'Pandemic skip,' a COVID mental health phenomenon, could delay major milestones, experts say

The coronavirus pandemic resulted in a lot of loss — and to this day people may be losing out because of it.

A mental health phenomenon dubbed the "pandemic skip" has caught viral attention on social media.

The hosts of the podcast "Between Us Girlies" revealed their understanding of the concept in a TikTok video, which has been viewed over six million times.

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"Whatever age you were when the pandemic started is … where you’re at mentally," Casey Corradin, the Pennsylvania-based co-host, said in the video, which was posted in November 2023.

"So, these women that were, like, 27 when the pandemic started, and then it’s three years later and they’re 30, and everyone around them is having kids, they’re like … ‘I’m not ready to have kids. I’m still young, I’m 27.’"

She added, "We were in our early 20s when the pandemic started — and we took a big chunk of the early-20s, figuring-your-life-out phase, and now we’re 27 and we’re still figuring it out."

Dominique Hamler, a registered nurse and executive director of the Los Angeles Outpatient Center, told Fox News Digital that the pandemic skip could pose a real concern for people of all ages.

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"I am just excited that there is a word for it, because we definitely lost a moment of our lives during the pandemic," she said.

"People were suffering with not only illness, but the fact that we were isolated and couldn't even touch each other for a long period of time."

Hamler worked on the front lines of the pandemic as a registered nurse. She said the pandemic skip refers to "that time period where our lives were disrupted." 

"Our lives were totally changed and will never be the same," she said. "Not to mention our experience of what we lost from the aspect of time that we'll never be able to gain again."

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Hamler considers the concept a "mental regression," as people feel stuck at the same developmental period and age they were when the pandemic started. 

"We're still processing it years later," she said.

Psychologist Dr. Yamalis Diaz of NYU Langone reiterated that the pandemic skip represents a significant pause or slowing down of development.

"It's almost like a movie you paused and resumed," she said in a conversation with Fox News Digital. 

"For people in a developmentally sensitive state … when a lot of developmental change is occurring, such as young adults, it makes sense that they would feel this most, compared to older adults whose lives were already relatively stable when the pandemic started."

Young adults in particular may feel this impact when it comes to completing education, making career decisions, dating, establishing long-term relationships and becoming financially independent, Diaz said. 

"[These] are all critical elements of this developmental stage and were highly impacted by having to ‘pause,’" she said.

Traditional plans and milestones were also put on hold during the pandemic, said Hamler.

"If you were a young adult, maybe thinking about getting married or having kids, that was put on hold," she said.

This "skip" could result in continued delayed development if not addressed, Hamler warned.

"We are just at the tip of the iceberg [when it comes to] addressing mental health as a whole," she said.

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"It's going to delay everything until we start having a conversation about it, start getting the therapy and the treatment we need to address the trauma" that the pandemic caused, she said.

For some people, Hamler suggested a "deeper dive" may be necessary in order to "advance mentally, spiritually and emotionally."

"It's going to take some time and … a full, head-on focus on mental health," she said.

Diaz agreed that the pandemic skip will cause a ripple effect that could delay other milestones, but noted that it’s "not necessarily a completely new phenomenon."

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"[This] is part of the basis for Dr. Jeffrey Arnett’s Emerging Adulthood theory," she said.

Arnett, a psychologist, proposed that people between ages 18 and 25 are in a period called "emerging adulthood."

"In essence, when you look back over generations, the ‘path to adulthood’ has gotten longer, and young adults are reaching what are considered ‘traditional adulthood markers’ — finishing education, leaving home, becoming financially independent, starting a career, getting married and having kids — at older ages."

Since the pandemic was "such a dramatic, ‘stop-everything’ kind of event," Diaz suggested that it’s likely to impact transition times for the 20-something generations, he suggested.

"This is especially true when you also consider mental health, which could also impact young adults' ability to successfully transition through this stage," she said.

"Given that this stage of development is already susceptible to increased anxiety, depression and executive functioning difficulties, the pandemic … added pressure to an already pressured developmental turning point."

