Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

(HealthDay News) — Dry eye occurs when the amount of tears you produce fails to keep the surface of the eye adequately lubricated, the National Eye Institute says. The risk of developing dry eye increases with age, and more women than men have the condition. Dry eye can create scratchy or stinging feelings, dryness, discharge, pain and redness. The institute mentions these common causes of dry eye: Medications including antihistamines, decongestants, antidepressants, birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, and medications for anxiety, Parkinson’s disease and high blood pressure. Advancing age. Rosacea (an inflammatory skin disease) and blepharitis (an inflammatory eyelid disease). Windy, smoky or dry environments. Seasonal allergies. Prolonged periods of screen time.

(HealthDay News) — A newborn’s vision isn’t as developed as an older child’s, although significant progress is made during the initial months of life, the American Optometric Association says. Although rare at this early age, signs of vision problems among newborns and young infants include: Excessive tearing – this may indicate blocked tear ducts Red or encrusted eye lids – this could signal an eye infection Constant eye turning – this may signal a problem with eye muscle control. Extreme sensitivity to light – this may indicate elevated pressure in the eye. Appearance of a white pupil – this may indicate an eye tumor that could be cancerous.

Mammogram? Check. Pap test? Check. Blood pressure? Check. Hearing and vision? Check. Screenings are an important part of maintaining women’s health. They can detect disease when it’s most treatable and prevent serious problems, according to Dr. Lili Lustig. She is a family medicine specialist at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in Ohio. To get the right screenings, talk to your doctor, who will take into consideration your age, overall health, family history and current health concerns. “Each test has its own time and place,” Lustig said in a medical center news release. “Generally, the sooner your doctor can identify and treat a medical condition, the better the outcome.” In their 20s, women should have Pap and HPV screenings to check for pre- or early cervical cancer and the human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer. (The American Cancer Society recommends women get a Pap test every three years starting at age 21.) “Women ages 30 to 65 who have a normal Pap test and a negative HPV only need to be re-screened every five years,” Lustig added. It’s also important to get screened for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). They may not cause symptoms, meaning you can pass them to your partner or, if pregnant, to an unborn child. “All women who are sexually active from age 13 to 65 should be regularly screened for STDs,”… read on >

American parents aren’t sure whether their teen and young adult children should be prescribed opioid painkillers, and many don’t know there are other ways to get pain relief, a new survey finds. The poll included more than 1,000 parents of children aged 13 to 24, one-third of whom had been prescribed opioid painkillers. While more than half of the parents were concerned their child may be at risk for opioid addiction, nearly two-thirds believed opioid painkillers were better at controlling their child’s pain after surgery or an injury than over-the-counter medications or non-drug treatments. Many parents don’t know or ask about those other options, according to the Jan. 27 survey commissioned by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). “The survey results shed light on the country’s conflicted relationship with and understanding of opioids. While most parents said they were concerned about side effects and risks such as addiction, improper or recreational use and overdose, they still thought opioids work best to manage pain,” Dr. Linda Mason, ASA president, said in a society news release. While 59 percent of parents said they would talk to their child’s doctor about pain management options, only 37 percent of those whose children were prescribed opioids actually did. The survey also found that nearly nine out of 10 parents knew that non-opioid, over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil… read on >

If you were up all night and you ache all over the next morning, your lack of sound slumber might be to blame. New research found that sleep loss delivered a double whammy to the brain that all but guaranteed greater levels of body pain. “Activity in the somatosensory cortex, previously associated with the location and intensity of pain, was enhanced following sleep loss,” explained study author Adam Krause. And “in two regions called the striatum and the insula, sleep deprivation decreased the activity associated with pain [relief],” he added. These regions control the release of dopamine, often called the “feel-good” hormone. Krause is a Ph.D. candidate with the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley. During the study, 25 healthy, young participants got the normal eight hours of sleep one night. A week or so later, the same group underwent a night of no sleep whatsoever. After each session, all the volunteers underwent “thermal pain sensitivity” tests, followed by MRI scans to monitor brain activity while their legs were exposed to uncomfortable levels of heat. After a full night of sleep, most participants reported feeling heat discomfort at about 111 degrees Fahrenheit. But after a night of no sleep, that pain threshold dropped to 107 degrees F. Brain scans pinpointed the neurological basis for the uptick in pain sensitivity following… read on >

