Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

For parents of a child with autism, communication is often the No. 1 hurdle. But what if there were a simple way to help them get their youngster talking? A new study suggests there just might be. It’s called “pivotal response treatment” (PRT). And those who have tried it say it can open up a whole new verbal world for kids with limited speech and inhibited social skills. “My son was having meltdowns all the time because he couldn’t express what he wanted or needed,” said Heidi Pim, a kindergarten teacher in Palo Alto, Calif., whose son James, 8, was diagnosed as a toddler with autism and speech delays. “We would try our best to figure out what he wanted or needed, so we could give it to him, but often we couldn’t,” she said. “Because he didn’t have any vocabulary. And his frustration and aggression would just turn into situations everywhere I would take him. At shopping malls, airports, everywhere.” James was already undergoing standard “applied behavioral analysis” (ABA) treatment. Considered the gold standard among autism interventions, it aims to teach social skills through heavy monitoring, repetition and positive reinforcement of good behavior, typically in a clinical setting. PRT has roots in ABA. But it aims to keep the child in his or her usual setting, and relies on techniques that are easy for… read on >

Want to reduce your risk of dementia? Take care of your heart. That’s the takeaway from a new study that suggests good heart health in middle age could lower your odds for problems with thinking and memory later in life. The study included nearly 7,900 British adults who did not have heart disease or dementia at age 50. Over an average 25-year followup, 347 cases of dementia were diagnosed among participants. Average age at diagnosis: 75. After taking other factors into account, researchers linked a higher score at age 50 on seven healthy habits outlined in the American Heart Association’s “Life Simple 7” with a lower risk of dementia later in life. The Life Simple 7 assesses smoking, diet, physical activity, fasting blood sugar, blood cholesterol, blood pressure and body mass index (a measure of body fat based on height and weight). Dementia rates were 1.3 per 1,000 person years among participants who had high scores on heart healthy habits, compared to 3.2 per 1,000 for low-scorers, according to the study published Aug. 7 in the BMJ. A better score at age 50 was also associated with higher overall brain and gray matter volumes in MRI scans 20 years later. Though the study could not prove that heart-healthy living actually caused dementia risk to drop, the researchers said their findings support public policies to improve… read on >

Family meals are a recipe for healthy eating in kids, nutritionists say. “Research shows that families who regularly dine together are more likely to eat more fruits, vegetables and fiber and are less likely to eat fried foods,” said Kristen Gradney, a dietitian nutritionist and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Eating together promotes healthy weight in children, perhaps due to more nourishing food choices, and can encourage them to try new foods,” she explained in an academy news release. Plus, families who eat together tend to be closer, because mealtime encourages conversations. It helps kids feel more at ease sharing their feelings, which, in turn, can help lessen behavioral problems and may even improve their grades, Gradney said. As part of Kids Eat Right Month in August, the academy offers this advice to help parents make and enjoy family meals after a busy day: Choose meals without a lot of ingredients. Work with your children to create a collection of go-to recipes that can be ready in less than 30 minutes. Stock up on ingredients that can be used for more than one meal. For example, grill twice as many chicken breasts as needed for one dinner and use the extras to make fajitas the next night. Try to avoid take-out food. Though convenient, it’s not as healthy as a simple, homemade… read on >

New research is untangling the complex relationship between symptoms of depression and losses in memory and thinking that often emerge together with Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, the new data suggests that “depression symptoms themselves may be among the early changes in the preclinical stages of dementia syndromes,” explained study lead author Dr. Jennifer Gatchel. She works in the division of geriatric psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In the study, researchers examined brain scans and other data gathered over seven years from 276 older adults enrolled in the Harvard Aging Brain Study. All of the participants were still living independently in the community at the beginning of the study and were considered healthy. However, the analysis revealed a significant link between worsening depression symptoms and mental decline over two to seven years, and both of these trends seemed to be linked to a buildup of amyloid protein in brain tissue. The slow accumulation of amyloid has long been known as a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. “Our research found that even modest levels of brain amyloid deposition can impact the relationship between depression symptoms and cognitive [thinking] abilities,” Gatchel said in a hospital news release. The new insight that depression symptoms might be part of the Alzheimer’s process could further research into the prevention or treatment of the illness, she added. It “raises the possibility… read on >

