Doctors are bailing on the profession for a reason that may surprise their patients. It’s not frustration with government rules or cumbersome insurance requirements, but problems securing suitable childcare for long and ever-changing working hours, a new survey published Feb. 15 in the BMJ finds. Erin Dean, who wrote a summary of the survey results, noted that some doctors have quit or are considering doing so. Others have changed specialties in the hope that they will have more flexibility. And even more have altered their plans to have children. The online survey, conducted in the U.K. and completed in November, included 533 respondents who identified themselves as doctors and medical students; 14 nurses; and 49 others. Of these, 548 were women. (The survey could be completed by anyone who clicked the link.) Other studies have indicated that parenthood appears to have a bigger impact on the careers of female doctors, Dean noted. More than 9 in 10 respondents said they had struggled to find suitable childcare for their work schedule. The No. 1 problem: Finding care that covers the full length of their workday. Many respondents commented on the stress and guilt of trying to be on time for work in the morning and then to pick up their children at day’s end. Cost was the No. 2 problem, cited by 75% of respondents, followed…  read on >  read on >

Aromatherapy might be able to improve memory and help treat depression Depressed individuals better recalled specific personal memories after exposed to scents These memories could help them rewire their thought patterns Aromatherapy might be able to help people recover from depression by helping them more clearly recall specific, often positive, memories, a new study shows. Scents are more effective than words at cueing up the memory of a specific event, researchers report Feb. 13 in the journal JAMA Network Open. That could help depressed individuals shake negative thought cycles and rewire their thinking patterns, researchers said. “If we improve memory, we can improve problem-solving, emotion regulation and other functional problems that depressed individuals often experience,” said senior researcher Kymberly Young, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. For the study, researchers asked 32 adults with major depressive disorder to recall a specific memory, no matter good or bad, as they breathed in glass vials containing potent familiar scents. The scents ranged from oranges to ground coffee to shoe polish to the distinct eucalyptus sharpness of Vicks VapoRub. Prior studies have found that people with major depression are less capable of drawing on specific memories from their lives, researchers said. This might contribute to depression because patients will repeat self-denigrating thoughts like “I am a failure” or “I fight with…  read on >  read on >

When bullies destroy a young victim’s trust, mental health problems are likely to follow them into adulthood, a new study warns. “There are few public health topics more important than youth mental health right now,” said senior study author George Slavich, director of UCLA Health’s Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research, who called for investments in further research to identify risk factors and develop programs to improve lifelong health and resilience. Working with the University of Glasgow, his team looked at data from 10,000 children in the U.K. who were followed for nearly 20 years.  Researchers found that kids who were bullied at age 11 and then became distrustful by age 14 were roughly 3.5 times more likely to have mental health problems by age 17 than those who were more trusting. The findings were published Feb. 13 in the journal Nature Mental Health. Researchers believe the study is the first to probe the link between peer bullying, interpersonal distrust and development of mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, hyperactivity and anger. Slavich said the findings could help schools and other institutions develop programs to address mental health impacts of bullying. The mental health of young people is a growing public concern. In a sample of U.S. high school students, 44.2% said they had been depressed for at least two weeks in 2021, according…  read on >  read on >

The red meat diet associated with masculinity could be the worst thing for men dealing with prostate cancer, a new study says. Prostate cancer patients who limit meat and dairy but eat lots of plant-based foods tend to suffer less erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence and other embarrassing side effects associated with their treatment, researchers say. Men who ate the most plant-based foods scored 8% to 11% better in measures of sexual function compared to those who ate the least, according to results from more than 3,500 prostate cancer patients. The men also scored up to 14% better in urinary health, with fewer instances of incontinence, obstruction and irritation, results show. A plant-based diet also produced 13% better scores in hormonal health, which involves symptoms like low energy, depression and hot flashes. “Our findings offer hope for those looking for ways to improve their quality of life after undergoing surgery, radiation, and other common therapies for prostate cancer, which can cause significant side effects,” lead researcher Dr. Stacy Loeb, a professor of urology and population health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, said in a news release. “Adding more fruits and vegetables to their diet, while reducing meat and dairy, is a simple step that patients can take,” she said. Previous research by the same team found that eating a plant-based…  read on >  read on >

Researchers say they have developed a blood test for schizophrenia. More than 3 million people in the United States have schizophrenia, a disorder marked by hallucinations and delusions, or a related psychotic illness.  The new test, which is expected to be available later this year from MindX Sciences, identifies markers in the blood that objectively measure a person’s risk for schizophrenia, allowing doctors to tailor treatments to their individual biology.  “Schizophrenia is hard to diagnose, especially early on, and matching people to the right treatment from the beginning is very important,” said senior study author Dr. Alexander Niculescu, a professor of psychiatry and medical neuroscience at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. “Psychosis usually manifests in young adulthood — a prime period of life,” he explained in a university news release. “Stress and drugs, including marijuana, are precipitating factors on a background of genetic vulnerability. If left unchecked, psychosis leads to accumulating biological damage, social damage and psychological damage.” His team published its research Feb. 8 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.  For their study, they followed psychiatric patients for more than a decade, identifying biomarkers that predicted high rates of hallucination and delusions, as well as future related hospitalizations. They also examined which biomarkers were targets of existing drugs. The work builds on previous studies by Niculescu, who is also a staff psychiatrist at…  read on >  read on >

FRIDAY, Feb. 9, 2024 (healthDay News) — Super Bowl party spreads famously include nachos, wings, burgers, hot dogs and other unhealthy fare, but one expert offers some advice on how to make watching the game a healthy affair. “Think about what food you anticipate will be there,” said Dr. Bethany Agusala, director of UT Southwestern Medical Center’s William T. and Gay F. Solomon General Internal Medicine Clinic in Dallas. “If you have a health condition or dietary restrictions and you’re not sure if there’s going to be something good you can eat, you might think about bringing a healthy dish, like a veggie tray or a salad.” If you’re hosting a Super Bowl party, recognize that some guests will have health concerns such as diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Try to offer fruits, vegetables, whole grains and salsas so your guests aren’t forced to eat high-salt or high-sugar foods, she suggested. “It’s best to eat foods at these parties where you’re combining sources of protein and healthy fats,” Agusala advised. “Healthier protein options would be foods like bean dip, chicken and fish.” “You could also have complex carbohydrates like vegetables and whole grains,” she added. “These are broken down more slowly, so they won’t cause blood sugar spikes.” Agusala listed what foods to look for and what foods you should avoid while watching…  read on >  read on >

While marriage can be hard work, a new survey suggests it can also be a powerful elixir for happiness. Adults who are married report being more satisfied with their lives than those in any other type of relationship, the Gallup poll showed. “Any way you analyze those data, we see a fairly large and notable advantage to being married in terms of how people evaluate their life,” poll author Jonathan Rothwell, principal economist at Gallup, told CNN. In the survey, which included data spanning from 2009 to 2023, more than 2.5 million American adults were asked how they would rate their life, with zero being the worst rating and 10, the highest. Then, respondents were asked what they thought their happiness level would be in five years. To be considered thriving, people had to rank their present life as a seven or higher and their future life as an eight or higher. Over the survey period, married people consistently reported higher happiness levels, ranging from 12% to 24% higher depending on the year. The gap remained even when researchers adjusted for age, race, ethnicity, gender and education. Experts offered up a few reasons why marriage might be integral to happiness. “At its bare minimum, the concept of commitment implies the experience of being bonded with another. At its very best, it means being bonded with someone who…  read on >  read on >