The holiday season might bring on intestinal distress if you don’t handle foods carefully, warns Catherine Donnelly, professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Vermont, in the November issue of Shape. The feature discusses the four most common bacteria that lurk in foods: staphylococcus aureus, salmonella, E. coli 0157:H7 and listeria moncytogenes. It then suggests how to prevent their spread.
In general, cooks should wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after handling foods. When cooking, aim for an internal temperature of 170 degrees for breast meat, 180 degrees for thigh meat and 160 degrees for meat patties.
Avoid raw eggs and keep deli meats and hot dogs separate from other foods in your refrigerator because they can contaminate foods stored nearby.
Get back at that pain
Hunching over a computer keyboard for years on end–or any other repetitive tasks that involve awkward leaning–can wreak havoc on your upper back. Such constant muscle strain, which affects some 11 million Americans, can lead to intense pain and continually interrupted sleep.
A solution may be at hand with a combination treatment of Botox and rigorous physical therapy, notes a report in the November issue of Vogue. The therapy is under study in a clinical trial being conducted by Dr. Michael Ferrante, director of the UCLA Pain Medicine Center.
The Botox injections help by poisoning a nerve fiber inside the muscle, allowing the muscle to relax. This step is followed by postural exercises and physical therapy that stretches the errant muscles. Side effects include a 48-hour bout of flulike symptoms as well as a “heavy head” sensation. Currently, the procedure isn’t covered by most insurance.
Ease up on exercise
If your triglyceride numbers are going through the roof, you may be able to improve them markedly by exercising less. That’s right–less.
The November issue of Health News reports the following: A study reported in the August issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise determined that people who exercise for just 10 minutes at a time with 20-minute rest periods in-between had better triglyceride levels than those who exercised for a continuous 30 minutes. The participants were tested by University of Missouri researchers on three separate days after eating a high-fat meal.
The intermittent exercisers reduced their levels by 27 percent, while those who exercised continuously lowered their triglycerides just 15 percent. However, blood measurements of total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein did not change based on the style of exercise done.
