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SATURDAY, Nov. 26, 2022 (HealthDay News) – It’s possible to have a joy-filled holiday season while keeping allergies and asthma in check. Being aware of triggers is a key, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). “While the holidays bring much joy, some of the good times can be derailed by allergy and asthma flares,” said allergist Dr. Kathleen May, president of ACAAI. “A few well-placed precautions can keep you healthy and get your new year off to a great start as well.” Here are some tips to keep sneezing and wheezing at bay. Food allergens: When you’re invited to eat at someone else’s house, tell your host about foods your family needs to avoid. Ask the host to mark containers so it’s clear what is in them. When there’s a potluck, let everyone involved know your restrictions. Or consider hosting at your home, which gives you more control over ingredients. Decor dangers: Seasonal decorations have some hidden allergy triggers. Some people have skin reactions to terpene, which is found in tree sap. Others may have a reaction if they inhale mold spores and pollen found on fresh trees and greenery. Consider washing your tree before bringing it inside. Even an artificial tree may need cleaning to remove dust and mold from the previous year. Consider cleaning other decorations before putting… read on > read on >

Bottled vitamins might seem a convenient way to get all the important nutrients, but the best delivery method is still just eating actual healthy food. “We have plenty of studies showing that when we look at food as the bioavailable source of certain nutrients of vitamins and minerals, they tend to be one of the best options,” said Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietitian with Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio. For example, you can take a capsule of fish oil, but eating wild fatty fish makes it easier to control what you’re getting. The supplement industry isn’t regulated in the same way as food. Kirkpatrick suggested that the best way to get a mix of vitamins and minerals is eating more colorful foods. Aim for getting six different colorful foods in your diet daily. A bowl of oatmeal can help get one color. Adding blueberries is a second one. Even coffee counts. The beverage is loaded with antioxidants. Check with your doctor about whether you might be deficient in certain vitamins, Kirkpatrick advised. Vitamin D, in particular, is one that may require taking a supplement to get enough of it. “Vitamin D is typically poorly absorbed through food,” Kirkpatrick explained in a clinic news release. “A D3 supplement is more mimicking the UV rays of the sun, that’s where we get the best vitamin D.” More information… read on > read on >

An exercise program, even if it’s not as intense as national guidelines suggest, could help breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy reduce fatigue and have a better quality of life, new research suggests. Researchers from Edith Cowan University in Australia included 89 women in this study — 43 participated in the exercise portion; the control group did not. Exercisers did a 12-week home-based program. It included weekly resistance training sessions and 30 to 40 minutes of aerobic exercise. Researchers found that patients who exercised recovered from cancer-related fatigue more quickly during and after radiation therapy compared to the control group. Exercisers also saw a significant increase in health-related quality of life, which could include measures of emotional, physical and social well-being. “The amount of exercise was aimed to increase progressively, with the ultimate target of participants meeting the national guideline for recommended exercise levels,” said study leader Georgios Mavropalias, a postdoctoral research fellow in the School of Medical and Health Sciences. “However, the exercise programs were relative to the participants’ fitness capacity, and we found even much smaller dosages of exercise than those recommended in the [Australian] national guidelines can have significant effects on cancer-related fatigue and health-related quality of living during and after radiotherapy,” Mavropalias said in a university news release. The Australian national guidelines for cancer patients call for 30 minutes of moderate… read on > read on >

