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Building a Better Backpack

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A well-organized backpack helps ensure that your child has everything needed for school. Problems start when it becomes overloaded. Lugging around a heavy pack can lead to bad posture, back pain and worse. The problem is so pervasive that the American Occupational Therapy Association created National School Backpack Awareness Day. It’s held every September to share ideas to keep kids safe. You can protect your kids by making sure that their packs are properly fitted and properly loaded. Here’s how. When shopping for a backpack, make sure that its width and length match each child’s torso. It shouldn’t hang more than 4 inches below the waist. The bottom of the pack should closely align with the curve of the child’s lower back — if it wobbles back and forth, spine problems can develop. Other features to look for include wide, padded and adjustable shoulder straps. A waist, hip and/or chest belt will more evenly distribute the load. A backpack with many compartments allows for its content to be well spaced throughout. For traffic safety, the pack should have reflective accents that will help cars and other vehicles see your child in low light conditions. Before loading the pack, have your child put it on and adjust the straps for a snug fit. Put the heaviest items at the back of the pack. Arrange the contents…  read on >

How to Kickstart Your Creativity

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You don’t have to have the talent of a Rembrandt or Yo-Yo Ma to express creativity and get some very special benefits from doing so. Everyday creativity boosts well-being and can give you a stronger sense of purpose and engagement, and everyone can tap into it. So why don’t we do more of it? The book, The Creativity Challenge, suggests modern life isn’t set up to promote creativity the way it used to be, and you might need to not only seek out creative outlets, but also carve out time in your hectic schedule to devote to them. The first step is to figure out what interests you. You might look for inspiration at an arts and crafts store or a museum, but be open to new ideas, which can be a challenge for adults. When researchers at North Dakota State University asked adults to think about what they would do with a day off, the answers were better when participants were told to imagine themselves as a 7-year-old, a time in life without inhibitions and more free thinking. So, try to channel your inner child, especially if you consider yourself an introvert by nature. Keep in mind that creativity doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need to schedule (or worry about paying for) lessons for activities like painting, creative writing and cooking. But…  read on >

How to Make Perfect Guacamole

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Guacamole is one party dip that’s actually good for you, and it’s easy to make at home. Hass avocados — with green skins that turn brown-black when ripe — are rich and creamy. They’re filled with healthy fats, vitamins and fiber. The rest of the fresh ingredients in guacamole are filled with nutrients and few calories. To test if an avocado is ripe, give it a gentle squeeze. It should give slightly under the pressure. If hard, avocados will need two to three days to ripen on a countertop, so plan ahead if you don’t have access to ripe ones. The other key ingredient for a flavorful guacamole is jalapeno, a spicy pepper that many people leave out. These bright green chilies have loads of healthy nutrients, including high levels of vitamin C and antioxidants, plus they add a flavor punch. To make a mild guacamole, remove the seeds and the membrane (the white part that attaches the seeds to the flesh) before you mince the jalapeno. For a spicy version, leave the seeds in. Perfect Guacamole 3 ripe Hass avocados 1/4 cup red onion, minced 1/4 cup cilantro, minced Juice of 1 lime 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 jalapeno, minced Run your knife around each of the avocados, and then twist slightly to separate them into halves. Remove the pits and scoop out the flesh…  read on >

What TV Binge-Watching Does to Your Brain

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Binge-watching episodes of your favorite shows does no favors for your brain, an expert warns. “It’s important to recognize that the brain is not an isolated organ — it responds to its environment,” said Dr. Randall Wright, a neurologist at Houston Methodist in Texas. “When we binge-watch, we create an unhealthy environment for the brain because we’re sitting for long periods of time, isolating ourselves from social activities and eating large amounts of unhealthy food.” Wright likens the instant gratification of watching episode after episode of a show to wanting to continue gambling even after you win. If you indulge often, this cycle and the side effects of binge-watching can lead to harmful brain and body changes, he said in a hospital news release. In other words, it’s a problem when watching a third, fourth or fifth episode of your favorite show replaces healthy activities, he said. But here’s the good news: You don’t have to stop cold-turkey. There are a number of ways to ward off negative effects of binge-watching: First, be sure it doesn’t prevent you from getting enough sleep. “Before you start your show, determine what time you need to go to bed to get enough sleep. It might be helpful to set a bedtime alarm so that you don’t lose track of time and to help you stick to that decision,”…  read on >

Too Much Napping May Signal Alzheimer’s

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If you often find yourself dosing off during the day, new research suggests it might be an early warning sign that you have Alzheimer’s disease. Areas of the brain that keep you awake during the day are damaged in the early stages of the memory-robbing disease, which is why people with Alzheimer’s may nap excessively long before they start to struggle with forgetting things, the study authors said. Not only that, the scientists also found that damage to brain regions involved in daytime wakefulness was caused by a protein called tau. This provides more evidence that tau may play a larger role in Alzheimer’s than the more extensively studied amyloid protein, the researchers noted. “Our work shows definitive evidence that the brain areas promoting wakefulness degenerate due to accumulation of tau — not amyloid protein — from the very earliest stages of the disease,” said study senior author Dr. Lea Grinberg. She is an associate professor of neurology and pathology at the Memory and Aging Center and a member of the Global Brain Health Institute at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Previous research has suggested that excessive napping is due to poor sleep caused by Alzheimer’s-related disruptions in brain regions that promote sleep, or that sleep problems themselves contribute to Alzheimer’s disease progression. In this study, the researchers analyzed the brains of 13…  read on >

