• Prescription food programs help people, including children, eat healthier.
• Fruit and vegetable prescriptions help people manage weight, blood pressure, and more.
• Using food as medicine can help reduce the risk of heart problems, especially for people at risk.

In the near future, a visit to your local clinic to monitor your heart health could lead to a prescription you’ll be able to fill at a local farmer’s market instead of a pharmacy.

Doctors are piloting new programs to help people eat more produce and providing resources to help, particularly for those who otherwise don’t have access to fresh foods.

Provide adults and children at risk a recipe for fruits and vegetables (and the money to buy them) can help them eat healthier, according to the largest study of its kind to date.

It can also significantly reduce risk factors for heart diseasethe leading cause of death in the United States, said researchers at Tufts University and Medical Center and the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.

Dietary prescriptions have helped people lower blood pressure and lose weight

The new research looked at data from nearly 4,000 people, including 1,817 children, from low-income neighborhoods in 12 different states, including California, Texas, Florida, New York and Minnesota. Participants had or were at risk of cardiovascular problems and were provided with nutrition lessons healthy eating habits.

They also received money specifically to purchase fruits and vegetables at grocery stores and farmers’ markets. The amount of money averaged about $63 a month, but varied by location and in some cases was based on the number of people per family, ranging from $15 to $300 (for a large family) a month.

Participants stayed in the programs for an average of six months. In that time, they reported eating more fruits and vegetables: about a quarter cup more a day for children and nearly a cup more a day for adults.

Dietary prescriptions also significantly improved heart health parameters such as blood pressure, blood sugar levels and body mass index, according to the study findings, published Aug. 29 in the journal. Circulation: cardiovascular quality and results.

The heart health benefits were about half the results of common medications, which is significant for a change in diet, lead author Kurt Hager of Chan Medical School told the University of Washington. Washington Post.

“Food as medicine” is a growing trend aimed at reducing healthcare costs and fighting inequality

More research is needed to understand how fruits and vegetables might help and how much you should eat to see results.

Previous evidence from small pilot studies had shown that food prescriptions helped people eat more fruits and vegetables and improved quality of life, but included limited data on specific heart health parameters.

According to the researchers, participants not only experienced improvements in specific health parameters, but also reported improved health and quality of life and decreased food insecurity.

It is not yet clear what role fruit and vegetables played, since other factors such as stress are major contributors to heart health problems.

“We know that food insecurity impacts health through several important pathways, including overall dietary quality, but also through stress and anxiety, mental health, and the trade-offs between paying for food and other basic needs such as housing costs, utilities and medications,” Hager said in a news release.

The study had limitations, such as the lack of a control group to confirm that food prescriptions were directly related to positive results.

However, according to a doctor not involved in the study, this is promising evidence to support further efforts to use nutrition as medicine.

“Poor diet and nutritional insecurity are the leading causes of chronic disease globally,” Dr. Mitchell Elkind, American Heart Association clinical chief scientist and professor at Columbia University, said in a news release. “This analysis of product prescribing programs illustrates the potential of subsidized product prescriptions to increase consumption of nutritious fruits and vegetables, reduce food insecurity, and hopefully improve subjective and objective health measures.

When Jessica Kennedy was five years old, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Her mother told FRONTLINE in the 2008 documentary The medicated child that he couldn’t go a day without taking medication to stabilize his mood.

As long as I’m on medication, I’ll be fine, Kennedy told FRONTLINE when she was 12. It’s the only way to keep me settled. Taking my meds makes me calmer, more like I should be.

Now 28, Kennedy has been off psychiatric drugs for a decade. He said that although they seemed to solve his behavioral problems because he was more compliant, his performance in school suffered and his ideas about him became more lucid once he stopped taking them. Therapy now helps Kennedy deal with what her therapist thinks are symptoms of autism.

The meds were literally dulling all my emotions to the point where they didn’t solve the problem, she told FRONTLINE in a recent interview. I still had them, but I couldn’t express them.

The medicated child documented the increase in diagnoses of bipolar disorder among children from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s. This occurred in tandem with an increase in the prescription of antipsychotic drugs to treat them, despite the lack of independent research at the time on the their safety and efficacy in children. Since then, studies have found that children’s prescriptions for these powerful drugs have decreased, and fewer children are taking them for bipolar disorder. However, experts remain concerned about the lack of access to care beyond medicines amid a worsening mental health crisis for young people.

