Burnout: It’s a common enough concept, but how do you know if you’re experiencing it at work and at home? According to experts at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, a myriad of daily pressures placed on individuals can culminate in burnout. “Burnout is not a result of one singular thing,” explained Dr. Eric Storch, vice chair of psychology at Baylor. “Work, familial responsibilities and everyday stressors can all contribute to a sense of depleting motivation.”  Storch lists the common signs of burnout: a persistent sense of being mentally overwhelmed and stressed each day little sense of satisfaction at work or in the home, even during moments of success physical tension and difficulties relaxing chronic sleep issues fatigue that doesn’t ease There are ways to help prevent or ease burnout. Having honest conversations about issues is crucial, Storch said. “If you find that you are beginning to show signs of becoming burned out at work, speak with a trusted colleague for their advice or talk to a supervisor about what you both can do to change your work environment into one that allows for a healthier balance between personal and professional responsibilities,” he advised in a Baylor news release.   If you believe that someone else is suffering from burnout, reaching out to them in the correct way is key. First off, be clear that…  read on >  read on >

If all cars and trucks sold in America were “zero emission” by 2040 and the country’s electric grid was also powered by clean energy, nearly 2.8 million child asthma attacks would be prevented annually, a new report finds. The American Lung Association (ALA) report also estimates that with cleaner air, 508 infant lives would also be saved each year. A nationwide shift to clean energy would also result in: almost 2.7 million fewer cases of upper respiratory illnesses in kids annually Almost 1.9 million fewer cases of lower respiratory pediatric illnesses 147,000 fewer cases of bronchitis in kids “Air pollution harms children’s health and well-being today, and the transportation sector is a leading source of air pollution,” said ALA president Harold Wimmer. “Vehicle emissions are also nation’s biggest source of carbon pollution that drives climate change and associated public health harms.” It’s not just about the direct effect of auto exhaust on young lungs, Wimmer stressed. Fossil fuels are also a key driver of climate change, which is having its own effects on child health, he explained. “As families across the country have experienced in recent months, climate change increases air pollution, extreme weather, flooding events, allergens, as well as heat and drought, leading to greater risk of wildfires,” Wimmer said in an ALA news release. “Kids are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate…  read on >  read on >

Unexpected medical bills and high health care costs are dominating an election where kitchen table economic problems weigh heavily on voter’s minds, a new KFF poll has found. Voters struggling to pay their monthly bills are most eager to hear presidential candidates talk about economic and health care issues, according to the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll. Nearly three in four adults are worried about being able to afford unexpected medical bills (74%) and the cost of health care services (73%), the poll found. More than half also said the same about paying for prescription drugs (55%), as well as other everyday expenses like gas, utilities, food and housing. About half of voters (48%) said health care costs are a major reason for their negative views of the economy, and heath care worries top the list, regardless of partisanship. Overall, two-thirds of voters (67%) view the economy negatively, but Republican voters are more than twice as likely as Democratic voters to hold such negative views, the poll found. The poll also found that one in five adults (19%) have trouble affording their monthly bills, and another four in 10 (37%) can just afford their monthly bills. Those groups had very different views than those who said they can pay their bills with money left over. They are more likely to view the national economy negatively,…  read on >  read on >

A popular asthma inhaler was discontinued on Jan. 1, and the business move has left families scrambling to find a replacement for their kids. Flovent was one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for childhood asthma, but maker GSK took it off shelves to replace it with a generic version, fluticasone. The problem is that many insurance companies haven’t added fluticasone to their list of covered medications, CNN reported. Parents and doctors are now being required to fill out paperwork to get fluticasone, even though it’s the same drug kids have been using for years. In some cases, insurers are requiring patients to show they’ve tried other asthma drugs already on their approved list — and that those drugs haven’t worked — before approving fluticasone, CNN reported. “The discontinuation of Flovent has been an unmitigated disaster,” Dr. Christopher Oermann, a pediatric pulmonologist and director of the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Pulmonary at Children’s Mercy Kansas City, told CNN. Flovent contains a corticosteroid that reduces airway inflammation. Patients use the inhaler twice a day. The family of Bryce Cohen, a 4-year-old asthma patient in New York City, relied on Flovent to keep him out of the hospital during asthma flares. But his family hasn’t been able to get fluticasone over the past month. “This is a really big issue, and it’s scary to think that…  read on >  read on >

Nearly $6 billion in funding will soon be spread through every U.S. state and territory as part of a massive, ongoing effort to clean up the nation’s water supply, the Biden Administration announced Tuesday. EPA Adminstrator Michael Regan and Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Pittsburgh on Tuesday to announce the latest infusion of funding, the White House said in a news release. Projects underway in that city — including efforts to remove lead water pipes — are among several across the country that are being funded through bipartisan legislation passed in 2021 that devoted $50 billion to improving the nation’s water supply. “With $50 billion in total, the largest investment in water infrastructure in our nation’s history, EPA will enable communities across the nation to ensure safer drinking water for their residents and rebuild vital clean water infrastructure to protect public health for decades to come,” Regan said in an agency news release. Instead of choosing which projects to fund, the federal government will deliver the money to states, territories and tribes through the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs, the EPA said. Many of the country’s water infrastructure problems stem from a general lack of investment, according to the EPA. Local governments typically can’t afford to update water systems on their own. Even when changes are made, that can still prompt crises…  read on >  read on >