The researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine concluded that the older we get, the happier we become. So, if you are stressed out right now, don’t worry, better things are yet to come.

This aging paradox, considering extra years are connected to illness and frailty, revealed that our appreciation of life increases as we age. However, the phenomenon happens steadily during our lives from adulthood on. The conclusion unmasks the belief that seniors are by default irritable and depressive.

The team examined the physical and mental health of 1,546 adults aged between 21 to 100 years old who were randomly chosen from San Diego County.

The older individuals appeared to win out over the young when it came to mental health measures such as low levels of stress, depression, and anxiety and satisfaction with life. Participants described feeling better about themselves and their lives decade after decade.

In contrast, the youngest, aged in their 20s and 30s appeared to have the roughest, while other younger participants reported symptoms of depression, higher levels of stress, and anxiety.

It has been broadly considered that the mental health of older people reflects their worsening physical and cognitive function. Moreover, aging has been described as a continuous process of physical and cognitive deterioration with little debate about mental health besides the context of decline.

Some researchers have described a U-shaped curve of well-being across the lifespan, with drops from early adulthood to middle age. However, they are then accompanied by an improvement in later adulthood.

The inferior limit of mental health begins during middle age, roughly 45 to 55. This mid-life dip wasn’t found in well-being.

As one might expect, the older participants did display worsened physical and cognitive functioning than the younger individuals in the study. However, this could only raise the question: why do senior citizens seem happier than the young?

Researchers believe that with age, we change our focus in life. This method should help us find higher satisfaction from simple, achievable things.

When you center your attention on emotionally meaningful goals, life becomes better. The negative emotions appear to be less common, and you manage to feel better. However, the study doesn’t deny the fact that well-being could also arise from the wisdom that occurs with age or the management of the complex social decisions.

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The American heroin epidemic has become more dangerous, as reports of overdoses from heroin laced with carfentanil are being reported throughout the country.

On Wednesday alone, authorities announced a deadly spike in heroin overdoses. More than 32 overdose cases were reported and one death.  The man that died in the parking lot of a Rally’s Hamburgers was thought to be in his 30s. It seemed that more dealers were sharing the potent mix.

Hamilton County Heroin Task Force Director Tom Synan mentioned that emergency teams answered to at least 20 non-fatal heroin overdoses on the west side of Cincinnati only on Tuesday. Those were followed by a weekend with at least 30 heroin overdoses in the same region. More than half of the overdoses occurred within a 30-minute time frame. The usual number of overdoses in the state is around 25  a week, so this is a considerable increase.

Law enforcement officials assume the heroin was laced with carfentanil, a powerful synthetic opioid painkiller 10,000 times stronger than morphine. It is commercially used to sedate big animals, such as elephants. With less that 2 grams of carfentanil, one could knock out a 2,000-pound African elephant.

It is an analog of the synthetic opioid analgesic fentanyl, the same painkiller that most recently made headlines with its part in the passing of the pop star Prince. When an individual consumes opioid medication, the brain gets used to the feeling, and it needs more of the drug to provide the same level of well-being or pain release, thus leading to dependence which usually turns into addiction.

Side effects of fentanyl analogs are similar to those of fentanyl itself, which include itching, nausea and potentially serious respiratory depression, which can be life-threatening.

Officials stated that carfentanil could slow breathing significantly, and many users might be unaware of taking the drug. Dealers are replacing heroin with fentanyl analogs in their quest to expand their supply and give an addition to the drug.

It’s causing concern for those battling the heroin epidemic, and its potency is dangerous, possibly deadly.

According to Sgt. Stephen Wheeles of the Indiana State Police, beyond the state line in Jennings County, Indiana, there were 11 heroin overdoses throughout the same period on Tuesday. Officials are now concerned that the overdoses could be connected.

Moreover, a capture of carfentanil in Manatee County, Florida, matched an increase in overdose deaths there.

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A new study suggests that the diabetes drug, metformin, could help overweight children and teens with autism lose weight.

The number of children with autism has almost doubled since 2000, and while they must take medications to manage their symptoms, those medicines frequently cause substantial weight gain.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental dysfunction marked by impaired social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication and limited and repetitive behavior. Parents usually discover the symptoms in the first two years of their child’s life. These signs often develop gradually, though some kids with autism reach their developmental milestones at a normal pace and then regress.

Early speech or behavioral interventions can aid children with autism gain self-care, social, and communication skills.

