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Does Your Family Eat Out a Lot? Watch Your Blood Pressure

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You know that too much salt contributes to high blood pressure, but you might not realize how easily eating out could put you and your kids at risk. Many entrees at leading restaurants and fast food places contain almost a full day’s allotment of salt, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Remember, that’s 2,300 milligrams, or about one teaspoon. With many Americans eating out an average of five times a week, all that salt adds up. And the more salt you eat, the greater the odds for high blood pressure (hypertension), a major contributor to heart disease and stroke. By some estimates, the average American takes in 50 percent more salt than the daily limit, and this excess starts in childhood. Kids between 6 and 10 years of age take in 2,900 mg a day, while teens top out at about 3,700 mg. Studies done around the world have looked at salt consumption and high blood pressure. A study of 500 people, aged 18 to 40, found that the more restaurant meals people ate every week, the higher their odds of pre-hypertension. Young people with even a slightly elevated blood pressure level are at very high risk of full-blown hypertension. About 80 percent of the salt consumed has been added by manufacturers of processed foods or at restaurants. While the salt…  read on >

Tone Up Your Triceps With These Top Strength Exercises

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Working your triceps might not always be top of mind, but toning the muscles that run along the backs of your upper arms is key to the smooth functioning of your elbows and to also give bare arms a sleeker look. For a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), scientists from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, evaluated eight popular triceps strength-training exercises. Tops for Triceps Training Triangle push-ups Triceps kickbacks Overhead triceps extensions Bar push-downs Rope push-downs Closed-grip bench press Lying barbell triceps extensions Dips From this list, triangle push-ups, dips and triceps kickbacks best engaged these muscles. Here’s how to do them. (For each exercise, do 10 to 15 reps for a complete set. Progress from one to three sets as you get stronger.) Triangle push-ups are a variation on the classic push-up. The difference is that the hands are placed next to each other, directly under the upper chest, with thumbs and index fingers making a triangle shape. Flex your feet and contract your core and leg muscles. Keep your head in line with your spine as you slowly lower your body until your chest touches the floor. Focus on moving only your arms. With control, press back up until your arms are fully extended. Repeat. (If this is too hard, you can do the exercise with knees bent…  read on >

One-Third of U.S. Kids Have Back Pain, Study Says

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As American kids pack on the pounds, the number of those with back pain is on the rise. One in three between the ages of 10 and 18 said they had backaches in the past year, according to a survey of about 3,700 youngsters. The incidence rose along with kids’ age and weight and was higher among those who play competitive sports. Though many people probably associate back pain with older people, the orthopedic surgeon who led the study was not surprised by his findings. “We see a lot of kids who have pain from overuse injuries or joint pain from playing sports,” said Dr. Peter Fabricant, who treats pediatric patients at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. “Of these kids who had back pain, very few actually required any sort of medical intervention. Most didn’t need treatment at all.” About 80 percent of adults suffer from lower back pain at some time, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. But this is the first time the extent of back pain among children has been estimated on nationwide scale, the authors said. The youngsters surveyed were equally split by age and gender. On average, those who reported back pain weighed more and had higher body mass indexes, or BMIs. (BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight.)…  read on >

Health Tip: Thumb Sprains

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(HealthDay News) — A sprained thumb occurs when ligaments stretch beyond their limits. The most common cause of a sprained thumb is falling onto an outstretched hand, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says. Depending on the sprain’s severity, you may have bruising, tenderness and swelling around the base of your thumb. Difficulty grasping things also is common. For mild thumb sprains, the academy recommends the RICE protocol: Rest. Avoid using your hand for 48 hours. Ice. Use cold packs 20 minutes at a time, multiple times per day. Compression. Wear an elastic bandage to reduce swelling. Elevation. Raise your hand higher than your heart as often as possible.

Slow Down! Eating Too Fast Can Pile on the Pounds

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Has your hectic lifestyle turned you into someone who gulps down meals? People who eat quickly tend to eat moreand have a higher body mass index (a measure of body fat based on height and weight) than those who eat slowly. People who eat slowly feel full sooner and eat less in the process. Part of the reason for this is the time it takes for your brain to get key messages from your digestive system. Conventional wisdom says that’s about 20 minutes, and one study found that slowing down to 30 minutes is even more effective. But that means you have to find ways to really stretch out your meals. Tricks like eating with your non-dominant hand can help a lot, but eating fast can be a hard habit to break. One high-tech solution is a commercially available smart fork, a utensil that registers your eating speed and sends a signal, with a vibration and a flash of light, if you eat too quickly. Participants in an experimental study found that it was comfortable to hold and did a good job of making them more aware of their eating speed. But you can also try to slow down on your own with a regular fork: Just put it down and count to 10 between each and every bite. Reinforce the slower eating habit with…  read on >

