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If you or a family member has asthma, your doctor has most likely mapped out the steps you need to take to treat an asthma flare. Creating a healthier home by minimizing your triggers can be as effective as medication for reducing symptoms and flares, according to a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Triggers include indoor pollutants like cigarette smoke and gas stoves, as well as allergens such as mold, pets and pests — from dust mites that hide in bedding to cockroaches. One approach is to talk to your doctor about allergen-specific immunoglobulin E antibody tests or skin testing to identify the allergens that affect you most. Then you can map out a strategy to rid your home of the worst offenders. HEPA or “high-efficiency particulate air purifiers” do a great job of removing airborne allergens. True HEPA devices can trap particles in the air that are as small as 0.3 microns — that’s less than 1/25,000 of an inch. HEPA filters are available for your heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and for specially equipped vacuum cleaners. Protect mattresses and pillows with zippered allergen-proof covers, and launder bed linens regularly in hot water followed by a hot spin in the dryer, experts at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology suggest. To prevent mold, keep your kitchen, bathrooms and basement… read on >

Creamy and rich, yogurt is a versatile dairy food that can be turned into delicious meals. It’s high in protein, probiotics to help with digestion, and other essential nutrients like calcium. Research has shown that the fat in yogurt doesn’t damage your heart, so full-fat is fine unless you’re on a low-fat diet for health or to lose weight. In this case, 0% fat is for you. When it comes to yogurt flavors, however, skip the “fruit on the bottom” varieties and avoid the kids’ brands that come in a tube and have loads of sugar. Instead, start with plain yogurt and flavor it yourself. For extra creaminess, go for Greek yogurt. Thicker than sour cream, it can be used in its place in many recipes. If you don’t want the tanginess of plain yogurt, stir in the sweetener of your choice. This way you can control the amount of sugar. Also remember to check the expiration date before you buy. While you’re in the dairy section, check out kefir, a yogurt-like drink that contains even more probiotics than yogurt. It’s a great base for smoothies. Whether you prefer yogurt or kefir, here are three fun ways to enjoy them: For a fast dip, stir dried onions into 2% Greek yogurt along with celery salt, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and black pepper to taste. For… read on >

If you dread seeing the doctor and your blood pressure reading always seems to be high at the doctor’s office, a new review says you should take those elevated readings seriously. The problem is called white-coat hypertension (because of doctors’ traditional white coats) and it may signal an underlying problem. The research defined white-coat hypertension as elevated readings at the doctor’s office, along with normal blood pressure elsewhere. People who had untreated white-coat hypertension had double the risk of dying from heart disease or stroke compared with people with normal blood pressure. The odds of having a heart attack or stroke were also about one-third higher for those with white-coat hypertension, according to the new review. Their risk of dying prematurely from any cause was also increased by about a third compared to people with no blood pressure problems. “People with white-coat hypertension may not be monitored regularly. They may feel like nothing is wrong,” said lead author Dr. Jordana Cohen. She is an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, in Philadelphia. Cohen said everyone needs to know their blood pressure outside the doctor’s office. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a defined as a top reading of at least 130 or a bottom one of 80. The condition affects nearly a third of American adults, the researchers said. “Know… read on >

The kind of foods you eat, and even the order in which you eat them can affect your odds of developing type 2 diabetes, three new studies suggest. The studies — being presented to the American Society for Nutrition — found: Switching to a mostly plant-based diet (but one that could still include meat and dairy) could reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by as much as 60%. Eating greater amounts of vitamins B2 and B6 was linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, while getting more B12 in the diet seemed to be associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. The order that you eat your foods appears to matter. People who ate vegetables before having meat or rice had lower blood sugar levels, along with positive changes in their hunger hormones. Dr. Rekha Kumar, an endocrinologist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, reviewed the findings. “Emphasizing fruits and vegetables and whole foods is a very practical and easy way to manage type 2 diabetes,” she said. “Half your plate should be green, even at breakfast, when you could have an egg white omelet with spinach for example.” As for the sequence of eating, Kumar said vegetables, high-fiber foods and even protein take longer to leave the stomach, which slows down the rise in… read on >

While kids get some benefit from using digital and social media, such as early learning and exposure to new ideas, too much of it can negatively affect their health, sleep and eating habits, and even their attention span. But ruling out all media usage isn’t the answer either. An approach suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics can help you strike the right balance. It involves writing up a family media use plan that everyone agrees on and follows. The idea is for parents and children to adapt Academy-recommended guidelines on screen time, including TV, cellphones, computers, tablets and even smartwatches. This will include deciding on screen-free areas around the house such as the dining room, time limits on use, what time gadgets need to be turned off — and even where to charge equipment. It’s key for restorative sleep for all family members that no one sleep with any devices in their bedrooms and all use should stop at least one hour before bedtime. A family plan should include all key lifestyle habits, from getting an hour of exercise every day to getting the age-appropriate hours of sleep. You can create your own schedule or fill out the “Family Media Use Plan” on the Academy’s website. It lets you plug in your kids’ daily activities and determine how much time is available for media… read on >

