A common antiseizure drug used to treat epilepsy, migraines and bipolar disorder does not appear to increase the risk of autism for kids exposed to it in the womb, a new study says. Topiramate does not contribute to any risk of kids developing autism if their moms took it during pregnancy, researchers report in the New England Journal of Medicine. “Our findings provide needed clarity on the possible neurodevelopmental impacts of this commonly used drug,” lead researcher Dr. Sonia Hernández-Díaz, a professor of epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a news release. “While our primary analyses focused on mothers with epilepsy, the study has implications for moms and moms-to-be who live with other conditions treated by topiramate as well,” she added. Topiramate can treat epilepsy and migraine by calming overactive nerves in a person’s body, experts say. Another antiseizure drug, lamotrigine, also is safe for expectant mothers to take, researchers found. However, a third drug, valproate, does appear to increase risk of autism in kids, results show. The results for lamotrigine and valproate are consistent with earlier studies. Nearly 11% of kids exposed to valproate in the womb developed autism, and the risk increased as moms took larger doses of the drug, researchers report. Researchers also noted that while topiramate appears safe for a baby’s developing brains, it remains linked…  read on >  read on >

Stressed out, anxious or desperately needing to recharge? Grab some knitting needles and a pretty ball of yarn — Swedish research shows yarncraft improves mental health without medication. “Knitters have a creative leisure interest that can also help them cope with life and so improve their mental health,” said first author Joanna Nordstrand, an occupational therapist pursuing doctoral studies at the University of Gothenburg. “I’m convinced that this is part of the reason why so many people have taken up knitting these days.” Nordstrand, who is among them, explored the mental health benefits of knitting in a study recently published in the Journal of Occupational Science. For the study, she reviewed 600 posts from the online fiber arts forum Ravelry, where stitching buffs gather to discuss their hobby.  Reinforcing a picture emerging from other studies, their posts revealed three ways in which knitting boosts health. The hobby helps folks unwind, gives them an identity as a knitter in a social context with low stakes. It can also bring structure to people’s lives — which benefits mental health. In the posts, some knitters said they noticed the change in their mental health: When they were knitting, thinking was clearer and easier to manage. “The nurses were wanting to give me [an antianxiety medication] until I told them that I preferred knitting for the anxiety,” one knitter…  read on >  read on >

People with heart disease can stay healthier if they address their emotional problems as well as their physical ailments, a new study says. Treating anxiety and depression reduced ER visits and hospitalizations among patients with heart disease, researchers report in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Psychotherapy, mood-controlling medication or a combination of the two “was associated with as much as a 75% reduction in hospitalizations or emergency room visits,” said lead researcher Dr. Philip Binkley, executive vice chair of internal medicine at Ohio State University in Columbus. Anxiety and depression are common in people with heart failure, Binkley said in a news release, and mental health is known to impact a person’s risk of other health problems. “Heart disease and anxiety/depression interact such that each promotes the other,” he said. For this study, researchers looked at more than 1,500 people admitted to the hospital for blocked arteries or heart failure. About 92% of participants in the study had been diagnosed with anxiety and 56% with depression prior to their hospitalization. The patients were between 22 and 64 years old, and all were enrolled in Medicaid, researchers said. About 23% of patients received antidepressant drugs and psychotherapy, 15% received psychotherapy alone, 29% received antidepressants alone, and 33% received no mental health treatment. The study found that the combination of medication and talk therapy reduced…  read on >  read on >

For the first time, the United States has fallen out of the top 20 spots on the annual world’s happiest nations list. Americans are now No. 23, far behind the top five countries — Finland (No. 1), Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and Israel.  “The United States of America (23rd) has fallen out of the top 20 for the first time since the World Happiness Report (WHP) was first published in 2012, driven by a large drop in the wellbeing of Americans under 30,” the World Happiness Report said in a news release. The U.S. placed 15th in last year’s rankings. This decline may not come as a surprise to many Americans, with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy citing rising levels of anxiety and mental health issues among the young as a “devastating” crisis as far back as 2021. The new global happiness tally was issued to coincide with the United Nations’ International Day of Happiness. It’s based on citizens’ responses from more than 140 nations and is “powered by data from the Gallup World Poll and analysed by some of the world’s leading wellbeing scientists,” the WHP explained. Rounding out the top 10 countries on the list, beginning with No. 6, are The Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Australia. Canada placed 15th and the United Kingdom, No. 20.  At the bottom of the 143-nation list: Afghanistan. …  read on >  read on >

Planting trees and bushes near busy highways helps clear the air of harmful air pollutants from motor vehicles, new research affirms. “They provide benefits that go beyond aesthetics,” Roby Greenwald, an associate professor of public health at Georgia State University in Atlanta, said in a university news release. “But,” he added, “I don’t want to give anyone the impression that we can solve all of the problems associated with motor vehicle emissions simply by planting trees.” Greenwald is the lead author of a new study that sampled air quality along five Atlanta-area highways and interstates. The findings were recently published in the journal PLoS One. When air at sites with natural or ornamental vegetation was compared with that from similar sites without vegetation, the results were clear: Soot levels were 37% lower and ultrafine particles, 7% lower.  Vegetation doesn’t, however, reduce hazardous carbon dioxide emissions or ozone pollution, Greenwald emphasized. “Trees and bushes near roadways don’t solve the problem of air pollution caused by motor vehicles, but they can help reduce the severity of the problem,” he said in the news release. Motor vehicle exhaust has been linked to asthma, chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and heart attacks, and remedies are urgently needed, researchers said.  In the U.S., 45 million people live, work or go to school within 300 feet of a major highway, they pointed…  read on >  read on >