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Even if you love your job, your workspace might not love you back. Because people may spend 40 or more hours on the job, often at a desk, all that exposure to less-than-inspiring surroundings can negatively influence health. While some people suffer emotional and physical problems from a stressful job, for others, it’s the physical environment that can trigger back pain, sleep troubles or even breathing problems. Since you spend so much time at work, it makes sense to do what you can to improve your workspace. Researchers at Central Michigan University found that surrounding yourself with elements from nature can boost your mood and job satisfaction, and even act as a buffer to stress. At the top of the to-do list is getting more exposure to sunlight. Without it, workers are more likely to feel depressed, have lower job satisfaction and less commitment to their company. Having natural sunlight from a window is extremely helpful, but it’s also important to get outside during the day. Being in direct contact with the sun’s rays had the greatest positive influence on workers, researchers found. If your options for getting sunlight are limited, bring nature into your work area with plants. Look for a shade-loving variety if natural light inside the office is limited. Philodendron, pothos, ivy and dieffenbachia are all hardy, low-light plants readily available at… read on >

Asparagus is a great spring vegetable that can be a tasty side dish or the starring ingredient in a main course like risotto. And it’s more than just delicious — asparagus is great for digestive health, too. It’s a prebiotic food, meaning it feeds the helpful bacteria that live in your gut. These good bacteria are responsible for everything from signaling your immune system and keeping digestion in check to producing vital B vitamins. When shopping for asparagus, look for spears that are free of blemishes and dry spots, and tips that are closed and firm. Use asparagus promptly — it can spoil quickly. Miso asparagus is an easy side dish that can also be enjoyed as a main dish when served over salad or with sliced chicken. Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans. It’s a probiotic food, which has similar health benefits. Though it has a high salt content, it’s typically used in small amounts. Find it at health food and Asian food stores as well as in the Asian food aisle of large supermarkets. Miso Asparagus 1 pound green asparagus, trimmed 2 tablespoons sesame oil 1 tablespoon miso paste 1 tablespoon ginger, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons water Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Heat the sesame oil, and then add the asparagus. Cook, covered, 4 to 5… read on >

Tighter high blood pressure guidelines for children might better spot those at risk for heart disease in adulthood, a new study suggests. Compared to 2004 guidelines, the updated 2017 guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics increased the number of children considered to have high blood pressure. But it wasn’t known if the new guidelines would help predict children who were at higher risk for premature heart disease. “We concluded that compared with children with normal blood pressure, those reclassified as having elevated or high blood pressure were more likely to develop adult high blood pressure, thickening of the heart muscle wall and the metabolic syndrome — all risk factors for heart disease,” said senior study author Dr. Lydia Bazzano. She is an associate professor of epidemiology at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, in New Orleans. For the study, her team tracked data from the Bogalusa Heart Study, which enrolled nearly 4,000 participants at ages 3 to 18, and has followed them for 36 years. The researchers found that 11% of participants were identified as having high blood pressure using the 2017 guidelines, compared with 7% under the 2004 guidelines. In addition, the findings showed that 19% of those with high blood pressure under the 2017 guidelines developed thickening of the heart muscle during the follow-up period, compared with 12% of… read on >

Americans with cancer are more likely to use marijuana and prescription opioids than those without cancer, and the use of medical marijuana by this group is on the rise, new research shows. Pain is common among cancer patients, but many do not get adequate pain relief, the researchers noted. The new study looked at more than 800 adults with cancer who took part in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2005 and 2014. The patients were compared with about 1,650 adults without cancer. The findings showed that 40% of the cancer patients had used marijuana within the past year, compared with 38% of those without cancer. People with cancer were also more likely to use prescription opioids than those without the disease — nearly 14% versus just over 6%, respectively. When analyzing rates of marijuana and opioid use among more than 19,000 survey respondents, including those with and without cancer, the investigators found increasing rates of marijuana use over the 10-year study period, probably because legislative changes increased its availability. More clinical trials are needed to asses just how effective medical marijuana is against cancer-related pain, said co-lead author Dr. Kathryn Ries Tringale, of the University of California, San Diego. Prescription opioid use remained stable among cancer patients, the study authors said. A cancer diagnosis did not significantly affect the odds of… read on >

As e-cigarette use soars in high schools across America, new research shows many people don’t understand the amount of addictive nicotine they’re inhaling with every puff. In a new survey, many teens said they regularly used e-cigarettes, but swore they only vaped nicotine-free products. However, urine tests for a “marker” of nicotine use came up positive 40% of the time in this same group of vapers, the researchers reported. “Many of our participants were unaware of the nicotine content of the e-cigarette products they were using,” concluded a team led by Dr. Rachel Boykan, a pediatrics researcher at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y. That could mean even more lifelong nicotine addictions arising in the young, including many who already believe vaping to be “harmless” compared to traditional smoking, experts said. Patricia Folan directs the Center for Tobacco Control at Northwell Health in Great Neck, N.Y. She said, “Other studies have revealed that one of the main reasons adolescents use e-cigarettes is that they perceive them to be less harmful than combustible cigarettes — without full knowledge of their actual contents.” But the new study “shows that many of the participating youth were unaware of the nicotine content in their vaping devices,” Folan said. The study findings were published online April 22 in the journal Pediatrics. As Boykan’s group noted, about one in five… read on >

