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Sometimes an anxiety disorder feels like worry and ruminating about lots of little and big things. Other times it’s focused on a specific phobia, such as a fear of flying or being in social situations. It can also be expressed as intense feelings about separation from loved ones. What’s clear is that someone experiencing anxiety disorder symptoms isn’t alone. About 40 million American adults have one or more types of anxiety disorders, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). If you think you may be among those dealing with these issues, it is possible to get help. There are a range of treatment options for anxiety disorders. A common experience The pandemic exacerbated anxiety issues, which led the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to recommend screenings for all adults under the age of 65. “COVID has taken a tremendous toll on the mental health of Americans,” panel member Lori Pbert, a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, said when the screening recommendations were changed. “This is a topic prioritized for its public health importance, but clearly there’s an increased focus on mental health in this country over the past few years.” Anxiety disorders are so common that nearly 30% of adults will experience one at some point in their lives, according to the American Psychiatric Association… read on > read on >

Anxiety attacks can seem overwhelming when you’re in the middle of one, but with the right coping tools you can come out the other side. What is an anxiety attack? According to the Detroit Medical Center, an anxiety attack is a stretch of time during which you experience “intense” anxiety symptoms, especially fear. It can last anywhere from minutes to weeks. So, what does an anxiety attack feel like? A racing heart, dizziness and being out of breath are common experiences for people who are having an anxiety attack, according to Harvard Health. In addition, this “fight-or-flight” response that is triggered by worry or fear can cause more fear to develop, creating a negative loop of panic. “If you’re feeling lightheaded, your heart racing and chest tightening, it really contributes to a sense that something terrible is going to happen,” said Jacqueline Bullis, an assistant psychologist at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital, told Harvard Health. “But physical symptoms themselves aren’t the problem. It’s really the way we respond to them. We want people to learn that these distressing physical sensations aren’t dangerous and they can learn ways to tolerate them.” Anxiety attack symptoms According to Harvard Health, anxiety attacks occur when your symptoms become so intense that they interfere with everyday activities. These anxiety symptoms may include: Steadily increasing feelings of fear or worry Panting or gasping… read on > read on >

Perrigo Co., which makes Gerber Good Start SootheProTM Powdered Infant Formula, has recalled the product over concerns about contamination with a potentially dangerous bacteria. Cronobacter sakazakii was possibly present between Jan. 2 and Jan. 18 at the company’s Gateway Eau Claire, Wisc., manufacturing facility. No distributed products have tested positive for the bacteria. No one has reported adverse events, the company added in a news release. No other products made by the company are affected by the recall at this plant or other Perrigo facilities. The recall is being made voluntarily in consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Just last month, infant formula manufacturer Reckitt recalled 145,000 cans of Enfamil ProSobee formula because of possible contamination with C. sakazakii bacteria. And that recall followed an infant formula shortage last year that was prompted by Abbott Nutrition’s closing of its Michigan plant. That closing was necessitated after four infants fell ill and two died after consuming powdered infant formula made at the plant. However, genetic testing later found the bacteria discovered at the plant did not match the bacteria related to the infant cases. With the Gerber infant formula recall, anyone who purchased the product after March 5 should look for the lot codes and “use by” dates involved in the recall on the items they purchased, the company said. Those can be found… read on > read on >

Cutting some carbohydrates may help people with type 2 diabetes live longer — as long as they are swapping sugar for vegetables instead of steak, new research suggests. The study, of more than 10,000 U.S. adults with type 2 diabetes, found that those who ate relatively fewer carbohydrates were less likely to die over the next 30 years, versus those with a bigger taste for carbs. But the quality of those lower-carb diets was key: People who ate a moderate amount of carbs but still fit in plenty of vegetables, fruit, fiber-rich grains and beans tended to live longer, versus people with higher-carb diets. Then there were the folks with lower-carb diets that were heavy in meat and dairy. They saw no such survival advantage. Experts said the findings, published in April issue of Diabetes Care, support a familiar piece of diet advice: Limit sugar and heavily processed foods, and eat more plants. More than 37 million Americans have diabetes, the vast majority of whom have the type 2 form, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Type 2 diabetes arises when the body loses its sensitivity to the blood sugar-regulating hormone insulin. The disease is often related to obesity, and diet changes, exercise and weight loss are cornerstones of managing it. Low-carb diets are often promoted for weight loss and reining… read on > read on >

Patients could soon have access to a new injectable drug to treat atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema. The drug, lebrikizumab, proved effective in teenagers and adults in two clinical trials just published in the New England Journal of Medicine. “Across both of these pivotal studies for atopic dermatitis, lebrikizumab was highly effective, with a subset of patients responding quite early and then experiencing very durable responses up until week 16 in the initial phase of the study,” said lead researcher Dr. Jonathan Silverberg. He is an associate professor of dermatology at George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Washington, D.C. Subsequent data has shown a good response among patients out to a year, he added. Based on these results, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could approve lebrikizumab within a matter of months, Silverberg said. “We’re hoping that by mid-2023 that this will be FDA-approved and available to us to use, which is very exciting to have another highly effective option on the horizon,” he said. Lebrikizumab is an injectable monoclonal antibody designed to target interleukin-13, a biochemical expressed by immune cells that promotes an inflammatory response in the body. “It increases inflammation within the skin. It can increase or amplify the sensation of itch,” Silverberg said of interleukin-13. “And it also can lead to disruption of the skin… read on > read on >

