Author: user

While there are plenty of protein options for your burger, from beef and turkey to meatless alternatives, buns are usually an afterthought.

“Most of the time a bun is made from white bread, which isn’t exactly adding any nutrition to a meal that is already highly processed — so there’s lots of room for improvement,” says Karen Ansel, RDN, Syosset, New York–based author of Healing Superfoods for Anti-Aging.

Fortunately, there are a lot of low-carb options. “If you’re looking to cut down on calories or carbs, you can always choose a thinner bun or do an ‘open-faced’ burger or dog with only half the bun,” says Christy Brissette, RDN, Chicago-based president of 80 Twenty Nutrition.

If you’re not that into bread buns anyway, you’re in luck. Because of eating fads like going gluten-free, plant-based, or keto, there are plenty of naturally low-carb, plant-based bun alternatives at your disposal.

Whatever your reason, our list of delicious bun alternatives can help make your burger a little healthier. We list the raw nutrition data for each veggie, but keep in mind that the nutrient values may change somewhat as you process, season, and cook them. Still, the alternatives below are healthier than a simple white bread bun.

For those with obesity, the answer to this question is pretty straightforward.

“If you have obesity, even if you’re metabolically healthy, it’s reasonable to try to lose weight,” Klein says.

Other experts echo his sentiments.

“Eventually, high weight takes its toll,” says Steven Heymsfield, MD, a professor of metabolism and body composition at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge. “People who have obesity their whole lives often need new hips and knees, or develop other functional problems, and healthy weight loss can prevent that to some extent.”

Everyone, at every size, benefits from eating a healthy diet with more whole foods and few ultra-processed foods. Likewise, getting regular exercise, a good night’s sleep, and generally moving more (and avoiding sedentary behaviors) are healthy behaviors. If adopting these healthy habits leads to weight loss in someone who has obesity, that’s almost always a good thing, he says.

But when it comes to people who are overweight, as opposed to those with obesity, the benefits of weight loss are less certain. Especially if a person who is overweight is living a generally healthy lifestyle, trying to drop weight may not always lead to health benefits, says Flegal.

Regardless of your body size, if your healthcare provider recommends that you lose weight, Klein says it’s helpful to ask a few questions.

“Ask what is the benefit of me losing weight, or why should I do this,” he says. “If they say your triglycerides are high, your blood pressure is on the edge of being abnormal, you have a family history of diabetes or you have prediabetes — all of those are major indications for weight loss benefits,” he says.

On the other hand, if your parents had obesity and “lived to 100 without major diseases,” and your body resembles their bodies — and you’re metabolically healthy — Klein says losing weight may not improve your metabolic health.

Prenatal testing for Down syndrome is entirely optional. The decision to undergo prenatal testing for Down syndrome can be a deeply personal one.

Screening Tests During Pregnancy

Screening tests measure the risk that your baby will have Down syndrome. They don’t result in a diagnosis — they tell you if a condition, like Down syndrome, might be present.

• Blood Test This test measures levels of certain hormones and proteins in your blood that may indicate a genetic condition such as Down syndrome. Doctors perform this test during the first or second trimester, along with standard prenatal testing.
• Ultrasound A nuchal translucency test uses ultrasound to measure fluid on your baby’s neck. More fluid than usual may indicate Down syndrome. Doctors typically perform this test during the first trimester.

Diagnostic Down Syndrome Tests

Down syndrome diagnostic tests include:

• Amniocentesis Your provider examines your amniotic fluid for irregularities, specifically three copies of chromosome 21. Amniotic fluid is the liquid that surrounds and protects the fetus in the womb. It contains some cells shed by the fetus so doctors can examine the chromosomal makeup of these cells in order to determine the makeup of the fetus as well. Doctors perform this screening test during the second trimester.

  [3]

• Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) Your provider takes cells from your placenta to examine your baby’s chromosomes. The placenta is an organ that forms in the womb during pregnancy and contains the same genetic material as the fetus. This test is done during the first trimester.

  [4]

• Percutaneous Umbilical Blood Sampling (PUBS), Also Called Cordocentesis Doctors test fetal blood from your baby’s umbilical cord for genetic information. This is the most accurate prenatal test for Down syndrome, and is sometimes used to confirm amniocentesis or CVS results. The test usually occurs between 18 and 22 weeks of pregnancy.

  [5]

Hot Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis

For someone with an inflammatory disease like RA, applying heat may seem counterintuitive. But since heat works to reduce muscle tension and stimulate blood circulation, many patients find that applying something warm — even if it just means warming your clothes in the dryer before dressing, or lying with a heated blanket prior to getting up in the morning — simply feels good on the joints.

