Pediatric health Archive

Stress and depression may lead to new health issues or intensify the symptoms of existing conditions.

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We tend to think of grieving as an emotional experience, and it is — fraught with intense sadness, profound loss, and psychological pain. But grief has a physical side that sets us up for a number of health risks. "Most of these side effects are the result of emotional distress responses," explains Dr. Maureen Malin, a geriatric psychiatrist with Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital. Whether you're grieving the loss of a loved one, a job, a home, or a beloved pet, it's important to understand how the process puts your health in jeopardy.

Stress and grief

Grieving takes a toll on the body in the form of stress. "That affects the whole body and all organ systems, and especially the immune system," Dr. Malin says. Evidence suggests that immune cell function falls and inflammatory responses rise in people who are grieving. That may be why people often get sick more often and use more health care resources during this period.

Research we're watching

A long-used vaccine is showing promise in helping to restore near-normal blood sugar levels in people with advanced type 1 diabetes. Researchers from Harvard Medical School injected adults who had type 1 diabetes with two doses of the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, which is traditionally used to prevent tuberculosis.

Participants in the study, all of whom had type 1 diabetes for many years, all showed significant improvements in their average blood sugar levels after the vaccination. The improvements lasted for the next five years. Researchers said that it appears the vaccine affected a metabolic mechanism that increases consumption of glucose by cells.

Dementia affects the person diagnosed but also raises fears for siblings and children. Here are the facts.

After a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, families face fears and difficult medical decisions.

Alzheimer's disease represents a personal health crisis, but it's also a family concern. What does it mean for your children or siblings if you are diagnosed with Alzheimer's? What does it mean for you if a close relative develops the condition?

News briefs

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Omega-3 fatty acid supplements may help ease anxiety symptoms in people diagnosed with a range of physical and mental health problems, according to a review published in the Sept. 14, 2018, JAMA Network Open. The report pooled findings from 19 different studies and included 1,200 people. Most of the studies compared omega-3 supplements to a placebo. Taken together, the studies included people with a range of health problems, including heart attacks, attention deficit disorder, substance abuse, depression, and Parkinson's disease, as well as some groups without any specific clinical diagnosis. Researchers found that people who took high doses of omega-3s (up to 2,000 mg a day) seemed to have the most reduction in anxiety symptoms. Omega-3 fatty acids, which are usually derived from fish oil, have a number of biological effects in the body. Brain membranes contain a high proportion of these fats, and human studies suggest that a lack of omega-3s in the brain may induce various behavioral and psychiatric disorders. For now, it's too soon to recommend high-dose omega-3 supplements for treating anxiety. Larger trials testing the supplements (both alone and combined with standard treatments) are needed, the study authors say.

No one is "perfect." Yet many people struggle to be a perfectionist , which can trigger a cascade of anxieties. Striving to be a perfectionist may be a strong suit or a stumbling block, depending on how it's channeled, as clinical psychologist Jeff Szymanski explains. Dr. Szymanski is an associate instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and executive director of the International OCD Foundation.

"The core of all perfectionism is the intention to do something well," says Dr. Szymanski. "If you can keep your eye on intention and desired outcome, adjusting your strategy when needed, you're fine.... But when you can't tolerate making a mistake, when your strategy is to make no mistakes, that's when perfectionism starts veering off in the wrong direction." In its most severe form, perfectionism can leave you unable to complete any task for fear of making a mistake.

As you are shopping for the children on your gift list this year, it may be tempting to choose the latest shiny gadget, but consider choosing toys for them that encourage learning and development, creativity, imagination, language skills, and physical activity.

Memory lapses are common as you age, but there are ways to help your brain store new information and recall it later.

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Does this sound familiar? You go into the kitchen, but can't remember why. Or you can't recall a name you just heard during a conversation, or miss a routine appointment because it slipped your mind.

"Everyday memory lapses like this can be upsetting, but they are more common than we often assume," says Dr. Joel Salinas, a neurologist specializing in behavioral neurology and neuropsychiatry at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

In the journals

Are you excessively sleepy during the day? If so, you may have a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a recent study published online Sept. 5, 2018, by the journal Sleep.

Scientists asked 124 healthy older adults, average age 60, about how often they felt drowsy or fell asleep during the day when they would rather be awake, as well as their napping habits. The group then had regular PET scans over the next 15 years to look for beta-amyloid in the brain, high amounts of which are a hallmark for Alzheimer's.