The study included 60 people with autism, aged 6 to 17. Due to the side effects of using antipsychotic medications for irritability and agitation, the subjects were overweight. It’s been ten years since the FDA first began approving drugs to help treat irritability in children with autism. For 16 weeks, the participants were given either metformin or an inactive placebo.

The findings proved that those who were given metformin had increased reductions in body mass index (BMI) in comparison to those who took the placebo.

The lead investigator and a retired professor of psychology at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, Michael Aman said that the most important thing is that metformin didn’t cause behavioral changes, such as enhanced irritability. Metformin’s benefits have been around for decades, and the drug is proved to be safe. The study produced mild or no side effects in children.

Of the 28 participants in the metformin group who started the treatment, 11 percent marked declines of 8 to 9 percent in BMI. According to the results, no other members saw declines of more than 5 percent in BMI during the 16-week treatment. No meaningful differences were recorded in metabolic variables.

Overall, metformin was well tolerated, although participants faced gastrointestinal adverse events throughout a higher percentage of treatment days.

The results of the study have significant implications for kids to whom the advantages of atypical antipsychotics for treating irritability and agitation symptoms are hard to balance with the substantial weight gain that frequently follows their use.

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Excess weight can increase the possibility of being diagnosed with cancers of the gallbladder, stomach, liver, ovary, pancreas, and thyroid. Moreover, researchers have recently added eight more cancers to the list that we already knew could affect overweight people.

The list also includes a type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma as well as a brain cancer known as meningioma. An earlier review by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC),  part of the World Health Organization found that those who avoid gaining weight could reduce their risk for developing eight other types of cancer. These include cancer of the esophagus, colon, uterus, breast, and kidney.

The researcher’s next step is to find out whether overweight and obese individuals can reduce their risk for cancer by losing weight.

Director of Public Policy at Cancer Council Australia, Paul Grogan, mentioned that more cases of cancer connected to excess weight had been diagnosed in Australia than first believed. Around 4,000 such cases of cancer are diagnosed each year in Australia and are generated by excess weight.

According to the information published by Cancer Council Australia in 2015, one in 10 cases of colon cancer is immediately attributed to excess weight and 26 percent of endometrial cancers were linked to being overweight or obese.

However, it is premature to presume that obesity causes cancer, but we can say that there is a correlation between obesity and enhanced risk of many known malignancies.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reviewed more than 1,000 examinations carried all over the world, involving both men and women. Some of the studies evaluated excess weight based on waist circumference measurements and some regarding body-mass index (BMI). They have classified overweight as displaying a BMI between 25 and 29.9 and obesity as reflecting a BMI of 30 or more.

The research team also highlighted that the absence of excess body fatness reduces the risk of most cancers. Because of the lack of human subjects, they failed to clarify this aspect.

However, the animal studies have indicated that weight loss may hold a cancer-preventive result.

The researchers stated that there are many good reasons to balance the food we eat with adequate exercise, get back into shape, and avoid excess weight. By doing so, the individuals will lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, as well as cancer.

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Even though the number of moms that begin breastfeeding their babies at birth increased, they end up stopping sooner that recommended by specialists.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is reminding mothers all over that breastfeeding within an hour of birth protects the baby from multiple risks including death.

When a mother has her baby close to her, she provides him all nutrients and antibodies needed, and the proximity to the mother is known to be the best protection from illness.

Besides the nutritional advantages, breastfeeding defends babies against respiratory diseases, stomach bugs, ear infections, and some allergies.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics babies who are breastfed are less likely to become obese teens and adults. However, this practice not only has enormous benefits for the children, but it also has tremendous health benefits for mothers.

Most women encounter hormonal changes during lactation that generate a delay in their menstrual cycle. According to Dr. Lakkampally, this can lead to lower estrogen production and reduce the risk of pre- and post-menopausal breast cancer among women.

Also, during pregnancy and breastfeeding, a woman sheds her breast tissue which further leads to the removal of the cells with potential DNA damage.  By preventing ovulation, breastfeeding also reduces the risk of ovarian cancer.

It can also decrease the risks of cardiovascular disease in mothers and delay the return of the menstrual period, which supports extending the time between pregnancies.

Moreover, the rates of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) are highly decreased in babies that are breastfed.

Dr. Ruth Petersen, director of CDC’s division of nutrition, physical activity, and obesity, believes that mothers must have permanent support from communities, clinicians, health care leaders, families and friend to achieve their breastfeeding goals.

