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The number of cases of severe lung disease linked to vaping has now doubled, with more than 450 people in 33 states struck by the illness, U.S. health officials reported Friday. At least three of those patients have died. The leading culprit at this point is an oily chemical called vitamin E acetate, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There have been three confirmed deaths linked to vaping, as well as one death that’s potentially connected, Ileana Arias, acting deputy director of non-infectious diseases at the CDC, said during a media briefing on Friday. The deaths occurred in Illinois, Indiana and Oregon. “The focus of our investigation is narrowing and that’s great news, but we’re still faced with complex questions in this outbreak that will take time to answer,” Arias said. The CDC urges people to not use e-cigarettes until more is known about what’s causing these lung injuries. “While this investigation is ongoing, people should consider not using e-cigarette products,” said Dr. Dana Meaney-Delman, the incident manager in charge of the CDC’s response to this health crisis. “People who do use e-cigarette products should monitor themselves for symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea and vomiting, and promptly seek medical attention for any health concerns,” she added. Many patients hospitalized More information has also been released regarding… 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 >

The overall death rate of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa may have been underestimated, with new research finding survivors could have a five times higher death rate after leaving the hospital than the general population. An outbreak of Ebola is currently raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 3,000 cases of the viral disease have occurred over the past year, including more than 2,000 deaths. The new study focuses on 1,130 Guinean survivors of the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the largest such outbreak ever recorded. These patients were tracked from early December 2015 to the end of September 2016. During that time, 59 died in the first year after hospital discharge. That 5.2% death rate was five times higher than what would be expected in the general Guinean population, according to the study. It was published Sept. 4 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. “Our findings highlight the need to strengthen Ebola survivor programs, particularly as the number of people surviving the infection are increasing,” study author Dr. Ibrahima Soce Fall said in a journal news release. Fall is the World Health Organization’s assistant director-general for emergency response. Of the 59 deaths, 37 were initially attributed to kidney failure based on symptoms reported by family members. There was a lack of documentation or autopsies available to rule out other… read on >

When severe storms or hurricanes like Dorian sweep through communities with high winds and flooding, they can leave more than physical damage in their wake. New research suggests that dealing with the aftermath — which can include a damaged home and property — puts people at high risk for depression, anxiety and other mental health problems. “This study shows that exposure to extreme or even moderate weather events may result in ‘psychological casualties,’ with significant impacts on mental health,” said study author Hilary Graham, a professor in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York in England. “This is reflective of the huge impact storms and flooding have on people’s lives as alongside the physical damage to homes and businesses, there is the emotional damage to the sense of security that many people derive from their home,” Graham explained in a university news release. “With extreme weather events on the rise due to climate change, environmental and health policies need to be brought much more closely together. This means recognizing that flood protection policies are also health protection policies,” Graham said. The level of risk to mental health is similar to that associated with living in a bad neighborhood, and even people whose homes suffer relatively minor damage are at risk for mental health problems, the researchers noted. In the study, they analyzed… read on >

Marriage has been said to deflect depression, stave off stress, even help people live longer. Now a new study says it may also decrease your chance of developing dementia. Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. Married people have a far lower chance of being diagnosed with this dreaded disorder than those who are divorced or separated, widowed, or never married, according to the study. And marriage is more protective than cohabitation, the study revealed. Divorced people have more than twice the odds for mental decline compared to married folks, the 14-year study found. And divorced men have it worse: They have a 2.6 times higher chance of developing dementia than married men, while divorced women have a 30% increased risk versus married women. “There are a lot of theories about why marriage might be good for general health,” says Hui Liu, lead investigator and professor of sociology at Michigan State University. “Married people, of course, are financially better off than those who do not have a spouse,” she said. “But there are factors other than economics that play just as strongly into this. There’s the social psychology benefit.” While the study only found an association rather than a cause-and-effect link, it noted that divorce can lead to financial and emotional stress, which may… read on >

Few ingredients span the range of international cuisines as much as garlic. Garlic has a rich and interesting history as both a flavoring and a medicinal food. The bulb of a plant in the allium family (along with onions and chives), garlic contains potent antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, and is immensely flavorful while being extremely low in calories. There are well over 30 varieties of garlic, from Elephant to Kettle River Giant and Transylvanian, all with a savory flavor. Though most recipes that call for garlic involve mincing raw cloves and adding as is to no-cook dishes or sauteeing it as part of a recipe, roasting garlic brings out its natural sweetness, reduces its pungency and turns each clove into a spreadable paste. Roasted garlic is great for salad dressings and dips, because it won’t overpower the other ingredients and it blends in smoothly. For cooked dishes, simply replace raw garlic with the equivalent amount of roasted garlic and reduce cooking time accordingly. For a quick snack, squeeze the garlic from a roasted clove onto a cracker and spread it like butter. Roasting one or more bulbs at once means you’ll have cooked garlic anytime you need it during the week ahead. Roasted Garlic 1 or more garlic heads 1/4 teaspoon salt for each head 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil for each head Preheat your… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Vaping-Linked Lung Illnesses Double, Vitamin E Acetate Leading Suspect

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

High Post-Hospital Death Rate Trails Ebola Survivors

Hurricanes Like Dorian Take Heavy Toll on Mental Health

Getting Hitched Might Lower Your Odds for Dementia

A Tasty, Good-for-You Treat: Roasted Garlic