After a heart attack, home rehab can literally be a lifesaver, a new study finds. Taking part in a home-based cardiac rehabilitation program lowered the risk of dying from heart complications by 36% within four years, compared with patients who were not in a rehab program, researchers report. “Cardiac rehabilitation programs save lives,” said lead researcher Dr. Mary Whooley, a professor of medicine, epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco. According to the American Heart Association, which stresses the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack in preventing rehospitalization and deaths, rehab is greatly underused — with only about 44% of patients opting for it. Cardiac rehabilitation programs stress not smoking, eating healthy, exercising, managing stress and taking medications to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Among patients hospitalized for a heart attack between 2007 and 2011, only 16% of Medicare patients and 10% of veterans took part in cardiac rehabilitation, the researchers said. But if 70% of patients took part in cardiac rehab, 25,000 lives could be saved and 180,000 hospitalizations prevented each year, according to the Million Hearts Cardiac Rehabilitation Collaborative, sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “Behavior change is really tough,” Whooley said. People are very motivated when they’re in the hospital and they’re sitting in a…  read on >  read on >

When expectant or new moms experience depression, known as perinatal depression, loneliness may be a driving factor. “We found that loneliness was central to the experiences of expectant and new mothers with depression. We know that depression and loneliness are often interconnected — each one can lead to the other — and this may be particularly true for perinatal depression [which includes postpartum depression],” said Dr. Katherine Adlington, an academic clinical fellow at UCL Psychiatry and East London NHS Foundation Trust. “Having a baby is a period of huge transition and upheaval that can involve losing touch with people and existing networks, such as work colleagues,” Adlington added in a University College London (UCL) news release. “This research suggests that loneliness is a major risk for mental health problems during pregnancy and for new mothers.” To come to that conclusion, the researchers reviewed accounts from 537 women in 27 research papers in multiple countries. Depression affects about 1 in 6 pregnant women, and then 1 in 5 women during the first three months after a baby is born. While significantly affecting new parents’ quality of life, it can also have long-term adverse impacts on their child’s development. Researchers studying this say those working with new mothers, including health care providers, should be aware of the importance of loneliness and the value of encouraging new moms…  read on >  read on >

Sen. John Fetterman will continue to be away from the U.S. Senate for several weeks but he is on the “path to recovery,” his spokesman said Monday. The senator is being treated for clinical depression at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after checking himself in on Feb. 15. “We understand the intense interest in John’s status and especially appreciate the flood of well-wishes,” Fetterman’s communications director, Joe Calvello, said in a statement posted on Twitter. “However, as we have said, this will be a weeks-long process and while we will be sure to keep folks updated as it progresses, this is all there is to give by way of an update.” The Pennsylvania Democrat has been struggling with the aftereffects of a stroke since last May. He has experienced depression “off and on throughout his life,” but it worsened recently. Capitol Physician Brian Monahan recommended Fetterman’s hospitalization. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania’s Sen. Bob Casey returned to the Senate on Monday after having surgery for prostate cancer, the Associated Press reported. Fetterman, a Democrat, suffered his stroke during a campaign against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz but went on to win the November election. Fetterman was sworn into his seat, part of a 51-49 majority for the Democrats, in January, the AP reported. It is common to experience depression after a stroke. The mental health condition can be…  read on >  read on >

Work isn’t always easy, but sometimes it becomes almost unbearable. You might experience a constellation of symptoms, including emotional exhaustion, a reduced sense of personal accomplishment and cynicism, which affects how you interact with others in the workplace. This is a condition known as burnout and though it’s not listed in the diagnostic manual used by psychiatrists, it is a workplace-associated condition, according to the World Health Organization, said Dr. Jessi Gold, a member of the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Communications. “There are lots of reasons why it happens. It depends on the person and how work is impacting them,” said Gold, who is also an assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. What is burnout? Burnout can come from a mismatch between what was expected in a job and what it really is, such as more paperwork than helping people, Gold said. “That mismatch can create burnout pretty easily,” Gold said. “And not doing the things that bring you meaning and purpose can as well.” Lack of control can also be an issue. So can a dysfunctional environment with a micromanaging boss or a workplace bully, according to the Mayo Clinic, while unclear job expectations and a work-life imbalance can also be factors. The pandemic may have made matters worse. A recent survey found 52% of workers…  read on >  read on >