When COVID-19 restrictions lifted in the United Kingdom, the risk for severe asthma attacks doubled. While having COVID isn’t more likely to cause asthma attacks than other respiratory infections, it may have been that safety measures, such as wearing masks and reduced socializing, kept these attacks at bay, the authors of a new study suggested. “Our study was observational, so it can’t prove cause-and-effect. But our findings do raise the possibility that certain elements of the public health measures introduced during the pandemic — such as wearing face masks — could help in reducing respiratory illnesses moving forward,” study lead author Adrian Martineau said in a news release from Queen Mary University of London. He is a clinical professor of respiratory infection and immunity at the university. The researchers studied the data from more than 2,300 adults with asthma who participated in the university’s COVIDENCE UK study between November 2020 and April 2022. The participants answered a monthly online questionnaire that asked about face covering use, social mixing and asthma symptoms. COVID restrictions were imposed in the spring of 2020. In April 2021, social mixing restrictions and the need for face coverings started relaxing in the U.K. When restrictions were lifted, fewer people wore face coverings. They were more likely to mix socially. The study found that people subsequently had a higher risk of COVID… read on > read on >

Transgender youth are more likely than others to experience sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea, and researchers now recommend these young people be screened for sleep problems. “Transgender and gender-nonconforming identity may precede mental health disorders, and both influence insomnia diagnosis,” said study co-author Galit Levi Dunietz, an epidemiologist in the University of Michigan neurology department’s division of sleep medicine. For the study, the researchers analyzed claims data from more than 1.2 million people aged 12 to 25. Among them were just over 2,600 young people who identified as transgender or gender-nonconforming. The investigators found that transgender youth were 5.4 times more likely than cisgender youth to have insomnia. They were also three times more likely to have sleep apnea or other sleep disorders. (Cisgender means they identify with the gender assigned at birth). The results show a concerning number of individuals with disorders that harm sleep quality, said co-author Dr. Ronald Gavidia, a sleep medicine physician at the university. Other research has suggested that transgender youth and adults also have a high prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms. These are known to affect sleep quality and health, and they may be contributing to insomnia in this group, the study authors noted. “Given this higher prevalence of sleep disorders in relation to cisgender youth, clinicians should consider screening and testing this population for… read on > read on >

Many women experience back pain during pregnancy and a new study review suggests an ancient treatment can help. Acupuncture provided significant relief of lower back and pelvic pain, according to an analysis of 10 trials from various parts of the world. The findings were published Nov. 21 in BMJ Open. “Acupuncture significantly improved pain, functional status, and quality of life in women with [lower back/pelvic pain] during the pregnancy,” wrote the researchers, who included Dr. Wei Dong, from the Department of Orthopaedics at the Kunming Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. “Additionally, acupuncture had no observable severe adverse influences on the newborns,” they said in a journal news release. The 10 trials were conducted between 2000 and 2020 in the United States, Sweden, United Kingdom, Spain and Brazil. In all, the trials included 1,040 healthy women. On average, they were in their 17th to 30th week of pregnancy. Each had lower back and/or pelvic pain and were treated by trained acupuncturists, physiotherapists or midwives. Seven of the 10 trials described body acupuncture. The other three described ear lobe acupuncture. The findings varied but trial results for nine studies suggested that acupuncture significantly relieved pain during pregnancy. Four studies reported on the potential of acupuncture to restore physical function, showing significant improvements. In the five studies that recorded impact on quality of life, findings… read on > read on >

Shoveling snow is a strenuous workout that poses risks for people with heart conditions. “We have to think of shoveling snow as a pretty significant exertion, like an exercise,” said Dr. Donald Ford, chair of family medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio. “So if you’re going out to exercise, people who have heart conditions or people who have risk for heart conditions, may need to talk to their doctor before they engage in that.” That includes folks with risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, Ford said. The doctor can advise whether shoveling is safe, and if so, how much. If you do get the go-ahead, taking frequent rest breaks is a good idea, Ford said in a clinic news release. Even if you’re in shape, warm up before your first scoop. Stretch out the muscles of the back, arms, shoulders and legs. Do a brief aerobic warmup to get the blood flowing, such as walking in place, hopping up and down, or even spending a few minutes on the treadmill, he suggested. Once you’re outside, lift with your legs — not your back. “Make sure you’re lifting from the center. Keeping your body upright, not reaching over,” Ford said. Using an ergonomic shovel, which has a longer, bent handle, will help prevent back pain, he noted. It enables a… read on > read on >

