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By itself, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) doesn’t raise the risk of heart disease for U.S. veterans, a new study finds. “Instead, a combination of physical disorders, psychiatric disorders and smoking — that are more common in patients with PTSD versus without PTSD — appear to explain the association between PTSD and developing cardiovascular disease,” said study author Jeffrey Scherrer. He’s research director in the department of family and community medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri. For the study, Scherrer and his colleagues analyzed health records of more than 2,500 veterans with PTSD and more than 1,600 without PTSD. The veterans were aged 30 to 70 and had not been diagnosed with heart disease in the previous 12 months. The study participants were followed for at least three years. During that time, veterans with PTSD were 41 percent more likely to develop circulatory and heart disease than those without PTSD. Those with PTSD had significantly higher rates of smoking, depression, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol than those without PTSD, the investigators found. However, no single condition explained the association between PTSD and heart disease, according to the study published online Feb. 13 in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The findings may not apply to patients older than 70 or to civilians,… read on >

Sure, he may snore. She may steal the covers. But if a relationship is solid, your partner will help you sleep better this Valentine’s Day and far into the future, a new study suggests. Good relationships in early adulthood seemed to lead to less disruptive life events, which in turn appeared to lead to better sleep years later, researchers report. “Your partners can have a huge impact on your stress and health behaviors. They can be a source of stress or a reducer of stress,” explained study author Chloe Huelsnitz. She’s a Ph.D. candidate in the department of psychology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. So, how does being in a satisfying partnership affect sleep? Are people more content, or is a good relationship just a sign that you have better people skills that help reduce your stress throughout life? “It’s probably a bit of both,” Huelsnitz said, though the study could not prove that a good relationship caused sleep quality to improve. She explained that if you can have a good relationship, you probably have good interpersonal skills. And if you get along well with your partner, you’re probably less likely to get into a fight with your boss or a friend. “Also, if you have someone to support you during stressful life events, it helps to buffer that stress,” Huelsnitz added. The… read on >

Everyone has certain personality strengths that make them unique. For instance, you might be the type of person who loves to nurture others or who always tells it like it is and is known for your honesty. Studies on human psychology have found that developing your unique set of strengths can lead to happiness and even help overcome depression. But research has also shown that, all too often, rather than capitalizing on their strengths, people are more motivated to try to fix what they see as weaknesses. That could amount to wasted energy and might not even be desirable. Neglecting your strengths can cause them to fade. This can be true for a trait like kindness as well as one like creativity. On the other hand, developing strengths with what experts call “positive psychology interventions” leads to personal growth. The idea is to use one or more strengths in a new way every week through activities that lead to positive feelings, behaviors or thoughts. To get started, make a list of your strengths. The ones you put at the top of your list — those that make you feel the best about yourself — are your signature strengths. But some people get greater happiness from developing the ones farther down the page, so don’t feel as though you must limit your focus. Next, assign yourself… read on >

Millions of Americans with heart disease say they face financial strain because of their medical care, with some skipping meds or cutting back on basics like groceries. That’s the finding of a new national study of heart disease and stroke patients younger than 65 — a group that’s too young for Medicare but often lack health insurance, or “good” insurance. The researchers found that 45 percent of those patients said they’d had problems paying their medical bills in the past year. That translates to nearly 4 million Americans. For many, the study found, the issues ran deep: More than one-third of people with payment problems said they’d skipped needed drugs, cut back on groceries or were in general “financial distress.” “In order to meet obligations toward out-of-pocket costs, heart disease patients are delaying or avoiding paying for medications and elementary daily needs — like putting food on the table,” said senior researcher Dr. Khurram Nasir, of the Yale School of Medicine. Others said the findings were striking and important, though not surprising. Dr. Alison Bailey, a cardiologist in Tennessee, said she routinely sees patients who are struggling financially. So she spends a lot of time helping them figure out the most affordable medication options. This sometimes means choosing which drugs are most needed at the moment, and leaving others out. “We’re lucky in cardiology that… read on >

Teen boys who are unfit and/or obese have higher odds for chronic disease and disability as adults, according to a large Swedish study. Researchers followed more than 1 million boys for an average of 28 years, starting when they were 16 to 19 years of age. Those who were inactive, obese or both as teens were more likely to receive medical disability pensions as adults. The pensions are granted in some countries to working-aged adults who are unable to work due to chronic illness or injury. “Cardiorespiratory fitness and obesity already in adolescence is strongly related to later health,” said lead researcher Pontus Henriksson, a registered dietitian at the Karolinska Institute in Huddinge, Sweden. His team cautioned that this study does not prove that being unfit or obese as a teenager causes disabilities in adulthood, only that the two appear to be related. This association, however, is important because many teens are less fit and weigh more than previous generations, Henriksson said. The study also provides more evidence for the relevance of fitness and obesity in adolescence as markers of future health. Morbidly obese men were at greatest risk, the study found. Henriksson and his colleagues also found that compared with being unfit, being moderately or highly fit was related to a reduced risk for disability, whether one was obese or not. Common disabilities associated… read on >

