Weekly Gravy « Weekly Gravy

All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Moderate exercise is known to improve blood pressure — and that may include activities that are more exotic than a brisk walk, two preliminary studies suggest. In one, researchers found that “hot” yoga classes lowered blood pressure in a small group of people with modestly elevated numbers. In the other, hula dancing showed the same benefit for people who had stubbornly high blood pressure, despite medication. Experts said the findings underscore the importance of exercise when it comes to blood pressure — and the value of finding an activity you enjoy. Hot yoga classes are held in a room that’s heated — usually to about 105 degrees Fahrenheit, though some centers keep the temperature less extreme. The practice is often touted as having health benefits, such as cleansing “toxins” from the body via sweat. For the study, Stacy Hunter and her team at Texas State University recruited 10 adults, ages 20 to 65. All participants had mildly elevated blood pressure: Their systolic pressure (the “top” number) ranged between 120 and 139 mm Hg, and their diastolic pressure was 89 mm Hg or lower. (Readings below 120/80 are considered normal.) The researchers randomly assigned five people to take hot yoga classes three times a week, for 12 weeks; the rest served as a comparison group. Over the 12 weeks, those who did yoga saw their systolic… read on >

To the many ways in which coffee seems to confer unexpected health benefits, add a lowered risk of painful gallstones. After tracking nearly 105,000 Danes for an average of eight years, researchers found that those who downed more than six cups per day of the world’s most popular beverage saw their gallstone risk drop by 23%. “High coffee intake is associated with a lower risk of gallstone disease,” said study author Dr. A. Tybjaerg-Hansen. She’s chief physician of Rigshospitalet’s department of clinical biochemistry at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. That’s good news for Danes, 6% of whom drink six or more cups of coffee every day, she said. But what about the average Dane, who knocks back just two cups a day? Or the average American or Brit who consumes between one to two cups daily? The study has good news for them, too. It turns out that even small amounts of coffee appeared to lower gallstone risk. Compared to those who abstained from coffee, participants who drank just one cup of Joe a day saw the risk of gallstones dip by about 3%. Meanwhile, those who consumed three to six cups per day saw their risk slide by 17%. The findings were published Sept. 5 in the Journal of Internal Medicine. Gallstones are hard pebble-like pieces that can accumulate in the gallbladder, where they… read on >

The widely held belief that people with dark skin don’t need to use sunscreen is a potentially deadly myth, an expert warns. “There’s a common colloquial phrase, ‘black don’t crack’ — meaning your skin will always be good. You won’t get wrinkles and you don’t need sunscreen if you have melanin-rich skin,” said Dr. Jenna Lester, a dermatologist at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). But there’s no truth to that, she added. Too much sun can cause common problems in people with dark skin, such as hyperpigmentation and melasma (dark spots), and dark skin doesn’t protect against the ultraviolet rays of the sun that can cause skin cancer. Believing otherwise can be fatal, she explained. “Melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, is less common among people of color, but they have a much higher rate of dying from it,” Lester said. “That has to do with this misinformation about darker skin. They may not even know skin cancer is a possibility,” she noted in a university news release. An example of the risk is music legend Bob Marley, who was only 36 when he died from an aggressive form of melanoma that mainly affects people of color. Black Americans have the lowest survival rates for melanoma of any racial group in the United States. This is because in blacks, melanoma is… read on >

There are gaps in immunity against mumps among college-aged Americans who were vaccinated in childhood, researchers say. New findings show the need to learn more about the immune system response to mumps and mumps vaccination. Mumps is a highly contagious viral disease that can spread rapidly among people in close living quarters, such as college students and sports teams. In the last 15 years, several outbreaks have occurred across the United States. Outbreaks have recently been reported in U.S. migrant detention facilities. “Overall, the MMR [measles, mumps, rubella] vaccine has been great, with a 99% reduction in measles, mumps and rubella disease, and a significant reduction in associated complications since its introduction,” said Dr. Sri Edupuganti. She is an associate professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta. “What we’re seeing now with these mumps outbreaks is a combination of two things — a few people were not making a strong immune response to begin with, and the circulating strain has drifted away from the strain that is in the vaccine,” she explained in a university news release. The study, by researchers at Emory and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), included 71 people, aged 18 to 23, in the Atlanta area. Nearly all (69) had received two MMR doses, but 80% received their second dose more than a… read on >

(HealthDay News) — A herniated disc is a spinal injury that can be caused by excessive strain, says the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Symptoms of a herniated disc can range from a soft back ache to extreme pain or numbness. After diagnosis, doctors usually recommend that patients maintain a low, painless activity level for a few days or weeks. For mild-to-moderate pain, patients can use anti-inflammatory medication and physical therapy. Physical therapy may entail ice and heat therapy, electrical muscle stimulation and stretching exercises. For a herniated diss that causes severe pain, a doctor may recommend surgery.

(HealthDay News) — From a car accident to a sports mishap, any incident that snaps the head forward and backward can trigger whiplash. Hallmarks of whiplash include pain, decreased range of motion and stiff neck. Because the injury can’t always be seen in imaging tests, symptoms are the primary way to identify whiplash, says Cleveland Clinic. To treat whiplash, you can perform stretching exercises three-to-four times a day. Cleveland Clinic suggests that you rotate the neck from side to side, tilt the head from side to side, move the neck forward toward the chest and backward, and roll the shoulders in circles. Cleveland Clinic also recommends applying ice to the area to loosen tight muscles. If there’s significant pain, visit a doctor.

