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Transgender women on gender-confirming hormone therapy have increased odds of breast cancer, but the overall risk is low and not as high as it is for the general female population, a new study finds. Trans women are those who were declared male at birth but identify as female. Previous research has shown that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increases breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women, but it was unclear whether the same was true for trans women receiving hormone treatment. The new study looked at 2,260 trans women and 1,229 trans men who received gender-affirming hormone therapy at a clinic in the Netherlands between 1972 and 2016. The researchers found that trans women on hormone therapy had a higher breast cancer risk than the general male population. And transgender men (female sex assigned at birth, male gender identity) were found to have a lower breast cancer risk than the general female population. Average age at the start of hormone treatment was 31 for trans women and 23 for trans men, and average treatment time was 13 years for trans women and eight years for trans men, according to the report. Among the trans women, 15 cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed at an average age of 50. On average, those patients had received hormone treatment for 18 years. That rate was higher than that in… read on >

Here’s another health danger climate change will deliver in the coming years: New research warns that back-to-back heat waves that go on for days will become more common as the planet warms. The elderly and the poor will be the least prepared to weather this threat, the investigators noted. But hospital ERs and emergency service providers will also be vulnerable to the public health havoc that such “compound heat waves” will likely inflict. “By compound heat wave, we mean multiple heat waves — or possibly individual extremely hot days — occurring one after the other separated by short cooler breaks,” explained study author Jane Wilson Baldwin. She’s a postdoctoral research associate with the Princeton Environmental Institute in New Jersey. An example, Baldwin said, would be five extremely hot days, followed by a respite of a couple of cooler days, and then three more extremely hot days. Such repetitive scorchers are not confined to some distant future, the study found. They are already here, with heat waves and droughts currently pegged as the direct cause of roughly 20% of natural disaster deaths in the continental United States, more than any other single natural cause. “However, these events will become significantly more common with global warming,” noted Baldwin. “In the present climate, only about 10% of heat waves exhibit these compound structures. Without drastic changes to carbon… read on >

There’s nothing quite like the smell and taste of warm blueberry muffins. But when you buy them from a local bakery or your favorite coffee shop, they can clock in at 500 calories or more. Making your own is well worth the time, because you can shave off 300 calories a pop. This recipe uses whole-wheat pastry flour, available at most supermarkets, as well as online. It has the same whole-grain goodness and fiber of regular whole-wheat flour, but is much softer and makes a more tender baked good. The yield is a dozen muffins, so you can enjoy them throughout the week. Lighter Blueberry Muffins 1-1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature 1 egg 1 cup low-fat buttermilk Juice and zest of 1 lemon 1 cup blueberries Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin or use paper liners. Place flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and stir well. In a medium bowl, mix sugar and butter with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the egg, buttermilk, lemon zest and juice. Add the dry ingredients and stir until a batter forms, about 10 strokes with the spoon. Fill muffin cups to the… read on >

The pain Sara Langill felt in her right hip didn’t concern her much, until she felt a lump as she massaged tendons near her hip flexors following a soccer game. “I felt this thing that felt like a rubbery grape,” recalls Langill, 33. Thinking it might be a hernia, she went to the doctor. Within days, Langill was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma — an advanced stage of the most serious form of skin cancer. A “typical Southern California” kid born and raised in San Diego, Langill spent hours and hours soaking up sunshine engaged in outdoor pursuits. “I’ve had more sunburns than I can count. I used to come into work on Monday, and if I wasn’t sunburned, I didn’t have a great weekend,” Langill recalls. May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and Langill is now speaking out as part of a campaign to get people to protect themselves from the sun and have their skin checked regularly. Her melanoma diagnosis came in September 2016. A biopsy found cancer in the lymph nodes near her hip, and doctors eventually tracked the cancer to a “really small mole on the outside of my right calf,” Langill said. She soon underwent surgery to remove the cancerous lymph nodes as well as the original tumor on her calf. Langill now bears a 6-inch scar down the front… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Preparing for a safe hike outdoors begins with a few pieces of equipment. The American Hiking Society urges hikers to carry a map, compass and emergency whistle at all times. Furthermore, understanding how to use each item is critical. Despite preparations, hikers do get lost. If you’re lost outdoors, the society encourages you to: Not panic. Locate yourself on a map or retrace your steps. Stay put, if you realize you are genuinely lost. Blow your emergency whistle in bursts of three. Be as visible to rescuers as possible.

