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Painting, woodworking, writing: Whatever you turn to creatively, it could equal or exceed work in terms of maintaining mental health, new research shows. “Crafting and other artistic activities showed a meaningful effect in predicting people’s sense that their life is worthwhile,” said study lead author Dr. Helen Keyes, of Anglia Ruskin University in the U.K. “Indeed, the impact of crafting was bigger than the impact of being in employment,” she added. “Not only does crafting give us a sense of achievement, it is also a meaningful route to self-expression. This is not always the case with employment.” The new study was published Aug. 16 in the journal Frontiers in Public Health. It involved almost 7,200 participants in the annual Taking Part survey, conducted by the UK’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Folks were asked about their level of participation in cultural, digital and sporting activities. People were also queried about their levels of loneliness and “sensations of happiness, anxiety and life satisfaction, and to give their impression of whether life is worthwhile,” according to a journal news release. More than a third (37.4%) of respondents said they’d been involved in some kind of arts or crafts activity over the past month. People who engaged in a creative pursuit scored higher in terms of happiness, life satisfaction and the sense that life is worthwhile, compared… read on > read on >

Back-to-school can feel like a rushed jumble, as kids leave behind summer fun for the next step in their education. But there are specific ways parents can help students show up sharper, get young athletes ready to compete, and have anxious kids settled down and ready to learn, experts say. Prioritize sleep Kids will have a good start to the school year if they enter it with sound sleep hygiene, experts say. “We spend a third of our life sleeping, so a regular sleep/wake schedule leads to better sleep and a healthier life,” said Dr. Tara Thomas, an assistant professor of sleep psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine. “Growth hormones are secreted during different stages of sleep, and sleep helps with growth, development and recall and memory storage.” The recommended sleep duration for kids of various ages includes: Ages 3 to 5: 10 to 13 hours Ages 6 to 13: 9 to 11 hours Teenagers: 8 to 10 hours A wind-down routine prior to bedtime can help kids settle down for the evening. This routine can include bathing, brushing teeth and reading a bedtime story, Thomas said. A technology curfew also is essential, as light emitted from smartphones and tablets suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin. Devices can also be an overstimulating distraction that robs kids of sleep. Athletic support Parents should make sure that their… read on > read on >

Emboldened by success in its initial efforts to cut dietary salt intake by Americans, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday announced Phase II of the endeavor. U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that a person consume no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day, the equivalent of about one teaspoon of salt. Excess salt intake is a strong risk factor for high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. However, Americans typically take in far higher amounts than recommended, averaging about 3,400 mg/day before 2021, the FDA noted in a news release. Phase 1 of the FDA’s voluntary sodium-reduction targets for the food industry were issued in 2021, and according to the agency “preliminary data from 2022 show about 40% of the initial Phase I targets are very close to or have already been reached, indicating early success of this effort.” That level of success has spurred the agency to begin Phase II. “If finalized, the new set of voluntary targets would support reducing average individual sodium intake to about 2,750 milligrams per day,” the FDA said. The new initiative is expected to coincide with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s efforts to limit sodium in school meals. “Reducing sodium in the food supply has the potential to be one of the most important public health initiatives in a generation,” Jim Jones, FDA Deputy Commissioner… read on > read on >

Chugging coffee, swilling colas or pounding down energy drinks could cause heart damage over time, a new study warns. All of these drinks contain caffeine, and a new study finds that folks who drink more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day appear more likely to develop heart disease. The research was reported Thursday at the American College of Cardiology’s Asia scientific meeting in Delhi, India. The amount of daily caffeine cited in the study is the equivalent of four cups of coffee, 10 cans of soda or two energy drinks, researchers said. Consuming that much caffeine daily significantly raised heart rate and blood pressure over time, researchers found. Those who drank the highest amounts — 600 milligrams a day — had significantly elevated heart rate and blood pressure even after five minutes of rest following a three-minute step test. “Due to its effect on the autonomic nervous system, regular caffeine consumption could put otherwise healthy individuals at risk of hypertension and other cardiovascular events,” said lead researcher Dr. Nency Kagathara with Zydus Medical College and Hospital in Dahod, India. “Increasing awareness of these risks is vital to improve heart health for all.” For the study, researchers recruited 92 healthy people between the ages of 18 and 45. All participants were quizzed about their caffeine intake and underwent a three-minute step test to check their… read on > read on >

Casey Harrell was losing his ability to speak due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. “Not being able to communicate is so frustrating and demoralizing. It is like you are trapped,” said Harrell, 45. But a new brain-computer interface is allowing Harrell to speak to others once more, with his brain providing the words and a computer giving them voice. Four microelectrode arrays implanted into a brain region responsible for coordinating speech detect the words that Harrell wants to say and sends that information to a computer program. During Harrell’s first session, the system took 30 minutes to achieve more than 90% word accuracy with a 50-word vocabulary, researchers said. The decoded words appear on a screen and are read aloud in a voice that sounds like Harrell’s did before he developed ALS. “The first time we tried the system, he cried with joy as the words he was trying to say correctly appeared on screen. We all did,” said researcher Sergey Stavisky, co-director of the University of California, Davis Neuroprosthetics Lab. ALS affects the nerve cells that control movement throughout the body, researchers said. It causes a gradual loss of the ability to stand, walk, use hands and even speak. By the time Harrell entered the study, he had developed weakness in his arms and legs and his speech… read on > read on >

