FluMist gains CDC advisory panel approval in U.S. for 2018-2019 flu season

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o9o7LZC1OA

Video Q&A about Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG): What it is and What it does

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLmNLC_iL2w

TV Host Wendy Williams Has Grave's Disease

Graves' disease is "an immune system disorder that results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones," according to the Mayo Clinic.

From: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20180222/tv-host-wendy-williams-has-graves-disease?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Too Much TV Could Boost Your Odds for a Blood Clot

The study found that people who spend too much time in front of the TV are at increased risk for blood clots in their veins -- a condition called venous thromboembolism (VTE).

From: https://www.webmd.com/dvt/news/20180222/too-much-tv-could-boost-your-odds-for-a-blood-clot?src=RSS_PUBLIC

New Research Debunks Two Medical Marijuana Myths

The impact of marijuana legalization also has been minimal on the risk for fatal overdosing among adult users of opioid pain medications, a separate study team has found.

From: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20180222/new-research-debunks-two-medical-marijuana-myths?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Sonny Perdue Salutes National FFA Week

From: USDA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6qJz3wh7Yo

Exercising Yourself to Death: The Risk of Rhabdo

Rhabdomyolysis is a syndrome involving muscle breakdown and damage. When muscles are injured, they release their contents, including a muscle enzyme, into the bloodstream. The disorder is dangerous but rare. In one study, 22 people out of 100,000 were known to have it.

From: https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20180222/exercising-yourself-to-death-the-risk-of-rhabdo?src=RSS_PUBLIC

For Washington dentist, Give Kids A Smile is pure fun

Dr. Werner was among almost 7,000 dentists participating this year in the ADA Foundation's Give Kids A Smile program, which encourages dentists to work together with their communities to provide free dental care to children in need.

From: By Kimber Solana
https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2018-archive/february/for-washington-dentist-give-kids-a-smile-is-pure-fun

March JADA looks at severity of periodontal disease in meth users

Understanding the severity and prevalence of periodontal disease in patients who use methamphetamines is crucial for dental professionals who may provide care to them, according to research published in the March issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association.

From: By Michelle Manchir
https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2018-archive/february/march-jada-looks-at-severity-of-periodontal-disease-in-meth-users

Aspirin A Good Clot Buster After Knee Replacement

Few patients in the study developed a blood clot after surgery, and those on aspirin fared just as well as those on rivaroxaban.

From: https://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/news/20180221/aspirin-a-good-clot-buster-after-knee-replacement?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Some antidepressants better than others, study says

Every drug in the study worked better than a placebo, but there were some significant differences

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/antidepressants-really-work-study-confirms-some-better-than-others/

Mayo Clinic Emergency Helicopter Safety Training

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfuimBGHuNs

Man's brain tumor could be the world's largest

Santlal Pal had been living with the large mass on his head for three years before his surgery to remove the tumor

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/santlal-pal-india-mans-brain-tumor-might-be-worlds-largest/

"Superagers" give clues to improving memory

Scientists are taking a new approach to tackling memory loss in older adults

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/superagers-give-clues-to-improving-memory/

FluMist May Be Coming Back. Will it Work Better?

FluMist, the inhaled flu vaccine, may be on its way back to doctors’ offices in the U.S. A CDC vaccine committee voted Wednesday to put the nasal spray back on its list of available vaccines.

From: https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20180222/flumist-may-be-coming-back?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Heavy Drinkers Put Themselves at Risk for Dementia

Overall, alcohol abuse was associated with a three times greater risk for all types of dementia. Alcohol was a factor in 57 percent of the 57,000 cases of early onset dementia, which is dementia that develops before age 65.

From: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20180222/heavy-drinkers-put-themselves-at-risk-for-dementia?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Antidepressants Do Work, Some Better Than Others

The researchers analyzed data from 522 trials -- published and unpublished -- that included more than 116,000 participants. Of the 21 antidepressants studied, all of them worked better than a placebo.