Heat can be effective because it helps to relax the muscles, the American College of Rheumatology notes.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, when you warm up a sore joint, the heat enlarges your blood vessels, allowing more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to be delivered to the tissues.

Although there aren’t recent studies for rheumatoid arthritis, researchers conducted a study on 35 people with chronic, nonspecific neck pain that was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in August 2020. They found that those receiving thermotherapy with a salt-pack for 30 minutes twice a day for five days (in addition to performing a neck stabilization exercise) improved stiffness more than the control group.

“Gentle heat in the morning can improve your range of motion,” explains Katie Palmer, a physical therapist in Newtown, Pennsylvania. “It can relieve some of the joint pain and the stiffness and prepare your body for exercise or to get up and get moving and out the door.”

One version of hot therapy is the paraffin, or wax, bath, similar to what’s used in nail salons to soften the skin and nails. “The paraffin is heated to a prescribed temperature and then you dip in your hands, wrists, and fingers, and it forms a coating,” Palmer explains. “Then you wrap your paraffin-covered hands and wrists in a little towel, and it gives you a nice moist, deep heat that can help eliminate some of the pain and stiffness of RA.”

Palmer recommends paraffin therapy for the hands when they’re stiff, like first thing in the morning, but not when the joints are inflamed.

Another option: “Applying warm compresses (such as hot water bottles) works in a similar way to a paraffin bath,” Palmer says.

In addition to putting heat on targeted areas, you can also warm up your whole body by taking a warm bath or shower or by swimming in a heated pool.

Because heat can promote inflammation, “[it] should be avoided during an active inflammatory phase when joint temperatures are elevated,” Maggiore says.

RELATED: 10 Ways to Find Relief From Chronic RA Pain

Cold Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis

If your joints are inflamed, it makes sense that something cold could ease the inflammation and thus the pain. The main benefits of cold therapy are reducing inflammation, swelling, and soreness, as well as temporarily relieving joint pain caused by an arthritis flare.

Cold therapy is best during an acute flare, Maggiore says. “Cold therapy is helpful as it can lower joint temperatures, reduce pain, and decrease inflammation,” she says.

Like heat therapy, cold therapy comes in several forms.

One simple method of cooling the joints is a cool-water soak in a tub. Just don’t let the water get so cold that you become chilled.

Cold packs that you place directly on an aching joint include everything from common items — bags of frozen peas or gel packs found at the drugstore — to complete systems of coolers, cooling pads, and devices shaped to certain parts of the body, like the knees and back.

There also are widely available over-the-counter cold sprays and ointments, such as Biofreeze and CryoDerm, that relieve inflammation by numbing the nerves.

But if the cold doesn’t feel good or you can’t tolerate it, stop using it, Maggiore says.

Others who should avoid or limit cold therapy are people with Raynaud’s syndrome, a condition in which small blood vessels in the fingers or toes constrict when exposed to cold. If you have this syndrome, you probably should not use cold therapy on the affected parts of your body.

Always consult your doctor or physical therapist before trying any hot or cold therapy for rheumatoid arthritis.

RELATED: How to Relieve Rheumatoid Arthritis Foot Pain

5 Tips for Using Heat Therapy for RA

• Use safe heat sources that don’t let the temperature get scalding, including hot towels, hot tubs, showers, or baths, hot water bottles, microwaveable hot pads, and electric heating pads.
• To prevent burns, do not use heat for excessive lengths of time (follow the manufacturer’s guidelines).
• When using heating pads or hot water bottles, place a towel or cloth on your skin first, to prevent direct contact with the heat source.
• Be careful to check your skin for redness often while applying heat, and remove the heat source if redness occurs.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using a paraffin bath device.

5 Tips for Using Cold Therapy for RA

• Use a bag of frozen peas, wrap ice in a thin towel, or use commercially available cold gel packs for cold therapy.
• Avoid applying ice or cold packs directly to the skin — use a towel or cloth between the cold device and the skin.
• To avoid frostbite, do not apply cold for more than 15 minutes at a time.
• Allow your skin to return to normal temperature and color before using cold again.
• Don’t alternate hot and cold without a break. The Arthritis Foundation recommends waiting a couple of hours between sessions before switching to the other.

If you’re using one of these hot or cold methods and it doesn’t bring relief, or it seems to make the rheumatoid arthritis symptoms worse, talk to your doctor.

Additional reporting by Meryl Davids Landau and Jennifer Geddes.

Again, SCC is most often caused by too much sun exposure. This may sometimes be the case for people with HS who develop SCC in areas of skin that aren’t typically hidden in skin folds or by clothing. Other factors, including chronic inflammation and immunosuppression, may also play a role in how squamous cell cancer occurs and behaves when it’s associated with HS.