Flexibility in your upper body is important for many everyday activities you take for granted, like twisting and turning while backing out of a parking space. Try these three stretches to help keep your upper body agile. They don’t require any special equipment and can even be done in your office. Neck stretch: Do this easy stretch either standing or sitting in a chair. Slowly turn your head to the left until you feel a slight pull. Make sure the position feels comfortable, but don’t tilt your head forward or backward. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds, return to center and repeat to the right, again holding for 10 to 30 seconds. Repeat the full movement three times. Shoulder and arm stretch: Next, grab a small towel. Raise your right arm over your head, holding the towel so that it falls along the center of your back. Grab the other end of the towel with your left hand and slowly tug until you feel a slight stretch. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds. Repeat three to five times, then switch hands and repeat. Wall walk: “Walking” up a wall with your hands stretches your chest. Stand facing a wall, with your legs and arms shoulder-width apart. Keeping your back straight, walk your hands up the wall until they’re above the level of your head. Hold… read on >

You might have seen fennel in the produce section of your market without knowing what exactly it was. Fennel is a fragrant bulb that can be a food lover’s dream ingredient, because it has a refreshing taste, similar to anise or licorice, and pairs well with other ingredients to create gourmet dishes. Many cooks miss out because they aren’t sure how to prepare it, especially when it’s sold with its long feathery leaves intact. But fennel is surprisingly easy to prepare and can be enjoyed raw as well as lightly sauteed, or even slow-cooked as a soup or stew flavoring. Fennel bulbs come in male and female types. The female bulbs are rounder and also sweeter. Both work equally well in this salad with tomatoes and cumin seeds. It calls for trimming off the stalks. Save them for another dish — they can be used much the way you would celery stalks. Always choose bulbs that feel heavy in your hand and are free of cracks and brown spots. Shaved Fennel Salad With Tomatoes and Cumin 1 pound plum tomatoes 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided Seasoning salt of your choice 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper 1 tablespoon cumin seeds Quarter the tomatoes and squeeze out the seeds using your hands or scoop them out with a… read on >

Just a 1% decrease in the number of Medicaid recipients who smoke could save the insurance program billions of dollars a year, a new study suggests. Over one year, that small decline in smoking and its associated health harms would lead to $2.6 billion in total Medicaid savings the following year and millions for each state, researchers found. “While 14% of all adults in the U.S. smoke cigarettes, 24.5% of adult Medicaid recipients smoke,” said study author Stanton Glantz, of the University of California, San Francisco. He’s director of its Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education. “This suggests that an investment in reducing smoking in this population could be associated with a reduction in Medicaid costs in the short run,” Glantz added in a university news release. Half the states would save $25 million or more, with California reaping $630.2 million (if the smoking rate fell from 15.5% to 14.5%), the study found. At the low end, South Dakota could save $2.5 million (if the rate fell from 41% to 40%). It’s well known that reducing smoking is associated with reduced health costs, but it’s commonly assumed that it takes years to see these savings, Glantz said. “While this is true for some diseases, such as cancer, other health risks such as heart attacks, lung disease and pregnancy complications respond quickly to changes in… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Thousands of young children face injury or death in car accidents each year. Proper use of car seats can keep children safe in the event of a crash, says American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP provides these guidelines for choosing car seats: All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing seat. After outgrowing a rear-facing seat, a child should ride in a forward-facing seat with a harness. After outgrowing the forward-facing seat, a child should use a belt-positioning booster seat. Children old enough and large enough to fit correctly should use seat belts. All children under 13 years of age should ride in the back seat.

You might be surprised to learn that food allergies can start in adulthood and involve a food you’ve eaten without a problem for your entire life. For adults as well as kids, the top — but not the only — food culprits are eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish, wheat and soy, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Just as with childhood food allergies, you’ll need to do your best to avoid these foods and be prepared in case you inadvertently come into contact with one of them. Signs of a Severe Allergic Reaction Hives or pale/bluish skin tone. Cramps and/or vomiting. Trouble swallowing or swelling of the tongue. Weak pulse. Feeling dizzy or faint. Shortness of breath, wheezing or coughing. Inability to breathe, and drop in blood pressure. The most serious reaction is called anaphylaxis, an extreme inability to breathe that can lead to shock. It is a life-threatening emergency. Keep in mind that allergic reactions can be unpredictable. Most happen within a few hours of contact, but some are instantaneous. It could take only a small amount of the allergen to cause swelling, hives or anaphylaxis. Also, your body could experience more than one type of reaction — your skin, gastrointestinal tract, heart and/or breathing could be affected. So it’s important to call your doctor and ask… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

How to Make Your Workplace a Healthier One

Asparagus: A Tasty Spring Veggie That Boosts Gut Health

Strict Blood Pressure Limits for Kids Tied to Heart Health Later

Medical Marijuana Use Rising Among Cancer Patients

Many Teens Don’t Know They Are Vaping Nicotine

Do-Anywhere Upper Body Stretches

Fennel: A Food Lover’s Dream Ingredient

Medicaid Could Save $2.6 Billion a Year With Dip in Smoking

Health Tip: Choosing a Car Seat

Food Allergies Can Strike at Any Age