(NEW YORK) — Adele revealed she is suffering from a type of nerve pain while performing at her Las Vegas residency.
In a video shared online, the 34-year-old singer is seen walking across the stage during a recent date of her Weekends with Adele residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
As she walks, Adele is heard telling the audience, “I have a wobble these days because I have really bad sciatica.”
Sciatic pain is an irritation of the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the human body, which runs from the lower back to the legs, according to the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.
The symptoms generally include a shooting or burning pain from the lower back down one leg, as well as feelings of numbness or a tingling sensation or muscle weakness, according to the Hospital for Special Surgery.
Adele, who is performing her residency through March, has previously spoken about suffering from back pain.
She said in a 2021 magazine interview that she has suffered from two slipped disks in her back.
“I slipped my first disk when I was 15 from sneezing. I was in bed and I sneezed and my fifth one flew out. In January, I slipped my sixth one, my L6,” she told The Face, adding, “I’ve been in pain with my back for, like, half of my life, really. It flares up, normally due to stress or from a stupid bit of posture.”
Adele told the magazine she helped heal her back pain by strengthening her abdominal muscles while losing weight.
“But where I got my tummy strong, down at the bottom, which I never had before, my back don’t play up as much,” said Adele, the mom of a 10-year-old son. “It means I can do more, I can run around with my kid a little bit more.”
Sciatica is fairly common, affecting as many as 40% of people at one point in their lifetimes, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Here is what to know about the painful condition:
What causes sciatica?
Sciatica is caused by a variety of factors, everything from the general wear and tear of aging to sudden pressure on the disks around the lower spine, like a herniated or slipped disk, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
There are also multiple risk factors for the condition, including a previous injury to the lower back or spine, an active job that requires heavy lifting, an inactive lifestyle that involves sitting and limited exercise, diabetes, smoking, osteoarthritis and obesity, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Weak abdominal muscles can also contribute to sciatica, as can improper form while exercising, specifically strength training.
Who is most likely to suffer from sciatica?
Sciatica affects people of all ages, but it is most common between the ages of 30 and 50, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons notes that people under the age of 40 are most likely to experience sciatica due to a herniated disk, while people over the age of 40 typically experience it due to bone spurs and arthritis.
Pregnant women are also more prone to sciatica because of the loosening of ligaments that happens naturally due to hormones in pregnancy, as well as the weight and position of the baby, according to Cleveland Clinic.
What does sciatica feel like?
Sciatica can feel like a shooting pain from the lower back through one leg, as well as a numbness or tingling sensation or a feeling of muscle weakness.
The pain may increase when you “bend over, lift objects, twist, sit down, cough or sneeze,” according to the Hospital for Special Surgery.
The key symptom that diagnoses sciatica, according to the Hospital for Special Surgery, is leg pain associated with back pain.
How is sciatica treated?
If sciatica is mild, it can be resolved using at-home treatments like lower back stretches, resting from activities that cause pain and applying ice to the painful area, according to the hospital.
If at-home treatments do not work, sciatic pain can also be treated through physical therapy, focusing on exercises that reduce pressure on the sciatic nerve, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Prescription medications may also be administered to help with pain, and in some cases spinal injections of anti-inflammatory medicine are used to help reduce the pain and swelling, according to Cleveland Clinic..
In the most severe cases that are not helped by other treatments, spinal surgery may be considered.
How can sciatica be prevented?
While not all cases can be prevented, there are things that can be done to help lessen the risk of sciatica, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Those steps include maintaining good posture, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, exercising regularly, choosing low-impact activities like swimming and walking and protecting yourself from falls.
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(WASHINGTON) — The United States Postal Service can deliver prescribed abortion medication, even in states where abortion access is severely restricted, the Department of Justice announced.
The department’s Office of the Legal Counsel wrote in an opinion that pills being sent through the mail is not in violation of the Comstock Act — an 1873 law that made it illegal to send “obscene” material in the mail — if the sender does not know if the drugs will be used illegally.
It comes on the heels of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration giving pharmacies the green light to fill prescriptions for one of the pills, mifepristone, if a certified health care provider prescribes the drug and if that pharmacy meets certain requirements.
The Comstock Act, which was passed by Congress under the administration of Ulysses S. Grant, criminalized the act of using the U.S. Postal Service to send contraceptives, substances that induce abortion, pornographic content, sex toys and any written material about these items.
The Postal Service had requested the opinion from the office after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022 and states began enforcing their own bans.
“We conclude that [the act] does not prohibit the mailing, or the delivery or receipt by mail, of mifepristone or misoprostol where the sender lacks the intent that the recipient of the drugs will use them unlawfully,” Christopher Schroder, assistant attorney general for the OLC, wrote in the opinion.
“Because there are manifold ways in which recipients in every state may lawfully use such drugs, including to produce an abortion, the mere mailing of such drugs to a particular jurisdiction is an insufficient basis for concluding that the sender intends them to be used unlawfully,” the opinion continued.
