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A new brain scanning technique is shaking up what researchers thought they knew about Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers now say they can predict with reasonable accuracy which brain regions will wither and atrophy in Alzheimer’s by identifying the places where tau protein “tangles” have built up. “You could really predict which brain regions were going to get damaged just on the basis of the tau scans we took at the beginning of the study,” said lead researcher Renaud La Joie, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, Weill Institute for Neurosciences. “Where the tau was built up at the beginning of the study was very predictive of where the actual brain shrinkage was going to happen in the next year or two.” These findings support the growing contention that toxic tau proteins drive brain degeneration in Alzheimer’s more directly than the disease’s other hallmark, amyloid protein plaques, the study authors said. The scans also could allow doctors to predict how Alzheimer’s will affect individual patients, by tracking which brain regions have more accumulated tau tangles, La Joie said. “If you use tau scans in this group of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, it might actually help you have very precise expectations and very precise measures of what’s going to happen to the patient,” he said. For example, doctors might be able to predict which… read on >

After months of delay, the Trump Administration is expected to announce this week that it will ban mint-, fruit- and dessert-flavored e-cigarette cartridges, while allowing the continued sale of menthol- and tobacco-flavored vapes. The White House originally proposed a ban on flavored e-cigarettes — thought to be especially enticing to teens — back in September. But since then, the Administration had seemed to bow to industry and political pressures and back away from such a ban. As reported Tuesday by The New York Times, the new ban would have one important exception: Flavored liquid nicotine used in “open tank systems” will not be outlawed. That’s seen as a concession to the burgeoning vape shop business. Trump also hinted that the ban might not last long. “We think we are going to get back in the market very, very quickly,” he said at a New Year’s Eve news conference, held during a party at his Mar-a-Lago resort, the Times reported. “We have a very big industry. We’re going to take care of the industry.” Health advocates supported the ban, but said the exclusion of menthol could greatly weaken its effect. “The administration policy will fall well short of what is necessary to address this growing epidemic,” said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association. “By allowing menthol flavors and flavored liquid nicotine used in open… read on >

(HealthDay News) — More than 5 million teeth are knocked out every year in children and adults, says the American Association of Endodontists. But knocked out teeth don’t have to be lost for good. Proper emergency action can save the tooth, so it can be replanted. If your tooth gets knocked out, the association urges you to: Pick up the tooth by the crown, not the root. If the tooth is dirty, gently rinse it with water. Re-position the tooth in the socket immediately, if possible. Keep the tooth moist at all times. See an endodontist or dentist within 30 minutes of the injury.

(HealthDay News) — Obesity can increase your child’s risk of cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and prediabetes, says Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. With minor changes, you can help your child maintain a healthy weight. To help your child safely shed pounds, the hospital encourages parents to: Reduce or eliminate sweetened beverages, including soda. Add more vegetables to family meals. Make sure your family is eating a high-fiber diet. Make sure your child is getting enough sleep. Eat together as a family as often as possible. Be a good role model. Enjoy healthy food in front of your child. Limit your child’s screen time to no more than two hours per day. Encourage your child to be active.

New Year’s Day is typically when you vow to start a new diet to take off any weight you put on over the holidays or have been carrying. This year, make your resolutions attainable — slight changes that improve health without making impossible-to-meet demands on yourself. If you enjoyed yourself last night, New Year’s Day morning is a time to relax, not stress out in the kitchen. For a great breakfast, consider a baked egg casserole. It can be prepped the day before and finished while everyone enjoys a morning beverage. Whole eggs are an unsung superfood loaded with nutrition. They contain all eight essential amino acids. They’re high in protein plus an important brain nutrient called choline, which is also essential for metabolism. If possible, shop for pasture-raised or organic eggs for their higher omega-3 fatty acid content. New Year’s Egg and Herb Casserole Olive oil cooking spray 6 eggs 2 cups skim milk 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon your choice of chopped herbs, such as rosemary or thyme 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 cups diced lean ham Preheat oven to 350 degrees if cooking the casserole right away. Spray a 7-by-11-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, Parmesan, herbs, baking powder and black pepper until well combined. Fold in… read on >

Lose weight. Eat healthier. Quit smoking. These are all popular New Year’s resolutions that are often only kept for a short time, if at all. About 40% of Americans make a New Year’s resolution, most of which are abandoned by February, according to researchers at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. But Bernadette Melnyk, vice president for health promotion and chief wellness officer and dean of the College of Nursing at Ohio State, has some tips to help you make your resolutions stick: Set a realistic, specific, 30-day goal. The more specific and realistic the goal, the more likely it will be achieved. Break big goals down into small ones, and try to tackle one small change for 30 days. Many resolutions fail because people try too much, too fast. Write your goal down and put it where you can see it every day. Keep a journal of your successes and write encouraging messages to yourself. Visualize yourself accomplishing your goal and celebrating your success. If you have a positive attitude, you’re more likely to achieve your goal. Share your resolution with a friend or family member, and enlist them to help support your effort with encouraging texts and calls as you let them in on your progress. Work toward your goal one day at a time. You can always start again if you fall… read on >