Diagnosis change and antipsychotic prescriptions decrease

By the mid-2000s, increasing numbers of children were being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a controversial trend since the disorder was previously thought to exist only in adults.

That increase followed a series of studies at Massachusetts General Hospital led by Dr. Joseph Biederman. In a landmark 1996 paper, Biedermans’ group theorized that many children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) also met the criteria for bipolar disorder.

The documentary showed that the rapid increase in bipolar diagnoses was accompanied by an increase in prescriptions of antipsychotic drugs and mood stabilizers, used to quell disruptive behaviors and mood swings in children.

An image of Jessica Kennedy riding a bicycle in the 2008 FRONTLINE documentary “The Medicated Child.”

In the years following 2008, when the documentary premiered, concerns grew that bipolar was not the appropriate diagnosis for all the behavioral patterns practitioners saw. Researchers tried to address this problem in 2013, in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the guide doctors use to diagnose mental illnesses. They added a new diagnostic category for children who exhibit strong emotional outbursts and frequent irritability called disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.

The new diagnosis appeared in the depression chapter of the textbook, which may mean that antidepressants often become the first line of treatment, said Dr. Eric Youngstrom, a clinical psychologist who co-chairs the Childhood Diagnosis Working Group on Depression. International Society for Bipolar Disorders. But Youngstrom also said there are numerous studies and analyzes showing that antidepressants aren’t very effective at treating disruptive behavior problems.

So there’s this group of kids that the book is trying to decide, do we look at it as a behavior problem or do we look at it as a depressive problem? he said.

The World Health Organization went with the former, choosing to add a new subdiagnosis to an existing behavioral disorder, instead of adding disruptive mood dysregulation disorder to its diagnostic manual.

From The medicated child on air, studies have shown a decline in antipsychotics prescribed to children. Two recent studies found that antipsychotic prescriptions decreased from the late 2000s to the late 2010s in both privately insured and Medicaid-insured children.

Dr Stephen Crystal and Dr Greta Bushnell, two of the study’s authors, said the decline in antipsychotic prescriptions for children was driven by new safety guidelines, as well as stricter requirements for prescribing such drugs for children. children with Medicaid. Several states require providers to receive approval from the state Medicaid agency before prescribing antipsychotics to children, another hurdle related to declining prescribing. Bushnell and Crystal concluded that this also had spillover effects on privately insured children.

The researchers also observed a decline in the number of children taking antipsychotics specifically for the treatment of bipolar in both the privately insured and Medicaid groups.

That tendency to attribute mood problems, mood swings, challenging behaviors [to] Bipolarity has been somewhat debunked, said Crystal, director of the Center for Health Services Research at the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research.

But medications can still be an effective treatment for some children. For children dealing with mood dysregulation disorders, including bipolar, caregivers’ and families’ decisions about whether to take medications must factor in the risk of not treating, said Dr. Janet Wozniak , director of the pediatric bipolar disorder research and clinical program at Massachusetts General. Hospital, in a hospital presentation in January 2020. Delaying treatment, she said, can worsen outcomes in adulthood.

It is terrifying to write these prescriptions; it is terrifying to receive these prescriptions. But what’s more terrifying [is] not treating, he said. Because there are suicide attempts, there is poor judgment, there is reckless behavior, there are criminal arrests, abuse and addiction.

The growing need for therapy outstrips resources

Jacob Solomon was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, ADHD and autism and later Asberger syndrome when he was a child. At one point, he was taking eight different drugs at the same time.

Solomon was 16 when he arrived The medicated child. At 32, she still identifies with each of these disorders and, after years of trial and error and constant healing, she has said she feels like she’s found what works for him.

I really think that being where I am now, having been through all of this, is what matters, she said in a recent interview with FRONTLINE. I passed it.

Jacob Solomon, now 32, is a DJ in Denver, Colorado. (SOLODOME PRODUCTIONS)

Solomon works for United Airlines as a flight training planner and DJ in Denver. He produces and records his own music and has just finished his first album. Now he takes four drugs that he thinks help, but he has found maximum clarity by going to the gym every day. Solomon is not in therapy at the moment, he is currently using ChatGPT as a replacement counselor but has said he wants to get back to therapy soon.

