Folks using melatonin supplements as a sleep aid might be putting themselves at risk for future heart problems, a new study says. Adults with insomnia who’d been using melatonin for a year or more had 90% higher odds of heart failure, researchers are scheduled to report Nov. 10 in New Orleans at a meeting of the American Heart Association. Further, people taking melatonin are nearly 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure, researchers found. “Melatonin supplements are widely thought of as a safe and ‘natural’ option to support better sleep, so it was striking to see such consistent and significant increases in serious health outcomes, even after balancing for many other risk factors,” lead researcher Dr. Ekenedilichukwu Nnadi said in a news release. He’s chief resident in internal medicine at SUNY Downstate/Kings County Primary Care in Brooklyn, New York. Melatonin is a hormone that naturally occurs in the body and helps regulate people’s sleep-wake cycle. Levels increase during darkness and decrease during daylight. Melatonin supplements are widely available over the counter in the United States, and are promoted and marketed as a safe sleep aid, researchers noted. To see how long-term melatonin use might affect people’s health, researchers reviewed five years of electronic health records for nearly 131,000 people diagnosed with chronic insomnia. More than 65,000 reported taking melatonin for more than…  read on >  read on >

Folks using melatonin supplements as a sleep aid might be putting themselves at risk for future heart problems, a new study says. Adults with insomnia who’d been using melatonin for a year or more had 90% higher odds of heart failure, researchers are scheduled to report Nov. 10 in New Orleans at a meeting of the American Heart Association. Further, people taking melatonin are nearly 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure, researchers found. “Melatonin supplements are widely thought of as a safe and ‘natural’ option to support better sleep, so it was striking to see such consistent and significant increases in serious health outcomes, even after balancing for many other risk factors,” lead researcher Dr. Ekenedilichukwu Nnadi said in a news release. He’s chief resident in internal medicine at SUNY Downstate/Kings County Primary Care in Brooklyn, New York. Melatonin is a hormone that naturally occurs in the body and helps regulate people’s sleep-wake cycle. Levels increase during darkness and decrease during daylight. Melatonin supplements are widely available over the counter in the United States, and are promoted and marketed as a safe sleep aid, researchers noted. To see how long-term melatonin use might affect people’s health, researchers reviewed five years of electronic health records for nearly 131,000 people diagnosed with chronic insomnia. More than 65,000 reported taking melatonin for more than…  read on >  read on >

A growing number of Americans are turning to therapy by text message, and new research suggests it can be just as effective as traditional video sessions for some patients. In a study published Oct. 30 in JAMA Network Open, researchers found that people with mild to moderate depression who used text-based therapy showed similar improvements to those who received weekly video-based therapy. The clinical trial involved 850 adults randomly assigned to either weekly video therapy or unlimited messaging with a licensed therapist for 12 weeks.  By the end of the study, both groups reported similar improvements in depression symptoms. “We were pleasantly surprised to see that it was as good as weekly video therapy,” study co-author Patricia Areán, a former professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, told The New York Times. “We didn’t really find any differences in the outcomes.” The study was supported by Talkspace, a fast-growing digital mental health platform, which collaborated with researchers to conduct the trial.  Areán said the company was seeking real-world data to support potential insurance reimbursement for text-based care, a service most insurers do not cover.  “They knew that they needed data,” Areán added. Experts say the results could be particularly important for people who struggle to attend traditional or virtual appointments. Text-based therapy “could eventually fit into a stepped-care model,” Dr. Jane Zhu, associate…  read on >  read on >

A growing number of Americans are turning to therapy by text message, and new research suggests it can be just as effective as traditional video sessions for some patients. In a study published Oct. 30 in JAMA Network Open, researchers found that people with mild to moderate depression who used text-based therapy showed similar improvements to those who received weekly video-based therapy. The clinical trial involved 850 adults randomly assigned to either weekly video therapy or unlimited messaging with a licensed therapist for 12 weeks.  By the end of the study, both groups reported similar improvements in depression symptoms. “We were pleasantly surprised to see that it was as good as weekly video therapy,” study co-author Patricia Areán, a former professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, told The New York Times. “We didn’t really find any differences in the outcomes.” The study was supported by Talkspace, a fast-growing digital mental health platform, which collaborated with researchers to conduct the trial.  Areán said the company was seeking real-world data to support potential insurance reimbursement for text-based care, a service most insurers do not cover.  “They knew that they needed data,” Areán added. Experts say the results could be particularly important for people who struggle to attend traditional or virtual appointments. Text-based therapy “could eventually fit into a stepped-care model,” Dr. Jane Zhu, associate…  read on >  read on >

