Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

Arthritis in the knees can strike people as young as 45, with symptoms severe enough to limit activities and harm quality of life. What can be done about it? First, know that inactivity isn’t the answer. You need to move, so try low-impact exercises like walking and swimming. Researchers are also looking at possible benefits from interval training rather than continuous workouts. If you’re overweight, research has shown that diet, along with exercise, can reduce pain and improve function. Studies on the popular supplement glucosamine have yielded conflicting results over the years, but one explanation for the mixed findings has to do with the different formulas that were used. Success in Europe and other parts of the world was found with a daily 1,500-milligram dose of patented crystalline glucosamine, according to the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases. Acupuncture helps some people find relief, as does daily do-it-yourself acupressure — using just your fingertips on the painful areas. More invasive procedures, like injections of corticosteroids or hyaluronic acid, have limited benefits and possible side effects. And knee surgery, often suggested to “wash out” debris inside the joint, does not seem to result in significant pain relief, better function or greater benefits than conservative strategies like exercise therapy. One helpful suggestion came from an analysis of studies involving exercise among people with knee and other joint pain… read on >

Water polo players appear to face similar head injury risks as athletes in better-known sports, a new study FINDS. “For years, water polo’s head trauma risks have been downplayed or overshadowed by football-related brain injuries,” said study co-author James Hicks. “Our data quantifies the extent of the problem and sets the stage for additional research and possible rule changes or protective gear to improve water polo safety,” Hicks added. He is chairman of the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Irvine. “People who’ve never seen a game may not realize how physical it is,” Hicks said in a university news release. “Head-butts and elbows. Balls flying up to 50 miles per hour.” And while no concussions were diagnosed among players in the study, the force of the head blows was “similar to those observed in collegiate soccer, another sport that is commonly studied for the risks associated with repeated head impact exposure,” he added. For the study, Hicks and his colleagues tracked several dozen players in Division 1 NCAA Men’s Water Polo over three seasons. The players wore caps embedded with electronic sensors. Overall, the researchers counted an average of 18 head hits per game. Offensive players were far more likely to get hit in the head than players in defensive and transition positions (60%, 23% and 17%, respectively), the… read on >

Sunscreen is a real key to protecting your skin from the sun and preventing skin cancer, but are you using it correctly? Santa Monica-based dermatologist Dr. Tanya Kormeili thinks not. A recent American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) found “only about a third of Americans are reapplying their sunscreen every two hours while outside. Since sunscreen wears off, incorrect usage leaves you unprotected and susceptible to skin cancer,” Kormeili said in an AAD news release. She outlined other common sunscreen mistakes and how to avoid them. First, read the sunscreen labels. You should choose sunscreens that are broad-spectrum, water-resistant and have an SPF of 30 or higher. Second, most people apply only one-quarter to one-half of the recommended amount of sunscreen. To fully cover their body, most adults need about 1 ounce of sunscreen, or enough to fill a shot glass. Apply enough sunscreen to cover all skin that isn’t covered by clothing. Apply it 15 minutes before going outdoors, and reapply every two hours while outdoors or after swimming or sweating. Third, only 20% of Americans apply sunscreen on cloudy days, but the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays go through clouds. Apply sunscreen every time you go outside, even under clouds. Another mistake is using old sunscreen. Sunscreens are required to retain their original strength for at least three years. Throw out your sunscreen if… read on >

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer vacation — a season of potato salad, ice cream and, if you’re not careful, unwanted weight gain. But it is possible to avoid packing on the pounds. Just hop on the scale every day, researchers suggest. The new study included 111 U.S. adults, who weighed themselves every day from mid-November 2017 to early January 2018 and received feedback on their weight changes. The participants either maintained or lost weight during that end-of-year holiday season. A “control group” of adults who did not do daily self-weighing gained weight, according to the study published in the June issue of the journal Obesity. Other than being told to try to maintain their weight, the self-weighers received no instructions on how to achieve that goal. That meant they had to decide for themselves how to manage their weight. “Maybe they exercise a little bit more the next day (after seeing a weight increase) or they watch what they are eating more carefully,” study author Jamie Cooper said in a journal news release. “The subjects self-select how they are going to modify their behavior, which can be effective because we know that interventions are not one-size-fits-all.” Cooper is an associate professor of foods and nutrition at the University of Georgia, in Athens. The study findings support something known as discrepancy theories of… read on >

When it comes to your home, safety first is a good rule to follow. And there are many steps you can take to limit home accidents. Making sure you have proper smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is at the top of the list. On a daily basis, your hands can face many hazards around the house. In the kitchen, keep knives sharp — the extra effort needed to use a dull knife can lead to cuts if your hand slips. When you need to open something that is enclosed in clamshell plastic packaging, it might be tempting to use a sharp kitchen knife. But this practice causes thousands of hand injuries every year. The AARP instead recommends using a can opener or blunt-tipped scissors to open such packaging. To avoid being scalded by hot tap water, lower the setting on your water heater to 120 degrees. This is especially important if you have young children in the home. In your backyard, keep your grill at least 10 feet away from your home and any plants surrounding it or on a deck. Never add lighter fluid after you’ve started a grill fire. When using a power lawn mower, wear goggles, long pants and close-toed shoes with soles that grip, experts at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore recommend. Clear any brush or tree… read on >

