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Physical activity is closely linked to development of a child’s mental skills — ones essential to academic success and navigating challenges they’ll face throughout life. Studies show that boosts in thinking ability, or executive function, often follow bouts of activity. But only one-third of children are physically active every day. Less than half the time they spend in school activities — like physical education, team practices and even games — includes movement that qualifies as physical activity. This shortfall means that their physical health, as well as their mental skills, may suffer. Some problems can begin during the preschool years if youngsters don’t get the activity they need for motor skill development. A 4- or 5-year-old needs 30 minutes of exercise every day. In addition to other benefits, this amount of exercise can also help kids who are overweight stem further fat increases. Introduce your preschoolers to fun and age-appropriate activities. Give them “active toys” like a tricycle and a ball to kick and throw, and encourage active games like tag, hide-and-seek and hopscotch. When kids enter elementary school, help them explore various team sports, such as soccer or T-ball. As they get older, they might like the challenges of running or strength training. Make time for exercise in your child’s schedule at every age and join in. Children who see their parents engaged in… read on >

(HealthDay News) — As we age, so does our skin. With that comes wrinkles and age spots. While wrinkle creams, eye serums and other products can diminish signs of aging, the most effective anti-aging plan begins with healthy skin habits, the American Academy of Dermatology says. The academy offers this advice: Protect your skin from the sun by seeking shade, covering your skin and wearing sunscreen every day. Never use a tanning bed. Apply moisturizer daily. Wash your face twice a day with a mild cleanser and warm water. Quit smoking. Eat healthier foods. Get plenty of sleep.

Children who have surgery for a broken elbow may be overprescribed potentially addictive opioid painkillers, a new study finds. Overprescription includes giving kids too many opioids when they are sent home — raising the risk that any leftover meds will be “diverted” for illicit use. “This study suggests that orthopedic surgeons really need to think about our current prescribing practices and how we can help decrease the potential for overprescription and opioid diversion,” said study author Dr. Apurva Shah. He’s an orthopedic surgeon at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The study included 81 patients, average age about 6 years, who had surgery for the most common type of elbow fracture in children. On average, they took only 24 percent of prescribed opioid painkillers. Opioids include drugs such as OxyContin and Vicodin. Eighteen patients did not take any opioid medications after they left the hospital, and 18 took over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Only 11 patients were taking any type of pain medication 10 days after surgery. By day 14, six patients were taking OTC pain medications, and by day 21, only four still used them, according to the study. The finding that patients used an average of less than 25 percent of prescribed opioid medications suggests the potential risk of opioid overprescribing, which contributes to the nation’s opioid epidemic. For example,… read on >

New (and pricey) hepatitis C medicines, such as Harvoni and Sovaldi, are living up to their promise and greatly reducing patients’ odds for liver cancer and death, a new French study finds. The news came as little surprise to one U.S. liver expert. The advent of this class of drugs “has led to almost universal cure of chronic hepatitis C infection,” said Dr. David Bernstein, chief of hepatology at Northwell Health in Manhasset, N.Y. Bernstein believes “this large study provides the best evidence to date to support the recommendations that all patients with chronic hepatitis C infection be treated with [these drugs].” According to background data in the study, about 71 million people worldwide have chronic hepatitis C infection, which can cause debilitating or fatal illnesses such as cirrhosis, liver disease and liver cancer. Over the last 15 years, these complications have tripled and it’s predicted that they’ll peak between 2030 and 2035, the researchers said. The new research was funded by drugmakers and included nearly 9,900 patients in France. About three-quarters of the patients were treated with the newer class of drugs, called “direct-acting antivirals,” while the other one-quarter were not. Direct-acting antivirals work quickly — over a course of about three months — to push liver-damaging hepatitis C virus to undetectable levels in patients’ blood. In the study, over a median follow-up of… read on >

Teen boys who are unfit and/or obese have higher odds for chronic disease and disability as adults, according to a large Swedish study. Researchers followed more than 1 million boys for an average of 28 years, starting when they were 16 to 19 years of age. Those who were inactive, obese or both as teens were more likely to receive medical disability pensions as adults. The pensions are granted in some countries to working-aged adults who are unable to work due to chronic illness or injury. “Cardiorespiratory fitness and obesity already in adolescence is strongly related to later health,” said lead researcher Pontus Henriksson, a registered dietitian at the Karolinska Institute in Huddinge, Sweden. His team cautioned that this study does not prove that being unfit or obese as a teenager causes disabilities in adulthood, only that the two appear to be related. This association, however, is important because many teens are less fit and weigh more than previous generations, Henriksson said. The study also provides more evidence for the relevance of fitness and obesity in adolescence as markers of future health. Morbidly obese men were at greatest risk, the study found. Henriksson and his colleagues also found that compared with being unfit, being moderately or highly fit was related to a reduced risk for disability, whether one was obese or not. Common disabilities associated… read on >

