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Spring break may mean sun and fun for lots of college kids, but it doesn’t mean they can forget about contact lens care, experts say. Your risk of eye infections increases if you wear contacts and do things such as sleep in them, shower or swim with them in, and not wash your hands before handling them — all of which are more likely to happen when you’re busy enjoying your spring break. The American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Academy of Optometry and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer the following contact lens safety tips for travelers: Pack a spare pair of glasses. Take out your contact lenses before jumping into the water at a beach or pool. Take your contact lenses out before bed, even if you’re up late. Bring enough contact lens supplies with you on your trip. Don’t top off by adding new solution to old. Never wear contact lenses that were not prescribed to you, especially decorative lenses sold at souvenir shops. Always wash your hands with soap and water before touching your contact lenses. Remove your contact lenses and call an eye doctor immediately if you experience redness, pain, tearing, discharge or swelling of your eyes, as well as increased light sensitivity or blurred vision. “Most people don’t think of contact lenses as a medical device, but… read on >

You might think of seeing a skin specialist for cosmetic procedures, to freshen skin or to get rid of lines. But do you recognize the signs of problems that need the attention of a skin doctor? Here are some of the most common skin conditions and their warning signs. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. With millions of new cases diagnosed each year, report any suspicious new moles or a change in an existing mole. Do a monthly visual check of your skin using mirrors for hard-to-see areas using the “A-B-C-D-E” test. A mole is worrisome if it: Is Asymmetrical Has a Border with ragged edges Has Color that’s uneven Has a Diameter larger than a pencil eraser Is Elevated or raised Another common — and persistent — skin problem is acne, with its clogged pores and pus-filled pimples. Breakouts can affect people well into their adult years. For acne that doesn’t improve with drugstore products, see a dermatologist not only to clear up skin, but also to avoid permanent scars. Because acne can affect self-esteem, don’t let your kids suffer with it. Acne may not harmlessly just run its course. Constant redness anywhere on the face can be a sign of rosacea. You might see thin blood vessels and pimples but not the blackheads of acne. A… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Foodborne illness is often preventable, yet millions of people become sick from this, says the World Health Organization. The organization’s “Five Keys to Safer Food” are: Wash your hands before handling/consuming food. Separate raw and cooked food. Cook food thoroughly. Keep food below 5 degrees C or above 60 degrees C. Avoid tap water and unpeeled fruits/vegetables while outside the United States. Before leaving home, WHO also recommends speaking with your doctor about diseases at your destination. He or she may recommend preventative measures, such as vaccinations.

If you’re a hamburger lover who no longer wants to eat meat or simply wants to cut down on beef consumption, there are ways to get the taste and texture of a traditional burger. Start by experimenting with beef alternatives like firm tofu. Because it takes on the taste of ingredients in a marinade, you can flavor it with spices and condiments before grilling. Tempeh is another soy food, more grainy than tofu, so you may find it tastes closer to ground beef. Legumes like lentils and beans can be cooked, mashed and shaped into patties and lightly sauteed or skillet-grilled. But if you’re looking for a very simple option with a more familiar, meaty taste, look to mushrooms, especially large Portobello mushrooms whose shape mimics the roundness of a beef patty. They not only make a great tasting burger, they’re also high in nutrients, including copper, selenium and many B vitamins. Here’s how to make a savory grilled mushroom burger. Grilled Portobello “Burgers” 2 large Portobello mushroom caps Cooking spray 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 slices cheddar cheese 2 whole-wheat burger buns 1/2 avocado, sliced 2 slices tomato 2 lettuce leaves Start by cleaning the mushrooms. Gently brush the caps with a damp cloth or paper towel. Because the gills can have a bitter taste, remove them by scraping them out with a spoon. Heat… read on >

Want two moves that will effectively develop your lower body? Then add lunges and squats to your strength-training workout. These exercises primarily use your own body weight to effectively strengthen muscles, and can be adapted for both beginners and more advanced athletes. The lunge works the quads, hamstrings, glutes and, to a lesser degree, the lower leg muscles. Lunges can be done as a forward or reverse movement. The reverse is easier for beginners. Step backward with your left foot, extending the leg behind you as you bend the right knee until the right thigh is parallel with the floor or as close as feels comfortable. Press your right heel into the floor to bring yourself back to the starting position. When you want to progress, switch to the forward lunge. The left foot steps forward with the knee bending over the foot as you lower your right knee behind you. You can draw on your body weight or intensify results by holding hand weights. Whatever your level, repeat only as many times as you are able to do so with correct form. For beginners, that may be as few as five lunges with each leg. Build up to three sets of 10 to 20 reps on each leg. The squat targets the quads and hamstrings. Developing these muscles will help protect the knees. Stand… read on >

