Lifestyle « Weekly Gravy

Americans with cancer are more likely to use marijuana and prescription opioids than those without cancer, and the use of medical marijuana by this group is on the rise, new research shows. Pain is common among cancer patients, but many do not get adequate pain relief, the researchers noted. The new study looked at more than 800 adults with cancer who took part in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2005 and 2014. The patients were compared with about 1,650 adults without cancer. The findings showed that 40% of the cancer patients had used marijuana within the past year, compared with 38% of those without cancer. People with cancer were also more likely to use prescription opioids than those without the disease — nearly 14% versus just over 6%, respectively. When analyzing rates of marijuana and opioid use among more than 19,000 survey respondents, including those with and without cancer, the investigators found increasing rates of marijuana use over the 10-year study period, probably because legislative changes increased its availability. More clinical trials are needed to asses just how effective medical marijuana is against cancer-related pain, said co-lead author Dr. Kathryn Ries Tringale, of the University of California, San Diego. Prescription opioid use remained stable among cancer patients, the study authors said. A cancer diagnosis did not significantly affect the odds of… read on >

Science continues to discover healthy substances in foods beyond vitamins and minerals. Though no one food provides everything you need, here are four trending superfoods — all high in antioxidants — that belong in your kitchen. Green tea has been studied for a possible role in helping to fight everything from cavities to cancer. Among the varieties available, matcha, the special powdered version used in the Japanese tea ceremony, is especially healthful. It easily dissolves in beverages and can add a subtle taste to baked goods. In fact, at many bakeries it’s all the rage. However, you don’t need the calories of cake or pastry to get its nutrients. Sipping the tea is all you need. Kefir is a fermented milk with probiotic benefits that may even surpass those of yogurt. It’s available right alongside yogurt in the dairy aisle, but some people have started making their own by buying kefir grains. Kefir adds a tangy flavor to salad dressings and dips, and can be used as a base for smoothies. Cinnamon is so common that you might not realize it has special properties, but it may boost heart health and even fight metabolic syndrome. One study found that the Ceylon, or Sri Lanka, variety is among the most potent anti-inflammatory foods around. Liberally sprinkle cinnamon in coffee, tea and milk, and on top of… read on >

Leading health organizations are warning about the possibility of video game addiction. The World Health Organization has included it in the latest edition of its reference book of health disorders, while the American Psychiatric Association’s book offers warning signs but does not yet list it as an addiction. So parents might wonder whether any gaming is safe for their kids. If you follow American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for limiting daily screen time, many games and apps can help with learning, particularly for kids with certain developmental problems. Understood.org is a nonprofit organization that offers ideas and information to help children with learning and attention issues. Its Tech Finder can point parents to specific apps and games that nearly every child could benefit from. From a dropdown menu, you enter your child’s grade and the specific skill he or she would like to build on, such as reading, writing and math; attention and organization; social and motor skills; and speech and listening comprehension. Tech Finder then gives you a list of fun and educational games and apps to try. The site also offers tips for choosing a game or app. In addition to engaging your child by being fun to play, it should be challenging enough to prevent boredom but not so much so that your child gets frustrated from a lack of progress. The… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Before taking an antidepressant, it’s important to take a few factors into consideration, says the American Academy of Family Physicians. The academy suggests: Talk to your doctor about different antidepressant options. Inform your doctor of other medicines, vitamins and supplements you take. Understand that you should not stop taking an antidepressant without speaking with your doctor.

Daily exercise may be the ideal, but even weekend workouts might prolong your life, a new study suggests. In a study of more than 3,400 men and women over age 40, researchers found those who exercised one or two days a week had the same low death rates as those who exercised more frequently. “One of the main concerns to increasing physical activity is limited time, particularly multiple days a week,” said lead researcher Eric Shiroma. He’s a staff scientist and epidemiologist at the U.S. National Institute on Aging. At the study’s start, participants wore activity monitors for a week. The researchers classified them as “weekend warriors” if they exercised only one or two days a week, or as regularly active folks who spread their exercise out over the week. All were tracked for about six years. Although the regular exercisers had about 50% more moderate and vigorous workouts than the weekend exercisers, the health benefits were similar. “We found that weekend warriors had a similar mortality benefit compared to more frequent exercisers,” Shiroma said. The weekend warriors had health benefits similar to those who met goals set out in the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans — at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity a week, he said. However, this study can’t prove that it was exercise that reduced death rates, said Dr.… read on >