In a statement to ABC News, USPS said the opinion “confirms that the Comstock Act does not require the Postal Service to change our current practice, which has been to consider packages containing mifepristone and misoprostol to be mailable under federal law in the same manner as other prescription drugs.”
Drugs for medication abortions were first developed in the late 1970s as an alternative, non-surgical, form of abortion in which someone takes two pills to end a pregnancy.
The first pill is mifepristone, which was authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2000. It works by blocking the hormone progesterone, which the body needs to continue a pregnancy.
This causes the uterine lining to stop thickening and to break down, detaching the embryo. The second drug, misoprostol, taken 24 to 48 hours later, causes the uterus to contract and dilates the cervix, which will expel the embryo.
In the U.S., the drugs are approved up to 10 weeks’ gestation, although the World Health Organization says they can be taken up until the 12-week mark.
As of 2020, medical abortions account for 54% of abortions performed in the U.S., up from 24% a decade ago, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
In December 2021, the FDA permanently lifted its restrictions on abortion pills, allowing them to be sent by mail than requiring them to be given in person.
ABC News’ Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — For the past six years, the Mediterranean diet has won the title of best overall diet in U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking of best diets.
The diet is endorsed by the American Heart Association for its cardiovascular benefits. The diet was shown to reduce the risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth and stillbirth when followed in pregnancy, according to one study.
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil and flavorful herbs and spices; fish and seafood at least twice a week; and poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt in moderation, according to U.S. News and World Report.
“Any plan that cuts out an entire food group or fruit or dairy for non-medical reasons is a red flag and it’s the reason the Mediterranean diet is always such a big winner,” Gretel Schueller, managing editor of U.S. News and World Report, told ABC News. “The Mediterranean diet is healthy, it’s sustainable, it’s a flavorful way to eat and it’s adaptable.”
If you’re looking to start the Mediterranean diet in the new year, here is what you need to know:
What is the Mediterranean diet?
The Mediterranean diet is not one way of eating but a broad term used to describe the eating habits popularized in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, including Italy, Greece, Morocco, Spain and Lebanon.
The way of eating focuses on the quality of foods consumed rather than focusing on a single nutrient or food group, according to U.S. News and World Report.
There are no specific serving size recommendations or calculations with the diet, meaning the amount of food a person eats on the diet depends on their own needs.
Nutrition experts say there’s no one diet that will work for everyone. Certain diets may be more beneficial depending on your circumstances, and some may be harmful depending on your health conditions. Anyone considering changes to their diet should consult with their doctor.
What types of foods are eaten on the Mediterranean diet?
Overall, the diet is mostly plant-based and focuses on healthy fats.
Healthy fats emphasized in the Mediterranean way of eating include virgin olive oil, avocados, nuts, salmon and sardines, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Red meat consumption is limited to a few times a month.
All types of vegetables and fruits are encouraged on the diet, as are non-meat sources of protein like beans and other legumes.
Fish is encouraged twice weekly and other animal proteins like poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt are encouraged in smaller portions, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.
The main source of hydration should be water.
Mild to moderate wine consumption, often with meals, is typical of the Mediterranean diet but is considered optional. In this context, moderation in wine consumption is defined as one to two glasses per day for men and as one glass per day for women.
Are any foods prohibited?
No, the diet does not totally eliminate any foods or food groups.
Some foods though are encouraged sparingly on the diet, like desserts, butter, heavily processed foods like frozen meals and candy and refined grains and oils.
U.S. News and World Report describes the diet as leaving “little room for the saturated fat, added sugars and sodium that inundate the standard American diet.”
What are the health benefits?
According to U.S. News and World Report, “People who eat a Mediterranean-style diet have longer lifespans, report a higher quality of life and are less likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.”
The American Heart Association says the Mediterranean diet can “play a big role” in helping to prevent heart disease and stroke and reducing risk factors like diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Consuming virgin olive oil, in particular, may help the body “remove excess cholesterol from arteries and keep blood vessels open,” according to the AHA.
Citing research, the Cleveland Clinic touts the Mediterranean diet as a way to help maintain a healthy weight, slow the decline of brain function, increase longevity, support a healthy gut and lower the risk of certain cancers.
Is the diet adaptable and budget-friendly?
In U.S. News and World Report’s 2023 ranking of best diets, the Mediterranean diet was not only best overall diet but also rated high in the categories of Best Family-Friendly Diets and Easiest Diets to Follow.
Schueller said the foods promoted in the Mediterranean way of eating are not only budget-friendly and easily accessible but also adaptable.
“Olive oil is one of the cores of the of the Mediterranean diet as a primary source of healthy fat, but you can replace that with a similar oil like grapeseed oil or sesame oil or another heart-healthy, fun saturated fat like nuts or avocado,” she said. “And you can take those principles and adapt them to other cuisines by adding the vegetables and whole grains from that country or region, lowering the red meat [intake] and eating more efficient plant proteins.”
