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All those images of beautiful-looking people on social media can deflate a young person’s self-image, but there may be an easy fix: limiting time spent on TikTok, Instagram and the like. A new Canadian study finds that teens and young adults who already had symptoms of anxiety or depression and who cut their social media usage by about 50% experienced a significant improvement in how they felt about their overall appearance in just a few weeks. They also felt better about their weight. “I don’t think it completely surprised me,” said study co-author Helen Thai, a PhD student in the psychology department at McGill University in Montreal. Past research on traditional media and the impact of unattainable beauty and body ideals has obtained similar results, Thai suggested. “Not only are there celebrities and influencers on there, but it’s also people within your social circle,” Thai said about social media, “which can make comparison a bit more easy.” The authors estimated that youth spend about six to eight hours each day on screens. A lot of that time is spent on social media sites, where they may see hundreds or thousands of images, internalizing them. In a news release about the study, lead author Gary Goldfield, a senior scientist with the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, said that whether people who already have body… read on > read on >

America’s health care workforce is under unprecedented strain, and leaders of the medical profession are scrambling to shore up doctors and nurses who are burning out in record numbers. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of a nationwide group of doctors and nurses said they are experiencing a moderate or great deal of burnout at work, according to a new HealthDay-Harris Poll online survey. Those numbers jibe with figures from top medical associations, officials said. For example, only 57% of doctors say they would choose medicine as a profession again, compared with 72% the year before, said Dr. Christine Sinsky, vice president of professional satisfaction at the American Medical Association. “Likewise, a year ago, 40% of physicians felt highly professionally satisfied. A year later, only 22%,” Sinsky said during a HealthDay Now interview. “So, I think a picture of a workforce in peril is coming into focus.” The National Academy of Medicine has seen a disturbingly similar trend. “Even before COVID, about 40% and up to 50% of doctors and nurses are reporting burnout, distress, anxiety,” Dr. Victor Dzau, president of the National Academy of Medicine, told HealthDay Now. “And since COVID, the numbers have gone up to 70 to 90%.” Understaffing is the greatest contributor to burnout, with 66% of primary care physicians and 75% of nurses citing it in the HealthDay-Harris Poll survey. The amount of… read on > read on >

THURSDAY, Feb. 23, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Plant-based beverages that use oats, soy, almonds, cashews and other products instead of dairy can continue to call themselves milk. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released new draft rules on Wednesday, and the agency will accept comments on the draft through April 23. These products don’t pretend to be from cows, the FDA guidance said, and American consumers aren’t confused by the “milk” name. Producers of these products, made from the liquid extracts of plants, will need to clearly label them with their plant source, calling them, for example, “soy milk.” The FDA is also asking for voluntary extra nutrition labels on the products if they have lower levels of the nutrients than dairy milk contains, including calcium, magnesium and vitamin D. While the National Milk Producers Federation, an industry trade group, approved of the decision asking for extra nutrition information, they rejected the FDA conclusion that the word milk is a “common and usual name,” the Associated Press reported. The Good Food Institute, an advocate for plant-based products, said “the guidance misguidedly admonishes companies to make a direct comparison” with cow’s milk, the AP reported. Key nutrients are already listed on labels of plant-based milk. Fortified soy milk is the only plant-based option that meets U.S. dietary guidelines for dairy. While plant-based milks do big business,… read on > read on >

Regular exercise at some point in life is a key to better cognitive health in old age, researchers say. Starting sooner is better and sustaining it longer are, too. A new British study has found that exercising at least once a month at any time in adulthood is linked to better thinking and memory function in later life. People who reported being physically active at least one to four times per month in separate surveys at the ages of 36, 43, 53, 60 to 64, and 69 had the biggest benefit. The effect was greater than for those who said they exercised frequently (more than five times a month) during at least one of the study periods but who didn’t necessarily keep it up across several surveys. “Our study suggests that engaging in any leisure-time physical activity, at any point in adult life, has a positive effect on cognition. This seems to be the case even at light levels of activity, between once to four times a month,” said Sarah-Naomi James of the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health & Aging at University College London. “What’s more, people who have never been active before, and then start to be active in their 60s, also appear to have better cognitive function than those who were never active.” The biggest benefit for thinking and memory function was seen… read on > read on >

Living closer to outdoor spaces and natural water may be better for your mental health, researchers say. A new study finds that close proximity to nature may reduce an older person’s risk for serious psychological distress. That distress can lead to mild impairment of thinking and memory, as well as dementia. The study is scheduled for presentation at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, online and in Boston, April 22-27. “Since we lack effective prevention methods or treatments for mild cognitive impairment and dementia, we need to get creative in how we look at these issues,” said study author Solmaz Amiri, a postdoctoral research associate at Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. “Our hope is that this study showing better mental health among people living close to parks and water will trigger other studies about how these benefits work and whether this proximity can help prevent or delay mild cognitive impairment and dementia,” she said in a meeting news release. Mental health problems that require treatment and have a moderate to severe effect on a person’s ability to participate in work, school and social situations are considered serious psychological distress. To study this, researchers used data from the U.S. Census and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine how close participants lived to so-called green and blue spaces.… read on > read on >