Clinical guidelines recommend that children be counseled with or before using psychiatric drugs. However, Bushnell and Crystals’ study of privately insured children from 2007 to 2017 found that only half of the children prescribed antipsychotics had visited a psychiatrist or received treatment.

Dr. Laura Chavez, a researcher at Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Ohio who has studied the use of antipsychotics and anxiety medications in children, observed a similar dynamic in a 2023 study she co-authored: While diagnoses of anxiety increased from 2006 to 2018, outpatient visits for therapy decreased.

And in recent years, the number of children and adolescents reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression has grown. Diagnoses of ADHD are also on the rise.

Chavez said that despite growing mental health needs, resource shortages have contributed to a decline in therapy visits for children and adolescents.

Primary health care providers are indeed facing an onslaught of patients who really need help but have perhaps the least resources at their disposal to provide mental health, Chavez told FRONTLINE. Not a problem, we will be able to prescribe our way out.

Jessica Kennedy, 28, is now managing her mental health off medication. (Courtesy of Jessica Kennedy)

Kennedy and Solomon grew up with drugs as their primary form of treatment, and both said they’ve now found ways to manage their mental health that aren’t entirely dependent on them. They live alone, something they think others didn’t think was possible when they were children. Kennedy is planning on pursuing a career working with children, working towards a degree in early childhood education.

Looking back on her childhood, Kennedy said: Even though I didn’t have the vocabulary to articulate many things, which made things much more difficult, I feel like paying more attention to the child, and asking the child, and therapy would be big help.

Julia Ingram, Abrams Journalism Fellowship, FRONTLINE/Columbia Journalism School Fellowship

A new study has found that 12 percent of Americans are responsible for consuming half of the beef they consume on any given day, a finding that could help consumer groups and government agencies create educational messages about negative impacts on health and environment of beef consumption.

The 12 percent who are most likely to be men or people between the ages of 50 and 65 eat what researchers call a disproportionate amount of beef on any given day, a distinction based on the latest dietary guidelines for Americans. who suggest four ounces of meat, poultry and eggs a day combined for those consuming 2,200 calories a day.

The study, published in the journal Nutrients, analyzed data from the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which tracked the meals of more than 10,000 adults in a 24-hour period. The global food system emits 17 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases annually, equivalent to a third of all planet-warming gases produced by human activities. The beef industry is a major contributor to this, producing 8 to 10 times more emissions than chicken and over 50 times more than beans.

“We focused on beef because of its impact on the environment and because it is high in saturated fat, which is not good for your health,” said correspondent and study senior author Diego Rose, professor and nutrition program director at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

Rose said the purpose of the study was to help target educational programs or awareness campaigns for those who eat disproportionate amounts of beef. Refining communication on the environmental impact of beef production is crucial at a time when awareness of climate change is higher than ever.

Rose said he and his fellow researchers were “surprised” that a small percentage of people are responsible for such a disproportionate consumption of beef, but whether the findings are encouraging to sustainability advocates has yet to be determined.

“On the one hand, if only 12% account for half of beef consumption, there could be big gains if you target that 12%,” Rose said. “On the other hand, that 12% may be more resistant to change.”

The study also found that those who weren’t disproportionate consumers of beef were more likely to have consulted the USDA’s MyPlate food guide system.

“This could indicate that exposure to dietary guidelines can be an effective tool for changing eating behaviors, but it could also be true that those who were aware of healthy or sustainable eating practices were also more likely to be aware of the tools dietary guidelines,” said Amelia Willits-Smith, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Of the meat eaten on any given day, nearly a third came from cuts of beef such as steak or brisket. But six of the top 10 sources were mixed platters such as burgers, burritos, tacos, meatloaf or spaghetti bolognese. Some of these foods may provide an easy opportunity for disproportionate beef eaters to change their eating habits.

“If you’re getting a burrito, you could easily ask for chicken instead of beef,” Willits-Smith said.

Those younger than 29 and older than 66 were less likely to eat large amounts of beef. According to Rose, this indicates that younger generations may be more interested in mitigating the effects of climate change.

“There is hope in the younger generations, because it is their planet that they will inherit,” Rose said. “I’ve seen in my lessons that they are interested in diet, its impact on the environment and what they can do about it.”

In addition to Rose and Willits-Smith, the study authors include Tulane Clinical Assistant Professor Keelia O’Malley and Tulane Masters of Public Health graduate Harmonii Odinga.

