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There’s good news for the millions of obese Americans with sleep apnea: Researchers report the use of the CPAP mask may greatly increase their chances for a longer life. Use of the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask was tied to a 62% decline in the odds for death over 11 years of follow-up. That benefit held even after factoring in health risk factors such as heart disease, weight, diabetes and high blood pressure, said a French team of investigators led by Dr. Quentin Lisan, of the Paris Cardiovascular Research Center. They noted that prior randomized clinical trials had not been able to find a survival benefit for CPAP, but they now believe those trials were simply too short for the effect to emerge. In the new study, the benefit to longevity only “appears six to seven years after initiation of CPAP therapy,” the team reported in the April 11 issue of the journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. An expert who penned an accompanying editorial said the findings should help doctors and patients, because many people with sleep apnea balk at the notion of wearing a mask to bed each night. “Every knowledgeable sleep specialist has had difficulty in convincing some patients of the need to treat their obstructive sleep apnea with these devices,” wrote Dr. Clete Kushida, a sleep medicine researcher at Stanford… read on >

Young sports buffs recovering from mononucleosis may be itching to return to the game they love. But one expert says the risk of suffering a burst spleen during play means staying on the sideline longer than some would like. Along with extreme fatigue, sore throat, fever and swollen glands, “mono” causes spleen enlargement. That can be dangerous for athletes because the impacts and pressure on the abdomen that occur during many sports can cause the spleen to burst. “It’s rare — occurring in less than 0.5% of patients — but an infected athlete can rupture their spleen without warning within 21 days after symptoms begin,” said Dr. Lindsay Lafferty, a primary care sports medicine physician at Penn State Health. “The rate declines after four weeks, but ruptures have occurred up to eight weeks after an athlete first notices symptoms,” she noted in a Penn State news release. Determining the risk of a spleen rupture is challenging. Because the normal size of a spleen fluctuates, ultrasounds and CT scans won’t help determine if the organ is enlarged or at risk of rupture, Lafferty said. “Physical examination of spleen size identifies as few as 17% of cases, so deciding when the time is right for a student athlete to return to play can be complex,” she explained. For athletes, protective equipment such as flank jackets or protective… read on >

A small daily dose of nature may be the perfect prescription for stress. An eight-week study found that people who spent at least 20 minutes a day in places that made them feel connected to nature had significantly lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This so-called “nature pill” could be a low-cost antidote to the negative health impacts of urbanization and an indoor lifestyle dominated by screen viewing, researchers said. “We know that spending time in nature reduces stress, but until now it was unclear how much is enough, how often to do it, or even what kind of nature experience will benefit us,” said lead author and associate professor MaryCarol Hunter. She studies social, psychological and ecological aspects of sustainable urban design at the University of Michigan. The findings were recently published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology. The study involved 36 city dwellers. “Participants were free to choose the time of day, duration, and the place of their nature experience, which was defined as anywhere outside that in the opinion of the participant, made them feel like they’ve interacted with nature,” Hunter said in a journal news release. “There were a few constraints to minimize factors known to influence stress: take the nature pill in daylight, no aerobic exercise, and avoid the use of social media, internet, phone calls, conversations and reading,”… read on >

(HealthDay News) — A tragedy can happen in any swimming pool without proper supervision, says Intermountain Healthcare. Following water safety guidelines can prevent children from drowning. Intermountain Healthcare urges parents to: Always watch children who are in the water. Be alert. Learn infant and child CPR. Have a phone nearby in case of emergency. Never leave children alone or with siblings. Enclose a pool inside a fence. Teach children to swim.

Faith-based fitness is on the rise, according to trend-watchers at the American Council on Exercise, with many churches, mosques, synagogues and temples developing programs that promote health and wellness. From exercise classes to nutrition advice and health coaching, congregants can enhance their physical as well as their spiritual well-being. More than just another fitness fad, research has found an explanation for the spirituality-wellness connection: The strong sense of community in faith-based programs can lead to fitness success. That’s especially true when they include partnerships with health organizations, local hospitals, medical schools and other access to medical experts, and when they promote positive behavioral changes and supportive social relationships. These programs can instill a commitment among participants that exceeds that of a commercial diet group, for instance. Studies show that traditional houses of worship tend to offer more disease screening and health education activities, while more modern ones tend to offer disease prevention and lifestyle activities to the community at large. At their core, all such programs address fitness and health issues in a spiritual environment that may make it easier to change habits because of congregants’ belief in their church’s role in promoting health along with the ability to deepen bonds with fellow congregants. If your religious institution offers exercise classes, consider the role they can play in achieving your fitness goals and take the… read on >

No matter your fitness level, adding just a little more exercise may prolong your life, new research suggests. “People think they have to start going to the gym and exercising hard to get fitter,” said researcher Elin Ekblom-Bak, from the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences in Stockholm. “But it doesn’t have to be that complicated. For most people, just being more active in daily life — taking the stairs, exiting the metro station early, cycling to work — is enough to benefit health since levels are so low to start with,” she said. “The more you do, the better.” Ekblom-Bak and her colleagues looked at more than 316,000 adults in Sweden, aged 18 to 74, whose heart-lung (cardiorespiratory) fitness was assessed between 1995 and 2015. Participants rode a stationary cycle to determine the maximum amount of oxygen the heart and lungs can provide the muscles during exercise, a measure called VO2 max. Overall, the risk of all-cause death and death from cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke fell 2.8% to 3.2% for each milliliter increase in VO2 max. The benefits of increased activity were seen in men and women, in all age groups, and at all fitness levels. The study was to be presented Friday at a European Society of Cardiology meeting, in Lisbon, Portugal. Such research is considered preliminary until… read on >

