Health news for this week: The new leading cause of trauma death, the percentage of children living with food insecurity, and more.
Viagra may help dogs battling rare eating disorder
A drug that has helped millions of men reinvigorate their sex lives seems to treat a rare, but often deadly, eating disorder in dogs, researchers say.
The condition is called megaesophagus. It’s an enlargement of the esophagus and a loss of its ability to move food to the stomach, resulting in food getting jammed in the lower esophagus. Left untreated, dogs with the disorder can regurgitate their food and aspirate it into their lungs, causing aspiration pneumonia, the researchers explained.
FDA approves first condom designed for anal sex
The first condom specifically designed to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections during anal sex has been approved for sale in the United States, the US Food and Drug Administration says.
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The One Male Condom can also be used to help reduce the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) during vaginal intercourse.
When having anal sex, the FDA said the condom should be used with a condom-compatible lubricant.
Guns are outpacing car crashes as leading cause of trauma death for Americans
Guns have overtaken car crashes as the leading cause of premature death from trauma in the United States, a new study finds.
It also showed that gun suicides are highest in older white men, while gun homicides are highest in young Black men.
“Suicide is responsible for the most [years of potential life lost] due to firearm deaths, and continues to increase in the USA at an alarming rate,” lead researcher Dr. Joshua Klein, from Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY, and colleagues wrote.
10.8% of children live in households with food insecurity
In 2019 to 2020, 10.8 percent of children lived in households that experienced food insecurity, according to a February data brief published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics.
Heidi Ullmann, Ph.D., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues used data from the 2019 to 2020 National Health Interview Survey to describe the percentages of children aged 0 to 17 years living in food-insecure households during the past 30 days by selected sociodemographic and family characteristics.
The researchers found that 10.8 percent of children lived in households that experienced food insecurity during the past 30 days during 2019 to 2020.
THURSDAY, Feb. 24, 2022 (HealthDay News) — In 2019 to 2020, 10.8 percent of children lived in households that experienced food insecurity, according to a February data brief published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics.
Rodent infestation spurs product recall by Family Dollar stores
A wide range of human food, pet food, medical devices and drug products have been recalled by Family Dollar Inc. due to the risk of salmonella and other hazards associated with a rodent infestation at a company warehouse in Arkansas.
The US Food and Drug Administration-regulated products were shipped from the Family Dollar Distribution Center in West Memphis to 404 stores from Jan. 1, 2021 to the present.
Looking for more health news from this week? Look no further:
8 strategies to help maintain strength as you age
Invest in a trainer
A licensed and credentialed trainer can design a personalized program and teach you proper form and technique. Get referrals from local gyms, and many trainers now offer virtual workouts. After you learn the basics, you can work out on your own.
Image by Erak007 from Pixabay
Get free
Training with free weights, like dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells, is often better for muscle building than machines, Shawn Pedicini, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, says. “However, machines are ideal if you have balancing issues or other limitations that make it safer to sit during weight training,” he says. You can also go back and forth between free weights and machines depending on the type of exercise and which muscles you are working on.
Image by Jill Rose from Pixabay
leg up
While you need full-body workouts that address all your major muscles, older adults should pay special attention to their leg muscles: quadriceps and hamstrings (in the thighs), the gluteals (in the buttocks) and the calf muscles. “These are involved in many daily functional movements like squatting and climbing stairs,” Pedicini says. Compound exercises that work different muscles in one movement — like squats, deadlifts and lunges — are great for building leg muscles.
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Weight, reps, sets
Pedicini says fewer reps with heavier weights helps you gain the most muscle. “An ideal routine would be eight repetitions for each exercise for three sets total.” But you can adjust this as needed. “People with movement issues might need to use lighter weights and do more repetitions.”
Photo by Delaney Van on Unsplash
Find your tempo
Lifting should be done at a seven-second tempo. That means three seconds to lift the weight, a one-second pause and three seconds to lower it. If you can’t lift the weight at least eight times, use a lighter weight. When you can comfortably perform eight reps without completely pulling the muscle, increase the weight. “Muscles grow stronger only if you keep adding resistance,” Pedicini says.
Image by vicki4net from Pixabay
Two days is plenty
Ideally, you should do weight training at least twice a week. “Two days of full-body training can produce measurable changes in muscle strength,” Pedicini says. You often can feel results after four to six weeks of consistent training.
Image by David Mark from Pixabay
give it a rest
Always allow at least 48 hours between sessions for muscle recovery. Some people prefer to break their workouts into two parts: upper body and lower body. In that case, you can perform upper-body exercises one day and lower-body the next.
Photo by Arek Adeoye on Unsplash
Always raise the bar
Use enough weight so that the last few reps of a lifting routine are challenging.
“Don’t forget to consistently challenge yourself as you progress,” Pedicini says. “It’s necessary to gain the muscle and strength changes you want and need.”
Photo by Sergio Pedemonte on Unsplash
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