Despite routine use of a childhood vaccine, the United States still sees outbreaks of mumps. Now, a new study reinforces the belief that it’s due to waning immunity post-vaccination. Mumps is a viral infection best known for causing puffy cheeks, a swollen jaw, fever and general misery. While it’s usually relatively mild, mumps occasionally causes serious complications like brain inflammation and hearing loss. Because of that, children in the United States are routinely immunized against mumps, using the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Yet mumps has seen a resurgence in the past two decades. Since 2006, there has been an uptick in annual cases — often among college-age adults who were vaccinated as children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Similar patterns have been seen in other countries where vaccination rates are high, leading to two theories on why: waning immunity to mumps in the years after vaccination; or the emergence of new mumps strains that evade the vaccine-induced immune response. The new study — published Jan. 9 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — supports the waning-immunity view. Using mathematical modeling, researchers found that waning immunity could largely explain the resurgence of mumps in the United States in recent years. They also estimated that about one-third of vaccinated kids start to lose their mumps immunity by age 18. But…  read on >  read on >

Children with autism often have difficulty grasping the emotional cues in other people’s voices, and now researchers may have zeroed in on the reason why. In a study of 43 kids with and without autism, researchers were able to trace such difficulties to a particular brain area — one involved in social communication. Experts said the findings suggest that children with autism are processing the sound of vocal emotions without trouble. The stumbling block can arise in interpreting those sounds. Typically, children learn from an early age to link vocal sounds to particular emotions: They know when their parents are happy or sad, even if they do not understand all the words being said. But many children and adults with autism have difficulty “reading” the emotional cues in other people’s voices, which can make communication much trickier. “Having these skills is crucial in navigating our social world,” said Daniel Abrams, one of the lead researchers on the new study. Oftentimes, he noted, people refrain from plainly saying what they’re feeling, and instead signal it in their tone of voice. “The voice can actually tell you more about emotions than a person’s actual words,” said Abrams, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine. It’s well known that autism, a developmental brain disorder, impairs communication and social skills to varying degrees. But…  read on >  read on >

A leading pediatricians’ group has issued new guidelines on treating obesity in children and teens that, for the first time, call for early, aggressive intervention that can include weight-loss drugs and surgery. “There is no evidence that ‘watchful waiting’ or delayed treatment is appropriate for children with obesity,” Dr. Sandra Hassink, an author of the new American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines and vice chair of the Clinical Practice Guideline Subcommittee on Obesity, said in a statement. About 20% of U.S. children now live with obesity, about 15 million children altogether, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new guidelines recommend against watching and waiting, instead suggesting families of children aged 6 and up should work with their pediatricians on behavior and lifestyle changes. In some cases, families of children aged 2 to 5 should, too, the guidelines recommend. This should include at least 26 hours of counseling over about a year. The new guidelines also suggest that pediatricians should offer obese children aged 12 and up new weight-loss drugs that include Orlistat, Saxenda, Qsymia and Wegovy. Phentermine is approved for kids over 16 years of age, the guidelines said. “The breakthrough that happened in the last few years was people started realizing that there are hormones made in the gut that have multiple roles related to obesity. By targeting these,…  read on >  read on >

Giving up nicotine can be a brutal experience that can include everything from physical symptoms, such as headache and nausea, to mood issues, including irritability, anxiety and depression. Yet, it is still possible to get through nicotine withdrawal symptoms with a good plan and specific tools, according to a smoking cessation expert, who offered some suggestions for coping with nicotine withdrawal symptoms. “Nicotine is highly, highly addictive,” said Emma Brett, a staff scientist at University of Chicago Medicine and a group lead in the Courage to Quit program. “Nicotine affects the brain, blood vessels, metabolism. There are effects all throughout the body.” Quitting requires an adjustment period, she stressed. Most commonly, withdrawal symptoms happen in the first week after quitting, peaking at about day three or four, Brett said. Some may experience nicotine withdrawal symptoms for weeks. Some may have few symptoms at all. Using nicotine replacement aids Nicotine replacement products can be helpful to get someone through those initial days, weeks or months. “We know from the research that when people quit and use something like a patch or lozenge or gum, that can almost double the success rate of a quit attempt,” because you’re still getting some nicotine, just it’s delivered in a safe way versus the combustion of a cigarette, Brett said. She suggested staying on the products until having a high…  read on >  read on >

When it comes to losing weight, certain foods have a reputation for being all-stars, providing for a body’s nutritional needs while helping keep a person fuller for longer. “You’re looking at plant foods,” said Connie Diekman, a nationally known food and nutrition consultant and former president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “You’re looking at whole grains, vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts, seeds.” Though certain diets or special eating plans may limit some of these foods, a healthy diet can include all of them, with an eye toward portion size. Here are some foods to eat to lose weight: Whole grains Whole grains haven’t been stripped of nutrients in processing, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in Boston. Whole grains can also provide a nice balance between protein and carbohydrates, Diekman said. From a weight-loss perspective, these foods contain fiber. “Fiber fills us up and so therefore that blood sugar curve doesn’t drop as rapidly, so you don’t feel the need to eat as often,” Diekman explained. Choices in this category can range quite a bit. There are lesser-known grains like quinoa, millet or bulgur, along with well-known whole wheat breads and pastas, brown rice and oatmeal. Oatmeal got a shout-out recently from the American Heart Association. “It has many, many good qualities,” said Candida Rebello, director of the nutrition and…  read on >  read on >