(HealthDay News) — The chills refers to an episode of shivering, along with paleness and feeling cold. Most commonly, the chills are associated with fever, says Mount Sinai Hospital. They are the body’s way of producing heat when it feels cold. To treat the chills at home, Mount Sinai recommends: Drink lots of fluids and get plenty of rest. Sponge with lukewarm water. Take acetaminophen to fight fever and chills. Don’t bundle up in blankets or use air conditioning. If you have a high fever or your chills are accompanied by stiffness of the neck, confusion, or pain, seek prompt medical attention.

Preemies often lag behind full-term babies in getting routine vaccinations — and the difference remains at age 3, a new study finds. Misguided parental “hesitancy” over the safety of vaccines for preemies might be to blame, researchers said. The study found that preterm babies were less likely to be up-to-date on seven recommended vaccines by 19 months of age. More than half were “under-vaccinated,” and by age 3, one-third still were. Experts said the findings are concerning because preemies are more likely to become seriously ill if they contract the infections that vaccines prevent. The reasons for the results are not clear — but parents’ wariness could be a factor. “Parents of preemies sometimes feel that they are dealing with a fragile child,” said Dr. Rahul Gupta, chief medical and health officer for the March of Dimes. “Even if they’re not vaccine-hesitant as a philosophy, they may worry about the safety of vaccination for their child.” Plus, Gupta said, there is a lot going on in those first days to weeks of life in the neonatal intensive care unit — with doctors, nurses and parents focused on various medical needs. Conversations about vaccinations may fall by the wayside. But, Gupta stressed, it’s vital for preterm infants to get timely immunizations, since their risk of complications from infections is higher than average. “All of the available… read on >

(HealthDay News) — The human papillomavirus (HPV) is transmitted through sexual or skin-to-skin contact. Because there may not be symptoms, both men and women can contract HPV without even knowing it, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. To reduce your risk of contracting HPV, the FDA suggests: You can choose not to have sex. If you have sex, limit the number of partners you have. Choose a partner who has had no or few sex partners. The effectiveness of condoms in protecting against HPV isn’t clear, the agency says.

If you have migraines, one or two cups of coffee a day may be okay, but three or more could raise your risk of an attack, a new study concludes. “Interestingly, despite some patients with episodic migraine thinking they need to avoid caffeine, we found that drinking one to two servings/day was not associated with higher risk of headache,” said study principal investigator Dr. Suzanne Bertisch, of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “More work is needed to confirm these findings, but it is an important first step,” she added in a news release from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In the study, Bertisch and her colleagues tracked data from 98 adult sufferers of episodic migraines. Each patient had an average of five migraines a month, 66% had one to two servings of caffeinated beverages a day, and 12% had three or more servings a day. For the purposes of the study, one serving of caffeine was defined as eight ounces (one cup) of caffeinated coffee, six ounces of tea, a 12-ounce can of soda or a 2-ounce can of an energy drink. Over the six-week study period, the participants had an average of 8.4 migraines. All reported having caffeinated beverages on at least one day during the study, with an average of 7.9 servings per week.… read on >

(HealthDay News) — From chilly temperatures to the flu or allergies, a runny nose has a variety of causes. A prescription antibiotic usually is not needed to treat a runny nose, says Cleveland Clinic. To get rid of a runny nose, Cleveland Clinic suggests: Rest as much as possible. Drink lots of fluids, especially water. Use saline nasal spray to relieve symptoms. A runny nose will typically go away on its own. However, if symptoms persist for more than 10 days, or seem severe, visit your doctor.

(HealthDay News) — Sometimes, dietary supplements can do more harm than good, warns the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Before taking a dietary supplement, the FDA recommends: Be wary of products claiming a “quick fix.” Know the side effects, especially if you’re having surgery in the near future. Find out if the supplement may interact with your medications. Check with a doctor before using a supplement. If you believe you are having an adverse reaction to a dietary supplement, visit a doctor and report the issue to the FDA.