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 >

The novel coronavirus appears to be seasonal in nature, with major outbreaks occurring mainly in regions that match a specific set of climate conditions, a new study argues. All areas experiencing significant outbreaks of COVID-19 fall within a northern corridor that has an average temperature of 41 to 52 degrees Fahrenheit and an average humidity of 47% to 79%, according to virology researchers. These affected regions — China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Northern Italy, Seattle and Northern California — all fall within a band between 30 to 50 degrees Northern latitude. There’s been a lack of significant spread of COVID-19 into countries farther South. “To us, this suggests temperature and also low absolute and specific humidity could hold a key role in transmission,” said lead researcher Dr. Mohammad Sajadi, an associate professor of medicine with the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in Baltimore. “Putting all this together, we think the distribution of significant community outbreaks along restricted latitude, temperature and humidity are consistent with the behavior of a seasonal respiratory virus,” Sajadi continued. This doesn’t mean that COVID-19 infection rates can be expected to fall with the coming of summer, however. Infectious disease experts note that the novel coronavirus has proven particularly infectious, given that humans have no established immunity against it. The coronavirus has an estimated transmission…  read on >

If you have asthma, you are among those at greatest risk in the coronavirus pandemic and must take precautions, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) says. It’s important to keep your asthma well-controlled, so continue your medications. No asthma medications — including inhaled corticosteroids and biologics — have been shown to increase the risk of getting COVID-19, according to the ACAAI. And, the group added, if you do get the virus, there’s no information that asthma medications will make your infection worse. The ACAAI recommends contacting your allergist if you have any questions, have trouble breathing or your asthma symptoms become more severe. Other people at higher risk from the coronavirus include the elderly, and people with immunodeficiency or other chronic conditions that weaken the immune system. For now, the ACAAI is advising those with asthma or who may have immunodeficiency to continue with treatments. Nebulizers should be used and cleaned properly. It’s important that your asthma remains well-controlled. So far, 80% of coronavirus cases are mild and last for a limited time. Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. The ACAAI is advising people to follow these U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations: Stay at least 6 feet away from people who are sick. Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Wash your hands often with soap and…  read on >

Schools are closing. Sports and other activities have been cancelled. Everything is changing. In the midst of this chaos, how do parents keep kids from stressing too much? “For families, this is truly now hitting home,” said psychologist Robin Gurwitch, from Duke University and the Center for Child and Family Health, in Durham, N.C. “Families now need to think about how to manage having children at home for extended periods of time. First, families need to set up a schedule and a routine. Keeping as much routine as possible is important,” she said. But Gurwitch added that it’s important to be flexible, too. “Things change quickly and anxieties are running very high. Parents will have to be more patient and attentive to their child’s needs,” she said. And, what about the elephant in the room — should you talk to your child specifically about coronavirus? Dr. Eric Herman, a clinical psychologist at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, said, “It’s going to be hard to tell kids that everything is going to be fine when we’re closing schools. They have to think that something big is going on.” Herman said to let them ask questions, and to really listen and respond to the specific questions they’re asking. Gurwitch recommended a more proactive approach: “Ask children what they know. Ask, ‘What do you think about this?’…  read on >

People often turn to music to boost their mood or relieve stress. And new research suggests there may be science supporting that practice. The study found that listening to 30 minutes of music a day eased chest pain and anxiety in people who had recently had a heart attack. “Based on our findings, we believe music therapy can help all patients after a heart attack. It’s also very easy and inexpensive to implement,” study author Dr. Predrag Mitrovic said in an American College of Cardiology news release. Mitrovic is a professor of cardiology at the University of Belgrade School of Medicine in Serbia. The researchers aren’t suggesting music as someone’s only treatment, however. Music was used along with standard heart medications. Dr. Guy Mintz, director of cardiovascular health at the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., reacted to the findings. “Music therapy may be striking the right key, giving patients further benefit beyond standard therapy,” he said. “Thirty minutes a day of listening to music reduced anxiety, pain sensation and pain distress.” About 700,000 people survive heart attacks every year in the United States. Around one in nine survivors have episodes of chest pain and anxiety within 48 hours of their heart attack, the news release said. Patients are often given a variety of medications to prevent future heart issues and reduce chest…  read on >

Using past weather data to predict climate change-linked increases in extreme weather events may underestimate how often they’ll occur, with potentially serious consequences, a Stanford University study says. It found that predictions based solely on historical records underestimated by about half the actual number of extremely hot days in Europe and East Asia, as well as the number of extremely wet days in the United States, Europe and East Asia between 2006 and 2017. In some cases, the actual number of extreme events was much larger than predicted, said climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh. He’s a senior fellow at Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment. “When I first looked at the results, I had this sinking feeling that our method for analyzing these extreme events could be all wrong,” Diffenbaugh said in a university news release. “As it turned out, the method actually worked very well for the period that we had originally analyzed — it’s just that global warming has had a really strong effect over the last decade.” The findings — published March 18 in the journal Science Advances — highlight how even slight increases in global warming can cause large increases in the risk of extreme weather events, particularly heat waves and heavy rainfall. “We are seeing year after year how the rising incidence of extreme events is causing significant impacts on people…  read on >

U.S. immigration policies may put Hispanic teens’ mental and physical health at risk, researchers say. Of 547 U.S.-born Hispanic kids surveyed in Atlanta, one-quarter had a parent, aunt, uncle or other family member who was detained or deported in 2017 or 2018. Participants were questioned twice, six months apart. Compared to other middle school- and high school-aged youth, those with a detained or deported family member had more than twice the risk of suicidal thoughts. They also were nearly three times more likely to report early alcohol use, and were also more likely to have engaged in risky behaviors, such as aggression or truancy. “This study found that among kids with a deportation or detention in the family, 28% later reported thinking of killing themselves sometimes or often; 18% said they had consumed alcohol and 23% had engaged in a high level of risky behavior,” said study author Kathleen Roche. She’s an associate professor of prevention and community health at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. “The findings are worrisome because these kinds of risks during the early teen years often result in problems well into adulthood,” she added in a university news release. The study was published March 16 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. “Our study offers the first direct scientific evidence indicating that current U.S. immigration policies might contribute to serious mental and…  read on >

(American Heart Association News) — Pandemic. Politics. An upending of life at a level that few Americans have ever experienced. And all of it amplified by social media. The ever-shifting news has some people constantly checking their phones for updates – and others saying they’re ready to walk away from their feeds entirely. “It’s really the perfect recipe for anxiety and panic,” said licensed clinical psychologist Debra Kissen of Chicago. And stress, it should be noted, may be a factor in heart disease. But Kissen, CEO of Light on Anxiety CBT Treatment Center, and others say anxiety can be managed – and social media, used properly, doesn’t have to send you on a mental-health spiral. It also can help you find balance. Kissen acknowledged the coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented because of the way uncertainty has crept into “every little nook and cranny” of life. People worry: Is your neighbor’s cough going to be the one? Is that touch going to be what does you in? Will I get infected in the supermarket? Your brain’s response to such uncertainty is the very definition of anxiety, she said. “Anxiety is all about a future ‘what if?’” Kissen said. “Is something bad going to happen, and what can I do to protect myself?” In the face of a visible threat, your brain can choose a course of action…  read on >