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The ancient Japanese practice of reiki “energy healing” might help some cancer patients deal with the pain that can come with infusion therapies, new research shows. “Outpatients receiving reiki during infusion reported clinically significant improvements in all symptoms, high levels of satisfaction and a qualitatively positive healing experience,” reported a team led by Natalie Dyer, of Connor Whole Health at the University Hospitals of Cleveland. Her team published its findings recently in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. The Cleveland Clinic notes that reiki “has roots in ancient Japanese healing practices and is considered a form of energy healing. It stems from the Japanese words ‘rei,’ meaning universal, and ‘ki,’ meaning vital life force energy.” The theory behind reiki is that people all have a life force and a reiki master (a practitioner trained in reiki) can channel the “universal life force energy” to you by either lightly touching you with their hands or hovering their hands above you, “channeling” energy in healthy ways. Does reiki work beyond a possible placebo effect? That still “up for debate,” the Cleveland Clinic said, and probably will be for some time to come. In the new study, Dyer and colleagues tracked outcomes for 268 cancer patients who were receiving infusion treatments such as chemotherapy on an outpatient basis. These treatments can come with painful side effects, such… read on > read on >

In what appears to be a last-ditch effort to limit the harms of smoking before its term ends, the Biden administration has proposed a rule that would significantly lower the amount of nicotine in tobacco products. The agency’s efforts to counter the dangers of the addictive chemical stretch back to 2018, when it first proposed the idea. Then, FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf went even further in 2022 and announced that the agency was developing a rule that would require tobacco companies to reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes. The next step in that effort took place Tuesday when the FDA finally submitted its refined proposal to the Office of Management and Budget. “A proposed product standard to establish a maximum nicotine level to reduce the addictiveness of cigarettes and certain combusted tobacco products, when finalized, would be among the most impactful population-level actions in the history of U.S. tobacco product regulation,” the FDA told CNN on Wednesday. The latest action was welcomed by health experts. “Once finalized, this rule could be a game-changer in our nation’s efforts to eliminate tobacco use,” Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, told CNN. “Making tobacco products non-addictive would dramatically reduce the number of young people who become hooked when they are experimenting.” “To fully address the toll of tobacco on our nation’s health and across all… read on > read on >

Keeping your blood pressure in check is important for more than just heart health — it can also keep your brain sharp as you age. A new study published Dec. 11 in the journal Neurology shows that seniors whose blood pressure spikes and drops over time might be more likely to suffer a decline in their thinking and memory skills. “These results suggest that fluctuation in blood pressure is a risk factor for cognitive problems beyond the negative effects of high blood pressure itself,” said researcher Dr. Anisa Dhana, a postdoctoral researcher with Rush University in Chicago. For the study, researchers recruited nearly 4,800 people with an average age of 71. Participants had their blood pressure tested regularly over three years, and completed thinking and memory skills tests at the beginning and end of the 10-year study. Overall, participants had an average blood pressure of 138/78. High blood pressure is defined as 130/80 or higher. It’s important to note, however, that this study was observational and could not draw a direct cause-and-effect link between blood pressure and brain health, Dhana noted. Results showed that people whose blood pressure fluctuated the most experienced nearly three additional years of brain aging, based on cognitive tests. On the other hand, people taking blood pressure medications showed no difference in scores on thinking tests by the end of the… read on > read on >

Unhealthy ultra-processed foods have wormed their way into American kitchens, likely harming people’s health for decades, a new study warns. More than half of the calories adults eat at home now come from ultra-processed foods, which contain high levels of sugar, salt, fat and other additives, and have been linked to heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Folks typically consider ultra-processed food to be either fast food or junk food, but this heavily processed fare even includes options that might seem healthy at first, said lead researcher Julia Wolfson, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. “The perception can be that ‘junk food’ and ultra-processed foods are equivalent,” Wolfson said in a news release from the university. “Yet ultra-processed foods encompass many more products than just junk food or fast food, including most of the foods in the grocery store,” Wolfson added. “The proliferation and ubiquity of ultra-processed foods on grocery store shelves is changing what we are eating when we make meals at home.” For the study, researchers analyzed data from annual health and nutrition surveys conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 2003 and 2018. The research team used their answers to sort Americans’ daily diets into one of four groups — unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed ingredients used during… read on > read on >

Seniors who want to stay sharp as they age should hit the treadmill, elliptical or exercise bike as often as possible. A new study shows that better cardio fitness in older age is linked to healthier brain aging. That sort of fitness preserves brain health as people age even if they carry genetic risk factors that make them vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease, researchers reported Dec. 10 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. “We found that cardiorespiratory fitness, which predicts the onset of numerous diseases and can be modified by regular exercise, was positively associated with cognitive performance across all domains assessed,” concluded the research team led by Kirk Erickson, director of translational research at AdventHealth Research Institute in Orlando, Fla. For the study, researchers recruited nearly 650 brain-healthy seniors ages 65 to 80 and tested their cardio fitness using a graded treadmill running test. Their brain power was also assessed with a comprehensive battery of tests carried out over two days. Previous research has linked cardio fitness to a reduced risk of age-related brain decline and dementia, but it’s not clear which aspects of brain function cardio specifically boosts, researchers said in background notes. The cognitive tests assessed five different types of brain function. These included processing speed, short-term working memory, long-term episodic memory, planning and organizational skills and the ability to interpret visual… read on > read on >