A lot of people are dealing with anxiety, depression or just general unhappiness. Worry, sadness, restlessness, irritability and trouble sleeping are just a few symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Therapy and medications can help. But some simple self-care ideas can lift a person’s mood and add a sense of peace and joy to everyday life. “Fortunately, there are things that people can do on their own, either in place of a professional mental health professional or while waiting in line to see someone either virtually or in person,” said James Maddux, professor emeritus in the Department of Psychology and senior scholar in the Center of the Advancement of Well-Being at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. All of these techniques can help people dealing with the stress and emotional traumas of life to be happier, Maddux said. Mellow out with meditation Doing this quiet activity for just 10 to 20 minutes helps a person slow down and pay attention to what’s going in inside, Maddux said. “And research shows that those brief periods can carry over into the rest of the day,” Maddux added. Becoming more aware of what you’re thinking and feeling is a big step toward learning how to better manage thoughts and feelings, he said. “Mindfulness activities can be helpful for dealing…  read on >  read on >

Folks who have trouble falling or staying asleep may be more likely to have a heart attack. This is the main takeaway from new research linking insomnia to heart woes. Specifically, people with insomnia were 69% more likely to have a heart attack than folks without the sleep disorder. These rates were even higher among people with both diabetes and insomnia, the study showed. “Insomnia puts the body under stress which triggers [the stress hormone] cortisol release and can accelerate atherosclerosis,” said study author Yomna Dean, a medical student at Alexandria University in Alexandria, Egypt. Atherosclerosis refers to the buildup of plaque in and on the artery walls that can set the stage for a heart attack. The findings were published Feb. 25 in Clinical Cardiology and will be presented at a joint meeting of the American College of Cardiology and World Congress of Cardiology, in New Orleans, and online March 6. For the study, Dean and colleagues culled data from more than 1,200 studies that included close to 1.2 million adults. Of these, 13% (nearly 154,000) had insomnia. Most did not have a history of heart attack. After nine years of follow-up, about 2,400 people who had insomnia and almost 12,400 without insomnia had a heart attack. Folks who slept five or fewer hours a night had the greatest heart attack risk, the study…  read on >  read on >

When depression hits, everyday activities like working, socializing, sleeping and even eating can become a daunting challenge. George Mason University clinical psychologist James Maddux treats patients with clinical depression in his practice. He said, “The problems with both depression and anxiety are the result of what people think about. These thoughts lead to feelings that also affect behavior.” So how can you deal with the emotional, mental and physical impacts of depression? Maddux shares some scientifically backed self-care tips that you can use when you or a loved one begin experiencing a bout of depression. What is depression? The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) states that depression is a serious mental health disorder, and the leading cause of disability in the United States today. It affects about 21 million adults across the country. The causes of depression are diverse and can include: Relationship issues Drug and alcohol abuse Sudden life changes Certain medications Changes in the brain’s frontal lobe activity Pituitary gland and hypothalamus hormonal responses Medical conditions such as anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), hypothyroidism and chronic pain can also trigger depressive episodes. Depression symptoms Just like the causes of depression, the condition’s symptoms are wide-ranging and vary from person to person, according to NAMI. The signs of depression include: Changes in sleeping and eating patterns Feelings of hopelessness A lack of motivation and…  read on >  read on >

Certain gene mutations put women at high risk of breast cancer, and now an early study hints that obesity might make matters worse. The findings come from a study of breast tissue samples from women who carried particular mutations in genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2 — which convey much higher-than-normal risks of both breast and ovarian cancers. The researchers found that among women who were obese, healthy breast tissue showed more signs of DNA damage that can promote cancer. The findings, published Feb. 22 in the journal Science Translational Medicine, do not prove that obesity exacerbates the already high breast cancer risk in women who carry BRCA mutations. But they do raise that possibility, according to senior researcher Kristy Brown, an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, in New York City. If so, that would mean that maintaining a healthy weight might mitigate some of the cancer risk that BRCA mutation carriers face. Brown’s team also found hints of another potential avenue: In lab experiments with carriers’ breast tissue samples, they found that exposing the tissue to the diabetes drug metformin reduced signs of DNA damage. “We definitely need more studies to see whether lifestyle interventions, or metformin, can lower the risk of cancer in these patients,” Brown said. BRCA gene mutations are not common: In the United States, about 1 in 500 women…  read on >  read on >