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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 >

A new study links obesity with 21 Alzheimer’s disease-related genes. This may help explain why Alzheimer’s is often more frequent among adults who experienced obesity in midlife, according to researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. To study this, the investigators used data from more than 5,600 participants in the long-running Framingham Heart Study to analyze 74 Alzheimer’s-related genes. Of those genes, 21 were either underexpressed or overexpressed in obesity, the research team found. Gene expression refers to the process by which information encoded in a gene is turned into a body function. The researchers found that 13 Alzheimer’s-related genes were associated with body mass index (BMI), an estimate of body fat based on height and weight. Eight genes were associated with waist-to-hip ratio. “Several of the genes were more strongly related to obesity in midlife versus in late life, and also to obesity in women versus men,” said the study’s corresponding author, Claudia Satizabal of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio. These findings are similar to past research that also suggested midlife obesity may be a factor in women’s Alzheimer’s disease risk, Satizabal said. People who develop dementia tend to lose weight about five to 10 years before the onset of the disease. It’s possible this is an unhealthy weight loss… read on > read on >

It’s a worry for every man: While in the throes of passion, he experiences premature ejaculation. “Premature ejaculation is the most common male sexual disorder,” Waguih IsHak, a psychiatry professor at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said recently in a health blog. Luckily, it’s also the easiest to treat. “The problem is that some men don’t address it, and it ends up complicating relationships,” IsHak added. The Cleveland Clinic states that between 30% and 40% of men are affected by premature ejaculation, and about 1 in 5 males between the ages of 18 and 59 say they’ve experienced it. Premature ejaculation is typically defined as reaching climax within one minute of penetration, and there are several psychosocial factors that can contribute to the condition — many linked to anxiety. Money troubles, job stress and relationship problems can all contribute to premature ejaculation. To make matters worse, anxiety can be both a cause and an effect. To better understand premature ejaculation, it is important to learn about its causes and some key treatments you can try to better manage the condition and lower the likelihood that it happens in the future. What is premature ejaculation? “The official definition of premature ejaculation is controlled and unwanted ejaculation within a minute or less of penetration. Personally, I think this definition is too limiting,” Harvard Health chief… read on > read on >

About 44% of U.S. middle and high schools have student-run clubs that shine a light on issues that touch the lives of LGBTQ+ students. And new research suggests that depression risk among LGBTQ+ students is considerably lower in those schools where such Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs), similar to Gay-Straight Alliances, are present and relatively active. “Depression is one of the foremost health concerns among LGBTQ+ youth,” said lead author V. Paul Poteat, a professor in the department of counseling, developmental and educational psychology at Boston College. “While risk of depression has tended to range from 8% to 17% in the general adolescent population, it has ranged from 18% to 23% among LGBQ+ youth,” he noted. GSAs are school clubs that provide a welcoming space for LGBTQ+ teens and their heterosexual cisgender peers to socialize, support one another and learn about LGBTQ+ issues. Typically meeting once a week or every-other-week for up to an hour — either during or after school — GSAs sometimes also advocate for protective and inclusive policies for LGBTQ+ youth, Poteat explained, promoting inclusion and visibility along with socializing and event-planning. He said his team wanted to see whether advocacy work could reduce depressive symptoms by helping lower the risk for loneliness, fearfulness or hopelessness among LGBTQ+ teens. Nearly 1,400 boys and girls in 23 Massachusetts middle and high schools (grades 6 through… read on > read on >

Parents are role models who can teach their kids about healthy food and exercise habits in childhood to help avoid future health problems. “Children who are overweight are more likely to develop diabetes, experience feelings of isolation and struggle with self-esteem,” said Dr. Asma Khan, a pediatrician at OSF HealthCare in Rockland, Ill. Khan offered some tips for giving kids an early start on good health. First, teach them about hunger and fullness cues. It’s easy to eat because of boredom or sadness, but important to recognize when you’re hungry or full. “Starting healthy habits early is the best way to maintain a healthy weight,” Khan said in an OSF news release. Use child-sized plates to make it easier to gauge how much food your child needs in a meal. Half the plate should be filled with fruits and veggies. The other half should be a lean protein, such as fish, chicken or beans, and a whole grain, which might be oatmeal, whole wheat bread or brown rice. Choose healthy snacks such as carrots and hummus, an apple or kale chips. Skip snacks that are high in sugar and fat, such as soda, juice, sports drinks, chips, cookies, candy and cupcakes, except on special occasions. “I also tell parents to limit the junk food that comes into the house. There isn’t as much temptation to… read on > read on >