Health Tip: Treating the Chills at Home

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(HealthDay News) — The chills refers to an episode of shivering, along with paleness and feeling cold. Most commonly, the chills are associated with fever, says Mount Sinai Hospital. They are the body’s way of producing heat when it feels cold. To treat the chills at home, Mount Sinai recommends: Drink lots of fluids and get plenty of rest. Sponge with lukewarm water. Take acetaminophen to fight fever and chills. Don’t bundle up in blankets or use air conditioning. If you have a high fever or your chills are accompanied by stiffness of the neck, confusion, or pain, seek prompt medical attention.

Depression, Alzheimer’s Might Be Part of Same Process in Some Aging Brains: Study

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New research is untangling the complex relationship between symptoms of depression and losses in memory and thinking that often emerge together with Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, the new data suggests that “depression symptoms themselves may be among the early changes in the preclinical stages of dementia syndromes,” explained study lead author Dr. Jennifer Gatchel. She works in the division of geriatric psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In the study, researchers examined brain scans and other data gathered over seven years from 276 older adults enrolled in the Harvard Aging Brain Study. All of the participants were still living independently in the community at the beginning of the study and were considered healthy. However, the analysis revealed a significant link between worsening depression symptoms and mental decline over two to seven years, and both of these trends seemed to be linked to a buildup of amyloid protein in brain tissue. The slow accumulation of amyloid has long been known as a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. “Our research found that even modest levels of brain amyloid deposition can impact the relationship between depression symptoms and cognitive [thinking] abilities,” Gatchel said in a hospital news release. The new insight that depression symptoms might be part of the Alzheimer’s process could further research into the prevention or treatment of the illness, she added. It “raises the possibility…  read on >

Why You Should Make Family Meals Part of Your Busy Day

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Family meals are a recipe for healthy eating in kids, nutritionists say. “Research shows that families who regularly dine together are more likely to eat more fruits, vegetables and fiber and are less likely to eat fried foods,” said Kristen Gradney, a dietitian nutritionist and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Eating together promotes healthy weight in children, perhaps due to more nourishing food choices, and can encourage them to try new foods,” she explained in an academy news release. Plus, families who eat together tend to be closer, because mealtime encourages conversations. It helps kids feel more at ease sharing their feelings, which, in turn, can help lessen behavioral problems and may even improve their grades, Gradney said. As part of Kids Eat Right Month in August, the academy offers this advice to help parents make and enjoy family meals after a busy day: Choose meals without a lot of ingredients. Work with your children to create a collection of go-to recipes that can be ready in less than 30 minutes. Stock up on ingredients that can be used for more than one meal. For example, grill twice as many chicken breasts as needed for one dinner and use the extras to make fajitas the next night. Try to avoid take-out food. Though convenient, it’s not as healthy as a simple, homemade…  read on >

Tips for Preventing Diverticulitis

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Although colonoscopy screens for cancer, it can also uncover a common condition called diverticulosis. This is when one or more pockets develop in the colon wall, often in the large bowel. These pockets occur over time, possibly from not getting enough fiber in your diet or eating too much red meat. They’re so common that about 50% of people have them by age 50, according to the American Gastroenterological Association. Problems can occur if a pocket gets infected, swollen and inflamed, which happens to about 5% of people with diverticulosis. This condition is called diverticulitis. “Attacks” of it can come with pain in the lower left abdomen, fever, chills and changes in stool. You may also experience nausea and vomiting. Treatment for diverticulitis often centers on a short-term low-fiber diet to quiet the digestive tract, and possibly antibiotics to get rid of the infection. Some people get repeated attacks. There’s also the possibility of developing a serious abscess in a pocket and needing surgery to remove the affected section of intestine if the damage is severe. But you can take steps to lower the risk for repeated attacks and complications. After — and only after — the infection clears, slowly reintroduce fiber to your diet by eating more whole grains; legumes including beans and lentils; vegetables; berries; fruits with edible skins; nuts and even popcorn.…  read on >

Raising Legal Smoking Age to 21 Works

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Parts of the United States that raised the legal age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21 have seen significant reductions in cigarette smoking among young adults. Compared to other regions, those with tobacco-21 laws had a 39% decline in regular smoking among 18- to 20-year-olds who had previously experimented with cigarettes, a new study found. In that age group, the reduction was even larger (50%) among those whose close friends smoked at age 16, according to the study published recently in the journal Addiction. “This research indicates that a ‘social multiplier’ effect may amplify the impact of tobacco-21 laws,” said lead author Abigail Friedman, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Conn. “As peer smoking is a critical predictor of youth smoking, this study suggests that tobacco-21 laws may help reduce smoking among those most susceptible to tobacco use,” she said in a Society for the Study of Addiction news release. “This result supports raising the age of sale to 21 as a means to reduce young adult smoking and improve public health.” As of June, 16 states and more than 400 localities had adopted tobacco-21 laws. More information The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on youth and tobacco.