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Believe it or not, your spinal cord may be a pathway to better mood and even an end to depression, new research suggests. Investigators at the University of Cincinnati stressed that their pilot study — to see whether tweaking the spinal cord can ease depression — is in its very early stages. However, 20-minute sessions did seem to bring mental health benefits to participants, the team said. As the scientists explained it, the spinal cord serves (among other functions) as a kind of neuronal highway, transmitting information from throughout the body to the brain’s mood centers. The Cincinnati researchers theorized that an informational “overload” on this pathway might overwhelm the brain, playing a role in depression. So, study lead author Dr. Francisco Romo-Nava designed a noninvasive spinal cord stimulation method that he has patented. Using this technology, he and his colleagues hoped to decrease the “noise” traveling along the spinal cord, offering some relief to an overtaxed brain. “Spinal cord stimulation is thought to help the brain modulate itself as it should by decreasing the noise or decreasing the hyperactive signaling that may be in place during a depressive syndrome,” explained Romo-Nava, a research associate professor in the university’s department of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience. The current trial was small, just 20 patients diagnosed with depression. Three times a week for eight weeks, half of… read on > read on >

Dozens of over-the-counter lubricating eyedrops and artificial tears faced recall in 2023, due to contamination and unsafe manufacturing practices. “This year, we’ve seen an especially large number of recalls in ophthalmologic products,” said Gary Novack, a clinical professor with the UC Davis Health Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences in Davis, Calif. People who regularly use eye drops to fend off dry eyes or help with contact lenses should be aware of these recalls, and take steps to protect themselves, Novack said. “Now that the public health emergency phase of the pandemic is over, the FDA is doing more inspections and they are finding a number of issues at manufacturing plants,” Novack explained in a university news release. The recalls began in February with three brands taken off shelves, including one linked to serious infections, vision loss and four deaths, Novack said. “It’s very rare to get infections from eye drops. However, what we learned this year is that it can happen,” Novack said. “It’s serious not only for potentially losing vision, but in some rare cases patients developed systemic infections and died.” Additional recalls followed in August, October and November, leaving consumers confused about whether any over-the-counter eye drops are safe to use. Products like eye drops are particularly tricky to manufacture because they need to be sterile and germ-free, and they must be… read on > read on >

Kids with emotional problems or ADHD can find the holidays a very challenging time, as all the routines that provide a sense of order are jumbled in a whirl of activities. The kids are home from school and restless, their parents are hauling them along to Christmas shopping and holiday gatherings, and they’re eating lots of heavy meals and sugary treats. But there are ways to limit the stress that the holidays can place on kids with depression, anxiety, an eating disorder or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), said Melissa Meyer, a child psychiatry specialist at DMG Children’s Rehabilitative Services in Phoenix. Communication is key when it comes to outings, Meyer said. Knowing what will happen can help decrease a child’s anxiety. For example, let children know what’s going to be happening ahead of time – how long you’ll be out, who will be with you, what kind of food they can expect. And don’t be afraid to share with your child if you’re feeling stressed, tired or anxious, Meyer said. “He or she will take comfort in knowing that even adults get nervous and stressed during the holidays,” Meyer said. Sleep is another important component to maintaining your child’s mood, Meyer said. Kids with emotional issues need good sleep, at least eight to 10 hours a night. Meyer also cautions against using screens as a… read on > read on >

A new treatment appears to reduce food allergies in children and teens, according to interim clinical trial results. A lab-made monoclonal antibody called omalizumab (Xolair) significantly increased the amounts of common foods that children could eat without sparking an allergic reaction, the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) reported. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is now reviewing an application for omalizumab to treat food allergies, based on these interim results. The data was collected on 165 children ages 17 and younger who have an allergy to peanut and at least two other foods, NIAID said in a news release. Those who received omalizumab injections could consume more peanut, egg, milk and cashew products without allergic reactions than those who received a placebo jab, results showed. Kids receive the drug in biweekly or monthly injections, according to an NIAID description of the clinical trial. These first-stage results have given NIAID the confidence to launch the next stage of clinical trials, which will be conducted at 10 locations across the United States. Omalizumab has already been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat allergic asthma, chronic hives and nasal polyps, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In 2017, a small study of 48 people found that 83% of participants could consume 2 grams of two food allergens after receiving omalizumab injections,… read on > read on >