People who are experiencing anxiety and depression months after a mild case of COVID-19 may have changes affecting the structure and function of their brains, Brazilian researchers report. “There is still much to learn about long COVID, which includes a wide range of health problems, including anxiety and depression, months after infection,” said Dr. Clarissa Yasuda of the University of Campinas in São Paulo. “Our findings are concerning, as even people with a mild case of COVID-19 are showing changes in their brains months later. More studies are needed to hopefully identify treatments to prevent any long-term effects on people’s quality of life,” she added. To understand this, the researchers studied 254 people who had a mild COVID-19 infection. On average, the patients were 41 years old and had COVID-19 three months earlier. Each participant completed tests of anxiety or depression symptoms and had brain scans. In all, 102 people had symptoms of both anxiety and depression and 152 people had none, the investigators found. The researchers then looked for evidence of shrinkage in the brain’s gray matter. Scans were compared with those of 148 people who had not had COVID-19. Those who had COVID-19 and were experiencing anxiety and depression had shrinkage in the limbic area of the brain, which is involved in memory and emotional processing. Those who had no symptoms of anxiety… read on > read on >

If you’re over 40, regular exercise may not only keep you fit — it might keep you out of the hospital, too, a large new study suggests. Researchers found that among nearly 82,000 British adults, those who regularly exercised were less likely to be hospitalized for various health conditions in the coming years. The list included such common ills as pneumonia, stroke, diabetes complications and severe urinary tract infections. The findings suggest that if middle-aged and older people added just 20 minutes of exercise to their daily routine, they could cut the risk of those hospitalizations by anywhere from 4% to 23% over seven years. Experts said the study expands on what people typically see as the benefits of exercise — like a trimmer body, improved fitness and healthier heart. “It could also help keep you out of the hospital. And that matters to people,” said Peter Katzmarzyk, a professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. Katzmarzyk, who was not involved in the study, said it aligns with what’s generally recommended to Americans to improve their health: Get at least 150 minutes of moderate “cardio” exercise, or 75 minutes at a vigorous intensity, each week. That means exercise that gets the heart pumping and works up a sweat: Moderate-intensity includes things like brisk walking, biking on level ground or yard work. Running,… read on > read on >

You’re in your doctor’s office, and the nurse checks your blood pressure as a matter of course. But your numbers are high, and the doctor steps in with some advice, and possibly a prescription for medications that can lower it. So, now that you have high blood pressure, what is it and what can you do about it? The American Heart Association (AHA) describes blood pressure as the measure of the force pumping blood through the arteries, which carry blood from the heart throughout the body. Measured by two numbers, the top number (the systolic pressure) is the force of the blood when your heart pumps, and the bottom number (diastolic pressure) is when your heart is resting and filling with blood. Normal blood pressure can vary from individual to individual, and it can rise and fall throughout the day, said Dr. Michael Blaha, a Johns Hopkins cardiologist. He recommends regularly measuring blood pressure at home and keeping track of trends. Generally, blood pressure is considered healthy when it is 120/80 or less. “As a physician, I’m much more interested in what a patient’s blood pressure looks like at home, under their normal conditions, than what it looks like at a single point in time in my office,” Blaha said. “Knowing your blood pressure over time best helps your doctor identify whether you have a… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

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

21 Genes Could Link Midlife Obesity & Alzheimer’s Risk

Understanding Premature Ejaculation

LGBTQ+ Support Groups in Schools Boost Students’ Mental Health

6 Ways to Helping Your Child to a Healthy Weight

Even Mild COVID Might Change Your Brain

Over 40? Just 20 Minutes of Daily Exercise Can Keep You Out of the Hospital

High Blood Pressure: Here’s What to Know