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Pumpkin-flavored drinks and desserts are everywhere this time of year, often adding unwanted calories with surprisingly little real pumpkin. But you don’t have to miss out on pumpkin’s nutrients — vitamin A along with a good amount of vitamin C and fiber — if you cook with it at home. Unlike other squashes that are smaller and easier to roast, pumpkins can be unwieldy. For convenience, it’s fine to use canned pumpkin in recipes — it has just as much nutrition as fresh pumpkin without all the work. Mashed pumpkin makes a great side dish, but if the filling of a pumpkin pie is your pleasure, this recipe should truly satisfy you. Creamy Pumpkin Mousse With Pecans 1/2 cup half-and-half 1/2 cup water 1 packet gelatin 1 cup 100% canned pumpkin 1 tablespoon honey 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped Place the half-and-half and water in a small saucepan. Sprinkle surface with gelatin and allow it to rest for 10 to 15 minutes until ripples begin to form. This is called “blooming” the gelatin. It ensures that there won’t be any clumping and the mousse will come out smooth. Place the saucepan over medium-low heat to warm the half-and-half and melt the gelatin. Allow the mixture to cool slightly and then place it in a blender, along with the pumpkin, honey and… read on >

Almost 41 million American children will don costumes and go trick-or-treating tonight, so all parents should remember that not every treat is safe for their kid. Inspect your children’s candy haul for signs of tampering before you let them eat anything, said Bruce Ruck, managing director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s department of emergency medicine. Opened wrappers, wrapping that doesn’t match the candy inside, labels with misspelled words or candy that looks or smells strange can all suggest possible tampering. Be alert for marijuana edibles that can look like store-bought candy, but have slightly different spellings or wrappers. Ecstasy pills and other drugs can also look like candy, Ruck added. Food allergies are another potential threat. One in 13 children under the age of 18 is allergic to foods such as peanuts, wheat, milk, tree nuts or eggs. If your child is allergic, check the treats they collect on Halloween, Ruck said in a Rutgers news release. Be careful with face paint and makeup, which may cause skin irritation. Buy from reputable sources and check the ingredients for allergens. Test the product by applying it to a small area, Ruck recommended. Some cosmetics and face paints, especially imported ones and those at bargain stores, have been found to contain lead. After using face paint, wash hands with… read on >

Calorie labels in fast-food restaurants appear to help customer trim purchases, but only up to a point, a new study says. Customers ate slightly fewer calories after a fast-food chain started including calories on its menus, but the impact weakened over time, researchers found. “Our findings suggest that calorie labeling may be most effective as a short-term strategy for reducing calorie purchases, but that other nutrition interventions may be necessary for long-term positive dietary changes in these settings,” said study lead author Joshua Petimar. He’s a research fellow at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Harvard Medical School. In May 2018, calorie labeling on menus became mandatory for chains with 20 or more outlets in the United States. The goal was to help customers make healthier food choices. However, effectiveness of this approach is unclear. Some studies have found associations between calorie labeling and calorie consumption, but most have been too small to identify differences before and after the introduction of calorie labeling on menus. This new study is one of the largest to examine the issue, according to the researchers. They assessed the impact of calorie labeling on food purchases by analyzing three years of sales data from a franchise of fast-food restaurants in the southern United States. The franchise began providing calorie information on its menus in 2017. The researchers examined data… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Hand swelling during exercise is a common issue. Exercise increases blood flow to your heart, lungs and working muscles and may reduce blood flow to your hands. Experts believe reduced blood flow may lead to widening blood vessels in the hand, and subsequent swelling, says Mayo Clinic. To ease hand swelling discomfort related to exercise, Mayo suggests: Remove rings and loosen watch bands before exercise. Perform occasional forward and backward arm circles during exercise. Stretch your fingers wide, then make fists several times during exercise.

(HealthDay News) — About 7 percent of Americans are affected by social anxiety disorder, a mental illness in which a person feels uncontrollable fear during social situations. These instances may range from answering a question in class to talking to a cashier at a grocery store. Often, people with social anxiety disorder are afraid of being humiliated, judged or rejected, says the National Institute of Mental Health. Though the cause of social anxiety is not known, underdeveloped social skills and genetics are thought to contribute. The agency recommends talking with a doctor if you have symptoms of social anxiety. After a diagnosis is made, psychotherapy, medication or both may be part of a treatment plan.

(HealthDay News) — Determining if you have a cold, the flu or an allergy can be difficult when you’re having common symptoms, such as sneezing or a sore throat. The common symptoms reflect that each condition affects your respiratory system, says the National Institutes of Health. While both colds and flus can cause congestion, cough and sore throat, the flu has unique symptoms. The flu can cause high fever, headache, fatigue, and aches. These symptoms are less common in people with a cold. Allergies can cause itchy, watery eyes, which aren’t typical symptoms of a cold or flu. Usually, allergy symptoms last as long as you’re exposed to the trigger. A cold or the flu rarely lasts more than two weeks.