Millions of Americans with heart disease say they face financial strain because of their medical care, with some skipping meds or cutting back on basics like groceries. That’s the finding of a new national study of heart disease and stroke patients younger than 65 — a group that’s too young for Medicare but often lack health insurance, or “good” insurance. The researchers found that 45 percent of those patients said they’d had problems paying their medical bills in the past year. That translates to nearly 4 million Americans. For many, the study found, the issues ran deep: More than one-third of people with payment problems said they’d skipped needed drugs, cut back on groceries or were in general “financial distress.” “In order to meet obligations toward out-of-pocket costs, heart disease patients are delaying or avoiding paying for medications and elementary daily needs — like putting food on the table,” said senior researcher Dr. Khurram Nasir, of the Yale School of Medicine. Others said the findings were striking and important, though not surprising. Dr. Alison Bailey, a cardiologist in Tennessee, said she routinely sees patients who are struggling financially. So she spends a lot of time helping them figure out the most affordable medication options. This sometimes means choosing which drugs are most needed at the moment, and leaving others out. “We’re lucky in cardiology that… read on >

Men and women alike want defined abs. But you don’t have to achieve a “six-pack” — the nickname for the three most visible pairs of abdominal muscles — to get the benefits of a stronger middle, needed to support your back. For a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), scientists from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, evaluated popular ab exercises to determine the best ones. Popular Ab Strength Training Exercises Bicycle crunch Captain’s chair crunch Classic crunch Decline bench curl-up Front plank Side plank Stability ball crunch Yoga boat pose Of all these, the winner was the classic crunch. And it makes no difference whether you do crunches with arms folded across the chest or hands behind the head, researchers found. What does matter is using proper form. Here’s how ACE recommends doing crunches with hands behind your head: Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor between 12 and 18 inches from your rear. Press your elbows back to bring shoulder blades together without arching your lower back. Keep elbows in this position and keep your feet, tailbone and lower back in contact with the floor throughout the entire exercise. Exhale and engage your ab muscles. Tilt your chin up slightly as you slowly curl head, shoulders and upper back off the floor. (Try not to tense… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Taking care of a significant wound helps prevent infection and minimize scaring, the Nemours Foundation says. The foundation suggests how to care for a wound at home: Keep the wound covered with a clean dressing until it stops producing fluid. Wait an average of four days after surgery before showering. Ask your doctor for a specific time to wait. Do not soak in the bathtub or swim until your next doctor visit. Don’t let pets get close to a wound. Do not pick or scratch a scab.

Many studies have shown that color affects both mood and behavior. Color can help you go from sad to happy or angry to calm. When it comes to mood, there are four primary colors. Though different shades within each of the four can have different effects, some generalities exist. Red symbolizes power and strength and may even stimulate aggression. Yellow is associated with joy, hope and optimism. As “warm” colors, both red and yellow are thought to increase arousal. Green is emotionally calming and stands for harmony. Blue is the color of intellect, yet is so calming that it can lower blood pressure. As “cool” shades, both blue and green can be relaxing. Much research has found that people living in areas with more green space have better physical and mental health than those with less green space. A European study looked at the effects on city dwellers of making purposeful visits to green spaces in four cities. They found strong positive links, including better mental health and more vitality. For another study, Michigan State University researchers analyzed data from the other side of the world. They compared the effects of living with a view of the ocean or of green space on residents of Wellington, New Zealand. They found that just looking out on a pure blue ocean or sea can significantly improve distress.… read on >

Young children with autism are more than twice as likely to have sleep problems than typical kids or those with other developmental delays, a new study reports. Several factors profoundly affect the sleep of 2- to 5-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), said lead researcher Dr. Ann Reynolds. They are more likely to resist their bedtime, have trouble getting to sleep, suffer from anxiety regarding sleep, wake up in the middle of the night, and experience night terrors. “It was very clear that kids with features of autism have more sleep issues,” said Reynolds, an associate professor of developmental pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora. “For almost all categories, there was a difference between ASD kids and the general population.” It was already known that kids with autism struggle with sleep. Studies have consistently found that more than half of them and possibly as many as 4 in 5 have at least one chronic sleep problem, according to Autism Speaks. Reynolds and her team decided to delve deeper into the issue, to see which sleep problems appeared to be more affected by the symptoms of autism. They also wanted to compare kids with ASD to average children and to those who have other disorders that cause developmental delay. Researchers recruited almost 2,000 children between the ages of 2 and 5… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Setting Preschoolers on an Active Path

Health Tip: Anti-Aging Skin Suggestions

Opioids Overprescribed for Common Children’s Fracture, Study Says

New Hepatitis Meds Are Saving Lives: Study

Unfit Teens Often Grow Into Sickly Middle Age, Study Shows

Food or Heart Meds? Many Americans Must Make a Choice

Getting the Most Benefit From Ab Exercises

Health Tip: Care For a Wound At Home

How Color Can Help You De-Stress

Poor Sleep Plagues Many Kids With Autism