Having a fussy baby doesn’t just rob a new mother of sleep — it can also increase her risk of depression, a new study finds. That fussiness, combined with premature birth, may significantly affect a new mother’s mood. “We found that maternal depression risk varied by gestational age and infant fussiness,” said senior study author Dr. Prachi Shah. She is a developmental and behavioral pediatrician at University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, in Ann Arbor. For the study, researchers looked at more than 8,200 children and their mothers across the United States. The investigators found that mothers of very preterm, fussy infants (born at 24 to 31 weeks’ gestation) were about twice as likely to have mild depressive symptoms as those of very preterm infants who weren’t difficult to soothe. However, “mothers of fussy infants born late preterm and full-term are more likely to experience more severe levels of maternal depression than mothers of fussy infants who were born more preterm,” Shah said in a university news release. Among mothers of babies born moderate-late preterm (32 to 36 weeks’ gestation) and moms of full-term infants, those with fussy babies were about twice as likely to have moderate to severe depressive symptoms as those with less irritable infants. “These findings reinforce that all mothers caring for babies with more difficult temperaments may need extra help… read on >

An older but still common multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment has an unexpected perk: It not only quells symptoms, but patients may also live longer. New research revealed that patients taking a beta interferon drug for more than three years were likely to live longer than those who took one for a shorter time or who didn’t take one at all. “This study was the first and largest of its kind, and we found that a commonly used drug for MS may prolong life,” said the study’s senior author, Helen Tremlett. She’s the Canada Research Chair in Neuroepidemiology and Multiple Sclerosis at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Beta interferon drugs include Avonex, Betaseron, Extavia, Plegridy and Rebif. Beta interferons were the first disease-modifying drugs available to treat MS. They were introduced in the 1990s to treat relapsing MS. Newer medications are now available, but beta interferons are still widely used, the study authors noted. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that affects the central nervous system. The symptoms include muscle weakness, trouble with coordination and balance, visual disturbances and problems with thinking and memory. MS can shorten life span an average of six years or more, the study authors said. Dr. Nicholas LaRocca is vice president of Health Care Delivery and Policy Research for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He explained that, in… read on >

It’s surprisingly easy to hold a grudge, but whether it involves a friend, a co-worker or a loved one, it can fill you with bitterness, keep you stuck in the past and even lead to anxiety or depression. That means you’re the one suffering from the situation, and not necessarily the subject of your anger and irritation. Besides the emotional toll, researchers from Glasgow Caledonian University and Edinburgh Napier University, in Scotland, found that holding a grudge can also heighten feelings of physical pain, even if that pain has nothing to do with the incident in question. So, if your lower back is bothering you or you have the achiness of arthritis, your pain can feel worse if you’re stewing over the grudge. Letting go of a grudge starts with forgiveness. That doesn’t mean you’re excusing the behavior the other person exhibited, and you may never forget it, but if you can forgive the person for their mistake, you can break free of the hold he or she has had on your life. The benefits are wide-ranging and immediate. Making a conscious decision to let go of the anger and resentment that keeps you rooted in the past will allow you to focus on your present and what’s important to you today. Letting go of grudges frees you to focus on the positive relationships in… read on >

Berries are nature’s natural sweetener and they come loaded with benefits. Fiber, vitamins and antioxidants sweeten the deal. Fresh strawberries are a plentiful spring and summer fruit, so load up on them at the farmer’s market. One cup contains 100 percent of your daily vitamin C needs and has just 46 calories. Here are two great ways to turn a basket of berries into sweets. The first is a simple, low-sugar refrigerator jam that you can use in many ways, from a tasty topping for toast to a sweetener in smoothies. Low-Sugar Strawberry Jam 4 tablespoons cold water 1-1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin 1 pound strawberries, chopped 1 tablespoon honey Place two tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface; do not stir. Set aside to soften. Meanwhile, place the strawberries in a heavy saucepan, along with the other two tablespoons of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until berries are softened, about five minutes. Stir in the gelatin and the honey. Chill at least one hour before serving. Yield: About 2 cups A fresh trifle is a tasty way to showcase seasonal berries, but most traditional recipes are heavy in fat and sugar, mostly from the lemon curd. By lightening up homemade curd and using yogurt instead of cake layers, this dessert is guilt-free. Strawberry Trifle… read on >

A dementia study has led researchers to a brain region that processes spoken, not written, words. Northwestern University researchers worked with four patients who had a rare type of dementia called primary progressive aphasia (PPA), which destroys language. Although able to hear and speak, they could not understand what was said out loud. However, they could still process written words. For example, if they read the word “hippopotamus,” they could identify a picture of a hippo. But if someone said the word “hippopotamus,” they couldn’t point to its picture. Through their tests with these patients, the researchers were able to identify an area in the left brain that appears specialized to process spoken words. “We always think of these degenerative diseases as causing widespread impairment, but in early stages, we’re learning that neurodegenerative disease can be selective with which areas of the brain it attacks,” said senior author Sandra Weintraub. She’s a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and neurology at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “The fact that only the auditory words were impaired in these patients and their visual words were untouched leads us to believe we’ve identified a new area of the brain where raw sound information is transformed into auditory word images,” Weintraub explained in a university news release. Because the study included only four patients, the findings are… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Spring Break Is No Vacation From Contact Lens Care

When You Need to See a Dermatologist

Health Tip: Food Safety for Travelers

How to Build a Healthier Burger With Mushrooms

The Keys to Perfect Lunges and Squats

Fussy Baby May Raise Mom’s Risk of Depression

Common MS Treatment Can Bring Longer, Healthier Life

Why Holding a Grudge Is Bad for Your Health

Enjoy These Sweet Strawberry Treats Without Guilt

Only Spoken Words Processed in Newly Discovered Brain Region