A little about: Weekly Gravy

All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Music Could Be a Post-Op Panacea, Study Finds

By | | Add a Comment

Heart surgery can be stressful, but researchers may have found a way to reduce patients’ anxiety and postoperative pain — without any extra side effects. A team from the Netherlands found that the simple act of listening to music around the time of surgery may help patients as they recover. “This is a fascinating question for heart surgeons because we perform the most invasive procedures that require opening the chest, stopping the heart, using a heart-lung machine while we fix the heart, and then allowing the patient to return to life again,” said Dr. Harold Fernandez, a U.S. cardiac surgeon unconnected to the new study. “Undoubtedly, there is a significant amount of both anxiety and pain associated with these procedures,” said Fernandez, who is chief of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Northwell Health’s Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. In the new research, published Jan. 25 in the online journal Open Heart, the Dutch team analyzed data from 16 studies looking at the effect of music on post-op care. The studies included almost 1,000 patients, and about 90% of the procedures involved coronary artery bypass grafts and/or heart valve replacement. A majority of the time the type of music used was relaxing and did not have strong rhythms or percussion, the researchers noted. The choice of music varied; sometimes it was from the…  read on >  read on >

Anti-Vaxxers Mounting Internet Campaigns Against COVID-19 Shots

By | | Add a Comment

People who are hesitant about getting the COVID-19 vaccine don’t have to work hard to find internet rumors and theories that will fuel their fears regarding the vaccine’s safety. That’s because anti-vaccine groups and individuals are working overtime to promote frightening, false theories about the two COVID-19 vaccines that have now been administered to more than 24 million Americans, infectious disease experts say. “These kind of rumors have been around ever since Edward Jenner made his smallpox vaccine in the late 1700s,” said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “There was a belief if you got the vaccine, which was derived from cowpox, that you would take on bovine characteristics. You’d get a snout, you’d get a tail, you’d get floppy ears. That was the internet 1802, basically.” There are two major types of disinformation being promulgated about the coronavirus vaccines: Anecdotal “cause-and-effect” rumors that erroneously tie a person’s untimely demise to the fact they recently got a COVID-19 vaccine. “Big lie” conspiracy theories that allege the vaccine can cause all manner of major side effects, from infertility to permanently altering your genetics. Health care workers had braced for stories coming out that tie people’s personal health problems and untimely deaths to their recent vaccination, even though there’s no evidence linking the two. For example, vaccine…  read on >  read on >

AHA News: 5 Things Nutrition Experts Want You to Know About New Federal Dietary Guidelines

By | | Add a Comment

FRIDAY, Jan. 29, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — New federal dietary guidelines encourage Americans to focus more on eating healthy throughout life, to be flexible in their eating patterns and to cut down on empty calories. The recommendations, released every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services, are designed to promote nutrition and prevent chronic disease. The guidance influences food and nutrition programs at the federal, state and local levels, and impacts how food companies formulate their products. “The high prevalence of diabetes, cancer and heart disease could be reduced if people ate better,” said Judith Wylie-Rosett, a professor of health promotion and nutrition research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. “Chronic diseases are often related to obesity and poor nutritional habits.” Here are five important takeaways from nutrition experts: There’s flexibility to customize The recommendations emphasize that healthy eating comes in many forms and can be adjusted to fit cultural traditions, personal tastes and different budgets. Swapping out red meat, for example, doesn’t mean people have to force down their least-favorite source of protein. “You can go with a plant-based diet or eat seafood, poultry and legumes rather than red meat,” said Penny Kris-Etherton, a distinguished professor of nutrition at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. The new focus…  read on >  read on >