Sneaking cigarettes might seem like a harmless pre-teen rite of passage, but it’s more dangerous than you think, a new study warns. Regular smoking at a young age doesn’t just lead to a higher chance of smoking later in life — it can also cause serious harm to young hearts. Experts have understood that children who smoked earlier in life were more likely to continue the habit, and the risks that come with it, later into their lives. Now, the new study gives a better idea of the damage it does early on. “Teen smoking doesn’t just increase the risk of heart disease later in life — it causes early and lasting damage to heart muscle and function,” said Dr. Emily Bucholz, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Until now, there wasn’t a lot of data on cardiac structure and function in healthy children, since assessing the hearts of healthy young people is uncommon. Overall, persistent smoking from childhood to young adulthood was associated with an over 50% increased risk of premature heart damage, the study, published Dec. 11 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), showed. The damage, such as an enlarged heart or increased pressure in blood flow to the heart, was evident by the age of 24. This analysis followed more than… read on > read on >

It’s still early science — studies in mice and in human cells — but researchers are on the trail of an effective new treatment for inflammatory skin conditions such as rosacea. Skin cells called mast cells are key players in the inflammation and itchiness that can plague folks with these skin ailments. However, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh report they’ve spotted a compound called SYM2081 that can quiet down these overactive cells. “I’m really excited about the clinical possibilities of this research,” said senior study author Dr. Daniel Kaplan, a professor of dermatology and immunology at the university. “Currently, there aren’t a lot of good therapies that target mast cells, so we think that our approach could potentially have huge benefits in many skin conditions, including rosacea, eczema, urticaria [hives] and mastocytosis [a rare genetic disorder that causes the body to produce too many mast cells].” His team published its findings Dec. 11 in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Anyone with hay fever or other allergies has heard of histamines; cellular compounds that can trigger or signal the misery of inflammation. According to Kaplan’s team, mast cells contain “granules” loaded with histamines (and other pro-inflammatory agents). When these granules tear open, that can trigger a cascade of inflammatory immune responses such as those seen in rosacea or eczema. Granule rupture is beneficial when the… read on > read on >

Want to give your brain a boost for tomorrow? Get in a little pulse-pounding exercise today, a new study shows. In a finding that suggests the benefits of exercise may linger longer than believed, researchers discovered that middle-aged adults and seniors perform better on memory tests even a full day after they’ve had some moderate to vigorous physical activity. “Moderate or vigorous activity means anything that gets your heart rate up — this could be brisk walking, dancing or walking up a few flights of stairs. It doesn’t have to be structured exercise,” said lead researcher Mikaela Bloomberg, a senior research fellow in social epidemiology with the University College London’s Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care. “Our findings suggest that the short-term memory benefits of physical activity may last longer than previously thought, possibly to the next day instead of just the few hours after exercise,” Bloomberg said in a UCL news release. People ages 50 to 84 also did better on memory tests if they spent less time sitting the day before or got six or more hours of sleep. Exercise is known to provide a short-term brain boost by increasing blood flow to the brain, and by stimulating the release of neurochemicals that support many different cognitive functions, researchers explained in background notes. These brain chemical changes are known to last at least… read on > read on >

Watch out for tall, fast-moving cars. The height of a vehicle, not only its speed, determines its potential danger to a pedestrian, new research shows. “Multiple factors — in this case speed and vehicle height—converge to create negative outcomes on the road,” said David Harkey, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Measurements of the vehicles involved were used to examine the moderating effect of hood height. “Our fondness for tall SUVs and pickups has intensified [the consequences of speeding],” Harkey noted in an IIHS news release. The report involved an analysis of 202 crashes involving people ages 16 and older in cities across the United States. The accidents occurred between 2015 and 2022. In general, higher vehicle front ends increased the likelihood of both moderate and serious pedestrian injuries, data showed. At 27 mph, the average speed of the crashes, a median-height car had a 60% chance of causing moderate injuries to a pedestrian and a 30% chance of causing serious injuries. Risks rose along with hood height, however: A median-height pickup — with a front end 13 inches higher than that of a median car — had an 83% chance of causing moderate injuries and a 62% chance of causing serious injuries. This tracks with earlier IIHS research that found that vehicles with taller front ends are more likely to kill… read on > read on >

It can feel like a shameful moment, bracing yourself to hand over a Christmas or birthday gift that’s days or months overdue for one reason or another. But slackers take heart — a new study has found that your friend or loved one likely won’t be as upset about getting that late gift as you suspect. “Go ahead and send that late gift, because it doesn’t seem to bother most people as much as givers fear,” said lead researcher Cory Haltman, a doctoral student in marketing at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business. A series of six studies showed that people receiving late gifts generally tend to be patient and appreciative, rather than annoyed or hurt, according to results published Dec. 5 in the Journal of Consumer Psychology. That runs counter to what most folks think. About 65% of Americans believe a gift should arrive on time for a holiday, birthday or other occasion, according to a survey performed by the research team. “A majority of U.S. consumers seem to think that gifts should be given on time — but our study shows that there’s more to the story,” said researcher Rebecca Walker Reczek, a professor of marketing at Ohio State University. In one study, participants were asked to imagine giving or receiving a birthday gift that would arrive either on time or two… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Reiki May Help Ease the Pain of Cancer Treatment

FDA Asks Biden Administration to Limit Nicotine in Tobacco Products

Blood Pressure Ups & Downs May Harm Seniors’ Thinking

Unhealthy, Ultra-processed Foods Now Half of Calories Americans Eat at Home

Staying Fit Can Keep Seniors’ Brains Sharp

Preteen, Teen Smoking Can Injure The Young Heart

Ditch That Itch: Early Findings Offer Hope for Skin Issues Like Rosacea

‘Brain Boost’ From Today’s Exercise May Linger Through Tomorrow

Car Height, Not Just Speed, Matters When Pedestrians Are Hit

Are You a ‘Late Gift-Giver’? Study Finds Folks Mostly Don’t Mind