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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 27, 2023 (HealthDay news) — A rising tide of cannabis-related mental health problems is resulting from the widespread legalization of recreational weed in the United States, warns a new evidence review. Nearly one in five Americans aged 12 and older used marijuana in 2021, and more than 16 million meet the criteria for a diagnosis of cannabis use disorder, the researchers wrote. Further, nearly half of those with cannabis use disorder have another psychiatric condition like anxiety, major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, said review author Dr. David Gorelick, a professor of psychiatry the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. “There is a lot of misinformation in the public sphere about cannabis and its effects on psychological health, with many assuming that this drug is safe to use with no side effects,” Gorelick said in a university news release. “It is important for physicians and the public to understand that cannabis can have addictive effects and to recognize signs and symptoms in order to get properly diagnosed and treated,” he added. Weed use accounts for 10% of all drug-related ER visits in the United States, according to the review published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine. There are seven recognized disorders related to cannabis use, the report noted. Some include cannabis-induced anxiety disorder, cannabis-induced psychotic disorder, cannabis-induced sleep disorder… read on > read on >

Blue Ridge Beef, a maker of raw pet foods, has announced it is recalling some of its products for kittens and puppies because of possible contamination with salmonella and listeria. After being notified earlier this month by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that health officials found salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes in certain products, the North Carolina company recalled specific lots of its Kitten Grind, Kitten Mix and Puppy Mix pet foods, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a news release. The recalled products, which were sold mostly in the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, were distributed between Nov. 14 and Dec. 20, the FDA said. So far, no illnesses related to the recalled products have been reported, the FDA said. The potentially contaminated products have use by dates of N24 1114 to N24 1224. Those dates, as well as lot numbers, are located on the silver tabs at the end of the products, which come in tubes. Salmonella and listeria infections can strike both pets and people, and humans can become infected while handling contaminated pet products. Thoroughly washing your hands and cleaning surfaces that come in contact with the products is advised, the FDA said. Symptoms of salmonella and listeria infection for humans can include nausea, vomiting, fever and diarrhea, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control… read on > read on >

When hospitals support trauma survivors’ mental health during and after treatment, patients are less likely to return in crisis, researchers report. There’s no uniform guidance on how to offer mental health services to these patients, noted lead study author Laura Prater. Fewer hospital readmissions are a good sign that people’s mental health needs are being met at home. “Being in the emergency department is traumatic in its own right, plus returning to the scene where you first received care following an injury or assault is not ideal,” Prater said. “Managing trauma and the mental health fallout from that trauma is best done at home, where you’re in a safe location.” Prater is now assistant professor of health services management and policy at Ohio State University’s College of Public Health. She completed the study while at the University of Washington. Her team studied five years of data on patients who experienced traumatic incidents such as motor vehicle crashes, shootings and domestic violence. The first-of-its kind analysis included 171 patients who were seen at a University of Washington trauma center. They were randomly chosen to receive standard care or a comprehensive mental health intervention. The intervention had three parts: having trauma survivors describe their personal concerns; coordinating hospital care and providing enhanced mental health treatment; and round-the-clock access to support after patients left the hospital. Three to… read on > read on >

It may not take as strict a diet as thought to keep type 1 diabetes under control: New Swedish research shows that a moderate low-carb diet still helped people with type 1 diabetes stick to blood-sugar targets. “The study shows that a moderate low-carbohydrate diet lowers the average blood sugar level and that more patients can keep their blood sugar within the target range, which is considered beneficial in reducing the risk of organ damage for people with type 1 diabetes,” said study first author Sofia Sterner Isaksson, a dietician pursuing doctoral studies at the University of Gothenburg. With type 1 diabetes, the pancreas makes little or no insulin to help blood sugar enter cells for use as energy. Without insulin, blood sugar builds up and can cause serious organ damage. Researchers noted that, for safety’s sake, anyone with type 1 diabetes considering major changes in carb intake should first consult their health care provider. They said that’s especially true for children with type 1 diabetes. For the study, they randomly assigned 25 men and 25 women with type 1 diabetes (average age: 48) to eat a traditional diet with 50% of energy from carbs or a moderate low-carbohydrate diet with 30% of energy from carbs. All had elevated blood sugar levels, and they took insulin shots or used an insulin pump. A continuous blood… read on > read on >

It’s never too late for an expectant mom to adopt healthy habits for her baby and herself. The American Heart Association (AHA) offers some heart-healthy tips. “Pregnancy is often a pivotal time in a woman’s life, from both short- and long-term perspectives,” said Dr. Michelle Albert, immediate past president of the American Heart Association (AHA). “For some, it may be their first experience with a major medical condition, for most, it’s a natural time to be more forward-thinking about their own health, as well as that of their baby,” Albert said in an AHA news release. Poor heart health, including conditions such as preeclampsia, puts both mothers-to-be and their children at risk, according to the AHA. A 2022 study found that only about 40% of women in the United States who gave birth had good heart health before pregnancy. Excess weight was the major driver of poor pre-pregnancy health, according to the AHA. “Getting regular prenatal care as well as post-pregnancy cardiovascular risk factor management, if appropriate, along with making healthy lifestyle changes can improve the pregnancy and birth experience,” Albert said. “Just as importantly, taking these steps may lead to a longer, healthier life for mom and baby.” The AHA said health care providers can make a difference by paying close attention to a woman’s heart health during pregnancy and promoting lifestyle changes. If… read on > read on >

