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Many health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic are struggling with sleep, a new study finds. The researchers also found that those with insomnia were more likely to have depression, anxiety and stress-based trauma. The study included nearly 1,600 health care workers who completed an online questionnaire between January 29 and February 3 at the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Two-thirds (36%) reported insomnia symptoms. Overall rates of depression were much higher among those with insomnia (87%) than among those without insomnia (31%), and especially for moderate (23% versus 3%) and severe (17% versus 2%) depression. The percentages and differences between those with and without insomnia were similar for anxiety and stress-based trauma, according to the study published April 14 in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. The most important factor associated with insomnia among health care workers was strong uncertainty about effective disease control among medical staff. Strong uncertainty was 3.3 times higher among those with insomnia than those without it, the findings showed. Lower levels of education were also associated with insomnia. Health care workers with a high school education or less were 2.7 times more likely to have insomnia than those with a doctoral degree, according to the report. Workers with less education may be more likely to be fearful, study co-author Bin Zhang, a professor at… read on >

Eating a Mediterranean diet that’s high in vegetables, whole grains and fish could reduce your risk of mental decline, two studies from the U.S. National Eye Institute (NEI) suggest. “We do not always pay attention to our diets. We need to explore how nutrition affects the brain and the eye,” lead author Dr. Emily Chew said in an NEI news release. She is director of the institute’s division of epidemiology and clinical applications. The researchers analyzed data from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) and the follow-up study, AREDS2. The studies, which included 8,000 people in all, were set up to explore the eye disease age-related macular degeneration. At the start of both studies, participants’ diets were assessed, including their average consumption of specific Mediterranean diet components over the previous year. Besides veggies, whole grains and fish, this type of meal plan is rich in whole fruits, nuts, legumes and olive oil. A Mediterranean diet also features lower consumption of red meat and alcohol. AREDS tested participants’ mental (cognitive) function at five years, and AREDS2 tested mental function at the start and again two, four and 10 years later. Those who most closely followed the Mediterranean diet had the lowest risk of mental impairment. Although the study can’t prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship, high levels of fish and vegetable consumption appeared to provide the greatest… read on >

Once you’ve had COVID-19 and recovered, are you now immune from the virus? That’s the critical question that will help shape how the United States re-opens for business in the coming months. Unfortunately, there’s still no clear answer. It’s still too soon to tell if the first wave of COVID-19 survivors will remain immune to the virus for any appreciable length of time. But the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, thinks there’s a good chance that people might gain lasting immunity following COVID-19 infection. “We’re making an assumption, which I think is a reasonable assumption, that this virus is not changing very much,” said Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “If we get infected in February and March, and recover, next September or October the person who was infected I believe is going to be protected. We don’t know 100% for sure, but I think that is a reasonable assumption.” But there’s also reason to question the potential for lasting immunity against COVID-19, said Dr. Greg Poland, director of the Vaccine Research Group at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn. Immunity may vary The novel coronavirus behind COVID-19 belongs to a family of viruses that has a very uneven track record with the human immune system, Poland noted. “With the four seasonal beta coronaviruses that circulate… read on >

Can zinc help shorten a COVID-19 infection? Will vitamin C or other supplements prevent it? These claims and plenty more can be found on social media and internet sites, but be advised: There is no pill or treatment that can prevent or cure COVID right now. “We want to think that there is a quick way to get rid of this. But there is not a product out there that will keep you from getting the coronavirus,” said Rebecca Dutch, a virologist with the University of Kentucky in Lexington. The pandemic has spawned a wave of products claiming to protect you by boosting your immune system — a simple claim people think they understand, said retired psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Barrett, who runs Quackwatch, a website that debunks pseudoscientific claims. “They think, ‘If I can boost my immune system, I’ll be more resistant to the virus,’” but it’s just not that simple, he said. “The immune system is quite complex,” Barrett explained. “There’s not even a scientific process called strengthening or boosting the immune system.” He agreed with Dutch: “There is no product you can take that will prevent or cure COVID,” he said. Even a group representing supplement makers agreed. Two major industry groups –the Council for Responsible Nutrition and the American Herbal Products Association — recently asked stores selling dietary supplements to refuse to… read on >

It is safe to donate blood during the coronavirus pandemic? Do cloth face masks offer meaningful protection against COVID-19? These are among the questions Americans are asking, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the agency is offering some answers. A number of measures are being taken to protect the nation’s blood supply, according to the FDA. Blood donors must be healthy and feel well on the day of donation. Routine donor screening should prevent people with respiratory infections from donating blood. However, donors are told to contact the donor center if they become ill after giving blood, so that their blood or plasma won’t be used. No cases of COVID-19 have been linked to blood or products made from blood collected from donors who developed COVID-19 after donating, the FDA said in a news release. And giving blood is one way for you to help during this public health emergency. If you’re healthy and want to donate blood, contact a local donation center to make an appointment, the agency advised. There’s another way you might be able to help — by donating convalescent plasma, the FDA said. Scientists are investigating its use to treat COVID-19. Convalescent plasma is the liquid part of blood that’s collected from patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies in their blood against the virus. The… read on >

As you shelter at home during the coronavirus pandemic, eliminate hazards inside that could lead to falls, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) suggests. Preventing injuries will help avoid putting added strain on a health care system struggling to treat COVID-19 patients, academy spokesman Dr. Todd Swenning said. One out of five falls causes a serious injury, such as a broken bone or even head trauma, he added. “While common perception is that falls only happen to older populations, the truth is that anyone is susceptible, especially with increased family members in the home or changes to your daily routine,” Swenning said in an academy news release. “The good news is that most falls can be prevented with a few simple precautions.” Start with your footwear. Wear sturdy and proper footwear, make sure your shoes are properly tied, don’t wear socks without grips, and replace stretched out or loose slippers, Swenning advised. In the bedroom: Place a lamp, telephone or flashlight near your bed; have a bed that’s easy to get into and out of; put a nightlight between your bedroom and the bathroom; and arrange clothes in your closet so that they’re easy to reach. In other areas of your home: Arrange furniture so there are clear paths between rooms; install easy-access light switches at room entrances so you don’t have to walk… read on >