Spices add not only great flavor to foods, but also micronutrients for a healthy diet. Spice blends can be especially zesty, but many on grocery store shelves are loaded with sodium, which can spike your salt intake and detract from the spices’ benefits. Mix your own blends instead. A very versatile mix is taco seasoning. It’s great for marinating meat, adding depth to chili, using as a dry rub on chicken and fish, or instead of salt to flavor a cooked dish. Dried chili powder is one of the main ingredients in a taco seasoning blend. Chilies give your spice mix a smoky tang. You can pulverize whole dried chilies in a coffee bean grinder or buy them already ground. You’ll find many varieties to choose from, including mildly sweet anchos, spicy chipotles and the hotter cayenne and urfa from Turkey. The hotter the chilies, the higher their capsaicin content, a potent anti-inflammatory compound. Another key ingredient is cumin. Cumin is high in iron and adds an earthy tang, which complements the smoky flavor of chilies. You can buy cumin seeds to grind yourself or buy cumin already ground. Oregano is a great herb to add to a no-salt blend. It has the highest antioxidant levels of any herb. Use fresh, finely chopped oregano leaves if you plan to use your mix right away or… read on >

As helpful as your smartphone is, it’s easy to develop an unhealthy attachment to it, one that can even become an addiction. It also can isolate you from other people. For instance, looking at your phone in social settings keeps you from looking at others, whether loved ones, friends or co-workers, and missing the connection that comes from making eye contact. Research shows that just having a phone in view interferes with the connection between people and the quality of their interaction. There’s even a term for preferring your phone to people: phubbing (it’s pronounced fubbing). It’s short for phone snubbing, when you’re in a social setting and concentrate on your phone instead of talking to the person you’re with. Even more dangerous is “P-phubbing,” (it’s pronounced pee-fubbing) and happens when you phub your partner, or vice versa. People phub and are phubbed. It can erode marital satisfaction and overall satisfaction with life. Phubbing grows not only from smartphone overuse, but also from being addicted to the internet and the fear of missing out on something — yes, the famous acronym FOMO — if you’re not always connected. To prevent phubbing, keep your phone in a pocket or purse when you’re with other people and focus exclusively on them. Be part of the conversation that’s happening in front of you in real time. Your behavior… read on >

Growing up in a poor neighborhood significantly increases kids’ odds of becoming obese adults, and the risk is highest among teens, a new study says. It found that children from poor neighborhoods had 31% higher odds for adult obesity, and the risk was much higher (29%) among 11- to 18-year-olds than for younger children (13%). “Growing up in a disadvantaged neighborhood sticks with you, and can have a negative impact on one’s health through increasing one’s chance of obesity in adulthood,” said lead author Steven Alvarado, a professor of sociology at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Disadvantaged neighborhoods were defined by seven factors, including median income and home values, and the percentage of residents who were living in poverty, unemployed or had earned bachelor’s degrees. To account for other factors that can influence a child’s obesity risk — such as genes and their parents’ behaviors — Alvarado compared siblings. Siblings largely share the same genes and parenting influences, but may have been exposed to different neighborhood circumstances growing up, because their families moved or their neighborhoods changed between the births of the siblings, Alvarado explained. The study was said to be the first to account for factors such as grandparents’ experiences in segregated schools and neighborhoods, while examining the connection between growing up in poor neighborhoods and adult obesity. “We must continue to consider the… read on >

U.S. adults with diabetes are no more likely to meet disease control targets than they were in 2005, a new study finds. Typically, diabetes treatment focuses on controlling blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as not smoking. For the study, Massachusetts General Hospital researchers analyzed data on diabetes care in the United States from 2005 through 2016. The investigators found that one in four adults with diabetes was not diagnosed, and nearly one in three was not receiving appropriate care for diabetes. “Fewer than one in four American adults with diagnosed diabetes achieve a controlled level of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol and do not smoke tobacco,” said study lead author Pooyan Kazemian, of the hospital’s Medical Practice Evaluation Center. “Our results suggest that, despite major advances in diabetes drug discovery and movement to develop innovative care delivery models over the past two decades, achievement of diabetes care targets has not improved in the United States since 2005,” Kazemian said in a hospital news release. More than 30 million Americans have diabetes. Most have type 2, which is linked to lifestyle. Certain groups of patients were less likely to achieve diabetes care targets, according to the study. “Younger age (18-44), female and nonwhite adults with diabetes had lower odds of achieving the composite blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol and nonsmoking target,”… read on >

Weekly Gravy

Look Good – Feel Good – Feed Good

A little about: Weekly Gravy

All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

‘Hot’ Yoga, Hula Dance Your Way to Healthy Blood Pressure

Drink Coffee, Avoid Gallstones?

Dark Skin No Protection Against Sun’s Harmful Rays

Some People Vaccinated Against Mumps May Not Be Protected: Study

Health Tip: Living With a Herniated Disc

Health Tip: Treating Whiplash

Get Spicy With Homemade No-Salt Seasonings

How Phubbing Can Threaten Your Love Life

Kids in Poor Neighborhoods Face Higher Odds for Obesity as Adults

Diabetes Control Has Stalled Across U.S.