Kids are home for the holidays, but the wonders of the season can pose problems for children with asthma. Sources of joy like Christmas trees, a Yule log burning or Grandma’s pet dog can all be unexpected asthma triggers, warns the American Lung Association. Parents should talk with their kid’s doctor about creating an asthma action plan based on their plans for the holidays, the ALA says. Such a plan could alert them to early warning signs and help them manage symptoms during a flare-up. They also should keep the following holiday hazards in mind while crafting such a plan. Holiday scents Popular holiday-scented items like candles, dried potpourri, scented pine cones and cinnamon brooms all pose a similar risk to children with asthma as air fresheners do year-round, the ALA warns. Cinnamon brooms in particular create a powerful asthma-triggering scent. Parents should refrain from hanging cinnamon brooms in their home, and instead bake cinnamon-, vanilla- or citrus-laced goodies to provide a festive aroma. Parents who crave the ambiance of candlelight should opt for either non-scented candles or battery-operated flameless candles, the ALA adds. Christmas decorations A live Christmas tree might be one of the ultimate holiday traditions, but a pine tree can harbor asthma triggers like mold and pollen, the ALA warns. Even the strong smell of pine can be a trigger. Parents should… read on > read on >

Doctors who overprescribe antibiotics are often blamed for medication-resistant illnesses, but new research points to another potential culprit: air pollution. Controlling air pollution could reduce antibiotic resistance, greatly reducing deaths and economic costs, according to a new in-depth global analysis were published Aug. 7 in The Lancet Planetary Health.. “Antibiotic resistance and air pollution are each in their own right among the greatest threats to global health,” said lead author Hong Chen, a professor at Zhejiang University in China. “Until now, we didn’t have a clear picture of the possible links between the two, but this work suggests the benefits of controlling air pollution could be twofold: Not only will it reduce the harmful effects of poor air quality, it could also play a major role in combatting the rise and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria,” Chen said in a journal news release. Some potential pathways include hospitals, farms and sewage-treatment facilities that emit and spread antibiotic-resistant particles through the air and across distances, the study found. Evidence suggests air pollution contributes to the spread of this antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to the study. Sources of air pollution called PM2.5 include industrial processes, road transportation and domestic coal and wood burning. About 7.3 billion people globally are directly exposed to unsafe average annual PM2.5 levels. About 80% of those people live in low- and middle-income countries, the… read on > read on >

The first step in treating vertigo is understanding its cause. Many conditions can trigger vertigo an expert says. Middle ear fluid, dislodged crystals in the inner ear, Meniere’s disease, vestibular neuritis and vestibular migraine all can cause vertigo, according to Dr. Mina Le. She is an otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon with Mountainside Medical Group in New Jersey. “If your vertigo is from middle ear fluid, you likely have trouble hearing and it may sound like you’re underwater,” Le said in a news release from Hackensack Meridian Health. “You may have pain or pressure in the affected ear,” she continued. “The problem commonly begins after a head cold. A physician can look at your eardrum to confirm this diagnosis. You will get antibiotics if it’s an acute infection, and decongestants and nasal balloon therapy if it’s chronic.” Short bouts of dizziness may be due to benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). “If your vertigo only lasts for a few seconds at a time, and if it is brought on by turning your head or rolling over in bed, you most likely have BPPV, in which the crystals in your inner ear are dislodged,” Le said. “A physician can confirm this diagnosis with a Dix-Hallpike test.” If you have BPPV, you will be treated with a method called the Epley maneuver, in which the head is turned from… read on > read on >