Hamler recommended "giving yourself time" instead of chasing milestones that may have been missed.

With 2024 marking four years since the coronavirus outbreak, Hamler encouraged people not to suppress their emotions and to seek professional help when needed.

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"We need to talk about our problems," she said. "It's OK to feel angry, frustrated, depressed, anxious — all these feelings are normal."

"Between Us Girlies" podcast co-host Corradin echoed this remark in a conversation with Fox News Digital.

"It's so comforting to see so many people, across all different ages, who feel the same way," she said.

"[The fact that it's] resonating with so many different people shows us that even if we feel alone — we're not."

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New York health officials warn of whooping cough outbreak among children

An outbreak of whooping cough (pertussis) has been reported on Long Island, New York, according to health officials.

On Dec. 30, 2023, Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott released a statement noting that the county’s health department is tracking a growing number of pertussis cases. 

Of the 108 cases that have been reported, the "vast majority" are children who attend local school districts and their parents, according to the release.

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Most of the patients were vaccinated and have only mild symptoms. 

No hospitalizations have been reported thus far.

"With so many respiratory illnesses currently circulating, some for which there is no treatment, we wanted to make sure that parents know that pertussis, also called whooping cough, can be treated with antibiotics if diagnosed early," said Pigott in the release.

"Whooping cough can be very serious for infants too young to be vaccinated, which is why we are alerting both medical providers and the public that this illness is circulating." 

A highly contagious respiratory tract infection, pertussis gets its more common name "whooping cough" from the severe hacking cough that some people develop.

While the vaccine offers protection against severe illness for children, infants who are too young for vaccination are at the highest risk, according to Mayo Clinic.

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In addition to the cough, initial symptoms mimic those of a cold — including nasal congestion, runny nose, fever, and red, watery eyes.

Symptoms get worse over time, often leading to severe and uncontrollable coughing fits, which end with a "whooping" sound after the patient breathes in due to a buildup of mucus in the airways, Mayo Clinic noted.

Infants are at the highest risk of severe disease and life-threatening complications from whooping cough, including interrupted breathing, pneumonia, seizures or, rarely, death. 

"Pregnant women, individuals with compromised immune systems, and older adults are also more susceptible to severe symptoms," Katy Dubinsky, a New York pharmacist and the CEO and co-founder of Vitalize, a private supplement company, told Fox News Digital.

"The condition becomes dangerous when it leads to severe coughing spells that cause difficulty breathing, vomiting or interrupting normal breathing patterns in infants."

There are some 24 million cases of pertussis worldwide each year and 50,000 in the U.S., according to Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor.

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The primary treatment for pertussis is antibiotics, which are most effective when administered early. 

Azithromycin is the common treatment for children and doxycycline is prescribed to adults, Siegel said.

"It's also important to manage symptoms, especially in severe cases," Dubinsky added. "This might include hospitalization for infants or those with severe symptoms to monitor and treat complications."

Cases of whooping cough decreased during the pandemic, Siegel noted.

"They are increasing more now as our immune systems are exposed to viruses and bacteria we haven't seen and are slower to respond," he noted.

Whooping cough outbreaks typically occur when there are populations with low vaccination rates, noted Dubinsky.

"Pertussis is highly contagious, and in areas where herd immunity is not strong due to insufficient vaccination, the disease can spread more easily," she told Fox News Digital.

"Additionally, the immunity from the vaccine or previous infection wanes over time, which can also contribute to outbreaks."

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The best way to combat and contain an outbreak is through vaccination, according to Dubinsky.

"The DTaP vaccine for children and the Tdap booster for adults and adolescents are crucial," she said.

It is recommended that pregnant women get the Tdap vaccine during each pregnancy, as it helps protect the newborn until they can receive their own vaccinations, Dubinsky added. 

Siegel agreed that the vaccine is effective at decreasing severity, but noted that even vaccinated people can still get a mild case with cough and congestion.

During outbreaks, Dubinsky emphasized the need to practice good hygiene, such as regular hand washing and the use of tissues or elbows to cover coughs. 

"Isolating infected individuals is another key step in preventing the spread," she said.