She continued, “For example, if you prefer Asian cuisine, you can apply the Mediterranean diet principles and that might mean eating more brown or black rice instead of white rice, and seafood or tofu instead of meat.”
(NEW YORK) — If you have been in a gym recently and spotted a person walking steadily on the treadmill at a very high incline, they could be following a viral workout trend.
The “12-3-30” workout, the brainchild of social media influencer Lauren Giraldo, involves walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes at a 3 mph pace and on a 12% incline.
Giraldo first shared the low-impact cardio workout on YouTube in 2019 in a video about her wellness routine.
She told ABC News’ Good Morning America she figured out the formula through “trial and error” while trying to find a workout that was both motivating and doable.
“I was at a low point and the gym was always an intimidating environment for me. I wanted to find what worked for me and got me excited about remaining consistent,” she said. “Through this, I was able to play with the settings on the treadmill and found that the 12-3-30 combination was challenging, but fun.”
Giraldo said of her workout philosophy, “I think it’s important that when you’re building out your routine it’s one that makes most sense for you. I don’t believe in strict guides because we’re all different.”
Giraldo shared the routine again in 2020, this time on Instagram and TikTok in a video where she credited it with helping her lose 30 pounds. That video received more than two million likes on TikTok alone and made her 12-3-30 workout a viral hit.
The hashtag #12330 now has more than 81 million views on TikTok and the workout is tagged in thousands of posts on Instagram.
“We have cultivated a beautiful community of people that feel inspired,” said Giraldo. “It’s become more about how it makes us feel, and less the workout itself.”
Giraldo added that she believes the simplicity of the workout is what has made it so popular.
“I think we’re always told ‘you need to spend one hour in the gym to see results’ or ‘you need to go X amount of times per week to see results,’ but I think the world is tough enough,” she said. “We’re just looking for a moment with ourselves, and for me that was 30 minutes on the treadmill.”
Here are five questions answered about Giraldo’s “12-3-30” workout:
1. What does 12-3-30 mean on a treadmill?
The workout is an easy-to-follow formula that just involves two settings on a treadmill, done for a time of 30 minutes:
Incline: 12
Speed: 3
Giraldo said in her TikTok video she typically does the workout five days a week.
2. What are the pros of the workout?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, which the “12-3-30” workout can help fulfill.
In addition to being easy to follow, walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes at such a high incline is a solid and efficient workout, according to Dr. Marie Schaefer, a board-certified sports medicine physician at Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic.
“It gives you all the basic benefits of cardiovascular exercise. It increases your heart rate. It builds muscle mass,” Schaefer told Good Morning America. “And by putting you on that 12% incline, it’s actually going to nearly double your calorie burn and it can increase your heart rate a bit more.”
Walking on an incline can also help strengthen a person’s glutes and hamstrings, which is particularly beneficial for women, according to Schaefer.
“As people age they, especially women, lose their glute muscles,” she said. “This is a good exercise to keep that muscle strong and prevent it from atrophying.”
Schaefer noted that both walking and running, as opposed to other cardio exercises like cycling or swimming, are smart ways for women to increase their bone strength overall and lessen the risk of osteoporosis as they age.
“Weight-bearing exercises where you’re pounding your legs on the ground are good feedback to your bones to help keep them strong,” she said. “Walking on a treadmill is a way to do that, as is walking on the ground and as is running.”
3. Are there any cons?
People should check with a healthcare provider before beginning any new exercise routine.
In addition, Schaefer recommends that people know their baseline before starting a new routine.
For instance, before trying the “12-3-30” workout, make sure that you can go on a 30-minute walk on a flat, outdoors surface. Then, make sure you can complete a 30-minute walk on a treadmill.
Then, start adding in the incline and modify as needed, including lowering the incline and using the handrails for safety, according to Schaefer.
“The most biomechanically appropriate way would be to do this without holding on to the rails and having a really good arm swing,” she said. “But honestly, it can be too hard for some people to just start out from like walking on a flat ground to going at a 12% grade, which is pretty high.”
Schaefer added, “Starting with holding the handrails is OK and then as you feel more comfortable and as you feel more balanced and stronger in your posterior chain muscles, letting go of those handrails as much as you can will give you a better workout with good form.”
Schaefer also recommends mixing up the “12-3-30” workout with other physical activity during the week to avoid overuse injuries and to avoid hitting a plateau.
“There will be a time where your muscles kind of equilibrate and get used to this exercise and you do need to change the intensity,” she said. “Ideally you would add in strength training with a cardio type of workout so that you’re working other muscle groups.”
4. Are there ways to modify the workout?
The workout’s intensity could be increased by adding hand weights or adding running intervals, according to Schaefer.
Alternatively, the intensity could be lowered by decreasing the incline or speed.
5. What is a similar workout without a treadmill?
If you do not have access to a treadmill, the simplest way to mimic the workout outdoors is to walk for 30 minutes on a hilly route.