Stretches for Calves, Hamstrings and Quads

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Stretching your leg muscles can improve your flexibility and prevent injury. Here are three stretches that you can do every day and at every age. Start with a calf stretch. Stand at arm’s length from a wall and place your palms flat on the wall at shoulder height for support. Now take one big step backward with one leg. Keep that leg straight as you bend the front knee. Lean forward, but keep your back heel planted firmly on the floor. You should feel the stretch in your lower leg. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, then switch legs and repeat. Repeat three to five times with each leg. Now move to a hamstring stretch. Lie flat on your back and extend one leg straight up to the ceiling. Loop an exercise band around the ball of that foot and hold the ends of the band firmly around both hands. Now pull on the band to create tension, drawing your foot slightly toward your head. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, then switch legs and repeat. Repeat three to five times with each leg. Finish with a quad stretch. Stand a few feet in front of a step or low stool. Extend one leg behind you so that you are resting that foot on the step. Bend your front knee slightly without letting it extend…  read on >

Poor Asthma Control Tied to Worse School Performance

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Kids with poorly controlled asthma struggle in school, especially those who are ethnic minorities, a new study reports. Researchers evaluated asthma and allergy status, lung function and school performance of 216 black, Hispanic (Latino) and white children in a U.S. city. Those with a greater number of daily asthma symptoms had more absences, less school work completed and poorer quality work, according to the study published March 11 in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). “We found associations between poor asthma status, poorer asthma control, lower lung function, more asthma symptoms and decline in academic performance,” lead author Daphne Koinis-Mitchell said in an ACAAI news release. “These associations were stronger in ethnic minority children, particularly Latino children,” she added. Koinis-Mitchell is a research professor of pediatrics, psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University in Providence, R.I. Poor asthma control could help identify children who might be at risk for problems at school, according to the researchers. The same team previously found that urban Hispanic children with asthma have special sources of stress. “Factors such as higher levels of fear of asthma, language barriers, stress related to fitting in to the culture, poorer symptom perception, greater concerns regarding medications and lower medication adherence may put Latinos at greater risk for poor academic performance,” Koinis-Mitchell…  read on >

Smoking While Pregnant Sends SIDS Risk Soaring

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Smoking during pregnancy is never a good idea, but new research shows it might double the risk of a baby dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). “Any maternal smoking during pregnancy — even just one cigarette a day — doubles the risk of sudden unexpected infant death [SUID, another term for unexplained infant deaths],” said lead researcher Tatiana Anderson. She is a fellow at Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Center for Integrative Brain Research. Doctors should strongly encourage women to give up smoking during pregnancy, or if they can’t quit, to smoke less, she said. Each cigarette smoked increases the risk of SIDS, Anderson added. If women didn’t smoke during pregnancy, the rate of SIDS in the United States could be cut by 22 percent, preventing some 800 infant deaths a year, according to the new report published online March 11 in the journal Pediatrics. Although 55 percent of the women in the study who smoked didn’t stop or cut back during pregnancy, those who did markedly reduced the risk of SIDS, Anderson said. Specifically, women who cut down on their smoking by the third trimester reduced the risk of SIDS by 12 percent. Women who quit by the third trimester reduced the risk by 23 percent, the researchers found. For the study, Anderson and her colleagues collected data on more than 19,000 SUID cases.…  read on >

Many Parents Think Vaping Around Kids Is Fine

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Many parents who smoke try to shield their kids from their unhealthy habit — but those who vape may not take the same precautions, a new study suggests. The study surveyed over 700 parents who smoked cigarettes, used e-cigarettes or both. The researchers found that most — regardless of their product of choice — had a “strict” smoke-free policy at home. Yet few e-cigarette users had banned vaping from their homes: Only around one-quarter had done so — versus 73 percent of parents who only smoked cigarettes. Altogether, the findings suggest that parents who vape are unaware of the risks to their kids, said senior researcher Dr. Jonathan Winickoff, of Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston. “We really think parents are being misled by ‘Big Tobacco,’” Winickoff said. E-cigarettes are electronic devices that work by heating a liquid that contains nicotine, flavorings and other chemicals. There’s no tobacco, but the devices produce an aerosol that sends fine particles and chemicals into the air. According to Linda Richter, director of policy research and analysis for the New York-based nonprofit Center on Addiction, “The aerosol produced by vaping is by no means ‘harmless’ water vapor.” Being around the aerosol can irritate the eyes, throat and lungs — and may worsen asthma or any other respiratory problems a child has, said Richter, who was not involved in the study.…  read on >

Health Tip: Concussion Recovery for Children

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(HealthDay News) — A concussion is a brain injury that results from an impact to the head. While it usually isn’t life-threatening, a concussion can cause short-term and long-term problems. Parents and caregivers of concussed children should take an active role in their recovery, the New York State Department of Health says. The agency suggests: Make sure the child is well rested. Make sure the child avoids high-risk and high-speed activities. Do not give medicine the pediatrician hasn’t approved. Share information with those who interact with the child to help them understand the child’s needs.