Stress affects gut health and intensifies pain, which — for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) — can make traveling to see family during the holiday season excruciating. “People living with IBS often say the holidays are especially stressful, above and beyond the typical holiday stress most people report having,” said Tiffany Taft, medical social scientist and clinical psychologist at Northwestern Medicine, in Chicago. For the 15% of Americans who live with IBS, Taft offered some tips as they gather for the season. “Stress directly affects IBS through the gut-brain axis, which includes parts of the brain that are part of the body’s fight-flight-freeze response,” she said. “Stress can amplify pain, alter the motility of the gut — either speed up or slow down, depending on the person — and change the composition of the gut microbiome.” That can make symptoms more severe. For some, that may mean more frequent trips to the bathroom. For others, it may mean fewer than usual. Symptoms can include increased stomach pain and cramping, bloating and increased urgency to go to the bathroom. Taft said the holidays can create stress because some people have family members who aren’t understanding or supportive about IBS. They may worry or be anxious about asking for changes to the holiday menu because of dietary needs. Rather than have an unpleasant conversation, the person… read on > read on >

People with one form of the genetic blood disorder hemophilia now have a one-time treatment with a $3.5 million price tag. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the new gene therapy Hemgenix on Nov. 22. Soon after, drugmaker CSL Behring revealed its cost. The company said its drug would ultimately reduce health care costs because patients with the genetic disorder would need fewer treatments for bleeding, the Associated Press reported. As with most approved drugs, private or government insurance — not patients — is expected to foot the bill. Hemgenix is designed for adults with hemophilia B, the less common form of the disease. Currently, patients receive costly IV infusions to promote clotting and prevent bleeding. The treatment is also for people who have repeated, serious spontaneous bleeding episodes. “Gene therapy for hemophilia has been on the horizon for more than two decades. Despite advancements in the treatment of hemophilia, the prevention and treatment of bleeding episodes can adversely impact individuals’ quality of life,” said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “[This] approval provides a new treatment option for patients with hemophilia B and represents important progress in the development of innovative therapies for those experiencing a high burden of disease associated with this form of hemophilia,” Marks said in an FDA news release. In hemophilia B,… read on > read on >

Millions of Americans will enjoy a hot, nutritious Thanksgiving meal thanks to their local food pantry, often staffed by volunteers. Now, new research spotlights just how important these charities are. Families who rely on pantries for food assistance come away with $600 to $1,000 in free meals and produce every year, after taking into account time, transportation and other costs associated with using them, researchers say. Nationwide, that adds up to big numbers, a new study shows, with pantries collectively providing Americans between $19 billion and $28 billion in free food every year. “The most recent Household Food Security in the United States report … estimates that 5.6% of U.S. households use food pantries, which are the main distribution vehicle for food banks,” said study author Anne Byrne, a Washington, D.C.-based research agricultural economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As a doctoral student at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., Byrne worked with economics professor David Just to determine the net value received by folks seeking food pantry assistance. “We know people receive the food for a retail cost of $0,” Byrne noted. “But by using travel costs — (such as) time, gas, etc. — we were able to estimate what people give up in order to get food from pantries.” On average, their research revealed, every time someone visits a pantry, he or she… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Allergies & Asthma: Keep Sneezes & Wheezes at Bay This Holiday Season

Vitamins: It’s Best to Get Them From Food, Not a Bottle

Exercise Might Ease Side Effects of Breast Cancer Treatment

As COVID Restrictions Lifted, Asthma Attacks Rose

Transgender Youth Much More Likely to Have Troubled Sleep

Acupuncture Might Ease Back Pain During Pregnancy

Flakes Are Falling Again: Here’s the Safe Way to Shovel Snow

Tips for ‘Stomaching’ the Holidays If You Have IBS

A Gene Therapy for Hemophilia That Costs $3.5 Million Gets FDA Approval

Food Banks Save Needy Families Up to $1,000 Per Year