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☆ Stayed up all night? Here’s how to feel better
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —It was a dream come true for millions of Taylor Swift fans, after the superstar released her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” at midnight on Friday. “The strongest reset for the circadian system is bright light,” said Dr. Phyllis Zee, director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “Research shows that movement can boost circulation and increase alertness, helping you shake off that sleepiness faster,” Daddy Dasgupta said. “It could limit your ability to sleep well that night,” said sleep specialist Kristen Knutson, an associate professor of neurology and preventive medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. And of course, listening to Taylor Swift counts as long as you turn it off before bed!”CNN’s Madeline Holcombe, Kristen Rogers and Ashley Strickland contributed Taylor Swift lyrics to this article.

Persons: Taylor Swift, ”, Phyllis Zee, “, Mina Dasgupta, Raj Dasgupta, Daddy Dasgupta, Taylor, ” Mina, ” Dasgupta, Cynthia Ackrill, Swift, it’s, Kristen Knutson, Dasgupta, Knutson, Madeline Holcombe, Kristen Rogers, Ashley Strickland Organizations: CNN, Poets Department, ”, Maserati, Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, “ Research, American Institute of, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine Locations: Chicago, Huntington Heath, Pasadena , California

☆ When the Pandemic Hit Home
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Catherine Pearson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

The World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020 — but we all have our own memories of when normal life stopped. ASIA EDWARDS, 39, BLOOMFIELD, N.J.Johnna Wallace While driving to work at the beginning of the pandemic, I couldn’t help but wonder: Was this how I was going to die? I am an emergency room nurse. Scott McGlasson My 55-year-old wife was dying from metastatic breast cancer when the pandemic hit. WENDY LAMPARELLI, 57, RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.Ellen Blossom Our home was hit by a tornado on March 3.

Persons: Sheehan Fisher, Katie MacGregor, KATIE MacGREGOR, WHITING , MAINE Asia Edwards Covid, ASIA EDWARDS, Johnna Wallace, JOHNNA WALLACE, Julie DeJager, Tom Hanks, JULIE DeJAGER, CLEVELAND , OHIO Katherine Schwartz, Covid, it’ll, ”, Wanda, KATHERINE SCHWARTZ, Jean Martirez Barton, —, “, JEAN MARTIREZ BARTON, Lauren Alzos, I’d, LAUREN ALZOS, BROOKLYN Farah Alvin My, Chuck E, cupcakes, ” FARAH ALVIN, Vicky Fleming I’m, VICKY FLEMING, Scott McGlasson, SCOTT McGLASSON, MINNEAPOLIS Aisha McMillan, AISHA McMILLAN, BALTIMORE Melissa Manning, MELISSA MANNING, CITY Sarah Cornwell, SARAH CORNWELL, Christie Poulton, CHRISTIE POULTON, Wendy Lamparelli, WENDY LAMPARELLI, Ellen Blossom, ELLEN BLOSSOM, NASHVILLE Maryann Briggs, Jasmine, MARYANN BRIGGS, Matt Dominianni, MATT DOMINIANNI, Carrie Shanafelt, CARRIE SHANAFELT, BRONX Ali Jordahl, Terri Tilford, I’m immunocompromised, TERRI TILFORD, Tim Prendergast, TIM PRENDERGAST Organizations: World Health Organization, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, The Times, Costco, GREAT, BJ’s Wholesale, Broadway, CITY, NASHVILLE, Bronx ., BRONX, ALI, ATLANTA, TIM Locations: Mason City , Iowa, WHITING , MAINE Asia, BLOOMFIELD, N.J, DURHAM, CONN, CLEVELAND , OHIO, New Mexico, Chicago, Albuquerque, EVANSTON, Manhattan, BROOKLYN, P.P.E, GREAT BARRINGTON, MINNEAPOLIS, BALTIMORE, HILLSBORO, RIDGEFIELD PARK, Covid, BOULDER, COLO, Bronx, Atlanta, PALM SPRINGS, CALIF

☆ Major Study Confirms Salt's Deadly Effect on Blood Pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Investigators said theirs is one of the largest studies ever to include people taking high blood pressure meds in a look at the effect of reducing dietary intake of sodium. She said researchers previously didn't know if people already on blood pressure meds could lower their blood pressure even more by reducing their sodium intake. High blood pressure is a leading cause of illness and death worldwide. Before each study visit, participants wore blood pressure monitors and collected their urine for 24 hours. "The effect of reduction in dietary sodium on blood pressure-lowering was consistent across nearly all individuals, including those with normal blood pressure, high blood pressure, treated blood pressure and untreated blood pressure," Gupta said in a Northwestern news release.