From: https://www.webmd.com/depression/news/20180222/antidepressants-do-work-some-better-than-others?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Guns Still Found in Homes With Unstable Kids

Access to firearms in a home triples suicide risk among family members and doubles their risk of being murdered, according to a 2014 evidence review that combined data from 16 previous studies.

From: https://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20180221/guns-still-found-in-homes-with-unstable-kids?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Mayo Clinic Minute: Preventing ACL injuries in female athletes

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrP8-PjbtPA

Diet and depression

Just this week, I have seen three patients with depression requiring treatment. Treatment options include medications, therapy, and self-care. Self-care includes things like sleep, physical activity, and diet, and is just as important as meds and therapy — sometimes more…

In counseling my patients about self-care, I always feel like we don’t have enough time to get into diet. I am passionate about diet and lifestyle measures for good health, because there is overwhelming evidence supporting the benefits of a healthy diet and lifestyle for, oh, just about everything: preventing cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia, and mental health disorders, including depression.

Diet and emotional well-being

Diet is such an important component of mental health that it has inspired an entire field of medicine called nutritional psychiatry. Mind-body medicine specialist Eva Selhub, MD has written a superb summary of what nutritional psychiatry is and what it means for you right here on this blog, and it’s worth reading.

What it boils down to is that what we eat matters for every aspect of our health, but especially our mental health. Several recent research analyses looking at multiple studies support that there is a link between what one eats and our risk of depression, specifically. One analysis concluded:

“A dietary pattern characterized by a high intake of fruit, vegetables, whole grain, fish, olive oil, low-fat dairy and antioxidants and low intakes of animal foods was apparently associated with a decreased risk of depression. A dietary pattern characterized by a high consumption of red and/or processed meat, refined grains, sweets, high-fat dairy products, butter, potatoes and high-fat gravy, and low intakes of fruits and vegetables is associated with an increased risk of depression.”

Which comes first? Poor diet or depression?

One could argue that, well, being depressed makes us more likely to eat unhealthy foods. This is true, so we should ask what came first, the diet or the depression? Researchers have addressed this question, thankfully. Another large analysis looked only at prospective studies, meaning, they looked at baseline diet and then calculated the risk of study volunteers going on to develop depression. Researchers found that a healthy diet (the Mediterranean diet as an example) was associated with a significantly lower risk of developing depressive symptoms.

So, how should I counsel my patients on diet? There are several healthy options that can be used as a guide. One that comes up again and again is the Mediterranean diet. Another wonderful resource for folks is the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health website with an introductory guide to healthy diet.

The bottom line

The gist of it is, eat plants, and lots of them, including fruits and veggies, whole grains (in unprocessed form, ideally), seeds and nuts, with some lean proteins like fish and yogurt. Avoid things made with added sugars or flours (like breads, baked goods, cereals, and pastas), and minimize animal fats, processed meats (sorry, bacon), and butter. Occasional intake of these “bad” foods is probably fine; remember, everything in moderation. And, for those who are trying to lose weight, you can’t go wrong with colorful fruits and veggies. No one got fat eating berries or broccoli. Quality matters over quantity. And when it comes to what we eat, quality really, really matters.

Resources

Dietary patterns and depression risk: A meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research, July 2017.

Diet quality and depression risk: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. Journal of Affective Disorders, January 15, 2018.

The post Diet and depression appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Monique Tello, MD, MPH https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/diet-and-depression-2018022213309

How artificial intelligence is transforming medicine

Artificial intelligence is part of the new frontier in medicine. In our Grand Round series, Dr. David Agus, who directs research on AI at the University of Southern California and heads USC Norris Westside Cancer Center, joins "CBS This Morning" to discuss how AI is transforming medicine and the risks it poses to patient privacy.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/how-artificial-intelligence-is-transforming-medicine/

Mayo Clinic Minute: What is spontaneous coronary artery dissection?

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_OH578NXQU

WHO: The Two Polio Vaccines

From: World Health Organization https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0-98gJsVR0