Suffolk County health officials recommend that anyone diagnosed with whooping cough stays home from work or school until completing five days of antibiotics.

Due to the potential severity in young infants and those with weakened immune systems, it’s important to seek medical attention if pertussis is suspected, Dubinsky stressed.

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As COVID cases rise, probiotics could reduce symptoms and infection, study suggests

For those who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19, probiotics could offer a level of protection against the virus, a new study suggests.

In a randomized, placebo-controlled study led by Duke Health in North Carolina, probiotics were shown to have a "significant ability to delay a COVID infection and reduce symptoms" among people who had not been vaccinated and were exposed to the virus in their households, according to a press release.

The study was published in the journal Clinical Nutrition.

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"In patients who did not have COVID symptoms, when they started taking the probiotic, the lactobacillus probiotic we studied reduced the likelihood of getting COVID over time by 50% and reduced COVID symptoms by 50% as well," said study co-lead Paul Wischmeyer, M.D., associate vice chair for clinical research in Duke’s Department of Anesthesiology, in a statement to Fox News Digital.

This effect was seen in children and adults of all ages, he noted.

The blind study, which launched in March 2020 before vaccines were widely available, included 182 participants who were unvaccinated and had recently been exposed to someone in their household who had tested positive for COVID.

None of the participants had experienced symptoms of the virus.

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Half of them received a probiotic — lactobacillus, which is the bacteria found in yogurt, kefir and kimchi — while the other half received a placebo pill.

"This is a simple, safe probiotic we studied, specifically Culturelle, which you can buy at the store or on Amazon," Wischmeyer noted.

The participants who took the probiotic were about half as likely to have COVID symptoms or to contract the virus compared to those in the placebo group, the researchers found.

The research team was not surprised by the findings, Wischmeyer told Fox News Digital.

"There are many studies showing that probiotics can significantly reduce both the acquiring of viral infections and the severity of viral infections," he said.

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In a large study of healthy babies that was published in the journal Nature in 2017, it was shown that taking a daily lactobacillus probiotic could significantly reduce viral and other respiratory infections as well as death, the doctor pointed out.

Additional studies have shown that probiotics can reduce respiratory infections by 32% to 50% and reduce the length of respiratory and viral illness by two days or more in people who take them daily, Wischmeyer added.

The researchers do not recommend that people skip COVID vaccines in light of these findings — but suggest that probiotics could provide an added layer of protection.

"The data appears to show that taking a probiotic when you receive a vaccine should improve the vaccine’s effectiveness and make it work better, as has been shown in some initial studies," said Wischmeyer.

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are beneficial to the digestive system, according to WebMD.

Also referred to as "good" bacteria, probiotics contribute to gut health.

They can be consumed through fermented foods — including yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, kombucha and others — and also via supplements.

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Probiotics increase the production of regulatory T-cells (white blood cells that help boost the body’s immune response), reduce inflammation, protect the lungs against infection, and express antiviral genes that help combat the COVID virus, the study found.

In addition to reducing the risk of respiratory infections, probiotics have been shown to have many other benefits, Wischmeyer told Fox News Digital.

These include improved gut health, improved immune function, reduced risk of diarrhea or gastrointestinal issues, and reduced risk for autoimmune diseases. 

"There is also some data for improved weight management and improvement in depression and other brain benefits," the doctor added.

Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurologist and longevity expert, was not involved in the Duke study but offered his input on the findings.

"This outcome aligns with the known anti-inflammatory properties of probiotics," he told Fox News Digital. 

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COVID-19 triggers a "robust inflammatory response" that can affect the lungs, heart, brain and peripheral nervous system, Osborn pointed out. 

"The induced inflammation is a critical factor in the severity of the disease, which is precisely why the first effective treatment in the early days of the pandemic was corticosteroids, potent anti-inflammatory agents," he went on. "While probiotics offer a less robust anti-inflammatory effect, they still contribute to reducing inflammation."

Reducing the body’s inflammatory response may result in less severe disease outcomes and reduced tissue damage, potentially minimizing long-term effects, the doctor added.

Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, who was also not involved in the Duke Health research, agreed that this was a "well-done study" with expected results.

"Probiotics have long been shown to have a positive impact in the fight against respiratory viruses," he told Fox News Digital. 

"We have known for years that the gut plays a major role in COVID, and many with COVID develop GI symptoms," Siegel added. "Taking probiotics when around COVID has little downside for most, and I think it is a good idea."

The doctor did note that further research should be done into the benefits, however.

The primary limitation of the study was its small size, the researchers acknowledged.

"While limited in sample size, our study lends credence to the notion that our symbiotic microbes can be valuable partners in the fight against COVID-19 and potentially other future pandemic diseases," Wischmeyer said. 

"This may be particularly relevant in under-resourced nations where vaccination rates have lagged and even in the U.S., where COVID boosters are not widely accessed."

Osborn agreed, noting, "Although the study's limited size prevented statistical significance, the results suggest a potential protective effect of probiotics in individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2."

Based on the research, Wischmeyer said the majority of people worldwide can benefit from taking a daily probiotic to reduce their risk of not only getting COVID and experiencing severe symptoms, but also the risk of getting other respiratory infections like influenza, RSV and other viruses.

"If you are taking immunosuppressive medications, you should talk to your doctor before starting a probiotic, but it may still be safe if your doctor approves," he added.

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COVID cases and hospitalizations are on the rise along with other respiratory illnesses, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Fewer than 20% of people in the U.S. have gotten the updated COVID vaccine, the agency reports.

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All eyes are on glaucoma, the ‘silent thief of sight’ — and the truth behind 7 myths

To kick off Glaucoma Awareness Month in January, experts are setting the record straight on some common myths about what the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) calls the "silent thief of sight."

Approximately three million Americans have glaucoma.

Yet only half of them are aware they have the potentially blinding disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

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Here’s the truth behind some common myths, according to glaucoma experts.

Glaucoma has no symptoms in its early stages, the AAO shared with Fox News Digital in a statement.

The disorder, which is caused by a group of ocular conditions that damage the optic nerve, is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, per the CDC.

"The optic nerve is made of more than a million tiny nerve fibers," the AAO stated. 

"It is like an electric cable made up of many small wires."

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When the nerve fibers die, blind spots develop — but it’s often not until later in the course of the disease that patients develop symptoms.

When all the nerve fibers die, the patient loses his or her vision to glaucoma — and is not able to see again.

Anyone can get glaucoma, but the disease’s prevalence increases with age.

"Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness for people over 60 years old," the AAO noted.

Even babies can get glaucoma, with an estimated one in 10,000 infants born with the condition, according to The Glaucoma Foundation’s website.

If someone in the family has had glaucoma, everyone else, including children, should be tested for the eye disease, The Glaucoma Foundation advises.

But people without a family history are still at risk for the disease. 

Some of the highest-risk groups include those who: are age 40 or older; have had a previous eye injury; are farsighted or nearsighted; have used steroids long-term; or have diabetes, migraines or high blood pressure, the AAO added.

African Americans are not only six times more likely to get glaucoma than Caucasian Americans, but they are also more likely to develop the disease earlier in life, according to the CDC.

Asian Americans are also at high risk for developing glaucoma. 

And recent research has found that the condition is much more common in Hispanics than previously thought.

There are many types of glaucoma, but the one thing they all have in common is damage to the optic nerve.

Not all of them necessarily involve elevated eye pressure, otherwise known as intraocular eye pressure (IOP), although many of them do.

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The eye constantly makes aqueous humor (clear, water-like fluid), and as new aqueous flows in, the same amount should drain out, the AAO noted.

"In a healthy eye, fluid leaves the eye through the drainage angle, keeping pressure stable," the academy said in a statement. 

"But if the drainage angle is not working properly, fluid builds up."

When the pressure becomes too intense, the sensitive organ gives at its weakest point where the optic nerve leaves the eye, according to The Glaucoma Foundation. 

While most types of glaucoma create increased pressure due to the backup of fluid, not all cases are associated with IOP.