WESTFIELD, Indiana — During their visit to Westfield High School Wednesday, First Lady Jill Biden, along with general surgeon Dr. Vivek Murthy, spoke with students and staff about the importance of mental health services within schools.

According to previous reports, the first lady arrived in the Indianapolis area on Wednesday as part of a series of back-to-school events around the country. Biden, along with Dr. Murthy, highlighted the importance of mental health resources for schools and how federal programs have supported mental health resources across Indiana and across the country.

When they arrived, Biden and Dr. Murthy met with a group of students from the Westfield High School chapter of the Robbie’s Hope organization, a student organization focused on suicide prevention. The students talked to them about the group’s mission and what they are doing to spread mental health awareness among students at Westfield High School.

During the visit, the first lady and the surgeon general also participated in a panel discussion with school officials to hear how the school, district, state and federal government work together to support students’ mental health needs. The roundtable was hosted by Biden and Dr. Murthy to learn more about how to improve mental health services federally for students and the wider community.

During his speech, Biden said in his class, there are still some students who struggle with anxiety and feel isolated. Biden teaches English and writing at Northern Virginia Community College.

As a teacher, she said she has worked with students to build community within the classroom, expressing the importance of sharing their stories and experiences.

Biden praised the Robbie’s Hope organization, saying that when she learned what they were doing in Westfield, she had to come and see them. He also praised the work done by President Joe Biden and the current administration to invest in the mental health of young people.

The first lady said Indiana has been a great partner in federal efforts to help young people through this mental health crisis.

“It’s not the political details or the legislative victories,” he said. “…It’s okay to not feel good and you’re not alone. You shouldn’t have to tackle the corners of the world alone.”

As Surgeon General, Dr. Murthy said the goal is to break down the “terrible stigma” surrounding mental health, especially for young people, which he says is a significant public health emergency in the United States.

As he traveled across the country, Dr Murthy said he listened to the concerns of students, who spoke to him about what’s causing mental health problems, including social media, bullying and “incessant pressure” within of the country’s culture. He said there is a lot weighing on young people, which has helped him issue numerous mental health advisories over the past two years.

Dr. Murthy spoke about the investment the administration has made in mental health in schools and communities through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. He also spoke about implementing 988 as a hotline for people to call or text as a resource to talk to qualified behavioral health counselors.

If the walls of your gastrointestinal tract could talk, they’d say you are what you eat, at least as far as the composition of the trillions of microorganisms it houses is concerned. A little refresher: A healthy gut microbiome (diverse with a balanced composition of beneficial bacteria) controls gut health by communicating with intestinal cells, digesting certain foods, and preventing pathogenic bacteria from sticking to the intestinal walls.

Your diet is often the No. 1 prime suspect. #1 when things go wrong (read: bloating, cramping, and other digestive drama). And just as some foods can wreak havoc on digestive health, other foods can work to improve gut health and treat symptoms: Research says you can rapidly alter the composition and activity of your gut microbiome simply by changing what’s there. it’s on the plate. So what are the showpieces you should be loading up on for better gut health? Next, we’ll break down six essential foods to keep your gut healthy (and it’s not just your usual fermented foods). *Add to shopping list soon*

1. Green leafy vegetables

What leafy greens can’t do are the triple threat of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Plus, they’re high in fiber that feeds your good gut bacteria and keeps things moving in your digestive tract. As if we needed any more reason to believe they are the true MVP of greens, leafy greens also contain a little-known nutrient called sulforaphane, which normalizes gut microbiota composition and repairs physiological breakdown of the intestinal barrier. With countless recipes starring spinach, kale and chard, from the obvious salads and smoothies to soups and pastas, incorporating leafy greens into your diet is a no-brainer.

2. Sweet potato

This starchy root vegetable is a superfood in its own right thanks to its nutritional profile. Comprised of vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, magnesium and potassium, this should be reason enough to stock up. But its benefits don’t stop there. Because sweet potatoes also boast soluble and insoluble fiber, they help promote gut microbiome diversity, keep bowel movements regular, and help fight bloating. In addition, they are a rich source of prebiotics (food for the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria already present in the gut), such as oligosaccharides and resistant starch, which help improve the balance of intestinal bacteria and overall gut health . Whether you decide to bake, roast, spiralize, mash, or turn sweet potatoes into casseroles, fries, or brownies, you’ll be doing your gut good by munching on them.