Alternatively, bicycling, tennis, swimming and walking or running outdoors will give you a similar, steady cardio workout, according to Schaefer.
(NEW YORK) — You may already be into Dry January, or you may be deciding to start now.
Either way, the challenges of giving up alcohol for the entire month are real.
Annie Grace, the author of The Alcohol Experiment, knows firsthand. In her mid-30s she was a high-level executive who drank two bottles of wine a night.
She gave up alcohol for 30 days in order to regain control of her life.
Grace, a mom of two, no longer drinks and has gone on to write two books sharing research-driven tips for giving up booze.
“My experience in taking a break from alcohol for 30 days was that it wasn’t always easy because I went into it with a mindset of ‘missing out’ or ‘giving something up’ for 30 days, which created the forbidden fruit syndrome in my mind,” Grace told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “Often, when I would take a break from drinking, I would think about drinking constantly and crave it even more during the time that I wasn’t drinking, which is ironic.”
Based on her own experience, Grace shared her three best tips for making sure giving up alcohol “serves you, rather than creating the forbidden fruit syndrome.”
Here are her tips, written in her own words:
1. Focus on the positive
The way you approach this month will be vital to your success. If you feel like it’s going to be awful, it probably will.
Your inner reality creates your outer reality.
Approach Dry January knowing you will get through it and be successful. There might be hard times, but you’ll be okay.
Make sure your perspective is on all of the positives you can gain from the experience. I suggest you make a list of everything you stand to gain and the positives you notice along the way.
If you’re sleeping better, write it down. Lost weight? Write it down. When you start to question your resolve, consult your list.
2. Stay firm
The firmer your decision, the easier this will be. That means that realizing while it may be hard, you’re committed to staying the course.
Alcohol is addictive and on top of that, we tend to have an emotional attachment to it as well. We associate it with everything from celebrations and relaxation to socialization.
That means almost every day is full of triggers that may cause us to question our decision. Rather than leaving the possibility of drinking on the table, commit to a full 31 days alcohol free and see what changes can take place in your life due to that resolve.
3. Don’t rely on willpower
Willpower is not the answer.
You can white-knuckle it through January and manage to force your way through to the end. The problem is that once Feb. 1 rolls around, nothing has changed.
It’s the forbidden fruit syndrome. We want the exact thing we can’t have. You feel deprived and upset that you can’t have it, so as soon as you lift the ban, you’re right back where you started.
Instead of giving alcohol this pedestal of importance in your life, get out of the willpower game.
What you need to do is change your thinking around drinking.
Examine the reasons that you drink. Make a list of all the reasons that you drink: To relax, network, to deal with anxiety, to socialize, etc. Now take those reasons, one at a time and examine them.
Take them apart, see where the belief originated and if it actually holds water. Does alcohol relax you? Why do you think that? Does drinking eliminate the issue that was causing your stress? Take those issues one by one and see if alcohol really does anything to alleviate them.
This — reshaping your beliefs based upon your experiences — will be more effective than willpower ever could be.
(NEW YORK) — The sudden collapse of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin during Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals left millions of Americans in shock and anxiously waiting for news of his condition.
“Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals,” the Bills tweeted early Tuesday. “His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”
The 24-year-old remains in the intensive care unit, according to the Bills. Family spokesperson Jordon Rooney told “Good Morning America” that the family is “in good spirits” and “taking it minute by minute.”
Despite confirmation about the medical episode Hamlin suffered, the term “cardiac arrest” is often used interchangeably with the term “heart attack,” even though the two are not the same.
“This differentiation between cardiac arrest and heart attack is really important because they are two things that can both occur in the same person or be completely separate,” Dr. Deepak Bhatt, an expert in cardiovascular medicine and director of Mount Sinai Heart in New York City, told ABC News.
Heart attack vs. cardiac arrest
Heart attacks occur when a coronary artery leading to the heart is blocked, which prevents blood from reaching the organ.
Meanwhile, “a cardiac arrest essentially is the cessation of heart activity or a stopping of the heart pumping, which is generally due to what’s called an arrhythmia or an electrical disturbance of the heart,” Dr. Matthew Saybolt, a cardiologist with Jersey Shore University Medical Center, told ABC News.
One good way to differentiate between the two is to think of a heart attack as a “circulation” problem and cardiac arrest as an “electrical” problem, according to the American Heart Association.
While cardiac arrest can occur immediately following a heart attack or during recovery — and heart attacks increase the risk of cardiac arrest — one does not have to be preceded by the other.
“Heart attacks can cause a cardiac arrest but not all cardiac arrests are due to a heart attack and not all heart attacks result in a cardiac arrest,” Bhatt said.
Heart attacks are primarily caused by coronary heart disease, which is when heart arteries can’t deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to the heart.
This happens because of atherosclerosis, which is the narrowing of blood vessels from plaque build-up made of fat, cholesterol, and other substances. Risk factors for atherosclerosis and having a heart attack include older age, male sex, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, among others.