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"Glaucoma specialists believe that some forms of glaucoma are strongly related to vascular changes and impaired ‘nutrition’ (poor blood flow) to the optic nerve," The Glaucoma Foundation noted in a statement. 

People with high blood pressure do not necessarily have elevated eye pressures — and there are people with elevated eye pressures who do not have high blood pressure, experts say.

Those who do have elevated eye pressures should be monitored to make sure they don’t develop glaucoma.

People with elevated eye pressures may have no signs of eye damage, the AAO noted.

"These patients are considered ‘glaucoma suspects’ and have a higher risk of eventually developing glaucoma," the academy said.

"Controlling blood pressure does not mean IOP is controlled," The Glaucoma Foundation added.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness. Approximately 90% of blindness due to glaucoma could be prevented with early detection, diagnosis and prompt treatment, per The Glaucoma Foundation.

The condition can often be controlled with eyedrop medication.

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"When you use drops for glaucoma, these are often meant to be lifelong eye medications," Nishika Reddy, M.D., assistant professor of ophthalmology at Moran Eye Center’s Midvalley Health Center at The University of Utah, told Fox News Digital. 

"While you will not notice a change in your vision while using the drops, trust that they are working to prevent this disease from progressing," she also said.

Reddy emphasized the importance of telling your eye doctor about any medications you're .c.urrently taking — especially steroids, asthma medications or allergy medications, as these can affect eye pressure.

Promising new research from the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass Eye and Ear at Mass General Brigham has highlighted the potential of restoring vision in the future after someone with glaucoma develops blindness.

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In a recent study published in the journal PNAS, a team of researchers transformed stem cells from the blood into specialized eye cells in mice that were capable of traveling and surviving in the retina after they were transplanted, according to a press release.

"We realized that the adult and diseased eye is not the most hospitable environment for the transplant, and our multidisciplinary team figured out the way to fertilize the host retina to support and guide donor cells into the right place," senior author Petr Baranov, M.D., PhD, of Mass Eye and Ear — also an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School — told Fox News Digital.

While more than three million people currently have glaucoma in the U.S., that number is expected to grow to 4.2 million by 2030, according to the National Eye Institute.

Getting regular eye exams can help your ophthalmologist detect the beginnings of the disease before vision loss occurs, the AAO noted.

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To reduce cancer risk, skip the alcohol, report suggests: ‘No safe amount’

For those participating in "Dry January," another potential benefit of giving up alcohol has emerged. 

Giving up alcoholic drinks — or reducing the amount that's consumed — could reduce the risk of getting oral or esophageal cancer, according to a special report published in The New England Journal of Medicine on Dec. 28.

Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO), analyzed multiple studies to determine the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer occurrence.

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"Based on the evidence reviewed from relevant studies published to date, the Working Group concluded that there is sufficient evidence that, compared with continuing consumption, reduction or cessation of alcoholic beverage consumption reduces the risk of oral cancer and oesophageal cancer," said Beatrice Lauby-Secretan, PhD, head of the IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention in France, in a statement to Fox News Digital.

More research is needed to determine if curbing alcohol intake could also reduce the risk of other types of cancer.

"The evidence that reduction or cessation of alcoholic beverage consumption reduces cancer risk was limited for laryngeal, breast and colorectal cancers," Lauby-Secretan noted.

Stopping alcohol consumption for a period of five to nine years was shown to reduce oral cancer risk by 34%, the researchers found. 

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Cutting out alcohol completely for 10 to 19 years reduced the risk by 55%.

For esophageal cancer, five to 15 years without alcohol cut the risk by 15% — and 15 years or more of alcohol abstinence reduced the risk by 65%.

When someone drinks alcohol, the body metabolizes it to acetaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen. 

Eliminating alcohol prevents this from occurring, the researchers found.

Alcohol has also been shown to have genotoxicity, which means it causes damage to DNA — which can lead to cancer.

Finally, alcohol consumption can affect the immune and inflammatory systems, Lauby-Secretan noted.

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The main limitation of the review is that there were only a certain number of existing studies available to review.