Kiss Chapped Lips Goodbye This Winter

By | | Add a Comment

Dry and chapped lips are common during the winter, but there are a number of things you can do to protect them, an expert says. “Cold, dry weather; sun damage; and frequently licking your lips are just some of the reasons your lips might feel dry and chapped this winter,” dermatologist Dr. Noëlle Sherber said in an American Academy of Dermatology news release. “Understanding these causes and anything else that might trigger your chapped lips goes a long way in preventing and treating them.” Sherber offered the following advice on preventing and treating dry, chapped lips: Use non-irritating lip products. Stick to lip balms, lipsticks and other lip products that contain ingredients like castor seed oil, ceramides, dimethicone or mineral oil. Choose products that are labeled “fragrance-free” and “hypoallergenic.” Avoid harsh ingredients. Camphor, menthol or eucalyptus can irritate your lips. If your lips burn, sting or tingle after using a lip product, stop using it. Refresh often. Apply your lip balm throughout the day and before you go to bed. If your lips are very dry and cracked, use a thick ointment, such as petroleum jelly. Ointment seals in moisture longer than waxes or oils. Protect your lips outdoors. Before going outside, apply a lip balm with an SPF of 30 or higher. Use a lip balm with titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide and reapply…  read on >  read on >

Music Could Be a Post-Op Panacea, Study Finds

By | | Add a Comment

Heart surgery can be stressful, but researchers may have found a way to reduce patients’ anxiety and postoperative pain — without any extra side effects. A team from the Netherlands found that the simple act of listening to music around the time of surgery may help patients as they recover. “This is a fascinating question for heart surgeons because we perform the most invasive procedures that require opening the chest, stopping the heart, using a heart-lung machine while we fix the heart, and then allowing the patient to return to life again,” said Dr. Harold Fernandez, a U.S. cardiac surgeon unconnected to the new study. “Undoubtedly, there is a significant amount of both anxiety and pain associated with these procedures,” said Fernandez, who is chief of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Northwell Health’s Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. In the new research, published Jan. 25 in the online journal Open Heart, the Dutch team analyzed data from 16 studies looking at the effect of music on post-op care. The studies included almost 1,000 patients, and about 90% of the procedures involved coronary artery bypass grafts and/or heart valve replacement. A majority of the time the type of music used was relaxing and did not have strong rhythms or percussion, the researchers noted. The choice of music varied; sometimes it was from the…  read on >  read on >

Anti-Vaxxers Mounting Internet Campaigns Against COVID-19 Shots

By | | Add a Comment

People who are hesitant about getting the COVID-19 vaccine don’t have to work hard to find internet rumors and theories that will fuel their fears regarding the vaccine’s safety. That’s because anti-vaccine groups and individuals are working overtime to promote frightening, false theories about the two COVID-19 vaccines that have now been administered to more than 24 million Americans, infectious disease experts say. “These kind of rumors have been around ever since Edward Jenner made his smallpox vaccine in the late 1700s,” said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “There was a belief if you got the vaccine, which was derived from cowpox, that you would take on bovine characteristics. You’d get a snout, you’d get a tail, you’d get floppy ears. That was the internet 1802, basically.” There are two major types of disinformation being promulgated about the coronavirus vaccines: Anecdotal “cause-and-effect” rumors that erroneously tie a person’s untimely demise to the fact they recently got a COVID-19 vaccine. “Big lie” conspiracy theories that allege the vaccine can cause all manner of major side effects, from infertility to permanently altering your genetics. Health care workers had braced for stories coming out that tie people’s personal health problems and untimely deaths to their recent vaccination, even though there’s no evidence linking the two. For example, vaccine…  read on >  read on >

AHA News: 5 Things Nutrition Experts Want You to Know About New Federal Dietary Guidelines

By | | Add a Comment

FRIDAY, Jan. 29, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — New federal dietary guidelines encourage Americans to focus more on eating healthy throughout life, to be flexible in their eating patterns and to cut down on empty calories. The recommendations, released every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services, are designed to promote nutrition and prevent chronic disease. The guidance influences food and nutrition programs at the federal, state and local levels, and impacts how food companies formulate their products. “The high prevalence of diabetes, cancer and heart disease could be reduced if people ate better,” said Judith Wylie-Rosett, a professor of health promotion and nutrition research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. “Chronic diseases are often related to obesity and poor nutritional habits.” Here are five important takeaways from nutrition experts: There’s flexibility to customize The recommendations emphasize that healthy eating comes in many forms and can be adjusted to fit cultural traditions, personal tastes and different budgets. Swapping out red meat, for example, doesn’t mean people have to force down their least-favorite source of protein. “You can go with a plant-based diet or eat seafood, poultry and legumes rather than red meat,” said Penny Kris-Etherton, a distinguished professor of nutrition at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. The new focus…  read on >  read on >

