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Close relationships — and whether your experiences within those relationships are positive or negative — could influence your physical health. New research found that the way you feel about your close relationships may affect the way your body functions. “Both positive and negative experiences in our relationships contribute to our daily stress, coping and physiology, like blood pressure and heart rate reactivity,” said lead study author Brian Don, of the University of Auckland in New Zealand. “Additionally, it’s not just how we feel about our relationships overall that matters; the ups and downs are important, too.” While smaller studies have examined the connection between relationship conflict or satisfaction with stress levels and blood pressure, this study looked at the effects of positive and negative relationship experiences on the body. To do this, just over 4,000 participants completed daily check-ins using their smartphone or smartwatch over a three-week time period. This provided assessments of their blood pressure, heart rate, stress levels and coping. Every three days, the participants also shared their reflections on the positive and negative experiences within their closest relationships. Those who had more positive experiences, on average, reported lower stress, better coping and lower systolic blood pressure reactivity, leading to better physiological functioning in daily life. Daily ups and downs in negative relationship experiences were especially predictive of outcomes like stress, coping and… read on > read on >

For depressed or anxious children, taking melatonin may afford a good night’s sleep and, as a result, lower the odds they will harm themselves, new research suggests. The risk of self-harm increased before melatonin was prescribed and decreased by about half after kids started taking the supplement, the study found. Teen girls suffering from depression or anxiety were the most likely to benefit. “This suggests that melatonin might be responsible for the reduced self-harm rates, but we cannot rule out that the use of other psychiatric medications or psychotherapy may have influenced the findings,” said senior researcher Sarah Bergen, from the department of medical epidemiology and biostatistics at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. “Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone, and we believe the findings are due to improved sleep,” she said. The study can’t prove that melatonin caused the drop off in self-harm, only that there appears to be a link. Of the more than 25,000 young people in the study, 87% had psychiatric disorders in addition to sleep problems. “Melatonin was probably only one part of their treatment package,” Bergen said. “We found that controlling for antidepressant use did not appreciably alter the results, but it’s possible that other medications or psychotherapy are contributing to the observed findings.” For the study, her team identified nearly 25,600 Swedish youngsters between 6 and 18 years… read on >

It’s long been thought that working out helps a person stay sharp, but a new review argues there’s little solid scientific evidence for the mental benefits of physical exercise. Individual clinical trial results have tended to support the idea that regular exercise helps maintain brain health. But a combined review of 109 trials involving more than 11,000 healthy folks found evidence for that notion is weak overall, according to findings published March 27 in Nature Human Behavior. “There is little evidence for a positive relationship between regular physical exercise and improved cognition in healthy people,” said lead researcher Luis Ciria, a postdoctoral researcher with the Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center at the University of Granada in Spain. “Our findings suggest caution in claims and recommendations linking regular physical exercise to cognitive benefits in the healthy human population until more reliable causal evidence accumulates,” he added. The new evidence review focused on clinical trials, which are considered the gold standard for assessing the effectiveness of drugs or therapies. Evidence for the physical benefits of exercise has steadily accumulated over the last century, Ciria said, which suggests working out might benefit the brain as well. “If physical exercise positively affects so many physiological systems, why wouldn’t it have a beneficial effect on the brain?” he said. During the last 50 years, there has been a steady… read on > read on >

Sen. Mitch McConnell is back home more than two weeks after he fell at a private dinner and was hospitalized with a concussion and broken rib. The Senate Minority Leader spent five days in the hospital and the remainder of the 2-1/2 weeks following his fall in inpatient physical therapy. “I’m in frequent touch with my Senate colleagues and my staff,” McConnell said in a statement released Saturday. “I look forward to returning in person to the Senate soon.” McConnell said he resumed talking directly with his team leadership last Tuesday, saying he was “eager” to return. McConnell, 81, was injured March 8 at a private dinner at a Washington hotel. He’s not the only senator currently out for illness. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is recovering from shingles, while Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is receiving inpatient treatment for clinical depression. Although it’s not clear exactly when McConnell will return to his office, he said he will be working from home for now. The Senate starts an Easter recess Thursday and won’t reconvene until April 17, the Washington Post reported. More information The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on concussion. SOURCE: Washington Post read on >

Boys born to women who had COVID-19 during pregnancy may be at risk for developmental delays, a new study suggests. Delays in speech and motor function were the most commonly diagnosed conditions in these children at 12 months. They were seen in boys but not in girls, the study authors said. “These findings suggest that male offspring exposed to SARS-CoV-2 in utero may be at increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders,” said lead researcher Dr. Andrea Edlow. She is an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School, in Boston. However, she added, “The motor and speech delays noted in our study do not, per se, reveal anything about risk for autism, ADHD [attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder], or other diagnoses, which are made later in life. Our study cannot yet answer those questions, and only points to the need for longer-term follow-up of these children, given that increased neurodevelopmental risk has already been noted.” It’s not uncommon that infections during pregnancy affect infants, Edlow pointed out. “Multiple viral and bacterial infections in pregnancy have been associated with increased risk for neurodevelopmental diagnoses in offspring. The common thread is maternal immune activation during infection in pregnancy, rather than a specific pathogen,” she explained. As to why boys but not girls are affected, Edlow said that is also seen with other infections. “Boys are known to… read on > read on >