Cardiac arrest meanwhile can be caused by several conditions, including ventricular fibrillation, a type of arrhythmia where the lower chambers of the heart don’t beat normally; coronary artery disease; heart failure; congenital heart disease; and commotio cordis, experts said.
The latter condition occurs when the heart’s rhythm is disrupted due to a blow to the chest that lands at a very specific moment in the heartbeat. It’s most typically seen with athletes who play sports with projectiles, including baseballs and hockey pucks.
“Classically, where I’ve seen it before is a baseball player line drive to the chest of the pitcher and then the pitcher collapses,” Bhatt said. “And even though that’s a young, healthy pitcher, that sudden line drive to the chest has hit their heart at just the wrong time in the heart’s electrical cycle such that it triggers an abnormal heart rhythm.”
Symptoms between a heart attack and cardiac arrest also vary. The most common symptoms of a heart attack are chest pain or discomfort; pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach; shortness of breath; and lightheadedness or dizziness, according to the AHA.
Patients can have immediate symptoms, symptoms that start mildly and then progress and, in some cases, no symptoms at all.
Comparatively, the symptoms of a cardiac arrest patient are immediate and often without warning. They include loss of consciousness or collapse with faint or loss of pulse, often with labored breathing or no breathing at all.
How to help save patients
In both instances, experts say to check for responsiveness then shout for nearby help and to call 911 or your local emergency number so the patient can immediately receive medical attention.
When it comes to someone experiencing cardiac arrest, call for or find an automated external defibrillator, or an AED, and use it as soon as possible.
AEDs, which are located in most public buildings — including restaurants, sporting events and workplaces — are medical devices that analyze the heart’s rhythm and will deliver an electrical shock if needed. Experts add that you don’t need to worry about hurting the patient when using it.
“If the AED thinks that the patient is in an arrhythmia that needs to be shocked that AED will figure that out and deliver that shock,” Dr. Michael Emery, a cardiologist and co-director of the Sports Cardiology Center at Cleveland Clinic, told ABC News. “You as a bystander do not have to figure out whether you need to shock this patient at all. Whether they’re having a heart attack or not or they’re having a cardiac arrest, the AED is smart enough to figure that out all on its own. All you have to do is call 911, get the AED and apply it.”
The other important thing to do is begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR as soon as possible. If it’s performed on a patient immediately, it can double or triple the odds of survival, according to the AHA.
Hamlin quickly received CPR after he collapsed on the field, which helped resuscitate him long enough to be transported to a hospital.
“Bystander CPR is life-saving,” Emery said. “What we know is that for every minute that you delay resuscitation in the setting of an arrest, the outcomes drastically worsen. So, the sooner you can start CPR and apply an AED, the more likely that patient is going to survive just from a pure timing standpoint.”
“There are instances where people’s heart can stop for a long period of time, but with good CPR, that bystander CPR can keep the patient alive for a long time until next-level medical attention can either shock the heart or treat the condition that caused all this,” Saybolt added.
The experts said they hope the situation helps people learn to recognize the symptoms of heart attacks and cardiac arrest and encourages them to learn CPR.
“Even if you’re thinking, ‘Oh, I’m never going to need to do that,’ by getting that sort of training, you’re more likely to help someone, you know, a friend or a coworker or a family member,” Bhatt said. “So, I think it’s really a good idea for everyone to do that, to get that sort of basic training just so that you can potentially save someone’s life.”
ABC News’ Nicole Wetsman contributed to this report.
(BUFFALO, N.Y.) — In the aftermath of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s shocking collapse and cardiac arrest during Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, expert medical organizations highlighted the importance of bystanders learning to perform lifesaving CPR.
“All of us need to learn CPR. People don’t realize that if someone is unconscious and not breathing and doesn’t appear to be alive, that CPR is essential,” Dr. Benjamin Abella, director of the Center for Resuscitation Science at the University of Pennsylvania, told ABC News.
During a cardiac arrest, the heart stops beating properly. More than 350,000 people suffer from cardiac arrest outside of the hospital each year, according to the American Heart Association. Of those cardiac arrests, 70% happen in homes and nearly 20% happen in public settings.
But less than half of those who have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital are given CPR by people nearby — even though it can double their chance of survival, research shows. Only about 10% of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survive, according to the AHA.
The AHA has guidelines outlining the steps people should take if they see someone suffering a cardiac arrest.
The first step is recognizing that someone is in cardiac arrest and calling 911. Someone might be in cardiac arrest if they collapse suddenly, lose consciousness, are not breathing on their own, are gasping for air or do not have a pulse. Next, bystanders should start CPR immediately, the AHA says, which can restore and maintain blood flow through the person’s body until professional help arrives. If an automated external defibrillator (AED) is available, you should place it on the person while continuing CPR.
AEDs can help restore a normal heartbeat in some cases of cardiac arrest. You can often find AEDs in public spaces such as offices, stores and airports. They provide step-by-step instructions and voice prompts to assist someone in cardiac arrest.