They might be too young to abuse opioids themselves, but America’s kids are suffering nonetheless because of their drug-dependent parents. New research shows more than 600,000 American parents with kids under 18 are addicted to opioids. That amounts to almost 1% of parents of minors, most of whom aren’t getting treated, the study found. In addition, about 4 million parents have substance abuse problems, such as alcoholism. Many in both camps have mental ills as well. “For parents, the opioid crisis is also a mental health crisis,” warned study author Lisa Clemans-Cope. “The co-occurrence of opioid use disorder and behaviors that signal suicide risk is a national emergency for families.” Clemans-Cope is a principal research associate with the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center, in Washington, D.C. Linda Richter, of the Center on Addiction in New York City, said addiction increasingly threatens the American family. “Addiction is an intergenerational disease,” said Richter, who wasn’t involved in the study. “Few children living in homes with parents who have an opioid use disorder grow up unscathed.” Researchers reviewed results of the U.S. National Survey of Drug Use and Health conducted between 2015 and 2017. They identified roughly 44,500 parents living with children under 18. Their responses were then used to generate national estimates. The study found that only a third of addicted parents are getting the care they… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Some 40 million Americans wear contact lenses to correct vision disorders, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. However, if not worn or taken care of properly, contact lenses pose risks to users. To avoid infection or injury, the FDA urges users to: Replace your contact lens storage case every three months. Clean and disinfect your lenses properly. Always remove contact lenses before swimming. Never re-use lens solution. Never use saliva to clean your lenses. Do not wear lenses overnight.

You don’t have to go to the gym for a strength-training workout. With these three moves, your own body weight provides the resistance needed to develop key muscles. Start with the classic wall sit. Press your back into a wall and slide it down the wall as you walk your feet out in front of you, bending at the knees. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor and make right angles with your calves. Try to keep shoulders relaxed. Hold for up to 90 seconds, return to standing and repeat. For a challenging twist, once you’re in the wall-sit position, straighten your right leg out in front of you, holding it parallel to the floor for five seconds, return and switch legs. As the exercise becomes easier to do, increase the number of times you alternately straighten legs while holding the sit. Jumping jacks, an old standby, are still effective and offer a cardio workout as well. Here’s how to make them more fun and more challenging: Start by standing with feet together, arms at your sides and then jump out with feet as wide apart as is comfortable as arms lift out to the sides and up to shoulder-level. When you jump back in, cross your right arm over your left at mid-chest and cross your right leg over your left leg. Jump… read on >

Lentils are super nutritious legumes that sometimes take a backseat to beans because they’re not always as readily available and aren’t sold precooked in cans like many beans are. But, unlike most dried beans, lentils don’t need to be soaked overnight before using and they cook up quickly. In fact, when making lentils, the key is to not overcook them. Lentils have a high-level nutrition profile. Green, red, black, yellow or brown, they’re rich in protein, minerals and fiber. They can be used in many tasty ways and in a variety of cuisines from Indian dals to French lentil salads. The following recipe uses sweet and spicy peppadews, a small South African pepper found in the pickle aisle or the olive section of many grocery stores. As an alternative, use roasted red peppers instead. Sweet and Tangy Lentils 1 cup dry lentils, brown, green or red 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 scallions, chopped 1 cup roasted peppadew or red bell peppers, minced 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper Zest and juice of 1 lemon 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled 1/4 cup chopped parsley Place lentils in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook 10 to 15 minutes for brown or green lentils, five to 15 minutes for red lentils. Warm the oil in… read on >

It’s almost time for long summer weekends and backyard barbecues. And you may be wondering if a day or two of burgers and beers does any long-term damage to your body. A new Australian study suggests that if you normally have a healthy lifestyle, you can relax and enjoy the feasts. The study found that the body adapts and quickly bounces back from an occasional day of gluttony. “If you normally have a healthy diet and get plenty of physical activity, don’t feel too bad about occasionally overeating,” said study author Glenn Wadley. He’s an associate professor from Deakin University’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition in Burwood. But the study doesn’t give you license to binge every weekend. “From a health perspective, short-term overeating is really best confined to infrequent special occasions, like during festivals and holidays. We aren’t advocating that binge eating is OK,” Wadley said. Obesity has been rising in the United States and other parts of the world for decades. Wadley and the study’s lead author, Dale Morrison, wondered what impact short-term overeating might have on the body’s metabolism. More specifically, they wanted to see how the body handled a short-term spike in blood sugar (glucose) levels, and whether that temporary change in eating patterns had any lasting effect. “We had hypothesized, based on earlier studies, that the liver would be… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Trans Women Have Raised Odds of Breast Cancer, But Risk Still Small: Study

More Back-to-Back Heat Waves Will Come With Climate Change

Brighten Your Breakfast With a Lighter Blueberry Muffin

Young, and Learning Too Late That Sun Safety Matters

Health Tip: If You’re Lost Outdoors

More Than 600,000 Opioid Abusers Raising Kids in U.S.

Health Tip: Contact Lens Safety

Weight-Free Strength Training

How to Cook With Luscious Lentils

Body Adapts, Recovers From Occasional ‘Pigging Out,’ Study Finds