Lifestyle « Weekly Gravy

Parenting a teenager can be an emotional minefield in the best of times, but the social distancing of the coronavirus pandemic could really strain young people’s mental health. Teens and young adults who are confined to home during the coronavirus pandemic face numerous disappointments, including not being able to hang out with friends, missing out on new life experiences and trying to manage their time, a mental health expert says. This age group may not understand the importance of social distancing. Parents can help teens and young adults appreciate the need to do so by directing them to reliable sources of information, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Ann Murphy, director of the Northeast and Caribbean Mental Health Technology Transfer Center and an associate professor at Rutgers School of Health Professions, in New Jersey. “Take time to discuss things they can do to feel more connected to their peers through remote means. For younger teens, this may mean relaxing some of your restrictions on social media use. Explore new apps and tools that can facilitate group chats and video connection so they can stay connected to their peers,” Murphy said in a Rutgers news release. “While you don’t want to encourage them to be on their electronic devices all the time, it is important to recognize the critical role of… read on >

If you feel like the news about coronavirus is growing worse by the hour, then it might be time to take stock: How much do you really need to know? As the pandemic unfolds, and people routinely wake up to uncertainty, it is necessary to stay informed, psychologists say. At the same time, they caution, remember that media overload is real. And it may raise anxiety to a level that does more harm than good. “The data show that the harm does not come from staying informed in a reasonable way — like reading your morning paper every day,” said Dana Rose Garfin, an assistant adjunct professor at the University of California, Irvine’s School of Nursing. And in the midst of a pandemic, she pointed out, a little worry is normal and necessary. “Some amount of concern is a good thing, so that we’re not complacent,” Garfin said. “We want to be aware of — and following — public health guidelines.” But there is such a thing as too much. “There’s a big difference between staying informed and having the news on all day long, repeating the same things,” said Garfin, co-author of a commentary on coronavirus media exposure that was recently published in the journal Health Psychology. Beyond the amount of news, the content matters, too: News outlets have taken to tracking daily death… read on >

One side effect of the coronavirus pandemic could be long-lasting: U.S. school closures may worsen the child obesity crisis, experts warn. Previous research has shown that kids tend to gain weight when they’re out of school during the summer — especially Hispanic and black youngsters and children who are already overweight. “There could be long-term consequences for weight gained while children are out of school during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Andrew Rundle, who studies ways to prevent childhood obesity. He’s an associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City. “Research shows that weight gained over the summer months is maintained during the school year and accrues summer to summer,” Rundle said in a university news release. “When a child experiences obesity, even at a young age, they are at risk for higher, unhealthy weight, all the way into middle age.” Rundle and his colleagues predicted that COVID-19-related school closures will double out-of-school time this year for many children in the United States. And that, in turn, will aggravate risk factors for unwanted weight gain, they warned. Social distancing and stay-at-home orders limit opportunities to exercise, particularly for city kids living in small apartments. As a result, inactivity, screen time and snacking are likely to increase, Rundle and colleagues wrote in their study published recently in the journal… read on >

As hospitals give more and more COVID-19 patients albuterol to help them breathe, people with asthma may have a hard time getting an inhaler. The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) said some areas of the United States are experiencing shortages of albuterol inhalers, and the shortage may spread. But Dr. Michael Blaiss, executive medical director of the ACAAI, emphasized that it is “nothing to panic about.” Manufacturers are trying to keep up with the unexpected surge in demand, he said. Production issues are not to blame. “No one should panic or hoard albuterol, though since you need a prescription, it’s not possible to hoard like toilet paper. But don’t put your albuterol asthma inhalers on autofill. If your asthma is under optimal control, an inhaler should last you more than a year,” Blaiss said. And, if you can’t get an albuterol inhaler from your pharmacy, Blaiss said it’s important to know there are other options. Patients with COVID-19 infections were initially treated with nebulizers, a common way to treat breathing problems in hospitals, and sometimes at home. But recent research suggested that when aerosolized, the coronavirus could hang in the air for a while, and some nebulizers might aerosolize the virus particles, Blaiss explained. So, out of caution, many hospitals have switched to the use of albuterol inhalers. Albuterol is a medication… read on >

