Weekly Gravy « Weekly Gravy

All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

It’s not the late nights, but the smoking and drinking that happen during those late nights, that are killing people who are “night owls” earlier in life, a new study claims. Researchers studied twins in Finland for 37 years, looking at different chronotypes, the body’s natural inclination to sleep at a certain time. Although they saw that the evening types had a slightly increased risk of dying than the morning types, it was those other habits that were at the root of that greater likelihood of premature death, the study found. The findings were published June 15 in the journal Chronobiology International. “Our findings suggest that there is little or no independent contribution of chronotype to mortality,” said study author Dr. Christer Hublin, from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in Helsinki. “In addition, the increased risk of mortality associated with being a clearly ‘evening’ person appears to be mainly accounted for by a larger consumption of tobacco and alcohol,” Hublin said in a journal news release. “This is compared to those who are clearly ‘morning’ persons.” Researchers were inspired to do this study by past studies that had linked night owls to a higher risk of disease, including heart problems. Among those were data from the UK Biobank published as part of a 2018 study that found a small increased risk of death from… read on > read on >

If you suffer from upper back pain, it’s time to reclaim your comfort and regain control of your daily life. Relief from this debilitating condition is within reach. Here, you will learn about the causes of upper back pain and strategies to alleviate your discomfort. What is upper back pain? Imagine discomfort that takes residence between your shoulder blades, affecting your daily life, and keeping you from doing many of the things you love. That’s just what upper back pain entails — a sensation of pain or discomfort from the base of your neck to the bottom of your ribcage. According to Dignity Health, this form of back pain can vary in intensity, ranging from a mild annoyance to a debilitating ache, and it can either be persistent or surface only during certain activities. While back pain is widespread, upper left back pain and upper right back pain are less common than their counterparts in the lower back. The bones in your upper and middle back form a sturdy connection with your ribcage, limiting their mobility compared to the more flexible bones in your neck and lower back. This unique skeletal structure contributes to the distinctive nature of upper back pain, requiring specific attention and care. What is causing my upper back pain? If you are experiencing upper back pain, you want to understand what… read on > read on >

More than 7,500 people were killed last year after being struck by vehicles while walking along or across U.S. roadways — the most pedestrian deaths in more than four decades, according to a new report. This sobering trend was not surprising to experts who track the numbers. But they were dismayed by the consistent increase — up 77% since 2010. “This is unacceptable. It’s really mind-boggling. It hard to wrap your head around, at least it’s hard for me to wrap my head, 20 deaths every single day,” said Adam Snider, a spokesman for the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), which reported state-by-state numbers this week. “And then when you think about how many people each single death affects: family members, neighbors, friends, mentors, pastors, how many other people we touch in our daily lives,” Snider said. “To think of all those ripple effects, I’m sometimes at a loss for words, just with how unfortunate and awful the situation is.” While pedestrian deaths have been rising sharply over the past dozen years, other traffic-related deaths also increased but at a lower 25%. GHSA used data from state highway safety offices in 49 states and Washington, D.C., for its report. Oklahoma did not provide state data, but has averaged 92 deaths annually in recent years. The projected 7,508 pedestrian deaths nationwide last year was up 1%… read on > read on >

New York-based physical therapist Brittany Garrett, now 33, was sidelined by excruciating hip pain for close to eight years before she got an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. She tried physical therapy to improve her flexibility, among other treatments, but nothing seemed to help. The former volleyball player’s pain was so intense that it was getting in the way of her career and her active lifestyle. “I have to be able to demonstrate exercises, do lunges, be on my feet, get on and off the floor and lift heavy things, and I couldn’t,” Garrett recalled. She eventually underwent imaging exams, including an MRI that showed she had femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), an underdiagnosed condition that occurs when abnormal growths at the hip joint cause painful friction and set the stage for hip osteoarthritis, the wear-and-tear form of the disease. “It was a relief to have the diagnosis and know that it was an anatomical issue, and there was also relief in knowing that I could have surgery to get rid of pain and get my life back,” Garrett said. In the past, this type of surgery involved huge incisions and dislocating the hip, but now some surgeons can treat FAI with minimally invasive hip surgery via tiny incisions and instruments guided by a small camera, reducing risks and downtime. Garrett underwent two minimally invasive surgeries to… read on > read on >

Whiplash — an often underestimated injury that can strike in the aftermath of a collision — inflicts injury and pain on its unsuspecting victims. If you find yourself grappling with the relentless effects of whiplash, you’re not alone. Numerous legal websites estimate that at least 3 million Americans per year sustain whiplash injuries. Here’s what you should know about a whiplash injury, including what it is, and its causes, symptoms and treatments. What is whiplash? “Whiplash is a type of neck injury that occurs when an individual’s head is jerked backward and then forward suddenly, similar to the cracking of a whip. It commonly happens during motor vehicle accidents, particularly rear-end collisions, but it can also occur during sports activities or falls,” said Dr. Jeremy Smith, an orthopedic spine surgeon and director of the spine surgery fellowship at Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Southern California. The unfortunate truth is that whiplash neck is no joke. The Cleveland Clinic indicates that whiplash is often dismissed as fleeting pain, soreness or stiffness. However, the ramifications can be far-reaching, leading to long-term pain and complications. In the most extreme cases, whiplash has the potential to unleash severe spinal injuries, causing permanent disability or even proving fatal. What causes a whiplash injury? “The primary cause of whiplash injury is the sudden and forceful movement of the head and neck,” Smith… read on > read on >