Following these steps can improve the chances of survival and recovery for people who have a cardiac arrest out of the hospital.
There are free online resources from medical organizations such as NewYork-Presbyterian and the AHA that teach people the basics of CPR. Training is also widely available in the United States. In a survey of nearly 10,000 people in the U.S. in 2015, 65% reported having CPR training at some point.
When performing CPR, you should push on the chest with at least 100 compressions per minute. That’s applying compressions to the beat of songs like “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees or “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga. NewYork-Presbyterian curated a playlist of songs on Spotify that fit the necessary rhythm.
Many people who witness a cardiac arrest, though, don’t step in to perform CPR.
There are racial disparities among the individuals who commonly receive bystander CPR. Black and Hispanic adults are less likely to get CPR from bystanders than white adults, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. People in the United States are less likely to initiate CPR for people with cardiac arrest in low-income, predominantly Black or Hispanic neighborhoods than in high-income white neighborhoods, the study showed.
People said they’d be reluctant to perform CPR, even if they’re trained, out of fear of causing additional harm. But Good Samaritan laws in place in all 50 U.S. states protect civilians who step in to help during an emergency from legal liability in many cases.
Shelbi A. Swyden, MD, is an emergency medicine resident at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and is a part of the ABC News Medical Unit.
ABC News’ Nicole Wetsman contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — The collapse of Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin during Monday night’s NFL game between the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals with millions watching at home is bringing cardiac arrest, even among young professional athletes, into a larger focus.
Hamlin, 24, “suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit” in the on-field episode, the Bills said in a tweet. “His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment.
He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition,” the team added.
What is cardiac arrest?
Cardiac arrest refers to when the heart unexpectedly stops beating, causing the heart to stop pumping blood to the rest of the body and to vital organs such as the brain and lungs, according to the American Heart Association.
Between 70% to 90% of people who experience cardiac arrest die before reaching the hospital, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The National Institutes of Health reports that as many as 450,000 deaths each year in the U.S. are caused by cardiac arrest.
What causes cardiac arrest?
The term cardiac arrest, as defined by the American Heart Association, indicates there is an electrical malfunction that affects the heart, causing arrhythmia or an irregular heartbeat.
Other causes for cardiac arrest may include vascular or blood vessel injury, a traumatic event such as a blow to the head or a sudden brain injury or neurological injury, scarring of heart tissue, thickened heart muscle, certain heart medications, electrical abnormalities and blood vessel abnormalities.
In rare cases, a direct hit to the chest can also lead to a cardiac arrest.
Who is at risk for cardiac arrest?
Individuals with preexisting heart conditions, such as coronary heart disease or heart valve disease, or those born with heart issues, such as a congenital heart defect, may be at risk for cardiac arrest, according to the National Institutes of Health.
What are the signs of cardiac arrest?
The NIH notes that someone may be in cardiac arrest if they pass out or collapse and lose consciousness, similar to what happened to Hamlin midfield.
Other symptoms of cardiac arrest include someone gasping for air, someone who stops breathing or someone who does not have a pulse.
What is the treatment for cardiac arrest?
Cardiac arrest is considered an emergency and those who experience cardiac arrest need medical attention immediately. Dial 911 if you suspect someone near you is in cardiac arrest.
Two immediate treatments for someone in cardiac arrest include cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, and rapid defibrillation.
Using an automated external defibrillator, or AED, is a potential option, although ABC News’ Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton noted on Good Morning America that not every cardiac arrest event can benefit as someone needs to have a “shockable rhythm.”
Ashton noted that intubation is also normal when it comes to recovery from cardiac arrest.
“When there’s any question of brain injury, and certainly after a cardiac arrest, you want to make sure that those vital signs and … anyone’s ability to keep their blood oxygenated is protected,” she said. “And the best way to do that is with intubation and sedation.”
Ashton encouraged people to learn CPR and noted that a bystander with little to no training can perform CRP and use an AED.
“I think that’s the take home [message] here. Learn CPR,” Ashton said. “If you see a defibrillator there, it will talk you through the entire process.”
(NEW YORK) — For the first time ever, an annual ranking of best diets now includes diets that work best for the whole family.
The flexitarian, Mediterranean and TLC diets all tied for first place in the family-friendly category of U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking of diets.
The flexitarian diet is one that encourages a vegetarian diet most of the time, but has flexibility to also include animal proteins like a hamburger. The Mediterranean diet centers on whole grains, healthy fats, vegetables, fruits and seafood, while the TLC diet, which stands for therapeutic lifestyle changes, also calls for eating lots of vegetables, whole grains, fruits and lean meats, according to Gretel Schueller, managing editor of U.S. News and World Report.
Schueller said the magazine considers diet in its rankings to be a way of eating, not a plan to lose weight. She said the rankings’ new family-friendly category is an acknowledgement that families want to eat healthy together and not follow multiple meal plans.