A chief concern is inflammation, which can make any type of cancer worse, says Luis Andres Garza, MD, PhD, a professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. The inflammation that happens in the body from HS may be part of the increased likelihood of squamous cell skin cancer, he adds.

Another unique factor of squamous cell carcinoma in HS is location. “HS primarily occurs in places where skin rubs on skin,” says Rita Pichardo, MD, a dermatologist at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who runs an HS clinic. “These regions can be chronically inflamed for many years. That makes certain regions in the body — the vulvar, perianal, and perineal areas — especially prone to developing skin cancer.”

A review of studies published in 2021 looked at SCC as a result of HS and found that the most common sites of the cancer were the buttocks, the perianal region, and the genitals.

1. Use a Humidifier

When mucus is thin, your sinuses naturally clear out. But when the mucus becomes thick and blocks drainage, the sinus pressure builds, causing pain associated with a sinus headache, Reddy says.

If you don’t currently have a humidifier, take steamy showers and expose yourself to humidity by drinking plenty of hot fluids (like tea and soup), which also help with hydration, Reddy says.

2. Try a Saline Nasal Spray

Saline nasal sprays don’t contain any medication, and they’re safe to use as often as you need, Reddy says. You can buy a saline nasal spray from your local drugstore.

3. Try Nasal Irrigation

Rinsing your sinuses using nasal irrigation can help clear the passageways and provide relief. You can use a saline solution along with a sinus rinse bottle, neti pot, or bulb syringe irrigation kit, which are all likely available at your local pharmacy. These devices all have a long spout that delivers the solution through one nostril and out the other to clear everything out, Reddy says.

Here’s how Reddy recommends making a nasal irrigation solution: In a clean glass, combine 8 ounces of distilled or sterile lukewarm water with 1/2 teaspoon of noniodized salt and a pinch of baking soda.

Bellak recommends using a nasal irrigator every day to help clear mucus and reduce inflammation.

4. Use Eucalyptus Essential Oil

You can use eucalyptus oil by dropping some into a diffuser and inhaling the steam or by applying it on your skin. “Inhalation through a diffuser allows the eucalyptus oil’s volatile compounds to reach the respiratory tract, providing relief from congestion and inflammation,” says Bellak. If you use it topically, make sure to dilute it with a carrier oil, after which it can be applied to the chest or temples to provide localized relief, Bellak says.

5. Alternate Hot and Cold Compresses

Applying warmth to the face around the sinus areas increases blood flow, which can reduce sinus congestion and loosen mucus, Reddy says. Meanwhile, “cold compresses may help numb the pain, reduce inflammation, and decrease sinus swelling.” Switching between these temperatures may stimulate blood circulation, encourage drainage, and provide relief from both pain and pressure, Reddy says.

To use hot and cold compresses at home: Start by placing a hot towel or washcloth across your sinuses for about three minutes. Then place a cold compress across your sinuses for 30 seconds. Alternate two more times, and repeat the treatment about four times a day, Reddy recommends.

6. Eat Spicy Foods

“For people with sinus headaches, eating spicy foods might prompt a brief increase in runny nose and tears, helping to clear congested passages and ease pressure and pain,” Reddy says.

Capsaicin preparations have been investigated for the treatment of some facial pain syndromes and of rhinitis with promising preliminary results, Reddy says. So if you have the taste (and stomach) for spicy foods, you can try testing your tolerance to help with sinus discomfort.

7. Swipe on Some Vaporizing Ointment

A vaporizing ointment rub like Vicks VapoRub, the balm that almost magically quells coughs, is also a good home remedy for sinus pain.

For sinus headache relief, Bellak recommends applying Vicks to the chest and covering the area with a warm, dry cloth. “The warmth can amplify the release of vapors from the Vicks, enhancing the inhalation of its soothing components, which can help relieve nasal congestion,” he says.

People experiencing a diabetic seizure will be unable to treat their own symptoms — they will probably lack the presence of mind to understand their situation, or the body control to fix it. Therefore, it is just as important for friends and family to be familiar with these symptoms.

• Muscles that twitch, jerk, or convulse
• Loss of consciousness
• Limbs that go limp or stiff
• Drooling or staring
• Clenched teeth

During a diabetic seizure, you may become unconscious, fall, or have convulsions that cause muscles to contract involuntarily, making the body move and jerk out of control. Convulsions can be mild or severe. You may also appear to be in a trance or unable to respond, with eyes blinking rapidly or staring into space, before slipping into unconsciousness.

These symptoms require immediate emergency medical care.

