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Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting about 31 million Americans, and is the leading cause of disability among adults. Known as OA, it causes pain and other symptoms in joints, which can affect the ability to do everyday tasks. There’s no known cure, but there are treatments that can relieve pain and maintain joint function, according to a rheumatologist at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, N.C. “Osteoarthritis is the thinning or wearing down of cartilage, which is the cushion between the separate bones in a joint,” Dr. Francis Luk said in a health system news release. “When your doctor says you have arthritis, most often they are referring to osteoarthritis.” The main risk factors are aging, obesity, prior injury, repetitive stress on a joint and genetics. OA can occur in any joint, but the most common are knees, hips and hands. “Symptoms vary from person to person but someone with osteoarthritis of the knee typically will have pain when they stand up from a seated position or when they’re walking, especially when going up and down stairs,” Luk said. “With osteoarthritis of the hands, people typically experience pain when they do things that involve gripping — washing dishes, holding a wrench, opening a jar, things like that,” he added. Treatments include over-the-counter drugs such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Many doctors encourage seniors to use brain fitness games as a means to help deal with dementia, Alzheimer’s and other cognitive diseases, says SeniorLiving.org. While research remains inconclusive, there appears to be a correlation between brain games and brain health. The website says brain games that may help seniors include: Memory games, such as Match and Simon. Word games, such as word searches and Scrabble. Electronic games, such as Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune and Family Feud. Board games, such as Chess and Checkers. Interactive Wii and X-Box games. Trivia games, such as Trivial Pursuit.

Are you a chicken finger fanatic, but worried about what might be lurking in the take-out versions? The solution is simple: Do it yourself. Making chicken fingers at home is a snap. Between oven baking and ingredient swaps to cut back on the fat and calories, this version is the perfect way to lighten up a fast-food favorite. If your budget allows, raw chicken tenders are ideal. Not only are they the right size, but just as their name suggests, they’re more tender compared to other parts of the chicken breast. If cost is a concern, create your own strips by cutting two full skinless and boneless chicken breasts lengthwise into four to six tenders, depending on the size of each breast. Bonus: If you want to bring the heat to your chicken fingers, add a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the breadcrumbs. Baked Chicken Fingers 1 pound raw chicken tenders 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 egg 1-1/2 cups seasoned whole-wheat breadcrumbs Cooking spray 1/4 teaspoon salt Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Clip off any tendons from the top of the tenders with a pair of kitchen shears. Mix the buttermilk and egg in a bowl and place the breadcrumbs in a pie plate. Dip each tender into the liquid and then press into the… read on >

Young and middle-aged adults with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have an increased risk of stroke, new research suggests. For the study, researchers analyzed medical data from more than 1 million veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. They ranged in age from 18 to 60 years and two-thirds were white. Of those, 29% had been diagnosed with PTSD. None had previously suffered a stroke or mini-stroke (also known as a transient ischemic attack, or “TIA”). During 13 years of follow-up, 766 vets had a TIA and 1,877 had an ischemic stroke, which is caused by blocked blood flow to the brain. Veterans with PTSD were 62% more likely to have a stroke, raising the risk more than known risk factors such as obesity and smoking. They were also twice as likely to have a TIA, increasing the risk more than diabetes and sleep apnea. Even after accounting for known stroke risk factors, mental health disorders (such as depression and anxiety) and drug and alcohol abuse, the investigators found that veterans with PTSD were still 61% more likely to have a TIA and 36% more likely to have a stroke than vets without PTSD. The link between PTSD and stroke was stronger in men than in women. In addition, vets with PTSD were more likely to have unhealthy habits — such as smoking and inactivity —… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Injuries at home and at play are preventable, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC mentions these ways to reduce your chances of injury: Wear the proper helmet for your activity. Wear a life jacket when boating. Have your eyes checked. Remove tripping hazards around your home. Learn how to swim. Store medicine out of the reach of children. Take medication only as directed. Place children in a proper booster or car seat. Wear your seatbelt. Walk on a sidewalk.