According to the 2016 Breastfeeding Report Card from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013, eight out of 10 newborns were breastfed, which reveals that most mothers have the intention to do so.

Although mothers start breastfeeding, only half of the infants are still breastfed at the age of 6 months and fewer that one-third (around 30.7 percent) are breastfed at 12 months of age.

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According to a new study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School the prescription drugs in the U.S cost too much because of the drug monopolies and restrictions on price negotiations.

Researchers wanted to understand why U.S. drug prices are so similar to other industrialized countries. To discover the reason, the authors of the study had to review medical and health policy literature from January 2005 to July 2016 and analyze articles approaching the source. Moreover, the justification and outcomes of drug prices in the U.S. were examined.

The U.S. surpassed 19 other industrialized nations when it comes to spending per capita on prescription drugs. In 2013,  an average of $858 was paid for prescription medicines in the U.S which is more than twice what other industrialized countries spend.

They determined the most relevant factor that led to the high drug pricing is drug monopolies related to market exclusivity. It could indicate that a new medication will not be threatened on the marketplace by a generic drug for an established amount of time.

Dr. Aaron Kesselheim, research author and associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School explained that because this is a very complex issue, it is a problem that cannot be solved quickly.

New competitors must be introduced in the marketplace to make the prices drop. However, this is a difficult approach as certain common forms of new drugs are promised a period of five to seven years before a generic competitor can be sold.

Moreover, drug manufacturers can also obtain patents lasting more than 20 years for extraordinary inventions.

Common drugs such as a steroid inhaler for asthma costs about $35 in France in comparison to over $300 a month in the U.S. Also, insulin, a life-saving medication for diabetics, is about eight times more expensive here.

The different prices from the U.S and other countries are the effect of price controls which usually result in restricted access to medicines and fewer alternatives for patients.

In many countries, a delegate negotiates drug costs and will not cover stocks if cost-to-benefit calculations are irrational. However, in the U.S the bargaining power of the payer is constrained for various reasons.

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The Secretary of State’s Office said that a proposed constitutional amendment will be on this year’s general election ballot and would increase more than three times the taxes on a pack of cigarettes in Colorado.

The initiative apparently has more than the needed 98,492 authentic signatures from enrolled voters to qualify. If the initiative passes in November, the tax will increase from 84 cents to $2.59 per pack starting January. Taxes on cigars and chewing tobacco would increase by 22 percent.

Moreover, the measure will move Colorado near the high end of tobacco taxes. Colorado ranks 38th in the nation for tobacco taxes and will move to 11th. Proponents turned in 161,412 petitions on the 8th of August.

The Campaign for a Healthy Colorado, an alliance of health groups and specialists, believes that its initiative would generate $315 million next year for existing tobacco prevention and suspension programs. According to the independent Colorado Fiscal Institute, the state obtained $165 million in cigarette taxes in 2013.

Chris Stille, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Colorado, assumes that this is an exceptional measure that will save lives. It could also create healthier environments for future generations and avoid getting more kids addicted to tobacco related products.

With the revenue generated by the tax, medical research into cancer and other diseases could be properly conducted. Moreover, smoking cessation programs could be expanded, or the much-needed medical and mental health care for veterans could be attended.

It could be a significant advance in health care plans and medical investigation to access youth behavioral health services or student-loan payment programs for specialists in rural areas.

David C. Goff Jr., board president of the Denver chapter of the American Heart Association and dean of the Colorado School of Public Health, states that this is the best measure they can take to improve health in Colorado.

Four other bills have suited for the ballot through citizen petitions: medical aid in dying, an increase in the state’s minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020, the ColoradoCare single-payer health care measure and a change in rules to amend the Colorado Constitution.

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We have recently seen that the treatment of multiple myeloma has developed and led to an enhanced survival majorly among young and white patients. However, the survival rate observed in patients of other ethnicities was lower.

Multiple myeloma, also known as plasma cell myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for producing antibodies. The patient originally has no symptoms but is later faced with bone pain, bleeding, frequent infections, and anemia.

Multiple myeloma could be diagnosed based on blood or urine tests finding abnormal antibodies, by bone marrow biopsy exposing cancerous plasma cells or based on medical imaging detecting bone lesions. This disease is known to have the ability to affect many organs making the symptoms vary greatly.

The treatment is focused on therapies that lower the clonal plasma cell population and consequently decrease the signs and symptoms of the disease.

