Heart surgery can be stressful, but researchers may have found a way to reduce patients’ anxiety and postoperative pain — without any extra side effects. A team from the Netherlands found that the simple act of listening to music around the time of surgery may help patients as they recover. “This is a fascinating question for heart surgeons because we perform the most invasive procedures that require opening the chest, stopping the heart, using a heart-lung machine while we fix the heart, and then allowing the patient to return to life again,” said Dr. Harold Fernandez, a U.S. cardiac surgeon unconnected to the new study. “Undoubtedly, there is a significant amount of both anxiety and pain associated with these procedures,” said Fernandez, who is chief of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Northwell Health’s Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. In the new research, published Jan. 25 in the online journal Open Heart, the Dutch team analyzed data from 16 studies looking at the effect of music on post-op care. The studies included almost 1,000 patients, and about 90% of the procedures involved coronary artery bypass grafts and/or heart valve replacement. A majority of the time the type of music used was relaxing and did not have strong rhythms or percussion, the researchers noted. The choice of music varied; sometimes it was from the…  read on >  read on >

Current and former smokers are at risk for a lung disease called pulmonary fibrosis, but many aren’t aware of the threat, the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation says. There is no cure for the disease, which affects more than 200,000 Americans. A recent foundation survey found that more than 80% of smokers are unfamiliar with pulmonary fibrosis. This is a concerning statistic among a group disproportionately affected by the disease. Both smokers and nonsmokers have little awareness of the disease, and nearly 9 out of 10 Americans don’t know its symptoms: shortness of breath, a dry, chronic cough and fatigue. “Smokers are often aware that tobacco usage can lead to diseases such as lung cancer, COPD and emphysema, among others. However, as smokers experience chronic symptoms similar to those of PF, such as a dry, persistent cough, it is important they discuss PF with their doctors,” Dr. Amy Hajari Case said in a foundation news release. She’s senior medical adviser of education and awareness. It’s never too late to stop smoking, the foundation emphasized. Quitting smoking can increase overall health and quality of life at any age by reducing loss of core lung function over time and increasing lung capacity, which is crucial to maintaining a healthy blood oxygen level. Giving up the tobacco habit may also reduce inflammation of the airway, which can take months or…  read on >  read on >

Current and former smokers are at risk for a lung disease called pulmonary fibrosis, but many aren’t aware of the threat, the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation says. There is no cure for the disease, which affects more than 200,000 Americans. A recent foundation survey found that more than 80% of smokers are unfamiliar with pulmonary fibrosis. This is a concerning statistic among a group disproportionately affected by the disease. Both smokers and nonsmokers have little awareness of the disease, and nearly 9 out of 10 Americans don’t know its symptoms: shortness of breath, a dry, chronic cough and fatigue. “Smokers are often aware that tobacco usage can lead to diseases such as lung cancer, COPD and emphysema, among others. However, as smokers experience chronic symptoms similar to those of PF, such as a dry, persistent cough, it is important they discuss PF with their doctors,” Dr. Amy Hajari Case said in a foundation news release. She’s senior medical adviser of education and awareness. It’s never too late to stop smoking, the foundation emphasized. Quitting smoking can increase overall health and quality of life at any age by reducing loss of core lung function over time and increasing lung capacity, which is crucial to maintaining a healthy blood oxygen level. Giving up the tobacco habit may also reduce inflammation of the airway, which can take months or…  read on >  read on >

While pandemic lockdowns may have initially triggered feelings of isolation and worry, stay-at-home stress dissipated with time as people adjusted to their “new normal,” research suggests. In the study, scientists did a state-by-state analysis of Google search trends between January and June of 2020, covering topics such as COVID regulation policies, mental health concerns and in-home activities. On the “negative feelings” side of the ledger, search terms included “antidepressants” and “suicide.” More positive searches included “cooking” and “exercise tips.” Search trends were then stacked up against the varying timing and nature of each state’s particular lockdown experience. The result: “Google searches for mental health symptoms such as ‘isolation’ and ‘worry’ spiked after the implementation of the mitigation policies,” noted study author Bita Farkhad, an economist and a postdoctoral researcher in psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. But after two to four weeks, those spikes fell. In fact, Farkhad and her colleagues found that Google searches for terms that might indicate serious mental health issues — such as “suicide,” “antidepressant” and/or antidepressant drug names (Xanax, Prozac, Zoloft) — actually tended to drop off following the launch of stay-at-home orders. Why? The team theorized that not everything revolving around stay-at-home orders is by definition negative. For example, lockdowns also afford some with a rare opportunity to spend more time with loved ones, or to develop new,…  read on >  read on >

While pandemic lockdowns may have initially triggered feelings of isolation and worry, stay-at-home stress dissipated with time as people adjusted to their “new normal,” research suggests. In the study, scientists did a state-by-state analysis of Google search trends between January and June of 2020, covering topics such as COVID regulation policies, mental health concerns and in-home activities. On the “negative feelings” side of the ledger, search terms included “antidepressants” and “suicide.” More positive searches included “cooking” and “exercise tips.” Search trends were then stacked up against the varying timing and nature of each state’s particular lockdown experience. The result: “Google searches for mental health symptoms such as ‘isolation’ and ‘worry’ spiked after the implementation of the mitigation policies,” noted study author Bita Farkhad, an economist and a postdoctoral researcher in psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. But after two to four weeks, those spikes fell. In fact, Farkhad and her colleagues found that Google searches for terms that might indicate serious mental health issues — such as “suicide,” “antidepressant” and/or antidepressant drug names (Xanax, Prozac, Zoloft) — actually tended to drop off following the launch of stay-at-home orders. Why? The team theorized that not everything revolving around stay-at-home orders is by definition negative. For example, lockdowns also afford some with a rare opportunity to spend more time with loved ones, or to develop new,…  read on >  read on >