ALL ABOUT HEALTH -

25Mar 2023 by Janice Holland

Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Linked to Vision Loss

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Older men who regularly use erectile dysfunction drugs may be more likely to develop serious side effects that can lead to vision loss and blindness, a new study suggests.Some isolated case reports and small studies have previously linked erectile dysfunction drugs to serious vision-related side effects. These include retinal detachment, when the retina lifts away from the back of the eye; retinal vascular occlusion, when clots block veins in the eye; and ischemic optic neuropathy, when blood stops flowing to the optic nerve. These conditions can come on suddenly, and lead to permanent vision loss if they aren’t treated quickly.For the new study, researchers wanted to assess the risks seen in these smaller studies by examining a much larger group of men over an average follow-up period of about four…

25Mar 2023 by Janice Holland

Looking for Happiness at Your Local Park? Go Big, Says Research

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As the weather warms up, it’s fitting that a new study has found that a simple walk in the park can boost your spirits and well-being.For the study, published March 30 in PLoS One, researchers combined data from social media and city parks in the 25 largest U.S. cities and found that park visitors experienced a “happiness benefit” that was roughly equivalent to the mood spike people feel on holidays like Thanksgiving or New Year’s Day. The results showed that the bigger the park, the bigger the benefit.“These new findings underscore just how essential nature is for our mental and physical health,” said a coauthor of the study, Taylor Ricketts, PhD, a professor and the director of the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont in Burlington, in a press…

25Mar 2023 by Janice Holland

Mental Health Virtual Visits Surge During Pandemic

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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…