Lifestyle « Weekly Gravy

(HealthDay News) — Are you scared and confused over the threat of coronavirus? You’re not alone: Every day, every hour, new media reports can have you worrying about worst-case scenarios. Experts say panic is a natural — if unhelpful — response to major crises like COVID-19. But there are ways to stay both informed and calm. It’s not always easy, acknowledged psychologist Roxane Silver. “One of the most stressful aspects of this outbreak is the uncertainty and ambiguity that surrounds transmission,” said Silver, who’s professor of psychological science at the University of California, Irvine. “Because individuals can apparently spread the virus without exhibiting any symptoms, the threat is invisible, and anyone can be a carrier of disease,” she noted. So the unease folks feel “is normal and appropriate,” she said. But it can also tip over into panic, and media is often key to that, Silver believes. Sources matter “What is likely to be unhealthy is the spreading of rumors and misinformation, which often creep in during uncertain periods,” she said. For many, endless cycling through cable news or reading specious posts on Facebook can prove harmful, not helpful. Instead, people should proactively “seek out information from authoritative sources,” she said, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), or your local department of health. Both the… read on >

If you child has allergies or asthma, you need to take that into consideration when selecting a summer camp. “Parents and kids alike who are dealing with asthma or severe allergies need to know there’s a good fit and that the child’s medical needs are being met,” said Dr. J. Allen Meadows, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. “Take the time to research camps you think your child will enjoy and ask the hard questions to make sure your child will be well cared for,” Meadows added in a college news release. Consider a specialty camp, such as one specifically for children with asthma or one for those with food allergies. These camps provide specialized medical and nonmedical staff. A day camp may be the best choice, Meadows said. Most day camps have measures to keep kids with allergies and asthma safe. Talk with staff about what your child can and cannot eat, and what they need to have on hand in case of a severe allergic reaction or an asthma attack. Make sure the day camp has dealt with allergies and asthma before, knows where the nearest hospital is and how to get there, and is aware of the specific needs of your child. Talk with your child’s allergist before deciding on a camp, Meadows added. The allergist may be… read on >

Go ahead and crack that egg. Eating one a day isn’t likely to increase your risk of heart disease, researchers say. The three-decade study showed no association between moderate egg consumption and risk of heart disease. The report — led by a team at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston — should help reassure uneasy egg eaters. “Recent studies reignited the debate on this controversial topic, but our study provides compelling evidence supporting the lack of an appreciable association between moderate egg consumption and cardiovascular disease,” first author Jean-Philippe Drouin-Chartier, a visiting scientist, said in a Harvard news release. He’s an assistant professor at Laval University in Quebec, Canada. For the new study, the researchers analyzed data from more than 173,000 women and over 90,000 men in the United States who did not have heart disease, type 2 diabetes or cancer when initially assessed. The study participants were followed for 32 years, during which their diets and other lifestyle habits were recorded. The researchers also analyzed 28 studies with up to 1.7 million people. This meta-analysis supported the finding that moderate egg consumption is not associated with increased risk of heart disease in Americans and Europeans. The investigators also found some evidence suggesting that moderate egg consumption may be associated with lower heart disease risk in Asian populations, but the finding may… read on >

No matter whether your favorite team wins or loses, March Madness will likely put a slam dunk on your sleep habits. For many Americans, staying up late to watch NCAA basketball tournament games is a much-anticipated annual rite. But the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) warns that those late-night games can cause problems. “A lack of sleep can lead to trouble making decisions, solving problems, controlling emotions and more,” AASM president Dr. Kelly Carden said in an academy news release. An AASM survey found that 58% of Americans said they stayed up past their bedtime to watch sports, including 72% of men. “It’s important to ensure sleep is a priority — even if there is a great game on — because getting healthy sleep on a regular basis positively impacts health, well-being and performance,” Carden explained. And, sleep isn’t only important for fans. Athletes who get more sleep perform better, according to the AASM. A 2011 study published in the journal Sleep found that when members of Stanford University men’s basketball team got more sleep, their shooting accuracy improved, with both free throw percentage and 3-point shots increasing by 9%. The players also improved their average sprint time. This year’s tournament begins March 15 and concludes April 6 with the national championship game in Atlanta. More information The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood… read on >

While many Americans are ready to celebrate the end of winter, those with seasonal allergies are already dreading the sneezing, wheezing, itchy eyes and runny nose that spring brings. “Spring allergies can be tricky to treat because not everyone is allergic to the same things, even though symptoms may look a lot alike,” said Dr. J. Allen Meadows, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. “There are some really effective treatments out there, but unfortunately no magic bullets.” Knowing what you’re allergic to is the key to dealing with spring allergy symptoms, he noted. Meadows’ advice? See an allergist to find out what you’re allergic to and to learn about the most appropriate ways to treat your allergies. Then, be prepared. Start taking allergy medications two to three weeks before you expect symptoms to begin, he urged in a college news release. That will make them easier to control. Remember: The start of allergy season depends on where you live. If you’re allergic to pollen, take steps to keep it out of your home, car and clothes, as well as your hair, eyes and nose. Keep windows in your house and car closed in the spring. After being outdoors, remove your shoes when you go inside and consider immediately washing your clothes to remove pollen. Shower at night before bed to make… read on >