Millions of Americans have filled movie theaters over the holidays to watch the latest in the Star Wars saga, but a new study suggests that enjoyment of the film may be governed by prior expectations. To see how expectations affect viewing pleasure, researchers surveyed 441 people before and after they saw “Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi” in 2017. Based on the results, it’s best not to see “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” believing you’re going to love or hate it, said researcher James Alex Bonus, an assistant professor of communication at Ohio State University, in Columbus. People who had high expectations for the movie but were disappointed had the lowest enjoyment of anyone. Those who expected little from the movie but felt happy after seeing the film had lower overall enjoyment compared with people who had high expectations for the film and enjoyed watching it, researchers found. “It wasn’t really helping people to go in with those low expectations,” Bonus said in a university news release. “The negative bias going in dragged them down and even if they were pleasantly surprised by the movie, they still didn’t like it as much as other people did,” Bonus noted. It’s a lot less about what’s in the movie and a lot more about what you expected it to be, he explained. Three weeks… read on >

The scourge of addiction among Americans young and old made big headlines in 2019, as did one big change in heart health guidelines. Here are the top health stories of the past year, as compiled by editors at HealthDay. Vaping takes hold, and new dangers emerge Perhaps no health issue dominated headlines this past year as much as the surge in vaping rates — and new, severe illnesses related to the nicotine-driven habit. By the end of December, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 2,500 people across all 50 states had been hospitalized with life-threatening respiratory dysfunction tied to recent e-cigarette use. Fifty-four of those patients died. Research strongly suggests that an additive sometimes used in pot-laced vapes, called vitamin E acetate, may be triggering these illnesses. But health experts have also raised a more general alarm about soaring rates of e-cigarette use among teens. One CDC report issued in November found about 1 in every 5 high school students said they’d vaped within the past month. Many experts are worried that hard-won gains against smoking will be lost as vaping — and its potential health hazards — gains new ground. Many states have already banned the flavored varieties of e-cigarettes thought to be most enticing to youth. The Trump administration earlier this year suggested a similar ban, but… read on >

Roughly 40% to 50% of married couples ultimately split up, according to theAmerican Psychological Association. But Northwestern University professorEliFinkelsaysthe best marriages are actuallybetter than ever. How do you keep your marriage from going from blissful tobust?The psychologist, who hasextensively examined the history of marriage,offers three tips in his book, The All-or-Nothing Marriage. Tip One: Become a love hacker.All relationships require time and effort to keep the fire alive. But chances are that your kids, workplace demands or other responsibilitiesslow the sizzle every now and then.Boost your bliss with love hacks — quick and simple practices that show you care.Here are some easy ones to try: Show appreciation. Say thank you more often. When your spouse tells yougood news,celebrate his or her joy andrespond with a question ortwo. Touch more often: Hold hands during a TV show, for example. This boosts trust and security. Tip Two: Take the time to really talk to each other.Love hacksare great, butopen, deepcommunication is the key — and talk about something other than the kids and the weather. Here’s an idea: Go to the movies and see a romantic comedy.One study showed thatcouples who watched and discussedrelationship movies monthlycut their divorce rate in half within three years. Tip Three: Lower your expectations. Yes, it’s true.One of the best things you can sometimes do for your marriage is to ask less… read on >

Looking to ring in the New Year with cocktails that are lower in calories? Here are three delicious options worthy of a special celebration any time of the year with a little fruit tossed in for good measure. For an elegant pink champagne cocktail, to each glass add 4 ounces of dry champagne or Spanish cava and 1 ounce of a raspberry- or rhubarb-flavored liquor like Aperol, a milder and less alcoholic aperitif compared to Campari. Top it off with a few fresh raspberries. For a pear-flavored Cosmopolitan, place 2 pear slices (you can leave on the skin), 1 tablespoon of lime juice and 1 ounce of cranberry juice in a shaker. Add 1-1/2 ounces of a citrus-flavored vodka and 1/2 ounce of triple sec, followed by ice. Shake well, then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a pinch of cinnamon or ground cardamom. Want a festive recipe for a large gathering? Try a zesty gin fizz made with the luscious citrus of the season, blood oranges. Blood Orange Gin Fizz 3 blood oranges 1-1/2 cups gin 2 tablespoons sweetener of your choice 1/2 teaspoon bitters 2 bottles chilled champagne Cut one orange into 12 segments to use for garnishing and set aside. Remove the peel and pith from the other two oranges. Chop the segments and then mash them in a bowl. Add… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Study Might Point Alzheimer’s Research in Whole New Direction

Trump Administration to Ban Most Flavored E-Cigarettes

Health Tip: Knocked Out Teeth

Health Tip: Help Your Child Safely Lose Weight

A Breakfast Fit for Making Your New Year’s Resolutions

Tips to Keep New Year’s Resolutions

Expectations for New Star Wars Movie Could Sway Your Viewing Pleasure

Vaping, Opioids and ‘Anti-Vaxxers’ Top Health Stories of 2019

Love Hacks to Boost Wedded Bliss

Toast a Healthy New Year With These Holiday Cocktail Recipes

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