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Men typically don’t want to discuss mental health issues, much less get treatment for one. That’s a problem, given how many males struggle with mental health problems: Six million American men suffer from depression every year, while 3 million struggle with anxiety disorder, according to Mental Health America. Beyond that, 90% of those diagnosed with schizophrenia by age 30 are men, and 25% of those with binge eating disorder are males. Unfortunately, men are less likely to seek professional help for their problems. When it comes to suicide, the picture is also troubling. While women are more likely to attempt suicide, it is the 7th leading cause of death among males, and white men over the age of 85 are the most likely to die by suicide. Here, experts describe the most common mental health conditions men experience, the symptoms that may differ in men versus women, and what resources are available for those seeking help and treatment options. Common mental health conditions in men According to Mental Health America, the most common men’s mental health conditions are: Depression Suicide Anxiety Bipolar disorder Eating disorders Schizophrenia Substance abuse “It’s a sign of strength to talk about these issues with your health care provider, counselor or a supportive family member or friend,” Piedmont Healthcare family medicine physician Dr. Siraj Abdullah said in a recent article. “As…  read on >  read on >

Drowning is the leading cause of death among children aged 1 to 4 years old in the United States, and too many older children continue to die in the water, according to a new report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). A child can slip underwater in the seconds it takes a parent to send a text message. Or while a caregiver turns away to pick up a smartphone. “The fatalities from drowning and non-fatal drowning injuries are still high, so water safety vigilance remains crucially important this summer and all year,” CPSC chair Alex Hoehn-Saric said in an agency news release. For children younger than 15, an average of 371 pool- or spa-related fatal drownings occurred each year between 2018 and 2020, according to the annual report. In 2020, that number was 340, down 7% from the previous year. In 2022, there were 6,400 non-fatal drowning injuries, statistically the same as in 2021. The annual report provides information on fatal drownings for 2018 through 2020 and on nonfatal drownings for 2020 through 2022 because of a lag time in fatality statistics. Pools, hot tubs and the like contribute to thousands of visits to emergency rooms annually. Through 2022, there were an estimated 6,300 pool- or spa-related hospital emergency department-treated, nonfatal drowning injuries each year. About 76% of these nonfatal drowning injuries involved…  read on >  read on >

Extreme heat can be dangerous, but you can stay cool and safe this summer if you take the right precautions. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) offers some tips for doing so. “No matter your age, it is critical to be able to recognize the signs of heat-related illness,” said Dr. Jocelyn Ross Wittstein, an orthopedic surgeon at Duke Health in North Carolina and an AAOS spokesperson. “When we exercise, our bodies cool off by sweating. We become dehydrated if we do not replace the fluids that we lose through perspiration,” she said in an AAOS news release. “Dehydration makes it difficult to sweat and cool down and can result in a heat injury ranging from mild cramps to a more life-threatening heat stroke.” It’s important to stay cool and hydrated. About 70% to 90% of the energy that a person’s body produces during regular exercise is released by heat, according to the AAOS. Environment, clothing and dehydration can hinder heat release and perspiration. Wittstein suggests consulting with your doctor before starting a new exercise activity if you have a health condition, like heart or lung disease, or take medication that could cause dehydration. Then, increase the intensity and duration of your exercise program gradually. Avoid wearing protective equipment at the start of training. Get and stay hydrated before, during and after exercise, even…  read on >  read on >

For patients battling late-stage lung cancer, prospects for survival have improved significantly since the advent of medications known as immune checkpoint inhibitors. But exactly how long patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) need to be on immunotherapy has not been known. Until now. According to new research involving more than 1,000 patients, those with stable disease can stop the treatment after two years without jeopardizing their survival odds. (“Stable” means their lung cancer shows no sign of progression.) Investigators found that those who stopped at 24 months fared just as well as patients who continued to take the medication indefinitely. Moreover, discontinuing immunotherapy at two years might diminish the risk for downsides that can accompany open-ended inhibitor treatment, the researchers said. “Long-term treatment with immunotherapy carries significant risk for toxicity,” explained study lead author Dr. Lova Sun, an assistant professor of hematology-oncology with the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in Philadelphia. Sun pointed out that immunotherapy is also quite expensive, so the longer patients stay on the treatment, the higher their potential out-of-pocket cost, depending on insurance. According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, immune checkpoint inhibitors also pose a risk for a wide array of side effects, including rashes, diarrhea and fatigue. In rare cases, the treatment may also trigger widespread inflammation, which can interfere with proper organ function. Targeted immunotherapy…  read on >  read on >

(Healthday News) — Raging Canadian wildfires are still darkening the skies of American cities, and while the dirty air is a hazard for everyone, that’s especially true for folks with asthma. In a statement released this week, experts at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) said, “It’s important for everyone – but especially children and those who suffer from asthma and other respiratory illnesses – to stay indoors in order to not be exposed to smoke from the fires.” Fire smoke poses health threats to the respiratory system and can exacerbate lung conditions like asthma. “Children are especially vulnerable because their lungs are less developed and they are closer to the ground, and thus more likely to take in more smoke,” the ACAAI said. That means that if you know smoke is in the air, the best advice for you and your family is to stay inside whenever possible, the group said. Keeping your asthma under control is always a must, but it’s especially crucial at these times. Keep your medications easily available and if you’re still having trouble breathing, reach out to your allergist for help, the ACAAI advised. Keep the risk for allergens or air pollution low inside the home by avoiding cooking any foods that require frying or grilling. Sometimes going outside is unavoidable, and putting on a simple…  read on >  read on >

