UF Health Podcasts

A change in your habits can be hard to stick to — even when it’s for the best. But what if it only took one week to feel results?

A new study from researchers in San Diego evaluated the impacts of an intensive seven-day retreat focused on meditation. The centuries-old practice has been linked to a variety of mind-body benefits like stress relief.

During the retreat, 20 people engaged in a total of 33 hours of meditation, excluding other lectures and activities. To track how people’s brains changed throughout the retreat, researchers had individuals undergo brain scans to see which areas of their brain were the most active. They also collected blood samples.

At the end of the retreat, researchers had participants fill out a questionnaire to better understand their subjective experiences.

The team noticed a few changes. When researchers added blood samples taken after the retreat to lab-grown neurons, they found that the neurons produced longer branches and more connections, suggesting possible neuroplasticity. The body’s own pain medication was activated, too — concentrations of endogenous opioids, or naturally occurring chemicals that impact the same systems pain-relieving drugs do, increased after the retreat.

Now, for the questionnaire results: Those who reported higher feelings of transcendence and altered consciousness tended to be the same people whose biological markers showed significant changes following the retreat.

Scientists said it was surprising, as the meditation’s effects appeared to mirror those of psilocybin [SY-loh-SY-bin], a psychedelic mushroom.

Although further research is needed, as the number of participants in the study was small — it can’t hurt to take a deep breath.

Long COVID-19 may be relatively new, but it is far from rare.

In the wake of the pandemic, about 6% of the world suffers from the condition, and no specific treatments exist to meaningfully manage the disease.

Until now, that is.

Researchers from Canada, Brazil and the United States combined resources and expertise to discover that fluvoxamine [Flu-VOX-ah-meen], a common type of antidepressant, reduced fatigue and improved patients’ quality of life. On the shelf, it’s known by the brand name Luvox.

The study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, a highly respected medical journal.

Long COVID includes symptoms of fatigue, breathlessness, muscle or joint pain and disturbed sleep. The condition is characterized by unpleasantries that begin within three months of a COVID-19 diagnosis and last at least two.

The condition can cause significant problems for patients, sometimes preventing people from working, socializing, participating in family life or even leaving the house.

In the study, researchers wanted to see if common, affordable medications might offer relief for patients with established long COVID.

They tested fluvoxamine and metformin, a common diabetes medication. Metformin didn’t have any significant impact, but fluvoxamine was more effective than a placebo. Next steps will include understanding why the drug works and seeing if it can be used alongside other treatments, as well as which populations it is most effective for.

Although patients with long COVID have been desperate for science-backed treatments, researchers caution that more work lies ahead. But after years without effective options, they say the findings offer long COVID patients a long-awaited reason for hope.

If your child gravitates toward soda, sports drinks or sweet fruit juices, you might want to steer them toward water, milk or a piece of fresh fruit instead.

An American Heart Association study found that frequent consumption of sugary drinks in childhood was linked to a bigger risk of high blood pressure in adulthood.

The good news? Some daily swaps can lower the risk.

Dietary habits formed early on tend to stick, the researchers said, and they noted that high blood pressure is on the rise among younger adults, teens and children.

If our blood pressure is too high, we are susceptible to heart attacks and strokes. We can’t control our genetics, age, gender or race. But some things we can: Eating better, not smoking and staying active can help keep blood pressure down.

Researchers examined records from the long-running Growing Up Today project. In that study, more than 25,000 participants answered questionnaires every few years, reporting on their health habits.

Those habits included things like how often they drank sugar-sweetened beverages or ate fresh fruit. They reported body measurements, how active they were and whether they smoked.

The new study found that drinking two or more sugar-sweetened beverages daily meant a 52% higher risk for high blood pressure later.

One daily soda was associated with a 23% higher risk, and a daily sports drink brought a 36% higher risk.

Replacing one daily sugary beverage with a piece of fruit could lower one’s risk of high blood pressure by 22%, the researchers found.

The next time your progeny heads to the refrigerator, point them to the fresh fruit bowl — and do your best to keep it stocked.

When a wildfire is bearing down, animals need to be evacuated quickly. If a horse is involved, that can only happen with advanced planning.

Every horse needs a go kit containing a halter and lead rope, feed and water buckets and at least one week’s worth of food and supplements. Also essential are a two-week supply of medications and a basic first aid kit. Key documents include photos, proof of ownership and the horse’s medical history, test results and vaccination records.

Well ahead of time, horses need to get used to boarding trailers with several different handlers. During evacuation, minimize smoke exposure and moisten hay and feed as needed.

