(HealthDay News) — Applying to college can be a stressful experience for teens, says Hillside Treatment Center. Made worse by other sources of stress — such as homework and extracurricular activities — anxiety during this time is common. To ease college application anxiety, Hillside Treatment Center encourages parents to: Create realistic expectations. Avoid comparing your child to others. Offer support and pay attention to their feelings. Ensure your child eats well and gets enough sleep. Focus on finding the right college, not necessarily the best college. Enjoy quality time with your child, away from college concerns.
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Running the Numbers on High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a risk factor for many serious health threats, such as heart attack and stroke. The most recent guidelines from the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and other health organizations reflect research findings that lowering the threshold for high blood pressure and starting treatment earlier does a better job of preventing these complications. The guidelines stem in part from studies funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Results showed increased heart health benefits to having the top, or systolic, number below a reading of 120 mm Hg. The New Normal: What Your Blood Pressure Reading Means Normal blood pressure: Less than 120 and less than 80 mm Hg Elevated blood pressure: 120-129 and less than 80 mm Hg Hypertension stage 1: 130-139 or 80-89 mm Hg Hypertension stage 2: 140 or higher and/or 90 mm Hg or higher Another key guideline recommends starting treatment when readings reach 130/80 mm Hg rather than the old target of 140/90 mm Hg. For some people, treatment simply means making lifestyle changes with diet and exercise, while others will do better with medication, such as when, for example, they have a higher personal risk for heart disease. If you have other health conditions like kidney disease or diabetes, it may take more time and effort working with your doctor to find the… read on >
Buffalo Cauliflower: A Better Bar Food
Love the taste of hot wings, but looking for something healthier? If you’re a fan of this game day favorite, you’ll go wild over Buffalo cauliflower. Making the simple swap from chicken wings to cauliflower gets more veggies into your diet and adds a world of nutrition. Cauliflower is a superfood rich in a long list of nutrients from vitamin C to fiber. And because of its mild taste, cauliflower takes on the flavors of any sauce you dress it with. At first glance, wing sauce may seem sinful, but hot sauce is made with chilies, a healing superfood that contains the potent antioxidant capsaicin — that’s what tingles your tongue with spicy heat. It calls for less than a tablespoon of butter per serving, and if you can purchase grass-fed butter, you’ll not only get the richness, but also the extra omega-3 fatty acids it has compared to butter made from grain-fed cow’s milk. And when you’re shopping for the cauliflower, look for bright white florets with no black or dark spots, which indicate spoilage. Buffalo Cauliflower 1 head cauliflower 1 lemon 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup hot sauce 3 tablespoons butter, preferably grass-fed 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 scallions, thinly sliced Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Zest… read on >
Seaside Living Soothes the Mind of Rich and Poor Alike
Could living near the coast be an inexpensive balm for mental troubles? “Our research suggests, for the first time, that people in poorer households living close to the coast experience fewer symptoms of mental health disorders,” said researcher Dr. Jo Garrett, from the University of Exeter, in England. “When it comes to mental health, this ‘protective’ zone could play a useful role in helping to level the playing field between those on a high and low income,” Garrett said in a university news release. For the study, her team analyzed survey responses from nearly 26,000 people who took part in the Health Survey for England. The investigators compared people’s health to their proximity to the coast and found that people living in towns and cities near the coastline reported having better mental health, even the poorest folks. About one in six adults in England suffers from mental anxiety and depression, and they are more likely from poorer families, the study authors noted. Research into what the investigators call “blue health” should boost efforts by governments “to protect, create and encourage the use of coastal spaces,” said Dr. Mathew White, an environmental psychologist at the university. “We need to help policy makers understand how to maximise the wellbeing benefits of ‘blue’ spaces in towns and cities and ensure that access is fair and inclusive for everyone.”… read on >
Is Partial Hip Replacement Often the Better Option?