New (and pricey) hepatitis C medicines, such as Harvoni and Sovaldi, are living up to their promise and greatly reducing patients’ odds for liver cancer and death, a new French study finds. The news came as little surprise to one U.S. liver expert. The advent of this class of drugs “has led to almost universal cure of chronic hepatitis C infection,” said Dr. David Bernstein, chief of hepatology at Northwell Health in Manhasset, N.Y. Bernstein believes “this large study provides the best evidence to date to support the recommendations that all patients with chronic hepatitis C infection be treated with [these drugs].” According to background data in the study, about 71 million people worldwide have chronic hepatitis C infection, which can cause debilitating or fatal illnesses such as cirrhosis, liver disease and liver cancer. Over the last 15 years, these complications have tripled and it’s predicted that they’ll peak between 2030 and 2035, the researchers said. The new research was funded by drugmakers and included nearly 9,900 patients in France. About three-quarters of the patients were treated with the newer class of drugs, called “direct-acting antivirals,” while the other one-quarter were not. Direct-acting antivirals work quickly — over a course of about three months — to push liver-damaging hepatitis C virus to undetectable levels in patients’ blood. In the study, over a median follow-up of… read on >

Time spent on Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook probably isn’t driving teenagers to depression, a new study contends. In fact, Canadian researchers found the relationship worked in the opposite direction — teenage girls who were already depressed tended to spend more time on social media, to try to feel better. These findings run counter to a series of recent studies that said teens and young adults were more likely to grow depressed if they used social media more often. But those studies only looked at adolescents’ depression and social media use at one point in time, taking a single survey “snapshot” that couldn’t assess which factor influences the other, explained Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center in Santa Barbara, Calif. The new study looked at people over time and tried to make sense of their behaviors over time, said Rutledge, who was not involved in the research. “To me it makes a lot of sense, because we also know that social media can have a lot of benefits,” she said. “With anything, there is positive and negative. Social media is this great big thing, and there are all sorts of ways to use it.” Beginning in 2017, researchers led by Taylor Heffer from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, surveyed nearly 600 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders in Ontario once a year for two… read on >

When kidney failure patients undergoing treatment at dialysis clinics suffer cardiac arrest, the clinic staff usually jumps in to perform lifesaving CPR, but not always, a new study finds. “It is reassuring that bystander CPR was associated with improved outcomes in dialysis clinics just as it is in other settings, but it is concerning that the rate of dialysis staff-initiated CPR isn’t closer to 100 percent, considering that all staff should be CPR-trained,” said study author Dr. Patrick Pun, from Duke University, in Durham, N.C. More research is needed to determine why this is so, the study authors said in a news release from the American Society of Nephrology. For the study, Pun’s team examined the cases of 398 kidney failure patients who suffered cardiac arrest at outpatient dialysis clinics in the southeastern United States between 2010 and 2016. The study did not include patients with “do not resuscitate” orders. Before emergency medical services arrived, dialysis clinic staff started CPR in 81 percent of the cases and used defibrillators in 52 percent of the cases, the findings showed. Clinic staff-initiated CPR was associated with a three times higher chance of survival and a favorable brain result when a patient left the hospital. There was no association between staff defibrillator use and patient outcomes, according to the report. Staff were more likely to start CPR if… read on >

When it comes to cooking veggies, fresh from the farmer’s market always tastes best. But when you’re cooking produce out of season, head to the freezer section of your favorite store. Veggies are typically frozen at the height of freshness, making them a great winter staple. Dense vegetables in particular are ideal for freezer storage, because they retain their texture when reheated. Put peas, edamame, Brussels sprouts and artichokes at the top of your list. As long as you don’t overcook them, they’ll also retain their nutrients. Microwaving can dry out some vegetables. To defrost them quickly, place them in a colander under cold running water for a few minutes. Then add them to green salads or fold into any cooked dish. One of the easiest ways to use frozen vegetables is to add them straight from the freezer to soups, stews and chilis during the last few minutes of cooking. Frozen vegetables also are great in breakfast smoothies: Simply blend frozen edamame — a protein powerhouse — along with your fruits and yogurt. Frozen artichokes are far less expensive than fresh, plus all the prep work has been done for you. Here’s a simple recipe that’s both a crowd pleaser and a great alternative to bottled dressings when you want a dip for carrot sticks. Artichoke Dip 1/2 cup frozen artichokes, defrosted 1/2 cup… read on >

A lot of importance is placed on developing self-esteem to create emotional well-being and to quiet the inner critic that causes people to doubt themselves. But even more essential to emotional wellness might be self-compassion — extending to yourself the same feelings of empathy and concern that you show others. Self-compassion leads to contentment and offers a kind of immunity against negative influences like fear, according to researcher Kristin Neff, associate professor of educational psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. More than self-esteem, self-compassion can soothe you when you’re upset, help you gain perspective, and allow you to accept your faults. With that mindset, you can flourish. Neff has identified three important elements of self-compassion: Self-kindness: This simply means being understanding with yourself, rather than judgmental. Feeling connected with others in life: This is what Neff calls “common humanity.” Mindfulness: This is often described as viewing a situation in real time without coloring it with “what ifs?” Self-compassion doesn’t depend on your reaching ideal and possibly unrealistic goals, but from caring for yourself as you are, with your own balance of weak and strong points. People with self-compassion experience less anxiety and are more comfortable in their own skin. What’s more, if you’re a mom or dad, having self-compassion can help you feel more at ease with your parenting skills, which will benefit… read on >