(HealthDay News) – Military pilots and the ground crews who fuel and maintain their aircraft have higher rates of certain types of cancer, a new study shows. The Pentagon researched cancer cases in nearly 900,000 military members who served between 1992 and 2017, comparing them to the general U.S. population. The study “proves that it’s well past time for leaders and policy makers to move from skepticism to belief and active assistance,” retired Air Force Col. Vince Alcazar, a member of the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association, told the Associated Press. Congress required the study as part of the defense bill in 2021, the AP reported. Now, the new findings will necessitate an even bigger review. Overall, the study found that air crews had a 24% higher rate of cancer of all types and ground crews had a 3% higher rate of all types of cancer. Some specific types of cancer had even higher rates. Air crew members had an 87% higher rate of melanoma, and a 39% higher rate of thyroid cancer. Male air crew members had a 16% higher rate of prostate cancer, while women had a 16% higher rate of breast cancer. Ground crews faired more poorly in brain and nervous system cancers, with a 19% higher rate for those. They also had a 15% higher rate of thyroid cancer and… read on > read on >

Do you ever wonder why you typically feel hungry when it’s time for dinner? Researchers say that’s not just a habit, but a physiological drive, with the human body able to predict the timing of regular meals. “We often get hungry around the same time every day, but the extent to which our biology can anticipate mealtimes is unknown. It is possible that metabolic rhythms align to meal patterns and that regularity of meals will ensure that we eat at the time when our bodies are best adapted to deal with them,” said study author Jonathan Johnston. He is a professor of chronobiology and integrative physiology at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. To investigate if the human circadian system anticipates meals, the researchers worked with 24 men in an eight-day laboratory study with strict sleep-wake schedules. For six days, 12 participants consumed small meals hourly throughout the waking period. The other 12 participants ate two large daily meals at 7.5 and 14.5 hours after waking. After those six days, all the participants were given the same eating schedule for 37 hours. They received small meals hourly in a procedure known to reveal internal circadian rhythms. Researchers measured the participants’ glucose (blood sugar) every 15 minutes during the study. The participants shared their hunger levels hourly during waking hours on days two, four… read on > read on >

If you bought a carbon monoxide detector on Amazon and it was sold under the names GLBSUNION and CUZMAK, stop using it. The U.S. Consumer Protection Safety Commission issued a warning because these detectors may fail to alert consumers to the presence of deadly CO, which is odorless and colorless. The detectors have a digital display. More than 200 people in the United States die every year from accidental, CO poisoning associated with consumer products. If an elevated level of the deadly gas is in the home and the detector isn’t working, injury or death are likely, CPSC noted. Sensitivity tests performed by the commission on the GLBSUNION and CUZMAK detectors found that they failed to alert when exposed to predetermined concentrations of CO in the amount of 400 ppm. This is a violation of UL 2034, a voluntary safety standard, the commission said in a statement. The CO detectors in the warning are made of white plastic, with approximate dimensions of 4 by 1.5 by 4 inches. The devices are advertised to detect dangerous levels of carbon monoxide and alert with a flashing red LED and a loud alarm pattern. The items sold on Amazon for between $16 and $40. Model No. AJ-938 was sold under the Amazon ASIN B093Y1KK5Q and B093Y637CM. Model No. CD01 was sold under the Amazon ASIN B07MPVK6HG and B07K44HLCV.… read on > read on >

Wildfires are known to have a lot of negative impacts on the environment and the health of the people who live through them. Yet another is the worsening of skin conditions, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). The group shared strategies to minimize the effect air pollution can have on people’s skin during its annual meeting, held this past weekend in New Orleans. “The health impact of air pollution from wildfires has not been well studied, but the evidence from our recent studies suggests that short-term exposure to wildfire air pollution can affect the skin and cause flares of certain skin disorders,” said Dr. Maria Wei, a professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco. “We found that the air pollution from California wildfires were associated with an increase in patient visits to dermatologists for both eczema and psoriasis,” Wei added in an AAD news release. “These results are consistent with studies indicating that air pollution from wildfires can be more toxic than air pollution caused by traditional industrial and traffic sources.” Psoriasis happens when the body makes skin cells too quickly, causing them to pile up and form patches on the skin. Eczema is inflamed, itchy, irritated skin. People with the skin condition eczema were more likely to visit dermatologists during the wildfires. Those with psoriasis were more likely to… read on > read on >

As the weather warms, folks are bringing out their bicycles for a ride. That’s great, but it’s important to be ready for a safe biking season: The national rate of bike accidents is two fatal crashes and 2,630 accidents requiring emergency room visits every week. Angela Mountz, community car seat safety program coordinator at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital in Hershey, offers some tips for parents to help their young cyclists avoid serious childhood riding accidents. “I had a cousin who was hit by a car [while on a bike],” Mountz said in a hospital news release. Mountz’s cousin didn’t die, but suffered from the injuries for the rest of his life. “Kids go around thinking, ‘It’s not going to happen to me,’” she said. “But it’s so important to protect yourself.” A helmet is at the very top of her list. The odds that a child will suffer a serious injury if involved in a crash while biking go up 40% if they’re not wearing a helmet, Mountz said. Parents should also wear a helmet while riding: “We need to teach them by example,” Mountz said. Aim for safety over style, Mountz added. Look for a sticker from the American National Standards Institute or the Snell Memorial Foundation to be sure your child’s helmet is certified. Check your kids’ helmets every two months to… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

The Most Common Anxiety Disorders, Explained

Anxiety Attacks: Symptoms and Calming Techniques

Gerber Baby Formula Recalled Due to Bacteria Concerns

Have Type 2 Diabetes? Switch to Plant-Based, Lower-Carb Diet to Boost Life Span

New Drug Could Be Treatment Option for People With Eczema

Pentagon Study Finds Higher Cancer Rates Among Pilots, Ground Crews

Your Body Clock Knows When It’s Time for Dinner: Study

Certain Carbon Monoxide Alarms Sold on Amazon May Not Work, Feds Warn

California’s Wildfires Caused Uptick in Skin Ailments

Gear Up (Helmets Included) for a Safe Bike Season