Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

With communities across the United States canceling Fourth of July celebrations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, backyard fireworks are likely to be more popular than ever. And that has many health experts worried. They fear injuries will soar among amateurs who don’t know how to use fireworks safely. Even before the holiday, explosives are being set off in America’s backyards and on city blocks at unprecedented levels this year. “It’s certainly a risky endeavor to try to use explosives like this without any proper training,” said Maureen Vogel, director of communications at the National Safety Council. But a new nationwide survey suggests that’s a risk many Americans are willing to accept in celebration of the nation’s independence. The online national survey of more than 2,000 adults by Orlando Health in Florida projects that more than two in five Americans will buy fireworks this year and 16% said their purchases were a direct result of COVID-19 cancellations. But despite their ability to dazzle onlookers, fireworks pose significant health risks, doctors warn. “Heading into the holiday weekend every year, I anticipate that we will see some of the injuries that people sustain from fireworks,” said Dr. Eric Adkins, an emergency medicine doctor at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. With 80 times as many firework complaints filed in New York City this summer compared… read on >

Despite the existence of conventional medications to manage multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, a majority of patients also rely on alternative therapies, including vitamins, exercise and marijuana, a new survey suggests. For the study, researchers at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland asked MS patients if they used “complementary and alternative therapies” — medicines and practices outside of standard medical care. A majority of just over 1,000 respondents said they used some type of alternative therapy, including marijuana, vitamins, herbs and minerals, plus mind-body therapies like exercise, mindfulness, massage and various diets. An earlier survey, conducted in 2001, found some people regularly used these therapies — and many found them helpful — but only 7% were talking to their doctors about them. “It was a little bit of a wake-up call to physicians that they need to be more educated about complementary or alternative therapies, and then consider these therapies as part of the overall treatment plan for their patients,” said lead author Dr. Elizabeth Silbermann, a neurology fellow. MS is a potentially disabling disease that results from the immune system attacking the nervous system and damaging nerves. Symptoms vary, and while some patients eventually lose their ability to walk, others may experience only mild symptoms. MS has no known cure, but treatments can slow the disease’s progression and help patients manage symptoms. “We have… read on >

Kids as young as age 8 can show signs of being at increased risk for diabetes in adulthood, a British study finds. Researchers analyzed blood samples collected from more than 4,000 participants at ages 8, 16, 18 and 25, looking for patterns specific to early stages of type 2 diabetes development. “We knew that diabetes doesn’t develop overnight. What we didn’t know is how early in life the first signs of disease activity become visible and what these early signs look like,” said study co-author Joshua Bell, an epidemiologist at the University of Bristol. While diabetes is most common in older age, signs that one is prone to it can be seen about 50 years before it’s typically diagnosed, the researchers said. “Knowing what these early signs look like widens our window of opportunity to intervene much earlier and stop diabetes before it becomes harmful,” Bell said in a university news release. He and his colleagues found that in susceptible children, certain types of “good” HDL cholesterol were lower at age 8 before other types of cholesterol, including “bad” LDL, increased. By ages 16 and 18, inflammation and amino acids were also elevated, the study showed. These differences widened over time. “We’re talking about the effects of susceptibility rather than of clinical disease itself,” Bell said. “This does not mean that young people ‘already have… read on >

Patients with severe COVID-19 may be at risk for a variety of brain complications — from stroke to psychosis, new research suggests. “There have been growing reports of an association between COVID-19 infection and possible neurological or psychiatric complications, but until now these have typically been limited to studies of 10 patients or fewer,” said lead study author Benedict Michael. He is a fellow in the Institute of Infection and Global Health at the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. The study, described as the first nationwide look at neurological complications of infection with the new coronavirus, looked at 125 COVID-19 patients treated in U.K. hospitals during April. Michael emphasized that it focused only on cases that were serious enough to require hospitalization. The most common brain complication was stroke, which occurred in 77 patients. Of those strokes, 57 were caused by a blood clot in the brain, nine by bleeding in the brain and one by inflammation in the blood vessels of the brain. Most of the patients who had a stroke were older than 60 years of age. Thirty-nine patients experienced confusion or behavior changes that suggested they had an altered mental state, the study found. Of those, nine had unspecified brain dysfunction (encephalopathy), seven had inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), and 23 were diagnosed with psychiatric conditions, the researchers said. Ninety-two… read on >

There’s new evidence that a 2,000-year-old medicine might offer hope against a modern scourge: COVID-19. The medication, called colchicine, is an anti-inflammatory taken as a pill. It’s long been prescribed for gout, a form of arthritis, and its history goes back centuries. The drug was first sourced from the autumn crocus flower. Doctors also sometimes use colchicine to treat pericarditis, where the sac around the heart becomes inflamed. Now, a team of Greek researchers reporting Wednesday in JAMA Network Open said their small trial suggests colchicine may indeed help curb severe COVID-19. The trial involved 105 Greek patients hospitalized in April with COVID-19. Besides receiving standard antibiotics and antivirals (but not remdesivir), half of the participants got daily doses of colchicine for up to three weeks, while the other half did not. The results “suggest a significant clinical benefit from colchicine in patients hospitalized with COVID-19,” according to the team led by Dr. Spyridon Deftereos, a cardiologist at Attikon Hospital in Attiki, Greece. Specifically, while the condition of seven of 50 patients who didn’t get colchicine “clinically deteriorated” to a severe stage (for example, requiring mechanical ventilation to survive), this was true for just one of the 55 patients who did receive colchicine, the researchers said. Writing in a journal editorial, a group of U.S. physicians agreed that the study has limits, but applauded the… read on >

