Author: healthadmin

Recent research published in JAMA Psychiatry This suggests that psychedelic therapy may not be significantly more effective than standard antidepressants in treating depression when compared under similar conditions. The findings provide evidence that the impressive results seen in early psychedelic trials may have been influenced by study design rather than the unique chemical properties of the drugs themselves. This study helps clarify expectations for new mental health treatments and highlights the importance of fair comparisons in medicine. Psychedelic therapy combines psychological support with the supervised use of mind-altering substances like psilocybin, the active ingredient in “magic” mushrooms. Patients typically undergo…

California is considering banning the manufacture and installation of engineered stone countertops, effectively banning the product, in response to an epidemic of silicosis, a deadly lung disease, among workers who cut, grind and polish countertop slabs before installing them in homes and businesses. Silicosis is caused by inhalation of ground silica, one of the most common minerals on earth. Public Health Watch, LAist, and Univision first revealed a silicosis cluster among countertop manufacturing workers in Southern California in December 2022. A year later, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board adopted an emergency interim standard requiring employers of such…

Get the health information and medications you need every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. good morning. Tomorrow is the deadline for filing taxes. Godspeed for anyone in a hurry for takeout tonight or tomorrow. CMS moves forward with technology-focused chronic care experiments More than 150 companies and health care providers have been tentatively approved to participate in an experimental Medicare program aimed at expanding access to chronic care through technology. CMS will pay participants, including popular mental health apps, wearable device makers, and life science companies partnered with Google, a set fee to treat chronic…

A novel framework reveals why children’s nightmares persist and how building confidence and coping skills can help children regain control of their sleep. Research: DARC-NESS: A mastery-based cognitive-behavioral model for treating chronic nightmares in adolescents. Image credit: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com Nightmare disorder, characterized by the presence of chronic nightmares, can disrupt healthy sleep and disrupt normal development in childhood and adolescence. recent papers frontier of sleep proposes a new theory-based, evidence-based model for its treatment. Nightmares disrupt sleep cycles, reducing total sleep time and increasing alertness before the next sleep cycle begins. When they persist, they impair normal functioning during the day…

Transcription: There’s nothing crazy about climate pollution caused by laughing gas (an anesthetic technically known as nitrous oxide). GOLDEN: “Nitrous oxide is a very powerful greenhouse gas.” Leonard Golden is chief of anesthesiology at Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Hospital in the Bronx. He said nitrous oxide has been used in hospitals for more than a century. It is often piped from a central tank to the operating room. But a lot bleeds out along the way. Golden: “In reality, a large amount or a large portion of the gas leaks out before it passes through the pipeline and…

New research published in personality journal suggests that having a highly narcissistic and hostile partner reduces overall relationship satisfaction. However, this personality trait does not necessarily accelerate the decline in satisfaction over time. The findings challenge the common belief that romantic relationships with narcissistic individuals are initially incredibly satisfying and inevitably become dysfunctional. Scientists Gwendolyn Seidman and William J. Chopik conducted this study to better understand how specific traits associated with narcissism affect romantic relationships over time. Narcissism is a personality trait characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-importance and a deep desire for excessive attention. “Most of the research…

The Colorado River and its network of tributaries supply water to seven U.S. states and Mexico, supporting drinking water, agriculture, and hydroelectric power generation. Most of that water begins as snow on the mountains, accumulating during the winter and melting in the spring. Every year in early April, water managers analyze the snowpack to estimate how much water will flow into the river over the next few months. This method has worked well for decades. But something changed around 2000. Since then, snowpack-based forecasts have consistently overestimated the amount of water that actually reaches the river. Even in years with…

SEAKO STONE LINE LIMITED. | news@seacoastonline.comHAMPTON — Releasing balloons at New Hampshire celebrations could lead to fines under a new state law aimed at reducing plastic pollution and protecting wildlife.HB 387, which took effect in January, makes it a violation-level crime to intentionally release 20 or more balloons. First offenses result in a $250 fine, which increases to $500 for second and subsequent offenses. Environmental groups say the law is a meaningful step, although they believe it doesn’t go far enough.”Anything that prevents balloon releases is always welcome,” said Jennifer Kennedy, executive director of the Blue Ocean Marine Conservation Society…

It’s seeding and planting season, which probably means it’s buying season. This year, consider not only the garden supplies and plants you bring home, but also whether they are made of, encased in, or wrapped in plastic.These plastic products eventually break down into very small pieces. Particles called microplasticswhich can leach and contaminate our food and the earth in landfills. Common household sources of microplastics include food storage containers, kitchen utensils, detergent bottles, and even some clothing, and particles have been found in everything from drinking water and food to the human body.But have you ever wondered what’s lurking in…

Children exposed to extreme levels of “permanent chemicals” before birth were significantly more likely to develop asthma. This provides rare real-world evidence from a highly contaminated community and raises urgent questions about childhood exposure risks. Study: Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and the incidence of childhood asthma and wheezing: a register-based cohort study in Ronneby, Sweden. Image credit: PeopleImages/Shutterstock.com Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” have been widely studied for their potential effects on human health and development. In recent research, PLOS medicine reported that very high prenatal PFAS exposure is associated with…