Tight control of your blood pressure won’t necessarily spare you from full-blown dementia, a new trial concludes. But it might lower the risk of slight declines in thinking and memory, a condition known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the researchers added. The clinical trial is the “first study in history to show that any intervention can reduce your risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, an early form of dementia,” said lead researcher Dr. Jeff Williamson. He is a professor of gerontology and geriatric medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine, in Winston-Salem, N.C. “What is good for your heart in terms of blood pressure-lowering is also good for your brain,” Williamson added. He noted that the trial ended early, which likely affected the dementia result. “We just didn’t have enough dementia cases develop over time” in the group with less-restricted blood pressure, he explained. High blood pressure affects more than three-fourths of people over the age of 65, and it has been identified as a potential risk factor for MCI and dementia in observational studies, the study authors said in background notes. The new clinical trial focused on nearly 9,400 people, average age 68, who had been randomly assigned to treatment that would keep their systolic blood pressure at or below a goal of either 120 or 140 mm Hg. Participants were all at high… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Bronchitis is typically caused by a respiratory virus, and much less frequently, by a bacterial infection, the American Lung Association says. Risk factors include having close contact with someone who has bronchitis, failure to get age-appropriate vaccinations, and exposure to tobacco smoke, fumes, dust and air pollution. The American Lung Association says symptoms of bronchitis typically include: Coughing up mucus that may be yellow or green. Runny and stuffy nose starting a few days before chest congestion. Feeling tired. Sore ribs from prolonged periods of coughing. Wheezing or a whistling sound while breathing.

Slow and sneaky weight gain usually happens over time — on average one pound a year — so it’s not always obvious at first, especially if you don’t regularly weigh yourself. But if this weight creep goes unnoticed year after year, by middle age, your middle may lose the sleek look you had when you were younger. Several factors could be to blame. Maybe you’re exercising less because family and work obligations have gotten in the way of regular gym visits. Maybe you’re eating more, such as having a cookie with your daily afternoon cup of tea. Perhaps you simply don’t need as many calories as you used to because of the gradual shift in body composition that can happen with age. Having less muscle and more fat can slow your metabolism, making it easier to gain weight. But you can work to avoid or at least limit this type of weight gain. Start by doing a quick self-evaluation. Has your activity level gone down? Are you eating more than usual? If you answered yes to these questions, make the commitment to get back on track both with diet and exercise. To improve diet, studies that tracked people for 20 years found the key is to switch to a way of eating that emphasizes fruits and vegetables, whole grains and nuts. You can replace low-nutrient… read on >

(HealthDay News) — When a thin piece of wood, glass or metal gets embedded within the top layers of your skin, you know how annoying and painful a splinter can be. The U.S. Library of Medicine suggests how to remove a splinter safely: Sterilize a pin or needle by soaking it in rubbing alcohol or by placing the tip in a flame. Wash your hands with soap. Use the pin or needle to gently remove skin over the splinter. Then use the tip of the pin to lift the end of the splinter out. You may need to use tweezers to pull out the splinter after you lift it.

Three weeks in a cast or brace may be just as effective in healing ankle fractures as the typical six weeks, a new study shows. While six weeks in a cast is the usual treatment, there are risks associated with prolonged immobilization, including stiffness, skin damage and blocked blood vessels. Finnish researchers decided to find out if three weeks of treatment would be as effective as six. Their study included 247 patients who were 16 and older with a common type of stable fracture that didn’t require surgery. Eighty-four patients wore a cast for six weeks; 83 spent three weeks in a cast; and 80 spent three weeks in an ankle brace. They were assessed at six, 12 and 52 weeks after their fracture. The healing process for those who spent three weeks in a cast or brace was as successful as among those who spent six weeks in a cast, and shorter treatment brought no added harm, according to the study published Jan. 23 in the journal BMJ. In addition, those who wore a brace for three weeks had slightly better ankle mobility than participants who wore a cast for six weeks. The findings were similar after accounting for patient differences, according to the researchers led by Dr. Tero Kortekangas, from Oulu University Hospital in Finland. His team used an external-rotation (ER) stress test… read on >