If you’re one of the many people making your own cleaning products at home because you can’t find them in stores, you need to be sure what you make is safe and effective, an environmental medicine expert says. Do-it-yourself (DIY) cleaning products made from ingredients such as vinegar, essential oils and baking soda are safe, but they haven’t been shown to kill viruses or bacteria, said Robert Laumbach. He’s an associate professor at the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute at Rutgers University, in New Jersey. “It is essential to make a distinction between cleaning and disinfecting products. Cleaners remove dirt and some, but not all, germs. Disinfectants kill germs, including bacteria and viruses,” he said in a university news release. “The effectiveness of cleaners is usually readily apparent to the user. In contrast, verification of the ability of disinfectants to kill particular viruses and bacteria depends on laboratory tests such as those conducted by commercial product manufacturers,” said Laumbach. The only DIY disinfectant that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for killing the new coronavirus on frequently contacted surfaces is “a dilute solution of 1/3 cup [about 5 tablespoons] of bleach per gallon of water,” he noted. The coronavirus is more easily killed by disinfectants, so common U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered household disinfectants should be effective against the virus, according to… read on >

For those with heart problems, home-based rehab can take the place of hospital-based cardiac rehabilitation during the current coronavirus pandemic, heart experts say. “Home-based cardiac rehab is a solution to help provide cardiac rehabilitation to patients with heart disease in a home setting, and to help them survive and thrive during this challenging period of time,” said Dr. Randal Thomas. He’s a preventive cardiologist and medical director of the Mayo Clinic’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, in Rochester, Minn. “Home-based cardiac rehabilitation is much more than just going for a walk at home,” Thomas said in a clinic news release. “It is a structured, standardized, evidence-based approach to apply all therapies — lifestyle, medication and otherwise — that are known to help people with heart disease do better, feel better and live longer.” Mayo Clinic has used home-based cardiac rehab with a small number of patients over the years, but the coronavirus pandemic has made it necessary to transition all cardiac rehab to home-based settings in a matter of weeks. If you qualify for cardiac rehab, ask your care provider if at-home rehabilitation is an option for you as well. According to Thomas, there are many reasons why home-based cardiac rehab is so important right now. A big advantage of home rehab is that it keeps patients out of the hospital. Home rehab also ensures that patients… read on >

Whether she gets it from fruits, beans, grains or vegetables, dietary fiber appears to at least slightly lower a woman’s risk for breast cancer, a comprehensive new review finds. The review covered data from 20 different trials involving millions of women. It found that high levels of total fiber consumption “was associated with an 8% lower risk of breast cancer,” compared to low consumption. The studies only included prospective trials, where a trial is set up and results tabulated as time goes on. Prospective trials are thought to have more validity than retrospective diet/cancer studies, which only ask women what they ate in the past. The new study is the first such data review involving prospective studies, said a team led by Maryam Farvid of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in Boston. Beyond the overall reduction in risk, the review also found the anti-cancer benefit of fiber extended to women of all ages. “A high intake of total fiber also was found to be significantly associated with a decreased risk in both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancers,” Farvid’s group noted. One breast cancer specialist was encouraged by the findings. “With the risk for breast cancer being as significant as it is, we are always looking for ways in which we can decrease a woman’s risk for developing this disease,” said Dr. Lauren… read on >

An analysis of Twitter data suggests that Americans are heeding social distancing and other safety recommendations during the coronavirus pandemic, researchers say. Officials have told people to limit travel, stay home and distance themselves to slow the spread of the virus. “The question though is how effective are these policies? Once you tell people to stay home, it doesn’t mean everyone listens,” said research leader Mark Dredze, a computer scientist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “It’s important for us to understand on an ongoing basis if people are actually listening to these directives,” he said in a Hopkins news release. But how do experts know people are staying put? For this study, they used location data from Twitter. It showed that the movement of Americans between March 16 and 29 was 52% of what it was between Jan. 1, 2019 and March 16, 2020. People’s movements in some states didn’t fall as much as in other states, particularly states with firm social distancing measures, according to the researchers. The analysis of nearly 400 tweets by 3.7 million users found the greatest reductions in movement in Washington, D.C. (63%); Alaska (62.5%); Washington state (58.8%); New Jersey (58.3%), and Maryland (57.6%). The smallest reductions in movement were in Wyoming (21.5%); Oklahoma (30.9%); Mississippi (35.4%): Iowa (36%), and Idaho (36.4%). Similar research has been conducted by others,… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Sleep Troubles Hit Health Care Workers During Pandemic

Which Foods Might Reduce Your Odds for Dementia?

When U.S. Re-Opens, Will Those Exposed to Coronavirus Have Lasting Immunity?

Don’t Believe the Hype: Bogus Products, Coronavirus Scams Abound

FDA Tackles Questions About Blood Donation, Face Masks During Pandemic

Sheltering at Home? Take Steps to Prevent Injuries From Falls

Handle DIY Cleaning Products With Care During Coronavirus Pandemic

Heart Patients Should Ask About Home-Based Cardiac Rehab

High-Fiber Diets May Lower Odds for Breast Cancer

Tweets Show Americans Are Following COVID-19 Precautions