There’s a lot you can learn from your elders, starting with the results of a multi-year study of exercise and brain health in seniors. Researchers from Columbia University and the University of Miami compared results of two sets of brain scans and tests measuring memory and thinking skills in 876 seniors. The tests were done five years apart. The investigators found a greater mental decline for those who reported low-activity exercises, such as light walking and yoga, compared to those with high-activity levels and exercises like running and cardio workouts. The difference was equal to 10 years of brain aging, and that was after taking into account other factors that can influence brain health, such as excess weight, high blood pressure, smoking and drinking, according to the findings published in the journal Neurology. Researchers are also learning about the brain benefits of cardio exercise from lab studies — those done on animals. One study found that sustained aerobic activity — such as daily jogging for several miles at a moderate pace — can encourage the growth of new brain cells, even later in life. Research into which specific cardio activities are best for each of the sexes is ongoing, so there’s still more to learn. In the future, the goal is to learn more about how to individualize exercise for brain health. This isn’t to… read on >

The guidelines to eat more vegetables are clear, and eating a rainbow of colors gets you the widest variety of nutrients and phyto-nutrients, those hard-to-duplicate compounds that go beyond vitamins and minerals. But whether you’re at the farmers’ market or choosing a side dish at a restaurant, are some vegetables better than others? A research study set out to rank the best “powerhouse” vegetables (and fruits) — those most strongly associated with reducing the risk for chronic diseases. Forty-seven vegetables were ranked based on percentages of 17 known nutrients in a 100-calorie serving. Nutrients included vitamins A, C, D, E, K and many of the B vitamins, along with the minerals calcium, potassium, iron and zinc, plus fiber and even protein. The Top 5 Vegetables Watercress Chinese cabbage Chard Beet greens Spinach You might be surprised to read that watercress, often used as a mere garnish, ranked No. 1. Think of this pleasantly peppery green as the perfect base for your salads or a great “bed” on which to serve a protein, like a broiled chicken breast. The cruciferous veggie Chinese cabbage (you might know it as Napa cabbage) took the second spot. It makes a great coleslaw or health salad and can also be made into fermented, probiotic-rich kimchi. The leafy greens chard, beet greens and spinach round out the top five, but there’s… read on >

For all of those men who view a mustache as a largely ornamental addition to their masculine appearance, a new study reveals it can also guard against lip cancer. “Mustaches seem to protect the lip the same way that hair protects the scalp,” explained study author Dr. Daniel Aires. He is director of dermatology with the University of Kansas Health System. “While this makes intuitive sense, it had not been tested before.” To do just that, Aires and his team examined 200 male patients who had already been diagnosed with a precancerous condition known as actinic keratosis on the head or face. “Actinic keratosis is a scaly spot on the skin that can develop into a dangerous cancer called squamous cell carcinoma,” Aires explained. “Since lip skin is so thin, lip actinic keratoses can invade and become deadly faster than actinic keratoses elsewhere on the skin.” Roughly 3 million Americans are diagnosed with actinic keratosis each year, he noted, accounting for one of every seven dermatology visits. But, “likely many more go undiagnosed and untreated, since studies estimate that more than 10% of adults have actinic keratosis,” he added. Nearly 60 of the men in the study had a long history of sporting substantial “sheltering” mustaches, meaning mustaches that are at least 9 millimeters thick (about a third of an inch). In the end, Aires… read on >

You’ve probably never heard of Q fever, but the bacterial disease may be sickening — and killing — more Americans than once believed, a new study suggests. Caused by a bacteria carried by livestock, Query (Q) fever is a rare disease first discovered in 1947 and is found mostly in dry, dusty areas of California and the Southwest. “Q fever is underdiagnosed in the United States,” said lead researcher Dr. Christine Akamine, assistant professor of medicine at Loma Linda University in California. “We suspect this is because most patients have only mild symptoms and do not present for medical evaluation.” But her research revealed that more patients than expected had severe cases of Q fever — and diagnosis was often delayed. Akamine said increasing awareness of the disease could change that. People can get Q fever either by direct contact with livestock that carry the bacteria, called Coxiella burnetii, or by inhaling the spores carried by dust and wind. For the study, Akamine and colleagues collected data on patients hospitalized for Q fever between 2000 and 2016. Patients lived in a dusty, dry, windy area of Southern California ideal for spread of the disease. Of the 20 patients who were diagnosed with Q fever, three developed chronic cases of the disease and two died, the study found. Most cases of Q fever are mild and… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Leg swelling typically occurs from fluid buildup or inflammation, says Mayo Clinic. It can affect any part of the leg, including the foot, ankle, calf or thigh. Even for non-emergency problems, prompt care is still recommended. To minimize leg swelling, consider: Restricting the amount of salt in your diet. Putting a pillow under your legs when lying down. Wearing elastic compression stockings. Giving yourself breaks, especially if you need to sit or stand for long periods. Seek emergency medical care if you are also having chest pain, difficulty breathing, feeling faint or coughing blood.