Postmenopausal women who are stressed, depressed or have trouble sleeping may face an increased risk of a common heart rhythm disorder, new research suggests. The study, of nearly 84,000 women over the age of 50, found that certain psychological factors were linked to the risk of developing atrial fibrillation, or a-fib — a heart arrhythmia that can cause serious problems over time. The higher the women scored on two measures of “stress” and “strain,” the greater their risk of developing a-fib over the next 10 years. Two specific factors — stressful life events and insomnia — showed the strongest connection to the heart condition. The findings highlight the role of mental well-being in physical health, according to an expert not involved in the study. “Don’t let anyone tell you it’s ‘just’ stress,” said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist and clinical associate professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City. “Our psychological health impacts our physical health.” The study, published Aug. 30 in the Journal of the American Heart Association, does not prove stress and strain directly contribute to atrial fibrillation. But there is reason to believe they can, according to Goldberg, who is also a volunteer expert with the American Heart Association. “Stressful life events raise stress hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine, and elevated levels may trigger arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation,” Goldberg…  read on >  read on >

If a loved one were living with addiction, a majority of Americans say they would know how to get help. About 71% of 2,200 respondents to an American Psychiatric Association poll said they would know how to assist a friend or family members. Most, about 73%, would refer that loved one to treatment, and 74% would talk to them about their addiction. “It’s promising, especially during Recovery Month, that Americans show such openness to talking with loved ones who may have substance use disorders or behavioral addictions,” said APA President Dr. Petros Levounis. “The public’s recommendations for treatment indicate a level of familiarity with certain methods of recovery –mutual help groups, Alcoholics Anonymous, for example, or rehab — which are well-known in popular culture,” he said in an APA news release. “This is good news, but at the same time, physicians like me need to continue to educate patients and families about other safe and effective methods of treating addiction, such as medications and cognitive behavioral therapy,” said Levounis. When asked about the treatment they would recommend to a loved one, only 6% cited medication-assisted treatment and just 4% singled out cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of talk therapy. Meanwhile, more than 20% said they would recommend in-patient treatment and support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous. Nineteen percent didn’t know what treatment they would recommend.…  read on >  read on >

When factoring in why children get asthma, a child’s neighborhood may be important to consider. New research finds that living in a neighborhood during early childhood that has better access to resources was associated with lower asthma incidence. Better resources would include high-quality housing, healthy food, parks, playgrounds and clean air. Children who were born in these high-opportunity neighborhoods had about 23 asthma cases per 1,000 children compared to 35 cases per 1,000 in very low opportunity neighborhoods. Those in low opportunity neighborhoods had 27 cases per 1,000, the investigators found. “Understanding neighborhood conditions could help researchers identify vulnerable children who are at high risk for developing asthma,” study author Izzuddin Aris of Harvard Medical School said in a Duke Clinical Research Institute news release. “This information can also inform efforts by policymakers, researchers, and community groups to improve children’s health and foster equity across neighborhoods,” Aris added. The research was part of the U.S. National Institute of Health’s Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. For the study, the researchers measured neighborhood conditions using the Child Opportunity Index and the Social Vulnerability Index. These link residential addresses at birth, infancy and early childhood, through age 4.8 years, to census-tract data. The Child Opportunity Index, which measures neighborhood resources and conditions deemed essential for healthy child development, showed significant associations with childhood asthma incidence.…  read on >  read on >

Many a person has blamed “beer goggles” following a regrettable one-night stand, but a new study suggests that there’s no such thing. Rather, alcohol acts more like “liquid courage,” according to findings published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs — you become more likely to approach people you already find attractive, rather than alcohol making others appear more attractive. “People who drink alcohol may benefit by recognizing that valued social motivations and intentions change when drinking in ways that may be appealing in the short term but possibly harmful in the long term,” lead researcher Molly Bowdring, of the Stanford Prevention Research Center, said in a journal news release. Conventional wisdom has long held that intoxication makes other people seem better looking, but the phenomenon hasn’t been systematically studied, researchers said. “The well-known beer goggles effect of alcohol does sometimes appear in the literature but not as consistently as one might expect,” said senior researcher Michael Sayette, director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Alcohol and Smoking Research Laboratory. Earlier research typically has had participants simply rate other people’s attractiveness based on photos, while sober and while intoxicated. Bowdring and Sayette’s new study added a more realistic element: the possibility of meeting the people being rated. The researchers recruited 18 pairs of male friends in their 20s and asked them to rate the…  read on >  read on >

Young Black children living in racially segregated U.S. neighborhoods are at heightened risk of potentially brain-damaging lead exposure, a new study warns. The study, of nearly 321,000 North Carolina children under the age of 7, found that those living in predominantly Black neighborhoods had higher blood levels of lead than those living in more integrated areas. Experts said the findings, published Aug. 30 in Pediatrics, highlight two issues that many Americans may think are relics of the past: childhood lead poisoning and neighborhood racial segregation. But in fact, the study found, residential segregation has endured and actually increased in many areas — in North Carolina and nationwide. That residential segregation is no accident, experts pointed out: It is rooted in a long history of policies such as “redlining” that isolated Black Americans into neighborhoods marked by little to no investment and high poverty rates. And the children who live in those neighborhoods can be exposed to lead due to rundown housing, said lead researcher Marie Lynn Miranda, chancellor of the University of Illinois Chicago. Lead is a naturally occurring metal that can cause serious health effects if it accumulates in the blood. Young children are particularly vulnerable, as lead can damage their developing brains and contribute to learning or behavioral problems. In general, children in the United States now have much less exposure to lead…  read on >  read on >

Hurricane Idalia is expected to make landfall in the United States Wednesday. Idalia was forecast to be a powerful Category 3 storm by the time it reaches Florida’s Big Bend, an area prone to storm surge that stretches from Tampa to just south of Tallahassee. It’s also expected to hit eastern parts of Georgia and the Carolinas before heading out to sea late Thursday or early Friday. As all of this happens, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) is urging everyone in the storm’s path to prepare and keep carbon monoxide safety top of mind. Portable generators can be a source of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, the commission emphasized. CO is colorless, odorless and can kill in minutes, rendering someone unconscious before they even begin to experience telltale signs like nausea, dizziness and weakness. Nearly 100 people a year die in the United States from CO poisoning from portable generators, according to the CPSC. Never use a portable generator inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace or shed, the CPSC urges. Even open doors and windows will not prevent lethal levels of CO from building up. Use portable generators outside only, at least 20 feet away from the house. Direct the generator’s exhaust away from the home and any other buildings that someone could enter. Close windows and other openings in the path of the…  read on >  read on >