New Year’s resolutions often center on weight loss and personal lifestyle changes, but setting good parenting goals is also well worth the effort, pediatricians say. “This is a great time to take a step back, take a breath and look at how we as a family taking care of ourselves and each other,” pediatrician Dr. Steph Lee said. “What are we already doing right? Let’s celebrate that first. Then, let’s think about ways we can improve together and create a list of individual and shared family goals for the new year.” “Maybe this is the year you decide to join a parent’s group for support or maybe it’s time you said no to some things, if you’ve felt overextended in the past year,” Lee said in an American Academy of Pediatrics news release. “Your pediatrician can help you with your child’s health, but we care about parents, too… because when parents are feeling their best, they create a healthy environment for children to thrive.” Lee suggested the following eight goals that could help families thrive in 2024: Get recommended shots. Vaccines are the best way to protect yourself, your children and other loved ones from the flu, RSV and COVID. Call your pediatrician to make sure your children have all recommended immunizations, and remind your children that good hand hygiene habits help prevent the spread… read on > read on >

Three-quarters of Americans plan to start the New Year with a resolution to be more healthy, including 28% who want to focus on improving their mental health, a new survey has found. These folks plan to exercise more (67%), meditate (49%), keep a diary (26%), or see a therapist (35%) or psychiatrist (21%), according to the results of the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Healthy Minds monthly poll. “Many see the new year as a time for a new chance, or to try something different, which is great,” said APA President Dr. Petros Levounis. “At the same time, in mental health — just like physical health — maintenance and care matter,” Levounis added in an APA news release. “Preserve your healthy routines, maintain your relationships with loved ones and take good care of yourself, as well as the people around you.” Age played a part in how likely someone was to focus on improving their mental health. More than two in five (44%) young adults ages 18-34 plan to take on a New Year’s resolution related to mental health, compared to just 7% of seniors, the poll found. Other popular resolutions that could contribute to better mental health include focusing more on spirituality (40%), cutting back on social media (31%) or using a mental health app (21%), poll results show. About 6% chose “forest bathing” —… read on > read on >

Women are more likely to lose more muscle mass during space flight than men, a new lab study suggests. Females participating in the extended bed rest study lost more leg muscle mass at two months than the men had lost at three months, results show. The findings “suggest that women are more susceptible to weightlessness-induced muscle atrophy,” researchers concluded in their report published recently in the Journal of Applied Physiology. NASA’s decision to diversify space crews in future spaceflight missions means that more women will be subject to the rigors of weightlessness, researchers said in background notes. For example, the agency intends to send the first woman to the moon in 2024, researchers said. To see how space travel might affect health, researchers recruited a group of people to spend extended periods in bed. Men spent 90 days and women 60 days in a bed tilted 6 degrees head down, placing their head below their feet. This simulates the weightlessness experienced while traveling through space, researchers said. Both volunteer groups ate, slept, cleaned up, and performed all other activities in either a head-down tilt or a horizontal position. MRI screenings of the volunteers’ thigh and calf muscles taken before, during and after the trial showed that all participants lost a significant amount of muscle mass in both areas of the leg, the researchers said. However,… read on > read on >

Measles is incredibly contagious, and outbreaks are more common now as people decide against vaccinating their kids. Now, a case involving a rare but fatal brain disease caused by the measles virus may make some rethink that decision. The patient caught measles as a child. It took years for the virus to migrate to their brain, where it mutated and caused the fatal illness, according to Mayo Clinic researchers. “Our study provides compelling data that shows how viral RNA mutated and spread throughout a human organ — the brain, in this case,” said Mayo virologist and study co-lead author Roberto Cattaneo. Reporting Dec. 21 in the journal PLOS Pathogens, Cattaneo’s team explained that while the measles virus initially congregates in the respiratory tract, it can slowly migrate throughout the body years after the illness is over. The brain disease, called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), occurs in about 1 in every 10,000 measles cases, the researchers said. They estimate that it takes about 10 years for the virus to make its way to the brain, where it can begin to mutate. Seizures, memory impairments and mobility issues can signal the onset of SSPE. In the new study, Cattaneo’s team examined the brain of a person who died from the disease. They looked at the genetics of tissues taken from 15 different brain regions. The measles virus’… read on > read on >

The smoke billowing from this summer’s devastating wildfires wasn’t just bad for your lungs. Skin problems also seem to worsen, with dermatology visits rising as air quality deteriorates, a new study says. Visits for eczema spiked at dermatology clinics within the Mass General Brigham health system during the Canadian wildfires this summer, researchers found. “We were inspired to investigate the relationship between air pollution and skin inflammation after listening to patients who kept telling us that their skin conditions like eczema were particularly bad, and in some cases ‘worse than ever before,’ this summer,” senior researcher Dr. Arianne Shadi Kourosh said in a news release. She’s director of community health in the Department of Dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “This was strange because typically patients with eczema are more likely to experience worsening symptoms or flares in winter months due to cold dry weather, but we were seeing the opposite: an unusual surge in the summer,” Kourosh said. The MGB hospital system is about 300 miles from the Canadian wildfires, and carbon monoxide (CO) levels peaked in July 2023 as a result of the blaze, researchers found. Researchers compared dermatology visits in 2019 through 2022 to the summer of 2023, and found that the visits tracked with carbon monoxide (CO) levels in the air. Wildfire smoke and chronic air pollution contain substances like… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Marijuana Use Increasingly Linked to Addiction, Psychosis

Blue Ridge Beef Raw Pet Food Recalled Due to Salmonella Risk

Post-Trauma Support Can Prevent Repeat Hospitalizations

Even a Little Less Carb Intake Can Help Folks With Type 1 Diabetes

Expecting? Stay Heart-Healthy for You and Your Baby

Pediatricians Offer 8 Goals to Parents to ‘Start the Year Strong’

Many Americans Are Resolving to Boost Their Mental Health in 2024

One Gender Loses More Muscle During Space Flight

In Rare Cases, Measles Mutates in Brain and Kills

Skin Conditions Flare Up When Wildfires Nearby