-pocket expenses before they qualify for catastrophic coverage, the researchers said in a Kaiser news release. For example, an elderly women taking Actonel, Aricept and Plavix would spend $448 per month in 2010 after she reached the coverage gap, which would take about six months. She would remain in the coverage gap for the rest of the year.