When eating healthy becomes an around-the-clock obsession, it could be a sign of trouble. An extreme preoccupation with clean eating is an eating order called orthorexia nervosa. Though less well-known than anorexia nervosa or bulimia — and not as well-documented — a new study review says orthorexia can also have serious emotional and physical consequences. “Orthorexia is really more than just healthy eating,” said review co-author Jennifer Mills, an associate professor of health at York University in Toronto. “It’s healthy eating taken to the extreme, where it’s starting to cause problems for people in their lives and starting to feel quite out of control.” The review of published research from around the world on the disorder was recently published in the journal Appetite. Mills and her colleague Sarah McComb looked at risk factors and links between orthorexia and other mental disorders. Orthorexia, unlike some other eating disorders, is not yet recognized in the standard psychiatric manuals. Healthy eating to the extreme No clear line divides healthy eating from orthorexia’s extreme eating. The foods someone with orthorexia might avoid are the same as those someone with healthy habits might avoid — such as preservatives, anything artificial, salt, sugar, fat, dairy, other animal products, genetically modified foods or those that aren’t organic. It boils down to whether avoiding foods leads to obsession — excessive time and energy…  read on >

A face-lift for Father’s Day, anyone? It could happen: A new report finds many more men are taking advantage of the same plastic surgeries that have long been associated with women. The midlife decision by men to try a face-lift or other procedure has been nicknamed the “Daddy-Do-Over” — referencing the “Mommy Makeover” for women. Whatever it’s called, “men are embracing the idea of surgery more than before,” said Dr. Alan Matarasso, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). He stressed that the average man approaching or in middle age might have different reasons for wanting a nip or a tuck, compared to his female peers. “Obviously, men don’t go through the same physical changes that women experience during pregnancy and post-pregnancy, but their lifestyle does change, which can impact their appearance,” Matarasso said in a society news release. “Diet and exercise patterns fluctuate, and they don’t sleep as much,” he added. “Men notice their body changes due to aging and parenting, and it starts to look completely different in their 30s and 40s. That is the point of a Daddy-Do-Over.” In fact, according to the ASPS, more than 1 million men had cosmetic surgery in 2018, a 29% increase since 2000. Like women, men are typically getting body contouring and facial procedures to enhance their physique and keep the dreaded “dad bod”…  read on >

Drug overdoses and suicide are common causes of death among women who die within a year of giving birth, a new study finds. In fact, in the study based on data from California, these two causes accounted for nearly 20% of postpartum deaths from 2010 to 2012. “These deaths are rare but devastating for families,” said study co-author Claire Margerison, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Michigan State University, in East Lansing. “We need to place more emphasis on prevention.” For the study, Margerison and her colleagues analyzed more than 1 million medical records from California hospitals. While maternal death rates during and after pregnancy are rising nationwide, California is below the national average. Even so, drug overdose was the second-leading cause of death among California women in the first year after giving birth. Suicide ranked seventh. Suicide and fatal overdoses were more common among white and poor women, the study found. The data aren’t sufficient to identify trends but could inform future studies, the researchers said. The findings, however, might be a sign of what’s occurring across the country. Although maternal death rates have dropped in California because of efforts to improve care, mental health and drug abuse continue to affect many new mothers. Some of these deaths might reflect stigmas that stop women from getting help for mental health and drug…  read on >

About 22% of people who live in conflict areas suffer from mental health problems, a new study review finds. Common problems include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, according to the World Health Organization. About 9% have a moderate to severe mental health condition. These conclusions are based on a review of 129 previously published studies. The numbers are significantly higher than the global estimate of 1 in 14 in the general population. Researchers said earlier studies underestimated how living in war zones and other conflict areas affects mental health. They found that depression and anxiety increased with age, and said depression was more common in women than men. Mild mental health conditions were the most common (13%). An estimated 4% of conditions were moderate, and 5% were severe. The report was published June 11 in the journal The Lancet. “I am confident that our study provides the most accurate estimates available today of the prevalence of mental health conditions in areas of conflict,” lead author Fiona Charlson said in a journal news release. She is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Queensland in Australia and the University of Washington in Seattle. Conflict areas today include Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen. In 2016, the number of wars was at a historic high — with 53 ongoing conflicts…  read on >

Fifty-six of America’s 500 biggest cities have major gaps in life expectancy between neighborhoods, a new study reveals. These gaps can mean people in one neighborhood live 20 to 30 years longer than those just a mile away — and the inequalities are prevalent in cities with high levels of racial and ethnic segregation, according to New York University researchers. They said their findings should be a wake-up call for city leaders nationwide. “Your neighborhood shouldn’t influence your odds of seeing your grandchildren grow up,” said lead researcher Dr. Marc Gourevitch, chairman of the department of population health at NYU Langone Health System. His colleague, co-author Benjamin Spoer, said researchers have known for a while that conditions from neighborhood to neighborhood can have “profound influence” on how long and how well people live. “But we were surprised to see just how large the gap in life expectancy can be between neighborhoods, and how strong the link was between life expectancy and segregation, across all different kinds and sizes of cities,” Spoer said in an NYU news release. Chicago had the biggest gap in life expectancy between neighborhoods at 30.1 years. That was followed by Washington, D.C., at 27.5 years; New York City, 27.4; and New Orleans and Buffalo, N.Y., both at 25.8 years. Scores on measures of racial and ethnic segregation in these cities were…  read on >

If you or a family member has asthma, your doctor has most likely mapped out the steps you need to take to treat an asthma flare. Creating a healthier home by minimizing your triggers can be as effective as medication for reducing symptoms and flares, according to a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Triggers include indoor pollutants like cigarette smoke and gas stoves, as well as allergens such as mold, pets and pests — from dust mites that hide in bedding to cockroaches. One approach is to talk to your doctor about allergen-specific immunoglobulin E antibody tests or skin testing to identify the allergens that affect you most. Then you can map out a strategy to rid your home of the worst offenders. HEPA or “high-efficiency particulate air purifiers” do a great job of removing airborne allergens. True HEPA devices can trap particles in the air that are as small as 0.3 microns — that’s less than 1/25,000 of an inch. HEPA filters are available for your heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and for specially equipped vacuum cleaners. Protect mattresses and pillows with zippered allergen-proof covers, and launder bed linens regularly in hot water followed by a hot spin in the dryer, experts at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology suggest. To prevent mold, keep your kitchen, bathrooms and basement…  read on >

It’s not just Moms: Just ahead of Father’s Day, a new survey finds that about half of American dads say they’ve been criticized about their parenting styles. The way they enforced discipline topped the list of things naysayers called them to task on, with two-thirds of critiques focused on that subject. Forty-four percent of the time, the criticism came from a family member, often the other child-rearing partner, the findings showed. “Addressing a child’s misbehavior is one of the greatest challenges of parenting, and parents aren’t always on the same page when it comes to expectations and consequences,” said survey co-director Sarah Clark, of the University of Michigan. That could prove problematic for families, Clark said. “Inconsistency between parents in responding to a child’s behavior can send mixed messages to the child, and result in conflict and criticism between parents,” she explained in a university news release. The next big topic for dad shaming involved the kinds of food men gave their kids (40% of critiques). Not paying enough attention to the children was also an issue of contention, as was the accusation that dad-child playtime could get too rough — about one-third of fathers said they’d felt judged for these two things. Other issues raised had to do with how a dad’s parenting style impacted a child’s sleep habits, safety or overall appearance. The…  read on >