Persons: Carole Tanzer Miller, ”, Norrina Allen, Deepak Gupta, Allen, Gupta, Dr, Cora Lewis, Johns Organizations: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, University of Alabama, American Medical Association, American Heart Association, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Northwestern University Locations: Chicago, Nashville, Tenn, Northwestern, Birmingham, Philadelphia

☆ Novo Nordisk's weight loss drug Wegovy slashes risk of serious heart events
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Angelica Peebles | In Angelicapeebles | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Still life of Wegovy an injectable prescription weight loss medicine that has helped people with obesity. Novo Nordisk's Wegovy cut the risk of serious cardiovascular complications in people with obesity and heart disease in a closely watched trial, demonstrating a particularly large effect on heart attacks, a promising new frontier for the drug. The roughly 17,500-person Select study tested Wegovy in people with obesity and heart disease but who did not have diabetes. The new data could also help the Danish pharmaceutical company maintain its lead over Eli Lilly, whose competing weight-loss drug Zepbound was approved in the U.S. earlier this week. Zepbound has been shown to help people lose more weight, but it hasn't yet demonstrated an effect on cardiovascular outcomes.

Persons: Robert Kushner, Eli Lilly, Zepbound, Howard Weintraub Organizations: Wegovy, American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, New England, of Medicine, Novo Nordisk, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Center for, NYU Langone Locations: Danish, U.S

The FDA approved tirzepatide for weight loss under the brand name Zepbound. It has been available as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes since 2022 and had increasingly been used "off-label" for weight loss while the obesity approval was pending. Zepbound will be available in the U.S. by the end of the year at a list price of $1,059.87 a month, according to Lilly. That compares with a list of $1,349 per-package for Novo Nordisk's (NOVOb.CO) wildly popular weight-loss drug Wegovy. After Wednesday's FDA approval, Lilly can now promote the drug for weight loss.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Mike Segar, Eli Lilly's, ” John Sharretts, Lilly, Morningstar, Damien Conover, Conover, drugmaker, Robert Kushner, Mounjaro, Patrick Wingrove, Leroy Leo, Bhanvi, Shinjini Ganguli, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Company, REUTERS, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, U.S, FDA, FDA’s Center, Drug, Research, Novo Nordisk's, Reuters, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Thomson Locations: Branchburg , New Jersey, U.S, Indianapolis, United States, New York, Bengaluru

☆ 3 Factors Keeping Americans From New Weight-Loss Drugs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Gina Kolata | More About Gina Kolata | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

That’s the median weight loss experienced by people who take Wegovy, a drug from Novo Nordisk. Many patients started by taking Ozempic, a diabetes drug also by Novo Nordisk that led to weight loss as a side effect. Mounjaro, made by Eli Lilly and approved for treating diabetes, is expected to be approved soon for obesity. While price and insurance coverage pose problems for patients, health economists expect prices to come down as more drugs are approved and companies face competition. Medicare is forbidden by law to pay for weight-loss drugs, although there is an intense lobbying effort to change that.

Persons: Eli Lilly, David A, Eli Lilly’s, “, ”, Ania, Robert F, Kushner Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Duke University, Yale University, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, “ Locations: Novo

☆ Fact Check-No evidence that Amish kids have ‘zero’ cancer, diabetes and autism
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

However, a screenshot shared on Facebook shows the headline of an article on the Slay News website that reads: “Zero Amish Children Diagnosed with Cancer, Diabetes or Autism” (here). A similar post on X, formerly known as Twitter, cites an article published by the Leading Report website titled “New Study Finds Zero Amish Children Diagnosed with Cancer, Diabetes or Autism” (here). But outside such studies, Amish children might not be diagnosed as often. Reuters has previously addressed a false claim that the Amish community was unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic (here). Amish children do not have “zero” incidence of cancer, diabetes and autism.

Persons: “, ”, Dr, Douglas Vaughan, ” Vaughan, Vaughan, Read Organizations: Reuters, Facebook, Slay News, Cancer, Diabetes, Autism, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Locations: United States, Europe, Ohio, Maryland, Indiana, Adams County

☆ Night owls may die younger, but more than sleep is to blame
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A 2022 study found night owls were more sedentary, had lower aerobic fitness levels, and burned less fat at rest and while active than early birds. Night owls were also more likely to be insulin-resistant, meaning their muscles required more insulin to be able to get the energy they need, the study showed. Studies have revealed night owls may take more risks and are more likely to skip breakfast and eat more later in the day. Night owls also have higher levels of visceral body fat in the abdominal region, a key risk factor for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. “The strongest reset for the circadian system is bright light,” Zee said.