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have long-term effects, much like a chronic condition, a new study says. Looking at hundreds of patients, researchers found that problems related to traumatic brain injuries can last for years, with people improving and declining at different time points. These problems encompassed memory, thinking and everyday functioning. “TBI is essentially a chronic condition like many other chronic conditions,” said lead researcher Benjamin Brett, an assistant professor in the Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. “Things can change, both up and down, improve and decline throughout multiple years.” Because of this, there’s a need to monitor patients “well beyond that post-injury period,” Brett said. “We need to establish systems of care that involve continued monitoring and treatment.” The idea may be controversial, however. A chronic condition implies an underlying disease that is expected to change and/or get worse in predictable ways, said Dr. Daniel Torres, a neurologist at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “I would not consider TBI a chronic condition because it is an unpredictable condition with which different individuals can have greatly different consequences,” Torres said. For the study, Brett and his colleagues collected data on more than 900 people who had mild TBIs, mostly concussions, and nearly 200 people who had moderate to severe TBI. These were conditions like… read on > read on >

(HealthDay News) – Americans could soon be eating “lab-grown” chicken at upscale restaurants after the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved products made by two companies on Wednesday. Upside Foods and Good Meat, both based in California, will be the first in the United States to sell meat that’s cultivated in a laboratory rather than from slaughtered animals. The meat is still actually meat, coming from animal cells, fertilized eggs or stored cells. “Instead of all of that land and all of that water that’s used to feed all of these animals that are slaughtered, we can do it in a different way,” Josh Tetrick, co-founder and chief executive of Eat Just, which operates Good Meat, told the Associated Press. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had already determined the products were safe to eat, the AP reported. Manufacturing company Joinn Biologics was given the go-ahead to make products, which will initially be sold at the restaurant Bar Crenn in San Francisco in the case of Upside products, and at restaurant in Washington, D.C., run by chef Jose Andrés in the case of Good Meat. Singapore was the first country to begin allowing cultivated meat, the AP reported. The meat is grown in steel tanks, coming out in large sheets and then cut into expected shapes. The Upside chicken looks slightly paler, but has the same… read on > read on >

Consuming omega-3 fatty acids like flaxseed oil and walnuts may help slow the decline in physical function related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), new research suggests. ALS (formerly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. People with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement over time. The average life span after diagnosis is two to five years. A slower decline in symptoms may also slightly extend survival for people with ALS, the researchers noted. The new study findings were published online June 21 in the journal Neurology. “The link our study found between diet and ALS is intriguing and suggests, but does not prove, that people with ALS may benefit from incorporating more omega-3 fatty acids into their diet,” said Dr. Kjetil Bjornevik, an assistant professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in Boston. “It will now be important to conduct additional research looking specifically at the plant-based omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid in people with ALS to further explore this possibility,” Bjornevik said in a journal news release. Besides flaxseed oil and walnuts, good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include canola oil and pumpkin seeds. Consuming more omega-6 fatty acid could also be beneficial, the investigators found. To study the link between… read on > read on >

Wild and feral cats appear to release more toxoplasmosis parasites in places densely populated with people, new research suggests. These cats also “shed” more when the temperature is warmer, a significant finding given climate change, according to the report published online June 21 in PLOS ONE. Policymakers could help protect humans from this illness by better managing these stray cat populations, the researchers said. “Changes from climate or human activities can affect disease transmission in ways that we don’t fully understand yet,” said study author Sophie Zhu, of the University of California, Davis, and colleagues. “In our study, we can see how these factors may be associated with changes in Toxoplasma shedding by cats, which in turn can affect the risk of exposure to vulnerable people and wildlife,” the researchers explained in a journal news release. Toxoplasmosis is a mild-to-severe disease that can be especially dangerous in pregnancy. It is caused by Toxoplasma gondii, which can affect humans and many wild and domestic animals. Cats, sheep, mice, birds and sea otters are among the vulnerable creatures. Humans can become infected when they accidentally come in contact with an infected cat’s feces. This can happen unknowingly while gardening, for example. While most T. gondii transmission is driven by domestic cats shedding the parasite at a stage of its life cycle known as oocyst, research has tended… read on > read on >

Living in a walkable neighborhood fosters socialization and helps create a strong sense of community, new research shows. Among the active behaviors these walkable neighborhoods promote are walking for leisure or as transportation to school, work shopping or home. “Our built environments create or deny long-lasting opportunities for socialization, physical activity, contact with nature and other experiences that affect public health,” said senior study author James Sallis, a professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. “Transportation and land use policies across the U.S. have strongly prioritized car travel and suburban development, so millions of Americans live in neighborhoods where they must drive everywhere, usually alone, and have little or no chance to interact with their neighbors,” Sallis added in a university news release. Data came from the Neighborhood Quality of Life Study, which included 1,745 adults ages 20 to 66 living in 32 neighborhoods located in and around Seattle, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. In walkable neighborhoods, people can wave hello to a neighbor, ask for help or socialize in their homes, said study first author Jacob Carson, a student in the UC San Diego – San Diego State University Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health. Neighborhoods where driving is necessary may have the opposite effect, preventing neighbors from socializing. “Promoting social interaction is an important public… read on > read on >

Weekly Gravy

Look Good – Feel Good – Feed Good

A little about: Weekly Gravy

All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

What’s Really Killing the ‘Night Owls’?

Upper Back Pain: Causes and How to Treat It

Danger Afoot: U.S. Pedestrian Deaths at Highest Level in 41 Years

Tough-to-Diagnose Hip Condition Caused Her ‘Excruciating Pain’ Until She Got a New Type of Surgery

You’ve Suffered Whiplash: Know the Symptoms & Treatments

Head Injury Outcomes Could Take Years to Unfold

First Chicken Meat Grown in Labs Gets U.S. Approval

Diet Heavy in Omega-3s Might Help Slow ALS

Stray Cats Shed Toxoplasmosis Parasites in Cities, Especially in Warm Weather

Social Lives Can Thrive in Walk-Friendly Neighborhoods