To combat joint pain, add more fiber to your diet.
A new study looked at folks enrolled in the Osteoarthritis Initiative, and found that those who ate the most fiber content had a 30 percent lower risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee, compared with those who ate the least amount of fiber.
Researchers explain that eating fiber can reduce calorie intake (and losing weight is joint-friendly); it can lower serum cholesterol, which can reduce inflammation; and it helps your gut microbiome stay healthy.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends that you take in about 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day. (If you’re 70 or older, the goal is 21 grams a day for women and 30 grams for men.) In a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, you’ll get the right amount from eating 6 ounces of whole grains, 2½ cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit.
Other ways to boost fiber intake include eating whole fruits in place of juices, trying alternative fiber sources like whole buckwheat, chia seeds and wheat germ and eating the skins of raw fruits and veggies. Then you’ll be ready to play with every fiber of your body — and good knees!
Get your acne under control
Successful treatment of acne is a balancing act with good and bad bacteria.
The standard acne treatment uses antibiotics to wipe out bacteria that contribute to the chronic infection. But researchers from UCLA have discovered that it’s an imbalance of skin-loving and skin-damaging bacteria on your skin that is the real culprit. Wiping out either side of the bacterial equation may cause a greater imbalance in the skin microbiome, and more breakouts. (Yup, just like in your gut, you have a world of microbes living on your skin ... and you want them there and healthy.)
That’s why it may be more effective to promote a balance of those microbes by using oral and/or topical probiotics instead of antibiotics. We know you’re familiar with ingesting probiotics in yogurt or kefir, or taking oral supplements like Digestive Advantage and Culturelle, but you can offer your skin biome some direct probiotic help, too. Several studies have found that applying probiotics acidifies the skin, prevents pathogens from sticking around and lets a balanced skin biome flourish, reducing acne lesions and redness. So talk to your dermatologist to find out how to use this new approach to get your acne under control and your skin biome back into balance.
Dealing with asthma
Q: My 16-year-old was just told that she has asthma. She’s about the sixth girl in her grade who’s been diagnosed with this condition. What can moms do to help their daughters deal with asthma?
Rebecca G., Evanston, Illinois
A: We are sorry to hear about your daughter and her classmates, but unfortunately we’re not very surprised. One out of every 10 school-age children in the U.S. has asthma. After puberty, females are much more likely than males to develop asthma. It turns out the male sex hormone testosterone suppresses an immune system cell involved in allergic asthma.
A recently published study in the Journal of External Medicine revealed that testosterone blocks innate lymphoid cells, or ILC2s. When these cells in the lungs are exposed to asthma allergens — such as pollen, dust mites, cigarette smoke and pet hair — they produce proteins that can lead to lung inflammation and damage. But, the study showed, when ILC2s detect testosterone, the cells stop reproducing.
That’s the “why” of women and asthma, but now you need to focus on “how” to manage it.
Asthma demands an action plan that describes the daily treatment schedule and when to call the doctor or head to the emergency room. Your doctor should give you a written version, or you can print a form out at nhlbi.nih.gov. Search for “asthma action plan.”
Your daughter’s medication regimen probably will include the use of a long-term-control medicine, such as an inhaled corticosteroid. Fully 40 percent of children with asthma do not take long-term-control medication regularly. That leads to asthma attacks, overuse of rescue inhalers and hospitalization. Don’t count your daughter among those! Her treatment plan also will call for having a short-acting rescue inhaler on hand — at school, in her backpack and at home. That can save her life if she gets a flare.
If your daughter and her classmates get regular medical care from an asthma specialist, follow the treatment guidelines and avoid asthma triggers, their breathing will improve, and they should thrive.
Oh, fidget spinners
Q: I don’t know about these fidget spinners. My kids want them, and I’m not sure I want them to have them. Are they OK or just a distraction?
Jodi R., Tampa, Florida
A: It depends on your child. For some children, a spinner can have a very calming effect, and for others it’s a huge distraction. Some schools are banning them. One teacher (Teacher T.F.) tweeted: “Am I the only teacher who has a burning desire to break every fidget spinner that enters my room?” But some special-ed programs are promoting these devices, and there’s even an Australian study that found that such “fine motor activity” helps kids with ADHD do better in math class.
If you’ve somehow missed this phenomenon, a fidget spinner is a three-pronged, handheld propeller-like toy that spins around your finger on a ball-bearing ring.
For fidgety kids (foot tappers, hair twirlers) and kids with stress, anxiety and attention disorders, it appears to calm them down and help them focus. For others, it can induce mindless distraction.
The online magazine Education Week Teachers reports that 32 percent of high schools in the U.S. have banned the toys, and some schools ask that kids bring a note from their doctor if they plan on using them during class.
Our suggestion? Go with your doc’s advice.