Daily Health News Blog

This year when you carve your jack-o-lantern, save those pumpkin seeds. You can make a tasty snack on the cheap that will have everyone asking for more. Try some of these variations this fall season. For each recipe, follow this easy procedure. Remove and clean your seeds. Rinse them well, let them dry and then season them. Spread on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for about 20 minutes in a 350 degree F oven, stirring half way through, until the seeds are crispy and light golden brown. Remove from baking sheet, give them a good stir, and serve once they've cooled. After you've toasted them, you can store them in an airtight container for up to one week. Spicy Garlic Pumpkin Seeds 1 cup pumpkin seeds, cleaned and rinsed 1 tablespoon melted butter 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper Savory Pumpkin Seeds 1 cup pumpkin seeds, cleaned and rinsed 1 tablespoon melted butter 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons

By the age of 70, over half of all Americans will develop cataracts. In fact, the older you are, the more likely it is that you will not escape cataracts. There are effective treatments for cataracts, including surgery. Not only can this type of surgery remove cloudy lenses, it can also improve vision for those who are near- or far-sighted. A surprising benefit of cataract surgery is a lessened risk of breaking a hip in a fall. A study of Medicare patients showed that patients who had cataract surgery had a significant reduction in the number of hip fractures, with a 16 percent decrease in this type of injury. Vision loss is a major factor in seniors' risk of falling, and a reduction in visual sharpness and depth perception can lead to a loss of balance, stability, and mobility. Many people believe that they are "too old" to receive cataract surgery. But researchers have found that you can never be too told. In fact, they found the greatest benefit in terms of reduced hip

Make it on the big day or prepare it days or weeks before A holiday special: Sweet potato casserole This tried and true recipe will be a hit at your holiday dinner. Although the sweet potato relatively low calorie, this recipe includes a lot of sugar, although some substitutions can be made (see below). On the plus side, the sweet potato is loaded with vitamin A, three times your daily value, plus generous amounts of vitamins C and B6. Sweet potato casserole 1 40-ounce can sweet potatoes or 2 1/2 pounds cooked fresh sweet potatoes 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled 3/4 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup flour 1/3 cup butter or margarine, chilled 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped With a potato masher or food processor, puree sweet potatoes. Add milk, melted butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. In another bowl, (for the topping) stir together the brown sugar and flour. Slice chil

How officers (and you) can spot a texting driver Texting while driving is illegal in 39 states and the District of Columbia. In most of those states, it's a primary enforcement violation, meaning the officer can stop a motorist solely for texting while driving, says the Governors Highway Safety Association. The laws are having an unintended consequence. Instead of holding the phone up by their face, violators are putting it down in their laps. They think officers, cops and troopers won't be able to see it, says the National Troopers Coalitions, which has 45,000 members. The troopers say these texters are more dangerous because their eyes are off the road for a longer time, but they are just as easy to spot. Generally, they act like drunk drivers, going too fast or too slow for the traffic, weaving or not paying attention when the light turns red or green. Sometimes their heads are down and only one hand is on the wheel. Officers advise motorists to give pl

Early treatment of pre-diabetes can prevent or delay type 2. About 79 million Americans are at high risk for diabetes, because their blood sugar levels are higher than normal. They have pre-diabetes. Now, there's help. A study by Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas shows that intensive early treatment, first with insulin, then with a diabetes drug, preserves the body's insulin-producing capacity, according to Diabetes Care. Previously, the first steps in treatment were to emphasize diet and weight management, then to couple lifestyle changes with the diabetes drug metformin. Another new study published in The Lancet shows that treating pre-diabetes early and aggressively with intensive lifestyle changes and medication could be an effective way to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Study subjects were divided into intensive lifestyle intervention, pre-diabetes medicine (metformin) and placebo groups. The analysis tracked the patients who did

Stress is often a natural reaction to situations that life throws at us when we're not expecting it. However, just because the situation is stressful does not mean we have to actually get stressed. We know that stress can cause physical as well as psychological problems and can sometimes escalate to severe anxiety attacks if the challenges are not dealt with in a calm way, so having tools already in place alleviates the need to go into full blown stress when challenging situations occur. The medical profession often recommends medication for people with severe stress to help alleviate the symptoms they're experiencing. However, there are other ways to handle stressful situations, and medications don't work for everyone. And, there are many people who don't want the side effects medications can cause. So what can you do? Everything is a state of mind so it's necessary to decide in advance how you might be able to handle any kind of stressful situation

Dieting with whole grains reduces abdominal fat When you calculate the calories in your weight reduction diet, be sure to include the value of whole grains. An important clinical study of people age 20 to 65 shows that dieters who included plenty of whole grains not only lost more belly fat, they reduced an inflammation marker linked to diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Over the 12-week study, all dieters got the same weight-loss advice, but half of them ate whole grains instead of refined grains. The two groups lost the same amount of weight, but the whole-grain group lost significantly more fat from the abdominal region than those who ate white bread and other refined grains. The whole grain group also experienced a 38 percent decrease in C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker linked to the risk of heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. The reduction was similar to that seen with the use of statin drugs. Senior researche