For people with the mysterious chronic pain condition fibromyalgia, researchers say nerve stimulation may offer some relief. In a recent study, use of TENS — transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation — during movement or activity was shown to significantly reduce pain associated with fibromyalgia after just four weeks. Dr. Lesley Arnold, who was not involved with the new study, lauded its outcomes. “The improvements in pain and fatigue were remarkable,” she said. Arnold, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, suggested that the study may help guide physicians in use of TENS for symptom management. TENS uses a battery-operated machine to deliver electrical currents via electrodes attached to the skin. This is believed to activate nerve pathways that inhibit pain. People with fibromyalgia are encouraged to engage in physical activity as a way to manage their symptoms. But, paradoxically, movement can be painful for them. In the study, researchers randomly divided more than 300 women with fibromyalgia into three groups: active TENS; placebo (sham) TENS; or no TENS. Those in the TENS groups were instructed to use the device over four weeks, at home, for two hours daily during activity. The patients were told to apply the device’s electrodes to two specific areas along the back — one upper and one lower — and to activate the machine…  read on >

A diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder need not be a life sentence, a large Canadian study suggests. “It’s so exciting,” said lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, director of the Institute for Life Course and Aging at the University of Toronto. People with generalized anxiety disorder worry excessively for long periods, and most days they struggle to control their discomfort, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Anxiety affects an estimated 31% of U.S. adults, is almost twice as common in women than men, and often goes hand-in-hand with major depression. Fuller-Thomson’s team combed data from a 2012 Canadian mental health survey of just over 21,000 people in search of factors associated with “complete mental health.” Of those surveyed, about 2,100 had generalized anxiety disorders. Researchers defined complete mental health as being free of current mental illness, being able to function well and feeling good about oneself, relationships and community connections. Of those with a history of anxiety, 72% were in remission; 58% were free of all mental illness for the past year; and 40% met the criteria for complete mental health. Among the larger group of respondents who had never had a generalized anxiety disorder, 76% were said to have complete mental health. “I didn’t expect the numbers to be so high,” Fuller-Thomson said. “It did surprise me.” The study did not look at…  read on >

Feeling exhausted, with too few hours in the day to do what needs to be done? Be careful of burnout — especially after a new study finds it can raise your risk for the dangerous irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation. “A-fib” — long tied to higher odds for heart attack and stroke — is the most common form of heart arrhythmia. It’s estimated that 10 million people in the United States will have the condition by next year. The new study found burnout might help trigger a-fib. “Vital exhaustion is associated with increased inflammation and heightened activation of the body’s physiologic stress response,” explained study author Parveen Garg, of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. “When these two things are chronically triggered, that can have serious and damaging effects on the heart tissue, which could then eventually lead to the development of this arrhythmia,” he explained. In the study, Garg’s group surveyed more than 11,000 people about whether or not they had symptoms of burnout and then followed them for nearly 25 years. Burnout “is typically caused by prolonged and profound stress at work or home,” said Garg. His team published its findings Jan. 13 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Burnout “differs from depression, which is characterized by low mood, guilt and poor self-esteem,” Garg said in a journal news release.…  read on >

Lung illnesses and deaths from vaping have been grabbing headlines for months, and now two new studies offer fresh evidence pointing to long-term respiratory concerns. The studies link the use of electronic cigarettes to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). “These studies add to the body of evidence on the relationship between electronic cigarette use and lung conditions,” said Dr. Albert Osei, a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. He’s lead author of a study published earlier this month in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The studies cannot definitely prove a cause-and-effect link, he noted, adding: “We believe this warrants further longitudinal studies.” Introduced to the U.S. market more than a decade ago, e-cigarettes are marketed as less harmful than traditional tobacco cigarettes, and as a way to help quit smoking. In 2016, almost 11 million American adults used e-cigarettes. Most have a vaporization chamber, a nicotine cartridge that can include flavoring and a rechargeable battery. The vapor they produce is inhaled into the lungs — a process called vaping. Past studies have suggested the vapor may irritate airway cells, impair their ability to fight infection, and lead to destruction of lung tissue. A study just published in December found that e-cigarette users are also at significantly higher risk of chronic lung diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema…  read on >

The idea of marijuana causing a psychotic breakdown sounds like something out of the camp film classic “Reefer Madness,” but many experts argue it’s not that far-fetched. As legalization of recreational marijuana spreads across the United States, more people are showing up in ERs with psychotic symptoms after consuming too much pot, said Dr. Itai Danovitch, chairman of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. “If somebody gets too high, they use more than intended, they can have psychotic symptoms. That typically resolves as the drug wears off,” Danovitch said. “After it’s worn off, there’s no subsequent psychosis. That’s just a direct effect of over-intoxication.” But some unlucky souls with a family history of mental illness might wind up with a full-fledged psychotic disorder that will require extended treatment, Danovitch noted. “That risk is concentrated among a minority of people who have an existing vulnerability to develop a psychotic disorder, a family history of psychosis,” Danovitch said. “There are environmental factors that influence whether somebody develops schizophrenia who has a risk. It appears cannabis probably is one of those factors.” Vaping a potent form of THC — the intoxicating ingredient in pot — prompted a psychotic episode last year in 24-year-old Madison McIntosh of Scottsdale, Ariz., according to USA Today. McIntosh appeared at the driving range where he worked on his day off,…  read on >