For most people with diabetes there will be prior warning signs as blood sugar levels drop towards unsafe levels. Everyone with diabetes should be intimately familiar with the symptoms of (moderate) hypoglycemia, including the following:

• Shakiness
• Sweating, chills, and clamminess
• Irritability or impatience
• Rapid or fast heartbeat
• Lightheadedness or dizziness
• Hunger and nausea
• Sleepiness or weakness
• Blurred or impaired vision
• Tingling or numbness in the lips or tongue

Diabetic seizures can be prevented by noticing some of the above symptoms and reacting appropriately. As long as the person experiencing low blood sugar can still safely eat and drink, treating the condition is often very easy. Fast-acting carbohydrates, like the sugar found in candy or soda, can bring blood sugar back up into a safe range.

Regardless of your mental health history, a super-low-calorie diet may not be sustainable in the long term. We all need calories for survival. If your body senses it’s not getting enough, it will fight the process with a mechanism known as “starvation mode.” “Starvation mode is a defense mechanism that the body uses to prevent fat loss and starvation. The idea is, your body wants to use your fat to keep you alive, so you don’t burn as many calories,” says Felix Spiegel, MD, a bariatric surgeon at Memorial Hermann Medical Group in Houston. “This lowers your metabolic rate, which means you’re using less calories. If you cut back your calories too much, it hinders weight loss.”

To prevent weight loss plateaus, Dr. Spiegel recommends a goal of 1 to 2 pounds lost per week. “If you lose more than that, you’re losing body fluid and muscle mass.”

If you’re struggling to keep up with house cleaning duties due to depression, here are some simple ways to help you start tackling them.

1. Start Small

Try it by identifying your three most important house cleaning goals. Focus on completing the first of those tasks, then try to tackle the others one at a time.

Concentrating on just those small steps makes it easier to get started and build that inertia to keep going, says Karen Lynn Cassiday, PhD, a clinical psychologist and managing director of the Anxiety Treatment Center of Greater Chicago. “It’s like jump-starting a car when you have a battery that doesn’t work,” says Dr. Cassiday.

2. Reframe Negative Self-Talk

“People with depression will start to criticize themselves and say, ‘I’m so lazy,’” says Cassiday. This negative self-talk can actually end up hindering your productivity rather than motivating you to get things done, she says.

If you notice that you’re speaking negatively to yourself, it can help to immediately replace those thoughts with positive ones. Positive self-talk can help increase self-esteem and boost motivation, which in turn can lead to improved productivity, adds Cassiday.

• Be encouraging and gentle to yourself by looking at negative thoughts objectively. Then respond with a compassionate evaluation of what is good about yourself.
• Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to someone else.

3. Don’t Wait Until You Feel Good to Get Started

When people with depression have good days and they struggle less with their symptoms, they may use those feelings as motivation to complete a task, says Cassiday. For example, they may clean their kitchen because they know it will bring them a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment later on.

But you can’t rely on feeling good as your motivation strategy all the time. Part of the reality of having depression is recognizing that there will be some days when you don’t feel good — but you’ll still need to get things done on those days, too.

“So we have to teach people to first learn to ignore the part of themselves that says, ‘I need to feel good in order to do it,’” says Cassiday. “You can’t wait for feeling good. You have to think about something that’s really important, which is that action that creates motivation.”

4. Prioritize High-Impact Cleaning Tasks

Cassiday recommends choosing tasks that create a “high impact” first to help you better recognize the value of your efforts.

What that means: “A bed takes up a large chunk of space in a room, so if you actually make it, it has a rather large effect in terms of the aesthetic appearance as compared to, say, picking up five pieces of trash,” she says.

5. Ask for Help

If a family member or friend can assist you with cleaning duties, the extra help may jump-start your motivation.

“People with depression tend to withdraw and self-isolate. Reaching out to a friend or loved one is a big step toward combating depression and can have immediate effects, not just on the physical space, but also on the emotional,” says Mairanz.

If possible, Cassiday says, do your best to ask for help before you feel embarrassed by a mess. For instance, if you haven’t been able to fold and sort laundry for a few weeks, it’s a good idea to try to reach out for help before the situation becomes unmanageable.

Also, if you have the resources, hiring a cleaning service may be a valuable option.

6. Track Your Wins, No Matter How Small

Actually write them down, Cassiday says. Include cleaning-related accomplishments as well as other wins. She calls this a “what I did list,” as opposed to a “to-do list.”

“When people are depressed they tend to vastly underestimate the effect and value of their efforts,” Cassiday says. “This helps you see that you are actually getting somewhere.”

7. Give Yourself Grace

You may also need to adjust your expectations when it comes to keeping your living space clean. Realize you may not have the energy or focus that you used to — and that’s okay, says Cassiday.

It’s important to remind yourself that a messy or disorganized house doesn’t mean you’ve failed in any way. “You are not alone with having a hard time with this, and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. We all go through ups and downs with our mental health, and our space is often a reflection of that natural process,” says Mairanz.