Your morning cup of coffee may help your focus and problem-solving skills, but it won’t kick-start your creativity, a new study says. “In Western cultures, caffeine is stereotypically associated with creative occupations and lifestyles, from writers and their coffee to programmers and their energy drinks, and there’s more than a kernel of truth to these stereotypes,” said study first author Darya Zabelina, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Arkansas. Increased alertness, heightened vigilance, greater focus and improved motor performance are known to be associated with caffeine, but its impact on creativity is less known, Zabelina noted. She and her colleagues assessed the effects of caffeine on 80 volunteers’ convergent and divergent thinking, working memory and mood. Convergent thinking is used in problem-solving while divergent thinking is used in creativity. Volunteers were given either a 200 milligram (mg) caffeine pill — equivalent to one cup of strong coffee — or a placebo. Caffeine improved convergent thinking but had no real impact on divergent thinking. Researchers also found that caffeine didn’t significantly affect working memory, but it appeared to affect mood — those who took it reported feeling less sad, according to the study in the March issue of the journal Consciousness and Cognition. “The 200 mg [of caffeine] enhanced problem-solving significantly, but had no effect on creative thinking,” Zabelina said in a university… read on >

A new poll suggests that education is all that stops most Americans from embracing plant-based diets that are better for the planet. The poll, of just over 1,000 adults nationwide, found that 51% said they would eat more plant-based foods if they knew more about the environmental impacts of their eating habits, but 70% said they rarely or never discuss this issue with friends or family. Nearly two-thirds said they’d never been asked to eat more plant-based foods, and more than half rarely or never hear about the topic in the media. In addition, more than half said they’re willing to eat more vegetables and plant-based alternatives and/or less red meat. Even though only 4% self-identified as vegan or vegetarian, 20% said they chose plant-based dairy alternatives two to five times a week or more often, and about the same percentage said they didn’t buy products from food companies that aren’t taking measures to reduce their environmental impact. Along with a lack of information, other barriers to eating more plant-based foods include perceived cost, taste and accessibility, according to the survey findings from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the Earth Day Network. For example, 49% of respondents believed a meal with a plant-based main course is more expensive than a meal with a meat-based main course, and many said they would eat… read on >

In a sign that suggests America’s obesity epidemic is far from under control, a new government report shows that more than 40% of people in the United States are obese. And almost 1 in 10 is severely obese, the researchers added. “Over the time period from 1999 to 2018, the obesity prevalence increased about 12% — from 30.5% of Americans to 42.4% of Americans. Severe obesity almost doubled,” said study author Dr. Craig Hales. He’s a medical epidemiologist with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Much more than just a cosmetic issue, obesity is associated with type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, fatty liver disease, sleep apnea, arthritis, gallbladder disease and more, according to the U.S. National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Severe obesity means a BMI of 40 or above. BMI is a rough estimate of a person’s body fat based on their height and weight. Someone who is 5-foot-10 is obese when they reach 210 pounds. That same person would be considered severely obese at 280 pounds, according to CDC estimates. Hales said there’s no easy answer to this growing public health threat. “Obesity is a very complex health issue associated with many different… read on >

Many U.S. teenagers may be using their smartphones to harass, humiliate or otherwise abuse their dating partners. That’s according to a recent national survey of teens who’d been in a romantic relationship in the past year. Researchers found that 28% had been victims of “digital dating abuse” — surprisingly, with boys being targets more often than girls. While teen dating abuse has long been a problem, digital technology has opened up new ways for it to happen, according to lead researcher Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center and a professor of criminology at Florida Atlantic University. Teens might send threats by text; make embarrassing posts on social media; publicly share private, sometimes sexual, pictures; or secretly look through a partner’s device to monitor him or her. The new findings, from a nationally representative survey, give a better sense of how common the problem is among U.S. teens, Hinduja said. “This helps clarify what’s going on with youth who are in romantic relationships,” he said. “Many teenagers,” Hinduja said, “really don’t know what they’re doing when it comes to building healthy relationships.” Digital dating abuse is generally not an isolated issue: Many teens in the study (36%) said they’d been abused offline — physically, verbally or through coercive, controlling behavior. And it often went hand-in-hand with digital abuse. That’s not surprising, according to Hinduja,… read on >

Lung diseases have been striking more people around the world in the past 30 years, new research shows. And being from poor regions is the most important risk factor for respiratory trouble, the scientists added. Aging and risk factors such as smoking, pollution and overweight/obesity are among the other major risk factors for chronic lung diseases, according to the analysis of data from 195 countries. Researchers led by Dr. Min Xie, from Tongji Medical College and Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, found that the number of deaths from chronic lung diseases rose 18% over the past three decades, from 3.3 million in 1990 to 3.9 million in 2017. The number of deaths increased with age and rose sharply among people aged 70 and older, and this age-related burden is likely to increase as the worldwide population ages, the researchers noted. The most common chronic lung diseases are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, but others such as pneumoconiosis (lung disease due to dust inhalation), interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis (due to lung scarring and inflammation) are also public health concerns worldwide. The study was published Feb. 19 in the BMJ journal. Overall, the highest rates of lung disease are in the poorest regions of the world. Lower rates in wealthier countries are due to people having better access to… read on >