“Obviously, you don’t want to prepare multiple meals for different family members every day, because that’s not going to last very long,” Schueller told ABC News. “We wanted to make sure that the eating plan offered nutritional value for different calorie and nutritional needs, for example, different ages, different activity levels, health conditions, when you have a different group of people.”
She added, “You can eat literally anything on those diets. It’s about making sure that the bulk of your your calories and your nutrition is coming from vegetables and fruits and whole grains.”
Nutrition experts say there’s no one diet that will work for everyone. Certain diets may be more beneficial depending on your circumstances. Anyone considering changes to their diet should consult with their doctor, experts say.
U.S. News’ panel of experts that determine the annual diet rankings also looked at “real-world constraints” like budget, meal prep time and availability of foods when picking the best family-friendly diets, according to Schueller.
“For example, how easy is it to find that required supplement or food ingredient,” she said. “We also asked how adaptable is that diet for whole family or group of people with different cultural, religious or dietary preferences.”
In addition to ranking at the top of the family-friendly category, the Mediterranean, flexitarian and TLC diets each also ranked in the top five of the Best Overall Diets category in U.S. News and World Report’s rankings.
The Mediterranean diet topped the list as the best diet for the sixth year in a row.
“Any plan that cuts out an entire food group or fruit or dairy for non-medical reasons is a red flag and it’s the reason the Mediterranean diet is always such a big winner,” said Schueller. “You’re eating delicious whole foods. It’s backed by decades of research showing its health benefits for a variety of health conditions. The Mediterranean diet is healthy, it’s sustainable, it’s a flavorful way to eat and it’s adaptable.”
She continued, “It’s not just about olives and feta and other foods of the Mediterranean. You can adapt the principles of this Mediterranean lifestyle for virtually any cuisine, any culture.”
Close watchers will notice that this year’s Best Diets list does not include some culturally popular diets like Whole30 as it has in the past.
U.S. News’ panel of experts — which includes top specialists in nutrition, diabetes, heart health and weight loss — decided this year to focus on “quality over quantity” and ranked a total of 24 diets.
Weight Watchers, now known as WW, scored the top spot in two categories, Best Weight-Loss Diets and Best Diet Programs.
The keto diet, which focuses on eating foods high in fat and low in carbohydrates, ranked No. 1 in the category of Best Fast Weight-Loss Diets, while it ranked 20th in the Best Overall Diets list.
“What we’re seeing is that diets that support people learning to make healthy eating choices and smart meal-prepping on their own are the diets that do well, while diets that are overly restrictive, whether we’re talking about calories or whole food groups, those are the diets that rank poorly,” said Schueller. “There’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to diets. You’ve got to consider your personality and lifestyle.”
Here is a breakdown of the top five diets in U.S. News and World Report’s 2023 Best Diets Overall ranking:
1. Mediterranean diet
U.S. News and World Report calls the Mediterranean diet a “well-balanced eating plan” and points to research that suggests the diet helps prevent some chronic diseases and increases longevity.
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, virgin olive oil and flavorful herbs and spices; fish and seafood at least twice a week; and poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt in moderation, according to U.S. News and World Report.
It focuses on the quality of foods rather than a single nutrient or food group. People who follow a Mediterranean diet enjoy red meat and desserts as “occasional treats,” the magazine says. Red wine in moderation and with meals is optional.
“This type of low-fat eating pattern leaves little room for the saturated fat, added sugars and sodium that inundate the standard American diet,” the magazine says. “People who eat a Mediterranean-style diet have longer lifespans, report a higher quality of life and are less likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.”
2. DASH diet
The DASH diet, made up of low-sodium and healthful foods, was originally started by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) as a diet to help reduce blood pressure.
The NHLBI publishes free guides on the plan so you can see if it is right for you.
The plan focuses on fruit, vegetables, whole grain, lean protein and eliminates foods high in fat, like fatty meats and full-fat dairy, and sugar-sweetened drinks and sweets, according to U.S. News and World Report. An important component is minimizing the intake of salt, which is shown to lower blood pressure.
“The DASH diet is similar to the Mediterranean dietary pattern but gives more concrete recommendations and advice on actual amounts and limits of types of foods consumed,” the magazine says, noting that food groups are not eliminated in the DASH diet, which provides serving recommendations.
2. Flexitarian diet
The flexitarian diet encourages people to try alternative meat options, like tofu, but leaves room for flexibility if you can’t quite fully give up meat. The diet was promoted by dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner in a 2009 book that says you can reap the benefits of a plant-heavy diet even if you eat meat occasionally, according to U.S. News and World Report.
This plant-heavy diet focuses on adding five food groups — “new meat,” fruits and vegetables, whole grains, dairy and sugar and spices — to your diet instead of taking foods away.
