In some parts of the United States, young men face a higher risk of dying from gun violence than if they’d gone to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, a new study reports. Young men living in certain high-violence ZIP codes in Chicago and Philadelphia run a greater risk of firearm death than military personnel who served in recent U.S. wars, according to findings published online Dec. 22 in JAMA Network Open. Young men in Chicago’s most violent ZIP code were more than three times as likely to experience gun-related death compared to soldiers sent to Afghanistan, the researchers found, while those in Philadelphia’s most violent area were nearly twice as likely to be shot to death. In all ZIP codes studied, young men from minority groups overwhelmingly bear the risk of firearm-related death, the findings showed. “These results are an urgent wake-up call for understanding, appreciating and responding to the risks and attendant traumas faced by this demographic of young men,” said study leader Brandon del Pozo, an assistant professor of medicine at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School in Providence, R.I. His team examined shooting data from 2020 and 2021 in four large U.S. cities — Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia. The investigators zeroed in on shootings involving nearly 130,000 men between 18 and 29 years of age. They grouped them by…  read on >  read on >

Menopause and the years before it may make you feel like you’re losing your mind. Some of those feelings are changes that occur naturally in this stage of life, but other factors contribute, too, according to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), which offered tips to achieve some peace. Changes in hormones are a big reason for the mood swings and other symptoms. While most women are accustomed to their own hormonal rhythm, it gets disrupted during perimenopause, the years before a woman’s periods stop for good, according to NAMS. Part of it is just timing — that these physical changes are happening along with other midlife stresses, such as relationship issues, divorce or widowhood. For some women, those stresses include caring for young children, struggles with teens, the return of grown children to the home or being childless. Career, education and aging parents may add to this strain. Women in midlife also may be living with changes in self-esteem or body image because society values youth, NAMS suggested in a news release. One way to feel better is to create balance. Remember to take care of your own needs, not just those of family and work. This can help you meet new challenges and maintain self-confidence. If you experienced depression when younger, you’re more vulnerable to those feelings during perimenopause. Depression is associated with…  read on >  read on >

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 21, 2022 (HealthDay News) – Cold, dry winter air and a trio of spreading viruses could cause children’s asthma to flare up this winter season. But experts at one children’s hospital offer some tips to help parents keep their kids’ worrisome respiratory symptoms in check. While asthma is a lung condition that can make it harder to breathe, some things can make symptoms worse, such as illness, cold air and smoke, according to Children’s Minnesota in St. Paul and Minneapolis. To avoid cold-weather flare-ups, make sure your child has the right clothing to wear outside, including a scarf or neck warmer they can wear over their mouth and nose. This can help warm and humidify the air they breathe. Help prevent a case of influenza by washing hands frequently and making sure your child gets a flu shot. The flu can lead to hospitalization in children with asthma. People with asthma have swollen, sensitive airways already, so they’re more likely to have serious health complications such as pneumonia if they get the flu. The influenza virus can trigger asthma symptoms even in mild asthma or cases that are well-controlled by medication. Teach your children how to wash their hands properly with soap and water, while still encouraging them to keep their hands away from their face. A flu shot doesn’t guarantee prevention of…  read on >  read on >

Many young U.S. adults are estranged from their parents, at least temporarily — with the father/child bond being especially fragile. Those are among the findings of a new national study that tracked thousands of parent-child relationships from the 1990s to recent years. Researchers found that one-quarter of young adults were estranged from their fathers at some point — four times the number who reported broken ties with their mother. Often, those relationships got back on track to some degree, but reconciliation was less likely with fathers: Of adults who were estranged from their mother at some point, 81% got back in contact; that compared with 69% of people who were estranged from their father. One of the messages from the findings is that family estrangement is common — and not a sign of failure, according to the researchers. “There is a lot of shame and silence around family estrangement, but in my view estrangement isn’t inherently good or bad,” said Rin Reczek, a professor of sociology at Ohio State University. Most often, Reczek said, it’s the adult child who breaks ties, rather than the parent. And there may be many reasons. “As children grow up, they start making choices regarding independence for themselves, and sometimes this includes cutting off or significantly reducing contact with parents for their own healing,” Reczek said. In other cases, someone…  read on >  read on >

The holiday season is filled with to-do lists, but one should rise to the top: Take care of your heart. Whether from stress, cold weather or falling out of good habits in terms of eating, sleeping and drinking, heart attack rates spike as much as 40% between Christmas and New Year’s, according to cardiologist Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones. He is chairman of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago. “When we look across the year in terms of heart attack rates, what we see is fairly constant rates week by week with two exceptions: One is that there’s a broad, shallow dip in summer months and, two, there is a very short spike of about 30% to 40% in the last couple weeks of the year between Christmas and New Year’s,” Lloyd-Jones said in a university news release. It’s important not to underestimate symptoms, he stressed. “We have two kidneys and two lungs, but only one heart and one brain, so it’s much safer to err on the side of caution,” Lloyd-Jones said. “If there’s any doubt, get checked out in person. At best, hopefully you are aborting a heart attack or stroke. Time is heart muscle, time is brain cells, and so time is of the essence. The sooner you seek help in that situation, the sooner we can save your…  read on >  read on >

Final exams are stressful for students, but it is possible to ratchet down the pressure with some planning and self-compassion. A psychologist from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston offers a few suggestions for helping teens manage the pressure. Start with the basics, including making sure the teen is getting sufficient sleep, eating nutritiously without skipping meals and maintaining a reasonable level of physical activity. “A lot of people end up thinking they need to spend more time studying or don’t have time for exercise or meals, but it ends up turning into a vicious cycle of not taking care of yourself, which contributes to worse future performance,” said Dr. Eric Storch. He is vice chair of psychology in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor. Every study schedule should include taking breaks to relax and unwind, he said. Also, Storch advised, it’s important to keep things in perspective. Success and failure aren’t black and white. Talking to a friend or parent can be very helpful for those who are under stress. “Reflect on if the world will end if you don’t get a perfect score. Maybe you didn’t do as well as you wanted on that test, but you didn’t fail,” Storch said in a Baylor news release. He suggests that students make a study plan instead of procrastinating, then take…  read on >  read on >

This season of celebrating also comes with lots of stress for many people. But despite the long to-do list and mandatory get-togethers, it is possible to maintain a healthy mind, according to experts at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. “Stress is an inevitable part of life and so the first thing people can do is focus on their wellness, which is really about accepting that stress can be something we can get through with the right supports,” said Kelly Moore, director of the Center for Psychological Services at Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. “Finding routine and predictability in your life is a great way to alleviate stress,” Moore added in a university news release. “Watching reruns of shows you enjoyed, having a cup of tea every day or creating a playlist of songs that bring you peace are just some ways to alleviate stress.” For many people, financial stressors dampen their holiday cheer. Others may fear possible exposure to COVID-19 if they join in holiday festivities. “As social obligations and activities increase, so do stress levels. Some people find interacting with family members or colleagues stressful, while others may be grieving the loss of a loved one,” said Keith Stowell, chief medical officer at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. “Watch out for difficulty sleeping and changes in appetite, as well as…  read on >  read on >