Children of parents with mental illness are at increased risk for injuries, researchers report. Risk is highest before 1 year of age, but remains elevated to age 17, according to the new study. “Our results show there is a need for increased support to parents with mental illness, especially during the first year of life,” said Alicia Nevriana. She is one of the study authors and a Ph.D. student in the global public health department at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. “There are already recommendations for new parents to ensure their children’s safety, but we think there is a need to update these recommendations also by taking into account parents’ mental health,” Nevriana said in an institute news release. For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 1.5 million children in Sweden born between 1996 and 2011. More than 330,000 had at least one parent diagnosed with a mental illness during that period or five years earlier. Those up to age 1 year had a 30% higher risk of injuries if they had a parent with a mental illness when compared with other kids. The risk declined as children got older, but was still 6% higher among those aged 13 to 17, the findings showed. The risk of injuries was slightly higher if parents had common mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety or stress-related illnesses,…  read on >

For those with heart problems, home-based rehab can take the place of hospital-based cardiac rehabilitation during the current coronavirus pandemic, heart experts say. “Home-based cardiac rehab is a solution to help provide cardiac rehabilitation to patients with heart disease in a home setting, and to help them survive and thrive during this challenging period of time,” said Dr. Randal Thomas. He’s a preventive cardiologist and medical director of the Mayo Clinic’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, in Rochester, Minn. “Home-based cardiac rehabilitation is much more than just going for a walk at home,” Thomas said in a clinic news release. “It is a structured, standardized, evidence-based approach to apply all therapies — lifestyle, medication and otherwise — that are known to help people with heart disease do better, feel better and live longer.” Mayo Clinic has used home-based cardiac rehab with a small number of patients over the years, but the coronavirus pandemic has made it necessary to transition all cardiac rehab to home-based settings in a matter of weeks. If you qualify for cardiac rehab, ask your care provider if at-home rehabilitation is an option for you as well. According to Thomas, there are many reasons why home-based cardiac rehab is so important right now. A big advantage of home rehab is that it keeps patients out of the hospital. Home rehab also ensures that patients…  read on >

If you’re one of the many people making your own cleaning products at home because you can’t find them in stores, you need to be sure what you make is safe and effective, an environmental medicine expert says. Do-it-yourself (DIY) cleaning products made from ingredients such as vinegar, essential oils and baking soda are safe, but they haven’t been shown to kill viruses or bacteria, said Robert Laumbach. He’s an associate professor at the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute at Rutgers University, in New Jersey. “It is essential to make a distinction between cleaning and disinfecting products. Cleaners remove dirt and some, but not all, germs. Disinfectants kill germs, including bacteria and viruses,” he said in a university news release. “The effectiveness of cleaners is usually readily apparent to the user. In contrast, verification of the ability of disinfectants to kill particular viruses and bacteria depends on laboratory tests such as those conducted by commercial product manufacturers,” said Laumbach. The only DIY disinfectant that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for killing the new coronavirus on frequently contacted surfaces is “a dilute solution of 1/3 cup [about 5 tablespoons] of bleach per gallon of water,” he noted. The coronavirus is more easily killed by disinfectants, so common U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered household disinfectants should be effective against the virus, according to…  read on >

Can zinc help shorten a COVID-19 infection? Will vitamin C or other supplements prevent it? These claims and plenty more can be found on social media and internet sites, but be advised: There is no pill or treatment that can prevent or cure COVID right now. “We want to think that there is a quick way to get rid of this. But there is not a product out there that will keep you from getting the coronavirus,” said Rebecca Dutch, a virologist with the University of Kentucky in Lexington. The pandemic has spawned a wave of products claiming to protect you by boosting your immune system — a simple claim people think they understand, said retired psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Barrett, who runs Quackwatch, a website that debunks pseudoscientific claims. “They think, ‘If I can boost my immune system, I’ll be more resistant to the virus,’” but it’s just not that simple, he said. “The immune system is quite complex,” Barrett explained. “There’s not even a scientific process called strengthening or boosting the immune system.” He agreed with Dutch: “There is no product you can take that will prevent or cure COVID,” he said. Even a group representing supplement makers agreed. Two major industry groups –the Council for Responsible Nutrition and the American Herbal Products Association — recently asked stores selling dietary supplements to refuse to…  read on >

Many health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic are struggling with sleep, a new study finds. The researchers also found that those with insomnia were more likely to have depression, anxiety and stress-based trauma. The study included nearly 1,600 health care workers who completed an online questionnaire between January 29 and February 3 at the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Two-thirds (36%) reported insomnia symptoms. Overall rates of depression were much higher among those with insomnia (87%) than among those without insomnia (31%), and especially for moderate (23% versus 3%) and severe (17% versus 2%) depression. The percentages and differences between those with and without insomnia were similar for anxiety and stress-based trauma, according to the study published April 14 in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. The most important factor associated with insomnia among health care workers was strong uncertainty about effective disease control among medical staff. Strong uncertainty was 3.3 times higher among those with insomnia than those without it, the findings showed. Lower levels of education were also associated with insomnia. Health care workers with a high school education or less were 2.7 times more likely to have insomnia than those with a doctoral degree, according to the report. Workers with less education may be more likely to be fearful, study co-author Bin Zhang, a professor at…  read on >