What’s even more nerve-wracking than paying taxes? The holidays, according to a majority of Americans, who say it takes them weeks to recover from seasonal stress. “The holidays are an easy time to justify putting off healthy habits, but it’s important to manage chronic stress and other risk factors to stay healthy during the holiday season and into the New Year,” said Dr. Glenn Levine, lead writer of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) 2021 statement on psychological health, well-being and the mind-heart-body connection. He warned in an AHA news release that chronic stress that isn’t managed can have a negative impact on long-term mental and physical health. And the holiday season provides a perfect storm of stressors, as folks struggle to balance work, family, budgets and everyday obligations as well as the festivities that make this time of year special. That’s why 63% of respondents in the AHA’s new nationwide survey of 1,000 U.S. adults called the holidays more stressful than tax season, and 51% said it takes them weeks to bounce back. The holidays can be especially trying for moms, the survey showed. More than a quarter of mothers said it takes them a month or more to regain equilibrium. Almost 80% of respondents said they’re so intent on making the season special for others that they neglect their own needs. Priorities that fall… read on > read on >

Anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress are common among people caring for the victim of a recent stroke, a new study has found. Nearly 30% of caregivers of severe stroke patients experience stress and emotional problems during the first year after the patient leaves the hospital, according to a report in the journal Neurology. “This research suggests that depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress are common among family members who make life and death decisions for their loved ones who are very sick,” said Dr. Lewis Morgenstern, a professor of neurology, neurosurgery and emergency medicine at University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. “As physicians, we usually concentrate on our patients, and it is important to recognize that caregivers may have long-term consequences from a loved one’s severe illness,” he added. The new study focused on stroke survivors and caregivers in Nueces County, Texas, between April 2016 and October 2020. Between 17% and 28% of caregivers reported high levels on measures of psychological distress, which include anxiety, depression and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), the study found. As many as 16% of caregivers experienced all three as they attempted to look after their loved one, researchers said. PTSD was worse among Mexican-American caregivers than white caregivers. Depression scores improved more rapidly over time among white caregivers. “There are important support systems for families in hospitals, which include… read on > read on >

Beyond a myriad of other consequences, childhood trauma appears to raise the specter of chronic pain in adulthood, new research shows. Researchers pored over 75 years’ worth of data involving more than 826,000 people. That included information on levels of neglect or physical, emotional or sexual abuse, plus other serious trauma of childhood. Their review found strong links between a history of childhood physical abuse, especially, and chronic pain conditions decades later. But other forms of “adverse childhood experiences” (ACEs) appeared linked, too. “These results are extremely concerning, particularly as over 1 billion children – half of the global child population – are exposed to ACEs each year, putting them at increased risk of chronic pain and disability later in life,” said study lead author André Bussières, an assistant professor of physical and occupational therapy at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. The findings — based on data from 57 studies — were published Dec. 19 in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology. Besides various forms of abuse, other trauma included in the new analysis involved domestic violence, living with a family member who has substance abuse, or the loss of a parent. Conditions of adult chronic pain in the study included low back pain, arthritis, headache and migraine, often severe enough to interfere with daily living. Overall, kids exposed directly to neglect or physical, sexual or… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Could Spinal Cord Stimulation Ease Depression?

Eye Drop Recalls: What You Need to Know

Holidays Can Be Tough on Kids With ADHD, Anxiety: Some Tips for Parents

Injected Xolair Therapy Could Prevent Food Allergies in Kids

Candles, Trees, Pets: All Holiday Hazards for Kids With Asthma

Polluted Air Linked to Dangerous Antibiotic Resistance

Vertigo: A Common Symptom With Many Different Causes

The ‘Most Wonderful’ Time? Maybe Not, Say Holiday-Stressed Americans

Depression, Anxiety Common in Caregivers of Stroke Survivors

Childhood Trauma Could Raise Odds for Adult Physical Pain