If any horses have to be left behind, close the doors to empty barns and provide means of escape from fenced-in areas.

We live in a world of plastic. Plastic production has increased from a mere 1.5 million tons in 1950 to 500 million tons today. And much of that man-made material ends up in more places than just the local landfill.

It’s in our bodies.

Now, evidence suggests they might be associated with heart attacks. A recent Italian study found that heart attack patients were much more likely to have microplastics in their blood than individuals with stable heart disease. They also had more than a control group without heart disease.

The highest concentrations and the widest variety of plastic types were found in blood drawn directly from the artery involved in the heart attack.

We can eat, drink and even breathe microplastics without ever knowing. Some pieces are as small as viruses and bacteria. And once they’re in the body, they can stay put, lodging in our organs, including the brain, and accumulating. They find their way into tissue throughout the body.

In the Italian research, scientists say smoking history was the best predictor of finding plastic in the blood of heart attack patients. Fine-particle pollution was also predictive, to a lesser extent.

Researchers believe preexisting lung and airway damage might make it easier for microplastics to gain a foothold and enter the bloodstream.

Researchers caution that more research is needed to establish a link between microplastics and heart attacks. They note their study was small.

If additional investigation confirms these findings, it will provide another argument against smoking. Avoiding the habit, however, will not be completely protective if the environment is swamped with microplastics, even in the air we breathe.

As our pets age, their risk of chronic pain increases. Osteoarthritis affects one-in-five dogs over one year of age, and the risk increases thereafter. Likewise, up to 90 percent of cats over 10 years old have x-ray evidence of degenerative joint disease.

Consequently, the goal of chronic pain management often shifts from cure to maintaining an animal’s comfort — that is, providing palliative care. In addition to medication, veterinarians may recommend other modalities, like acupuncture, laser therapy or therapeutic ultrasound. Structured movement, which helps animals build strength, is another key part of the plan.

Palliative regimens work best when they focus on helping pets do what they love most. This may require home modifications and always demands patience and a whole-team effort.

It never pays to rely on the internet for veterinary advice. Every animal is different, so what works for one may not do the trick for another. Online advice often veers between misleading, or over general, to downright dangerous. Also, pet parents can waste precious time trying online remedies instead of seeking veterinary care.

Recent viral clips have recommended giving dogs or cats ibuprofen for pain. In truth, ibuprofen is toxic to all dogs and cats. In fact, if your pet ingests ibuprofen, you should contact your veterinarian or an emergency veterinary clinic right away.

Be sure to run any treatment advice past your veterinarian first. Even herbal remedies can be dangerous for certain animals. Finally, animals should never be given human medications unless recommended by a veterinarian.

Bladder or urinary stones that affect people can also be a problem in some dogs, cats and other mammals, including dolphins and otters. Why some animals are prone to forming stones is often unknown, but comparing diets consumed in the wild with those of animals fed by humans can sometimes provide a clue. Dr. Richard Hill, a small animal internal medicine and veterinary nutrition specialist, joins Animal Airwaves Live to discuss how nutrition and hydration can be used to reduce the risk of urinary stones from forming. Each type of stone requires different strategies to increase water intake and modify urine acidity or alkalinity and the amount of minerals and protein breakdown products in the urine. By tailoring your pet’s diet, veterinarians can often help prevent urinary stones from forming and reduce the risk of recurrence.

Honey bees can withstand a relatively wide range of temperatures to maintain the brood nest — that is, the core of the hive that houses the queen, eggs and young bees. Honey bees generally fly at temperatures between 50 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. When it’s hotter, they transition from nectar collection to water retrieval used to cool the hive. At about 118 degrees, they start to lose key functions. So, how can beekeepers protect their colonies in hot weather?

The first thing is to keep water sources close to the hives, starting in the spring when bees first start flying. Colonies also need plenty of space, which may mean adding boxes above the brood nest. In addition, nothing should obstruct the entrances to hives. It’s also important to read pesticide labels, noting any temperature restrictions.

Once again, the American Veterinary Medical Association is cautioning pet parents against feeding raw or undercooked animal proteins to dogs and cats. These include meat, poultry, fish, eggs and milk — except for same-species milk used to nurse puppies or kittens.

Raw or undercooked animal proteins can harbor a plethora of bacterial pathogens, as well as the notorious virus that causes bird flu.

Just like us, dogs and cats are susceptible to foodborne illness. But even healthy appearing pets can have infections that endanger humans. Just handling raw pet food can also make people sick.

For every presumed benefit of feeding raw, undercooked or unpasteurized animal proteins to pets, there are even bigger risks. It’s just not worth taking the chance.