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WEDNESDAY, Feb, 22, 2023Vaginal dryness. It happens to most postmenopausal women, but few talk about it and even fewer get treated for it. Vaginal dryness is a painful condition that occurs when the lining of the vagina does not produce enough lubrication. A healthy vagina has a thick discharge that keeps the tissues lubricated and healthy. When the body no longer makes adequate lubrication, the tissue becomes thin and dry, which may cause discomfort. According to an article in the International Journal of Women’s Health, approximately 50% to 60% of postmenopausal women suffer from this condition. Yet, only 25% receive treatment. Vaginal dryness can wreak havoc on a woman’s quality of life. Painful sexual intimacy can be challenging to navigate in a relationship. Vaginal dryness can also cause discomfort when sitting or exercising, and it can lead to an increase in urinary tract infections (UTIs). Vaginal Dryness Symptoms According to the Mayo Clinic, some of the symptoms of vaginal dryness include: Painful sexual intercourse/penetration Itching in the perineum Burning when urinating Irritation of the perineum Bleeding post intercourse Vaginal discharge Recurrent urinary tract infections Vaginal Dryness Causes The Mayo Clinic states that a decrease in the body’s production of estrogen is the primary cause of vaginal dryness. The body’s drop in estrogen levels may be caused by: Perimenopause Menopause Removal of ovaries (oophorectomy) Childbirth Breastfeeding… read on > read on >

Stop buying or using Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Eye Ointment, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Wednesday. The over-the-counter product is made by the same company that makes eye drops that were recalled earlier this year amid an outbreak of a highly drug-resistant bacteria that has hospitalized and blinded patients. Those products, which include EzriCare and Delsam Pharma artificial tears, are manufactured and exported by the Indian company Global Pharma Healthcare Private Limited. The FDA faulted the company for multiple violations, and has banned imports of the company’s items into the United States, CBS News reported. It’s not clear what prompted the most recent warning, CBS News said. At least 16 patients had been hospitalized earlier for an outbreak of the “rare, extensively drug-resistant” Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, a strain that had not been seen in the United States before. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a nationwide health alert about the bacteria. The outbreak involved patients in 12 states. Five were permanently blinded. One had to have an eyeball surgically removed, CBS News reported. A patient in Washington state died when the infection spread to the bloodstream. Federal investigators found opened EzriCare eye drops contaminated with the bacteria at the homes of multiple patients. However, three unopened bottles did not have signs of contamination. Investigators are testing more bottles. Most patients… read on > read on >

For anyone struggling with a mental health issue who is looking for support coping with stress or managing complicated feelings, help is available. It’s called psychotherapy, and it might be the answer you’re looking for. According to the American Psychiatric Association, psychotherapy “is a way to help people with a broad variety of mental illnesses and emotional difficulties. Psychotherapy can help eliminate or control troubling symptoms so a person can function better and can increase well-being and healing.” Psychotherapy is also known as talk therapy because it involves talking with a professional therapist. Is psychotherapy for you? Psychotherapy may help if you: Feel overwhelming sadness or anxiety Are concerned about your drug or alcohol use Have a mental health diagnosis Have been in an abusive situation Are grieving a loss Are experiencing emotions that interfere with relationships, work, school, or day-to-day functioning Have experienced trauma Where should you start? Dr. Christine Crawford, associate medical director at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) said recently that, “It can be really tough to go online and start googling mental health treatment and support because you’ll get a whole slew of responses. And if you’re already feeling overwhelmed with anxiety and depression or experiencing trauma, it’s going to be incredibly difficult to process all of the information to know where to start.” Crawford suggests starting with a… read on > read on >

Combining breathing exercises with gradual aerobic activity may benefit teens who are recovering slowly from a concussion. New research found that while the two therapies each offer benefits, together they led to even greater improvement in thinking and memory skills, depression and mood. The findings are scheduled for presentation in Boston and online at the meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, April 22 to 27. “When someone has a concussion, it can affect the body’s autonomic nervous system, and it is increasingly clear that this underlies the inability to tolerate exercise, problems with thinking skills and mood issues in those with persisting symptoms,” said study author R. Davis Moore, an assistant professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina. “Our study used a handheld biofeedback device to help people train their breathing to match their heart rate patterns,” Moore said in a meeting news release. “This can help balance the autonomic nervous system and manage symptoms.” Recovery from concussion is considered slow when it takes more than one month for symptoms such as headache, dizziness, depression, mood problems, memory and concentration issues to resolve. Heart rate variability is the range of time between heartbeats. For example, a person may have a range of 60 to 100 beats per minute. After a concussion, all patients have changes in this rate, then typically return… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Cutting Down on Social Media Brings Quick Boost to Teens’ Self-Image

Almost Two-Thirds of U.S. Doctors, Nurses Feel Burnt Out at Work: Poll

Almond, Soy Drinks Can Be Called Milk, FDA Proposes

Exercise Just Once a Month Could Help Your Brain Decades Later

Parks, Rivers, Lakes: Nature’s Great Stress Relievers

Sexless Marriage? How to Talk With Your Partner About It

Vaginal Dryness: What It Is, Symptoms, Treatment & More

FDA Widens Warning for Contaminated Eye Products

Types of Psychotherapy: Finding the Right Fit for Your Needs

Breathing Exercises Might Speed Concussion Recovery in Teens