Persons: ”, Christer Hublin, Bhanu Prakash Kolla, ” Kolla, Phyllis Zee, Zee, ” Zee Organizations: CNN —, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Center for Sleep Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, CNN, Northwestern Locations: Helsinki, Rochester , Minnesota, Chicago

All six advisers on the panel voted in favor of Leqembi for treatment of the mind-wasting illness. That approval would also make Leqembi the first disease-modifying drug ever to achieve the regulatory milestone. Leqembi won accelerated approval by the FDA in January based on its ability to remove sticky amyloid plaques from the brain. Most U.S. Alzheimer's patients are Medicare-eligible. “We are in full agreement with the FDA Advisory Committee that Leqembi provides clinical benefit and that this benefit outweighs the risks."

Persons: Eisai, Leqembi, Tanya Simuni, Robert Alexander, Joanne Pike, Leroy Leo, Khushi, Julie Steenhuysen, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Food and Drug Administration, Alzheimer's Association, FDA, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Banner Alzheimer's Institute, CAA, Medicare, Wall Street, Analysts, Alzheimer's, Thomson Locations: Leqembi, U.S, Bengaluru, Chicago

☆ Is it Bad to Wash Your Hair Every Day?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Jancee Dunn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Q: I’ve heard that washing your hair every day can strip it of its natural oils, making it dry and brittle and causing scalp irritation. Among them, he said, are your hair’s texture, how oily it gets, how processed it is, your lifestyle habits and your age. Shampoo cleanses your scalp and hair by removing environmental contaminants like dirt and pollen, as well as dandruff, sweat and hair-care products. It also dissolves sebum, an oily, waxy substance produced by the sebaceous glands near your hair follicles. Sebum keeps your scalp from becoming too dry, said Dr. Rosemarie Ingleton, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, and protects the skin from infection.

Persons: I’ve, Murad Alam, Rosemarie Ingleton Organizations: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Locations: Mount, New York City

☆ Is your job ruining your sleep? If so, this may be why
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Experiencing negative changes in workplace leadership and fairness was associated with the strongest long-term impact on a worker's sleep. LumiNola/E+/Getty ImagesSleep problems included initiating or maintaining sleep, poor-quality sleep and daytime tiredness two to four times a week that lasted one month to three months. Within a two-year period of time, over half of the participants (53%) reported changes in their workplace environment. However, if the changes at work were negative, sleep issues increased — in fact 1 in 4 people in the study with a worse job environment developed problems getting enough rest. Having negative changes in the leadership and fairness sector was associated with the greatest long-term impact on sleep, more than negative changes in coworker relationships or collaboration, the study found.

☆ U.S. FDA approves Eisai, Biogen Alzheimer's drug
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Deena Beasley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Eisai Co Ltd is displayed at the company headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, March 8, 2018. REUTERS/Issei KatoJan 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the Alzheimer's drug lecanemab developed by Eisai Co Ltd (4523.T) and Biogen Inc (BIIB.O) for patients in the earliest stages of the mind-wasting disease. Eisai said the drug would launch at an annual price of $26,500. Eisai officials have said the company also plans to submit data from a recent successful clinical trial in 1,800 patients as the basis for a full standard review of Leqembi. That trial found that Leqembi, which is given by infusion, slowed the rate of cognitive decline in patients with early Alzheimer's by 27% compared to a placebo.

☆ A new wave of companies is making testosterone easily available online. The authors of a recent study say there could be risks to patients.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sarah Braner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A recent study reviewed seven companies that prescribe testosterone therapy online. These companies say that they make treatment more accessible for people who already suspect they have low testosterone. A new study shows that DTC companies do not all follow medical guidelinesThe new study encourages patients looking to get testosterone therapy online to educate themselves before taking the leap. The study found that six out of seven of the companies tested offered testosterone therapy to the shopper. The study was not meant to evaluate companies prescribing testosterone for gender affirming hormone therapy, which is a different process than testosterone replacement therapy.

Economic worries have made this holiday season particularly stressful for some. The holiday season can bring out the absolute worst in some kids. Some parents welcome that break from structure, and that’s OK. “Parents get to decide what works and what doesn’t work with their family,” Dr. Naumburg said. “Gratitude and savoring are the opposite.”Dr. Kurtz recommended starting a simple gratitude practice early in the holiday season. As the holidays unfold, make an effort to savor the season, Dr. Kurtz said.