Data was collected from more than 10,000 US patients, less than 65 years of age with multiple myeloma. Researchers discovered that income, marital status, and insurance status contributed to a patients’ chances of survival and that that race/ethnicity was not the most significant factor affiliated with patients’ chance of dying early.

The four-year approximated overall survival was 71.1 percent, 63.2 percent, 53.4 percent, and 46.5 percent respectively for patients with 0, 1, 2, or 3 adverse socio-demographic factors. This means that a person that lived in a low-income country and was not married had 25 percent fewer chances of surviving four years after diagnosis than a subject of the same age who had private insurance, was married and lived in a medium to high-income country.

Because of the expensive and complex treatment for myeloma, it is believed that people who are not married and have low income have a more fragile support network with which to face the challenges. It could influence their access to new therapies and the adequate management of recurrent disease.

However, the study revealed that in one group this isn’t true; in subjects with the highest predicted survival — those who are insured, married, and live in higher income areas — black patients were more likely to die than white patients.

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A new algorithm seems to be 70 percent accurate when determining depression in people who use certain filters in Instagram.

Social media gives us a good insight into people’s life, maybe more than we sometimes want, but now researchers have discovered a machine that checks Instagram photos and can diagnose depression and other mental illnesses.

The new study conducted by Andrew Reece of Harvard University and Chris Danforth of the University of Vermont reveals the fact that there is a strong connection between the usage of color and the mental state of a person.

Any Instagram user will probably know that the photo-feed app provides around 23 different filters that you can apply on top of your photo. Researchers have concluded that the more a person uses one of the filters, the grayscale option called Inkwell, the more depressed they are likely to be.

The study was conducted on around 170 people who were asked to share photos from their Instagram feed and answer several questions from a standard clinical depression survey. After sharing some of their photos they were then asked to rate 100 photos from each person based on how sad, happy or interesting the photos appeared. Moreover, they had to comment on the filters chosen by others and the number of faces in each picture.

The researchers used the photos in a machine-learning algorithm that noticed the correlations between image properties and depression. This algorithm found that decreased saturation and brightness and increased hue predicted depression.

Also, specialists reached the conclusion that people with depression usually have fewer likes on their photos and tend to comment a lot on other people feed.

The findings showed that individuals who used less bright filters or no filters at all were more likely to suffer from depression and the accuracy of this prediction was more than 70 percent. Because of the high prediction, researchers believe that their technique can be used to discover early signs of mental illnesses.

What is certain for now is that an individual’s mental state is transmitted to social media and by using computational methods the elements expressed through photos can be easily identified.

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New research shows that smokers that turn to E-cigarettes get lower cancer-causing chemicals but they are exposed to the same amount of nicotine.

An electronic cigarette or e-cigarette is a handheld electronic device that vaporizes a flavored liquid, which the user inhales. Its fluid is called e-fluid and is usually made of nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerin, and flavorings. Since their introduction to the market in 2004, global usage of e-cigarettes has risen exponentially and by 2013, there were several million users globally.

The main reasons for e-cigarette usage often relate to quitting smoking and recreation. During a US 2013 survey, 56% of respondents reported having used e-cigarettes to quit or reduce their smoking.

Unfortunately, the neighborhood convenience store usually displays ads for tobacco products and e-cigarettes. Because the products like chew, cigarillos and e-cigarettes are usually equipped with bright packages like candy and gum they tend to be very attractive for children.

Moreover, being placed on the counter or near sweets and having different flavors, like strawberry, cherry and banana split they are believed to influence consumption among minors.

There is no surprise that tobacco companies pay big money so their products get a place where they will be easily seen.

The recent study revealed that people who stop smoking tobacco cigarettes and substitute entirely with e-cigarettes may significantly reduce their exposure to many cancer-causing chemicals.

The study was conducted on 20 daily-smoking adults who had smoked for an average of 12 years and replaced the tobacco cigarettes with e-cigarettes for two weeks. The researchers then checked their urine for levels of nicotine and 17 biomarkers of toxins and carcinogens.

During the two weeks trial, in 12 of the 17 biomarkers, there were noted significant declines. Researchers believed that the declines were comparable to those who quit smoking. However, during the study, the nicotine levels remained the same.

The author of the study believes that e-cigarette use may effectively reduce exposure to toxic and carcinogenic substances when completely replacing the tobacco products. However, more studies must be conducted to see if the risk of disease is decreased among dual users -those who both vape and smoke- and those who use e-cigarettes for a long time.

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