Keep walking, even with osteoarthritis
It might seem hard to believe that walking with a painful joint could actually help reduce pain. But movement helps mitigate the pain and damage of osteoarthritis in a number of ways, according to a report in NPR. For starters, building up surrounding muscles helps stabilize the hurting joint and also increases lubrication of the cartilage. The fluid inside the joint flows into and out of the cartilage like a sponge, so all the nutrients in the joint fluid get into the cartilage and help slow any degradation there. Furthermore, neuroscientist Benedict Kolber with Duquesne University in Pittsburgh says exercise may also cause changes in the brain that can damp down pain. Exercise engages the endogenous opioid system, so our bodies make opioids to decrease pain, he says.
Not to put a damper on the holidays
Most of us know one of the best health moves we can make is to skip junk food and eat a nutritious, well-balanced diet, points out the National Institutes of Health. But how are we doing at putting that knowledge into action? Not so great, according to a new analysis that reveals Americans continue to get more than 50 percent of their calories from low-quality carbohydrates and artery-clogging saturated fat. In their analysis of the eating habits of nearly 44,000 adults over 16 years, NIH-funded researchers attributed much of our nation’s poor dietary showing to its ongoing love affair with heavily processed fast foods and snacks. But there were a few bright spots. The analysis also found that, compared to just a few decades ago, Americans are eating more foods with less added sugar, as well as more whole grains (e.g., brown rice, quinoa, rolled oats), plant proteins (e.g., nuts, beans), and sources of healthy fats (e.g., olive oil).
Your child and ADHD
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its guidelines for treating children with Attention Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder for the first time since 2011, changing some criteria for diagnosis, updating current medications, and emphasizing the need to rule out other causes of symptoms. According to national data, about 9.4% of U.S. children ages 2-17 have been diagnosed at one time with ADHD, with hyperactive and impulsive symptoms that tend to decline during adolescence and lead to inattentiveness. Boys are more than twice as likely as girls to be diagnosed with ADHD. Both boys and girls with the disorder typically show symptoms of an additional mental disorder and may also have learning and language problems. Treatments for ADHD have remained essentially the same, but AAP emphasizes the need for ongoing medical care and coordination with others from the school and community. Parent training in behavior management is recommended as the first-line treatment for preschoolers. The AAP recommendations include guidance to help providers rule out other causes of ADHD-like symptoms and identify co-occurring conditions, such as depression, anxiety, substance use, autism and trauma.
Vaccinations safe during pregnancy
Influenza and whooping cough can be deadly, especially in a baby’s first few months of life, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccinating women against these diseases during each pregnancy helps protect them and their babies. Studies show flu and whooping cough vaccines are safe for pregnant women and developing babies. Some statistics:
- Women with influenza are more than twice as likely to be hospitalized if they are pregnant.
- Sixty-nine percent of reported whooping cough deaths occur in babies less than two months old.
- Only one in three U.S. pregnant women receive both flu and whooping cough vaccines.
Exercise and cancer
Evidence suggests that exercise should be a part of standard treatment for most people with cancer, according to a report in the New York Times. Researchers also found that exercise should be considered a means to substantially drop the risk of developing cancer in the first place. Research published in “Medicine & Science in Sports & Fitness Exercise” and “CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians” reports that physically active people have as much as 69 percent less risk of being diagnosed with certain cancers than sedentary people. Exercise seems to be especially potent at lessening the likelihood of developing seven common malignancies: colon, breast, endometrial, kidney, bladder, esophageal and stomach cancers. Recommendations also point out that, in multiple recent studies, exercise changed the trajectory of cancer once it began. In animal experiments cited in the reviews, exercise altered the molecular environment around some tumors, stalling or even halting their growth. And in people, exercising during and after cancer treatment was associated with longer subsequent life spans.