Some comatose patients with severe brain injury might be paying closer attention to their surroundings than previously thought, a new study says. About 1 in 4 patients respond to instructions covertly, with their brains showing activity even though their bodies aren’t moving, researchers found. When asked to imagine opening and closing their hand, those comatose patients displayed brain activity showing that they were repeatedly following this instruction, MRI and EEG brain scans revealed. This shows that some patients with severe brain injury are paying attention to the world around them, said lead researcher Yelena Bodien, an investigator for Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery. “These results bring up critical ethical, clinical and scientific questions — such as how can we harness that unseen cognitive capacity to establish a system of communication and promote further recovery?” Bodien said in a hospital news release. For the study, researchers scanned 241 people with brain injury who showed no outward signs of consciousness, such as being able to respond to simple instructions. The study included data from participants in six different sites in the United States, the U.K. and Europe, collected over about 15 years. The patients all had sustained severe brain injuries, often from either a stroke, cardiac arrest or a traumatic event like a car crash. MRI and EEG brain responses showed that 60 of… read on > read on >

When it comes to Medicaid and vision care, how much coverage people get depends on the state in which they live, a new study finds. Most Medicaid enrollees have at least some routine vision coverage, but an estimated 6.5 million adults live in states without comprehensive coverage for routine eye exams, researchers found. Likewise, about 14.6 million adults didn’t have comprehensive coverage for glasses. In all, 20 states do not cover glasses and 35 states do not cover low vision aids. That means even if a person’s eye exam is covered, they often can’t afford the glasses they need to correct their vision, the researchers noted. Medicaid provides health coverage to low-income people and families, and its policies can greatly influence access to vision care. “The positive finding from our study is that most fee-for-service Medicaid programs across the states covered routine eye exams, which are vital for detecting and addressing vision issues early,” said lead researcher Brandy Lipton, an associate professor of health, society and behavior at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). “However, the substantial gaps highlight opportunities for policy changes to enhance coverage and access,” Lipton added in a UCI news release. “Providing comprehensive vision care could have big benefits in terms of health, quality of life and even employment and productivity.” About two-thirds of states with routine vision exam coverage require… read on > read on >

Untreated high blood pressure in your 60s could raise your risk for Alzheimer’s disease later, new research shows. The good news: Simple steps can ease hypertension, researchers said. The global study found that “taking blood pressure medications was associated with decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease throughout later life,” said study lead author Dr. Matthew Lennon, of the University of New South Wales in Australia. “These results suggest that treating high blood pressure as a person ages continues to be a crucial factor in reducing their risk of Alzheimer’s disease.” The findings were published Aug. 14 in the journal Neurology. As Lennon explained in a journal news release, “taking blood pressure medications has also been found in previous research to reduce a person’s risk of dementias overall, but less is known about how blood pressure affects a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease.” Trying to answer that question, his team conducted a “meta-analysis” of data on more than 31,000 people who had been in 14 studies that measured cognitive change and dementia diagnosis over time. Participants came from the United States, but also from a large number of diverse nationalities around the world. A total of 1,415 cases of Alzheimer’s disease were diagnosed among the group over an average follow-up of four years. Overall, 9% of participants were found to have untreated high blood pressure, the… read on > read on >

Low-paid employees under crushing work stress have a nearly doubled risk of developing a dangerous heart rhythm disorder, a new study finds. White-collar workers with high-stress, low-reward jobs have a 97% increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation, which increases a person’s risk of stroke and heart failure, researchers report. “Our study suggests that work-related stressors may be relevant factors to include in preventive strategies” targeting heart disease, said senior study author Xavier Trudel, an occupational and cardiovascular epidemiologist at Laval University in Quebec, Canada. For the study, Trudel and his colleagues analyzed data on more than 5,900 Canadian workers gathered during a research project from 1991 to 2018. The employees were asked about their work stress, and medical records revealed that 186 of the workers had developed atrial fibrillation, or A-Fib. About 19% of those with A-Fib said they had high job stress, while another 25% said their work wasn’t being adequately rewarded with recognition or better pay. About 10% said they had stress and also felt poorly rewarded for their work. Those with high job stress had an 83% increased risk of A-Fib compared those not stressed by work, results show. Likewise, those who felt poorly rewarded had a 44% increased risk of A-Fib, compared to those who felt work was treating them fairly. And those with both stressors had a 97% increased risk… read on > read on >

Black employees in a toxic workplace are more susceptible to depression and sleep loss than whites are, according to new research. Black workers being mistreated by employers got an estimated 100 fewer minutes of sleep per night than white workers or Black people not enduring mistreatment did, results showed. They also were more likely to develop symptoms of depression, researchers found. Follow-up research revealed this response could be due to America’s history of racial prejudice, the researchers said. Mistreated black employees were nearly eight times more likely to perceive prejudice attributed to their race than mistreated white employees were, researchers found. White employees were less likely to attribute mistreatment to race and were able to more easily shake it off, results showed. “Our findings are not intended to put the onus on Black employees for being too sensitive, but to inform organizations that mistreatment is experienced within the context of one’s identity,” said researcher Erik Gonzalez-Mule, chair of management and entrepreneurship with the Indiana University School of Business. “Organizations must strive to create an inclusive workplace for their Black employees and should find ways to reduce workplace mistreatment, for example, by implementing accountability measures or encouraging bystander intervention,” Gonzalez-Mule added in a university news release. For this study, the team first analyzed data gathered from more than 3, 500 people as part of a study… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Creative Hobbies Can Really Benefit Your Mental Health

Tips to Help Your Child Adjust to a New School Year

FDA Moves to Further Reduce Salt Levels in Food

Frequent Coffee Drinkers Could Put Their Hearts at Risk

Brain-Computer Combo Lets Mute Man With ALS ‘Talk’ Again

1 in 4 Brain Injured Patients Who Seem Unresponsive Have ‘Covert’ Consciousness

Need a Low-Cost Eye Exam, Glasses? The State You Live In Is Key

High Blood Pressure Raises Odds for Alzheimer’s Disease

Work Stress May Help Bring on A-Fib

Workplace Mistreatment Takes Tougher Mental Toll on Black Employees

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