Participants who were offered cash incentives for either pounds lost or for completing certain activities were more likely to lose weight compared with those who were simply offered tools, such as diet books, fitness trackers and access to a weight loss program, the study found. On average, participants in the goal-directed group earned $440.44, as compared to $303.56 in the outcome-based group. “Even if less weight is lost, adopting lifelong physical activity or better eating habits may be more important,” she said. Kushner, who was not involved with the new study, agreed that low-income people face extra challenges when it comes to weight loss. What’s not clear, however, is how the strategy of offering cash for weight loss could be implemented in a real-world setting, outside of academia.

☆ Secrets of ‘SuperAgers’ with superior memories into their 80s
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Siegler is a cognitive “SuperAger,” possessing a brain as sharp as people 20 to 30 years younger. She is part of an elite group enrolled in the Northwestern SuperAging Research Program, which has been studying the elderly with superior memories for 14 years. Once accepted, colorful 3D scans are taken of the brain and cognitive testing and brain scans are repeated every year or so. A SuperAger’s brain, usually donated to the research program by participants after death, also has bigger, healthier cells in the entorhinal cortex. SuperAger brains had three times fewer tau tangles, or abnormal formations of protein within nerve cells, than the brains of cognitively healthy controls, the study also found.

☆ How to save your sleep from the holidays
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“You will enjoy the holidays more if you can protect your sleep time — and you may actually get more done if you aren’t tired and inefficient from sleep deprivation, she said. Watch your alcohol intakeWhile many of us believe that alcohol helps us fall asleep, it actually impairs sleep quality, Dasgupta said. “Remember, alcohol can make you fall asleep faster and sleep heavier during the first portion of the night. “Exercising improves sleep by reducing sleep onset, meaning it takes less time to fall asleep and decreases the amount of time you are lying in bed awake during the night,” Dasgupta said. “Studies have shown that exercise enables individuals with insomnia to fall asleep faster, sleep longer, and enjoy better sleep quality,” he said.

The GVA includes any type of shooting in its analysis including domestic violence, shootings in private homes, gang violence among others. The GVA recorded 610 multiple victim shootings in 2020 and 690 last year, when the pandemic was already easing and the pace of deadly violence increased across the United States. It has been keeping a tally of mass shootings since 2014, when it recorded 273. The GVA counts injuries and deaths in each incident. “Scary to think that in 2016 we recorded 382 mass shootings and now we will probably end 2022 with an estimated 680 mass shootings,” said Herrmann, who based his estimate on the fact that there has been an average of 13 mass shootings a week this year.

☆ Artificial light while asleep linked to higher diabetes risk
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Sleeping in a room exposed to outdoor artificial light at night may increase the risk of developing diabetes, according to a study of nearly 100,000 Chinese adults. Urban light pollution is so widespread that it can affect suburbs and forest parks that may be tens, even hundreds, of miles from the light source, the authors said. “Studies have suggested that inconsistent sleep patterns have been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes,” he said in a statement. Blood samples were collected and compared with satellite imagery of light levels in the area of China in which each person lived. The analysis found chronic exposure to light pollution at night raised blood glucose levels and led to a higher risk of insulin resistance and diabetes.

An earlier study in adults showed that the drug did indeed help with weight loss. “We’ve entered the phase where we are seeing the kind of weight loss where teens come to us in tears. In addition to the weight loss, the drug reduced some cardiovascular risk factors, including waist circumference and bad cholesterol. As it turns out, even when people get weight loss surgery, “three years out, there is significant weight gain,” Li said. When a weight loss drug like this is prescribed to patients, that shouldn’t be the end of things, Li said.

Scientists may have found a culprit for what can trigger Crohn’s disease. Cadwell and his colleagues discovered the norovirus connection to Crohn’s fortuitously when they were studying mice that had been engineered to develop the intestinal disease. Many of the mice had gotten norovirus and “the mice developed intestinal abnormalities only in the presence of a viral infection,” Cadwell explained. On a hunch, the researchers treated the mice that had developed the rodent version of Crohn’s with the human version of the API5 protein. Crohn's treatments can worsen infectionsThat would be welcome news to Heather Schlueter, who learned three years ago that her excruciating abdominal pain was due to Crohn’s disease.

☆ Babies smile over carrots and scowl over kale inside the womb
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Fetuses in the womb scowled after their mothers ate kale but smiled after they ate carrots, according to a new study of around 100 pregnant women and their fetuses in England. Thirty-five women consumed the equivalent of one medium carrot, and 34 women consumed the equivalent of 100 grams of chopped kale. An image from the FETAP (Fetal Taste Preferences) study showing a grimacing reaction to kale flavor. The grimaces in the ultrasounds "might be just the muscle movements which are reacting to a bitter flavor," Reissland said. In designing the new study, Reissland and her team chose powdered kale and carrots over juices or raw vegetables for a few reasons.

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