3. Ginger

While ginger may be best known for its tangy zest, consider it your best friend for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can support digestion and fight bloating by stimulating saliva and stomach acid production. According to Dr. Lance Uradomo, MD, MPH, interventional gastroenterologist at the City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center, ginger root contains gingerol, a natural compound that aids in gastrointestinal motility or the contractions and relaxations of the muscles of the gastrointestinal tract and the movement of ingested food and liquids through the intestines. It doesn’t hurt that adding ginger to your diet can be as simple as making yourself a cup of ginger tea (just slice ginger and pour hot water over it), add a slice of ginger root to your smoothies, or grate ginger into soups. or salad dressings.

4. Whole grains

Despite what food culture may lead you to believe, carbohydrates are not the enemy. Indeed, research shows that whole grains (such as oats) are important sources of nutrients such as fiber and prebiotics for the gut microbiota and contribute to a healthy gut microbiome. Whole grains also provide non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), resistant starch and phenolic compounds, which fuel the growth of friendly bacteria in the gut. Also, a study published in the journal Health care have shown that when a combination of different whole grains is consumed, the various types of fiber, micronutrients, and polyphenols that enter the gastrointestinal tract can produce greater bacterial diversity. By the way, “whole grains” doesn’t mean whole wheat bread (although that can be perfectly fine too!); we mean grains in their whole, unprocessed form (think: brown rice, quinoa, oats, Bulgarian wheat, quinoa, spelt, or millet).

5. Sauerkraut

No list of gut-friendly foods would be complete without mentioning fermented foods. Sauerkraut is basically pickled cabbage that contains a healthy dose of fiber and probiotics, which have been associated with maintaining a healthy gut microbiome and improving digestion and bowel function. Sauerkraut is particularly good for those who wish to consume foods rich in fiber as they contain digestive enzymes which make them gentler on the intestines and easier to break down. Another benefit of the probiotic superfood? One study found that eating sauerkraut regularly can increase good bacteria and help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), such as bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea and stomach pain. When shopping for sauerkraut, look for it raw and unpasteurized, then eat it over eggs, avocado toast, tacos, or a hamburger.

6. Bone broth

Chock full of protein and amino acids like collagen and glutamine, studies suggest bone broth can soothe intestinal inflammation and strengthen the intestinal barrier, which can improve healthy digestive function. According to another study, bone broth is not only able to modify the immune response by decreasing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and stimulating the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines, but also has a therapeutic effect against ulcerative colitis (a form of inflammatory disease intestinal). You can make your own bone broth by adding chicken or beef bones along with greens, onions, garlic, herbs, and apple cider vinegar to a large pot of water, bringing it to a boil, and letting it simmer for 10-12 hours. If you go the store-bought route, be sure to opt for an organic, grass-fed, additive-free one.

(In the weeklyHealth problemsnews bulletin,Ramya Kannanwrites about how to achieve good health and stay there.You can sign up here to receive the newsletter in your inbox.)

Flip-flops can be embarrassing, downright creepy, especially if they pervade red tape. In recent times, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued and withdrawn guidelines for medical education and generic drug prescribing in a short period. The withdrawals have invariably followed outrage from health care workers and students, not to mention state governments. Once announced, stated policies and guidelines were reconsidered, yielding to loud demands. While the government has the prerogative to make rules and regulations, in a democracy this is expected to be a consultative process. It definitely appears that there has not been adequate consultation in preparation for an amendment to the rules, or that the NMC has not been included. The last of course was the sheer confusion caused by the law requiring doctors to only prescribe generics, it wasn’t original at all, but what bothered the doctors was that there was a hefty punishment if you prescribing branded drugs, vs. to generics. This, coupled with the argument that they expect minimum quality assurance in the standards of domestically manufactured drugs, which is currently unavailable, solidified their defence. For a detailed picture of what the NMC guidelines would do if implemented, read this pieceAbdul Ghafurinfectious disease specialist. Invariably, and as expected, the Ministry of Health withdrew the decision, he saidBindu Shajan Perappadan.

Of course there was rejoicing when the mandate was reportedly rescindedSiddharth Kumar Singh.There was no doubt that the law was ill-advised and inadequately thought out, especially in the Union Ministryitself by paying attention to quality assurance in the drug manufacturing process and striving to apply good manufacturing processes in the wide range of small and medium-sized enterprises participating in the pharmaceutical industry.