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Walking is one of the best exercises available to average folks, and it can be as easy as stepping out your front door, experts say. “It is something you can easily fit into your lifestyle,” said Dr. James McDeavitt, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation and executive vice president and dean of clinical affairs at Baylor College of Medicine. Walking has been shown to improve heart health and contribute to better mental health. It can even ward off osteoporosis by toughening up bones, McDeavitt added. Walking also serves as a wonderful entry point for someone looking to improve physical activity, since it involves less wear and tear on the joints than running. Even for people with health problems that impair mobility, walking is a good exercise option, McDeavitt said. Indoor running tracks provide a safe environment, particularly if someone has the company of a caregiver or loved one. However, treadmills and other automated cardio machines should be avoided by those with severe mobility issues, as there’s a greater risk of injury with those devices. Folks who’ve been inactive should start by consistently walking five to 10 minutes a day, and then gradually increasing that time, McDeavitt said. McDeavitt recommends walking at a low intensity for a longer duration to get the most out of walking, rather than trying to power-walk. However, walking at a faster… read on > read on >

Doctors sometimes prescribe antibiotics to help treat a cough, but a new study shows the drugs won’t help reduce the severity or duration of coughing — even if a bacterial infection is the culprit. Lower respiratory tract infections that cause coughing have the potential to become more dangerous, with 3% to 5% of these patients suffering from pneumonia, said lead researcher Dr. Dan Merenstein, a professor of family medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine, in Washington, D.C. “But not everyone has easy access at an initial visit to an X-ray, which may be the reason clinicians still give antibiotics without any other evidence of a bacterial infection,” Merenstein said in a Georgetown news release. This has led some patients to expect antibiotics for a cough, Merenstein said. To see if antibiotics make any difference, researchers tracked their use in people presenting with lower respiratory tract infections. About 29% of people were prescribed an antibiotic during their initial medical visit, but the drugs had no effect on their cough compared to those who didn’t get a prescription. It also took the same amount of time for people to get over their infection, whether or not they got an antibiotic — about 17 days. The new study was published April 15 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. Overuse of antibiotics is increasing the risk that… read on > read on >

Among U.S. women with migraine, a third say the attacks tend to coincide with their periods, a new survey finds. Migraines that occur during menstruation are often frequent and severe, but only about one in five respondents said they used medications aimed at preventing the headaches. “If you have migraines related to your menstrual cycle, discuss this with your gynecologist or neurologist. There are treatments that can help and if the first treatment tried does not work, do not give up,” said study lead author Dr. Jessica Ailani. She’s professor of clinical neurology at Georgetown University School of Medicine. The new study was funded by Pfizer, which makes a migraine medication. The findings are slated to be presented Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, in Denver. Ailani and her colleagues looked at data collected from adult women with migraine as part of the 2021 U.S. National Health and Wellness Survey. They found that a third of the women said their migraines often occurred during their periods. In more than half of these cases (52.5%), the women were premenopausal. Migraines occurred frequently during menstrual periods — an average of 8.4 headache days per month — and they were often severe, with just over 56% of women ranking their severity as moderate-to–severe on a standard scale. Many women attempted to treat the… read on > read on >

Lucid episodes are an unexpected occurrence among people with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. But these spontaneous events — in which a person temporarily regains an ability to communicate that appeared to be permanently lost — are not always a sign of impending death, a recent study argues. Half the time, people live more than six months following their lucid episode, results show. Another third of the time, the person lives a week to six months after a lucid episode. This runs contrary to prior research that indicated these episodes might signal imminent death, said lead researcher Joan Griffin, with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “It’s important for people to know that these are not necessarily harbingers for death,” Griffin said in a Mayo news release. “I think people can get anxious when they happen, so it’s good to know that there are different kinds of episodes that don’t necessarily mean death is imminent.” The new study is also the first to identify four different types of lucid episode that can occur. The most common is preceded by a visit with family or friends, and occurs among people who continued to live longer than six months after the episode, researchers said. About 33% of patients experienced this type of lucid episode. The least common occurs within a week of death, but also coincides with… read on > read on >

Quiet preteens who feel they’re a burden on others are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and behaviors, a new study reports. Criticism from parents or caregivers also increased the likelihood of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, researchers found. Preteen girls with these traits are at especially high risk, according to the study published recently in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. “Preadolescent [suicidal thoughts and behaviors] are dramatically increasing, and it is critical to identify risk factors that can be clinically assessed and modified with treatment,” said lead researcher Renee Thompson, an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences with Washington University in St. Louis. For the study, Thompson and her team surveyed 192 children ages 7 to 12 for signs of suicidal thoughts, based on risk factors like depression, feelings of disconnection or burdensomeness, criticism and conflict with caregivers, and the ability to express one’s feelings. The surveys were conducted weekly with children whose caregivers reported incidents of suicidal thoughts or self-harm, and monthly for other kids, for a year. About 30% of the kids met the criteria for major depression, and during the year 70 children were found to have suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Overall, girls were four times more likely than boys to report thoughts of suicide or self-harming actions, researchers found. Boys and girls with symptoms… read on > read on >