"The Working Group was surprised about the limited number of studies available for review on the reduction in cancer risk associated with reduction or cessation of alcohol consumption," Lauby-Secretan told Fox News Digital. 

"Such studies are abundant for tobacco cessation, but much less so for alcohol consumption," she went on. 

"Also, very few studies investigated the effect of reducing the amount of alcohol consumed, with most studies looking at cessation."

Prior research has shown that even low amounts of alcohol consumption increase the risk of breast and other types of cancers, including oral, pharyngeal and oesophageal cancers. 

"And now we have evidence that reduction or cessation of alcoholic beverage consumption can reduce the risk caused by consumption for those who currently consume alcohol," Lauby-Secretan said. "In short, less is better."

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Alcohol consumption is a "major public health concern," the researcher noted.

"It is important to raise awareness about the fact that alcoholic beverage consumption causes cancer," said Lauby-Secretan. "The risk of developing cancer increases substantially the more alcohol is consumed."

All types of alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine and spirits, are linked to cancer, she added, regardless of their quality or price.

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Sudarsan Kollimuttathuillam, M.D., a medical oncologist and hematologist at City of Hope Orange County in California, was not involved in the study but said he did not find the results surprising. 

"A growing body of evidence links alcohol use to increased risk for several types of cancer," he told Fox News Digital. 

"Alcohol consumption is associated with around 6% of all U.S. cancer diagnoses," he added. "The associations and mechanisms are not yet fully understood, but include accumulated damage to DNA, the cells and the liver."

Although consuming alcohol does not definitely lead to cancer for everyone, Kollimuttathuillam noted there is "no safe amount" to drink, just as there isn’t a safe number of cigarettes you can smoke. 

"Simply put, when it comes to preventing cancer, the less you drink, the better, and not drinking at all is best," he advised.

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For those who choose to consume alcohol, the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests limiting intake to no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.

"The good news is that alcohol use is among the cancer risk factors we can act on," Kollimuttathuillam said. 

"As a medical oncologist, one of my most frequent recommendations to patients is to make — and maintain — healthy lifestyle changes as part of their cancer prevention or treatment plan."

Those changes typically include limiting alcohol, quitting tobacco if used, eating more green, leafy vegetables and whole grains, reducing or eliminating highly processed foods, maintaining a healthy body weight and being physically active, the doctor said. 

"If you are a patient with cancer or a cancer survivor, speak with your oncologist about your alcohol intake and ways to reduce or eliminate drinking if needed," he recommended.

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New COVID variant JN.1 now comprises up to 30% of US cases: CDC

The latest variant of the COVID-19 virus, JN.1, is now responsible for an estimated 15% to 29% of cases in the U.S. as of Dec. 8, according to a posted update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

JN.1, which is currently the country’s fastest growing variant, is expected to continue to increase in prevalence among COVID cases, the CDC stated.

It is very similar to the BA.2.86 variant, which is an omicron subvariant that emerged in August.

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"The continued growth of JN.1 suggests that it is either more transmissible or better at evading our immune systems," the CDC said in the update. 

Despite its quick growth, the agency said "there is no evidence that JN.1 presents an increased risk to public health relative to other currently circulating variants," as it does not appear to cause increased severity of illness.

The vaccines, tests and treatments that are currently available are expected to be effective against JN.1.

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"This variant is spreading very rapidly, but fortunately the current updated vaccine continues to provide good protection against severe disease and the need to be hospitalized, and it will protect you from dying," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases physician at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Tennessee, on "America’s Newsroom" on FOX News Channel on Dec. 22.

People’s symptoms and severity of illness are linked more to their overall health and strength of immunity than which COVID variant they have contracted, according to the CDC.

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COVID cases are currently elevated in the U.S., along with influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

"We expected this increase because COVID-19 has had a pattern of increasing and peaking in late summer, and then again peaking around the new year," the CDC stated.

"Right now, we do not know to what extent JN.1 may be contributing to these increases or possible increases through the rest of December like those seen in previous years."

The agency also said, "CDC will closely monitor COVID-19 activity and the spread of JN.1."

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