ALL ABOUT HEALTH -

25Mar 2023 by Janice Holland

Mental Health Virtual Visits Surge During Pandemic

Main

Expanded access to telemedicine visits helped to meet the surging need for mental health care during the coronavirus pandemic, a study of more than 100 million outpatient visits in the United States suggests.For the study, researchers compared trends in outpatient mental health care before the pandemic — from 2016 to 2018 — to what happened in 2020 when stay-at-home orders limited access to care. The number of in-person visits declined 22 percent in March 2020 compared with the same period in pre-pandemic years, followed by plunges of 50 percent in April and 56 percent in May.But starting in April 2020, the total volume of mental health care visits exceeded pre-pandemic levels, driven by gains in telemedicine appointments that more than made up for the loss of in-person encounters, researchers reported…

25Mar 2023 by Janice Holland

How You Feed Your Pets Can Make Them and You Sick

Main

For most of us, food safety habits — like washing our hands before preparing a meal and giving our plate a rinse before placing it in the dishwasher — are second nature. But would it surprise you to know that you should be following those same protocols when feeding and cleaning up after your pet?A new study, published on April 6 in the journal PLoS One, found that most U.S. dog owners don’t know and don’t follow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines on safe pet food and dish handling. In this case, what you don’t know can hurt you. Contaminated pet food has been the source of multiple outbreaks of bacterial illness among dogs and humans, according to the authors.“Pet owners should know that pet food bowls can…

25Mar 2023 by Janice Holland

Avian (Bird) Flu Outbreak Expands in the United States

Main

Although avian influenza (commonly referred to as bird flu) poses little threat to the public, health officials are keeping a wary eye on reported cases as highly infectious strains of this flu continue to spread in commercial poultry (such as chicken and turkey), backyard flocks, and wild birds.The United States Geological Survey on Tuesday confirmed detection of H5 and H5N1 avian viruses in 34 states. The Texas Animal Health Commission recently recorded the state’s first incidents of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) when the virus was discovered in a commercial pheasant flock in Erath County. In North Carolina, the department of agriculture this week suspended all poultry shows and public sales until further notice as infections broadened there.An estimated 22.8 million birds have been lost so far this year because of…

25Mar 2023 by Janice Holland

Consistent Exercise Linked to More Heart Health Benefits for People Who Suffer From Anxiety and Stress, Study Finds

Main

Most of us already know exercise can do wonders for our physical and emotional health, and reduce the risk of contracting a number of diseases. But new research shows that exercising holds even more heart health benefits for people who suffer from anxiety, stress, and depression.In a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 71st Annual Scientific Session in April, researchers found that regular physical activity had nearly doubled the cardiovascular benefit in individuals with depression or anxiety, compared with individuals without those diagnoses.According to the research, people who accomplished the recommended amount of physical activity per week (150 minutes) were 17 percent less likely to suffer a major adverse cardiovascular event than those who exercised less. Out of the people who achieved the recommended amount of 150 minutes per…

25Mar 2023 by Janice Holland

Hotter Summer Nights Tied to More Heart-Related Deaths in Men

Main

Just a slight uptick in summer temperatures may be enough to make a lot more middle-aged men die of heart attacks, a new study suggests.Extreme and prolonged heat waves have long been linked to an increased risk of hospitalizations and deaths from cardiovascular disease events like heart attacks and strokes, particularly in regions of the world where temperatures are typically milder. But much of this research has been inconclusive about how age and sex influence the odds of these heart-related deaths.For the new study, researchers examined 15 years of data on 39,912 heart-related summertime deaths among men and women in England and Wales and 488 similar fatalities among U.S. men in the Seattle metropolitan area. These places are at parallel latitudes, with comparable climates and similarly low usage of residential air-conditioning, the…

24Mar 2023 by Janice Holland

Experimental Gene Therapy May Help Fight Inherited High Cholesterol

Main

A new gene therapy may one day be used to reduce blood levels of lipoprotein(a) in individuals who have inherited forms of high cholesterol that cause heart disease early in life, judging by the results of a small clinical trial.The injected drug — so new it’s labeled SLN360 and has not yet been named — works by deactivating the gene responsible for lipoprotein(a) production.Patients who received higher doses of this drug saw their lipoprotein(a) levels drop by as much as 98 percent, according to preliminary trial results published April 3 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Five months later, these patients still had lipoprotein(a) levels 71 to 81 percent lower than before they received the drug.“You can’t alter lipoprotein(a) with diet or lifestyle changes. Historically, it’s been…

24Mar 2023 by Janice Holland

CDC Report Highlights Worsening Mental Health Crisis Among U.S. Teens

Main

American teens were struggling with increasing rates of poor mental health even before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Now a report offers fresh evidence of the numerous ways disruptions to home and school routines during the past two years have made things much worse.More than one-third of high school students suffered from poor mental health last year, and 44 percent of them experienced such persistent sadness and hopelessness that they stopped doing their usual activities, according to report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One in five teens seriously considered suicide, and almost 1 in 10 tried to kill themselves.For many teens, home wasn’t a refuge when the pandemic forced schools to close. More than half of teens reported emotional abuse at home — including parents who…

24Mar 2023 by Janice Holland

‘Dirty Dozen’ List Highlights Produce With Most Pesticides

Main

Strawberries and spinach remain the two produce items with the highest levels of pesticides, according to the Environmental Working Group’s 2022 Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce.They’re followed on the list by leafy greens — kale, collard, and mustard — nectarines, apples, grapes, bell and hot peppers, cherries, peaches, pears, celery, and tomatoes.“Everyone should eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, no matter how they’re grown,” said Alexis Temkin, PhD, an ecologist at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), in a statement.“But shoppers have the right to know what potentially toxic substances are found on these foods, so they can make the best choices for their families,” Dr. Temkin said.Whole fruits and vegetables are packed with healthy nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. A diet rich in fruits and veggies can…

24Mar 2023 by Janice Holland

Some Early Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s May Show Up in Your Thirties

Main

If you ignore your blood sugar and cholesterol levels early in adulthood, you may miss out on opportunities to minimize your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease down the line.A low level of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol — the “good” kind that reduces the risk of heart disease by clearing blood vessels of fats and debris — has long been linked to an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in older adults. So has high blood sugar.But much of this earlier research focused on people who had unhealthy blood levels of sugar or cholesterol in middle age. Now a study suggests that cholesterol and blood sugar levels in earlier adulthood also predicts future Alzheimer’s disease risk.The study, published March 23 in Alzheimer’s and Dementia, followed 4,932 adults over several…

24Mar 2023 by Janice Holland

Brain Implant Helps ‘Locked-In’ Man With Paralysis Communicate Again

Main

People who are completely paralyzed, without any ability to walk, talk, or blink, may one day be able to communicate with the aid of microchips implanted in their brains, preliminary test results suggest.Scientists tested a pair of brain microchips in a man in his thirties who has advanced amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease — a progressive neurodegenerative disease in which people lose the ability to move and talk. The man has locked-in syndrome, also known as pseudocoma. He’s conscious and can think and reason but can’t control his muscles to use traditional adaptive communication devices.Learning to Communicate Over 2 YearsThe man had a pair of microchips implanted in his brain to detect communication signals and transmit the data to a computer for processing. Over two…