Anxiety, Medicine Nobel Prize, and Plague Worries

Ancient Greek and Latin texts recognize anxiety as a distinct medical disorder, yet modern psychiatric classifications only identified anxiety as a clinical malady in the 20th century. 

> Women are more commonly diagnosed with anxiety than men. (More)
> See how anxiety disorders differ across 200+ countries. (More)

Today, anxiety is the most common mental health disorder, affecting an estimated 359 million people according to the World Health Organization's figures. By some calculations, more than 7% of the US population has anxiety, though not all cases are diagnosed. The condition involves experiencing excessive, persistent fears and worries that impede daily activities. Symptoms include heart racing, muscle tightening, sweating, shaking, trouble thinking, and nausea, and may also include insomnia and panic attacks.

> Explore this interactive that lets users navigate anxiety-inducing scenarios. (More)

> Anxiety disorders can appear at any stage of life. (More)

> Here's how anxiety and stress differ. (More)

Anxiety is a treatable condition, though its symptoms can last for years. People with anxiety can learn coping strategies through cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy, implement lifestyle changes to help alleviate symptoms, and discuss medication possibilities with their doctors. Researchers are also investigating novel treatment approaches, including new medications and psychotherapies, and transcranial magnetic stimulation, which uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells. There's also interest in using natural supplements such as the herbal shrub ashwagandha and L-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea leaves.

> Actress Kristen Bell discusses her challenges with anxiety and depression. (More)

> Mental illness in the US costs roughly $282B annually. (More)

Discover more: 

> America's longest-running advice column showcases our anxieties. (More)

> Learned helplessness 101. (More)

> Listen to some of the most common tips a therapist offers for anxiety. (More)
>... explore everything we've learned about Anxiety.

 News in Context 

1440 brings you the knowledge and context behind recent intriguing stories:

The Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded Monday to three scientists whose discoveries advanced neuroscience by controlling brain cells with light, a field now called optogenetics. (More)

> Listen to a quick take on some of the downsides of the Nobel Prizes. (Full disclosure: I'm interviewed in this segment.)

> The Ig Nobel Prize is a satirical version of the Nobel Prize.

A recent botched Tennessee execution shines a spotlight on the chemicals used for lethal injections. (More)

> Explore how execution numbers and protocols differ by state.

> What is pentobarbital, and why has it been used as part of the execution cocktail?

At least one Russian hospital has been placed in quarantine after a lab worker died; unconfirmed reports suggest she may have been infected with a severe form of the plague. (More)

> Plague cases still occur in the US, particularly in New Mexico.

> See how volcanic activity may have contributed to the Black Death.

Florida is experiencing its largest dengue outbreak in decades (250+ locally acquired cases), and other states are seeing more cases of this painful mosquito-borne illness, too. (More)

> Dengue is the world's fastest-spreading tropical disease.

> Mosquitoes remain the world's deadliest animal, followed by snakes.

 Medical Developments Spotlight 

We love spending time learning about the latest medical breakthroughs and spotlighting research that piques our interest, may influence future research directions, or inform healthcare conversations. Here's what we found this week.

Secondhand e-cigarette exposure—not just tobacco—linked to children's asthma flare-ups in the home.

American Academy of Pediatrics | Staff. Electronic health record analysis from more than 48,000 clinic visits over 33 months concluded that e-cigarette exposure was associated with more asthma problems among children aged 1 or older. The findings were presented at the annual American Academy of Pediatrics conference over the weekend. (More)

> How do inhalers provide relief? 

Scientists have uncovered new details about the "McGene," which drives aggressive tumor growth in 70% of cancers. 

NYT | Carolyn Y. Johnson. New lab-based research has identified more about the pathway that leads cells to produce extra copies of MYC, a cancer treatment target sometimes called the "McGene" because it's so common. The McGene does not need to be mutated to cause problems, and researchers are exploring whether it can be blocked or eliminated without causing major side effects. (More)

> Calculate how likely it is that you may die from cancer or other causes.

Few lab tests actually need eight hours of fasting, though glucose is one of the exceptions.

MedPage Today | Nicole Lou. Fasting for eight hours before blood tests is relatively standard, but an observational study of more than 100,000 patients undergoing multiple blood collections found little to no benefit to fasting for most lab tests, including lipid tests that measure cholesterol and other fats in the blood. (More)

> See how statins lower cholesterol.

 Is Lip Balm a Lie?

 Etcetera 

> Explore the chemistry of undesired body odors.

> Dentistry was once considered a carnival spectacle.

> Phone-based sniffers still can't match dogs.

> Supplement sales soared during the pandemic, and the trend continues even though some of the products don't work.

> Over 5 million Americans have more than one autoimmune disorder.

> Cross-species transplants have been tried in medicine for over 300 years.

> Did America's West Nile problem arrive here with smuggled animals?

> Meditation can sometimes actually cause anxiety.

> Antidepressants were the surprising byproduct of quests to treat other conditions.
 

> The psychedelic ibogaine was banned by the International Olympic Committee decades ago.

> Presbycusis (prez-buh-kyoo-sis) is a top cause of hearing loss.

> See the history and science behind LSD, a psychedelic derived from a parasitic fungus.