The “new meat” food group includes tofu, beans, lentils, peas, nuts, seeds and eggs, according to U.S. News and World Report, which notes the health benefits of the diet can include a lower rate of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
“With a flexitarian diet – often called a semi-vegetarian diet – you don’t have to eliminate meat completely to reap the health benefits associated with vegetarianism,” the magazines states. “Instead, you can be a vegetarian most of the time, but still enjoy a burger or steak when the urge hits.”
4. MIND diet
The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet is a hybrid of the top-rated DASH and Mediterranean diets.
Research has shown that this diet may improve cognitive function in older adults and may be superior to other diets in this regard, including those listed here.
The diet focuses on food groups known to improve brain health, including green leafy vegetables in particular, all other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil and wine,” according to U.S. News and World Report.
Among the diet’s requirements is eating three servings of whole grains, a salad and another vegetable daily, as well as fish once a week and poultry twice a week. Foods like red meat, sweets and full-fat cheese are limited.
5. TLC diet
The TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) diet was created by the National Institute of Health’s National Cholesterol Education Program with the “goal of cutting cholesterol as part of a heart-healthy eating regimen,” according to U.S. News and World Report.
In addition to setting a daily caloric goal, participants aim to cut saturated fat to less than 7% of daily calories and aim to consume no more than 200 milligrams of dietary cholesterol per day, according to U.S. News and World Report.
The diet calls for eating lots of vegetables, fruits, low-fat or fat-free dairy and lean meats, and allows for servings of breads and pasta too. Fatty fish such as salmon and tuna are recommended to be eaten twice a week, while consuming egg yolks is restricted to two times or less per week. A high intake of soluble fiber of 10 to 25 grams per day is also recommended.
The emphasis of this diet on keeping detailed track of cholesterol intake can make it hard for people to follow. Moreover, more recent research suggests that dietary cholesterol does not seem to have an impact on cardiovascular disease risk, so specific intake restrictions are no longer recommended.
A scientific advisory statement from the American Heart Association recommended that dietary guidance should instead focus on healthy dietary patterns, like the Mediterranean and DASH diets, that are inherently low in cholesterol.
(NEW YORK) — When the ball dropped at midnight on New Year’s Eve, some people took their last sip of alcohol for the next 31 days in a New Year’s challenge known as “Dry January.”
The challenge, as the name implies, is to go dry in January, i.e. having no alcohol for the entire month.
The Dry January campaign was started in 2013 in England and is now becoming more and more popular in the U.S.
“Alcohol consumption is a generally accepted part of our society and culture but a lot of people are either overtly overdoing it and overindulging or they’re teetering on the line,” said Dr. Jennifer Ashton, a practicing OBGYN and ABC News chief medical correspondent. “That might not be segueing into a real alcohol problem but it might still be impacting on their health in other ways.”
Ashton, author of The Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier and Fitter – One Month at a Time, has practiced Dry January for the last several years and is doing it again this month, too.
She notes the challenge is not “an exercise in abstinence or sobriety” and is not for people “who may have a serious problem with alcohol use, abuse or dependence.”
According to Ashton, Dry January is instead a “personal and individual wellness challenge” that may lead to some surprising benefits and findings, well beyond the more well-known physical benefits like possibly losing weight.
Here are four unexpected outcomes of Dry January, according to Ashton:
1. More money in your bank account.
“You’ll definitely save money,” said Ashton. “How much depends obviously on how much you were drinking before, but if you haven’t noticed cocktails and wine out at bars and restaurants can definitely add up so you can save some money by going dry for a month.”
2. A wake-up call on servings.
For women, a moderate alcohol intake per week is defined as seven servings of alcohol or less. For men, it is 14 servings of alcohol or less per week, according to Ashton.
One serving of alcohol is defined as five ounces for wine and just one-and-a-half ounces for hard alcohol, far less than what is typically served in bars, restaurants and people’s homes.
Ashton recommends starting Dry January by doing a reality check with an experiment in your own kitchen. Fill a measuring cup with five ounces of water and then pour the water into a wine glass so you can visualize a five-ounce serving. Do the same for the hard liquor serving size of one-and-a-half ounces.
“Actually [look] at the volume you’re consuming and how that may or may not differ from the reality,” said Ashton. “You could actually be getting double the amount that you think you’re drinking.”
3. Deeper connections with friends and family.
“A lot of people will notice they’re more socially attuned and connected, more plugged into the environment that they’re in, rather than automatically and mindlessly kind of starting to drink when [they]’re in a social situation or environment,” said Ashton. “An example for that would be you meet a friend for a drink and you really find that you’re more focused and concentrated on what he or she is telling you and talking to you about than you might be if you were consuming alcohol.”
4. A fun challenge may turn into something more.
“If you do find [Dry January] really difficult, then do not hesitate to seek professional evaluation for a possible alcohol use, abuse or dependence problem,” Ashton said. “Sometimes that’s the blessing in disguise, that you may start on this dry month as kind of fun thing and uncover a more significant medical and behavioral issue.”
If you are concerned about yourself or a loved one, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMSA) confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). For information and resources about alcohol-related problems and health, visit the website of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) HERE.