Kiss Chapped Lips Goodbye This Winter

By | | Add a Comment

Dry and chapped lips are common during the winter, but there are a number of things you can do to protect them, an expert says. “Cold, dry weather; sun damage; and frequently licking your lips are just some of the reasons your lips might feel dry and chapped this winter,” dermatologist Dr. Noëlle Sherber said in an American Academy of Dermatology news release. “Understanding these causes and anything else that might trigger your chapped lips goes a long way in preventing and treating them.” Sherber offered the following advice on preventing and treating dry, chapped lips: Use non-irritating lip products. Stick to lip balms, lipsticks and other lip products that contain ingredients like castor seed oil, ceramides, dimethicone or mineral oil. Choose products that are labeled “fragrance-free” and “hypoallergenic.” Avoid harsh ingredients. Camphor, menthol or eucalyptus can irritate your lips. If your lips burn, sting or tingle after using a lip product, stop using it. Refresh often. Apply your lip balm throughout the day and before you go to bed. If your lips are very dry and cracked, use a thick ointment, such as petroleum jelly. Ointment seals in moisture longer than waxes or oils. Protect your lips outdoors. Before going outside, apply a lip balm with an SPF of 30 or higher. Use a lip balm with titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide and reapply…  read on >  read on >

Anti-Vaxxers Mounting Internet Campaigns Against COVID-19 Shots

By | | Add a Comment

People who are hesitant about getting the COVID-19 vaccine don’t have to work hard to find internet rumors and theories that will fuel their fears regarding the vaccine’s safety. That’s because anti-vaccine groups and individuals are working overtime to promote frightening, false theories about the two COVID-19 vaccines that have now been administered to more than 24 million Americans, infectious disease experts say. “These kind of rumors have been around ever since Edward Jenner made his smallpox vaccine in the late 1700s,” said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “There was a belief if you got the vaccine, which was derived from cowpox, that you would take on bovine characteristics. You’d get a snout, you’d get a tail, you’d get floppy ears. That was the internet 1802, basically.” There are two major types of disinformation being promulgated about the coronavirus vaccines: Anecdotal “cause-and-effect” rumors that erroneously tie a person’s untimely demise to the fact they recently got a COVID-19 vaccine. “Big lie” conspiracy theories that allege the vaccine can cause all manner of major side effects, from infertility to permanently altering your genetics. Health care workers had braced for stories coming out that tie people’s personal health problems and untimely deaths to their recent vaccination, even though there’s no evidence linking the two. For example, vaccine…  read on >  read on >

AHA News: 5 Things Nutrition Experts Want You to Know About New Federal Dietary Guidelines

By | | Add a Comment

FRIDAY, Jan. 29, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — New federal dietary guidelines encourage Americans to focus more on eating healthy throughout life, to be flexible in their eating patterns and to cut down on empty calories. The recommendations, released every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services, are designed to promote nutrition and prevent chronic disease. The guidance influences food and nutrition programs at the federal, state and local levels, and impacts how food companies formulate their products. “The high prevalence of diabetes, cancer and heart disease could be reduced if people ate better,” said Judith Wylie-Rosett, a professor of health promotion and nutrition research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. “Chronic diseases are often related to obesity and poor nutritional habits.” Here are five important takeaways from nutrition experts: There’s flexibility to customize The recommendations emphasize that healthy eating comes in many forms and can be adjusted to fit cultural traditions, personal tastes and different budgets. Swapping out red meat, for example, doesn’t mean people have to force down their least-favorite source of protein. “You can go with a plant-based diet or eat seafood, poultry and legumes rather than red meat,” said Penny Kris-Etherton, a distinguished professor of nutrition at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. The new focus…  read on >  read on >