Privacy curtains in hospital rooms might offer patients some personal dignity, but they can also harbor dangerous, drug-resistant bacteria. That’s the claim of a new study where researchers took more than 1,500 samples from privacy curtains in 625 rooms at six skilled nursing facilities in Michigan. The samples were collected from the parts of the curtains touched most often. Samples were also gathered from patients. Sampling was done when patients were admitted, and again after 14 days and 30 days, and then monthly up to six months, when possible. The findings showed that 22% of the samples from the privacy curtains tested positive for multidrug-resistant organisms, with contamination rates ranging from 12% to 28.5%, depending on the facility. Of those samples, nearly 14% were contaminated with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), 6% with resistant gram-negative bacilli, and about 5% with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). “We were surprised to see that multidrug-resistant organisms, especially VRE, shed by patients routinely contaminate their privacy curtains. These pathogens on privacy curtains often survive and have the potential to transfer to other surfaces and patients,” the study authors wrote. In fact, the same resistant germs were detected on patients and their privacy curtain in nearly 16% of the sampling visits, the researchers found. “Patient colonization with MRSA and VRE were each associated with contamination of the bedside curtain,” according to Dr. Lona… read on >

About 100 kids a day are rushed to U.S. emergency rooms after accidentally swallowing a toy piece, battery, magnet or other foreign object, according to new research. That’s almost twice as many as in the mid-1990s. “The sheer number of these injuries is cause for concern,” said Dr. Danielle Orsagh-Yentis, lead author of the study published in the May issue of Pediatrics. It reported that ER visits among kids under age 6 due to accidental ingestion rose by an average of more than 4% every year between 1995 and 2015. Over that period, an estimated 800,000 kids in that age group were treated after swallowing foreign objects. Coins are the main culprit, followed by jewelry, batteries and toy parts. In 1995, there were about 9 cases of accidental ingestion for every 10,000 children. By 2015, that figure had shot up to nearly 18. So, what the reason for the surge — an actual rise in accident rates or are experts simply getting better at logging and reporting such accidents? While the jury is still out, Orsagh-Yentis said, the answer is probably both. Some products investigated — particularly the small circular batteries known as “button batteries” — are increasingly being used around the house or have become more readily available to consumers, she said. And, she added, it’s likely that the nationwide injury surveillance system is… read on >

Are you neglecting or even unaware of the muscles in your back? If so, you’re putting yourself at risk. The trapezius is the diamond-shaped muscle that runs from neck to middle back and from shoulder to shoulder across the back. The latissimus dorsi — or “lats” — are the large back muscles that run from either side of the spine to your waist. Here are two strength-training exercises that will help you develop these muscles for better upper body fitness. Important: Start with a weight that allows you to complete at least eight reps with proper form, perhaps as low as 2-pound dumbbells. Build up to 10 to 15 reps for one complete set, and progress from one to three complete sets before increasing the weight. Never jerk the weights — controlled, steady movement is what brings results. Standing dumbbell rows target the trapezius muscles as well as the upper arms and shoulders. Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, with a weight in each hand. Your elbows should be slightly bent, the dumbbells touching the fronts of your thighs, palms facing your body. As you exhale, use a slow, controlled movement to lift the weights straight up by bending the elbows up and out to bring the weights to shoulder level. Hold for a second, then inhale as you lower your arms to the starting position.… read on >

Blenders aren’t just for whipping up fruity drinks. You can also use them to make delicious savory recipes such as dressings, spreads and soups, all in seconds. For a tasty black bean dip that’s delicious hot or cold, blend a 15-ounce can of cooked black beans (perfect for helping reach daily fiber goals) with two cloves of peeled garlic and a cup of your favorite low-salt salsa. Watching calories? Use celery stalks and bell pepper quarters instead of chips to scoop it up. If you have two minutes, you can make a calorie-friendly cold avocado soup that’s sweet, tangy and high in nutrients. Blend a half-cup of green or red grapes with the flesh of a whole avocado, a handful of almonds and a splash of tangy vinegar. Olive tapenade is a chunky puree that can be used as a sauce for pasta or chicken, as a spread for sandwiches or wraps, and as a topping for a great tasting simple zucchini dish to enjoy as an appetizer or vegetarian meal. Zucchini Bites With Tapenade 1 cup olives 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil Juice and zest of 1 lemon 2 garlic cloves 2 medium zucchini, stems removed and cut in half lengthwise 1 cup whole-milk mozzarella, shredded Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Blend the olives, oil, lemon juice and zest, and the garlic until… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

CPAP Brings Longer Life for Obese People With Sleep Apnea: Study

Young Athletes Need to Be Sidelined After Bout of Mono

Get Back to Nature to Put Stress at Bay

Health Tip: Pool Safety

Faith-Based Fitness Programs: What’s in It for You?

Just a Little More Exercise Can Add Years to Your Life

Hospital Privacy Curtains Could Be Breeding Ground for Germs

Kids’ ER Visits for Swallowing Toys, Foreign Objects Have Doubled Since 1990s

Step-by-Step Exercises for a Stronger Back

Easy, Delicious Recipes From Your Blender