In recent years, the number of U.S. adults getting total hip replacements — meaning both a new ball and joint socket — following a hip fracture has soared to an estimated 500,000 annually. That’s nearly three times the rate at which these adults undergo a partial hip replacement, which only replaces the ball of the hip joint. But a new Canadian study that compared the short-term outcomes of both surgeries showed somewhat surprising conclusions. “What we now know is that within two years of having either a total or partial hip replacement, there’s no difference, and possibly more harm, with total replacements,” said lead author Dr. Mohit Bhandari, academic head of orthopedic surgery at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. The global study randomly assigned an estimated 1,500 patients — all of whom were 50 or older with a hip fracture but able to walk independently — to receive either a total or partial hip replacement. Researchers wanted to learn, first and foremost, which group would be more likely to need a secondary hip procedure within two years of follow-up. They also analyzed differences between the two groups with regard to function and quality of life, as well as the development of serious adverse effects. Most differences proved negligible. About 8% of patients in both groups needed to undergo a second hip procedure within 24 months… read on >
Say Yes to Foam Roller Workouts
Foam rollers are great tools for improving range of motion before a workout and easing soreness as part of the cooldown after exercise. Rollers come in different densities. As a general guideline, choose low-density if you’re a beginner or if you’re rehabbing and need to slowly work to increase blood flow to the injured area. Medium-density rollers often have raised lines to encourage more oxygen and blood to reach the spot you’re working on. High-density foam rollers are made for more advanced athletes. The technique for using a foam roller is simple. Position the roller directly under the muscle or area you want to reach and gently roll back and forth on it. Take care not to roll over any joints. For hamstrings, position the roller under your legs, just above the backs of the knees. Press your hands into the floor to lift your rear off the ground and slowly roll back and forth along the length of your thighs. For calves, move the roller below the knees and roll to just above the ankles and back. For quads, turn onto your stomach and place the roller under your thighs. Prop yourself up on your elbows before you roll back and forth. If you feel a knot or trigger point, stop when you roll onto it and press into the roller for 20 to… read on >
Butter or Margarine? The Latest Round in a Long-Running Debate
Thanks to a federal ban on trans fats — commonly listed on labels as partially hydrogenated oils — margarine makers have taken steps to remove them from their ingredients. Does this mean margarine is once again a better choice than butter? Not necessarily. That’s in part because some studies have given the saturated fat in butter a reprieve. No, you shouldn’t be drowning your veggies in it or eating buttery desserts every day, but used sparingly — a pat here and there — it’s unlikely to harm you. There are also light or whipped butters that add water or air to halve the amount of fat and calories in each serving while still delivering on taste. On the other hand, you might choose from soft margarines and other spreads that include nutrients called plant sterols and stanols, which help lower cholesterol for some people. Still, any such products that include palm oil and/or palm kernel oil will have saturated fat. And at 70 or 80 calories per tablespoon, those calories can add up. So compare the nutrition labels of all spreads you’re considering. Look not only at saturated fat and total fat calories, but also at the ingredients list to see if there’s any partially hydrogenated oil at all. Although this main source of trans fat has, by and large, been removed from foods, it… read on >
Antidepressants Might Raise Odds for Serious Pregnancy Complication
TUESDAY, Oct. 1, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Treating depression during pregnancy can be vital to the health of both mother and child, but new research suggests that taking antidepressants may make a woman more vulnerable to gestational diabetes. Specifically, the drugs venlafaxine (Effexor) and amitriptyline (Endep) were associated with the highest risk, especially when taken for a long time. Still, “depression needs to be treated during pregnancy,” said study author Anick Berard, research chair of medications, pregnancy and lactation at the University of Montreal. “If a woman is pregnant and is taking antidepressants, she should not stop by herself, but should have a discussion with her physician to assess the best way forward,” she said. There are many types of treatments for depression — antidepressants are only one option, Berard noted. And because this study looked back at data over time, it can’t prove that antidepressants cause gestational diabetes, only that the two appear linked. But the connection might be that antidepressants affect sugar metabolism. Also, a side effect of antidepressants is weight gain, which is a risk factor for diabetes, Berard and her university colleagues pointed out. Venlafaxine is in a class of drugs called serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and amitriptyline is an older type of drug called a tricyclic antidepressant. Gestational diabetes can result in overweight babies and longer bouts of… read on >
Did Brexit Vote Drive Man to Psychotic Episode?
Brexit has thrown the United Kingdom into political and economic uncertainty, but it might have actually triggered a psychotic break in one man, a new report suggests. The 2016 Brexit referendum started the process of the U.K. leaving the European Union. Three weeks after the referendum, a middle-aged man was taken by paramedics to the hospital in an acute psychotic state. He was confused, agitated and had disordered thoughts and speech. He was hearing voices and was delusional and paranoid, believing people were spying on him and planning to kill him, and radio/TV discussions were targeting him. Since the referendum, his wife said, the man had found it difficult to cope with the politics around him and became increasingly worried and had difficulty sleeping. Although he took drugs to deal with his anxiety and agitation, he got worse. After two weeks in the hospital, he was sent home on tranquilizers and antipsychotic drugs. He made a full recovery and has had no further episodes as of his last checkup in June. There was no history of mental illness in his family. But before the referendum, he had experienced work and family pressures, the report noted. It was published Oct. 1 in the journal BMJ Case Reports. And the man had experienced a psychotic episode 13 years earlier, following work stress. That episode had been much… read on >
‘Nerve-Release’ Surgery Helped Ease One Man’s Tough Migraines
Chronic migraine headaches plagued Adam Pressley from childhood, and by his 30s they had become a near-daily occurrence. Pressley, 31, had tried everything to stop them: blood pressure drugs, antidepressants, seizure medications, and even quarterly injections of Botox. Then his doctor suggested something surprising, saying plastic surgery could potentially relieve nerve pressure that was contributing to the headaches. “I kind of thought it was crazy, a plastic surgery procedure that could help people with their migraines,” said Pressley, who lives in Clarksville, Tenn. “I was both skeptical and happy at the same time.” The use of nerve-releasing plastic surgery to treat migraine has been around for a couple of decades, and the procedure is becoming more common and more effective, said Dr. Salam Kassis, a plastic surgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. Clinical research now indicates that about half of the people who undergo surgery to release entrapped nerves will experience complete relief from migraines, and another 40% will have fewer and less severe headaches, he said. “Over the last 20 years, our percentages have improved dramatically. The success rate is even better than it was a decade ago,” Kassis said. Not all headache experts are sold on the procedure, however. “Certainly, there are some cases where this might be helpful, but it’s not something I generally recommend in my practice,” said… read on >