A lot of people are dealing with anxiety, depression or just general unhappiness. Worry, sadness, restlessness, irritability and trouble sleeping are just a few symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Therapy and medications can help. But some simple self-care ideas can lift a person’s mood and add a sense of peace and joy to everyday life. “Fortunately, there are things that people can do on their own, either in place of a professional mental health professional or while waiting in line to see someone either virtually or in person,” said James Maddux, professor emeritus in the Department of Psychology and senior scholar in the Center of the Advancement of Well-Being at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. All of these techniques can help people dealing with the stress and emotional traumas of life to be happier, Maddux said. Mellow out with meditation Doing this quiet activity for just 10 to 20 minutes helps a person slow down and pay attention to what’s going in inside, Maddux said. “And research shows that those brief periods can carry over into the rest of the day,” Maddux added. Becoming more aware of what you’re thinking and feeling is a big step toward learning how to better manage thoughts and feelings, he said. “Mindfulness activities can be helpful for dealing…  read on >  read on >

Folks who have trouble falling or staying asleep may be more likely to have a heart attack. This is the main takeaway from new research linking insomnia to heart woes. Specifically, people with insomnia were 69% more likely to have a heart attack than folks without the sleep disorder. These rates were even higher among people with both diabetes and insomnia, the study showed. “Insomnia puts the body under stress which triggers [the stress hormone] cortisol release and can accelerate atherosclerosis,” said study author Yomna Dean, a medical student at Alexandria University in Alexandria, Egypt. Atherosclerosis refers to the buildup of plaque in and on the artery walls that can set the stage for a heart attack. The findings were published Feb. 25 in Clinical Cardiology and will be presented at a joint meeting of the American College of Cardiology and World Congress of Cardiology, in New Orleans, and online March 6. For the study, Dean and colleagues culled data from more than 1,200 studies that included close to 1.2 million adults. Of these, 13% (nearly 154,000) had insomnia. Most did not have a history of heart attack. After nine years of follow-up, about 2,400 people who had insomnia and almost 12,400 without insomnia had a heart attack. Folks who slept five or fewer hours a night had the greatest heart attack risk, the study…  read on >  read on >

When depression hits, everyday activities like working, socializing, sleeping and even eating can become a daunting challenge. George Mason University clinical psychologist James Maddux treats patients with clinical depression in his practice. He said, “The problems with both depression and anxiety are the result of what people think about. These thoughts lead to feelings that also affect behavior.” So how can you deal with the emotional, mental and physical impacts of depression? Maddux shares some scientifically backed self-care tips that you can use when you or a loved one begin experiencing a bout of depression. What is depression? The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) states that depression is a serious mental health disorder, and the leading cause of disability in the United States today. It affects about 21 million adults across the country. The causes of depression are diverse and can include: Relationship issues Drug and alcohol abuse Sudden life changes Certain medications Changes in the brain’s frontal lobe activity Pituitary gland and hypothalamus hormonal responses Medical conditions such as anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), hypothyroidism and chronic pain can also trigger depressive episodes. Depression symptoms Just like the causes of depression, the condition’s symptoms are wide-ranging and vary from person to person, according to NAMI. The signs of depression include: Changes in sleeping and eating patterns Feelings of hopelessness A lack of motivation and…  read on >  read on >

Certain gene mutations put women at high risk of breast cancer, and now an early study hints that obesity might make matters worse. The findings come from a study of breast tissue samples from women who carried particular mutations in genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2 — which convey much higher-than-normal risks of both breast and ovarian cancers. The researchers found that among women who were obese, healthy breast tissue showed more signs of DNA damage that can promote cancer. The findings, published Feb. 22 in the journal Science Translational Medicine, do not prove that obesity exacerbates the already high breast cancer risk in women who carry BRCA mutations. But they do raise that possibility, according to senior researcher Kristy Brown, an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, in New York City. If so, that would mean that maintaining a healthy weight might mitigate some of the cancer risk that BRCA mutation carriers face. Brown’s team also found hints of another potential avenue: In lab experiments with carriers’ breast tissue samples, they found that exposing the tissue to the diabetes drug metformin reduced signs of DNA damage. “We definitely need more studies to see whether lifestyle interventions, or metformin, can lower the risk of cancer in these patients,” Brown said. BRCA gene mutations are not common: In the United States, about 1 in 500 women…  read on >  read on >

MONDAY, Feb. 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Children in Sweden’s capital can breathe a little easier. As Stockholm’s air has gotten cleaner, young people’s lungs have gotten stronger, new research shows. The findings could have implications for cities worldwide. While the adverse impact of air pollutants on kids’ lung health is well-documented, the impact of changes in air quality on lung development is less studied, researchers noted. Children’s lung health greatly affects their future risk of developing chronic lung diseases. “Fortunately, we’ve seen a decrease in air pollutants and therefore an increase in air quality in Stockholm over the past 20 years,” said co-author Dr. Erik Melén, a pediatrician and professor in the Department of Clinical Research and Education at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. “We therefore also wanted to examine if the lungs of children also improved during this period.” For the study, researchers used data from the BAMSE project, which is following about 4,000 individuals born between 1994 and 1996. Participants completed questionnaires at age 8, 16 and 24 and had lung function tests. Researchers also estimated concentrations of airborne pollutants, mostly from traffic, at sites where participants lived from birth until early adulthood. Air pollution was roughly 40% lower in Stockholm between 2016 and 2019 than it was between 2002 and 2004. At some locations, it decreased by 60%. Others have had…  read on >  read on >