Young American adults have doubled their use of non-LSD hallucinogens in just a few years, a new report warns. Researchers found that between 2018 and 2021, U.S. adults aged 19 to 30 increased their use of mescaline, peyote, psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”) and PCP, though not LSD. The prevalence of young adults’ past-year use of these drugs was 3.4% in 2018, but it hit 6.6% in 2021. “However, the prevalence of LSD did not see this dramatic increase, and was around 4% in 2018 and 2021,” said study co-author Megan Patrick. She is a research professor at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research in Ann Arbor and co-principal investigator of the Monitoring the Future study, which focuses on substance use and health. The study found that use of these non-LSD hallucinogens was greater for males. White young adults used these drugs at a higher rate than Black people of the same age. Use of these drugs was also greater for those whose parents had a college education, which researchers used as a proxy for socioeconomic status. The Monitoring the Future study does not identify why young adults used these drugs, whether it might be recreational or because they thought there would be therapeutic benefit. Non-medical hallucinogen use is associated with risks of substance use disorders, injury including self-harm and anxiety, the study authors noted…  read on >  read on >

The percentage of cancer survivors who struggle with a disability has doubled in the past 20 years, new research shows. “The fact that we are saving more lives from cancer is worth celebrating, but it also warrants a shift toward understanding and improving the quality of life for those who survive,” said study co-author Dr. S.M. Qasim Hussaini. He is chief medical oncology fellow and a health systems researcher at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, in Baltimore. “Overall, our study calls for urgent action to address the burden of cancer and its treatment on physical, psychosocial and cognitive function,” Hussaini said in a Hopkins news release. The study of more than 51,000 survivors was weighted to represent a larger population of 178.8 million people. About 3.6 million survivors had a functional limitation or disability in 1999, but that increased to 8.2 million in 2018. The study authors wanted to understand whether increasing survivorship was associated with one of the key determinants of quality of life: functional ability. To do this, the investigators reviewed 20 years of records from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey. The researchers reviewed responses from 1999 to 2018, looking for 12 functional limitations, including inability to stand for more than an hour, difficulty sitting for more than two hours and difficulty participating in social activities without assistance. About 70% of…  read on >  read on >

Astronauts spending six months or longer in space should stretch their time between trips to three years, warns new research on the impact of space travel on the brain. To study this, researchers examined the brain scans of 30 astronauts, looking at scans that depicted their brains both before and after their missions. The research team included missions that were two weeks long, six months long and a full year. Eight of the astronauts were on the shortest missions, four on the longest and the remaining 18 were gone for six months. “We found that the more time people spent in space, the larger their ventricles became,” said study author Rachael Seidler, a professor of applied physiology and kinesiology at the University of Florida (UF). “Many astronauts travel to space more than one time, and our study shows it takes about three years between flights for the ventricles to fully recover.” The ventricles are cavities in the brain filled with cerebrospinal fluid. This offers protection, nourishment and waste removal for the brain. While fluids typically are distributed throughout the body, without gravity that fluid shifts upward. This pushes the brain higher within the skull and causes the ventricles to expand, the researchers explained. This ventricular expansion is the most enduring change seen in the brain resulting from spaceflight, said Seidler, who is also a member…  read on >  read on >

The benefits of friendships and activity aren’t just for the young. Staying socially active can also help older adults age their best, according to new research that pinpoints volunteering and recreational activities as important for seniors. “Although the study’s observational nature prohibits the determination of causality, it makes intuitive sense that social activity is associated with successful aging,” said study co-author Mabel Ho, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Institute of Life Course and Aging. “Being socially active is important no matter how old we are. Feeling connected and engaged can boost our mood, reduce our sense of loneliness and isolation, and improve our mental health and overall health,” Ho added in a university news release. To study this, the researchers analyzed data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging of more than 7,000 Canadians aged 60 and older, following them for three years. The investigators only included those in excellent health at baseline, which was about 45% of the respondents. The findings showed that those who participated in volunteer work and recreational activities were more likely to maintain excellent health. They also were less likely to develop physical, cognitive (“thinking”), mental or emotional problems. Successful aging was freedom from any serious physical, cognitive, mental or emotional conditions that prevent daily activities. It also meant having…  read on >  read on >

An amino acid found in meat, fish and energy drinks might be a key regulator of aging in animals, a new study suggests. However, experts warn that no one should start seeing Red Bull as a fountain of youth. Researchers found that deficiencies in the amino acid, called taurine, seemed to be a prime driver of aging in lab mice: Their taurine levels naturally declined with age, but giving middle-aged mice a daily taurine supplement for one year essentially slowed the aging process. Compared with lab mice fed a placebo supplement, the taurine-consuming mice survived 10% to 12% longer. These mice were also more likely to be living their best lab-mouse lives — staying leaner, maintaining stronger bones and muscles, showing fewer depression- and anxiety-like behaviors, and holding on to a “younger-looking” immune system. “Whatever we checked, taurine-supplemented mice were healthier and appeared younger than the control mice,” said study leader Vijay Yadav, an assistant professor of genetics and development at Columbia University, in New York City. When the scientists repeated the supplement experiment in middle-aged monkeys, they observed similar effects. One major caution, the researchers and other experts said, is that mice and monkeys, studied in a controlled lab setting, are not people living their complicated lives out in the world. And the research offers no proof that taurine supplements can help humans live…  read on >  read on >