While all Americans could benefit from proposed new limits on what’s called PM2.5 air pollution, new research indicates the change has the potential to benefit Black and low-income Americans the most. The limits being considered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could cut death rates in those more vulnerable groups by up to 7%, according to researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in Boston. “The EPA is currently considering stronger rules for PM2.5 air pollution and the decision will have profound effects on ensuring all Americans have an equal opportunity to breathe clean air,” said co-lead author Scott Delaney, a research associate in the department of environmental health at Harvard. “Our research shows that, while stronger rules will protect all aging Americans from air pollution, those harmed the most by air pollution will benefit the most — and that these benefits may be larger than prior research suggests,” Delaney said in a Harvard news release. These stronger air quality policies could also drive innovative ways to reduce the emission of heat-trapping gases, the study authors said. This might save even more lives through its impact on climate change. To study this, the researchers used Medicare data from more than 73 million Americans aged 65 and older between 2000 and 2016 according to race, income level and annual average PM2.5 exposure by… read on > read on >

If you are experiencing mysterious recurrent vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, you may want to consider that a tick could be responsible. When the lone star tick bites a person, it can transmit something called “alpha gal,” the sugar that’s present in all mammals except humans, explained Dr. Sarah McGill. She is an associate professor of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill. That transmission can lead to alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-borne meat allergy. If you have it, you might have gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms several hours after eating meat and sometimes milk products. McGill is lead author of a clinical practice update on the GI effects of alpha-gal syndrome published in the April issue of the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. “We want the update to raise awareness,” McGill said in a university news release. “When a patient has symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting — which admittedly are very nonspecific — among the things we want people to think about is alpha-gal syndrome.” The lone star tick is found in North Carolina, the Midwest and southern United States. In some cases, it can take months after the tick bite to start feeling sick after consuming meat. “When I was first diagnosing patients with alpha-gal syndrome, it wasn’t in the GI literature at all,” recalled… read on > read on >

While thinking declines can be a common symptom of multiple sclerosis in women, new research suggests sleep, or lack of it, could be making matters worse. “Sleep disorders have gained substantial recognition for their role in cognitive [thinking] decline, which affects up to 70% of people with multiple sclerosis,” explained study author Dr. Tiffany Braley, director of the Multiple Sclerosis/Neuroimmunology Division and the MS Fatigue and Sleep Clinic at University of Michigan Health. “Our results highlighted important pathways between sleep and perceptions of cognitive function in women with MS,” Braley said in a university news release. “We have previously identified important associations between objective cognitive performance and sleep in people with MS, but little is known about how sleep and MS interact together to impact long-term cognitive outcomes, particularly among women who are less likely to be diagnosed with sleep disorders.” Using data for more than 60,000 women in the 2013 and 2017 waves of the Nurses’ Health Study, the reseachers found that women with MS were more likely than those without MS to report sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia and sleepiness. Sleep disorders identified in 2013 contributed to thinking problems reported by women with MS in 2017, including memory and ability to follow instructions and conversations, according to the authors. Sleep apnea accounted for 34% of the total effect between MS… read on > read on >

While some gamble socially and others do it for a living, it’s a serious addiction for those who have an uncontrollable urge to keep going at the risk of losing everything. “In our brain, the centers involved with gambling addiction are the same centers involved with substance addiction,” said Dr. Asim Shah, professor and executive vice chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “The warning signs can be the same as any addiction,” he said in a college news release. Gambling stimulates the brain’s reward center, resulting in a rush that makes someone want to keep doing it. Shah said there are three types of gamblers. While skilled professional gamblers demonstrate self-control, patience and rational thinking, problem gamblers are compulsive, rely on the habit for their livelihood and have no self-control around it. A social gambler, meanwhile, spends a moderate amount of time and money in casinos or enjoys occasionally making bets. While problem gamblers may think they fit in one of these other categories, there are warning signs of gambling addiction. They may feel helpless or hopeless, become restless or edgy. A problem gambler may max out their credit cards to feed this behavior. A problem gambler may also bet more to recover money lost, lie to hide the problem or have others suggesting they should cut back.… read on > read on >

Anxiety disorder can make it hard to navigate life, but lately CBD has been touted as a natural treatment for the nerve-wracking condition. You can buy CBD almost anywhere — gas stations, spas, farmers markets and grocery stores. It comes in many forms — from gummies to tablets to tinctures to lozenges and patches. But is CBD good for anxiety? Here, experts share their thoughts on whether the evidence supports CBD for anxiety. What is CBD? According to Harvard Health, CBD is an active ingredient found in the marijuana plant. However, CBD is typically derived from marijuana’s cousin, the hemp plant. CBD is not psychoactive, so it will not cause the “high” that THC from marijuana does. It is not believed to be addictive by itself. The hemp plant is legal, so CBD derived from hemp is considered to be legal. CBD works by interacting with the body’s endocannabinoid (eCB) system. The endocannabinoid system acts as a neuromodulator for the body, Harvard Health says, and controls most neurotransmitter levels and activities. It also plays a role in the immune and gastrointestinal systems. Endocannabinoids and their receptors are found throughout the body. The eCB system integrates the perception of whether internal and external stimuli are stressful. CBD and anxiety According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, insufficient scientific evidence backs the claim that CBD… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Healthy Relationships Could Bring Healthier Bodies, Study Shows

Could Melatonin Ease Self-Harm in Kids?

Does Exercise Really Help Your Brain? Jury Still Out

Sen. Mitch McConnell Leaves Rehab, Heads Home After Concussion

COVID in Pregnancy Might Raise Odds for Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Sons: Study

Black Americans Would Reap Biggest Health Boon From Cleaner Air

Tick Bites Can Trigger Meat Allergy: What You Need to Know

Insomnia, Sleep Apnea Rise in Women With MS

Gambling: When Does Play Become Addiction?

CBD for Anxiety: Can It Help?