In findings that could pave the way to a new treatment for Parkinson’s disease, scientists have figured out how to spur the production of new brain cells in mice. The advance centers on a protein found in various cells in mice and humans. Researchers found that blocking it in the mouse brain caused certain “support cells” there to transform into specialized neurons that produce the chemical dopamine. In Parkinson’s disease, dopamine-producing brain cells gradually die off, leading to movement symptoms like tremors, stiff limbs and coordination problems. In the new study, lab mice that grew new neurons also showed improvements in Parkinson-like movement problems. Experts stressed that mice, of course, are not humans. And much more research is needed to see whether the approach could be safe and effective for people with Parkinson’s, or other degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s. “But the prospect of using this general approach is exciting,” said James Beck, chief scientific officer for the Parkinson’s Foundation. Beck, who was not involved in the research, said the work fits into a broader concept called “transdifferentiation” — where one type of cell in the body is coaxed to convert into a different type. In theory, the approach could be used to replace damaged tissue in a host of conditions, from heart disease to diabetes to spinal cord injuries. “It’s exciting to think… read on >

One-quarter of U.S. parents are hesitant about seasonal flu shots for their kids, and roughly 1 in 15 feel the same way about routine childhood vaccinations, a nationwide study finds. The issue has gained added urgency this year, as fears around coronavirus keep many parents from bringing their kids to the doctor — including routine vaccinations. Twelve percent of the nearly 2,200 parents surveyed were strongly concerned about potential side effects of both flu shots and routine childhood immunizations, while 27% had lesser concerns. And while 7 out of 10 strongly agreed that routine vaccinations were effective, only 26% felt the same way about flu shots. “The fact that one in eight parents are still concerned about vaccine safety for both childhood and influenza vaccinations is discouraging,” said lead author Dr. Allison Kempe, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora. Adults with less than a bachelor’s degree were more skeptical of vaccinations. While race and ethnicity didn’t play a major role in attitudes, Hispanic parents were less hesitant about flu shots than white parents, the survey found. The results were published June 15 in the journal Pediatrics. Kempe said hesitancy about flu shots centers on doubts about effectiveness. She pointed out that while flu vaccination isn’t 100% effective in preventing the flu, even when it is not a… read on >

If you’re working from home because of the coronavirus pandemic and expect to keep doing so, you need to be sure your work station is set up properly, an orthopedic specialist says. You also need to take regular breaks to move around, according to Terrence McGee, a physical therapist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. In an office, many people have ergonomic support and opportunities for physical breaks. You might have walked to the water cooler or coffee machine, attended meetings or walked to co-workers’ desks, he noted in a university news release. To help you adapt to working at home, McGee has some suggestions to improve the safety and comfort of your workspace. When sitting at your desk, rest your feet flat on the floor. Use a foot rest if the desk height can’t be adjusted. Your thighs should be parallel to the ground, with a two-finger space between the back of the knees and the chair, and 3 to 6 inches of space between your thighs and the desk/keyboard. Place a small pillow or towel roll behind you for lower back support, he suggested. Your head should be level, facing forward, and in line with your torso. The top of your computer screen should be at or slightly below eye level. The screen itself should be 18 to 28 inches… read on >

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, many doctors’ offices and clinics have made changes to protect patients, care providers and staff. As an example, here’s what’s being done at Penn State Health. “When our patients first call to schedule an appointment at any of our offices, outpatient clinics or centers, they’ll be screened for COVID-19,” said Dr. Matthew Silvis. He’s vice chair of clinical operations in the family and community medicine department at the Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Penn. “This means being asked questions about their possible risk factors of having the coronavirus,” and possibly being asked for additional information over the phone to reduce the amount of paperwork needed at the time of the visit, Silvis said in a health system news release. When patients arrive for their appointment, they will undergo further screening for COVID-19. They’ll be asked about possible exposure, any symptoms and they’ll have their temperature taken. Patients will be required to wear masks that cover their nose and mouth before they can enter the facility. Doctors, nurses and office staff are screened daily for COVID-19 and wear face masks. Some may wear face shields for additional protection. Other changes involve check-in, visitors, waiting areas and check-out. Dr. William Bird, a senior vice president in Penn State Health Medical Group, said, “We’ve eliminated a lot of chairs in the reception… read on >

More than five centuries ago, Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci produced a now-famous image of what he considered the perfectly proportioned male body: the “Vitruvian Man.” The drawing was inspired by even earlier pondering on the perfect human form by first-century A.D. Roman architect Vitruvius. Now, work done by American scientists involving high-tech scans of the bodies of almost 64,000 fit young men (and some women), finds that Leonardo got very close to anatomical measurements collected today. “Despite the different samples and methods of calculation, Leonardo da Vinci’s ideal human body and the proportions obtained with contemporary measurements were similar,” reported a team led by Diana Thomas, a mathematician at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. “Vitruvian Man” is an iconic drawing by Leonardo from 1490 in which an adult male stands, legs together and then apart, inside a circle and square whose borders end at his head, outstretched hands and feet. It’s meant to depict the ideal adult male body. But how close did Leonardo get to reality? To find out, Thomas and her colleagues had thousands of highly fit U.S. Air Force training recruits, ages 17 to 21, undergo high-tech 3D body scanning to determine average measurements. For good measure, a separate sample of almost 1,400 female recruits were also scanned — the artist did not produce a “Vitruvian Woman,” however.… read on >