From positive effects on cholesterol levels to reducing the risk of heart disease and even some cancers, nuts are good for you. Ounce for ounce, they are nutrient powerhouses with beneficial fats and plant protein. Many studies recommend eating 1-1/2 ounces of nuts a day, but which are best? High levels of nutrients put these at the top of the list. Pistachios have antioxidants including lutein, important for eye health, beta-carotene and vitamin E. Eating pistachios may help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and maintain heart health, according to Penn State researchers. Shelling them yourself prolongs your enjoyment. One ounce is equal to 45 to 50 pistachios. Almonds are an excellent source of vitamin E and magnesium, plus a good jolt of calcium. A Korean study found that eating about two ounces of almonds a day can improve levels of all blood fats, including triglycerides. A University of Florida study found that their fiber content could boost good bacteria in the gut and good health in general. One ounce is equal to about 24 almonds. Hazelnuts, or filberts, are also rich in vitamin E as well as the minerals copper and manganese. They’re being studied, along with almonds and walnuts, as a food to protect brain health. One ounce is equal to 15 to 20 hazelnuts. Pecans are high in antioxidants and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. A… read on >

Fifty-six of America’s 500 biggest cities have major gaps in life expectancy between neighborhoods, a new study reveals. These gaps can mean people in one neighborhood live 20 to 30 years longer than those just a mile away — and the inequalities are prevalent in cities with high levels of racial and ethnic segregation, according to New York University researchers. They said their findings should be a wake-up call for city leaders nationwide. “Your neighborhood shouldn’t influence your odds of seeing your grandchildren grow up,” said lead researcher Dr. Marc Gourevitch, chairman of the department of population health at NYU Langone Health System. His colleague, co-author Benjamin Spoer, said researchers have known for a while that conditions from neighborhood to neighborhood can have “profound influence” on how long and how well people live. “But we were surprised to see just how large the gap in life expectancy can be between neighborhoods, and how strong the link was between life expectancy and segregation, across all different kinds and sizes of cities,” Spoer said in an NYU news release. Chicago had the biggest gap in life expectancy between neighborhoods at 30.1 years. That was followed by Washington, D.C., at 27.5 years; New York City, 27.4; and New Orleans and Buffalo, N.Y., both at 25.8 years. Scores on measures of racial and ethnic segregation in these cities were… read on >

Vitamin supplements don’t appear to prevent type 2 diabetes in those at highest risk for the disease, a new study finds. Some studies have suggested that low vitamin D levels might increase the odds of developing diabetes and that boosting levels could prevent it, but these findings throw cold water on these assumptions. In this study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), more than 2,400 people aged 30 and older across the United States were involved. Researchers randomly assigned half of them to take 4,000 units a day of vitamin D and the other half to take a placebo. After nearly three years, 24.2% of those taking vitamin D developed diabetes, as did 26.7% of those taking the placebo. This difference isn’t statistically significant, researchers said. “In addition to the study’s size, one of its major strengths is the diversity of its participants, which enabled us to examine the effect of vitamin D across a large variety of people,” lead author Dr. Anastassios Pittas said in an NIH news release. “When the study ended, we found no meaningful difference between the two groups regardless of age, sex, race or ethnicity.” Pittas is a professor and co-director of the Diabetes and Lipid Center at Tufts University Medical Center in Boston. The report was published June 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine… read on >

The waning effectiveness of a flawed whooping cough vaccine is the main culprit in recent outbreaks of the highly contagious bacterial infection, a new study reports. More than four out of five confirmed whooping cough (pertussis) cases strike children who are fully vaccinated, the study authors said. That’s because the vaccine for whooping cough loses effectiveness over time, the researchers discovered. Up to age 7, kids have a five times higher whooping cough risk when they’re three years out from their last shot, compared to the year immediately after vaccination, according to the report published online June 10 in Pediatrics. And kids between 7 and 11 have double the risk if they are more than six years away from their last shot, compared with less than three years after, the findings showed. “We found children who received their vaccines and who are far away from their last vaccine were at increased risk of pertussis [whooping cough],” said lead researcher Ousseny Zerbo. He is a staff scientist in the Vaccine Study Center at Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Oakland. “As time goes by, the effectiveness starts to wane.” Researchers hastened to point out that the vaccine remains a vital means of preventing the disease. Risk of catching whooping cough is 13 times higher among unvaccinated children and twice as likely among kids who are behind on… read on >

Eight of every 10 American households buys sodas and other sugary drinks each week, adding up to 2,000 calories per household per week, new research shows. To put that in perspective, 2,000 calories is equal to the recommended average caloric intake for an adult for an entire day. With the obesity epidemic continuing for Americans young and old, it’s still tough to get the message out that sugary drinks may prove lethal over time, one expert said. “It startles me how many patients of mine state that they ‘understand that soda is not good’ — however, they continue to drink for the pleasure principle,” said Sharon Zarabi. She directs the bariatric program at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. However, Zarabi added, “when you actually sit down and spend time explaining the contribution of excess calories, inflammatory markers, elevated triglycerides, addictive properties, weight gain, etc., you paint a different picture.” The new study was led by Stephen Onufrak, of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report — and a number of related studies — were to be presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, in Baltimore. In the soda consumption study, the CDC team looked at data from a government survey of the weekly grocery-buying habits of nearly 5,000 U.S. households, compiled in 2012. The findings… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Your Guide to a Healthier Home for Better Asthma Control

Say Yes to Yummy, Healthy Yogurt

High Blood Pressure at Doctor’s Office May Be More Dangerous Than Suspected

What and How You Eat Affects Your Odds for Type 2 Diabetes

How to Put Limits on Your Family’s Screen Time

Healthy Nuts: The Best of the Best

Race Affects Life Expectancy in Major U.S. Cities

Vitamin D Supplements Don’t Prevent Type 2 Diabetes: Study

Whooping Cough Vaccine Effectiveness Fades With Time: Study

Sugary Sodas Still Popular, But Warnings, Taxes Can Curb Uptake