A child’s future risk of depression and anxiety might be tied to their gut health. Young children whose gut microbiomes contained certain bacteria were more likely to develop a mood disorder as tweens, researchers reported Oct. 30 in the journal Nature Communications. Researchers discovered that the kids’ gut bacteria were tied to differences in connectivity between emotion-related brain networks – and that those differences, in turn, were linked to anxiety and depression later in childhood. The results suggest that gut bacteria could play a role in programming a child’s brain circuits, particularly those related to emotion, researchers said. “By linking early-life microbiome patterns with brain connectivity and later symptoms of anxiety and depression, our study provides early evidence that gut microbes could help shape mental health during the critical school-age years,” senior researcher Bridget Callaghan, chair of developmental psychology at UCLA, said in a news release. For the new study, researchers analyzed data from 55 children in Singapore participating in a long-term health study. The children provided stool samples at age 2 and MRI brain scans at age 6, and caregivers filled out surveys about the kids’ behavioral problems at 7-1/2. The team found that children whose gut microbiomes with higher levels of Clostridiales and Lachnospiraceae bacteria were at higher risk of symptoms of depression and anxiety. These two bacterial groups have been linked to…  read on >  read on >

A child’s future risk of depression and anxiety might be tied to their gut health. Young children whose gut microbiomes contained certain bacteria were more likely to develop a mood disorder as tweens, researchers reported Oct. 30 in the journal Nature Communications. Researchers discovered that the kids’ gut bacteria were tied to differences in connectivity between emotion-related brain networks – and that those differences, in turn, were linked to anxiety and depression later in childhood. The results suggest that gut bacteria could play a role in programming a child’s brain circuits, particularly those related to emotion, researchers said. “By linking early-life microbiome patterns with brain connectivity and later symptoms of anxiety and depression, our study provides early evidence that gut microbes could help shape mental health during the critical school-age years,” senior researcher Bridget Callaghan, chair of developmental psychology at UCLA, said in a news release. For the new study, researchers analyzed data from 55 children in Singapore participating in a long-term health study. The children provided stool samples at age 2 and MRI brain scans at age 6, and caregivers filled out surveys about the kids’ behavioral problems at 7-1/2. The team found that children whose gut microbiomes with higher levels of Clostridiales and Lachnospiraceae bacteria were at higher risk of symptoms of depression and anxiety. These two bacterial groups have been linked to…  read on >  read on >

Germany has agreed to provide more than $1 billion in new funding to support Holocaust survivors worldwide, helping many continue to live independently in their own homes. The deal, negotiated with Germany’s Finance Ministry, makes it the largest home care budget in the organization’s history, totaling $1.076 billion (923.9 million euros) for 2025.  The funds will go toward essential daily care for elderly survivors, many of whom are now in their late 80s and 90s. “This historic increase to home care funding reflects the complex and growing needs of Holocaust survivors worldwide,” said Gideon Taylor, president of the New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, which is also known as the Claims Conference. “While we are losing survivors at a rapid pace each year, those who remain are older, frailer and in greater need than ever before,” Taylor added. “This budget is critical in providing each of them the opportunity to age in place, a dignity that was stolen from them in their youth.” The average age of Holocaust survivors receiving home care rose from 86 in 2018 to 88.5 in 2024, according to the Claims Conference. As they age, survivors are facing more complex health issues.  The number who now qualify for full-time assistance due to extreme disabilities such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and dementia has nearly doubled in the last…  read on >  read on >

Germany has agreed to provide more than $1 billion in new funding to support Holocaust survivors worldwide, helping many continue to live independently in their own homes. The deal, negotiated with Germany’s Finance Ministry, makes it the largest home care budget in the organization’s history, totaling $1.076 billion (923.9 million euros) for 2025.  The funds will go toward essential daily care for elderly survivors, many of whom are now in their late 80s and 90s. “This historic increase to home care funding reflects the complex and growing needs of Holocaust survivors worldwide,” said Gideon Taylor, president of the New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, which is also known as the Claims Conference. “While we are losing survivors at a rapid pace each year, those who remain are older, frailer and in greater need than ever before,” Taylor added. “This budget is critical in providing each of them the opportunity to age in place, a dignity that was stolen from them in their youth.” The average age of Holocaust survivors receiving home care rose from 86 in 2018 to 88.5 in 2024, according to the Claims Conference. As they age, survivors are facing more complex health issues.  The number who now qualify for full-time assistance due to extreme disabilities such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and dementia has nearly doubled in the last…  read on >  read on >