Don’t shrug off working your delts, the muscles of your shoulders. Besides assisting with good posture, strong shoulders help you lift and carry items with ease, and create excellent upper body definition for men and women alike. Deltoid rows work not only your shoulders, but also your biceps, lats and the muscles of your middle back. Begin in a standing position, knees slightly bent, with a dumbbell in each hand. Lean slightly forward from the hips, with a straight back. The weights should be just in front of your knees, with arms hanging down to the floor. Exhale and draw the weights straight up to your chest. Your torso stays still as elbows bend out to the sides — shoulders and upper arms should be in alignment at the top of the movement. Think of touching your shoulder blades as you hold for a second, then inhale and slowly return to the start position. Now move to deltoid raises. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, a dumbbell in each hand at the front of the thighs. With control, exhale and raise the weights out in front of you to shoulder height, arms parallel to the floor. Inhale and lower the weights to the start position. Finish with lateral raises. Start by holding the weights at your sides and, on the exhale, lift them out to… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Eye gunk, known medically as rheum, is the crust that forms in the corners of your eyes when you wake up in the morning. Sleep crust is a mix of mucus, skin cells, oils and tears shed by the eye during sleep, says the University of Utah. While white or cream colored gunk is normal, yellow or green is not, and can be a sign of conjunctivitis or a chronic eye condition. The school says you should see an ophthalmologist if your eye gunk is discolored.

Don’t let the names of exotic grains like millet keep you from trying them. They’re as easy to make as standard white rice yet far more nutritious. Millet is the seed of a grass that grows in Africa. It has a fluffy, dry texture and tastes similar to corn. Millet has a wide variety of nutrients, including many minerals, protein and fiber. It cooks in under 30 minutes and can be served up as a hot breakfast cereal, added to soups in place of beans or pasta, or turned into side dishes. This flavorful carrot and millet dish is a great complement to any protein. Spicy Millet and Carrot “Pilaf” 1 cup dry millet 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 carrots, peeled and diced 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth 1/2 cup raisins 1/4 cup chopped parsley Place the millet in a small saucepan with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes until the water is absorbed and the grains are fluffy and tender. Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots and salt, and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until the carrots brown and are… read on >

Universal gym etiquette includes steps like turning off your cellphone whenever you’re working out, being courteous when using shared equipment in the weight room, taking thoughtful steps such as not wearing heavy perfume, and wiping off your sweat after working out on a machine. But there are also good rules to follow whenever you walk into an exercise class. Adhering to them can improve your performance as well as your standing at the health club and your all-important relationship with your fitness instructors. First, use the minutes when you’re getting dressed for class to focus mentally. Get psyched for a serious workout and remind yourself that fitness boosts your motivation and enthusiasm. Being on time benefits everyone. Lateness is more than distracting to your instructor and classmates. You miss out on the important warmup segment, warns the American Council on Exercise, and that puts you at greater risk for injury. If you’re late for a personal trainer session, it throws off the rest of your trainer’s schedule and means less time for you. On the other hand, don’t be shy about asking questions that will help you improve and possibly avoid an injury. Don’t grin and bear it if a move hurts or if you’re unsure of how to do it. If you can’t get the attention of the teacher during class, bring up your… read on >

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 16, 2019 Weight-loss surgery before pregnancy may lower obese women’s odds of having a baby with major birth defects, new research suggests. For the study, the researchers examined data on more than 33,000 births in Sweden between 2007 and 2014. Of these, nearly 3,000 children were born to mothers who had a type of weight-loss surgery called gastric bypass before getting pregnant. The rest were born to women who weighed about the same as the others did before weight-loss surgery — more than 260 pounds. Women in the surgery group lost an average 88 pounds and weighed about 181 pounds at their first prenatal checkup. In addition, their use of diabetes medications fell from 9.7% to 1.5%. The risk of major birth defects was about 30% lower in children whose mothers had weight-loss surgery than in those of the obese mothers, the findings showed. The risk of major birth defects was 3.4% in children born to women who had gastric bypass surgery — similar to the 3.5% rate among those born to normal-weight women, the researchers reported. The risk of major birth defects was 4.9% in children born to the women who were still obese, according to the study published Oct. 15 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The findings challenge long-held concerns that weight-loss surgery could increase the odds of… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

How to Manage Your Osteoarthritis

Health Tip: Brain Games for Seniors

How to Make Your Own Healthy Chicken Tenders

PTSD Linked to Increased Risk of Stroke in Younger Adults

Health Tip: 10 Ways to Reduce Injury Risk

A Workout to Shape Your Shoulders

Health Tip: Understanding Eye Gunk

Millet: A Whole Grain You Might Be Overlooking

A Guide to Good Etiquette at the Gym

Moms’ Weight-Loss Surgery Tied to Lower Risk of Birth Defects