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Narcolepsy an Independent Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Narcolepsy is associated with an increased risk for CVD, independent of common comorbid conditions and medications used to treat the disorder, new research showed. Medscape Medical News , Jun 07, 2024
Narcolepsy an Independent Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Better Sleep Tied to Less Loneliness Good quality sleep may have a role in driving down rates of loneliness, especially among younger adults. Medscape Medical News , Jun 21, 2024
Better Sleep Tied to Less Loneliness Couples-Based Tx for Sleep Apnea Nurtures Happier Relationships Couples-based therapy called WePAP boosted treatment adherence for sleep apnea, leading to higher relationship satisfaction and lower levels of conflict, a study suggested.
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Fox News
40 minutes ago
- Fox News
Negative thoughts might be changing your brain in surprising ways, study suggests
A negative mindset is known to trigger or heighten stress and anxiety — and new research has revealed other trickle-down effects on mental and physical health. Researchers from Amen Clinics, a nationwide brain health diagnostics company, examined brain scans and cognitive data of nearly 20,000 patients who had been diagnosed with anxiety disorders. xxsaid brain disorder specialist and psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen, co-author of the study and founder of Amen Clinics. The people who had higher negativity bias were found to have reduced blood flow in the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes — regions critical for decision-making, memory and emotional regulation, according to Amen. "The extent of physical brain abnormalities — especially in areas not previously linked to emotional processing, like the cerebellum — was striking," he noted. These more negative people were also found to have "significantly higher levels" of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, emotional instability, poor memory and poor stress regulation. "Not only were mood symptoms worse, but actual thinking skills — especially memory and resilience — were compromised," Amen observed. "Until we start looking at the brain, we are flying blind in psychiatry." The findings were published in the journal Depression and Anxiety. "This research supports what I have long argued: Mental illness is brain illness," the researcher went on. "Until we start looking at the brain, we are flying blind in psychiatry." There were some limitations to note with this study, primarily its cross-sectional design, which means it captured data from a snapshot in time rather than following the group for an extended period. "The study shows association, not causation," Amen told Fox News Digital. "While negativity bias correlates with dysfunction, it doesn't definitively cause it." Based on the study findings, Amen emphasized the importance of optimizing brain health and maintaining a more positive mindset. "If you want to treat mental health seriously, you need to look at the brain," he said. "If you find yourself spiraling into negative thoughts, it may not be 'just stress'— it could be a sign that your brain needs help." Negativity bias isn't just a "bad attitude," according to Amen — "it's a neurological pattern that can spiral into full-blown cognitive and emotional breakdown." "The good news? The brain is changeable — but only if we start looking at it." While the study didn't delve into testing potential solutions, Amen noted that daily positivity practices can be beneficial. For more Health articles, visit "Broader research suggests that exercise, meditation, omega-3 consumption, gratitude journaling and deep breathing can help rewire negativity bias over time," he said.
Medscape
43 minutes ago
- Medscape
The Role of Obesity in Heart Health
Obesity is a serious, chronic condition, and in the US, more than 2 in 5 adults present with it. The disease is often linked to a host of other chronic and dangerous conditions, and according to CDC, obesity accounts for nearly $173 billion in medical expenditures. With numbers like that, it's given you will have patients in your office presenting with obesity. When that happens, one of your chief concerns and topics to address is how obesity affects your patient's heart health. 'Obesity is often called the first domino with respect to cardiometabolic health because when patients are obese, other comorbidities usually exist, such as diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and metabolic disease,' said Payal Kohli, MD, founder and medical director at Cherry Creek Heart, Aurora, Colorado, and associate professor in the Division of Cardiology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. 'That is why obesity can increase the risk for poor cardiovascular health through direct as well as indirect mechanisms.' Payal Kohli, MD Obesity's impact on health doesn't end there, either. According to Kohli, other complications related to the condition include elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure, inflammation and elevated sympathetic hormones. In aggregate, she said, these compromise endothelial function and result in accelerated atherosclerosis. It also affects obstructive sleep apnea and its severity, said Bradley Serwer, MD, chief medical officer at VitalSolutions. In fact, obesity is one of the main components of the dangerous condition. 'Weight loss may not fix it entirely, but it can have a positive impact,' he said. 'That's often left out of the equation when we talk about the risks of obesity.' With so many detrimental effects from the condition, finding the right approach to helping your patients with obesity is critical. Addressing the Issues At Hand There is a lot of advice you need to give to your patients with obesity, but it all begins with coaching them on lifestyle changes. Gone are the days of diets that lead to yo-yo results and in the end, might cause more harm than good. You need to have the sometimes hard conversations about weight and how to go about losing it. 'Address the issue,' said Serwer. 'Many times, PCPs [primary care physicians] don't want to address the uncomfortable topics, but you must in a diplomatic way. Urge them to consider lifestyle issues and modifications for a long-term, healthy impact.' A comprehensive approach is what's in order. This should include diet, exercise, counseling, and more. 'The cornerstones are exercise and diet, but sometimes engaging these patients is like hitting a brick wall,' said Michael Silverman, MD, a cardiologist with Johns Hopkins Medicine. 