The social distancing and isolation of the coronavirus pandemic may put people struggling with addiction at risk for relapse, an expert says. Feeling stressed, isolated and scared may drive them back to substance abuse, said Dr. Lawrence Brown Jr., CEO of the nonprofit START Treatment & Recovery Centers, New York’s largest independent drug treatment agency. “Whatever structures used to maintain sobriety by people with substance-use issues tend to fall away in a pandemic,” Brown said in a START news release. “People who have lost proximity to support systems, programs and relationships that help them stay sober may be tempted to self-medicate in order to deal with stress, anxiety and isolation,” he explained. “In addition to substance-use disorders, many people are grappling with mental health issues and co-morbidities, including HIV, hepatitis C, hypertension [high blood pressure] and diabetes, that put them at higher risk for COVID-19,” Brown added. He offered advice for people struggling with drug or alcohol addiction during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s important to maintain relationships. Even when they’re challenging, family and friends provide comfort and security, and hearing words like “I love you,” “I miss you,” and “I need you,” can be therapeutic, Brown said. If you’re in a treatment program, engaging more substantially will provide you with even greater protection. If you have a history of mental illness or substance abuse, take… read on >

Smokers and vapers who get COVID-19 can probably expect a more severe infection, health experts warn. Many advisories have focused on the risk facing older people, those with chronic conditions such as diabetes, and people with compromised immune systems, such as cancer patients. But doctors also caution that users of electronic cigarettes and tobacco are more in danger from the new coronavirus than the average healthy person. If you vape, “you’re going to make lungs more vulnerable to severe infection,” said Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, an American Lung Association spokesman who is also director of the tobacco treatment clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital, in Baltimore. Vaping introduces toxic chemicals that harm lung cells and change their metabolism, Galiatsatos said, and it also curbs the body’s immune system. Data from China’s coronavirus outbreak showed infected smokers and residents of cities with high levels of air pollution had more severe symptoms, he said. Galiatsatos predicted use of e-cigarettes will have the same effect. A study of 78 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in Wuhan, China, published recently in the Chinese Medical Journal, listed history of smoking as one factor contributing to poorer patient outcomes. Stanton Glantz, director of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, cited that study in a recent online UCSF commentary. “The odds of disease progression (including to death)… read on >

Social distancing has become the new normal, with one-third of Americans now under stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus pandemic, but experts say that level of isolation can be hard on your health. “We don’t know for sure what the long-term health outcomes of widespread forced social isolation will be, but given what we know about the effects of social isolation and stress on physical and mental health, there is reason to be concerned,” said Tess Thompson, a research assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis. The author of a recent study on social isolation and health, Thompson offered some coping tips. Maintain social connection as much as possible during this time through technology and social media. There are various ways to connect online with friends, and some gym coaches and music teachers are offering online sessions. Thompson said there’s some evidence that active social media use — such as sharing content or commenting on social media posts — may be better for mental health than passive social media use, such as scrolling through newsfeeds. If you’re housebound with others, do fun activities together instead of all retreating behind separate electronic screens. Play board games, read books aloud, play music together, go for walks, eat dinner together or cuddle your pets, Thompson suggested in a university news release. If you’re separated from older loved… read on >

Fostering a shelter animal during the coronavirus pandemic could benefit both of you, an animal welfare group says. “Shelters are swamped in the best of times, and with more and more staff in every sector of American life self-quarantining and falling ill, animals already abandoned and without homes are going to be increasingly vulnerable,” said Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane. “At the same time, so many of us, especially the elderly, are coping with the loneliness, stress and anxiety that comes with isolation and the sheltering in place so necessary during a pandemic,” she said in an organization news release. “Why be home alone when you can snuggle up with a loving new buddy? You might save a life, improve your own during these trying times, and end up with a new best friend.” Each year, 4 million to 6 million animals end up in U.S. shelters and more than 1.5 million are euthanized. As shelter workers are hit by the coronavirus and false rumors spread about its transmission from pets to people, shelter animals will need help more than ever, according to American Humane. The benefits of fostering a shelter animal go both ways, the association said. Engaging with animals has been shown to reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol and to lower blood pressure, according to the U.S. National… read on >

Technology can help you maintain social connections if you’re staying home during the coronavirus pandemic, an expert says. “When using technology to stay connected, prioritize keeping deeper, meaningful connections with people,” said Stephen Benning, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Benning suggests using Skype or other video messaging to see and hear from people who are important to you. An old-fashioned phone call will let you maintain vocal connection, and your favorite social media site’s messaging app will let you keep an individual or group dialog going. “In these deep, close, personalized connections, it’s OK to share your anxieties and fears. Validating that other people are concerned or even scared can help them feel like they are grounded in reality,” he said. But don’t stop there, Benning added. “Use these deep connections to plan out what to do, to take concrete actions to live the lives you want,” he suggested in a university news release. “To the extent possible, share hobbies or other pursuits together if you’re shut off from work or other personal strivings for success.” Hold book clubs on speakerphone or group meetings on Zoom. Find online versions of bridge, board games, role-playing adventures or other diversions. Make a date with friends to watch a show or movie on TV or streaming media, and share your reactions… read on >