It’s clear that age and chronic disease make bouts of the pandemic coronavirus more severe — and even deadly — but obesity might also put even younger people at higher risk, a pair of new studies suggest. The researchers suspect that inflammation throughout the body linked to obesity could be a powerful factor in the severity of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. And, they added, it could even be more significant than heart or lung disease. “This has relevance in the U.S., where 40% of Americans are obese, and will no doubt contribute to increased morbidity and likely mortality, compared to other countries,” said Dr. Jennifer Lighter, co-author of one of the studies. Lighter is an assistant professor of pediatric infectious diseases at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. Though people under age 60 are generally considered at low risk for COVID-19, her team found that those who are obese are twice as likely to be hospitalized for the disease. And, compared to patients whose weight is normal, those who are morbidly obese are twice as likely to need acute care and three times more likely to be confined to the intensive care unit, the study found. Though patients studied were obese, none had diabetes or heart disease, Lighter said, but they might be on the verge of them. “They have…  read on >

Trapped in the house with a cupboard full of food: Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic can spawn an unintended side effect — stress eating. It may be tempting to ease your anxiety with your favorite comfort foods, but emotional eating can hurt you physically and mentally, according to experts from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. These tips, from Joyce Corsica, director of outpatient psychotherapy and bariatric psychology at Rush, and clinical psychologist Mackenzie Kelly, can help you ward off bad eating habits. Set a schedule and stick to it: It will help stop you from going to the kitchen for an unnecessary nosh. “Include chunks of time for work, relaxation/exercise, eating, and communication with others,” Corsica suggested. “If you have an outline planned, you are less likely to feel like the day is a big empty space, which can make you feel rudderless and may lead to overeating.” Eat healthy meals: Kelly recommended planning meals and snacks at the start of each day. “If you wait until you’re hungry to decide what you’re going to eat, you may end up eating more or choosing something higher in calories than if you had planned your meal and snacks in advance,” she warned. Remember: Processed foods may be convenient, but these foods make it easier to overeat. Choose healthy options instead. Avoid cravings: When you’re…  read on >

The new coronavirus is not just a physical health threat. The stress, anxiety, fear and isolation that go along with it also take a toll on your mental well-being. “One of the basic tenets of how to manage your mental health in a crisis like this is to ensure that you’re taking care of your own basic needs — taking breaks, having rest and sleep, getting adequate nutrition, exercising and having compassion for yourself and others,” said Dr. Itai Danovitch. He’s chairman of the department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. Danovitch suggested creating a daily schedule with separate blocks of time to work, relax, play and eat. “It helps to ensure that the day doesn’t get consumed by worrying, because our fear and our worries, when we don’t have control over them, can sometimes have the effect of overtaking other activities,” Danovitch said. He said it’s important to acknowledge your emotions — it’s OK to worry and it’s OK to have fear. “On the other hand, we want to try to put a container around them so that they don’t consume all the other components of the day,” Danovitch said in a Cedars-Sinai news release. “We want to be deliberate about trying to have those other experiences that we talked about — self-care and connection.” When seeking news and information…  read on >

People with asthma and other lung diseases are at increased risk for serious complications from COVID-19, caution experts from the American Lung Association. “Everyone’s health is at risk from COVID-19, and those living with a lung disease or who are immunocompromised may be more vulnerable to the impacts of the virus,” said Dr. Albert Rizzo, the association’s chief medical officer. COVID-19 can cause a pneumonia-like lung infection, with a range of symptoms from mild or absent in some to life-threatening in others, he said. It’s crucial for people with chronic lung diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to keep taking their maintenance medications and tell their health care provider about any symptoms or changes in their health, Rizzo said. All lung disease patients — including those with lung cancer who may have a weakened immune system — need to take steps avoid contact with the coronavirus. Besides social distancing, measures include thorough hand-washing; not touching face, nose, mouth and eyes; and avoiding contact with people who may have been infected. “The healthcare system and hospitals are already stressed with admissions as a result of the pandemic,” Rizzo said. “It’s important for those with lung disease to use their best practices in managing their disease.” People who smoke or vape are also at increased risk of serious COVID-19 complications. “Cigarette smoking and…  read on >

Having a furry, fluffy or feathered friend can have a profound effect on seniors’ mental health, possibly even helping prevent some suicides, new research suggests. In a group of 35 older people who were pet owners, more than one-third said they were “actively suicidal” or “significantly traumatized,” but their pets gave them a reason to live. One of these men had dogs and exotic birds with very specialized care needs. “I actually realized the only thing that is really keeping me alive, was these [dogs] and the birds, giving me a chance to get out of bed in the morning,” he said. “[My wife] would not feed them; she refused to feed them, so I had to get out of bed, and do something, all right? Otherwise, I would be asleep for 20 to 22 hours a day, no problems whatsoever.” The study’s lead author, Janette Young, said it’s important to consider each individual and not assume that presenting an animal to a person with depression or suicidal thoughts will solve their problems. “While pets are a powerful preventative relationship for some older people, just thinking that a pet will help every older suicidal person can put both animals and people at risk,” she said. Young is a lecturer in the School of Health Sciences at the University of South Australia, in Adelaide. On the…  read on >