Travel can be fun, but taxing. As the pandemic ebbs and people venture back out into the world, an expert from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston offers tips for ensuring a healthier, more peaceful vacation or work trip. “Though frequent travel can boost your mood and positively impact your mental health, keep in mind that it’s a two-way street,” said Dr. Mike Ren, assistant professor of family and community medicine at Baylor. “While traveling, it is important to keep up your physical and mental well-being to maximize the beneficial effects of travel.” Common symptoms of travel fatigue include trouble sleeping, feeling disengaged, having higher stress or anxiety levels, and overindulging in food or alcohol. Someone might need to take a break from traveling to reset, if symptoms are severe. Ren suggests talking to a doctor about whether a pause is needed or if symptoms don’t resolve. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Make sure you are up to date on all your vaccinations, particularly for international travel, and if you are on prescription medications, make sure you have an adequate supply for travel and a few days upon return,” Ren said in a Baylor news release. “Make sure to maintain a good level of hygiene by washing your hands often and take advantage of telehealth visits while traveling if symptoms…  read on >  read on >

You’ve cut back on your eating, started an exercise routine and just can’t seem to lose weight. What’s going on? It could be a number of issues that are causing you to ask yourself, “Why can’t I lose weight?” The good news is that you can work through them. “It’s very complicated, which is what people need to remember. It’s not a simple task to say I’m going to lose weight and it happens,” said Connie Diekman, a nationally known food and nutrition consultant and former president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “So, give yourself a break.” When it comes to eating, food choices, portion sizes and intent — whether you’re eating because you’re hungry or in an attempt to fill an emotional need — all play a role, Diekman said. Of course, exercise has its place. Not to be discounted is the significant role that biology and genetics play. “Not everyone can achieve the weight loss they want to achieve. In other words, our bodies sometimes are smarter than we are,” Diekman said. That doesn’t mean that everyone can’t achieve what is a healthy weight for them by understanding what they can control. Typically, weight gain or loss is a calculation of energy intake and expenditure, but being overweight or obese is more complex, with genetics, behavior and environmental factors contributing, according…  read on >  read on >

The Grammy-winning singer Adele told a crowd at her New Year’s Eve concert that “really bad sciatica” is causing her to wobble on stage. The award-winning singer first talked about her chronic back problems in a 2021 interview with The Face. “I slipped my first disk when I was 15 from sneezing,” she said. “I was in bed and I sneezed and my fifth one flew out. In January, I slipped my sixth one, my L6. And then where I had a C‑section, my core was useless. … I’ve been in pain with my back for, like, half of my life, really. It flares up, normally due to stress or from a stupid bit of posture.” Someone shared a video on TikTok of the “Hello” singer asking her concert crowd if anyone else had the condition. She received loud screams in response, CBS News reported. “What if it’s becoming more common because we all are sitting down on our asses all day,” Adele told the crowd. Lumbar radiculopathy, better known as sciatica, causes leg, hip, butt and back pain that ranges from mild to severe. Some feel weakness or tingling in their legs and feet. It stems from the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the body, extending from the back of the pelvis to the back of the leg just below the knee. The…  read on >  read on >

Herbal cigarettes: They carry a certain “coolness factor” and sound like they might be a healthier alternative to tobacco, but are they really safer to smoke? Not really, experts say. “Even herbal cigarettes with no tobacco give off tar, particulates and carbon monoxide, and are dangerous to your health,” according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). The ACS outlines the dangers of a few of these herbal alternatives — from clove cigarettes known as kreteks to flavored cigarettes known as bidis and water pipes called hookahs. “Hookah is not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes,” Dr. Ellen Rome from Cleveland Clinic in Ohio said in a post about the dangers of sharing these pipes that heat tobacco with charcoal and filter it through cool water. “A typical one-hour session involves inhaling 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette,” Rome noted. What are herbal cigarettes? The U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) defines herbal cigarettes as containing a mixture of flowers, herbs and other natural ingredients. What is not in herbal cigarettes? No tobacco or nicotine. Despite these natural ingredients, they still emit many of the same harmful chemicals that cigarettes have, such as tar and carbon monoxide, according to the NCI. While certain herbal cigarettes are well known, others are more obscure. A study published recently in the American Chemical…  read on >  read on >

Sometimes it really does “take a village” to help you meet life’s challenges, and quitting smoking can be one of the toughest challenges out there. That’s why specially designed smoking-cessation programs can make all the difference, experts say. Many programs employ a combination approach, one that treats the physical and the psychological addictions you’re trying to break. Dr. Amit Mahajan, a volunteer medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association (ALA), says proven ways to help people quit often include professional counseling — including psychotherapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Such therapies are typically given alongside nicotine replacement patches and gums (to help ease cravings), and/or addiction-countering drugs, such as Chantix and bupropion (Wellbutrin). Programs that offer up these combo strategies have a higher likelihood of success, Mahajan said. “At the end of the day, the data is pretty clear that if there’s behavioral therapy combined with pharmacotherapy medications, that is the best option for smokers who want to quit and people who’ve already tried and were unable to quit,” he said. Breaking free The ALA offers up its own program, called Freedom From Smoking. First begun in 1975 and then updated and refined ever since, the program helps overcome the physical, mental and social aspects of addiction. It even offers up an online quiz that folks can take to confirm that they’re mentally ready to…  read on >  read on >