You know exercise is great for your cardiovascular health, but new research suggests that your brain has a lot to do with it. It’s all about physical activity’s ability to lower stress levels within the brain, explained a team at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston. Bolstering that finding, their study found that exercise brought the greatest heart benefits to people with histories of depression. “Physical activity was roughly twice as effective in lowering cardiovascular disease risk among those with depression,” noted study lead author Dr. Ahmed Tawakol. He’s an investigator and cardiologist in the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center at MGH. The study was published April 15 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. In the research, Tawakol’s team looked at a median 10 years of data on more than 50,000 people enrolled in the Mass General Brigham Biobank database. All of the participants kept records of their physical activity. A subset of 774 also underwent brain scans and other tests measuring their stress-linked brain activity. Over the decade of follow-up, almost 13% of the participants went on to develop heart disease, the researchers reported. However, folks who met standard recommendations for physical activity were 23% less likely to receive such a diagnosis. Those individuals also had markedly less brain activity associated with stress than people who exercised less, Tawakol’s team found. Specifically, fitter… read on > read on >

Preparing a kid for summer camp is already a daunting task, and it’s even more complicated if your child has allergies or asthma, experts say. “Kids with allergies and asthma need an extra layer of protection when they head off to summer camp,” said allergist Dr. Gailen Marshall Jr., president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). “You want them to have as much fun as every other kid at camp, but in order to do that, certain systems need to be in place, and precautions must be taken to lock down a symptom-free experience,” Marshall said in an ACAAI news release. To that end, the ACAAI offers a handful of tips to help your camper have a fun-filled summer with few worries about their allergies or asthma: Consider a specialty camp. Many camps focus solely on kids with asthma or food allergies. These camps provide specialized medical staff trained to treat allergic diseases. If you’re concerned a regular camp might not be fully prepared to handle your child’s condition, this might be the best option. Pack smart. Visit your child’s allergist and make sure prescriptions for allergy meds and asthma inhalers are up to date and match their current height and weight. Also send your kid off with a sufficient supply of epinephrine auto-injectors in case they have severe allergic reactions… read on > read on >

Cancer-linked ‘forever chemicals’ made news this week, with the Biden Administration vowing to cut levels in the nation’s tap water. New research finds that the chemicals, known as PFAS, can also contaminate the seafood Americans eat. No one is advising that consumers avoid fish and shellfish, the study’s authors stressed. However, their findings point to a need for federal guidelines on PFAS levels in seafood, similar to what happens with mercury. “People who eat a balanced diet with more typical, moderate amounts of seafood should be able to enjoy the health benefits of seafood without excessive risk of PFAS exposure,” said study first author Kathryn Crawford, now an assistant professor of environmental studies at Middlebury College in Vermont. She worked on the study as a postdoctoral researcher at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to PFAS chemicals leaked from industrial sites and other sources has long been linked to various cancers, liver and heart issues, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children. “PFAS are not limited to manufacturing, fire-fighting foams or municipal waste streams — they are a decades-long global challenge,” study co-author Jonathan Petali, a toxicologist with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, noted in a Dartmouth news release. In the research, Petali, Crawford and colleagues analyzed levels of 26 different forms of PFAS in… read on > read on >

Rosacea is a common skin condition that causes redness on a person’s face. It commonly appears as a tendency to blush or flush more easily, but also can cause more serious symptoms like: Swollen skin. Skin that stings, burns or is very sensitive. Visible broken blood vessels. Acne-like breakouts. Oily skin. “With rosacea, there can be many triggers that will worsen symptoms or cause a flare-up,” said Dr. Lycia Thornburg, a board-certified dermatologist in Rapid City, S.D.. Still, “it’s possible to control your rosacea and even prevent it from getting worse by recognizing and avoiding triggers, ranging from alcohol to sunlight to the skin care products you use,” she added in an American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) news release. To help manage rosacea symptoms, Thornburg and the AAD recommend that people: Choose rosacea-friendly products. Look for products that say they are noncomedogenic, meaning they don’t clog pores and are made for sensitive skin. Avoid face products that contain alcohol, camphor, fragrance, glycolic acid, lactic acid, menthol, sodium laurel sulfate and urea. Test skin care products. Before using any products, test them on a quarter-sized patch of your skin on the inside of your arm every day for a week to 10 days. If your skin remains clear, that means the product most likely won’t cause a rosacea flare-up. Cleanse and moisturize. Avoid the temptation to… read on > read on >

Standardized tests put a lot of pressure on teenagers who want to secure their future and make their parents and teachers proud. This stress can lead to symptoms like stomach aches, sleep problems, irritability and heightened emotionality, experts say. But there are concrete steps students can take to prepare for a standardized test while also keeping their cool. Live healthy. Getting enough sleep, eating healthy without skipping meals and engaging in some physical activity are all healthy lifestyle habits that help reduce stress, said Eric Storch, vice chair of psychology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “A lot of people end up thinking they need to spend more time studying or don’t have time for exercise or meals, but it ends up turning into a vicious cycle of not taking care of yourself, which contributes to worse future performance,” Storch said in a Baylor news release. Schedule breaks. Make sure breaks to relax and unwind are included in a study schedule. Manage expectations. A sense of perspective about these tests is important. Students shouldn’t think about them in black-and-white terms of total success or utter failure. “Reflect on if the world will end if you don’t get a perfect score. Maybe you didn’t do as well as you wanted on that test, but you didn’t fail,” Storch said. Talking with a friend or parent… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Walking Your Way to Better Health

Antibiotics Probably Won’t Ease Your Cough, Even If Infection is Bacterial: Study

One in 3 Women With Migraines Say Attacks Occur During Periods

Researchers Probe Moments of Lucid Clarity Among People With Advanced Dementias

‘Feeling Like a Burden’ Can Be Motivator for Suicide in Preteens

Exercise Could Help Your Heart by Calming the Brain: Study

Planning Safe Summer Camp Fun for Kids With Allergies & Asthma

Seafood Can Pass on PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Study Finds

Tips To Getting Your Rosacea Under Control

Parents, You Can Ease a Teen’s Stress Around Standardized Tests