Researchers say an experimental stroke drug prevented blood clots without the typical side effect of blood thinners: increased bleeding risk. Bleeding is a common and potentially dangerous side effect of current anti-clotting drugs used to treat stroke patients. But the new findings suggest that the antiplatelet drug, called ACT017, may be a safe and effective alternative to current therapies used in stroke patients. “Any way to minimize bleeding risk after administering antiplatelet agents is highly desirable,” said one expert, Dr. Andrew Rogove. He directs stroke services at Northwell Health’s Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, N.Y. “Further investigation of this promising drug in treatment of acute ischemic stroke is warranted and necessary,” said Rogove, who wasn’t involved in the new study. This early, phase 1 trial of ACT017 was funded by the drug’s maker, Acticor-Biotech. It included 36 healthy men and women, aged 22 to 65, who were divided into six groups. Each group received intravenous infusions of the drug over six hours with doses ranging from 62.5 milligrams (mg) to 2,000 mg. The drug did not significantly extend “bleeding time” — a marker of increased risk for dangerous bleeds, said a team led by Dr. Martine Jandrot-Perrus, a scientist at France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research. ACT017 was also well-tolerated at all doses, without serious side effects, her team reported, although a dose… read on >

Just a 1% decrease in the number of Medicaid recipients who smoke could save the insurance program billions of dollars a year, a new study suggests. Over one year, that small decline in smoking and its associated health harms would lead to $2.6 billion in total Medicaid savings the following year and millions for each state, researchers found. “While 14% of all adults in the U.S. smoke cigarettes, 24.5% of adult Medicaid recipients smoke,” said study author Stanton Glantz, of the University of California, San Francisco. He’s director of its Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education. “This suggests that an investment in reducing smoking in this population could be associated with a reduction in Medicaid costs in the short run,” Glantz added in a university news release. Half the states would save $25 million or more, with California reaping $630.2 million (if the smoking rate fell from 15.5% to 14.5%), the study found. At the low end, South Dakota could save $2.5 million (if the rate fell from 41% to 40%). It’s well known that reducing smoking is associated with reduced health costs, but it’s commonly assumed that it takes years to see these savings, Glantz said. “While this is true for some diseases, such as cancer, other health risks such as heart attacks, lung disease and pregnancy complications respond quickly to changes in… read on >

Privacy curtains in hospital rooms might offer patients some personal dignity, but they can also harbor dangerous, drug-resistant bacteria. That’s the claim of a new study where researchers took more than 1,500 samples from privacy curtains in 625 rooms at six skilled nursing facilities in Michigan. The samples were collected from the parts of the curtains touched most often. Samples were also gathered from patients. Sampling was done when patients were admitted, and again after 14 days and 30 days, and then monthly up to six months, when possible. The findings showed that 22% of the samples from the privacy curtains tested positive for multidrug-resistant organisms, with contamination rates ranging from 12% to 28.5%, depending on the facility. Of those samples, nearly 14% were contaminated with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), 6% with resistant gram-negative bacilli, and about 5% with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). “We were surprised to see that multidrug-resistant organisms, especially VRE, shed by patients routinely contaminate their privacy curtains. These pathogens on privacy curtains often survive and have the potential to transfer to other surfaces and patients,” the study authors wrote. In fact, the same resistant germs were detected on patients and their privacy curtain in nearly 16% of the sampling visits, the researchers found. “Patient colonization with MRSA and VRE were each associated with contamination of the bedside curtain,” according to Dr. Lona… read on >

A small daily dose of nature may be the perfect prescription for stress. An eight-week study found that people who spent at least 20 minutes a day in places that made them feel connected to nature had significantly lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This so-called “nature pill” could be a low-cost antidote to the negative health impacts of urbanization and an indoor lifestyle dominated by screen viewing, researchers said. “We know that spending time in nature reduces stress, but until now it was unclear how much is enough, how often to do it, or even what kind of nature experience will benefit us,” said lead author and associate professor MaryCarol Hunter. She studies social, psychological and ecological aspects of sustainable urban design at the University of Michigan. The findings were recently published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology. The study involved 36 city dwellers. “Participants were free to choose the time of day, duration, and the place of their nature experience, which was defined as anywhere outside that in the opinion of the participant, made them feel like they’ve interacted with nature,” Hunter said in a journal news release. “There were a few constraints to minimize factors known to influence stress: take the nature pill in daylight, no aerobic exercise, and avoid the use of social media, internet, phone calls, conversations and reading,”… read on >

There’s good news for the millions of obese Americans with sleep apnea: Researchers report the use of the CPAP mask may greatly increase their chances for a longer life. Use of the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask was tied to a 62% decline in the odds for death over 11 years of follow-up. That benefit held even after factoring in health risk factors such as heart disease, weight, diabetes and high blood pressure, said a French team of investigators led by Dr. Quentin Lisan, of the Paris Cardiovascular Research Center. They noted that prior randomized clinical trials had not been able to find a survival benefit for CPAP, but they now believe those trials were simply too short for the effect to emerge. In the new study, the benefit to longevity only “appears six to seven years after initiation of CPAP therapy,” the team reported in the April 11 issue of the journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. An expert who penned an accompanying editorial said the findings should help doctors and patients, because many people with sleep apnea balk at the notion of wearing a mask to bed each night. “Every knowledgeable sleep specialist has had difficulty in convincing some patients of the need to treat their obstructive sleep apnea with these devices,” wrote Dr. Clete Kushida, a sleep medicine researcher at Stanford… read on >