'So you have to go about it with baby steps and also figure out what's going on psychologically.' Bradley Serwer, MD This is where therapy and counseling can play a key role. There can be a host of psychological conditions beneath the condition, and it's essential to uncover them. Everything from depression and anxiety to poor home and/or work lives, to past trauma and abuse. For the PCP, it's essential to have the mental health component in mind, and a team of therapists at ready for referring your patients with obesity. One option, too, is a credible obesity clinic. These are set up with a full team ready to treat patients with obesity. From registered dieticians to counselors to physical therapists, a good obesity clinic can offer patients one-stop shopping, removing complicated barriers to accessing the many different clinicians. 'Have these resources ready to go for your obese patients,' said Serwer. 'That way they don't have to make a million different phone calls and get to numerous locations for care. It can be an incredibly valuable resource.' Even with these resources, there's still a role to play. Your counseling approach to patients with obesity needs to have sustainability in mind. 'When talking about diet, help your patients identify easy things to give up,' said Silverman. 'The first thing I'd have them get rid of is fast food — these establishments should be used for the bathroom and coffee and that's it.' Michael Silverman, MD After that, Silverman recommends patients tackle sugary drinks, juices and even diet sodas. Data backs up the fact that artificial sweeteners can trigger hunger and cravings, so address this with your patients. Beyond fast food, highly processed foods and sugary drinks, however, the approach to diet should lean toward additive versus restrictive. 'Give your patients guidance on heart healthy foods, which in turn are weight-loss friendly foods,' said Silverman. The Mediterranean Diet, for instance, is abundant in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. These are all heart-healthy foods and when you coach your patients to try this eating approach, you're giving them a valuable tool for heart health. The approach also features many foods that lead to feelings of fullness, which will help stave off cravings for unhealthier options. Your patient's approach to exercise should likewise begin small and build from there. 'This can look like walking to the mailbox every day, or around the dining room table several times, as a starting point,' said Silverman. 'They can gradually increase their walking duration and eventually the intensity, and by then they should be engaged.' But expect some pushback, Silverman said. 'They will find the barriers, so you have to have answers for that,' he explains. 'If they won't walk, suggest a stationary bike. If they won't bike, try pool walking or water aerobics. There's psychiatry involved here.' Obesity Drugs and Other Tools No conversation surrounding obesity is complete today without addressing the role that GLP-1 drugs — Wegovy, Ozempic and the like — can play. 'Weight loss is instrumental in improving cardiometabolic health and it can have a tremendous impact,' said Kohli. 'Specifically, in clinical trials of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) or GLP-1/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonists weight loss was associated with an improvement in waist circumference, blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, and a reduction in blood sugar.' Kohli said the drug class should be considered an integral part of any weight loss toolkit and admits they have become the mainstay of therapy for obesity. 'Newer evidence has shown GLP-1s improve cardiovascular outcomes as well, and reduce adverse kidney outcomes,' she adds. There are some adverse issues surrounding the weight-loss drugs that PCPs should include when counseling and potentially prescribing them to patients, however. 'They address the symptom but still don't get to the root cause of obesity,' Serwer cautions. 'And patients can lose a significant amount of weight, but much of that will come from muscle mass, so they must offset that with strength training.' Other potential pitfalls include GI distress, costs, and potential drug shortages. The drugs can sometimes cause food aversions, too, which isn't helpful when patients are trying to eat better, more nutrient dense diets. 'The biggest problem is that they don't address lifestyle changes,' said Serwer. 'If we don't address that, the weight will eventually come back.' The best news is that with patients with obesity, even small weight loss can have big impact on cardiovascular health. Said Silverman: 'When the weight comes off, patients may be able to go off most of their medications, and that's a huge benefit.'
New York Times
44 minutes ago
- New York Times
In Some Ozempic Households, the Weight Loss is Contagious
When Amy Kane started taking Mounjaro in 2022, she expected to lose weight — which she did, dropping more than 170 pounds. What Ms. Kane, a 36-year-old content creator in Chicago, didn't expect was for the effects on her health to be contagious. Soon after she started the medication, her husband and children began eating more healthfully — and then became more physically active, too. As medications like Ozempic transform the health of millions of Americans, some families are discovering a surprising side effect: family members who are not taking the drugs are changing their relationship with food and in some cases, losing weight as well. There isn't data yet to show how frequently this might occur, but medical experts have long observed similar effects with other weight-loss treatments, said Dr. Lydia Alexander, the former president of the Obesity Medicine Association. One study of bariatric surgery patients found that two-thirds of partners lost weight within a year of their spouse's operation, with overweight partners showing the most significant changes. Another study of participants with diabetes in a weight loss program found that spouses who weren't undergoing any treatment lost an average of nearly five pounds and consumed significantly fewer calories from fat. And anecdotally, providers around the country said they are already seeing a similar effect with the families of patients taking drugs like Ozempic. 'These medications don't just change appetite, they transform family dynamics,' said Dr. Joey Skelton, professor of pediatrics at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. By 2024, about one in eight U.S. adults had taken Ozempic or a similar drug, meaning tens of millions of spouses, children and other family members could also be experiencing some effect from these medications without ever taking them. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