People struggling with anxiety, depression or other psychiatric problems shouldn’t pin their hopes on medical marijuana, a new review suggests. Dozens of studies involving more than 3,000 people did not provide compelling evidence that medical cannabis can help treat disorders of the mind, the review authors concluded. “Cannabinoids are often advocated as a treatment for various mental disorders,” said senior researcher Louisa Degenhardt, deputy director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Center at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. “Clinicians and consumers need to be aware of the low quality and quantity of evidence for the effectiveness of medicinal cannabinoids in treating mental disorders and the potential risk of adverse events.” Medical pot might even make matters worse, the study authors said. Those adverse events can include worsening the occurrence of depression, anxiety and psychotic symptoms, the researchers found. But advocates for marijuana law reform say the real lesson to be drawn from the evidence review is that medical pot remains under-researched. “The absence of compelling evidence in favor of these cannabinoids appears to stem primarily from the absence of good research. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence,” said Mitch Earleywine. He’s a professor of psychology at the University at Albany, State University of New York, and an advisory board member of NORML (the National Organization for the Reform… read on >

Surprisingly, we’re still on a learning curve when it comes to the availability of electronic health records, the digital way to access what used to be paper-only files. You have a legal right to records held by doctors, hospitals and other providers. But many people don’t know how to get them — or even that they can. Others find it onerous that their doctors aren’t in the same medical network and they have to sign up for various portals that don’t “talk” to one another. That lack of coordination means you may need to be the one to communicate test results and other reports to your health care providers. Yes, it might seem that this is just another task to put on your to-do list. But gaining access to all facets of your health information can be lifesaving in an emergency and makes it easier for each of your providers to know what the others are doing for you. Being able to access your records through your computer lets you keep track of medications and lab results, and access information about preventive care. It’s also the easy way to print reports and share them with specialists using different portals. While the system isn’t perfect, almost half of all patients say electronic records have made the doctor-patient relationship better, according to a poll earlier this year… read on >

Looking for a tasty seafood dip for your next family gathering? Everyone will love this baked crab classic that’s been given a healthy makeover. Crab is a great source of protein and makes an excellent base for a dip. It’s low in calories and high in vitamin B12 and a variety of minerals. While fresh crabmeat often has the best flavor, if it’s not available or is too costly, canned crabmeat works well. This recipe also uses Greek yogurt and mozzarella for creaminess instead of traditional cream cheese. The yogurt in particular is very rich in protein, calcium and other nutrients, and a lot lower in fat and calories. And instead of using chips or crackers for dipping, serve an assortment of raw vegetables. Baked Crab Dip 2 cups plain Greek yogurt 1 cup grated part-skim mozzarella 1/2 cup olive oil-based mayonnaise 12 ounces crabmeat, fresh or canned and drained 4 scallions, thinly sliced 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt 4 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks 4 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into matchsticks 1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place yogurt in a large bowl. Using a spatula, fold in the mozzarella, mayonnaise, crabmeat, scallions and seasoning salt until the scallions are well distributed. Turn the mixture into an 8-by-8-inch baking dish, smoothing over the top with the spatula. Bake for… read on >

More than 300 million people worldwide — or 4% of the population — have a rare disease, a new study finds. A disease is considered rare when it affects fewer than five in 10,000 people, according to a European definition. Until now, it’s been difficult to gauge how widespread rare diseases are. But a team led by a French research institute has analyzed the scientific literature on thousands of rare diseases and created a database that makes it possible to estimate how many people worldwide have them. Of the more than 6,000 diseases in the database, 72% are genetic, and 70% start in childhood. In addition, 149 diseases are responsible for 80% of rare disease cases identified worldwide. Rare cancers, as well as rare diseases caused by infection or poisoning, weren’t included. “Although rare diseases are individual and specific, what they have in common is their rarity, and the consequences which result from that,” said project coordinator Ana Rath, a researcher at INSERM in Paris, where the database was developed. Because of a lack of research, health provider expertise and suitable treatments for rare diseases, these illnesses cause significant suffering to many patients and families worldwide, an INSERM news release noted. Understanding how many people have rare diseases is key to identifying priorities for health and research efforts, understanding the burden these diseases place on… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Try This Easy Pumpkin Dessert for Halloween

Check Those Halloween Treats So They’re Safe to Eat

Consumers’ Orders Changed Slightly After Calorie Counts Added to Menus

Health Tip: Hand Swelling During Exercise

Health Tip: Understanding Social Anxiety

Health Tip: Cold, Flu or Allergy?

Can Medical Pot Ease Mental Ills? Study Says Probably Not

Are You Accessing All Your Medical Records Online?

A Lighter, Healthier Version of Baked Crab Dip

New Database Shows ‘Rare’ Diseases Are Not So Rare Worldwide

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